Christmas in Florida, advice

Hi

we are a family of 4 visiting Florida for Christmas this year, this will be our first visit and we would welcome any advice on how best to spend it?

Our children are 5 and 4 years old so we want to make it as magical as we possibly can for them. Our thoughts are to book a character meal so advice on which is best for their age group and how to go about booking it it would be very much appreciated?

We also want to eat out on Christmas Day, we have been told that Christmas Dinner within one of the Disney Hotels makes for a great day out so again any advice on the best one and how to book would be fantastic??

I find the Disney website very confusing and haven't been able to find an option to make a reservation anywhere??

We have also heard about a boat cruise to watch the fireworks, again I cannot see this anywhere?

Any help would be great, thanks..........

Hello and welcome to the forum, you have found the right place for loads of good advice.[msnsmile]

It is best to telephone Disney Dining direct to book your tables and they will give you a reference number, they are exceptionally friendly and very helpful. You can book dining up to 180 days in advance. I believe they serve traditional Christmas dinner at Disney's Wilderness Lodge although I have never sampled it myself.

I have heard about the boat cruise but it is notoriously difficult to book, there are some visitors to the forum who have managed it though.......Caroline where are you? [msnwink]

Have you had a look at the florida guide (see the link above) there are some great ideas on there.

Have fun planning and most of all have a Magical Time [msnsmile2]

Don't miss the Candlelight Processional at Epcot. It's wonderful.

I think that Disney also do dinner packages for this show. If you have the chance try for dinner at Chefs de France. The show is only a couple of minutes away.

The Epcot fireworks show, Illuminations, is also a must see event at Christmas. It's a must see event any time of the year but the wizards who run it add on an extra bit through the holidays. It's simpley awesome!

You and your children will love Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. You have to book tickets separately as although it is in the Magic Kingdom it's not included in any other Disney tickets. If you get there early, say about 4.30pm you'll be able to see 2 sets of fireworks, one at about 6pm (for the daytime visitors who have to leave the park), and the other at approx. 10pm. All of the rides are open and your MVMCP wristband gets you onto them. You'll find various places where Disney give you hot chocolate and a cookie, all free. There's a couple of evening parades through the park and various Christmas shows in front of Cinderella's Castle. MK is lovely after dark and the fireworks are absolutely spectacular. It doesn't really matter where you stand in the park, you'll get a fabulous view of them. [msnsmile2]

One thing you can't miss is the Osborne Family Lights at Hollywood Studios. They are magic with a capital 'M'! Over 8 million lights at the last count and I've seen plenty of little ones with their mouths wide open at the sight of more lights than you can shake a stick at or are ever likely to experience again!

It also 'snows' several times a night in Celebration and 'ICE' at the Gaylord Palms Hotel is well worth seeing. If you go be sure to check out the hotel lobby afterwards, especially the Key West area.

The Orlando area is magical at any time of the year but especially so at Christmas, you will have an amazing time [8D]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by E. Cosgrove


I have heard about the boat cruise but it is notoriously difficult to book, there are some visitors to the forum who have managed it though.......Caroline where are you? [msnwink]


[/quote]

I'm here! It used to be 90 days in advance for the cruise - I'll check it out and confirm that - but basically you have to call as soon as the phone lines open - I think it's 7am Florida so 12 noon in the UK - they only have 4 pontoon boats for the Illuminations cruise so it can take several attempts before you manage to be one of the first 4 callers of the day! It's well worth the effort though[msnsmile2]

OK - I just double checked and it is 90 days in advance and the number you need to call from the UK is 001 407 939 7529 then option 1

Good luck!

Thanks Caroline, I just might try that myself for our Oct trip![msnsmile]

It's a really lovely and relaxing way to watch the fireworks and you don't need to buy park entry - we combined it with a meal in the Flying Fish at Disney's Boardwalk.