{"id":79080,"date":"2013-11-13T13:49:05","date_gmt":"2013-11-13T18:49:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_ms_news\/?p=6353"},"modified":"2022-05-04T20:38:35","modified_gmt":"2022-05-05T00:38:35","slug":"holiday-season-walt-disney-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/holiday-season-walt-disney-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating The Holiday Season at Walt Disney World"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Rikki Niblett<\/p>\n

\"\u00a9Disney\"<\/a>
\u00a9Disney<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wow!\u00a0 The Holiday Season is upon us (Wasn’t it just January?) \u00a0The glorious festive fun is back with colors or red and green popping up, Christmas songs playing on the radio, and holiday decorations everywhere you look.\u00a0 So, with the Holidays popping up around me in my daily life, it’s also plain to see that they have taken their place already at Walt Disney World too!\u00a0 Let’s take a look at all the activities that guests can participate in at the four Disney theme parks in Florida.<\/p>\n

The Magic Kingdom starts things off and it’s considered by many to be a park so rich in Holiday traditions.\u00a0 It almost feels like it’s Christmas morning each time you step foot in the park!<\/p>\n

There are a few major activities that take place here and the first is something that the whole family can delight in each and every night and that is the Castle Dream Lights. The only word I can use to describe them is breathtaking.\u00a0 I can’t tell you how much photos cannot do this justice.\u00a0 The colors simply glow in a way that you can’t even imagine.\u00a0 Guests should also not miss the special Castle Lighting ceremony which takes place called Cinderella’s Holiday Wish, where Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother works her magic to get those lights to sparkle!\u00a0 This show takes place anywhere between 6 pm and 6:30 pm, so check your Times Guide and be prepared to be in awe.<\/p>\n

The Magic Kingdom also gets into the holiday spirit with Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. This is a special hard ticketed event that happens on select nights.\u00a0 The two major draws for this Party which are the Christmas parade, as well as the fireworks extravaganza.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Mickey's<\/a>
\u00a9Disney<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

First off, is Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade.\u00a0 This lively parade gives guests an extremely festive feeling.\u00a0 My favorite float has to be the Chip and Dale one, because I have a soft spot for those two.\u00a0 I also really love the use of the soldiers and the reindeer who remind me of being a kid and watching the Christmas Day Parade each year on TV.\u00a0 The parade takes place at 8:15 pm & 10:30 pm \u00a0Keep in mind the second parade is often less crowded than the first.<\/p>\n

The other really big happening each night at the party is Holiday Wishes – Celebrate the Season.\u00a0 One of the coolest aspects of this show is it uses perimeter fireworks, which means the fireworks surround you!\u00a0 It is truly spectacular to see in person!\u00a0 The show is narrated by Jiminy Cricket and it’s quite beautiful yet, whimsical. The fireworks start at 9:30 pm.<\/p>\n

Also at the parties, a few more festivities occur, such as the distribution of Holiday Treats (cookies and hot chocolate) and a few dance parties.\u00a0 Oh and of course, most of the rides are open too!<\/p>\n

\"Jingle<\/a>
\u00a9Disney<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This year they’ve added a Holiday overlay to the Jungle Cruise, making it now the Jingle Cruise. The skippers have infused a little festive spirit into the attraction, decorating the queue and boathouse, creating new punny jokes, and even changing the names of the boats. Open daily, be sure to make a stop over here or go at night for an even jinglier experience!<\/p>\n

At Epcot, the holidays include various touches of realism.\u00a0 The park’s celebrations are not as fanciful or whimsical as some of the other parks are … instead this park really takes the season and magnifies it for all to see.\u00a0 It’s not just snowflakes and Christmas trees here.<\/p>\n

First and foremost, and one of the more hidden gems are the Holiday Storytellers who appear around World Showcase.\u00a0 Many of the countries have their own Holiday traditions and ways to celebrate them.\u00a0 Here at Epcot, you get to learn about what makes this holiday similar and different around the World when compared to how we celebrate here in America.<\/p>\n

For those who are fans of Illuminations, you absolutely do not want to miss the Holiday ending that is played at the end of the show.\u00a0 It is beautifully touching and the fireworks that are included are absolutely breathtaking!\u00a0 Make sure you see this … you will not regret it.<\/p>\n

\"Candlelight<\/a>
\u00a9Disney<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of the more popular aspects of Epcot’s Holiday celebrations is the Candlelight Processional.\u00a0 Now for those who don’t know, the Candlelight Processional is the telling of the Christmas Story by a celebrity narrator accentuated by an amazing choir.\u00a0 This is one of those things where if you have not stopped by to see a performance, you MUST do so on your next Holiday trip to the World.\u00a0 Showtimes are 5:00 pm, 6:45 pm and 8:15 p.m.<\/p>\n

Many guests choose to book the Candlelight Dinner Package, which will guarantee you a seat for the show, so long as you arrive at least 15 minutes before showtime at the American Gardens Theater.\u00a0 You may book the dinner package by calling 1-407-WDW-DINE. \u00a0However, there is also the option to stand in line, but keep in mind, these get extremely long, especially for the more popular performers (I’m talking about you Neil Patrick Harris). \u00a0My suggestion is to try to see the first show, but you’ll still need to be in line at least 45 minutes prior to showtime.<\/p>\n

\"Osborne<\/a>
\u00a9Disney<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Disney’s Hollywood Studios is quite literally known as Tinsel Town this time of year. The decor is geared more towards kitsch, which is the best part about it. Personally, I love all the tinsel decorations they use around this park.\u00a0 It’s such a great tie in that most people don’t even get.\u00a0 (Get it, the use of tinsel, Tinsel Town…)<\/p>\n

To me though, the main draw for visiting Hollywood Studios during the Holidays is the incredible light display known as the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.\u00a0 Let me tell you, this thing is fabulous!<\/p>\n

For those who don’t know the story, The Osborne Lights came about because of a man named Jennings Osborne who put up a huge display every year, at the insistence of his daughter.\u00a0 As the years went by, the display got bigger and bigger … so big in fact that he ran out of room and bought the two houses next to his to decorate.\u00a0 It grew so big that people complained, it then was ruled that it was public nuisance and Jennings Osborne had to desist.\u00a0 However, Disney caught wind of his story and they decided it would be the perfect fit for their park. I have to say, it really is a splendid match.<\/p>\n

Currently, the lights can be seen on the Streets of America and are like your neighborhood decorations on steroids!\u00a0 The lights surround you and the magic of it all leaves you walking down the Streets just in awe.\u00a0 You really feel like you are just walking in a colorful wonderland. In addition, at certain times throughout the night the lights will dance to a choreographed musical number, which is a ton of fun.<\/p>\n

I have a few suggestions on when to see these lights.\u00a0 The first is right as the lights come on.\u00a0 It’s so astounding to see how the area changes in just a manner of seconds.\u00a0 It takes your breath away immediately when the switch gets flipped. However, this is also probably the busiest time to take these lights in.\u00a0 So, my other suggestion would be to go as the park is about to close.\u00a0 A lot of people are leaving the parks at that time but the lights stay lit the whole time.\u00a0 So you’ll get to see the wonder of the lights, all without waiting in a HUGE crowd.<\/p>\n

Seeing the Osborne Lights remind me of those times as a kid when my family would pile in the car and drive around town looking at all the lights on all the houses, except these lights are on a much more gargantuan scale.<\/p>\n

\"Mickey's<\/a>
\u00a9Disney<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the festive fun that takes place for the holidays is Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade.\u00a0 This is a little parade that features the whimsy and uniqueness that you can find in the Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade, the main difference being that the floats now have a Christmas overlay to them (And a fun Holiday parade tune). \u00a0Make sure not to miss Minnie’s float … it smells like hot chocolate!<\/p>\n

The Holidays at Disney really are a magical time.\u00a0 Each park celebrates the season with it’s own special tribute that is absolutely fitting.\u00a0 The wonder that Disney can create would warm the heart of even Mr. Bah Humbug himself, Ebenezer Scrooge.\u00a0 It really is the happiest season of all.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Rikki Niblett Wow!\u00a0 The Holiday Season is upon us (Wasn’t it just January?) \u00a0The glorious festive fun is back with colors or red and green popping up, Christmas songs playing on the radio, and holiday decorations everywhere you look.\u00a0 So, with the Holidays popping up around me in my daily life, it’s also plain…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":202,"featured_media":6357,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6189],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-article"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79080","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/202"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79080"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79080\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79551,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79080\/revisions\/79551"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79080"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}