Welcome to planDisney, Sierra.
Ah,
the Christmas season at Walt Disney World Resort! It gets you in the spirit the moment you walk into the lobbies of the resorts. You'll discover towering Christmas trees adorned with beautiful ornaments, garlands draped across balconies, and twinkling lights everywhere you glance. Each hotel transforms into a festive wonderland. And one of the highlights is the life-sized gingerbread creations that show up in places like
Disney's Contemporary Resort (where a gingerbread "castle" often greets you),
Disney's Beach Club Resort (home to a spinning holiday carousel made of gingerbread), and
Disney's BoardWalk Inn (which features whimsical gingerbread facades of local favorite spots seaside-style) and
Disney's Animal Kinghdom Lodge (which displays a spectacular sunset savannah including a towering giraffe). These displays provide amazing photo ops, but not only that, they carry the scent of ginger and spice through the lobby.
One thing to note, Sierra: there'll be no gingerbread house at
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa this year due to the renovations taking place in the lobby of the hotel.
Historically, many of the displays begin appearing in early to mid-November. For example, Disney's Contemporary Resort's gingerbread castle started its display on November 8 in 2024. At Disney's BoardWalk Inn, the gingerbread house debuted around November 12, and at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, the display started around Thanksgiving (November 24) last year. For the 2025 Christmas season, announcements say multiple resorts will have displays "coming soon" and running through January 1, 2026. Exact dates for when these displays go up haven't been released yet. Keep an eye on the
Disney Parks Blog for any announcements. But since you're visiting in mid-November, you might have some luck.
I hope that's helpful, Sierra. Have a magical time!
Mike