disney at christmas

[Sherry E]

Hey Sherry!

My what a good memory you have!!! Yep, December 2008! It has been SO LONG. We lost our job since then and got another one, then got the original one back! AND had a baby! lol So I'm not sure I can actually pull this trip out, but I'd really REALLY like to. Even if it's shoulder to shoulder busy. What better place to be shoulder to shoulder

Coming here with no trip prospect was making me sad so I ran away until I knew I might be able to do a trip

Hi, Emmers! Of course I remember you and your Dream Suite stay! I wondered what had happened to you. It sounds like many wonderful things have happened. The job loss wasn't good, of course, but then you got it back so that's a blessing!!

It is hard to be on this board when there is no trip in the works. In a way I guess it could be a means of staying connected to DLR to keep up on what's happening so you don't feel like a fish out of water when you get back. Other times, it just makes you sad, as you said!! I'm glad to hear that you're trying to get another holiday trip together. I know it will be hard to live up to the magic of the Dream Suite from last time, but the holidays are still magical any way you slice it!!

 

[disneygirlmass]

Christmas is one of the best times of the year to go. Athough it is very busy, no one can do Christmas like Disney. The decorations and events they have are like no other. I even like going down during Thanksgiving just to get the Christmas festivities they start with at that time. They do an amazing job of decorating the parks and hotels. If you have never been to the Grand Floridian during Christmas, go over there and check out the full size gingerbread house.

 

[amamax2]

smiley_face2 - You know, as far as I know, the Backstage Pass magazine was originally going out to the Premium AP holders only. And then, when the new Premier AP was created, the magazine was included with that AP too. I don't think the Deluxe AP holders ever got the magazine, although I can't say for 100% sure.

The wacky thing is that many of the Premium AP holders have said that they never received the Backstage Pass magazine at all, or if they did they only got one or two copies and not the 4 copies they should have received for they year-long membership. When I had my AP, if I remember correctly, I only got 3 out of the 4 magazines I should have gotten. It seems to be kind of a poorly managed system of distributing those magazines to people that DLR has in place.

Just a note about the Backstage Pass magazine...

The three or four times we've had APs, we have always gotten the So Cal Select (so the cheapest of the cheapest ) and have sporadically gotten the Backstage Pass magazine - we *usually* get two each year, don't think we've ever gotten more than that, but have gotten less.

This year we got one at the AP Processing Center when we got the APs, then I recently received the Fall one in the mail - so we are batting pretty good so far.

If you have an AP, though, they do post the magazine in the AP section of the dinseyland.com website and that is where I always read it when I don't get an issue. I know, I know, it's not the same as having it in my hands, at least I get the news.

I wonder if/when you are at DL, if you could go to the AP processing center tell them you didn't get that issue and get a copy?

 

[Belle Ella]

Sherry, have I missed it by any chance, what days you would be looking at for your Holiday trip?

 

[dizneedoll]

2 things Sherry.... do they only mail them out to the Premium pass holders? I know we used to get them, but have not in the past few years. Maybe because we only have the deluxe passes now?
Her husband should just do his something on the 3rd instead and let her have her special Christmas day in DL!

I have a So Cal AP and got two fall AP magazines this time around. Go figure. I think there were 4 different covers this time and of course the two I got were both the same.

 

[nunzia]

2 things Sherry.... do they only mail them out to the Premium pass holders? I know we used to get them, but have not in the past few years. Maybe because we only have the deluxe passes now?
Her husband should just do his something on the 3rd instead and let her have her special Christmas day in DL!

I'm a DAP and never ever got one and then all of a sudden a couple weeks ago..one popped up

 

[princess lovers mom]

does anyone have crowd pics for Dl at Christmas?
I was on on the WDW theme park thread and they are talking 240 minute waits for Soarin' etc with some really scary pictures....

I know it will be very very busy the week after Christmas- but how busy is busy at DL - never heard anyone mention a 4 hour wait for Soarin' (which by the way - it is a good ride but NOT THAT GOOD!!!)

check out this thread for photos of WDW....tell me it isn't that bad at DL please http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2568498&page=2

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry, have I missed it by any chance, what days you would be looking at for your Holiday trip?

Sorry I didn't reply sooner, Jazz. Major Internet issues on this end - very sporadic service.

You didn't miss anything - I was still on the fence about dates (what else is new, though much of it is not by my own design...). I prefer to go to DLR before Christmas because not only are the crowds substantially lighter but also, the carolers are out and about, strolling the Resort, and Santa is out at his various hotel posts. After Christmas, Santa leaves all the places but the Reindeer Round-Up, and the Carolers leave too.

So, one way or the other I will be at DLR before Christmas - possibly for a day or maybe a multi-day stay. Initially I thought you'd be going before Christmas so I was going to hold off on planning my date until I found out when you were going. But I guess you can't go until after Christmas, right?

Now, in the meantime, my uncooperative friends (who want me to plan everything for them but don't want to bend and flow with the necessary arrangements) claim they are coming out here in those days spanning 1/2/11, 1/3/11 and so on. I was going to join them for at least a day at DLR - but I'm not going to skip my own holiday trip and wait on them, just in case they don't make it out here or in case they can't get to DLR until after the holiday stuff comes down. So it will be either 1/2/11 or 1/3/11 for that trip, but I will be at DLR before Christmas too!

I was just about to jump on board for a Halloween Time trip and commit to it - and then my friend (who offered to go to the MHP and was going to meet me at Goofy's for breakfast) backed out. Why she said she wanted to go to the MHP and then backed out is beyond me, but in any case, I am taking it as a sign that maybe I should skip Halloween Time this year and just go full-throttle with my holiday plans!!

I tell you - money solves almost every problem, doesn't it? When you have money just flowing in, you can just say, "I'm going to DLR on X date and I'm going to stay onsite for X number of nights," and it's all taken care of months in advance. When things are uncertain, you have to keep switching plans around and changing things. Arrrgggghhhhh.....

 

[Belle Ella]

I honestly have no idea yet. I wish I knew when I was going, but at the earliest I'll have a concrete date in mind tomorrow. The problem and deciding factor is going to be work. I know the best time that works for Jason is right after Christmas and into New Year's because he has the time off from work. In reality the 27th (which is my sister's birthday) or 28th through the 30th would be the easiest time in the world to get off from work because it's during the week which is when my particular job has the least amount to do and I have people available to cover shifts on weekdays if need be. Friday and Saturday are going to be hard to swing, but it would be nice to be there New Year's Day and see a Hockey game to boot. That being said if I'm going to get a weekend off I might be forced into an earlier weekend.

Crossing my fingers about talking to my boss tomorrow.

 

[funatdisney]

does anyone have crowd pics for Dl at Christmas?
I was on on the WDW theme park thread and they are talking 240 minute waits for Soarin' etc with some really scary pictures....

I know it will be very very busy the week after Christmas- but how busy is busy at DL - never heard anyone mention a 4 hour wait for Soarin' (which by the way - it is a good ride but NOT THAT GOOD!!!)

check out this thread for photos of WDW....tell me it isn't that bad at DL please http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2568498&page=2

It seems to me that the East Coast WDW guests loves this ride. So much so that the lines for it at extraordinarily long. When I was there for both 2006 (Oct) and 2008 (June) there was always a line and the FP for the day were done by mid-morning (It didn't matter what time of year it was.) I remember going to the FP for Soarin' when EPCOT opened and the line for the FP and stand-by was huge. I thought, "I really don't need to ride this ride since I have already ridden it at least 50 times in DCA."

Now it they were to change the theme to that of landmarks around the US, I would wait in line for that one. Notice that it is called "Soarin' " and the "Over California" is left out. Maybe they will change it one day.

 

[funatdisney]

I honestly have no idea yet. I wish I knew when I was going, but at the earliest I'll have a concrete date in mind tomorrow. The problem and deciding factor is going to be work. I know the best time that works for Jason is right after Christmas and into New Year's because he has the time off from work. In reality the 27th (which is my sister's birthday) or 28th through the 30th would be the easiest time in the world to get off from work because it's during the week which is when my particular job has the least amount to do and I have people available to cover shifts on weekdays if need be. Friday and Saturday are going to be hard to swing, but it would be nice to be there New Year's Day and see a Hockey game to boot. That being said if I'm going to get a weekend off I might be forced into an earlier weekend.

Crossing my fingers about talking to my boss tomorrow.

Good luck. Sending pixie dust your way, Belle Ella,

 

[PHXscuba]

Having been to both WDW and DLR and riding Soarin at both, I think part of the big difference in the crowds is where the ride is. At WDW, it's at EPCOT, and it's still pretty much the newest "big thing" there, in a park with few thrill rides (Mission:Space and Test Track being the main other ones). So that's where the "stampede" goes.

At DLR in DCA, Toy Story Mania is newer, and Soarin is competing with California Screamin' and Tower of Terror in the thrill category. Plus, you can often get an early FastPass for Soarin at 9:30, beating the crowd stampede to the punch.

PHXscuba

 

[amamax2]

Ok, I am slowly going through this entire thread again making notes for my upcoming trip....

It is really exciting to start at the beginning - from 18 months ago! - and see all the people who said, ooh this is making me want to go - and who now have their trips booked (like Aussiegirls, who said Sherry's description of Christmas at DL made her want to fly half-way around the world)!

Anyways, I had a question on the lit-up icicles on the castle. I don;t remember seeing the castle looking all lit up, and it sounds like it is only lit for a short time each night? Is that right? And if so, anyone remember when it is lit up? I'd love to get a picture.

 

[Sherry E]

Ok, I am slowly going through this entire thread again making notes for my upcoming trip....

It is really exciting to start at the beginning - from 18 months ago! - and see all the people who said, ooh this is making me want to go - and who now have their trips booked (like Aussiegirls, who said Sherry's description of Christmas at DL made her want to fly half-way around the world)!

Anyways, I had a question on the lit-up icicles on the castle. I don;t remember seeing the castle looking all lit up, and it sounds like it is only lit for a short time each night? Is that right? And if so, anyone remember when it is lit up? I'd love to get a picture.

What I noticed was that last year the Castle seemed to be lit up all night after the little 'lighting show/display' that extends from the Castle up Main Street and then covers the giant tree with "snow" (which are really blue LED lights meant to look like ice). However, in 2008, the Castle was lighting up in the icicles intermittently throughout the night, which I hated! It kept going on and off - that's awful for people who want to get photos in front of the Winter Castle and it's not icy! I wanted the icicles in 2008 and instead I got the regularly lit Castle! I was so annoyed at that.

But last year, after the little light display, it was illuminated all night long!!

 

[Belle Ella]

Aww! I'm so excited about the thought of getting a photo in front of the Castle like that.

 

[Sherry E]

Aww! I'm so excited about the thought of getting a photo in front of the Castle like that.

I think it's definitely a must-do for any DLR holiday trip. The Winter Castle and It's a Small World Holiday at night are crucial!!

 

[Belle Ella]

I think it's definitely a must-do for any DLR holiday trip. The Winter Castle and It's a Small World Holiday at night are crucial!!

I will add it to my list, I will How much longer until December? Maybe tomorrow when I get home from work I will go back to page 1 of this thread.

 

[funatdisney]

Anyways, I had a question on the lit-up icicles on the castle. I don;t remember seeing the castle looking all lit up, and it sounds like it is only lit for a short time each night? Is that right? And if so, anyone remember when it is lit up? I'd love to get a picture.

Here are some pictures of SB Caslte I took in 2007. I have posted these before, but here you go:

 

[billwendy]

Here are some pictures of SB Caslte I took in 2007. I have posted these before, but here you go:

These are BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! I cant wait to see it!!! Is there a ceremony or anything when they turn it on????

 

[KCmike]

Bumping/subscribing