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The Walt Disney World Resort is sort of the perfect place to visit during the holiday season. There is something to do for adults and children. The theme parks and hotels are beautifully decorated for the holiday season. There are special holiday events going on throughout the resort during the holiday season. And the weather in Orlando, Florida is, in general, a lot better than a lot of the country!
So let me go through the different parts of Disney World to tell you what you can expect.
Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom is beautifully decorated for the holiday season.
There’s a gorgeous Christmas tree and decorations throughout the theme park. There are toy soldier decorations in the front of the park.
There’s also a beautiful Candy Cane Garden at the front of the park.
“Frozen Holiday Surprise” is a special show that takes place at night in front of Cinderella Castle, featuring Elsa, Anna, Olaf, and Kristoff. That is when Cinderella’s Castle is transformed into a shimmering crystallized palace.
There’s even a holiday-themed version of Jungle Cruise called Jingle Cruise!
On select nights during the holiday, there is even an after-hours event called Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party! My family loves attending, especially for the parade. You can see the parade from this year here:
There are also special character appearances, other live entertainment, free Christmas cookies and drinks, and more. You can find out more about Mickey’s Verry Merry Christmas Party here.
There are also special food and drinks available at Magic Kingdom that were crafted for the holiday season. Some are only available during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, but others are available during the day as well. You can learn more in our Magic Kingdom Holiday Food Guide.
Hollywood Studios
Hollywood Studios is also beautifully decorated for the holiday season with retro holiday decorations. You can see for yourself in this video:
There are holiday projections on The Hollywood Tower Hotel. You can enjoy Sunset Seasons Greetings at Sunset Boulevard. Also on Sunset Boulevard, you can enjoy snowfall, which is pretty special since snow is not exactly what you would associate with Hollywood!
Toy Story Land is also decorated for the holidays – and you can see Toy Story characters decorated for the holiday season as well.
There is special live entertainment at Hollywood Studios during Christmas:
- Donald Duck & the Juggling Elves
- Holiday Spirit Band (a bass band)
- Seasons Jukebox (a collegiate marching band-type performance)
Like Magic Kingdom, a Hollywood Studios attraction gets a holiday makeover. In this case, it is For the First Time In Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration.
You can meet Santa at:
- It’s A Wonderful Shop
- Sunset Seasons Greetings
There is a special holiday-themed character dining experience at Hollywood and Vine called Minnie’s Holiday Dine.
And like Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios now has a special after-hours event called Jollywood Nights. It has special live entertainment, character appearances, and more. You can learn more about in our Jollywood Nights Guide.
Jollywood Nights, like Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, has a special menu you can read about here.
Epcot
Epcot has a special event during the holiday season, but it takes place during the day and is included in the cost of the price. That event is the International Festival of the Holidays. It is a neat event where you can learn about different holiday customs from around the world.
For example, see the presentation at the Mexico Pavilion.
You can learn more about the event in our Epcot International Festival of the Holidays Guide.
A really neat thing about the International Festival of the Holidays is the Candlelight Processional, along with Candlelight Processional Dining Packages here.
The International Festival of the Holidays also has a special menu for the event you can see here.
Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom is also beautifully decorated for the holiday season, which you can see from a past year here:
One of my favorite features (which you’ll see in the video) is the Tree of Life Awakenings Holiday Edition.
There are also puppets featuring winter animals as part of the Merry Menagerie.
Animal Kingdom is another place you can go to see Santa Claus; he’ll be at Santa the 75th Annual Dino Institute Holiday Party on the patio at Restaurantosaurus (naturally).
Also, when you get a picture with Mickey & Minnie at Adventurers Outpost, they’ll be decorated in holiday attire!
Disney Springs
Disney Springs is also a great place to visit during the holiday season. You can see why in our Disney Springs Christmas Guide.
Disney Springs also has a special holiday season menu at many of their restaurants; you can see in our Disney Springs Holiday Food & Drinks Guide.
Disney World Hotels
The hotels are also beautifully decorated for the holidays. A lot of the hotels have special holiday features, like Gingerbread displays or Christmas movies under the stars.
We talk about some specific Disney World hotels at Christmas time here:
- Grand Floridian at Christmas
- Beach & Yacht Club at Christmas
- The Contemporary Resort at Christmas
- Polynesian Resort at Christmas
- Boardwalk Resort at Christmas
- Port Orleans French Quarter at Christmas
- Art of Animation at Christmas
- Pop Century at Christmas
- All Star Sports at Christmas
Disney World Theme Park Tickets
In order to enjoy the festivities and decorations at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom, you’ll need tickets. You can find out how to get discounted Disney World tickets here.