Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #2 (Closed)

[BELLEDOZER]

First off I'd like to thank Sherry for all your great pics, and am glad that you had a wonderful time on your trip. I appreciate all the info that you've given regarding Christmas in DL, and it's made planning my future trip so much easier, knowing what to expect. I plan to go sometime in Nov/13, but have to wait till DH locks in his vacation dates before I can start booking hotel/air, starting in Jan. Will post my dates once I've got them locked down. Have a great day!!

[JediMasterNerd]

Originally Posted by tinkermell

I was looking for menus for the parks and resorts for Christmas Eve and Day.
...
Not even sure, if I could get ressies anywhere for dinner? Was hoping for Napa, or Steakhouse on Christmas Eve.

Hi tinkermell,

I posted what info I gleaned from a call to the dining folks in this thread (http://www.disboards.com/showthread....6#post46547816)... It's not complete though, does not include Napa Rose...

And yesterday I posted this... Hopefully this will work and hasn't been filled:

Originally Posted by JediMasterNerd

...
If anyone is going on Christmas Eve and you didn't get reservations for a restaurant I'm going to be releasing a couple of reservations now that we have our plans finalized - I'm cancelling these so that should free them up for someone to take - they were for a party of 7:
Wine Country Trattoria - 6:50pm
Steakhouse 55 - 8pm

Good luck!

J.

[kswm30b]

Originally Posted by Bunchkin

Can anyone tell me if DL has gotten any better with character interaction, as in are they making people line up to meet characters OR is it the normal (pain in the butt) large crowd of people just walking up and taking pictures when you're already next to a character doing the same thing? Past trips this has happened to us soooo many times. We've even asked the handler why they don't do the same as WDW and make a line. Seems like a simple idea to follow.

Both. My fav thing to do is meet characters, and I had a love/hate relationship with how they do characters. There are ones with lines, then there are ones that just randomly walk around, with no handlers. I saw Bert walking around DL this trip more than the 16 times I've been to wdw combined. sometimes he was with Mary, sometimes with Penguin. Another time I saw Peter Pan just hanging out near pixie hollow, no one realized he was there until I walked up, then there was a mob. It was the one time I was alone, so I had to beg the person behind me to take a pic with my camera for me. the jingle jangle thing was mostly just people mobbing Mickey, or trying to catch up to Pluto to snap a picture. It was also frustrating that the character wouldn't come out at the same place all the time (for example, the caharcters on BVS have 4 or 5 places they'll meet, but if you're waiting for a certain character, you have to either guess right, or see when they come out, and follow them around until they get to their spot. I'm used to just waiting in one spot & they'll come back out.) Most of the time, though, I found the interaction better than at wdw.

[focusondisney]

Originally Posted by Sherry E

focusondisney -

Thank you! I was so glad I decided to make the effort to try to see the CP. I almost skipped it because I had visions of standing around for hours just to barely be able to see anything, which didn't sound appealing. I had no idea how easy it would be to get a seat!

Did I read correctly before in that you said that you enjoyed the Disneyland CP better than the one at WDW (or at least some things about it)? Never having seen the WDW version of the CP I cannot compare, of course, but this one at DL seemed very special!

Yes, you read right! The CP at WDW is beautiful, of course. But the sheer number of people involved in CP at DL was what really impressed me. There seemed to be maybe 3 times the number of singers. I couldn't believe how they kept coming & coming into the square. And sitting in the open, in the dark, watching by candlelight, was mesmerizing.

I will say, the trumpeters are more noticable at WDW, they're right there on the side of the arena, so they are very impressive at WDW. It was hard to see them from our mid-way back & to-the-side seats.

[Sherry E]

I still need to read/reply to some of the last few posts that came in and I will have to do that a bit later, but I quickly wanted to pop in and post a "sneak preview" of some of the photos I took in my TR (just a general overview). So then I decided to just copy and paste them here in this thread as well!

Some of the pictures below don't appear to be very Christmas-y, and I'm not sure how the size of my IASWH, Tomorrowland and Winter Castle photos managed to change (because I did not deliberately change the sizes, but somehow they are narrower than the others), but oh well...

Anyway, here is the 'Sherry's December 2012 DLR trip' sneak preview:

I never get tired of my favorite hotel tree - the glorious, blue-green, glowing tree at the Paradise Pier Hotel. It warms my heart and puts a smile on my face...







This year's gingerbread masterpiece at Storytellers Cafe - which did not smell anywhere near as fresh and wonderful as it did in 2011...







Part of this year's gingerbread house at White Water Snacks...








A slightly different perspective of Buena Vista Street...










The view from my Paradise Pier Hotel room, on two different days...









Some of the vibrant flowers in front of the Candlelight Processional stage...






Peppermint ice cream in a chocolate/red & green sprinkle-covered cone, from Gibson Girl Ice Cream ...







I love how each mask in New Orleans Square seems to have its own personality!










This photo just screams "Christmas time," doesn't it? Lol....








This one is called "Sherry is experimenting with the sepia setting on her camera..."







Adventureland fun...










A collection of 'peaks'...






Just horsin' around...






Toon Town fun...





Tomorrowland fun...






It's a Small World Holiday fun...






I was trying to aim upward because there were a lot of people's heads in the way...







A slightly different perspective of Haunted Mansion Holiday...







And this one is called "Sherry is experimenting with the B&W feature on her camera"...

[BELLEDOZER]

Love the pics Sherry!! I'm curious about something, and was wondering your thoughts on something. With the CP moving to the Hyperion Theatre in 2013, what are your thoughts on DL having a similar event that WDW has, the MVMCP?? Just curious to your thoughts regarding this. More curious than anything else.

[figment_jii]

I just got back from Disneyland! I was surprised that the Christmas parade under went a few changes since November.
1. Mickey and Minnie are no longer skating (they're in red and green sweater outfits now).
2. Belle and the Beast are now walking the parade route instead of riding on the back of a float in the Princess & Prince section of the parade.
3. No more seven dwarves! They've been replaced with holiday dancers.
I almost didn't watch the parade this trip thinking it would be the same, but there have been some subtle tweaks. I wonder if it's the difference between being a night parade in November and a daytime parade now.

Having seen all the effort that goes into CP, I can see where there might be thoughts of moving it indoors to a venue that won't get rained out. It was very pretty to look at, but it does impact a lot of things, so I can see where they might want to put it somewhere else. Here are a few things that I saw that were closed due to CP:
1. The railroad stops at 4:00 pm
2. Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (I don't know when it stopped)
3. The hat and art shop shop on start of Main Street
4. Jungle Cruise (stops at 5:00 and restarts at 9:00 pm)
5. Can't walk down the middle of Main Street from before the first show to after the second show.

The merchandise was available all day at the Emporium and in the front shop on Main Street (I can't remember the name, but it's attached to the Magic Shop). It was also at the World of Disney.

[A Small World]

Originally Posted by figment_jii

I just got back from Disneyland! I was surprised that the Christmas parade under went a few changes since November.
1. Mickey and Minnie are no longer skating (they're in red and green sweater outfits now).
2. Belle and the Beast are now walking the parade route instead of riding on the back of a float in the Princess & Prince section of the parade.
3. No more seven dwarves! They've been replaced with holiday dancers.
I almost didn't watch the parade this trip thinking it would be the same, but there have been some subtle tweaks. I wonder if it's the difference between being a night parade in November and a daytime parade now.

Having seen all the effort that goes into CP, I can see where there might be thoughts of moving it indoors to a venue that won't get rained out. It was very pretty to look at, but it does impact a lot of things, so I can see where they might want to put it somewhere else. Here are a few things that I saw that were closed due to CP:
1. The railroad stops at 4:00 pm
2. Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (I don't know when it stopped)
3. The hat and art shop shop on start of Main Street
4. Jungle Cruise (stops at 5:00 and restarts at 9:00 pm)
5. Can't walk down the middle of Main Street from before the first show to after the second show.

The merchandise was available all day at the Emporium and in the front shop on Main Street (I can't remember the name, but it's attached to the Magic Shop). It was also at the World of Disney.

We got home last Tuesday after spending 9 days there and Mickey and Minnie were skating in the parade.
The 7 dwarves were also in the parade although the 2nd time we watched it (Saturday 8th I think) one of the dwarves was led off to one side part way through so they continued with just 6 - not sure what had happened but this is possibly why they arent there now.

I agree with what you said about the CP disrupting a lot of things although we hadnt noticed that Jungle Cruise stopped - I dont know why this would affect CP

[figment_jii]

Originally Posted by A Small World

We got home last Tuesday after spending 9 days there and Mickey and Minnie were skating in the parade.
The 7 dwarves were also in the parade although the 2nd time we watched it (Saturday 8th I think) one of the dwarves was led off to one side part way through so they continued with just 6 - not sure what had happened but this is possibly why they arent there now.

Interesting. I couldn't think of a good reason for Mickey & Minnie to not be skating or for the Dwarves to be missing. I was guessing Belle and Beast could walk because it's a day time parade now and the Beast's limited vision might make walking the route dangerous at night. The weather was pretty good on Saturday, so I don't think that would have changed Mickey & Minnie. Mystery!

Originally Posted by A Small World

I agree with what you said about the CP disrupting a lot of things although we hadnt noticed that Jungle Cruise stopped - I dont know why this would affect CP

I only noticed this one because I was going to ride Jungle Cruise and there was a sign up saying it was closed. I think it's because you can sometimes hear the Jungle Cruise's sound effects (e.g., guns) going off on Main Street and they didn't want those disrupting CP.

[kswm30b]

Originally Posted by figment_jii

I just got back from Disneyland! I was surprised that the Christmas parade under went a few changes since November.
1. Mickey and Minnie are no longer skating (they're in red and green sweater outfits now).
2. Belle and the Beast are now walking the parade route instead of riding on the back of a float in the Princess & Prince section of the parade.
3. No more seven dwarves! They've been replaced with holiday dancers.
I almost didn't watch the parade this trip thinking it would be the same, but there have been some subtle tweaks. I wonder if it's the difference between being a night parade in November and a daytime parade now.

I know it's already been posted that Mickey & Minnie were skating and the dwarves were out t other parades (I saw them.) but with the princess float, I noticed snow/prince, belle/beast & aurora/Phillip would switch places between walking behind the float & being on it a they walked along the route

[figment_jii]

Originally Posted by kswm30b

I know it's already been posted that Mickey & Minnie were skating and the dwarves were out t other parades (I saw them.) but with the princess float, I noticed snow/prince, belle/beast & aurora/Phillip would switch places between walking behind the float & being on it a they walked along the route

There was also Ariel and Eric. I didn't see Belle/Beast get up on the float last Saturday, but it's possible. It was just that in November, Belle/Beast were on the back of the float (on the steps) and did not get on/off at all (at least not either of times I saw the parade). I was just surprised at the changes since November, but it sounds like not all of the differences "permanent" changes.

[Escape2Disney]

We just got back as well. I'm posting pictures in my trip report:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3033576

The first day and a half are in LA...the rest at Disneyland.

[Sherry E]

Do we know for sure that the Jungle Cruise was closed because of the CP? Was this information confirmed anywhere? To me it doesn't seem like there would be any direct connection between the two, but there may be some behind-the-scenes reason for it. I just don't want to get on a 'blame the CP for everything' bandwagon (like the 'blame the locals' and 'blame the AP holders' bandwagons) unless we know for sure.

Honestly, yes, there were crowds on Main Street on my CP nights - but a lot of them were due to the parade as well, at first. It was slightly more inconvenient, but compared to the crowds on New Year's Eve and some crowds I've seen in Adventureland in the past, I didn't think it was nearly as bad as I expected. On weekends it could be worse, of course - I was there on weeknights. And if the narrator is a big draw, that must have an effect too.

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

Originally Posted by Sherry E

Do we know for sure that the Jungle Cruise was closed because of the CP? Was this information confirmed anywhere?

[mellers]

We just returned yesterday from Disneyland and San Francisco--we had a very nice time. It was kind of a complicated--we had a large (37 person) graduation party for my daughter in San Francisco, since she graduated high school in November. We live in Seattle, so a trip to Disneyland followed by a party in our old city planned remotely was kind of

We stayed at the Del Sol Inn, which was not fancy, but was clean, quiet and had some nice amenities. We loved the fresh baked cookies, and the nice pool deck. We ate lunch there--it was lovely and quiet. We also liked the fridge and microwave, and, of course, the proximity to the park. The disabled-accessible room was quite good; although it wouldn't be suitable for someone who was totally mobility impaired. For the price, it was a terrific deal.

Everything at the Disneyland Resort went beautifully. We rode the Radiator Springs Racers twice during our 5-day trip to Disneyland, and we kicked it off the night before our friend's ticket was valid with a trip to Goofy's Kitchen, and we hit the Surf's Up! Breakfast the morning before we headed off to San Francisco.

Overall, I have to agree with some other posters--while we had great interactions with the characters we saw at Goofy's Kitchen, it lacked something without the games and dancing for the children. Surf's Up! on the other hand, was great. In the middle of the week, we also hit the last seating at Storyteller's Cafe, and that was great too. Meeko came over and did a little dance with the graduate. We got a lot of time with both Meeko at Storyteller's and Stitch at the PCH.

I was amazed--somebody remembered our family from last Christmas, when my husband brought out his origami spaceships. They still remember the "Spaceship Guy," even a year later.

My daughter (16) loved decorating cookies as much as the little kids did--I stopped being able to do it a few years ago, and she admitted that she missed it. We really enjoyed the little show at the BBQ, and the Christmas makeover.

We also really liked seeing Santa in the department store in California Adventure, and the 3-D Prep & Landing show. We were really glad to see what a makeover both parks received for the holiday. Everybody in our party (16-55) had a great time.

Our friend (55), traveling with us, blew one of the dwarves a kiss during the Christmas Parade, and he made a "call me" sign with his hands, which left all of us in stitches.

The worst part of our whole trip was heading to San Francisco on United through SNA. We were traveling with two mobility scooters, and the front agent decided to consult with the hazmat team with regards to our sealed, tippable, FAA-certified mobility scooter battery--I have been traveling with a mobility scooter for many years (although always with Alaska), and have never had such a miserable check-in. It took us more than an hour to get checked in and through security. By the time we got through, we were all in a bad mood and very tired. We got some food from Ruby's Diner (which we miss, since it pulled out of WA), and started to feel more human. We boarded just fine, and got off the airplane--no scooters.

It turned out they had taken them to baggage claim, and it took 20 minutes to bring out scooters back to us. Then I called our hotel, and after being assured that the airport shuttle was "fully wheelchair accessible", found that it wasn't, and sent the rest of my family ahead. After waiting half an hour for the shuttle that was to be there in 15 minutes, it took the driver several tries to load my scooter, and he clearly did not know how to operate the lift, much less safely. After another 5 tries to unload me, I rolled into the hotel lobby, rolled up to the lift and saw a sign "Contact Front Desk for assistance". The front desk was up five steps and back from the lift.

After all of this, I had had it, and, with less grace than I should have displayed, I yelled "FRONT DESK!!!! I NEED ASSISTANCE!!!!", since that was the only way I would be able to do it. After that, things went better with the hotel (and slightly better with the shuttle).

The time at Disneyland and the party went off without a hitch, and they were the important things. Now we're waiting for an Early Action envelope to come from one of the colleges to which my daughter applied.

Hope everyone has a great Christmas, and for all those yet to start their trips, have a great time!