When a new year starts, it’s common to look ahead on the calendar to find out when holidays land. It may be because you are wanting to know when school is out, to go ahead and book flights for a trip or give yourself a heads-up for when traffic in your town may increase or drop drastically. Disney is no different. As guests, we look forward to learning how Disney will be celebrating these holidays so that we might plan a trip to Florida and enhance that special time of the year. And that’s why we are here today…
Welcome to Believe Vacations’ Weekly Post where today, we are going to provide you with tips and advice on how to celebrate Holidays at Disney. Our wonderful local agent, Ashley Suit, is back to share her wisdom with us. Ashley has been on Disney property during many holidays in her life and she was kind enough to share her thoughts on how you can enjoy the holiday seasons during some of the most magical times of the year.
What advice do you have for…
New Years – It really does depend. If you want to come and “do it all” and do all the attractions, it may not work. If you want to enjoy the sights, soak in the sights and just take it easy, you’ll love it. That includes more time at the resorts and enjoying decorations and special events.
Christmas – We’d all love to be there on Christmas Day. It is special, but again, it’s going to be very busy too. Same advice for New Years – look at enjoying the resorts and special events more.
Thanksgiving – The earlier the better but people are now taking up the entire week leading up, even the weekend before Thanksgiving. The biggest advice for all 3 of these holiday times is for you to book with a Believe Vacations agent EARLY so that we can get you those park reservations before parks are blocked out.
Halloween – Magic Kingdom is one of the busier ones because of the Halloween parties. In this case, Fort Wilderness Campground is very popular with a golf-cart decorating contest, trick-or-treating, and people going all out with costumes and decorations. There’s always something fun to see what Disney Springs has as well.
4th of July – Still very busy because it’s vacation in the summer with schools all over being out. Look at the entertainment schedules for both the 3rd and the 4th because some parks will have the same celebrations on both of those days. I always like to watch the fireworks from one of the monorail resort beaches and take in EPCOT around the American Adventure pavilion for the most patriotic experiences. Along these lines, it would also be good to note the dates for special holidays for each country represented in the World Showcase in EPCOT. The celebrations for Chinese New Year, Cinco de Mayo and others can be crazy but a ton of fun!
Easter – The weather is great, the crowds are a little busier. Besides the Flower and Garden Festival and scavenger hunt going on, EPCOT has an Easter Egg scavenger hunt to enjoy. The resort will have their famous floral arrangements. It’s just a beautiful time of the year.
Spring Break – As a local, we view “Spring Break season” as March and most of April. It can be busy but the weather is the biggest variable. We can have a cold front for a few days then a small heat wave within the same trip. So packing the correct clothing is essential.
Longer Weekends (MLK Jr., Labor Day, Columbus Day) – There is a bump in crowd levels for all three weekends, but in the case of MLK Jr. Weekend, you’ll also have the RunDisney crowds. Still, Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend is the better of the weekends in my opinion due to the cooler weather and the International Festival of the Arts going on at EPCOT.
Mardi Gras – I wound up at Port Orleans – French Quarter which is Mardi Gras season all year but to be there during the actual Mardi Gras celebration is amazing! There are parades with floats and food like beignets and drinks and dance parties and everything you would want for an all-out party and celebration.
Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day – Love in the air at Disney sells itself. But, if you are looking for specifics, restaurants may be the best bet when it comes to special food items like red velvet pancakes. I recommend romantic dinners at a good steakhouse like Yachtsman or Steakhouse 71 or oysters at the Boathouse. For St. Patrick’s Day, everything turns green. And for a place to go, UK pavilion in England, especially Rose & Crown is a lot of fun.
Mother’s Day and Father’s Day – Husbands, a trip to Disney is not the worst idea! The moms receive a little carnation, there may be special menus, she may enjoy brunch at Boma or a spa day at Grand Floridian or Four Seasons. Wives, there are Disney dads out there and even if they don’t enjoy the parks, there are some world-class golf courses on the property as well as other sporting or outdoors activities like bowling at Splitsville, horseback riding and fireworks cruises.
Your Birthday – Even if it is not your birthday, celebrate it at Disney whenever you go. Disney loves to celebrate you and who you are and the easiest way to get noticed is a lovely “I’m Celebrating” button. You may get some fun “pixie dust” in different ways you never expected.
