Disney in December?

I am thinking of taking my family for a pre-Christmas trip to WDW from the 16th to the 22nd. My question is, I know that CHristmas is supposed to be the busiest time of the year, but how is the week before? what type of weather (even though I know that can change at the drop of a hat) can we expect. Can you actually swim and go to the water parks? Also, does anyone know if you stay at one of the resorts on disney if you can use the tennis courts at other on property resorts? (my son is a big tennis player and has to play anytime he can) thanks for any help you can give!

Disney in December?

Sounds to me like you are timing it just about right. The heavy crowds will begin arriving as you are leaving. Weather is hard to predict in December. We could be wearing shorts or heavy coats at any given time during that month (or the whole winter, really). It%26#39;s funny to look at our family Christmas pictures -- most years the kids are in T-shirts and shorts or jeans, but sometimes we actually get to break out our Christmas sweatshirts. There%26#39;s no way I%26#39;d be swimming or going to water parks in December, but then, I%26#39;m a native Floridian. Lots of people do it, especially on sunny days.

Disney in December?

As far as I know,you cannot use the recreation facilitities at any Disney resort other than the one you%26#39;re staying at except for renting boats.

The weather,as you can guess,changes a lot. The Disney pools are heated so swimming is usually pretty comfortable even in cold weather-it%26#39;s getting OUT of the pool that%26#39;s uncomfotable.

But the holidays are the best time to go to Disney,regardless of crowds just because of the stunningly beautiful decorations everywhere. We spend a day touring the different resorts to see their trees,the Christmas displays and the decorations and it is one of the highlights of our holiday season.The Osborne Lights at MGM is not to be missed. All over the top,all so lovely it will bring you to tears.

You%26#39;ll love it!

Hello cin,

My son also plays tennis and plays while on vacation. Disney only allows you to use the courts at the resort your staying at. We have had many Christmas visits to Disney and love it. The weather is generally cooler but we are still able to utilize the pools as Disney does a great job of keeping them heated well. It use to be that if you arrived before the 23rd of December you were pretty safe with crowd levels however the past two years have been different for some reason. We arrived on the 19th and noticed the crowds were much thicker than the previous years. With that being said the absolute worse crowd levels for Christmas is the 25th - 1st.

The crowds will increase steadily during your trip. so if there is anything that is an absolute ';must see';, plan to do it early in your trip. Make sure you book your dining reservations as well.

The pools and water parks are heated, and temperatures in December can often still be very warm during the day. So swimming is definitely possible. Bring clothes you can layer, so if the days are warm and the nights are cool, you%26#39;ll be prepared.

Does the hotel you have booked have tennis facilities? They don%26#39;t all have them. Last I heard, you can book time at the courts at the Contemporary if your resort doesn%26#39;t have facilities. The Disney website doesn%26#39;t mention anything about the courts being restricted to same-resort guests. Your best bet is to check with the concierge or call 407-WDW-PLAY. They do specify that you wear appropriate tennis attire and shoes.

Hope you have a great trip! I%26#39;ll be checking out the day before you check in!

thanks everyone for your suggestions. I truly appreciated it!!! I have not booked yet, only because I have two reluctant teenage boys who think they are too old for Disney. I know that once they get there they will have a great time and since they are no longer ';little kids';, even though that could be argued at times, ha ha, I feel that we can take our time and really enjoy things a little more instead of going commando every day to make sure we see everything like we did in the past. any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

cindy

There is a section of Disney%26#39;s website devoted to suggestions for kids of different age ranges, from toddlers to teens, including attractions, dining, recreation, etc. Maybe have them take a look at it and see just how ';cool'; a Disney vacation can be? I think a lot of kids just think of the theme parks and don%26#39;t necessarily realize all Disney has to offer.