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Fun Facts: Holidays at Walt Disney World Resort

The holiday season at Walt Disney World Resort is a magical time where all four theme parks, Disney Springs and resort hotels come to life with festive decor, entertainment and other fun for the entire family.

With so much that goes into making the resort sparkle for the season, here are some fun facts about holidays at Walt Disney World Resort:

  • The Walt Disney World Holiday Services team provides decor for 780 locations within 41 different properties, including Disney theme parks, resorts, recreation and shopping areas. The team also decorates Disney Cruise Line ships and Disney Vacation Club resorts in Florida and North Carolina.
  • 41 cast members work year-round to make the holiday transformation a reality, with an additional 90 cast members added during the installation period.
  • Decor installation begins Halloween night and is finished by Thanksgiving.

The Iconic Trees

  • There are 29 custom-created iconic trees, ranging from 15 to 70 feet tall. Trees find their homes at all four theme parks, select resort hotels and Disney Springs.
  • The tallest tree – at 70 feet tall – is located at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. The tree is adorned with 16,000 lights and more than 200 custom ornaments.
  • Stars and toppers for the trees are up to 7 feet tall and can weigh more than 200 pounds each.
  • 596 smaller trees – ranging from 2 to 14 feet – decorate other areas across Walt Disney World.

In the Parks

  • New this year, holiday fun will come to Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Décor includes a 10-foot-tall Hamm sugar cookie at Woody’s Lunch Box, green alien ornaments near the entrance to Alien Swirling Saucers and much more.
  • Magic Kingdom Park is decorated with 590 garlands (measuring a total of 5,188 feet), 40 trees and 147 wreaths.
  • Epcot International Festival of the Holidays includes 12 holiday kitchens serving more than 50 bites from around the world and 60-plus specialty
  • The Candlelight Processional will be performed 117 times at Epcot this holiday season. It’s also the first year performances will occur on Thanksgiving!
  • At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Dinosaur Gertie is dressed in her finest holiday attire. Her hat is so big, four people could stand inside it!
  • Sunset Seasons Greetings at Disney’s Hollywood Studios includes 12 high-definition projectors used to visually transform the façade of the Hollywood Tower Hotel with scenes of the season. 21 palm trees along Sunset Boulevard illuminate with programmable, color-changing LED fixtures.
  • In Disney’s Animal Kingdom, nearly all lighting decor is LED. The park uses 25,000 C-7 shape LEDs and 40,000 mini-LEDs. Disney’s Animal Kingdom is also home to 331 garlands and 40 wreaths.

Disney Springs

  • Disney Springs is the epicenter of holiday shopping at Walt Disney World. It’s also the largest of all of the decorated Disney locations, with more than 2,000 pieces of individual decor, including a 45-foot-tall tree.
  • Each piece of decor was custom designed to fit the classic Florida town theme that carries throughout the entirety of Disney Springs.
  • Disney Springs is also home to the Christmas Tree Trail, a walkthrough wonderland featuring 27 unique Disney trees that include new themes this year such as Toy Story and The Haunted Mansion.

Resorts

  • This year marks the 20th anniversary of the classic gingerbread house in the lobby of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. The life-size house is made from more than 10,000 pieces of gingerbread and requires 560 hours to construct (400 hours to bake and160 hours to decorate). Located inside is The Bake Shop – the perfect place to pick up some sweet holiday treats.
  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is home to a 45-foot-tall iconic tree featuring authentic African decor and reproductions of traditional African masks.

Other Holiday Celebrations

  • A storyteller on a stage between the France and Morocco pavilions at Epcot will tell the Hanukkah story during Epcot International Festival of the Holidays.
  • Kwanzaa will be incorporated into performances of JOYFUL! A Celebration of the Season through Dec. 25. Beginning Dec. 26, the group will perform a full Kwanzaa show. The JOYFUL! vocal ensemble performs uplifting gospel, R&B and holiday songs daily at the Future World Fountain stage in Epcot.
  • Epcot International Festival of the Holidays celebrates holiday traditions from around the world through storytelling and music presented throughout World Showcase.
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27 fun gifts that grown-up Disney and Mickey Mouse fans will love

This year, celebrations erupted all over the world as Mickey and Minnie Mouse turned 90. Collaborations have been popping up left and right, with everyone from luxury watch brands to streetwear sneaker companies dropping Mickey- and Minnie-inspired styles for adults.

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Hanukkah Gets a Major Expansion at Walt Disney World This Year (Including a Specialty Cocktail!)

Hanukkah has officially arrived at the Happiest Place on Earth.  The eight-night Jewish festival, which hits the halfway mark at sundown on Wednesday, is featured in the annual Epcot International Festival of the Holidays in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — including the debut of a “holiday kitchen” featuring Jewish deli-inspired foods.

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Get Your First Sneak Peek of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Attraction

We’re thrilled to share with you a sneak peek at the new Enchanted Tale of “Beauty and the Beast” attraction coming to Tokyo Disneyland as part of a large-scale development plan bringing new attractions, entertainment, shopping and dining to the park in spring 2020.To read more, visit the Disney Parks Blog: https://bit.ly/2BUhDLO

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Experience the Flavors of Disney’s Animal Kingdom with a Limited-Time Tasting Sampler Experience

It’s time to send your taste buds on a wild safari through Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park with a yummy limited-time Tasting Sampler! With this new offering, you can taste your way around Disney’s Animal Kingdom and enjoy preferred seating for the second showing of the breathtaking “Rivers of Light” nighttime show.

When Guests purchase the Tasting Sampler, they’ll receive a pre-loaded $35 digital gift card via email for only $30! This gift card will contain a bar code that can be added to their digital wallet and scanned at over 40 outdoor carts and kiosks throughout the park. They can then enjoy a delicious variety of savory and sweet plates and even specialty alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages of their choosing!

In addition, during this limited time, you will be able to try out a few new offerings such as Shrimp Curry and Chicken Curry Bowls at Kusafiri Bakery, House-smoked Pastrami Sliders at Smiling Crocodile, Buffalo Chicken Chips at Trilo-Bites, Pulled Pork or Shrimp Mac and Cheese plates at Eight Spoon Cafe, Korean Fiery Beef Sliders and Tuna Bao at Caravan Road, and more! These items will only be available from Dec. 22, 2018 – Jan. 2, 2019.

Guests can also choose some of the park’s regular offerings such as popcorn, glazed nuts, craft beer, and ice cream to name a few. They can indugle in a refreshing Pineapple Dole Whip Float at Tamu Tamu or snack on some Pineapple Lumpia at Pongu Pongu. Or they can get a Chili Cheese Dog at Dino Diner or some Seasoned Fries at Mister Kamal’s?  To find out about all the participating locations, Guests can pick up a map at either Creature Comforts or Isle of Java

The Tasting Sampler is available online starting today for $30 per package. Each purchase includes a $35 digital gift card that can be used at select food & beverage carts and kiosks at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park from Dec. 22, 2018 to Jan.2, 2019. The package also includes preferred seating for one person per gift card for the second showing of “Rivers of Light” on the night that you select during that timeframe.

Please note this experience can only be purchased online at DisneyWorld.com/Dine, or by calling 407 WDW-DINE or 407 939-3463 and must be purchased at least 24 hours prior to arriving at the park.

DISCLAIMER: The digital gift card that comes with the Disney’s Animal Kingdom Tasting Sampler may only be used for food and beverage purchases at select carts and kiosks throughout Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It cannot be used at quick-service or table-service restaurants and cannot be reloaded at any time. A limited number of Tasting Samplers will be available for each day.

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2019 Garden Rocks Concert Series at Epcot Expands to Seven Days a Week; Reservations for Dining Packages Open Dec. 13

We recently shared that the Epcot® International Flower & Garden Festival will return to Walt Disney World ®Resort March 6-June 3, 2019 with a wide selection of delectable bites at outdoor kitchens and dozens of Disney-themed topiaries blooming around the park.

New in 2019, the festival’s Garden Rocks Concert Series will expand to seven days a week, with a total of 270 concerts spanning multiple genres over the course of the 90-day event.

We’re excited to share part of the rocking line-up for the 2019 Garden Rocks Concert Series! Over the coming weeks, more artists will be announced. Returning favorites like The Spinners and Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone will be joined by brand new artists like TobyMac, Steven Curtis Chapman and Colin Hay of Men at Work for what is sure to be the best year of Garden Rocks concerts yet.

  • March 9-10: Glass Tiger “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)”
  • March 17-20: Simple Plan “Welcome to My Life”
  • March 28-29: Berlin featuring Terri Nunn “Take My Breath Away”
  • March 30-31: The Smithereens (NEW to Garden Rocks) “Top of the Pops”
  • April 3-4: Christopher Cross (NEW to Garden Rocks) “Sailing”
  • April 5-7: The Spinners “Working My Way Back to You”
  • April 12-13: Sister Sledge (NEW to Garden Rocks) “We Are Family”
  • April 17-19: Sister Hazel (NEW to Garden Rocks) “All For You”
  • April 20-21: Steven Curtis Chapman (NEW) “Cinderella”
  • April 22-23: TobyMac (NEW) “The Elements”
  • April 24-26: Lonestar “Amazed”
  • April 27-30: The Orchestra starring former members of ELO “Evil Woman”
  • May 1-4: Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone “I’m Henry VIII I Am”
  • May 5-7: Don Felder, Formerly of the Eagles “Hotel California”
  • May 20-21: Colin Hay of Men at Work (NEW) “Who Can It Be Now?”

Garden Rocks concert performances take place at 5:30 p.m., 6:45 p.m., and 8:00 p.m. each night of the festival and are included in regular park admission. You can enjoy guaranteed concert seating by reserving a Garden Rocks Dining Package and enjoying breakfast, lunch or dinner at select Epcot restaurants. Reservations for concert dining packages open Dec. 13, 2018. For more info or to make a reservation, call 407-WDW-DINE (407-939-3463) or visit FreshEpcot.com.

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On Walt Disney’s Birthday, a Look at the $150B Empire He Built

No discussion of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs would be complete without a nod to Walt Disney, whose namesake empire — The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) — still ranks among the top 10 most valuable brands more than five decades after his passing.

On the anniversary of his birth, let’s take a look back at some of interesting tidbits from Disney’s life, and how the renowned animator went from scribbling pictures for neighbors to being known around the world for creating the company that still bears his name.

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11 Things Coming to Disney in 2019

From a galaxy far, far away to the very first ride featuring Mickey Mouse, there are more reasons than ever to vacation with Disney in the coming year.

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Disney’s ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ Film Memorabilia Gallery Now Open at Disneyland Park

The Art of Mary Poppins Returns exhibit is now open at Disneyland® Park. The limited-time gallery features original art, costumes, props and video clips from the most anticipated film this holiday season: Disney’s “Mary Poppins Returns,” coming to theaters Dec. 19, 2018.

Recently, star Lin-Manuel Miranda stopped by Disneyland to share a message with Disney fans – check it out below!

In the film, an all-new original musical and sequel, Mary Poppins is back to help the next generation of the Banks family find the joy and wonder missing in their lives following a personal loss. Emily Blunt stars as the practically-perfect nanny with unique magical skills who can turn any ordinary task into an unforgettable, fantastic adventure and Lin-Manuel Miranda plays her friend Jack, an optimistic street lamplighter who helps bring light—and life—to the streets of London.

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Disney Cruise Line and Adventures by Disney Earn Top Honors from Newsweek and Cruise Critic

With Disney Signature Experiences, you can enjoy an array of vacation options, including both ocean and river cruises, which continue to be recognized as the best by media.

Disney Cruise Line and Adventures by Disney® were both recognized as “Best for Families” in the 11th annual Cruise Critic Editors’ Picks Awards. The global team of Cruise Critic editors recognize the top companies in the cruise industry based on first-hand experience and industry knowledge. This is Disney Cruise Line’s fifth year to be recognized with this award and Adventures by Disney’s third consecutive win!

You may have also heard that Newsweek, one of America’s most iconic news magazines, also named Disney Cruise Line as No. 1 overall in its inaugural 2019 list of America’s Best Companies for Customer Service. Newsweek based its ranking on a survey of more than 20,000 U.S. customers with criteria such as customer focus and likelihood of recommending the service.

Disney Cruise Line began creating magical vacations for families in 1998 with its first ship, the Disney Magic and has since added the Disney Wonder, the Disney Dream and the Disney Fantasy. Three more ships are on the way in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Adventures by Disney provides immersive, hassle-free group guided vacation experiences to destinations on six continents, including river cruises within Europe.

At Disney Signature Experiences, these awards means so much to us since they demonstrate the dedication of the Cast and Crew to creating lifelong memories for families around the world.

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