HomeWalt Disney WorldShould You Go to Disney for the Holidays?

Should You Go to Disney for the Holidays?

Published on

spot_img


The short answer is yes. You should because of all the beautiful holiday displays, events, holiday foods, and merchandise.

The actual answer is a tad more complicated because yes, it’s the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s also is one of the busiest times of the year for the theme parks. You must pack your backpacks with all the essentials, but this time – include a smattering of patience in there too.

Photo credit: Dad’s Guide to WDW

Christmas at Disney is even more magical than during non holiday times. Disney truly goes all out with their decorations including in the stores, restaurants, and attractions. For example, at Walt Disney World’s Epcot, Living with the Land gets a holiday overlay including sand snowmen, thousands of lights, and Christmas decorations. At Disneyland, Haunted Mansion transitions to Haunted Mansion Holiday complete a Nightmare Before Christmas holiday overlay.

Haunted Mansion Holiday

However, it’s busy. There are people everywhere even with the use of the reservation system. Lines are longer than usual, people are cranky, and cast members are overwhelmed. Using the Genie+ system may alleviate some of your wait times, but it will cost extra on top the price of admission. Again, packing extra patience is key to enjoying Disney’s holiday magic.

Some alternatives to the theme parks for holiday offerings include hotel hopping to see the different and themed Christmas decorations for each resort. At the Grand Floridian, there is the famous Gingerbread House where you can purchase a gingerbread shingle to munch on.  From the Grand Floridian, you could get on the monorail and visit the Contemporary and the Polynesian to partake in their Christmas decorations. You could even extend it by taking a boat to the Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness from Magic Kingdom. Each hotel has their very own themed Christmas decorations.

Gingerbread House at Grand Floridian (Photo credit: WDWNT)

The food at Disney for the holidays take it up a notch especially at Epcot for the Festival of the Holidays, which we talked about here. My personal favorite holiday kitchen is L’Chaim for Hanukkah. I’m a sucker for latkes and Black and White cookies. If that’s not your thing, there are a plethora of kitchens around the World Showcase with an offering of holiday dishes from all over the world.


As you can see, the answer is complicated because, yes it’s a great time to visit but it’s busy. Go knowing that. Disney puts up their holiday decorations around the 1st of November – with one whirlwind night of taking down Halloween to make room for Christmas. Take breaks away from people for a little bit, sit on the hub grass at Magic Kingdom and take in the holiday music for a bit.

Be compassionate with cast members. They are overwhelmed and possibly stressed. They are doing their best to provide you with the Disney Magic that we have all come to love.

Strollers will be everywhere. I say this being one of those people with strollers. They are EVERYWHERE.

Stroller or not parents may be stressed, kids may be tired, but they are at Disney trying to enjoy their day.

So, yes, go during the holidays, but bring your patience.

You can also check out our Holiday Survival Guide for Universal Orlando.

Have you been to Disney during the Holidays? Comment below and let us know.


Pirates & Princesses (PNP) is an independent, opinionated fan-powered news blog that covers Disney and Universal Theme Parks, Themed Entertainment and related Pop Culture from a consumer's point of view. Opinions expressed by our contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of PNP, its editors, affiliates, sponsors or advertisers. PNP is an unofficial news source and has no connection to The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal or any other company that we may cover.



Latest articles

Universal Orlando Releases Details on Epic Universe – How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk

Back in January, Universal Orlando dropped a bombshell announcement offering a few tasty tidbits...

Drinks and Souvenir Glasses From Defunct Galactic Starcruiser Are Coming to Disneyland

Disney is trying to promote "Star Wars" as hard as they can, and now...

A PlayStation Classic ‘Star Wars’ Game is Returning Soon?

The influx of classic Star Wars games returning to consoles and PCs is something...

Marvel Announces New Online Hero Shooter Game “Marvel Rivals”

The world of hero shooters is about to get a new challenger. Chinese-based game...

More like this

Universal Orlando Releases Details on Epic Universe – How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk

Back in January, Universal Orlando dropped a bombshell announcement offering a few tasty tidbits...

Drinks and Souvenir Glasses From Defunct Galactic Starcruiser Are Coming to Disneyland

Disney is trying to promote "Star Wars" as hard as they can, and now...

A PlayStation Classic ‘Star Wars’ Game is Returning Soon?

The influx of classic Star Wars games returning to consoles and PCs is something...