The holiday season is just around the corner!

If you’re heading to Disney World for the holidays this year, you’re probably looking to check out ALL the special offerings like the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays, visiting with Santa, a new After Hours party in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and buying holiday merchandise. And if you’re heading to Disney World this November, let’s talk about what to expect on your upcoming trip. 

Let’s dive right into the things you can expect when you come to Disney World in November 2023.

HOLIDAY EVENTS

Magic Kingdom

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party nights start as early as November 9th and run through select nights in the Magic Kingdom until December 22nd.

There’s so much to do at these parties now, and we’re especially excited about the NEW Frozen-themed Cinderella Castle show that’s coming to the party this year.

Of course there is the ever-iconic Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks, and all the exclusive party merch and treats. It’s hard to fit the party festivities into just one night!

See everything included at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party HERE!

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Disney Jollywood Nights

A brand new holiday event is coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Disney Jollywood Nights! Disney Jollywood Nights is a separately ticketed event that will take place on ten select nights from November 11th through December 20th, 2023.

As part of the event, guests can view the Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! nighttime spectacular, enjoy exclusive treats AND exclusive entertainment, meet rare characters, and more! Throughout the park, guests will be able to experience unique music and entertainment inspired by different genres.

And two limited-capacity entertainment experiences happening during the event: The Hollywood Brown Derby will transform into a speakeasy-inspired jazz lounge, and The Hollywood Tower Hotel Courtyard will host an “other-worldly soiree” with a ghostly band!

Click HERE for everything you need to know about Disney Jollywood Nights!

EPCOT

International Festival of the Holidays

The EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays is a global celebration of the Season! In 2023, it will begin on November 24th (the day after Thanksgiving) and run through December 30th.

During the Festival, guests enjoy enhanced offerings around the World Showcase and experience holiday traditions from various cultures as expressed through decorations, stories, music, cuisine, and additional special events.

EPCOT features internationally-themed food booths called Holiday Kitchens! Look for the ramped-up food offerings at booths like American Holiday Table, Las Posadas, and Chestnuts & Good Cheer Holiday Kitchen.

Many counter-service restaurants (and even some table service locations) feature additional holiday treats, too.

Click here to see ALL of the details about the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays!

Also, you’ll want to keep in mind that the crowd level at Disney World is always unpredictable, especially with these popular events. But even if the parks are filled to capacity, you will still have a great day — you’ll just encounter longer lines for everything you can imagine. The lines for rides, restaurants, and restrooms may stretch seemingly to infinity, so keep that in mind.

CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

Disney’s BoardWalk Inn

First up, let’s talk about Disney’s BoardWalk. It’s currently in the middle of a few construction projects. They are in the process of updating all the hotel rooms with new furniture and decor. These new rooms will feature artwork that contains images of Mickey, Minnie, and other Disney pals strolling through the BoardWalk.

On top of that, the lobby of the hotel is expected to get a refresh. We already saw some construction at the check-in desk, and the former Dundy’s Sundries shut down to make way for Carousel Coffee.

The Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers will be coming to Disney’s BoardWalk in early 2024 (a delay from its initially announced opening of 2023), and will serve more than just cakes. The table service restaurant is expected to also have savory items, and in the afternoons guests can enjoy a spot of tea.

In the meantime, expect lots of construction sounds! If your trip is late in the year, all of these projects might not affect your stay — but keep them in mind when you’re planning!

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa is Disney World’s premier Deluxe Resort, but unfortunately, this hotel is also undergoing some major construction at the moment.

Currently, many of the buildings at this resort are getting refurbishments.

Some of the rooms are being updated with new furniture and color schemes. We’ve already seen many of these updated rooms open up to guests.

Lots of the DVC rooms have been updated already with a Mary Poppins Returns theme.

Also, the lobby of the hotel is undergoing a refurbishment.

Furthermore, there are still parts of this resort that haven’t reopened since 2020. 1900 Park Fare previously offered buffet dining for breakfast and dinner — with characters — but it’s STILL closed.

The main point is that you will definitely be noticing all of the scaffolding, construction, and noises while you’re there.

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is also undergoing a major overhaul. Disney is currently in the process of expanding this resort to include more Disney Vacation Club villas, which will bring new recreation and dining options.

We’ve been following progress on the construction since the project began. We’ve seen a large portion of the building going up in the past few months. This is what the construction site looked like in July 2023. At the time, we noticed a lot more equipment on the site.

Well, we visited recently again and noticed that the building is being extended. It looks like it’s really coming together now!

A lot of the work being done now seems to be focused on individual parts of the building — in this case, it looks like they’re working on the rooms.

We’ve been seeing a lot of cranes on site, too, while the crews work on the DVC villas. Concept art we’ve seen previously suggests that the new structure will include a variety of villa sizes, including 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom villas.

It does look like more pieces of the wall are going up, too. However, it’s not scheduled to finish until late 2024, so that’s a long time to deal with the construction!

Those are some of the things you might run into and experience this holiday, but we’ll be on the lookout for more to add to that list! Stay tuned to DFB for the latest updates about holiday season happenings in Disney World!

Click Here to Check Out All the Holiday Offerings in Disney World!

Are you going to Disney World for the holidays this year? Tell us in the comments!

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