I was in Orlando for a conference 2 weeks before Christmas. Unfortunately there was no time to go into the parks, but I had an evening free to visit the resorts on the monorail loop and Wilderness Lodge. Here are some pictures from that trip.
I started by taking the monorail from the TTC to the Magic Kingdom, and then took the boat to Wilderness Lodge. I had been to WL a number of timers before, but never at Christmas. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
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| One of the many "small" trees around Wilderness Lodge |
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| A detail of one of the smaller trees |
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| A light swag in Territory Lounge |
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| The bridge that runs over the "stream" in the lobby |
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| Approaching the main tree from the back |
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| A detail of the decorations on the main tree |
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| Topiaries over the main entrance to the Lodge |
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| The main tree from the main entrance |
After touring Wilderness Lodge, I took the boat to the Contemporary Resort. True confession time. Even though this is one of the two original resorts, it's actually my least favorite of the deluxes; my home is not "contemporary", and I find the "corporate modern" feel of the CR to be nothing special. I have to say the same for the Christmas decorations. Despite the huge atrium, there is no large tree, just a number of smaller trees that look like they came from a department store. The "gingerbread house" is a relatively 2-dimensional representation of "Frozen" - all I do credit the designers for making it in the style of Mary Blair (whose grand mural towers behind it). Here are a few pictures.
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| One of the small trees at the Contemporary Resort |
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| The main portion of the "Frozen" gingerbread display |
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| The other half of the "Frozen" gingerbread display |
The CR does have a large tree, but it is located outside, in front of the resort. I didn't want to take the time to walk all the way around to the front, so I thought I would miss it. By wild chance, when I was sitting in the monorail at the CR station, I looked out the window and was able to see the tree through a window of the atrium. I took a "long shot" bracket of the tree, and amazingly, I was able to get this shot of it.
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| The outside tree, taken through the monorail window. |
After a fairly brief stop at the CR I boarded the monorail for the Polynesian Village Resort. I've been to the "Poly" many times, but not since the extensive renovation of the Great Ceremonial House, and never at Christmas time.
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| The main entrance of the Great Ceremonial House |
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| A light swag on the monorail platform |
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| The main feature of the "new" lobby. |
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| One of the many swags that adorn the lobby area |
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| A detail of one of the "small" trees in the lobby |
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| The main tree as seen from the center of the lobby |
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| The main tree "picture spot" |
After touring the Poly, and stopping in at Trader Sam's for a drink and a snack, I re-boarded the monorail to head to the Grand Floridian Resort. Anyone who has been to Walt Disney World during Christmas will agree that the GF reigns supreme when it comes to decorations. From the towering tree to the giant gingerbread house, coupled with the always-present Victorian splendor, it's the shining star. Although I have seen the gingerbread house before, this was the first time that I've had a chance to see the full decorations; it was the perfect finale to the evening.
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| The Grand Floridian Lobby as seen when entering from the monorail platform |
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| The famous gingerbread house, seen from the upper level |
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| Garland on the railings |
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| Garlands on the grand staircase |
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| The gingerbread house from the ground |
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| Another view of the gingerbread house |
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| A "child's view" of the Christmas tree |
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| A detail of the Christmas tree |
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| The "picture spot" view of the tree |
After spending time at the Grand Floridian, I re-boarded the monorail and returned to the TTC to go back to my car and hotel. However, I cannot end this blog post here. Last year I had the pleasure of staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and as it is my favorite resort in WDW, I need to add some Christmas pictures from this resort.
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| The view that greets you as you enter the Animal Kingdom Lodge |
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| One of the many small trees in the lobby, this one is on the lower level |
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| The tree at the entrance to Boma |
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| Even the shops are decked out for Christmas |
The back of the lobby has a series of huge windows that overlook the Arusha Savanah. Atnight, each of the windows reflects the lobby Christmas tree.
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| "Artsy" picture showing the multiple reflections of the tree |
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| The full length of the lobby as seen from the back |
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| The Animal Kingdom Lodge tree in its full glory |
I hope you have enjoyed my brief tour of some of the most spectacular Christmas decorations at the WDW resorts. I'll close with this final message
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| Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! |
