The 1-year hiatus has turned into a permanent change in holiday decor at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
About a year ago, Walt Disney World revealed that the Grand Floridian's iconic Christmastime gingerbread house would not appear in 2025. A series of lobby upgrades, including addition of The Birdcage bar, left little opportunity for the elaborate display last holiday season.
As plans are revealed for holiday 2026, Disney has confirmed that the Grand Floridian icon will not be returning. Instead, the resort plans a series of smaller gingerbread displays with details TBD. While this may be a disappointing outcome for some, the Grand Floridian had morphed into a magnet for guest complaints due to the crowds attracted to the life-size display. Not only did it mean more folks crowding the resort lobby for a full 2 months of the year, but the monorail system suffered from the burden of moving many of those guests both to and from the resort.
Over the years, Disney has introduced a variety of smaller displays at other resorts. From the "Ginger-affe" at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge to the yearly mural at Disney's Contemporary Resort, there are a variety of locations where guests can enjoy the lovely scent of gingerbread, while purchasing fresh baked goods for themselves.
Disney has not revealed full details on its resort decorating plans for 2026. There is hope that the full-size gingerbread house will make its way to another location. Stay tuned.
