WDW Christmas time MUST DO'S...

Jingle Bell Jingle Bam did get better between 2016 and 2017. I could do without the stupid elf narrative, but the rest is fun. Considering that it's a freebie, it's a must-do. The environment and decoration in Hollywood Studios is some of the best in WDW - especially at night. The Tower of Terror overlay is pretty cool. And they have the fake snow for a little extra magic.

MVMCP has a magical kind of energy - both the park and the guests contribute. And if you go on one of the quieter nights, you can walk on any ride. If you don't have a park ticket for that day, I believe a MVMCP ticket will get you in the gate around 4pm.

I also enjoy soaking in the decorations throughout the World Showcase. Each country has a different spin on the Christmas decor.
 
We are planning a trip from 11-10 to 11-17. I know that we will miss the CP but will the resort and parks be decorated for Christmas?
 


We are planning a trip from 11-10 to 11-17. I know that we will miss the CP but will the resort and parks be decorated for Christmas?
Parks, yes. Magic kingdom switches to Christmas right after Halloween, and I'm like 90% sure the other parks are close behind that. I believe Epcot is the last to switch, because they wait until Food and Wine festival ends, usually veteran's day weekend.

Resorts, maybe but probably not yet. I've been trying to figure this out for our Nov 2019 trip, and it looks like the estimates are mid-late November, by Thanksgiving at the latest.
 
Parks, yes. Magic kingdom switches to Christmas right after Halloween, and I'm like 90% sure the other parks are close behind that. I believe Epcot is the last to switch, because they wait until Food and Wine festival ends, usually veteran's day weekend.

Resorts, maybe but probably not yet. I've been trying to figure this out for our Nov 2019 trip, and it looks like the estimates are mid-late November, by Thanksgiving at the latest.

Thanks. Our trip isn't really until 2019 for my daughters 16th birthday. I was trying to get a jump on the decor.
 
Thanks. Our trip isn't really until 2019 for my daughters 16th birthday. I was trying to get a jump on the decor.
Yeah, our dates are similar - looking at the 12th-22nd right now. The biggest concern I have is that 2019 is a late Thanksgiving year, not until the 28th.
 


We are planning a trip from 11-10 to 11-17. I know that we will miss the CP but will the resort and parks be decorated for Christmas?
In my opinion, that's the best week of the year to go. That's when I try to go. The Christmas Decor is up, the weather is nice, the crowds are a little lower, and travel around the rest of the country is still reasonably void of severe weather. You can catch MVMCP and JBJB at Hollywood Studios. You will leave just before the throngs of Thanksgiving week vacationers show up.
 
We were floored by all the Christmas theming at Seaworld, simply above and beyond. And their choir Christmas show is fabulous. If you are needing a Disney break ☺
 
Our X-Mas Must Do’s:

MVMCP
Candlelight Processional (saw Kurt Russel last year!)
Christmas Wishes fireworks at MK
Checking out resort x-mas decorations (WL, GF, Poly, CR)
Touring Ft Wilderness campground decorations
HS Sunset Seasons
Voices of Liberty
Epcot storytellers
and.......
...Just taking in the holiday atmosphere at WDW.
 
We are planning a trip from 11-10 to 11-17. I know that we will miss the CP but will the resort and parks be decorated for Christmas?

Resorts, maybe but probably not yet. I've been trying to figure this out for our Nov 2019 trip, and it looks like the estimates are mid-late November, by Thanksgiving at the latest.

We have been several times the week before the week of Thanksgiving. It is a *great* time to go. However, the resorts are not usually decorated for Christmas - certainly not to the extent they are after Thanksgiving. No gingerbread displays for sure.
 
Visiting Wilderness Lodge. We could have spent a whole day in there. It was so beautiful and my entire family's favorite for decorated resorts.
 
Epcot storytellers are my number 1 main must do. I really love them and will sometimes see them multiple times if I can.

I don't know much about this. What exactly is it? And why do you love it so much? I'm making a list of things we want to do for our Dec 2019 Christmas trip...
 
This is the week went last year. All of the suggestions here are great so you probably don't need many more. What I will list for you is what took us by surprise that we thought weren't on our must do list.

- HS at night was the biggest surprise, we went there on our last night and I thought it was the best park at night time. If they put the overlay back on TOT with the snow every few minutes it's really awesome. I wish we had gone earlier in the trip.

- We did the monorail hotel lobbies as people here suggested, but all of the lobbies have something for the season. There was a cookie merry-go-round in the BC lobby and a train set in the YC.

- There was a Holiday ending on Illuminations we liked.

- It was possible to find some of the characters in holiday attire without attending MVMCP. We got Pluto in Epcot and a couple other ones.

- A lot of opportunities to get photo pass shots with holiday stuff (trees, decorations etcc..) in the back round. Great for holiday Cards!

For us we thought the crowds were very manageable in all the parks except EPCOT. May have just been our luck of the draw but we found it to be pretty crowded whenever we were there. 60+ minute wait for Living With the Land, long lines and very little room in the World Showcase. We stayed at BC so we were there frequently.
 

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