Orlando Hotels & Vacation Rentals for Christmas

Make your Orlando trip as magical as can be by making a reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table. This restaurant, housed in the fairytale castle at the heart of Disney's Magic Kingdom, is decorated for a truly festive feel. Meet princesses as you dine, and after your meal, you're free to explore the rest of the theme park's attractions.

Orlando's Hard Rock Cafe. the largest in the world, is perfect if you prefer your Christmas food all-American and in large quantities. Enjoy a rock music playlist as you feast on ribs, burgers, and deliciously decadent desserts. It's loud, frenetic, and a whole lot of fun.

The Christmas buffet at the Rosen Plaza, a Florida institution, comprises classics such as roast turkey along with fresh seafood, kid-friendly dishes, and a spectacular Christmas dessert selection. Many other hotels and restaurants offer buffet-style festive meals, but the Rosen's is the original, and arguably, the best.

Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter is transformed every December, with a dusting of snow on the roofs, traditional Christmas decorations, and ornate Christmas trees. Experience a small-village British Christmas without ever leaving the Florida sunshine.

Snow isn't a common sight in central Florida, except in the small town of Celebration, where it snows every night in December. As well wandering through the snowfall, visitors can skate on a synthetic rink, ride in a horse-drawn carriage, or listen to traditional carol singers.

To the north of town, on the edge of a state park, Wekiva Island's Christmas Wonderland offers a full month of festive film screenings, train rides, stories with Santa, ornament decorations, and other seasonal crafts.

Mount Dora is lit up with over two million lights every December, guaranteeing a twinkly Christmas spectacle. The town puts on a full program of events throughout the month, with live music, tours of historic buildings, fireworks, and theatrical performances.

Open year round, NASA's launch site and museum is just a short drive east of downtown Orlando. Visitors can tour the site, find out about the history of the American space program, then experience a take-off in a shuttle simulator before seeing one of the real things in the cavernous hangar.

Orlando's huge science center is part museum, part four-floor play area, with an educational slant. Learn about dinosaurs and excavations in DinoDigs, or experiment with gravity and energy in the Kinetic Zone. The OSC has something for kids and teens of all ages.

Take a trip on the 400-foot-tall Orlando Eye for the best views over Central Florida. Capsules are fully enclosed, and a complete revolution on the wheel takes about 25 minutes. Visit on a clear day and you may even see as far as the Space Coast and Kennedy Center.

There are many companies offering airboat rides in the Orlando area, but the further south you head out of town, the better the experience. The wildlife is most active at dawn or dusk, and if you're lucky, you might spot alligators, eagles, deer, and many other local species.