Christmas is our favourite time of yr at Walt Disney World, and throughout the vacation season, there’s a week-long window that we actually love. This submit discusses why we advocate visiting after Thanksgiving however earlier than the height weeks of winter break, with a rundown of what makes this time of yr particular–and completely different from the busier weeks. (Up to date July 12, 2025.)

That is hardly a secret. Lengthy-time readers of the weblog would possibly know that our #1 favourite week of the yr at Walt Disney World is the one after Thanksgiving. We’ve beneficial it numerous instances over the past decade-plus, and it’s been our go-to for ages. Again after we lived within the Midwest, our annual Christmas journey normally began the Sunday after the vacation. (Even after we have been nonetheless at school, we used to skip a pair days to make it an extended weekend journey!)

I don’t hold monitor, but when I needed to guess at which week of the yr we’ve spent probably the most minutes in Walt Disney World since 2007, it will be this one. Most likely by a reasonably vast margin. We completely love the week after Thanksgiving. There are occasions after we’ve ‘prolonged’ our method and skilled the primary two weeks of December, and have been pleasantly stunned with each. Neither of those weeks are even remotely on par with Thanksgiving, Christmas, New 12 months’s Eve, and even the primary week of January.

It’s additionally value noting that irrespective of what number of instances we’ve shared this “finest saved secret,” it has remained reliably uncrowded. To make certain, late November into early December is busier now than it was a decade or extra in the past. However that’s true of just about all dates of the yr. Walt Disney World annual attendance has elevated, and park growth has not saved tempo. So crowds are worse, throughout the board, than they have been in 2010!

Accordingly, these of you with time machines in your possession might not even need to hassle with this submit, and as a substitute dial in any random date in 2002 for decrease crowds. Everybody else ought to proceed studying, as the vacation season has curler coaster crowds with each actually excessive highs and low lows!

Actually, our lists of the 10 Finest and 10 Worst Weeks to Go to Walt Disney World in 2025 & 2026 include a number of weeks in November and December–on each the perfect & worst lists, too! It’s really fairly wild how the parks go from chaotic to quiet (comparatively talking) virtually in a single day from one week to the following.

Though this submit focuses on the nice, we’ve intensive expertise with the dangerous. Again after we lived in Florida, we’d typically have household go to for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and (naturally) we’d take them to the parks throughout these peak weeks. And we ourselves did each single New 12 months’s Eve (and December 30) within the parks for a number of consecutive years. (Actually, we nonetheless love NYE at WDW, and advocate it regardless of the crowds–it’s an expertise value having!)

As vacationers, we go to at the very least twice every year in November and December. The primary of these weeks is nearly all the time Jersey Week/Veterans Day, which is when the primary Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together and Disney Jollywood Nights happen (November 7-8, 2025) and the remainder of the vacation season kicks off (later this yr than regular–November 14, 2025). With out fail, that could be a busy week–and offers a pleasant distinction to our favourite household journey time after Thanksgiving.

Right here’s what we love about this timeframe throughout the vacation season at Walt Disney World, and why you need to go to throughout one among these weeks in the event you’re already planning a 2025 or 2026 trip throughout Christmas-time…

“Full” Christmas

Even with out the Dream Lights and different issues which have been misplaced over the past decade-plus, the vacation season is way and away our favourite time at Walt Disney World. We’ve gone into this at size in various different posts, together with our Final Information to Christmas at Walt Disney World, so we received’t belabor the purpose.

Relating to Christmas, we like just a few completely different home windows. The primary is the very starting, earlier than any vacation crowds arrive. The issue with this week in 2025 is that solely decorations will probably be up with the events beginning on the tail finish of that week, as crowds begin growing. However once more, common Christmas leisure like Merry Menagerie, meet & greets, and extra won’t begin till November 14, 2025.

The second is after the week of Veterans’ Day, however earlier than Thanksgiving. This week is significantly better, and after the vacation season formally begins on November 14. Even so, it’s not fully Christmas throughout them. Many resorts nonetheless aren’t decked out for the vacations, and EPCOT remains to be “celebrating” Meals & Wine Competition. This leaves the 2 weeks after Thanksgiving because the candy spot to go to Walt Disney World for a full Christmas.

Resort Environment

Two of the final three years, I’ve stayed at All Star Sports activities throughout this week. Final yr was a household journey, and we did a cut up keep between the DVC Cabins at Fort Wilderness and Port Orleans French Quarter. All of those stays have been implausible, however the one value drawing consideration to is All Star Sports activities.

This one is notable as a result of the start of December was once purple flag dates at All Star Sports activities resulting from youth sporting occasions. We made the error of staying on the All Stars as soon as throughout Pop Warner, and rapidly stated by no means once more. Properly, the ‘outdated days’ are over and now ESPN Extensive World of Sports activities doesn’t host main youth occasions throughout the holidays.

In each method, my expectations have been exceeded. The grounds have been wanting nice, the meals courtroom was by no means overly-crowded, and there have been by no means rowdy teams of youngsters enjoying on the soccer subject. Bus service was immediate, pickup instances have been correct, and it was solely shared on one late evening getting back from Magic Kingdom. Regardless of leaving late, I all the time made Early Entry with time to spare.

Throughout one keep at All Star Sports activities, I spoke with a supervisor who supplied attention-grabbing insights about resort occupancy and constructing closures, which confirmed what I suspected based mostly on the low variety of folks out and about on the resort. It was an identical story at virtually each resort I visited.

Admittedly, I intentionally didn’t do Grand Floridian or Wilderness Lodge throughout their ‘peak’ hours when crowds are likely to the worst, however even the favored Crescent Lake resorts have been fairly quiet throughout the days that I visited. As with the parks, this can be a far cry from the scene throughout the weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and NYE.

Decrease Costs & Higher Offers

With decrease occupancy than the height weeks of the vacation season, it ought to come as no shock that there are higher offers available between the height weeks of the vacations moderately than throughout them.

We’re usually doing on-site stays twice throughout the vacation season at Walt Disney World: as soon as throughout Jersey Week and the Veterans Day vacation weekend, and once more throughout this favourite week. In pricing out November 6-11, 2025 vs. November 30 to December 5, 2025, I’m seeing huge worth variations.

There are some resorts that aren’t discounted in any respect throughout the first set of dates. Against this, I see loads of availability throughout the second set of dates, together with Deluxe Resorts which might be over $100 off per evening. (Though we haven’t booked it but, Animal Kingdom Lodge at $146 off per evening may be very tempting!) See All Present Reductions at Walt Disney World for a have a look at the assorted particular affords.

Not solely that, however the resort rack charges and different costs are decrease to start with than throughout Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New 12 months’s weeks. If you happen to have a look at the Most cost-effective Instances to Go to Walt Disney World, you’ll see that these two weeks are the perfect of the vacation season. Nonetheless not as little as the true low season, however fairly shut!

Decrease Crowds & Wait Instances

As measured by common wait instances, the weeks of Veterans Day/Jersey Week and Thanksgiving are two of the busiest weeks of the yr, behind solely Presidents’ Day, Spring Break, typically Columbus Day, and the weeks of Christmas and New 12 months’s Eve.

Relating to each of those November weeks, the week-to-week drop within the following week is fairly pronounced. Particularly, crowds plummet on the Sunday after Thanksgiving and staying there for the whole thing of the following week. The week following Thanksgiving averaged a 34 minute wait time (2/10 on the gang calendar), as in comparison with 49 minutes throughout the week of Thanksgiving (10/10 on the gang calendar). That 15 minute distinction could appear insignificant, but it surely’s really large–and actually provides up over the course of a day.

The next week was busier than early December, averaging a 40 minute wait and 5/10 crowd degree. That’s nonetheless fairly busy as in comparison with September or Could, however very manageable for the vacation season. It’s additionally skewed by Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together dates–you possibly can do considerably higher by merely selecting the Finest Days of the Week to Go to Every Park at Walt Disney World.

If you happen to’re planning a Walt Disney World journey for 2025 or 2026, you clearly can’t depend on these precise numbers holding up. Nonetheless, that’s fairly in keeping with what we’ve seen in regular years for the final decade or so. Usually, crowds fall off a cliff the Sunday after Thanksgiving, plateau for every week or so, after which regularly rise within the lead-up to Christmas.

Our expectation is definitely barely decrease crowd ranges for the second week of December 2025, and about the identical numbers for the week instantly after Thanksgiving. The idea for that is that wait instances have been down year-over-year at Walt Disney World resulting from “revenge journey” exhausting itself. Nonetheless, it’s arduous to see early December enhancing that a lot. It was already actually good final yr, and is a well-liked time for annual guests.

No matter what else occurs, all bets are off as soon as winter breaks begin. The interval between Christmas and New 12 months’s Eve being one of many worst weeks of the yr, and issues probably not letting up till colleges return into session and Marathon Weekend concludes.

Eating Availability

We have been in a position to eat in every single place we needed (with the necessary caveat that many of the locations we want aren’t probably the most highly-coveted Advance Eating Reservations), and sometimes discovered same-day ADRs or availability through walk-up waitlist.

This included actually no look forward to Nomad Lounge and Steakhouse 71, in addition to discovering same-day ADRs for numerous eating places. Even Fantasmic and Candlelight Processional eating packages had pop-up availability!

On condition that we each want extra spontaneity, this positive beats visiting throughout the peak vacation weeks. Visitors doing journeys then needed to be up early to make ADRs 60+ days upfront, and a few doubtless nonetheless didn’t get every part they needed. Waits for Cell Order and Stroll-Up Waitlist are additionally a lot worse when it’s busier.

Lightning Lane Pricing & Availability

Throughout my go to final yr for Veterans Day, I bought Lightning Lane Multi-Go on a number of completely different events. I used to be doing this “for analysis,” but it surely was however very helpful in serving to bypass heavy crowds.

Throughout our household go to in early December, we didn’t hassle with Lightning Lanes in any respect. There have been a few instances we got here to remorse this, akin to making an attempt to see Residing with the Land: Glimmering Greenhouses on the finish of the evening with an overly-tired toddler, however by and enormous, it simply was not essential. It was additionally cheaper and had higher availability, so at the very least if we did need to use it, we might’ve scored extra experience reservations at a decrease price.

Suffice to say, that’s a stark distinction to the weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New 12 months’s Eve, when Lightning Lane availability was or will probably be way more restricted resulting from elevated “competitors” ensuing from extra folks shopping for the paid FastPass service. Worse crowds solely compound that, with greater wait instances and extra congestion in between Lightning Lane return instances.

December Climate

One factor I’ve realized over the previous few years is that I used to be not “constructed” for Florida warmth and humidity. To make certain, we had traveled to Walt Disney World in each month and week of the yr beforehand, so we knew what we have been getting ourselves into. Nonetheless, lots of our transplant mates reassured us that it’s not so dangerous and also you get used to it. That by no means occurred for us, and we discovered ourselves spending far an excessive amount of time indoors 8 months of the yr.

Whereas some folks go to Florida for the limitless summer time sunshine and heat temperatures, that’s positively not the case for us. Our ‘candy spot’ for Florida climate is from round November till February. I’ll take having to put on a coat over sweating via my shirt any day of the week. You’ll be able to all the time add layers, however there are solely so many you may subtract earlier than safety will get concerned.

Whereas it’s not all the time excellent, we’ve discovered that 90% of the time, the climate in late November and early December is at the very least temperate. As a lot as I really like late August and September for low crowds, I’ll fortunately cope with barely elevated attendance for considerably higher climate. It’s a straightforward commerce off for us.

Vacation Finery

I’m not what you’d name a trendy man in any conventional sense of the time period. GQ won’t be ringing me anytime quickly, asking the place I get my moisture wicking polos, quick-drying shorts, or bucket hats. In the summertime, my outfit rotation is fairly easy and restricted. In contrast to Sarah, who all the time seems to be good irrespective of the season or climate, I appear to be a doofus who simply emerged from the sauna throughout Florida’s three seasons of summer time.

Nonetheless, roughly 75% of my wardrobe is sweaters and flannel shirts. It’s gotten to the purpose that I’ve been “banned” from shopping for extra blue plaid, as ‘that appears like a half-dozen shirts you already personal and might’t put on 10 months of the yr.’ It ought to go with out saying, however these should not the optimum outfits for Florida.

It’s an offshoot of climate, however one of many issues I like about this time of yr at Walt Disney World is that I don’t have to decorate in utilitarian clothes that appears like I’m about to go fishing. I can bust out my formidable sweater assortment or huge array of blue plaid shirts. Within the grand scheme of issues, it’s minor, but it surely’s good to have pictures of us the place we each look presentable and have enjoyable outfits.

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together

For years, we’ve finished the primary Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Get together in early August and the primary Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together in early November. Whereas I can go from 0 to 60 on the subject of stepping into the vacation spirit, the identical isn’t true of everybody else.

Not solely is the climate (normally) higher for the December events, however the power is nearly all the time higher. Far more friends are wearing ugly Christmas sweaters, truthful isle onesies, vacation Spirit Jerseys, and so forth. Simply because the MNSSHP is best in October, so too is Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together nearer to Christmas. The occasion itself is similar, and but, higher.

It’s robust to elucidate how, however in the event you’ve finished the primary evening of MVMCP and in addition one of many December dates, you recognize. (We have now additionally been rained out method too many instances on the first MVMCP prior to now, and that may’ve occurred once more had we attended this yr. Knock on wooden, however that hasn’t occurred to us in ages throughout the December dates of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together.)

Disney Jollywood Nights

It’s a really comparable story with the Christmas occasion at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which is retiring for its third yr in 2025. Disney Jollywood Nights is a vacation arduous ticket occasion providing a extra refined vacation vibe, sights of glowing décor, sounds of contemporary beats over traditional vacation songs, tastes of craft cocktails and decadent dishes. It’s nostalgic and it’s glitz and glam galore.

To that time, Fifties vacation apparel is beneficial for this seasonal soirée and a giant a part of the occasion would be the glamorous vibe and environment. Clearly, you possibly can assemble an outfit with layers that may work for doubtlessly sizzling or chilly climate in mid-November. Or you possibly can go later within the month or early December when temperatures are more likely to be cooler.

Candlelight Processional

I’m a sucker for Candlelight Processional at EPCOT. The pageantry of all of it, lovely music, and energy put into the spectacle by so many expert and passionate Solid Members. Suffice to say, Candlelight Processional is one thing particular. From the choir to the orchestra to the conductor to the ASL interpreter, I really like watching these gifted performers give it their all. It’s an excellent custom–one began by Walt Disney at Disneyland and imported to EPCOT a lot later–and one thing I hope by no means ends.

I’m not significantly ‘massive’ on celebrities, so the narrator issues much less to me. (If something, I favor a number of the much less well-liked ones as they draw smaller crowds of their followers.) With that stated, there are some I get pleasure from greater than others. I don’t need to ‘title names’ and disparage anybody (or alienate their followers), however I’m not significantly eager on the narrators who continuously seem throughout this window. Maybe it’s simply my notion, but it surely looks like Walt Disney World books the perfect narrators in mid-to-late December.

The upside to that is low crowds for Candlelight Processional. I managed to snag seats twice with no eating package deal and no wait in line. Positive, I used to be in the direction of the again, however I’ve seen it sufficient that I’m completely glad with solely an okay view. Not having to purchase a eating package deal (to not point out the stress of making an attempt to attain ADRs) or wait in an extended line is a greater than truthful tradeoff, from my perspective.

It’s not simply Candlelight Processional, even when that’s what we’re emphasizing. Right here’s a rundown of the 2025 EPCOT Competition of the Holidays, from the Beacons of Magic on Spaceship Earth to the Vacation Storytellers round World Showcase to the festive meals cubicles. It’s all implausible, and we want this occasion to the flagship Meals & Wine Competition!

In the end, it must be straightforward to see why that is our favourite week (or weeks?) of the yr at Walt Disney World. Despite the fact that wait instances for sure headliners are nonetheless excessive, the decrease congestion ranges as in comparison with Thanksgiving week makes a large distinction when it comes to total consolation degree–and the higher climate additionally helps! Final yr, the one time and place we ever noticed crowding was within the hub and Important Road throughout Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together, however that’s about par for the course.

If you happen to’re at the moment planning a visit, our advice could be to go to from November 30 via December 7, 2025. If you happen to’re planning for subsequent yr, the finest dates are November 29 to December 6, 2026. That’ll virtually definitely be the candy spot for the perfect of crowds, wait instances, climate, seasonal spirit, and so forth. Lately, Saturday hasn’t been busy both, so you possibly can fly out on Black Friday and do your first park day on Saturday.

If we had to decide on a next-best set of dates from a qualitative perspective, it’d be troublesome to resolve between December 8-14, 2025 and November 15-21, 2025 (regulate these sooner or later earlier for 2026 suggestions). The large tradeoffs could be barely greater crowds vs. full Christmas and doubtlessly higher climate. We’d select the December dates, largely as a result of we’re massive followers of the EPCOT Competition of the Holidays, which doesn’t begin till after Thanksgiving. Regardless, some potential journey dates to think about on your future journeys to Walt Disney World!

Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Find out about inns on our Walt Disney World Lodges Evaluations web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Evaluations. To economize on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Ideas for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets submit. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys submit takes a novel have a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Journey Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the perfect place to start out is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for every part you must know!

YOUR THOUGHTS

If you happen to’ve finished Walt Disney World post-Thanksgiving, what was your expertise? If you happen to’ve visited this identical week in prior years, how do you suppose this yr compares? Ideas about the rest coated right here? If you happen to’re a frequent customer throughout this timeframe, what’s your tackle crowds, wait instances, seasonal spirit, climate, and so forth? Agree or disagree with our evaluation of those two weeks as the perfect time throughout the vacation season? Any questions we will help you reply? Listening to your suggestions is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!