christmas in orlando
 

has anyone been to orlando for christmas?
we are due to arrive on 15th decmber thru to 29th. we are going to Magic K for xmas day (yes we know it will be packed, but just for the experience!) Does anyone know if the rest of I Drive, Malls etc will be open & when is it best to start shopping eg. SALES! many thanx for your help.

Greetings from Orlando, shellof2!

The "Mouse House" tends to have a slow time in December and may not get really busy until a couple of days before Christmas. With your timeframe, you should be able to have a great Christmas-y Disney experience without the teeming masses (unless you want to be on TV, then go on Christmas day as well).
Don't count on stores being open on Christmas Day, really. But the sales should be good starting the day after. Depending on how sales go, you may find some good sales even before Christmas.

Make sure you check out the Christmas decorations at all the different Disney hotels on property. They are awesome. If you plan on eating a sitdown dinner on Christmas day in the MK or anywhere else on property, plan well in advance.

thanx for your help, do you know how to book a meal in MK for xmas day, as it seems to be impossible to do from England. It would be lovely to have dinner or lunch etc in the castle.
many thanx
shell.

Priority Seating reservations for MK are accepted 90 days prior. If you happen to be staying on site, you can make up to 10 days worth of priority seating arrangements, in your case, beginning 9/16. If not, you'll have to wait until 9/26 and call 1-407-939-3463.

You also might find the www.disboards.com site very helpful in your planning.

Orlando now has TONS and I mean TONS of outlet shopping, just about anything you might be looking for, thinking about looking for, planning on thinking about looking for,,,,,well you get the idea. We bought our China at the Lenox Outlet there and saved a BUNDLE and had it shipped home. Paul got a cashmere sweater and scarf, (wrapped up under the Christmas Tree) and both pieces cost me about $50.

Have a GREAT time, Orlando is REALLY magic over the holidays.

In regard to priority seating, I would also suggest you book as soon as you can if you are planning any of the character meals with kids. They book up extremely fast, especially the princess breakfasts.

All of the Disney parks are beautifully decorated for the holidays.

One of our favorite places to go at that time is the Grand Floridian Resort. Decorations are lovely and they have an extraordinary (life-size) gingerbread house set up in the lobby every year. If you visit MK, be sure to hop on the monorail, go over the GF and see it.

Some stores on I-Drive may be open on the 25th, but the 26th will be a MAJOR shopping day. Everything will be open then.

Have fun!

I've been to Magic Kingdom on Christmas Day, and found it very easy to get around. I also have a friend who used to live in Florida, and he took his family to Disney every Christmas Day, for several years. It was about 10 years ago, so I don't know if things have changed, but lines were virtually non-existent and the temperature was cool and pleasant. Apparently most people prefer to stay at home on the holiday.

We are also considering Disney around Christmas but thinking about going the weekend before on December 17 or 18. How soon does it start getting crowded?

You can get a general idea of crowd levels at Touringplans.com/BestDays.htm

Thanks Greenhouse!

many thanx for every ones help.
i am going to ring for a seating reservation from here on 25.9.05, as that is exactly 90 days prior to xmas day, as it is impossible to reserve any other way.
we are looking forward to shopping & especially disney,
wish us luck & merry xmas !!!!!!!

Any luck, shell?

thanx for asking greenhouse!
yes i have managed to book 4 breakfasts in MK for xmas morning, it took 35 mins on the fone, (not looking forward to the fone bill), dinner will be at Caseys corner for hot dogs! we are so looking forward to the trip, especially as my youngest daughter will be 15 on xmas day too! many thanx every one.

The month of December is truly magic at Disney World. We live in Florida and make a trip to Epcot every Dec. because they have such wonderful decorations, music and Santa Clauses from around the world standing outside their particular countries. Magic Kingdom is also wonderful and you will love it! (we are going for 3 days this weekend with the grandkids! We are staying at the new POP CENTURY resort which is a blast from the past!!) Not only can you get lots of information on www.Disneyworld.com, but a wonderful unofficial site is allearsnet.com. There is a toll free number you can call for reservation for dining, resorts, etc. It is 877-939-3732. I dicovered this number on the allearsnet.com site.
We do a FREE day, of touring the hotels, Market Place, etc. without ever going into the theme parks. I hope you have one day to be sure and see the Grand Floridian and not only the Gingerbread House, but their magnificant decorations and 10 story Christmas tree, free of course. Also, the Wilderess Lodge is a wonderful resort to see. It looks like the American West or Canada. Don't let the valet park your car, as there are free parking lots at all resorts. Or you can take the Disney bus from the Disney Market place if you prefer to leave your car in one place.
Also, you can ride the monorail from the Contemporary to the Polynesian, and on around to the Grand Floridian and back to the Contemporary. We usually start by going to the Wilderness Lodge, tell the guard we are eating lunch there, and then park ourselves. We eat lunch at the wonderful lobby restaurant for about $10 each at the Whispering Canyon Cafe (not Artist Point- that one is $$$$$) (reservations usually not needed), then go outside past the pool and down to the lake and get on the boat to the Magic Kingdom. We get off at the Contemporary or the Magic Kingdom and then get on the Monorail and take the ride around the loop, stopping and checking out the hotels. You can also get out of the monorail between the Polyanesian and the Grand Floridian and change monorails go to Epcot. Even if you don't plan to go to Epcot for the day, the monorail ride will take you over part of it and it is great to look down at all the attractions and people. Then ride back, get off that monorail and back on to the one to the Magic Kingdon. If this sounds confusing, just get your Disney map out and trace the route, it will become clear.I assume you have requested the Disney information package that includes maps, etc. If not, it is on Disneyworld.com website. Disney World is actually in Lake Buena Vista, a town a few miles south of Orlando, but it is continuous city and horrible traffic between the two.
Malls are everywhere in the Orlando/Lake Buena Vista area and many are outlet malls, so prices will be less for major brands.
If you have time to take 2 days togo to the beach, please go to Clearwater or St. Petersburg beaches on the Gulf of Mexico. It is an hour and a half drive from Disney. Try to avoid going through Tampa at rush hour (7 a.m. - 9 a.m. and 4 pm - 7 pm) as traffic is awful!! But the pure white, sugar fine sands and beautiful blue water should be a part of your Florida experience!! You can go one Google.com to Clearwater beach or St. Petersburg, Fl beach hotels and get some place to stay. It is possible but tiresome to drive over and back in one day. Of course, if you stay on the beach you will pay much more than at a hotel on the mainland. Have a wonderful time!! Just remember when you drive - look to the left, stay on the RIGHT, look to the left, stay on the RIGHT!! ;o)

thanx geckolips.
we have never been to any of the disney hotels & always wondered if they were as good as people say. i didn't know you could get so far on the monorail. we will certainly take the trip you suggested & the meal. i can't believe there are so many nice people out there willing to help others, we will certainly not be stuck for things to do now, many thanx.

Hi Shell,

How weird is this - we're also in the UK (just north of Bristol) and are heading to Orlando on 15th December! We actually fly home on Christmas Eve though, but are so excited about the trip.

Have you considered Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party? It is a separate cost but I've been before and it was so much fun. Basically, it's an evening where the Magic Kingdom (incl most rides) is kept open til 1am, there is unlimited cookies and hot chocolate, a family photo, special parades and shows, and best of all - snow on Main Street! It looks amazing to loo at the Castle and see it snowing! There's more information at http://allearsnet.com/tp/hol_mk.htm .

Hope you have a great time, and Happy Christmas (and Happy Birthday to your daughter!)

Rachel x

we have thought about the mickey xmas party, but did think maybe it would be a bit babyish for the age of my girls. but there again that's because we are still here & not there with all the magic around us. So thank you for telling me what it's like, we probably will go. enjoy yourselves & merry xmas

Something you should certainly consider would be to visit Epcot and see the "Candlight" Christmas program.
Disney brings in famous personalities who do recitations accompanied by a professional orcheastra and chorus which is augmented by choral groups from all over the country. It is a wonderful program. It does require tickets though. Many of the Epcot restaurants have deals where you can have a "prixe fixe" 3 course dinner and the show is included in the price.

I lived in Orlando for 18 years and can assure you that several stores will be open on Christmas Day in the tourist areas. I would also like to recommend the place we've eaten on Christmas for the past 20 years ( we live 100 miles away but go there just for this) - the buffet at the Renaissance Hotel across the street from Sea World. This massive buffet is delicious, friendly, and a real bargain at about $45 per adult, half that for children. It includes unlimited champagne and fresh squeezed orange juice, and the resulting mimosas are a wonderful addition to the delicious food. But if you want to go - make reservations now! It's already almost booked up!

Going to Florida for Christmas, special family holiday. Son, now 14yrs, recovering from cancer for the second time in his life, leg bone tumour this time! Would appreciated any advice on where to go especially Christmas day and New Years. Son can walk now but may get tired. Looking especially for eating Christmas day, would like something traditional if poss and do we need to book.

topping for Jules1.

Jules1,
Could you give us an idea of your sons's interests? I'm sure those of us who live in Central Florida can then come up with some activities/places he would enjoy.

As for a Christmas day restaurant, many of the area resorts do very good traditional Christmas dinners. Also, check

http://allearsnet.com/menu/men_christmas.htm

They have a list of Disney restaurants that will be open on Christmas day, their prices, and what type of food they will be serving.

Hope you have a great trip!

thanks dsquared. Son used to love football (played for local team- not able to play any more). Likes swimming, history, science, Star Wars, movies and of course x-box, psp2. Taking him to Kennedy space centre, says he's going to work for NASA when he gets older!

Jules1,
The space center is a great idea for a budding astronaut! Here's their website: http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/visitKSC/index.asp

The IMAX movie is new; I hear it's good. The bus tour will take you to the International Space Station area and the Saturn 5 Center.

They have a "lunch with an astronaut" program at extra cost which is exactly what they say; you get to have lunch with an astronaut-might be something you son would enjoy.

As for swimming, the hotel pool is always good! There are a number of water parks too - Wet & Wild, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach.

Orlando has a pretty good Science Center: http://www.osc.org/

and there's Wonderworks on International Drive in Orlando - more commercial, but very enjoyable. http://www.wonderworksonline.com/

Orlando is such a great place to visit during the holidays!! Last year, I took the kids to Disney for Christmas. We also stopped by the ICE Exhibit at the Gaylord Palms, which was amazing. They have everything from ice slides to complimentary parakas (it is kept at 9 degrees). The kids loved it and we didn't have to wait in any lines or crowds.

There is also a great website i found with everything going on in orlando during the christmas season: its called (christmasinorlando). i reccomend checking it out before you make plans, it was a ton of affordable alternatives to the theme parks.

Happy Holidays!

Looks like someone might be trying to promote their own website....

I did find this thread very useful, though, since I'm probably going to be heading to Epcot in early December with family.

christmasinorlando.com is a good site, i went to ICE also and found it refreshing to do somehting other then the parks during the holiday season.....

Yes, beachlover23, I notice that the only three posts you've made to fodors all involve promoting a certain web site.

How do you alert the moderators so they can delete the spam?