Disney During the Holiday's

[kilee]

I watched the Travel Channel special the other night. Now, I really want to go during the Holiday season. DH, who previously said we needed a year or two break, agreed to go next year between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I looking to hear expierences with the crowds, weather, and anything Holiday related. It's already such a magical time of year. That I can only imagine Disney just adds to that. Also, we will definetly be hitting up MVMCP. So any tales of that would be nice too!!!

 

[TLinden16]

December is my favorite time to go to Disney World. The decorations are fantastic, and the holiday events are a lot of fun. Some of the not to be missed things during the holidays are:

The Candlelight Processional at Epcot--A celebrity narrator tells the story of the birth of Jesus, backed up by a choir of over 300. It's incredibly moving. Gives me the chills every time.

The Holiday storytellers at the World Showcase--They give five minute presentations about how the holidays are celebrated in each country. Very interesting and entertaining.

MVMCP--The shows, the parade, the cookies and cocoa. Very festive.

The gingerbread and candy displays at the Grand Floridian, the Boardwalk, the Yacht & Beach Club. They are always amazing, and definitely worth checking out.


Karen

 

[Pixie_Dust]

I agree! That is exactly what we just got back from doing, and it was so cool to see WDW during the holidays!

In addition to everything on the previous poster's list, all of which we did and loved, I would add going around to all the WDW resorts and seeing how they uniquely decorate each one. We had a blast!

We stayed two weeks with a weekend away at the Gulf Coast beaches, and it was also cool to see how Sanibel & Captiva islands celebrate the holidays.

Another "small town celebration" we discovered was in Winter Park, where we took that boat tour and they have the Tiffany/Maxfield Parrish museum. They bring out and illuminate the priceless Tiffany windows at a Bach-choir nighttime celebration in their Central Park to kick off their holiday season celebrations. It was cool!

We also toured the nearby Leu Gardens, where their house (a very interesting historical tour) was also decorated for Christmas.

Hm, I wonder if we'd made it to Gatorland if they were decorated for the holidays?

Due to the seasonal weather, we had the best time ever at the AK park, as the animals were actually active, and it wasn't like being in a broiler. They also had carolers.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Cheers

 

[Flibbity]

This time of year it gets pretty cold at night down here in Florida. Just be sure you're prepared with some warm sweatshirts or pullovers...

I would also note that one really nice thing was all the "extra" stuff there was to see besides the parks. For example, some of the resorts (Grand Floridian was the big one) have special holiday performances in their lobby every night. It makes everything so much more festive, and you don't even have to be staying at the resort to watch...

If you do decide to go next year, be sure to check out www.allearsnet.com in the Holiday section before you go. She always posts the holiday schedule for performances and "special treats".

 

[Antonia]

I've been twice in December. Once the week before Christmas. Checked out on Christmas Eve. This was the best. Low crowds, but still enjoyed holiday lights, decorations, MVMCP, etc. Then we went after Christmas and into NYE and this was like a zoo. Too crowded, too crazy and I will never go at that time of year again. To me, NYE in the world just wasn't all that special. I would definitely recommend going right before Christmas.

 

[disyidkid]

Last year we went to WDW before Christmas and the crowds weren't awful. This year we're going for 2 days before New Years Eve. Please tell me it won't be so horribly crowded that we will hate it- Although I could never hate Disney-
Also, any suggestions for handling the crowds would be appreciated!!
Happy Holidays

 

[pewing]

Here's my 2 cents worth (from a girl named Penny...that's a lot )

We have gone twice during the first week in December. LOVED IT!! It's a quiet between the storms (Thanksgiving and Christmas)...the crowds are...well...somewhere else And...the decorations are wonderful! We stayed at the Poly once and AKL last year. We took a picture in every park in front of the tree...I would have liked to done that in all the resorts, but we didn't get that done. Also...Epcot is awesome at Christmas! Especially with kids. We travelled around and learned about Christmas traditions in each country (except for Morroco...which is a Muslim country) and even seeing 'Santa' from the various countries...talk about some great pictures!

I wish we could have gone this year...but with a 2nd and 4th grader...a whole week out of school is too tough. We are going in February when we have a 3 day week...and my youngest is celebrating his birthday!

I would DEFINATELY reccomend a December trip!

 

[shelleybell]

I would love a December trip, but my DS(10) cant miss school or it would be an unexcused ab. How is the crowd, say around the 18th of Dec?

 

[sdamico71]

We checked with school and they actually counted it as an educational trip. My kids had to do a report on the countries in Epcot.
1st week of December is by far the best time to go. We loved the holiday decorations and were able to walk down the streets in MGM and MK without banging into others. Minimal waits in line - even for Dumbo! and all of the thrill rides.
Although the parks close early, you will have more ride time, than other times of the year.
I do caution you, however, on the weather. The weather is very unpredictable. Two years ago, we packed a few pairs of slacks and a few pairs of shorts, expecting weather in the 70/80. The weather was in the mid-90s, so the pants did us no good. It was almost impossible to find shorts. We ended up going to Walmart, and getting just a few more things than we had. So, I would wait to pack the clothes portion of your trip until 48 hours beforehand, and check a local Orlando TV station's website for a 7 or 10-day forcast.

 

[DebbieB]

We've gone the past 6 years the first or second week of December. It's a great time to go! We've never hit big crowds. Weather can be iffy. 3 of the 6 years we had great weather - mid 70's to 80. One year it was only in the low 60's the entire week (2000). The past 2 years it was a mix - some cool days, some warm. We were there 2 weeks ago, it was only 55 on our arrival day but warmed up to 75 during the week. Days aren't bad but nights get cold when the temps are lower. We brought our winter coats this year and were glad to have them some nights.

 

[della]

We just came back on 12/12. And the kids are still going on about the trip (and they do go every year but usually in November). At MVMCP we were asked if we wanted to remain on some rides for a second turn(even Splash Mtn and BTMR). We didn't even have to wait for the dreaded Dumbo ride! This is the 3rd time we have gone in early Dec and it is still the best time to go. I can't pull the kids from school every year or this would be our yearly time of year to go. This was one of our best trips ever!