Our “Self-Guided Yuletide Tour of Walt Disney World Resorts” provides a Christmas itinerary for experiencing vacation highlights with out utilizing a park ticket. That’s proper, this can be a free option to take pleasure in Christmas at Walt Disney World! (Updated November 11, 2022.)
This submit is a step-by-step tour you are able to do by yourself that may take you thru the resorts which might be best-decorated for Christmas over the course of round a half-day or longer. Entertainment at Walt Disney World free of charge? It may sound too good to be true, however it’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 every part is again to regular, and solely minor transportation modifications and a few cutbacks nonetheless linger. We’ll cowl all the particulars and what that you must know right here. The excellent news is that this tour is fully doable for Christmas 2022!
With one main exception, each lodge is doing its edible gingerbread show this yr. On high 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 information and timeframes, see Gingerbread Displays at Walt Disney World for Christmas 2022: Dates & Details.
In any case, the beforehand non-compulsory cease that you just received’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 should not permitting guests arriving by automobile with out Advance Dining Reservations or Mobile Order pick-up. This really is just not actually a brand new rule; Walt Disney World has tightened up its parking insurance policies during the last couple of years and that is actually simply unofficial follow changing into official coverage.
However, this solely applies to friends arriving by automobile. If you’re touring by bus, monorail, boat, Skyliner, or strolling, there are not any limitations on resort hopping. Our Self-Guided Yuletide Tour of Walt Disney World Resorts assumes using Disney transportation, so this can be a whole non-issue for this itinerary.
For those that have a number of days outdoors the parks and need a longer expertise, we even have a 2-Day Self-Guided Yuletide Tour of Walt Disney World. In addition to the aforementioned areas, that may take you to Disney Springs and some different spots outdoors the theme parks. As with this tour, all stops could be visited freed from cost.
We’d really advocate that tour over this one. It’s extra manageable, has easier-to-follow navigation steps, and consists of 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 manner, you may preview how every Walt Disney World lodge decorates for Christmas, and doubtlessly put collectively your personal 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 very best place at Walt Disney World through the holidays. Worth a separate go to other than 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 bushes.
- Yacht Club – An underrated holiday-time gem!
- BoardWalk Inn – Not one of many ‘elite’ Christmas resorts…however it’s enhancing.
- Animal Kingdom Lodge – A non-traditional Christmas for a lot of guests, however an exquisite one, nonetheless.
- Gran Destino Tower – Walt Disney World’s latest resort bought into the vacation spirit this yr!
For these concerned about following our technique and taking your personal 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 property 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 may take the monorail, however it’ll take longer.
Depending upon once you arrive on the Contemporary, we additionally advocate doing lunch right here at Contempo Cafe. They typically have wonderful 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 outdoors (certainly one of 9 ‘giant’ bushes on property–4 of that are situated on the resorts), and smaller bushes within the foyer. The icon tree is probably one of many oldest bushes at Walt Disney World, and has an attention-grabbing 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 comfortable attraction of a country Northern Christmas or the class of a flowery 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 elements, 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 definitely received’t overlook is the huge Christmas tree on show within the foyer, the second of 9 large Christmas bushes 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, however it’s sooo value it. Grand Floridian at Christmas is cool, however it doesn’t maintain a candle to Wilderness Lodge.
Probably as a result of, as a Michigander, I desire Christmas to have a comfortable rustic attraction slightly than Victorian class and splendor. From the attractive large Christmas tree within the foyer (3 of 9) to using 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 should you bump into one of many hidden nooks upstairs with fireplaces and stress-free rocking chairs.
While you’re at Wilderness Lodge, be sure you 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 possibility to spend a while within the Carolwood Pacific Room?!
Boat Back to Magic Kingdom, then to Fort Wilderness – If you’re actually bold, it’s also possible to take a ship over to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground. Walt Disney World has some thematically-fitting decorations right here which might be value seeing, however that’s not the primary draw.
Rather, the true star of the present is the shows put up by long-terms friends on the campground loop. Before you dismiss this, considering that you just don’t wish to see beginner decorations, give it some extra thought. Some of those decorations are severely good.
While you’re at Fort Wilderness, contemplate doing the Biggest & Best Value Feast at Walt Disney World. Not solely is that this a unbelievable meal, however it’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!