Visiting Disney World During The Holidays

Copper Creek Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

Disney World is fun year-round (ok, maybe with the exception of July and August..lol) but visiting during the holidays is one of my favorite times.  The lights, the music, the decorations… just make it all more magical.  We recently went down for a night to get our holiday fix.  We stayed at the Copper Creek Villas, which is part of the Wilderness Lodge.   The Wildnerness Lodge is one of our favorite resorts, especially with their Christmas decorations this time of year.  I’m a big fan of staying at one of the Magic Kingdom resorts because there’s a lot to be said for being able to skip having to go to park the car, get the kids on the tram, get to the gate, then choose transportation to get to the park.  It saves on a lot of stress for us. I always look for a good deal though, which seems to become trickier as rooms get booked up faster.

 

Copper Creek Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

The Copper Creek Villas have a rustic-elegant atmosphere which is Disney’s nod to the rich pioneering heritage of the Pacific Northwest.  You are just around the river bend from the Magic Kingdom but in walking through parts of the resort you’d never know it.  It really has the Pacific Northwest feel.

When you’re staying at the Copper Creek Villas you enjoy the amenities and activities that are available to the Wilderness Lodge such as the pools and jogging trails.   When you arrive, you still come through the Wilderness Lodge for check-in.  I love the Wilderness Lodge lobby at Christmas time.  There’s a giant Christmas tree!

We had a studio villa, and it was really nice! We had a view of the pool area and a little sitting area outside the room.  There’s a little kitchen area with a microwave, refrigerator, coffee pot, sink, and dishes in the cabinet!

There was a bed and a sofa with a fold-out bed available.  The sofa bed was actually comfortable and the kids slept really well on it!

The shower was cool because there was a regular shower head and then a “rain” showerhead in middle.

Exploring The Resort

We went to the park but they were pretty busy so we went back to the resort to hang out for a little bit.

 

The kids love the bush shaped buffalo! They thought it was awesome.  I had several people stop and ask me where we got my son’s boots from.  Target has them for $19.99 and they are adorable!

Inside the Disney Vacation Club Villas Building

The walk going toward the Disney Vacation Club Villas is a covered boardwalk type area.  During Christmas, it’s decorated and festive.

 

There’s a nice tree in the lobby of this building too!  It’s very cozy, and there were tables and chairs around as well as a fireplace for you to hang out around.

The Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

I want to stay in one of these cabins so bad!  It’s definitely on my goals list for the next year

It does not feel like you’re in Lake Buena Vista.  That’s for sure!  On the walkways, there are animal tracks that the kids were following trying to guess what animal they were from.

 

There were a lot more cabins that I initially realized.  They have a few different looks on the outside which is cool and makes it feel a little more authentic.

Whispering Canyon Cafe

For dinner, we went to one of our favorite Walt Disney World restaurants, the Whispering Canyon Cafe.  Whispering Canyon is a “themed” restaurant where the waiters are blunt (but not mean).  They are known for coming to the table and throwing a handful of straws at you.   One time we visited and my son was 2 and was whiney.  The waitress looks at him and says “Oh stop the whining! You’re at the happiest place on earth for heaven’s sake!”  he just stopped. I burst into laughter.  It was hilarious.

 

We Need Ketchup!

Another fun thing about the Whispering Canyon is asking for ketchup.  They bring you all of it.  When someone else asks at another table, they yell as loud as they can “We need ketchup!” and you have to get up and get it to them quickly.

More Fun- The Ponies

The kids’ favorite part of the Whispering Canyon Cafe is the ponies! They have stick ponies that they kids do a loop on around the restaurant while music plays and everyone swings their napkins in the air.

The Food

Menu

We always get the “All You Can Eat Skillet” which is $29-32 per person.  It consists of family-style Mixed Greens tossed in an Apple Vinaigrette Dressing and Fresh-baked Cornbread. The skillet has  Slow-smoked Pork Ribs, Barbecued Pulled Pork, Roasted Chicken, Oak-roasted Beef Strip Loin, and Western-style Sausage served with Seasonal Farm Fresh Vegetables, Mashed Yukon Potatoes, Corn on the Cobb, and Cowboy-style Baked Beans.  We aren’t typically the kind to get “all you can eat” plates because we don’t ever finish it, but this… is so good! Most of the time we get a refill on at least a couple of the items.

The Magic Kingdom

After dinner, we headed back over to the Magic Kingdom via boat.  I cannot express how much easier it is to take two little kids back to the park via boat (or in some cases monorail) as opposed to the whole getting in the car process.

We had set up some fast passes on My Disney Experience for Buzz Light Year, the race cars, and Dumbo. We walked around the park and looked at the decorations.  I love the Magic Kingdom when it’s all decorated for the holiday season!

The park at night with the lights everywhere are pretty in general too.  Here’s the carousel at night-

While we were waiting on the boat to go back to the hotel we caught the light parade on the Seven Seas Lagoon

It was a fun time!  The next day we went over to Hollywood Studios to see the new Frozen show which was a little different for the holidays.  It’s one of my favorite shows and never disappoints.   We also checked out the Disney Junior Live On Stage and visited with Doc McStuffins, BB8, and Chewbacca.   It was just an overnight trip but still packed with lots of fun.

Walt Disney World is crazy around the holiday season.  It’s hard to guess whether they will be busy or not. Two years ago we went on December 23rd and 24th and it wasn’t bad at all.  I think it’s because most people who were planning to come and celebrate Christmas there were possibly coming in later on the 24th.  Typically early December isn’t too bad, but again it’s been a long time since I’ve seen “slow” Disney.

If you’re able to check it out during the holidays I definitely recommend it!

Here’s a picture by Candi from Magical Pix by Candi Clark to wish you a Merry Holiday Season!  If you are at Disney you have to check Candi out, she’s a fantastic photographer who has done our photos while we were down in the past.  She’s really awesome!

Have you checked out Walt Disney World During the holidays?

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