Christmas is sort of a "best of times, worst of times" season at Disney. All of Walt Disney World, both the theme parks and the resorts, is beautifully decorated for the holidays and the festivities begin just after Thanksgiving and last through New Year's Day. This means that the Christmas season is actually a bit longer than you might be imagining and, if at all possible, I'd urge you to take your family sometime between the last week of November and mid-December. There is about a three-week period when you'll have all the great decorations and shows of the Christmas season plus very light crowds. It's an unbeatable time to visit.

About ten days before Christmas the crowds begin to pick up. It's extremely busy the week before Christmas and even more packed the week between Christmas and New Year's. (During that week the parks often swell to peak capacity and are closed to arriving visitors by 10 a.m.) This kind of crowd is especially hard on families with young kids--it's easy to lose your children in the crush and nearly impossible to push a stroller.

Given the ages of your children and assuming you can manage a visit sometime within the late-November to mid-December "sweet spot," I'd recommend you spend an evening at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. This evening celebration within the Magic Kingdom is a big hit with kids under ten. It's held on certain evenings during November and December. You'll see the special holiday parade with its marching toy soldiers and dancing snowflakes, there are special shows and fireworks, carolers stroll the streets, and of course the Magic Kingdom is decked out to the max in holiday finery. They serve cookies and cocoa and a complimentary family photo is included in the price.

The highlight of Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is when it snows on Main Street. This isn't a cloud of white confetti--they set up huge snowblowers on the roofs of Main Street shops and manage to get quite a few real snow flurries going. Needless to say, falling snow is not a common occurence in Florida, so the crowd goes wild. (And doesn't seem to mind that the snowflakes melt within minutes of hitting the street.) The Very Merry Christmas Party sells out in advance on many dates, especially the later ones, so be sure to pre-order your tickets by contacting Ticketmaster or dialing (407) W-DISNEY.

Two other tips: When people visit Walt Disney World around the holidays they're always wowed by the decorations in the theme parks. But take some time to visit the Disney resorts as well. You'll find wonderful themed trees (an all-nautical tree at the Yacht Club, antlers and teepees at Wilderness Lodge, swirls of poinsettias at the Grand Floridian, etc.) in all the resorts and many also have elaborate gingerbread villages.

And finally, if you're visiting at a holiday season it's essential that you arrange priority seating at the restaurants of your choice before you arrive in Orlando. (If you're staying at a Disney resort, call (407) WDW-DINE a few weeks before you leave home.) The restaurants are often packed during the holidays and it's almost impossible to get last-minute seating. This is one tip your "expert" learned the hard way. The first time my family spent Christmas at Disney World we ended up eating Christmas Eve dinner at McDonald's!

Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and prices are subject to change. Updated June 2005.