The holidays are the most magical time to visit Disney World, and also the most crowded and expensive. The good news is that a few overlooked planning tricks can help you skip the worst of both.

Planning a trip to Disney World over the holidays can feel daunting. The weeks between November and New Year’s are the busiest time to visit, with peak crowds in the parks almost every day. It’s also the most expensive time to visit, which makes you feel like you need to maximize every second to get your money’s worth. 

There’s already a lot of planning advice out there on how to do a Disney holiday trip right, but there are a few holiday hacks that most people either don’t know about or don’t realize are important. I go to Disney World over the holidays every year, and these are the six planning tips that I’ve found make the biggest impact on how successful (and fun) your trip is.

Holiday Party Tickets Save You Money & Time

It’s no secret that Disney World’s holiday after-hours parties are expensive, but what a lot of people don’t realize is that these special events can actually save you time and money if you know what you’re doing! Both Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Disney Jollywood Nights tickets allow you to enter the parks well before the evening event actually starts (as early as 4 PM at Magic Kingdom and 5:30 PM at Hollywood Studios). Because of this, you can actually get away with skipping a costly park ticket entirely and treating these early hours as your “park day.”

Photo by CJ Ayd

Another bonus when it comes to these parties is that the capacity is limited. This means that once the party has started and the regular day guests have been kicked out, you’ll find much shorter lines for even the most popular attractions in the park. Using your party ticket as a way to get in rides without long wait times is one of the best ways to skip the lines without having to pay for Disney’s expensive Lightning Lane services. Of course, you’ll still want to make time for all the party-exclusive holiday offerings, but a solid plan can make a huge difference.

The Parks are Decorated Weeks Before the Crowds Show Up

There’s almost no way to avoid holiday crowds at Disney World…almost. While most people pick their travel dates around the actual holiday dates or somewhere in between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Disney starts decorating the parks and resorts for the season as soon as Halloween ends. This means that you can experience nearly all of Disney’s holiday offerings in early November when the big crowds haven’t arrived.

Planning your vacation dates somewhere between November 1st and 15th can help you get a fun Disney holiday experience without having to deal with peak crowds and the highest costs of the year. That being said, some of the holiday entertainment does have late November start dates, so check the calendar if a specific show or experience is on your must-do list.

Resort Hopping is a Free Holiday Activity

Disney doesn’t just decorate the theme parks for the holidays; they decorate the resorts too! If you’re staying at a Disney hotel during your trip, you’ll automatically be treated to some of the best holiday decor, with Disney’s signature massive themed trees in the lobby of every resort. However, it can be a fun (and free!) activity to explore what the other resorts have to offer as well.

Photo by Brett Svenson

For example, Disney’s Contemporary Resort usually has a castle gingerbread display, a full-sized gingerbread carousel can be seen in the lobby at Disney’s Beach Club Resort (with a smaller display at Disney’s Yacht Club), and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa will feature miniature gingerbread house displays for the first time this year (since the full-sized gingerbread house has been discontinued). Plus, all of these locations often have a small selection of bakery items, including the gingerbread that Disney uses to make all of these displays!

The best time to resort hop is on your arrival or departure day when you don’t have park tickets anyway, or when you’re already at a park near these resorts and don’t mind bopping out for a bit. One thing to keep in mind is that Disney has been tightening up transportation rules for non-resort guests, especially at Disney Springs (you can learn more about that here), and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them limit hotel visits during the busiest holiday dates. Self-parking at the resorts is only allowed for those with a dining reservation or staying at the resort, so plan to arrive by Disney transportation or rideshare when you can.

Staying at a Disney World Resort Hotel Gives You a Head Start on Reservations

If there was ever a time to stay on property, the holidays are it. Lightning Lanes regularly sell out during the holiday season, especially on the actual holiday dates, and resort hotel guests get a head start. When you stay at a Disney World hotel, you can purchase Lightning Lanes and select your first three rides for each date you purchase up to seven days before check-in for your entire trip. Everyone else has to wait until they’re three days out from each park visit. That head start does two things for you–it guarantees you can actually buy Lightning Lanes on the days they might sell out completely, and it gives you the first pick of return times, which means you can fit more rides into your day and get more value out of the purchase.

Photo by Laurie Sapp

The same thing applies to dining reservations. Resort guests can book dining reservations 60 days in advance of their check-in date, plus the length of their stay. Everyone else can only book 60 days out from each individual date. The best way to use this perk is to save the most popular restaurants for the last few days of the trip. This gives you the best opportunity to snag a hard-to-get reservation because they haven’t opened to anyone staying off property when you’re able to book.

Book Dining and Holiday Events on the Day Your Window Opens, Then Keep Checking

It’s not uncommon for dining reservations to fill up immediately during the holiday season (even with the Disney Resort stay booking window advantage). However, don’t lose hope if you can’t snag your must-do reservation when your 60-day window opens! 

Photo by Danny Shuster

People are constantly modifying and canceling their dining reservations, so another reservation will likely pop up before your vacation actually arrives. And, even if you’re at Disney World, you can keep checking for new reservations or even see if there’s a walk-up waitlist available for the restaurant you want. I recommend looking at least once a day leading up to your trip and then first thing in the morning on the day you’d like to dine at a specific restaurant.

Pack for Two Seasons

Florida in November and December can be pretty unpredictable. It’s not unheard of for it to be 40 degrees at rope drop and 80 by lunch, and most first-timers seriously underpack for the cold. Pack multiple layers that you can easily take off and stash in a park bag when it gets warm, and if you’re traveling with little ones, a stroller blanket is a lifesaver for those chilly mornings and late nights waiting for fireworks. You don’t want to be stuck having to pay $60 for a Disney sweatshirt or blanket just because you didn’t realize you needed to pack one!

At the end of the day, the most overlooked holiday hacks aren’t secrets, they’re mostly about timing and squeezing more out of what you’ve already paid for. Give these a try this holiday season to save some stress.