by Beth Keating
Lifestyle
DisneyBizJournal.com
November 24, 2023
Depending on how you count them, there are more than half a dozen gingerbread displays around the Disney World parks this year, from a room-sized gingerbread house selling tasty holiday goodies from one of its windows over at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, to a brand new gingerbread rendition of the Crescent Lake lighthouse at the Yacht Club Resort. Really unique displays have also popped up, including the life-sized baby gingerbread giraffe and zebra at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
At Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, their intricately detailed gingerbread will be on display through December 27, and it is set up in the main lobby by the registration area, alongside tons of sparkling holiday decorations. The tabletop creation by Pastry Chef Alex Vacher and his team is a miniature replica of the BoardWalk Deli. The real deli is just outside the Resort’s sweeping lawn, along the boardwalk promenade.
Taking a peek in the windows of the tiny gingerbread deli, you’ll see a 7-inch tall Mickey and Minnie hard-at-work in their kitchen, along with shelves of supplies to create their itty-bitty magical treats (Some of them are Mickey shaped! You’ll even recognize the Mickey dome cakes you can order for your own celebrations in the Resort’s actual restaurants.) Minnie is baking her own scaled gingerbread house, and diminutive rolling pins and oven mitts are scattered about. The windows of the shop flicker with lights and shadows – even the “oven” appears to be dancing with light.
Red-and-white-striped awnings adorn the building, and petite trees, fully decorated with edible bakery goodies, complement the exterior of the display. A purple and white decorated tree gives a nod to the Disney100 celebration. Don’t forget to look for the 100 hidden Mickeys in the décor honoring the 100th anniversary of Disney this year, and you’ll also find the shadows of a few other members of the Fab 5 hanging about. There’s a working clock on the top of the façade as well!
The BoardWalk’s Gingerbread display is no lightweight when it comes to ingredients – it took more than 210 hours of decorating by Disney’s bakery elves. Reportedly, there’s also 184 pounds each of whole rye flour and light rye flour, 170 pounds of bread flour, 168 eggs (!), 142 pounds of granulated sugar, 42 pounds of powdered sugar, 22 gallons of honey, 6 pounds of Ammonium Carbonate, 11 pounds of Lebkuchen, 4 gallons of egg whites, 1 pound of Cream of Tartar, 30 pounds of fondant, a heaping spoonful of magic, and a sprinkling of pixie dust!
If it’s not enough to just visit the gingerbread, and you suddenly feel the need to munch on the spicy delights as well, the BoardWalk can accommodate those cravings. During the afternoon, the BoardWalk Inn has a number of offerings for sale, including Mickey and Minnie Sugar Cookies ($4.79); Mickey Caramel Corn Cookies ($6.49); Christmas Tree Pops ($4.49); Peppermint Bark ($7.99); and regular Gingerbread Shingles ($4.99) and Gluten/ Wheat-Friendly and Plant-based Gingerbread Shingles ($4.49) versions that look just like the ones on the gingerbread building itself. Add on a cup of warm drinking chocolate for $5.79 if you’d like.
The BoardWalk Inn is a Deluxe level Resort, and is located on Crescent Lake between EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. Friendship boats traverse the lakefront, ferrying guests back and forth between the Resorts and parks.
The BoardWalk’s whimsical, turn-of-the-century Atlantic City theme especially comes alive at night, when carnival games, streetmosphere entertainment, jugglers and more light up the area to entertain guests along the Coney Island-style boardwalk. Christmas decorations, including brightly lit trees, are also on display both inside and outside the Resort, making it a festive place to visit for the holidays.
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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.
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