We Met Santa Claus at the Odyssey Pavilion during the 2023 Festival of the Holidays. The time for fa-la-la-la-la is just around the corner! To celebrate, the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays presented by AdventHealth at Walt Disney World Resort brings the joyful season to life with magical traditions, jubilant entertainment, delicious dishes, and sparkling merchandise. Furthermore, for the young and young at heart, there is magic to be found at the Odyssey pavilion where you can meet Santa.
Bring the whole family for a classic, time-honored tradition—photos with Santa Claus!
Location: The Odyssey Pavilion
Show Times: 11:00 AM, 12:30 PM, 2:00 PM, 3:30 PM, 5:00 PM and 6:30 PM
Dates: Daily – November 24 through December 24, 2023
Related: Santa Claus has Returned to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the 2023 Holidays
Meeting Santa Claus at Walt Disney World Resort is a magical experience that brings joy and wonder to visitors of all ages. We were at the newly decorated Holiday Hearth Desserts at The Odyssey Pavilion and Santa Meet and Greet yesterday for the opening of the Festival of the Holidays 2023 and did not have to wait too long to see our favorite Jolly Ol Elf.
The whole of the pavilion is decorated with visions of Santa’s house, with snowflakes projected all throughout the building. On the walls, you can see Santa’s house with images of the ‘Twas the Night Before Xmas’ story words.
The queue is located in the seating area, where all the tables are decorated for those who need a place to sit and relax. When you enter the line to meet Santa, Disney + is handing out a small ornament gift from “The Santa Clauses” show which stars Tim Allen. This was a nice addition and a surprise for guests waiting in line.
We did not wait very long, the line was moving fast and there were not a lot of little kids in front of us. Santa made sure to spend time with every guest. He took the time to talk to each child and if they had a letter for Santa, he had a bag of “letters to Santa” located by his feet.
When it was our time Santa was in a great mood, dancing and laughing, and making sure we got valuable time with him. Not once did we feel rushed or like anyone just wanted to get to the next guest. I do not care what age you are, but when you sit down and talk with Santa, even if he is Santa’s helper or however you want to explain 5 Santas around the Disney World Resort, you become a child instantly. Meeting Santa is special!
We have met Santa at Disney Springs, Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and now Epcot during the Festival of the Holidays, plus we have seen Santa on his Flotilla floating down Discovery River at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
There are Disney Photopass photographers on hand to capture the magic moment of meeting Santa Claus, and once again they did a spectacular job with the images.
