We're going to WDW for Christmas!!!....never thought I would say those words....halp!

[Disneyfun]

My wonderful wife surprised me by suggesting that we drive down (from Maryland) to WDW for Christmas! Obvious, you don't have to twist my arm too much to talk me in to going to WDW, especially at Christmas, but this is something that we have never done - at least not as tourists - we used to go to the resorts all the time when we lived down there.

So my question for those that have done the insanity of WDW at Christmas - What are your trick and tips?

We will check in very late on 12/23 and check out probably early 12/26. This gives us 2 days and we have park hoppers.

I have made dining reservations for Rose and Crown on 12/24 at 8:10 PM (Illuminations at 9:30) and California Grill on 12/25 at 7:20 PM.

I have Fastpasses already made for some of our favorite rides on both days - if we can get into the parks before they reach capacity.

We do intend to do as much resort hopping as possible to look at all the wonderful decorations - especially on the monorail loop. We know that aside from the fastpasses, we probably won't ride a lot of rides due to the wait, but that is fine with us as we really just want to take in the spirit of the season.

Any advice, tips, tricks, etc. that anyone can offer, we would love to hear them!

[faline]

What a wonderful holiday surprise!!

Take advantage of all those things that are availiable only at Christmas. Get over to Disney Studios to see the Osborne Lights. Enjoy some time at Epcot which is wonderful during the holidays. And as you have noted, check out the resorts and their decorations. It will be crowded - it will be busy - take it all in stride. Do what you can -- think about focusing on the less "popular" rides and attractions, enjoy the attractions and go with the flow.

[Christine]

Yay!!! So glad for you!
Resign yourself to go with the flow. You might not accomplish much via rides and attractions, but just enjoy the feel of the holidays in Disney. Soak it al in.

Merry Christmas!

[#1donaldfan]

As mentioned resolve yourself to the fact that you will not be able to see it all. It will be very busy, but at the same time, very dooable.

Rope drop both days. I hope your FP's are for later in the day / evening. If you rope drop you will be able to ride most "big ticket" rides before the wait times get crazy.

If you're gonna resort hop, it's gonna be a challenge to see the non-monorail resorts without waiting for over crowded busses. For me the must see's are the Grand Floridian, Riverside, and those on the boardwalk.

We enjoyed Christmas there, but it was very, crazily, over the top busy.........

[Speedy1998]

Go to DHS or AK on Christmas day. They have the smallest crowds. We were in DHS on Christmas day in 2012. The crowds were pretty lite until around 11:30, by them MK and Epcot were at capacity. The rest of the day was pretty crowded, but we mostly stuck to the shows and had a dinner reservation at 50's.

In the evening at DHS the main draw in the Christmas lights, it is very crowded, but you can take all the time you like to walk through the streets.

[joonyer]

We are also making our first Christmas trip to WDW this year; Dec. 23-28. We are excited, although we know it will be crowded. We are just going to "grin and bear it" and enjoy as much as we can. I know better than to expect to be able to experience every attraction. We have FP's and ADR's set so I know we'll have fun in spite of the packed crowds

[hoop de do]

I would say that you should make sure you see the Osborne Lights at the studios.
Have a great time.

[Jeff]

We are Christmas veterans, and going again this year!
Best tip is to be at the parks as gates open and do the BIG attractions that you don't have FP for. We are always amazed by what we can do in the first 2 hours. After that it's Fast Pass , shows and parades.
An late lunch or early supper reservation is a nice break from the crowds.
Have Fun!

[firefan43]

How were the Christmas crowds. I saw on another site that people were being turned away because MK was at capacity.

[joonyer]

We were at MK on Christmas morning. We only went there because we had 11:30 lunch FPs for "Be Our Guest". We got there about 9:00 and the park was already very crowded, but no trouble getting in the park and were able to ride a few attractions without FPs (Splash Mountain, HM, Philharmagic). Lunch was great at BOG, but by the time we left there (about 12:30), the park was packed to the gills, the streets were literally like rivers of people, shoulder to shoulder (180 minute wait for 7DMT). We left MK immediately and went to Animal Kingdom for the rest of the day where the crowds were very manageable. Don't know if MK reached capacity or not, but it had to be close. It was the most crowded park day I've ever experienced at WDW.

[DizneyRox]

Three days not to be in MK. JULY 4th, Xmas, and NYE. Epcot is the better choice if you desire nighttime entertainment. Now, with the hat coming maybe we get Scorcery in the Sky back, or something like it, however for holding crowds, MGM is the pits.

[Cass&KenziesMom]

Funny....I spoke to someone that went into the park around 4:00 on Christmas Day and they said they walked onto a lot of rides. The day after we got there around 11:00 and were turned away. The rest of the week was busy but not as crowded as I was expecting.

[joonyer]

Funny....I spoke to someone that went into the park around 4:00 on Christmas Day and they said they walked onto a lot of rides. The day after we got there around 11:00 and were turned away. The rest of the week was busy but not as crowded as I was expecting.

They may have been "walking onto" the Tea Cups, Carousel, Tiki Birds, Hall of Presidents, CoP or attractions like that, but I find it hard to believe there were any short lines for the E-ticket attractions. Either that or their idea of walking onto a ride means the line was moving slowly, even if it was long.

[Cass&KenziesMom]

I don't know but according to him the park wasn't busy at all. He said there weren't a lot of people at all and he was surprised that the crowds were so low. Maybe a lot of people go tired of the wall to wall people and just went to other parks? I just know that we were there from the 26th-31st and other than the 31st crowds were much smaller than I expected.

[joonyer]

I will say that during our visit (23rd - 28th) we found the park crowds to be manageable (still crowded, but not as bad as I was expecting) except for Christmas Day in the MK. The crowds that day were overwhelming. Of course, we did leave by 1:00, so maybe it did clear out some later in the P.M.