Dec. DL trip ???

[krash2501]

I am going to DL in early Dec. and need some help picking the dates. We are flying down for this trip and to get a better rate we need to fly on Sat, Tues, or Wen.

So my question is what would be better crowed wise Sat-Tues (3rd-6th) or Wen-Sat (7th-10th)? We would be going into the parks on our arrival and departure dates.

Thanks

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

LOL, I just voted for the Sat-Wed option without reading your post because you're going in an off-peak time and thus really need two weekend nights to get in all the shows (fireworks, WOC, and Fantasmic!) that might not run during the week.
Not sure how big a difference there could be with crowds.

GL!
AJ

 

[krash2501]

According to this http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/park-hours.cfm?month=12&year=2010 there should be fireworks and Fantasmic! every night in Dec.

Right?

 

[Sherry E]

I'm not sure if you follow along with our Disneyland at Christmas Superthread at all, but we discuss dates and crowds a lot.

The only problem with the first set of December dates is that you may or may not run into the Cast Member party nights, and Disneyland closes at 6 p.m. on CM party nights (DCA stays open). We don't know the dates of the CM parties yet and won't know for a while, but they will either be 12/5 and 12/6 or 12/12 and 12/13. Also, the Candlelight Processional will be held on 12/3 and 12/4, and crowds are usually pretty heavy for that.

Fireworks and entertainment will be going every night in December - it is peak season!

So based on what I said, I would go on 12/7 - 12/10!! Stay tuned to the Superthread for any news on CM party dates and other things that may affect crowds, entertainment, etc.!

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

Fireworks and entertainment will be going every night in December - it is peak season!

I thought that began more mid-December. What great news! Then I definitely change my vote to the second dates with more weekdays in it, without even knowing anything about the CM parties or the Candlelight Processional.

I have to offer caution to newbies like myself trying to jump into those SUPER threads, as someone who has tried to navigate the Hallowen one. The threads are SO huge and have so many posts that are people who know each other posting friendly exchanges (which is lovely) or complimenting people's posts, photos, etc., rather than pure information trading, that they are very daunting and not as useful as one might hope for a more specific question. So I always am very understanding when someone just posts a new thread about what precisely they need to know.
That said, the front pages do contain a lot of helpful answers to FAQs and are definitely worth a read if only to refine your questions if they are not answered completely.


AJ

 

[Sherry E]

I thought that began more mid-December. What great news! Then I definitely change my vote to the second dates with more weekdays in it, without even knowing anything about the CM parties or the Candlelight Processional.

I have to offer caution to newbies like myself trying to jump into those SUPER threads, as someone who has tried to navigate the Hallowen one. The threads are SO huge and have so many posts that are people who know each other posting friendly exchanges (which is lovely) or complimenting people's posts, photos, etc., rather than pure information trading, that they are very daunting and not as useful as one might hope for a more specific question. So I always am very understanding when someone just posts a new thread about what precisely they need to know.
That said, the front pages do contain a lot of helpful answers to FAQs and are definitely worth a read if only to refine your questions if they are not answered completely.


AJ

The Superthreads are set up in a way where that no one has to read the whole thing. No one is expected to read the whole thing. I think many people assume they have to read the whole thing, and I can often tell that they haven't even looked at page 1! Just read the first few posts on Page 1, maybe skim the last couple of pages in the thread if need be, and ask a question in the thread if you need to. We have a lot of people in those threads ready to answer questions because they know their stuff!

The very first page of all Superthreads on the board usually have the bulk of the information people will need. We work hard on assembling that information for people and putting it right there on page 1 to make it easy to find. I've put a lot of time and effort into both the Halloween and Christmas threads. Plus, from a moderation standpoint, the Superthreads help to keep the number of threads down on a particular subject. For example, we don't need 100 World of Color threads when there is a World of Color Superthread.

Superthreads are your friend!

 

[rentayenta]

OP: I'd research when the Cast Parties are going to be and try to miss those dates. CP too.


Sherry is correct, Superthreads are your friends. Generally the OP will keep the first few posts for updates or update in the title. Lots of good info. I've been known to cut, copy, and paste and make my own handy dandy tangible Superthread.

 

[skiingfast]

While a lot of people suggest avoiding days with CM parties because the parks close eary, this is not the whole truth. Disney schedules parties and other private events on nights that aren't busy anyway and wouldn't otherwise have long hours. So in reality you might miss 1 or 2 hours that day but are often made up with a later night or earlier morning the day before or after.

Still with a sole consideration I suggest the earlier dates. That way you will get two full night in the park arrival day Saturday and Sunday, not just Friday since I assume with the other choice you will have to leave on Saturday and before night.

Night in the parks are great and you will be able to see the illuminated Paradise Pier, Main St. New Orleans Sq. and the special lights on the castle that much more.

While the crowds will be big when you arrive, get in those attractions you missed or want again on the coming slower weekdays.

 

[Sherry E]

While a lot of people suggest avoiding days with CM parties because the parks close eary, this is not the whole truth. Disney schedules parties and other private events on nights that aren't busy anyway and wouldn't otherwise have long hours. So in reality you might miss 1 or 2 hours that day but are often made up with a later night or earlier morning the day before or after.

Still with a sole consideration I suggest the earlier dates. That way you will get two full night in the park arrival day Saturday and Sunday, not just Friday since I assume with the other choice you will have to leave on Saturday and before night.

Night in the parks are great and you will be able to see the illuminated Paradise Pier, Main St. New Orleans Sq. and the special lights on the castle that much more.

While the crowds will be big when you arrive, get in those attractions you missed or want again on the coming slower weekdays.

I think DL closes 3 hours early on CM party nights if they fall on either the first or second Monday and Tuesday of December (which they will). After the second week, DL closes at midnight all week long. I was there over the CM party days last year. DL closed at 6 p.m. Monday and Tuesday were very, very crowded in the daytime. By Wednesday, things began to calm down.

 

[Kittyskyfish]

I think DL closes 3 hours early on CM party nights if they fall on either the first or second Monday and Tuesday of December (which they will). After the second week, DL closes at midnight all week long. I was there over the CM party days last year. DL closed at 6 p.m. Monday and Tuesday were very, very crowded in the daytime. By Wednesday, things began to calm down.

Which makes me salty and ready to point out this one fault of DLR customer service: They wait until the last minute to let park guests know their early-closure days. Realistically, they should know about the CM parties months in advance (like now, really, it's almost September and ~ 90 days away) and it would be easy to have the party dates fixed on a special events page. Don't pop these early closures on people who already bought their airline tickets! (I could wait until the last minute to get my hotel and plane tickets, but that would cost me 3x as much.)

OBTW - I voted the 7th to the 10th! Seems a safer bet....lol

 

[Nonsuch]

Which makes me salty and ready to point out this one fault of DLR customer service: They wait until the last minute to let park guests know their early-closure days. Realistically, they should know about the CM parties months in advance (like now, really, it's almost September and ~ 90 days away) and it would be easy to have the party dates fixed on a special events page. Don't pop these early closures on people who already bought their airline tickets! (I could wait until the last minute to get my hotel and plane tickets, but that would cost me 3x as much.

As a DVC owner, these late schedules are a big problems. It makes it difficult to book VGC for special events, when the schedule is not known.

OP: I recommend seeing Candlelight

 

[Sherry E]

Which makes me salty and ready to point out this one fault of DLR customer service: They wait until the last minute to let park guests know their early-closure days. Realistically, they should know about the CM parties months in advance (like now, really, it's almost September and ~ 90 days away) and it would be easy to have the party dates fixed on a special events page. Don't pop these early closures on people who already bought their airline tickets! (I could wait until the last minute to get my hotel and plane tickets, but that would cost me 3x as much.)

OBTW - I voted the 7th to the 10th! Seems a safer bet....lol

You're absolutely right, Kittyskyfish! DLR does wait until the last minute and it makes it tough to plan.

I remember that last year the CM party dates were made known really late in the game. In fact, many of us saw the early closures for 12/13 and 12/14 on the calendar and didn't know what those were for, because we fully expected the CM party dates to be one week earlier, on 12/6 and 12/7. I even planned my DLR trip last year to avoid the CM party nights. Imagine my surprise when I found out that the CM parties had been moved to one week later than normal, and were going to happen right during my trip! It was so late by the time this information came out that I couldn't change my dates to 12/6 and 12/7!

It all ended up working out okay when I was there, and I just did other things on the 2 nights that DL closed at 6 p.m., but for some people who may only have 2-4 days in the parks, those nighttime hours at DL could be very important to them (especially during the holidays, when all the lights and colors are so beautiful), and it could be a big deal if the hours are cut short.

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

The Superthreads are set up in a way where that no one has to read the whole thing. No one is expected to read the whole thing. I think many people assume they have to read the whole thing, and I can often tell that they haven't even looked at page 1! Just read the first few posts on Page 1, maybe skim the last couple of pages in the thread if need be, and ask a question in the thread if you need to. We have a lot of people in those threads ready to answer questions because they know their stuff!

The very first page of all Superthreads on the board usually have the bulk of the information people will need. We work hard on assembling that information for people and putting it right there on page 1 to make it easy to find. I've put a lot of time and effort into both the Halloween and Christmas threads. Plus, from a moderation standpoint, the Superthreads help to keep the number of threads down on a particular subject. For example, we don't need 100 World of Color threads when there is a World of Color Superthread.

Superthreads are your friend!

Absolutely! That's why I said, "the front pages do contain a lot of helpful answers to FAQs and are definitely worth a read." While I wouldn't say I literally feel like I have to read the whole thing, I do feel a bit badly asking questions sometimes if only because I have to figure that the odds are low that I'm asking something that have never been addressed.

Thanks for clarifying on these closures and how it's not my imagination that the announcements come out pretty late.

AJ

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Candlelight Processional will make for very insane crowds, but it is well worth seeing especially if you're Christian. It tells the story of the birth of Christ as written in the Bible with a celebrity narrator and Disney choir singing a variety of Christmas hymns.

Traditionally, the Processional tends to fall the first weekend in December.

 

[Malcon10t]

CP is the 3rd and 4th. Cast parties are supposed to be the 5th and 6th. Fantasmic! won't be showing nightly until the 16th. My vote is the 7th-10th.

 

[Sherry E]

CP is the 3rd and 4th. Cast parties are supposed to be the 5th and 6th. Fantasmic! won't be showing nightly until the 16th. My vote is the 7th-10th.

The CP dates have been established for a while. In fact, I got confirmation of those from a CM in the Special Activities office (who booked my PPH holiday reservation), months ago. Since there are no more dinner packages being sold for the CP, it's not well-publicized, I guess. But the CM party dates were/are still unknown.

Have you been told by Disney that the CM parties are on the 5th and 6th? They normally fall right after the CP, but last year was a different story. They took place one week later than normal, which is why we have been saying in this thread we don't know what the dates are as of now. Will the CM parties revert to their original schedule and take place immediately after the CP, or will they take place one week later, which was the case last year?

 

[larina]

According to this http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/park-hours.cfm?month=12&year=2010 there should be fireworks and Fantasmic! every night in Dec.

Right?

Everynight? Woooooooo hoooooooooo

I'm more excited than ever!!!!