Thinking about going to Walt Disney World during the Christmas holiday season? Here’s what to expect:

Prices: Disney prices fluctuate throughout the year to reflect supply and demand. You can safely assume that anytime most kids are out of school, prices will be higher than when school is in session, and that holds true with the Christmas season. It’s a very popular holiday destination. 

Now that doesn’t mean there aren’t any deals to be had at this time of year, especially if you can travel the first couple weeks of December.  In fact, the first week of December actually features fairly low rack rate prices – but they rise each week until the last week of the month, which is the highest priced week of the year.

In addition to room and ticket pricing reflecting the demand increase the closer you get to the holidays, some restaurants raise their prices as well – a holiday “surcharge” if you will. 

Crowds: The crowd levels go hand in hand with the pricing increases. Early December isn’t too bad, but by the time you get to the week of Christmas itself, be prepared for maximum crowd levels. Difficult to move through Main Street at times crowd-levels. In fact, the Magic Kingdom often closes to capacity on New Years Eve, and occasionally on other days during this time. Does that mean you should avoid going during this time? No, not necessarily, but you should definitely be prepared for what you are getting into. 

Weather: Be ready for anything. It is typically mild, with an average high of 73. If you luck out on the weather front, you’ll probably want to start the day in pants and a hoodie, but you’ll be down to shirt sleeves by noon. It’s a beautiful thing. BUT, winter weather in Florida is extremely variable. You might have temps in the 80s one day, then a cold snap will come through and you’ll need your mittens. 

Special Events: As if there weren’t already enough to do during a visit to Disney World, if you go during the holidays (which start in early November), there are special events to celebrate the season that you won’t want to miss includingMickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom, the Candlelight Processionalat Epcot, and Jingle Bell Jingle Bam at Hollywood Studios. Some events are separately ticketed events, and some are included in your regular park admission. I’ll discuss these at length below.

Christmas Decorations: Disney spares no expense transforming the parks and resorts into a winter wonderland in the middle of balmy Florida, including nine gigantic themed Christmas trees scattered throughout the property (and dozens of ‘lesser’ trees). If you’re the type that enjoys driving around your town looking at holiday lights and decorations, you’ll be in heaven. They even drape the entire Cinderella Castle in sparkling lights, which are lit each evening with a cute little show called the Frozen Holiday Wish. You could spend (and I recommend you do) an entire day touring the holiday displays at the various resorts on property without even entering a park!

Merchandise: Just like out in the real world, Christmas at Disney is a merchandiser’s dream. You can buy Christmas ornaments year round, but starting in November you’ll find all sorts of exclusive Christmas merchandise from clothing to toys to home decor. Most of us are in the mood to shop this time of year anyway, so you may want to pad your normal souvenir budget a bit.

Food: There is no shortage of interesting snacks and treats year round at Disney World, but the culinary department really gets to show off during the holidays. From a peppermint soft serve sundae to a cookie butter milkshake to an ugly sweater brownie, there are so many tasty treats that are not only yummy but Instagram-worthy adorable. Additionally, there are many food items that can be packaged to take home like the Mickey Ear candied apples that make nice gifts.

Magic Kingdom: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas party is a separately ticketed event that’s presented several times a week starting on November 8th with the last party on 12/21 this year. The party includes special stage shows, holiday themed character meet-n-greets, lots of free treats, a special holiday themed firework show, and an amazing Christmas parade. Oh, and it snows on Main Street.

Epcot: Festivities begin a little later here. On November 18th, the World Showcase countries put on the International Yuletide Extravaganza featuring special holiday experiences in each country including food, decor, storytellers, music, etc. My favorite holiday event at Epcot is the Candlelight Processional. This a traditional telling of the Christmas story by a celebrity narrator accompanied by a huge choir and orchestra playing carols. This show happens three times nightly beginning 11/22. And for Christmas music lovers, there is another show on the Future World Fountain Stage daily called Joyful! A Celebration of the Season, featuring gospel and R&B tunes.

Hollywood Studios: Starting the same time Magic Kingdom begins their festivities, Hollywood Studios puts on a Christmas projection/fireworks show called Jingle Bell Jingle Bam. Another projection show happens over at the Tower of Terror called Sunset Seasons Greetings. Additionally, the new Toy Story Land has added an overlay of holiday decor which is beyond cute (as if that land could get any cuter).

Animal Kingdom: This park does the least to celebrate, especially since doing away with its afternoon parade a few years ago. They do have some wonderful decorations including a giant Christmas tree, but the only special holiday-themed offering is an addition to the UP! Great Bird Adventure Show. From 11/8 – 1/1 the show will be a special version that tells the story of Diwali, the Indian festival of lights.

Disney Springs: There is quite a bit of holiday entertainment at the springs. You’ll find plenty of great photo ops on the Christmas Tree Trail and you can even visit Santa himself. There’s Stitch’s Holiday Gift hunt – a scavenger hunt with a prize at the end. Lots of live holiday music will get you in the spirit – and of course, there’s the shopping!
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Disney Resorts: For Christmas decoration lovers, touring the resorts could fill an entire day or more. All of the resorts on property decorate for the holidays with trees themed to fit the resort and lots of evergreen swags and ornamentation. But the deluxe resorts really go all out. We’re talking giant Christmas trees (up to 70 feet tall), life-sized Gingerbread houses, miniature train villages and more.

My Advice:

Should we go during the holidays? Yes! Absolutely! It really is a magical time. That being said, I highly recommend avoiding the week of Christmas / New Years IF you are a first time visitor. I have gone during that time myself and had a great time, but with as many times as I’ve visited, I don’t feel the need to ride every ride or spend all day in the parks. If it’s your first time (or possibly only time), I’d highly suggest visiting during the first three weeks of December, or just forgoing the holidays altogether in favor of a less crowded time of year.

What should we bring? I’m typically a light packer. I once went to Europe for 10 days with just a carry-on suitcase. But if you’re visiting Disney World anytime November through February, you really need to be prepared for everything. In addition to my regular packing suggestions, found here, you should also bring long pants, sweatshirts, gloves, hats and scarves. You’d probably be wise to bring a coat (you’ll probably be wearing one when you leave your home anyway, unless you’re coming from somewhere even warmer than central Florida). Check the weather each morning. Plan for dressing in layers. Rent a locker when you arrive at the parks. When the weather warms up midday, you can shed your jacket or sweatshirt. You’ll probably need it again when it gets dark. Be prepared for other extremes as well. A couple years ago, we were there over New Years and had temps in the mid-80’s all week and we spent more time at the pool than we’d predicted.

What should we do?  Definitely take advantage of all the special holiday celebrations that are included with your admission to the parks like the Candlelight Processional at Epcot and Jingle Bell Jingle Bam at Hollywood Studios. Whether or not to attend the Christmas Party is trickier because of its price (nearly $100 per person). If you are visiting after 12/21 when the parties have ended, you won’t miss as much because they do the Christmas parade and the snow on Main Street during regular operating hours. Before that, I would highly suggest trying to fit it in your budget. You can enter the park as early as 4pm on the party day. To help ease the sting of the ticket price, buy one less day of regular park tickets and spend that morning touring the resorts or going to Disney Springs.

Speaking of the resorts and Disney Springs, you won’t want to miss that either. I normally recommend buying park tickets for every day of your trip, since the per day price drops so dramatically after the third day. In the case of the holidays, I think you can get by with less park days. Use that savings to offset the cost of the Christmas Party tickets. Spend a day relaxing at your resort or shopping at Disney Springs. Travel to Magic Kingdom and from there take the monorail to the Contemporary, the Polynesian and the Grand Floridian. Then travel by boat to Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness. From there, take a bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge, then to Hollywood Studios. Find the boat dock, and sail to the Boardwalk Inn, then walk across the bridge to the Yacht & Beach Club. 

At the parks, you’ll need a good plan. Make your Fastpasses 60 days in advance (a perk of staying on property) and let everyone in the family pick one other “must-do.” If it’s extremely crowded when you’re there, at least you’ll all feel like you got to do what you wanted most. If you’d still like to try to pack in a lot of attractions, then you’ll definitely want to arrive early and take advantage of the lighter morning crowds. By early, I mean at least 30-45 minutes in advance.

Most importantly, soak up the holiday atmosphere. Slow down and take in all the details. Seek out family photo opportunities. Be patient and relax your expectations and you will have a wonderful time and make magical memories.

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