Magic Kingdom on Christmas

[MmmSuite]

Who has been? What's is like? Do you get to ride anything or do anything or is it too crowded? How are the fireworks? Can you even get a spot?

My sister is going down in December and my BIL invited my family to stay in their timeshare for FREE! After the arm and the leg we're spending on our September stay we're only going to the park one day during our stay from Dec 19th to the 26th.

The other days we're going to the Orlando Science Center(our reciprocal benefits let us go free). SeaWorld(we can go there free too) and possibly Legoland.

Tell me what I can expect at MK on Christmas Day. Is it pure magic? Or heck on Earth?

Thanks for any advice or tips!

 

[Msmithmd]

Ideal experience for this time of year:

Go for rope drop and get there 30-45 minutes before park open. Ride standby the first two hours, get lunch ADR and run your three sequential FP+ for the next four hours, and get out of there by 2-3pm. Head back to your resort and relax. Swim if weather allows, then resort hop for a meal, a bar, or just atmosphere. You will have a great day.

Alternate possible experience:

Same day, first arriving to the TTC at 11:30 am, or the park itself at noon, you could have a miserable experience due to the incredible crowds.

Proper planning will dictate your experience. This is a time of year that is awesome to visit but the huge crowds really demand you stay on your toes for maximizing your visit.

Have an awesome trip!

 

[staceyrhood]

On Christmas Day MK usually reaches capacity. Go at rope drop and you will be able to get in the park. You will be fine at the the parks. The Once Upon a Christmastime parade will run that day for all guests, it is a great parade! Usually it is run at MVMCP.

 

[MmmSuite]

Okay...my sister is always late for everything so I'm going to have to leave without her. LOL Since they are going earlier in the week, that should be fine. Thanks for the tips!

 

[niclodn]

Christmas Day is ridiculously crowded, but I still love it! Last time, we were there about 30 minutes before rope drop and rode just about everything we wanted to ride with little to no wait before our 9:30am ADR at Crystal Palace (I think RD was at 7am). After a leisurely breakfast, we staked out spots for the Christmas parade (started around noon-ish??). By that time it was wall-to-wall people -- literally shuffling shoulder-to-shoulder. After the parade, we fought the hoards coming in and went back to the resort to rest and then resort hopped and spent some time at DTD. Definitely doable and even magical if you have the right attitude and get there early!

 

[ajwolfe]

I'm going to ask a silly question, but I've offered wondered this...For those that celebrate Christmas at the World how to you handle gifts and Santa.

 

[heybravo626]

Pack a few gifts and Santa leaves a note that more gifts will be left at home. If you have an elf, they can even throw an advanced note to kids thaqt Santa will come after they return home.

We have done a few Christmas trips and it's crowded but you can manage.


IMO, crowd calendars are more accurate Christmas time than any other time of the year. Stick to the recommended parks if you want best crowd situations. Don't get me wrong, everything is crowded but it helps. And be early of course.

 

[MmmSuite]

We don't do Santa but we celebrate Christmas. So luckily the logistics are a little simpler for us. I'm going to tell the kids when they wake up that they are going to MK and that that's their Christmas present. They will have three presents each later that evening.