Our “Self-Guided Yuletide Tour of Walt Disney World Resorts” presents a Christmas itinerary for experiencing vacation highlights with out utilizing a park ticket. That’s proper, this can be a free method to get pleasure from Christmas at Walt Disney World! (Updated November 11, 2022.)
This put up is a step-by-step tour you are able to do by yourself that can take you thru the inns which are best-decorated for Christmas over the course of round a half-day or longer. Entertainment at Walt Disney World without cost? It may sound too good to be true, but it surely’s for actual!
There are nonetheless minor modifications to this Walt Disney World Self-Guided Yuletide Tour for 2022. Thankfully, they’re few and much between. Almost all the pieces is again to regular, and solely minor transportation adjustments and a few cutbacks nonetheless linger. We’ll cowl all the particulars and what you want to know right here. The excellent news is that this tour is fully doable for Christmas 2022!
With one main exception, each resort is doing its edible gingerbread show this yr. On prime of that, one which beforehand didn’t do a show has been added to the lineup, so there are the identical variety of shows as three years in the past. For extra data and timeframes, see Gingerbread Displays at Walt Disney World for Christmas 2022: Dates & Details.
In any case, the beforehand optionally available cease that you simply gained’t wish to miss this yr is Animal Kingdom Lodge. This Christmas, the foyer gingerbread show will characteristic a Life-sized Baby Gingerbread Giraffe and Baby Zebra.
Another factor to know is that Walt Disney World resorts are usually not permitting guests arriving by automobile with out Advance Dining Reservations or Mobile Order pick-up. This truly will not be actually a brand new rule; Walt Disney World has tightened up its parking insurance policies over the past couple of years and that is actually simply unofficial follow changing into official coverage.
However, this solely applies to visitors arriving by automobile. If you’re touring by bus, monorail, boat, Skyliner, or strolling, there aren’t any limitations on resort hopping. Our Self-Guided Yuletide Tour of Walt Disney World Resorts assumes the usage of Disney transportation, so this can be a complete non-issue for this itinerary.
For those that have a number of days exterior the parks and desire a longer expertise, we even have a 2-Day Self-Guided Yuletide Tour of Walt Disney World. In addition to the aforementioned areas, that can take you to Disney Springs and some different spots exterior the theme parks. As with this tour, all stops could be visited freed from cost.
We’d truly advocate that tour over this one. It’s extra manageable, has easier-to-follow navigation steps, and contains time at Disney Springs (which you’ll completely wish to do, anyway).
In addition to that, we even have particular person posts for each single resort within the tour. This approach, you’ll be able to preview how every Walt Disney World resort decorates for Christmas, and doubtlessly put collectively your individual itinerary of which of them you want finest. Here are the highest choices (hyperlinks open in new tabs/home windows):
- Grand Floridian – The hottest and crowded resort at Christmas…however for good purpose.
- Wilderness Lodge – The best possible place at Walt Disney World throughout the holidays. Worth a separate go to aside from this itinerary late at night time to see the resort at its festive finest!
- Contemporary Resort – A futuristic vacation of lattes?
- Beach Club – The inspiration for certainly one of our (future) Christmas timber.
- Yacht Club – An underrated holiday-time gem!
- BoardWalk Inn – Not one of many ‘elite’ Christmas resorts…but it surely’s enhancing.
- Animal Kingdom Lodge – A non-traditional Christmas for a lot of guests, however a lovely one, nonetheless.
- Gran Destino Tower – Walt Disney World’s latest resort received into the vacation spirit this yr!
For these concerned about following our technique and taking your individual free self-guided Christmas tour of the resorts at Walt Disney World, right here’s our plan, which assumes you’re beginning out on the Magic Kingdom (take a bus from your private home resort to get there).
Walk to Disney’s Contemporary Resort – There’s a pathway main from the Magic Kingdom to Disney’s Contemporary Resort that takes about 5-10 minutes to stroll. Alternatively, you’ll be able to take the monorail, however it would take longer.
Depending upon whenever you arrive on the Contemporary, we additionally advocate doing lunch right here at Contempo Cafe. They typically have glorious Christmas cupcakes and different desserts, and it’s certainly one of our favourite counter service eating places at Walt Disney World.
Disney’s Contemporary Resort options a big “icon” tree exterior (certainly one of 9 ‘giant’ timber on property–4 of that are positioned on the resorts), and smaller timber within the foyer. The icon tree is probably one of many oldest timber at Walt Disney World, and has an fascinating retro-futuristic fashion that also manages to work.
Take the Resort Monorail from Disney’s Contemporary Resort to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa – Expect to spend a while on the Grand Floridian. Depending upon your favourite “version” of Christmas (do you like the comfy appeal of a country Northern Christmas or the magnificence of a elaborate Victorian Christmas?) the decorations on the Grand Floridian simply could be your favourite on property.
The spotlight at Grand Floridian is the life-sized gingerbread home. The gingerbread home consists of staggering quantities of actual substances, and takes months to organize. Explore the primary couple of flooring and the foyer, as stunning flowers and different smaller decorations grace the resort. One factor you actually gained’t overlook is the large Christmas tree on show within the foyer, the second of 9 large Christmas timber on property.
Walk from the Grand Floridian to the Magic Kingdom, take the Boat to Wilderness Lodge – With the new Grand Floridian walkway now open, this turns into a lot simpler. Still, it’s a bit of labor attending to Wilderness Lodge, but it surely’s sooo price it. Grand Floridian at Christmas is cool, but it surely doesn’t maintain a candle to Wilderness Lodge.
Probably as a result of, as a Michigander, I choose Christmas to have a comfy rustic appeal somewhat than Victorian magnificence and splendor. From the gorgeous large Christmas tree within the foyer (3 of 9) to the usage of pine-cones and antlers in all of its adorning, Wilderness Lodge’s Christmas choices really feel like they had been designed by woodland critters.
The background music performed at Wilderness Lodge is extremely stress-free, and also you may end up inadvertently taking a nap in case you come across one of many hidden nooks upstairs with fireplaces and stress-free rocking chairs.
While you’re at Wilderness Lodge, be sure to stroll over to the Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, too. The tree isn’t as grand, however there are a variety of cool decorations there, too, and who can go up the prospect to spend a while within the Carolwood Pacific Room?!
Boat Back to Magic Kingdom, then to Fort Wilderness – If you’re actually formidable, you too can take a ship over to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground. Walt Disney World has some thematically-fitting decorations right here which are price seeing, however that’s not the principle draw.
Rather, the actual star of the present is the shows put up by long-terms visitors on the campground loop. Before you dismiss this, pondering that you simply don’t wish to see novice decorations, give it some extra thought. Some of those decorations are significantly good.
While you’re at Fort Wilderness, think about doing the Biggest & Best Value Feast at Walt Disney World. Not solely is that this a improbable meal, but it surely’s a cut price by Disney requirements at ~$10 per individual.
This is unquestionably the spotlight of the resort tour for me, and one thing you positively mustn’t skip simply because it requires an additional boat journey!
Continue studying in regards to the Epcot Resorts at Christmas on Page 2