*** The Official December 2019 thread ***

Add my family to the list, my son's fiancee family was going so just booked the holiday magic for my daughters and me Dec 21-26. We are staying at PO Riverside. My second Christmas trip and their first one. Will squeeze in Universal on the second part of trip.
 
With only 2 park days, I'm just making sure you are mentally prepared: have you been into the Disney Parks on New Year's eve before? EPCOT, for example, is known to have 5 hour waits for TT on NYE. But the fireworks shows at MK and EPCOT in the past have been worth it swimming through the crowds. New Year's day is so much easier to get on rides than the day before, partiularly in the morning when everyone is still sleeping in.

I know it will be absolutely nuts. So yes, we kinda know what we are getting into - crazy, mad, one-of-a-kind Disney fun!

It helps that we have gone every year for 10 years (sometime 1-2 park days, sometimes 10-14 night extravaganzas) so we are OK missing rides. Plus we are planning a 2 week trip next August :)

And a few years ago we went for 2 park days over Christmas week and found it surprisingly manageable with a really good plan. We even managed a lot of rides! This time though my hope is to do Star Wars Land one morning and Pandora another morning. Other than that, dance parties at MK on the 30th and dance parties at Epcot on the 31st :) :)

Normally we find it well worth it to spend 2-3 hours staking out our favourite fireworks spots. This time I think we will skip that and spend our time enjoying the dance party atmosphere in each park and just watch the fireworks from a less ideal position.

Been stalking NYE threads to get our plans in perspective. Looks like it is a bad idea to take the bus/drive on property between 10ish and 1/2pm. So right now I plan to go to AK on the morning of the 31st, leaving at 3pm for an afternoon break back at our campsite before going to Epcot at 7pm for dance party fun :)
 
I have friends who visited week of Christmas last year they told me they were picked up by ME 4 hours ahead of their flight instead of the usual 3 hours. They were told this was due to extra heavy holiday crowds at MCO, I need to know if this will be the case as we have a brunch reservation and I may need make it at an earlier time.
Has anyone heard of this happening this year?
 
I have friends who visited week of Christmas last year they told me they were picked up by ME 4 hours ahead of their flight instead of the usual 3 hours. They were told this was due to extra heavy holiday crowds at MCO, I need to know if this will be the case as we have a brunch reservation and I may need make it at an earlier time.
Has anyone heard of this happening this year?
We were there in December, and yes, it is true. I was angry that they used it for piling extra people onboard from 4 different resorts and not traffic. We arrived at MCO later than we should have (although still made our flight, but did not have the luxury of having time to eat dinner at the airport as we had planned.)

Definitely eat before you leave. If you can afford it, I suggest a town car or even an Uber/Lyft to get you to the airport.
 


We are flying from Indiana and will be there from 12/20 til 1/4 and staying offsite. We are regular xmas disney guests but this year we are a little more excited as there are so many changes we havent experienced yet. First time for Toy Story Land, SWGE, Epcot Forever, Gondolas and so much more. Also, this will be our first time doing Hoop dee doo Show so were excited.
We did Hoop de Do a few weeks ago and loved it! So much food (there were only two of us). Fun times!
The main extra for us is going twice in one year! We are excited to be going during the Christmas season for the first time and have booked the 12/17 party. We are also going to visit other resorts for dining, which, except for Ohana, we don't do, just usually eat in the parks. Can't wait to see the resorts decorated! Also can't wait to ride the skyliner and see SWGE fully open. We got a reservation for Ogas.
Resort hopping is one of my favorite pastimes during the holidays!
When do you guys think JBJB dessert party tix will go on sale for this holiday season? Has anyone ever done before?
We loved this dessert party last year but dh got tired waiting for the JBJB show so we didnt stay for the whole show part of the evening and truthfully I was tired as well!
 
We are headed there on 12/21-12/26. Booked at CSR but thinking about looking into switching to AKL. worried about the bus situation. SO EXCITED!!!
 
Had a bit of a planning meltdown this morning. My husband and I sat down to sort out our dining and decide if we were going to book the after hours packages as well. Our FP date is in a couple of weeks as well so wanted to get that decided on as well.

Got really overwhelmed with the amount we are trying to do. We have a 15 night trip and we just have too much dining and plans we are trying to fit in. So far we have 20 table service restaurants planned but now the after hours packages are getting in the way of a couple of popular ones of those and we can’t really move them. It’s got to that point where you need to decide on final plans but don’t want to admit you can’t do certain things. I know this is a really first world problem to have and I’m not complaining but it can get really overwhelming and that’s with knowing what we are doing.

Thanks for letting me vent - I knew you guys would understand :)
 


Just booked our first visit during Christmas week. We’ll be there 12/26-12/31. We’re APs, just visited in Aug for SW:GE opening. This trip is focused on the holiday happenings.

Would love planning advice from those who’ve gone during this insanely crowded week.

I have a CP dining package booked for a 5pm show. How early do we need to arrive at the show to check in? Any tips for seeing a few holiday storytellers on Friday, 12/27? Hoping a Friday won’t be as crowded as the weekend.

As for MK park hours, I’ve noticed they change drastically as we get closer. I’m assuming we can expect a 7am EMH all week? Also hoping for expanded hours at DHS for SW:GE.

Just how bad are the crowds at the buses? Wonder how high Uber surge pricing gets?

Any tips and suggestions are greatly appreciate!
 
Just booked our first visit during Christmas week. We’ll be there 12/26-12/31. We’re APs, just visited in Aug for SW:GE opening. This trip is focused on the holiday happenings.

Would love planning advice from those who’ve gone during this insanely crowded week.

I have a CP dining package booked for a 5pm show. How early do we need to arrive at the show to check in? Any tips for seeing a few holiday storytellers on Friday, 12/27? Hoping a Friday won’t be as crowded as the weekend.

As for MK park hours, I’ve noticed they change drastically as we get closer. I’m assuming we can expect a 7am EMH all week? Also hoping for expanded hours at DHS for SW:GE.

Just how bad are the crowds at the buses? Wonder how high Uber surge pricing gets?

Any tips and suggestions are greatly appreciate!
I’m sorry I can’t answer your question but it’s our first Xmas trip too! Busiest week of the year! I’m both excited and terrified and following along for any suggestions or advice!
 
We are headed there on 12/21-12/26. Booked at CSR but thinking about looking into switching to AKL. worried about the bus situation. SO EXCITED!!!

I stayed at AKL for Xmas week (your same dates) a few years ago and I would do again. The bus situation isn't that bad because you only share with AKV. There were character meets every evening in both AKL and AKV in front of the Xmas trees (Minnie, Mickey, and Donald in holiday dress, Santa Stitch), and marshmallow roasting in the evenings with views of the animals. We had brunch at Boma and dinner at Sanaa during our trip, both were great. We're doing WL this time but I loved AKL for the holidays. The tree is really magnificent and the whole resort just smells wonderful.
 
Following! Thank you for all the great information!
Our Trip 12/03 - 12/11
12/03 - Pop Century
-Ride the Gondolas to EPCOT
12/04 -12/08 Wyndym Bonnet Creek
-Highway in the Sky Dine Around
12/09 - 12/11 Grand Floridian
-Signature Celebration Package CRT, Disney After Hours MK
-Garden Grill Lunch Candle Light Processional Package
-Monsieur Paul
 
Had a bit of a planning meltdown this morning. My husband and I sat down to sort out our dining and decide if we were going to book the after hours packages as well. Our FP date is in a couple of weeks as well so wanted to get that decided on as well.

Got really overwhelmed with the amount we are trying to do. We have a 15 night trip and we just have too much dining and plans we are trying to fit in. So far we have 20 table service restaurants planned but now the after hours packages are getting in the way of a couple of popular ones of those and we can’t really move them. It’s got to that point where you need to decide on final plans but don’t want to admit you can’t do certain things. I know this is a really first world problem to have and I’m not complaining but it can get really overwhelming and that’s with knowing what we are doing.

Thanks for letting me vent - I knew you guys would understand :)

You're not alone. Disney trips used to be fun to plan. Now they're hell.
Crank up anxiety by a factor of 10. What a great, relaxing vacation we have planned (for everyone but the planner perhaps). :rolleyes2
 
Just booked our first visit during Christmas week. We’ll be there 12/26-12/31. We’re APs, just visited in Aug for SW:GE opening. This trip is focused on the holiday happenings.

Would love planning advice from those who’ve gone during this insanely crowded week.

I have a CP dining package booked for a 5pm show. How early do we need to arrive at the show to check in? Any tips for seeing a few holiday storytellers on Friday, 12/27? Hoping a Friday won’t be as crowded as the weekend.

As for MK park hours, I’ve noticed they change drastically as we get closer. I’m assuming we can expect a 7am EMH all week? Also hoping for expanded hours at DHS for SW:GE.

Just how bad are the crowds at the buses? Wonder how high Uber surge pricing gets?

Any tips and suggestions are greatly appreciate!
Hello there! We have been over a few Christmas weeks, so can share what we have learned, but even I’m a little unsure on some planning with the addition of galaxy’s edge into the mix.

We usually do the candlelight processional for either Xmas eve or Xmas day, and you for sure want to show up earlier than show time- the one year when we showed up about 20 or 30 minutes early we were still quite a ways back in the line, but again that is on probably one of the most popular days outside of NPH days 😂
As for Friday vs the weekend, not sure there will be a big difference for you crowd-wise as there is no school during that time. One of the benefits of an end-of-season trip is you have plenty of time to scout out storyteller schedules to make a rough plan. We usually try to plan two different days to catch the storytellers, as there is too much overlap to get them in one day and not go nuts criss-crossing and fighting crowds, and have not yet been able to catch all of them, but partly because we get sidetracked by something else we want to do, and partly because I still get too optimistic about walking times through the crowds!
I am banking on the hours changing before Christmas week gets here, and MK and Epcot seem to be pretty consistent year to year in their hours for the most part, but I’m not sure what’s gonna happen with AK or HS hours at all yet. The 7 am EMH at MK has been very consistent, but like anything else, not guaranteed until announced. We plan around assuming it will be that way, but know that we may have to revamp plans if it doesn’t come to be.
Bus crowds can be crazy, especially at peak times, but they also run more busses to keep things moving. We usually stick to bus transportation for the most part though, because even standing room only is better for our family than having to fight the traffic- we drive down for Xmas, so no need for Uber. My kids are older though, so standing isn’t a problem for our family. The longest bus ride ever was leaving Epcot one year on New Years Eve- while long, it was kind of a fun experience to share with others on the bus- had a fun driver- and I’m not sure I could take the potential awkward moments being stuck in an Uber with one stranger and my family for that long 😂
 
I think I am all caught up with roll call updates! I got a little behind, so sorry for the delay for those of you who posted in the last few days.

Only a few days to go until members of this group start making FP+ reservations! I can't wait to hear how it goes!
 
I just started a Ultimate Disney Christmas Package Group on FB if anyone would like to join to discuss the events related to this trip. I am going Dec 21-26 staying at AKL.
 
You're not alone. Disney trips used to be fun to plan. Now they're hell.
Crank up anxiety by a factor of 10. What a great, relaxing vacation we have planned (for everyone but the planner perhaps). :rolleyes2
I'm a Project Manager IRL and love the Disney Planning. I'm actually sad when I have nothing left to plan and constantly look to see if there is anything I could tweak ;P Seriously considering doing this as a part time job when I retire!
 
I'm a Project Manager IRL and love the Disney Planning. I'm actually sad when I have nothing left to plan and constantly look to see if there is anything I could tweak ;P Seriously considering doing this as a part time job when I retire!
Ditto. Still doesn't make it fun to plan dining without knowing hours or special event dates/early closures, then to have the guests turn and say they want to be at Universal one day, the best day of which will mess up all the other plans.

The best planned trips were the ones we flew by the seat of our pants on ... remember paper fast passes, running all over the park and being able to walk up to a podium and ask if there were openings, to be told 30 minute wait? Yeah... zilch anxiety / 100% fun.
 
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Just booked our first visit during Christmas week. We’ll be there 12/26-12/31. We’re APs, just visited in Aug for SW:GE opening. This trip is focused on the holiday happenings.

Would love planning advice from those who’ve gone during this insanely crowded week.

I have a CP dining package booked for a 5pm show. How early do we need to arrive at the show to check in? Any tips for seeing a few holiday storytellers on Friday, 12/27? Hoping a Friday won’t be as crowded as the weekend.

As for MK park hours, I’ve noticed they change drastically as we get closer. I’m assuming we can expect a 7am EMH all week? Also hoping for expanded hours at DHS for SW:GE.

Just how bad are the crowds at the buses? Wonder how high Uber surge pricing gets?

Any tips and suggestions are greatly appreciate!

IMO - I hated the buses over Christmas & New Years and waiting for multiple buses until we could get on one. We only did that one day, then drove our own car.
Get in the parks early - before rope drop - though they do open earlier, it's mostly unannounced and they regularlly stay open later than the announced time too (unless it's already a 1am day).
Get dining reservations and sit down and out of the crowd - it will help save your sanity. I remember an hour line to get food and folks just standing in the streets eating because there wasn't even a curb to sit on.
Consider leaving the park by 1p - nap, swim, eat at your hotel, ride the monorail around to see the resort decorations - come back after 7p (same park or switch) - or don't come back and plan to watch fireworks outside the park or do resort activities. Visit the wilderness campground for the decorations there.
 
The best planned trips were the ones we flew by the seat of our pants on ... remember paper fast passes, running all over the park and being able to walk up to a podium and ask if there were openings, to be told 30 minute wait? Yeah... zilch anxiety / 100% fun.
That would be absolutely horrid for me; I like knowing everything is arranged and planned. Spontaneous I am not.
 
That would be absolutely horrid for me; I like knowing everything is arranged and planned. Spontaneous I am not.
Hah! The irony was I did have it all planned. I knew exactly what fast passes to grab and when, which podiums to hit up, best times to dine, all the entertainment, even fit in breaks for downtime for the kids (ahem... myself, they could have kept going dawn to midnight.) Those were the days MK EMH would extend until 3am too, and the other parks were longer too. Nothing like riding Everest under a full moon in an empty park :)
 

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