What if you could experience the holiday magic of Walt Disney World AND Universal Orlando Resort in one Christmas vacation?
Challenge accepted.
Orlando during the holidays is truly something special. Walt Disney World transforms with elaborate decorations, seasonal entertainment and festive events, while Universal Orlando brings Christmas to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Grinchmas and more.
But if you only have five nights, how do you fit everything in without feeling like you’re racing from one thing to the next?
We’ve planned a sample itinerary for you!
This 5-night Orlando holiday itinerary gives you a taste of some of our favorite Christmas experiences at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort while still building in enough breathing room to actually enjoy your vacation.
So grab your Mickey ears, your Grinch sweatshirt and maybe a little extra room in your suitcase for souvenirs.
Here’s how we’d do it!
DAY 1: Arrive at Walt Disney World + Go Resort Hopping
Welcome to Orlando!
Instead of buying a park ticket for your arrival day and worrying about how much park time you’ll actually have, we’d start the vacation with something a little more relaxed.
Check into your Disney Resort hotel, unpack and get ready for your first dose of Christmas magic.
Tonight, we’re going resort hopping!
Some of Walt Disney World’s Resort hotels go ALL OUT for the holidays, making resort hopping an experience in itself.
Depending on where you’re staying and how much time you have, you could visit several Disney Resorts to see their Christmas trees, decorations and elaborate holiday displays.
Make an evening out of it by grabbing dinner at one of the resorts, looking at the decorations and enjoying your first night at Disney without feeling like you have to rush into a theme park.
Why We Planned It This Way
Travel days can be unpredictable, especially when you’re traveling with kids.
Instead of paying for a park day you may only use for a few hours, this gives your family time to arrive, settle in and still experience some Disney holiday magic.
You’ll also want the extra rest because tomorrow is a BIG day.
DAY 2: Magic Kingdom + Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
It’s time for the quintessential Disney Christmas experience!
We’d make Magic Kingdom the focus of Day 2 and plan the entire day around Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
There’s something extra magical about seeing Magic Kingdom decorated for Christmas. Between the holiday decorations, seasonal entertainment and festive treats, this is the day that’s going to make it REALLY feel like Christmas at Disney World.
Rather than starting at rope drop and trying to stay until the end of the Christmas party, though, we’d take this morning SLOW.
Sleep in.
Have breakfast.
Enjoy your resort.
Maybe even squeeze in a nap.
Then head to Magic Kingdom later in the day feeling rested and ready for a late night of Christmas fun.
Once the party begins, spend your evening soaking up the special holiday entertainment, enjoying attractions and experiencing Magic Kingdom in full Christmas mode.
Why We Planned It This Way
This is NOT the day we’d recommend waking everyone up at 6 a.m. and trying to stay in the park until midnight.
When you’re paying for a special holiday event, you want enough energy to actually enjoy it.
A slow morning followed by an evening at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party gives you the best of both worlds—and hopefully prevents an exhausted family meltdown before the Christmas parade even starts.
DAY 3: EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays
Yesterday was all about classic Disney Christmas magic.
Today we’re doing Christmas around the WORLD!
Spend Day 3 at EPCOT, where the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays brings seasonal traditions, entertainment and flavors from around the world to the park.
Take your time exploring World Showcase, try some of the holiday food and drinks, and enjoy the seasonal entertainment along the way.
One experience we’d especially try to include?
Candlelight Processional.
The beloved holiday tradition combines a celebrity narrator with a mass choir and orchestra to tell the traditional Christmas story through narration and music.
If there’s a particular celebrity narrator your family would love to see, this is something we’d consider when choosing your vacation dates.
Why We Planned It This Way
EPCOT gives you a completely different holiday experience from Magic Kingdom.
Rather than filling five nights with experiences that all feel similar, we’re trying to show you just how many different ways there are to celebrate Christmas at Walt Disney World.
Plus, after a late night at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, EPCOT is a great park to explore at a more relaxed pace.
DAY 4: Goodbye Disney, Hello Universal!
We’re not done yet!
It’s time to check out of your Disney Resort and head over to Universal Orlando Resort for the second half of our Christmas adventure.
Check into your Universal hotel, drop off your bags and get ready to head to Universal Studios Florida.
And if you’re a Harry Potter fan, Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley is going to be a highlight.
Grab a Butterbeer, wander through the beautifully themed streets and take in the holiday atmosphere.
You’ll also want to make time for Universal’s seasonal entertainment and, of course, plenty of rides.
This is the night to fully embrace the Universal side of your Orlando Christmas vacation.
Why We Planned It This Way
We LOVE the idea of splitting your stay between Disney and Universal.
Instead of constantly traveling back and forth between the two destinations, you can spend the first portion of your vacation immersed in Disney and then move over to Universal for the rest of the trip.
Staying at a Universal hotel can also make it much easier to get to and from the Universal parks during this portion of your vacation.
And changing resorts halfway through almost makes it feel like you’re getting two vacations in one!
DAY 5: Islands of Adventure + GRINCHMAS!
You can’t plan a Universal Orlando Christmas vacation without making time for the mean one himself.
It’s GRINCHMAS DAY!
Head to Universal Islands of Adventure, where Seuss Landing becomes even more whimsical during the holiday season.
One of the biggest holiday experiences to look for is The Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular, bringing the classic story of the Grinch to life in a live holiday show.
And if meeting the Grinch is available during your visit, that’s definitely going on our Christmas vacation wish list.
But Grinchmas isn’t the only reason we’re here.
You’ll also want to explore The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade during the holidays.
There is something especially magical about seeing Hogsmeade decorated for Christmas, particularly as the sun goes down and the area lights up for the evening.
Between Grinchmas, Harry Potter and some of Universal’s biggest attractions, this is a pretty epic way to spend your final full vacation day.
Why We Planned It This Way
We saved one of Universal’s biggest holiday experiences for your final night!
After spending the first half of the trip surrounded by Disney Christmas magic, ending with Grinchmas and Christmas in the Wizarding World gives your vacation a completely different finale.
Plus, who doesn’t want to end Christmas vacation with the Grinch?
DAY 6: One Last Holiday Breakfast + Head Home
Unfortunately, every Christmas vacation eventually has to end.
But we’re not leaving without one last festive morning!
Sleep in, enjoy breakfast at your resort and give yourself some time to grab any souvenirs you somehow convinced yourself you didn’t need earlier in the trip.
Then it’s time to head home with a camera roll full of approximately 7,000 Christmas photos.
What If We Want More Theme Park Time?
That’s the beauty of this itinerary: it’s only a starting point.
Your family’s perfect holiday vacation might look completely different.
Maybe your kids are obsessed with Magic Kingdom and you want another Disney park day.
Maybe your family is full of Harry Potter fans and wants more time at Universal.
Maybe you want to add Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom or another holiday experience.
Maybe you have toddlers who need more downtime.
Or maybe you’re traveling with teenagers who want to squeeze in every roller coaster possible.
That’s exactly why we recommend treating this as a sample itinerary, not a one-size-fits-all vacation plan.
Want to Make It Even Better? Add Another Night!
If your schedule and budget allow, adding even one more night can give you significantly more flexibility.
A sixth night could give you another full theme park day, a rest day or simply more time to enjoy your resorts instead of trying to squeeze everything into five nights.
And if your goal is to experience BOTH Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando during the holidays, having an extra day can make the entire vacation feel more relaxed.
Why Book Your Holiday Vacation With an Academy Travel Agent?
If reading this itinerary has you thinking, “Okay, but how am I supposed to actually plan all of this?” — that’s where we come in.
Planning a Disney and Universal vacation already involves a lot of moving pieces.
Planning both destinations during the holidays can involve even more.
You’ve got resorts, park tickets, transportation, special holiday events, dining, park days and dozens of little decisions to make before you even arrive in Orlando.
An Academy Travel agent can help you put all of those pieces together.
And we aren’t going to hand every family this exact itinerary.
Our agents can customize your vacation around your family’s needs, budget, kids’ ages, interests, must-do experiences and travel style.
Traveling with a toddler? Your itinerary might need more breaks.
Have teenagers? We might prioritize thrill rides.
Huge Harry Potter fans? Let’s give Universal more time.
Dreaming about Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party? We can build your Disney days around it.
Your vacation should be designed for YOUR family.
And one of the best parts?
Academy Travel agents are completely FREE to use! 🙌✨
You get an experienced vacation planner helping you navigate the details without paying an additional fee for their planning services.
Ready to Spend Christmas at Disney World AND Universal Orlando?
Five nights.
Two incredible Orlando destinations.
And a whole lot of Christmas magic.
Whether you want to steal this itinerary exactly as it is or create something completely different, an Academy Travel agent can help you plan a holiday vacation customized to your family.
So instead of spending hours trying to figure out how to fit everything together, let an expert do the planning.
Head to our website to get connected with an Academy Travel agent and start planning your Walt Disney World + Universal Orlando holiday vacation!
