Christmas Day is fast approaching, folks. After a while, we’ll carefully hang the stockings and set aside the cookies and milk for Santa.
We know a lot of people are planning to celebrate these holidays at Disney World, so we’re taking a look what to expect if you visit the theme parks on Christmas Day. What kind of special activities will there be? What about food? And how will these holiday crowds be measured? Let’s take a look.
We will start by reviewing some basics. Disney World is open and ready for festive fun on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. On both days, the Magic Kingdom is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., EPCOT is open since 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Disney’s Animal Kingdom is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Disney’s Hollywood Studios is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m..
So you’ll have plenty of time to party at any of the four theme parks you choose to visit this season. Each park has some special holiday activities and treats, but first we need to talk about the elephant in the room.
Here are some holiday add-ons that everyone should keep in mind when planning your trip to Disney World: the MULTÚS. Let’s not get bogged down in this: Holiday crowds are getting big at Disney World, especially on Christmas Day. Here’s what to expect, as well as some tips for avoiding and dealing with congestion during your trip.
Crowds
All the parks in Disney World are very crowded on Christmas Day – many people just want to celebrate a magical day in a magical place.
But the park that definitely has the most people is Magic Kingdom.
In the past, we’ve seen the Magic Kingdom reach capacity pretty early on Christmas morning and stay in capacity for most of the day. Already, the park pass reservations for the Magic Kingdom on December 25th are completely sold out, unless you hold an annual pass with an Incredi pass.
For everyone else, there are no more season tickets available for Magic Kingdom or Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
However, some season tickets are still available at EPCOT and Disney’s Animal Kingdom is still available. But you’ll want to grab those passes soon if you feel like visiting the parks for Christmas, because they might run out as well.
Whatever park you visit, be prepared for the crowds and some long queues at attractions, restaurants and shops.
So what can you do to prepare for and cope with these great holiday crowds?
How to deal with crowds
A great way to get away from the crowds for a while is to book your dinner in advance so you can sit back and enjoy a meal at one of the Disney World restaurants. If you’re in the Magic Kingdom, a good choice for dinner is Liberty Tree Tavern, which serves holiday-inspired meals year-round.
If you don’t have an early dinner reservation yet, it may be difficult to get one for Christmas Day now (as you can make these reservations 60 days out, and many guests are likely to have already filled their seats). reservation). Instead, you’ll want to use Mobile Order so you don’t get stuck waiting in a long queue for lunch and dinner.
Order your meals on your mobile as soon as you enter the park you are visiting. You can select the time period in which you want to eat and place your order immediately. If you wait until lunchtime (or whenever you feel like it), most restaurants are likely to book at least a couple of hours after your order.
So get these orders as soon as possible for the best dining counter service experience possible!
Click here to learn how to use your mobile order at Disney World
We’ve dealt with the long queues for food, but what about those queues at attractions and rides?
If you want to do some popular Christmas attractions, here are some options. You can jump rope (be in the park at least half an hour before opening time) and head to those popular attractions first to queue up before the line goes crazy.
Please note that guests of the Disney World Hotel may enter any park half an hour before the official opening hours of this park. So if you go to the Magic Kingdom for Christmas, guests at the Disney World Hotel can enter the park at 8:30 a.m. instead of 9 p.m. We recommend that you be in the Magic Kingdom before 8:00 am to be safe.
Use those extra 30 minutes to do some of your favorite little attractions or queue up for the big attractions that have long waiting times later in the day. Remember that not all attractions are open at every park for morning entry; for example, sometimes Fantasyland and Tomorrowland only open in the Magic Kingdom during those extra 30 minutes in the morning.
In addition to arriving early at the parks, You may want to consider purchasing Genie + for Christmas day.
Genie + costs $ 15 per ticket per day and allows you to book your seat at Lightning Lanes at certain attractions, which basically means you can skip the queue.
Click here to learn all about Genie +
In addition to Genie +, there are also Fancy Rides (TM), which Disney calls Individual Attraction Selection. Basically, each theme park has two attractions (usually the most popular) that aren’t included in Genie +. Instead, you can pay a separate fare to skip the queue at these attractions.
The rate for these attractions varies depending on the time of year and the levels of people in the parks. As expected, we believe that Christmas Day prices will be the highest so far. We’ve already seen an increase in prices on holidays and weekends, and with the massive Christmas crowds, we look forward to seeing even more. So far, the cost of skipping a trip has not been more than $ 15 per person, but Disney has not said how far the price increase can go.
For Fancy Rides (TM), you will want to make your reservations as soon as possible. Guests can make these reservations from 7 am on the day of their visit, and we recommend that you book yours as soon as possible. Most of Fancy Rides (TM) attractions don’t usually run out, but we’ve seen some of the most popular ones (like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance) run out quite often.
And on Christmas Day, with so many guests at the parks, more of these season tickets may run out faster than usual.
Click here to learn how to buy a paid travel reservation
Now that you know how to handle all the crazy crowds, let’s move on to the fun stuff! What kind of shows, activities and special food can you expect to see in the parks?
Festive shows and activities
There are all kinds of fun and festive activities at Disney World right now, some of which have been around for a long time.
You can stop by EPCOT to visit the International Festival Festival, where guests can sample tasty festive food from around the world and listen to the storytellers who teach about the traditions of the countries.
The popular Candlelight Processional returns to EPCOT this year as well. In this show, you can listen to the Christmas story read by famous narrators and listen to the impressive choir and orchestra playing carols.
In the Magic Kingdom, Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas Parade works during Christmas Day and Christmas Eve at 12h and 15: 45h.
Some attractions have festive holiday overlays, such as the Jingle Cruise at Magic Kingdom and Living With the Land at EPCOT.
At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you can watch holiday screenings at the Tower of Terror every evening during the Sunset Seasons Greetings.
Santa is visiting guests at different places, including Disney Springs (which means you won’t need a park ticket!).
Disney’s Animal Kingdom has the Merry Menagerie, a group of puppets of beautiful animals such as penguins, polar bears and reindeer. You can visit with the animals near the entrance of the park.
So it turns out there’s a good reason for all the Disney World crowds – there’s a lot of fun and festive things to do at all four parks this season.
Delicious food
There are also some very delicious festive sweets to find in the parks!
You can enjoy holiday delights at every Disney World park, including Reindeer Mousse at Trolley Car Café at Hollywood Studios …
A pork T-Bone with apple at Tiffin’s in Animal Kingdom …
Un a Christmas cookie in Aunt Gravity’s galactic cookies in Magic Kingdom…
… And TONS of options in the holiday kitchens that are part of the EPCOT Festival Festival.
Follow AllEars for more updates and tips as you plan your Christmas Day at Disney World!
Click here for another fun Christmas activity at Disney World
Are you going to Disney World on Christmas Day? Let us know in the comments!
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