Top 10 Tips for Disney World at Christmas & Thanksgiving
November and December are such an amazing time to visit Walt Disney World because of all the beautiful decorations but Thanksgiving week and Christmas though New Years get the highest crowds of the whole year - so high that the parks sometimes close to capacity. We've compiled some of our best tips to help manage crowds and have an incredible Disney vacation.
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Tip 1: Book Your Disney Dining & Resort Reservations As Soon As Possible: Disney World dining reservations can be booked up to 60 days in advance and some locations fill quickly so book your dining as soon as possible. Check park hours to make sure you're selecting dining times that don't interfere with parades, fireworks, or other priorities. Make it easy on yourself by letting us do it for you - we book dining reservations, subject to availability, for our clients. A lot of the official Disney World resorts will fill to capacity, so you want to make your hotel reservations early too. The deposit on a Disney World vacation package is only $200 is completely refundable up to 30 days prior to arrival so there is no risk with locking in availability.
Tip 2: In 2023, you MUST Book Theme Park Reservations, prior to arrival: This policy is being dropped in early 2024 but, for this holiday season, they are still using an advance reservation system and a theme park reservation is required to enter your first park of the day. You’ll be able to make your reservations as soon as your valid theme park admission tickets are linked to your MyDisneyExperience account and you can check park availability before purchasing tickets.
Buying your tickets early will eliminate a line right away because you won't have to get in line at the ticket booth. Remember that, once purchased, tickets are non-refundable.
Click here for a list of November ride closures & special events at Disney World.
Click here for a list of December ride closures & special events at Disney World.
Tip 3: Before you embark on your Disney vacation, take time to get acquainted with the Walt Disney World smartphone app because you will be using it a lot on your trip! By doing so, you won't waste a second of your precious vacation time fumbling with your phone, trying to figure it out while in the parks. And remember to bring a portable phone charger because your Disney day is definitely going to last longer than your phone’s battery. Once you’ve explored the app, you’ll be able to:
Check real-time wait times for rides and attractions
Use the interactive maps and filter for things like characters, entertainment, and restroom locations.
Book dining reservations and mobile order food at quick-service restaurants.
Check transportation times
Get PhotoPass pictures
Use Merchandise Mobile Checkout
Find your car with the car locator
Tip 4: Consider purchasing Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes reservations: Disney has two “pay-to-bypass-the line” services available for same day purchase that can be immensely helpful during peak holiday visits. When you purchase these, you can claim a return time to enter using the Lightning Lane (formerly known as the FastPass entrance). Genie+ has the most ride options but does not include the most popular attractions at each park. To bypass the line for those, you can purchase an “Individual Lightning Lane” for Tron and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in the Magic Kingdom, Guardians of the Galaxay: Cosmic Rewind at Epcot, Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Avatar Flight of Passage at Animal Kingdom. These attractions often sell out very quickly but, when you book through us, our travel agents will coach you in the methods that give you the best chance of success. Talk to your travel agent about whether these services are right for you during your travel dates.
Tip 4: Be Aware of Unusual Park Hours ~ The Disney theme parks have typically opened at 9AM to the general public but may open earlier when the parks are at peak holiday levels. Opening and closing times can change with very little advance notice during the busy holiday season so check for last-minute changes on the MyDisneyExperience park app or the Disney World official calendar.
Tip 5: Most Important Tip - Arrive at the Disney Theme Parks at least 45 minutes prior to park opening. The parks are at their least crowded in the first hour or two of the day. It is so much better to arrive early and take a mid-day break than to arrive late and get in line behind everyone else. Disney sometimes opens certain popular attractions before posted opening times, especially on weekends. Want to sleep in? Disney’s Animal Kingdom gets a lot less crowded at the end of the day so it is a good choice for later arrivals, though the Pandora area will stay busy all day.
Staying at a Disney resort? Take advantage of Early Entry and Evening Extended Hours: All four parks open at least 30 minutes early for guests of the official Disney World hotels and select other hotels like those found in the Disney Springs resort area, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin, Shades of Green, and select others. This gives you a head start over off-property guests. Arrive at least 45-minutes prior to Early Entry to allow time to get through security and to be there if they open the parks even earlier. Evening Extended hours are only available to guests of the Disney Deluxe resorts and a few others like the Swan, Dolphin, Swan Reserve, and Shades of Green. Evening Extended Hours are only offered on select nights, at select parks.
Tip 6: Understand Virtual Queues for Tron (Magic Kingdom) and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (Epcot): This is the free option for riding these two attractions. You will use the Walt Disney World app to get added to a boarding group to experience this attraction, there is no standby line for these two attractions. Everyone in your party who wishes to ride will have to already be in the park to join a boarding group. You’ll have two opportunities to join the virtual queue: 7AM and 1PM. You must have a park reservation and, for the 1PM opportunity, you must be in the park. Guests staying at deluxe resorts may get a third opportunity at 6PM, but only on evenings with Extended Evening Hours at that park. You can purchase Individual Lightning Lane reservations for this attraction. Click here to learn more.
Ride these things as soon as the theme park opens if you don't have Genie+ Reservations:
Disney's Animal Kingdom: Arrive and get through security at least 60 minutes prior to arrival and ride Avatar - Flight of Passage as soon as they let you into the park. Click here for more information.
Disney's Hollywood Studios: Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge new attractions or Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Slinky Dog Dash is also a good option but only if you arrive before park opening and are in the first wave of riders, otherwise, the line quickly gets long first thing in the morning and you’re better off taking advantage of the shorter lines at other attractions. Click here for more information.
Epcot: ride Frozen Ever After as soon as the park opens. Otherwise, ride Soarin', followed by Test Track & Mission Space as soon as the park opens. Guests entering through the International Gateway entrance will want to go directly to the right to Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.
Magic Kingdom: Ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train first if you arrive before park opening and are in the first wave of riders, if not, Peter Pan has a low loading process and low rider capacity so this is another good option for park opening or use Genie+.
Tip 7: Avoid early morning Character Breakfasts: I don't want you in a restaurant when the crowds are low, just to leave and get in a long line when the crowds are building towards their peak. Get a late (brunch) seating or, better yet, book character lunches or dinners - you'll enjoy the lower morning crowds in the parks and then get to sit down and eat when you're ready for a break. Remember that character breakfasts are now confirmed with a credit card and subject to a $10 per person "no show" penalty - another big reason to avoid early morning reservations. Disney dining plans won’t be back until 2024 but, for future plans, it is worth remembering that breakfast is typically the least expensive meal of the day so character lunches and dinner are a better value when using Disney Dining Plan credits.
Tip 8: Enjoy Special Holiday Experiences from November 11-December 31, 2023 - there is no getting around the fact that Disney World is busy during the holidays. The good news is that they roll out a whole host of holiday experiences to delight guests.
Magic Kingdom -the whole park will be decked out in beautiful holiday decorations and night comes early in December and that is something to celebrate as Frozen Holiday Surprise is projected onto Cinderella’s Castle. Every sailor knows about high tide and low tide, but do you know about yule-tide? The Jungle Cruise ride transforms to the Jingle Cruise with plenty of holiday jokes for your enjoyment. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, a separately ticketed event, will be returning on select nights from November 9 - 22, 2023.
Epcot gets a little later start with holiday festivities beginning November 24th. The EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays will return with beloved holiday traditions like the Candlelight Processional, Holiday Kitchens, and special entertainment. You can meet Santa in the Odyssey Pavilion November 24-December 24th. The Living with the Land attraction will feature glimmering greenhouses with dazzling lights from November 24 - December 30th. You won’t want to miss the Holiday Storytellers as they bring Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Lunar New Year and more to life with music, dance, and storytelling.
Disney's Hollywood Studios park - Sunset Seasons Greetings: The Hollywood Tower Hotel will be transformed with nightly holiday projections. Toy Story Land characters will be dressed in holiday attire and For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration will have a special holiday finale with Olaf. You can enjoy a yuletide character meal with Minnie Mouse and her friends at Hollywood and Vine restaurant, advance reservations required. New this year is Disney Jollywood Nights, a separately ticketed event offered on select nights from November 11 - December 20, 2023 - click here to learn more.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom enjoy festive trimmings around the park. Discovery Island will have delightful artisan sculpted puppets of arctic animals, including penquins, reindeer, foxes, and polar bears. Starting at dusk, enjoy the holiday edition of Tree of Life Awakenings. Mickey and Minnie Mouse will be dressed in their holiday best and posing for photos with guests.
Disney Springs is always delightful during the holidays with festive decor, entertainment, and more. You can typically meet Santa until December 24th when he departs to deliver gifts all around the world. It is also a fun time of year to meet the Coca-Cola Polar Bear at the Coca-Cola Store.
Disney’s Resort Hotel Lobbies will feature holiday decor and iconic trees but will not have their traditional gingerbread displays due to physical distancing guidelines.
Fantasmic! If there are 2 performances, the latest performance will always be the least crowded. Try to book a Fantasmic Dining Package - with this package, you'll dine earlier in the day at either Hollywood & Vine, Mama Melrose, or The Hollywood Brown Derby and you'll receive a voucher giving you guaranteed seating in a reserved area at Fantasmic! later that day. These packages fill early so book your reservation as soon as possible by calling Disney Dining at 407-WDW-DINE
Tip 9: Go to Quick-service restaurants at non-standard times: The Disney quick-service restaurants don't accept advance reservations and lines can get long at standard meal times. During peak travel times, try to eat lunch by11:00AM and dinner late in the evening or by 4:00PM; you'll enjoy shorter lines at the counter and have an easier time finding a table.
Mobile Ordering - If you're paying for your meal with a credit or debit card, take advantage of mobile ordering which lets you order and pay for your meal for several Disney quick-service restaurants through the MyDisneyExperience app. When you arrive, go into the app and click "I'm here; prepare my food." You'll receive notification when your meal is ready, allowing you to completely by-pass the order line. Click here for more information.
Tip 10: Book your Disney vacation through Build A Better Mouse Trip: We want to help you have the most wonderful, most memorable Disney vacation possible. We know that giving you good, up-to-date information and a few simple tools will make a huge difference in your Disney vacation. Long lines become shorter lines and you will have great memories of shared experiences instead of missed opportunities. That's why we're called Build A Better Mouse Trip.
Here’s How We Help You Have A Great Vacation:
Your travel agent – You have one agent from start-to-finish who knows your name and your priorities and who wants to do everything possible to help you have a wonderful experience.
“Best Days” Vacation Planning – We’ll help you pick the best park for each day based on hours and expected crowd levels then we help with dining reservations and understanding which Disney Genie+ and individual Lightning Lane selections might be right for you.
Saving Money – Of course we watch for discounts and promotion and automatically apply the best available offer to your reservation but we also help you avoid up-sells and options you won’t use.
We Are Fee-Free - We book directly through Disney and we never charge a service fee so you never pay any extra to use our services when you book your trip through us. You can have all the benefits Disney offers PLUS all the services we offer.