How to Celebrate Christmas at Walt Disney World
Book your trip ahead of time., Bring Christmas to Walt Disney World., Visit the holiday-themed stores that Disney World has to offer., Mark the occasion with a special Christmas meal., Check out holiday celebrations happening throughout the parks...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Book your trip ahead of time.
Make hotel reservations.
You can begin booking your hotel room 500 days in advance if you call Disney directly.
However, the hotel prices will likely be more accurate a year in advance, when there is still plenty of available space.
Make restaurant reservations.
You can begin reserving your seats at the sit-down restaurants 180 days before your arrival in Walt Disney World.
Consider choosing one of Disney's dining plans to ensure three meals per day at a set price.
Make FastPass reservations.
You can begin reserving FastPass tickets 60 days before your arrival.
Each guest is allowed three passes per day at each park.
Purchase tickets.
Prices are available online beginning in August of the year prior to the year you want to visit Disney World.
At that point, the prices are unlikely to vary, and there is no discount for purchasing your tickets early.
You can purchase them in the park on the day you visit, if you wish, though the lines can be taxing. -
Step 2: Bring Christmas to Walt Disney World.
Many people like the familiarity of enjoying Christmas in the comfort of their own homes, but just because you are going to be in a strange place doesn't mean you have to forgo your long-standing traditions.
Bring a small tree to place in your hotel room; if you don't have room to pack one, bring or draw pictures.
Bring Christmas lights that you might hang outside your house to string along the curtain rod or across the dresser in your hotel room.
Bring Christmas movies or books that you might use at home to get in the spirit. , Items purchased from these places can be wrapped and brought home to enjoy or used during your stay.
Disney's Day's of Christmas is a store in the Marketplace area of Downtown Disney.
It is open year-round, but special offers tend to pop around around the holidays.
Here, you can purchase ornaments, stockings, tree toppers, tree skirts, and other Christmas collectibles and gifts.
Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe is located in Liberty Square of the Magic Kingdom park.
Here, you can purchase toys, figurines, and character-themed Christmas items, such as stockings and ornaments. , Walt Disney World offers dozens of top-rate restaurants to choose from, and as long as you make your reservations in plenty of time, you can enjoy a quality meal of your choice on Christmas Day. , These events include but are not limited to:
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party requires a separate admission ticket; it is recommended that you purchase this ticket as early as possible, because capacity is limited and space fills up quickly.
The party is held in the Magic Kingdom park on select nights in November and December, and it includes something fun for all ages, like the lighting of the Cinderella castle, character dance shows/parties, a parade and "snowfall" on Main Street, U.S.A., complimentary snacks, and opportunities to meet Disney characters.
Holidays Around the World is a popular event that fills up quickly; it is recommended that you purchase the Candlelight Dinner Package (guaranteed seating and an ideal viewing spot for the fireworks).
Otherwise, attendance is first come, first served.
The event is held in the Epcot Center on select nights in November and December.
This festival celebrates holiday traditions from the far reaches of the globe, and it includes live entertainment in the form of a choir and 50-piece orchestra, a biblical account told by a guest celebrity narrator, and lavish decorations throughout the park.
For those with difficulty hearing, an ASL interpreter will tell the story as well, so everyone can enjoy this traditional Disney festival.
IllumiNations:
Reflections of Earth is a fireworks show that can be viewed from anywhere in the Epcot Center on select nights in December, though areas with a clear view of the World Showcase Lagoon are ideal, since this is where the show begins.
It is helpful to establish a viewing place well before 9:00 PM (21:00), when the show begins, as the good places to sit are typically occupied by that time.
The show is held outdoors, so availability is subject to inclement weather.
It is a fire and water show, complete with music, dessert, and a luminescent globe that floats in the World Showcase Lagoon.
IllumiNations is a truly magical experience, not to be missed.
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights is included in the standard admission ticket to Disney's Hollywood Studios park and transpires on select dates in December that will become available as the season approaches.
This event began with one family in Arkansas that used to put on an annual display of elaborate Christmas lights, a gesture that has since been extended to all of Walt Disney World's guests.
See millions of colored lights twinkling and flashing in time to holiday music.
Stand in the Streets of America area of the park to get the ideal view of this spectacular show.
Consider purchasing Mickey ear hats that flash in synchronization with the lights show. , During the holiday season, each "country" will feature music, seasonal food, celebrations, and decorations specific to that nation's interpretation of Christmas.
For example, the United States of America station will tell the tale of Mr. and Mrs.
Santa Claus that many American children are familiar with, while the story of the Daruma doll and other Japanese New Year traditions can be heard in Japan. , This eating and shopping center is buzzing with nightlife around Christmas.
You can shop for gifts and souvenirs in specialty shops, listen to carolers and street performers, enjoy seasonal cuisine, visit Santa and other characters, dance at a live holiday dance party, and see the enormous Christmas tree. , While weekly services are not held on Disney property, on Christmas and Easter, a Catholic Mass and Protestant service are held in the Fantasia Ballroom at Walt Disney's Contemporary Resort.
Dates and times are subject to change, but there are typically two services on Christmas Eve and three on Christmas Day (two in the morning and one in the evening).
If none of those times are accommodating, consider churches near Disney property . -
Step 3: Visit the holiday-themed stores that Disney World has to offer.
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Step 4: Mark the occasion with a special Christmas meal.
-
Step 5: Check out holiday celebrations happening throughout the parks.
-
Step 6: Check out the World Showcase in the Epcot Center.
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Step 7: Visit Downtown Disney.
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Step 8: Attend Christmas services
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Step 9: if desired.
Detailed Guide
Make hotel reservations.
You can begin booking your hotel room 500 days in advance if you call Disney directly.
However, the hotel prices will likely be more accurate a year in advance, when there is still plenty of available space.
Make restaurant reservations.
You can begin reserving your seats at the sit-down restaurants 180 days before your arrival in Walt Disney World.
Consider choosing one of Disney's dining plans to ensure three meals per day at a set price.
Make FastPass reservations.
You can begin reserving FastPass tickets 60 days before your arrival.
Each guest is allowed three passes per day at each park.
Purchase tickets.
Prices are available online beginning in August of the year prior to the year you want to visit Disney World.
At that point, the prices are unlikely to vary, and there is no discount for purchasing your tickets early.
You can purchase them in the park on the day you visit, if you wish, though the lines can be taxing.
Many people like the familiarity of enjoying Christmas in the comfort of their own homes, but just because you are going to be in a strange place doesn't mean you have to forgo your long-standing traditions.
Bring a small tree to place in your hotel room; if you don't have room to pack one, bring or draw pictures.
Bring Christmas lights that you might hang outside your house to string along the curtain rod or across the dresser in your hotel room.
Bring Christmas movies or books that you might use at home to get in the spirit. , Items purchased from these places can be wrapped and brought home to enjoy or used during your stay.
Disney's Day's of Christmas is a store in the Marketplace area of Downtown Disney.
It is open year-round, but special offers tend to pop around around the holidays.
Here, you can purchase ornaments, stockings, tree toppers, tree skirts, and other Christmas collectibles and gifts.
Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe is located in Liberty Square of the Magic Kingdom park.
Here, you can purchase toys, figurines, and character-themed Christmas items, such as stockings and ornaments. , Walt Disney World offers dozens of top-rate restaurants to choose from, and as long as you make your reservations in plenty of time, you can enjoy a quality meal of your choice on Christmas Day. , These events include but are not limited to:
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party requires a separate admission ticket; it is recommended that you purchase this ticket as early as possible, because capacity is limited and space fills up quickly.
The party is held in the Magic Kingdom park on select nights in November and December, and it includes something fun for all ages, like the lighting of the Cinderella castle, character dance shows/parties, a parade and "snowfall" on Main Street, U.S.A., complimentary snacks, and opportunities to meet Disney characters.
Holidays Around the World is a popular event that fills up quickly; it is recommended that you purchase the Candlelight Dinner Package (guaranteed seating and an ideal viewing spot for the fireworks).
Otherwise, attendance is first come, first served.
The event is held in the Epcot Center on select nights in November and December.
This festival celebrates holiday traditions from the far reaches of the globe, and it includes live entertainment in the form of a choir and 50-piece orchestra, a biblical account told by a guest celebrity narrator, and lavish decorations throughout the park.
For those with difficulty hearing, an ASL interpreter will tell the story as well, so everyone can enjoy this traditional Disney festival.
IllumiNations:
Reflections of Earth is a fireworks show that can be viewed from anywhere in the Epcot Center on select nights in December, though areas with a clear view of the World Showcase Lagoon are ideal, since this is where the show begins.
It is helpful to establish a viewing place well before 9:00 PM (21:00), when the show begins, as the good places to sit are typically occupied by that time.
The show is held outdoors, so availability is subject to inclement weather.
It is a fire and water show, complete with music, dessert, and a luminescent globe that floats in the World Showcase Lagoon.
IllumiNations is a truly magical experience, not to be missed.
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights is included in the standard admission ticket to Disney's Hollywood Studios park and transpires on select dates in December that will become available as the season approaches.
This event began with one family in Arkansas that used to put on an annual display of elaborate Christmas lights, a gesture that has since been extended to all of Walt Disney World's guests.
See millions of colored lights twinkling and flashing in time to holiday music.
Stand in the Streets of America area of the park to get the ideal view of this spectacular show.
Consider purchasing Mickey ear hats that flash in synchronization with the lights show. , During the holiday season, each "country" will feature music, seasonal food, celebrations, and decorations specific to that nation's interpretation of Christmas.
For example, the United States of America station will tell the tale of Mr. and Mrs.
Santa Claus that many American children are familiar with, while the story of the Daruma doll and other Japanese New Year traditions can be heard in Japan. , This eating and shopping center is buzzing with nightlife around Christmas.
You can shop for gifts and souvenirs in specialty shops, listen to carolers and street performers, enjoy seasonal cuisine, visit Santa and other characters, dance at a live holiday dance party, and see the enormous Christmas tree. , While weekly services are not held on Disney property, on Christmas and Easter, a Catholic Mass and Protestant service are held in the Fantasia Ballroom at Walt Disney's Contemporary Resort.
Dates and times are subject to change, but there are typically two services on Christmas Eve and three on Christmas Day (two in the morning and one in the evening).
If none of those times are accommodating, consider churches near Disney property .
About the Author
Carol Parker
Creates helpful guides on home improvement to inspire and educate readers.
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