For the second time since we launched Disney Tour Reviews, Walt Disney World is discontinuing one of their Segway offerings at Epcot. The Nature-Inspired Design Segway tour’s last day will be July 3, 2012. In the mean time, it is being reduced to the following select dates: 3/6, 3/27, 4/10, 4/24, 5/5, 5/15, 6/5, 6/19 and 7/3.

While I never got to experience this tour first hand, I’ve heard wonderful things from folks who have. Unlike Epcot’s remaining Around the World Segway tour, Nature-Inspired Design uses the off road X-2 Segways also used on the Wilderness Back Trail Adventure out at Fort Wilderness. It combines a traditional Segway tour with visits to Soarin’, the Living with the Land greenhouses, The Seas with Nemo and Friends and backstage in Future World. You can read reviews and learn more about Nature-Inspired Design on our tour page here.

Nature-Inspired Design is currently $129 (discounts available), requires separate theme park admission and is only offered to guests ages 16+ that weigh between 100-250 lbs. To book, call (407) WDW-TOUR (407-939-8687).

….it’s baaack!!

According to Disney’s website, the English Tea Garden Tour presented by Twinings of London Tea is set to return to this year’s Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival. While this free seasonal tour doesn’t merit it’s own tour page here on Disney Tour Reviews, it is certainly worth a mention.

Disney’s Descripiton:

Discover the art and history of tea blending during a 20-minute tour of this elegant English Tea Garden, featuring classic tea blends and new herbal teas for 2012. Tours are held Monday through Thursday at 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., and Friday through Sunday at 2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Register for your guided tour at The Tea Caddy. Located at the United Kingdom Pavilion.

In addition to the English Tea Garden Tour, the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival will be welcoming back the seasonal Gardens of the World tour put on by the Disney Institute. The 2012 Festival will run from March 7th – May 20th. Be sure to check back in early March for our reviews of both tours.

Until then, cheers!

Nothing I’d read about either of Walt Disney World’s holiday tours (Yuletide Fantasy and Holiday D-Lights) seemed to bode well. Both multi-park tours are offered by the Disney Institute, which means higher pricing than single park tours, since separate park admission is not required. So right off the bat, there is a strike against the tours’ perceived value.

If you haven’t noticed, I place a lot of emphasis on value. Not just the cost of a tour or the use of a ticket day, but what you receive in exchange for forfeiting precious vacation hours.

At $84 (without discounts or tax) for 3.5 hours, the Yuletide Fantasy tour looked like a losing proposition. In comparison, the 4.5-5 hour UnDISCOVERed Future World tour is only $54. (And is the best tour value on property.)

As I set out for my 9am Yuletide Fantasy, I tried to remind myself of the the $71.57 (with Disney VISA discount & tax) I paid back in June when I booked. It seemed so long ago, but $70 is $70.

Value aside, many of the Yuletide Fantasy reviews indicated disappointment with the subject matter. At its heart, Yuletide Fantasy is about holiday traditions around the world with a little bit of Disney holiday magic sprinkled in. Anyone going in thinking they are going to see Disney Christmas behind the scenes, ala an HGTV special, is likely to be let down.

This is where reading tour reviews really comes in handy. Disney’s descriptions are often vague at best. I find having an expecation of tour content has increased my tour enjoyment across the board. In that spirit, I’m going to share with you the tour stops and a few bits of information we learned.

The day before my tour, the Disney Institute called to remind me of the tour meeting place and time and to bring a photo ID. This was a welcomed reminder since, having booked back in June, I was paranoid I’d show up on the wrong day. (I also have this fear every time I go to the airport. I think there’s a name for that.)

By 9am the morning of the tour, all us on the tour had arrived outside Epcot, and we were off.  Much like Backstage Magic, we boarded a large tour bus. In addition to providing a welcomed seat between stops, the bus also severed as our locker.

Holiday Traditions Around World Showcase

We had two guides for 34 guests. Starting at the first stop behind Epcot’s World Showcase, we were divided into groups and split up during the stops. This meant each guide only had 17 people, which was much nicer than when I was in a group of 32 with one guide on the Backstage Magic tour. Both guides were enthusastic about the holidays and happy to have the opportunity to lead this limited offering tour.

In the Christmas shop, we learned about the supposed German pickle ornament tradition.

Calling the guides enthusiastic about the holidays may be the understatement of the year. My guide has kept one of his many Christmas trees up in his house for three years. Straight. A good 20% of the tour was hearing about the guides’ personal holiday traditions – which was surprisingly enjoyable. I’m not sure I’d be game if knew up front I’d was paying $70 to hear about a random person’s Christmas celebrations, but it really just psyched me up about the holiday season.

Our first stop was Epcot’s Germany Pavilion. We entered from backstage and stepped out into a deserted World Showcase. When I booked the tour, the phone agent assured me there was no difference between the 9am and 1pm tours. While the content may be the same, there is all the difference in the world between going on a tour when a park is closed and when it is open. Do the 9am tour.

Since the World Showcase doesn’t open until 11am, there were still Cast Members sprucing up the area. We were allowed to take photos onstage as long as we didn’t take any photos of the workers, vehicles, pressure washers, etc. This is standard practice for tours, so I focused on taking photos of pavilion details that are difficult to shoot with swarms of people or harsh afternoon light.

We learned about the origins of the Christmas tree and other traditions that started in Germany. We also visited the Christmas shop, die Weihnachtsecke, and discussed the dubious history of the pickle ornament. Afterwards, we stopped outside the miniature village and train set on the the way to the Italy Pavilion.

In Italy, we learned about the witch, La Befana. This and several of the other stories we heard on the tour overlap with the tales told by the Holiday Storytellers in World Showcase. Having visited all the Storytellers, I do not consider them a substitute for the information provided on the tour.

In Italy, we learned about the witch, La Befana, who delivers gifts to children on Epiphany Eve (January 5th.)

We also heard about the history of Hanukkah and Kwanza in the American Pavilion as well as the story of the daruma dolls in Japan. A couple from Japan on our tour validated and elaborated on the guide’s explanation of the daruma dolls. This was a special moment for our group and the guide, who had never had a Japanese guest take the tour with him before. The couple also identified the shimenawas, rice straw ropes, that are the Japan Pavilion’s only holiday decorations.

After we finished up the four countries (Germany, Italy, America & Japan), we exited backstage near Japan to our awaiting coach.

Our guide was of partial Jewish decent, so he was extra enthusiastic in telling the story of Hanukkah.

Shimenawa, traditional New Year's decorations of rice straw rope, grace the doorways in the Japan Pavilion.

Magic Kingdom

On our way to the Magic Kingdom, our guide confessed that he wasn’t sure what we were going to see or if we were going to be able to do the tour as usual. It was the morning of the taping of Disney’s Christmas Day Parade in the Magic Kingdom. Organized chaos is definitely the approriate description for what we witnessed.

Before we entered backstage, a security guard boarded our bus and checked everyone’s bags like at the normal guest entrance. As we pulled up to the the parking lot on the right side of Main Street, U.S.A., it was clear it was not business as usual. The tour guide had to negotiate with Cast Members to allow us to pull the bus to the drop off point. Half the small lot was taken over by sound equipment and crew.

Our tour's visit to the Magic Kingdom occurred during the filming of Disney's Christmas Day Parade.

We made our way to Town Square and circled around the parade crowds to the bathrooms next to Guest Relations. After a quick break, we all huddled outside the Chamber of Commerce to learn about why fruit and candy canes are used in the decorations in Town Square, which is set in the early 20th Century.

Next, we made our way through the parade taping hubbub and through the gift shops (which were being blocked off to guests) to the alley on the right-side of Main Street. Here we learned how the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created and handed out at Montgomery Wards.

It was a very heart warming story – which of course I went home and looked up on Snopes. Totally false. This is just one example of how many stories on Disney tours are just that – stories: part fact, part legend. I understand many of the cultural tales we heard during the World Showcase portion of the tour may have many variations, but I sort of expected the information about Rudolph to be accurate seeing as how it is relatively recent history. My discovery didn’t devalue my experience on the tour, but my heart felt a little colder.

The guide shared the history of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Our guide actually owns an original 1939 copy of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. He brought a few scanned, laminated pages for us to see.

At Magic Kingdom, we kept hearing the parade taping crew shouting over megaphones at the crowd. They were trying to keep everyone pumped up and excited for the cameras. This sometimes drowned out our guide, but it really added to the tour experience. Personally, I would never go fight the crowds during the parade taping, so it was fun to be able to march straight through as part of an official group.

Mario Lopez was there filming his host segments in the Main Street hub.

Grand Floridian

Next we visited the Grand Floridian, the crown jewel of Walt Disney World’s resort holiday displays. The Grand Floridian not only boasts one of the 9 giant trees on property, but it also houses the famous gingerbread house (which, in true Disney fashion, doubles as a gift shop.)

Our guide encouraged everyone to lie on the ground to get a full shot of the tree. Naturally, I was the only one willing to do this.

Here we had 15 minutes to checkout the decorations at our leisure. It was pretty busy in the lobby, and I was very glad I had already visited before to get photos of the ginger bread house without mobs of people in front of it. I realize most people don’t have that luxury, but just in case you’re looking at my photos thinking about how peaceful it looks – it’s all lies! (Hey, I’ve already made it clear I’m a liar.) I used up most of my 15 minutes lying on the ground waiting for people to move away from the tree.

Gingerbread house in the Grand Floridian Resort (and Spa!)

As we boarded the bus, our driver handed out Mickey-shaped holiday rice krispie treats. I heard a few guests wondering why we didn’t receive gingerbread like they sell from the gingerbread house. I’ll tell you why – it tastes terrible! (And costs more than rice krispie treats.) I, for one, was delighted that we didn’t receive any stale chocolate-covered shingles.

As we left the Grand Floridian, we received rice krispie treat snacks - not the terrible gingerbread sold at the resort.

Holiday Services

Our last stop was definitely the most anticipated – backstage at Holiday Services.

The Holiday Services warehouse is located on the North end of property in the same area as Central Shops (seen on Backstage Magic) and Event and Decorating Support (seen on Holiday D-Lights.) I’ve never seen the HGTV Disney Christmas special, but it is my understanding this is the warehouse they visit on that show.

For a warehouse, it is pretty magical. Rows upon rows are labeled with resort names. Trees and wreaths are stored whole, complete with wired-on ornaments and lights. There is an aisles of buckets filled with every size, shape and color of LED lights with labels indicating the number of strings held within.  Endless open bins of theme-specific ornaments. They even have shelves dedicated to gallons of glitter representing every shade in the rainbow.

We got to tour through the main storage area and workstations. We spoke with a few of the 26 Cast Members who work on Christmas year-round. They go one by one through previous years decorations, inspecting them for necessary updates: worn ornaments, damaged bows, etc.

This was hands down my favorite stop. I could write whole essays on what we learned at Holiday Services, but I want to save some of it for you to discover yourself on the tour.

After leaving Holiday Services, our bus dropped us back in front of Epcot. On our way out, we each received a commemorative tour pin. These holiday tour pins change yearly, so the 2011 edition was limited to those guests going on Yuletide Fantasy that season.

Overall, the tour was fantastic. I had low expectations based on some previous reviews and was certain it was overpriced at $84. However, as we were saying our farewells, all I could think about was how much I wanted to do it again next year.

We all received a commemorative pin only available to the 2011 Yuletide Fantasy tour guests.

Yuletide Fantasy was the perfect way to get in the holiday spirit. It really made me stop and admire the beauty of Walt Disney World at that time of year. Learning about the various customs and legends from the World Showcase countries increased my appreciation for all the thought that goes into the decorations. Visiting backstage emphasized all the hard work and organization it takes to pull that off.

Was it worth it? Absolutely. As I’m writing this, my desire to retake the tour has only increased. It may not be the cheapest per-hour tour, but it would be a prefect addition for anyone taking a trip to the World during the holiday season.

So, who’s taking me in 2012?

*If you want to learn more about the Yuletide Fantasy tour, be sure to check out our tour page here.  In addition to finding tour restrictions and discounts, we’ve included links to reviews from other websites so you check out other people’s opinions on this tour.

*Agree or disagree with this review?  Have any specific questions about this tour?  Just let us know by posting in the comments below.

Nothing about the seasonal Holiday D-Lights tour says value. Based on the description, Disney Institute takes you to 3 holiday events (which all park guests can see), 1 backstage location & feeds you a little bit – for $199.

The draw is that tour guests (age 16+) have the unique opportunity to see Walt Disney World’s three major holiday events in one night: Cinderella Castle Lighting at Magic Kingdom, Osborne Lights at Hollywood Studios, and the Candlelight Processional at Epcot.

Holiday D-Lights is the most exclusive standard tour offered at Walt Disney World. Available 9 nights in 2011, there were only 360 guest spaces available on this seasonal tour.

With this in mind, I made sure to book my space as soon as the Candlelight celebrity narrators were announced in June.  Since a Candlelight Processional viewing is part of the tour, I wanted to get my whole $200 worth (discounts available.)

Since Holiday D-Lights was only offered Mon-Wed for three weeks after Thanksgiving, there weren’t many narrators to choose from (many of the tour date narrators were still TBD). I ended up settling on a “Who’s That” as most of the big names are reserved for weekends.

Come November, Disney released an updated celebrity narrator schedule. As soon as I noticed my beloved Neil Patrick Harris was performing on a Monday, I called and rescheduled my tour date. Given the limited number of nights, I was surprised there was still availability.

Like all the Disney Institute-lead tours, Holiday D-Lights guests check in outside of Epcot in front of Guest Relations to the far right of the turnstiles. By the time I arrived at 3:45pm for the 4pm tour, the rest of the group had already shown their IDs and received their nametags and wristbands.

After one last call for folks to use the restrooms, all 40 of us (a full tour) plus our two guides headed off to board a Disney Cruise Line bus that would serve as our chariot for the evening.

Wilderness Lodge – Whispering Canyon Café

Our first stop was the Wilderness Lodge. This was the first of several changes from previous seasons of Holiday D-Lights. 2011 was the tour’s third year of operation, and the food offering has changed each year. We started our tour off with a family-style all you care to eat meal at the Whispering Canyon.  Our meal included cornbread, coleslaw, baked beans, corn on the cob, fries, potato wedges, sausage, chicken, barbeque ribs and endless soda or tea.

(Note: Guests with dietary concerns should alert the phone agent when booking the tour. Also be sure to remind the tour guides when checking on the day of so they can make sure alternative food is available when you arrive.)

The food at Whispering Canyon was delicious as always, and I was glad I was prepared to eat a full meal at 4:30pm. In previous years, guests had a light buffet later in the tour. The guide said this year’s meal change was due to guest feedback saying that the buffet food wasn’t filling enough. (That may the first time I heard the phrase “due to guest feedback” used for good.)

Event and Decorating Support

Straight after dinner, we headed backstage to the Event and Decorating Support warehouse (another schedule change from 2010). This was the first stop where we needed to use the audio headset provided to us earlier. These headsets allowed everyone to hear the guides no matter where we were standing.

Event and Decorating Support teams are responsible for the decorations for over 3,400 events a year world-wide. They pull between 200-400 building permits a week!

This Main Street soldier was building by taking molds of the Christmas parade costumes.

They do work for corporations as well as individuals who contact Disney wanting to have Disney decorations for their events. Patrick, part of the Event and Decorating Support team, mentioned that their biggest private client is a grandfather who spends $3.5-4 million a year for his family’s Christmas celebration. That’s just for decorations!

We didn’t get to walk around very much in the warehouse, but they did have a small photo op set up exclusively for the Holiday D-Lights tour. This is noteworthy since photography backstage is an explicit no-no at Disney.

On our way out of Event and Decorating Support, we received Disney Parks water bottles.

Magic Kingdom – Cinderella’s Holiday Wish Castle Lighting

Outside the Magic Kingdom, we had to stop at a security checkpoint where a guard boarded the bus and checked our bags just like they do when you enter through normal guest entrances. We did this before entering each park’s backstage area.

We entered from a parking lot located to the right side of Main Street, U.S.A. We walked up and stopped at the entrance to the Hub just in time to see the Castle stage show lighting ceremony. In previous years, the Castle lighting viewing was from the Noodle Station near the smoking section. Big improvement!

After the Castle lighting, we stopped below the 65 foot Town Square Christmas tree to learn about what it takes to decorate the Magic Kingdom for the holidays. The tree does not go up until after the taping of the Christmas Day parade in early December. If you take Holiday D-Lights the first week it’s offered, the tree will not be in place yet.

As we boarded the bus, we each received a snowman rice krispie treat for dessert. On our drive over to the Studios, we watched a short video showing the castle lights at 4 of the 5 Disney castles across the globe. Disneyland Tokyo is the only park that does not have castle lights since it is not owned by Disney.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Osborne Lights

Next, we headed over to Hollywood Studios for The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. Each year, Disney swathes the Streets of America with millions of Christmas lights that “dance” in time with holiday music. The original lights belonged to Jennings Osborne of Little Rock, Arkansas. Once Jennings was court-ordered to take them down, they found their way to Disney.

These stockings in the Osborne Lights bear the names of the Osborne Family: Jennings, Mitzi and their daughter, Breezy.

The original lights have all been replaced with LEDs, but the sheer magnitude of the display remains. This was probably the most informative of the park stops as the guide spent time explaining the history of the lights and pointing out little details and tributes throughout the display. We even found the famed purple Halloween cat that is hidden in a different place each year.

We stayed long enough to see two cycles of the lights dancing (which happens every 5-7 minutes), before we had to be off to make of final stop. While this tour needed to keep to a strict schedule, it never really felt that rushed.

Epcot – Candlelight Processional

Backstage at Epcot, we passed by the tent housing all the choir groups getting ready for Candlelight Processional. Each day, there are three shows generating over 800 choir robes that have to be washed and returned for the next night. (We saw the outside of Laundry Services next to the Event and Decorating Support Warehouse.)

We entered World Showcase from behind the American Adventure. This was our last stop, so everyone was instructed to take their bags with them. The guides did offer a ride to front of Epcot after Candlelight if anyone needed it, but everyone opted to stay in the park for Illuminations (an added “bonus” for the tour since we were not using park admission.)

As indicated in reviews from years past, our Holiday D-Lights Candlelight Processional seating left a lot to be desired. We sat to the far left of the stage pretty far back. Unfortunately, a pole blocked the celebrity narrator. I came to see Neil Patrick Harris, dammit!

This was the view from our Candlelight Processional seating without using a telephoto lens.

I was able to scoot around to take photos, but the pole was definitely a distraction. As far as tour content goes, our seating location is my only gripe about the tour. I see no reason why dining package and standby guests are receiving better seats than the Holiday D-Lights tour participants paying $199 a head.

After the performance, we all met up in the lobby of the American Adventure. Our guides bid us farewell and handed out commemorative tour pins. The pins for the holiday tours change every year, so the 2011 Holiday D-Lights tour pin was a limited edition run of 360. The pin collectors in the group actually started hopping up in down in excitement.

Our tour dispersed just in time to find a spot to view the 9:30pm Illuminations with the Holiday Tag. A perfect end to (mostly) lovely evening.

Overall, I really enjoyed the tour – but at $199 for 5 hours, I can’t help but question its value.  The only tour more expensive is Backstage Magic, which is $229 for 7.5 hours. Backstage Magic takes you to 5 backstage locations, and Holiday D-Lights only takes you to Event and Decorating Support. Both tours include a meal at Whispering Canyon and don’t require separate park admission.

Unless you’re in town for a short time and want to see all 3 holiday events in one night, you probably already have some form of admission. Even if you’re only in the parks for 2 days, you could feasibly see the Castle Lighting and Osborne Lights in one night and Candlelight Processional on the other. With the money saved skipping the tour, you could even book one of the Candlelight dining packages with reserved seating.

If money is not a concern, Holiday D-Lights is a good time. If you do decide to try out the tour in 2012, here are my top tips:

1. Book early and keep your eye on the Candlelight Processional celebrity narrator schedule for changes.
2. Notify phone agent of any dietary concerns when booking.
3. Be prepared for an early dinner (but bring along a snack just in case the tour changes again for 2012).
4. Dress for the weather. Disney won’t cancel the tour for rain or cold, so be prepared or be miserable. Candlelight seating is open air.
5. Bring a telephoto lens for the Candlelight Processional if you have one. You’ll need it to get any decent shots of the celebrity narrator from the tour’s seating area.

*If you want to learn more about the Holiday D-Lights tour, be sure to check out our tour page here.  In addition to finding tour restrictions and discounts, we’ve included links to reviews and podcasts from other websites so you check out other people’s opinions on this tour.

*Agree or disagree with this review?  Have any specific questions about this tour?  Just let us know by posting in the comments below.

As I’ve mentioned before, one of the best parts of tours is all the new information you learn. I know I’m not alone in wanting to gobble up every fact and tidbit of trivia about Walt Disney World.  As folks are still scrambling to do those last minute Christmas preparations, I thought I’d share a few trivia treats picked up from our recent Self-Guided Yuletide Tour of resort decorations.

Below are photos of Walt Disney World’s four (not five) resort gingerbread creations and their fact sheets:

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort – Gingerbread House

In 2008, Disney put out a video of the Gingerbread Lady’s decorating demonstration (which I mentioned in the Self-Gudied Yuletide Tour Review). The video includes a time-lapse view of the the gingerbread house’s construction.

Disney’s Contemporary Resort – Gingerbread Tree

You can also check out this time-lapse video from Disney of the construction of last year’s gingerbread tree at the Contemporary.

Disney’s Beach Club – Gingerbread Carousel

This one’s a little hard to read, so here you go:

Gingerbread Carousel
Presented by the Yacht & Beach Bakery and Engineering Teams for the 12th Year.
This massive candy construction is made from the following…

• 36 pounds of honey
• 96 pounds of breadflour
• 100 pints of eggs
• 10 pounds of spices
• 10 quarts of simple syrup
• 150 pounds of icing
• 50 pounds of dark chocolate
• 50 pounds of modeling chocolate
• 200 gum paste flowers

Lots of enthusiasim and talent
2011 pieces of gingerbread
12 Hidden Mickeys…can you see them?
Also look for the “Fab Five”:
Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Pluto
Happy Holidays!

Disney’s time-lapse video of the creation of Beach Club’s 2008 carousel can be found here.

Disney’s BoardWalk Resort – Gingerbread Gazebo

Want to see how BoardWalk’s gingerbread was created? Check out this Disney Parks Blog post with a fun time-lapse video of the construction.

I love how both the Beach Club and BoardWalk used 2011 gingerbread pieces in their creations. Maybe next year, the elusive Yacht Club gingerbread lighthouse can follow suit with 2012!

*Missed our Tour Review of Disney Tourist Blog’s Self-Guided Yuletide Tour? Check out the original post here and our shameful update here.

I’m a liar.

There, I said it. In my recent review of the Disney Tourist Blog’s Self-Guided Yuletide Tour I claimed there was a gingerbread lighthouse at the Yacht Club Resort.  A complete lie.

See, the thing is, Disney released a 2011 Limited Edition Commemorative Pin for the Yacht Club’s gingerbread lighthouse – but they didn’t actually make a gingerbread light house.

The gingerbread lighthouse that wasn't, on sale at Yacht Club's Fittings and Farings gift shop.

Yacht Club was the one Deluxe Resort we skipped on our recent test of the Yuletide Tour, so I foolishly based my assumption about the decor based on this year’s gingerbread pin collection. Silly me.

According to the Cast Members at the resort, there were plans to make a lighthouse that fell through. However, that didn’t stop Merchandising from shilling pins. The Cast Member at Fittings and Farings even mentioned having guests come in to purchase the pins solely because there was no lighthouse. Shrewd move, Disney. Shrewd move.

No worries though. Even without any gingerbread, the Yacht Club is worth checking out on your own Self-Guided Yuletide Tour. In addition to an appropriately boat-themed tree, Yacht Club boasts an adorable miniature train display.

Not much holiday fun happening over at the Yacht Club

One tip: If you plan on photographing the train, make sure to show up before sunset (or bring a really nice camera.) We arrived right after dusk, and the lobby was too dark to take any decent photos. As you can see below, flash really isn’t flattering.

Yacht Club's model train set and Christmas village are the main decor over the holidays. Just make sure to visit before sunset to get decent pictures!

*If you want to learn more about the Self-Guided Yuletide Tour, be sure to check out our earlier review here.

Epcot’s Seas Pavilion Tours (Dolphins in Depth, Epcot DiveQuest & Seas Aqua Tour) are scheduled to restart January 10, 2012. These tours have been down for several months due to filtration issues in Epcot’s 5.7 million gallon saltwater Caribbean Coral Reef aquarium.

 
 
*If you want to learn more about these and other Epcot tours, be sure to check out our tour pages here. In addition to finding tour restrictions and discounts, we’ve included links to reviews from other websites so you check out other people’s opinions on this tour.

A few months ago, I read a post by Tom and Sarah Bricker over at the Disney Tourist Blog. They put together a suggested itinerary for going to see the elaborate holiday decorations at various Walt Disney World Deluxe Resorts – a Self-Guided Yuletide Tour. This serves as a free alternative (or addition) to the pricey official Disney holiday tours (Holiday D-Lights and Yuletide Fantasy).

Since visiting resorts doesn’t require a park ticket, Tom and Sarah used this “tour” as a fun activity to do on the morning of their Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party so as not to burn a precious day on their passes. They do a great job describing their touring suggestions and previous years’ decorations. I am including a link to their tour at the bottom of this review (only because Tom’s photographs are so beautiful that you’ll never come back to read this if I give you the link now!)

This holiday decorations are not overwhelming in Disney's Polynesian Resort lobby.

Armed with our own homemade (Read: Krusteaz mix) gingerbread cookies, my sister and I set out Thursday morning to start December off in style with our own version of the Self-Guided Yuletide Tour. Unlike the Brickers, we had a car and decided to start at the Polynesian since I never have an issue parking there.

[Before the parking enforcers start in, I told each resort's parking attendant that we were there to look at the decorations. Every single one just smiled and waved us in. So there.]

One of 9 giant trees on Walt DIsney World property towers above guests in the lobby of the Grand Floridian.

Flaunting our DIY gingerbread in front of the Grant Floridian's famous Gingerbread House.

Over the course of 6 hours, we managed to visit 7 of the 8 Deluxe Resorts suggested by Disney Tourist Blog. We also had lunch at the Roaring Fork over in Wilderness Lodge (which we don’t recommend, except for cupcakes.)

All of the Deluxe Resorts have a variety of trees and garlands decorated in correspondence with their respective themeing. Also, 4 of the resorts are home to one of the 9 giant trees on Walt DIsney World property. The other 5 giant trees are located in the parks and at Downtown Disney.

Gingerbread sample handed out at the Grand Floridan gingerbread house demo.

For 2011, here’s the run down of the Deluxe Resort decorations in the order we visited them:

• Polynesian: standard-sized trees and garlands
• Grand Floridian: 16′ gingerbread house, giant tree in lobby
• Contemporary: gingerbread tree, giant tree in front of the hotel (we did not go out to see the tree)
• Wilderness Lodge: giant tree in lobby
• Beach Club: gingerbread carousel with chocolate horses
• Yacht Club: gingerbread lighthouse (we skipped this resort) [UPDATE: Yacht Club had a minature train set with holiday village. See pictures and read about the gingerbread lighthouse debacle here.]
• BoardWalk: gingerbread gazebo (they call it a house) with Stitch and Donald Duck
• Animal Kingdom Lodge: giant tree in lobby

Gingerbread house decorating demonstration at the Grand Floridian.

Our suggestions for structuring your own resort tour:

Gingerbread

• If you have a smart phone, install a QR reader. Several (if not all) of the gingerbread creations have QR codes nearby that you can scan to see a video of how it was made. We didn’t try this, but the Disney Parks Blog did post a video of the BoardWalk’s gingerbread house.
• All 5 resorts with gingerbread creations have a shop that sells gingerbread houses, shingles or tree leaves, etc.
• In 2011, each of the shops is selling a Limited Edition Pin of their gingerbread creation.
• The Grand Floridan’s shop is actually inside their gingerbread house and offers the most merchandise.
• BoardWalk’s shop only has stollen and $35 gingerbread houses.
• Instead of houses, the Contemporary sells $60 gingerbread models of the resort complete with a little white chocolate monorail.
• The Grand Floridian has gingerbread house decorating demonstrations Monday-Saturday at 1pm. Before it starts, they offer free gingerbread samples.
• The gingerbread is made using a traditional Austrian recipe. A Cast Member told me it has a shelf life of 3 years, and I believe it. It is very thick, dry and tastes like anise (licorice).
• We highly recommend bringing your own gingerbread if you want to get into the spirit without paying $8.50 for an unsatisfying chocolate-covered shingle. Our cookies were delicious! (Plus, I got a big kick out of folks at the Grand Floridian biting into their shingles, making a face, and then complementing our decision to BYOG.)

The Contemporary's Gingerbread Tree has a Mary Blair tribute backdrop.

Contemporary's Gingerbread Tree is one of five Disney World gingerbread creations honored with a Limited Edition Pin in 2011.

Resorts:

• Don’t try to do all 8 Deluxe Resorts in one go (or maybe at all.)
• Stick with a geographic area or theme. Monorail loop resorts, Epcot resorts, giant trees or gingerbread creations.
• If you’re wanting to see all the giant trees, I’d suggest using a car if possible. They’re pretty spread out at the Grand Floridian, Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge.
• The Polynesian is the resort to skip if you’re tight on time. While it’s my favorite resort, it doesn’t boast the same level of holiday decor as any of the other Deluxes.
• Animal Kingdom Lodge is another can miss, if only for transportation reasons. If you do go there, make sure to take the time to view the animals on the savanna, have a meal or even check out the 4pm Culinary Tour.

Another one of Walt Disney World's 9 giant trees is located in the lobby of the Wilderness Lodge.

Timing & Photography:

• Be aware of lighting –  If you’re wanting to take photos, be careful about what time you visit certain hotels. Many of the lobbies have large windows and skylights that can let in too much natural light midday. Next time, I’m going to make sure I have my polarized filter on hand.
• Avoid the crowds –  Going first thing in the morning would be the best way to avoid both harsh lighting and too many people milling about. At lunch time, the Grand Floridian was swarming with people – making it hard to get a clear shot of any decorations.
• Don’t be afraid to go upstairs – The only way to get full shots of the giant trees is to lie on the ground or shoot from balconies. The best views in Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge are from the 5th floor above the entrance. Non-guests can access those levels from the elevators.
• Don’t be afraid to kneel or lie on the ground - Much to my sister’s chagrin, I did that in every resort. No one cares, and you get a full shot of the tree.

Beach Club's gingerbread and chocolate carousel

Additional Considerations:

• Unless you plan to hang out, it doesn’t take that long to look at decorations in any given resort. 15-30 minutes tops, including waiting for crowds to clear for a good photo. Most of your time will be waiting for transportation or driving. This can be exhausting after 3-4 hotels.
• Try working other activities in to your resort tour. Have a meal, grab a snack or plan to check out one of the guided resort tours.
• If you’re not the gingerbread sort, try checking out some of the specialty cupcakes offered at the Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge or BoardWalk Bakery. We noticed that they had seasonal Peppermint Chocolate and Spiced Apple Cupcakes at the Contempo Cafe. (These are good for appeasing whoever is patiently waiting while you lie on the carpet to take photos of a tree. It worked for my sister.)

Gingerbread house at Disney's Boardwalk Resort

QR codes at the Boardwalk's Gingerbread House

We ever over heard Cast Members discussing the tragedy of Stitch being constantly being force-fed to Walt Disney World guests.

All in all, I highly recommend doing your own tour of the resorts at the holidays if you have the time. Like the Brickers did, it would be a great ticket-free way of spending the morning before Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. It’d also be nice paired with a morning or afternoon Yuletide Fantasy tour, which doesn’t require using a ticket day either. (I just did the Yuletide Fantasy tour yesterday, and a review is forthcoming. Spoiler: I loved it!!)

We found it a great way to get in the spirit of the season, which can be hard given Florida’s warm weather. As recent Orlando transplants, I’m sure my sister and I will make this resort tour a part of our annual holiday celebrations. She just doesn’t know it yet.

Animal Kingdom Lodge also has one of Disney World's 9 giant trees in its lobby.

Here is the original Self-Guided (Free!) Yuletide Tour from over at the wonderful Disney Tourist Blog.

*If you want to learn more about guided Holiday Tours, be sure to check out our tour pages for Holiday D-Lights and Yuletide Fantasy. In addition to tour logistics, we’ve included links to reviews from other websites so you check out other people’s opinions on those tours.

*Agree or disagree with this review? Have any specific questions about this self-guided tour? Just let us know by posting in the comments below.

Okay, I’m not even going to pretend this is Disney tour related. However, after listening to this song on repeat for a good 24 hours, I felt compelled to share with the world my take on the lyrics. I’ve only found one other listing of the lyrics online, and it was incomplete.

So, for my fellow lyric-obsessives out there, here you go (corrections welcome):
 

The Muppets – “Life’s a Happy Song” Lyrics

Written by the always awesome Bret McKenzie (to whom I extend my utmost apologies for any mistakes)

Everything is great
Everything is grand
I got the whole wide world in the palm of my hand
 

I’ve got everything that I need
…right in front of me
 

[Talking]

Sorry, super excited.
 

Oh, this is the most romantic thing ever,
I’ve always dreamt of seeing Los Angeles.
 

I know, Walter can’t wait either.
You don’t mind that he’s coming, right?
 

Oh, no. No, of course not.
As long as we can spend our anniversary dinner together,
That’s all I ask.
 

Ok, let me check on Walter.
 

Everything is great
Everything is grand
Except Gary’s always off with his friend
 

Life’s a happy song
When there’s someone by your side to sing along

 
PS – Amazon has the entire The Muppets Original Soundtrack for only $4.99. Best $5 I’ve ever spent.

I’m a little baffled as to why Disney hasn’t tied in a seasonal tour to go along with Epcot’s ever popular International Food and Wine Festival. After all, they have a special tour for the far inferrior Flower and Garden Festival every year. (Cooler weather + food + alcohol > hot weather + plants. Everytime.)

They could do one that starts before World Showcase opens, allowing guests to walk around and sample a few of the items early while learning about the history of the festival and the themeing that goes into the individual kiosks. Have you seen the food lines? People would be willing to pay just to get a head start.

Sure, they have preview events and other high price, pay-for-a-seat shindigs, but I’d love to see something that extends the focus beyond the food offerings and brings a little more, dare I say it, edutainment back to Epcot. Just a thought.

For now, touring Food & Wine means little more than standing in line after line, scarfing down $5, two-bite samples from “around the world.”

…and I’ve been doing just that. So far, I’ve been three times this year. I didn’t always have a camera on me, but I thought I’d share my thoughts on the offerings anyways.

1st Trip:

I went with a good friend who was experiencing Food and Wine for the first time. It was also my first time going with non-family, so it was awesome trying dishes I wouldn’t normally have selected. Thanks to light Wednesday night crowds, we managed to get our fill in under 2 hours. We didn’t arrive until after 7pm, so it was too dark for photos, but here’s what we tried…

• Brazil: Feijoada (a Black Bean and Pork Stew) – $2.75

• Caribbean Islands: Ropa Vieja (Braised Beef) with White Rice – $3.50

• South Africa: Bunny Chow (Vegetable Curry served in a Bread Loaf) – $3.25

• Cheese Booth: Artisan Cheese Selection with Thomasville Tome Sweet Grass Dairy, Le Delice de Bourgogne Lincet and Chevre Affine Wyngaard Kaas – $4.50

• Poland: Kielbasa and Potato Pierogies with Caramelized Onions and Sour Cream – $5.00

• Belgium: Steamed Mussels with Roasted Garlic Cream & Baguette – $3.75

• Belgium: Freshly Baked Waffles with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream – $3.00

• Greece: Griddled Greek Cheese with Pistachios and Honey – $3.25

Overall, my favorites were the cheeses. I thought the $4.50 cheese plate was a good value by festival standards, plus it features the Thomasville Tome from the Sweet Grass Dairy near our home town. You can’t go wrong with anything from the Sweet Grassy Dairy. I also loved the greek cheese – the only dish at the Greece booth that I can’t readily get at home (we have good gyros, and my mother makes wonderful spanakopita.)

It was my first time making it to the Belgium booth, and it didn’t disappoint. The sauce for the mussels was wonderful, and the waffles were similar to what I’ve had in Brussels.

While everything was delicious, there were a few items I’d skip in the future. The Bunny Chow was fairly nondescript vegetables in a spongy bread bowl. Also, the Ropa Vieja, while good, is not any different than what you can find at a local Latin American restauraunt. Poland’s dish was also tasty, but was the worst value of the night at $5 for two thin coins of kielbasa and a single pirogue.

2nd Trip:

This time I went solo and took my time making my way around the showcase, stopping to see a few attractions on my way. By the time I got to the third stop, it was too dark for photos again. The few photos I have are from my phone, so please excuse the quality…

Hawaii: Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet and Sour Dole Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise - $3.00

Hawaii: Tuna Poke with Seaweed Salad and Lotus Root Chip - $3.75

Hawaii: Rib Eye Taco - $5.50

Not pictured:

• Hops & Barley: Lobster Claw Cuddler with drawn Butter – $6.50
• Hops & Barley: Pumpkin Mousse with Craisins and Orange Sauce – $1.50

Once again, everything tasted good. The tuna poke and pork slider were delicious, and I find the tuna to be one of the best values this year considering how much similar appetizers can be in restaurants.

On the other hand, the rib eye taco and lobster claw are just too expensive for what they are. Maybe if you’re a big lobster person, paying $6.50 for a bite of lobster  is worth it. I just really liked the term “cuddler.”

The pumpkin mousse is really a triffle, with mousse layered between small bits of gingerbread. It was only $1.50, but it tasted just like boxed cake gingerbread and craisins – nothing to write home about. (Though apparently worth writing about here.)

3rd Trip:

This time I went with my sister for her first festival trip this year, so I let her do most of the picking. I also remembered to bring a real camera.

First, we stopped to see the 360 Canada film. On the way out, we ran into a group of people watching a bunny. I heard one man question whether or not rabbits lived in Florida. After stifling a laugh, I assured him that we do, in fact, have wild rabbits and the parks are full of them. I’ve seen rabbits at 3 different parks in one day before. A small part of me regrets not telling him that Disney imported them from Canada to make the pavilion more authentic.

Thankfully, rabbit is not on the menu at this year's festival. However, they do have the vegetarian bunny chow over in South Africa.

After the film, we started our culinary tour. Our first stop was in France, which has been our perennial favorite…

France: Coq au Vin sur gratin de macaroni (red wine braised chicken, mushrooms, pearl onions, and macaroni gratin) - $4.95

France: Escargots Persillade en Brioche - $4.95

Singapore: Shrimp Cake on a sugar cane skewer with Singapore Noodle Salad - $3.50

Hops & Barley: 16th Anniversary Festival Beer Boston Ale - 6oz., $2.75

South Korea: Boolgogi BBQ Beef with steamed Rice and Kimchi - $4.25

South Korea: Lettuce Wrap with Roast Pork and Kimchi Slaw - $3.00

Desserts & Champagne Booth: Dessert Trio (Lemon Chiffon, Tres Leches Verrine & White Chocolate Macadamia Mousse with Dark Chocolate Pearls) - $3.75 (or $1.50 individually)

This was my favorite trip yet – almost everything was suburb. The only miss was the shrimp cake. I had heard good things about it, but it tasted like pure salt. We both agreed the best part of the dish was the sugarcane skewer.

I appreciated Hops & Barley offering 6 oz. sizes of several brews, and I took advatage by trying this year’s festival ale. The Blackberry Witbier looked intriguing, so I went and picked up a single bottle at my nearby ABC Liquor for under $2. Take that, Disney. It was delicious (if you like the idea of fruity beer.)

France, once again, reigned supreme. The non-photogenic coq au vin was delicious. It was quite a large portion of chicken, and the macaroni was fantastic. The escargot, our long time favorite, was as good as ever – even if the price keeps going up.

Both the South Korean dishes were good, but my sister did not like the vinegary kimchi with the beef. The kimchi slaw on the lettuce wrap was more subdued, and I forsee it becoming one of our Food and Wine staples.

I wasn’t feeling the desserts, but my sister picked out the trio. We both thought the white chocolate macadamia mouse was the winner, even if the “chocolate pearls” were really chocolate-covered rice krispies. The tres leches wasn’t nearly as moist as the traditional version. The lemon chiffon was nice and tart, and we were both relived that the topping was whipped cream and not meringue.

All in all, I’ve had a great time at this year’s Epcot International Food and Wine festival. I have plans to go at least once more before it ends, and I know which dishes I want to repeat. My winners are the cheese plate, Greek cheese and Hawaiian tuna poke. The French coq au vin and Belgium waffles are up there, but the chicken’s a little more expensive, and I can make similar waffles at home.

If you’ve made it this far without stopping for a snack – thanks for sticking with me! I’m sure I’ll post a few more festival pics in the future, but if you really want the goods – be sure to check out The Disney Food blog. They have festival booth pages with photos of all the offerings – that’s how I make my choices!

**What are your favorite Food and Wine Festival dishes (past or present)? Let me know in the comments below. I love hearing everyone’s recommendations.