A Very Disney Christmas

When it comes to Orlando and Christmas, you would probably expect that Walt Disney World is going to raise the ante for a memorable Yuletide experience, and you’d be right on the money. Amid a November landscape littered with festive offerings, the House of Mouse stands out for a number of very good reasons.

One, the Magic Kingdom is among the most highly decorated places in Florida, and that sense of a wintry wonderland is on display perfectly from early November right through to January.

Two, there are several seasonal additions to selected rides and attractions, notably with the Magic Kingdom’s Jungle Cruise but also the Frozen Sing-Along Celebration at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

And three, there is a suitably jolly makeover for Disney Springs, which gets into the Christmas spirit with additional decorations and, especially, great tastes to make the occasion extra merry and bright.

Now, if all that lights your festive spirit, then you need to pay close attention to the rest of this blog, as we’ll lay out the full glittering programme of Yule splendour, going park by park:

Magic Kingdom Christmas

Main Street USA sets the scene for the heart and soul of the Magic Kingdom’s Christmas overlay, with this iconic section of the park positively brimming with delightful décor and themed touches, as well as the signature 30ft tall Christmas Tree and regular “snowfalls”!

Also high on the agenda is the new (in 2023) Frozen Holiday Surprise, a seven-minute show on the main Castle Forecourt stage and on Cinderella Castle itself, featuring the Frozen film friends as they ring in the season. It begins with Olaf and his snowgie siblings adding garlands, ornaments, wreaths and more to Cinderella Castle and continues with Anna, Elsa and Kristoff appearing on stage with Olaf, all decked out in their seasonal best. The festivities culminate as Elsa adds the finishing touches with her ice magic, transforming the Castle into a shimmering crystallised palace (at 6.15 and 8.18pm daily).

You should also make time for the super-fun Jingle Cruise. Yes, the Jungle Cruise has been subverted for the season and now boasts a revised holly, jolly journey packed with silly shenanigans. The boathouse and beyond are decked out with merry décor that’s been mailed to the various boat skippers or which they’ve created themselves, and they are even unwrapping a few holiday jokes to help everyone get in the spirit!

Perhaps best of all, all the main characters, including Mickey and Minnie as well as Jack Skellington and Sally from A Nightmare Before Christmas, will be in their special Holiday attire, which makes for great photographs. You can also meet Santa in the Storybook Circus part of the park.

Christmas at EPCOT

While you might think the Magic Christmas would steal most of the festive magic, that is definitely not true when it comes to the EPCOT park, where the World Showcase area provides a terrific backdrop for the special International Festival of the Holidays celebration, where festive traditions from cultures around the world are on display from November 28 to December 30.

These include Holiday story-tellers at each of the Showcase pavilions, with legends and lore from around the globe, plus appearances from Father Christmas (Pere Noel in France and a mysterious Magical Barn Santa in Norway). Look out for a Hanukkah story-teller between France and Morocco, a Daruma story-teller in Japan and the Holiday Voyageurs in Canada.

Other worthwhile seasonal additions are the Glimmering Greenhouses of the Living With The Land ride in the Land pavilion, where the most bountiful time of year in celebrated with a special voyage through the ride’s greenhouse section, fully decorated with a myriad of dazzling lights, and the JOYFUL stage show, a joyous tribute to Christmas and Kwanzaa, with gospel, R&B and holiday songs (four times daily from 2 to 5.10pm on the ColluniCore Plaza Stage.

The true headline attraction at this time of year, though, is the thrice-daily Candlelight Processional performance at the America Gardens Theatre. Hear the stirring story of Christmas retold by a celebrity narrator and massed choir, accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra, herald trumpets and the Voices of Liberty a capella group (5, 6.45 and 8.15pm daily). If you only do one show at EPCOT, make it this one.

Oh, and don’t miss the Holiday Kitchens. These 20-plus food kiosks and year-round locations are set out throughout World Showcase and into World Nature and World Celebration, offering a range of seasonal and regional flavours and tastes, including all-new cocktails and sweet treats. Look out in particular for the Holiday Hearth Desserts (especially the Cocoa Peppermint Warmer!) in the Odyssey Pavilion and Las Posadas Holiday Kitchen in Mexico.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Christmas

Disney’s film-themed park also joins in the Yuletide fun with several live entertainment additions, another towering Christmas tree, and their own evening special event, Disney’s Jollywood Nights (See more here).

Beloved family show For The First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration joins in the festivities with a new finale section featuring everyone’s favourite snowman, Olaf, while Holidays at Toy Story Land adds a festive ride through the galaxy aboard the Alien Swirling Saucers ride and some playful Christmas decoration touches.

The big daily event, though, is the nightly Sunset Seasons Greetings projection show on the Tower of Terror. Here, Disney’s creative department transforms the Hollywood Tower Hotel into a holiday-themed version using lasers and other lighting effects to give Mickey and Co a chance to highlight what the Holiday season is all about to them.

Christmas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

While Christmas at the Animal Kingdom is more low-key than the other parks, this is still somewhere you’ll want to visit for its own take on the seasonal events and style, especially for the Holiday version of the Tree of Life Awakenings and yet another fabulous Christmas tree. The decorating here is more subtle than elsewhere but there is still a chance to meet Santa and there are more tasty treats on offer.

Once inside the park, it all starts at the Discovery Island section, where, with typical Disney imagination, visitors are greeted by the Merry Menagerie, a fun series of interactive winter animal puppets, including penguins, foxes and a Polar bear. Over at the nearby Adventurers Outpost you can also meet Mickey and Minnie in their spiffy festive outfits. In Anandapur section of Asia, the theatre area is decorated for Diwali, India’s holiday of lights in India, while glowing flowers and lanterns light up the path to the waterfront stage. Both Africa and Pandora: The World of Avatar also have their own dedicated lights and decoration.

And each evening concludes with the special seasonal version of Tree of Life Awakenings, where the park’s majestic centerpiece comes to life thanks to the “animal spirits” at work on the massive tree trunk. The Holiday edition shimmers and sparkles in a series of wintery projections, all accompanied by a heartwarming musical score.

There’s more, of course, but we’ll let you discover that on your own. Just be sure to use your Disney Magic Tickets to the full (and don’t miss our next blog, which will be all about the all-new Jollywood Nights party at Disney’s Hollywood Studios!).