Disneyland at Christmas/December Questions

[MYD714]

Hi everyone!
I'm looking into booking a trip to Disneyland for Dec 26-Dec 31, 2012. While I'm very comfortable planning WDW trips, I've only been to DL once. Also, we always travel in August; this would be my first Disney Christmas trip ever!

I've been reading through the Christmas Super Thread and ton of other posts, and I still have a few questions:

1. Since we wouldn't get there until the 26th, would we completely miss seeing Santa's reindeer--as I'm sure they are too tired to remain in the parks after a hard night's work on the 25th?

2. I'm used to early-mid August crowds. How much worse are the Christmas week crowds, really? Is it insane to think that we'll enjoy this week. We're teachers and this is the only week we can go. Any idea about the average wait times for this week?
My friends 8yo son really wants to see the new Cars Land, and I'm sure the lines will be long for this at any time of the year.

3. We're thinking of staying at the Howard Johnson on Harbor Blvd. My friend thinks her kids would love the water play area...but would we actually want to swim in December? Anyone else swim during this time?

Any advice is appreciated. I've never taken a December vacation and I'd love to hear any pointers or favorites that people have about DL at Christmas.

 

[skiingfast]

1. Yes they come back.

2. You probably saw WDW at 80-90%, DLR will be at 98-100% It's extremly busy. Expect 30-60-90 minute waits. Be there for Rope Drop and use the first could hours before the park is super full. Take midday breaks, watch shows and do attractions that are shows that last a long time, or enjoy the scenery. Come back at night and enjoy when the park start to gradually slow down after the fireworks. Use FP.

3. Depends on where you are from, it could feels warm instead of cool or cold. It also can be rainy, if it rains you should be in the park because it keeps crowds out.

 

[MYD714]

1. Yes they come back. That is GREAT news!!! I thought for sure we'd be out of luck!

2. You probably saw WDW at 80-90%, DLR will be at 98-100% It's extremly busy. Expect 30-60-90 minute waits. Be there for Rope Drop and use the first could hours before the park is super full. Take midday breaks, watch shows and do attractions that are shows that last a long time, or enjoy the scenery. Come back at night and enjoy when the park start to gradually slow down after the fireworks. Use FP.

Thanks for the good advice. If we book this trip, I'll be bracing for the worst and hoping for the best. I'm hoping for some time to just soak up the atmosphere without being shoulder-to-shoulder with people, so I'm hesitant to go during this time.

3. Depends on where you are from, it could feels warm instead of cool or cold. It also can be rainy, if it rains you should be in the park because it keeps crowds out. We're from CT, so CA should definitely be warmer than home. I would welcome a rainy day to keep the crowds down.

Thanks for the response! I'm so indecisive about when to go. I typically always go to WDW in August, but my friend really wants to go Christmas week. Decisions, decisions!