The Dolphin hotel in Orlando, Florida has beautiful Christmas trees in the lobby during the holiday season

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Are you planning on visiting the Walt Disney World Resort during the Christmas season?  Well, my family highly recommends it.  There are so many fun things to do at the Walt Disney World Resort during the holiday season.  There are beautiful holiday decorations all over Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and Disney Springs.

Magic Kingdom at Disney World is decorated for the holidays

Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort has a beautiful Christmas tree

Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park has beautiful Christmas decorations during the holiday season

My family loves visiting Animal Kingdom theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort during Christmas to see the holiday lights

See Christmas trees themed to Belle & other popular Disney characters as part of the Disney Christmas tree stroll at Disney Springs

They have great holiday events, like the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays and Mickey’s Very Merriest After Hours Event.  We love the Christmas parade at the Very Merriest event, too:

So I am sure you, too, would love a holiday visit to the Walt Disney World Resort.  But the question is, where to stay?

Well, the Swan and Dolphin Resorts are a great choice any time of the year.  They are within walking distance of both Epcot and Hollywood Studios (and they offer convenient boat transportation to those parks, too).  They also have bus transportation to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Disney Springs, too.

And they are great hotels with lots of wonderful amenities.  But they are even more special during the holiday season.  We’re going to go over what’s so great about staying at the Swan and Dolphin Resort during the Christmas season.  Then we will tell you how you can save money on nightly hotel rates here!

Swan and Dolphin Christmas Decorations

One of the reasons why the Swan and Dolphin are great hotels to stay at during the holiday season is their wonderful Christmas decorations.  I absolutely love the beautiful Christmas trees in the lobbies.  And the decorations in the entrances of the hotels.  They have this neat thing where when you enter the Swan, they have a revolving door and in part of it there are Christmas presents!

The Dolphin hotel in Orlando, Florida has beautiful Christmas trees in the lobby during the holiday season

The holiday decorations at Marriott's Swan & Dolphin Resorts near Hollywood Studios & Epcot are beautiful

The holidays at the Swan and Dolphin in the Walt Disney World Resort are special because of all the beautiful Christmas decorations

I love how there are Christmas presents in the entrance of the Swan and Dolphin Resort

Even some of their restaurants are decorated, like The Fountain.

The Swan & Dolphin hotels in Orlando, Florida have great Christmas decorations and even their restaurants are decorated, like the Fountain

There is also a Chocolate Santa Display at the entrance to the Swan near Il Mulino New York Trattoria.  It was made completely from chocolate and hand-crafted by the resort’s two-time World Pastry Chef, Laurent Branlard.

Swan and Dolphin Christmas Activities

There are a lot of fun Christmas activities going on at the Swan and Dolphin, too.  Here are some of the highlights.

Santa And Mrs. Claus

Turns out that while Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus live in the North Pole, they like to head to Florida in the winter, too!  Because Santa, Mrs. Claus, and their special Elf, Kandy Kane, will be visiting the Swan and Dolphin Resort this holiday season!  They’ll be at the Swan pool from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM on these select dates:

  • November 26th & 27th
  • December 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th & 23rd

This activity is only for guests of the Swan and Dolphin.  You’ll need to register ahead of time since space is limited.  You can show your key to get in.

Pastry Decorating

Cast members help children create and decorate holiday cookies Santa’s Holiday Hangout area at the Swan pool on select nights from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.  You’ll have to make a reservation for this, though, ahead of time because space is limited.

Kandy Kane’s Holiday Movie Marathon

The theme parks at Walt Disney World are a lot of fun.  But they can also be a bit tiring.  So if you are looking to relax in your room while still enjoying the holiday season, then take advantage of Kandy Kane’s Holiday Movie Marathon!  Just turn to channel 49 in the Swan or channel 50 in the Dolphin.  And then you can see classic holiday movies 24/7!

Santa’s Dancing Lights Spectacular

One of the things I love about staying at the Swan and Dolphin is the nightly dancing lighted palms on the causeway between the Swan and Dolphin.  It happens every 10 minutes.  And it is holiday-themed this time of the year!

Swan and Dolphin Christmas Menus

A couple of the restaurants at the Swan and Dolphin Resort have special Christmas menus.

Il Mulino

In addition to their à la carte menu, they have the following specials for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Stripped Bass (for Christmas Eve and Christmas)

Striped bass, butternut squash, Brussel sprouts, radish, pearl onions, roasted potatoes,
and lemon pinot grigio sauce

Short Rib (for Christmas)

Slow-cooked short rib, Wild mushroom risotto, Turnips, roasted carrots, and cuisson

Special Dessert Offering (for Christmas)

Peppermint Chocolate Stone, Peppermint Mousse, Araguani chocolate cream,
angel food cake, and candy cane sauce

Bluezoo

In addition to their à la carte menu, they have the following specials for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Dover Sole (for Christmas Eve)

Dover Sole Roulade, Chestnut Agnolotti, Black Truffle Puree, Chanterelle, Roasted Brussel Sprouts, and Persil Beurre Blanc

Duck (for Christmas)

Cardamom Honey Glazed Duck Breast, Leg Confit, Farro Risotto, Pickle Mustard,
Beech Mushrooms, and Port Wine Reduction

Dessert (for Christmas)

Sticky toffee pudding with organic vanilla bean ice cream

Swan & Dolphin Hotel Deals

So, I am sure you haven’t forgotten I said I was going to tell you about how you can get a great deal for a stay here, right?  Well, all you need to do is click on our links.  And then you can book these hotels for a great rate.