Credit: DisneyIn a move that’s already stirring conversation among Walt Disney World fans, a long-running holiday tradition in Disney’s Animal Kingdom is coming to an end. This year marks the final season guests will be able to meet Santa Claus in Dinoland, U.S.A., as Disney confirms that the beloved character greeting will only continue “one last time.”
According to the announcement, “Disney confirms Santa Claus will greet guests on the patio of Restaurantosaurus in Dinoland, USA from Nov. 14 through Dec 24.” After December 24, however, Santa’s presence — and the Christmas offering tied to it — will be removed from the park altogether.
The change is significant for holiday fans and longtime visitors of Animal Kingdom, as Santa’s greeting in Dinoland has been one of the few Christmas-specific experiences in a park that historically leans lighter on seasonal offerings than Magic Kingdom or EPCOT. With Disney already reimagining Dinoland into a new land inspired by the Tropical Americas, this removal signals a deeper shift in the park’s entertainment identity and holiday footprint.
Disney Removes a Christmas Experience From Animal Kingdom
For years, the sight of Santa parked under a dinosaur skeleton or waving to families on the patio of Restaurantosaurus has been one of the most unusual and delightful holiday surprises at Walt Disney World. The juxtaposition—a classic Christmas icon set in a land themed to paleontology and vintage roadside Americana—gave Animal Kingdom a seasonal flavor all its own.
Now, with Disney confirming Santa’s final season in the land, fans are grappling with the reality that one of the park’s few Christmas-specific attractions is officially on its way out.
The announcement that Santa would return “one last time” immediately raised eyebrows among guests who follow the park’s ongoing transformation. Dinoland is currently undergoing phased closures as Disney prepares to retheme the land entirely. Given the project’s scale and timeline, many assumed Santa’s removal was inevitable, but hearing official confirmation has still landed as the symbolic end of an era.
One last time. Disney confirms Santa Claus will greet guests on the patio of Restaurantosaurus in Dinoland, USA from Nov. 14 through Dec 24. pic.twitter.com/lRALID62hA
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) November 5, 2025
What Made the Dinoland Santa Experience So Special
While Santa appears at multiple locations across Walt Disney World during the holidays, the Dinoland greeting has always been one of the most unique. Families could approach him with little of the long-line stress often found at Magic Kingdom or Disney Springs, and the setting added a quirky, almost storybook-like charm. Surrounded by whimsical dinosaur décor, vintage signs, and the playful energy of Restaurantosaurus, Santa’s presence made the land feel unexpectedly festive.
For holiday-loving guests, it was also one of the few places in Animal Kingdom where you could reliably count on a classic Christmas moment. While other parks feature Christmas parades, concert series, projection shows, and re-themed attractions, Animal Kingdom’s holiday offerings have historically centered on atmospheric details, puppetry, and Tree of Life awakenings.
Santa, standing outside Restaurantosaurus with the North Pole flair of his costume cutting through the rugged textures of Dinoland, helped fill that gap.
A Sign of Larger Changes Coming
With Santa’s exit, the writing is clearly on the wall for the rest of Dinoland’s remaining experiences. The park has been phasing out attractions and entertainment in the land for years. Primeval Whirl closed. The Boneyard has seen reduced hours. Games and shops operate in limited form. Even Donald’s Dino-Bash, once the land’s major character celebration, has faded substantially from its original presence.
Now, the removal of the holiday greeting—the final, formal Christmas experience in the land—serves as a quiet but definite indicator that Disney is preparing for the next stage of transformation.
In this way, the Santa Claus farewell isn’t just a holiday story. It’s a turning point in the evolution of an entire section of the park.
The Emotional Impact on Fans
Reactions online reflect a mixture of nostalgia, disappointment, and understanding. While many guests loved the charm of Santa’s Animal Kingdom appearance, others acknowledge that the land’s outdated carnival aesthetic was overdue for a refresh.
Still, even guests who didn’t consider the greeting a must-do are surprised at how symbolic its removal feels. For holiday traditionalists, this means one fewer Christmas moment at a resort prized for its seasonal offerings. For theme park historians, it marks the end of one of the Walt Disney World Resort’s oddest and most endearing mashups—Santa Claus in a dinosaur-themed land.
Even families who stumble upon Santa year after year without planning it have expressed sadness. For them, this tradition wasn’t about spectacle; it was about the quiet joy of encountering Santa in a calm, approachable setting.
What Will Replace the Experience?
Disney has not yet announced any new holiday offerings for Animal Kingdom in place of the Santa greeting. With Dinoland set to transform into a Tropical Americas-themed land with Indiana Jones and Encanto influences, it’s unclear whether that future space will feature Christmas-specific programming.
Historically, Animal Kingdom has taken a more earthy, cultural approach to holidays, and it’s possible future Christmas offerings will align with that philosophy rather than reintroducing a traditional Santa meet-and-greet.
Until then, guests are preparing for what could be their last chance to interact with Santa in this setting.
A Last Chance to Visit Santa in Dinoland
Disney confirms Santa Claus will greet guests from November 14 through December 24, aligning with the full resort-wide Christmas celebration season. For fans of holiday traditions, this window represents the final weeks to capture photos, share memories, and experience a truly one-of-a-kind character encounter before it disappears.
For some, that alone is reason enough to make a special trip to Animal Kingdom before Christmas Eve.
A Holiday Farewell
As Walt Disney World continues its long-term expansion and redevelopment, beloved offerings inevitably come and go. Yet few removals are quite as symbolic as saying goodbye to Santa Claus himself at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
For now, fans have one more season to celebrate him in Dinoland, U.S.A.—a place where Christmas magic, prehistory, and theme park whimsy somehow blended into one of the most charmingly strange holiday experiences in Disney history.
And when the last greeting ends on December 24, so too will one of the park’s most unexpected Christmas traditions.