Why do I sometimes feel like Jim Carrey in Dumb and Dumber with where my mind goes when it comes to Walt Disney World? This time, it’s because Contemporary Resort’s gingerbread display is of the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights. So you’re telling me there’s a chance they return to Magic Kingdom for 2025?! In fairness, his character’s name is Lloyd Christmas and that cannot be a coincidence…right?!
Speaking of coincidences, the last time I used this meme was for another bold Magic Kingdom prediction–that TRON Lightcycle Run would have general public soft openings. That was a bold bet at the time, as no Walt Disney World attraction had done soft openings for years. But in reading the tea leaves, I felt there were signs they could happen. And guess what? They did. So either my luck is going to run out here or that’s another sign that I could be right. Interpret that as you will.
I’m getting ahead of myself, though. Let’s start with the really-for-real good news, which is that the Contemporary Resort gingerbread display is now up! To get everything ready to go well before Thanksgiving, the hotel’s team got a jump-start on the Cinderella Castle-themed gingerbread, which looks quite a bit different from the last few years.
If you’ve never seen the various ‘edible creations’ and other displays during the holiday season at Walt Disney World, we would strongly encourage you to make time for them. Our Self-Guided Yuletide Tour of Walt Disney World is a great place to start, and offers a fun Christmas experience on your day outside the parks. It’s also great for getting a taste of the higher end resorts if you’re staying at one of the Value or Moderate Resorts.
That itinerary is a popular (and recommended) thing to do in the morning before attending Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party so you don’t waste a park day of your normal tickets. We’ve heard from tons of readers over the years who did exactly that and had fantastic experiences.
Now that the Disney Jollywood Nights Christmas Party is at Hollywood Studios, you could split the plan into two days, doing the monorail loop prior to MVMCP and the Crescent Lake resorts prior to DJN. Of course, that assumes you attend both parties, which is probably budgetary overkill for most guests.
Before we dig into the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights gingerbread display at Disney’s Contemporary Resort and try to dissect its greater meaning, let’s take a look at last year’s display (above).
This was a special look for Disney100, featuring Minnie and Mickey Mouse plus the little “100” medallions. It’s actually not all that dissimilar from the prior two years, which featured more or less the same display–but for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary. Prior to that, it was still basically this, but with characters from Cinderella.
There was a Frozen Mary Blair style gingerbread display that predates the current Cinderella one. I don’t recall the exact year that debuted, but it was probably 2014. Before that, it was a Pinocchio gingerbread display over a decade ago. I have no clue what came before Pinocchio. That was basically pre-internet, the advent of which was basically the dawn of recorded (WDW) civilization.
Point being, the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights gingerbread display is the most substantial change to the display in over 5 years. It’s still Cinderella Castle, as it has been since Frozen, but the style is dramatically different (no more Mary Blair) as is the background. Even the castle no longer the same template, as had been the case for over a decade!
For Christmas 2024, the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights gingerbread display can be found at the back of the Grand Canyon Concourse by the giant windows that face, fittingly enough, Cinderella Castle and Magic Kingdom. This display features a gingerbread Cinderella Castle, plus evergreen trees, night sky, wishing star, and full moon.
What makes it a scaled back version of the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights is the actual lights covering the turrets. These are illuminated day and night, which looks quite nice against the new backdrop. Even though I love whenever Walt Disney World pays tribute to Mary Blair’s iconic art style–especially at the Contemporary–the previous version of this display had become a bit played out. It was materially the same for over a decade, so it’s nice to see something fresh.
This Cinderella Castle Dream Lights gingerbread display contains 13 Hidden Mickeys, 1-Hidden 5-Legged Goat, 613 pounds of sugar snow, 440 jars of honey, 1013 pounds of flour, 113 pounds of gingerbread spice, 513 eggs, 25 pounds of chocolate, 43 pounds of royal icing, 60 pounds of fondant, 70 pounds of modeling chocolate, 13 gallons of milk, and over 4,000 gingerbread bricks.
Cinderella Castle tops out at 17 feet, 6 inches high with a width of 25 feet and 4 inches. The display took the culinary team over 30 days to assemble.
Our Commentary
Turning to our commentary and wild speculation, there are a few possibilities when it comes to what the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights gingerbread display means for the future of the actual lights on the real Magic Kingdom castle:
- Nothing at all
- It’s a test to gauge fan interest
- It’s a tease of what’s to come for Christmas 2025
Let’s start with the most likely possibility: nothing at all. In this scenario, the genesis of the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights gingerbread display is simply the culinary team remembering the real version, wanting to pay tribute, and no one stopping them.
This isn’t far-fetched–we’ve seen edible Easter Egg arrangements at Grand Floridian that “accidentally” use characters from intellectual properties Disney does not own (or have the rights to use!). That’s also how Walt Disney World very briefly ended up with a Bluey scavenger hunt.
It’s also possible that it wasn’t so much “no one stopped them” as other arms of Walt Disney World leadership actively approved it. Also not far-fetched given all of the retro merchandise that appears in the parks featuring extinct attractions. The difference there, I think, is that those are usually long-lost attractions fans realize have no chance of ever coming back.
The loss of the Dream Lights is still fairly fresh and fans retain hope that they’ll return. I’d think WDW management might be weary of creating false hope or reminding guests of what they had taken from them not too long ago!
This brings us to the second and third options. Personally, I’m skeptical that this could be a test to gauge fan interest. It’s unlikely there will be survey teams standing jumping out from behind the display trying to ascertain whether seeing this display, but IRL, would meaningfully move the needle on intent to revisit metrics.
Then again, I’m also skeptical Walt Disney World would purposefully tease the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights via a gingerbread display. That’s just a weird way of doing things, telling guests today what they can experience tomorrow. Then again, attraction art is often on construction walls, so maybe?
If I’m being completely honest, my gut is that there’s a 99% possibility that this means nothing at all. I’m nevertheless posting about it here because I will take every conceivable opportunity to “raise awareness” about the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights (sorry not sorry). This is because I have not given up on their return.
Unlike the Lights of Winter or Osborne Lights, which are dead and buried, I still believe there’s a kernel of hope for the Dream Lights. (Technically, the Dream Lights are also dead–in the sense that new strands would need to be fabricated, but they have the technology!)
Two years ago, there were credible rumors that the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights would return. It was my understanding at the time that the decision was made because they were not “needed” but that Walt Disney World would keep them as a card to play, or a lever to pull, when they were to help boost attendance.
Assuming that’s true, and as much as I hate to admit it, the reasoning is sound. Pent-up demand was still running hot and Disney didn’t need to offer fans an incentive to visit. The projections were good enough.
Christmas 2025 is going to be a very different story. It’ll come in a year when Walt Disney World does not have a single new ride opening and when Universal Orlando is opening a brand-new theme park. Obviously, the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights cannot offer 1:1 competition with Epic Universe, but they are something that can nevertheless boost bookings and attendance for Walt Disney World.
If you find this far-fetched, look no further than the announcement about Disney Starlight Night Parade at Magic Kingdom or the long-delayed return of Paint the Night at Disneyland Resort. Neither of these things are happening out of corporate benevolence on Disney’s part. They are levers being pulled because revenge travel has exhausted itself, and Disney doesn’t have many other cards to play. Well, the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights are another such card–and I remain optimistic, perhaps foolishly so, that management will realize this and finally bring them back.
With that in mind, one thing we always recommend doing is respectfully expressing your disappointment and explaining how the company’s decisions and practices will impact your vacations and future business with Walt Disney World by emailing [email protected].
For comprehensive tips for planning your Christmas-time trip to Walt Disney World, check out our Ultimate Guide to Christmas at Walt Disney World. For Walt Disney World trip planning tips and comprehensive advice, make sure to read our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide and related articles.
YOUR THOUGHTS
What’s your theory on the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights being featured in the Contemporary Resort’s Christmas 2024 gingerbread display? Still holding out hope that the actual in-park display will return, or think it’s a lost cause? What do you think of Disney’s Contemporary Resort at Christmas? Do you like the Cinderella Castle gingerbread display, or do you prefer the Frozen version? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
