My husband asked me this evening if I could get together a quick trip to Disneyworld from 12/25 to 12/28… as in this month. During what I’m assuming is the busiest time of the touring to the Kingdom.
We have Annual Passes, so we’re just talking the cost of flights (which I found some that would work) and hotel (which I reserved, just in case… three days, about $1k).
I’ve never seen Disney during the Christmas Holidays, and I’m a sucker for Christmas lights and decorations. So basically, I know nothing about this time of year (never researched it), except that it’s busy.
Is this quick a trip worth it? I’m concerned because while I explained to my hubby that it’s the busiest he could ever imagine, I don’t think he understands what that looks like.
I managed to get a room at the Caribbean Beach Resort, and I thought we could try the Magical Express, which I have never used before.
Should we just not plan, and just go? Will it be still decked out and Christmas-y, or is it going to just be stuffed with humanity? Should I look into the Epcot candlelight procession thingie, or is that a lost cause at this point in time?
(We have a planned trip in February for Valentine’s day, so it’s not so much about rides as it is about checking out the Holiday splendor, and maybe lucking into some lovely experience that only is available this time of year. The Holiday party at MK would have been over before we get there).
Any thoughts would be appreciated - thanks!
~ Josie, aka Imaginette ~
I love Disney at Christmas time. It is magical.
You are picking some of the busiest days of the year to go. We’ve been at that time and you need to have reasonable expectations. It will be crowded. When we have been in December, we have made it point to see or do things that are only available during the holidays (rather than ride all the rides mentality).
I think it’s possible to have a great time even with the crowds.
Yes, it’s very busy, but it’s beautiful at Christmas. I think it’s worth it. We had such a great time last year and they are adding some neat things in this year. Make sure you visit AKL, GF, and WL!
It’s amazing, but the key is to set your expectations accordingly. As you noted, it will be more packed than you can imagine. Some people will be such jerks that your head will want to explode. It’s definitely not the time to ride all the rides. You will wait extra long for buses and then be super squished and someone will shove their stroller or scooter over your feet to get ahead (but with CBR, the Skyliner may really help transport!).
OTOH, C’mas at WDW is beautiful and magical. WDW does a good job of putting in a lot of extras, like street shows and the Epcot Christmas thing from each country when things get super crowded, so you can find entertainment all over. We caught carolers in the BC lobby, for example.
If you like to wander, watch shows, try new things, eat around the world (our fave), it can be fun. Last time we did the weekend between Christmas and back to school, we had a lot of cold rain and that cleared some crowds. Pack accordingly and enjoy.
Some of my favorite memories are our Christmas trips. The weather is at least cooler (normally). We typically do things we haven’t made time for in other trips and that’s been pretty special. We stop for the street shows, ride the less popular rides, spend a little more time at the resorts, even sipping hot drinks in the resort lobby of a place like Wilderness can be special. (I’ve never toured the lights in the campground, but hear that is amazing!! We’re trying it this time hopefully.)
In all, it all depends on what you want from the trip and how well you can deal with the crowds and jerks. There are plenty of ways to take breaks from the chaos.
Oh, and they stay decorated through NYE, I think. Christmas Processional & Festival of the Holidays runs through 12/29 (I think). We stayed in Wilderness one holiday and I remember going to bed and admiring the tree and it was gone in the morning! Quiet as can be. I’m pretty sure this was after NYE, but I can’t remember exactly.
Christmas Processional is definitely worth seeing! It’s wonderful. There are dinner packages that give you priority seating and we did that once. We’ve been able to get in w/out the package the other times we tried, and w/out lining up super early. I’m really not super clear on why b/c I hear others talk about long lines, but the announcers we saw were not what I would consider “must see stars”, (one was actually kind of annoying) and I had to google them all (I’m not a TV person). I don’t have good advice here on ques, but I certainly don’t think it’s a lost cause.
If you do not care about riding/attractions, I would do it, no question. I’ve never been there for Christmas Day itself, but one year that I was running Marathon weekend and it was early in January DD and I went even earlier than we usually did for the marathon weekend and were there during the week before New Years, but after Christmas. We had zero ride plans and just wandered and explored – it was so fun.
I would do it if I were in your shoes! If it’s your only opportunity in 3-5 years like it is for me, I choose the timing very carefully. But I would love to have an AP and be able to go during the holidays and just absorb the decor and take in the beauty. Go at a slow pace. Make a touring plan if you want, but keep it loose. And have fun!
I’ve said it before. You couldn’t pay me money to go during that week. We were there once, and I found it miserable. (They shut down the gates to the park the day we were there because they hit max capacity.)
But if crowds don’t bother you, perhaps you’d feel differently. To be fair, we had young kids. Had it been just me and my wife, perhaps I would have felt differently.
If I could go I would. But would focus on festive ADRs, just my 3 FPS. Maybe a dessert party or DAH. Regular park hours I wouldn’t have too many expectations. Enjoy the resort too.
I so wish I could take a trip like this of just me and my husband. I’ve taken some solo trips b/c it was just not affordable for him and the kids to also go, or because it wasn’t something the kids would have enjoyed. I really wish I had a reliable nearby family or close friend who could do that but I just have entirely too many kids. Maybe in a few years…
My wife and I went for our honeymoon, and we will finally be going, just the two of us, next year in December (but first week) for our 25th anniversary! Very much looking forward to it. Originally we had wanted to go for our 10th, then our 20th, but finances and life always got in the way. We have been planning this 25th trip for about 3 years now to make sure it happens!
Also, I just did Thanksgiving week and it was far more crowded than my previous T weeks in 2014 and 15. I don’t know if it was just more people or if the blessing of fantastic weather was also a curse b/c people came out to the parks. But I can say that the idea of just doing your 3 FP and enjoying the decor is a fun thing to do, b/c that is mostly what we did. In previous years I could get us a lot of good 4th FP and beyond but not this time, and since we’d done a lot of those rides before we didn’t feel the need to wait for them. But we hadn’t been in so long that the new fireworks, shows, and character meets were great time fillers when we didn’t want to wait in long lines. Ahd the holiday decor is awesome!
