Redlegs

Being presented with an opportunity to take a trip to Disney World December 24-27th. The plan would be to probably just hit three of the parks on these days (likely excluding AK). Recalling what I have heard about this being the absolute busiest time/week of the year, is there any actual way to make this an enjoyable trip? I have concerns from what I have heard that crowd levels have the potential to make this miserable. I am hopeful the imminent roll out of the lightning lane would provide some relief. I would look to stay on property to alleviate some of the travel (and gain some perks?), but unsure on where (also know some places are booked up now). Looking for suggestions/tips on how to best manage a trip during this time. Anyone been successful in being able to have an enjoyable trip during this time or is this a suicide mission that I should just not schedule at all in the first place?

Just wanted to post a few observations from my visit last Thursday. This was the first time I had been to SFMM in probably 8 years so I wasn't sure exactly what to expect. Was able to use the Discover Card early entry to my advantage and was the first train out on X2 of the morning. The last time I had rode it, it was just X. I had heard some negative things about the overall experience of the ride but I didn't get beat up too bad and still think this ride is quite remarkable. I rode it twice over the course of the day, is there any reason one train has working sound and one doesn't? Or is that just management not caring? I had not rode Tatsu before since it was built after my last visit. Probably my biggest surprise of the trip, what an excellent ride, by far the best flyer I have been on. Overall park experience was good. Crowds were not too heavy and most operating crews were working hard and were more friendly and energetic than I remember from before. Lex Luthor was open when I was there and thought it was an excellent drop ride with late brakes. As most have mentioned on here, Full Throttle was a nice surprise and overall a good addition to the park. I would like to see the park open later during the week, its unfortunate I wasn't able to really get any night rides in with the park closing at 9. Seems to be more of an industry trend I guess. Just a few negative comments I had from my visit. Can anyone explain the one car operation during summer time? Is it a cost saving mechanism in terms of ware and tear or does adding an extra train require more staff? Waited at least double what I should have for Batman, Scream, and Superman. All three of these would have been very reasonable waits with a 2 car operation. Instead, I spent the most time in these lines because the capacity is so low with just one. I know Scream had a sign that said one train due to maintenance, but it still makes no sense in the dead of summer. The ride operators just stand around or goof off while the one train is out on the track. On Scream, numerous times the one car sat outside of the station because they weren't paying attention and weren't ready to clear it for entry. One side running on Superman was unbearable because Flash Pass users would come in and take up nearly a whole train at a time. My only other negative comment (outside of the outrageous parking price) was in regards to Green Lantern. I had read about it here, but I was sure not prepared for the feeling of having my body ripped apart during this ride. Maybe my weight distribution was not correct, just wasn't a very pleasant ride experience. With all that said, I look forward to getting a chance to make it back out some day!

Long time reader, first time poster. Heading out to SFMM while vacationing from the east coast. I am planning on going on a Thursday in a few weeks. From reading through here, most of my questions have been answered. I do have a few I wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions on. The last time I was at SFMM I believe Scream! was the latest addition. There have been some changes to say the least. When I was at the park then, I do remember doing X first to ensure it didn't break down later in the day and I miss my chance to ride it. It sounds like the more suggested tip is to try to hit X2 in the late afternoon now. Is the reliability notably better than it used to be? It seems to me it used to break down quite often. My thought was to still hit it first thing and then head to the other side of the mountain to hit the back side of the park before it got too busy. On the topic of X2, it seems common among most that it is not an enjoyable ride. I don't remember it being horrible before, just more out of control, but I was a lot younger at that point. I will also have my wife with me, who has never rode it and probably a little less tolerant of a bumpy ride than I am. What is the best suggestions on making sure the ride doesn't rattle us too bad? Location on the train, inside or outside seat? Or is there just no hope? I don't have any other questions currently but would appreciate any other suggestions people have for making the most of the trip. Thanks!