Christmas is coming!!!!

Well, it’s November so that means it’s officially Christmas time in Orlando…

If you had been in the parks during October all you would have seen are pumpkins, many many MANY pumpkins. They were literally everywhere – in soups, as decorations, and in lattes, pies and ice creams. Everywhere! Get to October 31st at midnight and BAM!!! It’s officially CHRISTMAS TIME!!!

But seriously, you will never ever comprehend just how fast the parks take down the Halloween decorations and put up the Christmas ones. Overnight, its all changed. Streets, shops, houses, merchandise in shops. Everything has changed. (If only we could sort out Brexit that quick eh? But lets not look under that particular rock…)

We love all the ‘Holiday’ things all of the parks do at this time of year, and trust us there is loads. A fun fact – one of the busiest days of the year for Disney is Christmas Day! Absolute madness, people are queuing to get in at silly o’clock in the morning, and its wall to wall bodies all the live long day.

What Disney and Universal are very good at are the events that they put on during the run up to the Holiday season. There are loads of different things that you can do, dessert parties, meet and greets, after hours events and so much more. Let’s look at what happens in WDW for starters.

At the Magic Kingdom from November 8th to December 22nd we have Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, a seasonal holiday gathering with familiar faces. When Mickey celebrates the Magic Kingdom lights up with excitement as he celebrates with with all his friends. Cinderella Castle shimmers and joyful music fills the air! Beloved Disney character’s don their most festive attire. You will encounter familiar Disney friends and are invited to share hugs, receive photographs and capture memories with all over the Magic Kingdom park. Special appearances from Scrooge McDuck and Jack Skellington as Sandy Claws…and the main man himself..SANTA!!

Lots, but not all, of the attractions are open as this is a ticketed event, but the main rides are normally available, such as Big Thunder Railroad and Splash Mountain and over in Fantasyland Dumbo is open, Peter Pan’s Flight and the Severn Dwarfs Min Train. And not forgetting Space Mountain. Tickets for this event start at $99.

Another little treat is Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Dessert Party. You can enjoy sweet treats and watch the fireworks from a special viewing area. This is an additional cost of $69 per adult and $49 for children.

Over in Epcot there is the International Festival of the Holidays, where you can ring in the holiday season with food, music and traditions from across the globe. This starts on November 29th, one of the highlights of this is the Candlelight Processional, stirring stories of Christmas as told by a celebrity narrator, such as Neil Patrick Harris, Ming-an Wen, Whoopi Goldberg, Isabella Rossellini and Gary Sinise. And also a wonderful 50 piece orchestra.

Another ticketed event is the Holiday Cookie Stroll. Explore Epcot and get lots of delicious treats and find the 5 official Cookie stroll locations. This starts at $109 per person.

Over in Hollywood Studios we have Jingle bell, Jingle BAM! This is a new show starting on November 8th, running to Jan 5th. Get ready to see the buildings and rooftops come to life and be immersed in classic scenes from famous Disney classics such as Mickeys Christmas Carol, and Tim Burtons The Nightmare Before Christmas. You’ll hear traditional holiday tunes and see state of the art 3-D mapping/projections and even a little snow!

And last but not least in Animal Kingdom this park is dressed up to celebrate the holidays. In DinoLand there’s parties with festive decor at Donalds Dino Bash, meet some of his pals dressed in fun festive outfits. Over in Harambe there is a wonderful blend of cultures, blending western traditions and the colours and textiles of an Authentic African Celebrations. On the moon of Pandora the expats living and working on this moon bring a little of ‘home’ to their Alien home. They do this by combining the traditions of home and using the local handcrafted materials indigenous to Pandora.

What Disney do well is the ‘spectacle’ they spare no details in anything. To say they full on is an understatement. The decorations that adorn every doorway, lamppost, street and character are beautiful. Disney even replace the plants to make more festive displays, such as planting beautiful beds of poinsettias. There’s fake snow a-plenty and the parades and characters dress up in their winter/holiday clothes. The shows in front of the Cinderella Castle also change to fit a more holiday theme. Cinderella Castle may even turn to ice and snow!! And lots and lots of twinkly lights – everywhere. So pretty.

There’s loads of little pop up street events and character things that just spontaneously happen or that you just stumble across. One year, many years ago, Mrs Oh!Orlando wandered into a street at Hollywood Studios (which was then MGM Studios) and there were loads of security guards and film crews. The security guard asked us if we wanted to go into the street, which was an audience for a Holiday Special being filmed for ABC Studios. Obviously we said yes, and what did we find….. Harry Connick Jnr sitting at a grand piano on a stage. He sang Christmas songs and it fake snowed, and we stood in the street in our shorts getting snowed on and just feet away from Harry Connick Jnr – amazing, absolutely amazing.

So, over we go to Universal Studios, the holiday fun starts here on November 16th. Diagon Alley and London (yes, London) are totally transformed with festive lighting and decor. Lots of special holiday drinks and treats await your arrival. For extra fun Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees have a festive show to entertain you.

Over in Hogsmeade the holiday fun is in full swing as the shops are all decorated with lights and garlands. The Frog Choir sings seasonal melodies and treat yourself to a seasonal treat while Hogwarts is transformed with a projection of festive magic.

In Suess Landing there’s the holiday season Who-Ville its Grinchmas time!! A live re-telling of the classic story with a brilliant score. If you are really lucky you can meet the main man of mischief himself! Who?? The Grinch of course! (Photos with him do cost extra.)

Extra things you can do during the holiday season Is have scrambled eggs with a side of malarkey. Breakfast with the Grinch with his special blend of mischief.

Lots of buffet selections to choose from, but beware he’s been known to steal bacon from plates!! Get your cameras ready as he stops at every table for a chat and hopefully no nonsense! This all happens at the Circus McGurkus Cafe Stoooo-pendous – you must have a valid park admission for the day and will need to make a reservation for this.