Welcome, Laureen, to our festive and informative little corner of the internet! Let’s get your question answered.
The transformation of the parks and resorts to the
holidays is nothing short of amazing. This is especially true once the parks close on
Halloween night, as that's when the transformation begins. This is even more true in
Magic Kingdom Park, where the hard-working Cast Members are up for most of the night, erasing all traces of the festive fall season and beginning to put up many of the winter holiday decorations. And while not
everything goes up overnight, what
does go up is pretty awesome to witness. It’s truly astounding how much Christmas spirit is injected into the resort in such a short amount of time! You can see some of the magic behind the scenes by watching
Decorating Disney: Holiday Magic on Disney+.
Typically, the holiday decorations come down during the first week of January. You should be able to see many decorations on January 1st, but don’t be surprised if they start to magically disappear during your visit.
While we can’t predict crowd levels, we typically see crowds starting to leave after New Year’s Day since many Guests need to get back to work and school. So, I’m hoping that as your trip progresses, the holiday crowds die down a bit, and you get to enjoy some shorter waits at attractions and experiences. But remember, if you’re staying at a
Disney Resorts Collection Hotel, you can purchase and reserve
Lightning Lanes 7 days ahead of your arrival date, and other Guests can reserve 3 days ahead of the start of their
theme park ticket. This helps to minimize your time waiting in lines and maximize your time enjoying the other immersive elements of the parks! And
snacks...don't forget about the snacks!
Laureen, enjoy your New Year's visit to the resort, and
please reach out again if you have any other questions!
May the magic of your trip last you the whole year through,
Matt