Just in case we weren’t aware that we are now halfway to the holiday season, Disney is here to bring us up to speed. If you’re planning a visit to Walt Disney World during the holidays this year, grab a cup of cocoa and a leftover candy cane and settle in; we’ve got some merriment to get ready for.
First things first: as Jackie reported earlier this morning, this year’s Very Merry Christmas Party is being replaced with Disney Very Merriest After Hours. In a similar fashion to the replacement of this year’s Mickey Not-So-Scary Halloween Party with Disney After Hours BOO BASH, Disney Very Merriest After Hours will offer a limited number of guests a Christmastime experience in the Magic Kingdom. Be sure to check out Jackie’s article for all of the details, including when tickets for the event will go on sale.
Over at EPCOT, I’m happy to say that we’ll see the return of both the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays and the Holiday Cookie Stroll. The festival and stroll will begin on November 26th and will run until December 30th. If eating cookies and soaking in holiday magic EPCOT-style is your ideal way to spend Black Friday (no camping out at 4:30am required), come on out for the festival’s opening day. There’s been no word on the *hopeful* return of the Holiday Storytellers to World Showcase just yet. We’ll be sure to let you know if details are released. Also, how good is it to see the “Taste of…” prefix dropped from the festival’s name? Those two little words have been dropped from this year’s Food & Wine festival’s title as well, and I have to say that it feels good. It’s just an added piece of normalcy in my book, and I’m excited about it.
At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, we’ll see the return of Sunset Seasons Greetings and the four holiday-themed Tower of Terror projections that we’ve seen over the last several years. Guests will get to enjoy a Frozen-themed projection, a Dickensian Mickey’s Christmas Carol overlay, a Muppets-themed gingerbread house projection, and a Toy Story hotel overlay interspersed with the Tower becoming the park’s Beacon of Magic.
Santa Claus will be back to traversing Hollywood Boulevard via his motorcade, and Minnie Mouse invites us all to join her at Hollywood and Vine for a holiday-themed meal. Minnie’s friends, including Santa Goofy, will all be in attendance.
Over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the Tree of Life will once again come to life each evening with holiday magic during the Tree of Life Awakenings. During the holiday season, and throughout Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary, the park’s icon will also, on most nights, become a Beacon of Magic.
Last year, Disney Springs’ Christmas Tree Trail morphed into a Christmas Tree Stroll, and the stroll version will be back again this year. In my mind, the stroll was much more enjoyable than the trail, so I’m happy with this decision. Guests will find themed Christmas trees throughout Disney Springs to stop and enjoy, including a few new trees inspired by “The World’s Most Magical Celebration.”
If you’ve enjoyed a holiday sip or treat at Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar in the past, you’ll be glad to know that the bar’s transformation will return again this year. We’ve also been told that a holiday-themed menu will make an appearance at the bar during the season.
Lastly, if gingerbread displays are your thing, Disney has announced that select resorts will once again be delighting guests with their gingerbread skills. We haven’t been told which resorts will feature the displays (the list of resort displays was understandably pared down last year), but you can count on us to let you know all of the gingerbread details once the displays start being constructed around property. Of course, my most favorite thing about the resort displays is that, not only does the resort’s bakery team create a magical display for me to look at, they also create magical snacks for me to purchase and gobble up. It’s a win-win.
What are you most looking forward to this holiday season at Disney World? Will you be making a visit?
As always, if you’d like to plan a trip to the Magic, the agents at Dreams Unlimited Travel are here to help you at no additional cost. Request a free, no-obligation quote to begin your holiday season vacation planning today.
Source: Disney Parks Blog