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

[rentayenta]

13 weeks til I can book my seats for the Holiday Tour.

Less than 16 weeks until I leave... Checking out Aulani on my way over.

Time is flying by. Soon we will be roasting chestnuts on an open fire.

3 days is never going to be enough for me.

 

[rentayenta]

And now it's time for our weekly Monday countdown...



Only 84 Days Until...
the Holiday Season at Disneyland Resort Begins!!!!​

So I posted this over on the weekly Monday Halloween Time thread countdown as well...

What's on your DLR holiday season to-do list this year? What haven't you been able to do yet that you have wanted to do? Any treats you want to try? Any collectible you want to make a point of getting this time around? Are you planning on taking the holiday tour for the first time? Have you skipped the Storybook Land ride because the line was long, but now you want to ride it to see the tiny decorated cottages? Are you going to have a photo taken with Santa?

So what about you? What's on the holiday to-do list this year??

I am already feeling the crunch of having only 3 days. I just may have to add on a day. Your list is great!

I'd like to do it all however I'll settle for:

- Candy Canes
- spending a solid hour at the GCV in the lobby enjoying a hot yummy boozy drink of some sort
- Reindeer Round-Up
- ISAW and HMH holiday
- fireworks with Main St snow
- holiday parade
- WoC holiday

 

[ukstitch]

My list of must dos would be:

- Buy my 2012 calendar (long standing tradition)
- Buy a christmas bauble (hopefully a 2011 and 2012 one if they've got both of these)
- Fireworks
- Parade
- World of Colour

I'd also like to get my hands on some candy canes, but I'm not holding my hopes out...

Not sure what else, but I'm sure there'll be plenty more once I get there and start enjoying it

 

[pattyduke34]

Hmmm...My Must do List:

-The ChristmasTour (first time ever)
-CGH lobby (maybe eggnog by the fire?)
-More Photopass pics (bribing the older kids on this one)
-Storybook
-More pictures of everything!
-Fantasmic (Never have seen the whole thing)
-Snow on Main Street
-Just slow down and take in all the Holiday Magic
-WOC (my kids have not seen it before)
I am grateful,,,this time all my kids get to go with us,,So it will make it extra special...Last time we were there only 3 days and felt so rushed..Well this time we are taking 5 days and now I am wondering if that is enough

 

[A Small World]

4 full days and 2 part days to fit it all in

Must dos are

Small World Holiday
HM Holiday
Storybook ride- want to see those little houses decorated
Snow on main street
Fireworks - love them
WOC - saw it last yr and loved it
Parade
Spend time looking at all the decorations - they were just starting to go up last year when we left so had a sneek preview
Spend time in the GCH - sitting in the lobby by the fire with a yummy drink
Holiday treats - gingerbread, peppermint icecream- both sound very yummy
Reindeer Roundup and Santas cabin

The list is endless

Im sure I will add more to the list as I see more pictures and read more

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Our must do let so far, we have been planning for over 18 months. We have eight days, and if I don't do it all we will just have to go back

• Go on California Screamin. DD2 is now tall enough.
• Buy a Christmas tree to decorate our room for Christmas day.
• Visit Santa as often as possible to remind him to find us in Disneyland
• Go on the holiday parade tour
• Watch Fantasmic.
• See World of Colour
• Whilst I have done the canoes and the raft I have not been on a big boat on the Rivers of America
• Close the park on Christmas Eve and open on Christmas morning
• Eat somewhere nice and traditional for Christmas Day
• Ride the Jungle Cruise and BTM at night
• Enjoy the magic of a Disney Christmas
• Eat as many churros as possible
• Try all things gingerbread

 

[wdwmickey]

Our must do list:

Small World Holiday
Haunted Mansion Holiday
Fantasmic (with dessert seating from Santa ) ~ surprise for everyone but me
Visit all the Disney hotels
World of Color ~ DD1 & DH haven't seen it
Storybook Canal Boats
Holiday Fireworks
Every ride we can get on
Take at least 3,000 pictures

We have 7 days, I hope DD2 and I don't wear out DH and DD1

 

[areweindisneyyet]

3 days is never going to be enough for me.

I know the feeling, we have added two extra days in DL. This will be our last trip to DL for awhile so we don't want to be rushed. Even with crowds over Christmas we should achieve what we want.

 

[nicolispicoli]

Regarding the Holiday Tour, is there a childs price? Or is everyone the same price?

 

[tksbaskets]

I love the lists of things people want to do and see at Disneyland at Christmas! I want to start my list:

see Bugs Land (we never have)
see Fantasmic (ditto)

More to come....

Sherry and others have me dreaming of relaxing with the carolers at GCH!

 

[rentayenta]

I know the feeling, we have added two extra days in DL. This will be our last trip to DL for awhile so we don't want to be rushed. Even with crowds over Christmas we should achieve what we want.

How many days will you be there?

 

[jemilah]

we have only 2 days...trying to justify pulling my kids out 1 extra day of school , but I dont think I should.

I plan on eating as many holiday goodies as possible , I dont know how I can it 2 day but I will try my best!
Lots of pictures
Seeing snow white and Mickey and Santa on My birthday
as many rides as possible
doing all this fast while still soaking it all in

 

[mvf-m11c]

Very nice picture of the Carolers at the GCH TK.

You got to see F! TK, you will love it.


Just like you Sherry, my goals during the Holiday season is to find any Holiday decorations around the DLR. Even though I won't get the hotels during my visit, I am still looking for any Christmas decorations around the resort.

Now with only 3 days at the park during the Holiday season my goal i for me here is my to do list at the DLR:

1. Take pictures of any Holiday decorations around the front entrance of DCA. With the CALIFORNIA letters and the Golden Gate bridge being taken down, Iam wondering if they will put any holiday decorations on the new entrance. When I checked my photos from the DHS front entrance during the Holiday season, they had some wreaths on the side. So I hope that there will be some decorations. Plus with Buena Vista Street under construction during the Holiday season, I wonder if they are going to do any.

2. Get a good front row spot in front of SB Castle for "Believe...In Holiday Magic" fireworks. Even though I have accomplished it last year during the Holiday season, I could always improve the quality of the video. Here is Believe...In Holiday Magic fireworks from last year that I have video record. Part 1, Part 2

3. SB Winter Castle show. The castle lightened up before Believe...In Holiday Magic fireworks. There are two shows and I enjoy both of them.

4. A Christmas Fantasy Parade. This is one of my all time favorite parades at DL. This time, I will possibly recording it right close to the Holiday tour seating area since I like to videotape the parade when it comes out of the gates. I also will try to do videotape from MS Town Square which is another good spot to videotape.

5. DO the Tree Quest, Wreath Quest, Ornament Quest and Frosty Quest during the Holiday season at the DLR.

6. Eat at PP Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta plus Paradise Garden Grill

7. Holiday merchandise at the DLR. I always like buying Holiday merchandise.

8. Hope that WoC has a holiday version of it.

9. Take pictures of IASWH and Mickey's Toon Town with the Christmas decorations.

 

[areweindisneyyet]

How many days will you be there?

We arrive late afternoon on the 19th and leave very late at night on the 27th so should have 7 days at the park.

 

[rentayenta]

We arrive late afternoon on the 19th and leave very late at night on the 27th so should have 7 days at the park.

7 days should be perfect even with the Christmas Day crowds!

 

[NewbieMouse]

Are Cast Member party days generally less busy because less people come given that DL will close early? I'm playing with my days at the park between Dec 13-15 or 14-16, and am weighing all the options, given that the CM Party could be the 13th.

TIA!

 

[Sherry E]

Are Cast Member party days generally less busy because less people come given that DL will close early? I'm playing with my days at the park between Dec 13-15 or 14-16, and am weighing all the options, given that the CM Party could be the 13th.

TIA!

As you know, this year the CM parties could be on either 12/5 and 12/6, or 12/12 and 12/13. California Adventure, of course, will stay open to the public when DL closes early.

Last year was my first foray into a trip that spanned the CM party nights, so I can't compare the crowds to previous years. All I can say is what the crowds looked like to me last year. I was there from a Sunday to a Wednesday, and the CM parties were on Monday and Tuesday. I felt that the crowds on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday were quite substantial. Sunday and Monday, in particular, were very, very crowded. Lines for things were very long. Tuesday was not much better. Wednesday was the least crowded. I had previously heard that crowds were not bad on CM party days, so the crowds I encountered were surprising to me.

Actually I wonder if the crowds were worse than had been reported because the CM party dates were one week later last year than they normally had been. If the parties had happened at their usual time, immediately following the Candlelight Processional, would those days have been quite as crowded? Maybe the actual week in which they are held makes a big difference?

This year, of course, we have no clue when the CM parties will be - will they revert back to their original schedule, right after the CP, or will they follow 2010's lead and happen in the second week of December? It seems like we didn't find out when they were going to be held last year until late October or early November.

 

[ukstitch]

here's hoping for the "normal" schedule - we arrive on the 9th and leave the 14th so hopefully we won't lose our last two nights to the cast member parties.

Then again, if World of Color does a special holiday bit then we might be too busy watching that to care

 

[lconn]

How are the crowds on the nov 26/27 weekend? What's it like in comparisson to the following weekend of the candle light processional?
We'd have the lighter weekdays in between.

 

[NewbieMouse]

Thanks for the reply, Sherry. I'll probably stick to Wednesday - Friday just to be safe. I also have only one MM, so then that maximizes that as well - unless all my praying for a pin code for GCH comes thru!