Walt Disney World and Universal for the Holidays

I love the holidays at Walt Disney World and Universal Studios so we decided to take a week in December and enjoy both! We went right before the rest of the world was on break and the crowds and weather were great!

We chose to stay off property this time as we were going to both theme parks and wanted a central location. We stayed at a Sheraton Vistana Villas and got a 2-bedroom villa that allowed us to cook breakfast in the morning and even do dinner delivery a couple nights. We also enjoyed the heated pool at our resort.

First stop was Walt Disney World for a jam-packed 2 days with a Park Hopper ticket. We purchased Genie+, which gave us an opportunity to book a certain time to return to attractions for a shorter line. This allowed us to literally hit almost every ride we wanted to at all 4 parks in 2 days - it was amazing and I was impressed with the efficiency! We enjoyed the Cookie Stroll at Epcot, the safari at Animal Kingdom, Slinky Dog Dash at Hollywood Studios and of course, the magic of the holidays at the Magic Kingdom.

The next stop, was Universal Studios for a full experience with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. My son and I just started reading the first book and he's seen the first two movies and he was very excited. We got him a robe and while there, purchased a wand and enjoyed all the amazing spells throughout the area. Oh! And drank more Butterbeer than I will admit. Tip - try all 3 and vote for your favorite! Mine is not, my son's is frozen and my husband said regular. So we are definitely a split family. What was fun about the holidays at Universal is their New York area and the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and balloons and floats. As we watch the parade every year as a family, it was fun to see a smaller version at the parks. And man does my son love roller coasters! He tackled and loved Velocicoaster - the Jurassic Park coaster that is a definite thrill ride. I was amazed at how much he loved it and he keeps asking to go back.

It was a busy few days but full of so many memories. I definitely recommend going to the parks over the holidays!