yacht club disney gingerbread

Disney World Gingerbread Houses: A Complete Guide

by Morgan Flaherty | Nov 1, 2024 | Walt Disney World , Walt Disney World Resorts

A complete guide to where you can find each Disney World gingerbread house for the holiday season, along with what to expect at each.

It’s hard to find a better word to describe the holidays at Walt Disney World than simply “magical.” The festive season brings beautiful decorations to each of the four parks and all the hotels, along with exciting entertainment and special treats. At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you can enjoy Disney Jollywood Nights, while Magic Kingdom brings back Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party . And, of course, the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays kicks off at the park in late November.

One of the most memorable annual events that happens in Disney World year after year for the holidays is the gingerbread houses. These magnificent displays can be found in several of Disney World’s Resort hotels, with the most famous located in the lobby of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. We’re sharing your complete guide to this exciting part of the holidays, including where you can find each of the gingerbread displays for 2024,

Disney World Gingerbread House Displays 2024

Each year, several of the Disney World Resort hotels celebrate the holiday season with a massive gingerbread house or display. These beautiful structures take months of planning and preparation, with the culinary team at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa even beginning to mix the dough for their life-size gingerbread house in the spring.

The gingerbread displays are not all the same. The largest, and most well-known, is at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Here you can find a life-size gingerbread house where you can purchase assorted holiday treats, including gingerbread shingles. Other hotels form their own themes and designs for their gingerbread display. For example, in years past , we’ve seen a gingerbread giraffe at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, along with a gingerbread BoardWalk Deli at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn.

Gingerbread House Locations

While the 2024 locations have not been confirmed, in 2023, you could find gingerbread displays for the holiday season at these locations:

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• Disney’s BoardWalk Resort
• Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
• Disney’s Yacht Club Resort

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Gingerbread House

Beginning November 6, you can visit the Gignerbread House at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. This year’s display includes white chocolate candy canes, edible snowflakes, sugar poinsettias, and an 88-pound white chocolate Santa. And to celebrate the house’s 25th anniversary, be on the look out for 25 hidden Mickeys scattered throughout! Along with a menu of treats, you can purcahse limited-edition 25th-anniversary merchandise, including a pin, ornament, cookie jar, magnet, tumbler, t-shirt, and more.

The menu of treats will include:

• Gingerbread Mickey
• Gingerbread Shingle
• Stollen Bread
• Brownie Pop
• Gingersnap Cookies
• Gingerbread House Ornament
• Gingerbread House
• Gingerbread Cookie Bags imported from Germany
• Gingerbread Loaf
• Peppermint Bark
• Grand Floridian Gift Box featuring assorted fan favorite treats, including a Santa Gnome Hot Cocoa Surprise, exclusive to the Combo Box

Disney’s Beach Club Resort

Disney’s Beach Club has featured a life-sized Holiday Carousel for 24 years now, with a new theme each year. For 2024, the theme will be characters from  Mickey’s Christmas Carol , made with 432 pounds of honey, 200 pounds of icing, 100 pounds of eggs, and 2024 pieces of gingerbread. And look out for 24 hidden Mickeys!

The menu of treats to buy will include:

• Linzer Cookie
• Spiced Orange and Cranberry Bundt Cake
• Gingerbread Macarons
• Hot Cocoa Brownie
• Hannukah Sugar Cookie

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

Back for its fourth year, you’ll be able to see the Life-Size Baby Gingerbread Giraffe and Baby Zebra displays in the lobby of Disney’s Animal Kingdom beginning November 24. Standing nearly seven feet tall, Ginger is the baby giraffe, and Debra the baby zebra. Along with the display, guests can purchase a Gigneraffe cookie, specialty cocktails, as well as a cookie jar, a limited-edition pin, and a holiday ornament.

Disney’s BoardWalk Inn

Disney’s BoardWalk Inn will bring back the BoardWalk Deli Gingerbread House beginning November 12, themed after the nearby eatery. This year, there’s also a limited-edition pin, cookie jar, and holiday ornament available for purchase.

The menu of treats you can buy include:

Before leaving, be sure to check out some of the treats made by the team, like:

• Holiday Mickey and Minnie Sugar Cookie
• Mickey Caramel Corn Cookie

Disney’s Contemporary Resort

Starting November 8, Disney’s Contemporary Resort will bring back their Castle Display for a 13th year. This year’s ovrlay is inspired by the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights, and can be found on the 4 th floor of the resort. The display is 17 feet tall and 25 feet wide, made with 613 pounds of sugar, 1013 pounds of flour, 113 pounds of gingerbread spice, 51 pounds of chocolate, and over 4,000 castle gingerbread bricks. Look out for 13 hidden Mickeys and the 5-legged goat!

You can also purchase limited-edition pins, a cookie jar, and a holiday ornament here. For treats, you can buy:

• Caramel Apple Cake with Gingerbread Streusel
• Chocolate Hazelnut Log
• Pistachio Cranberry and Cherry Cake
• Santa Peppermint Hot Chocolate Tart
• House-made Christmas Tree Butter Cookie
• Winter Berry Freeze  (Alcoholic floater available) 
• Frozen Hot Cocoa  (Alcoholic floater available)

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

While Disney’s Wilderness Lodge won’t have its own gingerbread display, you can purcahse special treats beginning November 21, including:

• Dark Chocolate Bar
• Cheddar Gougère
• Molasses Crackle Cookie

Gingerbread Spaceship Earth at EPCOT

For the first time ever, EPCOT will be home to a large Spaceship Earth-shaped gingerbread display. Beginning November 29, the Gingerbread Spaceship Earth will be on display in CommuniCore Hall. Standing at 8-feet-tall, the spehere is made of nearly a thousand gingerbread triangles, with 240 pounds of honey dough, 100 eggs, 100 ounces lebkuchen spice, 55 pounds dark chocolate, and 100 pounds of royal icing. Be sure to look out for 11 hidden Mickeys, representing the 11 countries of World Showcase!

Gingerbread Capital City at EPCOT

There’s also a pretty impressive gingerbread display you could find at EPCOT during the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays in 2023 at the American Adventure.

The display recreated classic American monuments like the Lincoln Memorial and Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Plus, it will have gingerbread versions of EPCOT favorites like The American Adventure building with Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue, and a Festival Marketplace. You’ll be able to find six hidden Mickeys as well!

Frequently Asked Questions

These are some of the most frequently asked questions about the gingerbread displays at Walt Disney World Resort.

What dates are the gingerbread houses on display?

Typically the gingerbread displays will go up at the beginning of Disney World’s holiday season. For 2023, that was November 11th. With the 2024 holidays beginning November 12, we expect all displays will be up around that date. However, we have seen some structures go up a bit earlier or a bit later in years past. Typically the displays will last through December of the year, and get taken down in early January.

At EPCOT, the Gingerbread Capital City and Spaceship Earth will coincide with the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays on November 29.

Do you have to be a guest of the hotel to visit a Disney World gingerbread house?

You don’t! You’ll find plenty of people visiting these displays who aren’t staying at the respective hotel — especially for Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.

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Authored by Morgan Flaherty

Disney World’s Brilliant New Gingerbread Display

Gingerbread houses and displays are almost all up at Walt Disney World for Christmas 2023, with over a half-dozen larger-than-life displays in the resort hotels. For this year’s holiday season, there’s one newcomer: a luminous lighthouse at Yacht Club that’s brilliant and bold.

If you’ve never seen the various ‘edible creations’ and other displays during the holiday season at Walt Disney World, we would  strongly encourage  you to make time for them. Our  Self-Guided Yuletide Tour of Walt Disney World is a great place to start, and makes for a fun Christmas experience on your day outside the parks. It’s also great for getting a taste of the higher end resorts if you’re staying at one of the Value or Moderate Resorts.

That itinerary is a popular ( and recommended ) thing to do in the morning before attending Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party so you don’t waste a park day of your normal tickets. This year, I actually switched things up and did the monorail loop prior to MVMCP and the Crescent Lake resorts prior to Disney Jollywood Nights . The approach worked really well, and I’ll start with a quick play-by-play for anyone who wants to replicate what I did…

• EPCOT International Gateway
• Walk to Beach Club Resort
• Beaches & Cream To-Go Window (Butter Pecan-Pumpkin Milkshake)
• Walk to Yacht Club Resort
• Walk to BoardWalk Inn
• Walk back to International Gateway
• Skyliner to Riviera Resort
• Let Petit Cafe (Pumpkin Napoleon)
• Primo Piatto (Pumpkin-Hazelnut-Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake)
• Walk to Caribbean Beach
• Banana Cabana (Banana Cabana Burger)
• Walk to CBR Skyliner Station
• Arrive at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

If you wondered why I didn’t focus on food during Disney Jollywood Nights… the above is your answer! All of that was excellent, especially the Pumpkin Napoleon at Le Petit Cafe. I always balk at the prices there since they’re a few dollars more expensive than average Walt Disney World counter service desserts, but the difference is evident in the quality. But I digress.

Disney’s Yacht Club Resort received a new gingerbread addition for Christmas 2023, a quarter-scale replica of its iconic lighthouse. This is the first time the resort has had its own gingerbread display, and it’s in addition to the miniature Christmas model railroad village, which is an annual tradition.

Between this new lighthouse and the return of the gingerbread giraffe and zebra, this year marks a high-water mark for gingerbread displays at Walt Disney World. At least, to the best of my recollection. Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort used to do one in the aughts and Wilderness Lodge had an awesome log cabin in 2019, but those were not simultaneous.

With these additions, Christmas 2023 should have the most gingerbread displays ever at Walt Disney World. Just thought that was worth noting, as we’re so used to Disney taking things away for the holiday season rather than making additions. As a whole, there’s still a lot less than a decade ago, but at least the gingerbread display count is up!

As for the new luminous lighthouse gingerbread display, it has a working light inside that rotates. (Hence us calling it “luminous” and “brilliant.” Get it?!?)

The lighthouse is adorned with small Christmas wreaths covered in red berries and bows. The whole display sits in a bed of flowers and greenery, and looks quite nice.

Admittedly, if I had to rank all of the gingerbread displays in isolation, the lighthouse would be fairly low on the list. Especially after having just been in Beach Club–the carousel there is the best I’ve seen in several years. (I don’t care for the DuckTales decals, but the horses and dimensional characters are excellent!)

If I could choose between this lighthouse or getting back the log cabin at Wilderness Lodge, I’d choose the latter without hesitation. And that’s not just my Wilderness Lodge bias talking! That display was more elaborate and visually engaging, and enhanced the already-amazing lobby of Wilderness Lodge.

With that said, this gingerbread lighthouse should not be viewed in isolation. It sits right beside the fan-favorite Christmas village, and almost feels like a punctuation mark on that. It’s like a wienie, in Walt’s words, that beckons guests over to the model railroad display.

As odd as this may sound, it really reminds me of Storybook Land Canal Boats at Disneyland. Specifically, the reveal of the village of Arendelle with the Matterhorn towering in the background. Obviously, a very different setup, but a (somewhat?) similar idea.

All of this is to say that even though the gingerbread lighthouse at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort is somewhat simple as compared to the displays at the other Deluxe Resorts, it really does add a lot to the overall slate of Christmas decorations. Here are more photos:

This new gingerbread lighthouse further cements our opinion that Disney’s Yacht Club Resort is an underrated resort at Christmas.

As for the why of that, it’s largely due to the difference in the hotel’s vibe during the holidays versus the rest of the year. One common complaint about Yacht Club is that it’s too stuffy, with more of an ‘adult’ atmosphere versus the playful, family-friendly sensibility at other Walt Disney World resorts. Some people say it isn’t “Disney” enough, and while I’d definitely disagree with that (thematically, it’s incredibly strong, it just has a different aura than what fans are used to elsewhere), I get what people mean by that.

As discussed in our Beach Club vs. Yacht Club comparison, this is even more pronounced when going between the two resorts. Although the sister hotels basically function as a single entity with similar “aquatic” and “club” themes, they are worlds apart in terms of ambiance and vibe.

Enter the Christmas season. The lights, trees, wreaths, and other decor around the lobby ‘soften’ the mood, and make the environment much more warm and welcoming. There’s a palpable sense of holiday spirit in the air at Christmas, and Yacht Club feels ‘dressed down’ as compared to the rest of the year.

In fact, it’s downright comfy and cozy, while still feeling upscale and luxurious. Truly the time of year when Yacht Club strikes the best balance!

The family friendly atmosphere is owing entirely to Yacht Club’s Christmas railway diorama.

While it wasn’t possible on this particular day, one of my favorite things to do is heading to Yacht Club after a late night at EPCOT, having this Christmas railroad diorama all to myself, and poring over its details. It receives refreshes most years, with the main changes for Christmas 2023 being a bunch of little Disney100 details.

One of the coolest things about this diorama is that it’s one part elaborate, handmade railway modeling…and one-part product placement.

For those who aren’t aware, the vast majority (all?) of the Disney character elements of the diorama are from the Disney Department 56 Christmas Village Collection , which can be purchased from Amazon.com and arrive at your doorstep tomorrow .

Over the years, Sarah and I have had some serious conversations about investing in this Christmas Village. Not so much for our own sake, but for our great-grandchildren who will undoubtedly cherish such a valuable family heirloom. Like LEGOs, many people say that Disney Christmas Villages can outperform the stock market over time ( citation needed ).

Unfortunately, we’re “going to go in a different direction” with our portfolio for now. But I’d like to think that in the future, we’ll diversify and increase our railroad holdings. (I’ve still got my eye on Mickey’s Ear Factory and Mickey’s Balloon Shop . These are 33% and 37% off for Black Friday, so we can’t afford not to buy these fine collectibles, right?!)

Beyond the Christmas village and lighthouse, the other holiday decor at Yacht Club is thematically pitch-perfect. I’m also going to go out on a limb and say these are among the most expensive Christmas decorations at Walt Disney World, as fancy model yachts and boats adorn the trees and wreaths. Those can’t be cheap!

Yacht Club has an easy path to the “underrated” throne since it’s almost never mentioned in the same breath as the Walt Disney World Christmas heavyweights. Grand Floridian and Wilderness Lodge are definitely better during the holidays, but everyone knows it. They’re highly rated and the comparative crowds I encountered at those resorts reflect that. By contrast, Yacht Club generally flies under the radar…but maybe that’ll start to change this Christmas now that it has the gingerbread lighthouse!

For comprehensive tips for planning your Christmas-time trip to Walt Disney World, check out our Ultimate Guide to Christmas at Walt Disney World . For Walt Disney World trip planning tips and comprehensive advice, make sure to read our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide and related articles.

YOUR THOUGHTS

What do you think of the new luminous lighthouse gingerbread display at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort for Christmas 2023? Do you think this is a nice edible addition that enhances the Christmas village train diorama, or would you prefer gingerbread display added elsewhere? Agree or disagree with our take on Yacht Club at Christmas? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!

Written by Tom Bricker

My daughter and I just got back today from a quick Disney trip. We did the Gingerbread House tour yesterday and it was incredible! We visited Contemporary and Grand Floridian before we entered Magic Kingdom. Both were beautiful! After a few hours at MK, we bussed to Boardwalk and walked to Beach and Yacht. They were all so pretty and so detailed. The Carousel is amazing! Not big fans of the theme, but it was gorgeous!!! Loved the Lighthouse and train display. Unfortunately, it was after 5 and the train had stopped running for the day. It was so cool! BUT, it was so dark in the lobby, I didn’t see any of the intricate details you wrote about. It was hard to see anything! The Grand Floridian was definitely our fave!!!

I was not on board with the chocolate hazelnut cheesecake. it had no crust and was just a tiny bowl of mousse.

It was great bumping into you at the Yacht Club last week. Your pictures turned out amazing, as usual.

When do they typically take down these gingerbread “houses”?

Shhhhhh! We love that it flies under the radar! Yacht club is our favorite resort to relax and get away from the loud craziness of the parks. It’s also the only resort pool we use because it’s relatively quiet. We love the older, more adult atmosphere, quiet, relaxed atmosphere. It’s perfect!

If you really wanna get a good holiday village, many of the pieces in the Yacht Club display are from the 90s and way nicer than what’s currently on the market. The church is the Old North Church which you can currently pick up on eBay for ~$15. The Grand Flo has the Grapes Inn, similarly a steal used. I can heartily recommend almost all Department 56 villages from the 90s; they’re way nicer than the modern ones and the market on them has declined so much that they’re worth almost nothing. The original line of North Pole buildings, for instance, are very “Disney” and easy to complete at 9 buildings.

We love doing a gingerbread resort crawl. Hoping for 2024. HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE!

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Disney World Gingerbread Houses Ranked – 2024 Dates, Menus

The Walt Disney World gingerbread houses are a tradition of Christmas at Disney World ! These gingerbread displays are located at some of the best Walt Disney World hotels and feature a variety of themes including a massive Victorian house, a working carousel, and a lifesize baby giraffe and zebra! The Walt Disney World gingerbread houses are available to all guests to view, not just those staying at the resort hotels. Only the display at EPCOT requires a theme park ticket.

As a frequent visitor to Walt Disney World, decorative aspects like these add an additional layer of magic to the resort and make Christmas at Disney World my favorite time to visit.

Spending time to see the Walt Disney World gingerbread houses can be a great way to spend your day off from the theme parks or you can build a visit to these resort hotels into your park day. I like to incorporate a visit to the Grand Floridian to see their impressive gingerbread display as an afternoon break from Magic Kingdom since we can just take the monorail over to the hotel. New this year is the Spaceship Earth Gingerbread house located in CommuniCore Hall!!

Another easy way to work it into your vacation plans is to spend the morning before your ticket to the Disney World Christmas parties on these activities. Both ticketed events, Jollywood Nights and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party , do not allow access to the parks until later in the day leaving guests wondering what to do with the first part of the day. Why not go tour all the Disney World gingerbread houses?

The Walt Disney World gingerbread houses also include food carts of Disney World holiday treats with some exclusive Disney World offerings , especially at the display at the Grand Floridian. Keep reading for all the details of the Disney World gingerbread houses including the opening dates, full menus, and a brand NEW gingerbread house display that debuted for last year's holiday season at Disney World.

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Ranking Disney World Gingerbread Houses & Tips to See

Below we'll go through rankings of all of the gingerbread houses available at Disney World from the WORST to the BEST Walt Disney World gingerbread house displays so you can decide which one is worth your time.

For each house below we share photos, details, and how to best see the house. Then, for a tour of all the different houses across property, we share a Disney World gingerbread Christmas strategy further into the article.

7. The American Adventure EPCOT Gingerbread House

The American Adventure gingerbread display at EPCOT is the only Disney World gingerbread house that is located inside a theme park. The American Adventure gingerbread display is available from  November 29 through December 30, 2024. This gingerbread display is part of the International Festival of Holidays celebration at EPCOT.

This display can be found in the American Adventure pavilion at EPCOT.

These gingerbread displays include recreations of classic American monuments like the Lincoln Memorial and Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.

The display also features gingerbread recreations of EPCOT landmarks like The American Adventure building with Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue and even a Festival Marketplace. There are also 6 hidden Mickeys to find in these displays!

How to See the EPCOT Gingerbread Display

Guests will need an EPCOT theme park ticket to see these gingerbread houses as they are located within the theme park. The American Adventure pavilion is located in the World Showcase not far from the International Gateway entrance where the Skyliner drops guests off.

6. Animal Kingdom Lodge Gingerbread Giraffe and Zebra

Animal Kingdom Lodge's gingerbread display ranks last out of the Walt Disney World resorts only due to its strong competition but it is smaller in scale than many of the other creations. You can see this display at the Jambo House Lobby of the Animal Kingdom Lodge starting November 24, 2024. 

This gingerbread display is still rather impressive as it features a life-size baby gingerbread giraffe and zebra. The giraffe, named Ginger, and baby zebra, Debra, are made with a combination of gingerbread, sugar dough, and modeling chocolate, with the giraffe standing nearly 7 feet tall!

Animal Kingdom Gingerbread Display Menu

The Animal Kingdom gingerbread display offers a small cart offering a Gingeraffe Cookie, Hot Cocoa Flight, beer, wine, and cocktails!

New this year, there is a limited-edition pin, cookie jar, and holiday ornament inspired by Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge available for purchase.  

How to See the Animal Kingdom Gingerbread Display

Since Animal Kingdom Lodge is located next to Animal Kingdom, it is a bit further away from the other three theme parks and hotels. If you already plan on dining at Animal Kingdom or don't mind taking the time to bus over from your resort or the nearby Animal Kingdom, then it might be worth the stop. Otherwise, while I love this display, it may not be worth going out of your way for.

5. BoardWalk Inn Gingerbread Display

While the Disney World gingerbread house at Disney's BoardWalk Inn is smaller than the other two on this list, this miniature version of the Disney BoardWalk is full of details. This gingerbread display includes all the well-known spots on the Disney BoardWalk including the BoardWalk Deli. The BoardWalk Inn gingerbread display will be available from starting November 12, 2024. 

BoardWalk Inn Gingerbread Menu 

• Holiday Mickey and Minnie Sugar Cookie  
• Mickey Caramel Corn Cookie  
• Gingerbread Loaf    
• Gingerbread Shingle 

This year, there’s also a limited-edition pin, cookie jar, and holiday ornament available for purchase.

How to See the Beach Club Gingerbread House

Disney's Boardwalk Inn is also located within walking distance of EPCOT and the Disney Skyliner. If you wanted, it would be quite easy to see all the gingerbread houses in this area at the Boardwalk Inn, Beach Club, and Yacht Club since these hotels are within walking distance of each other around Crescent Lake.

4. Gingerbread Spaceship Earth at EPCOT

NEW this year  is the Spaceship Earth gingerbread display located at CommuniCore Hall in EPCOT. This 8-foot-tall gingerbread display took over 160 hours and lights up and dances to music throughout the day. This display is available starting November 29th, 2024 as part of the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays which runsthrough December 30, 2024.

The sphere consists of almost a thousands handcrafted gingerbread triangles to mirror the iconic “golfball” symbol of EPCOT. The gingerbread model of Spaceship Earth contains 240 pounds of honey dough, 100 eggs, 100 ounces lebkuchen spice, 55 pounds dark chocolate, and 100 pounds royal icing. There are also 11 Mickeys hidden throughout the display to reflect the 11 countries of the World Showcase. 

How to See the EPCOT Spaceship Earth Gingerbread Display

Guests will need an EPCOT theme park ticket to see these gingerbread houses as they are located within the theme park at CommuniCore Hall. 

3. Disney's Contemporary Resort Gingerbread Display

The Disney World gingerbread house at the Contemporary Resort is located on the 4th floor of the resort and is available starting  November 8, 2024. 

This gingerbread display is over 17 feet tall with 612 pounds of sugar, 1012 pounds of flour, 112 pounds of gingerbread spice, over 4000 castle gingerbread bricks, and 12 sprinklings of magical pixie dust. And this year's display includes one hidden five-legged goats! So…  like hidden Mickeys.. but goats. Hidden goats?

The goats are based on artwork from Mary Blair and are also available as designs on cookies. Blair is the artist that led the creation of “it's a Small World” and the look of concepts for “Peter Pan” and “Alice in Wonderland”. She also created a massive mural in the Contemporary Resort lobby that features a goat. Thus, the hidden goat.

The gingerbread house was designed by a team at Walt Disney Imagineering and had over 40 members of the culinary team at the Contemporary Resort work on the house. Interestingly, the same gingerbread that is used for the creation of the house is then baked and sold for guests. I would have assumed that the gingerbread recipe would be different for building the house than the gingerbread sold.

Contemporary Resort Gingerbread Menu

The Contemporary Resort gingerbread menu includes a variety of returning treats plus some new options:

• Linzer Cookie  
• Caramel Apple Cake with Gingerbread Streusel  
• Chocolate Hazelnut Log  
• Pistachio Cranberry and Cherry Cake  
• Santa Peppermint Hot Chocolate Tart  
• House-made Christmas Tree Butter Cookie 
• Winter Berry Freeze  (Alcoholic floater available)   
• Frozen Hot Cocoa  (Alcoholic floater available)  

How to See the Contemporary Gingerbread House: The Contemporary Gingerbread house is located on the 4th floor of the Contemporary just below the monorail stop for the hotel. You could easily access the hotel by taking the resort monorial line from the Magic Kingdom or walking.

2. Beach Club Holiday Carousel Gingerbread Display

The second most impressive Disney World gingerbread house is the life-size holiday carousel at the Beach Club Resort . The Beach Club gingerbread display does not yet have dates it will be available listed. No official start date was listed for this iconic display but it will likely debut in November around the start of the holiday season.

Returning for its 24th year at Disney World, this year's theme is characters from “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” created by the talented Yacht and Beach Bakery. This year's theme is created with chocolate, sugar, and fondant with hand-painted characters and handcrafted gingerbread shingles and snowflakes adorning the carousel.

The most impressive part of this Disney World gingerbread house is this is actually a working carousel that rotates so guests can see every angle. Sadly, you cannot ride it (darn!) but this gingerbread display never fails to impress.

Beach Club Resort Gingerbread Menu 

As one of the larger Disney World gingerbread house displays, it also features a menu of holiday treats.

• Linzer Cookie
• Spiced Orange and Cranberry Bundt Cake
• Gingerbread Macarons
• Hot Cocoa Brownie
• Hannukah Sugar Cookie
• Gingerbread House

The Beach Club resort is located within walking distance of EPCOT along with the Disney Skyliner . If you are staying at a Skyliner resort then you could easily take the Skyliner over to the Beach Club. Taking an afternoon break from your day at EPCOT to walk over to see the Beach Club gingerbread display would also be an easy way to incorporate it into your day.

It's also worth noting that the Beach Club and Yacht Club (the resort with the newest gingerbread display this year!) are located adjacent to each other so you could see two gingerbread displays at once with this method. And it's just a quick stroll over to the BoardWalk Inn from there to see their gingerbread house!

1. Grand Floridian Gingerbread House

The top Walt Disney World gingerbread display is easily the life-sized Grand Floridian Resort & Spa gingerbread Victorian style house. This fantastic display is available starting November 6, 2024. This year celebrates the 25th anniversary of this iconic gingerbread display.

The Grand Floridian gingerbread house includes white chocolate candy canes, edible snowflakes, sugar poinsettias, and over 10,000 pieces of gingerbread. You’ll also find an 85 lb. chocolate Santa, nutcrackers, toy soldiers, and snowmen that are hand-painted by the Grand Floridian Bakery team led by Pastry Chef de Cuisine Kristine Farmer. It took the talented creators 500 hours to bake the gingerbread and 480 hours to decorate this display! The Gingerbread House also contains 24 hidden Mickeys you can look for.

This massive gingerbread house in the beautifully decorated Grand Floridian lobby easily takes the top spot on my Walt Disney World gingerbread house ranking. If you take the time to see even just one Disney World gingerbread house this year, this is the one to make time for!

Grand Floridian Gingerbread House Menu

Disney sells a selection of holiday treats, including Grand Floridian exclusive gingerbread house ornaments, from directly inside the gingerbread house! This year's menu includes:

• Gingerbread Mickey
• Gingerbread Shingle
• Stollen Bread
• Brownie Pop
• Gingersnap Cookies
• Gingerbread House Ornament
• Gingerbread Cookie Bags imported from Germany
• Gingerbread Loaf
• Peppermint Bark
• Grand Floridian Gift Box featuring assorted fan favorite treats, including a Santa Gnome Hot Cocoa Surprise, exclusive to the Combo Box

You can get an idea of common pricing for these items in the menu shared below.

There will also be a limited-edition collection of 25th anniversary merchandise including a pin, ornament, cookie jar, magnet, tumbler, t-shirt, and more available.

The items on this list that can sell out are the Grand Floridian gift boxes and gingerbread houses! Even though they are a bit pricey that does not deter people from purchasing them especially since they make good gifts or treats to save for Christmas Day.

Pro tip:  if you want to preserve your gingerbread ornament, you can use resin to coat the cookie so it makes a lasting ornament. Resin will also make the ornament itself shiny and harder so it does not crumble.

How to See the Grand Floridian Gingerbread House

This is the largest Disney World gingerbread house and is the most popular of the bunch, for good reason! You can expect larger than usual crowds in the Grand Floridian Resort lobby during the holiday season as many guests stop by to see this impressive display. The line for the gingerbread house will also get long, especially in December, so allow extra time just in case there is a large line when you arrive. The line will move quickly though as they usually have at least two cast members working.

The easiest way to see the Grand Floridian gingerbread house is to take the monorail from Magic Kingdom which stops at the hotel. Build this into your regular park day as a midafternoon break or book a dining reservation at one of the popular Disney World restaurants at this hotel.

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And at no additional charge, you get FREE concierge Walt Disney World services! These services include having Get Away Today's Walt Disney World expert Brooklyn take care of all your dining reservations, FastPass+ reservations, and more! This really takes all the stress out of planning a Walt Disney World vacation. Rather than waking up at odd hours of the night to book all your reservations, why not let their travel agents take care of it for you- for free!

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Buying tickets from Get Away Today is easy and convenient since all their tickets are sent electronically. You can take their vouchers and head straight to the gate without needing to wait in any ticket booth lines. They also offer layaway plans so you can pay off your vacation over time.

Disney World Gingerbread House Touring Strategy

Do you want to see all of the Disney World gingerbread houses? Well, it is possible and it is actually fairly convenient to rely on Disney World transportation for many of them.

Here's my recommended Disney World gingerbread house strategy to follow to see all of the gingerbread displays:

• Start at the Grand Floridian Resort
• Take the monorail to the Contemporary Resort
• Get back on the monorail and get off at the Transportation & Ticket Center
• Transfer to a monorail heading to EPCOT
• Skip this step if you do not have a park ticket and want to make this a Disney World resort hotel only tour!
• Walk to Disney Beach Club and BoardWalk Inn. These two resorts are all within walking distance of each other on Crescent Lake which is right next to EPCOT.
• Walk to the front of Epcot to take a bus to the Animal Kingdom Lodge to finish off the tour! Or just call an Uber/Lyft or Minnie Van .

Since you can access two of the hotels by monorail and three by foot, this makes building a Disney World gingerbread touring strategy into your day fairly easy!

What is your favorite Disney World gingerbread house? Do you agree with my ranking of the best houses?

Plan Your Disney World Vacation!

Keep reading our blog to keep you updated on everything you need to know to prepare for a Disney Parks vacation! We have a team of writers working hard to keep you updated weekly on events in the parks and tips for navigating the magic. Subscribe to our free deals newsletter to receive helpful planning information, exclusive Disney deals, and access to the lowest priced Disney tickets anywhere. You can find more information on planning your vacation here:

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• Top Budget Disney World Hotels

Disney World Gingerbread House FAQ

The Disney resorts that do gingerbread houses include the Grand Floridian, Contemporary Resort, Beach Club, BoardWalk Inn, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and the Yacht Club.

Disney always tries to avoid being wasteful so instead of just disposing of the gingerbread houses, they are actually fed to bees! After the holidays, the displays are taken apart and brought to Disney's tree farm for the bees to feast on. This keeps the bee population fed during the winter months and has been a Disney tradition for ten years!

Yes, all guests are welcome to come into the Grand Floridian lobby to see the gingerbread house.

Yes, the Grand Floridian gingerbread house is made of real gingerbread along with all the other Disney World gingerbread houses.

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Disclosure: We have used all the products recommended on Mickey Visit. We may receive compensation when you click on links to some products featured.

About Lindsay Brookshier

Lindsay is a college English instructor and has years of writing experience through various nonprofits, charities, newspapers, and online magazines. As the content director of Mickey Visit, she oversees article content and leads our fantastic team of writers to meet guest vacation needs. You can still find her writing weekly content to help make your Disney Parks trip fantastic here on Mickey Visit and Disney Dose- you can also view her recently featured posts on Disney Parks travel on Visit Anaheim, Nerd Wallet and SFGate. Lindsay comes from a dedicated Disney family and enjoys taking her son to the Disney parks as often as possible.

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CONFIRMED: NEW Gingerbread Displays Are Coming to Disney World This November!

By Madeleine Zaharchuk Leave a Comment

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Well, at least in Disney World, anyway. From iconic holiday decorations to festive events, there’s a LOT to enjoy in Disney World as we approach the end of the year. One of our favorite parts of the holiday season? That’s easy. It’s the massive handmade gingerbread displays all around the resorts!

Donald Duck at the BoardWalk Inn by the Gingerbread BoardWalk Deli

In the past, we’ve enjoyed the gingerbread displays at hotels like Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club, and (of course) Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort . Not only do these mega gingerbread houses LOOK incredible, but they also serve TREATS! Let’s see what’s coming to Disney World for the 2024 holiday season!

OK, we’re way too excited about this news, so we have to tell you about it right away. Starting November 29th , EPCOT will debut a brand-new 8-foot-tall gingerbread creation. Disney fans can visit CommuniCore Hall to see a NEW Gingerbread Spaceship Earth. Say WHAT?! How are those gingerbread artists going to make a spherical gingerbread house?! We cannot wait to find out. Apparently it took them over 160 hours to create the display. Oh, and it will even “light up and dance to music throughout the day” and feature 11 hidden Mickeys that represent the 11 countries of the World Showcase.

It’s baaaack. The iconic Life-Size Baby Gingerbread Giraffe and Baby Zebra displays are returning to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge on November 24th. These creations are nearly 7 feet tall, made with a combination of gingerbread, sugar dough, and modeling chocolate. This year, there are even some NEW holiday additions at the resort, like a limited-edition pin, cookie jar, and holiday ornament inspired by Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Animal Kingdom Lodge Gingerbread Display

We don’t have a full holiday menu yet to go along with this display, but Disney did confirm that the Gingeraffe Cookie will be back for 2024, along with some specialty cocktails.

Gingeraffe Cookie

Time for the BIG boy, a.k.a. the beloved Gingerbread House at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Make sure to stop by — this resort is celebrating 25 YEARS of holiday fun with its iconic Gingerbread House. When we say this thing is big, we mean it. The bakery team spends over 500 hours (!!!) baking the gingerbread and then another 480 hours bringing all the details together. Disney shared that to celebrate 25 years of the holiday tradition, there are 25 hidden Mickeys scattered throughout the house.

2023 Grand Floridian Gingerbread House

Of course, there will also be some MERCHANDISE to celebrate 25 years of festive fun! Look out for a limited-edition pin, ornament, cookie jar, magnet, tumbler, t-shirt, and more. Now, it’s time for our favorite part, the snack menu! This year, treats include:

• Gingerbread Mickey
• Gingerbread Shingle
• Stollen Bread
• Brownie Pop
• Gingersnap Cookies
• Gingerbread House Ornament
• Gingerbread House
• Gingerbread Cookie Bags imported from Germany
• Gingerbread Loaf
• Peppermint Bark
• Grand Floridian Gift Box featuring assorted fan favorite treats, including a Santa Gnome Hot Cocoa Surprise, exclusive to the Combo Box

Hot tip! Make sure to park at the Transportation & Ticket Center and take the resort monorail to see this display. Don’t try to park at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa — you will be turned away.

Gingerbread Buddy

Up next is Disney’s Beach Club Resort ! For the 24th season, this resort will bring back its life-sized Holiday Carousel, and yes, it actually moves. This year, the carousel will be decorated with horses and characters from Mickey’s Christmas Carol.

2022 Carousel

The carousel will also feature 24 hidden gold Mickeys. If you want a matching souvenir, you can buy a limited-edition pin, cookie jar, or a holiday ornament. Some of the holiday treats on the menu this year include:

• Linzer Cookie
• Spiced Orange and Cranberry Bundt Cake
• Gingerbread Macarons
• Hot Cocoa Brownie
• Hannukah Sugar Cookie

Nearby, Disney’s BoardWalk Inn has a gingerbread display of its own! The BoardWalk Deli Gingerbread House will arrive on November 12th , along with a limited-edition pin, cookie jar, and holiday ornament.

BoardWalk Deli Gingerbread replica

What’s on the menu here at the BoardWalk? You can buy:

• Holiday Mickey and Minnie Sugar Cookie
• Mickey Caramel Corn Cookie

Next stop: Disney’s Contemporary Resort ! On November 8th , this hotel will unveil a NEW overlay inspired by the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights . Oh, how we miss those lights! This 17+ feet tall display will be located on the 4th floor of the resort. Make sure to look for the 13 hidden Mickeys and the famous 5-legged goat. You can also buy limited-edition pins, a cookie jar, and a holiday ornament. How FUN!

2023 Contemporary Gingerbread Castle

Disney’s Contemporary Resort Gingerbread display menu features:

• Caramel Apple Cake with Gingerbread Streusel
• Chocolate Hazelnut Log
• Pistachio Cranberry and Cherry Cake
• Santa Peppermint Hot Chocolate Tart
• House-made Christmas Tree Butter Cookie
• Winter Berry Freeze (Alcoholic floater available)
• Frozen Hot Cocoa (Alcoholic floater available)

While Disney’s Wilderness Lodge doesn’t have a display this year, you can visit the lobby to try a selection of new treats. They will be available starting November 21st. You can try:

• Dark Chocolate Bar
• Cheddar Gougère
• Molasses Crackle Cookie

That concludes our Disney World gingerbread tour, but we’re not done yet! Over on the West Coast, Disney has two MORE gingerbread displays at Disneyland Resort. On November 22nd , you can visit the Grand Californian Hotel & Spa’s Gingerbread Display.

The special creation (located in the lobby) will be a gingerbread replica of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa with Chip ‘n’ Dale in their pajamas! It’s just like what you’ll see at Mickey’s Holiday Pajama Party Breakfast and Brunch at Storytellers Cafe.

Time for a snack! Here’s what’s on the menu from November 15th through January 5th :

• Gingerbread Cookie
• Christmas Cookie
• Mickey-shaped Poinsettia Cookie
• Holiday Crisped Rice Treat
• Sweet Potato Loaf Treat
• Holiday Cinnamon Bun
• Macaron Box
• Eggnog (Also available with Bailey’s Original Irish Cream Liqueur)

Phew! That’s a LOT of snacks. We cannot wait to see these gingerbread displays come to life. Stay tuned for a full review of new and returning holiday treats, too. In the meantime, we’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney news, so stay tuned for more.

IT’S HAPPENING! The FIRST Holiday Decorations Have Appeared in Magic Kingdom

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FIRST LOOK at the Yacht Club Hotel’s NEW Gingerbread Display in Disney World!

We love all of the sweets and treats that come along with the holidays.

When it comes to the holiday season at Disney World, we’re not sure anything can quite compare. From the decorations in the parks to the gingerbread displays at the resorts, they make sure the season is nothing short of festive. We just got word on a new gingerbread creation taking shape at one of the resorts!

There is a brand new gingerbread creation in the works at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort ! We got a chance to take a look at it recently, and so far, we are pretty impressed.  Everyone was hard at work bringing this masterpiece to life.

This gingerbread display is new for this year and is going to take the shape of a lighthouse, similar to the one that is located outside the resort!

This is a first for the Yacht Club, and we are super excited to see it once it is finished. You can find it in the lobby, and the gingerbread creation will be surrounded by a whimsical village, complete with a little train!

The model train has its own specific set of hours, too! If you want to see it in action, make sure you visit the lobby between:

• 6AM – 11AM
• 9AM – 11AM
• 12PM – 2PM
• 3PM – 5PM
• 6PM – 8PM
• 9PM – 11PM

Disney previously shared that there will also be a holiday pop-up shop that will include some sweet treats, including a new lighthouse fudge. We spoke to a Cast Member about it, and they said that the pop-up may not be happening due to staffing issues. If that’s the case, be sure to head over to the Beach Club since the lighthouse fudge will be available there as well!

This year, the gingerbread displays are at five other resorts! Don’t forget to go check them out.

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• Disney’s BoardWalk Resort
• Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

We’ll keep you updated with the latest construction news as we get it, so keep checking back in with us at AllEars for the latest!

Click here to check out the gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian!

Info on all the holiday happenings in disney world.

• Learn ALL About Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party in Disney World
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• Check Out the Latest Info About Jollywood Nights -- A Holiday Party at Hollywood Studios
• Learn About Disney World's ONLY Breakfast with Santa
• Check Out Some EPIC Disney Ornaments on Amazon

Join the AllEars.net Newsletter to stay on top of ALL the breaking Disney News! You'll also get access to AllEars tips, reviews, trivia, and MORE! Click here to Subscribe!

What gingerbread display are you most excited about this year? Let us know in the comments!

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