2012 Holiday Decorations – Beach Club Resort at Walt Disney World

Yesterday we shared photos of 2012 holiday decorations at Boardwalk Inn. Today we take a look at the 2012 holiday decorations at Walt Disney World’s Beach Club Resort.

Putting together these posts it struck us how different the focus is from one resort to another. Until we took the time to look at the decorations and what the focus was – it was all just “ooh and ahh”. And there is nothing wrong with oohing and ahhing over the holiday decorations! But as we think more about what is being done, it is obvious the holiday design teams want you to experience different things at different resorts. Now I’m not saying we have figured out exactly what the designers had in mind, I’m just saying it becomes clear just comparing Beach Club and Boardwalk Inn.

Boardwalk Inn has an icon display but it also has beautiful trees and the swags are incredible. (Yes – I think Boardwalk Inn may have the most stunning holiday trimmings I have ever seen.) Beach Club has a tree but it is hidden between two columns. There is very little in the way of “trimmings”. The focus at Beach Club is on the icon – the carousel…

If you look to the right side of the photo you will see the lobby Christmas tree. It is not meant to be “experienced”, it is just a “decoration”. The focus truly is on the carousel – which is incredible. It took quite a bit of time to get a few photos without crowds around the carousel… Yes, the word is out on this holiday display and guests flock here to see it. No one can blame them. The pastry chefs create an incredible display with tons and tons of details. Photos cannot capture (at least my photos cannot) the artistry that goes into everything, especially the horses on the carousel.

Below is another photo of the Christmas tree so you can see again how it is not really meant to be experienced the way the carousel is. It is a pretty tree but not like so many others at Walt Disney World Resorts. Yes, I had to go upstairs to even get a decent photo…

The pastry chefs have expanded their art over the last few years, adding sculptures on pedestals near the carousel. I do not understand “why” these sculptures are placed so close to the carousel? Maybe next year I can get back to Beach Club during the building of the carousel (yes, we watched the carousel being built in 2009) and ask. I know it may sound petty, but with such a wildly popular and gorgeous iconic display like the gingerbread and chocolate carousel, why distract by adding sculptures on pedestals within the display?

Yes, this gingerbread house, err castle, is exquisite. But with the crowds trying to get photos of the carousel, isn’t something lost adding this “work of pastry art” to the main display? There is plenty of room in the Beach Club Resort to showcase other holiday creations. For example at Boardwalk Inn the decorations in the bar near the main lobby are beautiful. At Beach Club there is the lovely Solarium just steps from the lobby, yet the designers adorned it with one skimpy little tree.

The solarium would be a great location to showcase the extra details the designers are now adding at Beach Club Resort. It is obvious they are talented and want to wow Disney guests, but putting everything in one display does not show off all the exquisite artistry the pastry team clearly has.

Sometime about 2008 the holiday gingerbread and chocolate carousel had gotten so popular that the bean counters knew they could make some extra jingle for the mouse. So they squeezed the front of a gingerbread house as close to the carousel as they could and started selling…gingerbread. In contrast to how the gingerbread house at Boardwalk Inn (or more impressively at Grand Floridian, which we will share later this month) is part of the display, at Beach Club, it is for selling. Yes, it has a gingerbread front but that is it. It does not detract from the holiday decorations but it adds nothing either and I am a bit disappointed in this.

We encourage everyone who wants to experience the magic of Walt Disney World to come during the holiday season. The Beach Club is a cannot miss bit of extra Walt Disney World magic. But be prepared for crowds when you visit even during the slow weeks. The carousel has such a reputation that it pulls in guests all day and night…

If you want to see more photos of Walt Disney World’s Beach Club Resort Holiday Decorations, I have uploaded a slideshow to Youtube. (Again, my apologies as the slideshow may not be viewable on your smartphone.)

nick