Please tell me everything about visiting Disney World over Christmas.
Printable View
Please tell me everything about visiting Disney World over Christmas.
It is a fun time of year with all the decorations and characters in holiday outfits. But it is also the absolutely busiest times of year. Expect long wait times for everything. The weather can be very nice or cold. We love to see the Gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian and the other gingerbread creations at several of the other resorts. We try to get pictures with all the different Christmas trees. The one at Animal Kingdom Lodge is fantastic. We enjoy the Christmas parade during MVMCP along with the special fireworks. The fireworks displays on New Years Eve are the best. Favorite is Epcot. It can be a great time as long as you prepare yourself for how crazy busy it will be. This was all pre Covid so not sure how this year will look
My family has been to WDW over Christmas many times. I agree with all thatZippy said in the above post.
My biggest tip is to get to the parks just before they open, and this time often changes last minute so double check the night befor. If you are there early you can get a lot done before the parks get crazy. By 10:30 or so crowds can be absolutely crazy, plan less popular attractions for after 11 then head back to your resort for a rest. Head back to the parks late in the day for night time shows.
Also, make dinning reservations as soon as you can.
It is very busy though never have attended but heard it is busy beynd the norm over for the usually crowded DW. As kids out of schools and parents out of work. So really try to find times that they are not busy indeed.
When we lived in Texas, we would go for 2 weeks every other Christmas.
1. Weather can be anything - hot, cold, wet
2. Crowds get increasingly heavier as the days towards Christmas come closer
3. Christmas day Magic Kingdom usually is closed due to max capacity
4. Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is worth the extra money (to us anyway)
5. The parks are decorated very very nicely
6. The monorail resorts can not be missed
7. Make sure you visit the Gingerbread house in America in EPCOT
8. Take the time to listen to all the countries Santa's telling the story of Santa in their country
9. Downtown Disney (yes, I know the real name is Disney Springs) has great Christmas trees
10. If you see a special Christmas item you like in a store - buy it right then - 9 times out of ten they
will be sold out when you go back to buy it.
11. Make sure you have all your dining reservations before you go - they will be next to impossible to obtain while you are there if you do not have them.
12. Candlelight processional at EPCOT
13. Jingle Cruise on the jungle cruise ride
14. Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade
15. EPCOTS holiday cookie stroll
16. Visit Fort Wilderness and see how everyone has decorated their home away from home
Now that the list above has been stated. COVID has changed it all. No more Gingerbread houses, no more resort hopping just to see the Christmas decorations. You must have a park reservation to get into the park - No Very Merry Christmas Party... To be very honest - I would not spend the money right now to go until the mask mandate has been dropped, the character interaction has returned, resort hopping is open, etc. I now live 30 minutes away and the last place I opt to go anymore is any of the parks. I still go to Downtown Disney (Disney Springs) - and I MIGHT hop into a park if I need to pick something up (i.e. Passholder magnet) but to me - it just is not worth it at the moment. Your mileage may vary on this opinion, but it is how I feel.
Right now, it's hard to answer this as the bottom line is that I have no idea what Christmas as Disney will look like this year.
My first thought was "Don't".
If you mean the week of Christmas to New Years, it is absolutely the busiest time of the year for the busiest theme park in the world. The park often closes because it has reached capacity. The decorations are fabulous. The lines are long. The crowds are thick.
If you mean over the holiday season, then absolutely do. We have gone the week after Thanksgiving many times, and it was wonderful. Not nearly as crowded, but just as festive. The first two weeks of December are great because most people who are planning to go are just planning to go over Christmas. The kids are still in school, but we never had a problem pulling them out. They're never going to miss anything that week that they can't catch up on, but the memories are forever.
I wouldn't do Christmas week ever again. The parks are so busy it is pretty much dreadful. My advice is pick another time during the Christmas season to visit and see the decorations and parades.
If you do go, pack a hoodie or some other warm top in your park bag. Made the mistake of not on and Epcot day as it was hot but once the sun had gone down, boy, was the breeze across the lake cold. We wanted to stay for Illluminations so DH got me A $40 fleece blanket to "wear".