There’s more to Disney Springs than shopping during the Holiday Season. Liliane Opsomer, coauthor of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids, takes us on a tour.
Disney’s shopping, dining, and entertainment complex goes all out for the holiday season. Nightly at 6 p.m., a Christmas tree lighting ceremony takes place at the Once Upon a Toy fountain play area. Throughout the evening, toy soldiers, stilt walkers, an a cappella group, and a DJ take turns spreading holiday cheer.
Make sure to walk the Christmas Tree Trail featuring 25 custom-decorated holiday trees, each capturing a popular Disney character or movie. This year, there are more and bigger trees!
The Frozen Christmas tree is, of course, a favorite and would not be too difficult to replicate at home. Here are some of the details of the tree.
Santa appears daily November 9th through December 24th in his chalet located inside the Christmas Tree Trail. This is a change from last year and a much better fit for the chalet.
If you want to tell Santa your Christmas wish, visit the chalet to pick up a pager from one of Santa’s Helpers, to secure your place in a virtual queue line. Once it is your time to visit with Old Saint Nick, return to the chalet within 10 minutes. You can use PhotoPass services or your own camera to capture photos with Santa. Once Santa leaves for the North Pole, Santa Goofy takes over the chalet through December 30th.
The trail is beautiful during the day, but it’s even more special at night when the trees are lit and there is magical snowfall. One of my favorites is the Alice in Wonderland tree.
Check out the details!
Back by popular demand is Stitch’s Holiday Gift Hunt. Join the mischievous Experiment 626’s hunt for treasures. This year, there will be four new stops, including two special ones inside the Christmas Tree Trail. Stitch’s Holiday Gift Hunt is free of charge. Pick up your booklet at Guest Services; when done, present it at one of the four redemption locations to receive your Stitch button.
Want to hug a bear? The free Coca-Cola Polar Bear meet-and-greet is located on the second floor of the Coca Cola store. Plenty of free musical entertainment is spread throughout Disney Springs.
On December 31st, La Nouba by Cirque du Soleil will take its final bow. If you have not yet seen it, go for it!
This story first appeared on the blog of The Mouse for Less. If you enjoyed this post, sign up for our newsletter here.
