Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #5
- Thread starter Sherry E
- Start date
- Status
gottalovepluto
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2014
It was a top goal for us and I loved them. 2 heads up for the canal boats: don't ride only at night (we rode them at night first, I thought it would be cute with all the mini trees lit up but it was lousy IMHO, you really couldn't see much of anything) and it closes around parade times. We tried a couple afternoons and kept running into closures, so try riding during the morning.
Disney127
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2009
We have been here for the last 6 days and for the first few days before Christmas, the crowds were more manageble. There are a lot of people in the parks, pat on the back to the cast members with crowd control. Long line ups to go thru security but we find that we are usually thru bag check within 10 mins or less. They are randomly asking guests to go thru the medal detectors. Seen a lot more police and security presence. We have been in long lines at the turnstiles to get in during the early morning - no problems in the afternoons. FPs for Star Tours and Hyperspace Mtn seems to be the most popular. We usually grab FP first thing for these ones and heads towards Indy ( if it his not down) or Big Thunder Mtn. On DCA side, we get RSR FPs and head to California Screamin'. We rode Toy Story Mania while WOC was on and waited 15 minutes. Much more breathing room over at DCA than DL - over in DL, there are always people waiting for parades which makes Main Street a place that we stayed away from. Also, we try to stay away from Frontierland and Adventureland during Fantasmic. DD 14 and I had been lucky to know the layout of the parks and know where to escape from the crowds with DH (who said that he will not be coming back to DL 
) and DD 19. We have rode all the rides and seen the parades/shows that we wanted to. Today, DH and DD 19 are headed home but DD 14 and I will still be here until Jan 3. We have decided to spend NYE in DCA since DL is packed with more people. Having patience is a key for us to enjoy the parks - plus using FPs for the rides that we want. Also, it really helped us to have dinning reservations. There are many new visitors - I am assuming this by seeing them stop in the middle of a walkway with a map in hand. In the end, we are all here to enjoy the parks. I knew that this was going to be a busier time than our summer visit but didn't expect such huge crowds. Also, found that the parks are not as decorated as our last holiday visits but it's still nice that we got to spend Christmas at DL as a family.
) and DD 19. We have rode all the rides and seen the parades/shows that we wanted to. Today, DH and DD 19 are headed home but DD 14 and I will still be here until Jan 3. We have decided to spend NYE in DCA since DL is packed with more people. Having patience is a key for us to enjoy the parks - plus using FPs for the rides that we want. Also, it really helped us to have dinning reservations. There are many new visitors - I am assuming this by seeing them stop in the middle of a walkway with a map in hand. In the end, we are all here to enjoy the parks. I knew that this was going to be a busier time than our summer visit but didn't expect such huge crowds. Also, found that the parks are not as decorated as our last holiday visits but it's still nice that we got to spend Christmas at DL as a family.FoolishMortalNat
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2015
Hi everyone!
This is my first post, but I’ve been lurking on this thread since February 2015, when we booked our vacation. I wanted to share my trip and say thank you to everyone who participated. Your insights really helped me make this the best Christmas I have ever had in my entire life!
I created a flickr for our pics from the trip if you'd like to see them: https://www.flickr.com/photos/74996963@N00/
Before I give a trip report: Two travelers. Both adults. 30's. No kids. Both been to Disneyland 15+ times. Never during Christmas. Never stayed on site.
Getting there: I knew from reading around that LAX would be a mess, and we’ve gone the trapped in the 4 hour multi stop van jail too many times. We had a driver get us, and it was still cheaper than renting a car. We arrived in 45 minutes from LAX on Christmas Eve.
The Hotel: We stayed at the Grand Californian. It was beautiful beyond expectation. I grew up in Las Vegas and I’ve seen a ton of fancy holiday hotel décor, but the lighting, the carolers, and the tree were just perfection. I actually teared up in the check in line. Check in went super smoothly and we were given a room, second floor, right out facing the lobby. I never once heard anything once we shut the door! We brought a mini tree and some lights and did up the room.
Night one: We didn’t go to the park, but we did eat at Napa Rose, which was wonderful & my husband discovered some new wines he liked. I loved how personable our waiter was! We also checked out downtown Disney and did a little shopping.
Christmas Day: This was the day I’d been planning since February. I knew the following: it would be very crowded. We needed reservations. We needed patience.
We went in with the strategy that it would not be about the rides, but the complete experience. I didn’t want to run & shove my way to things. We never once got a fast pass, but we also never waited longer than 30 minutes for a ride our entire trip! We were in line by 6:30am and on Star Tours by 7:05. We also rode Peter Pan, because I knew from looking at the app all month that that ride would be a crazy long wait after rope drop.
As the park opened, we were on to breakfast at the Carnation, where we hung out and people watched & enjoyed the performers on Main Street.
As the park swelled, we went on the tour (which I’ll discuss below) and also hung out with the goats in the petting zoo. My husband loves the Disney Art gallery, so we spent a lot of time in there. We also did the dining package at Fantasmic (Blue bayou), got great seats for the show, and once the park cleared we rode rides such as Pirates and went on the Haunted Mansion until we could barely walk. While they didn’t do fireworks because of the wind, we watched the castle presentation. The night ended as I looked for some new clothing to keep warm, as I hadn’t packed planning on the wind making everything soooooo cold!
I know others have lamented the lack of decorations, but we always felt really immersed in Christmas and loved what was up. Everything was so elegant and neat and clean! Also, compared to previous trips, I thought the crowds were much nicer and happier. People said excuse me, sorry, and Merry Christmas to us all day.
The Tour:
I want to post about the tour here because I read so much misinformation on it everywhere, so here is my experience and I hope it might be helpful in the future!
The Day After Christmas:
We’d not been to CalAdv since the remodel. I loved the private entrance to the park! Cars Land was really impressive, and Radiator Springs is a great ride! We also tried out the Toy Story Midway ride, which is a ton of fun. After that was a character breakfast at Ariel’s. I’d never done one before and I don’t know if I would again for the price, but the Princesses were really nice!
After some games and a ride on the ferris wheel, it was time for our mid day break at the spa. We both got massages and it really helped us go from worn out to upbeat. Back in the park, we went to Superhero HQ and did the Chase meet & greet with Vader as well as seeing some other Star Wars characters. I couldn't believe how busy it was outside and in there lines were 5min or less to get a pic with a character. I also loved how immersive the sets were where you met the characters and how real the whole experience felt. Darth vader felt like meeting Darth Vader, not just a dude in a costume.
As the sun set we hit Downtown Disney for dinner, watched Paint the Night from the (freezing!!) hotel balcony, and went back into Disneyland for various rides (and several more times through the haunted Mansion) the rest of the night.
Fun tip: When we'd checked out of the spa, a cast member saw my haunted mansion shirt and asked if I’d spotted the hidden monkey in the bridal dress, and if I did to tell someone at the Mansion that I found the monkey. We did, and got a great story from the person we told, so I suggest trying this before they take the Nightmare Overlay down!
Last Afternoon:
Really our only goal was a bread bowl haha. We were both really fulfilled and exhausted, so we stuck to the CalAdv side to avoid the heavy crowds. We had our bread bowls right at opening, and then spent a few hours in the Animator Studios. I loved drawing with the Disney Animator! It is such an easy, mellow was to pass the time when you’re winding things down.
While we waited for our car, we sipped hot cider in front of the tree in the hotel lobby.
It was a perfect Christmas trip, and thank you again to everyone for this thread! It was absolutely essential to planning this trip.
This is my first post, but I’ve been lurking on this thread since February 2015, when we booked our vacation. I wanted to share my trip and say thank you to everyone who participated. Your insights really helped me make this the best Christmas I have ever had in my entire life!
I created a flickr for our pics from the trip if you'd like to see them: https://www.flickr.com/photos/74996963@N00/
Before I give a trip report: Two travelers. Both adults. 30's. No kids. Both been to Disneyland 15+ times. Never during Christmas. Never stayed on site.
Getting there: I knew from reading around that LAX would be a mess, and we’ve gone the trapped in the 4 hour multi stop van jail too many times. We had a driver get us, and it was still cheaper than renting a car. We arrived in 45 minutes from LAX on Christmas Eve.
The Hotel: We stayed at the Grand Californian. It was beautiful beyond expectation. I grew up in Las Vegas and I’ve seen a ton of fancy holiday hotel décor, but the lighting, the carolers, and the tree were just perfection. I actually teared up in the check in line. Check in went super smoothly and we were given a room, second floor, right out facing the lobby. I never once heard anything once we shut the door! We brought a mini tree and some lights and did up the room.
Night one: We didn’t go to the park, but we did eat at Napa Rose, which was wonderful & my husband discovered some new wines he liked. I loved how personable our waiter was! We also checked out downtown Disney and did a little shopping.
Christmas Day: This was the day I’d been planning since February. I knew the following: it would be very crowded. We needed reservations. We needed patience.
We went in with the strategy that it would not be about the rides, but the complete experience. I didn’t want to run & shove my way to things. We never once got a fast pass, but we also never waited longer than 30 minutes for a ride our entire trip! We were in line by 6:30am and on Star Tours by 7:05. We also rode Peter Pan, because I knew from looking at the app all month that that ride would be a crazy long wait after rope drop.
As the park opened, we were on to breakfast at the Carnation, where we hung out and people watched & enjoyed the performers on Main Street.
As the park swelled, we went on the tour (which I’ll discuss below) and also hung out with the goats in the petting zoo. My husband loves the Disney Art gallery, so we spent a lot of time in there. We also did the dining package at Fantasmic (Blue bayou), got great seats for the show, and once the park cleared we rode rides such as Pirates and went on the Haunted Mansion until we could barely walk. While they didn’t do fireworks because of the wind, we watched the castle presentation. The night ended as I looked for some new clothing to keep warm, as I hadn’t packed planning on the wind making everything soooooo cold!
I know others have lamented the lack of decorations, but we always felt really immersed in Christmas and loved what was up. Everything was so elegant and neat and clean! Also, compared to previous trips, I thought the crowds were much nicer and happier. People said excuse me, sorry, and Merry Christmas to us all day.
The Tour:
I want to post about the tour here because I read so much misinformation on it everywhere, so here is my experience and I hope it might be helpful in the future!
- Despite hearing it was 30 days + 8 am to book, we barely got in as they’d opened it up either the night before or at 7am that morning. But we did!
- We were given an ear piece and it had music and the guide’s voice the entire time.
- I’ve read complaints that their guide just pointed to a tree and said “Look, it is decorated.” My experience was totally different. She told us a ton of stories, including one about Walt and his puppy influencing Lady & the Tramp that made my husband’s year (it is his favorite movie). We got a lot of history and she was engaging and helpful and knew how to get our group through the crowds as the park swelled.
- We went on rides and got the best chocolate/peppermint marshmallow ever!
- Our parade seats were perfect! The hot chocolate and gingerbread men actually made our group applaud.
- She made sure to take us on Small World after the parade, even though the tour was technically over.
- I thought the value of the tour beyond surpassed our expectations, and it kept us engaged and full of Christmas spirit for over 4 hours while the park was the busiest.
The Day After Christmas:
We’d not been to CalAdv since the remodel. I loved the private entrance to the park! Cars Land was really impressive, and Radiator Springs is a great ride! We also tried out the Toy Story Midway ride, which is a ton of fun. After that was a character breakfast at Ariel’s. I’d never done one before and I don’t know if I would again for the price, but the Princesses were really nice!
After some games and a ride on the ferris wheel, it was time for our mid day break at the spa. We both got massages and it really helped us go from worn out to upbeat. Back in the park, we went to Superhero HQ and did the Chase meet & greet with Vader as well as seeing some other Star Wars characters. I couldn't believe how busy it was outside and in there lines were 5min or less to get a pic with a character. I also loved how immersive the sets were where you met the characters and how real the whole experience felt. Darth vader felt like meeting Darth Vader, not just a dude in a costume.
As the sun set we hit Downtown Disney for dinner, watched Paint the Night from the (freezing!!) hotel balcony, and went back into Disneyland for various rides (and several more times through the haunted Mansion) the rest of the night.
Fun tip: When we'd checked out of the spa, a cast member saw my haunted mansion shirt and asked if I’d spotted the hidden monkey in the bridal dress, and if I did to tell someone at the Mansion that I found the monkey. We did, and got a great story from the person we told, so I suggest trying this before they take the Nightmare Overlay down!
Last Afternoon:
Really our only goal was a bread bowl haha. We were both really fulfilled and exhausted, so we stuck to the CalAdv side to avoid the heavy crowds. We had our bread bowls right at opening, and then spent a few hours in the Animator Studios. I loved drawing with the Disney Animator! It is such an easy, mellow was to pass the time when you’re winding things down.
While we waited for our car, we sipped hot cider in front of the tree in the hotel lobby.
It was a perfect Christmas trip, and thank you again to everyone for this thread! It was absolutely essential to planning this trip.
sgrap
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2012
Sounds like a wonderful trip!! Glad you loved the Grand Californian. It is our favorite spot!
dolphingirl47
In Search of the Tag Fairy
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2007
MommyLove
Now we're locals taking a break from having APs
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2008
Thank you so much for that great advice. I think the last time we rode it, it was at night and I wouldn't have given it a second thought. Now it's on our list for our MM tomorrow morning!
egritz
Never too old for Disney!
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2008
Wow, I don't think I've EVER seen the Christmas Superthread all the way down on PAGE 10!!! I'm finally getting through all our photos from our trip (nearly 2 months ago now).
Came to check in, this is the least busy this thread has been since I started following in 2013. Hope Sherry is okay. very unlike her to not be popping in here.
Came to check in, this is the least busy this thread has been since I started following in 2013. Hope Sherry is okay. very unlike her to not be popping in here.
MommyLove
Now we're locals taking a break from having APs
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2008
Not gonna lie, the thread is so big, it's overwhelming and confusing. To me it would make more sense to have a new thread each year (there can always be links to prior threads). There could be one for pre-holiday discussions, photos, etc. And then a new one once DL holidays actually start. JMHO. The ginormity of this made it difficult to find certain points in time, answers to questions, etc and I'm sure I wasn't the only one frustrated by it. Sorry!
Disney127
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2009
It's always fun to re-live DL trips thru photos.
I miss Sherry too on this thread, been communicating with her on FB. I think she is doing okay.
Angel Ariel
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 1, 2006
I think the point of the superthread is to have all of the information in the first few posts, which Sherry has kept updated...then you don't need to read through the rest of the thread. If you have a question not answered in the first posts, just ask...I followed this thread a lot this year, and questions were repeated sometimes, but everyone here was always very helpful about it. I don't think anyone expects that the entire thread will be read!
TBH, that's part of what I love about this board. There are other places I read where repeated questions make posters annoyed and they respond as such, but on this DL forum, I haven't ever gotten that feeling. It's really awesome
Disney127
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2009
I think the point of the superthread is to have all of the information in the first few posts, which Sherry has kept updated...then you don't need to read through the rest of the thread. If you have a question not answered in the first posts, just ask...I followed this thread a lot this year, and questions were repeated sometimes, but everyone here was always very helpful about it. I don't think anyone expects that the entire thread will be read!
TBH, that's part of what I love about this board. There are other places I read where repeated questions make posters annoyed and they respond as such, but on this DL forum, I haven't ever gotten that feeling. It's really awesome
I agree with this, Sherry does a great job of keeping info updated in the first few pages and everyone has been so helpful with answering questions as time goes by. I always look forward to the Christmas Superthread when we are planning a trip down during the holiday season.
- Joined
- Dec 15, 1998
Glad you had such a wonderful experience.
I went on the holiday tour on 30 November, and also really enjoyed it. I reviewed it on our podcast if you'd like to hear it: Holiday Tour. Every year they change the location of the Monkey Bride in the attic. If you have time, would you please send me a message and let me know the story they told you in the mansion? That would be so cool.
The thread may seem overwhelming because of the length, but Sherry summarizes everything in the first few posts so that you do get the latest information on this thread throughout the year, and once the holidays begin. In addition to Sherry, the regulars here also work hard to include the latest news, so it is extremely helpful in planning a trip at this time of year.
flyingdumbo127
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2014
gottalovepluto, I went on the Canal boats at night (in early December). I was so disappointed there wasn't much lighting. I enjoyed much more going on them again a couple days later.
I'm glad to read some of you have heard from Sherry. I have been thinking of her and hoping all was well. I don't use social media.
I still need to post my own TR from early December
I'm glad to read some of you have heard from Sherry. I have been thinking of her and hoping all was well. I don't use social media.
I still need to post my own TR from early December
lorijohnhill
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2010
So, after our trip this past Sept/Oct, it was supposed to be several years before we would be able to return to our beloved Disneyland. As it turns out, a very close family friend won a trip through her job and has asked us along for the fun! I am so super excited!!
She has tasked me with choosing a date in October or November. As I understand it, we have two nights/three days in the Happiest Place on Earth. I would like to try to catch some of the Christmas decorations, so was thinking November. But, my daughter turns ten at the end of October, so maybe we would be better off going then (cost-wise as we need to pay for our own admission tickets).
I need help picking some dates when we might be able to see some of the cool stuff, but not have too many crowds ( there will be three of us on ECVs due to disabilities).
Some backstory to help with advice: We've been in October in 2014 & 2015, which is why I'm leaning toward November. Our friend hasn't been in more than 20 years, so her only preference is low crowds.
Three of us have birthdays in October and the other is in December. My mom and our friend are both turning 70 this year, so it will be a huge birthday extravaganza!
Any thoughts or suggestions?
She has tasked me with choosing a date in October or November. As I understand it, we have two nights/three days in the Happiest Place on Earth. I would like to try to catch some of the Christmas decorations, so was thinking November. But, my daughter turns ten at the end of October, so maybe we would be better off going then (cost-wise as we need to pay for our own admission tickets).
I need help picking some dates when we might be able to see some of the cool stuff, but not have too many crowds ( there will be three of us on ECVs due to disabilities).
Some backstory to help with advice: We've been in October in 2014 & 2015, which is why I'm leaning toward November. Our friend hasn't been in more than 20 years, so her only preference is low crowds.
Three of us have birthdays in October and the other is in December. My mom and our friend are both turning 70 this year, so it will be a huge birthday extravaganza!
Any thoughts or suggestions?
dolphingirl47
In Search of the Tag Fairy
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2007
In 2014, I was at Disneyland from 10th to 12th November before heading to Aulani. It was just before the holiday season started so pretty much everything was up and running apart from the decorations at the hotels. It was also very quiet and I had an amazing time. I would not hesitate to go during this time frame again, but I would definitely avoid the weekend as this is a Run Disney Weekend.
Corinna
Corinna
sgrap
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2012
How exciting! We have been twice in mid-November and think it is a great time to go! The week before Thanksgiving generally has all the Christmas decorations and shows going. This year it was more crowded because of the "Season of the Force" but it was still pretty manageable during the weekdays. Check out the historical dates on the first page of this thread (I think) to see when the Christmas season has officially started the last several years.
Sherry E
Currently tag-less...
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2008
Did anyone miss me? Well, too bad if you didn't because I'm here! I'm here! I'm here!
I will probably move us over to a new Superthread soon -- we're not at the page limit for this one, but... new year, new thread, I suppose. I'll let you know when that happens.
How did everyone's holiday season go?
By the way, three holiday food-related things:
1. I was so very disappointed with Dreyer's stupid Peppermint Wonderland ice cream in 2015 -- I hate white peppermint ice cream that should be pink, and I hate mysterious blobs of peppermint goo where there should be crushed peppermint candy chunks. I actually resorted to a generic store brand just so I could have PINK peppermint ice cream.
Dreyer's, you let me down -- no more 10 cartons per year of Peppermint Wonderland for me; 2. I tried the elusive Gingerbread Oreos (which had been gone since 2013, and I had never tried), as they mercifully returned as a Target exclusive last year, and... YUM!!!!!!!!!! Delicious!!; and
3. Full-sized bars/sheets of Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark are currently at the 99 Cents Only Store! Yay!
Edited to add: During the holidays I watched all 17 new Christmas movies on Hallmark; 3 out of 4 new ones on HMM; most of the new ones on Lifetime; countless repeats of older movies; and several more new ones between ION, UP and INSP. I even re-watched some favorites on ABC Family/Freeform.
Thank you for your thoughts. Others here already answered you, but what you said kind of touched on one of the reasons why you guys didn't see me here, and why I stopped updating page 1 for the holiday season last year. It takes a lot of effort to put these threads together, and no one ever asked me to do it. I was the one who created the Superthreads for the Holidays and for Halloween Time, out of my love for and knowledge of those seasons at DLR, and because I am good at giving explicit info to people and focusing on a lot of details that others might overlook. Also, I take a lot of photos as a rule, so sharing those helps with my Theme Week Countdowns every year. These threads are my babies. When it seems like the work is neither needed nor appreciated, or when it seems like people are going to sort of work against the purpose of this thread and then start separate threads for every single thing, then I just... give up. There's no point in putting in the effort. That's not the only reason why you didn't see me here, of course, but it was one of them.
The entire point of this thread -- in addition to giving out info -- was to consolidate holiday details and info in one place, and have a one-stop shop for info and news so that it is not scattered to and fro all over the forum (which can also be very overwhelming and confusing). Sometimes people start threads and ask the same things over and over because they don't want to post in a thread that has more than 5 pages in it, or search for other threads on the forum, and it's not always necessary to start all of those threads much of the time. They could come here and ask a question and someone could answer it, or we could point them in the direction of where to find the info. No one has to read the whole thread, so it doesn't have to be overwhelming and confusing, but -- ordinarily -- when the posts on page 1 are updated, as they would typically be under regular circumstances, people can go to page 1 and skim down the posts to find whatever holiday-related subject they need and read up on it.
I didn't update page 1 after a certain point last year -- normally I would have updated everything -- so that may have been why it was hard to find things. Otherwise, everything is ordinarily broken down by category and updated.
And no, I will not be doing a pre-holiday thread and then a new thread when the holidays begin. One Superthread. Also, I started this current thread in December of 2014 -- so it's not like it was years old. But I had already planned on starting a new thread this year because I wanted to get the Halloween thread AND the holiday thread started at the same time for a change, so it would be easier for me to keep track of both of them and how far each one advances in the same period of time.
The reason my Superthreads get so big is because they are popular, informative (and hopefully fun) threads.
If there were no activity going on, nor reasons to actually come here and tune in/follow along, they would be 2 pages long and disappear forever into the archives. Big threads are usually big threads for a good reason.
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