Welcome, Andrea! I’m so glad you found your way here to planDisney. Like a journey straight out of
The Jungle Book, holiday planning is all about adventure, discovery, and enjoying the path along the way.
Visits to the Walt Disney World Resort in December are the kind of visit that encourages you to slow down and enjoy the bare necessities of the season. From limited-time seasonal treats to ride overlays and exclusive events, it’s such an exciting time to visit. What’s more, the fireworks spectacular and parade that are usually only available during
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party are often performed during regular park hours at Magic Kingdom Park during the last week of the year. Be sure to stay tuned to the
Disney Parks Blog for information related to this year’s festivities, some of which are usually announced during Halfway to the Holidays in June!
When it comes to the villas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, you actually have two options. There’s
Jambo House, the main lodge most people picture when they think of this iconic resort, which offers both standard hotel rooms and villa options. Then there’s the neighboring
Kidani Village, which exclusively features villa accommodations. At either location, you’ll want to look into booking a 3-Bedroom Grand Villa. These villas accommodate up to 12 Guests, plus one child under the age of 3 in a crib. While your party is slightly smaller, a 2-Bedroom Villa accommodates up to 9 Guests, plus one child under the age of 3 in a crib, which would put your group one person over the maximum occupancy. For that reason, the 3-Bedroom Grand Villa would be the best fit, giving your group plenty of space along with truly stunning accommodations.
Regarding theme park tickets, if you are booking a vacation package (which is a Disney Resorts Collection Hotel room and theme park tickets booked together), you must purchase at least 2 days of park tickets. If this is the route you’d like to go, simply navigate to the resort page of your choice, select “Room Rates,” input the pertinent information, select the offer you are looking to book, and press the blue “Select” button next to the room you’re interested in. Follow the prompts to select how many days you’d like to visit the parks, the type of ticket (it sounds like you may be interested in the Park Hopper Option, which will allow you to visit more than one park in a day), along with various other options you may want to add to your package. Since you’re booking well over 30 days before your arrival date, you’ll need to pay an initial deposit, and the rest will be due 30 days before you arrive.
If you’d like to only visit the parks for one day, you would book a room-only reservation (following the same procedures outlined above, but not adding on tickets). Then, you’d purchase your 1-day ticket with the Park Hopper Option separately. Please note that typically, room-only reservations also require a deposit, with the rest being due when you arrive at the resort. Theme park ticket-only purchases must be paid in full at the time of purchase and are nonrefundable and nontransferable.
Andrea, enjoy every minute at this truly unique and unforgettable resort.
I’m here if you have any other questions!
Here’s to adventure, discovery, and a little magic from the jungle,
Matt