When is it officially Christmastime in Disney World?

[Hopelessly_Devoted]

When does it really look and feel like Christmas in Disney? I know the Christmas parties start in November, but we are interested in the whole package. Decorated parks, trees and gingerbread houses up in resorts, Christmas music playing in the parks and resorts, everything.

Our family has some airline vouchers we have to use by mid-november or they are forfeit. We are vacillating between using them and going the 2nd week of November or missing out on them and going the first week of December when we are sure it will look like Christmas.

We are way into pin trading, mostly the Christmas ones. We dont want to miss out on that. The only Christmas festivity we are okay if we miss is Candlelight Processional. We absolutely love it, but it is almost better on YouTube instead of live due to the long line and over costly meal package. We are also not interested in the parade taping.

 

[matheke]

The day after Thanksgiving is when almost everything is in Christmas holiday mode. With that being said, with the lights at Studios being gone who knows what will be left when we get to it this year. CP and Holiday Storytellers start after T-giving. If you can live with missing that by all means use the free airfare.

Have you thought of an October trip with Food and Wine and the Halloween party?

 

[hiroMYhero]

The 2nd week of November may still be without all of the Gingerbread houses and decor at the Deluxe hotels. Food and Wine will still be taking place in Epcot.

For 2015, the Christmas Parade taping took place during the 2nd week of November and the tree was up in MK prior to the taping dates. The other three parks will have their trees up by then.

 

[rwdavis2]

Once the Christmas party starts at MK it is pretty well decorated. In 2012 AKL and WL lobbies were decorated by mid-week the last full week before Thanksgiving.

 

[rlovew]

The gingerbread houses at the resorts opened the Friday before Thanksgiving this past year. MK starts Christmas the first couple of days of Nov(it depends on if they have a Nov 1 Halloween party- it starts going up the day after and is fully decorated minus the tree by Nov 8th or the first Christmas party). AK and DHS are generally decorated and up and going by Nov 10th. The hotels are fully decorated by Thanksgiving Day but many times before that- it depends on the order for the hotels for the year which ones are first and that is not published. Epcot starts Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. Disney Springs is decorated by mid-November but I believe Santa greeting and such start about Thanksgiving.

 

[Hopelessly_Devoted]

The day after Thanksgiving is when almost everything is in Christmas holiday mode. With that being said, with the lights at Studios being gone who knows what will be left when we get to it this year. CP and Holiday Storytellers start after T-giving. If you can live with missing that by all means use the free airfare.

Have you thought of an October trip with Food and Wine and the Halloween party?

I am afraid that would not be much fun for the 9 of us. Only one person in the party consumes adult beverages, there are a bunch of picky eaters and none of us celebrate halloween. lol

 

[JediBonas]

We went the second week in November this past year. MK was decorated. The resorts were hit or miss. The gingerbread house was up at the Contemporary but the decorations at our resort were literally going up while we were checking out on the 19th (we were at YC). Epcot wasn't decorated that we saw. AK and HS both had trees up.

 

[jon18uk]

Most decorations are up in mid-November. But officially they aren't fully decorated until after Thanksgiving. Realistically, they are done in the week before Thanksgiving though.

 

[PoohsFan1]

We are booked for a stay for the week before Thanksgiving (11/11 - 11/15). This is a great reference thread because I too wasn't sure what will be decorated and what will not. We want to go mainly for the MVMCP party and hopefully see some decorations at the resorts and parks...I know that CP and the Story Tellers won't start until after Thanksgiving but unfortunately my job won't allow me to get the time off from Thanksgiving until after Christmas...the joys of retail.

 

[2binak]

In 2014, we were in Epcot in a Friday night (Nov 14th) and there was no sign of Christmas in the park. The next morning we went back and the entire park had been decorated for Christmas, the big tree was up and Christmas music was playing. We've gone the week before Thanksgiving a few times and every park has been completely decorated and music is everywhere. That seems to be the best week if you really want to be immersed in Christmas but need to go in November. This past year (2015) we went again for the week before Thanksgiving and our resort, BWV was decorated (including the gingerbread stand) mid-week (Nov 18-19).

 

[buzznina]

We were also there this past Thanksgiving week (11/21-11/28) and stayed at GF, the Gingerbread house was up and opened as a PP mentioned and the giant lobby tree went up overnight on Tuesday(before turkey day).

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I had $1200 in Southwest LUV vouchers (anyone can use them) due to a horrible experience this past August. We had to use them by this August but had no plans on a trip. I sold them to a family member for $500 and put the money away for a future trip.

That could be an option if you really want to be there during the height of Christmas decorations.

 

[wdw4rfam]

When we arrived on the 19th this year, by the time we got over to the resorts on the 20 th, everything was up. I do know that the tree at CBR was put up overnight the 19th, because we didn't see it on the 19th, but next morning it was there. The decorations were all up from day 1 at MK.