Christmas Week

[tjpeeb]

My wife and I are considering taking our 8 year old to wdw for our first time Christmas week 2005 with accomodations at the Contemporary resort. It is my understanding that this is the busiest time of the year and some people have told us that if we go at this time that we will not have a good experience. Any opinions are welcome.

Thanks

 

[S_Grise]

I have never been there Christmas week. However, I have been there at other "peak times" and I cannot IMAGINE "not having a good time". It's WDW, for pete's sake!!! I think that if you do your homework and advanced planning, you can experience what you want at any time of the year.

 

[KingStefan]

First, I see that you are new - welcome to the forum. I hope you like it here. It can be a very good source of information.

Next, to your question. The week after Christmas is the busiest week of the year every year, bar none. The web site of the Unofficial Guide to WDW that predicts crowd levels (http://www.touringplans.com/BestDays.htm) had the levels that week to be nearly all 9 and 10 out of 10.

I have never been to WDW this week, but I have been there during weeks in the summertime that are crowd-level rated mostly 8 out of 10.

So, let me say this: if you go to WDW this week without doing a significant amount of planning, and familiarizing yourself with the ins and outs of WDW, you will almost certainly not have a good experience.

Having said that, I have heard that the Christmas decorations and special activities are very charming at WDW. So much so that some people go every year, regardless of the crowds. And if you plan your trip properly, you can probably have a very enjoyable trip.

Having a touring plan of the parks during very busy times is essential. The key is getting to the parks early every day you visit, making a plan tailored to your families preferences, and knowing where to be in the park at any given time of day. Sometimes this will mean taking a break mid-day, when it is most crowded. Also taking advantage of the Extra Magic Hours available to resort guests.

No one touring plan is right for every family. The best advice I can give you is to get a copy of the Unofficial Guide to WDW and read it. Then decide if it is worth it to you having to do all that planning and following it as closely as you can (and still remain flexible enough to modify it as you go when necessary).

You say that your child is 8 years old. An alternative is to pull him or her out of school for a week. Dec 5-9 would be ideal. The crowd levels are expected to be 1 out of 10 almost that whole week, and many of the Christmas decorations and activities will already be there. Have your child's teacher give him/her some work, and spend a little time each day on homework. I would have trouble myself pulling my kids out of school past sixth grade, and would hesitate starting in fourth grade, but at 8 years old, I wouldn't think that it would be a problem. But that is a very personal choice.

Going this week, you would hardly have to do any planning at all, and would be able to just go with the flow and relax. Although you would have an even better time if you do at least some minimal planning.

Another thing to consider is going during a week that your child will already be out of school for part of. For example, each year in early November in New Jersey, there is a teachers' convention on a Thursday and Friday. We are considering going during that week so that our kids only miss three days (they will be 12 and 8 - no problem for us for the 8 yo, but hesitating on the 12 yo - but I think it would be OK).

Good luck, and I hope you have an enjoyable trip if you decide to go, no matter when that is! Please feel free to post more questions and everyone on the forum will try to be very helpful.

P.S.; here is a link to Amazon.com to the Unofficial Guide to WDW (I'm not particularly endorsing Amazon here, this is just a reference to the book so you know what I'm talking about)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...f=sr_1_2/002-5663103-3268840?v=glance&s=books
It is also available in many free public libraries. If you decide to actually go, especially if you decide to go the week after Christmas, I would highly recommend getting your own copy. It is the best guide for park itinerary planning and has a wealth of other useful information.

 

[KingStefan]

P.P.S., Here is a quote from the Unofficial Guide's web site that expresses very well part of what I'm trying to say above:

How Important Is Choosing the Right Day?
Worrying about the day of the week before you have a good touring plan is like ordering two triple cheeseburgers with fries, then wondering whether the restaurant has Diet Coke. Things like the predicted crowd level, the time of day, and the attractions that you wish to visit will all affect how long you have to stand in line, and in general how crowded a park will be. Other factors, such as day of the week and whether it's a holiday can affect the crowd levels too. Our research team measures all of these factors to develop a model that will predict the amount of time you'll spend waiting in line. The following table shows how important these factors are in determining how long you wait. An importance level of 10 means that a variable has a huge effect; while a level of 1 means that it has virtually no effect at all.

Variable Importance
Attractions 10
Time of Day 10
Crowd Level Index 9
Holiday 8
Early Entry Morning 5
Day of the Week 2
Weather 1

So what does this tell us? According to our data, the attractions you visit and the time of day at which you visit them will have the greatest influence on how long you wait. On the other hand, the day of week and the weather will play only a small role. Statistically speaking, the time of day is 5 times more important than the day of the week.

Put another way, a good touring plan is much more important than choosing the right day to visit the parks. If you followed the Unofficial Guide's Magic Kingdom One-Day Touring Plan for Adults on a typical slow Tuesday and a typical busy Thursday, you'd only wait in line about 20 more minutes on Thursday - a little less than one incremental minute of wait time per attraction. In contrast, that same touring plan can save up to four hours of standing in line when compared to not following a plan.

In other words, as it applies to your situation, you can have a good time during a busy week if you plan properly, but you you have to be willing to put the extra work into it, especially since it is your first time. Otherwise, as your friend says, you may not have a very good experience.

I don't mean to frighten you away; as S_Grise has said, "It's WDW, for Pete's sake!" It really is the "happiest place on earth". I just want to emphasize that if you go during a very busy time, once again to quote S_Grise, you have to "do your homework and advance planning", and then you should have a marvelous time!

 

[S_Grise]

Thanks, KingStephan. You gave great trip planning advice and I concur with it all! We did lots of research and extensive planning for every day. We followed our plan and we weren't bothered by the crowds at all. If we had tried to do it "relaxed style" we wouldn't have been able to do nearly as much as we did. So, if planning and implementing are not your thing, a different week might be best for you.

 

[BRER STITCH]

Hi S_GRISE! :wave:

Not sure if you are locked in stone with those dates, but if you could change a little, I HIGHLY recommend going the week BEFORE Christmas, or any week in December!

You still benefit from all the Christmas decorations and activities, but FAR SMALLER crowds!

I am there each year for my Annual Meeting during the first week of December and can tell you that is absolutely the BEST time to see WDW for the Holidays!

Good Luck!...and HAVE FUN!

:xmas:

 

[Christina]

Even though WDW is the busiest during the Christmas week, you will still be able to have lots of fun IF you plan well ahead of time. If your dates are set in stone, I greatly recommend buying The Unoffical Guide To DisneyWorld and clipping out one of the touring plans there. If you can change your dates, I would recommend changing them to the first or second week of December, where you can enjoy low (almost none-exsistant) crowds and still see the Christmas decorations and shows. Have fun! :xmas:

 

[Wendy*Darling]

Don't let the crowds keep you away if that is the week you are able to go! My father's works as a consultant so doesn't get paid if he isn't working. For the last 3 years he's been working at the same company and they are closed from just before Christmas to just after New Years so he can not work anyway. As a result, we've taken our 3 generation trips that week every year for the last few years and we have an absolutely fantastic time every year. Yes, it is crowded and you have to be smart about things but it's still VERY magical and tons of fun! I would recommend using www.tourguidemike.com to help plan your time there. The information is invaluable and right on the money! I like the Unofficial Guide for more normal times but for really busy times, I prefer tourguidemike. It is up to date and has specific advice for those really insanely busy weeks. We haven't waited in line more than 10 minutes in all 3 trips. Granted we are AP holders so we can easily do the "best of the best" stuff and skip a few things because we know we will be back.

We love our Christmas to New Years trips!


Wendy

 

[crazydaveh]

I was at WDW last Christmas - New Year's and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The weather from Christmas Eve to December 26th was pretty bad, it rained constantly for three days and the temperature never rose above 55 degrees.

Many would say this stinks, not us! We had just about every part to ourselves! It was great! My mom and I rode ToT five times in an hour. That's how dead it was.

But, come the 27th, the sun came out, the temps made their way into the 60's and the people came from everywhere! It wasn't too bad, but Animal Kingdom hit capacity that day, and it was pretty busy.

We planned ahead and made reservations for the Cinderella Character Breakfast, Tony & Pats, and several other places around the parks and Downtown Disney. This proved to be great because even though the parks weren't busy, the people who were there want to eat at the same time, but we knew where we were eating and didn't wait more than 10 minutes. The wait at Tony and Pat's was 90 minutes and you had to sit outside.

The decorations are great. If you go during the busy week, just expect it to be busy and roll with any punches that may come your way (figure of speech/no fighting at the world) and have a blast!

 

[tjpeeb]

Thanks!

Thank you! Excellent posts all. Let the planning begin...

 

[kelleygreg]

We went the week before Christmas and had a blast. We took our 4 year old and she also loved it. I highly recommend the Candlelight Processional, it was awesome. The crowds were not that bad, but do take a coat. It got down to 35 degrees one day. We just bought us some Santa Mickey Hats and some apple cider and had a good time. You'll love it during Christmas.

 

[swimmom]

We went last year the week before Christmas and we're now planning a long weekend the first of second weekend in December this year. Candlelight Processional is great and if you're going to be there while Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Parties are going on, you may want to attend one. Eventhough it will be crowded, there is an advantage to that, the parks will be open later. I wouldn't let the crowds deter you from going for Christmas. :xmas:

 

[MinnieSummer]

We go to WDW for Christmas year. We arrive a day or two before and stay until the day after. We have never had a bad time, in fact quite the opposite. The only thing I really feel strongly about though is on Christmas, unless it is raining, do not go to MK. More often than not it reaches capacity by noon and is just way to crowded to enjoy. We have found that going to AK is the best alternative. No crowds. The characters in Camp Minnie-M ickey are all dressed in their Holiday finery and usually come down to the main area to visit since there are so few guests in line. There are singers that come out and perform and other entertainers in that area as well. Because it's cooler, the animals are usually all out and visible on the safari and walking trail in Asia. Overall, AK on Christmas Day rocks. Then we head over to MGM to do the thrill rides and see Fantasmic, again far fewer crowds than MK or Epcot.


I also suggest seeing the Candlelight Processional -- Christmas Eve with the Dinner Package. It makes the holiday so much more special and having the dinner package eliminates the need to line up two hours ahead of time. Then see Illuminations and the special holiday tag the put on during the holidays. Save Epcot and MK for after the holiday.

My other tip for MK is to get there when the park opens (take advantage of the EMH) and ride the more popular rides first then relax and enjoy the day.

Have a great time! We'll be there and I know we'll be having a great time. Always do.

Sorry so long I couldn't seem to stop.

 

[Laura]

If I were you I'd go a couple weeks before Christmas. You'll get the same experience (all the decorations and such) without the crowds. In fact, I am going early December this year for that reason. As much as I love Disney I will never go Christmas week. I don't consider being packed in a park like sardines and having outrageous lines a lot of fun. I like to walk around and do things slowly and not have to spend the day waiting in line.

 

[Master Yoda]

I agree with KingStefan concerning the travel dates. We always make are annual Christmas Disney trip during the first 2 weeks of December. The crowds are very light all the Christmas decorations are up and the annual Christmas special events occur (candlelight processional, MVMCP etc.). Level 9 and 10 crowds can frazzle even the most seasoned Disney veteran and if this is you first trip ever or you aren’t regulars at the parks I wouldn’t recommend traveling at peak times. The only downside (if you could even call this a downside) I have found about a Christmas trip during the first 2 weeks of December is that the celebrities reading at the candlelight processional are typically not the most popular of all the celebrities in attendance but that is a really matter of personal opinion. It would take a really huge name for me to consider trip during peak season.

 

[SpectroMan]

My family and I (all 14 of us) went the week before Christmas and left on December 23. The first couple of days, there was literally nobody in the parks. I remember Frontierland being totally empty. On the 22nd, things began to get busy, but it still wasn't as bad as when we went in the summer time. The only rides we actually waited in for regular times was RnRC and ToT, but ToT was only 30-40 minutes. So, it wasn't as bad as usual.

 

[Deb luvs Disney]

We were at Disney World last Christmas from December 19-26th and had a wonderful time and a very special Christmas. It was very crowded however so you should know that you will have some waits. The weather was great but unpredictable. A few days we wore coats and gloves and other days shorts and t-shirts. We even hit Blizzard Beach one day!

You may want to make priority seating reservations early as many get booked up early. We wanted a character meal on Christmas day and waited a bit late to take our pick which would have been Chef Mickey's. We had our Christmas dinner at the Garden Grill at Epcot with Mickey and his friends and it was great!!

Make sure you catch all of the extra Christmas things - The Candlelight Processional, the Osborne Family lights, so much to see and do I can't remember. The decorations are beautiful also!!

Have a magical time and a very Merry Christmas!!

 

[KingStefan]

Has anyone visited the Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine on I-4 just outside of WDW during the Christmas Season? We just visited there during our trip last Month, and it is very beautiful, and the organ and choir is really top notch. I'm sure this is a great place to visit during the Christmas season. Has anyone else been there?

 

[SnowWhite5669]

We are also going for Christmas this year the 23rd-Jan 1. I am very excited. I don't care about the crowds. We go so often that we can kinda pick and chose what we want to do. I just want to be in Disney on Christmas. I don't care about the crowds. It's gotta be better than cold New England!! We are booked at Port Orleans but are waiting for the passholder rates to come out, I would like to transfer to either the Beach Club or Wilderness Lodge. We just got back and I can't wait to go again!!!

 

[DisneySam]

I went last Christmas Eve to the Magic Kingdom. It was spectacular! The lines were long and crowded, but it really was not un-bearable. Plus I loved just the Christmas atmosphere at the MK! It made everything a little bit extra special I think. We had an absolute blast. I don't have many tips, but since you are staying at the contemporary you will definitly be close to the magic.


Have a great trip!