The jack-o-lanterns have barely been blown out for the year and already it’s the HOLIDAYS in Disney World!

The Disney Parks have already begun their annual transformation into a winter wonderland (minus the real snow) and there is going to be A LOT to do this season. So, just like purchasing all those Christmas presents, it’s time to get planning and that’s why we’re bringing you our BEST tips for tackling your festive vacation this year!

2021 Disney Holiday 101

Before we dive right into all of the holiday celebrations that Disney has already announced for 2021, let’s first cover a few things that you can do NOW to prepare for your trip!

First up, you’re going to want to purchase your tickets and secure your Park Pass Reservations nice and early this year.  The only way to get into the park is to have a park pass reservation for the specific park you plan to start your day. And, if crowds are anything like they’ve been in the past over the holidays (read: BUSY!), there are going to be lots of people trying to get their reservations!

Speaking of reservations, you’ll also want to book those dining reservations early too! Currently, guests can book their dining reservations 60 days in advance, with Disney World hotel guests able to book at 60 days out from their arrival day PLUS 10 days following. You wait too long to make those park passes, you might be out of luck and unable to go where you’d like. Be sure that you’re securing them as soon as possible — they can go FAST.

Alright, so what exactly will be going on in the parks specifically for the holidays? Well…there’s A LOT! Let’s cover everything we know so far.

Disney Very Merriest After Hours

This year, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party won’t be happening, but something NEW will be replacing it — Disney Very Merriest After Hours! The event will take place on select nights from November 8th through December 21st from 9PM to 1AM, so you’ll have four hours of holiday fun in the parks!

This event will feature Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks, Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, and the new Mickey & Minnie’s Very Merry Memories stage show. Yep — the first FULL parade (not to mention a stage show!) we’ve had in Disney World in a long time!

Since this is a separately ticketed event, if you’re thinking about going to the new After Hours event, you’ll want to know which date you want to visit buy your tickets as soon as possible, because these little gems tend to sell out quickly!

Learn MORE About Disney Very Merriest After Hours HERE!

Holiday Projections

At Disney’s Hollywood Studio, the “Sunset Seasons Greetings” projections will be found on The Hollywood Tower Hotel (the Tower of Terror ride) with scenes from Frozen, a Muppets gingerbread house, and more…

…and at Disney’s Animal Kingdom there will be a special return of the holiday edition of Tree of Life Awakenings.

Learn MORE About the Holiday Projections HERE!

EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays

Over at EPCOT, the International Festival of the Holidays will be back again to treat us to holiday dishes from all over the world from November 26th through December 30th!

We can expect plenty of Holiday Kitchens around World Showcase, Christmas carols performed by the Voices of Liberty, and, of course, the ever-popular Cookie Stroll (because who doesn’t want to try five different cookies to get one FREE?). We’re also thrilled to see the announcement that the holiday storytellers will be back sharing their holiday traditions from around the world! The other big holiday EPCOT news is the return of the Candlelight Processional.

The Candlelight Processional is a long-running Disney tradition that brings in celebrity narrators who will tell guests the story of Christmas as an orchestra and choir entertain guests with some amazing music. A beautiful holiday tradition!

Click HERE For More Details About the 2021 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays!

Minnie’s Seasonal Dine

When it comes to dining, Minnie’s Holiday Dine will be BACK at Hollywood & Vine in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This is a specialty character dining experience for lunch and dinner that features Minnie Mouse and pals dressed up in their holiday best! Plus, you can even meet Santa Goofy there!

Disney announced the official dates for Minnie’s Holiday Dine will be available between November 4, 2021, to January 3, 2022. So, if you’re hoping to get a reservation, be sure you book in advance!

Click HERE to See Our Previous Experience at Minnie’s Holiday Dine!

Holiday Character Cavalcades

Of course, there are still plenty of other ways to see characters dressed up for the holidays when you’re visiting Disney World! So far, we know that Santa Claus will be greeting guests at Disney’s Hollywood Studios as part of a motorcade (AKA cavalcade/mini parade throughout the day), and you can spot him at the American Adventure in EPCOT’s World Showcase.

…and at Disney’s Animal Kingdom there will be FOUR different “festive flotillas” including a Santa Claus Festive Flotilla, Chip & Dale’s Festive Flotilla, Donald’s Dino Bash Festive Flotilla, and Discovery Island Drummers Festive Flotilla. Also at Animal Kingdom, the return of the ADORABLE holiday animal puppets.

We’ll be keeping an eye out for more details on what specialty cavalcade and appearances will be available too, so stay tuned!

Learn More About the Holiday Character Sightings HERE!

Christmas Tree Stroll

You won’t need a park ticket to experience all of the holiday celebrations this year! Disney Springs will once again feature the Christmas Tree Stroll so you’ll be able to explore all of the elaborately Disney-fied trees.

Traditionally, the trees are decorated after different Disney movies, attractions, and more, and this year there will even be a new one that celebrates the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary! This event is totally free and can make for a really fun afternoon of festive exploring.

Learn MORE About the Christmas Tree Stroll HERE!

Jock Lindsey’s Holiday Bar

Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar will also get decked out for the holiday season once again in Disney Springs!

In the past, the bar themed after Indiana Jones has featured a massive amount of holiday decorations and even some special holiday menu items like Milk and Cookies by the Fireside. So, if you’re into ugly Christmas sweaters and festive eats then this will be THE place to be!

Gingerbread Houses

Over in the Disney World Resorts, GIANT gingerbread houses will take over the lobbies of select hotels! Last year, all of the iconic gingerbread structures were canceled, but they will officially be BACK again this year!

So far, we’ve spotted the start of the incredible giant gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian as well as the Beach Club Resort’s gingerbread carousel (with a The Little Mermaid theme this year!) under construction!

Take a look at more details on the returning holiday Gingerbread Houses here!

Holiday Merchandise

Lastly, there will be lots to buy in celebration of the holidays at Disney World too!

So far, Disney has shared that a new Knit Holiday Ears by Spirit Jersey, a Holiday Spirit Jersey, and a Holiday Loungefly Backpack, a slew of festive new Minnie ears, and so much more will debut in the parks for the season, so there will be PLENTY of shopping to do!

Check Out some of the 2021 Holiday Merchandise Announced So Far HERE!

Of course, we’re still waiting to hear whether some other holiday traditions will return to Disney World. So far, Disney has not released information about the holiday fireworks show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Tony’s Most Merriest Town Square Party, but we’ll keep an eye out for more details!

And, when you’re planning your trip, keep in mind that the Disney World 50th Anniversary is already in full swing, so there will be some new attractions, shopping experiences, and dining options to explore as well.

Click here to see the holiday Minnie ears coming to Disney World SOON!

How to Budget

Alright, so now you’ve got a list of all of the holiday festivities that you want to see when you’re visiting, but how do you plan for how much it’s going to cost? First thing to mention here: the holidays, especially close to Christmas and New Year’s, are some of the most popular times to visit Disney World. This can mean hefty crowds and higher prices for a lot of your big-ticket expenses (tickets, hotels, flights). Decide how much you want to spend on the hotel, food, merchandise, etc. before you start planning and well before you arrive at Disney World.

And, if you really want to be held accountable for sticking to your pre-planned budget, it can be a good idea to head to your local Disney Store, Target, or Costco to pick up a Disney gift card. This lets you load the amount of money you want to use during your vacation on the card and each time you use it on your trip your receipt will show how much you have left to spend.

So, how much should you really plan to spend? You’ll want to plan for premium pricing, being such a popular time to visit. Along with your budget planning, you’ll want to consider whether or not you and your family will want to purchase the additional Disney Genie+ or Individual Attraction Selection options. And keep in mind that depending on the time of day and time of year, those Individual Attraction Selections may cost even more!

The Disney World hotels will be priced a little bit higher as holiday season room rates are usually in effect Mid-December to early January. Some of the best ways to save are to plan your trip for earlier in the month to avoid the premium room rates (or consider staying at an off-site hotel). You might not wake up at Disney World on Christmas morning, but you could save a chunk of change and still experience the holidays in Disney World.

And, it’s also helpful to be on the lookout for holiday deals and discounts from Disney too! We’re always keeping an eye out for them here at DFB, so subscribing to our newsletter will help you be the first to know about savings! Plus, our DFB Guide to the Walt Disney World Holidays includes even more budgeting tips and tricks, so you can access even more resources when you pre-order today.

Click HERE for More Disney World Budgeting Tips!

How to Escape the Crowds

It’s certainly no secret that the holidays draw A LOT of guests to the parks and resorts, so expect to be at Disney with thousands upon thousands of your new best friends to celebrate when you’re visiting. But, there are still a few ways that you can go to escape the crowds!

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again — arrive early to the parks and/or plan to stay late! There’s a group of people who like to begin their Disney day more leisurely and get to the parks later and then there’s a group of people who like to leave early to get the kiddos (or themselves) to bed early, so spending a full day in the parks can work to your advantage when it comes to crowds. It’s a relatively safe bet that the least crowded time of most Disney World days will be early after parks open and later in the evening. 

But what about stuff you want to experience that it seems impossible to avoid crowds?? Instead of cramming onto Main Street, U.S.A. with everyone who wants to watch the fireworks in Magic Kingdom, head to one of the monorail resorts! Both Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort have great viewing areas by the water that pipes in the music from the show. Just keep in mind that you won’t really be able to see the projections that are part of the show.

This tip is extra great for times like the holidays. Don’t want to shell out big bucks for the Very Merriest event but still want to see the BIG firework show exclusive to the party? Check it out from the resorts for free. Plus, these “special” firework shows often incorporate wide-reaching perimeter fireworks that look VERY impressive the farther away you are to take them all in!

Plus, if you want to escape the crowds during the day, you can actually leave the park and head over to explore some of the Disney World Resorts too! Yes, even the Disney resorts get decked out for the holidays and there are a lot of things to explore, plus they’re FREE (more on this later). However, one thing to note is that resort hopping these days can be a little complicated in light of COVID-19. Disney’s website currently states that guests must have a confirmed dining reservation or be staying at the resort to visit, but we’ve had a few different experiences with the policy. Many guests will want to check out the gorgeous gingerbread displays we mentioned though. In general, plan to make a reservation for a meal at the resort you’d like to check out and you should be allowed access.

And, if you want to get around the dreaded wait for transportation to and from the parks, consider some other options! Wait times for transportation can get loooong around the holidays so consider driving or renting a car, staying at a Disney Skyliner resort so you have another option (just watch trying to hop on the Skyliner when a park opens or closes — lines can get LONG!), or ordering up a taxi/Lyft/Uber if you’re trying to make it to a dining reservation or want to save time.

Check Out Our Ultimate Survival Guide for the BUSIEST Days in Disney World HERE!

Things to Do Outside of the Parks (That Won’t Cost a Dime)

Not everything that Disney does for the holidays will cost you money — there are plenty of activities for the season that don’t require a park ticket! You can head to Disney Springs and complete the Christmas Tree Stroll…

…participate in your resort’s evening campfires and s’mores activities or watch a Disney holiday movie with the Movie Under the Stars program…

…or you can even check out the guest-led Golf Cart Parade over at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground on Christmas Eve!

Plus, if you’re looking for an activity to do with the kiddos, you can often find Cast Members leading cookie decorating or holiday crafts during the day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, and the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Hotels. Just keep in mind that there is often a small fee to participate and it is still unclear if this will be happening again this year.

Of course, the resort gingerbread displays are another great thing to explore at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, the Beach Club Resort, and more. Try to time a meal at one of those resorts, as we mentioned, to kill two birds with one stone!

Click HERE For More Things That Are Free in Disney World!

Want More of Our Best Holiday Planning Tips?

So, have we convinced you that it’s already time to get to planning your Disney World holiday trip? We’ve got plenty of more tips and tricks to help you with everything you need to make the most of your Disney holiday vacation in our DFB Guide to the Walt Disney World Holidays!

With detailed descriptions and photos of every holiday event and activity happening at the parks and resorts this year —- including tips on how to make the best use of your time and money when visiting — it’s the perfect way to get your planning started.

This comprehensive book includes everything you need to know to plan your holiday visit to Walt Disney World. And it’s got a 100% money-back guarantee!

Click HERE to Pre-Order the 2021 DFB Guide to the Holidays!

What are you waiting for! Pre-order the 2021 DFB Guide to the Walt Disney World Holidays and check out more of our favorite ways to celebrate the holidays in Disney World in our video below!

By the way, are you a DFB Video subscriber? If you hit the button below, you can subscribe to our channel and catch up on ALL of our latest episodes!

Click HERE to See How You Can Celebrate the Holidays on a Disney Cruise!