Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #5

[mvf-m11c]

Frontierland












Grizzly Peak

Rushin River store


Redwood Creek Challenge Trail




Critter Country

Winnie the Pooh ride


Pooh Corner


Inside Pooh Corner Store






Splash Mountain

 

[JadeDarkstar]

When I talked to some one they said that ptn would not get seats from the tour, but I seem to wonder if maybe that's changed? I do not see the Christmas parade any where. Don't know when they will be. I talked to some one on the phone and we all know sometimes they do not have the right info.

 

[kristabelle13]

I had a question about the tour too - I just noticed for Nov 24, there are two tour times 10am and 12:45pm but no parade time listed on the schedule?

My booking window isn't for another 3 weeks, but I was curious as to how you know what parade you'll see? Do they say when you call, is that how it works? (I'm int'l so don't want to call until I have to lol)

Also, I could be blind as a bat, but I also haven't seen WoC Winter Dreams on the schedule? Do you think we'll see that spelled out on the schedule?

Thank, as always, to you wonderful people for your help

 

[DizMe]

kristabelle13, where do you see the tour times? Are they on the calendar? The times aren't posted on the Holiday Tour info page. I wonder if they're just plugging in the previous years' tour times on the calendar.

edited to add: ok, I think I looked at it wrong. I think what it's saying on the tour page is today's date and no tour times (since they haven't started yet!).

 

[lvdis]

Do you normally have to call to arrange the Holiday Tour or should it be available to be booked online?

 

[Sherry E]

Do you normally have to call to arrange the Holiday Tour or should it be available to be booked online?

You have to call.

I had a question about the tour too - I just noticed for Nov 24, there are two tour times 10am and 12:45pm but no parade time listed on the schedule?

My booking window isn't for another 3 weeks, but I was curious as to how you know what parade you'll see? Do they say when you call, is that how it works? (I'm int'l so don't want to call until I have to lol)

Also, I could be blind as a bat, but I also haven't seen WoC Winter Dreams on the schedule? Do you think we'll see that spelled out on the schedule?

Thank, as always, to you wonderful people for your help

If there is, indeed, going to be more than one parade, I think they will tell you which one it is when you book the tour. I would assume that the later tours get the later parades, and the earlier tours get the earlier parades (but not Paint the Night, I guess).

Disneyland's calendar is a little kooky in that sometimes there are obvious things that don't appear on it, or they appear and disappear -- such as one year when the Winter Castle Enchantment Lighting was not showing on the calendar, even though it was happening all season long. Sometimes It's a Small World Holiday will appear and disappear too, even though it is active all season long. I would hope that Disney would do everyone the courtesy of letting us know which WoC is Winter Dreams and which one is Celebrate. It would have to appear at some point on the line-up.

 

[keahgirl8]

Hee hee! You must have read my mind. About one hour ago I was just thinking that I have to go hunt down that ice cream today or tomorrow. It's been so hot -- so it's a perfect time for ice cream anyway!!! But the peppermint flavor is what brings it into the holiday season, so it's a good transition from 'summer' to 'holiday.'

Even though, for a year or two, some people seemed to like that pesky Slow Churned (or so they said on the Dreyer's Facebook page), last year I think the tide shifted a bit, and more people were gravitating towards the "real" ice cream. Other Slow Churned flavors might be fine, but as far as Peppermint Wonderland was concerned, to me it tasted like frozen toothpaste. I can see why the store is shoving the Slow Churned in the back, out of the way.

The real shock was when I noticed that my 99 Cents Only Store has a whole shelf full of Slow Churned Peppermint Wonderland that no one was buying (just a few months ago). You know that if people are passing up a 99 cent deal on a carton of Dreyer's ice cream -- you know that if I am passing up a 99 cent carton of it -- something must have gone awry! They certainly did not have any of the full fat Grand Peppermint Wonderland at the 99 Cents Only store -- because it was probably too popular in other stores to sell for only 99 cents.

Anyone out there following along -- who has never been to DLR during the holidays in the past -- should know that this Dreyer's Peppermint Wonderland ice cream (shown in millie0312's photo above) is also what is served at DLR for the duration of the holiday season. You can get it at Gibson Girl and the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ in Disneyland, and you can get it at Clarabelle's in DCA. There are probably other places that sell it too, but those are the commonly known places.

In 2013 there was a Great Peppermint Ice Cream Shortage at Disneyland Resort. It was horrifying. That was the year of Limited Time Magic, so Disneyland sold some of the peppermint ice cream for their "Christmas in July" event. Then, when November rolled around and it was time for the holidays to begin... no peppermint ice cream at Gibson Girl or at Clarabelle's!!!!!!!! There was a whole issue of DLR not getting the right "tub size" from Dreyer's.

Suddenly it was anarchy at DLR, as peppermint ice cream enthusiasts united and set out to try to find it in either park. It was discovered that Ghirardelli had the ice cream early in November 2013, but quickly sold out and did not get in anymore for the rest of the season! It was also learned that the ice cream was lurking on the dessert menu at the Blue Bayou, and at the BBQ.

But, for those who wanted a simple peppermint-encrusted cone with peppermint ice cream in it, they were pretty much out of luck until the week of Christmas, when the ice cream suddenly appeared at Gibson Girl as part of Limited Time Magic again!

Thankfully, mercifully, order and sanity were restored in November 2014, when the peppermint ice cream returned to GG and to Clarabelle's, among other places -- proper tub size and all. All was right with the world.

You know, I actually love Slow Churned! It's pretty much all I eat. However, I cannot tell you what I think about the peppermint, because I actually don't like peppermint. Phew...I'm a little scared to say that in public. lol I like candy canes, but that's about it! Personally, we have a local brand that makes sugar cookie ice cream which is my favorite. They have pumpkin right now. It's good, but sugar cookie season does not last long enough if you ask me!

 

[kristabelle13]

Got it - thanks, Sherry! As always, incredibly helpful.

It seems like the 60th has added quite a few wrinkles to the planning. But, like wrinkles, everything will get ironed out in due time!

 

[Sherry E]

You know, I actually love Slow Churned! It's pretty much all I eat. However, I cannot tell you what I think about the peppermint, because I actually don't like peppermint. Phew...I'm a little scared to say that in public. lol I like candy canes, but that's about it! Personally, we have a local brand that makes sugar cookie ice cream which is my favorite. They have pumpkin right now. It's good, but sugar cookie season does not last long enough if you ask me!

Peppermint seems to be a 'love it or hate' it thing. And some people mistake the green mint ice cream for being peppermint, but 'true' peppermint -- for the holidays, with the crushed up candy cane pieces -- should be pink and carry a strong-but-not-overwhelming candy cane flavor. The Slow Churned variety is a lighter color and the peppermint is too harsh against the bland flavor of the cream. Slow Churned doesn't work well with that flavor, I think.

I've had something Slow Churned in the past -- another flavor, and I don't remember what it was -- and I don't remember thinking it was bad. The Peppermint Wonderland, however... I might as well freeze my tube of Colgate and eat that!

Speaking of holiday snacks.... the 99 Cents Only store is a dangerous place. I went there for a couple of items just about an hour ago, and came home with 99 cent packages of Snickers Pumpkins and Goldfish Holiday Vanilla Cupcake Grahams with red and green sprinkles!! It's that time! Lord only know what would happen if they ever did start selling the 'real' Peppermint Wonderland ice cream for 99 cents. I would probably walk out of there with more cartons than I or my freezer could handle!

Got it - thanks, Sherry! As always, incredibly helpful.

It seems like the 60th has added quite a few wrinkles to the planning. But, like wrinkles, everything will get ironed out in due time!

Oh, you're very welcome! Yes, the 60th -- combined with the fact that so many things are going to be closing either permanently or temporarily after January 10th, as well as the big question mark otherwise known as Season of the Force -- has added a new dimension of wrinkles, and crowds!

 

[JadeDarkstar]

Sherry when I talked to some one they said early woc was holiday, late was celebrate.

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry when I talked to some one they said early woc was holiday, late was celebrate.

I saw that you mentioned that, but it seems like someone else said (maybe not here but elsewhere) that a CM told them that it was the other way around! I think it makes more sense to do it the way you were told, but I don't trust them at DLR!

 

[JadeDarkstar]

Lol ya I was told by cm on the phone. Who knows whats real.

 

[Sherry E]

November-December travelers -- a Jet Propulsion Laboratory climatologist says that he is certain El Nino is coming and that it will be a monster, BUT he seems to be saying that January-February-March will be the nastiest months (which kind of falls in line with how it's been in the past).

So I think that the majority of the holiday season will be spared the really heavy rain, and instead it will probably bombard us here in California early next year!!

Here is today's article - http://abc7.com/weather/monstrous-el-nino-expected-to-hit-southern-california/1032185/.

​

 

[Tyggress]

Forgive me if this has been posted, but I didn't see it. I was just wondering if anyone had been able to book the Holiday Tour yet? Do the tours start Nov 13? There still are not times listed on the Disneyland.com site. I was hoping to find out what the agenda is this year. Is there only going to be one tour/day? I always liked going on the second tour so I could watch the parade at night, but with PtN I don't know how it's going to work.

I actually saw times noted for November 20th and 21st....two tours a day. I think 10:45 and 2:00 pm, roughly...

 

[mom2rtk]

IMG_4068 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_4059 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

 

[JadeDarkstar]

I have one lone pic this week. I took this last year. I now wish we had taken time to go in. I will go in this year hopefully there will be something there besides the bbq lol

 

[DizMe]

I actually saw times noted for November 20th and 21st....two tours a day. I think 10:45 and 2:00 pm, roughly...

Awesome!! Thanks so much!

 

[lvdis]

Does anyone know what this schedule is? https://disneyland.disney.go.com/ca/calendar/
I find it when I do a Google search on 'disneyland november schedule'. It brings me to October and I select November from there, then you can go to individual days and it looks like a lot more detail than starting from the main disneyland.com page. I noticed it has a "ca" between .com and calendar in the url.

Going from that link, here is a link to the daily schedule for Nov 20 - https://disneyland.disney.go.com/ca/calendar/daily/?m=11&d=20&y=2015 (but is it correct?).

 

[kylie71]

I am considering a cruise out of Long Beach, to Mexico...... in late May. I wonder if the El Nino, will effect Mexico?

--Lori

November-December travelers -- a Jet Propulsion Laboratory climatologist says that he is certain El Nino is coming and that it will be a monster, BUT he seems to be saying that January-February-March will be the nastiest months (which kind of falls in line with how it's been in the past).

So I think that the majority of the holiday season will be spared the really heavy rain, and instead it will probably bombard us here in California early next year!!

Here is today's article - http://abc7.com/weather/monstrous-el-nino-expected-to-hit-southern-california/1032185/.

​

 

[tlovesdis]

So this was just posted on Inside The Magic. Not sure how true it is, but seems weird they would film the parade in DL in December when it is much busier than the first weekend in November!

"This year, the name has changed once again. The “Disney Parks Unforgettable Christmas Celebration” is set to be filmed at the Magic Kingdom for four days, Nov. 10-13, 2015. Disneyland will be filming Dec. 11-13, marking the first big change in years for the filming dates, which have usually been the other way around.

Tickets to be part of the audience will be available to Cast Members starting on Oct. 21. Tickets will not be available to guests, but guests are encouraged to come on the days of filming to be part of the audience as long as space is available.

Filming is scheduled to happen on Main Street USA and the Castle Stage during the dates. No word on which areas will be filmed on specific dates."