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

[nicolispicoli]

Am I the only super planner getting cranky that disney has still not released the november park hours on their website? I was thinking of assuming that they would be similar to last year, but with the holidays official start date on Monday this year, I am not banking on it.

I don't need a full entertainment schedule, but basic park hours would be nice...Here it is already 2 days shy of October and they only have up to November 5th listed

 

[jacs1234]

I wish they had the schedule up too, but say that on the main board and you'll get in trouble.

I'm an Aussie, we have lots of things to plan and we can't get to disneyland every month to fit everything in and we can't just skip something and do it next time because there may be no next time, so we have to plan things perfectly so we can fit it all in. I would love to know when the CM parties are on. If I knew they were on, I would plan dinner outside the park for that day, but if they're not on, I would plan dinner inside the park. I'm at my 60 days mark so I could start making reservations but I need to know what I'm doing and when first. KWIM?

 

[dwheatl]

I wish they had the schedule up too, but say that on the main board and you'll get in trouble.

I'm an Aussie, we have lots of things to plan and we can't get to disneyland every month to fit everything in and we can't just skip something and do it next time because there may be no next time, so we have to plan things perfectly so we can fit it all in. I would love to know when the CM parties are on. If I knew they were on, I would plan dinner outside the park for that day, but if they're not on, I would plan dinner inside the park. I'm at my 60 days mark so I could start making reservations but I need to know what I'm doing and when first. KWIM?

I wonder if you tried to make ressies and the park was closed at that time, if they would tell you it was unavailable? That could be a sneaky way to find out something at least.

 

[nicolispicoli]

I wish they had the schedule up too, but say that on the main board and you'll get in trouble.

I'm an Aussie, we have lots of things to plan and we can't get to disneyland every month to fit everything in and we can't just skip something and do it next time because there may be no next time, so we have to plan things perfectly so we can fit it all in. I would love to know when the CM parties are on. If I knew they were on, I would plan dinner outside the park for that day, but if they're not on, I would plan dinner inside the park. I'm at my 60 days mark so I could start making reservations but I need to know what I'm doing and when first. KWIM?

You're right about that! They pounce on people for complaining about scheduling! I figured a few people on this thread would agree with me since we're all getting closer to our trips. I've been trying to stay patient, but maybe I'm just excited to have a plan laid out! It's hard not to want to plan when you pay a good amount of money to be in the park for a limited amount of time. My planning issues are similar to yours, we're trying to plan dining and with a 4 year old and 7 month old, a basic plan is a must have!

 

[nicolispicoli]

I wonder if you tried to make ressies and the park was closed at that time, if they would tell you it was unavailable? That could be a sneaky way to find out something at least.

Good idea!! I may try that if it's still unavailable in a week or so

 

[tinkermell]

I'm going to jump on Board and see if anyone can at least tell me when the whole park was in full swing for Christmas last year?

It seems to me, that there is another website that has previous dates listed? Was it the "Laughing Place?"

BTW- I'm sure this has been discussed over and over, but wasn't sure what page to go to.
Sorry!

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Tinkermell.

Found this post from near post 680. Hope it helps.

Mike - Not yet. We still assume that the "official" start date - meaning the date on which the holiday parade & fireworks, IASW Holiday, nighttime Winter Castle, Reindeer Round-Up, etc. will be up and running - will be 11/11/11 this year, just based on when the season officially began the last 2 years. There is always that possibility that it will not begin until 11/18/11 but it seems unlikely given how popular the holidays have become at DLR. And then, of course, as you know (since you pointed it out to us last year), the hotels do not get their holiday makeover until right after Thanksgiving.

When I thought about it the other day, the holiday transformation of DLR is really a 3-phase operation/production!

There's Phase 1, which is the gradual decorating of the park that begins even before HalloweenTime officially ends (like the 'snow' effect on the Castle and New Orleans Square's Mardi Gras-esque masks & beads) - decorations, treats and merchandise begin to appear around the parks, little by little, but not to full effect.

There's Phase 2, which is the official season opening day, and that's when the snow falls on Mains Street at night, the Winter Castle lights up in 'icicles,' IASW Holiday is running and the Reindeer Round-Up is open, etc. ToonTown, A Bug's Land, Main Street and Frontierland are fully decorated.

And finally, there is Phase 3, which is immediately after Thanksgiving ends and the hotels & DTD get into the full holiday swing too, complete with carolers, photo ops, music, etc. Basically the entire Resort is involved in the season at this point, and not just the 2 parks.

So I always try to get to DLR for Phase 3, because I want the whole Resort to be as Christmasy as it can be for my visit. I want the GCH decorated and holiday music playing and all of that. However, I will accept Phase 2 if I have to! If, for some reason, I cannot make a Phase 3 holiday DLR trip, Phase 2 will be okay.

And some people are okay with Phase 1 trips! They don't need the holiday entertainment or IASW Holiday or the snow on Main Street, the nighttime Castle, etc. They just want to see some decorations go up here and there and that's it!

 

[areweindisneyyet]

I'm going to jump on Board and see if anyone can at least tell me when the whole park was in full swing for Christmas last year?

It seems to me, that there is another website that has previous dates listed? Was it the "Laughing Place?"

BTW- I'm sure this has been discussed over and over, but wasn't sure what page to go to.
Sorry!

Also the park schedules from last year are on the table of contents on page 1 which will give you a good idea of hours and activities.

Have fun planning.

 

[pattyduke34]

Just got my autograph book in the mail today! I designed them and had them made...they look great....just making me realize that time is just slipping by....60 days and counting down!

 

[tksbaskets]

Just got my autograph book in the mail today! I designed them and had them made...they look great....just making me realize that time is just slipping by....60 days and counting down!

Sounds great! Any way to show us what they look like?

 

[GrandBob]

I'm going to jump on Board and see if anyone can at least tell me when the whole park was in full swing for Christmas last year?

It seems to me, that there is another website that has previous dates listed? Was it the "Laughing Place?"

BTW- I'm sure this has been discussed over and over, but wasn't sure what page to go to.
Sorry!

The official start date for the holiday season this year is Monday Nov 14.

 

[pattyduke34]

Sounds great! Any way to show us what they look like?

Here are a few pictures of the autograph books I got in....they have 36 pages in each...my daughter just loves hers!!! Thanks to all the help from people here on the DISboards!!

fronts

backs

first pages

first page mine

first page daughters

 

[areweindisneyyet]

They look awesome patty duke. Thanks for sharing.

 

[jernysgirl]

Well.... it looks like they have hours posted through Veteran's Day (Nov 11th). On that Friday, the schedule shows the Holiday fireworks @ 8:45.

 

[Sherry E]

Well.... it looks like they have hours posted through Veteran's Day (Nov 11th). On that Friday, the schedule shows the Holiday fireworks @ 8:45.

Kim -

Thanks for posting this. You know, I had a feeling that some of the holiday entertainment (like the fireworks) would at least soft open on 11/11. We now know that IASW is supposed to be closed until 11/11, and then will miraculously reopen as IASW Holiday. So the fireworks will be holiday-ized on 11/11 too. Does this mean the Christmas Fantasy Parade will also start on 11/11?

This begs the question - why is the season officially beginning on 11/14 if everything is starting 3 days before that? What is going to begin on 11/14 that won't be running on 11/11? Santa's Reindeer Round-Up, maybe? The official start dates have always been Fridays before. Why do they not just say the season starts on 11/11 this year? I am baffled!

And exactly when will the holiday segment of WoC debut? Is it going to run for the entire season, or maybe just from Thanksgiving on? Or maybe just right around Christmas and New Year's?

​

In any case, I am excited because peppermint ice cream is starting to appear in the grocery stores!! Who cares if it's still September? I need the peppermint goodies to roll out a little early!!

Whenever you see the telltale Dreyer's Peppermint Ice Cream carton or the Starbucks Peppermint Mocha Ice Cream in the frozen foods section, it is a sure sign that the holidays are fast approaching. And I could not be happier! Good riddance, Summer! Hello, Fall and Winter! Hello, gingerbread! Hello, pine trees! Hello, snowmen! Hello, Rankin-Bass clay puppet specials on ABC Family! Hello, Peanuts holiday specials! Hello, hot cocoa...and all the wonderful decorations, aromas & tasty treats that come with these seasons/months!!

 

[jernysgirl]

Kim -

Thanks for posting this. You know, I had a feeling that some of the holiday entertainment (like the fireworks) would at least soft open on 11/11. We now know that IASW is supposed to be closed until 11/11, and then will miraculously reopen as IASW Holiday. So the fireworks will be holiday-ized on 11/11 too. Does this mean the Christmas Fantasy Parade will also start on 11/11?

This begs the question - why is the season officially beginning on 11/14 if everything is starting 3 days before that? What is going to begin on 11/14 that won't be running on 11/11? Santa's Reindeer Round-Up, maybe? The official start dates have always been Fridays before. Why do they not just say the season starts on 11/11 this year? I am baffled!

You're welcome! It's not like I have been anxious awaiting or anything...

As far as that day goes, Soundsational is still on the schedule that day for 4pm and 6:30pm, so I would assume that means no Christmas parade, but... as we all know things are subject to change.

Good riddance, Summer! Hello, Fall and Winter! Hello, gingerbread! Hello, pine trees! Hello, snowmen! Hello, Rankin-Bass clay puppet specials on ABC Family! Hello, Peanuts holiday specials! Hello, hot cocoa...and all the wonderful decorations, aromas & tasty treats that come with these seasons/months!!

Amen!

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks for all the work you put into this thread Sherry!

Thank you, jacs1234! And thank you for being a participant and great contributor to this thread!

Sherry, thank you so much for all of the work that you do here. I love this thread, and can't imagine how much work goes into it.

Thank you, larina! I'm so glad to have you following along with us here!

I love all of the information on this thread

I wish I could look at the Holiday pictures, but I'm deliberately not looking so I don't spoil the surprise when I get there.

When I get back home I'll look - promise!

I am planning on booking one of those Holiday Tours - I read in a TR on here that you get actual chairs for the parade (that will be a treat!) and can get some hot cocoa to drink while watching it. Sounds to me!

Okay, kaffinito - We will forgive you for not looking at photos! The element of surprise is important too, and you have a lot to look forward to when you get to DLR!!

I have not done the holiday tour yet, but I have heard so many good things about it. I'm eager to do it at some point. The parade seats are a big draw, of course. Plus, you get the cocoa in a collectible cup, a gingerbread cookie and a souvenir pin. Then you also get front-of-the-line privileges for IASW Holiday and Haunted Mansion Holiday, as well as something else too, I think. And, the guide for the tour encourages all the participants to sing Christmas songs as you march along through DL, learning all kinds of DLR holiday-related trivia!

When you get back home, we hope you will be sharing photos here as well as looking at them!

What do you think "peak weeks" only means for the WoC?

Jenny - Your guess is as good as mine. What the heck does that pesky Al Lutz mean by "peak weeks"?

That term could mean several different things:

1) It could mean from the season start date (11/14) on until January;

2) It could mean from Thanksgiving (when the season really picks up steam) on to January;

3) It could mean all through the month of December only; or

4) It could mean only the week of Christmas and the week of New Year's because those are crazy busy (which will tick me off and annoy me to no end because I would miss the WoC holiday segment).

I'm sure there's other stuff it could mean too, but those were the 4 examples that popped into my head!!

I hate mystery (in this case)! I want details and I want them now! I hope that the Parks Blog posts something about the WoC holiday thing soon, so people can know when to expect it! I realize it's not going to be an entire WoC holiday show, but would want to see it even with a segment.

All I know is, I will be annoyed if it turns out to be a Christmas week and New Year's week only segment. That little WoC holiday business had better be showing every night, all season long, or at least from Thanksgiving on!

Agreed! Thank you Sherry for all the work you put into this thread! It is more helpful then you know!

Thank you, nicolispicoli! I appreciate it. That is definitely the goal - to help people be informed about all the things pertaining to the holiday season, and also to exchange information with each other as it comes in. We all learn from each other here!

Absolutely Agreed!! I look forward to each and every countdown post, and everyone's photos and/or contributions to this thread! I believe we all appreciate all of your hard work Sherry! It's hard enough for me to just post photo links and a description much less anything else

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!!! I am hoping to post photos here while @ DL (11/9-11/12), but we'll see how well that works out, I think it may be really difficult with my phone. I *might* take my laptop, I just really dispise security @ the airport with the laptop, too much of a pain!

If it doesn't work out while I'm down there, I will be sure to post them on 11/13 when I'm back.

Thank you, Vanessa! I'm glad the themes & countdowns are going over well! It will seem a little strange when we hit 11/14 and then the countdowns end after that. I don't know what I will do with myself each Monday after that! Actually, I think I am going to have to work on Monday's theme over this weekend. If I go with the theme I am thinking of going with, it will take some time to round up my own photos. On Monday I am heading to DLR for the Halloween Party, and won't have time to work on the theme in the morning. I will literally just have to pop onto the DIS quickly, post the countdown/theme here and then sign off. So that means I have to hunker down and get all the info together tomorrow or Sunday!

If you are able to post photos while you're at DLR, that will be wonderful. It's going to be exciting to hear back from the first people on the scene to tell us what kinds of decorations are in DCA this year, for example. Whole new entrance = new decorations? And will anything be missing from Disneyland?

But if you can't post until you return, that will be great too! Either way, we will all be waiting eagerly to get lots of info!!

That's what I'm hoping for! I will probably drive my Aunt crazy by stalking IASWH!!

I hope your holiday plans come together as smoothly as possible! Sending you good vibes for that! I know how difficult it is when you have to plan with others, sometimes it becomes a bit stressful

Vanessa - Too funny about stalking IASWH! It looks like you will not only have IASWH open during part of your trip, but also the holiday fireworks will be running on 11/11!

My holiday plans always seem to go awry somewhere along the line - mainly due to other people involved in the plan, to be honest - but somehow I never miss the holiday season at DLR, and this year will be no different. I will go, whether I go alone or go with friends. It's all good, no matter how it works out. I have an awesome rate at the PPH that I have to use before the year ends!

I've never posted on this board before, so nice to meet you all!

Christmas time at Disneyland is my absolute favorite, and even though we live only an hour away, we always plan a 2 or 3 day trip every year during the holidays. This year we are staying at the Grand Californian and couldn't be more excited!

Welcome, MrsMac218!!!

I am so glad to have you join us here! It sounds like you must live in SoCal too (so do I). I am in total agreement with you - I live close to Disneyland, by most people's standards (45 minutes away on a no-traffic day), but I don't feel complete unless I make at least a 2-night/3-day stay during the holidays, and usually a 4-day/3-nighter. (This year I have 7 nights booked.) The Grand Californian has the best hotel holiday atmosphere out of all 3 Disney hotels - the lobby/hearth area is so festive and inviting.

Each Monday we are doing a countdown to the start of the holiday season at Disneyland (11/14 this year), along with a holiday photo "theme" for the week. So far, the themes have been Santa's Reindeer Round-Up, Main Street (daytime, nighttime or window displays), New Orleans Square, the 3 hotels of the Disneyland Resort and It's a Small World Holiday. In 3 days I will post the new countdown and theme.

Please feel free to share some of your Disneyland holiday photos with us if you have them handy (and they don't have to fit a particular theme, although, since you go every year for the holidays, you probably will have some photos fitting the upcoming themes!)! We'd love to see them!

Sherry, I agree with he others that this thread is awesome I wish I had some more photos to share but they are on DHs Mac with DH in Lake Placid right now and on my Facebook that I keep private. I love the pictures that are being shared.

Thank you, Jenny! Well, you will just have to take more photos on your upcoming trip and keep them close by for quick and easy sharing! You ultimately decided on 3 days instead of 4, right? That was the last I heard.

I wish they had the schedule up too, but say that on the main board and you'll get in trouble.

I'm an Aussie, we have lots of things to plan and we can't get to disneyland every month to fit everything in and we can't just skip something and do it next time because there may be no next time, so we have to plan things perfectly so we can fit it all in. I would love to know when the CM parties are on. If I knew they were on, I would plan dinner outside the park for that day, but if they're not on, I would plan dinner inside the park. I'm at my 60 days mark so I could start making reservations but I need to know what I'm doing and when first. KWIM?

I agree with you, jacs1234! I know DLR is not a carbon copy of WDW, and maybe we don't need to plan 6 months in advance...but planning 3 or 4 months in advance doesn't seem unreasonable. People from other states and especially other countries need to get their plans in order. I don't see why we can't find out the Halloween and holiday season dates early in the year (though this year some of the dates came out pretty early). I don't see why we can't find out the CM party dates a few months in advance.

I think that, especially since DLR is now building itself up to be much more of a vacation destination instead of just a day trip destination with all the upcoming changes in DCA, they should start making basic dates and other schedule-related info available much earlier in the year.

I'm going to jump on Board and see if anyone can at least tell me when the whole park was in full swing for Christmas last year?

It seems to me, that there is another website that has previous dates listed? Was it the "Laughing Place?"

BTW- I'm sure this has been discussed over and over, but wasn't sure what page to go to.
Sorry!

Hi, Melody!! I'm glad you popped in! I know that Bob (GrandBob) and Mia (areweindisneyyet) already answered your question, but I just wanted to make sure you knew that Page 1 (Posts #1, Post #2 and especially Post #3) is where lots of info is. The previous Christmas thread was the one that was disorganized and didn't have any kind of easy place to find information. I remember you were one of the ones who wanted a Table of Contents, for example. This thread is a bit different! Now, Post #3 has all sorts of info in one place!!

But...if you cannot find something, for some reason, please feel free to just jump in and ask us. As you can see, there are lots of folks here willing to answer questions and share information. Many questions come up repeatedly - we know that not everyone has time to get caught up - so there is always someone here to answer!

Tinkermell.

Found this post from near post 680. Hope it helps.

Mia - Thanks so much for pulling up my 'holiday phases' post! I thought about that one the other day and was thinking of pulling it up for some reason or other. And thank you for stepping in to answer questions and help other DIS'ers out, as well as referring them to Page 1 of the thread.

 

[Sherry E]

Who among us cannot wait for the annual "Joy to the Small World" Disneyland commercials that start airing right when the holiday season begins, in which a choir of children is slowly singing, "It's a small world after all..."? I am one of those sorts who gets choked up at Hallmark commercials, so it's no surprise that the "Joy to the Small World" spots get me every time! They are extremely effective.

There's a longer version of the ad, and then there is a shorter version (actually, I think I've seen variations of both the long-form ad and the short-form ad between 2009 and 2010, but all of the versions are good!). In the commercial, you see wide-eyed, happy children skipping merrily along in a seemingly uncrowded Disneyland, enjoying the snowfall on Main Street, the fireworks and, of course, the breathtaking It's a Small World Holiday - aglow in thousands of colored lights.

Remember, everyone, we are still the middle of "It's a Small World Holiday" theme week, so if there is anyone out there who would like to share their IASWH photos, please feel free! There will be a new theme on Monday (in 3 days), and that one may be a little trickier than this week's theme has been! Muahahahahahahaha!!

"Jingle shells...jingle shells...."

This is close to the spot in the ride where you may begin to smell a faint hint of peppermint if you inhale deeply!

 

[Sherry E]

And more for theme week!

Nearby photo display:

 

[MinnieMama09]

Hi Sherry! I can't believe we get to come back again this year for the holidays! This thread and all your advice were so helpful last year (we went last year I think about the same time you did...mid-December...I think our dates were Dec. 12-15 or so). We just booked our trip for Thanksgiving this past weekend and I am so thrilled...didn't think we would be able to go again til next year!

Looking forward to catching up on all the pics and the "goings on" on this thread before our trip in November. It'll be quite an experience having Thanksgiving at DL!

One quick question...I saw where you mentioned Phase 3 of the holiday decorations...we are staying at the DLH this time...when you said decorations go up right after Thanksgiving, in your experience does that mean that very weekend? We'll be there Nov. 23-27 (Wed.-Sun.). I'd love it if they were up while we were there!