Hiya, Andrea!
From a fellow Disney Vacation Club Member, "Welcome Home" to planDisney and congratulations on your new
Disney Vacation Club Membership! Are you ready for your upcoming Walt Disney World Resort vacation? Not only will this be your first official visit as DVC Members, but you'll also be visiting during the most magical time of year (the holiday season, of course) –– I have a feeling that lots of pixie-dusted memory-making is headed your way!
But while the holiday season at Walt Disney World Resort is filled with magic and wonder, visiting with children over the Christmas holiday definitely presents its own set of challenges in the Santa department. Let me share a few ideas to help you make some holiday magic for your daughter during your
Disney Vacation Club Resort stay. When it comes to making sure presents arrive on Christmas morning, you have a few options. First, you might consider bringing an extra suitcase along with you on the airplane that contains a few Christmas gifts –– while you'll need to weigh the pros and cons of any baggage fees and luggage transportation, these gifts could be wrapped and ready to go before you leave home, making Santa's delivery really simple once you arrive at the Resort.
Your other option would be to have your packages delivered directly to the Resort so they're ready and waiting when you arrive. While you could consider packing and shipping a box of gifts from home, you could also have a few items shipped directly from a retailer or use a delivery service like Instacart. If you choose the shipping method, be sure to address your packages to "Guest (name on the reservation)" and have them shipped to the address for the Resort's main entrance (it's also probably a good idea to include your arrival date on the package, too). Once you arrive, you can either stop by Bell Services to pick up your items or have them delivered directly to your room for a small fee. Also, I recommend having your package delivered a day or so before check-in (and don't forget to include the wrapping paper!).
And while you definitely won't find a shortage of festive offerings or holiday cheer during your visit, there are a few extra ways to bring the magic of the season alive for your daughter. If she'd like to enjoy some time with the big man himself (Santa, that is),
Maria & Enzo's Ristorante at Disney Springs is offering a special Breakfast with Santa during the holiday season –– I even took a peek at the restaurant's website and they still have a few reservations available during your stay. And if you're out in the parks, there are usually plenty of ways to see Santa, too. You'll find him floating along Discovery River on a festive flotilla at Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park and cruising down Hollywood Boulevard as part of the Santa Claus Merry Motorcade. At Magic Kingdom, he can usually be found in the Liberty Square Gazebo, and at EPCOT, head to The American Adventure Pavillion when that jolly old elf is part of the
EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays.
Thanks so much for visiting planDisney, Andrea. I hope this helped to answer your question and I'm wishing you and your family a "Welcome Home" visit that's filled with holiday wonder and plenty of Membership magic!
See Ya Real Soon,
Amy