Disney World 2026 Holiday Season: Dates & Prices

Greetings fellow Rope Droppers,

Holidays at Disney World are one of my favorite times of year. The trees, the smell of gingerbread wafting through Main Street, the way Animal Kingdom does garland differently than everywhere else. So when Disney dropped the entire 2026 holiday calendar this week, we read every word.

There's a lot to unpack, some sweet, some bittersweet, plus a brand-new Disney Springs hangout that just opened its doors. Let's head in.

Walt Disney World's 2026 holiday season will run November 13 through January 6, nearly a week longer than last year. Disney confirmed the dates and a wave of returning favorites this week via the Disney Parks Blog, from Frozen Holiday Surprise lighting up Cinderella Castle to the return of Jingle Cruise's holiday gags.

The two big after-hours events are both back. Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party runs 25 select nights, and Disney Jollywood Nights runs 15, with EPCOT's International Festival of the Holidays (Candlelight Processional included) rounding things out at no extra cost beyond park admission.

For your planning: tickets go on sale to resort guests July 9 and to the general public July 16. Select holiday room offers also now open for booking, including a Disney+ Perks deal (a free Park Hopper add-on plus up to 25% off select stays) and general discounts up to 20%. If a holiday trip is on your radar, today's the day to start looking at rooms, with party tickets not far behind.

Disney confirmed this week that the Grand Floridian's life-size gingerbread house, the towering centerpiece that's anchored the resort's Grand Lobby every holiday season, will not return (a footnote to the season we just covered up top). It's being replaced by smaller displays from Disney's culinary teams instead, per WDWNT. Disney hasn't shown what those will look like yet, and it's not clear if other resorts' larger displays are affected too, so we'll see how this actually reads in November.

Our view: this one stings, even with something taking its place. The life-size house was a genuine only-at-Disney moment, the kind of thing you'd plan a lobby photo around, and no tabletop version replaces that scale. A longstanding personal favorite and family tradition of mine to visit.

Separately, holiday-season language in Disney's own press materials, specifically a line limiting resort decor viewing to "guests staying at the resorts or... with valid dining reservations," has fans wondering if resort hopping is getting restricted again this year. Disney hasn't announced any formal policy change, and the outlet that flagged it is still waiting on comment, per BlogMickey.

For your planning: if resort hopping to see decor is part of your trip, watch for posted signage or security checkpoints closer to the season. No word yet on whether it's a real change or just marketing language, but you know Disney.

Disney's BoardWalk is getting three new venues by late 2026, all preserving the boardwalk's turn-of-the-century vibe on paper, according to the Disney Parks Blog. A new lounge called Hurly-Burly takes over a historic seaside theater space, running family trivia by day and a 21-and-up live music venue with coastal cocktails by night. Basin, a handcrafted personal-care shop with a build-your-own-soap station, is also coming, along with a yet-unnamed quick-service restaurant Disney says it'll detail "later this summer."

What Disney's own post doesn't say plainly: Hurly-Burly is widely reported to be replacing the dueling piano bar JellyRolls, and the new quick-service is expected to take over for Big River Grille, both BoardWalk mainstays for years. No exact opening date yet for any of it, so treat "late 2026" as the placeholder it is. We wouldn't be surprised if this slips into early 2027, especially for the restaurant.

Level99 threw open its doors at Disney Springs with a media ribbon-cutting, and the public gets in starting Monday, June 29, tickets already on sale, per WDWNT. The 46,000-square-foot West Side venue packs in 63 physical and mental mini-games, the company's biggest lineup yet, tracked through an RFID Veloband that also saves your progress for next time.

A 1.5-hour ticket runs $29.99 on weekdays, jumping to $35.99 on Sundays and $39.99 on Saturdays (and July 3); add $10 for the 2.5-hour version. Kids under 16 need an adult with them. The first 500 guests through the door on opening day get a commemorative pin, so early birds have a reason to actually show up early for once.

That's the Rundown for this week. Big holiday news, one real loss, and a brand-new spot to explore at Disney Springs if games are your thing. We'll be back next week with whatever Disney throws at us next.

See ya real soon,
Gabe