Meeting Santa at Disney Springs will take a virtual queue again this year. Santa Claus returns to Santa’s Marketplace on November 11 and greets guests there through December 24, and there is no standby line, so every visit starts with a spot in the queue through the My Disney Experience app.
The same day, the Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll comes back with three new trees themed to Bluey, Monsters, Inc. and Hallmark. Between Santa, the trees and a Hallmark pop-up shop, November 11 is when the shopping district fully switches over to Christmas.
How The Santa Virtual Queue Works
The queue opens five times a day, at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. One person can join for a party of up to 10, but that person has to be at Disney Springs when they tap in, and spots are limited, so it helps to set a phone reminder for the time you want. Blog Mickey has the full rundown of this year’s queue.
Once your group is called, the person who joined gets a push notification with a link to a digital entry code for Santa’s Marketplace. If that code gets lost, it can be found again under Virtual Queues in the app’s main menu.
Santa’s Marketplace sits in the Marketplace area near Disney’s Pin Traders. Dairy Does More hosts the space, and the visit includes fresh milk and cookies. If you miss every queue time, kids can still write a letter to Santa at Once Upon a Toy and mail it straight to the North Pole.
Three New Trees On The Christmas Tree Stroll
The Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll runs November 11 through January 3, 2027. Walt Disney World has shared this year’s lineup, and the new additions are a Bluey tree, a Monsters, Inc. tree and a Hallmark tree that ties in with the upcoming film Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True. Returning favorites include trees for the Disney Villains, Mickey and Minnie, and Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, along with the giant signature trees, the Annual Passholder tree and a Disney Cruise Line topiary.
The free map activity is back too. Pick up a map at City Works Eatery & Pour House, Crystal Arts by Arribas Brothers or the Hallmark Holiday Pop-Up Shop, find the themed trees around Disney Springs, and match a sticker to each one. Bring the finished map back for a small holiday surprise.
Disney Springs is free to visit, with no park ticket needed for Santa or the trees, which makes it an easy evening on an arrival day or a park break. Santa is also visiting Animal Kingdom this season, where Santa’s Holiday Grove brings a snowy trail and Santa to the park.
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