Walt Disney World during the holiday season is one of the best times of the year! Disney World goes all out for Christmas with celebrations in all the parks including a special holiday party at Magic Kingdom and celebrations at EPCOT. The Walt Disney World resorts also get into the holiday spirit with decorations at all the resorts with some resorts hosting the famous Disney World gingerbread houses.
Walt Disney World breaks up their hotels into three categories based on cost and amenities: value, moderate, and deluxe. You will see Christmas decorations at all three categories of Disney World hotels although the deluxe resorts tend to be the host of the popular gingerbread houses.
I visit Walt Disney World every year for Christmas and always stay on-site. I have stayed at numerous categories of Walt Disney World hotels and am here to offer the best insight on where you should stay during your holiday visit to Disney. My list of best Disney World resorts for Christmas takes into account the best decorations, additional holiday experiences while also including options that are reasonably priced for all families to afford.
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10. All Star Resorts
While you will get the most amenities catering to the holiday season at the deluxe resorts, the value resorts are not to be overlooked if you are looking for the best Disney World resort for Christmas. Since prices can reach an all time high during the holidays, the value resorts can be a popular choice to help offset some of this peak season pricing.
All the Walt Disney World resort hotel lobbies and common areas will receive Christmas decorations, often paired to match the theme of the resort! At the All Star Resorts you will see garland, trees, and wreaths that match the theme of each hotel. So for All Star Sports, you might see wreaths adorned with with basketballs, football helmets, etc.
Read our recent All Star Movies Resort review to see why we love these value resorts so much!
9. Pop Century Resort
Pop Century Resort is my favorite value resort at Walt Disney World because of its incredible theming and its transportation options. If you are looking to offset higher prices at Walt Disney World during the holiday season while also still enjoying convenient transportation Pop Century is a perfect choice.
Pop Century Resort is one of the value resorts that offers transportation via the Skyliner which is a perfect way to get to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios quickly! This is especially helpful since EPCOT is the main hub for the popular International Festival of the Holidays and the Skyliner will drop guests off on the side of the park closest to the World Showcase where most of the festivities are located.
Pop Century's Christmas decorations match the theme of the hotel with garlands, trees, and wreaths all featuring pop culture icons.
8. Caribbean Beach Resort
A popular moderate level resort is the Caribbean Beach Resort which also offers Skyliner transportation making it one of our favorite moderate level resorts. The ease of that Skyliner transportation will be a huge asset when visiting Walt Disney World during the holidays as bus lines will get quite long during peak days.
The holiday decorations at Caribbean Beach Resort fit right in the tropical Caribbean theme of the resort with wreaths, trees, and garlands featuring bright flowers and colorful fruits. This is a beautiful resort year round but the tropical charm for the holidays is truly something special.
7. Port Orleans Riverside
Port Orleans is another favorite moderate level resort for its charm during the holiday season. Port Orleans- Riverside and Port Orleans- French Quarter both make charming resorts during the holiday season.
Both resorts will feature holiday decorations that fit the Southern theme of these hotels and we found this to be a pleasant hotel to enjoy during the holiday season. Port Orleans- Riverside even offers horse drawn carriage rides which can be a great way to take in the atmosphere of the resort during the holidays!
Port Orleans also offers boat transportation to Disney Springs which can be a nice way to efficiently go back and forth between this large shopping district especially if you are shopping for holiday presents and decor.
6. Beach Club
Beach Club Resort is a deluxe hotel that ranks as one of the best hotels for their Disney World gingerbread displays The life-size holiday carousel at the Beach Club Resort is one of the most impressive gingerbread displays at Walt Disney World. Each year the carousel will change a bit in its theme.
Disney's Beach Club Resort is also conveniently located near EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. In fact, you could actually walk to EPCOT if you like and take the nearby Skyliner station to Hollywood Studios. The convenience of location is a big perk during the holiday season. This is a great perk if you want to go explore the holiday offerings at Hollywood Studios.
But the biggest draw comes back to their gingerbread display and more over the top holiday theming as compared to the value or moderate level resorts.
5. Fort Wilderness Campground
Fort Wilderness Campground may surprise you for ranking on this best Disney World resorts for Christmas list! This campground is special during the holidays not for what Disney necessarily does but for how the guest resorts celebrate!
It's a common tradition for guests at Fort Wilderness to bring full out holiday decorations like lights, inflatables, and more and decorate their campsites. There is even a golf cart themed holiday parade that takes place during the month of December that is all organized by hotel guests. The atmosphere at the campgrounds during the holidays is truly because of the frequent visitors that visit Disney World during the holidays.
Aside from the guest events, this is also the prime place to enjoy the idealistic holiday sleigh rides offered at Tri-Circle-D Ranch. Plus Fort Wilderness also offers boat transportation to Magic Kingdom, the main hub of all things holiday at Disney World, making that transportation a big convenience.
4. Animal Kingdom Lodge
Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of my favorite hotels to stay at during the holiday season. The grand decorations in this deluxe level resort make it a perfect place to celebrate the holidays. The tree in the lobby is larger than life and will take your breath away every time you walk past it!
Animal Kingdom Lodge also has its own gingerbread display although it is on a much smaller scale than the other resorts. The gingerbread display at Animal Kingdom Lodge includes a life size zebra and giraffe which matches the theme of the hotel nicely.
The other perk of the Animal Kingdom Lodge during the holiday is this will be the most affordable of the deluxe level resorts while still offering those higher level holiday decorations and displays. Its close proximity to Animal Kingdom is also convenient if you are looking to enjoy all the Christmas offerings at Animal Kingdom.
3. Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Disney's Contemporary Resort is another great deluxe resort for the holiday season. The Contemporary Resort also has a large gingerbread display which included a Mary Blair inspired castle and artwork last year. There is also a nearby treat stand to find a variety of holiday cookies which is pretty on par with most of the gingerbread house Disney World resorts.
2. Wilderness Lodge
Disney's Wilderness Lodge is often called the number one hotel to stay at for the holiday season at Walt Disney World due to its beautiful decorations that set the tone for a traditional Christmas. The inspiration for this deluxe hotel is taken from lodges in the Pacific Northwest and the holiday decor that fills this resort looks like something just out of a Hallmark movie.
Wilderness Lodge is one of the most expensive deluxe resorts during the holiday season but that is because the charm of this resort during the holiday secret is no secret. What is often so appealing about the Wilderness Lodge for guests is that it tries to capture a traditional winter atmosphere which aligns nicely with that traditional Christmas look.
Disney's Wilderness Lodge is located in close proximity to Magic Kingdom but only offers water transportation to that popular park. For all other parks, only bus transportation is offered. This is the main reason, despite the classic holiday decor, that this deluxe resort falls to the number two spot in our best Disney World resorts for Christmas.
1. Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
The number one spot for best Disney World resorts for Christmas goes to the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. This hotel is simply breathtaking during the holiday season and is most notable for its gigantic gingerbread house in the lobby that also serves as a station for cast members to sell holiday themed treats.
Not only is the lobby of the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa a holiday wonderland, the entire resort is decorated with Christmas decorations inspired by the Victorian charm of the resort. This hotel is also home to some of the most popular dining options which make a great holiday meal whether you are looking for the 1900 Park Fare or adult focused dining experiences.
And of course, the close proximity to Magic Kingdom cannot be beat as this deluxe hotel is one of the closest to the park. Guests can take advantage of monorail transportation to Magic Kingdom and EPCOT which are the two main hubs for some of the best holiday celebrations like Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and the International Festival of Holidays.
Visiting Walt Disney World during the holidays is one of the most magical times of the year to visit and each of these resorts offer something different depending on your family's budget.
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Yes, all Disney Resorts decorate for Christmas! You will see larger decorations (like the lifesize gingerbread house displays!) at deluxe resorts but even the value resorts will decorate the resort with Christmas trees, wreaths and garland.
Disney's Contemporary Resort has the biggest Christmas tree of all the Disney World resorts with a Christmas tree of about 70 feet tall.
Yes, the Polynesian will decorate for Christmas with decorations inspired by the theme of the resort.
Decorations at all the Disney World Resorts will start going up right after Halloween and stay up until the first week of January.
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