Best Time to See Christmas Decorations?

My family has always gone to Disney World at the end of March, but we were told we just had to go at Christmastime because it's so lovely then. So, we are going around Thanksgiving in 2009. We will either arrive the Sunday after Thanksgiving or the Saturday before Thanksgiving, not to be there on the holiday. Which would be better, or will it make no difference? Is EVERYTHING decorated in November? There are ten of us, including adults and kids, so we have to plan way in advance. Do they still have the evening festivities during the winter, like Fantasmic and the show at Epcot? Which hotels are the most lovely for photos? Thanks. :mickeykid

I've never gone down the weekend before Thanksgiving, but I have done the weekend after Thanksgiving and stayed the week after. I liked that time frame. The further you get away from the holiday....in either direction...the better the crowds are.

Last year MVMCP started mid November and Christmas decorations were up by then. And yes, all the evening shows still go on, but IllumiNations has a special Peace on Earth Tag, Epcot has the Candlelight Processional, DHS has the Osborne Family Lights, MK has MVMCP, and AK has the Jingle Jungle Parade.

The hotels that have the nicest decorations for the holidays are the Deluxe resorts. Specifically, I really enjoy the BoardWalk, the Grand Floridian, and the Yacht/Beach decorations each year. The Grand Floridian is known for its life sized ginger bread house.

I would also suggest checking out touringplans.com. That website has a crowd calendar that you can look up for the time period before Thanksgiving and after so you can compare. That may be a factor. I've actually gone the first week in December and we couldn't have asked for a better situation - The weather was great, the lines short and the Christmas decorations & shows were fantastic! We will actually be arriving the Sunday after Thanksgiving again this year!
Hope this helps & good luck!

I would say the about mid week after Thanksgiving. That's when my family typically go.

I would recommend going AFTER Thanksgiving. This is supposed to be a great time to go from all the research I've done. Unfortunately for me, I must plan around school vacations, but if I didn't I would not choose the week of Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Ahhh skip school, a disney filled childhood comes only once! Ha, that's what I tell my mom when ever we have to get my sister out of school.

We went down 4 days before Thanksgiving last year and just about everything major was up and operating. Epcot Christmas Caroling doesn't start until after Thanksgiving if that is your cup of tea. Also look at the
Merry X-mas party dates too because they suspend over Thanksgiving week.
We've done 2 weeks at Christmas and Christmas at Thanksgiving didn't see much of a difference.

Geez, I'm still waiting for tulips to pop and I'm talking Thanksgiving and Christmas.:lol:

That reminds me... If you plan on going to the Christmas party, try to do it on a Sunday. We did this last year and there was hardly anyone in the park and it was at a more crowded time too! I guess since Sunday is a school night and a travel day that, takes away form the crowds. For the fireworks, we just walked right up to the Hub about 3 minutes before they began with no one in our way. It was wonderful!

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Originally Posted by mattj4226

Ahhh skip school, a disney filled childhood comes only once! Ha, that's what I tell my mom when ever we have to get my sister out of school.

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Yea. That sounds good in theory, but I just can't do it. School's have so many vacation days that I just don't think it's right (for us) to miss more. I know lots of people do and I think that's fine for them, but I just can't do it personally.

Tuesday can be a good night for the MVMCP as well, as they tend to offer AP and DVC discounts that night.

Also, the first two weeks generally can be slower. However in recent years, it is getting busier. I've noticed that with my early December trips over the past 7 years.