Disney at Christmas

[meganew]

Just how insane are we talking? My grandmother lives in the area and based on how bad I’m missing her this year I really want to surprise her next year with a visit down. It would be a few days between Christmas and New Years. I’m not sure if we could stay on property, as it would be 3 adults and 2 kids, which means no super early fast passes or anything.

[TamiTaylor]

Dec 12, 2019 18:26:31 GMT -5 meganew said:

Just how insane are we talking? My grandmother lives in the area and based on how bad I’m missing her this year I really want to surprise her next year with a visit down. It would be a few days between Christmas and New Years. I’m not sure if we could stay on property, as it would be 3 adults and 2 kids, which means no super early fast passes or anything.

We went last Christmas and will be going again this Christmas. We were at MK on Christmas Day. It really wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. We got to MK at 5:30a for a 6am park opening and we left about 12 or 1pm. The only line we waited In was the line for waffles. It can be done with the right expectations and touring plans.

[lishie]

My MIL lives in the Orlando area as well. We have Disney annual passes, and have gone into the parks around Christmas.

Like Tammy, the days we go, we choose to get to the parks early for opening and leave around lunchtime. We found Magic Kingdom the busiest, and the other parks crowded, but not unbearable by any means. We go often so we booked our fastpasses and then just planned to enjoy the day and not get upset by lines. We chose to do rides with short lines and skipped the headliners we didn't have FP for. We had a fabulous time.

Just looking at all the decorations makes me happy and cheerful. We just came back from a trip over thanksgiving and had a similar frame of mind. It was very busy, but we knew it would be and planned for that. We had a ton of fun.

[Doggy Mommy]

I have never been at Christmas (really want to!) but I think it’s always a good idea to manage your expectations. Get your 3 fast passes, go early, and just plan to do whatever rides you can, enjoy the Christmas decorations, expect that it will be busy, and have fun!

The times I’ve seen people disappointed are when things don’t go according to plan or are busier than they expect, both of which are just a reality at Disney.

[Wines Not Whines]

We went to WDW over Christmas a few years ago and I thought it was complete insanity. Lol. I think if you just want to enjoy the holiday decorations, ride the 3 rides you can get on FP, and eat some food, it’s probably fine. I wouldn’t go during Christmas week if it’s your first trip to Disney or if you want to ride a lot of rides or meet a lot of characters.

[curbsideprophet]

I have been over Easter and Thanksgiving and would consider going over Christmas. I agree that going in with a good plan is helpful. I would also plan some breaks to get away from the clouds.

[abs]

You could not pay me to go over Christmas. Nope. We did Thanksgiving last year and it wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be but still pretty awful and we couldn't wait to leave. We are sticking to our summer trips from here on out.

[Deleted]

Dec 14, 2019 19:46:05 GMT -5 abs said:

You could not pay me to go over Christmas. Nope. We did Thanksgiving last year and it wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be but still pretty awful and we couldn't wait to leave. We are sticking to our summer trips from here on out.

This is me as well. Even though you're not staying on property, it's a lot of money to spend and not get as much out of it as I would at a different time of year.