Christmas WDW for Adults - Help!
 

I know it'll be crazy busy at that time of year but it's the only time DH will have off. Since it's our first trip, I'd prefer to spend it all at DW (i.e., save Universal, Sea World, shopping and the rest of the best of central FL for another trip). We'd be leaving on Dec 22/24 and returning Jan 1. Is full 9 days (does not include 2 travel days) too long? Would 7 days be better? How would you split the days?

We'll stay on property so that we can use the Magical Express, etc. Since we'll probably spend more time at Epcot & MGM, it looks like we should stay at the Beach Club, Yacht Club, Boardwalk Inn, or Carrbean Beach Resort; any thoughts on which one is better? Is the CarribBR too far to walk to Epcot, hence it is much cheaper?

I noticed Blizzard Beach is still open at that time of year with temps only getting to low 70s. Is it too cold to spend the whole day there?

Any recs on what to do on NY eve? Can one just go to Downtown Disney/Pleasure Island and hang out to ring in the new year or does one need tix to an event?

I was thinking of getting DH the Richard Petty driving experience. Anyone done it and have a rec for half or full day program?

We're an active, very late 30's couple, enjoy all types of food, like rides and Disney kitsch, and unfortunately am bit of a micro-planner but vow to go with the flow and experience my first trip to MouseWorld!

I have visited the many DW boards commonly recommended on this site, but I'm a bit intimidated to post on them even tho I've read quite a bit of their info. I trust the Fodorites so I'm posting here.

Thx for any suggestions/thoughts - enjoy-la!

December of this year or next? I ask because you're likely to find all the resorts and restaurants booked up if you're looking at this year.

We stayed at the Yacht Club and loved it. If you stay at YC, BC or Boardwalk Inn, I'd recommend buying parkhopper tickets so you can zip into Epcot and eat at the World Showcase restaurants.

That week at WDW is the busiest week of the year. If there was ever an occasion to micro-plan, that would be it. Seriously. Go to tourguidemike.com and subscribe. You will need Mike's help.

Klam, 9 days is a long trip but there is enough to do to not get bored. I would highly suggest you say at Yacht, Beach or Boardwalk. Caribbean Beach is not walking distance to any park. The Swan and Dolphin are also walking distance to these parks and are on the same lake as the others but are operated by Hyatt (or is it Hilton?).

The weather is iffy that time of year...it may be 80 or 60 so a water park might be a day by day call. I've never been there on NYE though so I can't help you there.

There are a ton of good restaurants for you to enjoy but make your reservations soon. We're going earlier in December and already had a hard time getting reservations. I'd start with California Grill at the Contemporary and try to get reservations during the Magic Kingdom fireworks one night if you can. The restaurants in the "countries" at EPCOT are all good, with some better than others IMO. The teppanyaki restaurant in Japan and the Italy restaurant are both newly refurbished. The Kona Caffe in the Polynesian is our favorite breakfast place.

missypie, 2007 - late planning for this year, I know but that's how it worked out. Thx a mint for the heads up - I was wondering whether to do the Park Hopper or not.

swalter518, I ruled out the Swan/Dolphin since they don't offer Magical Express, etc. The meal tips are great, and breakfast is my fave meal of the day so I appreciate the Kona nugget too! So should I get the waterpark option on the tix or can I upgrade when I'm there?

Enjoy-la!

Beautiful time to go! Also the most expensive and the busiest time to go as well. There are rooms available for the dates and resorts you want. Just an FYI, it will cost you approx $10,000.00 (give or take a thousand depending on what you eat and drink) Also at this time the parks reach "full capacity" so they do not let in non WDW resorts guests in. Also the fast pass runs out of passes by 10 am and the lines are hours long. It is not uncommon to stand 40 minutes on line for a snack. Tour guide mike is essential at this time of year, it will make or break your trip. You will most get your best info on www.disboards.com. Don't be shy....they posters there are Disneyholics and will give you some of the best info you can find anywhere. Also make sure you make your ADR's as soon as time allows or you will be eating dinners in your room - it's really crazy.
You will need the 9 days due to the crowds and you will find the time going fast. Is it at all possible to go 2 weeks earlier?? If you can, you will have the parks to yourself and the room rates are lower.

I've done NYE at Epcot and found it lots of crowded fun.

The Magical Express isn't offered for Swan/Dolphin, but I think they do have all the other perks of the parks including early and late extra hours. They are located perfectly for MGM and Epcot and the Boardwalk. They are run by Radisson now - we just redeemed points to stay there. the bus system is pretty good, also crowded at that time, but very good. So even if you stay at a resort that isn't on the monorail or on a boat line, you will be able to get around to the parks and Downtown Disney.

Do plan your main meals if you can, with that amount of days you could probably be flexible on what days you go where based on what is available. They do close some of the parks sometimes - Epcot usually isn't closed because it is big, although Magic Kingdom does fill to capacity on occasion. In that case, I don't think that even resort guests get in there for those few hours at midday.

Take some time to visit the resorts - they do an absolutely beautiful job decorating for Christmas. A "pub" crawl around the Epcot countries is also fun.

I know the boards you are talking about and I too read them but am intimidated to post - they know so much and so feel so strongly!:)

Agree with suggestions of staying at either Beach Club or Yacht Club. You can check out the rooms and specs on www.disboards.com. I prefer the Yacht Club. The World Showcase at Epcot is great for adults. I went with my 2 kids and my husband last year, and wished that we could have spent more time there.

Also, don't miss Soarin' - my favourite ride at Epcot! Enjoy!

We stayed at the Boardwalk Inn last December and loved it. Fantastic location, our rooms were very nice, and we enjoyed the general area. We were there earlier in December, not over the holiday, so I can't speak for that time frame. We used the Magical Express for our return to the airport and it was very easy.

We did not make reservations for meals, but should have. So do try to plan ahead for that.

Call today for resort reservations. Really. First go on allearsnet.com and look at the pictures of the rooms and decorations at Beach Club, Yacht Club and BWI. Then make a decision and cross your fingers for availablity. You can always change your mind later.

You can also buy tickets in advance at a slight discount. Check mousesavers.com for the website addresses.

I can;t imagine how you could possibly spend 9 days at Disney - or even in Orlando - unless you were focussing on stuff for kids.

Epcot is quite interesting - but can be done in a day. Animal Kingdon is mildly interesting and MGM is fun in parts - but not for a whole day. and Magic Kingdom is about 80% for kids.

I would really reconsider - adding Sea World, perhaps some time at a beach, Space Center etc. - unless you plan on just spending a lot of time sitting around pools.

Also- be aware that Orlando is NOT a place for foodies. There are several acceptable and some pleasant places - but nothing really special. And even the better places will be so busy that time of year you can expect long waits and the problems you always encounter when restaurants are pushed to their limits.

Would someone please tell me what DH means? Hate to sound dumb, but I sure would like to know.

DH is "Dear Husband." DD is "Dear Daughter", DS is "Dear Son" and so on.

Never been there in Dec., but Carribean resort is a long ways from anything, you have to take a bus. We were there for 5 days in June with my son, wife & 3 yr old grandson, that way plenty of time there. Definitely get the park hopper pass, there are things going on all day, so when you get bored at Epcot, which won't take long, you can go somewhere else, but agree with the others, MGM & Magic Kingdom are geared for kids. I liked Animal Kingdom, but agree with whoever said it is mildly boring. One day or less there is plenty!

Does it really cost around $10,000 to go to WDW for 9 days at holiday time? I am blown away by that number. I took my 2 daughters to Europe (from the West Coast) for 10 days during summer for less than that!

Hello,

Well I got in to this one a little late as most of the good advice was already given. But I fancy myself a Disney Expert, having been there almost 200 times in my life.

December is an amazing time in Disney, they do everything up in christmas decorations and have alot of little extras to get you in the christmas spirit.

At Epcot each of the countries around the world Showcase has a presentation by their own country's version of Santa Claus. He comes out and tells a little story. There is also for an extra fee Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. They close the Magic Kingdom and let in those who bought this special ticket and have a parade with snow on Main Street USA, hot chocolate and christmas cookies. And some of the rides are open too. This runs most nights from just after Thanksgiving to New Years.

Remember, Disney is all about the planning. Even though it is real crowded, if you plan right you can still have a ton of fun. Fast Passes, knowing which parks to do on which days. Eating at the right times. Taking a break during the day, or a trip to the Largest Disney Store in the World at Downtown Disney.

Extra Magic Hours is a perk for Disney Resort guests. Extra Magic Hours means that one park will either open a hour early or stay open up to 3 hours late. This is great for a late night Epcot run to ride Mission Space and Soarin. Or for an early riser. Imagine being in the Magic Kingdom at 8 a.m., no lines.

At the water parks I hear that the water is heated in the winter. I personally have never been in the winter to the water parks.

Please drop me an email and I can help you plan this trip. This is an amazing time at Disney World, I like to call it the Second Golden Age of Disney. Their investing a lot of money on the parks, with new rides and shows, and old favorites being revamped and made anew.

Hi klam chowder,
We went to WDW in July and stayed at the Swan. We have also stayed at the Boardwalk but couldn't afford it this time. The location of those hotels (plus Yacht and Beach) is our favorite. You can walk to Epcot and MGM. The Swan (a Westin hotel) and the Dolphin (a Sheraton - same company - Starwood properties) have all the perks but the Magical Express and dining plan. We had great transportation from and to the airport using a transportation service - Sunray Transportation. It was very reasonable for our party of five. We found it better to avoid the parks having early opening. Also, use the fastpass system to your benefit. It saves a lot of waiting in line. Have a wonderful time!

Thx a mint for all the replies and suggestions - much appreciated!

I got freaked from reading the urgency, even for dinner reservations, so I booked our accomms right away! Rates listed on the WDW front page were quite different from the booking rates (remember I'm a newbie...LOL!). For the time that we will be there, the difference btwn staying at the BWI and CBR is $2,249. Altho the convenience would have been nice, it was a bit rich for our blood so we went with CBR.

I've read about the Christmas Procession and can't decide if it's better to do it with the packaged dinner or not (since some say they went in with the free folks anyway, and that they waited 45 mins too). Anyone know how early one has to start queuing for the 5 pm show (during Dec 24-31 timeframe)?

I've also read about Illuminations and the Osbourne lights. Any other tips for this time of year appreciated.

Enjoy-la!

disagree about no place for foodies in Orlando. Perhaps there is no Per Se or Le Bernardin, but there is Primo at the JW Marriott resort, that is excellent. California Grill is outstanding as well, although you might be late for reservations there. I think the food at Epcot needs much improvement. Jiko is an awesome restaurant at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. I'll try and find some links for you.

For some reason the search feature is not working very well here. I can not find LilMsFoodie's posts anymore on Primo or Jiko. You'll have a great time. HG

For restaurant research try Chowhound: Here is my original review which still rings true for me on Primo (last there a few weeks ago).

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/131166

I still think you should check out the rates at the Swan and Dolphin. They offer the same convenience of location as BWI and they offer discounts for teachers, nurses, and government workers. With the money you save you can more than pay for transportation to and from the airport. The Magic Express package would not keep me from a convenient hotel. There are also less children at the Swan and Dolphin than most other on site hotels.
We stayed at the Caribbean Beach and the resort was very nice, but I HATED having to wait for those buses and having to stand on the bus most nights for the ride back.

I certainly would not make my accomodations decision based on whether or not I could use Magical Express. ME isn't perfect....if takes hours to get your bags and I think (?) that if you have a late night flight, you won't get them until the next morning.

When we go to WDW, we rent the smallest car we can fit into. We use Disney transportation for some and drive to others.

It's probably too late to get tickets for Mickeys Very MErry Christmas, but try. Do you know about the Candlelight Processional at Epcot? Google it. And do not miss the Osborne lights at MGM, AMAZING!

I think 7 days is enough if you are intent on not going anywhere but Disney.

Yes, I think it is too cold to go to Blizzard Beach in late Dec. It has always been much colder than 70 degrees when we've been there at that time.

klam chowder,

7 days is enough. Don't worry about Car.Beach R. - especially within your time frame- as you will not having to be rushing around to see it all in 2 days or be right in the middle. It is definitely not worth over a $2,000 difference.

CBR is fine. I stayed there with a 10 year old once and it was nice because it was also quiet too, when needed, and it has a food court.

I disagree about EPCOT being done in one day. Not the way I do EPCOT.

Have a good time.

Thx a mint for all the additional replies and tips (and endorsement, JJ5)!

I did go back and check out the Swan&Dolphin today and while they have availability, it is still $700 more than CBR. I know it is "worth" it for the upgraded facilities and convenient location, but for 2 adults I think I'll save that $$ to defray the cost of a fall trip to NYC. (=

I will pick up the Dining Plan and make restaurant reservations my next priority - things are booking up very quickly like posters mentioned!

Today I haphazardly booked California Grill (one slot left - the agent said it must have been a cancellation) and Artist Point for Christmas Eve and Day, respectively, just so I'd have somewhere to go on the big days. I'll work out the rest of the master plan of which days in which parks and see if I can get lucky with some other ressies. Boy, if posters hadn't mentioned the restaurants were almost full, I'd likely have left it too long and would be eating hot dogs and churros for Christmas - thx Fodorites!

Enjoy-la!

At the risk of getting stoned,,,,,, why would you want to go to Disney for 9 days?

I would really check into the dining plan. We are not big eaters, and so for us it would have been a waste of money. For others, its a great deal. So just check and see if it fits for you before you decide.

travelbug44, don't worry I won't stone you! Really, the question was asked out of ignorance...I didn't know how long one "needed" to see "everything". I know of course I won't see everything but you get the gist (hopefully).

I've been wanting to go for a long time so will enjoy all distractions, including Disney shopping fun! DH likes rides and will probably enjoy time visiting DisneyQuest and the waterpark; his Richard Petty experience will take up half a day.

Also my DH likes to take it slowewr so I wanted to build in some pool/down time for him every day. I tend to go-go-go but with extra days I won't feel like I can't stop - hopefully it will be a good balance for both of us. I understand your point tho, why would someone want to spend so long in a fabricated world?...LOL!

We're not big eaters either but we think if we were to enjoy a typical dinner out it would cost us more than $80 right there anyway, so the counter and snacks are a bonus. I particularly like that it still includes tax and tip.

Enjoy-la!

Also keep in mind about the weather. Just because it's FLA does not mean it will be warm. We have been at Mickey's Very merry christmas party and it was in the 30's. It is not suntan and swimsuits. For December, I pack sweaters, gloves, scarfs and wear layered clothing. It can get into the 70's during the day, but in the afternoon and for a short time (shorter days - less sunshine = cooler temps). Mornings are cold. I wear Ugg boots and find them warm and comfy for walking around and I wear jeand and layered long sleeve tees during the day and dress accordingly at night. Epoct is much colder than the other parks. Another helpful hint is to plan your dinners early - 5:30 or so. You will have a more peaceful dinner...as you are leaving the restaurant, that is when everyone else will be going in, so you will find the parks a bit emptier. At night is when you want to choose a park to walk around in due to all the beautiful christmas lights. Epcot may take more than one night...really beautiful. Besides it's even mor fun to grabe a dessert in the parks...they always have special stuff at the holidays. Since the sun sets so early, I have found that the California Grill is the best place for an early dinner. The sunsets from up there are breathtaking and 5:30 is when the sunset colors start. Seeing the fireworks from up there is highly overrated. If you can get tix for Mickey's christmas party, I highly recommend you do so. The "snow" falling on Main street and the special 360 fireworks are just amazing. It's not real snow, but it looks like it. You will have a great time...it's a lot of fun.

Also make sure you bring some very supportive shoes and more than one pair to walk around in. I wore a pedometer there once and we walked an average of 10 miles a day.

I agree with everything schmerl said. I have stayed at the CBR 3 times, twice with a car, and once without. I HATED the time without the car. Taking the buses really gets miserable. If you are going to stay there, skip the Magical Express. Rent a car from one of the rental agencies at the airport. You'll be at the resort sooner than you will with Magical Express. With ME, you have to wait until the bus is full, and then you stop may end up stopping at several resorts before yours. I have flown to WDW with my husband, and three young sons. We take carry-on luggage only. We usually rent a car from National. We are standing in the check in line at our WDW hotel less than an hour after the plane touches down. And you can drive the car to the parks instead of wasting much time and energy waiting for and standing on the buses. Don't let the Magical Express influence your hotel choice

Did you consider "Coronado Springs Resort"? It is also a moderate resort and fairly centrally located. See: http://disneyworldlinks.com/Resort-Park-Presentations/ It is the newest of the moderates and tends to be more popular with adults. It also has the longest waterslide - if that's a factor for you. Mousesavers considers it a best value among the moderates and has one of the best food courts. See: http://www.mousesavers.com/wdwresortfacts.html#moderate

We really liked Raglan Road which has live music in Downtown Disney after about 9PM and does not require a Pleasure Island ticket. You'll have better luck with a reservation booked directly with Raglan Road than through WDW. See: www.raglanroadirishpub.com

I love the Adventurer's Club, Jelly Rolls is also really popular among those in our age group. See: http://www.buildabettermousetrip.com...nightlife.html

New Years Eve will have specially or separately ticketed events.

As for Micro-planning: that will be your saving grace at that busy time of year. Someone already mentioned www.tourguidemike.com - which is really good. The Unofficial Guide to WDW has a companion site - touringplans.com - that will give "Best Days" information. I've also used www.buildabettermousetrip.com which did an great job on custom touring plans with best days information.

Knowing which park will have the lowest relative crowd level is never more important than during the holiday season. You'll want to avoid the Extra Magic Hour parks at all cost. Too many people being pointed in the same direction at the same time.

Annabel, great tips on dressing, esp. on Epcot - that's a new tip!

I should have mentioned earlier since others suggested it as well, but the Mickey Chr. Party is over before I arrive.

scarboroughmom and ajcolorado's posts on top of previous posters' comments, have made me re-evaluate my CBR choice. I decided to look at worse case scenario - since premium rooms (ones close to Old Port Royale) are all sold out, my request to be close is just a request and since I am booking late, I may get a room on the farthest fringes.

CBR is 46 acres compared to Coronodo Springs which is 15 acres. So in theory I'd have less of a hike to/from the central area in CS than CBR. I originally chose CBR cuz I thought it was the closest to Epcot but since I can't walk to Epcot from CBR, and CS is only 10 min to Epcot, has dedicated shuttles, is newer and more adult-oriented, I switched.

I have never re-booked a hotel for any trip before - for some reason Disney World's infinite options for everything has me in a tizz...LOL!

Okay, I'm staying with CS now. Just have to roughly sketch out my days, avoiding EMH parks, so I can try to still get some dinner rezzes at some good places.

Thx a mint all - enjoy-la!

Swan/Dolphin often offer special rates -AAA, "allears" rates (related to website) as well as teachers, nurses, govt workers, Fl resident. We loved the convenience of walking into Epcot & taking the boat to the Studios. Rates we've paid in the past have been $149/night & $169/night; have booked for $189/night on AAA rate for Oct 07 at Swan; these rates have got to be close to what a moderate (CS or CBR)Disney hotel would cost. The service was also very good, the Swan was quieter, more intimate. Hope you enjoy your stay!