• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Motor City Mouse

Motor City Mouse

Disney Locals Sharing Tips and Tricks

  • Instagram
  • TikTok
  • Facebook
  • Disney Parks
    • Ride Guides
    • Food
    • Resorts
    • Park Style
  • Magic at Home
  • Cruises
  • Central Florida
    • Orlando Area
    • Universal Studios
  • OUR STORY
Facebook0Tweet0Pin0Shares0

Everything Special for Christmas at Walt Disney World Resort 2022

Avatar photoNovember 9, 2022 by Sarah Lemp

Magic Kingdom Park

Magic Kingdom is our all-time favorite place to be during the holiday season. From the giant tree and beautiful holiday decorations throughout Main Street, to the festive projections on the castle, Christmas music and special parades, it’s the best place to find warm fuzzey feelings.

Here are the special Christmas features you’ll find this holiday season:

  • Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party – This event is returning in 2022! Live entertainment, special holiday themed fireworks, Christmas parade and more—select nights in November and December. Separate admission is required for this special event.
  • Castle Projections – Watch the beautiful holiday projections transform the castle. These holiday projections rotate with the Beacon of Magic projections (on nights when Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is not offered).
  • Seasonal Décor – Main Street, U.S.A. is completely transformed into a magical, winter wonderland!
  • Limited-Time Treats – Special holiday-inspired food and beverages available for purchase at select locations.

READ: Braving the Holiday Crowds at Disney World

EPCOT

Experience Christmas around the world at EPCOT this holiday season! Here are a few of the special holiday experiences you can find:

  • EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays presented by AdventHealth – Beginning November 25, 2022. Enjoy the sights and sounds of the holidays, and sample specialty treats featured at the Holiday Kitchen and the Holiday Cookie Stroll.
  • Candlelight Processional – Listen to the Christmas story presented by a celebrity narrator, accompanied by an orchestra and choir—nightly from November 25 to December 30.
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Overlay – This season, the Guardians of the Galaxy will be trading in their usual playlist for a holiday single!
  • More Holiday Entertainment – Special performances around World Showcase, including Canadian Holiday Voyageurs, Las Posadas with Mariachi Cobre, the Chinese Lion Dance and holiday storytellers.

Hollywood Studios

Christmas highlights you’ll find at Hollywood Studios include:

  • Sunset Seasons Greetings – The Hollywood Tower Hotel is transformed nightly by holiday projections, alternating with the Beacon of Magic.
  • Minnie’s Holiday Dine at Hollywood & Vine – Minnie’s merry mealtime at the popular Hollywood & Vine restaurant. Reservations are strongly recommended.
  • Santa Claus Motorcade – Catch the Santa Claus Merry Motorcade, where old St. Nick will travel up Hollywood Blvd. in his candy-apple red convertible, packed with a sack of presents!
  • For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration – Look forward to an unforgettable holiday finale featuring everyone’s favorite snowman, Olaf.
  • Dazzling Holiday Décor – Seasonal decorations are throughout the park, including special holiday touches in Toy Story Land.

Animal Kingdom

Experience the magic of nature with a holiday twist. Be sure to swing by Discovery River to wave hello to some of your favorite Disney Characters aboard decked-out flotillas during the 50th Anniversary celebration of Walt Disney World Resort.
Highlights Include:

  • Merry Menagerie – The fan-favorite, life-size puppets are back this year! Come see the artisan-sculpted puppets of arctic animals—like penguins, reindeer, foxes and polar bears.
  • Santa Claus Festive Flotilla – Catch Santa Claus as he floats by on a festive flotilla along Discovery River.
  • Discovery Island Drummers Festive Flotilla – Also appearing on the Discovery River throughout he day.
  • Holiday-themed décor and Tree of Life Awakenings – Watch the tree shimmer and sparkle each evening.

Blizzard Beach

Enjoy a watery winter wonderland all decked out for the holidays during November and December. Enjoy these highlights:

  • Meet Santa Claus and pose for a holiday photo with tropical flair.
  • Experience “snoap!!” This magical snowfall will happen in select locations.
  • Savor seasonal menu items, like a Peppermint Milkshake, Orange Bird Santa Cone and more.
  • Find yuletide touches throughout the park—including holiday-themed inner tubes!
  • Everything is included with your valid water park admission.

Important Information:

All experiences are subject to change.
At this time, a reservation is not required to visit a Disney water park. Reservation requirements are subject to change.

Disney Resorts

Consider staying at a Disney resort this holiday season for all the extra special experiences. Or, visit during the day to see the beautiful decorations and grab a bite to eat at one of the restaurants of quick service locations.

  • Seasonal Décor – Holiday decorations, including trees and gingerbread displays adorning the lobbies and Guest areas at select Resort hotels.
  • Delicious Treats – Specialty menu items at select restaurants.
  • When you add valid theme park admission and a park reservation, you can enjoy extra time in the theme parks. Benefits include:
    • Early Theme Park Entry: As a Guest at any Disney Resort hotel, you can enjoy early entry to the theme parks 30 minutes before opening to experience select attractions.
    • Extended Evening Theme Park Hours: As a Guest of a Disney Deluxe Resort or a Disney Deluxe Villa Resort, you can experience extended evening theme park hours—offered select nights in December at Magic Kingdom park and EPCOT.
    • NEW! Extended evening theme park hours select nights in December at Disney’s Hollywood Studios!

Valid park admission, a park reservation and a Disney MagicBand or Disney MagicMobile pass are required for park entry—including early theme park entry and extended evening theme park hours.

Disney Springs

Special holiday festivities coming to Disney Springs include:

  • Special Entertainment – Meet Santa and enjoy live musical performances, DJs, Toy Soldier Stilt Walkers and Snowflake Skaters.
  • Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll presented by AdventHealth – Back this year! The Christmas Tree Stroll features Disney Christmas trees throughout the neighborhoods of Disney Springs.
  • Let It Snow! – Flurries are in the forecast for Disney Springs Town Center. Experience magical snowfall each evening.
  • Jock Lindsey’s Holiday Bar – This restaurant-meets-lounge offers a fun holiday menu, eye-catching décor and more.
Category: Disney ParksTag: holiday
Facebook0Tweet0Pin0Shares0

come to disney with us!

We’re in the parks several times a week and would love to have you join us for the fun. Follow along on Instagram!

follow on instagram
Avatar photo

About Sarah Lemp

Sarah grew up in Michigan, taking trips to Disney World as often as she possibly could! She began writing about Disney vacation planning advice in 2012 when she started her blog, All Things with Purpose. Sarah and her family recently moved from the Motor City to Orlando, FL and are now living the Disney Passholder life!

Previous Post:Universal Studios or Disney World: Which One Should You Choose?
Next Post:A Very Floridian Christmas – Everything to do in central florida this holiday season

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sidebar

motorcitymouse

motorcitymouse
Sharing some of my favorite AMAZON dresses to wear Sharing some of my favorite AMAZON dresses to wear to the Disney parks! I like wearing lightweight dresses that feel casual but also a little bit princessy. And why not!? All linked in my Amazon shop. Find it in my stories and in my profile.
Comments overhead while walking around the Polynes Comments overhead while walking around the Polynesian Resort with 40th birthday balloons: “40 was ok. 50 killed me.” “No way! 40?” “4 was a good year. Oh, there’s a zero!” “Have a magical day!” and “Wait, when is your birthday again?” (said by my 15 year old son). Happy birthday to me! I’m officially 40!! 😆🥳
Why should you choose to stay at @grandlegacyhotel Why should you choose to stay at @grandlegacyhotel while visiting Disneyland?? Here’s a few reasons we love it:

💜 Walkability - We did not rent a car while we were in Anaheim. Grand Legacy is literally across the street from Disneyland, and just a couple blocks away from countless shops and restaurants. 
💜 Value - You can’t beat the price when you look at all you get while staying at Grand Legacy compared to other area hotels.
💜 Amenities - Our luxury plus room included a mini fridge, coffee maker and microwave, which is almost a necessity when staying multiple days. There are also beverages and snacks in the lobby, a pool, hot tub, and laundry facilities.
💜 Great for Families - We have stayed here with our family as well. There are lots of great options for families, including connecting rooms.
💜 View - There are many spots on property where you can view the Disneyland fireworks at night. Even though our room was not advertised as a firework view room, we were still able to catch a glimpse of them. There are rooms available with even better views of the theme parks and fireworks. We also enjoyed watching the fireworks from up top at @thefifthoc where they dim the lights and play Disneyland music during the show. 

#grandlegacyhotel #grandlegacy #disneyland #disneycreators #disneyadult #disneylandfamily
Happy World Princess Week!! *SAVE FOR LATER* We w Happy World Princess Week!! 
*SAVE FOR LATER*
We were honored to be a part of a special princess event at @waltdisneyworld last year. This year, you’ll find special treats at each of the Disney parks and in many of the resorts. Who is your favorite princess and why? 

Here’s where you can meet your favorite princesses at WDW (subject to change):

EPCOT
- Aurora (in France)
- Anna and Elsa (in Norway)
- Mulan (in China)
- Snow White (in Germany)
- Belle (in France)
- Princesses you may see at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall include: Belle, Aurora, Snow White, Tiana, Ariel and Mulan.

MAGIC KINGDOM 
- Cinderella (Princess Fairytale Hall)
- Tiana (Princess Fairytale Hall)
- Rapunzel (Princess Fairytale Hall)
- Ariel (Ariel’s Grotto)
- Belle (Enchanted Tales with Belle)
- Princesses you may see at Cinderella’s Royal Table: Cinderella, Aurora, Jasmine, Snow White and Ariel
- Multiple princesses seen in parades throughout the day 

ANIMAL KINGDOM 
- Moana (Character Landing)
- Pocahontas (on a river boat)

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS 
- Live Action Ariel (Walt Disney Presents)

RESORT HOTELS
- Snow White (Storybook Dining at Artist Point)

Did I miss one?? Let me know!

#worldprincessweek #ultimateprincesscelebration #disneyprincess #disneycreators
I felt like this footage deserved a permanent home I felt like this footage deserved a permanent home in my feed 😆 Pay close attention to Jay’s face as he prepares to ride Rise of the Resistance for the first time!! This ride has remained my favorite ride at Disney World since it opened but I have never been able to convince Jay to ride it. He does tend to get motion sickness on rides, and had said he would ride it if the wait was less than 10 minutes. I figured that meant he would never get to ride it, but the other night after a storm, the park had cleared out and we saw a 10 minute wait right before closing!! Jay now says it’s his favorite ride ever - his previous favorite was Frozen 😁

#batuubound #galaxysedge #starwars #disneycreators #riseoftheresistance #batuu #brightsuns #wdw #starwarsfamily
🧡AHSOKA!!!!🧡 Thank you @disneyparks for host 🧡AHSOKA!!!!🧡
Thank you @disneyparks for hosting us at an awesome Ahsoka Tano fan event last night to celebrate the release of @ahsokaofficial on @disneyplus 

We bounded as some of our favorite characters, built a droid and rode the best ride in the galaxy (Rise of the Resistance), before grabbing some blue milk and screening the first two episodes of Ahsoka, the new series coming to Disney Plus August 23rd. You are going to LOVE this show! 

To end the night, we all gathered in front of the Millennium Falcon to light up our Ahsoka sabers! 🧡
#ahsoka
First time in Vegas! It’s been fun to see everyt First time in Vegas! It’s been fun to see everything, but in reality, we came for the cheap flights and close proximity to the National Parks 😆 We’re celebrating our anniversary today with dinner at the (Vegas) Eiffel Tower, but we’ve been on the go everyday seeing the Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree, and Zion National Park! The heat is no joke, it has actually made me appreciate the weather in Florida 🤣
💜20 years of adventures with you💜 💜20 years of adventures with you💜
Our 20th anniversary trip is officially off to a g Our 20th anniversary trip is officially off to a great start!! We are so thankful to be here together. When we first started talking about going away for our anniversary, we were coming out of an incredibly challenging time in our life and barely making ends meet. Our best idea was to attend a timeshare presentation to get a free hotel stay (anyone else been there? 🙋🏻‍♀️). We’re grateful for some very special people in our life that encouraged us to make plans and helped make it possible to think a little bit bigger. We will be packing in as much fun as we can, with a road trip to Palm Springs, Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree and Zion National Park. We added on a stop at Disneyland and are proud to be partnering with the @grandlegacyhotel for the next couple days. This is our second time staying here, but the first time without kids!! We love the Grand Legacy because it is stylish and modern, but also affordable. It’s located RIGHT across the street from Disneyland and just a block from all kinds of shopping and entertainment. They had a beautiful anniversary basket waiting for us when we arrived and we enjoyed dinner with a fireworks view last night at @thefifthoc ✨
We tried the infamous dill pickle milkshake at the We tried the infamous dill pickle milkshake at the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival! It’s one of those things that you just have to try! We were surprised how NOT disgusting it was. It started sweet and has an interesting flavor, but it wasn’t terrible. Find it at the Brew-Wing Lab at the Odyssey. Which is a cute, Muppet, themed food lab with all kinds of tasty concoctions!

🥒 BOOK YOUR TRIP TO EPCOT USING THE LINK IN MY PROFILE TO SAVE MONEY ON DISNEY TICKETS AND HOTELS!!
POLLY HAS SOLD!! Taking suggestions now for the n POLLY HAS SOLD!! 
Taking suggestions now for the next subtle Disney theme we should do in an RV! 👇🏻

#glampingwithpolly #rvrenovation #rvreno
What’s your favorite Disney Channel original mov What’s your favorite Disney Channel original movie?? Mine go waaay back before High School Musical. As a kid, my favorites were Brink and Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century. The Disney Channel is celebrating their 40th anniversary (I turn 40 this year too)!! We’re excited to watch the new Disney Channel original movie, The Slumber Party, now on @disneychannel and @disneyplus #theslumberparty
MOM’S NIGHT OUT AT EPCOT
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Five stars, would recommend - Food and Wine with friends! If you’ve never experienced the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival with your girlfriends, call 1-855-GET-AWAY immediately and book your trip!! 

Thank you @getawaytoday and @thehappiestclubonearth for inviting us to experience such a fun night!!

The EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival is officially here and there is so much to see and do (and eat and drink). Are you going this year??

#tasteepcot #disneycreators
We love the SEA LIFE Aquarium at Great Lakes Cross We love the SEA LIFE Aquarium at Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills, Michigan! There are SEA LIFE Aquariums nationwide, so check out visitsealife.com to find a location near you. It’s a great time to visit SEA LIFE Michigan because Shark Days are here all week (July 23-29)! Discover new shark facts during a Summer shark talk, and dive into more fun with a sea of shark activities. Come see the sharks – including Florence, the 6ft Nurse Shark, in the breathtaking Ocean Tunnel. Get the ultimate shark selfie as they glide just inches away from you for an unforgettable shark encounter.

CoComelon is also making appearances until August 13! This meet and greet is included in the regular ticket price. For an additional fee, you can schedule a behind-the-scenes tour to see how they care for and feed the sharks at SEA LIFE.

Thank you to @sealife_michigan for inviting us this week! I sent my sister and her kids to check it all out and they had a lot of fun!
Polly is officially listed! We have a couple littl Polly is officially listed! We have a couple little things to do today, but I’ve been anxious to get her on the market before the Summer is over. What do you think?? Do you see the Polynesian Resort theme coming through loud and clear?? 
#glampingwithpolly 

**DM me for the link to the Marketplace listing with all the details!**
Happy National Dole Whip Day! #glampingwithpolly Happy National Dole Whip Day! 

#glampingwithpolly #dolewhip
We’re working on exterior paint this week!!

I’m so happy with how these colors are turning out! I found the cutest Dole Whip decal to put on the door. We still need to finish the exterior paint, replace the awning fabric, finish interior paint, install a new kitchen faucet, and about a million little things. 

If you’re in the market for a small trailer, send me a DM!

#rvrenovation #rvreno #rvexterior
Happy 68th anniversary Disneyland! Look how cute a Happy 68th anniversary Disneyland! Look how cute and tiny the kids were last time we were there. 😍 Jay and I are heading back (kid free) next month and I can’t wait!! We will be trying out @breezeairways flying nonstop from Disney World to Disneyland, then continuing on from there for our 20th anniversary trip. We’re going to pack a lot into a really quick trip, with stops at the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park. But we couldn’t get that close to Disneyland and not stop in for a quick visit 😊
Happy National Ice Cream Day!! This was my favori Happy National Ice Cream Day!! 
This was my favorite thing I’ve had recently. The Moana Cone at Typhoon Lagoon. The coconut dipped cone was my favorite part. 😋 What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream? 

#nationalicecreamday #disneystyphoonlagoon #typhoonlagoon
Progress on Polly, our Polynesian Resort themed RV Progress on Polly, our Polynesian Resort themed RV! After several hours of taping and lots of touch ups later, it’s almost done 🤪
Load More Follow on Instagram

Recent Posts

Complete Guide to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground

Little Mermaid Disneybound Ideas

Easy BB-8 costume

Easy Marvel Themed Costumes

Creative Ways to Save for a Disney Trip

Copyright © 2023 · Motor City Mouse · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Mai Theme