With Thanksgiving right around the corner, the holiday season is approaching fast! It is never too early to start planning holiday excursions. What better place to spend the holidays than the most magical place on earth? It seems Disney World and Universal Studios spare no expense when it comes to celebrating the holidays. In fact, magical may be the only word to describe the extensive decor all around the theme parks. With towering Christmas trees, wreaths, lights, and garlands adorning every surface and entryway, Christmas carolers, and more festivities everywhere you look, it is extremely easy to be swept away and fully encapsulated in the holiday spirit.
I visited Disney World in Orlando, Florida last year right between Christmas and New Year’s. As I mentioned previously, Disney World celebrates in style. Experiencing the holidays at Disney World sounds like a dream, and it seems everyone else in the world shares that exact same thought, as the period between Christmas and New Year’s is infamously the busiest time of the year at Disney. However, the large crowds are not much of an inconvenience as long as you aren’t wanting to get through the rides quickly. The lines for rides were hitting the 1-2 hour mark, so I would definitely recommend a Fast Pass if quick lines are what you are looking for! The crowds are still manageable, and there are still plenty of activities to do that don’t involve waiting in 2 hour lines. For example, we sat and watched an amazing performance from Disney’s Christmas Carolers. We only visited Epcot on this trip, but I know from past experience that Magic Kingdom has fantastic Christmas light shows projected onto Cinderella’s Castle!
After a fun-filled day at Epcot, we spent New Year’s Eve at Universal Studios, where they host an extravagant holiday parade with dancers, floats, giant balloons, and more! The parade, which reminded me a lot of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, featured famous Universal characters like Shrek and Minions and even a cameo from Santa Claus himself! Leading up to midnight, a live band was hosting a New Year’s concert. While a majority of the crowd drifted toward watching the concert, I took advantage of the now-smaller crowds to ride the infamous Incredible Hulk ride with my mom and sister (I highly recommend it)! Afterwards, we walked through the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Much like the light show projected onto Cinderella’s Castle in Magic Kingdom, Universal projects an awesome Harry Potter themed holiday light show onto Hogwarts. Prior to midnight, we finally headed over to the concert and New Year’s celebration. At midnight, an insane fireworks display exploded overhead while confetti rained down. I honestly have never seen a celebration quite like this!
Overall, the sense of holiday spirit and infectious energy in the air made the large crowds and long waits totally worth any hassle! If I had to choose which theme park to spend my holidays in, I would honestly choose Universal because of its massive holiday parade alone and New Year’s celebration, but you can’t go wrong heading over to the Disney theme parks. Not to mention December and January are the perfect months of the year to travel south to Florida’s warm beaches!
