Christmas & New Year Events, 2016

[The Sassagoula Sentinel]

Christmas at Port Orleans has traditionally been a time filled with extra fun and activities, especially for the children, but this year’s plans seem somewhat more muted. Indeed, the cynics amongst us might even go so far as to say Scrooge-like given the exorbitant room-rates that are charged during this period (between $300 and $376 per night for a Moderate resort!). This year's special activities appear to consist broadly of the same content that would be provided at any other time, albeit with a Holiday overlay.

From what we’ve been told so far, there will be no pre-Christmas holiday singers in the lobbies [Update: see below], no Santa or Disney Character greetings on Christmas Eve, and not even the annual Gingerbread House competition appears in the lists. There won’t even be a campfire or movie featured at Riverside on Christmas Day this year; to find those, you’ll need to head over to French Quarter just like any other regular Sunday — and even the movies are the same titles that are being shown at weekends during the rest of the month.

Hopefully some of these perennially popular guest favourites might still turn up, but so far it looks as though the same bean-counters who so heavily trimmed back on the annual Mardi Gras celebrations this year may also have pulled the budget out from under Disney’s Christmas Magic too.

Christmas Eve

• 1:00pm—2:45pm Holiday Themed Poolside Activities
• 3:30pm—4:30pm Holiday Craft: Character Fuse Beads ($)
• 5:30pm—6:30pm Campfires
• 7:00pm Movies (Riverside: Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas / French Quarter: The Santa Clause)

Christmas Day

• 1:00pm—2:45pm Holiday Themed Poolside Activities
• 3:30pm—4:30pm Holiday Craft: No Sew Holiday Pillows ($)
• 5:30pm—6:30pm Campfire (French Quarter only)
• 7:00pm Movie (French Quarter only, The Nightmare Before Christmas)

New Year’s Eve (at both resorts)

• 6:30pm—7:30pm Campfire
• 7:30pm—8:30pm Craft: Make your own Toast Glass, sparkling cider included ($)
• 9:00pm—12:30am New Year’s Eve Event, including: Sparkling Cider Toast, Games, Giveaways, DJ, Mickey Tie Dye ($), Dick Clark’s New Years Rockin’ Eve viewing

Update: Apparently there was a choir singing in the French Quarter courtyard on Sunday 18 Dec and then at the Riverside Levée marina area on 19 Dec. However nothing was mentioned in any of the schedules to communicate this to guests, so perhaps there’s still hope for some character greetings or a Santa drop-in on Christmas Eve?

Photo courtesy of Mary Thomas on Facebook

There will also be a “Jolly Holiday” themed version of the Sassagoula River Pirate Cruise for kids aged 4—12. The cruises are available on Sunday 18, Tuesday 20, and Thursday 22 December and can be pre-booked by calling 1-407-WDW-PLAY. Checkin begins at 9am at the Riverside Levee Marina for a 9:30am departure, and the cruises will finish at the Fishin’ Hole on Ol’ Man Island at 11:30am. Snacks and drinks are included, and the event costs $39 plus tax per child.

I’m still awaiting confirmation as to whether the temporary "Scat Cat’s Café" table-service restaurant which operated from the old Bonfamille’s Café location at French Quarter during Christmas week last year will make a reappearance. So far it doesn’t look too hopeful though.

Update on 22 December: Sadly, the temporary table-service location at French Quarter that was opened over Christmas 2015 will not be making an appearance again this year. Apparently due to concerns that the Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory refurbishment might overrun its scheduled re-opening date, they felt unable to commit to using the Bonfamille’s Café space early enough to make definitive plans.

[Admin]

Sadly, the temporary table-service location at French Quarter that was opened over Christmas 2015 will not be making an appearance again this year. Apparently due to concerns that the Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory refurbishment might overrun its scheduled re-opening date, they felt unable to commit to using the Bonfamille’s Café space early enough to make definitive plans.