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Disney World for Christmas 2024: A First-Timer’s Guide

Disney World for Christmas 2024: A First-Timer’s Guide

Planning a trip to Disney World during Christmas is both exciting and overwhelming. This guide will detail our family’s initial itinerary and expectations. After the trip, I’ll follow up with an update about how things went, including lines, food, crowd levels, and overall atmosphere. If you’re considering a holiday trip to Disney, this guide (and the follow-up) might help you decide whether it’s the right choice for you!

Expectations and Considerations

  • Resort: We’re staying at Caribbean Beach Resort (CBR), a moderate resort with beautiful tropical theming and convenient access to the Skyliner.
  • Crowd Levels: Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year at Disney, so we’re prepared for long lines and packed parks.
  • Atmosphere: The decorations, music, and special events should make up for any challenges with crowds.
  • Dining: Advanced reservations are key during the holidays. We tried to choose dining locations that combine great food with unique experiences.
  • Toddler Experience: Our focus is on making this magical for Wren while ensuring the trip is manageable for all of us.

December 22: Disney Springs

Plan: Kick off our Disney vacation with a visit to Disney Springs. Because we are driving to WDW, it will take us about 10 hours with our toddler, Wren. We expect to get there between 4-5 PM. We’re excited to try the Earl of Sandwich Christmas Roll, which is rumored to be a holiday favorite, for dinner. Disney Springs offers a festive atmosphere with live entertainment and holiday decorations, making it the perfect low-key start to our trip.

One experience to start after arriving at Disney Springs is the Christmas Tree stroll. We can pick up the map at a specified location, identify the Christmas trees, and then when complete go back to pick up our prize. However, I've been told that you can pick up your prize at the beginning that way it is low stress, and if we don't finish, it's okay.

December 23: Magic Kingdom (8:30 AM - 11:00 PM)

Morning: Start with rope drop and head to Fantasyland. We’re keeping it flexible by focusing on smaller attractions, which will be more toddler-friendly and less stressful. Our hope is by not going to the bigger attractions, we can hit many of the smaller ones. We elected to do a Lightning Lane Multi Pass for Magic Kingdom. The Lightning Lane Multi Pass allows you to pick three attractions that you schedule to ride.

Ride: Peter Pan’s Flight (scheduled for 10:35 AM) — a classic attraction that’s perfect for all ages.

Afternoon: Enjoy Mickey’s Christmas Parade at 3:00 PM, followed by Pirates of the Caribbean (scheduled for 3:15 PM). The parade is a must-see, and Pirates will give us some cool downtime.

Evening: Haunted Mansion (scheduled for 5:45 PM) rounds out our ride plans. For dinner, we’re dining at Narcoossee’s at the Grand Floridian (7:10 PM). This reservation allows us to watch Minnie’s Christmas Fireworks at 8:00 PM from the restaurant’s viewing area.

Note:
At this moment, December 21, Magic Kingdom Park is sold out of Magic Kingdom reservations for December 24-31.

According to Disney Food Blog these are the following average wait times (the week of December 15)

  • TRON Lightcycle / Run — 63 minutes
  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train — 48 minutes
  • Jingle Cruise — 43 minutes
  • Peter Pan’s Flight — 40 minutes
  • Space Mountain — 33 minutes
  • Haunted Mansion — 30 minutes
  • Big Thunder Mountain Railroad — 27 minutes
  • Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh — 24 minutes
  • Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin — 21 minutes
  • Astro Orbiter — 19 minutes
  • Pirates of the Caribbean — 18 minutes
  • Enchanted Tales with Belle — 17 minutes
  • “it’s a small world” — 15 minutes
  • Mickey’s PhilharMagic — 15 minutes
  • Magic Carpets of Aladdin — 13 minutes
  • Barnstormer featuring the Great Goofini — 12 minutes
  • Country Bear Musical Jamboree — 13 minutes
  • Dumbo the Flying Elephant — 12 minutes
  • Tomorrowland Speedway — 11 minutes
  • Enchanted Tiki Room — 11 minutes
  • Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover — 11 minutes
  • Mad Tea Party — 10 minutes
  • Prince Charming Regal Carrousel — 9 minutes
  • Carousel of Progress — 5 minutes
  • Tom Sawyer Island — 5 minutes
  • Liberty Square Riverboat — 4 minutes
  • Hall of Presidents — 2 minutes

December 24: Hollywood Studios (8:30 AM - 9:30 PM)

Morning: Rope Drop Slinky Dog Dash in Toy Story Land. Our toddler might not be ready for the coaster, but we’ll take turns riding thanks to Rider Swap. This is the one roller coaster Larry likes!

Dining: Lunch at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater (reservations for 11:05 AM). This restaurant offers a fun, retro experience that’s perfect for the whole family.

Afternoon: Explore Star Wars attractions and eat snacks. We bought a separate Lightening Lane Singe Pass for Larry on Rise of the Resistance (Scheduled for 3:15 PM).

Evening: End the night with Fantasmic at 7:30 PM. It’s an epic nighttime show that combines fireworks, water projections, and live performance. Larry and Wren have never seen Fantasmic.

According to Disney Food Blog these are the following average wait times (the week of December 15)

December 25: Epcot (8:30 AM - 9:30 PM)

Morning: Rope Drop Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure in the France Pavilion, followed by Living with the Land (scheduled for 10:05 AM) and The Seas with Nemo & Friends (scheduled for 11:05 AM).

Afternoon: We’ve planned a relaxed pace with Figment (scheduled for 2:05 PM). Epcot’s World Showcase offers plenty of opportunities to explore holiday decorations and traditions. However, we plan to mostly look for all the delicious food.

Evening: Dinner at Spice Road Table (reservations for 6:30 PM) with a view of the fireworks. We’ll end Christmas Day watching the new nighttime spectacular, Luminous (9:30 PM).

According to Disney Food Blog these are the following average wait times (the week of December 15)

  • Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure — 50 minutes
  • Frozen Ever After — 47 minutes
  • Soarin’ — 29 minutes
  • Living with the Land — 25 minutes
  • Mission: SPACE — 16 minutes
  • Turtle Talk with Crush — 15 minutes
  • Spaceship Earth — 13 minutes
  • The Seas with Nemo and Friends — 12 minutes
  • Journey into Imagination — 11 minutes
  • Gran Fiesta Tour — 11 minutes

December 26: Travel Plans

We are normally people who leave at the crack of dawn to head home. This time we will slowly leave. We are leaving it open to be able to take one last trip to Disney Springs or eat at CBR.

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