December trip

[kikismom]

I am tentatively planning a trip to Disneyland either December 9-13 or 15-19. It would be to celebrate my daughter's 10th birthday. We would save $20 by getting a 4 day kids parkhopper if we went the first dates but I am not worried about that. I feel like the first dates would have smaller crowds, although we've been at extremely crowded times and can manage.

I think we'll stay at the Park Place to be super close. We've never stayed there before but I've read some positive reviews on here.

I want to make this so special for her. Is Napa Rose doing the full princess thing again? Any other ideas of special things to do? She loves princesses and characters in general.

Our last trip to DL was in October and we didn't have the best time. Mainly because it was so darn hot and we had a large group to navigate in heavy crowds. I said I was going to take a few years off at least but then we went to DW last week and it was incredible. All the magic was back for us. Of course that made me want to visit my favorite parks sooner.

We also haven't been during Christmas time in 9 years! We love Halloweentime so much we usually got then. Was the Christmas party worth it last year?

Thanks for help in advance!

 

[tlcdoula]

We are planning a trip for early December. I have lucked out with good weather on our December trips and hope the same for this trip. We will be traveling with my daughter and her bf and their new baby (he will be 8 months then) It is going to be a different trip than all the others, we will have to slow down for the little one and try to enjoy all the little things.

Hubby and I went last November and since there were not fast passes etc we just sort of took the days as they were and planned accordingly I feel like I better get some sort of plan in place for December but it will all depend on how our little one does with the parks.

 

[DizMe]

Hi! I have wonderful memories of taking my 3 girls to DLR to celebrate their 10th birthdays. The youngest 2 are now 19 and big sis will be 22 in June. They're all off at college. Time flies, and those memories are worth every penny.

That said, we didn't go too far overboard in terms of spending. Just going to the parks was special, and they always got a special diamond birthday tiara at 10. You can buy them in the parks but we brought them from home (way, way cheaper but I'm sure it's fabulous to let them pick their own at DL). I know they sell them in the Crystal Shops on Main St and in NOS. You can order them online for a lot less but maybe picking out a tiara would be a nice moment in your trip.

We also did the princess meal and that was quite a hit! They loved it. Yes, DLR still does it, but now it's in Napa Rose and it costs, like, a million dollars. Ok, that's an exaggeration but it's a LOT more money than it used to be when we went to Ariel's Grotto back in the day. I think it's $125 pp? Here's some info on it: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/di...n-hotel/disney-princess-breakfast-adventures/ The girls loved dressing up as princesses for it. We didn't do BBB but had our own "princess makeover" session that included sparkly face powder etc. They had their regular clothes with them and changed after the meal. If your daughter is into princesses, there are lots of fun things about that character meal and she'll feel very special, I'm sure. I believe they get some mementos.

I hope you have a wonderful time!! I think it will be amazing and fun. I wish I could offer more suggestions but I just don't really know what's there these days for that age. Oh! They have those pictures that are made out of your name that an artist will paint for you while you're at the park. Each letter is a different Disney character and I think you get to choose. You pay by the letter, so hopefully her name isn't too long . You can do that over by the Matterhorn, near the sub lagoon, and there's also one in DTD. My sister did that for her granddaughter and it was a huge hit.

 

[DizMe]

I forgot about your question regarding which week to go. I go at that time every year and have for the past decade or so. Usually, we go in early Dec but this last year we went a week later (13-17). It's hard to know how much of a difference it made since the previous 2 years were the Covid years, but overall it was nice and not overcrowded. There were still a lot of things that hadn't come back yet in terms of things like service, shopping selections, and food options. They were just about to begin Genie+ but it wasn't operational yet so it didn't affect our trip. We had a horrendous rainstorm, but that's just something that happens every now and then and there's no predicting it too far ahead. I really don't know, to be honest, how much of a difference it will make with crowds this year. I think it will just be a guess, but historically, the closer you get to Christmas, the busier it gets.

 

[MikeRx]

Birthday or celebration button suggestion…”I’m Celebrating… Being a Disney Adult”. It sucks for the parents, but it’s a big deal for the kids. We did the “last day as a Disney child” and first day as a Disney adult” as our son’s 10th birthday was over president’s weekend. Now he won’t even wear the b-day button, he’s 14 but still loves the DLR and WDW. We love Christmas at the DLR and will be back the 18th-21st. Similar dates last year and it got busy in the afternoon, but we still had a fantastic time. Don’t forget the Candy Canes!
Mike

 

[kikismom]

I love the birthday button idea! I remember our first trip after she was 3 and now she'll move up to Disney adulthood. She won't know the difference but I will!

I am really hoping we can bring her best friend along. If we do that we will not be doing the princess breakfast. I've got to budget somewhere. I have a tentative plan to go the 8-12th. Park days on the 9, 10, 11, and a half day on the 12th. Dinner at Goofy's Kitchen as that's her favorite place to eat, breakfast at Plaza Inn because it's tradition. I've settled on Beat Western Raffles so we don't have to Uber back and forth the whole time.

If her friend can't go I'll splurge on some other things like better seats on the plane. I do really hope her friend can go. We went with their family last October and she lives having her bestie there.

 

[kikismom]

Okay I am a disaster. I've spent the morning looking at more hotels. What would you do?

Desert Inn at $922 and be right across the street

Or the following down by Toy Story, we don't mind the walk to the shuttles but will probably close down the park so I don't know about crowds.

Portofino $627
Hotel Lulu $872
BW Raffles $757
Anaheim Islander $635
Hampton $831
Sheraton $693
Hilton $872

I should add we will not be rope dropping.

 

[Foustketeer]

Okay I am a disaster. I've spent the morning looking at more hotels. What would you do?

Desert Inn at $922 and be right across the street

Or the following down by Toy Story, we don't mind the walk to the shuttles but will probably close down the park so I don't know about crowds.

Portofino $627
Hotel Lulu $872
BW Raffles $757
Anaheim Islander $635
Hampton $831
Sheraton $693
Hilton $872

I should add we will not be rope dropping.

We prefer staying within walking distance. You don't have to fight the crowds for the bus at the end of the night and if you want to pop back to the room for something or take a break, it's a lot less hassle to just walk across the street than hop on the bus.

 

[StarlitNight05]

Okay I am a disaster. I've spent the morning looking at more hotels. What would you do?

Desert Inn at $922 and be right across the street

Or the following down by Toy Story, we don't mind the walk to the shuttles but will probably close down the park so I don't know about crowds.

Portofino $627
Hotel Lulu $872
BW Raffles $757
Anaheim Islander $635
Hampton $831
Sheraton $693
Hilton $872

I should add we will not be rope dropping.

I'd go with Desert Inn for proximity. It's so nice to be able to pop back to the room if you need a break, snack, jacket, etc.

 

[smartlabelprint]

Okay I am a disaster. I've spent the morning looking at more hotels. What would you do?

Desert Inn at $922 and be right across the street

Or the following down by Toy Story, we don't mind the walk to the shuttles but will probably close down the park so I don't know about crowds.

Portofino $627
Hotel Lulu $872
BW Raffles $757
Anaheim Islander $635
Hampton $831
Sheraton $693
Hilton $872

I should add we will not be rope dropping.

Anaheim Hilton right by the convention center? I’d pick that. You don’t need a bus. Just walk.