We may be in Orlando early December one weekend this year for a family event. We were planning to arrive Friday night (11/30), attend the event Saturday, and return Sunday. The idea came up today to possibly arrive on Thursday night, but squeeze in a Disney or Universal day on Friday, more leaning towards Disney. There will be all adults plus one teen. We were debating between MK or HS. There’s an EMH at MK, and the Mickey Christmas Party at night. We wouldn’t be doing either of those, and the park closes at 6. HS closes at 8. We’d probably not do hopper passes. Normally, we only visit WDW in the summer or spring because we can be there longer, more days, etc. The only reason this came up is because we’d be in Orlando already. Any advice on which to choose? Is it even worth it? Any advice would be helpful, thanks in advance!
I was thinking that, too. We’ve been to UOR three years in a row, it’s one of my favorite places to visit. The idea for Disney came up because the last time we were in WDW was is 2012, and DLR in 2015. I was wondering what others thought, and whether going to Disney (or Universal for one day would be worth it or not.
For one day, I think Universal is definitely easier to tackle. However, if you love MK then that becomes an option. I’m not sure I’d pay the Disney one-day price for a single day at DHS. If it came between Universal or DHS, Universal all the way. But MK becomes an option.
Considering ages? I’d still lean toward Universal. If you are Harry Potter fans, get the park to park pass and focus on that, maybe, plus some of the other great rides (Kong, Rip Ride Rocket, Mummy, etc).
I’m leaning towards Universal now, lol. We are fans of MK, and know that we’d probably not hit all the rides, but would want to hit: Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, SDMT (we’ve never been there since it was open), Peter Pan, Big Thunder Mountain, and anything else would be extra. My thinking on one hand was that we’ve never been to Disney (or Universal) during Christmastime, and it would be nice to see the decorations and stuff, as we probably wouldn’t do a winter trip ever (we travel more in spring and summer). However, on the other, I’m trying to figure out if the one day price is even worth it if the park closes so early—especially if there is a party that night. Would the park be MORE crowded during that time?
Since the park effectively has significantly shorter hours due the party (except for the party-goers), people will choose other parks to visit to maximize their time. If you go to MK, particularly without a Park Hopper, and it closes at 6:00 (or whatever) that is a significant loss…so, people avoid going on such days.
You could do MK and then go resort hopping. GF is a definite must, and you could add in WL too quite easily.
BC and YC are my personal favourites. You could drive over and see if they will let you park for a couple of hours - you just have to persuade them you aren’t going to Epcot.
Thanks for the advice, everyone! We decided that it wouldn’t be worth it to do Disney on this trip. We decided to keep it open just in case we plan on doing universal, but it will be a pretty rushed trip.
What about doing just the Party? You said you may never travel there in the winter again, so it seems like it would be fun to fully immerse yourself in the holiday festivities. Just my two cents. Really you can’t go wrong with any of the options!
I’m really thinking about possibly doing that, even though we’ve never attended a party (Halloween or Christmas) at Disney. Undercover Tourist has the tickets for $101, but they’re not refundable. I’m curious for those who have attended, how it is. I know there are special shows/parades, meet and greets, and cookies. Other than that, are all of the rides open? How crowded is it in general compared to a normal 5/6 crowd level day? How bad is it at midnight if you need a taxi or Uber? Also, this may be a dumb question, but do you make fast passes for events like this if you don’t have a regular park admission for earlier in the day?
We went to MNSSHP and loved it! We are going to MVMCP this year. All of the rides you mentioned are open. There are a few that close at 7 (like Mickeys philharmonic, HOP, plus others. Check TP for list). you can go into the park at 4 and you should be able to make 3 FP at 30d if off-site for 3:30, 4:30, 5:30. Some people have had problems with this but I made them for our party day. Also I think it has been more of a problem when booking party FP along with non-party days. I vote for going to the party! Have an early dinner beforehand hand and then just snack during party.
I think just the party is a fabulous idea! It gets you a little Disney and some Christmas.
Over the summer we did after five convention tickets for one day. It went fast - but it was a great night. Have lunch/dinner at a MK resort before the party then be at the gates at 4. You will have your first three fast passes and then lines for rides at a party are supposed to be minimal. I don’t think an Uber after would be a problem.
