Hey There, Hi There, Ho There, Carla!
You are as welcome as can be here at planDisney! How exciting that you are planning for your upcoming visit right around the holidays. Carla, oh what fun it is to visit Disney at this time. The holiday overlays, special treats, and all of the holiday happenings sure make it the merriest place on earth (maybe except for the North Pole.)
Carla, I like to maximize my time at Walt Disney World so my recommendation is to get there as early as possible. If you are planning to stay at a
Disney Resort Hotel, you can check in prior to your arrival day right in your
My Disney Experience app. Go to your home page, click on "My Resort" and then there is a link to "check-in." Click that link and follow the steps, which include letting Disney know your arrival time, and then you have one less step to do on arrival day. You can drop your bags that morning at
Bell Services, and once your room is ready - typically closer to 3:00 p.m. or 4:00 p.m. - you will receive a text or a push notification. If you are enjoying the day at the theme parks or at your Resort pool, you do not have to return to your Resort room. But when you are ready, you can skip the Front Desk and go directly to your room. If you have bags at Bell Services, you can give them a jingle and they'll deliver them to you.
Now, for your theme park visit, I recommend getting there as early as possible. If you are staying at a Disney Resort Hotel, you will receive Early Entry to the theme parks 30 minutes before the theme park opens. I highly recommend taking advantage of this extra magic time as it's a great way to experience some of your favorite attractions before the park opens to General Admission.
If you are not staying at one of the Disney Resorts Collection Hotels, then I would recommend being at the theme park for "rope drop" which is when the park officially opens. In fact, I would get there 30-45 minutes in advance of that as often crowds gather at the theme park entrance to be among the first to enter the park. The time depends on which park you are visiting and the opening hours of that park on that day, which can vary. I recommend checking the theme park hours calendar about a week out from your visit. But by getting into the parks early, you have the best chance of enjoying the greatest number of attractions and maximizing the magic of your day. Plus, the parks will get busier as the day goes on, as more Guests enter.
I hope this helps you, Carla! If you have any additional questions, please stop by here again and we will be happy to help you.
Have fun making magical memories!
Keri