Cast Members Bring Sugar and Spice to the Holidays During the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Celebration with Stunning Gingerbread Displays

Amanda Watson

by , Communications Manager, Walt Disney World Resort

Happy National Gingerbread House Day!

The most wonderful time of the year wouldn’t be complete without something sweet, and the incredibly talented pastry teams at Walt Disney World Resort have added some extra sugar and spice and a little 50th Anniversary celebration magic to the festivities with this year’s gingerbread displays!

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa gingerbread house

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa gingerbread house (open now – Jan. 1)

The pastry team at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa pulled out all the stops this year. From the gingerbread shingles and custom hand-painted character windows to elaborate EARidescent landscapes and handcrafted sugar flowers, the team put thought and care into the tiniest, holly jolly details.

Pastry Chef Assistant John Dettman

“We know the gingerbread displays mean so much to our guests,” Pastry Chef Assistant John Dettman said. “This year, our team wanted our guests to be immersed in the 50th Anniversary celebration. We incorporated EARidescent hues into our hand painted character windows and Pastry Chef Assistant Fabiola Vidal Vazquez even applied cocoa butter EARidescent airbrush to our landscape plants and flowers.”

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa gingerbread house

Disney’s Beach Club Resort gingerbread carousel (open now – Jan. 2)

Guests are in for a treat at Disney’s Beach Club Resort! The gingerbread carousel’s theme changes each year and this year, the pasty team took inspiration from Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” and cast members created five detailed horses depicting some of their favorite animated characters.

Disney’s Beach Club Resort gingerbread carousel

From concept and design to confectionary creation and assembly, our pastry cast members brought creative storytelling to life.

Disney’s Beach Club Resort gingerbread carousel

“The gingerbread display is a team effort,” Jesse Rodriguez, a Pastry Chef Assistant, said. “We all pitch ideas and add our own elements and talents to create something special for our guests. We have so much fun and see first-hand how much the guests enjoy what we we’ve created.”

Disney’s Beach Club Resort gingerbread carousel

The carousel also includes a special nod to the 50th Anniversary celebration, featuring handmade EARidescent snowflakes that line the carousel topper and shimmering mini ornaments.

The American Adventure gingerbread display at EPCOT (open now – Dec. 30)

The American Adventure at EPCOT features not one, but three gingerbread constructions: the Lincoln Memorial, The American Adventure, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Look for a Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary celebration plaque as part of these displays.

The American Adventure gingerbread display at EPCOT

“Our gingerbread displays are very detailed, and we are as accurate as we can be to the original structures they are based on,” Pastry Chef Assistant Agueda Vasquez said. “It’s just so great to see the guests’ faces when they walk into the room and admire the amount of time and detail we put into these tiny structures.”

The American Adventure gingerbread display at EPCOT

Looking for more holiday fun? Check out the lobby at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge to see the new gingerbread baby giraffe.

Where else but Disney do you get to create such incredible culinary magic for so many to enjoy? If this sounds like your jam, Disney is always looking for great culinary talent to join the team.

Congratulations and thank you to the culinary teams across Walt Disney World Resort that played a role in creating delicious holiday magic this year.

Photographer: Olga Thompson

Comments

  • This is truly amazing to see year after year, our amazing Culinary team put together these magical displays. Thank you for your tireless work towards making these elaborate, elegant creations for the holidays!

  • This is truly amazing to see year after year, our amazing Culinary team put together these magical displays. Thank you for your tireless work towards making these elaborate, elegant displays for the holidays!

  • You are all absolutely amazing at what you do, I thank you for all the magic and wonderful memories you help to make for all of us. Walt would be so proud of each and every cast member for every contribution they make from the bottom to the top. I for one am grateful for you all. Merry Christmas and all the best to you and your families xxxx

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