By Juliana Octavini
A Gingerbread House is one of the most charming seasonal attractions – and hot! – of Disney!
Who passes the great lobby of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & SPA You know what I'm talking about.
It is a giant gingerbread house, which since 1999 has become a tradition in the resort. It is mounted every year at Christmas time and attracts thousands of visitors who are delighted with its grandeur and wealth of details.
The house is really gigantic and gets to have almost 6 meters high. She's big enough that the Cast Members can work inside her, selling Christmas products and candy directly from Gingerbread House!
For its construction, the team uses impressive amounts of ingredients. On average, 500 kg of honey, 270 kg of powdered sugar, 360 kg of flour and other ingredients are used. In addition, an enormous amount of ginger is used, which causes the atmosphere around the house to smell delicious and Christmas ginger and spices, creating an immersive atmosphere for visitors.
Preparation begins months earlier, usually in July. The pastry team works intensely to produce and decorate every detail. The final set-up, however, begins between late October and early November, so that everything is perfect and ready for Christmas season.
This year, it began to be built on October 29, 2024 and the forecast is that it will be ready on November 6, 2024. But it's just a prediction since Disney hasn't officially released the opening date of the house yet.
The house is decorated with Christmas lights, sugary toppings, figures in frosting, and various elements that refer to Christmas and the Disney universe. Each piece is hand-decorated in detail, which makes Gingerbread House an edible work of art – although visitors cannot really eat the house, it is a true inspiration for confectioners and Christmas fans.
Inside, visitors can buy gingerbread cookies, miniature gingerbread houses and other Christmas-inspired confectionery products. These items are very popular and many tourists take advantage of taking a little piece of Disney tradition home.
This charming tradition is part of Disney Christmas magic, and visiting Gingerbread House is like getting into a Christmas fairy tale. For Christmas and confectionery fans, it's an unmissable stop during the season!
So if you don't know Gingerbread House yet and you'll be on vacation in Orlando during Christmas season, don't miss it! The visitation is free and it is exposed inside the Grand Floridian Resort lobby throughout December and is dismantled in early January. Oh, and you don't have to be a hotel guest to visit the house, okay?
