Disney World Moves Santa Meet-and-Greet to App-Only Virtual Queue
The shift forces day-of planning because walk-up access is removed in favor of timed app enrollments.
Overview
- Disney confirmed that beginning November 11, 2026 the Santa meet-and-greet at Santa’s Marketplace in Disney Springs will run through December 24 and require joining a virtual queue in the My Disney Experience app.
- Guests have five daily enrollment windows at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., and 5:00 p.m., and Disney will not offer a traditional standby line for late arrivals.
- The person joining the queue must be physically present at Disney Springs, can register up to 10 people, and will receive a push notification with a digital entry code retrievable in the app.
- The seasonal experience includes fresh milk and cookies hosted by Dairy Does More and sits alongside other Disney Springs holiday offerings such as letter-writing at Once Upon a Toy and the Christmas Tree Stroll running November 11 to January 3, 2027.
- Disney has used virtual queues for busy seasonal Santa meets since at least 2021, so families should update the My Disney Experience app, enable notifications, and plan arrival times because spots are limited and not guaranteed.