Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

[Gatchaman]

Greetings! We just found out we will be at Walt Disney World on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We'll be arriving at our resort around noon on Christmas Eve. We originally wanted to go to the Magic Kingdom on Christmas Day and to eat at Be Our Guest, but I see almost all meals at all restaurants are booked already. So, perhaps we shouldn't go to the Magic Kingdom on Christmas Day.

What advice does anyone have about what we should do/where we should eat on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?

Thank you!

[Jeff]

Christmas Day at MK is usually absolutely packed by 10:00 am. We have been many times and often go to MK right at opening. Do a few things, get our family Christmas Day picture taken in front of the castle. We then hop on the monorail and go to Epcot which is less crowded. MK is so packed its kind of frieghtening!

[faline]

I've only been to the Magic Kingdom once on Christmas day and agree with Jeff. I'd go to Epcot instead - that park seems to handle the crowds a bit better. You may find it difficult to get a dining reservation on that day at this point in time. There might be some possibilities if you are flexible with places and dining times.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

The MK is the "classic" Christmas park, and is a zoo! Although some people love the chaos, I wouldn't go anywhere near there on Christmas.

PP are correct, Epcot is generally good at handling the crowds, and there are World Showcase restaurants with decent dining times still available. It won't be a traditional Christmas meal, but there are some great ones (like Teppan Edo).

I've also heard that Animal Kingdom is a good choice, as many people don't "think" of it for Christmas, so crowds are a bit lower.

Enjoy!

[Imalismom]

Here are my top three:

(1) 50's Prime time at Hollywood studios (you feel like you are eating a home cooked meal) Check with reservations, I have known this one to be open even AFTER the park closed.

(2) Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge - Christmas at the Wilderness Lodge is my favorite - it's the warmth and coziness of the large fireplaces and rocking chairs that do it for me. Also the Whispering Canyon Cafe -- their lunch and dinner (family style - turkey, ham, beef strip loin, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cornbread and cranberry sauce) is often overlooked.

(3) Room service - a quiet meal with your family without the crowds.

[Jforrest2]

I just made reservations for five at Biergarten for dinner on Christmas Eve. There were still a number of restaurants with plenty of availability.

[joonyer]

We were there for Christmas Holidays in 2014. We also ate at Biergarten on Christmas Eve, and it was very good (I love German food, lots of meat) and the band played Christmas music, of course. Then we went to the Candlelight Processional. On Christmas morning we went to MK, just to be able to say we had been there on Christmas Day. We knew it was going to be super crowded, so we planned to leave about noon. We got there at park opening and we able to ride a few things with FP, and by the time of the first parade the MK was packed. After the parade was over we headed out. That took some doing. I would best describe the streets in MK at that time as "rivers of people". If you stepped into the street you were going where the crowd swept you, whether you wanted to or not. Our boys were both grown, out of high school on that trip, but if they had been smaller kids, I would have been worried about their safety and getting separated would have way too easy. Even so, we linked hands so that we could get out of the park together. It was wall to wall people until we got back to the train station at the town square. TIP: If I had it to do over again, we would have got on the train at Frontierland or Fantasyland and ridden it back to the front of the park. It was all very exciting, but a little scary. I'm sure the park was filled to capacity by noon, and it was too much to stay any longer. We went to Animal Kingdom for the rest of the day, and had a great afternoon. AK was not much more crowded than a normal summer day. We had dinner that evening at 'Ohana, (one of our favorites) to top off an almost perfect Disney Christmas Day, but I had made our ADR there almost 6 months before. Have fun and stay safe. Just be prepared for super dense crowds and go with the flow!

[Speedy1998]

I have found that HS and AK are best for Christmas day crowds. My last Christmas trip, HS was not even that crowded until around 11:30 or so when MK and EPCOT hit capacity. By then we had done TT, RnR, and TSM twice.

I have to say I love Epcot on Christmas Eve though, and if you are still there the crowd is somewhat manageable at MK on Dec 26, as so many people are there on Christmas day.

[buzznwoodysmom]

We have only been in Disney once for Christmas Eve/Day. We spent Christmas Eve at DHS, but made an early exit after the Osborne Lights. We were staying at WL so we spent the evening there. The lodge is absolutely stunning for Christmas.

When we arrived back at Wilderness Lodge Santa was in the lobby greeting guests and taking pictures. The staff had set up a table offering free cookies and drinks. We hadn't booked any dining for that evening because we didn't know how long we would stay in the park. We grabbed dinner at Territory Lounge at WL. It was a nice, no fuss dinner. If you are having trouble finding available dining reservations for Christmas Eve consider grabbing a bite at one of the resort lounges. We favor Wilderness Lodge, but any deluxe resort will be beautiful to see for the holidays. Consider a spin on the monorail to check out the Christmas décor and snack and drink at the different lounges. Or head to the Boardwalk and take a stroll around the Epcot area resorts. They are all worth seeing.

Christmas Day was spent at Animal Kingdom. Even though the park felt packed, the lines were not bad at all. We didn't arrive at the park till around 11am, after Christmas mass and Chef Mickey's breakfast. I believe we left the park around 3-4ish, having done everything we wanted. We did plan to go to MK later that evening but the lines at the boat dock at Wilderness Lodge made us change our mind. Instead we just enjoyed the beauty of the lodge for the rest of the evening.

Whatever you decide I hope you have an amazing time. I sure do miss WDW for the holidays!!!!

[Gatchaman]

Thank you for all this great advice. Amazingly, I was able to grab the very last breakfast reservation at the Magic Kingdom on Christmas morning, and it's at the restaurant my daughter really wanted to go to, Be Our Guest. I still can't believe it. Then I was able to grab one of the remaining lunch reservations, at Tony's Town Square. That will take us to about 2:15 and I think we'll head out. I'm not sure what we'll do the rest of the day.

For Christmas Eve, we're getting to our resort around noon, so I think we're going to try Epcot. I'm going to see what restaurants still may have openings.

Any more advice, please keep them coming. Thank you!

[Imalismom]

Here is another alternative:

American Holiday Table – For some good old-fashioned Christmas cooking head over to this eatery located at the American Adventure Pavilion where they’ll be serving up turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. Also on offer is pork tenderloin, and green bean casserole (just like mom used to make). For those looking to warm up, Eggnog will be on offer as well as hot chocolate with some peppermint Schnapps to put a swing in your step.From end of Nov until Christmas Day....

[mechanic]

Lots of good advice. Avoid Disney springs on Christmas day also. Christmas eve crowds can be surprisingly low, even at MK. BE flexible. I love the energy and crowds, but man don't.

[Gatchaman]

My now-wife and I were there for Christmas Week 1997, so we have a good sense of what the crowds are like...not so much on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as we arrived on the 26th, but we were there for New Year's Eve, and that was quite a hopping place. This time we're leaving on the 30th so we'll be home for New Year's Eve (which is fine, because we're going to see Jay Leno that night!)

[busterthebronco]

We're doing Disney Springs. Rogue One and Turf Club!!