Best resort for Christmas time?

[auntbaloo]

I am thinking of booking our next WDW vacation during Christmas time 2009 (if I can hold out that long - haven't been since Oct. 2007). What is the best resort to stay in that really gets into grand Christmas decor? Also, weatherwise, is December a good time to go? I have a little one who NEEDS to swim on vacation.

[dixielandings]

All of the Resorts will be decked out - we stayed in POFQ last year and it was lovely. But I think Wilderness Lodge is particularly beautiful - huge tree in the lobby, plus lots of great woodsy decor.

[Grace]

While we haven't been there during the actual holiday, we have been to WDW just before then, and the decorations at all the hotels are wonderful!!! We visited as many as we could, and each hotel had it's own Christmas theme (of course!) The deluxe hotels featured a themed gingerbread house. The one at the GF is large enough for a person to stand in.

AS far as swimming goes, December can have some warmish days, and anyway all the pools are heated. Our kids did swim in December, but us 'bigger' kids didn't!

[goofy89]

This year we went the first week of January and were lucky enough to see the WL all decorated for Christmas. Halfway through the trip we woke up one morning and all the decorations had been removed overnight! It was cool to see it both decorated and not decorated in one trip. The WL looks beautiful at Christmas, especially with the giant tree in the lobby!

[Strmchsr]

The deluxe resorts will be the most grand, all of them with their own unique take on the decorations, but all resorts do some kind of decorating and feel very festive.

As for weather conditions, it's extremely variable in December and no way to tell you if you could swim or not. You could have highs in the 80s or 40s or both in the same week. The pools are all heated, so swimming is certainly possible even with cooler weather, but getting in and out of the pool is often the problem. I would suggest you look at the historic weather conditions in Info Central which will give you exact highs and lows for the dates you're considering going over the last 4 years.

[DumboMom]

We were there this past Christmas and I have to say my favorite was GF. There is is the larger ginger bread house and each floor and the grounds were beautifully decorated.

All the resorts we saw (BC,POR,GF,Contemporary) have something to offer in regards to decorations and entertainment, so I don't think you will be unhappy where ever you end up.

Also, the Osbourne lights are cool to see and the Merry Christmas Party was a lot of fun, but the holidays around the world was our favorite.

[Jasper]

All of the resorts have nice decorations but obviously the deluxe resorts seem far grander than say the value resorts largely because of the resorts themselves. When you start with a grander more detailed space the decorations are obviously going to appear grander as well. For us even though we have never stayed at either resort at Christmas there is just something special about the Grand Floridian and Wilderness Lodge.

[gauvin4]

We stayed at POFQ this past christmas. And as a previous poster said, it was beautiful. We did visit other properties while we were there (GF, POLY, CR, POR, AKL) and I would have to say that my favorite was the GF. The Gingerbread House is amazing.

But I also believe no matter where you stay it will be beautifully decorated. Good luck choosing!

[CaptainJessicaSparrow]

I love WL during X-mas. We stay there every year.

The cabin theme is great when it's colder outside and really brings in the sense of being at a ski resort. Also, the giant fireplaces are great and I love the tree. It's probably one of my favorite resorts.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

If you're looking for the most lavishly decorated resort, hands down it would be the Grand Floridian...also cool decorations are in the Wilderness Lodge

[Imagineer1981]

GF and WL are by far the best. BC is kinda cool with its east coast flavor though

[Mousemates]

#1 WL - the lodge theme works tremendously well for both the winter season and Christmas.

#2 GF - has an upscale (no duh) big city festive feel to us....loved it.

#3 AKL - again the whole lodge thing just has a jump start on feeling Christmas-like.


As for the weather....its pretty much like choosing red or black on the roulette wheel...you might get lucky and win big with warm days (like it was for the first part of our time last trip...when we arrived on Dec 29, 2007 we had a high temp of 82 and low of 64)..or you might come up on the short end with weather like it was on our last day --January 2, 2008 with a low of 35 and high of 48.)

[slegrant]

Although I love the Wilderness Lodge during Christmas, my favorite resort is Fort Wilderness. They have garland with lights wrapped around each light pole throughout the resort, they decorate the both trading post and have a beautiful tree in the marina area next to Trails End and Pioneer Hall. They also play music throughout the main area's-very festive

You can also take a horse drawn sleigh ride with jingle bells. Very romantic!

[jillluvsdisney]

Wilderness Lodge looks fabulous at the Christmas time. The lobby is an attraction in and of itself. I also think Animal Kingdom Lodge is very nicely done as well. The Beach Club has a working carousel made of chocolate that has a holiday theme. There are also hidden mickeys on it.