My family will be in Disney the week of Christmas. We are so excited!!! I have an 8, 5, and 2 year old. Any advice? We are staying off-site. We have already made dining reservations and making the FastPass+ reservations as our days open up.
We have been to DWD several times but never over the Holiday season.
What are some must-see/must-do experiences with the little ones? What do you suggest about the kids getting enough rest? Any places/things to stay away from?
We will be there the week right before Christmas. Some of the must do’s on my list are the candlelight processional, and seeing a few of the holidays around the world performances in Epcot.
Nightmare before Christmas Haunted mansion, and Jingle cruise are on the list at MK.
And of course the not to be missed Osborn lights at the Studios. We are also seeing some kind of holiday comedy show there, I forget the name.
I think the most important thing is to plan plan plan, because the crowds will be huge.
@cjstewie probably the best advice is to prepare yourself to be very relaxed and flexible. You’ll be going at the single busiest time of the year with the most crowds. I’d say for sure be there at Rope Drop so you can get some rides in before the mass arrives. Plan to see a lot of the non ride holiday attractions. Tour the resorts and check some of the cool things they do like the giant gingerbread house at GF. If you plan to see the Candlelight Processional but do not have a dining package reserved plan to show up very early as there will likely only be a limited amount of standby guests admitted to each showing. You can however sit outside and still hear the music. I’d say the Osborne lights are def a must see. With such young children I’d guess you should definitely plan for a mid day break. Are you staying near the parks? Because you are going at such a busy time make sure you have a complete plan for Christmas Day if you plan to visit the parks. That’s one of the few times a year that the park usually see’s the possibility of a phase 4 closure meaning that if you plan to leave you might not be able to get back in so just plan things outside the park that night. With the right expectations I’m sure you will have a wonderful time!
@mistyderosier I hate to be the bearer of bad news but they don’t do the Nightmare before Christmas overlay at Disney World. Only at Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland.
We have reservations for the Candlelight Processional package. We are dining at the Coral Reef. We are staying very close to the parks. We have stayed in this neighborhood on two previous occasions. We can get to the park entrance in about 12 minutes with bad traffic. We can actually get there sooner with lighter traffic. We typically get there at rope drop. I’m just nervous because the last two times we have gone, we have not attempted to visit in the evening. We did this so the kids could get plenty of rest. However, now that we are going at Christmas it seems like an absolute waste not to go in the evenings to see the night time parades/shows. I am planning on long mid day breaks so that the little ones can nap. Thanks for the information.