disney at christmas

[Kayla's Mom]

 

[Sherry E]

Scrappinbear78 - speaking of souvenirs...

It also occurred to me that, since each of your kids will have a special birthday day when you are at DLR this December, perhaps one of the things that would be really cool to do would be making bears (or other stuffed friends) at the Build-a-Bear workshop. They make it very fun for kids (and adults) there, and everyone can build their own furry friend - and even buy little Disney-themed accessories or clothing. Plus, since it will be the holiday season, I wouldn't be surprised if there is holiday-themed stuff too.

And.....be sure to get a Disney-themed Mr. Potato Head!! The only place they are sold in DLR (as far as I know) is at Engine Ears in DCA. You pay something like $18 for as many pieces as you can cram into a box, and they are all Disney-themed Potato pieces (some of them will be holiday pieces too). That's a great, fun thing for kids to do. There is the smaller $18 size and a bigger $36 size (though prices may have gone up in the last 2 years).

So, even though I thought the $2000 on souvenirs sounded like a lot, I know how quickly things can add up. Since it's a combo anniversary-birthday-holiday celebration, as well as being a once in a lifetime adventure, you may want to just let your dad figure in that souvenir money to the overall budget, and keep it there...just in case. You don't have to spend it, of course, but it seems like this is going to be such a special trip that it may be worth it - even if you buy things at DLR and the kids don't receive or see all of them right away (you save some for another day or special occasion and give them then).

By the way, you can have all of your merchandise purchases sent back to the hotel since you will be staying on Disney property. The shops will send everything, for free, back to the PPH and it is ready at the Bell Desk the following morning. It's so much easier than getting a locker or schlepping stuff around with you.

You will find that your PPH suite has festive, adorable Mickey ears bath products in the bathrooms. Your kids will love these! Heck, I love them and I am an adult!! If you want the Mousekeeping staff to leave more Mickey bath products each day (which they expect to do for every night you are there), then take each day's supply and stash it somewhere. Then, while you all are in the parks having fun, Mousekeeping will leave more bottles (and they are very sought-after bath products here on the DIS!!) and you will be greeted by them in the bathroom when you return!!


Anyone else out there with suggestions for what Scrappinbear78 can do, eat, buy, see, etc. on this once in a lifetime DLR holday trip - please jump in!!! I know I am skipping things and I need the help of other people!!

 

[scrappinbear78]

You guys have me wanting to leave tomorrow and go. I am an absolute bear lover. I can easily go into build-a-bear workshop and spend $100 just on myself. I have about 30 bab workshop bears and they all have names to go with them, call me crazy...but I love my bears. They all have clothes and everything to go with them as well. They are stashed all over the house. my husband jokes around with me that if we ever had the money to build our own house, that we would have to build a room just for the bears. Anyway, the Mr. Potato head thing sounds amazing and I might just have to have the kids do that....even though they are older and they don't like Mr. Potato head, even if it is a combined effort and they do one to sit on a shelf for a memory that would be awesome. As far as the soaps and things...those sound amazing...we will definately have to at least make sure that everyone has a set to come home with. I can't wait. I am so glad that we are going to be there for 8 days because for one I don't think my body could capture everything in a couple days, and two I just really want to be able to take everything in and have pictures of everything. My husband can easily take 3000 pictures for an 8 hr wedding, so I can't even imagine what we will come home with from the trip. I am sure by next Christmas I will still be sorting and printing pictures...hehe. I will have to use some of the souviner money just to print pictures when we come home...I will probably have to use about 4 or 5 scrapbooks just to scrap all the pictures...it will take me years hehe. Anyway, I can't wait. I know that I will be one of the biggest kids. Unfortunatly I won't be able to ride any rides, but I can watch my kids enjoy them. I can enjoy the sites and sounds.

 

[specialks]

Unfortunatly I won't be able to ride any rides, but I can watch my kids enjoy them. I can enjoy the sites and sounds.

scrappinbear78 -- this is one of the best things about DL & DCA. Our first trip was in 2008 and my husband and I were both so amazed at how wonderful it is just "soaking up the atmosphere" of the DLR. There is so much to see and experience, not just rides. One of my favorite things as a mom is seeing my kids come off a ride they enjoyed or meeting a favorite character. The smiles on their faces and the light in their eyes just touches a mother's heart. Enjoy your trip and have fun making lasting memories!

 

[Sherry E]

You guys have me wanting to leave tomorrow and go. I am an absolute bear lover. I can easily go into build-a-bear workshop and spend $100 just on myself. I have about 30 bab workshop bears and they all have names to go with them, call me crazy...but I love my bears. They all have clothes and everything to go with them as well. They are stashed all over the house. my husband jokes around with me that if we ever had the money to build our own house, that we would have to build a room just for the bears. Anyway, the Mr. Potato head thing sounds amazing and I might just have to have the kids do that....even though they are older and they don't like Mr. Potato head, even if it is a combined effort and they do one to sit on a shelf for a memory that would be awesome. As far as the soaps and things...those sound amazing...we will definately have to at least make sure that everyone has a set to come home with. I can't wait. I am so glad that we are going to be there for 8 days because for one I don't think my body could capture everything in a couple days, and two I just really want to be able to take everything in and have pictures of everything. My husband can easily take 3000 pictures for an 8 hr wedding, so I can't even imagine what we will come home with from the trip. I am sure by next Christmas I will still be sorting and printing pictures...hehe. I will have to use some of the souviner money just to print pictures when we come home...I will probably have to use about 4 or 5 scrapbooks just to scrap all the pictures...it will take me years hehe. Anyway, I can't wait. I know that I will be one of the biggest kids. Unfortunatly I won't be able to ride any rides, but I can watch my kids enjoy them. I can enjoy the sites and sounds.

Scrappinbear78 -

Your husband will get some fantastic shots around DLR - because everything is so photogenic, especially around the holidays. And you know we will look forward to seeing all of the photos when you return home!!

I don't know how much of a chance you have had to explore other areas of the DIS, but just in case you didn't see these threads, they may be of interest to you:

First of all, here is a photo of the Mickey ears bath products you will find in your PPH bathrooms, and you will get a new supply every day (I tend to hoard them when I stay onsite, and you can find them at either the PPH or the DLH, but not the GCH):

Next, here is our character meal photo & info thread, so you can get a good idea of which characters you will see at Goofy's Kitchen and at any other meals you may want to try (start at the last page of the thread and work backwards, so you will see the more recent photos first):

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2234435

If you are doing the Goofy's Kitchen breakfast/brunch meal, you might be interested in seeing the wide array of food offerings they have - it's a huge buffet with something for everyone in the family. Here is a link to a page from Disneynerd420's trip report of last Fall. Scroll down to Post #338 and Post #339 and see all the yummy goodies your family has to look forward to!:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2268157&page=23

Next, Bumbershoot, who has posted on this thread and is a regular on the DIS, stayed in a PPH suite in December of 2008, I think. Here is a link to the page in her trip report where she posted photos of the PPH suite (actually, it's a really great trip report in general, but I thought you might like to see the PPH suite photos first!):

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1986475&page=13

 

[Sherry E]

Oh, I completely forgot to comment before - I, too, thought that the Santa in Kayla's Mom's photo looked a little....well...female! That was the first thing I noticed - Santa has womanly eyes!!

 

[Disneylvrforever]

It can't be the Christmas season w/out the craziness of New Year's Eve!

2006/07

In front of the castle

2007/08

Plaza Pavilion

In front of the castle

2009/10

Rivers of America

In front of the castle

DCA

 

[tksbaskets]

So THAT's what DL looks like on NYE if you actually stay awake to ring in the new year! Perhaps we'll stay at the park this year....or maybe not Thanks for sharing. Your night time pictures are great!

 

[azdisneylover]

Scrappinbear78,
I am so excited for you! Your family is going to have a wonderful time! When we stayed at the PPH last November, we had a great time. Everyone was friendly and so helpful. The only complaint was the elevators. They are extremely slow. Your children may want to try out the slide and the jacuzzi. If your children are into Legos, there is a Lego store in Downtown Disney (where you get off and on the Monorail). We went into the store a few times to look around so our kids could see what they had, and on the LAST day, we went in and they picked out what Legos they wanted. (This way, we didn't lose any Legos in the room).
The light sabers are $10.00 and they only take cash! Maybe you can check out the Disney store website to get a feel of what they sale and the prices.
There are threads with the yummy foods (Tigger Tails, and the Mickey Snowman treat, etc and the prices). When we wanted a drink other than water, we got the Tinkerbell Slushy in the souveneir cup. Each child now has a cool DL cup.
There is a thread on cleaning pennies for doing penny presses.

 

[Kayla's Mom]

I am armed with pics now - here are some more!

 

[specialks]

Thanks Kayla's Mom! Those are great -- I so hope we get to see the Beast on our trip this Dec. I've never seen him and he is one of my favorites!

 

[aussiegirls]

Well, I just thought I would share that we are going to Disneyland at Christmas

I have been watching this thread since last year and it has probably been the main deciding factor in us going back for Christmas. I am in loooooove with the photos and the thought of all the yummy food. Also the thought of a white Christmas (albeit fake white) is too enticing.

Now that the kids know it is all official.

We are all soooooo beyond excited

xxx

 

[tksbaskets]

Well, I just thought I would share that we are going to Disneyland at Christmas

I have been watching this thread since last year and it has probably been the main deciding factor in us going back for Christmas. I am in loooooove with the photos and the thought of all the yummy food. Also the thought of a white Christmas (albeit fake white) is too enticing.

Now that the kids know it is all official.

We are all soooooo beyond excited

xxx

You'll have a wonderful time!! Glad you are going at Christmas. It is something to see

 

[Sherry E]

I haven't been feeling well since last night - think I am coming down with a pesky virus. So I haven't had the energy to get on and comment on a couple of posts here that have come in since yesterday which I wanted to comment on.

But I wanted to thank everyone for continuing to keep this thread alive and chock full of questions, answers, info and, of course, the beautiful pictures!! Hopefully this one-stop-shop "Disney at Christmas" super thread will help a lot of folks plan all the details of their trips this year....and perhaps, it may even inspire a few folks to make a holiday trip to DLR (like in the case of Aussiegirls!!). I have even begun to see other DIS-ers refer people to this thread for Christmas info, which is fantastic, so I know we are doing something right!!

Okay, back to my sick bed now!!

 

[tksbaskets]

I haven't been feeling well since last night - think I am coming down with a pesky virus. So I haven't had the energy to get on and comment on a couple of posts here that have come in since yesterday which I wanted to comment on.

But I wanted to thank everyone for continuing to keep this thread alive and chock full of questions, answers, info and, of course, the beautiful pictures!! Hopefully this one-stop-shop "Disney at Christmas" super thread will help a lot of folks plan all the details of their trips this year....and perhaps, it may even inspire a few folks to make a holiday trip to DLR (like in the case of Aussiegirls!!). I have even begun to see other DIS-ers refer people to this thread for Christmas info, which is fantastic, so I know we are doing something right!!

Okay, back to my sick bed now!!

Feel better Sherry! It is fun that other people are referencing your thread

 

[Sherry E]

Feel better Sherry! It is fun that other people are referencing your thread

Thank you! I am alternately trying to rest and stave off getting sick while watching "American Idol" and gearing up for "Lost" (I don't know what I am going to do when "Lost" ends).

But...a correction...this is our thread! In fact, we don't even know if the OP who started it last year ever went to DLR for the holidays!!! It just became the Disney at Christmas super thread...and it was and continues to be a team effort all around - and it seems like our efforts are paying off because people are enjoying it!!

I just bump a lot!!

Back to my box of Kleenex!!

 

[deejdigsdis]

Thank you! I am alternately trying to rest and stave off getting sick while watching "American Idol" and gearing up for "Lost" (I don't know what I am going to do when "Lost" ends).

But...a correction...this is our thread! In fact, we don't even know if the OP who started it last year ever went to DLR for the holidays!!! It just became the Disney at Christmas super thread...and it was and continues to be a team effort all around - and it seems like our efforts are paying off because people are enjoying it!!

I just bump a lot!!

Back to my box of Kleenex!!

It's funny, I was wondering if the OP realized how this thread caught on. Or if they ever went!

Hope you are up and in no time! (I remembered seeing you use creepy-dancer-guy in the Halloween thread, which I should really visit more thoroughly because I think that's when I'll be going next.)

 

[Sherry E]

It's funny, I was wondering if the OP realized how this thread caught on. Or if they ever went!

Hope you are up and in no time! (I remembered seeing you use creepy-dancer-guy in the Halloween thread, which I should really visit more thoroughly because I think that's when I'll be going next.)

I feel much better today. I was that very early stage of getting sick where I think my massive vitamin popping was able to keep it at bay!

Yes, this creepy dancer guy is the mascot for the DLR Halloweentime Information Boogie, which was essentially started by Belle Ella and it caught on! So we all did the creepy dance - - and we started getting bits of information about things happening at DLR for Halloweentime. The official info will be coming out in July, I think, so we will keep dancing until then.

But soon, we will all have to start doing some sort of boogie over in this Disney at Christmas thread to get the vital information coming in (DLR's holiday dates and full schedule of activities, etc.) that will help everyone plan their trips...although, I don't foresee any real holiday info coming in until August or September!! I have a feeling that, since things are being shaken up a bit at DLR this year for Halloweentime, Christmastime will be no different. DLR may shift all of the holiday focus over to DL and keep DCA very minimal and WoC-centric as it seems they may be doing for Halloweentime.

This could mean that the 'womanly' Santa in DCA will be ousted from her/his spot over in Paradise Pier this year....

 

[Kayla's Mom]

This could mean that the 'womanly' Santa in DCA will be ousted from her/his spot over in Paradise Pier this year....

 

[tksbaskets]

Sherry,
Glad you are feeling better!

TK