Walt Disney World during the Holiday Season
Madison Crowley
Austin, MN
Disney World and Disneyland Travel Specialist
Hi everyone, I'm Madison and I love all things Disney! I've been a fan of Disney ever since I was very young! I fell in love with the Disney parks when I was in high school after visiting with my family. I recently began my travel agent journey at...
Hi everyone, I'm Madison and I love all things Disney! I've been a fan of Disney ever since I was very young! I fell in love with the Disney parks when I was in high school after visiting with my family. I recently began my travel agent journey at the end of 2023! I am passionate about Disney and wanted to pursue a career that combine both my interests and my strengths. A few years ago I fell in love with planning Disney vacations for myself and my family and realized that I could pursue this as a career! I may be new to this but, Disney is apart of my daily life. I follow Disney news on a daily basis and am always up-to-date on Disney park updates and changes in both the Florida and California parks.
The Disney parks are changing all the time so it's important that I stay updated on all the Disney news so I have the most reliable information for my clients! I can help you plan what rides and restaurants might best fit your travel group! I can also share tips and tricks that I have discovered from my own experiences and research on the Disney parks.
I love helping families plan their Disney vacations because every family is unique and I get to help them figure out how to make the most of their trip. I also love when people realize that Disney is not just a destination for families and that adults can have an amazing time as well! After all isn't that why Walt Disney wanted to create these parks? So adults could be kids again too!
My vast knowledge on the Disney parks allows me to help customize a Disney vacation for anyone looking to visit!
Can Be Reached At
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Gingerbread House Grand Floridian
In 2021, I graduated high school and rather than having a graduation party, my twin sister and I wanted to go to Walt Disney World, and so that is what we did! My mom, sister, and I planned to go at the very end of November so we had the chance to see Disney World's 50th anniversary decorations, ride the Magical Express one last time, and see the parks decked out for the holidays!
For this trip we decided to stay at Disney's Contemporary Resort so we could be close to Magic Kingdom and take the monorail to EPCOT! We stayed in the Bay Lake Tower because the rooms in the main tower were all taken up. Our room ended up having a view of Magic Kingdom, we could see Space Mountain clearly from our room and we had a decent view of Main Street as well! It was really amazing to come back to our room after a long day at the parks and watch the Enchantment fireworks from our balcony! The best part was that we could walk from our hotel room and get scanned into Magic Kingdom in under 10 minutes!
I really loved the festive spirit around the parks at this time of year. Each of the four Disney World theme parks have a giant Christmas tree that are absolutely gorgeous. On our first day of the trip we went to Disney Springs and did the Christmas Tree Stroll. As you wander around the shopping district you can view Christmas trees that are decorated to a popular Disney movie or attraction! My favorite tree was the one themed after Disney and Pixar's Coco!
During this trip I wasn't able to experience Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party but I do think it is a must do if you want to experience a Christmas filled trip. The parade during this After Hours Event includes Santa, reindeer, toy soldiers, and classic Disney Characters in their holiday best! There is also a magical fireworks show and it snows on Main Street. During this party there are also complimentary cookies and coco. This experience will really get you in the holiday spirit!
EPCOT is so fun to experience during the holiday season as well. EPCOT's Living with the Land has the cutest Christmas overlay! This boat ride through the greenhouse will be decked out in Christmas lights (this is really one that you should ride at night)! EPCOT will also be celebrating Festival of the Holiday's during the holiday season. Expect to find delicious authentic holiday meals around the World Showcase. You will also find storytellers and performers who share their cultural holiday stories.
Disney's Hollywood Studios is probably my favorite park during the holiday season because I really love the holiday decorations here. It has adorable vintage decorations as the whole park is themed to 50s Hollywood. I find this park the most festive and magical during the season. One of my favorite meals in all of Disney World is the Tachos at Woody's Lunch Box. Tachos are a bowls of tater tots, covered in chili, nacho cheese, and corn chips.
Animal Kingdom doesn't celebrate the holiday's as upfront as the other Disney World parks but it does have the giant Christmas tree at the entrance of the park. This park also has one really unique experience during the holiday's that I really wanted to see but I missed it on our day in Animal Kingdom. It's called the Merry Menagerie, Disney has puppeteers that come out to perform with large puppets of different Arctic animals like polar bears and penguins! They are so adorable and I'm so bummed I didn't come across them during this trip!
The holiday decorations don't stop at the theme parks either! Many of Disney's resorts decorate their lobbies for the holidays. Animal Kingdom lodge puts up a beautiful tree and several resorts put up amazing gingerbread displays! The Contemporary puts up a Cinderella castle gingerbread display that's inspired by Mary Blair's art style. One of the biggest highlights of this trip for me was I got to see the Grand Floridian gingerbread house. Normally its decorated in red and white for the holidays but, when I was there it was decorated in blues, purples, and gold to celebrate the 50th anniversary. The gingerbread house is large enough for people to work inside of! They sell different holiday treats here. My favorite thing that I got from here was the peppermint bark! It was so good! Disney's Beach Club Resort also has a large carousel gingerbread display every year they change the theme of the carousel.
Whether your wanting to plan a Disney trip for the holidays or any other time of the year I would love to help you plan!