Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Disney World at Christmas? -

I m thinking about taking my son for a 2 or 3 day visit to Disney World for Christmas. I ve never seen the park decorated at Christmas, and my son is nearing the age where he ll soon be too grown up for the Magic Kingdom. I m to understand that it can be quite crowded during this time as schools are out. So what about after Christmas? How long does Disney keep the Magic Kingdom decorated? Would we come out better staying a couple days during the week versus the weekend?I know that not all tickets to the park are purchased directly from Disney, but can the theme parks estimate how many guest they might have in a day (say within a thousand)? Any other tips would be welcomed. I do have to pass this along to anyone who might be planning a trip to Disney during the upcoming year. Go in late February or March. The weather was perfect {neither too hot or cold} and the longest line we stood in was for 30 minutes to ride Space Mountain. They didn t run the electric parade at night, but missing the long lines was worth the trade off. I booked this trip via Travelocity (last minute deals) and for $800 we received direct round trip air (from NC), three days and two nights at the Disney s Swan Hotel as well as one adult and one child ticket to one of the theme parks for one day. If you stay within the Disney complex there s no need for a vehicle (there had to be 500+ shuttles running all the time).

One of the nicest times to see Disney World decorated for Christmas is to go during the first two weeks of December. The Thanksgiving crowds have left, and the Christmas crowds haven t arrived yet. Of course, it probably means taking your child out of school which may or may not be doable. One thing to keep in mind is that the weather in Central Florida in December can be hard to predict. It can be warm and sunny one day, but the next day is cool and breezy, where you actually need to wear a jacket. Bring a range of clothing.

actually if you go before christmas around thanksgiving it is a bit less crowded ans everything is decorated!! it is soooo cool and it is extremely crowded during christmas time!!! i had a flash pass to get on buzz lightyear and it took an hour to get on still!!!

I agree with the others, but wanted to add:If the only time you can go is 2-3 days during the official Christmas Break, you should really plan on only seeing the Osborne Lights and the displays at the different hotels/downtown Disney - and the Osborne lights only because you re going there to see it decorated with lights. During that time of year all the parks, but especially the Magic Kingdom, will be KAH-RAZY crowded. Like, you might only get to go on 3 or 4 rides because you ll be spending the rest of the time waiting in lines to go on those rides, kind of crowded. If you just take some time to chill and enjoy the rest of Walt Disney World it could be a nice get away. The Grand Floridian (or, really, any of the deluxe resorts) are beautifully decorated, and you don t have to stay there to go enjoy a looksie. Also, if you re not going to eat only counter service meals (disney s equivalent of fast food) you need to make sure to get your dining reservations made or no restaurants with sit down service will be able to accommodate you.Finally, just so you know, male or female, there s no such thing as being too grown up for Disney. Favorite rides may change but the magic never does! Enjoy your trip.

The Christmas decorations will start coming down soon after the crowds leave, which is usually right after New Year s Day (depending on what day of the week that falls on). This year, since New Year s will be on a Friday, people probably will stay around until Sunday. But after that, the decorations will start coming down fast. So if you could go either the first two weeks of December (decorations are up but crowds aren t there yet) or the first two weeks of January (people have left, decorations are mostly still up), that would be your best bet.Disney does not release actual or estimated guest numbers by day, but they surely have a pretty good idea.