Christmas decorations

[Mackysmycat]

Does anyone know when they go up this year?

 

[figment_jii]

They have not yet official announced a start date for the holiday season at Disneyland, but the best guessing is November 13, 2015 will be the start date (at least that's when it seems like the holiday parade will start to be performed). Assuming things hold to a similar pattern as last year, you'll start to see the holiday decor appear in early November, with a formal start to the holiday season in mid-November (around the time of the Avenger's Marathon). Once the information is known for sure (i.e., once DLR makes a formal announcement either via the Parks Blog or one of their websites), it'll be posted here on the Disboards and in the Christmas SuperThread.

 

[Mackysmycat]

Ty so for your reply. Ok so we were going to go the week of November 7th. But because we wanted to go when it was still decorated for Christmas. Now I'm second guessing that time….

 

[figment_jii]

The decor and such do not all appear overnight, so you'll probably see some things already up and in place that week (or in the process of being installed), but if you want to be more sure that the holiday season will be happening, I do think you'll need to push your trip back by a week. Historically, things have had a rolling start in early November (i.e., the overlays opened at different times, different shows began at different times). So if you're okay with missing out on some things (we do not yet know which things), then the week of 11/8 might be okay. If you wanted to play it "safe", then I would look into the week of 11/15.

Knowing that things will be different this year (because no two years are the same), you can skim through DisneyGeek's reports from November 7, 2014 and November 14, 2014 to get a sense of much was already up and how much was added. The second post in the Christmas SuperThread also has a schedule of when the various entertainment and overlays opened in 2014. Just remember, things do change from year-to-year, so just because it had already started last year, does not mean it'll follow the same schedule in 2015 (e.g., we already know the holiday fireworks will not be presented this year).

 

[Mackysmycat]

I AM ok with not seeing it all, per say. My week is already booked so I can't move it to the next week - and my kids have a day off of school for the 11th so will only miss 4 days of school - which is why we chose that week. And just hoped it would be when they had Christmas stuff going on.

Why no fireworks?

Thank you so much for all of your information you've given me here. You're awesome.

 

[figment_jii]

Why no fireworks?

Disneyland recently debuted a new fireworks show for the 60th Anniversary, Disneyland Forever. It's been getting very good reviews and has been wildly popular. So that show will be presented during the holiday season instead of Believe...In Holiday Magic. Normally, during the non-peak periods, fireworks are only presented on weekends (Fri to Sun), but this year it's already been announced that they will be presented nightly from Memorial Day weekend until the end of HalloweenTime (except 9/10/15). So the guessing is that nightly fireworks will continue through the end of the year (they normally have nightly fireworks during the holiday season anyway).

 

[Sherry E]

You really should stick with us in the Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread -- that's where I have been posting whenever any info comes in (whether official or unofficial), and others post as well -- plus, it's the most 'tuned in' thread to the holiday season all year long. A lot of things that are discussed there are not necessarily common knowledge to the rest of the forum. Also, it helps us cut down on the number of threads popping up with identical questions.

There were no holiday fireworks in the year of the 50th anniversary either, so this year is just continuing that tradition.

The holiday season has an "official" start date for a reason. That is the date by which almost everything is guaranteed to start, entertainment-wise, and by which most of the decorations (in the 2 parks) will be up. The fact that there is a history of certain things soft opening on the weekend before Veterans Day is a bonus -- but never a guarantee -- and it is largely driven by the fact that there is an annual ABC taping in Disneyland around that weekend. The parks need to look holiday-ish for the scenes shot for the ABC special.

This year, if the rumor of the Christmas Fantasy Parade moving to DCA turns out to be true, there is no guarantee it will soft open, or when it would soft open. There isn't even any clue about what ABC would be taping this year on that pre-Veterans Day weekend, and if it would include the parade or not. So, at this point, there is no telling or guaranteeing how much would be going on by the week of November 7th or whenever you will be there. As I said, if anything soft opens by then, it's a lucky bonus.

I suspect that It's a Small World Holiday will probably be open by 11/6 -- but it's not guaranteed.

Also, this year it's possible that a lot of the decorations might be scaled back due to the 60th anniversary, so it might not be the usual array of themed décor around the parks. But we won't know for a while.

The bottom line is, if you ever go to Disneyland at a time when you really want to see the Christmas decorations, you've got to go when the season has officially begun (which will likely be 11/12 or 11/13 this year). And if you want to see all of the fun hotel decorations as well (such as the real gingerbread house at GCH and the great Christmas trees), you have to go at least a few days after the official season start date and sometimes maybe even closer to Thanksgiving.

Otherwise, you will see things that have gone up since late October/early November, but the entertainment and seasonal attractions may or may not be in effect before Veterans Day. If they are, it's a bonus -- but never guaranteed.

 

[figment_jii]

It'll be interesting to see if they time the GCH's Gingerbread house to be ready closer to the official start date of the Holidays this year, or will it be similar in timing to last year when it didn't fully debut until Thanksgiving (Nov 27, 2014). There are other things that appear during the season, but much of the big stuff is ready by the official start date. Enough that on the Avenger's Weekend in 2014, the parks felt like they were fully in the holiday mode even if somethings were not yet ready (e.g., the gingerbread house).

One other advantage of going towards the start of the holiday season is that there is usually the most holiday merchandise at that point. I've went the Avenger's Weekend and then the second week in December last year and there was a noticeable difference in the available merchandise between the two trips. Things that were readily available in mid-November were sold out by the second week in December. There were some new things (mostly pins), but a lot of the clothes and other merchandise were beginning to look thin by December.

 

[Sherry E]

True. The merchandise selection wanes a great deal by mid-December, although there is usually (or used to be) another shipment of merchandise right around Thanksgiving, I think.

I am inclined to think -- and, of course, I could be completely wrong -- that the big gingerbread house will not be set up too close to the official season start date, because even the little gingerbread houses in the GCH restaurants are not up that early. (It must be a baker's issue... ) I think that construction will begin on it after the Avengers marathon is over, which is also when the Christmas trees will start to get 'assembled' (the trees appear in their early stages about 9 or 10 days before Thanksgiving). The trees, of course, will go up before the gingerbread house, but the house will be probably be assembled in the time leading up to Thanksgiving.

I think it could be subjective whether or not Disneyland Resort feels like it's in full holiday mode when the season begins -- and it may depend on how big of a Christmas fanatic anyone is. If someone has never seen the hotel decorations and doesn't know what they're missing, then they will be there to enjoy the parks' decorations and not feel like they're missing anything. I, on the other hand, will go in November when the season begins, but it does not feel like the season is completely in full swing to me until the hotels and Downtown Disney are in the act too. It always feels like there is something missing when I go In mid-November. Then again, I am a huge, enormous Christmas/holiday season fan, so I need the complete experience and I know what I'm missing if the hotel decorations are not up. I need to see the carolers performing by the GCH tree. I need to see Santa greeting guests by the PPH tree. I need to see the beautiful Santa photo spot in the Disneyland Hotel, and the faux gingerbread Castle in the Fantasy Tower lobby, as well as the great tropical/floral tree in Tangaroa Terrace, and the gingerbread houses in Storytellers and White Water Snacks. Those elements are important to me -- and likely to certain other people too, though not necessarily to everyone.

There are many people who won't care about anything other than the 2 parks' decorations and entertainment, but I always put the other info out there because, inevitably, there will be someone who does care. And if they don't know when certain things go up, they could miss a part of the holiday experience that they would otherwise want to see.

 

[Mackysmycat]

Thank you figment - as long as there's fireworks I'm happy.

Sherry - that's fine - I haven't been on these boards for awhile, and I didn't realize. Which is why I just posted my question….