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

[ociana]

Originally Posted by JediMasterNerd

I decided I wanted more information in regards to the Christmas Eve/Day dining options and called back and did a slightly better job at jotting some notes down... Regular menu items are available plus the following (other places have other items, I didn't talk about all of them)...

Carthay Circle Restaurant
3 course meal - $70

1. Starting with Spinach and Goat Cheese Tarts and baby artichokes
2. Entrees either

   • Mediterranean black mussels, scallops, snow crab claws in a roasted tomato broth (Cioppino)
   • Prime Rib of free range veal, ragout of coastal mushrooms, smoked bacon, pearl onions, fingerling potatoes

3. chocolate crunch mouse with raspberry port sauce.

Wine Country Trattoria
Pistachio crusted Colorado Lamb Chop, Potato Leak Puree, sautéed veggies - $29.99

Blue Bayou
Horse radish crusted prime rib, truffle infused Yorkshire pudding, blue bayou potatoes and seasonal vegetables - $39.99

Steakhouse 55
3-course meal, $50
Entree: Grilled herbed marinated quail, mixed green salad, bacon wrapped something or other (didn’t get/hear all of the details)


Hopefully this helps someone...

J.

Thank you, that is VERY helpful! My hubby did our reservation for Carthay Circle this morning (Christmas Lunch) and he got no details about the menu. I booked Blue Bayou lunch on Christmas Eve yesterday and neglected to ask if there was a special menu item...mainly because I am salivating over the monte cristo that I will be eating.

[lurpee]

Originally Posted by ociana

Thank you, that is VERY helpful! My hubby did our reservation for Carthay Circle this morning (Christmas Lunch) and he got no details about the menu. I booked Blue Bayou lunch on Christmas Eve yesterday and neglected to ask if there was a special menu item...mainly because I am salivating over the monte cristo that I will be eating.

I booked Carthay Circle dinner Christmas and have decided to do BB for Christmas Eve dinner!

[JediMasterNerd]

Originally Posted by lurpee

I booked Carthay Circle dinner Christmas and have decided to do BB for Christmas Eve dinner!

Same with us! We'll be at CCR on Christmas at 4:50pm and at BB on Christmas Eve at 8pm... I was salivating talking to Disney Dining about their offerings!!

J.

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

Taken from the Disney Parks Blog :

We’ve got big news to share with you today regarding the expanded schedule for the 2012 Disneyland Candlelight Ceremony and Processional. As we first told you in August, Candlelight is being extended to a total of 20 nights at Disneyland park this year, for the first time in its history, with two performances each night. Below is the list of currently scheduled narrators for shows from December 1-20:

Dec. 1-2: Dennis Haysbert (actor)*
Dec. 3-5: Kurt Russell (actor and Disney Legend)
Dec. 6-8: TBA
Dec. 9-11: Lou Diamond Phillips (actor)
Dec. 12-13: Dick Van Dyke (actor and Disney Legend)
Dec. 14: Marcia Gay Harden (actress)
Dec. 15-16: Patricia Heaton (actress)
Dec. 17-19: Molly Ringwald (actress)
Dec. 20: Dennis Haysbert (actor)

Please note that narrators are subject to change without notice.

*December 1-2 performances are by invitation only, as they have been since 1958, when Walt Disney first held these private celebrations to thank partners in the community for their support throughout the year.

[lurpee]

I love Dennis Haysbert! I hope I can get tix for the 20th!

[Sherry E]

It's a pretty good line-up of narrators. I like Dennis; I like Lou... Molly Ringwald was, of course, in many of the Brat Pack movies I loved in my younger years ("Pretty in Pink" = great movie!).

But...I'm going with Kurt! If I decide to do the CP, Kurt will be the narrator during my time (I'm at the PPH, from 12/2-12/5 for right now, unless I switch dates) and I'm happy with him!

...That is, unless I find out that Bradley Cooper has taken over narrator duties for some of the nights (like that TBA time frame)! If so, I'll be switching!

I was shocked to discover that the 3 hotels suddenly had availability for the first 2 weeks in December today! I checked a few days ago, and the first week was all booked up according to the website! Today, there was availability.

The CM on the phone told me to never rely on what the website says (even in the AP section) as far as what's available or unavailable. She said that the current room information has to be loaded back to the site, which often times doesn't happen until the next day.

So you could go to the DLR or AP site today and see that something is supposedly available, but when you go through the process of trying to book it and pay online, it tells you it's not available. Then you call in and the CM will check and find that there is no availability.

And it works the opposite way too - where you might think that something is not available but it actually is because someone else has cancelled and the updated info has not been loaded back to the website yet. This CM said that the best way to find the most current availability info for the DLR hotels is to call in.

So I got the dates that I thought were totally booked a few days ago!

[Luisa]

If there is two performances a night does anyone have an idea what times they would be? I only have one night there and want to make sure I see WOC but would love to see this again.

[sirvin12]

Just paid off my vacation!!!!! Yahoo. Just over a month. I made journals and coupons for my girls and they turned out so cute. I made their autograph books a couple of months ago. Love the creative Disigners for sharing their talents and adding some extra magic to our trip!

Shannon

[tksbaskets]

Originally Posted by Sherry E

It's a pretty good line-up of narrators. I like Dennis; I like Lou... Molly Ringwald was, of course, in many of the Brat Pack movies I loved in my younger years ("Pretty in Pink" = great movie!).

But...I'm going with Kurt! If I decide to do the CP, Kurt will be the narrator during my time (I'm at the PPH, from 12/2-12/5 for right now, unless I switch dates) and I'm happy with him!

...That is, unless I find out that Bradley Cooper has taken over narrator duties for some of the nights (like that TBA time frame)! If so, I'll be switching!

I was shocked to discover that the 3 hotels suddenly had availability for the first 2 weeks in December today! I checked a few days ago, and the first week was all booked up according to the website! Today, there was availability.

The CM on the phone told me to never rely on what the website says (even in the AP section) as far as what's available or unavailable. She said that the current room information has to be loaded back to the site, which often times doesn't happen until the next day.

So you could go to the DLR or AP site today and see that something is supposedly available, but when you go through the process of trying to book it and pay online, it tells you it's not available. Then you call in and the CM will check and find that there is no availability.

And it works the opposite way too - where you might think that something is not available but it actually is because someone else has cancelled and the updated info has not been loaded back to the website yet. This CM said that the best way to find the most current availability info for the DLR hotels is to call in.

So I got the dates that I thought were totally booked a few days ago!

YEAH! You're booked now? I hope you get to see the CP with Kurt. He'd be my pick too at DL.

Did I share that we've booked the CP at EPCOT on Christmas with Gary Sinece?

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

I had mixed feelings about the CP narrators... at first I was kinda grumpy that our dates cover TBA & Lou Diamond Phillips, and that we'd miss Dick Van Dyke by a day... but as I thought about it more, I am glad... hopefully it will be less crowded on our dates because of this!

[Sherry E]

Originally Posted by tksbaskets

YEAH! You're booked now? I hope you get to see the CP with Kurt. He'd be my pick too at DL.

Did I share that we've booked the CP at EPCOT on Christmas with Gary Sinece?

TK -

I didn't know that you had already booked your CP! I remember reading that Gary was going to be one of narrators at WDW (last year he did narrating duties at DLR). He's a good actor. He should be good. Then again, even though I've never been to WDW - let alone at Christmas time - anything with the words "EPCOT" and "Christmas" in the same sentence sounds amazing to me!

Kurt just happened to be the narrator during the 12/2-12/5 dates that I originally wanted to book at the PPH (but didn't think would be available by the time I booked the room). I thought that I'd end up with the 12/9-12/12 block of time, which would mean Lou Diamond Phillips. It turned out that my 12/2-12/5 dates were open (because Disney 'conveniently' & suddenly opened up a bunch of hotel rooms on the very same day the CP narrator list was announced), so I nabbed them. I'm not 100% sure if I will do the CP, but if I do it will be a good narrator!

Originally Posted by Mommy2PrincessAbby

I had mixed feelings about the CP narrators... at first I was kinda grumpy that our dates cover TBA & Lou Diamond Phillips, and that we'd miss Dick Van Dyke by a day... but as I thought about it more, I am glad... hopefully it will be less crowded on our dates because of this!

Very good point! You may be right. If the TBA narrator turns out to be someone lackluster, that will probably result in lower crowds. If they suddenly say that the TBA person is Julie Andrews or something, expect enormous crowds!

I have a feeling that my dates (assuming I don't switch them to one week later) will be a mess, crowd-wise, simply because they will include the very first CP's available to the general public this year (which will mean a lot of bloggers, moderators, huge Christmas fans and other people heavily involved with Disney discussion boards flocking to the CP to gather details to "report" or write about the next day). I also think that Kurt Russell will also be a big draw because of his Disney history.

[dalstitch45]

Originally Posted by kswm30b

As a northeast girl....noooo to cold weather. I hate the cold, last winter was awesome here since it wasn't too cold & we got hardly any snow. I know this year will be the opposite. It was awful when I was at WDW a few Decembers ago when it was the coldest Dec in florida in the last 30 years, we had windchill in the teens some days! It should not be colder at Disney than it is at home, just no! I'll take 60s or 70s.

I am with you on this one. I would just as soon skip the cold and snow altogether. Never would be too soon. We must have been at WDW the same week because I remember we had to go to the mall and buy winter clothes.

I can't wait to go to DLR during the Christmas season. I really loved the Haunted Mansion Holiday. I am going to do the Holiday Tour again. It was so much fun last year.

Sherry, not sure if I will be able to check out your new theme for a few days. We are bracing for SANDY. The wind is starting to pick up, but we are not getting much rain in my area as of yet. We are praying it won't be too bad.

[Sherry E]

Happy Halloween week, everyone!





It’s time for the Weekly Monday Countdown!!!

...Only 14 Days Until the
Holiday Season Begins at Disneyland Resort!!!!

And with the new week comes a new DLR holiday theme!!

As I’ve mentioned, I’ll be showcasing a particular area of interest of DLR's holiday celebration each week until the 2012 season officially begins on Monday, November 12th!! There are many more themes to come over the two weeks, including two main weekly themes set for Monday, October 29th and Monday, November 5th; six ‘mini-themes’ which will be featured each day from 11/6 – 11/11, and a final ‘Miscellaneous’ theme on Monday, November 12th (with a catchier name than “Miscellaneous,” though!).

Theme Week Countdowns are a great way to keep the photos rolling in on a regular basis and build anticipation for 11/12! Also, this is a way to display the different aspects and details of the holidays at DLR that may be totally new to some people...or previously unnoticed/undiscovered by others.

Last week, we admired the beauty of the many Christmas Trees around the Disneyland Resort. The week before that, we visited the playful, colorful, off-kilter world of Mickey’s Toontown. The week before that we reveled in the pageantry of A Christmas Fantasy Parade and gazed in awe at the Believe…In Holiday Magic Fireworks. Prior to that we enjoyed the Yuletide season around the globe as we sailed through It’s a Small World Holiday. The week before that strolled through the mysterious, music-filled alleys of New Orleans Square, where Christmas is observed with Mardi Gras flair. The week before that we explored Jack Skellington’s twisted (though well-meaning) vision of bringing two holidays together in the Haunted Mansion Holiday ride. The week before that we visited the rustic holiday celebration at Santa’s Reindeer Round-Up. The week before that, we searched for signs of Christmas in California Adventure – a park that is sure to look very different this November. And we started off this year’s countdown by soaking in the small town American charm of Main Street.



What’s next?

Today, in honor of this frightfully fun Halloween week and all of the trick-or-treating that will take place, our theme is all about ‘treats’…both the edible kind and the collectible kind!

In the Spotlight this Week......

HOLIDAY TREATS and TREASURES
(a.k.a. Holiday Food/Snacks & Souvenirs/Merchandise)!!!

Let’s face it – two of the most pleasurable things we can indulge in during any month of the year at Disneyland Resort are, simply, eating (treats) and shopping (for treasures). During the Fall and Winter months at Disneyland Resort, you will discover special things to eat and/or buy that you may not find at any other time. This week is a celebration of both the Treats and the Treasures of the season!

The “Treats” portion of this week’s theme should be easy to figure out. Who hasn’t found themselves captivated by the sights and aromas of the holiday treats at Disneyland Resort? From the playful gingerbread cookies with chocolate-dipped Mouse ears to the decadent peppermint/candy cane fudge or ice cream, goodies are in abundance at Disneyland Resort in November-December-early January.

Whether you’re enjoying a shortbread snowman cookie, a special demitasse dessert served up in a Santa Mickey mug or a handful of festive red & green candy corn, your seasonal sweet (or savory) tooth will be satisfied in every baked goods store, candy shop and popcorn cart around the entire Resort, including the Jolly Holiday Bakery, the Market House, the Candy Palace, Pooh Corner, Marceline’s Confectionery and even a few places you might not expect to find treats. Many of the restaurants around Disneyland Resort offer special dishes as well, such as the gingerbread beignets at Café Orleans and the pumpkin pie at Carnation Café.

The “Treasures” portion of our theme for the week means, quite simply, Souvenirs. Keepsakes. Merchandise. We all know the feeling of walking along in Disneyland Resort, minding our own business, and suddenly becoming distracted by the sight of an irresistibly clever Disney collectible sitting on a shelf or hanging from a display rack. Some of these trinkets call out to us, beckoning us to buy them and take them home. It could be a special mug, a magnet, a gingerbread Mickey and Minnie figurine, a snow globe, a pin, a t-shirt, giant fluffy ear muffs or an ornament – whatever it is, you just HAVE to have it…and you have to have it right away! You cannot leave the park without it.

What IS ‘it’ for you? What have been your favorite Disneyland Resort holiday souvenirs or collectibles? Which seasonal merchandise pieces have caught your attention as you browsed the shops, whether you’ve bought them or not?





Stay tuned for a new theme starting on Monday, November 5th. Some great themes are coming up in the final two weeks of this countdown!




This is Part 1 of a two-part Theme Week post. First, the TREATS!!

Gummy Candy (2011):




Christmas candy corn:

(2011):



(2010):






Apples & other treats:

(2011)


















(2010)






Blue Ribbon Bakery Sign (2011):







Peppermint ice cream in chocolate/candy cane-encrusted cone (2010):





Cookies:

(2011)





(2010)






Gingerbread Cookie Mix (2010):





Peppermint Bark (2010):





Frosted Pretzels (2011):







And…just because Halloween is this week, here are some Halloween cookies from 2011 (I’m sure there are holiday versions of these cookies sold at Christmas time!):

Up next, the Treasures!


Please feel free to post photos of your favorite Holiday Treats & Treasures all this week! (The Treats can either be things you’ve sampled for yourself, or just various snacks you’ve seen around the Resort and have taken pictures of. Same goes for the Treasures – they can either be pieces that you own and love, or just random merchandise that you’ve photographed while strolling around the parks or hotels.)

[Sherry E]

Part 2 of 2

I’ve shown you some of the many treats…and now, it’s time for the TREASURES

Mickey snowman popcorn buckets (2010):





Holiday ears:

(2011)



(2010)





Vinylmation (2010):






Plush toys (2010):










Mini-Trees (2010):












Antenna toppers (2010):





Ornaments (2011):


















Crystal (2011):







Pins (2010):






Miscellaneous:

(2010)





(2011)

[lucysmom]

Hi, we are WDW experienced, but we are clueless about DL. We are coming before Christmas from the 18 through the 23rd of December. Does anyone know the park hours for those days? The firework and parade hours? How much was the in-room decorating service last year? The planning office does not have the in-room prices for this year yet. What did they decorate? Was it worth it?

We are planning to take the holiday decorations tour and we are planning for the Fantasmic reserved seating. Are there any other must-do's?

I appreciate the help. I am such a newbie here.