We just booked our Disneyworld 2008 Christmas holiday!!!! Now is the planning stage which we love! Does anyone have any suggestions for where we should dine and play on Christmas Eve and Christmas day?

Just wanted to say 'yay'!

But one thing-wherever you want to dine-be aware that there very well may be an additional price involved. An incentive or premium or....there's a technical term which I'm blanking on right now:rolleyes: that has been added to several locations for Easter-so it stands to reason that there would be one for Christmas/Christmas Eve etc. There's some details on allears-and there may be here as well-check the MP WDW update.

May want to check Unofficial Guide site for their best days/best parks advice-and it may be worth it for a subscription to tourguidemikes for his best days as well. You are going to be there at a very, very busy time. But I'd love, love to visit each of the Christmas storytellers that they have in Epcot.

Thanks tjrj!

I checked out allears and yes some prices seem higher...yikes! Yes, it will be busy but that adds to the fun and excitement!!! Do they have a schedule for the storytellers? That sounds festive!

Do they have a schedule for the storytellers? That sounds festive!
One of my favorite things. On the Times Guide for Epcot, it will list them on the back - each country has (I want to say) 4-6 different times - but if you want to see the ALL in one day you have to plan REALLY carefully and criss-cross a lot. I'm not even sure if it can be done. I think my favorite was Norway.

Ohhh I'm so jealous! Magic Kingdom of course! Go for the most special park at the most special time :) Although it's a pretty busy time, I remember those two days were the least crowded during our whole visit 12/24-12/31/06, as it got closer to new years the crowds grew thicker, and thicker until it was shoulder to shoulder stroller to stroller traffic in the hub area

My vote for dinner on the 24th would be California Grill at 8:30 just in time for those fireworks, this is something I didn't get to do on my first or second trip, the first trip I guess I didn't really know about it, the second, we planned our trip too close to our arrival date that it was all booked up, although we did get to eat there AFTER the fireworks, but we did get a window seat and the view of MK is beautiful and we also saw the water parade

My vote for dinner on the 25th would be Cinderella's Royal Table, I haven't eaten there, but it seems like eating Christmas dinner in the castle would be something special OR Liberty Tree Tavern, now I've been here and it's a must on any day, Chip n Dale were hilarious

That sounds so nice!! Now...what to do for New Year's Eve?

We will be in Disneyworld for Christmas!! We are so excited:D Any suggestions on what should not be missed? Our children are 16 and 20, if that helps! We will be there for New Year's also...

Epcot is a wonderful park at Christmastime. They put up a huge archway of lights over the walkway between Futureworld and the World Showcase. It's called the Lights of Winter, and it's computer controlled along with the central fountain in Futureworld. Also, all of the lands around the World Showcase feature presentations about Christmas, usually done by that country's equivalent of Santa Claus. The Voices of Liberty, the a capella group that sings before the American Adventure show, sing beautiful arrangements of Christmas carols. And then there's the stunning Candlelight Celebration held nightly and featuring a variety of guest narrators. It's a telling of the traditional biblical Christmas story, with a 300 voice choir and 70 piece orchestra. One of my personal highlights of the entire Christmas season!

And over in the Studios there's the Osborne Lights, about 7 million lights strung up all over the New York Street area. These are also computer controlled, and they do a show synced to music every 10 minutes or so. Stunning!

I thought that Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party was fabulous! It's run like the Not So Scary Halloween Party with Parades and character greets, etc.

We are re-visiting the week before Christmas...can't wait.

The lights everywhere at all the Resorts and parks are just sooooooo beautiful!

Be sure to visit the Deluxe Resorts to see the massive Christmas Trees displayed in their lobbies. Wow!

And the Gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian! Wow...wow!

During the time you are visiting, it will be very crowded...just keep that in mind. But, with your children being older...there's no strollers to push, but be afraid of other people pushing the strollers...people will give you a "flat tire" every now and again! LOL!!!

Have a great magical time!

Does anyone know when they take the Christmas decorations and lights down at Christmas? Do they leave them up after New Years or shut them off Jan 1? Hoping to get there on Jan 3rd but would like to see the decorations and lights.

Welcome to MP!
In the past, there have been reports of the lights go down somewhat swiftly after the New Year, but not necessarily all at once. You might be able to see remnants of the holiday decorations, but maybe not in their full splendor.

However, something triggered my memory that this was discussed last January (link (http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?t=88856&highlight=christmas+lights)) and the lights stayed up a little longer than usual. So, here is to hoping that they are still up for you.

We were there through Jan. 7 this year and the majority of the decorations seemed to disappear on the 6th. I think you have a good chance of seeing most of them. They even ran the Jingle Jungle Parade at the Animal Kingdom until the 6th. :fez:

New Year's Day for 2009 is a Thursday. I would expect that they would wait until Monday (Jan 5) to start taking them down.

We are taking our first family vacation to WDW in December from the 26th to January5th. We chose to go at that time of year so the least amount of school/work would be missed. From everything I read in books and on forums like this is that this is the worst time to go. Did we make a really big mistake spending all that money to go at that time of year or can it be managed well enough?? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, especially from those who have experienced it before. My kids (14,11) are hoping to enjoy the waterparks, we are coming from Canada and our Dec/Jan weather is very cold. Will we be able to enjoy the waterparks or will we freeze? Again thanks for any comments/help. Plus we are hoping to see the Tampa Bay Lightning play on Dec 30th vs the Montreal Canadiens any advice on best spot to pick up tickets. Should we get some before we go, or are the games not usually sold out?

We've been there two times at Christmas and one more in December just prior to the 25th. Once was very warm -- very comfortable at the beach or pool. Once was freezing - on the day we arrived it dropped to 25 - a killer freeze! WAY too cold for the water. The other time was in between - pleasant enough but too cool for water parks. My advice is you can buy your tix in advance, but leave off the water parks until after you arrive. If it's warm enough add them then.

As for should you go - It will be extremely crowded, but the parks are opened for about 17 hours each day. Take the middle of the day off and go back to your room and catch a nap. Then stay in the parks till 1AM. They will be least crowded after 7PM - especially true for MK, when all those little kids just get wiped out.

As for the crowds - we had HUGE crowds! The first time was the year Epcot opened. Several of the days they closed the entrance down around 10AM because the capacities had been reached. Lines were very long. BUT -- we had a great time and enjoyed our very long days there. I'd say go - absolutely - and have a great time!

BTW, we've run into people who go there every year at Christmas because of the school holidays.

We went Dec 29th-Jan 5th. The crowds were HUGE, however like the previous reply if you get up early, take the afternoon off and then go back in the evening it is much more enjoyable. The waits aren't nearly as bad as they are during the peak hours. However, I would suggest that if you do it that way, that you see the headliner attractions first. And utilize the fast pass. That is the only way you will be able to see many of those attractions without having to wait in a line for 90 minutes. It is a great time to go. The holiday overlay is still out and New Year's Eve is a blast. You will have a good time.

I would also suggest that you come up with some sort of "game plan" before you actually get to that particular park. It doesn't have to be a timeline, but it doesn't hurt to know what attractions you want to see before you get there. That way you kind of have a map in your head of where to go, instead of wasting time figuring out where to go.

I come from a northern state as well and while it was nice during the day, the evening can get chilly. Might want to bring a light jacket or sweatshirt.

Have fun!!!

Just to add emphasis to the previous posters, a plan is a must! We went the week between Christmas and New Years in '06 and had a great time. In fact, we're doing it again this year. We made the most of early arrival and Fastpass, and we had a specific plan for what we wanted to do at each park. We never waited more than 25-30 minutes for any attrraction and the only ride we wanted to go on but skipped due to long lines was It's a Small World. Many people don't believe us when we tell them our wait times, but I swear it's true. We even got to ride Buzz Lightyear, the Kali River Rapids, and Mission Space mutliple times, back-to-back. Probably a fluke, but we hope it happens again this year!

While waiting for a ferry, I spoke with a woman who was miserable about her trip. They were experiencing 2-3 hour waits for most of the major attractions and the group did a lot of arguing. Their problem was they didn't arrive at the parks until 11:00 or 12:00 and then spent 5-10 minutes after each attraction discussing what they wanted to do next.

It goes against my fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants nature, but a detailed plan for Disney at Christmas is an absolute must.

I agree with jrae! We arrived at WDW on Dec 29 for a 9 day vacation. We really planned everything - from meals in the parks to what rides and when. On Dec 29 at MK we did 11 rides before noon! 4 E ticket rides included - and BTMRR + Space Twice! DO NOT go to Epcot for EM. Future world does not have enough rides to disperse the crowds. Use fastpass when ever possible.
OUr motto is standby line of longer than 20 - 30 minutes is too long. There are better uses of time.

Ragrobyn What do you mean bydo not go to epcot for em? What is EM?

Thanks so much for your input so far keep it coming. Which park will have the best new years fireworks? Where should we spend new years eve?

Ragrobyn What do you mean bydo not go to epcot for em? What is EM?

Sorry, not enough coffee ;)

What I meant was MEMH - Morning Extra Magic Hour

If you are staying at the resort, one "perk" is being able to get into the park 1 hour before it is open to the general public. This is only offered on certain days and is different for every park. We found that TONS on people take advantage of this perk. So by 10:30 the place is packed! We learned that by AVOIDING Epcot on an MEMH day, the crowds were lighter - seasonaly speaking! There just is not enough rides to keep the flow going in Epcot!! It was awesome at MK tho - I love being there while Main Street is practically empty!!!

i am a big fan of www.tourguidemike.com - he tells you which parks to go to on which days, and gives really detailed touring plans. we used him in late jan/early feb (low season, not to be compared to the chaos of christmas) and never waited more than 5 minutes for a ride the whole ten days. it costs about $20 to join but if you join now, you get 5 months of REALLY helpful advice. the site also hosts a discussion board which is even more active than mouseplanet, if you can believe it - of people planning their trips and getting feedback on their schedules etc. have a look - i think you would find it invaluable for this time of year.

We have been to Walt Disney World for Christmas twice and Disneyland Paris for Christmas once. We LOVE the parks during holidays!

We ate at Crystal Palace for dinner on Christmas Day....the kids we had with us loved it. We wanted it to be an "all disney" type of meal and that fit the bill. We have also eaten at Boma on Thanksgiving Day and it was awesome! Truly awesome!

In Disneyland Paris we ate at the restaraunt in the Pirates ride and it was fun but nothing spectacular...just nice to be "in" the ride though. (You aren't going but its a fun tidbit)

HI All,

I'm already trying to plan my trip for next year to Disneyworld to experience the Holiday Season there. Would anyone suggest going in November or should I stick with early December? I'm fairly flexible as to when I can go I just really want to see all the holiday stuff (especially at Epcot and Studios) and see the WDW candlelight procession.

Suggestions as to when to go are appreciated.

Carolyn

If it's holiday stuff that is your priority, go in early December. Late November can still have the carryover from the Thanksgiving crowds. The first 2 weeks of December are perfect times to visit!