Walt Disney World Holiday Travel Tips
It was only 92 degrees today (a nice drop from the 100 degrees we’ve been having), so you know what that means? Time to get ready for Walt Disney World Holiday Travel Tips! I'm going to go over holiday tips for the upcoming 2026 season, but in general the best time to plan for the holidays is about a year out (in terms of resort availability). But it is not impossible to cobble together a holiday stay just a few months before (I’ve done it many times). And remember, if you are planning for 2027, you don’t have to wait for deals to be announced because if you book a trip on a Disney special, you can always switch to a better deal that Disney offers later in the year.
The holidays in our house always begin with Halloween, so let’s start there. I’m actually late to the game for Disney's Halloween 2026 as decorations are already up and the viral Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) began August 7th and runs through October 31st! Let’s start with MNSSHP. Everyone asks, "Is it worth going?" Yes, at least once!! Tickets range from $119-$229 with the more expensive nights occurring closer to Halloween. But I’m going to argue that it is worth going in October instead of August (or even September). Besides it being cooler in October, I feel like the Halloween spirit is lacking in August/September. And really, that’s what these parties are all about—the vibe. I’ve been both in August/September and October and I would almost say earlier dates, especially August, were not as enjoyable. Why? Fewer people are in costume during the summer dates while in October EVERYONE dresses out, which results in the fast-friend, “oh, I love your costume” interactions that make this party quintessential Disney.
At all the Disney "parties" (e.g., Halloween, Christmas) you gotta have a certain mindset to enjoy yourself (and not regret the high price tag). Incorrect mindset: "I am going to a theme park and am going to ride all the rides during this holiday party event." Correct mindset: "I am attending a really cool party and I may ride a ride or two!" Ask yourself, "what do I normally do at any party?" Eat, drink, dance, laugh! You’ll get to do all this at a Disney party, but in an awesome environment, with an awesome parade, entertainment, and unique food and drink options, and you can catch a few rides (with holiday overlays) with relatively lower wait times! If you have this attitude, you will have a blast!
If your kids (or you) like candy, there is a TON of it given out “for free” throughout the park (the trick or treating payload offsets some of that exorbitant ticket price). After our last visit, we didn’t need to buy candy for at least five months (I do like a small piece daily). The “Boo To You” Parade is my second favorite parade EVER (second only to the Main Street Electrical Parade) and the parade’s theme song will be stuck in your head for days. There’s also a special Halloween fireworks show, a Hocus Pocus Show, ride overlays, dancing, and character sightings throughout the park. And dancing, did I mention dancing? Dancing with the characters-woo! And don’t forget to take advantage of the early arrival time of 4 pm (the party doesn’t start until 7 pm). The 4 to 7 pm time frame can be a quieter time in the park since regular park-goers often avoid party days since they are required to leave the park early (around 6 pm) to make room for the ticketed event party-goers.
Shortly after Halloween, Christmas decorations begin appearing in the parks and the Christmas festivities begin! So, if you’re attending the parks during Thanksgiving, they will be fully decked out in their holiday finest. Several restaurants throughout the various parks will offer a traditional Thanksgiving meal so check the website for menus and reserve early!
Now there are two distinct times to enjoy the Christmas Holidays at WDW. Certain December dates the parks are mobbed (December 18th into the first few weeks of January) and then there are times when you can enjoy all the holiday finery (all the decorations, specialty food items, etc.) when the crowds are lower. Those times typically are early in the month of December. For a great crowd calendar with specifics on what events are offered on which days, check out the Undercover Tourist website (also a good place to comparison shop for tickets) at www.undercovertourist.com.
Disney offers two Christmas event tickets that are not included in your regular park ticket. These are Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP) at the Magic Kingdom and Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios. Both are held on select nights and tickets range from $189-$229 for MVMCP and $169-$199 for Jollywood. I would say that MVMCP is a must do since WDW does not run its Once Upon a Christmastime Parade during regular park hours except typically during the week between Dec. 22nd to the 31st (wait, did I say the Main Street Electrical Parade was my favorite…I meant the Christmas Parade and the Main Street Electrical Parade are tied for my favorite, followed by Boo to You…). Like the Halloween Party, the Christmas Party has a special fireworks show (Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Show), a special castle show (Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration), several dance parties with the characters (decked out in their finest holiday attire), and snow falling on Main Street! Holiday cookies and cocoa are included in the purchase of your ticket. And don’t forget about entering early at 4 pm, while the party begins at 7 pm.
The other special ticketed holiday event is Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios. After a rocky inaugural event a few years ago with a ton of fan complaints, this event has improved to where many say it is now their favorite, particularly among the adult crowd. Jollywood is packed with entertainment such as Jingle Bell Jingle BAM, the Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-a-Long, an ice-skating show, and Disney Holidays in Hollywood show hosted by Kermit the Frog. Several dance parties abound, and the Hollywood Brown Derby is host to “Jazzy Holidays.”
OK, now let’s switch to what there is to do in each park without a special ticket. It goes without saying that there are multiple locations in and out of the parks to visit with Santa Claus. All of the parks have special food, drink, and merchandise available for the holidays. At the Magic Kingdom, several of the rides have holiday overlays. The "Jingle Cruise" is probably the most popular attraction during this time so make sure you have a Lightning Lane for this one. In front of the castle, the Frozen crew are featured in the charming Frozen Holiday Surprise show. Unfortunately, the beloved Dream Lights will not return in 2026 but we can still dream for the future… By the way, during high crowd levels, Lightning Lanes are very much a need if you want to ride more than a few rides. But remember, Disney at Christmas is for the merriment, joy, and cheer! If you want to get on a lot of attractions utilize early entry (if you are staying at a resort hotel—but check the schedule to find out which resort is offering early entry at which park), buy Lightning Lane passes, or rope drop, rope drop, rope drop!
Over at EPCOT is one of the most popular attractions during the holidays across all parks: Living with the Land. Outside of the holiday season, there is rarely a line to this attraction. Akin to the TTA PeopleMover in MK, Living with the Land is a low-key fan favorite, a relaxed slow boat ride through greenhouses exhibiting forward-thinking agricultural methods such as hydroponics. Not a thrill ride, but I’ve always found it interesting! However, in 2019, the workers at the pavilion began decorating the greenhouses with twinkling lights for the holidays. This attraction has grown in such popularity that well, now you better get a Lightning Lane for this one. EPCOT also presents the very popular Candlelight Processional in the American Gardens Theatre. This holiday tradition intersperses a choir singing traditional Christmas carols with the reading of the biblical Christmas Story, narrated by a celebrity, such as Neil Patrick Harris or Henry Winkler. Just search the web for the full lineup of this year’s narrators. When we were last there, Brendan Fraser was the celebrity narrator fresh off his Oscar win. Now this show is very popular so there are two ways to make sure you get a seat. First, you can nab a Candlelight Processional Dining Package reservation for a guaranteed seat. True, those sneaky Disney imps increase the dining costs with such a package but when in Disney, it’s all play money, right? The other way to nab a seat is to get into the standby line—but do it early (cast members are a good source of info here regarding how early to line up as some celebrities bring out greater crowds).
Finally, the International Festival of the Holidays is the festival du jour during this time at EPCOT and who doesn’t love an EPCOT festival with all their international food delights and their brand-new railing tables?? It’s also fun learning about the various traditions of the different countries represented in the World Showcase (don’t miss the storytellers in each country, for times check the EPCOT map/schedule available at the park’s entrance).
Hollywood Studios has a holiday projection show (Sunset Seasons Greetings) on the Tower of Terror, complete with falling snow, that can be viewed anywhere along Sunset Blvd. Toy Story Land has some very fun, very large decorations, and the holiday decor around Echo Lake from yesteryear remind me of my childhood! And Minnie is the perfect hostess for the Holiday Dine character meal offered at the Hollywood and Dine.
Finally, Animal Kingdom also gets in on the holiday fun with the Merry Menagerie, found in the plaza near the Tree of Life. Life-size puppets of Arctic animals (like polar bears and penguins), and their puppeteers, interact with guests and “hang out” throughout the day. The projection show onto the Tree of Life is also holiday-themed. In the Asia section, the park is decorated for Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Light. The park overall is nicely decorated, and the decorations are consistent with the park’s aesthetic and cultural influences. For example, the ornaments are made from natural materials, like twig and wire. You spot this right away at the park’s entrance when you're faced with Animal Kingdom's culturally-crafted and animal-themed 55-foot-tall Christmas tree.
Outside of the parks, there are other fun things to do around the holidays within the Disney property. Disney Springs, the shopping and entertainment mecca, has a Christmas Tree Stroll. There also are several stages throughout Disney Springs that host various musical acts performing holiday music. And of course, there’s no better place to Christmas shop than here!
If time allows, it is also fun to visit the lobbies of the various resorts. The Wilderness Lodge boasts a five-story high Christmas tree situated in their seven-story high lobby that glows from an 82-foot-tall fireplace. At the Grand Floridian, gone is the beloved gingerbread house, but they still have miniature gingerbread displays. In fact, good thing there are no tariffs on gingerbread because it is not in short supply across the resorts. The Contemporary showcases a gingerbread castle, the Beach Club lobby has a gingerbread carousel, and the Animal Kingdom Lodge has a display of gingerbread animals!
New Year’s Eve at WDW is an awesome experience. While, the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and Hollywood Studios all have great countdowns to midnight, my favorite is EPCOT…or maybe it's Magic Kingdom…well, maybe its both. They are both super crowded (MK more so), so have proper expectations, but the New Year's Eves I’ve spent at both were both unforgettable and treasured family memories. Let's just say that Disney knows fireworks. After the fireworks display, I wonder if it is better to stay put until the park closes before trying to exit (especially at the Magic Kingdom or unless you can walk to your resort) since it is the definition of a madhouse trying to get to your car or bus. If you really hate crowds, there are special dining experiences (and most likely count downs) to be found at the resorts or Disney Springs.
Before you go, let me write a little about where to stay. Half, no three-quarters of the magic, is living in the Disney “bubble,” meaning staying at a Disney resort. Disney offers a range of resorts, with increasing amounts of magic and perks to each (with a corresponding increase in price). Here are some tips to stay in some of the nicest rooms, which happen to be the Disney Vacation Club (DVC) rooms. You do not need to be a DVC member to stay here as Disney also rents out DVC rooms to anyone for cash. You can check out rates on the Disney website but always compare their prices with the cost of renting DVC points (at a reputable broker such as the DVC Rental Store), which will likely be a fraction of the Disney cost. You can also compare the cost of staying at the various non-DVC resorts, beginning with the economical All-Star Resorts, to moderate hotels like the fan-favs Port Orleans or Coronado Springs, to the more “deluxe” hotels like the Grand Floridian, Animal Kingdom Lodge, or Beach Club Resort.
Depending on when the trip is, I stay near the main events I’m attending. For example, I like to stay at a Magic Kingdom resort (i.e., on the monorail line) for MNSSHP or during the high attendance times around Christmas. Better yet, some resorts are in walking distance from MK. Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary Resort is just an easy 1000 steps from the entrance. And the Grand Floridian and Polynesian resorts, although further, are still walkable. Why walk? There are some nights (like New Year’s Eve described above) that can take hours (yes, definitely more than one) to get to your car or bus and back to your room. If you plan on doing New Year’s at EPCOT, then the EPCOT resorts are all in walking distance.
Before booking any hotel night always check Disney's current special offers. Right now, there is a 10%-20% discount most nights Sun-Thurs until November 19th and also most nights November 22nd to December 24th. The emphasis on most meaning if you can be flexible with your dates, you can stay around the savings. And Sunday through Thursday is almost always more economical, especially when renting points. If you are a Disney + subscriber (the streaming service), the deals are even better. You can save 15%-25% on rooms and get a free Park Hopper on select 4-day/4-night stays (see the select in italics). Disney is also offering free kids dining—which might make the dining package worth it. Finally, always price your trip a la carte and compare to the Disney package price—since packages might bundle aspects that you don’t want, making it no longer a deal. There are lots of reputable sites where you can purchase Disney tickets at a discount—like www.undercovertourist.com or www.unlockedmagic.com.
Now bear with me and let me take one more side bar. Disney and Chase recently came out with a new credit card called the Disney Inspire. Right now, if you sign up for this card and spend $1000 in the first three months you will get a $500 statement credit. Sounds like a good time to get this card if you are planning a trip, huh? Each dollar spent earns Disney Dollars that can be used at the parks, resorts (including Disney’s Hilton Head or Vero Beach resorts), and on their cruise line. There are other perks to this card, like an additional $100 statement credit (this perk occurs once every year) when you spend $200 on park tickets (directly from Disney) in a year. There are other perks so look them up, but my favorite is the monthly $10 credit I get for my Disney + subscription. Now, this card costs $149 a year, BUT if you get Disney + (which qualifies you for the current 25% off a deluxe resort stay package with free park hopper tics), the monthly $10 credit returns to you $120 a year. Then I’m gonna spend at least $200 in tickets a year (heck, that barely covers one MNSSHP ticket), so that’s another $100 back, totaling $240 back a year, at a minimum. And that does not even count the Disney Dollars earned, so it’s well worth it. But even if this doesn’t work for you, you can always try the card for a year and cancel it (or does that hurt your credit?).
Hopefully, this article has given you some ideas for spending the holidays with Disney. While it's a busy (sometimes suffocating) time, it's also the most magical, whimsical time of the year! We enjoy making it even more fun by bringing a pop-up Christmas tree (it folds flat in the suitcase) for our hotel room, and Christmas lights and artificial snow for our balcony! Happy Holidays!
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