Welcome back, DFB friends! We’re here with another What’s New at the Monorail Resorts AND Wilderness Lodge!

We’ve got so many entertainment, food, and merch updates to give you, so let’s jingle rock right in!

Contemporary Resort

Entertainment Updates at Contemporary Resort

The smell of Pumpkin Spice has already started to fade, and gingerbread has been baking up instead! That’s right, friends — the Gingerbread Castle is up on the 4th floor of the Contemporary!

Cinderella’s glass slipper is placed out front to remind us that dreams do come true, especially during the Christmas season.

And, it’s the 10th anniversary of the Gingerbread Castle itself! To celebrate, the bakers put together a few surprises for guests to spot on the display this year. There are 9 Hidden Mickeys, 10 nods to Frozen, and “it’s a small world.” Can you find them all?

And, right next door, one of the pastry chefs who helped create the Gingerbread Castle was out to greet guests! Jeff Barnes, you are the best!!

Be sure to take a sweet trip to the Contemporary Resort to see the Gingerbread Castle this holiday season! We promise it’s worth it!!

Check out everything you need to know about the Gingerbread Castle here!

Food Updates at Contemporary Resort

If all that gingerbread on the castle has made you hungry, you’ll be happy to know that the Gingerbread Snack Stand has returned this year! (And, we are THRILLED!)

The Gingerbread Snack Stand has brought back some fan favorites and even baked up a few new treats for the anniversary of the castle. While we’ve seen the Frozen Hot Chocolate and Frozen Apple Cider before…

…now you can spike them with Peppermint Schnapps, Fireball, and Jim Beam Red Stag Cherry Bourbon for $13!

Also new this year, the Plant-Based Gingerbread Loaf is being baked up for $5 alongside the…

…10th Anniversary Cookie Box, featuring Jeff Barnes’s favorite treats for $14!

We were able to try 4 cookies in the Anniversary Box, including the Gingerbread Boy, Chocolate Chip Pecan, Chocolate Peppermint, and Linzer! And, trust us — they are all INCREDIBLE!!

Check out our review of the Gingerbread Snack Stand here!

The Wave had the Pork Tenderloin back on their dinner menu, which flip-flops with the Bone-In Pork Chop frequently.

Over at Contempo Cafe, they still had their Halloween Cupcakes AND they had an adorable Cauldron Cake that we hadn’t seen before for $5.49 or a Disney Dining Plan snack credit. The dark chocolate cauldron is filled with chocolate cake and has a candy bar filling (!!!).

New to us, the Grilled Tofu Bowl has also been added to Contempo’s lunch menu as a plant-based option.

The Holiday Cupcakes we spotted in Magic Kingdom are looking cheery and bright at Buena Vista Gifts too!

The Santa Mickey Cupcake is a vanilla cupcake topped with green buttercream, powdered sugar “snow,” chocolate Mickey ears, a red icing Santa hat, and a white chocolate snowflake.

Check out our full review of the Santa Mickey Cupcake here!

To accompany Mickey, the Christmas Minnie Cupcake is a red velvet cupcake topped with pink sprinkles, white buttercream, festive sprinkles, a red chocolate bow, and chocolate ears!

The Mickey Holiday Cupcake is a chocolate cupcake topped with red buttercream, white sprinkles, snowflake sprinkles, a white chocolate star, and chocolate Mickey ears. They’re all so cute that we want them as our desserts after Christmas dinner this year!

Merchandise Updates at Contemporary Resort

In honor of the 10th anniversary of the Gingerbread Castle, themed merch can be purchased for stocking stuffers!

The Gingerbread Castle Mug features icing, candy canes, gum drops, the Contemporary’s logo…

…and the Fairy Godmother cut-out for $24.99!

Add a little PEP-permint to your Christmas with the Peppermint Ornament for $14.99!

(It’s not real candy, so keep an eye on the little ones!)

The frosty windows of the Gingerbread Castle Pin can be opened with a little magic…

…performed by the Fairy Godmother, saying “Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo!” for $17.99!

Keeping up the Christmas merch trend, Buena Vista Gifts had plenty of items on display including wreaths, houseware, plush toys…

…pajamas, hats, and more! What item do you want to unwrap on Christmas morning??

Buena Vista Gifts is also showing off a few Vineyard Vines Christmas shirts for $48 each! The White Christmas Long Sleeve has a front pocket…

…and features the Vineyard Vines whale as Mrs. Claus on the back!

The Green Christmas Long Sleeve is simple, yet comfortable…

…with a candy cane Vineyard Vines whale on the back…

…and a Christmas-themed logo on the sleeves! And, don’t forget — if you’re an Annual Passholder, Cast Member, or Disney Vacation Club member, you get a discount on designer merch in the stores!

Polynesian Village Resort

Food Updates at Polynesian Village Resort

Kona Island has been mixing up the new Passion Fruit Chai Greet Tea and the Lilikoi Juice (which is just basically POG juice)! The frozen Tropical Wine Slushie that we had previously is still there, and we are sooo happy about it!

Capt. Cook’s still has the Halloween Rocky Road Cupcake in the cooler…

…while the Yoda Cone sign at Pineapple Lanai is missing! However, if you ask a Cast Member, you can still try the lime Dole Whip for the time being.

Merchandise Updates at Polynesian Village Resort

Moana Mercantile is also jingling into its display of Christmas merch…

…while it also had the Hatbox Ghost Pin that we’ve seen before!

Grand Floridian Resort

Entertainment Updates at Grand Floridian Resort

Ready to rock around the Christmas tree? You can design your own ceramic tree at Narcoosee’s during the Holiday Dream ‘n’ Design event for $85 plus tax per person. The event includes the tree and one free drink on Sundays at 12:30 PM.

The Grand Floridian’s band has moved to new spot on the side of the lobby to make way for the upcoming gingerbread house. Previously, they used to go upstairs, but Enchanted Rose‘s seating has taken over the pre-existing band location.

We’re eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Gingerbread House for the year, so we’ll be sure to share as soon as we spot it going up!

Food Updates at Grand Floridian Resort

There are so many exciting menu additions at the restaurants in the Grand Floridian! Citricos has added a plant-based sign to its appetizers…

…Gasparilla Island Grill is still featuring the Vampire Elixir for $8.79 (we suspect not for much longer!)…

…and Narcoossee’s has swapped the Heirloom Tomato Salad for the Endive Pear and Gorgonzola Salad…

…and started cooking up the Fried Tofu as a plant-based option.

Merchandise Updates at Grand Floridian Resort

It definitely is the holiday season…’cause there’s even more Christmas merch that has made its way into M. Mouse Mercantile!

We might be able to get everything on our lists this year in one Disney swoop!

Wilderness Lodge Resort

Food Updates at Wilderness Lodge Resort

The OLLLLLLLD Fashion Chocolate Cake is now available at the Whispering Canyon and stacked high with chocolate ganache and a Mickey Macaron. Be sure to ask for this bb since it’s not on the menu just yet!

Roaring Fork is also serving up delicious desserts in the bakery! Along with the Frozen 2 treats all over Disney World, the Arendelle Aqua Mickey Macaron has flurried into the bakery case.

The crisp (and Arendelle Aqua-colored!) macaron cookies are layered with a blueberry and lemon filling. On the top, there is a white icing drizzle, snowflake sprinkles, and edible glitter for $6.99 or a Disney Dining Plan snack credit!

Check out our full review of the Arendelle Aqua Mickey Macaron here!

Also sitting sweetly at Roaring Fork, the Cinnamon Roll Cupcake combines baked goods and pastries together!

The cinnamon vanilla cake is topped with maple buttercream, crispy pearls, and a cinnamon roll garnish (!!!) and has a pecan filling.

Check out our full review of the Cinnamon Roll Cupcake here!

If you haven’t had enough Frozen-inspired treats, Geyser Point is featuring the non-alcoholic “Worth Melting For” Lemonade for $5.49…

…and the “Worth Melting For” Cocktail for $14! We are totally melting for all these Frozen 2 items!!

Well, that’s all for this What’s New at the Monorail Resorts and Wilderness Lodge! We’ll catch you next time for more food, merch, and entertainment updates!

What are you looking forward to seeing the most in the resorts? Let us know in the comments below!