2021 Holiday Experiences Coming to Walt Disney World

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks, Disney Resorts, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom

Today Disney is celebrating “Halfway to the Holidays!” If you’re ready to plan a visit to Walt Disney World for the 2021 holidays, we have some exciting news for you! Disney has announced holiday festivities happening at all four parks, Disney Springs, plus Walt Disney World Resorts. Get ready to experience festive entertainment, whimsical décor, seasonal food and drinks, and holiday-themed merchandise will all be a part of this very special season. Here’s a sneak peek as shared by Disney below:

Magic Kingdom Park

Holidays are sure to be enchanting at Magic Kingdom Park, where quintessential decorations will return to Main Street, U.S.A. When the sun sets, special holiday projections will appear most nights on Cinderella Castle, alternating periodically with the castle’s transformation into a Beacon of Magic.* What a great way to celebrate the holidays and the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort! Now, talk about an early holiday gift… “Disney Very Merriest After Hours,” a new special-ticketed event, will debut Nov. 8 before all the rest of the festive fun. It will be available on select nights through Dec. 21. The four hours of festivities will delight guests with “Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks,” Disney characters throughout the park, holiday music and décor, treats included and so much more! As with other Disney After Hours events, a limited number of tickets will be sold for this event. It’s held after regular park operating hours, with lower wait times and access to more than 20 select attractions. Tickets will go on sale next month, with an early purchase window available to guests of select Walt Disney World Resort hotels.

Sunset Seasons Greetings at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Sunset Seasons Greetings returns to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, as the Hollywood Holiday Tower Hotel on Sunset Boulevard will twinkle once again with projection effects, magically transforming into a snowy corner of Arendelle, a Muppets gingerbread masterpiece, a Toy Story toy hotel, and a Dickensian village inspired by “Mickey’s Christmas Carol.” This holiday show will also alternate with the tower’s nightly transformation into a Beacon of Magic. Santa Claus will bring some North Pole cheer to a motorcade down Hollywood Boulevard. You will also be able to enjoy “For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration,” with its festive finale featuring everyone’s favorite snowman, Olaf. Minnie Mouse is also returning to host her festive meal at Hollywood & Vine at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Minnie and her friends will be donning their holiday best – even Santa Goofy will be there! And throughout the season, vintage-themed holiday décor will shine bright across the park.

Holiday edition of Tree of Life Awakenings at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park

It will be a wild holiday time at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park with the return of seasonal décor and festive Disney character flotillas sailing down Discovery River to the sounds of joyful songs of the season. The park’s centerpiece – The Tree of Life – becomes another Beacon of Magic most nights during the 50th anniversary celebration. During the holiday season there’s even more magic inspired by nature as the holiday edition of Tree of Life Awakenings also takes place most nights.

Disney Springs

You can happily discover whatever you’re after this holiday season at Disney Springs. The shopping, dining and entertainment destination will transform into a winter wonderland, full of sparkling lights, enchanting décor and holiday surprises. This year sees the return of the Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll, with elaborately decorated, Disney-themed trees – some new and some inspired by “The World’s Most Magical Celebration.” A magical snowfall will add a touch of wonder for holiday shoppers in Town Center. Here, you can find the perfect gift for everyone on your list, including yourself. Discover holiday ornaments, matching family pajamas, festive Spirit Jerseys, and more – be sure to check your list twice so you don’t forget any holiday must-haves! There will even be themed food and beverages; one of my favorite spots, Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar, will once again transform into Jock Lindsey’s Holiday Bar, with delightful décor and a delicious limited-time menu filled with festive favorites.

Disney Resort Hotels

Our Disney Resort hotels will be decked for the holidays, with iconic trees and other seasonal touches. And a guest favorite will return this year, as select gingerbread displays will once again be part of our holiday season! Also at select resorts, you will find restaurants offering holiday menus and specialty food and drink.

EPCOT 

Where can you enjoy traditions from around the world, with inspiring music, tasty treats and family-friendly experiences? If you guessed EPCOT … … you are correct! The EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays will return this year, from Nov. 26 – Dec. 30, with Holiday Kitchens around the park, performances by Voices of Liberty, the guest favorite Cookie Stroll and more!

Disney World Announces More Resort Re-openings

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Resorts

During the phased reopening of Walt Disney World, not all resorts have been open, including some fan-favorites! Thankfully, that is finally going to change. Disney has announced the last batch of resorts will be reopening this fall and that all resorts will be open by the end of 2021.

Here is the full statement from Walt Disney World

As we continue to take a measured and deliberate approach to reopening our Disney Resort hotels, we are happy to share we will start accepting bookings on July 8, 2021 for:

    • Disney’s All-Star Music Resort for arrivals beginning Sept. 16
    • Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside for arrivals beginning Oct. 14
    • Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter for arrivals beginning Oct. 28
    • Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort for arrivals beginning Dec. 9

We are excited to continue welcoming Guests to hotels that have recently opened, like Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, and are busy preparing Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort for arrivals to begin on July 19 and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge on Aug. 26.

With this news, all Walt Disney World Resort hotels will be open by the end of 2021 and we look forward to welcoming more Guests to the magic over the next several months!

Cast Members Celebrate Reopening & Anniversary of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Resorts

Little by little we are seeing more and more of our favorite Walt Disney World experiences return! As more Disney fans head back to the parks, we thankfully get to see Disney Resort hotels reopen. While Disney’s BoardWalk Inn Disney Vacation Club Villas have been open for some time now, the general public has been unable to book a stay at the BoardWalk until recently. Cast Members took to social media to celebrate the reopening, as well as the 25th Anniversary of the stunning resort.

As shared via Walt Disney World Cast & Community Facebook: “This week, Disney’s BoardWalk Inn officially reopened to Guests, just in time for the resort’s 25th anniversary! It’s been 25 years of classic carnival fun, tasty treats and beautiful nighttime strolls on the BoardWalk. Thank you to all of the Cast Members who have made magic here over the years!”

Disney’s BoardWalk Inn officially reopened on July 2! Welcome back Cast Members! Now, we’re eager to see what Walt Disney World has in store next. We do know thus far that Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort will reopen soon, along with Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge now having a scheduled reopening date.

Disney Announces New Resort Benefits for 50th Anniversary Celebration

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Resorts

Staying at a Walt Disney World resort comes with many benefits. Disney has announced even more benefits for resort guests who visit during the 50th Anniversary celebration. There’s also an update on the popular Disney Dining plan.

From a Disney Cast Member;

We’re just 93 days away from “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” in honor of Walt Disney World Resort’s 50th anniversary, but who’s counting? As we near this special milestone, we are excited to bring you more details on new benefits coming to the Disney Resorts Collection as part of the celebration.

Just in time for the start of this magical celebration, on Oct. 1, we will be rolling out a new early theme park entry benefit for Disney Resort hotel guests and guests of other select hotels, giving them the first chance to enjoy select attractions at EVERY theme park, EVERY day. These guests will also be among the first each day to see the dazzling decorations and EARidescent excitement. Guests will need a valid ticket or pass and a theme park reservation for the same park on the same date for early theme park entry.

In addition, with the kickoff of the 50th anniversary, guests staying at one of our Disney Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resort hotels will also be able to enjoy extended evening hours on select nights in select theme parks. Extended evening hours will begin in early October with specific dates and parks to be shared at a later time, so please be sure to check back on DisneyWorld.com for the latest.

Please note that guests will need a valid ticket or pass and a theme park reservation for the same park on the same day to experience extended evening hours. Or, guests may visit with a ticket or Annual Pass with the Park Hopper option as long as they entered their first park where they made their reservation earlier in the day.

For both of these options, select attractions, merchandise and food and beverage locations will be available. Be sure to also bring your MagicBand, Disney MagicMobile pass or Key to the World card linked to your stay, or another form of Resort ID.

Back at your Disney Resort hotel, you’ll enjoy even more magic! During the celebration, be on the lookout for surprise appearances by some favorite Disney pals like Goofy and Pluto, who will be dressed in their EARidescent best and dropping by to visit with guests at Disney Resort hotels!

These new offerings will join a number of other great services available for Disney Resort hotel guests such as complimentary on-site transportation and the direct-to-room service available in the My Disney Experience app. We also recently revealed reimagined rooms coming to two of our original Disney Resort hotels that opened alongside Magic Kingdom Park in 1971: Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and Disney’s Contemporary Resort!

Speaking of Disney Resort hotel stays, we know many of you are also wondering when Disney dining plan packages will return. While we’re not quite ready to share an update on timing, we are planning to bring this guest-favorite option back at a later date. We will also continue to reopen more Resort offerings, including restaurants like ‘Ohana (with the noodles!).

With so much excitement in the air, we invite you to be our guest and stay in the magic during “The World’s Most Magical Celebration!”

Disney Announces Opening Date of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Resorts

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort’s refurbishment is almost complete. The resort has been closed since March 2020 and is being reimagined. Disney has announced the reopening date.

Here is the statement from Disney:

We’re happy to share that we are accepting bookings for Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort beginning July 19. As part of the reopening, Guests will return to an enhanced entrance with a new porte cochere showcasing the iconic mid-20thcentury architecture the Polynesian is famous for.

As the resort reopens, the temporary front desk area at Pago Pago will close, and front desk and concierge services will move back to the Great Ceremonial House. Disney’s Magical Express and valet will be available under the new porte cochere.

While most of the resort areas and amenities will be available, the renovation of the monorail station continues and monorail service to and from the resort remains temporarily unavailable. The front entrance to the Great Ceremonial House will also open at a later date, and Cast Members will be available to assist Guests in accessing the side entrance to the Great Ceremonial House in the meantime.

Guests should continue to use Online Check-in and Direct-to-Room service to help simplify their arrival experience.