Walt Disney World Holidays – Holiday Magic at the Christmas Season
If you have plans to travel to Walt Disney World during the Christmas holiday season, congratulations! You will be visiting during one of the most magical times of the year, even for Disney. My family and I have been fortunate to celebrate a few Walt Disney World holidays in years past, so this article will discuss a few of our family’s favorite things to see and do during the Disney Christmas season.
First stop is the Magic Kingdom. There, you will find Cinderella’s Castle shining in stunning “icicle” lights that are truly breathtaking. Make sure you get pictures! If night-time pictures are not your specialty, then have a PhotoPass photographer preserve the Castle holiday magic for you.
At the Magic Kingdom, you can also attend Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, a nightly event held on selected nights during November and December, prior to Christmas. Since this event requires a separate ticket, you will need to purchase Party tickets in addition to your park passes. One of the highlights of this Party is the Christmas parade, which features the famous Wooden Soldiers. If you would like to see the parade but do not plan to go to the Party, and will be visiting after Christmas, you are in luck, as it is also shown every afternoon, typically starting Christmas Day…and a separate ticket is not needed. (Please note: The Walt Disney World Christmas Parade that you see on TV every year on Christmas morning is not a live event and is, in fact, taped weeks before. So do not plan to visit the Magic Kingdom on Christmas morning expecting to see/be in the parade!)
In Epcot, the World Showcase provide the focal point for the beautiful decorations of the “Holidays Around the World”. If visiting other countries and learning what it would be like to celebrate Christmas in another country sounds interesting to you, then this is the place to be. Each country showcases their favorite holiday traditions, and many even have special Holiday Storytellers that share some very interesting and fun customs. In fact, it is not unusual to find Father Christmas in England, Pere Noel in France, and St. Nicholas in Germany among others. It is a delightfully fun and educational way to learn about Christmas customs around the world.
Probably the highlight of the Walt Disney World holidays in Epcot is the Candlelight Processional, a nightly presentation of the Christmas story with a celebrity guest narrator and a huge massed choir made up of professional, college, and high school choirs from around the country. Although there are 3 showings each night, the line for seats starts well in advance of each show. You can reserve a seat by purchasing a Candlelight Processional dinner package, and I highly recommend it. If you don’t want to do the dinner package, then assign someone in your group to wait in the stand-by line to be certain of getting a seat. This is a dramatic and powerful performance that is always the highlight of our Disney Christmas visits.
You will also find some great holiday entertainment at Disney’s Hollywood Studios with the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, which is held every night on the Streets of America. This amazing display literally showcases millions of lights, and will inspire anyone who enjoys putting lights on their own homes. Since the streets can get very crowded during this season, a helpful tip is to go during the nightly Fantasmic show, or at the end of the evening right before park closing. The crowds are much lighter at that point and it is far more enjoyable when you are not elbow to elbow with other people.
In addition, Animal Kingdom offers a fun parade, Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade, featuring all of the characters in their holiday finery. And don’t overlook Downtown Disney, where the Festival of the Seasons offers the perfect opportunity to finish your holiday shopping, visit with Santa before Dec. 24, and say hi to Santa Goofy from Dec. 25 to Jan. 4. Lastly, be sure to take some time to visit the Disney resorts to see their holiday displays as well. On your list should be Grand Floridian for the Gingerbread House, the Boardwalk for the Carousel, and the Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge for the enormous trees. The Disney resort displays showcase the Imagineers at the height of their holiday creativity, and provide a whimsical and festive way to enjoy a little peace and quiet away from the crowds for a bit.
With stunning decorations, festive atmosphere, and the usual brand of Disney magic, celebrating the Walt Disney World holidays are sure to provide a vacation that will be filled with wonderful family memories.
Nancy Bobby has been planning Disney World vacations (and doing it frugally) for over a decade, and has experienced 11 (and counting) family vacations to Walt Disney World. To discover how to plan an affordable Disney family vacation, and to get a free Disney vacation planning guide, visit The Affordable Mouse.
