Suggestions for Christmas Trip

[Rica]

While we are waiting for the release of Dec. park hours and schedules to be released, we are looking for any help with what parks are good to be at or avoid on Christmas Eve and Day? :tink:

[Strmchsr]

Well, honestly, there's not a "good" park, if by good park you mean less crowded, on either day. They're all jam packed. The biggest tip is to get there as early as possible. The parks are known to reach capacity on those days.

[faline]

I would definitely avoid the Magic Kingdom on those days. I did go to Epcot one year on Christmas Day and found it to be manageable.

[LoriMistress]

If you're going to the parks the week of Christmas. I would avoid going to ANY park on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Each park will be packed at full compasity. The parks have been known to close its doors early.

If you're going to the parks during the busiest time of the year, I would suggest using either the Ultimate Guide or use tourguidemike.com They will assist you on having an enjoyable and tolerable trip during peak season.

[awaggett]

We were there this past year for Christmas. We did Magic Kingdom on the 23rd (Saturday) and had a really great time, and the crowds were fine. We did Epcot on Christmas Eve, and again the crowds were manageable. I had read many horror stories of crowds on Christmas Day, so we avoided the parks. We did MGM on the 26th, and again crowds were fine. On the 27th we headed to the Animal Kingdom and were met by tons of people--my best guess is that a lot of folks stay home for the actual holiday, then head down on the 26-27--the rest of that week was really crowded--fast passes gone by noon, waits of 2 hours for main attractions, etc. I was really glad that we had gotten a lot of the attractions out of the way before the crowds arrived!

On the advice of other posters--we went with the flow, and just enjoyed the scenery, decorations, and being at Disney. We had a great time, just not sure we would opt for that time of year again. I'd definitely recommend it for everyone once!

Let me know if you need any other advice. All the hints I got here really helped make the trip better!

[LoriMistress]

All parks will be at full compasity on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I would spend the time relaxing at the resorts and maybe making a few dinner reservations.

[Jeff]

We have been to both Epcot and MK on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We ahve been 3 of the past 4 years and are going again this year. We always go to a park on both Christmas Eve and Christmas day - that's the point of being there for us.:mickey:

Yes the parks are packed but you can still have a great time. The key, get to the park before it opens, go right in and do the most popular rides, get repeat fast passes early (they do run out) then by noon, just hit the less popular attractions and kick back and relax. Make sure you have ADR's for meals.

Have a great time!:thumbsup:

[Rica]

Thanks for all the hints and suggestions. Keep them coming. :mickey:

[CandleontheWater]

I would go to Epcot on Christmas day. Its such a big park, it tends to handle crowds better than any of the others. If you are looking for a day by day comparison for which parks to go to and which to avoid check out touringplans.com You can pay for individualized touring plans, but the park crowd calender estimator is free. Its a great site, I think it will help you navigate the crowds very well.