Holidays at Walt Disney World

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The Magic of the Holidays at Walt Disney World® Resort

There are very few who can ‘deck the halls’ like Walt Disney World® Resort does! Bringing together the traditions, excitement and yuletide fun of the holidays, Walt Disney World® Resort creates quite the backdrop to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year!

Here’s a look at what’s to come this holiday season!

Magic Kingdom® Park

One of the grandest ways to dive into the magic of the season is to experience Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Not only will you get to experience a magical snowfall on Main Street, U.S.A.® and enjoy complimentary cookies and hot cocoa; you will enjoy live holiday entertainment like no other! From Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade and Holiday Wishes: Celebrate the Spirit of the Season fireworks spectacular to Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration stage show, you will be rocking around the Christmas tree all through the night!

Fans of Frozen will also be excited to know that Magic Kingdom® Park has allowed Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Olaf to bring a little magic to the park with A Frozen Holiday Wish where they turn Cinderella Castle into a glimmering ice Palace!

Epcot®

If you enjoy the rich traditions of Christmas then you do not want to miss visiting Epcot® where Epcot® International Festival of the Holidays returns from November 18 to December 30, 2018. Throughout World Showcase, costumed performers will share the holiday heritage of the nations represented. If you ever wanted to experience Christmas around the world, here is your chance! Holiday kitchens will offer seasonal food & beverage from around the globe.

Don’t miss the fun of Chip & Dale’s Christmas Tree Spree, a scavenger hunt throughout World Showcase that ends with a special prize. Maps will be sold at select merchandise locations.

To keep in tune with the true meaning of the season, Epcot® is also home to Joyful! A Gospel Celebration of the Season and the amazing Candlelight Processional where the biblical account of Jesus’ birth is retold by a celebrity narrator accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra and mass choir.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios®

A flurry of fun will take place at Disney’s Hollywood Studios® this holiday. Sunset Seasons Greetings! returns to turn he park’s Sunset Boulevard into an enchanted winter wonderland from November 8 – January 6, 2019. As the sun sets, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™ attraction magically transforms to tell several different holiday character stories with new laser effects and “snow.” And the park’s newest land will get into the holiday spirit as well, with Toy Story Land featuring season fun and new holiday songs for Alien Swirling Saucers.

Inside the Once Upon a Time shop,  Santa will be greeting guests daily from November 10 to December 24 when Santa Goofy takes over starting December 25.

Also, Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! returns for 2018 providing a Santa-sized nighttime spectacular to guests. The show will run nightly from November 8 – January 6, 2019.

Disney Springs™, Resort Hotels and more…

Even the Walt Disney World® Resort hotels join in with the holiday magic, bringing larger than life gingerbread creations and decorations to select resort hotels. And with the chance to meet Santa Claus, feast on festive flavors, explore the Christmas Tree Trail, and enjoy seasonal shopping, there’s no doubt that Disney Springs™ is the place to be this holiday season!

The best news is, there is still time to experience the beauty of the season at Walt Disney World® Resort! Contact your Magic Maker® today to start planning your last-minute celebration!

Candlelight Processional Begins Tonight at Epcot®

While the day after Thanksgiving is a day of shopping to many in the United States, at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida it is the official kickoff to the Holiday Season! Today was the beginning of Epcot’s® Holidays Around the World and tonight they will hold their first Candlelight Processional.

During Holidays Around the World, special storytellers from the respective World Showcase pavilions share traditions and lore from their homeland along with other live entertainment. But no Yuletide tradition would be complete without a meet and greet with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Guests will end their night with a special seasonal finale to IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth.

Epcot’s® Candlelight Processional is a timeless holiday offering that pairs the reading of the Christmas story by a celebrity narrator with seasonal music performed by a mass choir and 50-piece live orchestra. Performed three times daily (5p, 6:45p, and 8:15p), the show is a guest favorite that is difficult to get seats for. Guests wanting to attend can purchase a Candlelight Dining Package which includes lunch or dinner at a select Epcot® restaurant, guaranteed seating for the Candlelight Processional, and VIP viewing of IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth.

This year’s list of celebrity narrators include:

11/23-11/25 — Geena Davis
11/26-11/29 — Neil Patrick Harris
11/30-12/1 — Whoopi Goldberg
12/2-12/4 — Andy Garcia
12/5-12/7 — Blair Underwood
12/8-12/9 — James Denton
12/10-12/13 — Jodi Benson
12/14-12/16 — Lea Salonga
12/17-12/19 — Alfre Woodard
12/20-12/22 — Trace Adkins
12/23-12/25 — Gary Sinise
12/26-12/28 — Amy Grant
12/29-12/30 — Marlee Matlin / Jack Jason

Narrators are subject to change without notice.

VIDEO: ‘Castle Dream Lights’ Brighten the Landscape at Magic Kingdom® Park

One of our guest’s favorite things about the holiday at the Magic Kingdom® Park is seeing the Castle Dream Lights. Nightly, Cinderella Castle is transformed into a glimmering ice palace. While the castle stays lit all night, the Cinderella’s Holiday Wish show only takes place once per evening, so be sure to check your Times Guide so you don’t miss it!

Enjoy this video as Creative Director Reed Jones gives you the inside scoop on Cinderella Castle’s Castle Dream Lights.

The Holidays Shine Bright at Walt Disney World® Resort

As the days in 2012 quickly fly by, one realizes that the holidays are quickly approaching! As a matter of fact, Christmas is only 133 days away!

So, it won’t be too long before the Walt Disney World® Resort starts decorating for the holiday season! If you’ve never seen it before, it is incredible. Anyone who has seen it is likely anxious to see it again!

Enjoy this video as your experience how the ‘Holidays Shine Bright at Walt Disney World® Resort.’

Want to visit the Walt Disney World® Resort this holiday season?
Now’s the time to start planning!

You can even take advantage of the FREE Dining promotion available select dates through the end of 2012! Contact us today for a free no-obligation quote!

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Dates Announced for the 2012 Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

Disney’s Hollywood Studios® will shine bright again this holiday season! A Walt Disney World® Holiday tradition since 1995, The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights will take place Nov. 9, 2012 – Jan. 4, 2013.

The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights is a holiday display featuring millions of glittering lights all synchronized to seasonal music. The display was started by Jennings Osborne at his home in Arkansas. The once modest display grew a little more and more over the years until Osborne’s display was just too much for his modest Arkansas neighborhood. In 1995, the Walt Disney World® Resort became the new permanent home for this exceptional exhibition of holiday cheer. Totally blanketing the Streets of America inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios®, the display puts on a “show” approximately every 10 minutes as the lights dance to the music.

Every year, Disney’s Hollywood Studios® planners “plus” the display by adding new lights, audio, decorations and effects. In just a few months, we will get to see what is new with this year’s Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights!

The Magic of the Holidays

Cinderella Castle DreamlightsThe holidays at the Walt Disney World® Resort are celebrated in true Disney fashion, and a Disney vacation for Christmas is a perfect gift for that special someone who wants to experience all the festivities. This magical time of year is enjoyable by itself, but throw in some Disney magic, and you’ve got “that most wonderful time of year.” Here is a quick sampling of events during the holiday season at the Walt Disney World® Resort:

  • Magic Kingdom® Park – Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
    This special after hours event is a magical time when Disney closes the park to a select number of guests. While it is a “hard-ticket” event, meaning there is an additional cost, it is well worth the price of admission in order to be in the Magic Kingdom® Park for several hours, with low crowds, and with many special activities and events. A special parade and fireworks presentation can be viewed, hot chocolate & cookies are served complimentary throughout the event, and don’t forget, most of the rides are open. This is also a great time to catch some special stage shows and the breathtaking Cinderella Castle Dreamlights, snow on Main Street, U.S.A., as well as riding your favorite ride with a greatly reduced wait time. This event is only run on select nights, so check with your Magic Maker® for details.
  • Epcot® – Holidays Around the World and Candlelight Processional
    This theme park celebrates the season by having its many countries in the World Showcase exhibit their many unique holiday festivities, stories and wonderful food options. Also, in the America Gardens Theatre, you have the option of listening to guest narrators, a mass choir, and a full orchestra as they present the Candlelight Processional. This is a special retelling of the Christmas story, and is a very popular event. If you wait in the “stand-by” line, you may have to wait for up to 2-3 hours for a seat on busier nights. Another option to look into is the Candlelight Dining Package. For a fixed price (based on the restaurant you choose), you are able to enjoy a wonderful meal, and you’ll get “priority seating” at the show. This cuts your wait time down quite a bit, but you’ll still want to get in the “Dinner Package” line at least 30-45 minutes before the show.  Finish off your night with a special holiday rendition of IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth.
  • Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ – Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
    Immerse yourself in the joy of the season as millions of blinking, twinkling lights “dance” to a high-energy holiday symphony at Disney’s Hollywood Studios™. See twirling carousels, sparking snowflakes, heavenly angels, majestic trees, twinkling bells, colorful wreaths and Santa with his reindeer in the most over-the-top light display anywhere! This event takes stage near the back of the park on the “Streets of America.” It is a very popular event, and can be crowded at times, however, everyone always has a good view. The “dancing” part of the show happens every few minutes so make sure you stay long enough to see the show. Also, I recommend not trying to cram Fantasmic! and the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights into one evening. They are both so great that you should allow multiple nights to see them.
  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park – Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade
    “Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade” blends the spirit of Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park with the spirit of the season into a holiday offering full of jump, joy and jive! It’s a jinglin’ good time with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Chip ‘n Dale and the gang on parade in their holiday yuletide best. This is much like the regular parade, however, the fun changes to it for the holiday season are worth viewing.

The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing LightsSnow in Florida, dancing holiday lights, spectacular fireworks, your favorite characters decked out for the holidays, an incredible retelling of the Christmas story and so much more… As you can see, the holidays at the Walt Disney World® Resort are truly a celebration of the season. So, how do you enjoy these wonderful events? With a Disney vacation for Christmas, of course! Start planning your Walt Disney World® trip for this holiday season or next, and you won’t be disappointed. Disney is the perfect place to be during “the most wonderful time of the year.”

Contact your Magic Maker® to start planning or click below to request a quote.

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