Please tell me about Christmas time in WDW

[Antonio]

I'm somewhat of a Disney veteran but this is my first time going as a family (my son will be 8 months old) and first time I'll be going around the holidays. I'm going 12/16-12/22 and I'm staying at POFQ. I'm attending MVMCP Friday and I'm not spending much time at DHS or AK. Can you tell me how EPCOT and MK are around the holidays. Like the decor, music and anything additional I should know. Thanks a ton.

 

[DVCkidsMOM]

ooooh, how much fun. My kids were 2 and 4mo the first time we went as a family. They just took it all in - WDW is very visually interesting to little-ones. It was magical just watching their faces react to what they were seeing! There is decor - each park will have a huge themed tree and there are garlands and wreaths etc. At night there are even more lights than other times of year. There are so many holiday touches that you really need to read one or more of the blogs or guides about WDW at Christmas. I don't know how to link posts, but search here and some should pop up. I also read a free K***le book about WDW at Christmas - it was basic information if you've been searching these boards and internet for months, but a good introduction for you if you're just now learning about WDW at Christmas.

 

[smbowtie]

This will give you a little idea of what you will see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeOs5w_LIe8

 

[Disworldluv]

WDW is very festive during this time of the year. MK has Christmas music, eye popping decorations, wonderful parades and holiday fireworks. It's our favorite park during this time of the year. EPCOT has special holiday presentations at the various countries and how they celebrate the holiday season. This is a great time to visit the World. ENJOY Don't forget to experience Osborne Lights at DHS......fantastic.

 

[MaleficentEvilSister]

It will be our first trip at Christmas too. We will be there Dec 23-31. So excited, I can't wait!

 

[Airship Ariadne]

Christmas at WDW is amazing, decorations everywhere.

We love how in front of each park they have trees decorated that are themed to the park.

MK and EPCOT are probably the most decorated of the parks, the dancing fountains at EPCOT dace to Christmas carols, and of course the Santas around the World.

I would also suggest touring the Grand Floridian and many other resorts to see their decor, (but GF if nothing else, it is always amazing).

I think if we went back in the summer, while we would enjoy it, we might not find it to be as magical as it is at Christmas.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Ah, the Disney vet heading to WDW for the first time during Christmas...

My family used to go during July. We'd sweat like crazy while waiting to get on our favorite rides. When we first decided to go to WDW for Christmas in 2009, we figured "it's the holiday season, it will probably be crowded, but how bad could it be?"

After reading blogs and forums before our trip, I became anxious. "Two hours to ride Tower of Terror?!" I thought. I wondered if we made a mistake. Well, we did. We made a ton of mistakes that trip. But overall, we had an amazing time and returned the next year. In 2010, we learned from our experience and applied it to our planning.

After taking a break in 2011, we returned in 2012 as seasoned Christmas vacationers. We had a plan and we stuck to it.

We "bookended" our days at the parks. We arrived at the parks early, left in the afternoon and returned at night. The parks start to fill up around 10am-11am. We used EMHs, late nights and FP+s to ride our favorite attractions.

Will it be crowded? Yes, but not as bad as Christmas week. The MVMCP will be crowded, but December 20th-22 will be the "calm before the storm." The crowds will die down considerably (comparatively speaking) in the days between MVMCP ending and Christmas Eve.

I can go on for days with tips...

I have a lot of tips and tricks in a free book I wrote. Feel free to download it at survivedisxmas.com. Feel free to download it or message me with questions!