MeredithM1524
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2022
- Messages
- 43
Hi! I am surprising the kids on Christmas morning with a Disney cruise that leaves Dec 26th from Port Canaveral. We are mostly trying to make the holiday special and different for our girls as my husband/their dad passed away in July from cancer and I know the day is going to be hard for all of us.
After they unwrap all of the ”clues” and figure it out, we are hopping in the car and driving to Disney World (a little under 4 hour drive from my parents’ house, where we will be). I’d anticipate us arriving around 2pm. We’d like to visit MK when we arrive, as it will be our only day in the parks. I understand it will be insane but we are aiming for a sort of go-with-the-flow attitude (very different from my usual very scripted, filled-to-the-brim Disney trips!). See the decorations, hopefully catch the parade, view the fireworks, ride whatever rides we can, etc. We have a park reservation for MK that day (no hopper) so I’m hoping we will be able to get in even arriving later in the day.
I know the “official” hours for Dec 25th aren’t posted yet, but does anyone have an idea of what they might be? Is there any possibility that they would have EEH at MK that night? Since it’s our only day there, we want to stay as long as possible and sleep in the next day before heading to the port.
We won’t be in our hotel for long to enjoy the amenities, but if there are EEH for Deluxe hotels it’s worth it to me to book one. On our last trip, we had SO much fun at MK EEH that it was truly the highlight of our trip. I currently have Wilderness Lodge booked but it is NOT cheap
so I need to justify it somehow (the perk of the boat to/from MK is huge for me, as are the gorgeous Christmas decorations there, but without the EEH…).
I’d appreciate any insight you can offer. I’ve researched all that I can on these forums and elsewhere, but it’s hard to get many answers other than “it’s insanely crowded.” I am aware, but our goal here isn’t to ride all of the big attractions and stress about genie+, ADRs, etc. I just want to make it special and exciting for them on a day that will otherwise be very difficult. Thank you!
After they unwrap all of the ”clues” and figure it out, we are hopping in the car and driving to Disney World (a little under 4 hour drive from my parents’ house, where we will be). I’d anticipate us arriving around 2pm. We’d like to visit MK when we arrive, as it will be our only day in the parks. I understand it will be insane but we are aiming for a sort of go-with-the-flow attitude (very different from my usual very scripted, filled-to-the-brim Disney trips!). See the decorations, hopefully catch the parade, view the fireworks, ride whatever rides we can, etc. We have a park reservation for MK that day (no hopper) so I’m hoping we will be able to get in even arriving later in the day.
I know the “official” hours for Dec 25th aren’t posted yet, but does anyone have an idea of what they might be? Is there any possibility that they would have EEH at MK that night? Since it’s our only day there, we want to stay as long as possible and sleep in the next day before heading to the port.
We won’t be in our hotel for long to enjoy the amenities, but if there are EEH for Deluxe hotels it’s worth it to me to book one. On our last trip, we had SO much fun at MK EEH that it was truly the highlight of our trip. I currently have Wilderness Lodge booked but it is NOT cheap

I’d appreciate any insight you can offer. I’ve researched all that I can on these forums and elsewhere, but it’s hard to get many answers other than “it’s insanely crowded.” I am aware, but our goal here isn’t to ride all of the big attractions and stress about genie+, ADRs, etc. I just want to make it special and exciting for them on a day that will otherwise be very difficult. Thank you!