We are always trying to look at dates for our next potential trip. We've been in each season other than the Christmas season. Does anyone know when the Christmas decorations start appearing at the resorts and in the parks? We were thinking of trying the week BEFORE Thanksgiving and there are some limited Mickey's Christmas parties at MK during that time. I assume that the décor will be up through the parks but what about the resorts? Like the giant Gingerbread house at GRand Floridian (I think there is one there) and the giant tree inside the lobby of Wilderness Lodge? Want to really have a chance to see all the Christmas decorations and get into the holiday spirit next year, but wasn't sure if the week prior to Thanksgiving would have a lot of it up yet. Thanks for any information!!!:santa::tree:
Melinda
Trips:
Offsite - June 1997
WL - October 2008
POFQ - April/May 2010
RPH - Universal - May 7th-11th 2014
POFQ - Sept. 27-30, 2014 (just the two of us!)
Royal Pacific Hotel - Universal - June 27th - July 1st, 2015
POFQ - Sept 2017
We have been there in early November, even the day after Halloween, and have seen Christmas decorations already going up.
* 2003 - Beach Club
* 2004 - Downtown Disney
* 2004 - ASS
* 2005 - ASS
* 2006 - Disneyland
* 2008 - CSR
* 2009 - CSR
* 2010 - Beach Club
* 2012 - CSR - (2)
* 2013 - POP
* 2013 - ASM
* 2014 - Pop (2)
* 2015 - CSR
* 2017 - POP
* 2019 - POP
* 2020 - POP
* 2021 - POP
We were there in the beginning of December once and the decorations were all up.
I will say, we now go the last week in August and it is already decorated for Halloween. They start putting Christmas decorations up November 1 and are complete the first week of December.
Christmas decorations begin going up the day after the last Halloween party (usually on Halloween, so Nov 1 on the decorations, but occasionally there's been a MNSSHP a day or two after Halloween). By the second week of Nov the parks are pretty much decorated. The resorts are usually closer to Thanksgiving before they're finished, especially the gingerbread houses, but they start those in early Nov as well.
Chris, aka Strmchsr
INTERCOT Staff: Vacation Planning, Guests with Special Needs, and Weather Guru
I am not sure about this year, but last year I believe the tree went up at WL on Nov. 19th. Seems I have read somewhere that it went up later this year.
We have visited Thanksgiving week several times and there have been a few resorts either not yet decorated, or in the process of decorating while we were there. I think the week before thanksgiving could be hit or miss depending on which resorts you 're interested in. I remember AKL and the Poly not being decorated at all one Thanksgiving week. And Coronado (where we were stay on that trip) was decorated one night while we were there.
Editing to add that the WL tree went up on the night of Nov. 24 this year.
Denise
Resorts we've stayed at in 20+ trips: ASMo, ASMu, ASSp, PC, CSR, CBR, POR, POFQ, WL, AKL Jambo, AKL Kidani, Poly, Contemporary, BC, YC, BWV, OKW, SSR, Swan, Shades of Green, Vero Beach, Disneyland Resort
Next Trip: ???
Thanks so much for the information on the timing. I was a bit worried about it being hit or miss. Although I'm sure there will be plenty of Christmas decorations around to get into the holiday spirit - I really want to capture all of it - including the resorts. So…..I may have to rethink my strategy on timing. Would love to go the first week of December but my son is a music teacher and always has big concerts that first week. Ahhh….the joys of having not ONE, but TWO teachers in the family (including my husband). :mickey:
Melinda
Trips:
Offsite - June 1997
WL - October 2008
POFQ - April/May 2010
RPH - Universal - May 7th-11th 2014
POFQ - Sept. 27-30, 2014 (just the two of us!)
Royal Pacific Hotel - Universal - June 27th - July 1st, 2015
POFQ - Sept 2017
If you want to see it all then you'll definitely need to wait until Thanksgiving or after. The Candlelight Processional and Epcot storytellers don't start until after Thanksgiving.
Chris, aka Strmchsr
INTERCOT Staff: Vacation Planning, Guests with Special Needs, and Weather Guru
perfect information and that's what I needed to verify the timing. Guess I'll have to decide if we actually want to brave the week between Christmas and New Years which is the only other option . YIKES!! haha.
Thank you everyone!!:santa:
Melinda
Trips:
Offsite - June 1997
WL - October 2008
POFQ - April/May 2010
RPH - Universal - May 7th-11th 2014
POFQ - Sept. 27-30, 2014 (just the two of us!)
Royal Pacific Hotel - Universal - June 27th - July 1st, 2015
POFQ - Sept 2017
Great questions as we are also in the planning stages for visiting next year during Christmas time.
Happy planning.......
82 84 85 Apr00 MGV, Jan03 LTV, Sep03 ASMu, Mar04 SVR, Sept04 Pop, Sep05 SSR, Dec06 SSR, Oct07 WLV, Oct09 THV, Oct10 AKL, Oct11 AKL, Oct12 THV, Feb13 CBR, Sept13 BLT/BWV, Apr14 BLT/VB , Jun14 BCV, July14 AKL, Jan15 SSR/DCL, June15 BCV/OKW/VB, Nov15 DCL/Poly, Apr16 GF
