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The Walt Disney World Resort is an amazing place to visit during the Christmas season, and Disney Springs is no exception!
Disney Springs is a dining, shopping, and entertainment complex. (If you’ve been to CityWalk at Universal Orlando or Downtown Disney at Disneyland, Disney Springs is similar to those places.) Unlike the theme parks at Disney World, you don’t need a ticket or park reservation to visit Disney Springs.
Disney Springs at Christmas time is a lot of fun. There are a number of entertainment options – and some special Christmas food offerings as well!
We’re going to go over the holiday things to do and the different Christmas treats available. And then we’ll share our advice on the best places to stay if you’d like to visit Disney Springs this holiday season.
Disney Springs Christmas Activities
There are a number of fun things to do at Disney Springs during the holiday season!
Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll 2024
The Christmas Tree Stroll is back at Disney Springs in 2024!
In the past, you may have visited its previous version, the Christmas Tree Trail. Prior to 2020, all of the Disney Springs Christmas trees were located in one section so that you could walk down the trail and enjoy them all.
Now, the trees are located at various points throughout Disney Springs. There are 21 Christmas trees in all, each with elaborate, themed decorations. Those themes include:
- Lilo & Stitch
- Encanto
- Haunted Mansion
- Moana 2
- Star Wars
- Disney World Annual Passholder
- Mickey & Minnie Mouse
- The Lion King
- The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Wish
- Toy Story
- The Princess and the Frog
- Coco
- Disney Treasure
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Disney+
- and more!
You can pick up a special map to help you find them all. These maps are distributed at the following locations:
- Luxury of Time by Diamonds International
- Joffrey’s Coffee and Tea Company
- City Works Eatery & Pour House
- The LEGO Store
- Crystal Arts by Arribas Brothers
You can also see the map here, even before you visit Disney Springs.
How the map works is that once you find a Disney Springs Christmas tree, you place its corresponding sticker on the tree’s location on the map. When you’ve found all the trees, bring your map back to one of those 5 locations, and you’ll receive a special prize!
Some of the trees even have special MagicBand+ interactions. We previously discussed whether or not MagicBand Plus is worth the cost here. If you have a MagicBand+ or decide to buy one, here are the trees that have special experiences:
- Star Wars
- Haunted Mansion
- Moana 2
- Disney+
- Wish
- The Princess and the Frog
- Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse
- Encanto
- Coco
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- The Lion King
- Toy Story
- Disney Parks
- The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Lilo and Stitch
- Annual Passholder
Meet Santa
Santa is at Disney Springs again this year!
You can meet him at Santa’s Marketplace (near Disney’s Pin Traders) now through December 24, 2024. You’ll need to enter a virtual queue, which has been implemented to keep wait times down. You can join the virtual queue through the My Disney Experience app on your phone.
The times when you can join the virtual queue are 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM, and 6:00 PM. You’ll need to be in Disney Springs in order to join the queue (you can’t do it from your hotel or one of the parks).
Please note that your group to meet Santa can have up to 10 people. Only one person in your group needs to join the virtual queue, though. They can request to join it for your entire group.
Christmas Shopping
If you’re looking for some special Christmas gifts for your friends and family, then you can choose from a number of seasonal merchandise collections:
- Holiday Haven Collection
- Includes pajama sets, stockings, wreaths and more that feature the Mickey Mouse silhouette
- Hanukkah Collection
- Includes Hanukkah Minnie Mouse Ears, a Hanukkah mug, wall art and more
- Note: We also recommend these Disney Hanukkah merchandise favorites!
- Mickey’s Family Christmas Collection
- Includes a Loungefly mini backpack, spirit jerseys, light-up holiday glow necklace and more featuring Mickey and friends dressed as Santa’s helpers
- Snowman Trend Collection
- Includes pillows, earrings, apparel, accessories and more, all featuring happy snowmen
- Holiday Color Story Collection
- Includes all-red items like a spirit jersey and a Loungefly sequin mini backpack
You can find the festive merch at stores like Disney’s Days of Christmas, World of Disney and more.
Daily Entertainment
Each day features a number of special seasonal acts:
- Holiday Brass Band
- 6:00 PM
- 7:00 PM
- 8:00 PM
- 9:00 PM
- Douglas Fir
- 1:00 PM
- 2:00 PM
- 3:00 PM
- 4:00 PM
- Toy Soldier Stilts
- 5:30 PM
- 7:00 PM
- 8:30 PM
- Seasonal-Skaters Holiday
- 6:15 PM
- 7:15 PM
- 8:15 PM
- 9:15 PM
- Icicle Stilts
- 5:30 PM
- 7:00 PM
- 8:30 PM
Snow at Disney Springs
There is something so special about experiencing a snowfall in Florida! You can enjoy a nightly “snowfall” in Disney Springs Town Center near the Town Center tree. This happens every half hour beginning at sundown.
Other Entertainment
Whether you visit during the day or at night, there will often be a musical act performing at some point at the AdventHealth Waterside Stage. (This is the stage across from the World of Disney store.) Check the sign behind the Stage’s seating for the day’s performance times.
Disney Springs Christmas Treats
If you’re looking for special Christmas food at Disney Springs, you’re in luck! There are a number of special seasonal snacks and menu items you can enjoy at some of the Disney Springs restaurants. This includes everything from holiday sandwiches to a seasonal rum punch to a sundae in the shape of a Christmas tree and more.
We go over the offerings in detail, including where to find them, in this Disney Springs Holiday Food Guide.
Where to Stay Near Disney Springs
My family loves staying at an official Disney World hotel in the Disney Springs area. You get to enjoy boat transportation to Disney Springs, which we find more peaceful and enjoyable than a bus ride.
There are two deluxe Disney resorts near Disney Springs:
If you’d like to stay at either of these hotels, we highly recommend using David’s Vacation Club to book your stay and have had great experiences using them. In fact, we just stayed at Old Key West a couple of weeks ago thanks to David’s Vacation Club! You can find great prices that are often more in line with what you’d pay at a value resort if you booked directly through Disney World.
The two moderate resorts close to Disney Springs are:
These are beautiful hotels that, like Old Key West and Saratoga Springs, have boat transportation to and from Disney Springs. Unlike Old Key West and Saratoga Springs, though, you cannot book them through David’s Vacation Club. We’ve used Undercover Tourist to stay at Port Orleans in the past as they also offer more affordable prices.
In addition to the official onsite Disney World resorts, there are a number of other hotels that are within walking distance of Disney Springs:
- Holiday Inn Orlando
- Wyndham Lake Buena Vista
- Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista
- Renaissance Orlando Resort & Spa
- Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando – Disney Springs Area
- DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando
- Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista
- Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace