How crowded is Disney on Xmas.....

[falmouth3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close falmouth3]

It's nice here now, Beags. It's going to start precipitating tonight though.

Sue

[timeos2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close timeos2]

Stay away. Stay far away

Hopefully, some/much of the peak crowd has left. From what I gathered in overhearing conversations, many were there for the Christmas Day Parade in the Magic Kingdom.

No way. From now until 12/31 is the WORST time of the year to be going to the parks or even driving around Orlando. We just got off the parking lot - sorry, I4 - and no one in their right mind should be dealing with this. If you don't know a back route or carefully plan and time your activities and realize you'll be dealing with a million clueless (they can't put up enough directional signs for these people) drivers it is extremely frustrating to deal with. On 1/1 the light goes out and the ara is basically abandoned until February. That is an excellent time to be here unless, as often happens, the weather turns cold as that is the coldest time of year in Orlando.

[bnoble Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bnoble]

their 6 year old daughter received this trip via "Make a Wish"

Then they quite rightly will have literally nothing to worry about. Make-a-wish families are treated exceptionally well by Disney. I don't know the details as fact, but I would expect that they will have every courtesy extended to them during their visit.

And, Beaglemom3, it only gets worse after Christmas. Not better. It doesn't get better until the New Year, and this year because of the way most school vacations fall, the crowds may well persist for several days after that as well.

[Beaglemom3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beaglemom3]

No way. From now until 12/31 is the WORST time of the year to be going to the parks or even driving around Orlando. We just got off the parking lot - sorry, I4 - and no one in their right mind should be dealing with this. If you don't know a back route or carefully plan and time your activities and realize you'll be dealing with a million clueless (they can't put up enough directional signs for these people) drivers it is extremely frustrating to deal with. On 1/1 the light goes out and the ara is basically abandoned until February. That is an excellent time to be here unless, as often happens, the weather turns cold as that is the coldest time of year in Orlando.

Again, it's a matter of where you're staying and who is in your party. Our experiences vary greatly because of these differing situations. I am only reporting on mine and not denying you yours.

I just heard from my husband who said, although extremely crowded, it isn't the mob scence as it was on the 25th, at least for the Magic Kingdom (and the huge Christmas Day Parade). I guess our vantage points are different because going there without kids gives one a different frame of reference. Staying at DVC does take some of the sting out.
I did not find Orlando driving any different than last August or September, but did not attempt any malls.

[Guest Close Quarterbore]

Wow... and idiot me though about going to Disney next year the week of X-mas next year...

My wife would have beat me to a bloody pulp had I twisted her arm and we found something like this

[Beaglemom3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beaglemom3]

Then they quite rightly will have literally nothing to worry about. Make-a-wish families are treated exceptionally well by Disney. I don't know the details as fact, but I would expect that they will have every courtesy extended to them during their visit.

And, Beaglemom3, it only gets worse after Christmas. Not better. It doesn't get better until the New Year, and this year because of the way most school vacations fall, the crowds may well persist for several days after that as well.

Again, I think that without kids is far less excruciating than with kids this time of year at the parks.
The single rider line is great for those of us w/o keikis !

[Beaglemom3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beaglemom3]

Reading the posts, I can see why the DVC experience might be the least frustrating and maximiziming for some:

1. DVCers get to go to one park that opens one hour earlier each day (differs) and one that stays open later by a couple hours.

2. The Disney bus and boat system. No hassle with parking, driving or waiting to get into & out of the lots.

3. The concierge expedited my restaurant reservations as a DVC guest.

4. My purchases were sent back directly to my room (no baggage to schlep around.).

5. Although not a DVC "perk", kids-free Disney is less frustrating (I've been there with kids before).

[Beaglemom3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beaglemom3]

Wow...

My wife would have beat me to a bloody pulp had I twisted her arm and we found something like this

That could be a new Universal ride: "Arm Twister" or "Men in Black & Blue"

[Marti Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Marti]

Christmas season in Orlando is the 'most wonderful time of the year'


We have been to MK at Walt Disney World
Three times during the Christmas Holidays

Remember there is more to do in Orlando FL
then just going to the parks Christmas Day

Christmas in Orlando


The TAPING OF THE CHRISTMAS DAY Parade
was scheduled for November 30 & December 1

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

With Christmas next year on a Thursday - if you could go the week before (a Friday/Sat/Sunday check-in) it would be okay.

For the love of all that is good, don't do this. The week between Christmas and New Years is hands down the busiest week of the year at WDW. Check in sometime the week before, it will be much better, in a still really busy but relatively speaking sort of way.

OK, we wont do that. Are you guys saying that the parks aren't so bad the week leading up to Xmas? If we checked in on Sat. Dec 20th, would the parks be ok for the next few days? If so, we could go those days and then spend Christmas and the following day at the hotel. Fly home on Sat., the 27th.

Or, should I just skip this time of year entirely, and look for another location?

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

Angela,

You can go to Orlando and let the people who want to do the parks do the parks, and you can relax, golf, etc...

But for that week i would consider either a resort destination in itself where the people capacity is limited to the resort guests, or something a little off-season, like what Mike did -- Hilton Head or something similar. Maybe Myrtle Beach so DD might have more to do, etc... Would you go back to Palm Springs? How about Ocean Pointe?

I wouldn't go back to Palm Springs because there's not too much for the kids, and my mom to do. My mom won't sit at a pool, and there's limited activities for teenagers.

Maybe Ocean Pointe. I need to see what's to do in the area.

[vkrn Member Find all posts View Profile Close vkrn]

Hmmmm, this is not sounding good.

I need to find a good family location for Christmas.

I think Branson would be a good Christmas vacation. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge is also good. I'm not sure about Dollywood, but the rest is fun. They have good shopping and the Aquarium.

[Lisa P Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Lisa P]

We were just in Orlando Dec 16th-23rd, 2007, with a total of 10 people, ages 13-45ish, at Wyndham Cypress Palms in Kissimmee. Great stay, btw - very warm pools and hot tubs at this resort! On this trip, we saw some manatees at Blue Spring State Park (an hour+ drive), visited Disney Quest and some Disney resorts for the Christmas decorations and mostly went to the Universal parks and resorts. But we didn't enter the Disney parks on this trip.

The whole area was very, very quiet early in the week - an excellent time to be there. Then it got slightly busier on Fri, Dec 21st. But on Sat, Dec 22nd, we really noticed that people were arriving in droves for their Christmas break vacation. The highways were more congested, restaurant parking lots were full, we could no longer walk easily as a relaxed group through CityWalk and the crowds.

Having been to Magic Kingdom on Thanksgiving Day several times, I would never even think of visiting the parks in Orlando between Dec 24th-31st. On Thanksgiving, it's been so mobbed in MK that we couldn't walk through crowds without feeling claustrophobic, literally brushing shoulders with people as we tried to navigate through Frontierland, then Fantasyland and back down Main Street after 11:30am, to LEAVE. It was awful. Wait to ride, wait to eat, wait to use a water fountain or a rest room - just not pleasant.

If you opt to go to Disney at a peak time of year, make sure you get a resort you'd want to enjoy for the better part of each day and only plan to visit the parks for the early AM hours and evenings. If you find yourselves at the quietest park of a given day and you can stay into midday, without ride waits of 1-2 hours, consider it a fluke and enjoy!

Yesterday, my mom was watching Disney on TV, and she said that she would go there for Xmas.....

Bear in mind that she was probably watching the Christmas parade crowds that were taped during offseason early December. Sure, everyone's having fun. They've got the park practically to themselves! Disney would never air footage shot during the holidays. NO ONE would want to go, if they did! (except perhaps the same folks who jam Times Square on New Year's Eve)

[Lisa P Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Lisa P]

Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge is also good. I'm not sure about Dollywood, but the rest is fun. They have good shopping and the Aquarium.

This is a nice idea. Dollywood has their Christmas shows and festivities going until Dec 30th (closed Christmas Eve & Day). The whole area is decorated and lit up beautifully too. There are many area street parties on New Year's Eve and fireworks. It's not as warm here as FL but many of the timeshares do have indoor pools for the teens/kids. And there are also indoor mini-golf and family game spots, dinner shows and other attractions open regardless of the weather. Just a thought.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

I'm laughing. Laughing really hard. There's no lines here this week.

Still laughing.
- - - - - -
Have you thought about the beach? Snowbird Season doesn't really get rolling until after Christmas. You can normally find some nice SW FL resorts for Christmas Week.

9 days and we will be there (on the beach in SW FL), after 1 night in Orlando, about our limit any more.

The first three weeks we owned were in Orlando, but now I have my terms for it: Vacation feedlot style, vacation mill, the Golden Corral of vacations . . .

I think Branson would be a good Christmas vacation. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge is also good. I'm not sure about Dollywood, but the rest is fun. They have good shopping and the Aquarium.