Christmas day

[Dippa]

Going to be at Disney world for the very first time this Christmas and I can't wait!

Where is the best place to be on Christmas day, for events and a nice meal ?

Many Thanks

 

[Jedimike]

I was there on Christmas Day in 2009. Did MK when it opened and left a little after lunch when it was PACKED (worst i've ever seen in my 100-ish park days). That being said, we're going again this year I don't know about Christmas Day specific activities, but I love the Christmas music that plays at Epcot while strolling the various countries, we're looking forward to a nice meal at Le Celier on Christmas Eve, then Christmas Day at MK again. Plans for Ohana dinner on Christmas evening.

 

[rosiebean]

Went in '05 and did not bother venturing to MK at all on Christmas Day (the park was full to capacity and closed by 10 am). We went to what was then called Downtown Disney and spend the day in a very lightly-attended Disney Quest, which I think is now closed...sadly. We had a blast playing games, especially the virtual reality pirate game (where my seven year old niece schooled my then 40 year old brother, ). We had pizza for Christmas lunch and a QS meal in Epcot before heading back to our room at BCV that night.

Given that experience, unless you can tolerate crowds, I'd avoid MK on Christmas Day. I don't know how crowds will be at other parks, but if it were me, I'd pick the lightest attended park (probably AK) to attend as early in the day as possible and plan to leave around lunchtime and send much of the day enjoying my resort; the year we went, it was warm enough to laze about at the pool and enjoy outdoor activities, so I'd hope for the same experience. I would also try to make a reservation at a nice sit down restaurant for dinner, but it would be either in Epcot or a Disney resort...and I'd be prepared for huge crowds and wait times if I had an ADR at Epcot.

Where are you staying? If you are on Disney property, your resort will likely be very festive. I personally don't plan on going back over Christmas, but if I do, I'll be more than happy spending Christmas Day hanging out at any of the hotels I've stayed at on previous trips.

 

[Disneylover99]

We like to be at MK and eat at LTT, but we don't mind the crowds.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

It depends on what you are in the mood for. If you don't mind crowds, I would go to EP for the storytellers and Candlelight Processional. If you want to avoid crowds, I agree with PP and stay at your resort. We stayed at the Boardwalk over Christmas last year, had a wonderful meal at a Trattoria al Forno and enjoyed the entertainment on the Boardwalk. The resort was beautifully decorated and we had a lovely day.

 

[kerri0616]

Our Christmas day secret is AK. Boys rode EE numerous times as a walk on. Had a great safari and never felt smothered by the masses. Had a lunch at Y & Y. Left when we felt we'd seen what we wanted.

Has Xmas dinner at Narcoossee's and were able to see Wishes from the restaurant and even caught the EWP!

A very uncrowded wonderful Xmas day!

 

[wsssup]

We will be there this christmas. I was wondering if anyone had an idea of the 7 special dining places for christmas day are as stated on the disney website.

Will be definitely spending Christmas day at Animal Kingdom.

 

[brian95]

We will be there this christmas. I was wondering if anyone had an idea of the 7 special dining places for christmas day are as stated on the disney website.

Will be definitely spending Christmas day at Animal Kingdom.

i was wondering the same thing. There are no details about this at all. I do our adrs on Saturday. I have no idea where to eat on christmas

 

[Dippa]

Thanks for all of your replies! Your advice is much appreciated! We are staying at the Port Orleans: Riverside Resort! We can do our ADR's tomorrow and still are undecided on where to eat christmas dinner! Having a look at two restaurants in MK (LTT and CRT) but like most of you have said, I would rather avoid the crowds there. I haven't found many restaurants in Epcot for Christmas day apart from Biergarten which says it has a seasonal menu with carols playing all around. If anyone could shed a bit more light on Epcot that would be amazing! We are considering AK but we are a little sceptical as to whether or not it has that true christmassy feeling. Also, when planning your trip, what do your base your planning on? As at the moment we are basing ours on the dining reservations, but once booked are we able to be flexible, say if we go to a different park to the reserved restaurant, are we able to change for another day?

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

We actually ate dinner at Olivia's at OKW. Do you know it was delightful! We decided no thanks to being in a park. The lights and calm of OKW were charming. The food was great!

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Signatures
Narcoossee's - Overlooks the Seven Seas Lagoon. If times right, you can see Wishes. Never had a bad meal here. The meal + the refined setting makes for a great holiday dinner.
Cali Grill - Perched atop the Contemporary, it offers the best views, especially during Wishes. Great food, great ambiance.
Artist Point - Imagine dining inside a gorgeous ski lodge in the Pacific Northwest. That's exactly what you get when you dine at Artist Point (minus the "real" snow at least!)
Yachtsman - A nice steakhouse in the Yacht Club. Perfect for a nice dinner and close to EPCOT.
Le Cellier - it's lost its luster, but it is in EPCOT and was once very good.

Table Services
I know you mentioned EPCOT, so I'll focus on that area.

We dined at Chefs de France a few years back for Xmas Eve. The dinner was a bit cold, the service was bad and the tables were very close together. BUT - I've heard great things and it was the holidays, so that could have been the problem. It's not the best spot for a "nice" dinner thought.

Trattoria Al Forno on the Boardwalk was good, but the service was in disarray.
Biergarten is very good. We wouldn't do it again just because we're not big German food people - but the food was good, it certainly had a fun element to it and could be nice for a dinner. Do keep in mind that you may be at a community table, which takes away from the "family dinner."

Honestly, i think Rose & Crown may be the spot. Not sure how old your family members are, but R&C is great for a pint and some great English comfort food.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

If you are going to a park, eat at that park.

If you are not going to a park, you can be more creative, but you need to understand that WDW is a traffic jam all day on Christmas, and even resort transport buses are impacted pretty seriously. If you can stay near your resort you have a better chance of spending less time in transport.

 

[#1eeyoregirl]

We went in 2008 and went to MK on Christmas Day. Got there as soon as it opened, had lunch at Crystal Palace and left right after as it was CRAZY. We knew it would be packed and didn't really plan on staying after lunch anyway, but it was our first time at Christmas and just wanted to be at MK that day. We are going again this year and we are planning Epcot on Christmas day with lunch at LeCellier. Figured if all we get to do is our 3 FP+ and lunch, at least at Epcot we can walk around the countries and really feel the Christmas vibe.

 

[rosiebean]

Thanks for all of your replies! Your advice is much appreciated! We are staying at the Port Orleans: Riverside Resort! We can do our ADR's tomorrow and still are undecided on where to eat christmas dinner! Having a look at two restaurants in MK (LTT and CRT) but like most of you have said, I would rather avoid the crowds there. I haven't found many restaurants in Epcot for Christmas day apart from Biergarten which says it has a seasonal menu with carols playing all around. If anyone could shed a bit more light on Epcot that would be amazing! We are considering AK but we are a little sceptical as to whether or not it has that true christmassy feeling. Also, when planning your trip, what do your base your planning on? As at the moment we are basing ours on the dining reservations, but once booked are we able to be flexible, say if we go to a different park to the reserved restaurant, are we able to change for another day?

Boatwright's at POR Riverside has amazing food. They *may* have a Christmas menu...you should be able to make a res there after your 180 ADR date, so you have time to find a number that goes directly to the resort or restaurant and ask about holiday offerings. You could go to your park of choice during the day, then hang out at your resort, enjoy the Christmas decorations, and eat right there.

You can also see if a restaurant in Disney Springs has a special Christmas Day menu. It's a great, relaxing boat ride from POR to DS (our boat pilots were wonderful), and Raglan Road, the Irish pub there, is a really good restaurant. I would not be surprised at all if they have special music (they have live performances) on Christmas Day and maybe special menu items. Again, call...you should have time even after your 180 day ADR window to find a spot there.

And, as others have posted, resort restaurants such as Artist Point, Citricos, Narcoosees, Jiko, etc. are great options. If you separate your official Christmas meal from your park experience that day, you'll have many more choices. Good luck!

One other tip: if you go to a park during the day and a restaurant at a different place that evening...use local taxi service (or uber). Don't rely on buses. We've learned this in off-season trips. Instead of wasting an hour (or more!) using buses to get to a park where we can walk to a restaurant, etc., we budget for taxis. Last year, we gook a taxi from POR to YC's Cape May at night instead of taking a bus to the studios and then taking the boat to YC. We spent about $20, arrived in time to have a drink or two before our ADR...while half of our party took the bus/boat route and arrived *just in time*. If I were at WDW at Christmas, you bet I'd budget for taxi/uber to get around that day!

 

[Dippa]

Signatures
Narcoossee's - Overlooks the Seven Seas Lagoon. If times right, you can see Wishes. Never had a bad meal here. The meal + the refined setting makes for a great holiday dinner.
Cali Grill - Perched atop the Contemporary, it offers the best views, especially during Wishes. Great food, great ambiance.
Artist Point - Imagine dining inside a gorgeous ski lodge in the Pacific Northwest. That's exactly what you get when you dine at Artist Point (minus the "real" snow at least!)
Yachtsman - A nice steakhouse in the Yacht Club. Perfect for a nice dinner and close to EPCOT.
Le Cellier - it's lost its luster, but it is in EPCOT and was once very good.

Table Services
I know you mentioned EPCOT, so I'll focus on that area.

We dined at Chefs de France a few years back for Xmas Eve. The dinner was a bit cold, the service was bad and the tables were very close together. BUT - I've heard great things and it was the holidays, so that could have been the problem. It's not the best spot for a "nice" dinner thought.

Trattoria Al Forno on the Boardwalk was good, but the service was in disarray.
Biergarten is very good. We wouldn't do it again just because we're not big German food people - but the food was good, it certainly had a fun element to it and could be nice for a dinner. Do keep in mind that you may be at a community table, which takes away from the "family dinner."

Honestly, i think Rose & Crown may be the spot. Not sure how old your family members are, but R&C is great for a pint and some great English comfort food.

We have decided to go to MK on Christmas Day as this proved a little more popular overall, and we wanted to be in the heart of the christmas spirit. We will be eating at LTT and having breakfast at the CP. We are extremely excited! Thank you for all of your insights! We are heading to EPCOT on christmas eve and plan on taking part in the candlelight procession and enjoying strolling round the world showcase, thanks to your recommendations! We appreciate all your help! Thank you!

Boatwright's at POR Riverside has amazing food. They *may* have a Christmas menu...you should be able to make a res there after your 180 ADR date, so you have time to find a number that goes directly to the resort or restaurant and ask about holiday offerings. You could go to your park of choice during the day, then hang out at your resort, enjoy the Christmas decorations, and eat right there.

You can also see if a restaurant in Disney Springs has a special Christmas Day menu. It's a great, relaxing boat ride from POR to DS (our boat pilots were wonderful), and Raglan Road, the Irish pub there, is a really good restaurant. I would not be surprised at all if they have special music (they have live performances) on Christmas Day and maybe special menu items. Again, call...you should have time even after your 180 day ADR window to find a spot there.

And, as others have posted, resort restaurants such as Artist Point, Citricos, Narcoosees, Jiko, etc. are great options. If you separate your official Christmas meal from your park experience that day, you'll have many more choices. Good luck!

One other tip: if you go to a park during the day and a restaurant at a different place that evening...use local taxi service (or uber). Don't rely on buses. We've learned this in off-season trips. Instead of wasting an hour (or more!) using buses to get to a park where we can walk to a restaurant, etc., we budget for taxis. Last year, we gook a taxi from POR to YC's Cape May at night instead of taking a bus to the studios and then taking the boat to YC. We spent about $20, arrived in time to have a drink or two before our ADR...while half of our party took the bus/boat route and arrived *just in time*. If I were at WDW at Christmas, you bet I'd budget for taxi/uber to get around that day!

Thanks! Thats great to know! We arrive at the hotel quite late on the day of arrival so maybe that could be an ideal time to try out our hotel restaurant? We have made ADR's for restaurants Artist Point, Narcoose's etc thanks to your recommendations, so we are looking forward to trying those out!

Thanks for the tips on the taxis! We will be sure to keep that in mind!

Thank you all once again for your kindness in offering advice to assist with the planning of our trip! We can't express our appreciation enough.

 

[Octoberbaby]

I did our reservations today, and we are going to do BOG for breakfast, and Ohana for dinner. We will go to MK, and I will be in my own personal bubble, trying to block out all of the people. I know it will be crowded, but I think that I am becoming a little senile and a tad bit crazy as I get older.

 

[Dippa]

I did our reservations today, and we are going to do BOG for breakfast, and Ohana for dinner. We will go to MK, and I will be in my own personal bubble, trying to block out all of the people. I know it will be crowded, but I think that I am becoming a little senile and a tad bit crazy as I get older.

Sounds like you have it planned Octoberbaby. I wouldn't worry about the crowds if I was you, just enjoy it what it is