Friday at MK in December.... what do you think???

WELCOME!!! This is the BEST forum!

The first week in December isn't bad crowd-wise. The closer you get to Christmas is when it's packed! If they are taping the Christmas Parade Special on 12/2, I'd shoot for the week of Dec 5th. Better yet, if you can go mid-week instead of on a Friday, the crowd level is even lower.

Being a Mom of 2 myself, I'd stick with MK for now. They go into sensory overload at MK as it is. IF you park hop, that can lead to a very ugly meltdown....... I'd wait till the little one is a bit older for that, either 5 or 6. Just going by what we experienced with our kids.

Hi Rachael and welcome! There are 2 or 3 of us that are local, and daytrippers primarily, so we're happy to help! I also have a toddler, as well as a 6 year old.

I second everything that Poppet has said. With a little one, I would add that, if possible, I would time the trip to either start early/end early, or start late and end late. Advantages to early start: you can see the "rope drop" ceremony during which Mickey and Friends ride the train into the station to open the park and welcome you in. You can also ride lots of rides before the crowds start to swell. Late Start: MK at night! And you've GOT to see the castle lit up for Christmas - stunning! You probably know this, but unless your kid is exceptional, all day is probably a bit much.

Also, make sure that whatever day you pick, you're paying attention to the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party schedule. The park closed pretty early that day.

Finally, do you know about Baby Care Centers? Located at each park, these are a GODSEND for folks with babies and toddlers. They are clean and comfortable. They're a great place to stop and change babies/toddlers, feed them, and just relax for a bit. In MK, the Baby Care Center is located between Casey's Corner and Crystal Palace.

Are you passholders? If not, have you considered doing MVMCP in lieu of a trip to the park? While it's late, it's shorter in duration and a little cheaper. It also provides a megadose of all the Christmas and Holiday Spirit!

Hope this helps and I hope you have a fantastic time!

We're happy to help! Here's a rundown:

Rope Drop: Each park, every morning, has a special "rope drop" to welcome guests. It does normally happen right when the park is supposed to open; to be safe, I'd plan to get there 15-30 minutes early if possible (and remember, you have to park and then ride either the monorail or the ferry across the lagoon, so plan 15-30 for that as well.) It's a lot of fun! There's a song, and even entertainers dancing. I hadn't seen it before earlier this year, and it's definitely working catching! Plus, when you walk into the park, it's practically empty, and you can head to your favorite rides, and get a fast pass for later.

You'll love the Baby Care Centers! Feeding chairs, cushy and clean changing tables, attentive hosts - even cartoons and seating for the little ones. It is a GREAT place to take a break and just decompress a little.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party: MVMCP is a ticketed event that takes place throughout the holiday season. I haven't personally been, but I hear it's fantastic! Special parades and character encounters, and lots of wonderful things to celebrate the holidays. I believe the whole park is available for the event; I think all attractions are opened (if I'm wrong, someone please correct me.) (As an aside, there is also Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party - MNSSHP - which takes place in Sept and Oct. I've been to that one and it's awesome. People love it as well...you can file that away for future reference. )

Hope this helps! You might also want to consider an Advanced Dining Reservation at one of the sit down restaurants. Liberty Tree Tavern is a nice spot; you order from the menu at lunch, and dinner is served family-style. Crystal Palace offers a fantastic character breakfast with the Pooh characters. It might be hard to get a Crystal Palace ADR at this point...but you can try! But there's plenty of terrific counter service food available too. You can't go wrong either way!

Super Happy to Help! I hope it's a fantastic day for you, filled with lots of happy memories.

(Psst...I spoke with a Cast Member earlier this year, and SHE didn't know about rope drop! (she was a CM at the Contemporary.) So you're in good company!)

Welcome Rachel. Disney is Christmas is something truly magical. If you can, stay later in the day so you can see Cinderella's castle lit. It's beautiful.

Hmmm. I can't remember how they handle the lighting of the castle on MVMCP days - if they light it up before, or during the party. JoAnn, since you're going on Friday, that might be a question you can answer. At any rate, rope drop is pretty awesome. And since it's getting dark so early, you might be able to get away with both. How far is your drive? We're on the other side of Orlando, so it takes us about an hour. What about getting a room in the area the night before? Either on property or off - doesn't really matter that much for one night. Just a thought

I just read recently on line an article that mentioned the time the castle is lit each night. I can't remember the time. I'll let you know if the castle is lit when I get there for the party.

It warms the cockles of my heart ot hear Lizzy sing the praises of the rope drop!!! YAY ROPE DROP CONVERT!!

Rope drops are fun - we hit it every time with every park at least once. Maybe you will be lucky and get picked form the crowd to help with the rope drop ceremony! They always seem to pick someone with a small child or 2 or 3 to help (vs. a nearly 50 year old balding guy in pirate mouse ears - I don't get it!)

Oh, and hi Rach and welcome to the boards! I think you are picking a most amazing time to go.

I agree with what everyone says above. I'd suggest Friday the 9th - that should be a nice quiet, time you miss the taping madness that first weekend in December, and you see the amazement of the decorations with lower crowd levels.

If I remember, they started lighting the castle before MVMCP when we were there. But I can't be 100% sure. Though seeing how dark it is now at 6:50 i think they light it up before 7:00, so you should see it. It's amazing!!

Have a blast and let us know what you finally end up doing!!

I love this idea!! That would be such a great first experience for your little one! Plus those events only allow a certain number of people to buy tickets so the rides for lines are manageable.

Christmas is an AWESOME time in Disney you will have so so much fun!

Jeff, we are also victims of your rope drop conversion! I introduced the dh to it earlier this year, so now we do it all the time! Yesterday we did AK and rode Everest 3 times in a row plus got a fast pass! It took us a while to perfect the rope drop morning routine and get out on time for the hr. plus drive, but we've got it down now!
MK rope drop is the best, but I love the positive energy and Disney welcome you get at all the parks! They make you feel like they are so happy you are there and you can't help but smile!

YES!!! Yay!! It really sets the tone for the day for me. Welcome, RD Convert Julie!!!

Sounds like a great plan, Rachael! Cannot wait to hear all about it

I was at MK twice last week on days when the Christmas party was held, and I saw the Castle lit up both nights on my way out.

I TOTALLY have you to thank! It really is awesome! (Julie - still trying to make a rope drop on a morning we DRIVE over - ha! What time do you leave?)

Lizzy-
we leave by 7:15 at the latest. Usually it's a Sat. and traffic is light that early. We are right off 75, so we take 75s to 4, then 4 all the way there. It's about an hr 15 mins. but we we've missed rope drop a few times due to dawdling, so we give ourselves enough time, then stop for coffee if we have a few min. to spare. We like to be in the parking lot by 8:30 to allow for tram and to get up there and get a spot. The atmosphere is so fun it's not a big deal to stand and wait for a bit, and a lot of times they will let you in early. We decide the day before to do rope drop, then have everything packed and ready for the morning. A lot of our trips are spontaneous or afternoons after we get our chores done, but that wouldn't work for rope drop when we need an alarm to get up! Usually we get home earlier since we've been there all day, but last weekend we stayed til EPCOT closed, and Riley wanted to go to MK for fireworks, but Mike and I were too tired! The drive home sucks, but it's worth it for all the memories and great times we have.