It’s officially December, and that means we’re about to have one of the busiest months of the year in Disney World!

Happy Holidays from Hollywood Studios!

We’ve already seen crowds in late November for Thanksgiving break, but the holiday season is just beginning. And because so many guests will be coming to Walt Disney World, there are some exciting offerings and big things you need to know if you’re visiting in the month of December!

EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays

EPCOT’s last festival of the calendar year is the International Festival of the Holidays. This year’s fest kicked off at the end of last month, and it continues until December 30th, 2021. During that time, there will be plenty of limited-time offerings to check out!

Ready to celebrate the holidays in EPCOT?

There are more than a dozen holiday kitchens spread throughout the park, in addition to some unique entertainment, like the holiday storytellers and the Candlelight Processional each night. Besides those things, you can enjoy activities like Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition and the Holiday Cookie Stroll, plus shop some exclusive merchandise in the gift shops. There’s so much to do!

Click Here to Get ALL the Details on This Year’s Festival!

The Holiday Season is in Full Swing

If you’re coming to Disney World in the next few weeks, then you should know that the holiday season is in full swing! All four theme parks are decked out in decorations, as well as Disney Springs and the resort hotels.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays! (Bonus points if you sang that in your head.)

In addition to the decorations, you’ll find limited-time snacks all around Disney World and holiday merchandise. There are plenty of things to do and see during your vacation — you won’t have any trouble filling up your entire schedule!

Disney Very Merriest After Hours Continues

The new holiday After Hours event kicked off last month, but there are several dates you can attend in December, and some still have tickets available. It lasts from 9PM-1AM on select nights after Magic Kingdom closes for the day, and you’ll be able to enjoy low crowds, short wait times, and a variety of event-specific entertainment and activities.

This event is full of fun surprises!

During Very Merriest, you can catch Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, Mickey & Minnie’s Very Merry Memories stage show, and Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks. On top of that, you can enjoy some free snacks (including cookies and hot chocolate!) and several exclusive character sightings. If you’re a night owl or a Christmas fanatic, this is the event for you!

Here’s EVERYTHING You Need to Know About Very Merriest After Hours!

Some Club-Level Options Are Returning

When the Disney World Resort Hotels first reopened, some offerings remained unavailable, including the club-level lounges. We’ve started to see some of those lounges return in the past few months, but not all of them are back in business just yet.

Chronos Club at Gran Destino Tower

In December, two more club-level lounges reopen on the 16th: Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. If you’re looking for a little more luxury in your resort stay, this might be an option to look into for your trip!

Tickets May Be Unavailable on Select Dates

In late November, Disney released an update on theme park tickets for the holiday season, noting that some dates might be unavailable, likely due to the capacity restrictions in the parks. (Those dates where tickets were unavailable correlated with dates that were completely booked up in the Disney Park Pass system.)

Holiday season crowds in Disney World are no joke!

A few days later, some of those previously unavailable dates opened up again, but it’s important to check the calendar before purchasing and finalizing any plans. And if you haven’t made your Disney Park Pass reservations, do that ASAP!

Click Here to Learn More About Disney Park Passes!

Some Event Exclusives Will Be Offered Closer to Christmas

Currently, the only way to see most of the Very Merriest After Hours holiday entertainment is to attend the party. However, it has been shared that some of these offerings will be available in the daytime closer to Christmas Day!

This parade is the best!

Starting on December 22nd, Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade will travel down Main Street, U.S.A. in the afternoon daily until December 31st. This often happens during the holiday season, but this year it’s extra special — it’s the first time that Disney World has had a daytime parade since the parks closed in March 2020!

A Popular Show is Returning

Ever since the parks reopened, we’ve had entertainment options slowly returning one at a time. On December 19th, the fan-favorite Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular is coming back to Hollywood Studios after being gone for 21 months!

We can’t wait!

Other entertainment options that returned so far have been modified to allow for social distancing, so we’re interested to see how this one will work when it returns…since the nature of the show requires performers to be close to each other. We’ll be there on reopening day to bring all the details!

Click Here to See the Showtimes for Indiana Jones!

50th Anniversary Celebrations Are Still Happening

With all the holiday festivities going on, it may be easy to forget that it’s still the 50th Anniversary celebration in Disney World! The 18-month-long event kicked off on October 1st and it’s still going strong, with a variety of things to see in the parks.

There’s plenty to see and do for the 50th still.

Throughout December, make sure to check out the new fireworks shows, restaurants, decorations, and ride that all came for the anniversary. They’ve also got unique snack and food offerings, as well as several merchandise collections to honor the big milestone.

Kali River Rapids is Partially Under Refurbishment

If you’ve been to Disney World in the winter before, then you’ve likely seen the water rides closed for refurbishment in those colder months. Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom closed on November 1st, and it will remain closed through December.

Kali River Rapids will be open soon!

The ride is set to reopen on January 4.

Get the Details on Current Refurbishments Here!

There Are Some New/Modified Attractions to Check Out!

In the past few months, several attractions have seen modifications in the parks, whether permanent or temporary. For starters, Mickey’s PhilharMagic just reopened a few weeks ago with an added scene from Pixar’s Coco and some seriously upgraded 3D technology.

They even updated the exterior!

What else came back in November? Well, character meet-and-greets returned in a modified way, now called “character sightings.” Many characters have returned to their old meet locations, where you can get some one-on-one time with them. However, hugs and autographs aren’t available for the time being.

Mickey is back at Town Square Theater!

And, for a shorter-term modification, the beloved Jungle Cruise holiday overlay is back, the Jingle Cruise! You’ll be ho ho ho-ing all the way through this ride during the next few weeks, as the Jungle Cruise Skippers give their classic puns a holiday twist.

This ride is a ho ho hoot!

We’ve got a lot of excitement coming in the next few months, and 2022 kicks off in just a few short weeks! No matter what happens, stay tuned to DFB for all the Disney World news and updates, and thanks for trusting us with your Disney content in 2021!

Click Here to Get More Information on the Holiday Season in Disney World!

Are you visiting Disney World in December? Tell us in the comments!

The post Read This If You’re Going to Disney World This December first appeared on the disney food blog.