There really is no place like Orlando at Christmas for some enchantment and entertainment. From the theme
There really is no place like Orlando at Christmas for some enchantment and entertainment. From the theme parks to the city’s bustling districts and from coast to coast, Central Florida positively pulsates with the spirit of the season.
Then there’s the weather – the average temperature in the winter is still around 75F (24C), rain chances slip down to barely 20 percent, and you can still be pretty much guaranteed a sun tan.
If the magic of Christmas in Orlando (at its most wonderful time of the year) has called on you this festive season, the experts at AttractionTickets.com have curated the best things to see and do.
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Walt Disney World Resort
Setting the benchmark for Yuletide extravagance and colour, with a breadth and depth of decoration and special features that take your breath away, provides a magnificent backdrop for happy Christmas memories and traditions. You’ll also find a fantastic array of seasonal food and drink, from hot cocoa to elaborate cocktails, speciality pastries and more.
Just some of the seasonal attractions include the pretty Christmas Tree Stroll at Disney Springs, the amazing Gingerbread House at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, and the fun Santa Claus Festive Flotilla at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park.
In addition, there are parades, concerts and other events, all with a memorable Holiday accent…
Don’t miss out on the festive fun and purchase your Disney tickets here!
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Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
Setting the scene for the festive period, once Mickey and the gang get rolling in their best seasonal style, it is all systems go! for the most eye-catching, exciting and downright fun festivities you can imagine for this time of year.
And, while the evening fun of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is an extra ticket event, you don’t need to splash out anymore to enjoy the rest of the festivities at the suitably-dressed theme parks, where there’s a LOT in store.
EPCOT
Walt Disney World Resort’s EPCOT boasts the likes of its signature Candlelight Processional show at EPCOT (a guest-narrated story of the Nativity with a full choir and orchestra), as well as the grand Festival of the Holidays (Nov 25-Dec 30), which features every pavilion around the World Showcase.
You’ll find decorations galore and tasty extras, such as the Maple Bouche de Noel at the Yukon Holiday Kitchen kiosk at EPCOT, a heavenly concoction of maple mousse and cranberry sauce wrapped in gingerbread chiffon cake to look like a Yule log.
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Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Orlando Resort offers Christmas Grinch style and the spectacle of the daily Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s, as well as the superb array of festive wizardry at Harry Potter land at this time of year, including the eye-popping Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle show, as well as the chance to see Mannheim Steamroller live. And don’t miss out on that distinctive Universal winter taste of hot Butterbeer!
There’s even a Grinch & Friends Character Breakfast this year, with the chance to enjoy the seasonal buffet samplings of the Circus McGurkus Cafe Stupendous.
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SeaWorld Orlando
SeaWorld Orlando is another riot of festive fervour, with a truly magnificent Christmas Celebration on select dates, featuring Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer, the Sesame Street Christmas Parade, a Santa meet-and-greet, daytime ice-skating and terrific live shows with special guest performers, including the must-see event of the Winter Wonderland on Ice.
This is an event not to be missed, with the most elaborate park-wide decorations, superb entertainment and a real spirit of the season with the signature Sea of Trees on the main lagoon and SeaWorld’s own array of tempting treats and fancy beverages.
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Give Kids the World Village
The wonderful Give Kids the World Village in Kissimmee will stage its new annual tradition of Night of a Million Lights at the Island H2O water park, with another dazzling display of set-piece extravaganzas, and then there’s the razzle-dazzle of Leu Gardens’ special Holiday presentation, Dazzling Nights, a family-friendly adventure from the Creative City Project.
Gaylord Palms Resort
We’re also delighted to see the return this year of the mind-boggling ICE! presentation at the wonderful Gaylord Palms Resort, where more than two million pounds of coloured ice is carved into extravagant winter scenery, with this year’s theme being How The Grinch Stole Christmas, from the classic Dr Seuss story.
There’s plenty more in store at this vast resort, too, including ice tubing, snowball throwing, an elaborate Cirque show, Santa and Mrs Claus, gingerbread decorating, an atrium light show and a whole Alpine market village to explore!
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Crayola Experience
Need more? How about the Colourful Christmas at the Crayola Experience at the Florida Mall, with lots of extra seasonal activities for children, and the evening thrill of ‘Snowing Nightly’ – among other festivities – in the Disney-inspired town of Celebration, where the locals also decorate their houses in hugely extravagant ways.
If the magic of a colourful Christmas is on your itinerary, find your tickets here.
Gulf Coast
You might even fancy a trip to the beach, as the gorgeous Gulf Coast is often at its most picturesque at this time of year when it doesn’t draw the crowds of high summer, and there is plenty of elbow room to enjoy this magnificent slice of Florida seaside.
If you only sample half of it, you will have been royally wrapped in Orlando’s spirit of Christmas, and while it may occasionally be a bit chilly first thing in the morning (just right for some hot cocoa or that famous Butterbeer!), things will usually warm up nicely through mid-day, providing glorious afternoons to be out and about.
It all leaves us thinking Andy Williams was spot on back in the 1960s with his big hit song because it really is The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!
Find more information about the various experiences on offer in Orlando at AttractionTickets.com.