Help me plan my 50th-January 2020!

[limace]

Oh man, I can’t believe I actually typed that. Turning 40 didn’t bother me at all but 50 seems like a much bigger deal. So! To help ease the pain, I’ve decided to spend my first birthday ever at my favorite place in the world.

So far, all I’ve done is used my DVC points to book a 2 bedroom at the Grand. Which is a pretty sweet start, I know. We will be there the 5th through the 9th-my actual birthday is the 5th, but points were more than double that night than the next. We will stay somewhere nearby the night of the 4th so I can check in and be in the park first thing on the big day.

We will have at least six people-DH and I, 22 year old daughter and her boyfriend, and kids 13 and 10. We were last there June of 2018.

Questions:
-Will they likely still have holiday decorations up that weekend? When do we typically learn more about holiday schedules? I’ve never been at Christmas.
-How are crowds typically during that time?
-How would you spend your 50th if you could do whatever you wanted that day? I love good food, will ride anything, and enjoy getting up and in the parks early.
-What Else should I consider about visiting then?

Thanks for helping me ease the pain a little

 

[GenGen22]

They take the holiday decorations down after New Years so, you will be there when most decorations are down or already are down unfortunately.

 

[gogirlgo]

Yay you!! We just went to DLR this past January for my 50th (on Sunday 1/13), and it was fantastic! (obvi) I made sure I had a big Bday button with 50 on it so everyone could tell me how young I looked... Most of the holiday decor was down, except for IASW, which was bedazzled with 876 trillion lights. It wasn't scheduled for removal until the end of the week we were there. Wear your button all day, we got free desserts at lunch (Blue Bayou) and dinner (Steakhouse 55).

Speaking of dinner...it was amazing, truly delicious and worth every penny! The filet was one of the best I've ever had. A true highlight and we plan to go back each time we visit. We didn't stay on property, so that'll be a nice bonus for you. The weather was cool and sometimes a smidge rainy, but it didn't bother us one bit. We brought ponchos and rainboots, and it really just kept the crowds away - which were moderate. Sunday was the busiest of our days, with Tuesday being lighter. But again, not anything like when we've gone in the summer (which we do every year, though starting this year, we're shifting to fall, those hot summers wear a girl down).

The only thing we didn't do on my bday that I had wanted was take The Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour. Just didn't want to deal with it in the rain. But something we'll do next time. I loved planning the trip (which is what we all love, right?!!), and it was a wonderful trip. Hope yours is as magical as mine was!!

 

[avalon451]

Hubby and I took a couples only trip for my 52nd, Sept. '16. It was wonderful! I had made reservations for Napa Rose Chef's counter on our arrival day, for dinner. However, the day before we left, DH informed me that he'd wangled lunch reservations for Club 33 at 1:30! It was through work; they have a corporate membership, and his boss knew the administrator of the account and wangled it for him. We are trying to do the same for the upcoming trip for my 55th; but he has a different boss now and it might not work out. Anyway, that was about as special as it gets. We rescheduled our Napa Rose chef's counter for a few nights later, at the late seating, which worked out well.

Other special things we did: WOC dessert party (I'll never go back to FP or dining packages), lunch at BB (11:30 seating to get waterside), lunch another day at Carthay Circle, which turned out to be amazing. This next time I'd like to try Steakhouse 55.

Hope you have a wonderful time!

 

[pharmama]

They take the holiday decorations down after New Years so, you will be there when most decorations are down or already are down unfortunately.

They don’t take the holiday stuff down immediately after New Years- it usually stays up through the following weekend and sometimes even a few days more.

New Years is on a Wednesday for 2020 so I think it’s a pretty safe bet that the holiday season and all associated activities and decor will go through at least the following Sunday which is the OPs arrival day. The change in DVC point cost from the 4th to the 5th is also a good indicator that that weekend is still considered part of the holiday peak season.

 

[limace]

Yay! I’d love to get a chance to see the lights and Small World all decorated.

 

[Barnabus Collins]

Small World will definitely have the lights up, they are very beautiful for sure.

 

[limace]

And Avalon, your birthday celebration sounds fabulous. We were so blessed and scored Club 33 lunch reservations last June-a bucket list item and just amazing. We had WOC dessert party tickets but then it went down for months and we didn’t get to see it . That’s a great one to try this time. Did BB Fantasmic package-love the viewing area but am just not a fan of the food quality for the price. Maybe I’ll try a different dining package. Though will they even have the night time shows on weeknights in January?