Christmas Update from 2013:
The ski chalet that's usually installed in the American Adventure was placed in the Boardwalk Resort, which did not have its own display for the first time in years. The smaller gingerbread houses that were spread throughout the other Deluxe resorts weren't made for 2013, either. The Grand Floridian, Beach Club, and Contemporary kept their displays.
The poinsettia trees that once graced all of Epcot as well as the International Gateway entrance were cut in 2012 to just the main and back entrances, and in 2013 to only the main entrance.
MVMCP capacity was raised in 2013 to proportionally match the "new" capacity of the MK, which is now internally considered to be about 95K, nearly 20K more than last year. They credit FLE for the new space since one C-ticket dark ride and a restaurant are supposed to handle 20,000 additional bodies. By the way, the MK starts to feel busy when it hits 45K.
Nearly the only way to secure a seat for the Candlelight Processional was to purchase a dining package.
The Studios did not install most of its garlands, which were sold off in Property Control earlier in 2013 for about $4 apiece. Also, the film strip at the Studios Christmas tree base once had stills from the animated short "Pluto's Christmas Tree," but those were replaced with random clip art of generic toys.
Animal Kingdom kept nearly all its prior decorations.
The Jingle Cruise lost most of its holiday script by mid-December, with many skippers tossing in an occasional joke instead of following the proper WDI script used in DL.
I'm sorry for sounding gloomy; that's simply a list of what happened last year. If you want good news, you can rejoice that the delicious gingerbread cupcakes returned to quick service food locations, although you may have noticed that the cupcakes, like all other portions, were smaller in 2013.
