We just booked with FD and upgraded to DxDDP. I'm in the middle of planning
. We have been to WDW mainly in the summer and never Christmas. Our dates are Dec. 23-Jan. 1. I'm wondering about leaving and returning to the parks or hopping to another park for FP+ and or ADR's.
I know that there is a possibility of the parks closing due to capacity that week. I'm trying to find out if that is for every day of that week or just Dec. 24, 25, and 31?
Any help would be appreciated!!!!!!!!!
In the past, the Magic Kingdom, at least, has reached some level of capacity on other days.
The parks close in phases, and Magic Kingdom closes first. When I was there a few years ago, they were already deterring people from the MK at around 1pm on New Years Eve (e.g verbal: MK is closed). I expect it was what is widely known as a Phase 2 closure, because when we expressed that my brother was marching in the parade at 3, they indicated that we could get in if we took Disney transportation. That was the only day we ran into issues, and it was during my pre-DIS phase, so we didn't get anywhere before rope drop.
Epcot is the least likely to close, and Disney resort guests are "guaranteed" that they'll be able to get into A park, but not necessarily the park of their choice.
Also, after they reach capacity they adopt a "one out, one in" procedure, and resort guests get priority entrance in those cases.
Our current plan has us arriving on the 28th, and if I plan on anywhere for New Year's Eve, it will be Epcot. I've been at the Magic Kingdom before on New Year's Eve and I was a bit underwhelmed. We'll probably plan on an early night, and hit a park full force first thing in the morning, when everyone else is sleeping. My kids don't let me sleep past 6am (7am in FL) anyways.
Joining in the fun, too!
We're headed back this year, after taking our daughter on her first WDW vacation last November. We had such a great time that we're throwing caution (and plans to wait till our newborn son is 3) to the wind and going again in December. I don't know if we're nuts or fun taking a 4-year-old and an infant (he'll be almost 11 months) to WDW, but I'm going for fun...
WHEN: December 17-21
WHERE: Port Orleans French Quarter
WHO: DH, DD4, DSbaby, myself
MORE: w/free dining
I think I'd prefer to travel Dec. 3-7 for crowd levels, so if a RO discount comes out for those dates I'll probably switch. We did a bunch of princess meals last year, so the free dining - while nice for character meals - is less important to me than crowds, especially with an infant.
Don't worry, whichever boat you're in, I'm there with you, except I'm planning on braving Holiday crowds. DS will be 4, and DD will be 10 months.
As for POFQ, I recommend requesting close to the elevator or a ground floor room. The first room they sent us to, when we stayed there last year, was about as far as possible from the elevator in building 1. I know POFQ is tiny, but there's something depressing to me about walking the entire length of a building to get to the elevators, then walking all the way back to get your room with a stroller (or the short time we had the rental car, carrying a 2 year old). I had much less difficulty with the walk to Barbados 13 at CBR. They moved us to building 4, right next to the elevator, and it was awesome.
My wife and I have been at WDW five of the last six years. The crowds are huge; the weather can be unpredictable and changeable; the prices are extra expensive. That said we plan to be at WDW every Christmas until we can not travel at all. Our trick is to be flexible but to plan. We follow much of the advice found on the boards but also realize we may not be able to do everything at each park. We use park hoppers especially going to MK which is often open late with EMH. We do not go back to our resort for a break but rather spend a very leisurely TS meal or rest in the parks. The crowds are thinned out by nighttime and since MK is often open to 1 am or later it can almost be lonely. Epcot and HS are also open late but not as late or as often as MK. AK is another story but has been open as late as 9 pm. Just decide what is your absolute musts and plan for those; look at the rest as extra good things that happen but don't fret if you can not do everything even if you planned perfectly. Remember that there are many ways to tour the parks--- we don't do the thrill rides, but spend a lot of time and dollars on signature meals, but that's our way and not for all. Commando park planners would consider our planning a waste of precious time, but it works for us. We say to each his own!
Great advice!
Thanks again and I am so happy to finally be apart of the Disboards family!
here in So. Cal and it's May! Ugh!
