disney at christmas

[Sherry E]

Keep us posted, Scrappinbear78, about what happened today when you called the DLR reservations people and what was decided. What have you found out?

You don't have to make a final final decision right away, but as I said yesterday, I do think it would be a good idea if you booked an offsite Good Neighbor hotel across the street from DLR (that does not requre money up front) just to have as a back-up in case the Disney hotels are too much $$$ to deal with. And I think it would be good to book that Good Neighbor hotel very soon, as those lower-priced hotels will likely be snapped up for December months in advance.

 

[grannyminnie]

Could someone advise how far into January the park will be decorated? I plan on being there sometime in the first week. I guess it's still terribly crowded then.

 

[sierranevada]

Scrappinbear 78, Also just checking in to see what you found out. Post as much info as you can and maybe we can all help you with ideas to make it work - the DIS is the best place for that!

Rachael Q explained my suggestion of putting the voucher money on gift cards soooooo much better than I did. And I echo what azdisneylover said, if you spilt the stay, do the off site first.

Keep us posted!

 

[sierranevada]

Could someone advise how far into January the park will be decorated? I plan on being there sometime in the first week. I guess it's still terribly crowded then.

Usually the crowds die down once you are past Jan 1st. I believe the decorations are still up for about a week. Maybe some other experts can know the exact dates.

 

[Sherry E]

Could someone advise how far into January the park will be decorated? I plan on being there sometime in the first week. I guess it's still terribly crowded then.

Welcome to the Disney at Christmas super thread, grannyminnie!

I received an e-mail from Disney on July 19th that said:

11/12/10–1/2/11
Holidays at the Disneyland® Resort

So I take that to mean that the decorations will begin to come down overnight from 1/2/11 to 1/3/11, and then gradually disappear a little at a time over the next week. I am not sure if the trees go down first or last. You will probably see some remnants of Christmas here and there, and they will diminish as the week wears on.

It's a Small World Holiday will likely stay up (unless DLR does something differently this year than they did last year) past the 1/2/11 season ending date, possibly even until the MLK holiday. DLR doesn't like to have Haunted Mansion and It's a Small World Holiday down at the same time to remove both of the overlays, so they leave up IASWH while they remove the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay from Haunted Mansion and restore it to its usual state. So you will, most likely, still be able to ride IASWH and see it in its beautiful glory at night!!

 

[azdisneylover]

Scrappinbear78, I popped on to see if you posted and to bump the thread. I hope you have good news to post.

 

[Sherry E]

Scrappinbear78, I popped on to see if you posted and to bump the thread. I hope you have good news to post.

Ditto! Scrappinbear78 - keep us posted!!

We've been invested in your family's December trip to DLR since early May, when you first joined us and told us your story (back when we thought you were staying at the PPH), and I know we all really hope it comes to fruition. I'm hoping that you are able to switch the DLH reservation to a PPH reservation with little effort (and hopefully no fee of any kind), and if need be, switch to a Good Neighbor hotel for at least part of the time.

 

[sierranevada]

Me three!!

 

[Sherry E]

Also, Scrappinbear78 - I can't recall if I mentioned this to you back in May or not (when we were talking about Build-a-Bear and Mr. Potato Head), but one way to get more for your buck with Mr, Potato Head is to not actually buy the Potato body at DLR.

You can buy a body for Mr. Potato Head at any toy store or anywhere that sells Potato Heads. Then, when you get to DLR (specifically DCA, where Mr. Potato Head is sold), grab a box (it used to be $18 for the small size and maybe $32 or $36 for the large size - not sure if the price has gone up in the last 2 years) and stuff as many Potato parts and accessories into the box as you can fit. In fact, certain skilled Cast Members can even help you pack the parts in the box and get as many in there as possible for you (because you're paying the same amount of money whether you put 10 parts in the box or 20 in there, so you may as well load up!!).

So, in other words, there wouldn't be a Potato Head in the box unless you choose to buy him at DLR. If you buy him at DLR, it will limit your space for accessories in the box. It's better to just buy the accessories in the box and get as many as you can and get the Potato Head body elsewhere.

Another thing is - that photo that I posted for you a couple of months ago - of the Mickey ears bath products - was taken at the PPH. Both the PPH and the DLH have those same Mickey ears bath products. (GCH has H20 Spa products - much more geared towards adults, I guess.) IF it turns out that you can't stay onsite at one of the DLR hotels (either DLH or PPH) and end up at a Good Neighbor instead, and if you think your kids would like them, I can either send you one set of the Mickey ears bath products from the PPH that I already have (I hoarded all the Mickey bath stuff the last time I was there to give them out to people!!), or I can grab some for you the next time I stay at PPH (which will, hopefully, will be in the next few months).

 

[sm4987]

Welcome to the Disney at Christmas super thread, grannyminnie!

I received an e-mail from Disney on July 19th that said:

11/12/10–1/2/11
Holidays at the Disneyland® Resort

So I take that to mean that the decorations will begin to come down overnight from 1/2/11 to 1/3/11, and then gradually disappear a little at a time over the next week. I am not sure if the trees go down first or last. You will probably see some remnants of Christmas here and there, and they will diminish as the week wears on.

It's a Small World Holiday will likely stay up (unless DLR does something differently this year than they did last year) past the 1/2/11 season ending date, possibly even until the MLK holiday. DLR doesn't like to have Haunted Mansion and It's a Small World Holiday down at the same time to remove both of the overlays, so they leave up IASWH while they remove the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay from Haunted Mansion and restore it to its usual state. So you will, most likely, still be able to ride IASWH and see it in its beautiful glory at night!!

I was just coming to ask when the decorations went up. So it seems as if we go right before Thanksgiving, then we will be able to experience Disney with all its Christmas splendor!

 

[Sherry E]

I was just coming to ask when the decorations went up. So it seems as if we go right before Thanksgiving, then we will be able to experience Disney with all its Christmas splendor!

Yes, indeed!!

Welcome to the thread!! If you have time, be sure to scroll back through and see all the amazing photos that have made this thread so special!!

You will definitely get to experience DLR in all its Christmas glory and splendor. In 2008, the season started only 6 days before Thanksgiving. Last year and this year it has a start date of 13 days before Thanksgiving. The sooner, the better!!! Enough of this summer nonsense - let's move on to Fall and Winter!!!

 

[scrappinbear78]

so no news yet. I haven't had a chance to call them, plus my dad never left the paperwork with me. He said he was going to be back over and hasn't been. So I haven't been able to call Disney. I think I am going to try and call today even though I don't have the reservation number. I am sure they can look it up by our names. I have all the questions you guys have given me to ask all written down, so that I do not forget to ask any of them. One other question that I have, if we decide to ditch the meal vouchers and go with the Disney Gift cards, do we still need to call 60 days in advance for priority seating? Also, I hate giving someone 3 or 4 different cards to pay for something, is this something that the CM's are used to? Today, we are going to cash in all of our pop cans we have collected the last two weeks YIPPEEE we will see how much we have raised so far. I know it isn't a lot yet, but every little bit helps. Thank you guys for EVERYTHING I know the trip is in God's hands, if it is meant to be it will happen.

 

[Sherry E]

so no news yet. I haven't had a chance to call them, plus my dad never left the paperwork with me. He said he was going to be back over and hasn't been. So I haven't been able to call Disney. I think I am going to try and call today even though I don't have the reservation number. I am sure they can look it up by our names. I have all the questions you guys have given me to ask all written down, so that I do not forget to ask any of them. One other question that I have, if we decide to ditch the meal vouchers and go with the Disney Gift cards, do we still need to call 60 days in advance for priority seating? Also, I hate giving someone 3 or 4 different cards to pay for something, is this something that the CM's are used to? Today, we are going to cash in all of our pop cans we have collected the last two weeks YIPPEEE we will see how much we have raised so far. I know it isn't a lot yet, but every little bit helps. Thank you guys for EVERYTHING I know the trip is in God's hands, if it is meant to be it will happen.

Good morning, Scrappinbear78!!

You don't need to book any dining reservations 60 days in advance. You can book it 60 days in advance if you prefer, but it's not necessary. You can book 30 days in advance, or 15 days in advance, etc. It's up to you. Some folks like to book early just so they can have it taken care of. Others wait until the last minute - some people have even booked their reservations on the same day of when they want to eat at a particular restaurant.

As for the gift cards, I've been doing the same thing that was suggested to you - accumulating some smaller ones and others of different sizes. If I were to book a DLR hotel room, I would have to use a bunch of cards towards one room (in fact, I will likely be trying to do that). I'm sure it's easier, obviously, for the CM's to just enter one card - it's easier for everyone - but just like any supermarket or department store or place of business, you can use multiple cards to pay for one thing. It's still money. They want money. It's not the most convenient way to do things, but I'm sure the CM's are used to it.

Good luck calling Disney today - if you call them! : If you don't call Disney right away, you can still book a room at one of the Good Neighbor hotels (again, one that requires no money up front) just to have as a back-up in case the DLH room idea doesn't work out. Even if you don't talk to the Disney people for another week, you can still book a reservation for an off-property hotel. Trust me - while you are waiting to see if you can make this DLR trip go off without a hitch, which may take some time, you won't want to be left in a position where all the cheaper, nearby Good Neighbor hotels are booked (and the ones with the really good rates that are very close to DL's entrance will book up way in advance). If you wait too long, I'm afraid that might happen. Having a Good Neighbor booking will be a huge safety net (and much much cheaper) for you if you get all the way to, let's say, October and realize there is no way you all can afford the DLH.

Lots of people on this board do that - they book one off-property hotel just to have a standing reservation, and then they wait for a good deal to come out at one of the Disney hotels. If it does, they ditch the Good Neighbor and stay onsite. If there is no discount, they stick with their existing Good Neighbor reservation.

 

[grannyminnie]

Thank you for the information, Sherry E. I looks like I will only get to see one of the overlays during that New Year's week, is that correct?

 

[Sherry E]

Thank you for the information, Sherry E. I looks like I will only get to see one of the overlays during that New Year's week, is that correct?

Yes. I am guessing that, as long as they do things like they did them in January of this year, you will probably still get to see It's a Small World Holiday in its full glory, because they will probably keep it up until mid-January while they dismantle Haunted Mansion Holiday. IASWH - especially at nighttime - is absolutely gorgeous, so that will be wonderful if it's up while you are there.

Are you only at DLR for one day, or are you making a multi-day trip? I would say that if you show up close to January 2nd and it's a multi-day trip, you will see the most holiday stuff on the first day, then fewer things on the second day, even fewer things the day after that, etc. They do all the work overnight (taking everything down), so it's just a matter of how much they can get done in those hours. If you don't show up until January 7th or something, there will probably not be too much left in the way of decorations - not in comparison to what it looks like in full holiday season. You may see some traces of things/decorations here and there, but it won't be the full, immersive holiday experience.

 

[sm4987]

Yes, indeed!!

Welcome to the thread!! If you have time, be sure to scroll back through and see all the amazing photos that have made this thread so special!!

You will definitely get to experience DLR in all its Christmas glory and splendor. In 2008, the season started only 6 days before Thanksgiving. Last year and this year it has a start date of 13 days before Thanksgiving. The sooner, the better!!! Enough of this summer nonsense - let's move on to Fall and Winter!!!

Thanks for the welcome Sherry E. I will have to go back and look through the thread. I have done WDW at Christmas many times but we really want to experience DL during the holidays, not to mention the chance to see the World Of Color and Captain EO. We might only be there 3 or 4 days since we've done DL twice in the last 2 years, but I think there is nothing like Disney Christmas Magic.

 

[Rachael Q]

so no news yet. I haven't had a chance to call them, plus my dad never left the paperwork with me. He said he was going to be back over and hasn't been. So I haven't been able to call Disney. I think I am going to try and call today even though I don't have the reservation number. I am sure they can look it up by our names. I have all the questions you guys have given me to ask all written down, so that I do not forget to ask any of them. One other question that I have, if we decide to ditch the meal vouchers and go with the Disney Gift cards, do we still need to call 60 days in advance for priority seating? Also, I hate giving someone 3 or 4 different cards to pay for something, is this something that the CM's are used to? Today, we are going to cash in all of our pop cans we have collected the last two weeks YIPPEEE we will see how much we have raised so far. I know it isn't a lot yet, but every little bit helps. Thank you guys for EVERYTHING I know the trip is in God's hands, if it is meant to be it will happen.

You could do a mix of larger amounts and smaller amounts or you could put it all on it, whatever works best for you. The important thing is that the money for food would be set aside and you wouldn't worry about "running out" before the week is up.

Same if you have a set amount marked for souvenirs. Actually for my niece we gave her $20.00 in disney dollars and she knew that was her spending money for the week. She was 4 and we thought she'd go through it in no time. She actually kept it all until our last night and then we spent over an hour in the World of Disney Store with her and a basket. She put everything she wanted in it, and then we sat in middle of the floor and went through.....you can get just this one thing, or you can get these two smaller things etc etc. She eventually went with one toy, and was so excited that she picked it all out and used her own money. She still talks about it.

 

[PHXscuba]

Did everyone see there are new offers for the onsite hotels for fall/winter?

Check this page out.

Looks like it covers October 1 through mid-December, either $300 off a four day/night package OR a fat room-only discount.

This is almost exactly the same time last year that they came out with the on-site deals (because I used one in October).

I know the number-crunchers on the boards last year said it brought the DLR hotels down much closer to the off-site hotels, plus you get all that great Disney holiday magic!

PHXscuba

 

[Sherry E]

Did everyone see there are new offers for the onsite hotels for fall/winter?

Check this page out.

Looks like it covers October 1 through mid-December, either $300 off a four day/night package OR a fat room-only discount.

This is almost exactly the same time last year that they came out with the on-site deals (because I used one in October).

I know the number-crunchers on the boards last year said it brought the DLR hotels down much closer to the off-site hotels, plus you get all that great Disney holiday magic!

PHXscuba

Cool! You know, I had a dream about the hotel rates going down a few nights ago, and I was being pressured by someone (not sure who) to book a room. It didn't even dawn on me that it might be a premonition-type dream, and that good rates would actually come out this soon seeing that we are still waiting for the rest of the info on HalloweenTime).

The way I usually like to do things is to have my hotel booked well in advance, pay it all off and then deal with my Hopper (or AP, if I get one) either online right before I go to DLR or when I get there. So that way, I have the biggest epxense out of the way ahead of time. I generally like to book 3 nights (or 2, if need be).

However, things have been so topsy-turvy for me (financially) last year and this year that it has been hard to plan in advance. I've had friends of mine - who usually go on Disney trips with me - either suddenly lose interest in DLR or move away to another state. I have had sporadic work from clients, which means that money is unpredictable.

So I started putting aside Disney Gift Cards. Like if I came across an extra $25, I would put it on a gift card. An extra $50, put it on a gift card. I have a few of them put aside and I just ordered another one. Plus, from various survey or rewards sites, and my Disney Visa Rewards too, I will have more money coming in to put on yet another gift card. It's better for me to put the 'pocket change' on gift cards immediately, because if I let the money sit around for too long I will end up spending it on something else. At least this way I know it's going towards Disney, and that I can use all of these gift cards for another AP, a Hopper, a hotel stay, food, merchandise, PhotoPass, whatever.

So now I am in the position where I may have accumulated enough in gift cards to, perhaps, put down a one-night deposit on a DLR hotel. I decided that after my one-day DLR trips last year, a hotel most definitely comes in handy and enhances my experience overall. It doesn't feel right to me if I don't stay overnight!! And I get so much more accomplished, photo-wise, if I stay overnight and don't have to rush as much.

I just don't know if I want to go ahead and put down a one-night deposit on a room-only reservation for December to get something booked in advance now, or if I want to keep accumulating gift cards and then just decide how to allocate them later. I would still have to pay for the rest of the reservation and then my admission as well, not to mention other things. I mean, I can't wait too long to decide. HalloweenTime starts next month and I haven't even figured out what I am doing about that, but my mind keeps jumping ahead to Christmas - because that's my favorite time!!!

 

[grannyminnie]

Yes. I am guessing that, as long as they do things like they did them in January of this year, you will probably still get to see It's a Small World Holiday in its full glory, because they will probably keep it up until mid-January while they dismantle Haunted Mansion Holiday. IASWH - especially at nighttime - is absolutely gorgeous, so that will be wonderful if it's up while you are there.

Are you only at DLR for one day, or are you making a multi-day trip? I would say that if you show up close to January 2nd and it's a multi-day trip, you will see the most holiday stuff on the first day, then fewer things on the second day, even fewer things the day after that, etc. They do all the work overnight (taking everything down), so it's just a matter of how much they can get done in those hours. If you don't show up until January 7th or something, there will probably not be too much left in the way of decorations - not in comparison to what it looks like in full holiday season. You may see some traces of things/decorations here and there, but it won't be the full, immersive holiday experience.

Just one day, Sherry. My husband I will be in LA for the Rose Bowl parade, and be visiting around other places. As in the last two visits, I went to DL just for the day (he is a non-Disney fan), but those visits were in the summer.
I imagine it will be around the 3rd, 4th or 5th that I will be going to the park.
As per your suggestion, I will try and make it closer to Jan. 1st in order to see more decorations! I have never seen an overlay in any attraction so am looking forward to that.