Christmas Week, 2008

By Dave Shute

OVERVIEW

This remarkably difficult Disney World itinerary (click thumbnail to open; when open, click again to enlarge) is a variant of the Easter/Summer Itinerary optimized for the special conditions of Christmas Week created (among other things) by the almost unimaginable crowds.

• One set of variations ensures that you see all the special Christmas events
• Another set adapts to the unusual hours created by the crowds–e.g. for resort guests, the Magic Kingdom opens at 7am almost every day.
• The third set of variations is driven by the fact that by Monday, it will not be unusual for the Magic Kingdom–and sometimes even the Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios–to simply close* to any new guests. (The parks typically close at the earliest at 9:30 am, so your days all start early, which is also a fundamental tactic for beating the crowds and getting on more rides.)

Because of this, your visits to the Magic Kingdom have been moved to the front of the itinerary–your first Saturday likely will actually be a light day, and the crowds the first Sunday, though bad, will not be anything like they are later in the week.  The second change because of this is that your last morning is left free, so that if you do get closed out of a park, you will have that time to use to see whatever you missed during the closing. Finally, your recommended deluxe hotel is now the Contemporary.  It’s the only one from which you can walk to the Magic Kingdom, making both those 7a openings and park closures easier to deal with.

 *As a Disney resort guest, you have the right to enter a park…but not necessarily the one of your choosing!

LINKS FOR WHEN TO GO

• For when to go, see this
• For next best dates, see this
• For best and worst times to visit, see this
  • For 2009 weeks to visit, ranked in order, see this
  • For 2010 weeks to visit, ranked in order, see this
  • For the 2010 Week Picker App, see this
  • For 2011 weeks to visit, ranked in order, see this
• For forecasting crowds at Walt Disney World, see this
• For seasonal pricing at Walt Disney World, see this
  • For 2009 price seasons, see this
  • For 2010 price seasons, see this
  • For projected 2011 price seasons, see this
• For weather at Walt Disney World, see this