Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #2 (Closed)

[funatdisney]

I just subscribed to Touring Plans ($6.95/year), because I have several trips this year (most during the busiest times of the year) and I thought it would be a good tool to have while in the parks. I have always used the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World for my four trips to WDW, and found this book very useful for planning the best trips to WDW. Also, I was pleased to learn that they have an app for the Android which will be very valuable, and I can log on from our Galaxy tablet, which is never from far from DH.

Anyway, I was looking at the crowds levels for December. Since my trip is set for Dec 18 to Dec 21, a full week before Christmas, I have looked at the crowd calendar for my travel dates. I was surprised to learn that the four days of my stay rate a 7 out of 10 (resort wide). The next day (Thursday, Dec 22) jumps to 10 out of 10 (resort wide) and stay in the high 9s to 10s until January 3. The parks are a little less than that, but not by much. I am very pleased to learn that I happened to pick some pretty good days for a week before Christmas. Of course, this data doesn't reflect what the crowds will be like with Star Tours 2 and the Little Mermaid ride will have on the crowds, but the Lines app will help with wait times while touring.

 

[Sherry E]

I just subscribed to Touring Plans ($6.95/year), because I have several trips this year (most during the busiest times of the year) and I thought it would be a good tool to have while in the parks. I have always used the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World for my four trips to WDW, and found this book very useful for planning the best trips to WDW. Also, I was pleased to learn that they have an app for the Android which will be very valuable, and I can log on from our Galaxy tablet, which is never from far from DH.

Anyway, I was looking at the crowds levels for December. Since my trip is set for Dec 18 to Dec 21, a full week before Christmas, I have looked at the crowd calendar for my travel dates. I was surprised to learn that the four days of my stay rate a 7 out of 10 (resort wide). The next day (Thursday, Dec 22) jumps to 10 out of 10 (resort wide) and stay in the high 9s to 10s until January 3. The parks are a little less than that, but not by much. I am very pleased to learn that I happened to pick some pretty good days for a week before Christmas. Of course, this data doesn't reflect what the crowds will be like with Star Tours 2 and the Little Mermaid ride will have on the crowds, but the Lines app will help with wait times while touring.

It's funny because I was at DLR on the same exact weekend for 2007, 2008 and 2009 - which was the weekend immediately before Christmas (and the dates differed each one of those years, so some days were closer to Christmas than other days).

In 2007 (3 nights), we didn't notice the crowds to be too bad at all, really.

In 2008 (3 nights), there was a noticeable increase and we could tell it had gotten much more crowded (and now that I think of it, 2-1/2 years later, that was the year TSMM opened, but I didn't make the connection between crowds and TSMM at the time).

In 2009, it was absolutely crazy (December 19th was the day I was there) - it the busiest holiday season at DLR in 10 years - and that was made me decide to start trying to go earlier in December, which led to my earlier trip last year! I couldn't cope with the just-before-Christmas crowds anymore.

Now this year, I am going to try as hard as I can (depending on how the year goes money-wise) to go in that first week of December, when many people are back at work and school in between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It just gets too crowded for my liking once mid-December and beyond hits. This past December, Wednesday was the least crowded day I was there. Sun. - Tues. was super crowded, and this was only 12/12 - 12/14!

I think this year will be really crowded because of the Little Mermaid ride and Star Tours 2.0. Unfortunately, I think there is just no way around large crowds as long as all this new stuff is happening at DLR.

But what everyone can individually handle is what's really important at the end of the day. What you can tolerate might be different from what I can tolerate. What I can deal with may be too much for someone else. Some folks come away from New Year's Eve at DLR and think it's not that bad! I think we all have our own thresholds of comfort and discomfort with big crowds.

Now if I end up at DLR during the week I want this year and it still turns out to be a madhouse (as far as what I can deal with), then I don't know what my next trip dates will be in future years and how early I will be able to make the trip! I might end up making a holiday trip in June sooner or later!!

 

[mvf-m11c]

I just subscribed to Touring Plans ($6.95/year), because I have several trips this year (most during the busiest times of the year) and I thought it would be a good tool to have while in the parks. I have always used the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World for my four trips to WDW, and found this book very useful for planning the best trips to WDW. Also, I was pleased to learn that they have an app for the Android which will be very valuable, and I can log on from our Galaxy tablet, which is never from far from DH.

Anyway, I was looking at the crowds levels for December. Since my trip is set for Dec 18 to Dec 21, a full week before Christmas, I have looked at the crowd calendar for my travel dates. I was surprised to learn that the four days of my stay rate a 7 out of 10 (resort wide). The next day (Thursday, Dec 22) jumps to 10 out of 10 (resort wide) and stay in the high 9s to 10s until January 3. The parks are a little less than that, but not by much. I am very pleased to learn that I happened to pick some pretty good days for a week before Christmas. Of course, this data doesn't reflect what the crowds will be like with Star Tours 2 and the Little Mermaid ride will have on the crowds, but the Lines app will help with wait times while touring.

Touring Plans is a very helpful way to enjoy the fullest at any of the Disney Parks. The books are very good and I like using the APP on my Smart phone for Verizon. You will like it very much Liza with the wait times and the crowd predictions. Some of it is accurate or just off a little. I have never seen it off big time.

I still haven't finalized my dates for the Holiday season, but I am planning on going during the 2nd weekend of the Holiday season (Nov. 18-20). This time since my DA is not going with me to WDW in Dec., she will come with me during the November trip. Since this is one of the quietest weekends during the Holiday season, it would be perfect for her to enjoy a nice time at DL. But just like when I did it last year, they did not have all the Holiday decorations, merchandise and food during my visit. I was also thinking of going during the CP, but that is too close to my WDW trip.

 

[funatdisney]

Sherry, I do think that a 7 is higher than I normally would be used to (the last week of October week hovers around 3) I was expecting 10s for my dates. I am hoping touring plans will help me deal with this crowd level. I am also interested in this week for future vacations. Unfortunately if DD(13) gets on her HS volleyball team, our vacation habits will have to change, since their season for competition in high school is in the fall. One option to is to move our main Disney vacation to this particular week in December. There will be no practice and no games scheduled for this week.

 

[funatdisney]

Touring Plans is a very helpful way to enjoy the fullest at any of the Disney Parks. The books are very good and I like using the APP on my Smart phone for Verizon. You will like it very much Liza with the wait times and the crowd predictions. Some of it is accurate or just off a little. I have never seen it off big time.

Good to know, Bret. I am glad I have a recommendation from someone who has used it before. I love the Unofficial Guide for my WDW trips. So I felt comfortable with my choice.

I hope you get to DLR for the Holiday season. You should have a great time even if not all the offerings of the season are not available.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Good to know, Bret. I am glad I have a recommendation from someone who has used it before. I love the Unofficial Guide for my WDW trips. So I felt comfortable with my choice.

I hope you get to DLR for the Holiday season. You should have a great time even if not all the offerings of the season are not available.

Your welcome Liza. It has great info on anything, but the one thing I would like TP to have on the website is the ridemax program. Even though they do have plans for which ride to ride, etc., but I like how ridemax does the custom ride planner and see what time is the best time to go on those specific rides. If they add that program to the website, it would be even better. I like to use ridemax when I want to do a lot of rides and also if I have a large group with me and want to do specific rides, we use it to help plan our day.

 

[funatdisney]

Bret, I have heard of Ridemax, but don't know much about it. I will have to investigate that one. For my Dec trip, we will be joined by another family. It sounds like Ridemax could be useful for some of the more popular rides in our group. I wonder how useful it would be with ST2 and LM. I go to the parks often enough that I don't need to ride all the rides, but I do want to ride ST2 and the LMAUA.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Bret, I have heard of Ridemax, but don't know much about it. I will have to investigate that one. For my Dec trip, we will be joined by another family. It sounds like Ridemax could be useful for some of the more popular rides in our group. I wonder how useful it would be with ST2 and LM. I go to the parks often enough that I don't need to ride all the rides, but I do want to ride ST2 and the LMAUA.

Ridemax is a big difference for people who want to get the most out of all the rides and the time on that day. It is a very fun program to play with. It did save me a lot of time on what rides to go on specific times and have break times. The bad thing about it is that you can't put the program on both parks at the same time when you input the rides that you want to go on. Thats why they have separate parts of the program for only that park. Thats why they have a hour option of what time you will be in the park and what time you will be done. I believe it would be useful for ST2 and LM when they both opened later in June. I would get it if you are planning on doing a lot of rides on that day or like to manage your time well.

Here is the link for ridemax

Just like you, I barely go on so many rides during my visits since I have done everything. But I am really looking forward to ST2, LMAUA, and Soundsational when they are available this summer.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Before I go to bed, here are some pics from IASWH.

 

[funatdisney]

Thanks for the link. I will check into Ridemax.

Awesome and beautiful pics of IASW, Bret. Thanks for the good night treat. May you have sweet Disney dreams while you sleep.

 

[areweindisneyyet]

A Christmas bump

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Another Christmas bump

 

[spiderdust]

Keep those bumps a-comin'!

 

[Ihaveamickeymousekid]

Ill give us a bump to say that i booked today!!

Arriving in LA on 26th November and heading back home 20th December, cant wait

All we have to do is wait till a little closer to the date and buy the annual passes online and get a travel card once it gets closer too

So excited

 

[areweindisneyyet]

I have a Mickey Mouse Kid!

We will be crossing paths across the Pacific. We are flying out on the 21st of December for LA.

Mia

 

[Ihaveamickeymousekid]

areweindisneyyet - how exciting so you are actually spending christmas day in Disney

We thought about doing that too, but i am an only child and my mum has no other family so i felt too bad to leave her alone so, we are doing it before which i am just as happy with cause we will get to spend my DD 5th birthday there and she is super excited about that

How is your planning going?

 

[LoveMyBeautifulGift]

Wow...just started thinking Christmas might be the time for us to return...wondering if any of the off-site hotels go all out decorating? I'm shooting for GCH, but I'm just dreaming right now and want to keep my options open ...

 

[Sherry E]

Wow...just started thinking Christmas might be the time for us to return...wondering if any of the off-site hotels go all out decorating? I'm shooting for GCH, but I'm just dreaming right now and want to keep my options open ...

Welcome to the Disneyland at Christmas Time Christmas Superthread, LoveMyBeautifulGift!! We're happy you joined us!

You know, you asked an excellent, excellent question! And it's a question that I don't think I have ever seen asked on this forum, let alone in this thread!! I think this is the first time (that I'm aware of) that anyone has asked about the off-site hotels' decorations!

Of course I can't say for sure, but I'm going to guess and say that that whatever decorations there are at the Good Neighbor hotels are probably just standard trees and things - probably nothing too exceptional or ornate, or we would have likely heard about it by now. I'm sure it's pretty, as all holiday stuff is pretty, but I don't know if any of the hotels really go all out.

The great thing is that the GCH holiday environment can be enjoyed no matter where you stay. You can stay off-property and still enjoy an evening in the GCH lobby area, relaxing in the comfy chairs by the giant Christmas tree, listening to the carolers, the pianist and the guitarist while sipping a beverage or munching a snack.

I really consider the GCH ambiance a great highlight during the holiday season - one of the few free activities at DLR that totally captures the mood of the season. Of course, as far as colors go, I prefer the tree in the PPH with its gorgeous, glowing blue and green lights. And the DLH is worth a visit to see all 3 of the trees in its towers, the fun decorations at the entrance, as well as the wonderful Goofy's Kitchen tree.

 

[mvf-m11c]

I would say the same thing that the Good Neighbor hotels don't go all Holiday out. I have seen the Lobbies at BWPPI and BW Stovall's decorated in the lobby with some nice Christmas decorations. It is not like the DLR which goes all Holiday crazy. Just as you have said Sherry, the DLR hotels are very nice during the Holiday season especially the GCH.

 

[LoveMyBeautifulGift]

Thanks for the welcome! Glad I could bring something new to the discussion table ...we were just at PPH and loved it, but I figure if we are ever going to do GCH, Christmas is the perfect time to do it...thanks for the info on the Good Neighbor hotels...I figured if any of them did anything exciting for Christmas I would have seen it here, but I have lost myself in these threads a time or two already and wasn't sure if I had missed it...hopefully we'll get a chance to see all 3 hotel trees, since I have a 6yo who loves the character meals....

Welcome to the Disneyland at Christmas Time Christmas Superthread, LoveMyBeautifulGift!! We're happy you joined us!

You know, you asked an excellent, excellent question! And it's a question that I don't think I have ever seen asked on this forum, let alone in this thread!! I think this is the first time (that I'm aware of) that anyone has asked about the off-site hotels' decorations!

Of course I can't say for sure, but I'm going to guess and say that that whatever decorations there are at the Good Neighbor hotels are probably just standard trees and things - probably nothing too exceptional or ornate, or we would have likely heard about it by now. I'm sure it's pretty, as all holiday stuff is pretty, but I don't know if any of the hotels really go all out.

The great thing is that the GCH holiday environment can be enjoyed no matter where you stay. You can stay off-property and still enjoy an evening in the GCH lobby area, relaxing in the comfy chairs by the giant Christmas tree, listening to the carolers, the pianist and the guitarist while sipping a beverage or munching a snack.

I really consider the GCH ambiance a great highlight during the holiday season - one of the few free activities at DLR that totally captures the mood of the season. Of course, as far as colors go, I prefer the tree in the PPH with its gorgeous, glowing blue and green lights. And the DLH is worth a visit to see all 3 of the trees in its towers, the fun decorations at the entrance, as well as the wonderful Goofy's Kitchen tree.

I would say the same thing that the Good Neighbor hotels don't go all Holiday out. I have seen the Lobbies at BWPPI and BW Stovall's decorated in the lobby with some nice Christmas decorations. It is not like the DLR which goes all Holiday crazy. Just as you have said Sherry, the DLR hotels are very nice during the Holiday season especially the GCH.