disney at christmas

[Sherry E]

I know that there is a common belief that the AP holders are responsible for all crowds in DLR - but believe me, even though that holds true to a point and certainly the huge number of AP holders has affected crowds overall in the last 2 years, over actual holiday periods it will be crowded no matter what, AP holders or no AP holders.

Now I am not talking about holiday 'seasons.' There are times during seasons when you will find it substantially less crowded than other times.

I am talking about the times that are very close to the actual holidays, like the immediate weekends before holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas and the vacations periods right after.

The week between Christmas and New Year's, for example is blocked for all SoCal AP holders and the Deluxe AP holders too - and yet, it is the busiest week of the entire year! The crowds are insane much of the time!! Those crowds have nothing to do with AP holders - or at least, very little to do with AP holders.

Also, when I was there on December 19th last year, it was the most crowded I had seen it in a long, long time at DLR - and all the SoCal AP holders were blocked.

The parks will be crowded when you get close to the actual holidays and during vacation periods because everyone is off work or school. Thanksgiving is a time where some people manage to take off that whole week and so DLR is more crowded with vacationers. Some folks only get the 4-day Thanksgiving break and thus, the parks fill up right after the actual holiday. In any case, I would bet money that 11/26 (the day after Thanksgiving) will be super crowded regardless of the AP holders being blocked. It will probably be the tourists/vacationers that fill up the park. Things probably will not quiet down until that Sunday, when everyone heads home to go back to work.

This is not to say that 11/24 won't be crowded too, but there is at least a chance that some people are still at work that day, or that they have to come home and prepare Thanksgiving food. Just like with December 24th - Christmas Eve - and Christmas day. Yes, those days will probably be packed too, but they will be worse when Christmas is over because everyone is out of work and school and descends on DLR en masse.

 

[tksbaskets]

My Xmas trip is officially cancelled!!!

Maybe we'll get there in May???

Bummer....I do see a countdown for a WDW vacation! It's a different Disney experience but you'll love it

 

[scrappinbear78]

Just thought I would stop by to say a HI to everyone. It is so sad to see that others have had to cancel their trips this year as well. I know that we all want to have this dream for not only ourselves, but our kids...but we will all get there one of these years. We are hanging in there...since I posted last both my dad and I have been hospitalized a couple times, so it is probably best that we have postponed our trip this year for health reasons alone. Would hate to get down to Cali and end up in an ER where I am away from all my medical staff, so now I have to take a step back and think about what Santa is going to bring the kids for Christmas this year. I am usually all done with shopping by now, but since we thought we were going to go to DL I wasn't even looking at buying them presents b/c everything was going to be done at DL...so now the rush is on. I am trying to figure out what I can do in order to still bring a little magic of DL to my girls this year...any ideas? We also go in for the perliminary hearing in 9 days so stress is really starting to build up...the boy is breaking release agreements and the county could care less...so I am just a little frustrated with that. Well, I can't wait for the holiday season to start so that we can start seeing the new pictures from this year...just love looking at all the picture.

 

[smiley_face2]

My Xmas trip is officially cancelled!!!

Maybe we'll get there in May???

I feel your pain! We've had to cancel twice in the past, I actually did cry one time...
After this trip in Nov/Dec, we will not be going back for a year and a half! until 2012 when Cars Land is open....I don't know what I'll do next year with no time at Disneyland...

 

[smiley_face2]

Just thought I would stop by to say a HI to everyone. It is so sad to see that others have had to cancel their trips this year as well. I know that we all want to have this dream for not only ourselves, but our kids...but we will all get there one of these years. We are hanging in there...since I posted last both my dad and I have been hospitalized a couple times, so it is probably best that we have postponed our trip this year for health reasons alone. Would hate to get down to Cali and end up in an ER where I am away from all my medical staff, so now I have to take a step back and think about what Santa is going to bring the kids for Christmas this year. I am usually all done with shopping by now, but since we thought we were going to go to DL I wasn't even looking at buying them presents b/c everything was going to be done at DL...so now the rush is on. I am trying to figure out what I can do in order to still bring a little magic of DL to my girls this year...any ideas? We also go in for the perliminary hearing in 9 days so stress is really starting to build up...the boy is breaking release agreements and the county could care less...so I am just a little frustrated with that. Well, I can't wait for the holiday season to start so that we can start seeing the new pictures from this year...just love looking at all the picture.

hang in there! Don't know what your budget is, but I just saw an awesome little laptop, well no it was a netbook.... Disney branded. It was $179 up here in Canada so I'm thinking probably about $129 down in the US. it looked like a good quality fully functional little laptop, screen is 10inches. Of course preloaded with lot's of cool Disneystuff as well as windows xp. it also has what is called reinforced hardware and a spill proof keyboard. Our oldest grand daughter will be getting that for Christmas this year, so I will be checking the stores down there when we go in Nov/Dec for our DIL to see if it is indeed a lot cheaper.

 

[Sherry E]

Scrappinbear78 - I was wondering how you were doing. I am so sorry to hear that you and your dad have been having a tough time, health-wise. And you have so many other major things to worry about as well. Bless your heart for still trying to bring a little bit of Disney magic into this year's Christmas.

 

[Sherry E]

Hey, everyone - I accidentally stumbled upon a holiday thread in the making over on the WDW side of the board. It's actually about the WDW hotels, but I have already fallen in love with the photos provided by creativeamanda. I hope that someone else will post more photos there!!

Even though this does not involve DLR at Christmastime, it's still WDW at Christmastime, and it's pretty amazing. I thought you'd like to see their thread. Here is the link:

Resorts at Christmastime

 

[scrappinbear78]

The disney laptop looks awesome, but both kids already have computers. I also looked it up online and I am sure online is so much more expensive, but they are listed at almost $500 new EEEKKK!! I don't know if my girls would like the laptops only because they are so advanced with computers. Thank you so so much for the idea though, I know of a lot of kids who would LOVE to have that. I may try and do a mini trip to DL as a Christmas gift for them. Rather than spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars on them for Christmas, I may take that money and put it towards a two or three day trip to DL. Not sure though, just looking into things.

 

[tksbaskets]

Hey, everyone - I accidentally stumbled upon a holiday thread in the making over on the WDW side of the board. It's actually about the WDW hotels, but I have already fallen in love with the photos provided by creativeamanda. I hope that someone else will post more photos there!!

Even though this does not involve DLR at Christmastime, it's still WDW at Christmastime, and it's pretty amazing. I thought you'd like to see their thread. Here is the link:

Resorts at Christmastime

Thanks Sherry! Now I have yet another thread that I'm going to love.

 

[emum]

Sorry, been another few days between posts - been away for the weekend for DH's 40th birthday

I feel for those who've had to cancel. We came >< this close to having to cancel ourselves. We managed to pull out all the stops and make it happen, thankfully. I will take none of it for granted. I hope you all get to make your visits happen soon.

Update from my end is that I just received an email from Qantas to advise that our afternoon flight out of Sydney has been cancelled, and we've been put on the morning flight. That's great news for us, as it means we land at LAX at 6.25am Christmas morning, which means we WILL get into DL on Christmas Day (the later flight would have had us arriving at DL late morning at best, and I was rather worried we wouldn't get in - crowd capacity). So, half of Christmas Day in Sydney, and a full Christmas Day in DL - what more could anyone wish for ?

I'll be checking in more over the school holidays which start at the end of this week - we're telling the kids about the trip next week

Cheers,
Sally

 

[Sherry E]

Sorry, been another few days between posts - been away for the weekend for DH's 40th birthday

I feel for those who've had to cancel. We came >< this close to having to cancel ourselves. We managed to pull out all the stops and make it happen, thankfully. I will take none of it for granted. I hope you all get to make your visits happen soon.

Update from my end is that I just received an email from Qantas to advise that our afternoon flight out of Sydney has been cancelled, and we've been put on the morning flight. That's great news for us, as it means we land at LAX at 6.25am Christmas morning, which means we WILL get into DL on Christmas Day (the later flight would have had us arriving at DL late morning at best, and I was rather worried we wouldn't get in - crowd capacity). So, half of Christmas Day in Sydney, and a full Christmas Day in DL - what more could anyone wish for ?

I'll be checking in more over the school holidays which start at the end of this week - we're telling the kids about the trip next week

Cheers,
Sally

Sounds like a wonderful Christmas to me!!

I have had times where I have had to cancel DLR trips and then reschedule them later. I have had times where I pretty much thought a DLR trip was out of the question for that year until the very, very last minute. As frustrating as it is to not be able to just make a plan and keep it intact, it really makes you appreciate being at DLR all the more when you think you are not going to be able to go and then it finally works out and you set foot on Disney soil! I realized how much happier I was to be there last year - because it really looked like I was not going to go at all. I appreciated being there so much. Even though my plans had to be revised and the trips were very short compared to what I would normally do, I was still so thrilled to be there after all the uncertainty leading up to it.

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks to a tip from greens_in_WA on another thread, according to Laughingplace.come, this year the Candlelight Processional is being held one weekend later than it is normally held - on December 11th and 12th. Seeing that it has been reported that the crowds for the CP weekend are heavy, this may affect some of your plans. Here is the Laughingplace.com link with the CP info:

http://www.laughingplace.com/Info-ID1000906.asp

Is there something else going on at DL on the weekend of 12/4 and 12/5 that would interfere with the CP?

 

[OctoberDisney]

Wow! That is when we will be there. We were hoping for a quiet weekend but....

Nothing to do but be excited about the opportunity to see it! Now I need more info! You line up Sunday morning? How much are tickets? Is it even possible to GET tickets? Or would we have to get there at like 4 am?

What else should I know?

 

[ttig34]

I could be wrong, but I don't think that link to the Processional is for this year. If you click on the Collectibles Event link in the article, it brings you to the 1999 event. And Olympia Dukakis was the narrator in 1999. So I THINK that may be a link from 1999.

 

[Sherry E]

I could be wrong, but I don't think that link to the Processional is for this year. If you click on the Collectibles Event link in the article, it brings you to the 1999 event. And Olympia Dukakis was the narrator in 1999. So I THINK that may be a link from 1999.

I hope you are correct. I was saying to greens_in_WA when they posted that link in another thread that it seemed too late in the month to me for them to be holding the CP then, especially given how popular the holiday season has become and how crowded it is. But why does Laughing Place have info up that is 11 years old? Yikes!!

 

[ttig34]

I hope you are correct. I was saying to greens_in_WA when they posted that link in another thread that it seemed too late in the month to me for them to be holding the CP then, especially given how popular the holiday season has become and how crowded it is. But why does Laughing Place have info up that is 11 years old? Yikes!!

I know- quite strange. I hope I am correct, too- as I am going that weekend and don't want the big crowds. Am sure we will hear more soon, if it is correct. Found it odd that they already announced the narrator, too- as it is usually not this early.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Thanks to a tip from greens_in_WA on another thread, according to Laughingplace.come, this year the Candlelight Processional is being held one weekend later than it is normally held - on December 11th and 12th. Seeing that it has been reported that the crowds for the CP weekend are heavy, this may affect some of your plans. Here is the Laughingplace.com link with the CP info:

http://www.laughingplace.com/Info-ID1000906.asp

Is there something else going on at DL on the weekend of 12/4 and 12/5 that would interfere with the CP?

I am really excited to go to WDW during the Christmas season this December, but I am kind of sad that the CP is on the 11th & 12th. In the past the CP is the first weekend of December and now if this is accurate, it is on the 2nd weekend of December. I always go to DL during the 2nd week of December for my birthday and now the CP is on the 2nd week. It would have been nice to see the CP during my visit, but it will be on the other side of the US and see the Christmas season at WDW. Just like what Sherry said, I am wondering what DL is planning on the first weekend of December for them to change the CP to the 1st weekend to the 2nd weekend?

 

[funatdisney]

I have always wanted to go to WDW at Christmas time and see the resorts decked out for the Holiday. I so enjoyed looking at them.

Hey, everyone - I accidentally stumbled upon a holiday thread in the making over on the WDW side of the board. It's actually about the WDW hotels, but I have already fallen in love with the photos provided by creativeamanda. I hope that someone else will post more photos there!!

Even though this does not involve DLR at Christmastime, it's still WDW at Christmastime, and it's pretty amazing. I thought you'd like to see their thread. Here is the link:

Resorts at Christmastime

 

[OctoberDisney]

I could be wrong, but I don't think that link to the Processional is for this year. If you click on the Collectibles Event link in the article, it brings you to the 1999 event. And Olympia Dukakis was the narrator in 1999. So I THINK that may be a link from 1999.

Hhhmmm, I think you are right!

 

[funatdisney]

Thanks to a tip from greens_in_WA on another thread, according to Laughingplace.come, this year the Candlelight Processional is being held one weekend later than it is normally held - on December 11th and 12th. Seeing that it has been reported that the crowds for the CP weekend are heavy, this may affect some of your plans. Here is the Laughingplace.com link with the CP info:

http://www.laughingplace.com/Info-ID1000906.asp

Is there something else going on at DL on the weekend of 12/4 and 12/5 that would interfere with the CP?

Oh well. Our trip is Dec 3 to the 5th. I guess I will miss it. They are passing out tickets which would be nice. The good news is that the weekend we go, will be less crowded that I thought.