One gorgeous staple has been lacking from Walt Disney’s World’s vacation lineup for the final 5 years: Cinderella Fort’s Dream Lights, which transforms the icon right into a shimmering ice palace. This publish addresses whether or not Magic Kingdom would possibly convey again the dazzling show this November. (Up to date April 2, 2025.)
The Cinderella Fort Dream Lights was one in every of our favourite issues about Christmas at Walt Disney World for the decade-plus previous to them being cancelled in 2020. We spent many a late evening on Most important Avenue, merely gazing down at these resplendent lights, savoring the scene. I misplaced rely of what number of occasions we did this through the years–most likely over 100. And but, it nonetheless one way or the other feels that we took the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights with no consideration and didn’t get pleasure from them fairly sufficient.
The newest replace is actually a part of my ongoing dedication to by no means shutting up in regards to the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights. It’s why the Dream Lights have made our current lists of Massive Little Issues Walt Disney World Ought to Deliver Again and What’s New & Nonetheless Lacking from MVMCP, simply to call a few our many posts that point out the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights and why they need to return. It is a private campaign, at this level. In the event you aren’t foolishly optimistic or invested within the return of this gorgeous show, you would possibly wish to try now.
Relating to Christmas 2025, there are a few developments within the saga. The primary is that that Walt Disney World has seemingly had a fireplace lit underneath it inside the previous few weeks. Amongst different information, there’s the return of Resort Airline Test-In, which was a companion program to Disney’s Magical Specific that hasn’t been provided since March 2020.
Then there was the last-minute change of plans, and choice to function each Storm Lagoon and Blizzard Seaside this summer time, that means that each one 6 parks (4 theme parks and a couple of water parks) will function concurrently for the primary time since 2019. If these issues can occur once more after 5+ 12 months hiatuses, all hope isn’t misplaced for the return of the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights.
Then there’s the wild card that might be trigger for optimism. Walt Disney World has filed a Discover of Graduation for roofing work on Cinderella Fort. The development allow is assigned to Tecta America Southeast LLC, which focuses on business roofing. No additional particulars are offered, aside from an expiration date of March 27, 2026.
The allow itself pertains to re-roofing Cinderella Fort, which is smart on condition that the tiles are in tough form. It’s additionally price noting that the fortress was final repainted in 2020, when it obtained a ‘royal makeover’ forward of Walt Disney World’s fiftieth Anniversary. It’s about due for one more repaint, whether or not it retains the extra vibrant and hotter coloration scheme or goes again to its cooler and extra muted shades.
Nevertheless, the rationale we’re mentioning this re-roofing right here is for a few completely different causes probably associated to Dream Lights. The primary is that this roofing goes to necessitate cranes, regardless; it might make sense to make use of these to place up new icicle lights in a single fell swoop after the roofing is completed.
The second is extra formidable but in addition maybe extra sensible; Walt Disney World might use this chance to combine lighting into the roofs of the turrets themselves. This could enable not only for an up to date model of the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights, however lighting results that might be utilized throughout Starlight Night time Parade, Fortunately Ever After, and different leisure productions.
As ought to be apparent, that is all very a lot wishful pondering at this level. If truth be told, it appears unlikely something will occur–and the return of Dream Lights turns into much less probably with every passing 12 months. However as famous above, we’ll by no means cross up the chance to boost consciousness in regards to the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights within the hopes that it stays on the radar of followers and Disney management.
There’s additionally the elephant within the room in relation to modifications at Walt Disney World this 12 months: Epic Universe. That is Common Orlando’s new theme park, and it’s poised to both supply critical competitors to Walt Disney World or pull new vacationers to Central Florida who may even go to Disney. Maybe a little bit of each.
Clearly, the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights can not supply 1:1 competitors with Epic Universe, however they’re one thing that may nonetheless increase bookings and attendance for Walt Disney World. Now we have heard from numerous followers who in any other case wouldn’t go to at Christmas, however would make particular journeys to see the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights in the event that they returned. This might transfer the needle sufficient to persuade Walt Disney World to convey again the Dream Lights.
Whereas this incentive for Disney to revive the show has existed for the previous few years, the sense of urgency is what’s completely different. Pent-up demand was working scorching earlier than, and Walt Disney World frankly didn’t want to do something to entice individuals to go to. Christmas 2025 goes to be a really completely different story. It’ll are available in a 12 months when Walt Disney World doesn’t have a single new journey opening and when Common Orlando is opening a brand-new theme park.
Past new leisure, elevated discounting, and issues just like the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights, there aren’t many “levers” that Walt Disney World can pull at this level to spice up attendance. It’s too late for another Epic Universe countermeasures in 2025. And guess what? Walt Disney World is already doing the opposite two issues on the aforementioned record. It’s most likely silly, however this leaves me extra optimistic that the corporate will lastly do the fitting factor and convey again the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights. They’re bringing again an evening parade for the primary time in a decade, so it actually doesn’t really feel that far-fetched!
The opposite current growth is that final Christmas, Walt Disney World did convey again the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights…albeit in gingerbread type through a show in the back of the Grand Canyon Concourse in Disney’s Up to date Resort. This show featured a gingerbread Cinderella Fort, plus evergreen timber, evening sky, wishing star, and full moon. If you wish to see extra or learn our over-analysis of what it means, see Is Walt Disney World’s Up to date Christmas Fort Teasing Followers or Telling Us to Dream Vivid?
Actually, I don’t suppose this implies something. The genesis of the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights gingerbread show was most likely the culinary group remembering the true model, eager to pay tribute, and nobody stopping them. It’s attainable that Imagineering or Walt Disney World administration coordinated this as a check to gauge curiosity or to tease the return of the Dream Lights, however I doubt it. This was most likely only a good tribute, and if the Dream Lights do return, it’ll be for completely unrelated causes.
For my part, probably the most believable path to a return of the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights is strain from Epic Universe. On prime of that, Magic Kingdom goes to be a partial building zone for the following few years, so administration might really feel the necessity to do no matter attainable to offset that with enhancements. Therefore Disney Starlight Night time Parade…and perhaps, hopefully this Christmas show. Walt Disney World most likely doesn’t wish to lose Magic Kingdom’s crown because the world’s #1 theme park by way of attendance.
This opens the door for the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights to return for Christmas 2025.
With the most recent replace out of the best way, let’s circle again and canopy why the Dream Lights disappeared within the first place. When Walt Disney World started its phased reopening within the second half of 2020, quite a bit was lacking for that first vacation season. Whereas disappointing, it was additionally comprehensible–capability was capped at a low stage and issues had been a good distance from regular.
In explaining the choice to droop sure choices for the 12 months, resembling Candlelight Processional and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion, Walt Disney World indicated that “vacation experiences that draw huge crowds can be on hiatus this 12 months.” Though circuitously said, this was as a consequence of bodily distancing.
Colossal crowds congregated for “A Frozen Vacation Want,” which options Anna, Elsa, and different characters in a present on the Fort Forecourt Stage. That twice-nightly present ended with Elsa utilizing her unimaginable powers to current a present to everybody within the kingdom, remodeling Cinderella Fort right into a glistening ice palace for the vacations.
It wasn’t simply that. All through the night, the hub or Central Plaza in entrance of Cinderella Fort was usually filled with individuals taking photographs. And for good motive, because the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights had been nothing wanting gorgeous. The Dream Lights themselves had important crowd-drawing energy, so the reason proffered by Walt Disney World in 2020 handed the odor check.
Even past that, it was pretty apparent the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights wouldn’t occur for different causes. In a standard 12 months, the notorious/iconic crane would seem in late August or early September to start set up of the bodily lights on the fortress. Nevertheless, most building tasks had been paused at that time and Disney probably didn’t have the employees to even put up the lights.
Talking of the crane, it persists as an excuse for not placing up the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights. That too many friends complained about it ruining their photographs, so the lights had been reduce. That first half is definitely true–many friends did complain in regards to the crane ruining photographs.
That’s exactly why Walt Disney World began reducing it in the course of the morning hours and never doing set up work till afternoon in 2018-2019. The crane was then lowered once more within the night. In order that concern was addressed earlier than 2020, anyway. It was a non-factor within the choice to cancel the Dream Lights.
Lastly, there have been cost-cutting or ‘fiscal austerity measures’ in place because of the attendance caps and different constraints that had been inflicting the parks division to hemorrhage cash. Whereas it’s (probably) true that the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights recoup their prices in PhotoPass and different gross sales in a standard 12 months, that was most undoubtedly not the calculus again in 2020.
Since then, the fiftieth Anniversary began (and ended) bringing decorations with it to Cinderella Fort that, a minimum of in principle, precluded the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights. From a extra sensible–and doubtless significant–perspective, there was additionally pent-up demand and revenge journey, that means Walt Disney World didn’t should do practically as a lot to entice individuals to go to.
The parks had been in a position to reduce corners and cut back choices, whereas additionally elevating costs–and other people stored coming. Now that revenge journey has burned out, the circumstances are very completely different.
With that mentioned, Disney has loads of different “levers” to drag to entice demand. And we’ve heard second-hand rumblings that Walt Disney World prefers the projections, discovering them to be extra economical and environment friendly since there are not any set up prices.
Conversely, the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights supposedly had important drawing energy. Through the years, there have been anecdotes about bookings, PhotoPass gross sales, and many others. that supported the notion that the Dream Lights paid for themselves.
Maybe that’s nonetheless the prevailing sentiment, and so they’ll be again. Or perhaps Disney feels the projections are “performing” effectively sufficient. In our view from the surface trying in, it definitely looks like the choice might go both manner.
Given the passage of time, it’s additionally most likely probably that Walt Disney World must utterly change the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights. We’ve additionally heard that the previous lights have been discarded as a result of they had been now not in usable situation after sitting in storage for thus lengthy. This additionally tracks.
We’ve heard comparable tales about quite a bit of issues at Walt Disney World and Disneyland having to get replaced as a consequence of non-use, improper storage, and many others. Fortunately, it’s not like these lights are some sort of proprietary know-how that might be expensive to interchange. This isn’t like a elaborate Audio Animatronic or one thing. You’ve gotten entry to this tech when you stay throughout the neighborhood of a Dwelling Depot.
If there’s a will, there’s a strategy to convey again the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights. The difficulty is the previous, not the latter.
Actually, the purpose of this publish is to not supply a prediction…however to “increase consciousness” in regards to the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights and their unsure future. Relating to any such factor, it’s higher to supply suggestions earlier than a definitive choice to retire an providing has been made. If Walt Disney World declares particulars of the Christmas 2025 slate and the Dream Lights are absent, it’ll already be too late for outrage, petitions, or visitor suggestions.
My hope is that it doesn’t come to that. Within the final ~15 years, Walt Disney World has already misplaced a lot that made the vacation season particular. Gone is the Nation Bear Christmas attraction overlay. Ditto the Lights of Winter at EPCOT. Don’t get us began on the Osborne Household Spectacle of Dancing Lights.
That is to say nothing of the various seasonal reveals, parade overlays, shows, tree lightings, and extra which have quietly pale away through the years. Our hope is that the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights don’t equally make the record of beloved-but-extinct Christmas choices at Walt Disney World.
One factor we at all times advocate doing is respectfully expressing your disappointment and explaining how the corporate’s choices and practices will affect your holidays and future enterprise (or lack thereof) with Walt Disney World by emailing [email protected].
In the event you go to this vacation season and are disillusioned by the dearth of Cinderella Fort Dream Lights, deal with it when collaborating in visitor satisfaction surveys, convey it up when you communicate with managers or others in park management, and even proactively contact Visitor Relations to politely allow them to know the way you’re feeling.
“Respectfully” and “politely” are the operative phrases right here for a motive. Whereas an irate rant would possibly make you really feel higher, it’s not the path to take in case your purpose is effectuating change. We’ve seen and heard manner too many friends supply snide or sarcastic suggestions; venting could be cathartic, however that’s about it. “You catch extra flies with honey than with vinegar” is a cliche, however it’s additionally one {that a} disturbing variety of adults don’t appear to understand.
Given the entire destructive modifications and visitor unfriendly insurance policies that Walt Disney World has enacted within the final couple of years, it’d appear to be the corporate now not cares about visitor satisfaction and suggestions. It’s most likely true that there are some on the highest ranges of management who don’t, or focus extra on goal KPIs, however there most definitely are leaders on the bottom in Florida who care. In lots of circumstances, it’s merely a matter of them having the ability to present “help” when preventing for issues, budgets, and many others.
For individuals who have by no means had an opportunity to see the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights, they’re nothing wanting spectacular. A few of you cynics would possibly suppose such a bodily mild show is quaint or antiquated, surpassed by the convenience and suppleness of projections. That these of us who miss the Dream Lights are merely clouded by nostalgia and sentimentality, ignoring the daytime visible blight, set up, and ease of the bodily icicle lights.
I wholeheartedly disagree. No projections can match the greater than 200,000 tiny white lights that illuminate Cinderella Fort and rework it right into a veritable ice palace. On paper and even in photographs, it might sound easy and commonplace. In individual, the show was something however that.
The Dream Lights would cease you in your tracks, with the resplendent bodily show being an absolute jaw-dropper. Phrases, photographs, and video completely can not do it justice. I’m not usually one for the flowery language in Disney’s press releases, however even the corporate’s advertising groups undersold the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights. No matter reward you’ve heard in regards to the Dream Lights, it’s true. All of it.
Talking of which, since nobody leverages lofty language fairly like Walt Disney World, right here’s how the corporate described the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights after they first launched again in 2007:
As if immediately dusted in one million ice crystals, Cinderella Fort shines just like the galaxies, including to the wintertime wonderment of the vacations at Florida’s Trip Kingdom. And what a spectacle.
“We’re thrilled to be including this sensible new fortress spectacle to the vacation festivities at Walt Disney World this season and for seasons to return,” mentioned Francois Leroux, vp of Walt Disney World Leisure. “This glistening vacation enchantment creates good fairytale magic for this festive time of 12 months.”
“For a park aglow in vacation magic, this turns into the brand new and eye-filling famous person,” added Disney Leisure present producer Rob Hamberg who supervised the weeks-long rigging of the turrets and towers for the sunshine present. “Nothing will rival ‘Cinderella’s Vacation Want’ for sheer visible spectacle.”
With a wave of Fairy Godmother’s wand — and friends becoming a member of in to make the want come true — Cinderella Fort magically morphs into an excellent wintry confection, twinkling within the sky. “The fortress immediately shines like a glistening blanket of ice,” defined Disney present author/director Alan Bruun. “Visitors received’t consider their eyes on the spectacle as Cinderella’s vacation want comes true.”
In the end, the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights had been one thing particular–actually a magical sight to behold, and that’s not a time period we use frivolously. Seeing the lighting ceremony and the transformation to a bona-fide icicle fortress at nightfall was mesmerizing. Turning the nook when coming into the park and seeing Cinderella Fort aglow in 200,000+ glistening lights took your breath away.
The Dream Lights had been actually wow-inducing, and the projections can not maintain a candle to that. Walt Disney World ought to do the fitting factor, ship an expertise that exceeds expectations, and convey again the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights for Christmas 2025.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider the vacation particular projection results at Magic Kingdom? Want these to the Cinderella Fort Dream Lights, or hope these return for Christmas 2025? Planning on voicing your ideas in regards to the Dream Lights–or the rest–to Visitor Relations? Do you propose on visiting Walt Disney World this vacation season, or are you sitting this 12 months out? Any questions we might help you reply? Listening to your suggestions is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
