Top 5 Disney World Resort Hotels for the Holidays – Our Picks & Tips for Christmas & New Years Eve

our final video of 2023 goes out to everybody who is dreaming of a Disney holiday vacation we're going to take you around to our favorite Resorts and we're going to help you plan your 2024 holiday trip to Walt Disney World let's go do it hi ho ho ho and happy holidays everyone this is Rob with ear Scouts coming to you with our final video of the year we've been working on this one for months because we have been trying to narrow down found what we think are the top five resorts to stay at here at Walt Disney World for the [Music] holidays [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] I love being at the resorts during the holidays cuz everything is just so beautiful but believe it or not none of those things that we just showed you were part of our top five resorts for the holidays there are even more beautiful decorations to come most of the resorts on our list today we chose because of the beautiful and fun things that they offer during Christmas time but of course the holidays are about more than just Christmas there's Hanukah there's K Quanza and the holiday that the most people around the world celebrate this time of year is actually New Year's and that's why we picked our number five Hotel on the list because it is our absolute favorite place to spend New Year's Eve in case you're not aware there are two really big New Year's parties that happen here at Disney World one is is at Magic Kingdom where they'll do a big countdown fireworks show on the castle but what a lot of people don't realize they actually do a full dress rehearsal of that party on the 30th so that means you can enjoy New Year's Eve at Magic Kingdom on the 30th and then you're free on the actual New Year's Eve to do our favorite party in all of Walt Disney World New Year's Eve at [Music] Epcot [Music] there are dance parties happening all around World Showcase and it all ends with a fantastic fireworks finale that unites all the countries of the world in a countdown to midnight where else can you sip champagne in France go dance the night away in China and finish up with a firework show on the shores of Mexico it is an unforgettable night but the party doesn't have to stop at midnight if you're staying at one of these Epcot area Resort Hotels because then you're going to have a front row seat to the best late night entertainment in all of Walt Disney World and the star of the show is our pick for the number five best resort hotel to stay at during the holidays [Music] Boardwalk here you'll find Atlantic dance hall with a party that goes until 1:00 a.m. and our favorite late night spot the Dueling Piano Bar jelly rolls where the fun doesn't stop until 1:45 in the morning I want know you be my girl did you think SCH could ever win look at me I'm back again I got a taste love simple and if you need to know I'm still standing you just F away [Music] [Music] [Applause] in addition to those late night spots Boardwalk also has some of our favorite restaurants on property if you're looking for fine dining flying fish is a great option it is stunningly beautiful inside and contrary to the name they actually do have a lot more than just fish on the menu but our favorite restaurant here at Boardwalk is traera al Forno we actually made a whole video where we kind of gushed about how much we love Traer al Forno so instead of going through all that again we'll just put a link to it in the description down below when we stay here we actually found a great deal on a Disney Vacation Club room if you're not familiar Disney Vacation Club or DVC it's kind of the time share program here at Walt Disney World when members book rooms and they can't use them they often put them up for sale on different websites we'll throw a couple links to our favorite sites below if you want to check them out you can often find really great last minute rates and that's what we did when we stayed here at Boardwalk the one thing I should mention though about those Disney Vacation Club rooms there's good things about them and bad things the good thing is that they will always have at least a kitchen net in the room and the larger rooms will actually have full-size kitchens the downside is they're on a different renovation schedule than the rest of the hotel so this hotel actually all the rooms were recently renovated and they look really stunning from the pictures I've seen even though our room wasn't all shiny and new though we really did enjoy staying here it was a nice room it was very comfortable there were some lovely little touches of Disney but it definitely wasn't over the toop with the Disney theming one of the cool things that happens here at Disney World during the holidays is the pastry chefs at select Resort Hotels will create stunning gingerbread displays now this is not at every Disney Resort only a select few have them but luckily Boardwalk is one of those select few so let's head into the lobby and check it out [Music] now I feel like I have to mention that there are two amazing Disney resort hotels that are right next door to the boardwalk walk and even though they didn't make our top five list for the holidays they are amazing resort hotels and you're just steps away from all the fun things we mentioned here at the boardwalk so they can be a great option for New Year's Eve as well one other thing that yacht and Beach Club have in common with Boardwalk is they are home to some of those really cool gingerbread displays this is actually the first year ever that Yacht Club has had a gingerbread display but the one at Beach Club has been going for 22 years and counting since we're right next door let's take a stroll on over and check them [Music] [Music] out our number four Resort has the most elaborate Christmas tree of any of the resorts here at Walt Disney World but you don't have to take our word for it according to the Disney holiday Services team which they're the folks who decorate all the parks and resorts for the holidays year after year and they don't just do Christmas they actually do all of the holiday celebrations here at Disney world according to them the most challenging tree to bring to life every single year is the one here at Animal Kingdom Lodge but it's not just the tree all of the decorations at this Resort are so so beautiful and this Resort is lucky enough to be one of those that has a gingerbread display where else you going to find a gingera and a gingerbread zebra but if a ging giraffe and a gingerbread zebra are not enough to impress you how about a real giraffe and a real zebra and tons of other amazing animals right outside your balcony door there really is nothing quite like staying here at Animal Kingdom Lodge and I've got to say for those of you who watched our channel for a long time you may remember the first time we stayed here at Animal Kingdom Lodge we were over at kadani Village that's one of the Disney Vacation Club resorts that's part of Animal Kingdom Lodge let's just say we did not have a great stay I still don't love kadani I feel like that property is definitely in need of a renovation but after staying here at Jambo House twice now since we made that review I can say that really just applies to kadani here at Jambo House this Resort is mind-blowingly amazing and if you spring for one of those savann view rooms it is absolutely worth every single penny while our kadani room was a little bit rough it was definitely screaming out for an upgrade all of the rooms here at Jambo House have recently been renovated and the ndvc rooms which is where we stayed here during the holidays are incredible the details are so beautiful somehow they manag to make everything feel modern and up to-date but still have that African flavor that makes this Resort so unique Animal Kingdom lodges also an amazing Resort for dining Bulma which is the buffet restaurant here at Jambo House is actually our favorite buffet in all of Walt Disney World you're going to find bold and surprising flavors the dishes here are really unique many of them are inspired by traditional African recipes and of course you're also going to find your classic Buffet favorites so you've got picky eaters in your group don't worry there's going to be some comfort food for them as well down the road at kadani Village you'll find na which is one of our favorite spots to get a glass of wine and some light bites to eat especially their bread service which they are famous for but also they're famous for the view I definitely recommend when you go there ask if you can wait for a table by the window it is worth the wait often times they will let you do that unless they're just slammed busy but we also recommend ordering from that appetizers menu and think of it as kind of like a meal where you're going to share Tois as opposed to going for those Entre which are fine but honestly the Entre that we've had have never been anything to write home about most importantly though you have got to get the rad service this thing is legendary for a reason and it is absolutely worth the trip to kadani Village we do have two really important pieces of advice if you decide you want to stay here during the holidays number one and this really applies all year long we strongly suggest splurging on one of those Savannah view rooms there is just something indescribably magical about wake waking up making yourself a little cup of coffee in the room and then sitting out on your balcony and looking at the giraffes and the zebras and the other animals it really is an incredible experience that you can't get anywhere else and honestly if you don't get the Savannah view room you completely miss out on that and it really just makes it like a hotel where you can go and see some animals nearby but it's just not the same as seeing them from your room our second piece of advice we definitely learned the hard way this year so we booked our room about 2 weeks before Thanksgiving and at that point all the decorations had been up around the parks for a little while so we assumed we were going to be fine to have decorations here at the resort unfortunately the holiday Services team has their hands full decorating the parks and Disney Springs and they don't do the resorts until later even if a resort was decorated at a specific date the year before there's no guarantee it's going to be decorated by by that date the following year because they do them somewhat randomly if it's really important to you that the resort is decorated beautifully for the holidays we would recommend booking no earlier than a couple days before Thanksgiving now it is time for our pick for the third best Disney Resort Hotel to stay at during the holidays and this one is definitely going to shock a lot of people out there not because it's on our list but because it is so low on our list for a lot of folks this hotel is the Pinnacle of Disney resort hotels to stay at during the holidays but Eric and I went back and forth we talked about it a lot and we both agreed there were two Resorts that we definitely liked better than this one for the holidays so our admittedly hot take is that the third best Disney Resort Hotel during the holidays is the Grand Floridian [Music] even though it only ended up at number three on our list don't get us wrong this is an incredible resort to stay at for the holidays if you've never been to the Grand Floridian before this is basically the crown jewel of Walt Disney World Resort Hotels it is a Victorian style hotel and for the holidays they spare no expense they go all out you know how we've been talking about those gingerbread displays we'll check out the gingerbread display at this hotel for 24 years now they have built this spectacular fullsize gingerbread house in the center of the Grand Floridian Lobby and when people visit here for the holidays they come to this hotel specifically just to see that gingerbread house but this is not just a gingerbread display this is actually a working shop where you can go and purchase gingerbread and other holiday treats right from the window like the other gingerbread displays this one does get updated a bit from year to year it's always a slightly different design so even people who come to Disney World every year will make a pilgrimage here to see the latest gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian I'm not a huge fan of the gingerbread they sell here surprisingly enough it tends to be a little bit on the dry side but the other holiday treats especially the fudge and the cookies are delicious in addition to the goodies that you can get here at the gingerbread house this Resort is no surprise legendary for its dining options we've never eaten at Victorian Alberts but from what I hear it is a spectacular place to have dinner it's also the most expensive place to have dinner in all of Walt Disney World in fact it's probably the most expensive place to have dinner in all of Florida it is a pricey table someday we'll go check it out it's definitely on my bucket list I have tried citricos and the Grand Floridian Cafe though and they are two of my favorite resort restaurants Grand fidan Cafe especially it's actually somewhat reasonably priced considering the location and the food there is really good I can honestly say I have never had a bad meal at the Grand fian Cafe even things that I thought would not possibly be good there like the curry ended up being delicious but they are definitely most known for their fried chicken and it is Heavenly so if you're at a loss for what to pick definitely you can't go wrong with the Fried Chicken upstairs at citrico the food is very good but really the reason you're going to go there is for the elegant theming everything is themed to Mary Poppins but not the old Mary Poppins but the new Mary Poppins probably my favorite thing about staying here though was the room unsurprisingly you're staying at the flagship Disney World Resort Hotel the room is going to be pretty spectacular and this one did not disappoint we actually got a little bit of a pixie dust upgrade when we checked in we had booked a water view room but they upgraded us to a Theme Park View and even better I think they upgraded us to a special category of theme park room because this room was insane we had vated ceilings and there was this chandelier with glass Penguins it was adorable there were little touches of Mary Poppins throughout the room and I'm not talking about like here and there everywhere you look there were little nods to Mary Poppins there were so many beautiful details in this room the imagineers definitely put a lot of thought into every single corner there was even a little Hidden Mickey in the air conditioning vent even the toilet paper seriously the toilet paper roll there was this little seal with the Grand Floridian logo on the toilet paper if your number one goal is to have the best room at Disney World world yeah probably Grand Floridian would be your top pit the only reason this is not ranked as our number one Resort hotel for the holidays is just because it is so popular that it becomes massively crowded for most of the day right now we're here at night and it's actually a party night at Magic Kingdom this is the quietest it has been since we've been coming here this holiday season normally this Lobby is jam-packed with people people it's like Grand Central Station so even though it is the most beautiful of all of the resort lobbies and seriously Disney spared no expense there are beautiful details everywhere you look but you just can't really enjoy it because there's so many people there's so much noise there's so much going on often times you can't even find a seat to relax here in the lobby so for us that was the main reason that we did not put this one Higher on our list but if if that's something that's not going to bother you if what you care most about is an elegant really well-appointed room then this one might rank higher on your list but for us it was just number three for our next Resort we talked to a lot of people I'm not just talking a few I'm talking like dozens of people who told us that this Resort is their holiday destination they don't even bother to go to the parks one family that we chatted with said that they have come here every single year for decades and it has been more than 10 years since they set foot in any of the Disney parks so which Disney Resort inspires this level of devotion we're talking of course about Fort [Music] Wilderness Fort Wilderness is truly one of the best values in all of Walt Disney World the campsites here are of course the least expensive options you can get to to stay on property but they also offer cabins which are great for larger families that maybe are just a little bit too big for a hotel room these cabins can offer a great value but more importantly they are just rustic and cozy and the perfect setting for a holiday get together I should mention this is important to know they are about to renovate the cabins they're turning them into DVC cabins so they're probably going to be upscaled a little bit but I really hope they don't lose their rustic charm because they are so cozy and they really are one of the most adorable lodgings you can find here at Disney World and if you're looking for outdoor activities this Resort is second to none there is horseback riding cycling kaying fishing archery lessons you can even pan for Minerals and Gems honestly if you're just looking for lots of cool activities to do with the family Beyond The Parks this is definitely the resort for you they also have hands down the best campfire of all of the different Disney resorts in case you weren't aware all of the different Disney hotels offer campfires at night where you can roast marshmallows or make s'mores But Here at Fort Wilderness they definitely kick it up a notch Chip and Dale come out it's a full scale meet and greet and then they do a singalong show it really is the best campfire experience in all of Walt Disney World possibly in all of the different Disney resort hotels around the world it really is amazing while we we have stayed at this Resort multiple times in both campgrounds and in the cabins this time we're actually visiting some friends of ours who are staying here Scott and Jen of lost in a Wonderland they do Disney content as well as universal and SeaWorld but what I love about their channel is they go beyond that Disney SeaWorld Universal bubble and show you some of the Lesser known attractions that are here in Orlando we'll put a link in the description down below now let's go say hey to Scott and Jen we love this Resort and I I think we love it for a couple of different reasons one is I think that more so than any other Resort this one in my opinion lives and breathes the holidays it's so cool because much of it is Disney of course the folks who come here they love Disney they're going to decorate everything with Disney but it's not done by Disney they do have it at the homestead but other than that there's not really anything that Disney does here it's all done by the guests this is one of those places where you can make it whatever you want want this can be your hotel room and you can go to the parks and you can have your Christmas trip just as you normally would or you can come here like we did tonight and we grilled out we got in a golf cart we drove around we looked at Christmas decorations we listened to Christmas music and that to me was just as good or if not better than any other part of a Disney vacation because that's part of the Disney Magic too the cabins are built in that old rustic maybe like reminds me of like summer camp when you were a kid that kind of place um but it's it's the Landscaping is beautiful you're out in the woods it's quiet there's there's Wildlife I think square footage wise this cabin is probably not that much bigger than an average hotel room but the way that it's it's built out and it's separated to separate spaces for me it's not like being in a hotel room it actually feels like a home it feels like a well like a home just feels good to be here if all this was not enough to convince you that you have to put Fort Wilderness on your holiday must do list we're going to take you along with us to our favorite show in all of Walt Disney World and yes we're including all the shows at the parks and other Resorts we absolutely adore this show and we have never seen it during the holidays from what I understand they actually do some special holiday numbers this time of year so I'm really excited to check it out the tickets are a little bit steep but they do include dinner and unlimited drinks which if you're over 21 can be beer wine and sangria the meal is always really good it's fried chicken and ribs with all the fixings but make sure you save room for that Strawberry Shortcake at dessert it looks like they're about to open the doors so let's head inside and check out the Holiday version of the hoopie dooo Musical review [Music] for time [Music] [Applause] [Music] Chistmas this one of my favorite holiday tunes and we sing it for someone who's no longer with us but we keep in our hearts this time of year [Music] profess got NOA fire walking home from our house [Music] Christmas you put your back side in to be happy f with praise [Music] [Applause] theid [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Christmas [Music] [Applause] what an amazing show I am so glad we made it over here to catch this holiday edition not just because it was cool to see them do some holiday Tunes but we got seated right by the piano and who should come out to play the piano it was Randy Morris this is a Disney Legend he was the very first ever piano player at Casey's Corner in Magic Kingdom when this park opened way back in 1971 it was Randy Morris who was playing that piano at Casey's corner so that right there is just pure Disney holiday magic well my friends can you guess what our number one holiday Resort is yet our absolute hands down favorite place to stay during the holidays is Wilderness Lodge [Music] I have always loved visiting this Resort especially during this time of year and I've actually been putting off staying here because I wanted my first time staying at Wilderness Lodge to be during this most magical time of the year and I am so glad I did let me tell youall it was definitely worth the wait this is the only time of the year where you can sit in a Lobby by that roaring fire and eat the delicious holiday cookies they sell year after year we tried every single cookie on the menu this year we even tried the holiday cookie gift box all of them were delicious but I'd say if you have to pick just one cookie I'd probably go with that molasses crackle cookie it just tastes like Christmas But whichever cookie you pick you've got to have it with some hot cocoa or even better some of the hot cider they serve that's infused with cinnamon whiskey and you got a rock in one of those antique rocking chairs by that roaring fire this is my kind of Christmas our room here was so beautiful we loved all the little touches and Disney details just like over at Animal Kingdom Lodge the room had been updated it felt very modern but it still had lovely little touches that reminded you of the overall theme of the hotel in this case a woodsy lodge in the Pacific Northwest we also really love the view that we had from our balcony this Resort is so peaceful and tranquil I don't think there's probably a bad view from any of these rooms but ours was particularly lovely we should also mention there is a lot more delicious food here than just those cookies one of our favorite spots is Whispering Canyon Cafe we actually did a whole video about that we will link that down below another favorite here at Wilderness Lodge is artist point this is character dining theme to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs this one is a favorite with lots of Disney World guests I think it's really special because of the unique character interactions you get here you can of course meet Snow White and some of the seven dwarfs but probably the Highlight is when you get to have an audience with the evil queen herself on this visit we decided we would eat mainly at Roaring Fork just because we hadn't really eaten there much before and it is definitely a Hidden Gem it quickly became one of our favorite Resort Quick Service restaurants for breakfast they have this enormous bear claw I'm talking this thing is the size of your face it could easily feed three different people Eric and I ate this thing over 2 days it is that big but where this spot really shines is for lunch and dinner because they use the same smokers that they have over at Whispering Canyon so you are getting legit Southern barbecue done right it is so tasty so juicy so Smoky this is a really good quality barbecue and I kind of can't believe that you can order it at a quick service restaurant at a Disney Resort the electric water pageant has been delighting guests young and old for decades this one is a true classic and you can watch this from any of the different Magic Kingdom area resorts along the Waterfront even though they have a boat here that can take you directly to the Magic Kingdom or to Fort Wilderness or to the Contemporary we didn't want to get on the boat we just wanted to hang out here because we loved being at this Resort so much and honestly that's my biggest takeaway of staying at this Resort we did not want to leave of all of the resorts that we stayed at when we were making this video this is the one I want to come back to year after year I want to bring my family here I want to make Christmas traditions here I really do love it that much so if you're trying to pick the ultimate holiday destination here at Walt Disney World you found it it is Wilderness Lodge well I hope you enjoyed watching this video and I hope it helped you to decide where you want to stay when you're here at Disney World for the holidays if it did give this video a like subscribe to our Channel and then ring that Bell that way you'll be notified whenever new videos like this come out until next time don't forget to think happy thoughts everybody we'll see you again real soon in 2024 [Music] do

Channel: Ear Scouts

Views: 12,210

Keywords: Christmas, Disney, Disney World, Dinseyworld, Disneyworld, Disneyland, Planning, Tips, Tricks, Magic Kingdom, Grand Floridian, Gingerbread, Wilderness Lodge, Boardwalk, WDW, Holidays, New Years, Reviews, Hotels, Fort Wilderness, Hoop Dee Doo, Hoop-dee-doo, Animal Kingdom Lodge, AKL, WL, FW, Disney Resort, Resort Hotel, Resort, Top 5, Top Five, Best Resorts

Id: hKW8GCoGf1E

Length: 32min 36sec (1956 seconds)

Published: Sun Dec 24 2023