Surviving Disney During the Holidays

What better for a child than combining the 2 greatest things in the world, Disney World and Christmas! Visiting the most magical place in the world at the most magical time of the year is a great idea. Unfortunately, it is an idea that tens of thousands of people have each year. In order to enjoy as much of your Disney Vacation as possible, it takes a plan. Here are top 5 tricks to follow if you are going to brave this endeavor:

1. Stay on property: By staying on Disney Property, you are closer to the park and won’t spend extra time driving to the Parks. The other benefit to staying on property is Extra Magic Hours. The Parks will open early and stay open later for Disney Resort Guests. Get a head start to your touring before non Disney Resort guests even have a chance to enter the Park.

2. Make ADR’s: Advance Dining Reservations are a must around the holidays, unless you are ok with eating chicken fingers and cheeseburgers all week. The best restaurants book up months in advance during regular seasons, let along the holiday season. Check the Extra Magic Hours to see what park you will be visiting around eating time when making your ADR’s. This is an area where a Disney Travel Agent can really provide value.

3. Get up early: This is tough, especially for families with small children, but will make the biggest impact. The earlier you can be in the parks, the more you can avoid the crowds. Lines for the most popular attractions are generally less in the early morning hours allowing you to experience more than during the peak time of the day. This will also allow you to get a head start on Fastpass distribution.

4. Take an afternoon break: Since you will be getting up early to start touring the parks, you will be in need for an afternoon pool break/nap. This will help refresh the family and allow you to enjoy the wonder resorts that Disney has built. This will also give you a chance to shower before your dinner reservation that you have already made. It can also help you enjoy the late Extra Magic Hours at the Parks. Make sure that you have the Park Hopper Option added to your ticket so you are not limited to only 1 theme park per day.

5. Enjoy the small things: Sometime we get too wrapped up in riding our favorite attractions that we miss the small details that Disney has spent countless hours on perfecting. Visit the different resorts to see how they decorate them, watch a parade, go see the Osbourne (not Ozzy) Light Show at Hollywood Studios.

There are so many things to enjoy at the holidays, you just have to plan ahead. Most of the people I talk to that have a bad experience at a Disney Park were not prepared for the crowds. Let me know what your experiences at the holidays were. Email me at mickeybymatt@gmail.com with any questions or for help planning your next Disney Trip!