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Christmas is our FAVORITE time of year at the parks, but it can also be one of the busiest times to visit Disney World. If you'll be spending your holidays dashing through the crowds at Walt Disney World Resort or any of the Orlando theme parks this year, you'll want to head in fully prepared for all of the holiday merriment. This post will walk you through tips for managing crowds during the holidays at Disney World, but there are a few things you need to prepare for if you are considering visiting this holiday season.
Our Top Tips for Visiting Disney World During the Holidays
1. Book Your Reservations Before You Visit
There are a few reservations you can take care of before your trip arrives. Note that Disney World date-based tickets no longer require theme park reservations — but there are still a select few ticket types that do. You can book your Advance Dining Reservations, which can be done 60 days in advance for all guests (though Disney Resort hotel guests will be able to book for the entirety of their stay). At the 60-day mark, you can also reserve experiences, such as building your own lightsaber at Savi's Workshop and Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
Disney Lightning Lane, a paid, optional skip-the-line option, can now be purchased and planned in advance of your trip, as well. Disney World Resort hotel guests can book up to 7 days in advance of their trip, for the entirety of their trip. Everyone else may book 3 days in advance. Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass can be purchased during these windows in the My Disney Experience app.
2. Have a Plan (But Be Flexible)
We offer park plans that are great for crowd levels 5, 6, 7 and 8. These levels cover most of the season, so they can help ease the stress of Disney World holiday crowds. If you download our printable plans, you'll find additional park plan maps, plus packing lists for the whole family. For the tadpoles, make sure to print out our packing list coloring page that they can use to help with the planning.
On the handful of days when it is busier than an 8, especially Christmas Day and New Year's Eve in most years, it's better to set a few priorities for each family member. Get to the parks early so you can experience priority attractions with lower waits. You're not going to be able to do and see as much when crowds are at their highest later on in the day. Factor in more time for everything. Be flexible and set realistic expectations for the whole family. Make sure to take some deep breaths, plan some chill time and enjoy quality family bonding time.
3. Read Up on How to Join a Virtual Queue
Newer attractions at Walt Disney World may initially incorporate a virtual queue system instead of a traditional standby queue. Currently, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT and Tiana's Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom are the only two attractions using a virtual queue, so you would need to join the My Disney Experience app in order to ride. You can also purchase a Lightning Lane Single Pass to ride.
Sometimes shops or other experiences may use the same virtual queue system, such as joining the line to meet Santa Claus at Disney Springs.
4. Download Our iPhone App
As mentioned above, our Orlando Planning App offers pre-set and customizable park plans. We've added a map feature so you can easily navigate and see your plans and wait times. It won't drain your precious battery life, and it covers Disney World, Universal and SeaWorld. Best of all, it's FREE. You definitely don't want to leave home without downloading it!
5. Arrive Early and Stay Late
The most tested time-saving tip is to arrive early, and this is mostly true with Disney World holiday crowds. Arrive at the Disney World parks about an hour before rope drop and ride your favorites in the first hour or two before the lines get really long. If you are staying on-site, hop to it! The Early Theme Park Entry perk allows Disney hotel guests to take advantage of a 30-minute early entry period to ANY theme park, EVERY day (sometimes, this even gets extended to an hour during the holidays). Additionally, guests of Deluxe, Deluxe Villas and other select hotels can stay later with Extended Evening Hours.
During the very busiest times, park hours are extended. This is a great way to get the most out of your visit. Stay as late as you can. (This was our secret to riding Slinky Dog Dash for the first couple of times!)
6. Avoid Hopping on the Very Busiest Days
Park hopping is not always recommended during the very busiest times — crowd levels 9 and 10 — especially if you're a first-time visitor. If a park reaches capacity, you won’t be allowed re-entry (though this has only happened a few times in the last two years, it is still possible). Plus, moving between parks takes up a lot of time. There will be more people using Disney transportation, so you may have to wait in long lines for the buses, boats and monorails. Use that precious time inside one park for the day! With the theme park reservation system no longer in place, this means that some parks can (and will) reach capacity on the busiest days of the year and may halt letting additional guests in for peak periods, including the fireworks at Magic Kingdom.
7. Know Your Transportation Options and Factor in Extra Time
Speaking of Disney transportation, it's important to know all of the transportation options available so you can have a backup plan and not rely solely on one option. The monorail system can take you to Magic Kingdom, the Transportation and Ticket Center, the Magic Kingdom resorts and EPCOT. Disney Skyliner links EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios and several resorts, including Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, Pop Century Resort and Art of Animation Resort. Or, hop on a ferry boat to get from place to place. For a complete breakdown of transportation options by park, use these guides to help navigate your way to and from Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom.
Factor in the extra time needed to use Disney's complimentary transportation since all options will be busy! If you don't mind splurging, using a Minnie Van or a ride-sharing service, such as Uber or Lyft, is always an option, as well. (And if you're staying on-site, remember that theme park parking is free for you!). Did you know Undercover Tourist offers ribbeting deals on car rentals as well?
8. Know the Parade and Show Schedules
The special holiday versions of the parades and stage shows draw large crowds, so save a viewing spot at least an hour before showtime. Use our app or grab an official Times Guide at the park entrance. A common mistake (and a sure-fire way to miss a parade or show) is to underestimate the time it takes to get from point A to point B.
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is back this year! Party dates tend to sell out quickly, so be sure to snag your discount tickets early! This specialty ticketed event showcases a parade, stage show and fireworks — you'll have to attend the event to get the full holiday extras. Historically, Disney will show some event-exclusive entertainment during Christmas week.
After the last Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party of the year, Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade is usually shown daily at Magic Kingdom for park guests in the afternoon through the end of December. Minnie's Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks will run nightly during this timeframe to regular daytime guests, as well. There will be no showing of Happily Ever After on those nights.
9. Eat Breakfast Before You Arrive, and Bring Snacks and Drinks
We like to fuel up in our hotel room or even splurge on the occasional breakfast buffet before we head into the parks. If you eat a hearty breakfast, you can go lighter — or even skip — lunch. This helps you beat some of the Disney World holiday crowds during mealtime. You can also bring your own snacks and water bottles into the parks, or even a full picnic lunch. The restaurant crowds can be busier than attraction lines when the parks are packed. A picnic lunch in a less busy spot in the park is a great way to regroup and save money.
10. Figure Out Activities to Do in Long Lines
When you're waiting in a long line for a ride, restaurant or bus to take you home, this is the perfect time to play games, such as "I Spy" or the mobile game "Heads Up!" A Frog Family fave is a game of "Guess Who" with Disney and Pixar characters. The free Play Disney Parks app also has some interactive queue games for attractions such as Space Mountain and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, as well as park trivia!
11. Dine During Off-Peak Hours
If you're going to eat at the restaurants while you're in the parks, save your line time for the fun stuff by eating during off-peak hours and using mobile ordering. Restaurants inside the parks get busy around traditional dining times — 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for lunch and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. for dinner. Consider having those big meals outside of busy times. Most restaurants begin serving lunch at 11 a.m. and dinner at 4 p.m. Keep your hunger satisfied with a turkey leg or fresh popcorn in between meals.
My Disney Experience can show you table-service restaurants near you that may be accepting walk-ins if you aren't able to snag a reservation. And for select table-service restaurants at Disney Resort hotels, you might even be able to place a to-go order using My Disney Experience! (Sanaa bread service as a late-night snack? Drool.)
12. Review Your Safety Plan
Crowds + tadpoles (children) = sky-rocketing anxiety levels for parents, especially with the Disney World holiday crowds. Review your protocol for sticky situations, such as “what happens if we get separated,” beforehand. Take a look at Lily’s theme park safety strategies for more tips.
13. Don’t Pass Up a Restroom Break
If you pass a restroom and the line isn’t too long, GO! Even if you think you can wait … GO! You'll thank us later. We also make sure everyone hits the bathroom before we head to the parks in the morning. If you’re planning on lining up super early at the parking lot, you’re looking potentially an hour or more of sitting there, and you know how that goes with littles 😉 Plus, with slower bus service, it could be a long wait there too.
14. Set a Souvenir Budget
It’s easy to get carried away, especially during the holidays. We give Tad and Lily a souvenir allowance to spend as they wish (like building your own droid). My wife and I also surprise them with souvenirs we purchase in advance at a much lower price. And it’s not just the kiddos who hate hearing, “No dear, you can’t have that.” I think I may have the hardest time of any of the Frogs passing up the goodies!
15. Take a Break from the Parks
If you or your little ones are completely frazzled by the afternoon, take a break from the parks completely. One alternative is Disney Springs. During the holidays, there is a dazzling Christmas Tree Trail, snowfall and SANTA!
The Frog Family also really likes strolling along Disney’s BoardWalk Entertainment District. There are shops, restaurants and gingerbread displays to take in at the hotels.
And speaking of gingerbread, one of our favorite Disney at Christmas tips is to take a tour of the Disney World Resorts. You can take in all of the holiday decor and Christmas trees decorated to the nines. Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness Lodge have gargantuan trees that are absolutely amazing inside their already spectacular lobbies. The other Deluxes (minus Disney's Polynesian) offer oversized gingerbread displays that are works of art in their own right.
16. Watch the Fireworks Outside of the Parks
Along the same lines as the previous tip, consider watching the fireworks from outside the park. By doing this, you can have a less stressful time fighting the Disney World holiday crowds and getting back to your hotel. Many people don't realize it, but you can see Magic Kingdom's fireworks from afar. Magic Kingdom fireworks shows can also be seen from the beaches at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, Grand Floridian Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Resort, the boat ride between Magic Kingdom and the Bay Lake resorts and the Transportation and Ticket Center.
Additionally, the fireworks can be seen from California Grill at Disney's Contemporary Resort. You need a reservation for this, but it can be for any time in the evening. Just save your receipt, and you can come back up later to watch! I must confess, this is my favorite place to watch the fireworks because you're watching from above. It's one of the only places I know where you really see the whole show. The music is "piped in" at each of these locations, so you're not even missing that element of the show.
17. I Repeat ... Be Flexible
We cannot stress this enough. While I love when a great plan comes together, I also know when it’s OK to alter that plan and change course. Take occasional “temperature” checks of everyone’s energy levels and attitudes. If you have to cut something short or change plans, don’t sweat it. It’s about quality, not quantity. And when you're trying to navigate through those tough Disney World holiday crowds, flexibility is key!
18. Pack Your Patience
If you start to feel overwhelmed, just take a deep breath and maybe a five-minute “time-out.” It’s very important to bounce back from a melt-down … yours or the tadpoles' :)
Whew! There you have it — our top tips for successfully managing Disney World crowds at Christmas. Have a tip for navigating the parks during the busy holiday season? Spread some joy and share it in the comments below!
Related: Complete Guide to Disney World Holiday Events
Keep hopping!
