What About the Christmas Season?

Now that we know what the plans are for Halloween at Walt Disney World, the obvious next question on everyone’s mind is what about the Christmas season? We have been given no information whatsoever, so anything that I write here is just speculation or an observation on my part.

I’ll start with Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. When the announcement was made that Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party was canceled, Disney said that no decision had yet been made about the Christmas party. I have a feeling that in this case, no news is bad news. I know that they don’t want to start selling tickets only to have to give refunds, like they did with the Halloween party. A scaled back version is possible, but that wouldn’t make most guests happy. I just don’t see it happening this year, I hope I’m wrong.

I also don’t see how they will be able to safely hold the Candlelight Processional this year. I hope that there will be some type of announcement soon that they are going to have a modified version, but I am not holding my breath. Part of me wants to say that the storytellers will be at Epcot, but that is probably wishful thinking.

As far as Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom are concerned, it will probably be just decorations. Merry Menagerie was so much fun at Disney’s Animal Kingdom last year, but it drew people in small crowds and kids would want to get close to the puppet animals. My favorite part of the holidays at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the past few years has been Sunset Seasons Greetings, and that takes place after dark.

I keep going back and forth on whether or not we will see The Christmas Tree Trail at Disney Springs. It would be possible to limit the number of people who pass through at any given time. They could also use a system where they text you when it’s your turn to enter, the same way that they sometimes do for World of Disney. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this still could happen.

We don’t yet know what the hours are going to be for the holiday season. As I write this, the Walt Disney World calendar runs through November 14. The hours for that date are Magic Kingdom 9:00-6:00, Epcot 11:00-7:00, Disney’s Hollywood Studios 10:00-7:00, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom 9:00-5:00. These are the hours that start on September 8, which is the day after Labor Day. Remember, park hours can and do change from time to time, they are not set in stone this far in advance.

Besides decorations, there are a couple of things that I do expect to see for the holiday season this year. The Character Cavalcades for fall are going to feature some characters in costume, so I expect that we will see them in their holiday best for the Christmas season. There will be special Christmas-themed treats sold in the parks. There will of course be plenty of holiday merchandise as well. The glorious trees will go up at the parks. The resorts will be decorated, and hopefully we will see the return of the Gingerbread House at Disney’s Grand Floridian. The lobby is so large that it would be easy to keep people apart.

Again, we do not yet know what the holiday season will hold for Walt Disney World. As soon as I hear something official, I will let you know.