disney at christmas

[areweindisneyyet]

SherreE thank you so much. I will definately be coming back often...even if it is just to linger and look. I know that my dad is going to be getting a full refund, he just has to send them documentation proving why we had to cancel. It is ok, we WILL make it next year. My dad already has a savings account and we are going to just put money back every month and then pay for the trip...so, it will work out. When he originally planned the trip for this year, nothing had happened...now we have to get our lives back on track and we will plan for next year. Until then, will enjoy looking at the pictures from everyone else.

Scrappin Bear. My heart goes out to your family and your girls. Whilst Christmas 2011 seems a long way away, it is not ... the Disney magic will last that much longer as you plan and wish. Each month you could have a special monthly count down celebration. A small Disney gift card, a bag for the train (things that you would get for the trip anyway).

Wishing you all good health for the coming months and I hope that your girls come through as well as they can .

 

[ConnieB]

As long as your dad did not book anything through the Walt Disney Travel Company that they could even conceive of as a "package," he should get a full refund within a month. Room-Only reservations will give you a full refund up to 5 days before the expected date of arrival. It's only when the Walt Disney Travel Company gets involved and calls it a package that there are penalties for cancelling at a certain point.

Is DisneyLAND's refund policy different from Disney World? We have booked and cancelled many a WDW package through WDTC and had to cancel ....because we were always more than 45 days before our visit the refund was 100%. It's only when you get into that 45 days that they start charging you cancellation/change fees.

So, unless DisneyLAND is different, it sounds like Scrapinbear is going at Christmas which means she's definitely more than 45 days out, so a phone call should be all that's required to get a full refund.

The other thing she can do is ask the court for a continuance of the hearing date. Just contact the Prosecutor assigned to your case and ask them to postpone it....those girls have been through enough, they don't need to have their vacation ruined as well. The courts tend to be very sensitive to victims' need to not have this process mess up their lives any more than necessary. It's not going to hurt the court, nor the defendant to wait until January. Sounds like a little pixie dust might make the court hearing a little easier to handle. The Prosecutor might grumble a little (it's extra work for him/her, as they have to file a motion requesting the continuance), but unless you have been asking for continuances in the past there shouldn't be any problem granting a first request. Obviously, I don't know all the details of the case, so it's not a guarantee.....but it might be worth calling and telling them that these girls are so upset at having to cancel this trip and believe they're never going to go again....this is not good from a mental health viewpoint for these girls to be so despondant over a postponing of a vacation.

 

[Sherry E]

Is DisneyLAND's refund policy different from Disney World? We have booked and cancelled many a WDW package through WDTC and had to cancel ....because we were always more than 45 days before our visit the refund was 100%. It's only when you get into that 45 days that they start charging you cancellation/change fees.

So, unless DisneyLAND is different, it sounds like Scrapinbear is going at Christmas which means she's definitely more than 45 days out, so a phone call should be all that's required to get a full refund.

The other thing she can do is ask the court for a continuance of the hearing date. Just contact the Prosecutor assigned to your case and ask them to postpone it....those girls have been through enough, they don't need to have their vacation ruined as well. The courts tend to be very sensitive to victims' need to not have this process mess up their lives any more than necessary. It's not going to hurt the court, nor the defendant to wait until January. Sounds like a little pixie dust might make the court hearing a little easier to handle. The Prosecutor might grumble a little (it's extra work for him/her, as they have to file a motion requesting the continuance), but unless you have been asking for continuances in the past there shouldn't be any problem granting a first request. Obviously, I don't know all the details of the case, so it's not a guarantee.....but it might be worth calling and telling them that these girls are so upset at having to cancel this trip and believe they're never going to go again....this is not good from a mental health viewpoint for these girls to be so despondant over a postponing of a vacation.

It's possible that the WDTC gas eased up a bit on some of their stringent policies regarding cancellation (which would be nice, given the current state of the economy). I can't say whether they have or have not. I hope so. But I wouldn't tell any DIS-er to count on the kindness of the WDTC unless I knew for sure.

All I know is my own personal experience. I booked a DLR package through the WDTC in early 2008, like immediately after my December 2007 DLR trip was over, with the intention of staying at the GCH in December 2008. I then had to cancel. I cancelled my DLR package with WDTC months in advance. (I had lost my job of 14 years in 2007, and then the long-term temp job I obtained right after that ended in February 2008, so I was very worried about money because I couldn't find another job.) The Walt Disney Travel Company refused to give me a full refund. They took out $100 of the money I had paid them. I begged and pleaded with the CM to give me a full refund. I told them I was unemployed. They didn't care. They would not budge. So I got my refund minus $100, and this was way, way in advance of 12/2008.

So, as I said, it's possible the WDTC has eased up a bit on their policies in these tough economic times, or even changed their policies permanently, or maybe now they are more willing to make some exceptions to the rules, but from my own experience 2 years ago, they were not willing to give me a full refund and I lost out on $100 for cancellling the package months in advance.

This is why I have stuck with Room-Only Reservations ever since - it's a much better deal for me.

 

[Sherry E]

Hello everyone. First off I want to say THANK YOU so much for this thread. I stumbled upon it started reading and showing my hubby and kids the photos and now we are officially going for the holiday season, YAY!! This will be out third trip this year and I am so excited. I wanted to see if anyone could confirm the televised parade dates for me? Last night I was pretty sure I read that a poster said her daughter would be in the parade on Dec 11th but I can't find that post now. I started a thread about it but I am thinking this may be a better place to ask since we have a lot of experts here. Our trip is planned Dec 9-11. Is this a good time crowd wise? We were thinking of coming the week before but we will be in Lake Tahoe for Thanksgiving and wanted a little break before we head out on another trip.
Thanks again for keeping the thread alive and for all the wonderful photos and information. I still have about 30 pages to read through and I am getting more excited with each page

Welcome, welcome, welcome, summer0407!! Thank you so much for taking the time to look through the whole thread!! I know it's daunting because there are many pages, but it seems that most people find it worthwhile once they get into it and see all the amazing photos!! I truly think this thread has single-handedly inspired many a DLR holiday trip!!

I also think that as we begin the swift approach to November 12th, this thread will pick up a great deal and there will be lots of questions and info to share!

I'm hoping someone can give us further clarification on the parade filming - we do need to know this in this thread as we get closer to the holiday season. I know very little about the filming of it. All I know is that at some point in the past it was filmed in November (and it airs on TV on Christmas day). I have no clue if that happens every year, but I know it's been in November more than once. December 11th almost seems too late to me to be filming the parade for TV.

 

[ConnieB]

It's possible that the WDTC gas eased up a bit on some of their stringent policies regarding cancellation (which would be nice, given the current state of the economy). I can't say whether they have or have not. I hope so. But I wouldn't tell any DIS-er to count on the kindness of the WDTC unless I knew for sure.

All I know is my own personal experience. I booked a DLR package through the WDTC in early 2008, like immediately after my December 2007 DLR trip was over, with the intention of staying at the GCH in December 2008. I then had to cancel. I cancelled my DLR package with WDTC months in advance. (I had lost my job of 14 years in 2007, and then the long-term temp job I obtained right after that ended in February 2008, so I was very worried about money because I couldn't find another job.) The Walt Disney Travel Company refused to give me a full refund. They took out $100 of the money I had paid them. I begged and pleaded with the CM to give me a full refund. I told them I was unemployed. They didn't care. They would not budge. So I got my refund minus $100, and this was way, way in advance of 12/2008.

So, as I said, it's possible the WDTC has eased up a bit on their policies in these tough economic times, or even changed their policies permanently, or maybe now they are more willing to make some exceptions to the rules, but from my own experience 2 years ago, they were not willing to give me a full refund and I lost out on $100 for cancellling the package months in advance.

This is why I have stuck with Room-Only Reservations ever since - it's a much better deal for me.

I'm sorry you had such a bad experience....mine have been the exact opposite....but they have been for WDW. Twice in the past year I've made reservations, paid the deposit, then changed my mind about going, cancelled and received my deposit credited back to my Disney VISA within days. Neither time did I have a good excuse like you did, either...mine were just changed my mind. Once it was many many months before my visit, but once it was only about 2 or 2 1/2 months, so while I was still outside the 45 days it was definitely creeping up on me, but still no problem....I do recall one of the calls the CM was really pushing me to reschedule the dates rather than cancel, but I just wanted to cancel and start over when I was sure. Only thing I can figure is that maybe DIsneyland doesn't allow refunds as easily as WDW....though I can't say it makes a lot of sense why. I have read of people within their 45 days being allowed the reschedule their trip and not pay the fees, but I've heard of several within that 45 days also paying the fee when they only needed to change the arrival date because the airlines changed their flights (that was happening quite frequently about a year or so ago).

And just for the record, I didn't tell OP to count on the kindness of WDTC...I recommended that she call and cancel her trip now, long before the 45 days gets near. Obviously, no one can ever promise Disney will do anything, lol...but calling ASAP would seem the best policy. And if the first CM says no, politely ask for a Supervisor.....I've found this to be good advice when dealing with any company over the phone.....Supervisors have a lot more lattitude to make the customer happy than the front line phone folks might.

 

[Sherry E]

I'm sorry you had such a bad experience....mine have been the exact opposite....but they have been for WDW. Twice in the past year I've made reservations, paid the deposit, then changed my mind about going, cancelled and received my deposit credited back to my Disney VISA within days. Neither time did I have a good excuse like you did, either...mine were just changed my mind. Once it was many many months before my visit, but once it was only about 2 or 2 1/2 months, so while I was still outside the 45 days it was definitely creeping up on me, but still no problem....I do recall one of the calls the CM was really pushing me to reschedule the dates rather than cancel, but I just wanted to cancel and start over when I was sure. Only thing I can figure is that maybe DIsneyland doesn't allow refunds as easily....though I can't say it makes a lot of sense why. I have read of people within their 45 days being allowed the reschedule their trip and not pay the fees, but I've heard of several within that 45 days also paying the fee when they only needed to change the arrival date because the airlines changed their flights (that was happening quite frequently about a year or so ago).

And just for the record, I didn't tell OP to count on the kindness of WDTC...I recommended that she call and cancel her trip now, long before the 45 days gets near. Obviously, no one can ever promise Disney will do anything, lol...but calling ASAP would seem the best policy. And if the first CM says no, politely ask for a Supervisor.....I've found this to be good advice when dealing with any company over the phone.....Supervisors have a lot more lattitude to make the customer happy than the front line phone folks might.

No, I wasn't saying that you said to count on the kindness of the WDTC. It had nothing to do with what you said or suggested to the PP. I was just making the comment because I got to thinking about people who may have been cut some slack with the WDTC in the past (I'm sure there are many others out there), and how some people think that's what will happen for them too - and then they end up having an experience like mine (and I'm sure there are many who have had my experience as well). And then I thought about what I would or would not tell people if I had been lucky enough to get a full refund.

In fact, when this happened to me, I was not shocked. I had already been forewarned that the WDTC had certain policies and that they normally do not budge 99% of the time. So I was expecting that they would not give me the full refund, but I gave it a valiant effort because I had what I thought was a really good reason. And I would not have cancelled for any other reason except for becoming jobless!! (I ended up getting a Room-Only reservation for that same December, which I booked months later.)

I even asked to talk to a supervisor when I called the WDTC 2 years ago to cancel the package, and the CM on the phone was not budging. She was absolutely firm on the fact that they would have to take the $100 out and that it didn't matter who I spoke to. But it could be another case of 'it just depends on which CM you talk to." That seems to be the case with many DLR issues. It could be that some of the WDTC employees are more leniant and sympathetic, and willing to cut some slack, while others are very by-the-book and rigid. Nothing surprises me!! That kind of thing happens all the time.

All I can say is what happened to me in 2008, which is why I couldn't tell anyone with certaintly that they will get a refund because it may not happen. But if the WDTC has eased up a bit on their policies in the last 2 years - which is also a big possibility - then maybe they are granting some full refunds now, under certain circumstances. I think that would be wise to do because, chances are, there have probably been a lot of cancellations in the last two years (since the economy took a nosedive) and many unhappy guests. I know that I didn't have to submit any kind of 'proof' of why I was cancelling, as it sounds like Scrappinbear78's dad has to do. I just said I needed to cancel and begged them to waive the $100 charge, but it was a no-go! They didn't ask me to submit anything, but maybe that is now a required aspect of receiving a full refund?

Oh well - you live, you learn!! It's Room-Only/Central Reservations for me from here on out (until they start charging for cancellations too!). It's easier to get out of that reservation, and you can cancel all the way up to 5 days before arrival with no fee of any kind.

 

[Queen Elisabeth]

I just had to cancel my Christmas trip, and the difference lies in whether or not you had vacation insurance added to your trip. I did not, so I had to pay the $100, but had I included the insurance I would have been able to cancel with no fee.

We, too, will have to wait until Christmas 2011. I'm really bummed but a little relieved. I was really stressing out about how to afford it, and I finally had to just break down and cancel. My husband is unemployed right now and I just can't justify spending that much without some idea of what the future holds.

I hope that everyone has a great time this holiday season!

 

[Sherry E]

I just had to cancel my Christmas trip, and the difference lies in whether or not you had vacation insurance added to your trip. I did not, so I had to pay the $100, but had I included the insurance I would have been able to cancel with no fee.

We, too, will have to wait until Christmas 2011. I'm really bummed but a little relieved. I was really stressing out about how to afford it, and I finally had to just break down and cancel. My husband is unemployed right now and I just can't justify spending that much without some idea of what the future holds.

I hope that everyone has a great time this holiday season!

Aha!! So that's the answer to the mystery - it's an insurance issue! I didn't have vacation insurance either, so that would explain why they charged me the $100 even though I cancelled months in advance. Good to know!! Thanks so much for clarifying that. It's probably important for everyone to know that before they book something, in case they are thinking that a package is a better deal. I knew that it was likely that someone else had been charged to cancel at some point and it was not just my experience, and I knew that it was too good to be true if people were not charged. So now we know why! That explains a lot!!

 

[Desert Dwellers]

Bumpin' it up and off the 2nd page.

 

[Sherry E]

Bumpin it up and off of Page 2!!

 

[scrappinbear78]

First off, thank you for the kind thoughts for my girls. It has been pure hell all summer for them and as of today got a call and it isn't over...ggggggggrrrrrrrr. Anyway, the courts won't push off the date unless his lawyer asks for it. It has gotten to the point that the victim is the one that is the criminial and being tried and their lives are put through hell...the offender has gotten off scott free and has been able to go on with his life as though nothing has happened. I won't get on my soap box with that. We did have the insurance, so I don't know why they are requiring all the documentation. Personally I think it is a little too personal. If you have to cancel you have to cancel, it shouldn't matter why...they don't need to know why we had to cancel. We paid the extra for the insurance so we shouldn't be charged to cancel, but to go through their bs and get the money back fine.

The girls are bummed, but they realize their lives aren't the same as they were a year ago. They have had to grow up way too much. All I can do is be there for them, support them and do whatever I can. Financially it isn't a lot because this whole situation has cost us way more than it should have, but we will survive. Even if we can't make it next year...I am 32 and have never been to DL so it isn't the end of the world. We can still dream. I do look at what they are going through and ask why...I have lots of questions about a lot of things, but won't even begin to go into it here. It is amazing how there are so many programs to help either a criminal to rehab and get what they want and dream about, or even a child who is going through a tough time...but when a child's life has been ripped away from them there is nothing. I do thank you ALL for the support and kind thoughts, it does mean a lot...I just wonder.

Hopefully next year...if not then either before they grow up or I die....if not we can always come here and look at the pictures

 

[Sherry E]

Scrappinbear78 - I wish you and your family much good luck, health and happiness! I hope everything works out well for everybody.

The whole travel insurance thing - as I suspected and mentioned a while ago, I think your dad got you all booked into a package of some kind through the Walt Dsney Travel Co. (even if he didn't realize it was a package), and that's what you should avoid because it is a pain to cancel. Even if you get the full refund, they are making you jump through hoops.

So next time you plan a trip to DLR - and I have faith that there will be a next time - we have to make sure that you avoid the Walt Disney Travel Co. and any kind of packages and travel insurance and all that, and just book a room through Central Reservations/Room-Only. Even if I have to dial the number to Central and patch you through to them myself, I will! When you have a room booked through the Room-Only/Central line, you can cancel up to 5 days prior to arrival and there are no questions asked. You get a full refund and don't have to submit any paperwork. You simply cancel and it's done!!

 

[billwendy]

Plane tickets are purchased!!!! Its official now!! CANNOT WAIT!!!

Still not sure how many day tickets to get though.......we arrive on Saturday afternoon and my conference is on Thursday and we leave on the following Saturday afternoon.....thoughts???? Are there any free things to do in that area? We will have a rental car too....we are staying at the HoJo

Thanks!!!

 

[Sherry E]

Plane tickets are purchased!!!! Its official now!! CANNOT WAIT!!!

Still not sure how many day tickets to get though.......we arrive on Saturday afternoon and my conference is on Thursday and we leave on the following Saturday afternoon.....thoughts???? Are there any free things to do in that area? We will have a rental car too....we are staying at the HoJo

Thanks!!!

Yay!! Plane tickets are purchased - that's one step closer to DLR during the holidays!!

This is not in Anaheim or in Orange County, but up in the L.A./Hollywood/Beverly Hills area (which is about 45 minutes with no traffic away from DLR) there are things to do.

There's the Disney Studio Store and Soda Fountain on Hollywood Blvd (not free but not terribly expensive).

There's the museum - LACMA - on Wilshire Blvd., and the La Brea Tar Pits right next to it.

There's the famous Farmers Market and The Grove, too. In fact, I just posted a bunch of photos of Farmers Market and The Grove from the other day - with tons of food photos of the delicious pastries and candy - in my Trip Report, on pages 61 - 63. The link to the TR is in my signature below. That might be a fun way to spend a few hours if you are up in the L.A. area. And it's free unless you choose to buy something.

You could also drive to Venice Beach or the Santa Monica Pier. Universal CityWalk (next to Universal Studios) is interesting, too. All of these places have lots of things to see but you don't need to spend money if you don't want to.

 

[azdisneylover]

Scrappinbear,
I wonder if you ask where you booked the package, if you changed the date instead of getting your $$$ back, would it cost anything, then, maybe you can apply that money to your trip next year, and maybe pay monthly, or set aside money to pay it off.
(((Big hugs to you and your family))). I try to come to this board daily, usually at the end of the day, so I can go to sleep after seeing all the great Disney pictures and read how others have had a wonderful time at the happiest place on earth!
Keeping you and yours in my prayers.

 

[scrappinbear78]

To answer the question about just re-scheduling....

The only reason we are requesting a refund is b.c we do not know what the future holds. With wll the things, there is a chance we may even lose the girls. If we reschedule and the worst happenes, then it is pointless, so we have decided to take the refund...opened a savings account and will be putting everything in there. Out of sight out of mind". This way if we can go, great we have the money saved up and can pay in full at time of booking. If, by chance, the worst of worst happens....then we still have the money set aside and can be used for other things. We wouldn't have to "wait" and jump through the hoops to get our money back.

 

[Littleprincess2010]

To answer the question about just re-scheduling....

The only reason we are requesting a refund is b.c we do not know what the future holds. With wll the things, there is a chance we may even lose the girls. If we reschedule and the worst happenes, then it is pointless, so we have decided to take the refund...opened a savings account and will be putting everything in there. Out of sight out of mind". This way if we can go, great we have the money saved up and can pay in full at time of booking. If, by chance, the worst of worst happens....then we still have the money set aside and can be used for other things. We wouldn't have to "wait" and jump through the hoops to get our money back.

I know how stressful courts can be and custody issues I've dealt with years of it with my ex. I really hope that it all works out in your favour and that you are able to re-book your stay. Big hugs to you and your family

 

[sierranevada]

Ok, so here is an update on our trip. I am sad to say our trip is off this year. There were some things that happened before school let out and due to court hearings we are unable to go this year. We are going to re-schedule and go next Christmas. I am in hopes that the money situation is going to be better. This trip this year was to be a new start for our girls, but unfortunatly they will still be dealing with the things that have happened. This last year my husbands son came to live with us for a few months...well, I don't have to say what happened...I am sure people can figure out. We have gone through hell and back and are still dealing with it. We have 2 different court hearings scheduled one at the end of Sept and then the next is Dec. 20 (the day after we were supposed to be in the happest place...instead we will be dealing with the horrible court systems). So....now we have to petition to get a refund for what we have already paid and reschedule for next year. Oh, well. I know the year will go by fast..I will definatly keep looking at the pictures here and reading everyones posts. It will be hard as it gets closer. It wasn't meant to be this year, we will just plan for next year. The good thing is I will be able to shop the after Christmas sales and get the girls the stockings, stuffers, gifts, mini tree, ornaments and everything for next year at a super cheap price. For all those that have given me pointers, I want to thank you. The next 2 to 4 months are going to be rough on our family and the girls are going to be going through a lot...all they can think is that their lives stink and now they will never get to go to DL..we keep telling them we will go next year. I just hope with my dad's health, the legal issues with my husbands son, and my illness will allow us to fullfill their dream of going. I think EVERY child should be able to go to DL at least once (even though it doesn't always happen).

I am so sorry to hear about all your troubles. I hope everything goes well with your legal issues. Please pop in here occasionally and keep us posted and we look forward to hearing your plans for next Christmas.

 

[mommaU4]

Hello everyone! I have a very basic question that I am sure has been asked and answered many times on this thread already, but rather than sort through over 90 pages of posts, I hope you don't mind me asking it again.

When do the Christmas decorations appear in Disneyland? We've been at Christmas before, but we usually go in December. Now I am toying with going in November specifically around the 19th. Will holiday things/parades/treats/decorations be up and running then?

Thanks so much for any info!!

 

[Sherry E]

Hello everyone! I have a very basic question that I am sure has been asked and answered many times on this thread already, but rather than sort through over 90 pages of posts, I hope you don't mind me asking it again.

When do the Christmas decorations appear in Disneyland? We've been at Christmas before, but we usually go in December. Now I am toying with going in November specifically around the 19th. Will holiday things/parades/treats/decorations be up and running then?

Thanks so much for any info!!

Hi, Beth!!

Yes, everything will be in full holiday swing on 11/19. In fact, the holiday season starts on 11/12 this year. The decorations will start slowly going up as soon as HalloweenTime ends, but all the holiday entertainment will start on the official season start date (like Santa, IASW Holiday, all the carolers roaming the Resort, the nighttime Winter Castle lights, the light display from the Castle up Main Street, the snowfall on Main Street, the Reindeer Round-Up, etc.). The only thing that won't be happening yet is the Candlelight Processional, as you know.