Planning First Trip In December

[PearlWhiteGT]

We are planning to take our daughter to WDW for her 15th birthday and this will be our very first time being there. As of now there will be a total of 10 people going with my daughter being the youngest. The dates that we are looking at are December 20 - 26 of this year. We'd like to try and find a good Airbnb for all of us to stay at in the area to try and save some money. Any of you used an Airbnb in the area? Is it possible to hire a photographer to take our daughter around the park and take birthday pics of her? How is WDW during the dates that we are looking at? Also, which parks are best recommended and how many days for each? I really don't know much about WDW so trying to do my best in planning the trip so we all have a great time.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Cant help you with the Airbnb because weve always stayed on site. But we have been at Christmas time, so... it will be crowded that week because lots of people do plan Christmas week with their families and the locals enjoy Christmas at the parks. It is the most spectacular season to go because of the intense holiday decorations and events. We go longer so we do multiple days at each park. With your time frame you could do well to plan 2 days at MK, 2 at EP, 1 DHS, 1 AK or switch up 1 at EP, 2 at AK depending on what interests you most.
Get a good guide book ( Unofficial guide to Disney) and look through this site and others that will give you a good description of each park and whats there for each to determine your plan of attack. Because of the popular time and crowds, you may not get to do everything you want so plan out your major wants first and get to the parks early. Disney has Disney Fine Art Photography that will do private photo shoots. I have never used them so dont know how expensive or how extensive they work in the parks. A contact # is 407-934-4004
Enjoy the time and celebration of the birthday girl !!

 

[Zé_Carioca]

To add an alternative if you didn't know: Disney has photographers stationed in areas around every park called photopass. Taking the photos is free but you pay to buy a download pass or prints. You have to wait in line for the photographers but that is also an option.

Disney Fine Arts will have a professional photographer that will do a personal shoot for you but those are expensive from what I hear.

No recommendations on Air BnB but I know there are many affordable Vacation Villages near Disney that could be a good option perhaps for your family.

Also heed @JIMINYCR's advice, Christmas week is EXTREMELY busy at Disney so mentally prepare for crowds and long lines. I also second having two days at the Magic Kingdom.

Make sure to book restaurants 6 months in advance since the major restaurants book fast, especially for a big party. I also recommend booking a special birthday dinner at one of the famous restaurants for the birthday girl!

For FastPass, since you seem to be staying off property, make sure to book those 30 days in advance.

 

[Zé_Carioca]

Since you said you don't know a lot about WDW I'd also highly recommend staying at a disney hotel since they have transportation to/from the airport, transportation around the Disney park and you get 60 days (as opposed to 30 days) for fast pass among other perks. For a group that big you can look into Disney Vacation Club suites or villas. The fast pass thing is extremely important during Christmas season. Basically each park day each guest gets to make 3 "reservations" for a shorter wait at an attraction at a specific time period. Resort guests get to book first and so they usually get the best rides.

 

[RememberWhen]

This sounds like a really lovely idea. Who wouldn’t want to spend their birthday at Disney?!

I have not done an Airbnb, so I don’t know what your options or pricing are for that. If you were interested in booking a DVC room by renting points, it’s good to know that those rooms will go fast. You should put in a request now as the 11 month window for booking is coming up very soon for your dates.

We were there with a large group last Christmas (2018) and we had a great time. It was very crowded. Fast passes are very important to saving some time. If possible you might have each member of your party pick one thing that they really want to do, and try to do those 10 things. Setting reasonable expectations was very helpful for us. We did our three fastpasses and any other rides were considered bonuses.

I imagine the photographer would be very expensive, but it can’t hurt to ask.

Definitely do some research into where you want to stay. if you have to drive in every day you’ll need to pay to park. Plus rent a car. If you stay onsite there’s free transportation from MCO and free transportation around the property.

good luck and ask more questions when they come up!

 

[lorreejean]

I second staying on property at that time of year. We just got back from our Christmas trip and we had a blast despite the crowds. We were a party of 9 and stayed at Fort Wilderness Campground. I had gotten requests from my party about fastpasses and made them at the 60 day window. The only thing I wasn't able to get originally was Slinky Dog Dash, but when the hours were increased a few weeks prior to our arrival I was able to get it. Also when you stay on property, besides the transportation and 60 day window, Extra Magic Hours come into play. At that time of year there is generally increased Extra Magic Hours that are only available to on site guests. It makes a real difference in what you can ride as no fastpasses are in use at that time and no outside guests are riding. When our party did EMH we were able to do 2-3 extra rides before the general opening time.

 

[PearlWhiteGT]

Thanks everyone for all the advice. So looks like we picked a bad time to be going but we will just have to make the best of it. We do plan on visiting Universal Studios one day and not sure how many Disney parks we will be able to visit. MK is for sure going to be a two day visit. Between AK and HS which would be better to visit? Also, are we allowed to leave the park and come back during the same day? As far as food, are there places in the park to get quick bites to eat like if were going to a fast food place?

 

[Zé_Carioca]

For AK vs DHS it depends on what you think your party will prefer. DHS has more thrill rides like Tower of Terror and Rocking Roller Coaster, it also has the new Star Wars land if anyone in your party is into that. DAK is beautiful and a great park to walk around and relax in, see the animals etc. It also has great rides like Everest and Flight of Passage. If Star Wars is not a drawing point, i'd say DAK wins.

Yes you are allowed to leave the park and come back on the same day to the same park (if you don't have Park Hopper, if you do have a Park Hopper ticket upgrade you can visit as many parks as you'd like in one day).

All parks have quick-service restaurants, i'd say that pre-Galaxy's edge, DHS had the worst quick-service food. The best quick-service will be found at Epcot since each country's pavilion has a nice quick-service with regional cuisine. All parks also have their standard burgers and fries quick service place if that is what your party wants.

For quick service MK I like Columbia Harbor House (seafood) if you want something lighter, I also like Pinnocchio's Village house (Italian) when I am craving comfort food.

For DAK I like Satuli Canteen at Pandora (salad/rice bowls)

For DHS I love the new quick-service at Galaxy's Edge (docking bay)

At Epcot I usually end up eating around the world but Tangerine Cafe (Moroccan) is a favorite.

 

[JillC LI]

I strongly recommend that you pick up the Unauthorized Guide to WDW and do some reading. It will educate you on what is in each park as far as rides and food, things like FP+ (essential to book at that time to year), Photopass, Extra Magic Hours (only if you stay on property or an affiliated resort), and all your other questions. Yes, you can come and go from the same park in the same day UNLESS it fills up to peak capacity which is possible around Christmas.
In 2018 we went right at the time you are going. If you arrive at the parks BEFORE rope drop every day, and you book your FP+s and dining reservations at the moment they become available, then you can have an enjoyable trip and do a lot. If you don't plan though, you will get very little done that you want to do. We also spent December 24th doing both Universal parks and got a lot done by staying the night before on property so we could get the Express Pass and early entry.
My biggest suggestion before going to WDW for the first time is research and prepare. Then you can relax and have a good time once you're there.

 

[magnanimous66]

Don't go during Christmas time. It's way to crowded. For some rides the wait time was 3 hours. My family and I were their for Christmas and New Years.

 

[macefamily]

We used Air BnB twice on previous trips. We went during off-season times. The rates were very cheap for a three bedroom townhouse. Both were in the Kissimmee area so you'll need a rental car to go back and forth. Not sure what the room rates will be during peak holiday season.
You can purchase Universal Express Pass which will move you through the lines a little quicker. However, I have heard that during the holidays Express can still be :45 minutes on some attractions. Check out the Citywalk restaurants before your trip. There's a lot of variety and good choices.

 

[DryerLintFan]

Our first trip was during Christmas week and we still had a blast. Yes it gets crowded, but a lot of those people aren't willing to wake up super early. So get to the parks before rope drop. MK opened at 7 am on Christmas day during our trip. We got there at 6:45 and Fantasyland was near empty for two whole hours.