December 2018 booked, now I need help planning

[dcrippin15]

So after years of talking about it my wife and I pulled the trigger and just booked a stay for December (8-14) down at WDW with the kids.
We are vets when it comes to Disney World as we normally take 2 trips a year but this is the first time we are doing a trip during the holiday season at Disney World.
I am looking for suggestions, do and don’t and all the above to help plan a memorable first holiday trip. I would appreciate any and all insight for planning a good stay during that time of year.

 

[sharonabe]

Decide if you want to do the MVMCP. You'll see pros and cons, so in the end, only you can decide if it's worth the extra money.

EP Storytellers are probably my favorite part of the holiday theming. Don't miss Norway.
EP also has the Candlelight Processional. Again, every family is different, and you'll need to do some research to see if getting a CP dining pkg is a good thing or not.

HS has upped it's game with holiday themed shows at night. You'll want at least one night there and maybe two if F! is also on your list.

MK will be your problem park. Crowd calendars just can't do this one justice. Because there is an MVMCP on 4 out of 7 nights most weeks, it means the nights there aren't a party make MK extra crowded all day. You'll want one MK day to be a party day and then either another day or at least an evening on a non-party day if you want to see HEA and the castle lighting.

Go read some trip reports from that time frame from this year and get a feel for what is important to your family.

 

[alotocki]

We just booked yesterday for 12/8-12/15 too! This is also our first time during the holidays...CAN'T WAIT!

 

[Meriweather]

I'm booked too.
2-15
Love that time of year.
I do love the country storytellers also

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I agree with the storytellers in EP. We also love listening to Voices of Liberty sing holiday songs in the America pavilion. Apart from the park offerings, I would encourage you to tour some of the resorts. GF and WL are especially gorgeous during the holidays!

 

[CynBeth]

Take time to visit the deluxe resorts.

 

[3agoria]

Take time to visit the deluxe resorts.

Agreed! Resorts are incredible during Christmas!

 

[Mal6586]

If you have a free night, the sleigh rides at Fort Wilderness are really fun! You get to see fun decorations at the campsites, and it's just so festive being driven around with the sleigh bells!

 

[Sparkle51]

went december 2016 and loved it. my kids were too young to sit through candlelight processional but we walked past and it looked fabulous so i would try to do that.

also, the castlelighting at MK was awesome. It's a frozen theme and they essentially transform it into an ice castle with what must be millions of lights. even my skeptical husband thought it was pretty cool.

finally, just walk slow and take it all in. there are beautiful decorations everywhere. it's a beautiful time to go.. i hope to do it again one day!

 

[matheke]

We are booked December 2-8 at Jambo House.

This is our favorite time of the year.

Disney Springs has a lot of different activities during the season. We enjoyed the Christmas Tree Trail.

Try the different food/snack/drink stands that are part of the Holiday Festival at EPCOT.

 

[deedubb]

Great summary here:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/2017-holidays-at-disney-world-whats-new-whats-returning.3636994/

We just returned from our first Christmas trip and had an amazing time. Already starting to plan our next one, possibly for NYE. You will have a blast.

 

[famgel]

We also booked star 12/9-12/15/18 at SSR hoping to switch at 7 months! I'm following because we have never done Disney in December! Appreciating all the comments! Ty!

 

[catfan98]

We are also going in December this year, the week before Christmas. We’ve never been at this time before and we’re super excited to see the decorations at the parks and resorts! Lots of planning to do!

 

[Crazyhorse]

We just booked yesterday for 12/8-12/15 too! This is also our first time during the holidays...CAN'T WAIT!

Those are our dates too! We went last year Dec 9-16...loved it..had a few cold days but otherwise, lots o'fun. I had already booked December 8-15 2018 before we went last year. Now we just have to keep our eyes peeled later in the year for some discounts.

 

[brent02139]

We stayed Dec 17-21, we loved our Christmas vacation, few things I learned

1. It'll be crowded, bus can be a hit or miss and ride times will be long. At the time especially for AK/Pandora, maybe things will calm down by Dec.
2. When it's a MVMCP night, things start shutting down at 5pm, even though party doesn't happen till 7pm (edit: shut down for regular guests, I didn't mean MVMCP ticket holders)
3. Every ADR will be popular so be prepared. We couldn't even get GG at 180 days out, probably because of Candlelight P. Luckily with touringplans, we got everything including BOG and Crystal Palace before the trip.

 

[catfan98]

We stayed Dec 17-21, we loved our Christmas vacation, few things I learned

1. It'll be crowded, bus can be a hit or miss and ride times will be long. At the time especially for AK/Pandora, maybe things will calm down by Dec.
2. When it's a MVMCP night, things start shutting down at 5pm, even though party doesn't happen till 7pm
3. Every ADR will be popular so be prepared. We couldn't even get GG at 180 days out, probably because of Candlelight P. Luckily with touringplans, we got everything including BOG and Crystal Palace before the trip.

This is almost our exact time period we’re going this year. Planning for December 16-23. Great tips!

 

[MemoryMakers]

Last month was the first time we went in December and we LOVED it. Really got us into the holiday spirit. Hearing Christmas songs while walking in a theme park was awesome. We're changing our bi-annual trip from Jan to Dec going forward. Was more crowded then "off" times but with a good plan and a little luck (we rode FOP 4x, each with FP+), everything is possible.

Assuming HS does something similar this year, don't miss being there as it turns dark. Echo lake looked phenominal as the sun was going down and the big lights came on. Hollywood Blvd was great as well after dark.

As others have pointed out, try to go to a candlelight processional at Epcot. Also at Epcot, some of the Holiday food from around the world was decent as well.

We did MVMCP and enjoyed it (although it wasn't as "empty" as we'd hoped) but we would do that again. If you want to get an idea of not only what is offered but how various people planned for the party...this thread was great...First page has the basics but if you start around early Nov, you'll see various reports from people that went. By the time we went, we had a great plan of attack to make sure we got to see everything we wanted.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/o...tmas-party-2017-believe-in-the-magic.3587769/

 

[katyjeka]

We have a trip planned for 12/7 - 12/27. We love to visit the resorts at Christmas, they are all beautiful. I read so many reports from people complaining about crowds but I really believe this is the most magical time to go. It is so festive and the cast members and (most)guests are in such a spirited mood. My only advice, don't rush from ride to ride, enjoy all the little things around each corner and have the time of your life.

 

[teetee830]

We’re all booked for Nov 29- Dec 3. It’s been 8 years since we were there in December and I can’t wait! Last time DS was only 4 so we didn’t do MVMCP so it’s a must do.

My DS’s Birthday is the first and I’m thinking of doing an in room Birthday Celebration. I thought of maybe doing a smaller birthday celebration and addin a Christmas tree he could bring Home for his room. Has anyone ever done a tree from Disney Florist? If so will you share the details and a picture if you have one? Specifically is the tree real or artificial, size, cost and how you got it Home, we’ll be flying.

 

[Meg5348]

Following this, and appreciate the comments! We just booked November 7-11. First day of MVMCP is November 8th, so I think we are going to plan to do that. We also may do Epcot, I think Food & Wine is still happening. Are the resorts decorated for Christmas that early? Super excited, we’ve never been when Disney has been decorated for Christmas!