Hi Karen! Thanks for reaching out to planDisney!
The holiday season is one of my absolute favorite times to visit the Walt Disney World Resort. One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is to tour the different resorts to see their holiday decorations. Everyone's favorite is the Gingerbread House in the lobby of
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. It is truly a sight to see and there are many yummy treats sold within. One of my personal favorites is the Gingerbread Carousel at
Disney's Beach Club Resort, which takes on a different theme each year. I especially loved it when it was themed to my all-time favorite Disney movie,
The Little Mermaid!
Another holiday favorite is
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at
Magic Kingdom Park. It has so many fan-favorite activities like specialty fireworks, celebrations on the stage in front of
Cinderella Castle, and the festive specialty parade, Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade. Keep an eye on the
event page and the
Disney Parks Blog for announcements of dates for the 2023 holiday season and all of the offerings for this year. This party requires a separate ticket and will go on sale later this year. If it's your first time visiting the resort during the holidays, I always recommend going to this party as it has lower crowds and really gets you into the holiday spirit! As a tip, even though the party usually starts at 7:00PM EST, you are usually allowed to enter the park at 4:00PM EST to get some rides or other activities in before the festivities start!
I see that you are arriving on December 20th. If this is the case, please note that Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade usually runs during the day during the last week of December. This means that if your trip extends into that time, you can use a
standard theme park ticket for Magic Kingdom Park to see the parade during the day. As your trip gets closer, keep an eye on the
Events Calendar to see if and when the parade will be performed for daytime guests. You can also find this information on the handy
My Disney Experience app under Park Hours & Info.
I hope this information helps you have the best holiday ever at the Walt Disney World Resort!
Stay merry and magical,
Matt