Christmas at DLR....hotel question....

[MicknMinnJen]

as mentioned in my prior thread, we are heading to DLR for Christmas this year (2008)!!! YAY!

I think I remember seeing somewhere that the hotels on the resort offer small Christmas trees for you room (for a price of course ). Do any of the off resort hotels offer this also? Christmas just wouldnt be Christmas without some form of a tree. kwim?

 

[DangerMouse]

As far as I know off-site's don't offer this. I'd suggest picking up a mini tree at a craft store and bring it with you, or there is a Target in Garden Grove about 5 miles from DLR where you could pick one up.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

in dec we will bring a verr small tree bough before leaving. and in our big bag

 

[Sherry E]

I was just at DLR right before Christmas (and hope to be there again in 2008) and stayed at the Grand Californian, and if any hotel were going to offer the small trees in the room, that would be the one. They never offered it to us or told us about it. I know what you mean, though - I saw a special either on the Travel Channel or on the Food Network about Holidays at Disney Resorts and in WDW, at some of the hotels, but not all, they offer the little trees. I don't think out here in California we are that advanced at our Disney resort yet! And it would totally be up to the discreton of the individual hotels off-property to do that. But you know, the GC is building the GC Villas on their own property, so I bet if they decide to do the tree thing, it will be in the Villas.

 

[Disneyluvr2]

We spent Christmas in Hawaii this year. It was the very first time I was away from my family during the holidays and I was so afraid it just wouldn't be Christmas if I didn't have a tree in our room. Well, the shorts and tank tops won out over the small tree I wanted to take but you know what? I didn't miss having a tree in our room at all! There were so many Christmas trees and decorations all over the place that not having one in our room was OK. You might feel the same way at Disneyland since there are so many amazing and beautiful decorations there! Of course if you have little ones, that might be a different story. You could always get one of those small fold up trees to stick in your suitcase...or make a big paper one to hang on the door???

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

I think only the DL properties do this and they are pricey. I saw something about this on this board and I think they were around $200 or so.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

the ones i saw offered if you call and ask are 200 each and there small but come decrated with disney ortments

 

[Sherry E]

I tell you, I was just at Grand Californian on December 21-23, and they never said a word about the little trees, $200 or otherwise. Maybe they only offer it to people who get the concierge rooms? As I said, they are building the Villas at Grand Californian, and they will probably have something like that in those, but for standard rooms, it was not even mentioned. And I saw no reference to it in any paperwork or online anywhere. I don't think they do it at Disneyland unless you are getting an expensive room or staying for a certain period of time. I mean, it wasn't even mentioned in the hotel's literature. And if the Grand Californian does not do it, the Paradise Pier definitely wouldn't do it. Don't know about Disneyland Hotel, as there are three towers to deal with there. I HAVE seen it in regards to some of the WDW hotels, though, like the Boardwalk Villas, I think.

 

[MicknMinnJen]

OMG!!!

cracking up at the idea of the paper tree to put on the door/wall. LOVE it!

that is an AWESOME idea! I think my kids would think it was hilarious...and they could draw on the decorations, just like decorating a tree.

LOL!!!

 

[DangerMouse]

I tell you, I was just at Grand Californian on December 21-23, and they never said a word about the little trees, $200 or otherwise. Maybe they only offer it to people who get the concierge rooms? As I said, they are building the Villas at Grand Californian, and they will probably have something like that in those, but for standard rooms, it was not even mentioned. And I saw no reference to it in any paperwork or online anywhere. I don't think they do it at Disneyland unless you are getting an expensive room or staying for a certain period of time. I mean, it wasn't even mentioned in the hotel's literature. And if the Grand Californian does not do it, the Paradise Pier definitely wouldn't do it. Don't know about Disneyland Hotel, as there are three towers to deal with there. I HAVE seen it in regards to some of the WDW hotels, though, like the Boardwalk Villas, I think.

All three hotels do offer trees, you just have to order through vacation planning ahead of time. They won't offer them to you after you check in.

You can also order many other things (gift baskets, food, balloon bouquets, etc.). There was a long list on this board a long time ago, but I don't have the time to dig for it.

 

[Sherry E]

Yeah, I booked my December 21-23, 2007 trip through the WDTC way in advance and got one of those ridiculously expensive packages at the Grand Californian, and no one said anything about a tree in the room in the planning process, but I had heard about them at WDW, and saw how cute they are and would have loved to see one up close. Also, I didn't see ANY other hotel guest walking around with trees in the lobby, though that could just be because they were shipped to thier homes after their trip. Maybe you have to actually book through the Vacation Club in order to qualify for the mini room-sized Christmas tree? But being as money-grubbing as Disney is (and forgive me, I love them to my dying day but they love to make that money!), you wold think that everyone booking through WDTC and Central Reservations and everywhere else would be offered a Disney tree. SO I am thinking it is exclusive to people who book through certain channels, or get a certain level of a room (like the high-end ones), or stay for a certain period of time or something. There is obviously some 'catch' to it, because we were not even told about the trees. FYI - I just booked another GC package for this coming December, and again, no mention of a tree. SO it obviously is NOT available to everyone, but I would love to know who CAN get them!

 

[DangerMouse]

Yeah, I booked my December 21-23, 2007 trip through the WDTC way in advance and got one of those ridiculously expensive packages at the Grand Californian, and no one said anything about a tree in the room in the planning process, but I had heard about them at WDW, and saw how cute they are and would have loved to see one up close. Also, I didn't see ANY other hotel guest walking around with trees in the lobby, though that could just be because they were shipped to thier homes after their trip. Maybe you have to actually book through the Vacation Club in order to qualify for the mini room-sized Christmas tree? But being as money-grubbing as Disney is (and forgive me, I love them to my dying day but they love to make that money!), you wold think that everyone booking through WDTC and Central Reservations and everywhere else would be offered a Disney tree. SO I am thinking it is exclusive to people who book through certain channels, or get a certain level of a room (like the high-end ones), or stay for a certain period of time or something. There is obviously some 'catch' to it, because we were not even told about the trees. FYI - I just booked another GC package for this coming December, and again, no mention of a tree. SO it obviously is NOT available to everyone, but I would love to know who CAN get them!

I know several people on another fan site who have purchased the trees for their rooms at the DLH, GCH and PPH. None were concierge guests or dvc members. They just called Vacation Planning and requested a tree for their rooms. Maybe they don't typically offer it, but will provide it if requested (for a very large fee, of course, I think they were over $200 this year).

Did you ever deal directly with Vacation Planning? If not, then that is why you weren't aware of all the additional offerings.

Here's what they look like (although this one was doctored up a bit with the guest's personal ornaments):

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks for sending the picture. The tree actually looks a little bigger than I expected, compared to the way it looked on the TV show I saw about holidays at WDW. It is cute, and that is cool that they will ship it to your home (for another ridiculous fee, I bet). I guess the price of all the stuffed animals they hang on it adds up! But $200 or more is lofty for a small tree, and it seems like it would only be worth it if you were staying at the hotel for more than several days and wanted to really surprise your kids. I wish that the Grand Californian had a big gingerbread house/gift shop in its lobby like the Grand Floridian does, because I would love to be able to buy the miniature version of it, or have that in my room. But that would probably cost an arm and leg too. It's funny, my friend and her family just got back from all 4 parks in Florida, and she was talking about how she almost croaked because she paid $11 for a balloon for her son. I chuckled and said, "You think THAT's bad? You don't know the half of it!" I may call WDTC back at some point and say, "By the way, how do I go about getting a Disney tree in my room this year?" just to see what they say. I really cannot imagine why Disney wouldn't try to milk the tree thing as much as possible!

 

[staley7580]

It is offered to EVERYONE, you just have to call vacation planning to get it. Its a totally different thing then the vacation club. I stayed at the PP over Christmas, and I could have gotten one. I didnt, I brought my own little one... which was good enough!

 

[DangerMouse]

Thanks for sending the picture. The tree actually looks a little bigger than I expected, compared to the way it looked on the TV show I saw about holidays at WDW. It is cute, and that is cool that they will ship it to your home (for another ridiculous fee, I bet). I guess the price of all the stuffed animals they hang on it adds up! But $200 or more is lofty for a small tree, and it seems like it would only be worth it if you were staying at the hotel for more than several days and wanted to really surprise your kids. I wish that the Grand Californian had a big gingerbread house/gift shop in its lobby like the Grand Floridian does, because I would love to be able to buy the miniature version of it, or have that in my room. But that would probably cost an arm and leg too. It's funny, my friend and her family just got back from all 4 parks in Florida, and she was talking about how she almost croaked because she paid $11 for a balloon for her son. I chuckled and said, "You think THAT's bad? You don't know the half of it!" I may call WDTC back at some point and say, "By the way, how do I go about getting a Disney tree in my room this year?" just to see what they say. I really cannot imagine why Disney wouldn't try to milk the tree thing as much as possible!

The problem is, WDTC probably isn't even aware that a tree is available. WDTC is just a travel agency. Vacation Planning is who you would need to deal with to get the tree or any other little thing you would want in your room upon arrival.

 

[Sherry E]

I can't foresee paying more $200+ for a small Disney tree in the room - cute though it may be! But I may call Vacation PLanning just to see what they say. Also, we will be there the day after Christmas and through that weekend, so maybe they only do the tree thing before and until Christmas. I doubt I would get one, but it is nice to know that it is an available option at Disneyland.