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

[Sherry E]

We are going December 22- December 28. This will be our first Christmas at Disneyland. I am in a way terrified but we are going to do it. My biggest fear is the crowds. We can not change our days so we are going to brave it out. The reason why the crowds scare me so much is I have 2 boys and my youngest who will be close to three has sensory prossesing disorder and has a hard time with crowds, noise and a whole list of things.
We are going to do 6 or 7 day hopper tickets. We also know that we will be taking breaks midday. We are also prepared to take our youngest back to the room and one of us stay with our oldest.
This trip in general scares me since I do not know what to expect it is our frist big trip since his things came to light. Our last trip big trip he was only a year old and did ok but sleeped a lot.

Mommyof2boys1118 -

Hello!

Well, first of all, you're in for a wonderful, special treat. The parks and hotels are absolutely beautiful during the season and it's a great way to celebrate the holidays in a festive way. I think that being in Disneyland on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be amazing. Plus, things like the Winter Castle lit up in icicles at night, the Reindeer Round-Up and It's a Small World Holiday will probably be big hits with your kids!

I can understand your concerns about crowds. There's no doubt that it will be very crowded during the time frame you are going. It's commonly known to be a crowded time. I don't think there's any point in denying that fact.

BUT, I think you have the right idea about how to manage everything! Getting the 6 or 7-day Hoppers is a good plan because it will allow you to kind of spread everything out and do the parks in small doses if need be, just to make it a bit easier on your youngest son.

Taking midday breaks and/or going back to the hotel is a fantastic idea - for people of all ages, to be honest! - and it will help everyone to kind of rest, decompress and de-stress for a while so you can re-enter the parks fully re-energized.

Take advantage of places like the Grand Californian Hotel lobby - which is open to everyone, whether or not they are staying at the hotel. That's a great location to sit and relax in comfortable chairs or sofas, with beverages or snacks, by the gorgeous Christmas tree. The lighting is dim so it is soothing on weary eyes. There is either a pianist, a guitarist or soft holiday music playing most of the time. You may even get there when the Carolers are taking requests by the tree. There's a fireplace you can sit next to (in a very dark little nook off of the lobby). And while there is chatting going on here and there, I find the noise level in the GCH lobby to be acceptable - not too overwhelming like it may be in the middle of the parks. It's a good place to take a break and stay in the middle of the holiday festivities, if you don't want to go all the way back to the hotel room.


Don't be scared! You'll get through it. We are all here for you! The crowds will probably get substantially worse on 12/26, so those last couple of days of your trip will most likely be the most packed. Try to get as much as you can done in the first few days of your trip!

I guess a good motto to remember is: Don't be scared. Be prepared.

And it sounds like you are prepared, with back-up plans in place! You'll have a wonderful, amazing trip!

 

[6Smiles]

We are going December 22- December 28. This will be our first Christmas at Disneyland. I am in a way terrified but we are going to do it. My biggest fear is the crowds. We can not change our days so we are going to brave it out. The reason why the crowds scare me so much is I have 2 boys and my youngest who will be close to three has sensory prossesing disorder and has a hard time with crowds, noise and a whole list of things.
We are going to do 6 or 7 day hopper tickets. We also know that we will be taking breaks midday. We are also prepared to take our youngest back to the room and one of us stay with our oldest.
This trip in general scares me since I do not know what to expect it is our frist big trip since his things came to light. Our last trip big trip he was only a year old and did ok but sleeped a lot.

As a Mom with a little girl with sensory issues I can tell you what we did. Ear muffs and cotton balls help with noise, bring "HIS" stroller and his "Comfort blanket/toy" to give him his "safety zone", bring gloves if he is touch sensitive to unfamiliar items, light up bracelets for darker areas and at night work great around ankles as well as wrists, and stroller. If he is an observer point out groupings of objects while in line and don't hesitate to to do calming touch therapy while in line (rubbing his back or feet if tolerated.) Try to find out while in lines now what calms him and if he's in therapy ask about techniques. I realize these techniques are accepted differently depending on the child and circumstances. Go onto Disney's website and show him the different areas and rides to familiarize him especially in the days leading up to the trip. We will be there at the same time. Hope that helps.
Kris

 

[Mommyof2boys1118]

Thank you. For the advice and the encouraging words. I do have a few questions about Christmas time.
We are thinking a low key Christmas dinner away from the park do you have any suggestions?
What type of weather are we looking at (we are used to cold and snow for winter)?
6SMiles have you done any of the character meals? If so which would you say is less overwhelming.

 

[abby]

Our last trip to DL was 12-2008. We have done a lot of traveling since then but not to DL. We have been discussing going back in December (I love the christmas stuff) and I found really good airfare in early December. So here I am planning away. Looking at going 12-2 to 12-7, hoping to avoid the weekend crowds. Any suggestions? Thanks

 

[Jamian]

Another shot of DLR during the Holidays, this time from Downtown Disney:


Downtown Disney - West Coast Style by -Jamian-, on Flickr

 

[Hunnypaw]

Cool photos, Jamian!!!

 

[focusondisney]

Our last trip to DL was 12-2008. We have done a lot of traveling since then but not to DL. We have been discussing going back in December (I love the christmas stuff) and I found really good airfare in early December. So here I am planning away. Looking at going 12-2 to 12-7, hoping to avoid the weekend crowds. Any suggestions? Thanks

Those are our dates too. I hope we both enjoy low crowds & nice weather.

 

[Sherry E]

Thank you. For the advice and the encouraging words. I do have a few questions about Christmas time.
We are thinking a low key Christmas dinner away from the park do you have any suggestions?
What type of weather are we looking at (we are used to cold and snow for winter)?
6SMiles have you done any of the character meals? If so which would you say is less overwhelming.

Mommyof2boys1118 -

You're welcome. You'll have a great time.

I was waiting to see if 6SMiles replied about the character meals and low key Christmas dinner, but she hasn't yet so I will jump in.

Even though my favorite character meal is definitely Goofy's Kitchen, I think that if you need to find something a little quieter and calmer, the Critter Breakfast at Storytellers Cafe in the Grand Californian Hotel is your best bet. There are woodsy/jungly-type Disney characters there, such as Koda and Kenai from "Brother Bear," Terk from "Tarzan," Meeko from "Pocahontas," and Chip & Dale (but Chip and Dale can be found at 3 different character meals).

There are a lot of people who love the Critter Breakfast, simply because it is more laid back and they think the food is better. There is a buffet, or you can order from the menu (which is not much cheaper than the buffet). You can get mini-Mickey waffles or you can order a full-size Mickey waffle.

Honestly, I think Storytellers (during lunch or dinner, when it's not a character meal) would work well for a low key meal outside of the parks too! I think Storytellers Cafe might be good all the way around. They will probably have some special menu items for Christmas. And if they follow tradition, they should have a fun gingerbread house on display near the entrance - and it is a fresh, real gingerbread house, so the aroma is wonderful!

You can also eat somewhere such as Naples in Downtown Disney, which is relatively quiet (unlike Rainforest Cafe and ESPN Zone), or La Brea Bakery.

Also, the Surf's Up with Mickey character meal is located in the Paradise Pier Hotel, which is across the street from the GCH. Not only does the PPH has a gorgeous Christmas tree that is worth seeing, the character meal is popular - but usually not so popular that the restaurant is packed. I think that a lot of folks do not want to walk across the street to the PPH, so there are not always as many people at the meal as there would be at other meals.

Plus, during non-character meals times, the restaurant in which Surf's Up takes place - the PCH Grill - is usually not as crowded as other restaurants, so you may want to try it out.

Our last trip to DL was 12-2008. We have done a lot of traveling since then but not to DL. We have been discussing going back in December (I love the christmas stuff) and I found really good airfare in early December. So here I am planning away. Looking at going 12-2 to 12-7, hoping to avoid the weekend crowds. Any suggestions? Thanks

Hello, abby!

Wow, quite a few things have changed in the 4 years since you were last at Disneyland! World of Color had not even debuted when you were last there. And the CALIFORNIA letters were still at the front of DCA at that point. There was still a Golden Gate Bridge. ToonTown still had the nice fun, colorful Christmas trees - and not the hideous plastic trees they put in last year. There was no Little Mermaid ride at that time. Star Tours had not been changed. There was certainly no Cars Land or Buena Vista Street. The Hollywood Backlot area of DCA had Christmas decorations back then. New Orleans Square still had a light canopy illuminating its back alleys in 12/2008 (it doesn't have that anymore). I don't think that the Disney character dolls had even been put in IASW yet at that point, had they?

I was there last year, from 12/4 - 12/8, and I would gladly choose that same week again. I guess your dates are this year's equivalent to my dates last year, more or less! I would definitely go in that window of time again. Just remembering how delightful it was to wander into Gibson Girl Ice Cream (on a very blustery day, where my hair was standing straight up on my head) to get a peppermint ice cream cone - only to see no line (which is unheard of) is enough to get me back there during that time again!

You'll have a great time!

 

[6Smiles]

Thank you. For the advice and the encouraging words. I do have a few questions about Christmas time.
We are thinking a low key Christmas dinner away from the park do you have any suggestions?
What type of weather are we looking at (we are used to cold and snow for winter)?
6SMiles have you done any of the character meals? If so which would you say is less overwhelming.

Thanks Sherry for jumping in! Sorry it took me a bit to get back, its been busy around here! As far as Character meals go we have been to Goofy's and Ariel. I know you have boys so I have heard from other parents that Surf's up might be a good choice at the Paradise Pier Hotel. There is another mom on here with special needs kids that really likes the atmosphere - the characters will visit but will not force the issue of getting up and dancing if the kids don't want to. We are taking our kiddos and are planning to go a bit later in the morning at about 10. I think this would be a good time to go since the characters are still but most likely it will be less crowded as visitors use their time in the park. I think Storytellers is a good choice for a Character Breakfast if the kids like animals. Dinner isn't a bad option either although the cost seems a bit more.

One note of caution is I would advise staying far away from Captain Kids food - although inexpensive financially it can have a high cost in health.

I'm not really sure what will be open Christmas day but dinner is good at PPH and you can cut through the Grand Californian for a shorter walk. Very kid friendly.

I like Ariels as well, although busy the visit with the princesses is quick and they will just wave at the boys and blow them kisses if they are shy. The food is good and the portions are decent. When we go they will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Kris

 

[jacs1234]

I read somewhere that you can request a special balloon at the character breakfasts for children who don't want to interact with characters, you tie it on the chair so the characters know not to walk up to those children. I've never used it, just heard about it so if you think it would be a good idea you could ring and ask about it.

 

[Mommyof2boys1118]

Thank you. We will be receiving a free premium character dinning meal. So in a way I would like to take full advantage of that and do either goofy's or Airel's for dinner. At the same time I don't want to overwhelm our youngest. Last time we were at Disneyland we went in September and we only had our oldest son. At that time we did goofy's and surfs up. We liked both.
Thank you. I am just trying to get as much information as I can to make the best choice.

 

[basketballmom]

I am still here, and we are still planning on DL at Christmas. We haven't booked anything, though, because we weren't sure if we were going to change our plans to summer.

Okay, I have a new question.... Do Annual Passholders get discounts at the resort hotels all the time? I realize the discounts are different at different times, but I want to know if there would be any discount at all during the week of Christmas.

Thanks!

 

[kaoden39]

I am still here, and we are still planning on DL at Christmas. We haven't booked anything, though, because we weren't sure if we were going to change our plans to summer.

Okay, I have a new question.... Do Annual Passholders get discounts at the resort hotels all the time? I realize the discounts are different at different times, but I want to know if there would be any discount at all during the week of Christmas.

Thanks!

Hi there!!

According to the website as AP holders we get up to a 30% discount. I hope that helps.

 

[kaoden39]

Well, our hotel has been booked and re-booked. I had to add another room and I accidentally added a night to the end of the trip the first time around. We added the other room because we have added 3 more people to our trip making us a total of 9 people for November 11 - November 16!! What a crazy group we are going to be.

 

[basketballmom]

Hi there!!

According to the website as AP holders we get up to a 30% discount. I hope that helps.

Thanks! I don't know why I am beating around the bush to book this trip. I can't seem to make up my mind about anything!!

 

[kaoden39]

Thanks! I don't know why I am beating around the bush to book this trip. I can't seem to make up my mind about anything!!

I understand. When we went in 2011 I reserved more than one hotel room because I couldn't decide where to stay. We ended up staying at the DLH and I was glad that we had. Our last trip and this next trip were and will be at the Ayres Hotel. My husband and I are wild about the place.

 

[Sherry E]

basketballmom -

I just had to pop in and say that the AP holders get a 10% discount on the 3 DLR hotels every day of the year - even on major holidays. So even on Christmas Day, you could get a 10% discount, but honestly, 10% off the already high rates is not much of a dent in the bill!

The "up to 30%" part refers to the special "AP Rates" or "AP Offers" that come along. They used to be more frequent, and the rates used to be better. These are the rates that will pop up on the AP hotel calendar - for maybe one or two weeks each month, or on select dates - or in special advertisements in the AP section of the website. For example, a couple of years back I recall a special AP rate for only the PPH hotel that was advertised in a separate box on the page, while the hotel calendar had other AP rates for different weeks at different hotels.

Obviously the 30% discounts are the ones people want, but again, they are not as frequent anymore and the rates are not as good as they used to be. Plus, when they come out they are often snapped up right away. Sometimes they will show a 2 or 3-day block with an AP rate at the DLH, and as soon as it's posted it's gone.

The "good" AP rates used to fall below $200 per night for the PPH and the DLH, and the GCH was always around $215 or so. But now, the rates are not quite as good - though still better than a measly 10% discount or no discount at all! Also, they usually do not extend through any holiday weekend, and generally not past mid-December-ish (or at least not past the weekend right before Christmas).

 

[HeyItsNickCA]

Hello everyone!

Right now, we're talking about going December 3rd to December 7th. Once we decided on dates, we have to keep them because some people in our party won't be able to get off so easily in December, so we've been thinking a lot about it.

I have a few questions:

How are the crowds during the first week of December?

Do they do the special Christmas fireworks everyday or only on the weekends?

Are hotels pretty packed during the first week of December? (I guess what I'm asking, are hotels really expensive during the first week of December?)

Are there usually any ride closures or are the rides usually open by now?

Do they decorate up any rides in California Adventure? If they do, are they planning on doing anything with Carsland? Too soon to find out?

Thanks!

 

[mvf-m11c]

Hello everyone!

Right now, we're talking about going December 3rd to December 7th. Once we decided on dates, we have to keep them because some people in our party won't be able to get off so easily in December, so we've been thinking a lot about it.

I have a few questions:

How are the crowds during the first week of December?

Do they do the special Christmas fireworks everyday or only on the weekends?

Are hotels pretty packed during the first week of December? (I guess what I'm asking, are hotels really expensive during the first week of December?)

Are there usually any ride closures or are the rides usually open by now?

Do they decorate up any rides in California Adventure? If they do, are they planning on doing anything with Carsland? Too soon to find out?

Thanks!

Early December is one of the slowest times of the Holiday season at the DLR. But since the 3rd and 7th is the 2nd week of the December the crowds can be about average. The weekdays after Thanksgiving week is one of the slowest times and best times to visit DL during the Holiday season.

DL Holiday fireworks is called "Believe...In Holiday Magic" fireworks and it is available all the days of the Holiday season at DL. This includes the shorter park hours (10am to 8pm) as well as the longer park hours (8am to 12am). The only time that the fireworks won't be available is only when there is high winds, thunderstorms, etc.

It only depends on which hotel you are staying right by the DLR. The hotels should not be that busy since it is not during the Christmas season to New Years which should be expensive and packed. The DLR hotels can be very expensive while the across the street hotels have decent prices per night.

Mostly at that time of the year in early December, most of the rides should be up and running.

There are no rides that are decorated inside of the ride at DCA. These are not like HMH or IASWH at DL where the ride is decorated for the Holiday season. I have seen a Santa hat on Roz on Monsters Inc. We don't know if Cars Land or BVS is going to get any holiday decorations. But I have a hunch that we will get some holiday decorations when it gets closer to the holiday season.

 

[Sherry E]

Hello everyone!

Right now, we're talking about going December 3rd to December 7th. Once we decided on dates, we have to keep them because some people in our party won't be able to get off so easily in December, so we've been thinking a lot about it.

I have a few questions:

How are the crowds during the first week of December?

Do they do the special Christmas fireworks everyday or only on the weekends?

Are hotels pretty packed during the first week of December? (I guess what I'm asking, are hotels really expensive during the first week of December?)

Are there usually any ride closures or are the rides usually open by now?

Do they decorate up any rides in California Adventure? If they do, are they planning on doing anything with Carsland? Too soon to find out?

Thanks!

HeyItsNickCA -

I think the week you're thinking about will be a good choice. That's a Monday - Friday, correct?

Last year I went from 12/4 - 12/8, which was Sunday - Thursday. Basically the same week you'd be going. I found that crowds on Monday were great - meaning it was not crowded at all. Tuesday suddenly got crowded. Wednesday didn't seem to be too bad at all. Thursday I didn't go into the park.

So I would bet that your first day - 12/3 (Monday) will be the best day in terms of light crowds, and Wednesday, 12/5 will probably be the next best. By Thursday, people begin arriving for extended weekend trips and crowds pick up. Overall, though, it should probably be a great time to be there - better than the weeks that will follow it, in any case!

If I recall correctly, during the holiday season the fireworks are every night. The parks may close a bit earlier on Monday-Wednesday, but the holiday fireworks should happen every night.

The 3 Disney hotels are expensive all year-round, but that week is a week that is not as packed because it's in between the Thanksgiving break and the Christmas break. A lot of folks are back at work and school until their Christmas breaks. So you can often find discounts that extend through the first couple of weeks in December and then they stop by the weekend before Christmas. The hotels will probably not be full on all of those weekdays.

There will probably not be any major ride closures. Once the holiday season begins - which is peak season for the Resort - most of the major refurbishments have been completed. Disney wants as many attractions operating to satisfy the holiday visitors. They tend to do a lot of refurbs in between peak seasons (like in between Summer and the holidays, and in between the holidays and Summer, for example).

In California Adventure, A Bug's Land is decorated in giant ornaments and Christmas lights, but so far there are no actual ride overlays. Roz wears a Santa hat in the Monsters, Inc. ride (at the very end).

There has been talk for the last 4 years about the Toy Story ride eventually getting some sort of holiday overlay. Apparently, some holiday dialogue and singing has already been recorded for Mr. Potato Head. So it's just a matter of when they might do this that is in question!

World of Color had a little "Prep & Landing" holiday intro segment last year. There has been talk of a possible full-fledged holiday World of Color at some point too - but when??

There have also been rumors that Cars Land will have its own special themed decorations this year. Of course, this is only the first year for Cars Land and we really have no clue if it will happen so fast, but that is the rumor.