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Echo Lake Has Water Again at Hollywood Studios, and Santa Gertie's Ornament Has Switched From Gold to Red
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Echo Lake Has Water Again at Hollywood Studios, and Santa Gertie's Ornament Has Switched From Gold to Red

Michael Travels
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Published

In August, Disney drained Echo Lake almost to bare concrete and explained it only with a refurbishment sign on the fence. Now the water is back, and the work is finished.

"Work on Echo Lake at Disney's Hollywood Studios is finished, and water is back in the lake," WDWMagic reported on Wednesday, November 4. The scaffolding is gone, the fountain is running again, and by Thursday Gertie the Dinosaur was dressed for Christmas.

Echo Lake at Disney's Hollywood Studios refilled with clear water, with big red, gold, green and blue Christmas ornaments floating on it, Gertie the Dinosaur on the left shore and the white and red S.S. Down the Hatch with its fountain on the right
Echo Lake refilled, with Gertie on one shore, the S.S. Down the Hatch on the other and holiday ornaments floating between them. Photo: WDWMAGIC

So what was the refurbishment for?

When we covered the drained lake on August 17, the only official word was an in-universe placard reading "ECHO LAKE IS BEING REFURBISHED FOR YOUR FUTURE ENJOYMENT." It did not say what was being refurbished.

Disney still has not said, but WDWMagic's photo reports filled in the picture over the fall. On August 18, a day after our story, WDWMagic showed scaffolding wrapped around the S.S. Down the Hatch, the ship that is home to Dockside Diner, and reported that the job was focused there. By mid-October the scaffolding was down, and WDWMagic reported a freshly painted hull, a repainted Gertie and a newly coated lake bed. Its November 4 report confirms all of it is finished.

The S.S. Down the Hatch, a white ship with a red hull, red and white smokestack and a line of signal flags, sitting behind a planted island on the refilled Echo Lake, with purple, red, gold, blue and green ornaments floating on the water
The S.S. Down the Hatch, home of Dockside Diner, with water around it again. Photo: WDWMAGIC

Gertie's ornament changed color

The holiday version of Gertie, home of Dinosaur Gertie's Ice Cream of Extinction, is back in her Santa hat with an ornament hanging from her mouth. There is one change fans will notice. Per WDW News Today, "For the past few years, the ornament has been gold, but it's now red."

WDWNT also notes that in 2021, Gertie wore a gold bow and her ornament carried the Walt Disney World 50th anniversary logo.

Close-up of the green Gertie the Dinosaur head and neck against a blue sky, wearing a red Santa hat with white trim, with a shiny red ornament dangling from her mouth on a strand of greenery
Santa Gertie, with this year's red ornament. Photo: WDW News Today

The tree is up, and the ornaments are floating

WDWMagic reports oversized floating ornaments in red, gold, green, blue and purple spread across the lake. The giant Echo Lake Christmas tree now stands on an island near the center of the lake, held up by ropes that run to nearby buildings, according to WDWNT. It is wrapped in golden garland, hung with Santa faces and candy canes, and topped with a 3D star.

The tall Echo Lake Christmas tree on its planted island, wrapped in gold garland with Santa face and candy cane ornaments and a silver star on top, with a pile of giant red, gold, green and blue ornaments at its base and the Hyperion Theater and the ship in the background
The Echo Lake Christmas tree, with a stack of oversized ornaments on the island beside it. Photo: WDW News Today

WDWNT also spotted the lakeside lampposts dressed in silver garland and red, green and gold ornaments, three deer statues in a flowerbed by 50's Prime Time Cafe, and a group of Christmas poodle figures by Hollywood & Vine.

One small caveat

WDWMagic called the work finished on Wednesday. WDWNT, posting on Thursday, said it "looks like Echo Lake isn't quite done being refilled." Either way the lake is wet again, and the holiday look is in place in time for Disney Jollywood Nights, which starts Saturday, November 7.

Which do you prefer on Gertie, the gold ornament or the new red one?

Sources

Image credits: Refilled lake and S.S. Down the Hatch photos by WDWMAGIC. Santa Gertie and Christmas tree photos by WDW News Today.

Mentioned in this story

Check out our guides for more on each place in this story:

Hollywood Studios Dockside Diner Dinosaur Gertie's Ice Cream of Extinction 50's Prime Time Cafe Hollywood & Vine Disney Jollywood Nights

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