Holidays Around the Parks: Dinosaur Edition

 

 

 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and my gift to you this Christmas season is the gift of holiday cheer…in photo form. I’ve braved the unusually frigid temperatures and over-crowded parks to bring you complete coverage of each park’s holiday decorations. Today we are stepping it up a notch and visiting two parks in one day: Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. But why are we calling it the ‘Dinosaur Edition’? Well,  you’ll just have to read on to find out!

 

Our journey begins at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, where we encounter my all-time favorite theme park Christmas tree.

The handmade decorations on the tree range from baskets, wood carvings, and animal masks, to other culturally significant items to the regions represented in the park itself. And who doesn’t love The Lion King or Tarzan?! They are in my upper echelon of Disney films, so I will always feature a reference to them whenever possible.

Garland, wonderful!! This will surely be a joyful stroll through my favorite park with plenty of decorations for all to see.

 

This is a good sign, right?!? Here we see the buildings lined with garland, and ornaments, and lights. Our adventure is starting to kick off in the Animal Kingdom. Or so it seemed. I ventured into the newest land of the park only to find that the Na’vi missed the memo on Christmas. Maybe they should’ve named the floating mountains Mt. Crumpit when they built the park. It would be fitting for this holiday season after all. Sadly, this story continues on as I traveled through each land. Decorations were sparse this year compared to years past, but I knew that if I kept looking, one familiar face would be there to greet me during this holiday decoration adventure.

 

 

Spoiler: Not our Dino, but at least this one is wearing something festive.

 

We’re getting warmer! We finally have a strand of garland, and Santa is even making an appearance in the distance. But the one we seek is just around the river bend…or storefront, whatever you want to call it.

I love the classic road signs featured in this wreath. And look, they even have Dinosaur ornaments!! Your move Universal.

 

There he is! Santasaurus!!! If it weren’t for him, this would be a thrilling look at the top six types of garland we’ve found throughout the park. You could almost say that Santasaurus saved Christmas, or possibly just this post. But that is not the end of our trip today, as we have our sights set on the most famous dinosaur of all. Oh, and they actually do have Christmas decorations at our next park, too. It’s a miracle!

 

The backside of Santasaurus…and look, more dinosaur ornaments!

Time for a quick trip down the road and into Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

 

Hooray for Hollywood, indeed, where the decorations are bountiful and we are sure to find some holiday cheer!

This excavation tent in front of the Indiana Jones Epic Stuntacular (aka the greatest show ever in any theme park) has been turned into a Christmas shop for the Echo Lake area and the Jingle Bell Jingle Bam nighttime extravaganza.

Baymax is modeling the latest holiday fashion trend, showcasing the Jingle Bell Jingle Bam show featuring the elves of Prep & Landing. Also we see here a Tervis Tumbler for the show, which is surely to be featured in next month’s Outlet Report.

Moving further through the park, we find the newly renamed Grand Arts theatre showcasing a little touch of garland to accentuate the holidays. And near Pizza Rizzo, we find Santa Claus climbing a fire escape, possibly trying to get a sneak peak of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. We can’t wait either, Santa.

Heading over towards Echo Lake, we find a new photo opportunity for this holiday season. The Christmas tree has been relocated inside the park from its former location in front of the turnstiles. The ornaments in the water, as well as the lights situated on the ship, give a special backdrop instead of thousands of your newest friends walking behind you.

 

Could it be….that’s Dino Gertie’s music!!! The most famous Dinosaur of all, Dino Gertie is all dressed up for Christmas, bringing a new level of cuteness to Christmas. Now you can see why I have dubbed this the ‘Dinosaur Edition.’ That’s not all though–the highlight of Disney’s Hollywood Studios this holiday season is the new Flurry of Fun.

 

Sunset Boulevard is full of decorations, and Glow With The Show ears. They’ve gotta pay for the light bill somehow.

The new Flurry of Fun show sees projections play out on the Hollywood Tower of Terror façade, with four short shows featuring characters from the park as well as classic Disney cartoons. Oh, and if you miss the snow from the former Osborne Lights, well they have tons of it. Nothing will ever match the grandeur and feeling of standing inside the Streets of America during the Osborne Lights, but this is a nice addition showcasing the latest technology that Disney has been employing across all of its properties.

Hollywood Tower of Terror: Sugar Rush edition.

Before heading home, let’s take one more stroll around Echo Lake.

 

It’s the season of giving, so my gift to you is a few more photos of Dino Gertie, because you can never have too much Gertie. Right?!? Join us next time as we take you through a tour of the Gingerbread houses from around the parks and resorts, as well as a look at the Magic Kingdom’s décor.