Walt Disney World is an even more popular vacation destination during the holidays than it is during most other times of the year. The entire resort is transformed over the course of a few weeks and of course, that means dozens of decorated trees can now be found at all the different theme parks and resort hotels. And while it would be much easier for Disney if most of these trees were the same, the fact is that most if not all of them are actually unique.
I recently got to check out the holiday season at Walt Disney World and had the opportunity to speak with Disney World Ambassador Raevon Redding, one of two Cast Members currently acting as a public representative of the park. While one expects him to sing the praises of Disney World in all things, he specifically mentioned one element of the holiday decorations that he personally loved, the fact that nearly every decorated tree on the property has something unique about it. He explained…
Most of our resorts will have a holiday tree that is themed to their resort and each of them will have something that is specific to that resort… If you’re at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, their tree is going to look different than Wilderness Lodge and that tree is going to look different from the Grand Floridian or from Riviera. It’s all going to be different and they all have something special about them.
Whether it’s an individual ornament on display that no other resort has, or something more significant, there’s something with each tree designed to set it apart from the others. So even if you’re visiting one of the two Port Orleans Resorts at Walt Disney World, you’ll get to see two very different trees in the lobby.
The other thing that potentially sets the Disney World trees apart from many others is that they really are “holiday trees” as opposed to “Christmas trees.” Many of them will include decorations that are not specific to Christmas, encompassing other religions or cultures. Considering how many global visitors come to Walt Disney World, celebrating numerous different winter holidays, Disney World wants to reflect as many different cultures and religions as possible.
Of course, some of the trees are truly unique. The ones you see in each of the four theme parks are absolutely massive and unlike anything you’ll find in the resort hotels. Well, except one. As it turns out the largest tree on property isn’t the one found at Magic Kingdom or any theme park. The tree at the Contemporary Hotel, one of Disney World's two original hotels, is 70-feet tall and is the largest at Walt Disney World. 29 of the trees in the resort are what Disney calls “icon” trees that run from 15 to 70 feet tall. There are nearly 600 more trees that Disney World calls "smaller" trees, because they're under 15 feet tall.
So if you find yourself walking by any holiday tree at Walt Disney World or Disneyland during the holidays, give it a closer inspection, and if there's a Cast Member around, ask them what sets that one apart from all the others.
