Disney Christmas!

[Tink]

Have you ever been to Disney during the Christmas season?

If so, how did you carry out your "usual traditions" when you were there?

If you haven't been, how do you picture a Disney Christmas holiday?

Share your Disney Christmas experiences and wishes with us!!

[foreverducky]

I did visit WDW during the holidays, I took a quick trip in 2007. Since I lived close I just spent a few days. By this time I had lived in FL for about a year and half. Given this information I packed capris. Well lo and behold the temperatures drastically dropped the 2 days I was there. I think we hit the 30's at night. I was freezing and so was everyone else. I believe that WDW made a killing on sweatshirts and blankets, as wherever I looked I saw new ones behing put on and held on to.

That being said, the decorations were so beautiful. I loved the big blue lighted tree in the Osborne Lights area. (I decorate at my house in blue and silver). I just wanted to take it home. The hotels were stunning as well.

I think the key to Disney's success is the attention to detail, whether that has to do with the every day WDW or Christmas WDW.

[foreverducky]

Oh, I forgot to mention. I was so excited about seeing the snow during the Osborne Lights show as well. I had missed the snow so badly. It warmed my heart while my legs were freezing.

[uscwest]

We have been several times during the Christmas season. The decorations are gorgeous but two of the things we loved the most are now, no longer. While the Osbourne lights are still there, they were, IMHO, MUCH better when they were on the houses in the back lot and you could walk down the street and see all of the decorations. Also the arch at EPCOT leading from Future World to World Showcase is no longer there.

[catrancher]

We used to go the every year on the 27th. Have Christmas at home, take down all the decorations the next day, and then, on the 27th, start pedaling our way to WDW! It was loads of fun and made the holiday season just seem to last that much longer.

The only down side was that we never knew what to pack or wear!
There were years that we went down there and there wasn't a day under 80 degrees. We also had trips where the temperature hovered around 50!

Finally, ended up giving up going at that time of year as a bad job simply because the weather was so unpredictable and we got tired of packing everything we owned!

Tom (... predictable is good!)

[Esmeralda]

I'm hoping to go and be blown away! I want to see Disney in all its glory and don't want to be disappointed. I can't imagine a better place to see Christmas than at WDW! Oh and it will be delightful to see the Christmas Shop at DTD at the right time of the year for a change!

I want to see the gingerbread house at the GF, the lights on the castle, the parades, spectromagic and all the done up trees! I will be like a kid in a candy store! This year won't be about rides because we've done them all nearly, this is about drinking in and soaking up all the atmosphere.

[Keith]

We have been several times during the Christmas season. The decorations are gorgeous but two of the things we loved the most are now, no longer. While the Osbourne lights are still there, they were, IMHO, MUCH better when they were on the houses in the back lot and you could walk down the street and see all of the decorations. Also the arch at EPCOT leading from Future World to World Showcase is no longer there.

This is exactly our experience too

They've done a lot to try and make the Osbourne lights special, with the dancing lights, music and so on, but nothing and I mean nothing can match the heart warming feel of the old style lights on the back lot houses. I absolutely loved wandering around there.

The EPCOT arch was one of the first things we saw on our first ever visit to Disney. I was staggered when they removed it with no replacement and wrote to ask why. Apparently the technology it used was old and needed to be retired. Now, several years ago we went on a behind the scenes tour where they explained that Disney were swapping everything across to LED lights because they took less power, lasted longer and were vastly cheaper in the long term. So I can't help but wonder if they just couldnt be bothered updating the arch lights since it's not an obvious "how many people visited that attraction" style of thing.

Crazy though when we look at how many other very old tech there is around the parks.

We still love Christmas there. The atmosphere, music, decorations but as always, it feels like there've been more cuts than additions

The Christmas party for example. Wonderful twas the night before christmas show has gone, no free photo of the group anymore and so on.