Am I crazy to even think about hitting Halloween and Christmas in one trip?

[billyjobobb]

We have 2 weeks to use at our timeshare next year (Wyndham Bonnet Creek) Thinking about hitting the last Halloween party and then the first Christmas party......

Is this an insane idea? We usually do a 14 day vacation, buying either 10 day passes, or last time we bought APs. How insane is the Halloween party on Halloween? Halloween merch will likely be sold out by then, but we'd get first dibs on Christmas merch! The decorations would be a bit hit or miss since they cannot make the changeover in one night, but how busy would it be? What would the weather be like? We live in Oregon, so hot weather is a no. Went to Halloween last September and it was God awful miserable. (high 90s and humid) Will the weather be doable by November? Will it be full on Christmas everywhere while we're there? Sleigh rides and all? What about Christmas in Epcot?

Should I plan for Halloween through the 14th? Or should we do the last week of October and the first week of November?

We have been to the Florida parks many times, but usually at Flower and Garden or earlier. Any differences for the first week of December? Always been fearful of the parks when they say they are busy, but just had what was probably the best Disneyland trip in early August for the Haunted Mansion 50th.

 

[gorkt]

Nope, I did a trip like this once. I got to WDW the night of the last Halloween party, fall decorations still up. A few days later Xmas decorations were up and then we went to a Xmas party a few days before we left. It was pretty fun, although it was a little too early to feel like XMas to me.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Is this an insane idea?

Not insane. We did it last year and are doing it again this year.

How insane is the Halloween party on Halloween?

The party on Halloween night sells out every year so it will be crowded but a sold out party is the same no matter what night it is so it won't be any busier than the other sold out MNSSHP nights. Follow this year's MNSSHP thread to get an idea of crowds.

Halloween merch will likely be sold out by then, but we'd get first dibs on Christmas merch!

There will be a lot of Halloween merch, but yes the most popular things sell out early.

The decorations would be a bit hit or miss since they cannot make the changeover in one night, but how busy would it be?

The decorations in MK go up after the last MNSSHP and will all be up before the first MVMCP.

What would the weather be like?

Hit or miss. Last year was still pretty hot, year before I needed a sweatshirt.

Will it be full on Christmas everywhere while we're there?

No. Follow the dates on when things start this year, they'll be similar next year. MK and HS start their Christmas activities the first week of November and this year they announced AK starting also. Some of the resorts will start decorating but not all.

What about Christmas in Epcot?

Food and Wine goes to the end of November this year. Christmas decor won't start til after that.

Should I plan for Halloween through the 14th? Or should we do the last week of October and the first week of November?

Depends on what you want to catch more of. We're doing 10/24-11/9 because we like to catch as much of Halloween as possible.

 

[Jperiod]

We did 2 weeks like this, 10/31 (actually went to the last halloween party on 11/1) and our last night was a christmas party on 11/13. It was record breaking heat that year, and even though we're from Phoenix, the humidity on top of it was crazy. Our previous WDW trip (in December!) also happened to be record-breaking heat that year!

It was fun, but so very hot that we will never do it again. We're trying the end of January next time!

 

[DisneyandBeerLover]

We're thinking about doing this too! And we're from Oregon (although I love the heat, but I grew up spending summers in Reno). I remember you from the Haunted Mansion 50th thread, too! Hi

But we're insane lol so maybe you are too. As long as you're having fun, that's all that matters. We're hoping for the end of Halloween, beginning of Christmas, Wine & Dine half marathon and Destination D23 all in one trip so we're hoping they all happen within a 2 week span.

Depending on the timing of the 20 year pin trading event and the first MNSSHP, I might be going to one of the first parties. I'll let you know and if there's any merchandise you want, I can pick it up for you.

I don't think you should worry about the parks being too busy. You'll have lots of time to get everything in.

 

[Robo]

Am I crazy to even think about hitting Halloween and Christmas in one trip?

Folks have asked this same question (almost the same wording) every year for years and years.
It's actually very common.
So, if you want to be "crazy" you'll have to think of something more "off the wall" than this.

 

[billyjobobb]

Maybe leave a day or 2 early and hit Disneyland on the way home?

 

[Robo]

Maybe leave a day or 2 early and hit Disneyland on the way home?

NOW, you're getting into the crazy stuff!!

 

[MrsDuck]

Sounds like fun!

 

[cgattis]

I think it’d be kinda hard to mentally shift from Halloween to get the FULL Xmas spirit, but it sounds like fun to me!! I love the seasonal stuff. WRT merch, don’t look at blogs and stuff, and you won’t know what you missed! And if you see a shirt or something you like but can’t find your size, ask a CM if they can find it in another location for you. They found my fave shirt for me in the store at WL. Plus it will probably be on sale! Go and have fun!!!

 

[GeneralTso]

That happened to us by accident, not design one year. We were there for the changeover and it was very cool.

 

[mamamelody2]

Sounds awesome to me!

We went November 12-20 in 2017. Weather was AMAZING. Low humidity, warm during the day, flirting with hot, but cooled off nicely at night. Epcot was still Food and Wine when we got there, then overnight it went to Christmas. Pretty cool to see!

 

[WelshMorgan92]

not at all, I did this last year, got to do the last Halloween party and the first Christmas one, great way to see all the decorations in MK

 

[dvcdis1864]

Not crazy at all. We've done it twice (last in 2017). In fact, I think it's time to do it again .

 

[fhtpdw20]

I did this in 2016. Arrived 10/31 and caught the last Halloween party, then spent a couple of park days catching end of Food and Wine Fest. I did a 3 day cruise in the middle so I could snag discount for future cruise, then back to parks a couple of days for Christmas. Only MK and Studios were decorated. I did the first Christmas party and then flew home. Three vacation experiences in one trip. The Epcot usually does not start until after Thanksgiving. At that time AK was not much for Christmas.

 

[DisneyDoesMyHair]

This sounds like so much fun! For those who have done it, does Disney switch the theme of the food items in this time period as well? Will you see Christmas food items showing up all over the parks, or is this a slower transition?

 

[LuvMyEAR]

We did this in 2017 and I dream about doing it again someday. Not very likely, but dreams are still free, right? It was awesome. We initially planned a wonderful trip with DD, DSIL, and 2 DGSs, which included the Oct 31 MNSSHP.

About 4 weeks before our trip, our flights were rather radically rescheduled by the airline, which opened up the opportunity to request our own changes to our itinerary with no charge. Unbeknownst to the kids, we made a quick decision to add a couple of nights, plus the MVMCP to our plans. The surprise was unveiled on the morning we would have been packing to come home. We arranged their Santa Mickey hats, new Disney Christmas shirts and a few other silly things for them to discover. They were over the moon, because MVMCP has been a favourite tradition almost every trip.

So, instead of heading to the airport, we went from our offsite rental to the All Star Sports Resort for our vacation extension. We all throughly enjoyed catching both “seasons”. It felt just right to end on that note.