Best Way to Enjoy Christmas?

[JeffTW]

What are your best Christmas suggestions in parks?

 

[Marionnette]

What are your best Christmas suggestions in parks?

Go before the actual holiday week. Otherwise, pack your patience and accept that transportation will be slow, pathways will be crowded and dining reservations will fill quickly after the 60-day window opens.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

Take a slower pace, people watch, do things you haven’t done before, enjoy the Christmas spirit. Enjoy the cooler weather.

 

[DL1WDW2]

This year, best way for Xmas Day for me ?
Wait at BLT for the Magic Express to arrive with my gift :
Family visit for holiday week tradition. I will probably have to get a Magic Express photo for my grand- childrens memories album…
and then a walk down Main Street USA for “Xmas My Way Day!” !!!

 

[DL1WDW2]

What are your best Christmas suggestions in parks?

I was going to say Welcome since You are earning your ears…but then I notice you joined the Disboards in April 2016…
Anyway fun topic to discuss or dream forward… expect a moderator will move this to appropriate thread for more posts and more fun !

 

[Stargazer65]

We mostly just walked around and marveled that we were there as a family with all the kids for Christmas. It was something neither my my family, nor my wife's would have been able to do at Christmas.

 

[DL1WDW2]

Also like to “theme” the fun… Not so hidden gingerbread displays for example…monorail from MK to Gf to begin or end…but Gingerbread created displays are DisneyWorldWide….and also purchase your own little kit from Target or Publix for resort room craft activity!

 

[fla4fun]

I have been on Christmas a couple times. The first time was in the period prior to FP, and we spent three days there without going in a single attraction because the lines were too long. The second time we made FP and ADRs as early as possible. For Christmas Day, our lunch ADR was the Candlelight package, and we did the last show of the night. The second trip was much more enjoyable because we were able to have some things planned ahead. I would suggest planning as much ahead of time as you possibly can, and pack your patience.

 

[boop0524]

We go early on in the holiday season and nothing puts me more in the Christmas spirit than the theme park decorations and music! It’s so magical and beautiful! Disney, Universal and even Disney Springs at the holidays…can’t beat it!

 

[WIll C]

I agree with going early. Both in the season and on the day. By noon, it's packed and you can't do anything without huge waits. We were not prepared for our Christmas there and we won't go again. Early December or November is about as close as we'd want to come again.

 

[FoodieFriend]

in early Dec 2019 we went on the Holiday D-Lights tour & it was fantastic! Unfortunately, they are not offering it this year. It's an awesome behind the scenes tour that shows you where are the decorations are stored, how they are prepared for the season & it includes an early dinner & a special viewing of the lighting of the castle at MK, reserved seating for Candlelight Processional & a reserved area for Epcot Forever (things that aren't happening this season).
I loved all the Christmas decorations at the parks & the resorts. I took a picture of every single Christmas tree we came across. But there were a few stormy days so a 2nd pair of shoes would've been great. On departure day it was 40 degrees & we were frozen. It confirmed to my mom that we weren't coming back in Dec.

 

[Nice Work Pal]

We always go first week of December which is also close to my birthday. Crowds are never too bad (who knows this year). Wish they’d bring the Osborne lights back in a different location because they were something special

 

[gharter]

Expect it to be busy.
Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

 

[MarcusPrimus]

Hi Jeff! I went with my fiancée for Christmas in 2019. December 24th-29th at Disney, 30th-Jan 2nd at Universal. A little background on me, I live in CT and I'm used to the New York City-area pace of things, big crowds for concerts, etc. I heard horror stories about how crowded it gets for Christmas, but my fiancée is a teacher so this was the time she had off from work where we could go.

Everybody makes it sound a lot worse than it is. If you're there on Christmas Eve or Day, do Epcot since it's the biggest park and will feel the least crowded. If Epcot isn't available, Animal Kingdom would be your next best bet. Hollywood and then Magic Kingdom would be the worst since they're the smallest - save them for a couple days before or after.

Between the décor and the general atmosphere, we fell in love with it and we're going back again this year, same timeframe. Like everybody else said, it's what you make of it. As long as you're not expecting it to be pre-Spring Break quiet and you know what you're walking into, you'll have a blast!

 

[kevind2112]

We did Christmas week back in 2016, and are doing it again this year. Like everyone else said here, patience it key. Because of FPs and ADRs we were able to get on all the rides we wanted. We did a lot of resort hopping, and took in the atmosphere. It was a great time. We found that MK in particular wasn't actually that busy late at night, we assume because families with little ones were done with parks after dinner. We did actual Christmas Day at Epcot, and while busy, it was still a great time.

This year who knows what's going to happen. No FPs yet, shorter window on ADRs. Unsure hours. We have no idea what we are in for. We do know that we will enjoy it no matter what. Just being there soaking up the atmosphere is huge for us.

One fun thing we did was Xmas Eve our family (Wife, myself, and 2 daughters ages 16 and 23 then) decided to each take $100, and buy gifts for each other. You could not spend more than $100. It was a great time scavenger hunting throughout the parks and Disney Springs finding that perfect Disney something for family members. The next morning we woke up, and all the gifts were under a little tree we had brought with us in the room, wrapped in those famous blue/purple Disney bags. Lots of fun!

 

[bdiddy]

We went the second week of December once and it was amazing! We enjoyed all the festivities but the crowds were very low. It was also warm enough to swim a few days. I know it’s hard to go then when you have kids but it was so worth it!

 

[MICKIMINI]

The Christmas Day we were there, they were filming on Main Street so we had to walk around back stage and came out at Tomorrowland. That was our last Christmas Day at MK. Honestly, regardless of filming or not it is so busy you cannot breath...if you go be there first thing and get to the back of the park as quickly as possible and work backwards. Good luck!

 

[MulanMom]

What are your best Christmas suggestions in parks?

We've run the gamut with spending Christmas at WDW. From not going into the parks at all on Christmas Day, to spending our entire Christmas Day in a park. It's just so festive and magical that time of year. From past experience, I will say that if we do Christmas again, we will most likely go the week leading up to Xmas, maybe including Xmas day. When we went in 2018 between Christmas and New Year's, I remember thinking MK was crazily packed...even more so than our previous experiences there when the park reached capacity. The days prior to Xmas were busy but not anything like it was from Xmas to new years. In 2020, with that trip in mind, we went earlier in the week and left the day after Christmas. Difficult to judge because it was during COVID, so park capacity was limited to around 35%.

We've always managed to get good/special ADRs for Christmas Eve/Christmas Day, whether a great restaurant, a fireworks party, special parade viewing with lunch at Tony's, etc. We then made sure we did a relaxed pace. This past Christmas, we had a late ADR at Chef Mickey's, followed by a boat ride over to Wilderness Lodge to check out the tree in the lobby. Our dinner ADR was in MK at Be Our Guest. The park didn't seem to be as crowded when we entered around 3-4pm.

Best thing to do is pack your patience. What we've liked when going during that time is that other guests seem to be more friendly and in the holiday spirit.

 

[tehSAC]

We always go first week of December which is also close to my birthday. Crowds are never too bad (who knows this year). Wish they’d bring the Osborne lights back in a different location because they were something special

Yea? Do you think they will be high this year for some reason?

 

[Nice Work Pal]

Yea? Do you think they will be high this year for some reason?

50th anniversary, Xmas time with crowds going back to normal… I’d say yes.