When you visit Disney World in December, not only are all the Disney parks decorated for the holidays, but the Disney Resorts also have Christmas displays. While all the Disney Resorts at Christmas are decorated, some are done more elaborately than others.
8 Disney Resorts at Christmas You’ll Want to See
We’ve toured most of the Disney resorts at Christmastime and think these have the best Disney Resort Christmas decorations.
These are the 7 Disney Resorts we think you should take the time to explore this time of the year.
1. The Grand Floridian
When it comes to the best Disney Resort Christmas decorations, Grand Floridian Resort tops the list. There is nothing like Grand Floridian at Christmas.
Not only does this Deluxe resort have one of the largest trees at Disney World, but it is also known for its amazing, life-like Gingerbread House.
Be sure to venture to other areas of the resort to see all the other decorations and ways they celebrate the holidays.
2. The Polynesian Resort
This resort is also located on the monorail and is worth a stop to see their beautiful Christmas decor that takes on a tropical flare!
While there, you can also grab a bite to eat or try the famous Disney Dole Whip!
You will love all the festive Poinsettia displays and the tropical way they decorate their trees for Christmas.
3. Contemporary Resort
Disney’s Contemporary Resort has a must-see 17-foot tall gingerbread Cinderella Castle that was constructed with nearly 4,000 gingerbread bricks.
Hidden among the gingerbread display is a five-legged goat.
The five-legged goat pays homage to the towering mural in the resort’s Grand Canyon Concourse by Mary Blair.
4. The Boardwalk Resort
Some of the best Disney Resort Christmas decorations are over at the Boardwalk area of Disney World.
You can access Disney’s Boardwalk resort through the Skyliner Gondola system or by foot or boat from both Hollywood Studios and EPCOT.
The gingerbread display at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn features a gingerbread version of the BoardWalk Deli.
Made with 21 gallons of honey and over 500 total pounds of flour, it took Disney bakers 200 hours to decorate.
Not only will you find a gingerbread display & elaborately decorated trees inside, they also have a giant tree outside as well!
5. Beach Club Resort
This is one of my favorite Disney resort Christmas displays.
Disney’s Beach Club Resort features a life-sized gingerbread carousel in the lobby. Sharp-eyed guests can find 21 hidden Mickeys on it – one for each year it has appeared in the hotel.
The best feature about this carousel is that it actually turns! This means that you can see all the details without having to even move!
6. Yacht Club Resort
Located beside the Beach Club Resort, the Yacht Club features two beautiful Christmas displays.
One is a large lighthouse made entirely out of gingerbread. It even has a working light.
There is also the most magnificent Disney Christmas village that includes a toy train that works its way around the entire display.
7. Wilderness Lodge
Wilderness Lodge Resort at Christmas is all decked out for the holidays in a more traditional design.
You will find trees decked with lots of natural items like pine cones and antlers.
And since this resort is all about the American West, you can expect for find some Cowboy elements as well.
Make sure that you walk around the entire lobby because there are some incredible details and great picture spots to take advantage of!
8. Swan & Dolphin Resort at Christmas
Inside the Swan & Dolphin Resort, you will find the only White poinsettia Christmas tree on Disney property.
Not only will you see this beautiful tree surrounded by reindeer and a working train that encircles the tree!
This is one of the few Disney Resort Christmas displays that feature Santa Claus! This life-size display makes you feel as though you’ve caught Santa red-handed!
Even if you don’t get to stay at any of the Disney Resorts at Christmas, you can visit them for free.
It is fun just to stop by & see how they decorate for the holidays.
While you do have to drive to many of the Disney resorts, many can be accessed from the monorail or by a quick boat ride.
This makes stopping by as easy as a trip to a Disney park.
Do you visit Disney Resorts at Christmas? Which one is your favorite?
Kristi West
Tuesday 16th of November 2021
While they do change from time to time, it isn't every year. Cinderella has been there for the last 2 years prior to 2020.
PegP
Friday 12th of November 2021
Don't go to the Contemporary expecting to see a Cinderella gingerbread or to the Beach Club expecting to see a Lilo carousel. The theme changes every year. In 2018, the gingerbread at the Contemporary was Frozen. This year's carousel will feature the Little Mermaid.
And it wasn't mentioned in this post, but if you go to the Beach Club, you HAVE to walk over to the Yacht Club. The resort doesn't do gingerbread, but they have a train set that definitely impresses. It's a large scene with a lot of buildings with a working train. Best part is trying to find all of the hidden Mickeys. Four of us spent close to half an hour trying to find them all and couldn't!
And you MUST check out the Christmas Tree Trail at Disney Springs. It's a walk through a long line of Christmas trees (on both sides of you), each decorated to a specific Disney animated movie. There's almost 2 dozen trees to see.