Disney Dining: Epcot’s Holiday Around The World Food Reviews

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December 8, 2013

Hey there everyone! Its Jason, your Disney World Food blogger again! I went to Epcot today and explored the Holiday Around the World Treats! Share in the sights and sounds of some of the world’s greatest holiday festivities during Holidays Around the World at Epcot. Amid joyful music and seasonal food favorites, time-honored traditions come alive as costumed performers share their country’s holiday heritage throughout World Showcase.

Here is some details of how things are this year.

Every country has some sort of holiday celebration. They have story tellers to give examples of how they celebrate the season, the foods they eat, and what they do to prepare for the holiday.
Not every country has a special dish or drink for the holiday
Some countries feature new foods, while other just push something that is normally for sale year round.
Most foods are desserts, aside from Japan which has a chicken dish
If no foods are offered, a holiday drink (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) is offered.
Passports are offered this year like they do at Food and Wine Festival. There is also opportunities to have your passport stamped at each location!

Like I promised in my preview article, I want to give you my favorite foods for taste and value!

TASTE!!!

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I will wave price if something is good! My favorite this year for taste is both the Stollen Holiday Fruit cake, and the Holiday Turkey Waffle! Don’t let the waffle scare you tho! The waffle is made of a stuffing batter, with turkey, gravy, and a cranberry sauce on top! The Fruit cake was moist and sweet! Exactly what I was looking for to go with a nice glass of wine! Both selections are large enough to share with a friend!

VALUE!!!

When it comes to value I cannot pick a winner! Unlike the smaller portions at the Food and Wine Festival, the Holidays around the world event offers a good size snack for the price. I was pleased with everything I ate and highly recommend for you to come out and enjoy the food!

Epcot’s Holiday Around The World event is running thru December 30th, so make plans to come to Epcot to enjoy the food from around the world!!!

Here are some photos for you to enjoy:

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Create Animated Digital Holiday Cards with Disney’s Story App

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Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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December 7, 2013

Disney’s free digital storytelling app for iPhone and iPod touch that turns photography and video into compelling personal narratives, was recently updated with five new animated holiday themes,

Disney’s Story App uses intuitive technology to access the photo and video library on your device and automatically organizes up to 20 pieces of content into rich digital slideshows that can be personalized, saved and shared. This empowers users to focus on the customization and personalization of their narratives, including titles, captions and even music.

Check out the stories below for a quick preview of each animated theme in-action. And head to the App Store to download Story and the new holiday themes from for free today.

Season’s Greetings

Winter Wonderland

Disney’s Frozen

Alpine Mickey

ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas

The app also features premium Disney themes that are available for in-app purchase ($1.99) and perfect for sharing life’s everyday moments, including:

Disney•Pixar’s Toy Story (NEW!)

Disney’s Winnie the Pooh (NEW!)

The Disneyland Resort

Disney•Pixar’s Cars

Disney’s The Little Mermaid

ESPN’s SportsCenter

Mickey Paris theme (FREE)

Wishing you Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

Sunshine

Disney World Resort Rooms to get rid of comforters

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Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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December 7, 2013

I have to admit I have not been to a Disney World Resort resort since earlier this year, so when I saw rumors floating around that Disney was removing all of those themed comforters from the rooms I had to find out more.

I had it confirmed by 3 different Cast Members that that comforters are being removed from all of the resort rooms. They are still in the process of removing them from all resorts. Only about a quarter of the resorts have been done so far. They will replace the comforters with a runner at the bottom of the bed made in the same pattern as the old comforters. The beds will now have 2 thin flat sheets with a blanket in between. They say it’s to give the rooms a “more updated look”.

There is no word on how long this transition will take and there is no schedule as far as what resorts will be done and when.

I know many of you are thinking ,what happens if I get cold? You can ask for blankets if you need them. They are not the fluffy comforter type blankets, they are more like a hospital type blanket. It’s Florida, so you shouldn’t need too many blankets but if you do feel free to ask for as many you want. She did tell me that word is they will leave extra blankets on the shelf where they keep the extra pillows.

I think that is going to take away from the theme of the rooms. What do you think?

Wishing you Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

Sunshine

New Fantasyland Celebrates One Year at the Magic Kingdom

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Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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December 7, 2013

I would like to say a big happy one-year anniversary to New Fantasyland! This has been the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom Park history. Can you believe it opened exactly a year ago today?

New Fantasyland, which brought about the addition of Storybook Circus and dedicated “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Little Mermaid” areas to the park, was officially dedicated December 6, 2012, in a ceremony that featured “Once Upon a Time” actress Ginnifer Goodwin, pop star Jordin Sparks and Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Chairman Tom Staggs. Guests could now participate in a retelling of Belle and Beast’s love story at Enchanted Tales With Belle, have a snack at Gaston’s Tavern, dine inside Beast’s Castle at Be Our Guest Restaurant, or explore the caverns below Prince Eric’s castle to take a journey under the sea with Ariel.

Over the course of the past year, work has continued on the remaining two attractions in the New Fantasyland expansion. One of these, Princess Fairytale Hall, opened its doors in September as the go-to place to meet Cinderella and Rapunzel, who each greet guests daily alongside one of their other royal friends. The interior of the hall was inspired by design elements – and even specific props – seen in the films “Cinderella” and “Tangled.” The result was a truly regal look, with high ceilings, rich wood-paneling, handpainted princess portraits, themed wallpaper, glittering stained glass windows and more.

The final attraction in the New Fantasyland expansion is Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, which is set to debut in 2014. The mine train, which is currently under construction, will tell the story of Snow White through the eyes of the Seven Dwarfs. Be sure to watch the Disney Parks Blog in coming months for more on this attraction.

Check out Disney Parks Blog for more info.

Wishing you Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

Sunshine

Rosetta Stone Partners with Disney Interactive

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Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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December 7, 2013

Rosetta Stone announced a new partnership with Disney Interactive designed to educate kids’ about places and cultures around the world, while also giving them an early start in learning a foreign language.

Rosetta Stone Kids Lingo Word Builder, the company’s just-released language and literacy app for children, is the exclusive sponsor of it’s a small world: the animated series from Disney Interactive. The original series premieres today on Disney.com, Disney’s YouTube network and Disney’s TV apps.

Inspired by the Disney Parks attraction, ‘it’s a small world,’ the animated online series consists of eight episodes that follow a group of children from different countries as they cross the globe to explore new lands. Led by Mr. Balloon and Wazoh, the cast of children comes to life through animation inspired by Disney artist Mary Blair’s original designs for the popular theme park ride. The new series also features original music from Richard Sherman, the legendary Disney composer of the attraction’s memorable theme song, “It’s a Small World (After All).” Richard Sherman’s work on the 1964 film, Mary Poppins, is also chronicled in the upcoming Disney movie, Saving Mr. Banks.

“No one speaks the language of children better than Disney and no one teaches language better than Rosetta Stone, so this partnership is a natural fit,” said Prag Shah, Rosetta Stone’s President of Global Consumer Markets. “We couldn’t be more excited to join forces with the iconic Disney brand to provide children with the ultimate experience in multicultural awareness and language-learning.”

“At Disney Interactive, we’re constantly looking for new ways to bring fans closer to the Disney characters and stories they love. With it’s a small world: the animated series, we’re leveraging the interactive medium to bring a classic Disney experience to life for a whole new generation,” said Mark Walker, SVP of Disney Interactive Entertainment. “Rosetta Stone is an excellent partner for us as we share a common goal to inspire children by producing compelling experiences on digital platforms.”

To check it out visit: Disney.com/SmallWorld.

Wishing you Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

Sunshine

Saving Mr. Banks Press Conference

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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December 6, 2013

On a recent Friday morning, I drove over to the famous Beverly Hills Hotel for the Saving Mr. Banks Press Conference. As I pulled into the valet , I had a sudden feeling of deja vu. I have had the opportunity of visiting the hotel on many occasions with out of town visitors on sightseeing tours. However, this was the first time, after seeing Saving Mr. Banks that I returned. For a brief moment, I fully expected P.L. Travers to come walking out the front doors.

Once inside I secured what I hoped to be a good seat to hear and see the panel. After a short wait, the cast and crew arrived. Walking in with a spring in their step were:

TOM HANKS (WALT DISNEY), EMMA THOMPSON (P.L. TRAVERS), COLIN FARRELL (TRAVERS GOFF), B.J. NOVAK (ROBERT B. SHERMAN), JASON SCHWARTZMAN (RICHARD M. SHERMAN), BRADLEY WHITFORD (DON DaGRADI), JOHN LEE HANCOCK (DIRECTOR), KELLY MARCEL (WRITER), ALISON OWEN (PRODUCER).

I was star struck and speechless to see such movie greats before me. I could feel the energy and excitement radiating from the other attendees as well. Cameras clicked as picture after picture was snapped. Recorders poised and ready to record were put into action and a feeling of anticipation swept through the room.

As they walked towards the front of the room, Emma Thompson took a wrong turn and ended up climbing over the stage to take her seat. This brought a big laugh and started the press conference on a great note.

Emma Thompson was the first to answer questions about how her character could be “mean and hurtful one moment and funny and irresistibly adoring” the next. To which Ms. Thompson promptly replied that although we, especially Americans are always so polite it’s nice to see someone being rude. “we act quite a lot of time in conflict to what we really feel.”

Being the first actor to portray Walt Disney in a motion picture was a huge undertaking and many still believe could not be done. Tom Hanks was next to discuss playing such a high profile character. Mr. Hanks shared ” There were also many people who knew Walt and were a never ending source of information”. Although Tom Hanks recognized the fact he did not resemble Walt Disney, he discussed the amount of time spent and attention to detail, specifically Walt’s mustache, joking about how it was the “most discussed, photographed, analyzed, diagrammed, uh, tested mustache on the planet”. “Mr. Disney had a bit of a vocal cadence and rhythm that took a while to figure out”. As was, Mr. Disney’s cough due to his 3 pack a day habit and part of the screenplay. Tom Hanks invested time and hard work in researching Walt Disney.

In response to the following question “What were the little breadcrumbs that you used to follow the trail to get the essence of who these people were, rather than to try to do imitations, that sort of thing”. The most memorable response came from Tom Hanks

“And you know what you do with breadcrumbs don’t you?” [singing] “You feed the birds, tuppence a bag…” [OTHERS JOIN IN] “Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag…”. That moment was priceless. Watch the video below…

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Emma Thompson talked about the challenge in playing P.L. Travers, sharing how in other roles the characters are usually consistent, whereas P.L. Travers was all over. One minute a monster, the next a scared little girl.

Tom Hanks in turn talked about the the abundance of information made available to him. From access to the archives and visits to the museum in San Francisco to the many anecdotes that Richard Sherman shared. “…I had a lot of video and audio..the only handicap, there was a lot of it, (showing) Walt Disney playing Walt Disney.

Writer Kelly Marcel was excited to share how great it was to work with everyone and how unlike P.L Travers, she did not have to make any compromises. She added how thrilling it was to have such wonderful actors and The Walt Disney Studios’ cooperation in making Saving Mr. Banks. And of course, the opportunity to sit next to Colin Farrell was a big plus.

B.J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman (Robert and Richard Sherman) responded to the question asking what Mary Poppins meant to them before they began filming Saving Mr. Banks. Both actors had similar answers in that as youngsters watching Mary Poppins and listening to the songs and the story line, they had a preconceived notion of the magic and the message of the movie. Once they began researching for their respective parts, they discovered the many behind the scenes tidbits. The different versions of some of the songs, how Mary Poppins was filmed in Burbank and it gave a whole new perspective to Mary Poppins. Knowing the background gave a whole new twist to their childhood memories of Mary Poppins.

Colin Farrell shared the joy in working with Annie Rose Buckley who starred as the young P.L Travers and recognized his character’s influence in and contributions to the development of P.L. Travers’ personality in later years.

Director, John Lee Hancock was asked about filming at Disneyland. Mr. Hancock talked about the stress and worry about getting everything done even with the cooperation of the Disneyland Personnel. He shared a moment when the sun was coming up and everyone was busy doing their job and suddenly he realized just” how cool and great” his job was.

My favorite question asked of the panel was what would P.L. Travers think of Saving Mr. Banks? Emma Thompson responded how it appeared that P.L. Travers did not want anyone to know about her life yet she sent all her written works to the Brisbane University archives. Emma Thompson then went on to give the perfect answer. Speaking as P.L Travers, she stated “Absolutely ridiculous film. Uh, I h-, n-n-n-no relationship whatsoever to what was happening. Uh, but, you know, uh, it’s about me. And, uh, um, at-at last. Uh, and I thought that the clothes were really rather nice.”

The press conference was an exciting and informative event. The opportunity to see the cast in person was amazing. Hearing and feeling their excitement about and commitment to making Saving Mr. Banks gave the movie a extra dose of magic. Tom Hanks as Walt Disney and Emma Thompson as P.L. Travers were the perfect choice.

Saving Mr. Banks is based on Walt Disney’s 20 year struggle to convince Author P.L. Travers to sell the rights to Mary Poppins. The movie gives us an insight through flashbacks into the childhood struggles of P.L. Travers which lead her to write Mary Poppins. It also provides us with a look into P.L Travers visit to The Walt Disney Studios and some very difficult and funny moments as the Sherman Brothers, Don DaGradi and Walt Disney and staff try to influence P.L Travers to allow the making of Mary Poppins.

Starring alongside Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson, the amazing cast also includes Colin Farrell as Travers’ father, Ruth Wilson as her mother, Annie Buckley as a young Travers and Rachel Griffiths as Aunt Ellie (who was the inspiration for Mary Poppins) complete with a carpet bag full of trinkets and quirky advice.

Saving Mr. Banks is directed by John Lee Hancock and produced by Alison Owen, Ian Collie and collaborator Philip Steuer, with the screenplay by Kelly Marcel and story by Sue Smith and Kelly Marcel. Executive producers Paul Trijbits, Andrew Mason, Troy Lum and Christine Langan.

Don’t miss this incredible movie available in U.S theatres beginning December 13th and worldwide beginning December 20, 2013.

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Enter Disney’s Show Your Ears Sweepstakes

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Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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December 6, 2013

We have shared several stories about new Disney ear hats as part of our “Year of the Ear” celebration. These iconic hats are a great way to show off your Disney Side while visiting Disney Parks. Disney.com recently launched a sweepstakes that invites guests to show their ear hats. Now through December 20, 2013, you can enter the Show Your Ears Sweepstakes by uploading a photo of yourself in a Disney ear hat to Disney.com/ShowYourEars.

One Grand Prize winner of the Show Your Ears Sweepstakes will receive a 5-day / 4-night stay at either the Disneyland Resort or the Disney World Resort! Five First Prize winners will receive a $100 Disney Store gift card. If you don’t have an ear hat, no worries! You can print out and make your own, or read the Official Rules for alternate methods of entry. Of course, if you need some inspiration, I found a few recently release hats at Disney Parks that you may enjoy.

You may recall we gave you a look at then new resin ear hat holiday ornaments. The headwear team used artwork from those ornaments to create much larger, wearable versions. The images above give a side by side comparison of the original holiday ornaments and their ear hat counterparts.

I love the Queen from Disney’s “Snow White and Seven Dwarfs” and the Chip ‘n’ Dale hat. The bottom is actually just one hat that has Chip on one side and Dale on the other.

These hats were recently released in select locations at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts. You may also find select hats on the Disney Parks online store.

The Show Your Ears Sweepstakes runs through December 20, 2013, so Show Your Ears today!

Check out Disney Parks Blog for more info.

Wishing you Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

Sunshine

Duck Tales Themed Toy Box for Disney Infinity

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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December 6, 2013

Yesterday, Disney Interactive is releasing the winners of the “DuckTales Challenge” for Toy Box creations that best capture the look of the hugely popular series. Check out the latest episode of the new web series, “The Disney Infinity Top 5 Toy Box Countdown.

Winning submissions include:

Saving Scrooge: Find all the buttons hidden inside the Money Bins to open the Beagle Boys hideout. Then rescue Scrooge and take him to the castle.

Scrooge’d: One epic Duck Tales race track.

McDuck in Danger: Blast me bagpipes, Scrooge has been captured by robots! Find and rescue five Scrooges. Then a reward awaits near the stadium…

Safe Cracking: Scrooge has locked himself in his own money bin! Find the combination hidden in Duckburg and return Scrooge to his mansion.

Mega Gizmoduck: Blatherskite! Gyro’s robot Armstrong has gone haywire… and grown giant! Save or destroy Duckburg in this 1v1 arena.

As a refresher, directions on how to download new user-generated Toy Box worlds, as well as how to submit your Toy Box creations are below.

When you’re ready to submit your Toy Box for consideration, follow these directions:

Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U

Bring up the Pause Menu and select “Online/Multiplayer.”

Then select “Toy Box Share” > “Disney’s Toy Boxes” > “Submit to Disney.”

Follow the prompts. You’ll be asked to give your Toy Box an original name and description. Choose carefully – they will be shown to everybody if your Toy Box is featured.

iPad

Bring up the Pause Menu and select “Toy Box Share.”

Then select “Disney’s Toy Boxes” > “Submit to Disney.”

Follow the prompts. You’ll be asked to give your Toy Box an original name and description. Choose carefully – they will be shown to everybody if your Toy Box is featured

How to download new Toy Boxes:

Select “Toy Box” from the Disney Infinity Main Menu

Select “Toy Box Share” and “Disney’s Toy Boxes.”

There will be a list of all the featured Toy Boxes for players to download.

Wishing you Faith,Trust, and Pixie Dust

Sunshine

Disney World’s My Magic+ FAQ

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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December 6, 2013

By now, chances are that you have at least heard about Disney World’s billion-dollar investment, My Magic+ technology. Maybe you’ve even had the chance to experience it first-hand. However, we want to share a guide to using Disney’s My Magic+ technology for those of you who are still planning your vacation and have not gotten to try this exciting new technology yet.

1. The first thing you will want to do is link your resort reservation to your My Disney Experience account. If you don’t have an account yet, you will want to sign up for a free one here.

2. Once your reservation is linked, you will have the opportunity to customize your magic bands. Each member of your party can select a name and color for their magic bands. You can make changes until 30 days prior to arrival when they will be shipped to your home.

3. You can make your FastPass+ selections 60 days in advance through your My Disney Experience account. These selections can always be modified at any time, including during your vacation. You can do this via cell phone or kiosks at the parks.

4. Make sure that you pack your Magic Bands in your carry-on so that you can use them for Magical Express at the airport when you arrive. I like to put mine on when I am leaving the house!

5. When you are at the parks use your Magic Bands to pay for merchandise, get you on rides, and even pay for your meals. It acts just like your keys to the world card used to. You will have to select a pin code when you check into your resort, you will need that for purchases.

Although Disney is still working out the bugs, it is now available at all Walt Disney World Resort hotels. Remember, you can ask any cast member questions or shoot us a message here or on Facebook and we would be glad to help you.

MyMagic+ has now been fully implemented and the traditional paper FastPass machines have been removed. If you are not staying on-site, you will not be able to make your FastPass+ selections in advance. Instead, you will make your three selections at one of the FastPass+ kiosks located throughout the theme park for that same day.

Don’t forget to download the free My Disney Experience app for your smart phone too so you can view and modify your dining reservations as well as your FastPass+ selections throughout your trip.

Have you experienced Disney’s new My Magic+ technology? What did you think of it?

Would you like to plan a Disney World vacation? Contact Siera today at [email protected] or 734-771-1290. Be sure to let her know Chip and Co. sent you!

When Siera isn’t helping plan Disney vacations or sharing the latest Disney news, you can find her spreading magic on Facebook and Twitter. Are you planning a Disney Cruise Line or Disney World vacation? Siera, a travel agent with Destinations in Florida, would love to help you! Contact her at [email protected] or 734-771-1290!

Join me for Epcot’s Holidays Around the World- Food Edition

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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December 6, 2013

I will be at Epcot today reviewing the food items to go with the Holiday’s Around the World at Epcot The different countries are decorated for the season and provide a “story teller” to give you insight to how they celebrate Christmas.

Also, this year many of the countries will be offering food found in their land to try. I will be there taking pictures, sampling the food, and giving you information on what I think is the best option for taste, and for value! I would love for you to either join me (if your going to be at Epcot) or follow me on either the official Instagram and Twitter account for Chip and Company (Chipandco on Instagram and @Chipandcompany on Twitter) or my private account @MedicMayhew on Instagram and Twitter!

I hope you can come out and enjoy the season with me!

Video Tour of Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights with New Glow Ears

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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December 5, 2013

We were so excited when Disney brought the Glow Ears from Disneyland to the Walt Disney World Resort. Then when we heard they would dance to the Christmas music during the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, I was thrilled! I had to be one of the first people to test this out! I grabbed my family and our Glow Ears and headed off to see my favorite part of Christmas at Disney World, the Christmas lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

There are certainly a lot of Christmas lights at the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing lights: millions of them all dancing to classic Christmas music. If you purchase the Glow Ears, you can wear them to add to the effect. The Glow Ears actually dance to the music, too. The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights is amazing with all of the lights, nativity scene, and snow flurries. Yes, we do have snow in Florida! Some other fun includes over 60 Hidden Mickey’s in lights throughout the display. Can you find them all?

If you are a die hard Disney fan, look for the black/purple cat. This is a Halloween decoration from the Osborne’s that got mixed into the Christmas decorations, when originally shipped. Now the Disney Imagineers, hide it every year in a new spot. Can you find the cat?

Enjoy this video with my family as we visit the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.

Bio: Allison has either worked or played at Disney World for the past 35 years. She was a past Cast Member at Typhoon Lagoon and Tower of Terror. She continued her love of Disney by starting Destinations in Florida Travel. Contact Allison at [email protected] if you would like her or her team to book your upcoming Disney & Orlando vacation.

Check Out These “Can’t Miss” WDW Christmas Events At The Parks

By

Catie

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December 5, 2013

Thanksgiving is over, December is here – It’s now officially that most magical time of year – Christmas time! If you’re looking to experience some festive sights while at Walt Disney World this holiday season, then I suggest you head to these Can’t Miss Christmas Events At The WDW Parks:

Epcot

Head over to the American Gardens Theater for the Nightly Candlelight Processional – where the sounds of a full orchestra and choir will accompany the telling of the Christmas story (by celebrity narrators!). The decorations, holiday music, and story all add up to the perfect Christmas experience that the whole family will enjoy

Magic Kingdom

On select nights the Magic Kingdom is closed to the general public, but open for those who have purchased tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. It is an extra cost for the tickets, but I personally think its worth every penny! The party includes a special Christmas parade, complimentary cookies and cocoa, character meet and greets (with some lesser seen characters!), and best of all – it SNOWS on Main Street during the parade!

Animal Kingdom

Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade is transformed into Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade during the Christmas season – the daily afternoon parade is full of holiday music, dancing and characters and is a great way to get in the Christmas spirit

Hollywood Studios

Millions of Christmas lights are ablaze at the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights – which begins nightly at dusk during November and December, and is truly a sight to behold. Holiday songs play as the lights blink in time to the music, and it’s truly something you have to see to believe. The Light display began at the home of Jennings Osborne in Arkansas, and once it got too big to be housed at his residence in 1995 – Disney offered to become the permanent home for his exhibition

Downtown Disney

Get all your Christmas shopping done in Downtown Disney’s wide array of specialty stores (where you’re guaranteed to find something for everyone on your list!), and while you’re there, enjoy the live musical performances and carolers, and make sure to save some time to head on over to Meet and Greet with the man himself – Santa Claus! Be sure to tell him what you want for Christmas, and to get your picture taken with him too!

Even if you can’t make it to these events, you will still get to enjoy tons of amazing holiday spirit at WDW – like GIANT Christmas trees, lights everywhere, festive treats and meals, and décor and music around every corner!