December 2015 Help Thread - What To See & Do (Crowd Calendar Added)

[Mainemama]

We always avoid MK on Christmas day - it will be wall to wall people from late morning to late afternoon. If you just want to go for an ADR and really not try to ride much (perhaps use FP+ to get a few in) I would plan for an early lunch ADR and be at the park fairly early.

There are 4 stages of closing, and an ADR will not get you in at the fourth stage - nobody gets in at that stage. I don't know if it would hit stage 4 by 10 am, but I'll bet it would be close.

Thanks for the replies! That is what I figured. We love rest days, and since the 25th will be crazy, it seems a logical day to do that. I do not like wall to wall people! Then again, the dates following Xmas look just as crowded, and we have 5 more days following Xmas, so it seems possible that we would want the rest day to come later in the trip. We have never been away from home for Xmas, though, and stockings in bed are the number 1 family tradition for us, so I want to build whatever we do around that! My DH wants to rope drop AK whatever day we go there, so that rules out what I thought would be the best park choice for the 25th. I love these maddening decisions!

 

[PirateD]

We have decided to go with a resort morning and then head to EPCOT for Christmas Day. We also want to have a little time Christmas morning and then have a late brunch-hoping for 1900 Park Fare. We thought that we would just do our FP+ that day, eat some holiday treats around the world, and visit some of the Holiday Storytellers. AK is no doubt the best choice crowd wise, but we also want to be there first thing in the morning for our AK day which won't work with a laid back Christmas morning.

Looking at the rest of the week, we are thinking about spending most of our MK time towards the beginning of the week since it looks like crowds will only build as we go (We are there Dec. 19-28). I'm wondering what the prevailing opinion is. Is it better to do MK on a 8 or 9 day when the park is not recommended or on a 10 day when it is the recommended park. I'm thinking 8 or 9 not recommended but I could be wrong. Of course, I'm still waiting for the final word on Easy WDW since park hours still haven't been finalized but just curious what you all think.

 

[sheila <3 WDW]

We have decided to go with a resort morning and then head to EPCOT for Christmas Day. We also want to have a little time Christmas morning and then have a late brunch-hoping for 1900 Park Fare. We thought that we would just do our FP+ that day, eat some holiday treats around the world, and visit some of the Holiday Storytellers. AK is no doubt the best choice crowd wise, but we also want to be there first thing in the morning for our AK day which won't work with a laid back Christmas morning.

Looking at the rest of the week, we are thinking about spending most of our MK time towards the beginning of the week since it looks like crowds will only build as we go (We are there Dec. 19-28). I'm wondering what the prevailing opinion is. Is it better to do MK on a 8 or 9 day when the park is not recommended or on a 10 day when it is the recommended park. I'm thinking 8 or 9 not recommended but I could be wrong. Of course, I'm still waiting for the final word on Easy WDW since park hours still haven't been finalized but just curious what you all think.

We are planning DHS on our first full day (12/21) because Jedi Training is a must-do this trip. I'm hoping it'll be better that day than it would be on the 26th, even though the 26th has EMH. I'm still debating those 2 options though.
I am trying to do as much as possible the first few days of our trip, before Christmas hits. We are planning to leave the 27th.

 

[PirateD]

We are planning DHS on our first full day (12/21) because Jedi Training is a must-do this trip. I'm hoping it'll be better that day than it would be on the 26th, even though the 26th has EMH. I'm still debating those 2 options though.
I am trying to do as much as possible the first few days of our trip, before Christmas hits. We are planning to leave the 27th.

I think you may be right that DHS may be better on 12/21 than 12/26. We may end up doing the EMH on 12/26 and then park hopping because we aren't planning to do a full day at DHS. We may split it up and go see the Osborne Family Lights on Christmas Eve and then spend one morning there for a few attractions. We are debating on how much time to spend there. DHS is not high on our list of priorities so chances are high that we may only go see the lights. If we had a must-do there though, I think we would put it towards the beginning.

 

[DisneyFirstTimer10]

Any word or advice when the parade filming will be in MK? I want to try and avoid MK on those days- and ADR booking is coming up pretty soon!

Does the filming go all day?

 

[siskaren]

Any word or advice when the parade filming will be in MK? I want to try and avoid MK on those days - and ADR booking is coming up pretty soon!

Does the filming go all day?

Filming normally takes place the first weekend of December, with stage shows getting filmed Thursday and Friday, and the parade on Saturday, with Sunday being used as a make-up day in case of weather or other issues. Last year was different, with the parade filming on Tuesday after the first weekend (I don't know about the stage shows), so I don't know about this year, but it doesn't last all day - only daylight hours. One year I arrived at MK at 7:00 pm on that first Saturday in December and had no clue about the parade taping until another guest told me about it while we were waiting in line for Splash Mountain.

 

[DisneyFirstTimer10]

I know that crowds are typically lower on a MVMCP day- does filming effect crowds at all?

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

Any word or advice when the parade filming will be in MK? I want to try and avoid MK on those days- and ADR booking is coming up pretty soon!

Does the filming go all day?

It should be December 4th - 6th.

I have some information (insider stuff) about the taping, but I cannot confirm anything yet. Everything may not (only) be done on that first full weekend in December, but throughout the week before. As soon as I have the details, I will add it to the information for the Magic Kingdom on the first page.

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

I know that crowds are typically lower on a MVMCP day- does filming effect crowds at all?

It does. It is not always consistent. Sometimes you can get onto rides easier if you stay away from Main Street. There have been years when the crowds are crazy everywhere regardless of where you are.

 

[DisneyFirstTimer10]

It does. It is not always consistent. Sometimes you can get onto rides easier if you stay away from Main Street. There have been years when the crowds are crazy everywhere regardless of where you are.

Thank you!

 

[DisnutDave]

Great thread, thanks for consolidating and maintaining all the info! We are going this Dec. 6-12. We've been there many Decembers, but this year are bringing friends who have never been there at Christmas time, so we need to cover all the (bare) necessities.

Here are some photos from our last December visit.

 

[kaymil]

So I'm sort of freaking out, because these December hours look a lot different than last year's. I know they can change at any time, but does anyone know how this calendar is available when the WDW site only has hours through December 7th posted, and are they accurate (as accurate as any other calendar would be)? Because if so I will be very pumped. And I don't want to get unnecessarily excited

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

So I'm sort of freaking out, because these December hours look a lot different than last year's. I know they can change at any time, but does anyone know how this calendar is available when the WDW site only has hours through December 7th posted, and are they accurate (as accurate as any other calendar would be)? Because if so I will be very pumped. And I don't want to get unnecessarily excited

Some of us have an inside track into things happening at Disney. Additionally, there is a Travel Agent site with park hours that anybody with the link has access to. The Disney website is always the last to be updated and sadly the information on their official site is not always entered correctly.

If something changes, I will get an email and then change it here, too.

 

[4HOLIDAYS]

So glad for this thread. We go almost every Dec-but I love that this is putting all the info for the current year in one space! Thanks for doing it!

 

[DisneyFirstTimer10]

Super excited- added another night on so now we will be in WDW from

Dec 4-Dec 12th AKV- Jambo

I cant believe its almost time to make ADRs. Spent the weekend figuring out which parks and when. This thread has been very helpful for planning purposes.

 

[Piwacket's Mom]

Hi, I am guessing this has already been asked so I apologize in advance. This is my first trip and I managed to get 3 extra days by taking away Deluxe Dining and changing from CSR to CBR. We are now going from 12/15 to 12/23! Yeah!! I was hoping to eliminate the dining package for the Candlelight Processional and use fastpass +. Is fastpass available? Also, can you please tell me what to expect crowd wise 12/19 through 12/22 at MK? I know the crowd will increase as the week goes on, but will it be so packed the parks will fill? Any insight is appreciated. Thanks

 

[lovndisney12]

I can answer your 12/19-12/22 question - it will be busy but when we have been during this time none of the parks reached capacity until 12/25. You shouldn't have an issue. Just make sure to check the crowd calendars and try to go to the best recommended park for the day (or at least avoid the ones that are not recommended).

 

[ValpoCory]

What's up with the significantly reduced park hours in December 2015 compared to December 2014? For one, the Magic Kingdom opened at 8am everyday in December 2014, but is slated to open at 9am everyday in December 2015. Also, let's take a look at the 2nd Saturday in each month. On Saturday, December 13th, 2014, the Magic Kingdom was open from 8am to 1am, with EMH until 3am, for a total of 19 hours. On Saturday, December 12th, 2015, the Magic Kingdom will be open from 9am to 10pm with no EMH, for a total of 13 hours.

6 less hours day to day in just one year. I don't like the thought of paying increased ticket prices for one third less park time.

In fact, the only time we'll see evening EMH at the Magic Kingdom in December 2015 will be on Wednesday nights, and they are closing the park two hours earlier than last year (10pm vs. midnight) to counter that, so there are no hours gained for onsite guests.

December 2014 hours
December 2015 hours

 

[ValpoCory]

Sleigh Ride at Fort Wilderness Cabins and Campground

Enjoy an intimate horse-drawn carriage ride for a 25-minute trip through
Disney's Ft. Wilderness Resort & Campground. Each carriage can hold either
4 adults—or 2 adults and 3 small children. The trip costs $60 USD per carriage.

​

The sleigh rides cost $79 now.

 

[lovndisney12]

What's up with the significantly reduced park hours in December 2015 compared to December 2014? For one, the Magic Kingdom opened at 8am everyday in December 2014, but is slated to open at 9am everyday in December 2015. Also, let's take a look at the 2nd Saturday in each month. On Saturday, December 13th, 2014, the Magic Kingdom was open from 8am to 1am, with EMH until 3am, for a total of 19 hours. On Saturday, December 12th, 2015, the Magic Kingdom will be open from 9am to 10pm with no EMH, for a total of 13 hours.

6 less hours day to day in just one year. I don't like the thought of paying increased ticket prices for one third less park time.

In fact, the only time we'll see evening EMH at the Magic Kingdom in December 2015 will be on Wednesday nights, and they are closing the park two hours earlier than last year (10pm vs. midnight) to counter that, so there are no hours gained for onsite guests.

December 2014 hours
December 2015 hours

I am guessing (and hoping) that the hours will be extended as we get closer to December. It is always easier to add extra hours once published but would create an uproar to cut back.