Both Disneyland and Disney World are gearing up for the holidays with their annual gingerbread houses and displays! And with them will come a variety of sweet treats for guests to enjoy. Here is a look at what to expect around BOTH Disney World and Disneyland for the 2023 holiday season gingerbread house displays.
Starting Nov. 10, the Disneyland Resort will have a display to get you in the holiday spirit – the Gingerbread House at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. The lobby will be home once again to one of its best holiday classics – the “Grand” Gingerbread House. This giant gingerbread replica of the hotel is a holiday highlight and a can’t-miss stop in the lobby. Standing 7 feet tall and 12 feet wide, the structure is created from more than 600 pounds of gingerbread, 600 pounds of powdered sugar, 250 pounds of fondant, and one pound of pixie dust, and features 25 hidden Mickeys!
Grand Californian Great Hall Cart Menu
If you want a sweet treat to commemorate your experience, you can enjoy one (or multiple) of the following:
- Mickey Mouse-shaped Poinsettia Cookie
- Mickey-shaped Gingerbread Cookie
- Christmas Cookie
- Holiday Cookie Box: will include two milk chocolate-dipped Mickey-shaped cookies, two raspberry-filled cookies, and two sugar cookies with festive sprinkles
- Assorted Macarons: The assorted macaron box will include two gingerbread, two peppermint, and two Mexican hot chocolate
- Kwanzaa Sweet Potato Loaf
- Crisped Rice Treat
- Holiday Cinnamon Buns (New)
- Hot Cocoa Cookies (New)
- Coffee with Liqueur (Available with Amaretto, Butterscotch, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal Apple, Godiva Chocolate, Grand Marnier, Jameson Whiskey, Peppermint Schnapps, Rumchata, Rumple Minz, Skrewball Whiskey) (New)
- Eggnog with Baileys
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Shot with Milk
- Gingerbread Cookie Shot with Milk (New)
- Red Velvet Cookie Shot with Milk (New)
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Shot with Liqueur (Available with Amaretto, Butterscotch, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal Apple, Godiva Chocolate, Grand Marnier, Jameson Whiskey, Peppermint Schnapps, Rumchata, Rumple Minz, Skrewball Whiskey)
- Cookie shot with Louis XIII Cognac
- Cookie shot with Clase Azul Ultra Anejo
Found within the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland Park, a few ghosts have made room for a dazzling display this season. The Haunted Mansion Gingerbread House has been materializing for guests of the attraction for more than 20 years from Halloween to the holidays. Jack Skellington, or should we say “Sandy Claws,” and his friends have transformed this beloved attraction into Haunted Mansion Holiday, inspired by “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas,” and this display is a welcomed addition. With three moving elements and nearly 300 pounds, this display took over 20 days to build and decorate with 13 cast members. Don’t forget to take a ride to see it for yourself before Jan. 8, 2024.
Now over to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa at Walt Disney World Resort for their life-sized Gingerbread House! This beloved tradition is back again for its 24th year from Nov. 8 through Jan. 1, 2024, and is filled with plenty of sweet delights and decorations. All across this house, you’ll find white chocolate candy canes, edible snowflakes, sugar poinsettias, and over 10,000 pieces of gingerbread. Not to mention the 85 lb. chocolate Santa (yes, you heard that right), nutcrackers, toy soldiers, and snowmen that are all hand-painted by the Grand Floridian Bakery team led by Pastry Chef de Cuisine Kristine Farmer. The 500 hours spent baking gingerbread and 480 hours spent decorating are well worth it. Be on the lookout for the 24 hidden Mickeys found throughout the entire display to see if you can find them all.
Grand Floridian Gingerbread House Menu
If you’re looking to take a taste of gingerbread and the holidays home with you, you’re in luck because this display has quite the lineup of treats available for purchase that will dazzle your taste buds, including:
- Freshly baked, homemade items, such as Gingerbread Mickeys and Shingles, Stollen Bread, Brownie Christmas Tree, and Gingersnap Cookies
- House-made Gingerbread Ornaments and Gingerbread Houses
- Assorted Gingerbread Cookie Bags, Marshmallow Pops, and Milk Chocolate Pecan Fudge
- Grand Floridian Combo Box featuring assorted fan favorite treats, including the cookies n’ cream Christmas Tree, exclusive to this box
- Plant-based, no sugar added, and gluten-friendly options
Joining this impressive lineup this year is the Lighthouse at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. This brand-new creation was created by Pastry Chef de Cuisine Michael Craig who used the actual blueprints from the real lighthouse located outside the resort along Crescent Lake. This sweet version is not to be missed on your gingerbread festivities this year. Also, available for purchase are some sweet delights sold at the Holiday Pop-Up Shop, including the new Lighthouse Fudge, which is a nod to this new offering.
Just next door at Disney’s Beach Club Resort, there is the classic Holiday Carousel gingerbread display. The life-size creation has been at the resort for 22 years and it actually moves – how cool! This year, this gingerbread offering is inspired by Ducktales, with the horses themed after Donald Duck and his nephews, Huey, Duey, and Louie. To celebrate all the years of tradition, there are 22 hidden Mickeys to find throughout the display, as well as 434 pounds of honey, 25 pounds of spices, 200 pounds of icing, and a whole lot of creativity and talent from the culinary team!
Disney’s Beach Club Resort Gingerbread Display Menu
Some of the holiday treats available at this location include:
- Signature Stollen Bread
- Lighthouse Fudge
- Mickey Snowman Pop
- Crispy Rice Treat
- Peppermint Bark
- Gingerbread Shingle
- Hot Chocolate Flight
- Hot Chocolate
As we keep going around Crescent Lake, we get to Disney’s BoardWalk Inn where their display is sure to impress from Nov. 17 through Dec. 27. This creation is a miniature version of some of your favorite spots found along the BoardWalk itself, including the BoardWalk Deli, which is home to none other than the BoardWalk Inn Bakery team led by Pastry Chef Alex Vacher.
Disney’s BoardWalk Inn Gingerbread Display Menu
Before leaving, be sure to check out some of the treats made by the team, like:
- Mickey and Minnie Sugar Cookies
- Mickey Caramel Corn Cookie
- Christmas Tree Pop
- Peppermint Bark
- Gingerbread Shingles
- Gluten/ Wheat-Friendly and Plant-based Gingerbread Shingles
Next up, let’s go on a tasty adventure to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge where you’ll find one of the most adorable giraffes and zebras around. In the Jambo House lobby from Nov. 22 through Dec. 31, the Animal Kingdom Lodge bakery led by Pastry Chef Lexy Ross has continued the tradition with the Life-Size Baby Gingerbread Giraffe and Baby Zebra. This can’t-miss giraffe, or should we say ginger-affe, named Ginger, and baby zebra, Debra, are made with a combination of gingerbread, sugar dough, and modeling chocolate. In fact, the giraffe stands nearly 7 feet tall. You’ll also be able to pick up some tasty treats to take with you, like the Gingeraffe Cookie, Hot Cocoa Flight, and beer, wine, and cocktails!
Now, let’s blast off to Disney’s Contemporary Resort where their gingerbread display is back once again for its 12th year led by Pastry Chef Jeff Barnes! Found on the fourth floor of the resort from Nov. 10 through Jan. 6, 2024, this year’s Mary Blair-inspired 100th Celebration-themed Castle Display was designed by Walt Disney Imagineers for this momentous occasion for The Walt Disney Company. It stands 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, be sure to keep your eyes peeled with the 12 hidden five-legged goats.
Disney’s Contemporary Resort Gingerbread Display Menu
For those wanting a sweet treat, the following will also be available for purchase:
- Gingerbread Castle Brick
- Paint Your Own Cookie Box
- Hot Chocolate Caramel Fudge
- Chocolate Peppermint Cookie
- Pistachio Linzer Cookie
- 5-Legged Goat Cookie
- Gluten/Wheat Friendly Gingerbread Cookie
- Gingerbread Latte Cupcake
- Christmas Tree Butter Cookie
- Frozen Hot Chocolate (Also available with Peppermint Schnapps)
- Frozen Apple Cider (Also available with Fireball Cinnamon Whisky floater)
Last but certainly not least for Walt Disney World Resort, we’ve got quite the impressive display at The American Adventure in EPCOT. From Nov. 24 through Dec. 30, this unique display recreates some classic monuments in America and EPCOT alike with gingerbread versions of the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, The American Adventure building with Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue, and even a Festival Marketplace. There are also 6 hidden Mickeys found within. See how many you can find on your next visit to EPCOT.
The Disney Wish, Disney Fantasy, Disney Dream, and Disney Magic ships will continue the yearly tradition of having the pastry teams onboard each ship build a dazzling, oversized gingerbread creation that will be on display in the atrium of the ships. Each festive creation is unique and the themes are up to the individual ship’s team to decide what theirs will look like this year.
Clint Gamache is the owner of ThrillGeek. He started ThrillGeek to share his love of theme/amusement parks and pop culture with the world. You can find him at Halloween Horror Nights. Also, be sure to follow him on Twitter @iamcg83