Hiya Angela,
It is so great to see you back at planDisney! You will be visiting
Walt Disney World Resort at truly the most wonderful time of the year! There is no place my family would rather celebrate the holidays than the happiest place on earth. From the amazing trees, to the holiday lights, to the giant gingerbread creations and special holiday entertainment, there are so many things to see and do.
The
theme park schedules are typically released around 60 days in advance. Therefore, the
Magic Kingdom parade time has yet to be posted but it is often mid-afternoon and you may have two parade options during the holidays. There are really no bad viewing areas along the entire parade route and your preferred spot really depends on your comfort level with crowds and willingness to camp out prior to the start time. Main Street U.S.A. is the most popular viewing location with many guests lining up near
Casey's Corner or the
Main Street Bakery. This area provides a great backdrop of
Cinderella Castle and offers plenty of snack options nearby but it will fill up quite early. If you want to be near the castle, you will need to find a spot early. It is not unusual to see family members taking turns holding spots for their gang.
We prefer to go down a little ways from the castle, and head over to Liberty Square. Specifically, our favorite spot is along the porch outside Liberty Tree Tavern or near Country Bear Jamboree. This area provides easy access to Adventureland (which lets us jump in a line for Jungle Cruise or Pirates of the Caribbean once the parade passes), has plenty of snack options nearby and even a restroom just a few steps away if needed. We also find this area offers a little more shade than Main Street during the afternoon sun. I do suggest finding a spot early, as even this area will become crowded during the week of Christmas.
I am a Magic Kingdom girl at heart but in the case of Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, I would suggest EPCOT. While all the parks will be busy the week of Christmas, EPCOT is larger than Magic Kingdom, the walkways are wider and the layout of the park seems to manage crowd levels more comfortably. As a bonus, you will find plenty of holiday cheer and entertainment at
EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays as well as the nighttime showing of
Harmonious. While there has not been an official announcement yet, I am hopeful that the Candlelight Processional will return for 2022. If you have never seen this telling of the Christmas Story, it is beautiful! Be sure to check back with us and we can provide updates as they are available.
I hope all of these ideas will help put the Ho-Ho-Ho in your trip. Please
stop back and see me if you have any additional questions.
With pixie dust,
Margaret