Florida at Christmas?

[PoptartPoptart]

Has anyone done a Florida holiday at Christmas?
I’m talking Disney/Universal etc.
Just pondering over whether or not to forgo a summer holiday this year in favour of Christmastime.
I know it will be busy (and expensive) but tbf it is in the summer as well!
Just looking for experiences really, would you recommend it? Any tips or suggestions?

Magic Kingdom was shut the other day after it reached capacity.

We went on the 27th December last year and it was cold for half of it due to a cold snap. I think we may have been unlucky though.

It was very very busy until around the 6th when the kids went back to school.

Definitely worth paying for the queue jump tickets at universal and busche Gardens. Or staying in one of the premium hotels for a night to benefit from the queue jump thing you get with your stay.

Yes, I’ve read that if you don’t get there early there is a chance you won’t get in as it reaches maximum capacity quite early on in the day.

If you go at Christmastime you have to be prepared, so fast passes booked as early as you can (60 days if staying on site at Disney), advanced dining reservations and optimised touring plans.

Without all of these, you will be waiting hours for everything.

We went in 2017 for the first two weeks in December. It was cold (but lovely and clear) we had to buy jackets and hats but that did not affect our enjoyment of the holiday. The crowds were at a reasonable level at that time (both Disney and Universal).

We have been in the park once (on another visit) when it reached capacity, it was unbearable, we virtually could not move down Main Street in the magic kingdom. Don’t underestimate how busy it gets and how much that will affect your enjoyment of the parks.

Is it too cold for the water parks?

Highs of 27 today. Think that’s a bit higher than average this time of year.

Yes, although 2012/13 Christmas & New Year, absolutely packed and other than Epcot all the parks were closed due to capacity on the main days, Christmas and New Years Eve and days.

Was only chilly in the evenings. The decorations were really beautiful, the Grinch Christmas show was good. Queues were everywhere, to get in the parks, to get out, food, toilets, shops, I nearly lost it on the dumbo road of all rides after a woman tried to cut the queue after two hours, she did back down. Having also done Disney in the summer (LA) I’d not go again at Christmas, but I do look back at it fondly despite wanting to rugby tackle the characters to the floor by the end.

*closed by 9.30 am

Do you mean actually over Christmas or can you go in term time? We went for the first two weeks of December and it was amazing! Really Christmassy but relatively quiet and perfect weather.

I would never go at Christmas again, too packed and traffic was a nightmare. It was bloody freezing when we went too. I think Easter and summer are the best times to go.
I'd really like to go in October for Halloween but I can imagine that will be rammed too especially Universal

The parks don't shut. Magic Kingdom did not reach capacity it reached a phase 1 shutdown where people who have 1 day tickets are not allowed in - everyone else is. The crowds really ramp up for New Year (which is when it had it shutdown). Magic Kingdom is the only one that does though the others are fine

We have been for the last 4 Christmas - it needs careful planning I agree (advance dining reservations and fastpasses) and use of magic hours and rope drop but over the 10 days we had at Disney we did everything other than Toy Story Mania.

Weather wise it has everything we had rain, chilly weather and heat over the 2 weeks but mainly it was nice - shorts t shirts and a fleece

I went a few years ago for the first two weeks in December. It was brilliant. The weather was much warmer than our summers (tshirt and shorts were fine) and everywhere was decorated for Christmas. I've been at Easter time and summer as well and December was by far my favourite time to go. Summer was too hot for us when waiting in queues or stopping to watch parades. Easter and December were both the right kind of temperature for being at theme parks, including the water parks. Christmas felt a bit of a letdown when we got back home though.

We can’t go in term time so it would be the two weeks of the school holidays, Christmas and New Year weeks.

I've been several times, but it's too cold and too busy for me at Christmas. Easter, October half term or last week in August is the best time to go.

@Quartz2208 it may have been new year. It certainly did close. No new guests allowed in.

OP we went last Christmas and new year, the parks were heaving, apparently its the most busiest time of the year for the parks, naively we thought it would be dead! If you do go, I would highly recommend that you get park tickets in advance and book fast passes!

We went for two weeks, first week was great weather, but the following week was freezing. Personally we wouldn't do Florida again at Christmas.

I got married in Florida at Christmas. I wouldn't go anywhere near the parks on Christmas Day although if you must then Universal or Sea World are a better bet than Disney, that gets closed due to reaching capacity quickly in the 25th Dec.

I also didn't find Florida very Christmassy if I'm honest, there wasn't a lot of decorations and lights etc apart from a big tree in Magic Kingdom, New York is where it's at for festive twinklyness.

IT did not close - it had from 11:30 to 5:30 a Phase B closure which is this:

Phase B

No admission of guests with one day tickets, and no re-entering or crossing over from another park unless they have one of the following:

WDW Resort Guests, including The Four Seasons Resort, Swan, Dolphin or Shades of Green, Hotel Plaza Boulevard hotels arriving by bus (Best Western Lake Buena Vista Resort Hotel, The Buena Vista Palace, DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel, B Resort, Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Resort, Hilton), Golden Oak residents and guests.
WDW Premier Passport, Annual & Premium Passholders
Guests with Park Hopper tickets re-entering or crossing over from another WDW Theme Park
Guests with Memory Maker
Guests with dining reservations
Magic Kingdom Guests with reservations for Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, Harmony Barber Shop or The Pirates League.
FastPass+ reservations

And it was New Years Eve. Christmas Day you could happily enter at midday (I saw people enter when on the monorail).

Magic Kingdom is the only one though and its Christmas Day and New Years Eve that it does it. The other days it tends to be crowded but nowhere as bad as those days. And even those days the morning and evenings are ok

I will say though I am absolutely used to it now though and dont really notice - we tend to rope drop early magic hours and fastpass so I do everything I want to. There is no more magical time than it at Christmas

Online info said closed. Think they tweeted too. Wouldn’t dream of going at that time of year so no idea for certain. Far too crowded.

We went 2001
Weather was very mixed
Christmas Day poured down
Very cold New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Day was lovely on the beach at Sarasota
Never didit aga...and I had my own house
Definitely do Halloween

Yes confusingly they do call it that - because for those who dont know differently it is closed (for guests who are hoping to just turn up) but it has only ever completely closed once April 7, 2009.