Where to stay if going over Christmas?

[Disney Jo]

We are planning to go over Christmas 2021 instead of May 2021 and are just waiting for BA to call/email back as they had to speak to the pricing team about our changes.

We are currently booked for May to stay at the AOA which we have done before and loved it.

We are unsure whether at Christmas we want to stay at AOA for the whole stay or maybe be in a villa for over Christmas. We plan to only have Disney park tickets and will do some shopping and relaxing as well.

Any views or pros and cons for me to consider please?

[Guest]

We're going over Christmas 2022 and opted for a villa just to have the space and ability to relax and have a quiet base during a busy time of year. I can imagine the atmosphere on site would be lovely but we figured we can resort hop at no cost and get the atmosphere without all the busyness! Cost as well was a major factor. We're 5 adults so would need at minimum two rooms or a 2 bedroom DVC villa which, when compared to the cost of an external villa it was a no brainer for us to go offsite.

[Disney Jo]

I am a little worried about the crowds but hoping if I plan well it will be manageable.

We stayed in a wonderful villa before (it was a Dibb villa), but we said at the time we preferred a hotel, but now I am wondering if over Christmas it might be better in a Villa.

Are the pools at the hotels heated during the winter months do you know?

[mason1]

We are going December 21. We were looking at onsite/offsite/villa, and decided for us a villa was the best option. Several factors for us:

Space to spread out in a villa
Price (how expensive are hotels!)
Own pool (heated)
Away from the hustle and bustle
No resort/parking fees to consider, unless going to a theme park

We may do 1 night at HRH to get the express passes, but none of us could face 2 weeks in a hotel room. We’re a family of 4.

[Allisonjane]

I have just booked BA flights for 3 weeks over Christmas and New Year, we have stayed onsite and in villas several times and enjoyed both. We considered a split stay to get the best of both worlds, but with no dining plan (although wouldn’t have got it free over Christmas anyway) plus other perks being stopped, we couldn’t justify the Disney price tag, so have decided to book a villa for the whole 3 weeks.

[danisleigh]

We have booked this Xmas in a hotel as we are travelling with 2 family members who won’t stay in a villa but have booked a villa for next Xmas as we plan to do less parks next Xmas.

[nothingless]

When we went over the Christmas period, we stayed in a villa (Windsor Hills) - this was mostly because we had my mom with us and needed 3 separate bedrooms. But we enjoyed this, it was a nice quiet place to retreat to, and being off-site and having a car already, made it a bit easier to eat outside of Disney and do a day on the Gulf Coast too. Both have their pros and cons, but for a busy period like Christmas, offsite wins out for me, I think!

[Scotsmomma2]

We've done both hotels and villas over Christmas, I do love a villa stay, but I love being in hotels too lol not much help. One thing you do need to have in Winter in a villa is one where the pool is getting the sun all day.

[Allisonjane]

Originally Posted by Scotsmomma2

We've done both hotels and villas over Christmas, I do love a villa stay, but I love being in hotels too lol not much help. One thing you do need to have in Winter in a villa is one where the pool is getting the sun all day.

See more...

Do you think it must be a south facing pool?
Would a west or east facing pool get very much sun?

[DonkeyCentreArf]

Originally Posted by Disney Jo

I am a little worried about the crowds but hoping if I plan well it will be manageable.

We stayed in a wonderful villa before (it was a Dibb villa), but we said at the time we preferred a hotel, but now I am wondering if over Christmas it might be better in a Villa.

Are the pools at the hotels heated during the winter months do you know?

See more...

How about a suites hotel to get the best of both worlds? We have used Wyndham Bonnet Creek a couple of times. Huge two bedroom apartment with full kitchen, dining area and lounge for about the price of a value resort room.

It is next to CBR so close to the magic. Having a full kitchen means you could still cook your own Xmas dinner if you wanted to keep things traditional.