One of the top-rated luxury resorts near Walt Disney World, which just joined the Four Seasons Orlando as the only other AAA Five Diamond Hotel is the area, is doing a lot to celebrate Christmas 2025. This shares a rundown of the holiday season offerings at Conrad Orlando and Evermore Resort, including expensive upcharges & included activities, plus a brief bit of commentary.
The first-of-its-kind Evermore Resort Orlando invites families and groups to experience holiday cheer and cherished moments together this holiday season. By offering jolly activities with Santa and his elves to festive décor packages to personalized meal delivery, Evermore has a wide variety of Christmas offerings. Some absurdly expensive, some fun & free, some slightly odd.
Throughout the resort, guests can enjoy a wide variety of daily offerings, such as holiday-themed events for the whole family alongside Evermore Bay, Orlando’s only 20-acre white sand beach with crystal-clear waters, and elevated dining experiences honoring traditions at Conrad Orlando at Evermore, the world-class, 433-room luxury hotel on the North Shore of the property. Across the 1,000-acre resort conveniently located right next door to Walt Disney World, there is more like never before for everyone at Evermore.
Let’s start with quick commentary, because I’m basically bringing this to your attention for a few reasons. The first is because the Conrad Orlando has a truly formidable slate of Christmas programming, including free daily activities and a variety of “curated” (their words) upcharges.
Between this and the Cake Bake Shop’s $200+ Santa Claus Dinner, it might seem like we’re trying to turn this into the Disney Bougie Blog. That’s not the case at all. Rather, we’ve been trying to bring more attention to enhancements like this because we’ve made the case elsewhere for more upcharges returning to Walt Disney World…even if they’re not for everyone.
One of the points of Little Big Things Walt Disney World Needs to Bring Back is that WDW has cut so many of the ‘Enchanting Extras’ that made for fun enhancements for repeat visitors. We’d love to see more of these restored, and strongly believe there’s a market for them.
How quickly the Parisian Breakfast at Chefs de France and the Glimmering Greenhouses Tour sold out should be sufficient proof of this. This is an issue that extends beyond the holiday season, but these are just two high profile examples of upcharge popularity; it’s perplexing that Walt Disney World sees the guest response to things like this, but perplexingly, does not move to restore other extras that existed in 2019.
It’s also worth pointing out that many of these holiday offerings are included with stays at no extra cost. Things like the Reindeer Games Scavenger Hunt, Letters to Santa, Glow ‘n’ Stroll, and Conrad Carolers are all free. Now in fairness, Walt Disney World resorts also have included daily activities. But there’s not a whole lot that’s special for the holidays.
We’ve also been disappointed by how Walt Disney World has eroded the holiday season offerings. If you look back and compare this year with 2019 or earlier, there’s still a lot that’s missing. And it’s not just big things like Dream Lights; it’s also certain decorations, activities, and a bunch of little things. Given that, it’s nice to see a nearby resort go in the exact opposite direction, with a bigger and better slate of Christmas stuff!
Can you imagine if Walt Disney World had Dickensian Christmas Carolers who went resort-to-resort, kind of like the Character Caravan?! That one offering alone would be a huge enhancement for the holiday season!
Second, due to the practical reality that many dates during the holiday season are sold out partially or entirely for on-site hotels, as we recently addressed in Why Walt Disney World Resorts Are Sold Out Despite Lower Crowds. That post looks at what’s up the sold out resorts, how to book dates that appear unavailable, and explanations as to why this happens.
In theory, you could take advantage of one of the great Walt Disney World discounts for Christmas stays that offer 20-30% off. There are even targeted discounts that are as low as $129 per night for Value Resorts, making this holiday season a great time to book a trip! That is, until you actually start searching for room rates and discover it’s slim pickins.
By contrast, the Conrad Orlando has multiple room types with availability for every single date between now and early 2026. And on top of that, they have the “Experience More” rate that includes a $200 daily resort credit and free parking. (See other special offers here.)
Now granted, the Conrad Orlando is not cheap in the first place, but that credit does bring it down into more palatable territory. I’d also add that in looking at the calendar view, there are some dates that are inexplicably less expensive–like Thanksgiving week. The effective nightly rate is as low as $379 then once you account for the discount, and there are 0 Deluxe Resorts at Walt Disney World available during those dates. (Port Orleans Riverside or French Quarter are for $340/$319 after AP discount.)
Finally, while we’re sharing the Conrad Orlando as an alternative accommodations option give the lack of on-site availability, we actually would not recommend that most guests stay here during a Walt Disney World vacation. As much as I love it, this is definitely more of a destination resort.
Unless you’re an Annual Passholder, Floridian, or someone looking for a really laid back parks experience, the Conrad Orlando is best as a split stay candidate. Which may work out well if you’re trying to piece together availability at on-site hotels and are missing days.
But I cannot imagine doing a 5-night stay here and doing the 4 parks during those days. It’d just be a waste–and how would you even use that resort credit in such a scenario?
One theoretical stay I could see doing is extending dates during our favorite week of the year at Walt Disney World to arrive in time for Thanksgiving, starting with that at the Conrad, and then switching to stay on-site. We can’t make that work with our schedule this year, but Sarah loves that idea as a way to ‘meet in the middle’ and do Thanksgiving with our families in Florida.
We’re considering this in 2026, but would probably do our stay at Evermore. Were we booking last-minute for 2025, we could start at the Conrad and then switch over to All Star Sports for $172/night (after AP discount). That actually sounds like a very attractive split stay to me! You probably don’t need me running through countless scenarios–the point is that the Conrad is not meant for commando Walt Disney World trips.
Anyway, let’s get to the main point of the post, which is the Christmas lineup at the Conrad Orlando and Evermore Resort. What follows is basically presented press release style since we’ve yet to experience any of this for ourselves and won’t until next year at the absolute earliest.
Family Activities
Glow n’ Stroll (Available daily): New this holiday season at Evermore is Glow n’ Stroll, a self-guided walking tour where guests can discover festive holiday décor thoughtfully placed throughout the resort’s grounds – from the over 2 million twinkling lights and seasonal displays to elegant touches at every turn.
Private Holiday-Themed Cabana (December 5, 2025 through January 4, 2026): On the North Shore of Conrad Orlando, guests of the luxury hotel can enjoy the ultimate holiday poolside experience by booking a premium cabana featuring festive appointments, including holiday cookies, beverages, a holiday-themed pool float, holiday décor, and more. Available to Conrad Orlando guests exclusively and for a maximum of six people.
Special In-Room Elf Visit (December 12 through December 24, 2025): At Conrad Orlando, guests can bring holiday magic right to their door by reserving a special in-room appearance by one of the hotel’s resident elves. While in-suite, children will read a Christmas-themed story with an elf and pick a toy from their magical bag.
Santa and Mrs. Claus Evening Meet & Greets (Friday, December 19 through Sunday, December 21): Meet the man of the season, Santa, and his special someone, Mrs. Claus! Guests can share their wish list, snap a selfie, and soak up all the holiday cheer with the most festive duo at The Landing.
New Year’s Noon Party at Evermore Bay (Wednesday, December 31): Families can ring in the New Year Evermore style by celebrating New Year’s Eve a little early at the resort’s festive afternoon party designed for all ages. Guests will enjoy fun-filled activities, lively music, and a sparkling countdown to midday by Evermore Bay, creating a memorable way to welcome the New Year together before the clock strikes twelve.
Of this list, the entry that really caught my attention was the “Special In-Room Elf Visit.” As someone with a vivid imagination, what I envisioned for this had me really excited–something along the lines of Julenissen, the mischievous barn gnome at EPCOT.
The idea of having a private in-room audience with this little trickster was very amusing (and slightly Lynchian), and the kind of nonsense on which I’d blow money if I won the lottery. Other kids get a lavish experience with Santa Claus; Megatron gets the Christmas equivalent of this (which is also something I really want to do).
Unfortunately, the elf visit is nothing like that at all (if the photos are any indication). It’s also not nearly as expensive as I anticipated, at only $50, so there’s also that. But I’d pay double that if the elf’s gnome-ness were dialed up to 11.
Kids & Teens Activities
Themed Holiday Crafts & Events (Available daily): Evermore will host a plethora of festive holiday crafts and experiences, including but not limited to: ornament decorating, holiday ceramic painting, pinecone Christmas tree making, and other winter-themed crafts.
Rudolph’s Reindeer Games on The Landing Lawn (Every weekend in December): Guests of Evermore can head to The Landing Lawn for Reindeer Games where they can share their best elf impressions to win a prize and team up for a Santa Scavenger Hunt as they search for hidden holiday treasures.
Sunny’s Merry Little Christmas Party (Saturday, December 20 through Sunday, December 21): Celebrate the festive season at Sunny’s Merry Little Christmas Party! Held at Spartina Court, families can snap a photo with Santa to benefit Give Kids The World Village, decorate cookies, enjoy wreath making and Santa hat decorating, and sip delicious warm cocoa or cider together.
Gingerbread House Decorating Competition (Wednesday, December 24): Families visiting Evermore can participate in a festive Gingerbread House Decorating Competition and compete for fun prizes and sweet bragging rights. A gingerbread kit, candy, and frosting will be provided to each guest to make their gingerbread house masterpiece.
There are actually many more experiences that aren’t listed here, including activities for Hanukkah (such as dreidel-making and menorah lighting), among other things. See the full lineup on the Holidays 2025 page of the official Conrad Orlando site.
Christmas Dining Experiences
Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes at Sophia’s Trattoria (Wednesday, December 24): Guests can experience this Italian American tradition at Sophia’s Trattoria and indulge in an exquisite six-course meal and wine pairing.
Holiday Celebrations at Twin View (Wednesday, December 24 through Wednesday, December 31): Guests can enjoy unforgettable dining moments above the twinkling lights of Evermore Bay at Twin View. Whether toasting to joy on Christmas Eve, savoring a festive feast on Christmas Day, or ringing in the New Year in style on New Year’s Eve, Twin View offers exclusive seasonal menus and delicious dishes to delight all palates.
Christmas Day Brunch at Sophia’s Trattoria (Thursday, December 25): Families can celebrate Christmas morning together at Sophia’s Trattoria for brunch, featuring holiday favorites and delicious Italian dishes for all ages.
New Year’s at Ceiba (Wednesday, December 31): Ring in 2026 with panoramic views of Evermore Bay and spectacular fireworks at Ceiba, Conrad Orlando’s premier rooftop venue serving traditional and contemporary Mexican cuisine. Guests can enjoy a bold and flavorful dinner, an exclusive beverage package, midnight champagne toast, and live entertainment. Reservations required. Visit Concierge for availability.
If you’re visiting earlier, there are also Thanksgiving Dinner options. And although I don’t see it mentioned, most restaurants do seasonal menus, so I would expect/hope there are holiday-time options from mid-Thanksgiving through late December.
Dining at these restaurants is the most obvious way to burn through that $200 daily resort credit if you book the special rate that’s currently running. If my calculations are correct, that credit is enough for 7.14 burgers per day at Papaya Club; perfect for a family of 4, or one (1) Disney blogger! Seriously, that burger is not to be missed. It might be the whole reason to book a stay at the Conrad Orlando in the first place.
It’s also worth remembering that almost all Christmas entertainment still runs between Christmas and New Year’s Eve (some runs even further into January), so check out our Ultimate Guide to Christmas at Walt Disney World for more planning tips with regard to which holiday entertainment you might want to see on New Year’s Eve. For Walt Disney World trip planning tips and comprehensive advice, make sure to read our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide.
Your Thoughts
What do you think of Christmas at the Conrad Orlando? Does this look like a good slate of holiday entertainment and extras? Have you stayed at this hotel since it opened? Agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions about the Conrad Orlando that you’d like to see covered in our full review? Hearing from you is half the fun, so please share your thoughts and questions in the comments!
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