Talk to me about Nov/Dec at DW

[icunurse]

We have only been to Disney during October. Since we have already been to MNSSHP twice, we want to try and go to the Christmas party next year. So we are thinking of going one of the two weeks prior to Thanksgiving or one of the first two weeks of December. We don't want the kids to miss a whole week of school, so we are thinking of leaving on Tuesday late afternoon and arriving home Sunday evening. It looks like the party starts by the first week of November. But the idea of the Epcot countries being decorated seems so magical and that doesn't start until December. So what do I need to know or consider? From what I have researched so far....
- how busy is Jersey week?
- how bad is Pop Warner week? Are the parks bad, too, or only certain resorts?
- does the Processional add a lot of people?
- how is the party?
- we have only gone to Disney for a week each time. Is 4 whole days going to be enough? We are thinking of skipping AK.
- how is the weather? Any possibility of the pool in December?

ETA - taping of the Christmas parade? How bad is MK on those days? Other than Main Street being crowded?

Thanks!

[anonomom]

We have only been to Disney during October. Since we have already been to MNSSHP twice, we want to try and go to the Christmas party next year. So we are thinking of going one of the two weeks prior to Thanksgiving or one of the first two weeks of December. We don't want the kids to miss a whole week of school, so we are thinking of leaving on Tuesday late afternoon and arriving home Sunday evening. It looks like the party starts by the first week of November. But the idea of the Epcot countries being decorated seems so magical and that doesn't start until December. So what do I need to know or consider? From what I have researched so far....
- how busy is Jersey week?
- how bad is Pop Warner week? Are the parks bad, too, or only certain resorts?
- does the Processional add a lot of people?
- how is the party?
- we have only gone to Disney for a week each time. Is 4 whole days going to be enough? We are thinking of skipping AK.
- how is the weather? Any possibility of the pool in December?

Thanks!

I've been in early November and Early December and I can answer some of these:

1. Candlelight Procession -- this doesn't seem to add a ton of people to the park, but there are very long lines to get into the theater, starting an hour before showtime. That can make the back portion of the WS feel crowded, but Disney does a decent job of keeping the lines out of traffic flow. And even if you don't get to see the processional (though I'd totally recommend it), you can hear the music as you walk past the American Pavillion. It's really lovely.

2. Four days is "enough" in that you'll be able to do a lot. But you won't be able to do everything. We find that we can do 2-3 days in a row of hard-core touring before we need a break. If you go in December, you might want to do two Epcot days so you can see as many of the special holiday shows they have throughout the WS. And AK is, IMO, easiest to skip this time of year. I don't recall there being anything really special for the holidays -- some characters wear special costumes but there's not much more than that.

3. Pool time is, of course, highly dependent on weather. When we were there this past December, is was warm enough in the afternoons that our kids had a great time at the pool. DH and I were shivering, though. I think the weather was in the low-mid 70s in the mornings for most of our trip, and it got up to around 80 in the afternoon. Our last two days were much warmer than that.

Hope this helps!

[keh602]

I haven't been in Nov/Dec yet, but we are going right before Christmas this year. Our previous trips have been 7-9 nights, and this one will be 4, so I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that it'll just be different. I think we're going to miss AK this trip, and that's ok. We have been talking about the possibility of touring some of the resorts to see the decorations, so that could be fun. The crowds brought in by the Candlelight Processional might depend somewhat on who the celebrity is, but I don't know for sure. We definitely want to see it, so we booked a dinner package. Friends of ours went in Dec a few years ago, and the weather varied widely while they were there. Some days it got up to the 80s, and some days it stayed in the 50s. Packing for this trip will be a challenge!

[icunurse]

Our previous trips have been 7-9 nights, and this one will be 4, so I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that it'll just be different.

This is us. I have really enjoyed going for a week and seeing a lot, taking breaks at the hotel, not feeling super rushed. I am tossing around in my head (not sure if it would actually work out this way)... Catch an afternoon flight on Tuesday and arrive with time to eat some dinner and then head to bed. Then have 4 whole days at the parks. Example - Wed at MK; Thursday at Epcot; Fri do downtown, more epcot, then party at night; sat do HS and then revisit wherever. Might try to fit in a breakfast on Sunday before we leave, but don't want to fly home too late, either, so might not happen.

I am good at planning October trips. This is like starting over lol

[candaceb]

- how busy is Jersey week?

- how is the party?



About 10 years ago, the last day of our trip was the first day of Jersey Week. It was like an invasion. We went from quiet, peaceful parks to Jersey accents everywhere and huge crowds.
Avoid it unless it's your only choice.

I did not care for MVMCP. I think the Osborne Lights are a lot more exciting, and they're "free" (included with your regular ticket for DHS).
The parade wasn't all that exciting, the cookies and hot chocolate weren't great, and it seemed like we spent a lot of money for nothing. I am not a huge Christmas person though.

[bnme]

- how bad is Pop Warner week? Are the parks bad, too, or only certain resorts? We've gone 3x during Pop week and we love it. You may see groups of kids, but it's not a big deal. Very low crowds in general. I wouldn't stay at the hotel they are in. We went in 2004, 2007 & 2012.

- how is the party? Love the party and parade. I think the parade and snow on Main Street is worth it. Gone all 3x and would do it again. Generally very low crowds on party day which is a plus, too. If I had to choose between getting hoppers and Mvmcp, I would do the party.
- we have only gone to Disney for a week each time. Is 4 whole days going to be enough? We are thinking of skipping AK. It is technically enough time, but I like to maximize our time there since the ticket price doesn't increase that much (7 or 8 days). Just be careful that you will be able to do all the holiday things you want since there won't be a party or CLP every day.
- how is the weather? Any possibility of the pool in December? Yes, you can have 90+ days but also chilly nights. You have to pack warmer stuff, which you likely will hardly use.

[bnme]

We have been talking about the possibility of touring some of the resorts to see the decorations, so that could be fun.

Definitely check out the giant gingerbread house at Grand Floridian if you can.

[klwa]

We went during Pop Warner week 4 years ago. We also stayed at All Star Music, so we had plenty of Pop Warner kids at our resort. Honestly, we weren't bothered by them at all. From what I've heard, it can get a little rowdy at All Star Sports, but we didn't have any trouble. It seems like there was one night where DHS closed early for a PW party, but we just planned around that. Use a crowd calendar & you should be fine.

Weather: when we went in December, it was cold. I'm talking below freezing when we got up in the mornings cold. However, it can also be 70 degrees. So, you may be able to swim. (Actually, people were swimming that week at night. The water was warm, but getting out... BRR!)

[KHF]

We went last year, the week after Thanksgiving (so, first week of December) and got in the pool several times. It's just the luck of the draw that time of year...it was 80+ degrees while we were there, but when my DH and I were on our honeymoon the same week 10 years prior it was in the 50-60s several days.

We were also at the Magic Kingdom the day they were filming the show clips for the parade (not the day they did the actual parade). It was really full right on Main Street and in the circle in front of the castle, but the rest of the park was awesome! We walked right on many rides because so many were crowded near the front.

We've never bothered paying extra for the Christmas Party (we've been there 3 times during the Christmas season). I did walk through the snow on Main Street once, just because of timing. We had a later reservation at Crystal Palace and were leaving after the Party started. No way would I pay that much extra for our family of 4 to have hot chocolate and see a Christmas Parade.

[Sweetsunshine]

We went a few years ago the second week of Dec. right after pop warner ended. I read a lot of advice to avoid that week if you can. We had a character breakfast at the Grand Floridian. Kids loved looking at the gigantic gingerbread house. Decorations are beautiful and lots of classic characters (Pooh, Alice, Mad Hatter) that spent a good amount of time with us at the table. Food was good.

We stayed at the Polynesian which had the volcano pool and big slide. It was fairly warm but I thought the water was freezing. My kids however absolutely loved it. They woke up and wanted to skip the parks to go back to the pool. Every. Day. And would beg to leave the parks to go back to the pool. They were 6 and 4 at the time.

We went for five days, so really had three full days in the parks. Completely skipped Animal Kingdom. Wish we spent more time at Hollywood Studios (did they change the name I forget?). Didn't go to the Mickey party or candlelight processional because I thought my kids were too young. We were exhausted anyways with all the swimming so we didn't miss it. We all loved the lights at HS. Fake snow falling, cool music, and free.

Also got the expensive photo pass thingie ($100 I think) but got some awesome pics! The decorations are amazing. Got a couple ornaments for our Xmas tree. Worth every penny. Used it for Xmas card and grandparent gifts.

[keh602]

Definitely check out the giant gingerbread house at Grand Floridian if you can.

Thank you! That's at the top of my list!