Holidays at WDW: Crowds, Celebrations & Planning

Hey Sheena! I am here too, and am following the same fireworks plan. HS today for sure. One of my daughters was born on the 4th too...so much for having a cookout that year. Have a magical day.

I think going to celebrate the holidays BEFORE the actual holiday sounds like a fabulous plan. Like going right after they put up the Christmas lights to enjoy the wonderment that is lights all over Disney and get in the spirit WITHOUT the crowds!

I think you could make this happen shortly after the Thanksgiving holiday, right? Isn't that about the time that the lights start going "live"?

I've been going to WDW the last weekend of the F&W Festival and staying through the following week (which is the week before Thanksgiving). Here's what I have experienced with the decorations. MK is decorated for MVMCP which starts when I arrive. Epcot is decorated after the F&W fest. ends. I usually go to DHS for the first time on Sunday and the decorations are up. I think the Osborne Festival of Dancing lights start the week before. DAK is decorated when I go there during the week. The resorts are decorated during the week. Last year, the tree at Pop Century went out during the night on Monday night.

We were just in WDW for the fourth of July. We followed a pretty tight plan that day and got to do everything we wanted with minimal (20 min) waits. The kids who chose not to follow us waited between 75-90 minutes for some more popular attractions. It was nowhere near as bad as I expected it to be!

I was there too, and had a GREAT time on the week of the 4th. I am with you, if you do not master the FP, you will not ride the popular ones. I never waited more than 10 minutes for anything despite all the crowds. I did opt to stay away from MK on the 4th, visiting Epcot and HS instead. (did the fireworks at MK on the 3rd). I too was really surprised that I could do all my favorites on such a historically busy day.