Disney News

The Walt Disney World® Resort is beautifully decorated during the holidays, but some favorite sights during the holiday season are the amazing edible holiday displays that truly look like something out of a fairy tale.  From the life-sized gingerbread houses, chocolate carrousel horses, to candy villages, they are truly a delight for all of your senses.

The lobby of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is where you can find the resort’s 16-foot-tall gingerbread house. This Victorian-style structure takes 400 hours to bake, and lists 1,050 pounds of honey and 600 pounds of powdered sugar among its ingredients. The house, which is topped off with Santas, poinsettias and powdered-sugar snow, also has a chimney that periodically puffs with the scent of cinnamon.  Don’t forget to head to the back to pick up some samples.  Among the items for sale are gingerbread houses, gingerbread shingles slathered in chocolate, solid milk chocolate boxes, gingerbread cookies, and more!

At Disney’s Beach Club Resort, a gingerbread carousel serves as the platform for horses made of chocolate and fondant, each beautifully decorated with candy and icing. The carousel also has 11 hidden Mickeys incorporated into its design.

Disney’s Contemporary Resort’s Grand Concourse (fourth floor) is where you can spot a 17-foot-tall gingerbread Christmas tree decorated with chocolate ornaments and candy canes. The tree’s playful design was inspired by the work of Disney Legend Mary Blair, whose artistic style can be seen on the adjacent Grand Canyon Concourse mural.

The lobby of Disney’s Boardwalk Inn showcases a gazebo made of gingerbread and chocolate — and one Donald Duck in quite a predicament!

A couple of the pavilions in the World Showcase of Epcot® have delicious displays.  The Italy Pavilion has its own intricate gingerbread display.  Though it is smaller than the others, its attention to detail is just as grand.  Santa’s Bake Shop at Liberty Inn at the American Adventure pavilion is another life-sized gingerbread house made entirely of gingerbread, cookies, and icing. Stop by to purchase drinks and goodies here, too!

Start planning your vacation to the Walt Disney World® Resort for the holidays now!  Contact your Magic Maker® for more information or click here to request a quote.

Beginning on the Dec. 16, 2010, sailing of the Disney Wonder® and the Dec. 28, 2010, sailing of the Disney Magic®, families will have a great new way to stay in touch with one another. Portable Wave Phones will enable Guests to contact members of their party while onboard the ship or ashore at Disney’s Castaway Cay.

All staterooms will now offer two portable Wave Phones for complimentary use during the length of the cruise. Four phones are provided in the Royal Suite and 2-Bedroom Suite categories. Guests can rent an additional phone from Guest Services for $3.50 per day.

The Wave Phones replace the paging system previously used by Youth Activities. Parents with children participating in activities are now never more than a text message or phone call away.

All Guests are encouraged to utilize the Wave Phones for staying connected with their party while on the ship or at Disney’s Castaway Cay. However, Guests can opt out of using these phones and have the Wave Phone service disconnected in their staterooms.

If phones are lost, damaged or not returned to the stateroom prior to debarkation a $250 charge per phone will be applied to the Guest’s stateroom account. This charge will be mentioned on the payment authorization form that Guests complete during the check-in process.

New dining, shopping and entertainment experiences are in the works for the Downtown Disney® area for a vibrant waterfront district called “Hyperion Wharf.”  The new district will replace the current Pleasure Island Area.

The district will come to life with a nostalgic yet modern take on an early 20th century port city and amusement pier. By day, stylish boutiques and innovative restaurants will draw you in and by night, thousands of lights will transform the area into an electric wonderland.

Taking its name from Hyperion, the Greek god of light, as well as the street on which Walt Disney built his first major animation studio, the wharf district will also feature a relaxing lakeside park and enhanced pedestrian walkways. And its diverse eateries will expand dining availability at the Downtown Disney® area by more than 25 percent.

Along with the new wharf district, other projects are underway at Downtown Disney, including:

• An extensive renovation of Lego Imagination Center, which will increase its overall footprint by nearly 3,500 square-feet and add new Lego exterior models featuring scenes from classic Disney movies.
• Enhancements at AMC Theatres that will take the movie-going experience at Downtown Disney to the next level with new digital technology, a Concession Stand of the Future and Florida’s first Fork & Screen Theater;
• Numerous new or renovated retail shops and merchandise vignettes, as well as additional atmosphere entertainment, throughout Downtown Disney.

Construction on the district begins immediately and it’s scheduled to be completed in 2013.

The 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.

Snow 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.

As if suddenly dusted in a million ice crystals, Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom® Park in Orlando, Florida, and Sleeping Beauty  Castle at the Disneyland® Park in Anaheim, California shine bright, adding to the wintertime wonderment of the holidays at the Happiest Place on Earth.

Check out this time lapse video as Sleeping Beauty Castle transforms from day to night: