Each year at the Walt Disney World Resort a transition takes place around the holidays. Main Street at the Magic Kingdom first decorates in a Halloween theme then changes over to Christmas. Decorations go up all around all the parks and hotels.
One display that’s worth a visit to see is the gingerbread house in the main lobby at the Grand Floridian Hotel. This might be the largest actual gingerbread house we’ve seen. And yes, it’s assembled by people wearing chef’s attire. Is it really gingerbread?To be truthful, we haven’t tasted it, thinking that biting the gingerbread house would get us removed from the hotel. But it looks real and while that doesn’t necessarily mean anything at Disney, this one probably is.
The gingerbread house has been a tradition at the Grand Floridian since 1999. Inside the house is a small shop that offers items you might expect from a gingerbread store. Breads, gingerbread (of course), chocolate, cookies, truffles, and more make up the list. Many of the items are baked from special recipes at the Grand Floridian.
If you have a bit of time after visiting the Magic Kingdom, it’s worth a few minutes of your time to stop by the Grand Floridian Hotel to see this holiday tradition. You can get there by boat or by Monorail.
By boat simply go to the dock that’s located between the Monorail station and the main terminal. It’s to the right of the covered dock that goes to Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge. The boat travels directly to the Grand Floridian. Upon leaving, you’ll go to the Polynesian Resort, then back to the Magic Kingdom.
To get to the Grand Floridian by Monorail, board the Resort Monorail. From the Magic Kingdom, it will travel through the Contemporary Resort, the Transportation and Ticket Center, the Polynesian and finally stop at the Grand Floridian. The trip only takes a few minutes. You’ll exit the Monorail practically in the lobby of the Grand Floridian.
This time of year is truly special at the Magic Kingdom, and features like the gingerbread house are good examples of why people keep coming back to Disney year after year. If you’re here during the holidays, don’t miss this special treat.
Saw a big Gingerbread house in San Francisco one year, but not as big as this one. The one in San Francisco did not have stores inside it.