Dec 10th--crowds

[disfan07]

So it looks like we are going to Disneyland for 1 day this december. We usually go for longer but this is a stretch for our budget this year as is.

The park hours are 8-midnight. We are not going to be arriving probably until around 10AM (we can't drop off the dogs until 8AM) driving from Santa Clarita. We will only be getting a 1 day ticket only for Disneyland (no PH) and we will be staying at teh Fairfield Inn that night.

How crowded has it been in the past around this time? It is a Saturday so I know it will probably be more crowded just because it is a weekend but I'm hoping it wont be too bad?

We've been to DL 5+ times before and WDW 15+ times so we are not worried about doing everything. As long as I get on buzz lightyear, pirates and haunted mansion, I'm happy. I'm mainly just curoius as to how crowded you think it would be during the parade and fireworks. Those are the main reasons why we are even going.

 

[jemimabean]

Not sure, but I'll be part of the crowd that day! But I'm only five feet tall, so I promise that I won't take up too much space.

 

[disfan07]

Not sure, but I'll be part of the crowd that day! But I'm only five feet tall, so I promise that I won't take up too much space.

haha...I'm only 5'2 and my mom is only 5'1 so we wont be taking up much space either. My dad is the tallest at 5'7...

 

[mvf-m11c]

I mostly go to the DLR during the 2nd weekend of December during the Holiday season and it is quite busy. It won't be a super busy day like Christmas Eve or New Years Eve, but it does get quite a bit of people at the parks. Out of 10 I would say the parks should be around 8/10 crowd level. If you do the rides early during the day like BLAB and HMH you won't be in a long line. Later during the day, the queues for both of the rides will be long. POTC should be no problem since the loading is quite fast.

For "A Christmas Fantasy" parade, the area that will be the busiest to get a spot is around MS. People wait on MS as long as 2+ hour for a spot which is quite long for a parade. If you want to wait for a short time and still get a curb side or no one in front of you I would watch the parade around Fantasyland. Around IASWH is another good spot to watch the parade. Since there are two parades on that day, I would go with the first parade. If you care about watching the parade at night, I would go with the 2nd show.

"Believe...In Holiday Magic" fireworks wait times can be as long as 2+ hours (that is mostly for a bench seat). But you can show up at least half an hour to get a front row spot in front of SB castle during the show. If you care of seeing the fireworks and have no heads in front of you, I would try to get a curb side close to the Hub so you can have that extra height in front of the other people. But that means a long wait which is great to have if you are a short person. I am also a short person and it does make a big difference when you watch the fireworks and SB Winter Castle show.

 

[skiingfast]

December will be tipping to obviously crowded that weekend.

Plan well, use the early and late hours. Fastpass!

 

[disfan07]

Thanks you guys. Unfortunately, we wont be able to get there before 10AM as of now. We can;t drop the dogs off until 8AM up in Santa Clarita. We really can't afford to pay for a hotel and we only have enough points for one night. And we also can't really afford the extra $75 to board the dogs for another night. This is a very very tight budget trip. (All CS meals, snacks from home and basically no souveniers...only 1 exception to that) We decided on this instead of buying anything for hanukkah this year.

The only real reason we are taking it at all is because we just found out that I have to have surgery again on Dec. 14th. My 3rd one in 18 months. We are really going just to go. The fireworks and the parade are the 2 most important things for us. If we only get on to a couple of rides thats fine with us.

The only thing we plan on buying while there is something else for good luck. Before both surgeries we have bought something special at either DL or WDW just to have at the hospital for good luck. And before all of my procedures we pick up a little something from the Disney store. It's a superstition for us now.

We did go to DL in 2008 for christmas (Dec 26th-28th) and we went to WDW for the holidays in 2007 and last year so we have had the holiday experience before.

For the fireworks, I do remember in the past for the Halloween fireworks that everyone would kind of camp out a while before the parades. I'm assuming that it is perfectly fine to lay out a blanket to sit on correct?

Also, are they still doing the lights on IASW? We loved the show that they did to light up the ride back in 2008. We actually did not know about it adn just happened to see it. Does anyone know if they are still doing that and at what time it happens?

 

[Eeee-va]

I'm sorry about your surgery! If you need to save a few extra dollars, you could maybe pack your lunch, too. I hated the thought of doing that before but when I went with my friend and her mom, we ended up eating in a nice peaceful spot on Tom Sawyer's Island...they gave me a bag of chips and some cherries and it was delightful. A groundskeeper, who watches out for the baby ducks, came over and chatted with us for quite a while, too. It was as enjoyable as any other meal I've eaten in the parks.

For the fireworks, I do remember in the past for the Halloween fireworks that everyone would kind of camp out a while before the parades. I'm assuming that it is perfectly fine to lay out a blanket to sit on correct?

Also, are they still doing the lights on IASW? We loved the show that they did to light up the ride back in 2008. We actually did not know about it adn just happened to see it. Does anyone know if they are still doing that and at what time it happens?

I believe it's fine to lay out a blanket to sit on. They'll probably make you stand before the show, of course.

I'm not certain if they'll do the regular show at IASW, but it sounds like they'll roll a special Christmas show into the Magic, Memories, and You show. That's now scheduled for 9:30 PM, so you can try to head over there after the fireworks, which appear to be 8:45. Since fireworks appear to be a big priority for you, this may not be a good option for you, but another option would be to view fireworks from IASW. I like that viewing area because you don't have to wait nearly so long and (in the fall at least) it's not very crowded. I don't know if it will be different in December because of the show and popularity of IASW Holiday (which can make that area congested anyway). Fortunately, you have some time to let other people find out how things go well before your trip!

 

[skiingfast]

Will you be park hopping? Maybe you can squeak in for the unofficial 9:30 DCA opening.

Yes putting blankets down happens.

Yes the lights are already up on IASW and as the OP noted they are adding to the MMY show for the Holidays.

 

[disfan07]

Will you be park hopping? Maybe you can squeak in for the unofficial 9:30 DCA opening.

Yes putting blankets down happens.

Yes the lights are already up on IASW and as the OP noted they are adding to the MMY show for the Holidays.

No we wont be park hopping as of now. It's another $60 for the three of us to park hop. As of now, that is just not going to happen. But that depends on my grandparents. My grandpa might be giving me $100 toward this trip. But own't know until Thanksgiving when they are here

PP...thanks for the idea of lunch. We thought about that but we should be fine for meals. With all of my food allergies, Disney is one of the few places where I have a variety of options so I like eating there as much as posisble.

I am basically paying for the entire trip. My parents really have no extra money at this point this year. We've been fine the past 7 years but this year has been especially bad with medical bills. I have about $450 total for the trip (mainly birthday money and babysitting money). We are only using points for the hotel. But so far we have:
about $240 for tickets (I get a small discount at my school for tickets)
$75 for boarding the dogs overnight
$9 for parking
about $90 for food (2 CS meals, mcdonalds for breakfast and at least 1 snack each)
Total: $415....so about $35 left which at least some of it will be spent on something for good luck for the surgery (usually either a small stuffed animal or a blanket)

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

Hi disfan! I'll be part of the crowd that day too but I actually don't think it'll be as crowded.

According to the DL calendar, only the Deluxe AP is valid that day so it might actually be more crowded on that Sunday and Monday.

Also, you can already check out the times for the parade (2:30pm and 5:30pm) and fireworks (8:45pm) that day, as well as other entertainment at the park. Here's a link to that: http://disneyland.disney.go.com/calendar/#/default/2011/12/10

The park is open until Midnight so along with that and utilizing FastPass, I think you'll be able to get plenty done. Have a great time and good luck on your surgery.