Our daughter’s second Christmas-time journey to Walt Disney World was a wonderful expertise for our whole household. This covers the teachings discovered alongside the way in which, and good & unhealthy of our toddler travels through a mixture of anecdotes and actionable recommendation for different dad and mom.
Our intention was/is to do photograph experiences following each household journey we make to Walt Disney World, just like our ‘mother or father fails’ from Child Bricker’s first WDW journey – half 1 and half 2. We additionally shared ‘what went proper’ throughout our household journey – half 1 and half 2. These posts have been well-received by readers, each as recaps of our journey and teachable moments for different new dad and mom.
Nevertheless it’s been a busy month-plus for us and Christmas is fast-approaching, so I needed to share this in a single put up. Most of the “classes” we “discovered” have been actually extra like good reminders, anyway. Nonetheless, I needed to share since readers have requested for this kind of put up and, truthfully, as a result of we love trying again at these down the street. Right here goes with the listing of little classes/reminders so you’ll be able to study from our experiences, or just hear about some facets of our WDW Christmas journey, because the case could also be.
Disneyland Has Spoiled Us
There are two methods that is true, for my part. The primary is that Walt Disney’s authentic magical kingdom continues to be the perfect instance of “some form of amusement enterprise…the place the dad and mom and the kids may have enjoyable collectively.”
In simply Fantasyland and Toontown at Disneyland, there’s the next focus of sights that our daughter (Megatron) loves than every other Disney Park on the planet. We will have a really productive and enjoyable morning or night with out ever leaving that space of simply Disneyland. And, in reality, we now have on a number of events!
Fantasyland and Storybook Circus at Magic Kingdom are good, however not that good–or that straightforward. Then there are the opposite parks. Disney California Journey could seem extra grownup (and is), but it surely’s additionally shockingly good for toddlers. EPCOT and Animal Kingdom truly rival DCA in their very own methods; the dearth of an expansive play space like Redwood Creek Problem Path is an enormous miss for us, as our daughter favors free play and exploration over passive experiences.
The second approach that is true is extra distinctive to us, and it’s that we’ve gotten in a groove doing Disneyland as locals. This largely entails working round naptime, that means we arrive early and knock out all the pieces we need to do earlier than naptime hits, or depart house and have naptime occur on the commute.
I’m not going to fixate on this level because it’s an “us factor,” but it surely was however jarring to go from strategic partial days as soon as per week to all-day, (nearly) on a regular basis for per week. That’s actually the native AP vs. vacationer standpoint in a nutshell, simply exaggerated when you’ve gotten youngsters.
I’d add that this will not be simply an us factor, as there’s a superb probability that, no matter you do at house with a toddler, you do it in bite-sized chunks to navigate naptime, handle meltdowns, and many others. That kind of day by day scheduling and segmentation is harder at Walt Disney World, however on the plus aspect, it may be simpler to do noon breaks relying upon the place you keep. (Extremely suggest someplace with non-bus transportation to 1-2 parks!)
Starlight’s Floor Recreation is Worse Than I Thought
Our Disney Starlight Evening Parade Evaluation is basically optimistic. Nonetheless, additionally it is my evaluation from seeing the parade with different adults, and never Sarah and Megatron. I used to be actually excited to see it with them. We’re an leisure household, and Sarah and I’ve so many formative reminiscences from SpectroMagic.
Even my optimistic evaluation notes that Starlight’s most obtrusive weak spot is its floor sport: “There will not be sufficient dancers between the floats. The choreography isn’t nice. The bottom-level movers which can be current have extremely lackluster costumes throughout the board, with minimal lighting.” I wrote then that Starlight has the worst floor sport of any Disney parade I’ve ever seen.
It’s not doable to be worse than worst, however it’s doable to be even weaker than I assumed. Starlight’s ground-level performers are so missing that enormous sections of the parade failed to attach with our daughter. Positive, she loved waving at Elsa and different favourite characters, however there weren’t practically sufficient of them.
And in contrast to different parades she enjoys, the ground-level characters don’t actually interact with youngsters within the crowd. The (literal) solely exception to that’s Tinker Bell. She nonetheless loved elements of Starlight, however in contrast to her dad and mom, she appears to favor Paint the Evening (by so much).
WDW Does Characters Higher Than I Thought
Lengthy earlier than having youngsters, this weblog extolled the virtues of Disneyland’s extra free-roaming method to characters. I nonetheless keep that there’s a sure magic in seeing Maleficent wandering round Sleeping Magnificence Citadel or Mary and Bert main the band or Peter Pan taking part in with friends. And the performers at Disneyland are notably gifted.
With that mentioned, Walt Disney World has made great strides with characters. Yow will discover free roaming characters within the parks for quiet shock and delight moments. There are additionally numerous conventional meet & greets, each in purpose-built venues and outdoor at devoted areas. And lots of of those don’t have notably lengthy traces. Even on busier days, we knocked out a number of characters at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (a selected brilliant spot) with precise waits of 10 minutes or much less.
That is going to buck standard knowledge, however I would go so far as to say that Walt Disney World does characters higher (extra simply accessible, balanced, and least hectic) than every other Disney Parks. Not less than, for fogeys with young children. For adults who need to see uncommon characters, seasonal costumes, or have a sure kind of interplay, there are arguably higher choices. However because it seems, household and tourist-centric Walt Disney World would possibly simply be catering to its bread and butter higher.
DHS Doesn’t Have Sufficient
The Walt Disney Studios Lot can not open quick sufficient for fogeys of toddlers. As a result of presently at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the one land aimed toward youngsters is Toy Story Land–and the ‘goal’ there isn’t completely calibrated. The one attraction in that land that works for us is Alien Swirling Saucers, as a result of Toy Story Mania isn’t fairly age applicable for our household but.
Maybe that is an “us downside,” however I used to be truly shocked by how little time we spent at DHS. Our daughter in all probability would’ve beloved looping Alien Swirling Saucers, however the wait instances made that prohibitive. With a toddler, there are solely so many prolonged exhibits you’ll be able to sit by way of, which didn’t depart us with a lot.
I’ve lengthy felt that Toy Story Land is a narrative of squandered potential, and that’s much more pronounced now that we now have a toddler. At minimal, there needs to be a play space with outsized props. (You understand, precisely like was beforehand on this park with the ‘Honey I Shrunk the Children: Film Set Journey.’)
At finest, Toy Story Land needs to be just like the defunct “a bug’s land” at DCA or Mermaid Lagoon at Tokyo DisneySea. A extra play-centric land with just a few extra flat rides would’ve been an enormous win, addressing a few of Toy Story Land’s shortcomings.
On paper, EPCOT and Animal Kingdom could not appear any higher or worse for young children than Disney’s Hollywood Studios. In follow, I used to be pleasantly shocked by simply how a lot our daughter loved each parks–particularly DAK in its present construction-forward kind.
The sense of discovery at DAK actually works properly with toddler curiosity, to the purpose that the low trip depend didn’t actually impression us. She’s at all times favored Dinoland, however this was the primary time that we spent a number of time within the animal sights and reveals. She beloved these, and by no means acquired bored with them. DAK was a full-day park for us; DHS was not.
WDW Wants Extra Frozen
One other “us downside” is that we don’t actually care in regards to the franchises that Walt Disney World has leveraged in new sights and lands within the final decade. Don’t get me flawed–we get pleasure from a number of of the tip outcomes, however that is regardless of having no emotional attachment to the underlying characters and films. Actually, I really feel like we’re not alone on this amongst followers.
This lack of emotional resonance was simpler to miss earlier than we had youngsters, particularly when the sights have been good. However there’s a zero p.c probability that we’re going to rewatch the Marvel Cinematic Universe or any Star Wars besides the primary few movies with our daughter, until she independently turns into a fan of those franchises. We didn’t develop up on the MCU, and will take or depart Star Wars.
She’s already loves Toy Story, Automobiles, Frozen, Monsters, Winnie the Pooh, Aristocats, Sew, Zootopia, Mickey & Minnie, and different animated characters. We will’t wait to introduce these motion pictures to her (all of her present information of characters comes from the parks), together with different animated movies from our childhoods through the Disney Renaissance.
So though we love Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and assume it’s the top of Imagineering, the extra significant sights to us are Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey and Frozen Ever After. Or for that matter, even Slinky Canine Sprint or Buzz Lightyear’s House Ranger Spin!
The eye-grabbing a part of that is that Walt Disney World wants extra Frozen, as a result of it’s ostensibly controversial amongst those that someway nonetheless have Frozen Fatigue. However the fact is that Frozen is underutilized as in comparison with the World(s) of Frozen or Fantasy Springs, and is a implausible property that–like Automobiles Land–lends itself to a single IP land very well.
Except the Aristocats, there’d in all probability be little argument from longtime Walt Disney World followers about extra of these franchises and different animated motion pictures from the Nineteen Nineties. Suffice to say, I actually hope Walt Disney World continues to give attention to animated movies (new classics and outdated) through the 10-year plan, versus extra Star Wars (other than fixing what’s there), Marvel, and different stay motion stuff. Additions primarily based on Automobiles, Monsters, Encanto, and Villains are a superb begin!
Strollers Are Love-Hate
We already mentioned this one at size in We Hate Strollers, However Right here’s Why We Love Our Stroller for Walt Disney World Journey. That’s extra of a product evaluation, and the concise model is that our particular stroller (YoYo) is the absolute best model of a instrument that we don’t like needing.
The “love” a part of the stroller relationship is that it extends our days once we would possibly in any other case have to take a noon break or name it an early night time. Strollers even have their moments as free lockers, though that’s not all upside. The “hate” half is just about all the pieces else–from navigating the parks to bus transportation and extra. Strollers are principally glorified anchors, however on wheels and able to transporting a toddler (so by no means, actually).
As a normal matter, we far most well-liked the babywearing days. It’s a lot simpler and extra versatile than a stroller. Actually, I don’t get fairly why so many individuals love strollers. At finest, I view them as a essential evil. I’m counting down the times till we now not want ours and have already got tried “ditching” it at any time when doable. Simply ask Sarah–one in every of my most typical latest refrains has been “can we get away with not bringing the stroller?” (The reply is normally “no.”)
As one other normal matter, we might strongly suggest touring together with your first child as a lot as doable from 6-12 months (give or take). Different dad and mom provided this recommendation to us, and we took it to coronary heart. Touring extensively throughout that ‘candy spot’ was probably the greatest selections we made as new dad and mom. I’d take {that a} step additional and suggest non-Disney locations and even (particularly) worldwide journey if inside your finances (and if Walt Disney World is inside your finances, so too are the perfect worldwide parks).
Strollers are simpler within the Disney Parks than every other vacationer locations, Walt Disney World is extremely toddler-friendly, and the parks simply get higher and higher with every passing day/month/12 months of childhood.
Shedding Dinosaurs is Tough
I touched upon this one final 12 months when the Boneyard turned one in every of Megatron’s favourite locations within the parks. That’s now gone, however she nonetheless managed to get pleasure from Dinoland (regardless of not using its headline attraction) so much–greater than we anticipated.
Within the 12 months since, she’s change into an enormous fan of dinosaurs because of library toy leases (aspect observe: do you know which you can hire just about something from the library?! I’m not even certain why we purchase stuff…they’re simply giving freely all the pieces from books to constructing blocks). Consequently, we spent much more time in what was left of the land.
I’m on document being in favor of Dino-Rama going extinct for Tropical Americas, however disenchanted that Disney is giving up on dinosaurs utterly as an idea. The want for a land at DAK primarily based on legendary creatures that aren’t linked to IP has been additional strengthened by watching the play habits of youngsters.
I’ve seen numerous youngsters taking part in with dragons, unicorns, dinosaurs (not legendary, I understand). I’ve by no means seen a single baby taking part in with Jake Sully or Na’vi motion figures–and I say this as somebody who loves Pandora. It merely doesn’t suitably fill the function that Beastly Kingdom would’ve, and Tropical Americas isn’t the identical as a land primarily based on dinosaurs.
Cut up Stays Are Powerful
When touring solo for analysis journeys, I can pack up a lodge room in beneath 10 minutes. When it was simply the 2 of us, the time was a tad larger than that. Let’s simply say it was 20 minutes. So a non-parent would possibly assume that you simply add one other individual, and the whole will increase to half-hour.
To cite a preferred insurance coverage business: “that’s not the way it works–that’s not how any of this works!” Because it seems, attempting to unpack and–particularly–pack again up is a way more concerned course of that’s principally two steps ahead, one step backwards–on repeat. Toddlers love to assist out, however they’re additionally brokers of chaos. They may resolve, for instance, that it’s best to pack-up the lodge cellphone and each single towel left within the bathtub, and make area for these necessities by eradicating all clothes from the suitcase.
We did cut up stays as a result of a mixture of prices and areas, and whereas that was good, I truthfully assume I’d’ve favored forgoing the nicer inns for a single keep at Pop Century. Despite the fact that it’s not strolling distance to any parks, the Skyliner is a breeze (and one in every of Megatron’s favourite “rides”) and the rooms are actually conducive to our wants.
WDW is Loud
This isn’t one thing we simply discovered, however I’ve been wanting to put in writing about this for some time as a result of it bugs me. I can’t be the one one who will get alerts from their watch about ‘loud noise environments’ at Walt Disney World (and never simply the restroom hand dryers).
It’s truly somewhat alarming simply how steadily it occurs throughout leisure, together with dance events aimed toward young children. To some extent, I perceive this; leisure must be heard over crowd noise, and friends appear to get pleasure from speaking over no matter they’re allegedly there to observe. However the decibel stage of just about all the pieces is extreme at Walt Disney World.
We’ve headphones to guard our daughter’s ears, which we bought for fireworks. We now use them for extra–dance events, parades, daytime stage exhibits, and extra. She likes sporting the headphones…for now. In the end, I concern that she’ll see she’s one of many solely youngsters sporting them, and never need to be the odd duck.
Larger Crowds + Decrease Temps > Off-Season
That is floor we’ve beforehand coated, however I simply need to reiterate it as a result of it’s actually necessary. Larger crowds and decrease temperatures will beat decrease crowds and triple-digit warmth any day.
The climate was pleasant throughout our Christmas-time journey, and that greater than made up for the marginally elevated crowds. However then once more, I’m considerably of a contrarian in relation to Walt Disney World crowds.
Most followers will argue that there’s no such factor as an low season. I’m way more inclined to argue that there’s no such factor as a peak-season (minus ~5 weeks per 12 months).
Even weeks like Veterans Day/Jersey Week and Thanksgiving aren’t as unhealthy as they was, and are completely “beatable” with a little bit of savvy technique. That’s doubly true when touring with a toddler, who can not trip TRON Lightcycle Run or most thrill rides with lengthy traces (until, I assume, they’re in just like the 99.ninth percentile for top).
Admittedly, body of reference issues right here. We’re accustomed to Disneyland crowds, that are usually worse than Walt Disney World. We’ve additionally frolicked at Tokyo Disney Resort, the place nearly day by day is just like the week between Christmas and New 12 months’s Eve on the home parks. When you’re not “battle hardened” to heavy crowds, your notion is likely to be totally different.
With that mentioned, we’re additionally “accustomed” to summer season climate in Central Florida. After enduring a number of depressing summers, Florida can by no means be too chilly. (See additionally, the Greatest Lesson We Realized from Child Bricker’s Summer time Journey to Disney World.) You may at all times placed on extra layers, however there are solely so many you’ll be able to take away earlier than safety will get concerned.
Christmas is Nice, Not Good
Christmas is way and away our favourite time of 12 months at Walt Disney World, and nothing about this journey modified that evaluation. On the identical time, the hole between Christmas and the remainder of winter feels nearer than it’s ever been.
It looks as if Walt Disney World is aware of that Christmas is the perfect time of 12 months. That the gradual erosion of the vacation season have been a mirrored image of that. Not simply since post-COVID, both; over the course of the final decade-plus. The resorts, eating places, and parks do much less for Christmas than they did a decade in the past.
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Social gathering has been stagnant for some time; even Jollywood Nights didn’t change a lot this 12 months. I gained’t delve deeper into these laborious occasions right here as a result of that is already lengthy and we coated them in our Picture Report & Evaluation: Child Bricker’s First Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Social gathering and Jollywood Nights Evaluation: Is Disney World’s Second Christmas Social gathering Value It?
To make sure, it hasn’t all been cutbacks at Christmas. Merry Menagerie and Animal Kingdom’s huge vacation season push are pretty latest, and are superlative–true cases of the Disney plus Christmas magic. I’d even be remiss if I didn’t draw consideration to the brand new for Christmas 2025 decorations bundle in Fantasyland and Storybook Circus, which I someway have uncared for to cowl elsewhere. It’s distinctive!
As Annual Passholders, there’s nonetheless great strategic benefit to us in visiting at Christmas versus a month or two later for the EPCOT Competition of the Arts. The aforementioned laborious ticket occasions make strategizing round Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios a lot simpler, and we didn’t purchase Lightning Lanes a single day because of this, however nonetheless acquired a ton carried out. So for us, Christmas is in zero hazard of being dethroned.
Household journeys however function a superb reminder of how the common household does Walt Disney World, and never everyone seems to be like us. For the non-AP seeking to do a visit on a tighter finances (with no Park Hopper tickets), Christmas is changing into a more durable promote. That is one thing I’ll be preserving in thoughts when creating and updating our planning content material for the approaching 12 months. However I’m curious as as to whether anybody else feels equally, or if I’m being a Grinch and the vacation season continues to be far and away the #1 time to do WDW.
Nowhere is Like Walt Disney World
Bringing issues full circle, our frequent visits to Disneyland additionally introduced the variations between these native’s parks and the holiday vacation spot behemoth that’s Walt Disney World into stark aid. Fairly merely, nowhere is like Walt Disney World for us.
Walt Disney World is likely to be the perfect metropolis that America has to supply, and as somebody who loves the city expertise, it makes me really feel like I’m again in a Disneyfied model of Paris, Tokyo, or Hong Kong. There’s actually one thing to be mentioned for taking the various types of transportation, Park Hopping from Magic Kingdom to EPCOT; from EPCOT to Disney’s Hollywood Studios; from resort to resort. Walt Disney World actually is the Trip Kingdom of the World, or Walt’s imaginative and prescient for a metropolis of the long run vaguely realized.
There’s equally actually one thing to be mentioned for the Disney Bubble, and though we all know it’s not for everybody, it completely is for us. With the ability to roll and stroll again to our lodge on the finish of a protracted night time certain beats driving house, and even coping with the logistics of a close-by off-site lodge. I do know it’s tacky to speak up being “immersed within the magic” 24/7 from arrival to departure, however that basically is the quintessential Disney Parks expertise for us.
We love Disneyland for what it’s, however Walt Disney World will at all times be “house” to us. This was a superb reminder of that, and I can solely seeing our affinity for the WDW expertise rising stronger as our daughter continues “getting old into” Disney.
We don’t faux that Walt Disney World is ideal (as a result of it isn’t!), and this was an ideal journey (removed from a flawless one–see our Two Vacation Lodge Horror Tales at WDW). However we felt that magic nearly each step of the way in which–from our arrival afternoon to the ultimate morning breakfast at Cape Could Cafe and departure dance with Daisy.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Study inns on our Walt Disney World Resorts Critiques web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Critiques. To save cash on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Ideas for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys put up takes a novel take a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Trip Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the perfect place to begin is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for all the pieces it’s worthwhile to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Ideas on these little classes discovered (or ‘reminders’ of issues we already knew) throughout Child Bricker’s Christmas 2025 journey to Walt Disney World? Anything you’re fascinated about studying about with regard to Megatron, our holiday-time expertise at WDW, or different matters touched upon right here? Anecdotes of your individual holidays with toddlers to the Disney parks? Another questions? Listening to your suggestions is at all times appreciated, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
