Holiday Fun at the Disney Springs Tree Stroll

 by Beth Keating

Park Visit

DisneyBizJournal.com

December 16, 2023

 

For many visitors, the Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll is a great way to get in the holiday spirit. The free 2023 stroll has eighteen different themed Christmas trees, inspired by Disney characters and films. There are also a few cute seasonal decorations for guests to enjoy, such as the snowman “bobbers” near The BOATHOUSE or the peanut moose near Paddlefish.

In addition to enjoying the creative trees, there are live entertainment offerings to amp up the festive atmosphere during your visit, from Douglas, the free roaming (and talking) Douglas Fir who will “chat” with guests, to live music from sax players, ensembles, and even a rolling piano player (so fun!). You can even experience the “snow” coming down in Town Center after 6 p.m., and from 6:00-10:00 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, the Icicle Stiltwalkers and Holiday Drummers will be roaming Town Center.  (Thursday through Saturday will see Toy Soldier Stiltwalkers instead.) A DJ Sleigh will be down the Marketplace end of the Springs on Friday and Saturday nights from 5:00-9:00 p.m., while the Snowflake Roller Skaters will hang out around the Town Center on Friday through Sunday nights between 6:00-10:00 p.m.  So much activity to make your visit more celebratory.

The music will keep pumping as well, with multiple stages and a variety of acts performing each night (and sometimes during the day as well).  There’s even a brass band on Thursday through Saturday nights between 6:00-and 10:00 p.m.! Check the Disney Springs website for a schedule of performances and special events.

Oh, and you can visit Santa himself at Once Upon a Toy until December 24, using a virtual queue to sign up for an in-person visit.

Guests can pick up a free Christmas Tree Stroll map and complete their walk by finding each tree and adding a sticker representing the tree’s character or story to the correct place on the  map.  Once you’ve located all the trees, maps can be returned to the redemption locations for a special treat.  

 

This year, maps are available at City Works Eatery & Pour House; Crystal Arts by Arribas Brothers; Joffrey's Coffee and Tea Company; The LEGO Store; and Planet Hollywood. You can redeem your prize at those locations as well. The back of your map offers up discounts to a number of the shops and restaurants you’ll be meandering past, so give those a perusal to see if you’ll save a few dollars on dinner or Christmas shopping.

The themes of the Christmas tree stroll change slightly from year to year, and while some of the decorations on each tree have remained the same, this year’s trees seemed to have some more detailed pieces hanging about.  Among the 2023 themes are Wish; Encanto; Frozen; Moana; The Lion King; The Princess and the Frog; Star Wars; Toy Story; both the Haunted Mansion and The Nightmare Before Christmas; and Coco (among the movies); and Mickey and Minnie; Disney+; and even an “Annual Passholder” tree represent the rides, characters and other Disney entities.

 
Daytime visits will give you a completely different view of the trees, with a better look at the details and Easter eggs, but nighttime strolls let the trees sparkle and shine, with a whole different vibe.  In addition this year, a few of the trees will be able to interact with your MagicBand+.  Wave your arm in a circular motion in front of the tree to see the surprise. MagicBand+ trees include The Nightmare Before Christmas, Encanto, Frozen, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, Town Center and Wish.

 

The Christmas Tree Stroll will be available until December 30.

 

In the meantime, enjoy this sneak peek at this year’s décor.

 

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

 

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Disney Springs Tree Stroll Offers Free Holiday Fun

 by Beth Keating

Lifestyle

DisneyBizJournal.com

December 12, 2022

 

Looking for an inexpensive way to usher in the holiday season with your friends and family?  The 2022 Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll just might fit the bill.

In addition to enjoying the creative trees and holiday decorations scattered throughout the complex, there are also tasty Christmas goodies you can indulge in along the way. And if you are there at night, you can take in some live music, participate in a DJ dance party, or even experience the “snow” coming down in Town Center (6 p.m.-10 p.m. through December 25).  Oh, there’s shopping, too, if you haven’t completed your Christmas purchases yet, and the kiddos can drop off their lists to Santa himself at Once Upon a Toy, using a virtual queue to sign up for an in-person visit. (Check the Disney Springs website for a schedule of performances and special events… Some nights there are even stilt walkers roaming the grounds!)

In addition, you can add a more competitive edge to your visit by tackling the Play Disney Parks app to share Disney Springs holiday trivia. Which family member can guess the most questions correctly?

 

Presented by AdventHealth, the 2022 Christmas tree stroll has twenty different themed Christmas trees, inspired by Disney characters and films. (It’s actually 19 trees and a Disney Cruise line topiary.) Check out the brightly colored trees of Coco and Encanto, or the more muted décor of the Haunted Mansion tree.  There are also a few cute “sculptures” and assorted other seasonal decorations for guests to enjoy, such as the snowman “bobbers” near The BOATHOUSE, or the peanut moose near Paddlefish.

 

The Christmas Tree Stroll serves as a bit of a scavenger hunt, in addition to being a festive evening out.  Guests can pick up a free Christmas Tree Stroll map and complete their walk by finding each tree and adding a sticker representing the tree’s character or story to the correct place on the  map. Once you’ve located all the trees, maps can be returned to the redemption locations for a special treat. 

This year, maps are available at The BOATHOUSE, Planet Hollywood, City Works, UNIQLO, and Crystal Arts. (You can redeem your prize there as well when you complete your tree hunt.) The back of your map offers up discounts to a number of the shops and restaurants you’ll be meandering past, so it’s worth picking up, even if you don’t end up putting the stickers in the right spots when you find each tree.

Some of the 2022 themes include Frozen; Moana; The Lion King; Raya and the Last Dragon; The Princess and the Frog; Star Wars; Black Panther; Toy Story; The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Guardians of the Galaxy, among the movies, and Haunted Mansion; Mickey and Minnie; Disney+; and even an “Annual Passholder” tree among the rides, characters and other Disney entities.

 
While you might be tempted to bypass the sparkling gold tree of circular ornaments because it doesn’t have all the details of the other trees, spend a moment to visit these spheres.  If you tip your head in the right direction, you’ll no doubt discover a few overlapping hidden Mickeys!  (You’ll find this tree at the base of the orange garage.)

The other trees deserve your time, as well, hunting for the many fun Easter eggs and story sparks hiding among the branches.  Most of the displays are easy to spot, but you do have to look carefully to find a few that are tucked down side paths. Daytime visits will give you a completely different treasure hunt, when the details of each tree are more apparent, but the nighttime hunts, when the trees’ lights sparkle, are just as merry.

 

The Christmas Tree Stroll will be available until December 30.

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

 

Disney Springs Tree Stroll Brings Holiday Fun

 by Beth Keating

Lifestyle

DisneyBizJournal.com

November 12, 2021

 

Disney Springs is all decked out for the holidays, and among the decorations which seemingly popped up overnight are 20 festively bedecked trees that will bring a touch of holiday magic to your visit.  Coming out of an AMC movie the other night, I noticed the first of the trees opposite the theater, all lit up in its sparkling finery, and decided to come back in the daylight to get a closer look at some of the details.

Thinking that it was still early enough in the season, and leery of the crowds that had closed down the Lime garage the previous weekend, I opted to arrive at Disney Springs on a weekday when the shopping venue first opened. What can I say? I am a rope dropper, even at Disney Springs.  I reasoned that it would not only be easier to take photos of the trees in the daylight, but that crowds would be lower, thus making photo capturing less tricky.  I was correct only for the first hour or two, and then the crowds started filing in.  I expected that most of them would be heading to the stores to do their gift and souvenir shopping, but more than a few were there to embark on the 2021 Christmas Tree Stroll.

 

The Christmas Tree Stroll is one of those activities that seems like it crosses all age groups. One family with elementary age kids was racing from tree to tree, eager to place all their stickers in the right places on the map and get their prize as quickly as possible, while a princess-costumed preschooler was having her picture taken at each of the Princess-themed trees, posing with her best royal stances at each location.  Another older couple was making a leisurely jaunt of it, ambling from tree to tree, collecting different snack treats along the way in addition to their Tree Stroll stickers.  When I met up with them, the hubby joked that he was on his 6th tree, but only his 5th snack.  By lunchtime, many a park guest was using the walls and benches in front of the trees to sit and eat their meals.

 

For those unfamiliar with the Christmas Tree Stroll, it is a chance to slow down a little (well, for most visitors), and take in the holiday ambiance. Many families use it as a kick-off to their seasonal celebrations, munching on favorite snacks or drinks as they enjoy the decorations – and in the evenings, the “snow” that magically falls at Town Center.  This year, toy soldier stilt-walkers and snowflake skaters will also be making appearances. Live and piped in music add to the atmosphere. 

 

Presented by AdventHealth, this year’s stroll has twenty different themed Christmas trees, inspired by Disney films, television shows, and beloved characters, scattered throughout the neighborhoods of Disney Springs. 

 

In addition to the simple beauty of the decorations, one of the nice things about the Christmas Tree Stroll is that it serves as a scavenger hunt of sorts.  The festively decorated trees also offer two completely different experiences: A daytime hunt, when the creative details of the trees are more obvious, but also a twinkling nighttime stroll, when the trees are lit up to their sparkling best.  It’s hard to decide which visit is more fun.

 

Guests can pick up a free Christmas Tree Stroll map at one of half a dozen sites, and complete their stroll by finding each tree and adding a sticker representing the tree’s character or story to the correct place on the map.  Once you’ve located all the trees, maps can be returned to the redemption locations for a special treat. The BOATHOUSE, Planet Hollywood, City Works, Under Armour, Basin, and Amorette’s have both the maps to pick up, as well as a spot to redeem your prize. (Note: For those of you who have picked up maps at the welcome center in the past, maps are not available there this year.)

This year’s trees are themed to: Frozen; Moana; The Lion King; Raya and the Last Dragon; The Princess and the Frog; Star Wars; Black Panther; Toy Story; Beauty and the Beast; Cinderella; The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Coco among the movies, and Haunted Mansion; Mickey and Minnie; the “Disney Parks;” Disney+; and Disney Junior among the rides, characters and other Disney entities. Three additional festive trees round out the line-up, with a sparkling gold tree of open circular ornaments (if you tip your head in the right directions, you’ll no doubt discover a few overlapping hidden Mickeys!); and two towering trees soaring overhead. Most of the trees are easy to spot, but you do have to look carefully to find a few that are tucked down side paths.

 

Our family’s favorite trees this year were the Star Wars tree, with its First Order stormtrooper helmets, Jawas, Chewbacca’s bandolier, and Kylo Ren’s lightsaber; the brightly flowered Moana tree with Hei Hei hidden in the branches and little Kakamora coconut faces peering out; and the Haunted Mansion tree.  (I’m aware that Haunted Mansion is more of a Halloween deal, but the sheer number of Easter Eggs and ride-related details hidden on this tree could keep you searching its branches for a long time. This tree is really fun for Disney geeks!)

 

The trees may be the standout decorations that visitors come to Disney Springs to enjoy, but there are other delightful displays scattered around the sidewalks as well.  Among the unique tableaus? A set of steam punk inspired reindeer stand guard near the Orange garage, and a family of stylized metal penguins make their home in front of – what else?- a cascading waterfall in The Landing section of the Springs.   

 

Take the time to relax and enjoy the spectacular decorations during the 2021 Christmas Tree Stroll, and bring some extra magic to your holidays. 

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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

 

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