Disney has released a new statement, officially confirming the iconic Grand Floridian gingerbread house will not return for the 2026 holiday season.
“This holiday season at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Guests can enjoy elegant seasonal décor and festive offerings, along with new miniature gingerbread displays featured throughout the Resort. To help keep the lobby flowing smoothly for Resort Guests, the traditional large gingerbread house will not be offered this year.”
Instead of the towering gingerbread house that has greeted guests each holiday season since 1999, Disney says visitors will find new miniature gingerbread displays located throughout the resort. So far, no additional details or concept images of those displays have been released.
When Disney skipped the gingerbread house during the 2025 holiday season, the Grand Floridian lobby was undergoing a major refurbishment, including the addition of the new Perch lobby bar. At the time, the absence of the display appeared to be temporary, with many guests expecting it to return once construction wrapped up. Now the renovation is complete, and the gingerbread house is still not happening.
— The Grand’s lobby during the 2025 holiday season: new bar and no gingerbread
For more than 25 years, the life-sized gingerbread house has been a destination all its own. Guests from across Walt Disney World would make a special trip to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa to admire the handcrafted display, pick up fresh gingerbread or chocolate treats, and enjoy the sights and aromas that filled the lobby throughout the season. The display celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2024 — who knew that would be its last appearance?
Disney says the change is intended to “help keep the lobby flowing smoothly for Resort Guests,” but that’s a tough sell. The Grand Floridian has handled crowds around the display for years with dedicated queue lines and crowd control. Not to mention, the gingerbread house doubled as a seasonal bakery, bringing in plenty of sales during the holidays.
Heck, there was an entire merchandise collection honoring the gingerbread displays at Walt Disney World and Disneyland back in 2024, as well as a dedicated 25th anniversary collection for the Grand’s display!
The Grand Floridian isn’t the only place where holiday traditions have recently changed. Disney has also implemented a new transportation policy limiting bus access from Disney Springs to resort hotels without a qualifying reservation. While the two decisions are unrelated on paper, reducing major seasonal draws at the resorts could also discourage large numbers of day visitors from making special trips during the holidays. But what about the resort guests who travel for this holiday tradition?
With vacation costs continuing to climb and Disney reporting strong theme park earnings, it’s fair to question why experiences that have become holiday traditions are being retired instead of preserved.
