Without a doubt, Christmas at the Magic Kingdom is magical. There are special decorations, special costumes and characters, music that you wouldn’t ordinary hear, special fireworks and parades and lots of yummy only that time of year treats! The thing is though, it’s not just your family wanting to spend Christmas Eve or Christmas Day at the park. Alot of other families are wanting to do that too. A lot of groups of friends, or even just the single guy or gal who wants to absorb the atmosphere is going to be there. Disney doesn’t say exactly how many guests can go into each park, but there are estimates from various sources. On an average peak day at Magic Kingdom, where the crowds will be in the 50,000’s, on Christmas day, that number is going to be more than doubled. Long before it gets to those numbers, phased closure begins. We’ve talked a little more about that in a previous post, you can click here to read it. A lot of the same things apply for holiday’s in general at Disney, but if you are planning to go Christmas Day, or New Years Eve, you’ve got to be extra prepared, or you might get turned away and those magical memories you were hoping to make? They won’t be of the happy kind. On Christmas Day, it’s almost better to just relax, walk around and enjoy the atmosphere because all of the lines for everything from bathrooms, to restaurants to rides are going to be much, much longer than usual. Hopefully you’ve either been to Magic Kingdom before, or you’ve got a few more days planned to explore it. If you have never been to Magic Kingdom and plan to go for the first time in December, keep reading! While I would NEVER suggest someone NOT go to Magic Kingdom, I would like to point out that both Epcot and Animal Kingdom are much bigger parks. You can still have a really large number of guests in the park, but it’s not going to feel nearly so crowded. Hollywood Studios isn’t the largest of the parks, but it also might be a good alternative during Christmas through New Years so that you can experience a few more rides than you might at Magic Kingdom. So what if you’ve got your heart set on Magic Kingdom on Christmas Day? (Or any of the days nearby). Well, you’ve got to have a plan. We talk about that a lot here, and holiday’s are no exception! Grab your notebook, and let’s get busy! Park Capacity Because holidays, New Years, Thanksgiving and Christmas especially, are such popular times to visit, Magic Kingdom can reach capacity. What does this mean? A holiday at capacity happens in stages, so knowing those stages can make sure YOU get inside. Disney can change the way they do things at any time, but this is generally how it happens when it starts getting closer to capacity. Usually you’ll only need to worry about this a few days before, and after Christmas. First Stage: Guests with one day, single park tickets or those using cast member passes will not be allowed to park, they will be turned away at the toll plazas. Any guest staying at a Disney Resort, even if they drive themselves, is allowed in. Also, anyone with a multi day ticket, or park hopper tickets, annual passholders, someone hopping in from another park, anyone arriving by Disney transportation or anyone with an existing in park reservation. Second Stage: When the second stage occurs, the only ones allowed into the parking lots, or through the ticket turnstiles are: Those staying at a Disney resort, annual passholders, those re-entering the park from earlier that day, those hopping from another park, those with in park reservations or those coming by Disney transportation. Third Stage: Once it reaches the third stage (which isn’t too often, the second stage it the most common) the only ones allowed into the turnstiles, or the parking lot are: Those staying at a Disney Resort, annual passholders, those with in park reservations. Fourth Stage: The fourth stage, the park is entirely shut down, to all visitors. This has only happened once though, so it’s unlikely you will need to worry about it. HOWEVER! If you are visiting during a holiday, and NOT staying on property, you need to arrive at least an hour and a half early in order to make sure you get into the park. Remember, with the new opening procedure for the park, the hub is open an hour, sometimes earlier, than actual park opening. Once that is filled, and it will fill on a holiday, people will be stuck between the gates and the turnstiles, backing up to to the arrival areas and it will take much much longer to get inside of the park and get where you want to go. Holidays are NOT a time to get there late. Crowds There will be crowds, but like any Disney crowd, common sense will see you through. If you’ve small children, keep them in the stroller or tightly hold their hands so they don’t get lost, or knocked over. It only takes the blink of an eye for your group to be separated when another group pushes past you, so something like matching hats or shirts can go a long way towards spotting each others. First-timers- you will NOT be able to hear your cell phone ringing, and the person you are trying to call will not be able to hear theirs! Even on a regular park day, it’s just too loud in the park to hear it, so plan to take frequent breaks to look to see if you’ve missed a call or text from another in your group. Reservations If there was a sit down place you wanted to eat, or if your little princess wanted a makeover, I hope you’ve already got reservations. You can start booking your preferred restaurant 6 months in advance. Didn’t do that yet? It’s okay, and you might still be able to get a reservation, but the sooner you start checking, the better. As time draws closer to your trip, if you haven't been able to score a table, don’t give up. Things happen sometimes with the others who hold those reservations, and it’s not unlikely, or impossible to get the restaurant you’ve been longing for, a few days before your trip. The trick is to keep trying, and not stop. Check the odd times too. It doesn’t matter if it’s quick service or not, tables are filled more from 11:30am-1pm. Longer lines This really goes along with the crowds, but you know there will already be some longer crowds. While it’s a little harder to beat the crowds on a holiday, it’s not impossible to minimize your wait time if you have a plan. If you don’t know what you want to do, where you want to go and where you want to eat, the lines are going to get longer and longer and you are going to start feeling frustrated. Disney is such a great place to visit, don’t let your magical trip be ruined by something so small like an hour per park that you’ve made at least a general outline of what order you are going to do things. Packages Take advantage of the great service Disney offers that’s totally free! Have the shop send your purchases to the front of the park for pickup on your way out, or even better, back to your resort! Keep in mind though, if you are sending back to your resort, don’t send anything back in the last 24 hours of your trip because it might not get to you in time. Photo Ops Holidays at Disney have some extra special photo opportunities, so be sure to take advantage! You’ll find Mickey and his friends in seasonal costumes, as well as characters you might not get to see during the rest of the year. There will be special parades, music, shows and of course, lot sof special treats to sample that you can only get during these special occasions. Seasonal Events Disney also offers special seasonal events, such as the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, and the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. These have special things like trick or treating, or cookie and cocoa stations throughout the park as well as other fun surprises. Keep in mind that if you are visiting the park on a day where one of these parties is held, the park does close early to those who do not have tickets for these events. Tickets can sell out quickly, so it’s best to get yours the moment you know you will be there during a holiday. It is very unlikely that you will be able to buy a ticket the day of the event. Patience, patience, patience While this is a top tip, other than planning, for any Disney vacation, it’s needed more than ever during a Disney holiday. Have patience. Patience with the family who just cut in front of you, patience with that REALLY annoying family remember who keeps slowing you down, patience with your kid who had to stop for the 11th bathroom/pretzel/pin trading moment in the last hour and a half. Don’t forget to have patience with yourself, too. You might not get to do everything you want. That’s okay. Enjoy what you can! Remember, a little prep, a little planning will go a long way towards making the most out of your vacation. It can be a little overwhelming to plan a Disney trip, but it’s far worse to be standing there in a panic as the lines get longer and longer and you’ve no idea what anyone wants to ride! Like the old adage, an ounce of prevention, is worth a pound of cure. Stay sane, and have fun during your Disney holiday! I wish I were there with you!
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