Christmas at Disneyworld?

[Keith]

Ok, not sure anyone can really help with this one but here goes.

Assuming all the planets and stars align in favourable ways, we'll be at Disney for Christmas and new year this year. This would fulfill a lifelong ambition to be at EPCOT for new years eve.

Now we've been at Disney for christmas day before, left on boxing day, and really missed any sense of Christmas spirit (bah humbug). we spent Christmas day at the magic kingdom, ate at crystal palace and it just felt like a fresh winters day anywhere in the world. Nothing christmassy feeling at all :( I was pretty disappointed to be honest.

I came back and asked where we'd need to be or go to enjoy an orlando christmas and I think the feeling was that a) it was more a family thing than a park thing and b) christmas eve was perhaps more christmassy food than christmas day

So here we go again :lol: Where would be a good place to try to be to feel christmassy in Orlando? Any christmas dinners anywhere? Any christmassy shows or special things?

New years eve I just HAVE to be in EPCOT, I know that much.

[gwennie81]

That's weird. I was in MK on Christmas with my brother a couple years ago and we had a good ol' time. Cute decorations, tree on main street, parade...Maybe I'm too easily entertained. Also, doesn't MK host a Mickey Christmas party with "snow" on main street, hot chocolate, Santa?

You could try to visit the Holy Land Experience on I-4 & Conroy Rd. I'm sure that place gets pretty "Christmasy".

The Gaylord Palms resort (which I believe is just on the other side of I-4 from Disney) always has their "ICE" experience. They have a winter wonderland made of ice inside the resort and they give you big puffy jackets to wear.

[mumof2]

oooh Keith, I always thought Christmas would be wonderfully Christmassy at Disneyworld, not that I've ever been at that time of year and most likely never will! How interesting....:tapnails:

[Keith]

That's weird. I was in MK on Christmas with my brother a couple years ago and we had a good ol' time. Cute decorations, tree on main street, parade...Maybe I'm too easily entertained.

or perhaps I'm just too moany and grumpy :lol: I was just expecting something more yah know?


Also, doesn't MK host a Mickey Christmas party with "snow" on main street, hot chocolate, Santa?

They do the christmas party but it stops about a week before christmas day


You could try to visit the Holy Land Experience on I-4 & Conroy Rd. I'm sure that place gets pretty "Christmasy".

I'm very non-religious... I know that's weird with christmas :lol: but I love the atmosphere, the decorations and hopefully a little bit of christmas spirit and excitement. I'd properly get thrown out of the holy land experience on my butt and rightly so :lol:


The Gaylord Palms resort (which I believe is just on the other side of I-4 from Disney) always has their "ICE" experience. They have a winter wonderland made of ice inside the resort and they give you big puffy jackets to wear.

yeah I do like ICE although there's not much of it

[Keith]

oooh Keith, I always thought Christmas would be wonderfully Christmassy at Disneyworld, not that I've ever been at that time of year and most likely never will! How interesting....:tapnails:

see me too! but christmas day was just like any other in MK. I dont know what I expected but just yah know :/

Perhaps I just didn't engage enough with the place on that day, didn't go and see all the shows and so on.

I just had a different image in my mind of how it would be

[DisneyFreak]

Can't help you with the Christmas thing Keith but here is a warning about New Years Eve.......we were at MK for NYE a few years ago and the park was extremely crowded (to the point they were at capacity and were not letting anyone else in and warning people that left they may not be able to come back). The wait for PoTC was over 2 hours!! And this was at the only park they didn't serve alcohol. :yes:

It was a once in a lifetime experience but I won't be doing that again. :surrender:

[Keith]

And this was at the only park they didn't serve alcohol. :yes:

It was a once in a lifetime experience but I won't be doing that again. :surrender:

yep the no alcohol pretty much means I won't be there for NYE :lol:

My dream is EPCOT for NYE to be honest. I don't know how early EPCOT normally goes to capacity on that day though

[Wendy]

see me too! but Christmas day was just like any other in MK. I dont know what I expected but just yah know :/

Perhaps I just didn't engage enough with the place on that day, didn't go and see all the shows and so on.

I just had a different image in my mind of how it would be


I thought the same, it wasn't what I expected at all. I didn't even find it very christmassy before Christmas Day :lol: It probably didn't help that 2 days before Christmas I was really ill though.

We'd been before, about 7 years earlier at the beginning of December and it was lovely, Christmas songs everywhere we went, people seemed happy - it was just lovely. The Parks seemed to be nicer then than they were when we were actually there for Christmas :sigh:

I think if we go again, I would have a tree and decorations and probably go to a nice restaurant out of Disney for dinner and then go to Epcot in the evening.

I've heard that Epcot on NYE is manic but I should imagine that celebrating the NY in each country is good fun :yes:

[uscwest]

I think I can honestly admit that I would NOT want to be in that throng of people on either Christmas Day or NYE. Maybe if I were a youngster (and no I don't mean child :) again)

[foreverducky]

I visited WDW during the holidays a few years ago and at the time I had been living in FL, so I was desperately missing the true winter/Christmas feel.

I went to see the Lights in DHS one evening it was fantastic. Once it was dark all the lights turned on and it started to 'snow.' I just loved it. Oddly enough that was a year that for a few days the weather was down in low 40's, and high 30's at night. I was freezing, as I had packed capris. People started buying blankets and sweatshirts...it really was like winter. :lol:

[Tink]

We LOVE EPCOT at NYE!!! It's the absolute place to be. Does it get croweded? OF COURSE! It's EPCOT and NYE! LOL. We've not ever been shut out though, even when not staying on property and just dropping in for a few hours.

Christmas feel? Well, if the decorations and general CM spirit don't do it for you, then that's all there is I'm afraid. You won't find personalized Christmas, as it's all generic for the mass of guests that visit during that week.

For a beautiful dinner, choose one of the full service restaurants in one of the nicer resorts. Or, Bistro would be nice. Keep in mind though that often in the EPCOT restaurants those servers are "children" from "home" and they are usually quite homesick on that day! We've had more talks with college students who were terribly missing home and all that Christmas meant to them, on Christmas day.

So, no real help with how to make Christmas more festive for you than what Disney does, but can confirm your choice for NYE as THE PLACE to be! Let the champagne flow! :D