How to Make Your Holiday Trip to Disney World BETTER and CHEAPER

The holiday season is one of the most magical times of the year to visit Disney World. Festive decorations, new treats and snacks, and special events make the theme parks even more exciting than they normally are.

But because the parks are so popular this time of year, this is also when they tend to be the most expensive. Disney’s surge pricing (for both tickets and hotel rooms) usually reaches its highest point around the holidays. So how can you combat those prices? There are a couple of good deals to help you save some serious cash!

Deals to Help You Save

If you want to stay at a Disney World hotel during your holiday trip, we have great news for you! There are a couple of discounts available now to help you save on your rooms.

If you’re a Disney+ subscriber, you can save up to 20% on rooms at some Disney World hotels. You can book now to save on hotel stays most nights from December 11th through the 25th, 2022.

Here are the hotels that qualify for this discount:

• Save 20% at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney’s Old Key West Resort, Disney’s Riviera Resort, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, and Disney’s Yacht Club Resort.
• Save 15% at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort – Family Suites, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter, and Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside.
• Save 10% at The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort, Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village, Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Disney’s BoardWalk Villas, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Disney’s Pop Century Resort, and Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.

But if you’re a Disney World Annual Passholder, you could save even MORE. Annual Passholders can save up to 25% on Disney World hotel rooms on most Sunday to Thursday nights from October 23rd through November 17th and most nights from November 20th through December 25th, 2022.

Here are the hotels that qualify for the Annual Passholder discount:

• Save 25% at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney’s Old Key West Resort, Disney’s Riviera Resort, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, and Disney’s Yacht Club Resort.
• Save 20% at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort – Family Suites, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter, and Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside.
• Save 15% at Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort, Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village, Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Disney’s BoardWalk Villas, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, and The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort.
• Save 10% at Disney’s Pop Century Resort.

Now you’re all set to save big on your upcoming Disney World vacation. But before you head out the door, here are a few more things to remember about Disney World during the holidays.

Other Things to Remember

Special Events

We mentioned earlier that there are a couple of special events in Disney World for the holidays! You can get a ticket for Mickey’s Very Mery Christmas Party in Magic Kingdom, which takes place on certain nights from November 8th through December 22nd.

This is a separately ticketed event, meaning you can’t get in with just your Magic Kingdom park ticket. Tickets range in price from $149 to $199 for adults and $139 to $189 for kids. The party is from 7PM to 12AM, but guests with a ticket can get into Magic Kingdom at 4PM.

At the party, there’s a stage show, a Christmas parade, a holiday fireworks show, character meet-and-greets, holiday treats, and more. Some dates are already starting to sell out for this party, so grab your tickets ASAP if you want to go this year.

Click here to learn more about Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.

Over in EPCOT, you can attend the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays. This festival is included in your EPCOT park ticket, although some things at the festival (like snacks at the holiday kitchens and dining packages) cost extra.

The fan-favorite Candlelight Processional is returning this year, along with the Cookie Stroll! You can also go on an Olaf-themed scavenger hunt, see festive storytellers around World Showcase, and watch the JOYFUL! stage show.

Festival of the Holidays begins on November 25th this year.

Learn more about the Festival of the Holidays here.

Park Pass Reservations

Because the holiday season is such a popular time to visit Disney World, you’ll want to get your park tickets and Park Pass Reservations early. (Remember that you need to reserve your spot at the theme parks you want to visit each day in addition to purchasing theme park tickets — the Park Pass Reservation system was introduced in 2020 and continues to be mandatory at all 4 theme parks.)

Currently, availability for park passes looks pretty wide open for this coming holiday season. Although a couple of weeks are starting to fill up in October, there is availability at all 4 Disney World parks for November…

…December…

…and January.

It won’t stay like this forever, though. As more people plan their trips (and as we get closer to the dates), these holiday times will start to fill up. We recommend reserving those park passes as soon as you know when you’re going!

Learn more about Disney World park passes here.

Dining

Another thing to plan for your holiday vacation in Disney World is dining. Again, the popularity of this time of year might make it difficult to get reservations at table service restaurants if you don’t plan ahead.

Remember that you can book Disney dining reservations starting 60 days before your vacation. If you’re staying at a Disney World hotel, you can book those reservations for your whole vacation 60 days before the first day of your trip. If you’re staying off-property, you can book reservations starting 60 days before each day.

We did the math so that you don’t have to — here’s when reservations open for some of the big holidays this season:

• Thanksgiving Day (November 24th) — September 25th, 2022
• Christmas Eve (December 24th) — October 25th, 2022
• Christmas Day (December 25th) — October 26th, 2022
• New Year’s Eve (December 31st) — November 1st, 2022
• New Year’s Day (January 1st, 2023) — November 2nd, 2022

Some of the most popular restaurants in Disney World might book up fast (think ‘Ohana, Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ Kitchen, Be Our Guest, Chef Mickey’s, etc.). For that reason, make sure you have a couple of backup options when you’re making reservations so that you’re not left with no reservations during your trip.

However, even if you don’t get any reservations, you can find a lot of great quick service meals around the parks and hotels. Here’s a list of some of our favorites!

Check out the best Disney World restaurants for holiday meals here.

And now you’re all set to visit Disney World this holiday season! If you want some more help with planning, we’re more than happy to provide some great resources. Take a look at these posts for essential planning tips:

• 8 Easy Mistakes to Avoid When Planning Your Next Disney World Trip
• 8 Secret Disney World Tricks Only the Pros Know
• A Realistic Budget For Your 2023 Disney World Trip
• Painter’s Tape, Rice Cookers, and Other WEIRD Things You Pack for Disney World
• A Complete Guide to EPCOT Festivals
• 8 Disney World Spots That Are Pure Chaos (And How to Avoid Them)
• How Much Does It REALLY Cost To Eat at Disney World?
• 6 Common Disney World Tips You Should Ignore

And keep following AllEars for more Disney World news, tips, and discounts!

Click here to see EVERYTHING coming back to Disney World for the holiday season this year.

Are you visiting Disney World this holiday season? Let us know in the comments.

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