Check Our List: Where To Meet Santa During The Festive Season at Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World is already celebrating the holidays, and fans who visit are on the lookout for Santa Claus. We might have a bit of intel of where the Big Man might appear throughout the Resort this festive season. 

What’s Happening: 

• The holidays are in full swing at Walt Disney World, but as we get closer to Christmas, many folks come to the park and wonder where they can find Santa! 
• At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, guests can head to (what’s left of) Dinoland U.S.A. and find Santa in a dino-themed environment. Guests can find him at Restaurantosaurus, where a portion of this quick service eatery has been transformed into the meet and greet experience, and it may or may not be sponsored by the Dino Institute. 

• At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, guests can find Santa inside Walt Disney Presents, in an area themed to look like a classic toy shop. This holiday Meet and Greet has taken over the (albeit temporarily) the area that was once home to Ariel from the Live-Action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. Please note that during the Jollywood Nights event at the park, this meet & greet is occupied by Duffy the bear dressed as Santa Claus.

• At EPCOT, guests will find themselves in a classic holiday greeting card setting. While many different Santa-types may be found throughout the stories of World Showcase during the EPCOT International Festival of Holidays, they can meet the Big Man himself in Communicore Hall at the park. 
• If you want your holidays a bit on the Goofy-er side of things, Santa Goofy will be meeting guests over at The Odyssey. 

• Currently, Magic Kingdom guests will have the opportunity to see Santa as he makes his way down Main Street USA as part of Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Starting on Thanksgiving Day, guests can head to Storybook Circus for some up close time with Santa. The whole of Storybook Circus has been decorated to celebrate his arrival, and guests can meet him in his own spot under the Big Top! 

• Beyond the theme parks of the Walt Disney World Resort, guests and locals can also head to Disney Springs to meet Santa in his popular workshop. While Disney Springs is a big place, we got the inside scoop: Santa’s workshop is located near Disney’s Pin Traders in the Marketplace district of Disney Springs. 

• A Virtual Queue is needed to experience this Santa visit, and can be acquired through the My Disney Experience App. A Standby option will not be offered for this meet and greet, but there will be multiple entry opportunities during the day with Virtual Queues opening at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM, and 6:00 PM. You must be physically at Disney Springs in order to enter the virtual queue.
• If you’d like to visit Walt Disney World at the Most Magical Time of Year or any other, be sure to reach out to our friends at Mouse Fan Travel!