Best Resorts for Christmas Decorations?

Imaginationsetfree

Mouseketeer
Joined
Mar 29, 2009
Hello! I am heading to WDW this December, and it will be my first time there at Christmas. I'm getting in late on a Friday night, but don't actually plan in hitting the parks until Sunday (just due to the number of days I'm getting with my ticket and the fact that it will be Thanksgiving weekend - so I'm avoiding the crazy busy Saturday park crowds). Anyways, I thought I would spend Saturday exploring the Christmas decorations at the different resorts because I'm sure Disney does them well. Are there any resorts that I should be sure to check out? Or any not to bother with?

Thanks, everyone!
 
Wl really has the whole Christmas feeling.:goodvibes. The gf has the awesome gingerbread house. The Epcot resorts have really neat displays and the akl is just so pretty! I would honestly tour most of the deluxes. Have a great trip!pixiedust:
 
Beach club has a gorgeous Gingerbread/chocolate carousel.Grand Flordian has a HUGE gingerbread house
 
WL looks great during Christmas! It's got that feel. It even looks Christmasy when it's not Christmas. So many pine trees.

Katie
 
We stayed at WL last Christmas, and it was absolutely gorgeous; I highly recommend checking it out! We also toured around the monorail loop resorts. Grand Floridian has a beautiful big Victorian gingerbread house and one of the largest trees. Contemporary has a giant gingerbread tree and BLT is done up really well too.

Basically the deluxes are the resorts that are done up the fanciest, so if you have time, I'd check them all out.
 
Grand Floridian is a must. Wilderness Lodge and Beach Club. Also if you can fit it in visit the camp ground after dark and check out the personally decorated camp sites.
 
Boardwalk has a great display. We do all the deluxes. Poly was the disappointment last time. We went before and they had the most adorable mini gingerbread houses on display, last time nothing.
 
Most of the deluxes have some sort of interesting display. WL, AKL, and GF all have huge intricately decorated Christmas trees. GF also has the life sized gingerbread house. They also happen to be my favorite resorts to check out. Contemporary has some stuff, but it is usually one the smaller side. Poly, BC, YC, Boardwalk, are all lacking a grand lobby to do a huge display, but they all do some sort of smaller display. The Mods/Values do have some stuff, but once again since most don't have a huge space to do large decorations they are often smaller in scale.

My suggestion? Late morning take the bus from your rest to DHS. Walk/take the boat and check out the Epcot resorts. Go back to DHS, take the bus to AKL, and then from AKL take the MK bus. At MK take the bus to WL, and then go back to MK, and do the monorail loop. Or maybe monorail loop first then WL. That lets you hit up pretty much all of the must see decorations. I think that the MK area/WL is better to see at night.
 
I love WDW during the holidays. I would do as a pp suggested w/ a twist. Take the bus from your resort to DHS and then boat to BWI - wander through the lobby to see the cute Santa's workshop then out to the boardwalk area and stroll over to the BC to see the life size chocolate carousel horses - I love that display. YC has an underwhelming train display - so I'd skip it, Swan and Dolphin also are decorated, but I'd skip them too. After you've seen whichever of the BW/BC/YC/Swolphin resorts you like, walk out to the last resort's bus stop and take the bus to DTD - wander around DTD a bit, visit the Christmas store, maybe grab a bite to eat @ DTD.
After you've soaked up DTD grab a bus to AKL - get off @ Jambo house. Walk through the gift store (my favorite resort store btw) and take in the huge Christmas tree in the lobby - go up to the 3rd floor and admire it from the sky walkway up there. While you are there you can also go out by the pool to see the savanna lookout as well as out the back of the lobby to see the Arusha savanna outlook. Victoria Falls bar (I think that's the name)is a friendly place to grab a drink if you like, now back through the lobby and gift store to the bus stop.
From the AKL bus stop take the bus to MK. Walk from the MK bus stop to the resort monorail and go to the GF. Grab some gingerbread from the life size gingerbread house take a seat in the lobby, gaze at the gorgeous tree while you listen to the music being played on the grand piano as you munch your gingerbread. It should by now be evening, hop back on the monorail and ride it back to the front of MK. Walk down to the boat docks and take the boat to WL, walk through the beautiful grounds into the lobby, grab a rocking chair by the huge fireplace and enjoy the towering Christmas tree in the lobby - maybe grab dinner @ WL lodge or boat over to FW and have dinner there followed by a wander through the decorated campsites. Then boat back to the MK and bus back to your resort.
Edited to add: just saw you are staying offsite - I only know how to get around WDW using their transportation (I always fly in) so you may want to adjust plans to accommodate your car, maybe park @ TTC then walk over to the Poly lobby to check out their decorations and bus from Poly to DHS for the beginning of the itenerary I outlined. That way your car is conveniently waiting in the TTC parking lot after WL/FW that night?
 
WE love all the resorts decorations at Christmas, but we like the WL best of all. So traditionally and magically decorated.

Lovely!
 
We stayed at the cabins at Ft. Wilderness last year at it was amazing. Our kids loved driving around in our golf cart looking at the decorated campsites. It's was really wonderful!
 
I love WDW during the holidays. I would do as a pp suggested w/ a twist. Take the bus from your resort to DHS and then boat to BWI - wander through the lobby to see the cute Santa's workshop then out to the boardwalk area and stroll over to the BC to see the life size chocolate carousel horses - I love that display. YC has an underwhelming train display - so I'd skip it, Swan and Dolphin also are decorated, but I'd skip them too. After you've seen whichever of the BW/BC/YC/Swolphin resorts you like, walk out to the last resort's bus stop and take the bus to DTD - wander around DTD a bit, visit the Christmas store, maybe grab a bite to eat @ DTD.
After you've soaked up DTD grab a bus to AKL - get off @ Jambo house. Walk through the gift store (my favorite resort store btw) and take in the huge Christmas tree in the lobby - go up to the 3rd floor and admire it from the sky walkway up there. While you are there you can also go out by the pool to see the savanna lookout as well as out the back of the lobby to see the Arusha savanna outlook. Victoria Falls bar (I think that's the name)is a friendly place to grab a drink if you like, now back through the lobby and gift store to the bus stop.
From the AKL bus stop take the bus to MK. Walk from the MK bus stop to the resort monorail and go to the GF. Grab some gingerbread from the life size gingerbread house take a seat in the lobby, gaze at the gorgeous tree while you listen to the music being played on the grand piano as you munch your gingerbread. It should by now be evening, hop back on the monorail and ride it back to the front of MK. Walk down to the boat docks and take the boat to WL, walk through the beautiful grounds into the lobby, grab a rocking chair by the huge fireplace and enjoy the towering Christmas tree in the lobby - maybe grab dinner @ WL lodge or boat over to FW and have dinner there followed by a wander through the decorated campsites. Then boat back to the MK and bus back to your resort.
Edited to add: just saw you are staying offsite - I only know how to get around WDW using their transportation (I always fly in) so you may want to adjust plans to accommodate your car, maybe park @ TTC then walk over to the Poly lobby to check out their decorations and bus from Poly to DHS for the beginning of the itenerary I outlined. That way your car is conveniently waiting in the TTC parking lot after WL/FW that night?

Sounds good. I would have taken the boat from DTD to POR.
 
I was down in Disney last Christmas and all of the resorts had amazing decorations! My favorite was the Beach Club because of the gingerbread displays inside. The entry way at Old Key West had some cute decorations but nothing spectacular...

The parks are amazing during Christmas... My favorite time to go!
 
Hello! I am heading to WDW this December, and it will be my first time there at Christmas. I'm getting in late on a Friday night, but don't actually plan in hitting the parks until Sunday (just due to the number of days I'm getting with my ticket and the fact that it will be Thanksgiving weekend - so I'm avoiding the crazy busy Saturday park crowds). Anyways, I thought I would spend Saturday exploring the Christmas decorations at the different resorts because I'm sure Disney does them well. Are there any resorts that I should be sure to check out? Or any not to bother with?

Thanks, everyone!

Our favorite during the holidays is the WL, followed by the GF and BC/YC/BWI. AKL is also very nicely decorated.
 
The GF and its incredible Gingerbread House is incredible, but for the holiday season I think that WL takes top honor. The resort, on a "normal" day, has that wonderful ski lodge look but during the holiday season it's elevated to a whole different level of beauty!

When we do travel close to Christmas (which isn't often) I will ONLY book us at WL because of the atmosphere. There's nothing quite like sitting in front of the fireplace in the lobby and gawking at the Christmas decor. It's just magical. :santa:
 
Anyone know approximately when all of the decorations are fully up? And when are all of the sculptures complete- like the gingerbread house at the GF are complete? I would love to plan a trip to see everything Christmas related, but going in December would be next to impossible I think. It would have to be sometime in November.
 
I also want to know when all the different decorations go up...ie: gingerbread house at GF. I am planning a short trip nov 18-21 and am so hoping to see the decorations!
 

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