Thanks for the great rundown Sherry!
We are fairly locked in with our dates as we have our flights to Australia booked, so Candlelight Weekend it is. Hopefully we can secure one of the Fantasmic dining packages for that Sunday and we'll keep to the interior of the park and give Main Street a wide berth.
I never realized how much different of an animal vacation planning is between the DLR and WDW. We are taking the boy to WDW to celebrate his double digit birthday in 2016, so having two irons in the planning fires is interesting.
You're very welcome!
Disneyland during the holiday season is a subject I love dearly, so if I can parlay that love into helping other people learn about the seasonal offerings and plan trips, that's even better!
It must seem very different when you are simultaneously planning DLR and WDW trips, seeing how WDW allows for much more advanced planning than DLR does!
I think you have the right idea about Candlelight weekend, steering clear of Main Street and Town Square on Candlelight nights (until the second Candlelight performance is over). There are a lot of people who know about it and come to see it, but there are also a lot of people who don't know about it due to the lack of promotion. The lack of promotion helps to keep the crowds at a more reasonable level than they would be if it were actually advertised. I think it was a blessing and a curse in 2012, when 20 nights of Candlelight ran in Disneyland. It was a blessing for those of us who finally got to enjoy Candlelight for the first time ever, but it was a curse because Main Street shops lost some business due to crowds escaping the crowds, and also because the extended run of Candlelight drew extra attention to it. In 2013 and 2014, when Candlelight went back to 2 nights and was not advertised, people inevitably began asking when it would be announced and who the narrators would be. More people showed up to see it than if there had never been 20 nights of it in 2012. I truly think that Disney had originally planned to introduce Candlelight to the crowds in 2012 and then throw it into a hard ticket Christmas party in 2013. They didn't realize that the 20 nights of it would backfire on them and that Main Street would lose some business. So, whatever their original plans were ended up getting shelved. At this rate, I don't know if Candlelight will ever be extended and offered on more nights again, but the people who have been going to DLR to see it since it began (back in the 1950s) will continue to see it every year, as will Club 33 members and VIPs.
OK- Thank You Sherry! Have a Wonderful Birthday trip to Catalina!!
We will be here, do not worry!
--Lori
Thanks, Lori!
:
I am actually in the process of trying to make my final, final, final decision about whether or not I am going to Catalina on Tuesday. I go through this every year. Because my birthday, unfortunately, falls smack dab in the middle of summer -- and I detest hot weather -- I always have to keep a sharp eye on the weather forecasts in the 2 weeks leading up to my birthday, as well as see how I am personally reacting to the heat thus far. The heat, humidity and harsh sun have not been doing me any favors over the last month, and that's when I only had to be out in it for a few hours. Catalina would be an all day affair, and the sea breeze doesn't start to kick in until the late afternoon -- but the sun is already harsh and strong early in the morning.
The other problem is that there are very few places to cool down or get in the shade in Avalon. It's not like at DLR, where you can just pop into the Animation Building, or pop into the GCH lobby, and rest in a cool environment. So I am basically out in the heat all day, and then I end up sick the next day or two. Last year on my birthday it was supposedly only in the very low 70s in Avalon, but it felt much hotter -- and I came back with one of the worst sunburns I've ever had, despite the repeated applications of sunscreen. And then I was ill the next day.
This year it's supposed to be hotter than last year, which I know is a recipe for discomfort for me! That's why I have to always second guess and ponder whether or not to go, which is making my brain hurt! It's hard to pass up a free boat ride that is almost a $75 value. But, if I don't go -- if I decide I just can't deal with the all-day heat and sun this year -- I will probably be at the Farmers Market/The Grove, getting my free Sprinkles cupcake, my free Jamba Juice smoothie and my free Starbucks pastry!! Gotta love birthday freebies!!
When does the El Nino tend to start? Or when is it forecasted to start?
Thank you, Sherry, for all of your info and input! I hope you have a wonderful birthday!
You're welcome, and thank you!
Well, the tricky thing about El Nino is that, in and of itself, it is not going to start at a specific time. El Nino is not the rain itself, but, rather, it is a series of weather/climate 'conditions' that facilitate all sorts of weather events. El Nino can also be responsible for fluke heat waves at odd times of the year, or unseasonably mild weather at a time when it should be hot. The mild temperatures we had in May here in SoCal were El Nino-related. The humidity we have been having is El Nino-related. So, really, El Nino has already started, but it takes on different 'faces' (and phases), I suppose, as we head into Fall and Winter, and facilitates conditions that lend themselves to a lot of rainfall.
So, that said, in my experience and observation, El Nino-related rain can sometimes begin in the Fall, and then get bad in the Winter. Or it may not really begin until Winter. When it first starts, it doesn't seem bad. It may be a big storm, but it's no big deal. The problems then arise when the rain doesn't stop, or the big storms keep coming, or the storms keep getting bigger and bigger over the seasons, and the rain becomes torrential. The storm drains can't handle it, and the pavement can only absorb so much water.
In years past, I vividly remember being at DLR on Thanksgiving weekend (Fall) in one El Nino year and the rain was very heavy and messy. Earlier that same year, in January or February (Winter), it was an absolute disaster. I remember back in 2004, in December (Winter), we were having some bad El Nino rain. And in February and March of 1993, I think it was, I was leaping across flooded streets caused by El Nino-related rain. So, really, it could begin in November, December or January. And it could still be pouring rain into March. It depends on if the El Nino conditions forming end up weakening, strengthening or stalling, or moving in a different direction.
We are in the PNW too.
Do you know when it tends to start in So Cal? Just curious . . . we are going the week before Thanksgiving week rain or no rain!
Hopefully we will get some decent weather at least. When we went the same week in 2005, it was bloody hot (by PNW standards
) --upper 80's to low 90's, with the Christmas music playing and the "snowfall.' Surreal . . . by PNW standards again! I don't need it that warm by any means. Heck, I'm happy with upper 60's. We shall see, but I'm not changing my plans over it. I won't mind if other people cancel their plans, though.
Believe me, even though I don't live in the PNW, 80s and 90s at any time of year is bloody hot to me too, and it really throws off the whole holiday feeling in Nov-Dec! I am happy with the 60s too!
I, too, am in the PNW! Roasting in this unnatural 90+ degree weather too.
I'm locked into the first weekend in December, rain or shine. Hopefully more shine than rain, I went the same time last December and got soaked.
I find 90 degrees unnatural even in SoCal, where it's not abnormal! It's just too hot and uncomfortable.
Lot of us PNWers it seems!
I am also 100% over this ridiculous weather!
I am going the first week of December as well, hoping for clear enough weather that parades and fireworks and Fantasmic can run.
I hope so too! The rain might drive crowds away from DLR, but it will also affect anything that happens outdoors as well, if it keeps raining non-stop.
I hope you have a great birthday Sherry!
Thank you, Janet! I just have to make my decision once and for all about whether I can tolerate roasting in the sun again on Tuesday. I love Avalon/Catalina, but I just cannot deal with the heat.
This will be your 3rd holiday season trip! So if you do get the APs, you will have the option of doing another holiday season trip next year, or going in October.
When Snapfish offered free Disney Parks calendars several years ago, I was all over those too. I have not yet looked at Shutterfly's Disney selection, although I definitely have an account with Shutterfly so that is half the battle.
