MickeyBlog News for November 16th, 2025

The holidays have officially arrived at Disney theme parks.

Sure, we’ve already seen the Christmas decorations for a couple of weeks now.

What’s different is that the holiday season officially started on November 14^th.

So, a lot of the stuff you love about Disney at this time of the year is now live!

Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade

We’ll have a festive edition of MickeyBlog News this week.

Happy Holidays, Y’all!

MickeyBlog’s crack team of reporters has been comically busy over the past few days.

We’ve also been stretched a bit thin, with some of our team sailing on the Disney Destiny.

Meanwhile, everyone in Orlando and Anaheim was filling up their phone memory with new pictures.

Our staff has been everywhere at the parks to bring you all the Yuletide joy happening right now.

We were the first to bring you details about one of my annual favorites, Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

The annual gingerbread display is now up and running, and it’s as joyous as you remember!

That was just the tip of the iceberg, though, as our reporters brought you details from both coasts.

For starters, the Merry Menagerie has returned at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

This has evolved into one of the most popular holiday activities at Walt Disney World.

Not to be outdone, Disney’s Hollywood Studios opened its Santa Claus character greeting.

You’ll find Jolly Old St. Nick at Walt Disney Presents…, but that dude travels fast!

We also bumped into him at Animal Kingdom and again at Disney Springs.

Holiday Fun With Santa & Friends – Fantasyland Theatre

A little birdie told us that they saw Santa at Disneyland Resort, too! How does he do that?

For those of you who somehow miss Santa, you have another way to get him your gift list.

You can go to Disney Springs and write Santa a letter. The magical elves there will make sure he gets the message.

More Holiday Goodness

We’ve got so much happening at the parks right now that it’s almost overwhelming.

For instance, here’s a list of all the holiday photo ops currently available.

Disney

We also caught the tree lighting ceremony. Stuff like this is why you should follow us on social media.

Our Instagram and TikTok accounts will fill your page with all sorts of Disney goodness!

For example, here’s what we said about EPCOT’s Christmas tree arriving, but you can see it for yourself.

How great is life? If you can’t tell, I’m a sucker for the holidays, especially at Disneyland.

Photo: Disney

Here’s what Fantasyland Theatre looks like right now, and here are Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

Just when I thought they couldn’t get any more festive, they show up in those outfits!

Then, we have Sleeping Beauty Castle, which is a work of art right now.

Really, this is the best time of the year to visit Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Part of the explanation for that is the holiday entertainment, especially the after-hours parties.

Speaking of which, if you want to go to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party this year, it’s now or never.

Honestly, it may be never by the time you read this, as every date but one has sold out.

So, please speak with a MickeyTravels agent NOW if you want to attend that final party.

All Aboard!

Ordinarily, I’d wait until after the maiden voyage of a new Disney cruise ship to discuss it.

Technically, the maiden voyage of the Disney Destiny occurs on Thursday, November 20^th.

However, we don’t need to wait, as Disney invited MickeyBlog on a media cruise the other day!

We’re incredibly grateful for the opportunity, and our staff had a blast on the new Wish-class ship.

Those of you reading MickeyBlog this week already know how spectacular the Destiny is.

I could gush about it for hours and am legitimately checking itineraries for 2026.

Disney Destiny

For now, I’ll link you to this collection of pictures from our first day on the ship.

Also, I’ll show you pictures of the first time the Destiny set sail with guests onboard.

What’s so great about this ship? It’s got everything! Why, Disney even added a Haunted Mansion Parlor!

Of course, we’d already seen that on the Disney Treasure. So, the Destiny needed more oomph.

Enter The Sanctum, a lounge themed to the mystical wonders of Doctor Strange.

Some people would argue that neither of these lounges is the best one on the ship.

That honor may belong to De Vil’s Piano Lounge, starring a woman you should keep away from your pets.

Cruella comes out and entertains the crowd by forcing guests to rewrite lyrics to her most famous song.

She’s far from the only character you can meet on this cruise, though.

The Destiny’s theme is “heroes and villains,” which brings virtually every Disney character into play.

So, we assimilated the list of all the characters we encountered on the Destiny.

Long story short, you will NEVER run out of things to do when you sail on the Disney Destiny.

I’ll provide even more details next week after the ship embarks on its maiden voyage.

Disney Miscellany

Ordinarily, this story would have been at the top, but it’s been that kind of week at Disney.

EPCOT has officially removed the 3D elements from Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.

Disney made this change after countless guests – including my wife – complained about motion sickness.

The last time my Disney superfan partner exited this ride, she flatly stated, “Never again.”

Now, she will relax her stand, as the 3D elements are what caused some people to get sick on the ride.

Early reviews about the change are a bit mixed, as it definitely takes away some special effects.

Now, this attraction feels more like a standard dark ride, albeit a trackless one that interacts with animation.

That’s a small price to pay for everyone to enjoy the ride, though. It’s no different than Mission: SPACE change 20 years ago.

On the subject of classic attractions, fans of The Great Movie Ride may notice something familiar.

Yes, that’s a bit weird, but I really like that Disney did this and hope for more of it.

On a different note, The Perch has officially opened to guests.

You’ll find this bar in the lobby of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.

Please know that seating is limited. However, you can order at the bar and drink anywhere in the lobby.

Finally, in long-awaited news, Wailulu Bar & Grill will start accepting reservations in December.

I honestly don’t know why it took Disney a year to do this, as the place is always mobbed.

Okay, that’s it for this week. Get in the holiday spirit, my many loves!

Photo: MickeyBlog

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