3 Tips for Planning Your Holiday Vacation to Walt Disney World
Do you have dreams of waking up at Walt Disney World on Christmas Day? Or surprising your family with a trip to Orlando for the holidays?
The holidays are a magical time to visit Walt Disney World and also one of the most popular (and therefore crowded) times to visit as well. If you’re looking to have the vacation you’re hoping for despite the crowds, the tips below will set you up to have a great time!
Make your reservations early
When you’re visiting during any crowded time, and especially during the holidays, the earlier you can book your resort and decide on ticket type the better. Room inventory will go quickly during these busy times, so if you have your heart set on a certain resort or room type, make your reservation as soon as possible.
For the 2023 holiday season theme park reservations will still be in effect. Though they will be going away in early 2024, Walt Disney World now requires that you make a reservation to the specific theme park you wish to visit each day of your ticket. Even with a ticket, if you haven’t also made a park pass reservation, you will not be allowed into the park. In previous years reservations for the parks have run out during the holidays. You need to have a ticket or vacation package purchased in order to make your theme park reservation, so the earlier the better to secure your spot.
You’ll also want to have your vacation deposit in before your window opens for making Advanced Dining Reservations (ADR). If you are staying at a Walt Disney World resort, you will be able to make your dining reservations 60 days in advance of your visit for the entire time of your trip. Guests staying at off-site hotels have to make reservations for each day 60 days in advance, so they will need to check each day when it opens.
For example, if your holiday vacation begins December 23, the first day you can make dining reservations would be October 24th. If you make your vacation reservations after this date then you’ve missed out on this advantage of staying onsite at Walt Disney World.
Have A Plan For The Parks
So you’ve secured the park reservation for the days you wanted. But your work is not done yet! It’s more important than ever to have built a plan for tackling the parks when the crowds will be thick.
The first thing to do is be very clear on what your priorities are for that day. What are your “Must do’s” and what are your “Would be nice-to-do’s?” Build your park day around those Must Do priorities. Fill in your time with those nice-to-do items, but know that you might have to pivot and let it go like Elsa based on how crowded it is.
Given typical holiday crowds, you absolutely should plan to rope drop the parks. Rope dropping is Disney lingo for being at the front gate well before the posted opening time so that you’re there when the gates open or the rope drops. By arriving at rope drop, you will be able to get to the rides you want before some people even get out of bed. First thing in the morning has the lightest crowds, so use that to your advantage!
photo credit: Mackenzie Clark
Another perk of staying at a Walt Disney World resort is that all on site guests can enter the parks 30 minutes before the official opening time, giving you an even better chance of light crowds. Not every ride is open during this early entry time, but planning for the rides you want to hit that are available will definitely save you time later in the day!
Finally, if you are planning to visit Magic Kingdom on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, get there early and plan to stay in the park until you’re truly ready to leave. In previous years, both before and since covid, Magic Kingdom has reached maximum capacity to where stop allowing people to enter the park. So you will want to either choose a different park that day or get your mind set for a very crowded day those days.
Budget for Extras Including Access
Making space in your vacation budget to add extras to your trip that will help shorten the crowds or give you special access can help beat the holiday crowds.
If you’re able to, you’ll want to purchase Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes on your park days. Each of these options has per person costs each day, and per ride for Individual Lightning Lanes, so planning out room in your budget for these purchases can be key to a more enjoyable experience. You’ll still have to wait a bit, but nothing like the one, two or more hour waits you can find for popular rides at the end of the year!
If watching the fireworks or evening shows is on your must do list and you don’t want to camp out for a spot hours ahead of time, consider making reservations for a dining package or fireworks dessert party. These extras not only include food or snacks but also reserved seating or view area access for these evening events.
With these three tips you’ll be well on your way to having a Walt Disney World holiday vacation that you look back on fondly. These tips can also help you with tackling visiting during Thanksgiving and spring break season as well, the other two most crowded times of year to visit.
No matter what time of the year you visit, I can help you with building a vacation so you’re prepared to have a wonderful time at Walt Disney World. Reach out to me directly or complete the quote request form on the About the Memories Travel website if you want to discuss your travel plans. Let’s plan a magical holiday vacation together!
