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

[disneymum2201]

I hope you are right and that although the CP for 1st and 2nd is invitation only that as guests we can watch from the street.

 

[danimaroo]

I hope you are right and that although the CP for 1st and 2nd is invitation only that as guests we can watch from the street.

Yeah, for us, we won't really be too worried about CP. I'm more worried about the crowds!

Then again, we may be out of DL by that point as I think we're planning on doing the WoC dining package that evening, so it might not be bad to get away from DL while that's happening, and perhaps head back over after WoC is over.

I'd think though that they will have some serious crowd management in making sure people aren't just standing and watching. Or if they do, they at least have an area cleared for people to get through Main Street. Should be interesting, to say the least!

 

[Royal Consort]

My very first reaction was, "Oh wow - the crowds are going to be huge for all of December!" But when I thought about it more, I figured that Disney has to have thought this through.

After surviving the 'Be Our Guest' drama for Disney World, I'm not convinced Disney think things through much at all.

That was HORRIBLE!

Now I'm a bit more concerned. Nothing I can do since we can't alter our trip but heck, if I knew a couple of months ago I could have juggled things! We booked the first week of December for a reason!!

 

[DisFan84]

I'm celebrating my 12/12/12 birthday at DLR this year and although I'm going the week before my actual birthday, I can't help but be excited even with all the changes/announcements that have been made after we've paid for everything. I can handle crowds, I do hope to avoid the CM party. I've read the rumors of it being held on the 11th/12th but not set it stone. I can live with not seeing the CP but do hope that it doesn't affect the fireworks and snow. I look forward to all the additional upcoming information here in the next few months.

 

[jkh1978]

I was confused by the wording for the CP packages... was it for AP and AP's guests or for AP and for guests? Now that they say that AP can reserve for free, I guess that means that there are dinner packages available to us non-AP hotel guests?

 

[Sherry E]

Everyone keep in mind that the last couple of years of the CP have been "invitation only" events, and no one else outside of VIP's were really invited to see it, and yet the crowds were large. There were lots of people standing around the area, I'm sure - and I would bet that they were not all AP holders. The parks were supposedly very crowded on both weekend days, though I didn't find Sunday to be too bad earlier in the day. A lot of the people standing around were probably non-locals and non-AP holders. Weekends attract people from everywhere. I don't think AP holders like big crowds either! Crowds are crowds, no matter what the origin or demographic.

So, that brings us to this year. The first 2 nights of the CP will, again, be invitation only, and not really geared to the general public. The big question is, will as many people still be standing around, trying to catch a glimpse of the CP, or will Disney find a way to prevent crowds from gathering? They can prevent crowds from standing in certain spots for parades and fireworks, so I'm sure they could figure out how to do it for the CP too. They may allow people to enter and exit Disneyland, but everyone has to keep walking and not congregate around Town Square. We'll see how they do it.

Now for the dates of 12/3 - 12/20, I think that it's clear that the actual seats/chairs are going to be held for those who buy dinner packages.

The AP holders will probably have to register themselves and their guests and request whichever night and showing of the CP they want - and it will probably be another lottery/sweepstakes sort of situation (like what DLR did for the Cars Land preview and for the Little Mermaid ride preview last year). Most likely, we (the AP holders) will have to log in to the DLR site, give our info & preferred date/time and how many people will be in our party (up to 5 additional people), and then we wait to see if we are accepted. If we choose more than one time slot that will increase our chances of being accepted.

The AP holders who are accepted will most likely end up having to stand in a special viewing area.

At least this is how I think it will work. That way, Disney can control the number of AP holders and their guests who stand around. If they just let everyone in who is an AP holder, it could be madness. This is why I think that they could try another sweepstakes/lottery sort of set-up, which will control it and spread it out over 18 nights.

There may or may not be an extra little area for other non-AP guests to stand around, but it would probably be way in the back somewhere.

I could be totally wrong, but I think that if DLR does it this way (with the lottery/sweepstakes set-up for AP people), it will keep it under control a bit.

 

[danimaroo]

Everyone keep in mind that the last couple of years of the CP have been "invitation only" events, and no one else was really invited to see it, and yet the crowds were large. There were lots of people standing around the area, I'm sure - and I would bet that they were not all AP holders. The parks were supposedly very crowded on both weekend days, though I didn't find Sunday to be too bad earlier in the day. A lot of the people standing around were probably non-locals and non-AP holders. I don't think AP holders like big crowds either! Crowds are crowds, no matter what the origin or demographic.

So, that brings us to this year. The first 2 nights of the CP will, again, be invitation only, and not really geared to the general public. The big question is, will as many people still be standing around, trying to catch a glimpse of the CP, or will Disney find a way to prevent crowds from gathering? They can prevent crowds from standing in certain spots for parades and fireworks, so I'm sure they could figure out how to do it for the CP too. They may allow people to enter and exit Disneyland, but everyone has to keep walking and not congregate. We'll see how they do it.

Now for the dates of 12/3 - 12/20, I think that it's clear that the actual seats/chairs are going to be held for those who buy dinner packages.

However, don't you think that expanding it to 20 nights will pull AP holders AWAY from the parks on the 2nd and 3rd, because they will be able to see it later on in the month? I mean, I don't doubt it won't be crowded from just people in general, but I would think because of the extra days geared specifically for AP holders, this would end up making AP holders realize, "Okay, we'll register for the 7th (or whatever date they choose), so we won't have to worry about standing around on the invitation-only nights." You know what I mean? Maybe it's just wishful thinking but this is what first popped into my mind.

 

[Sherry E]

However, don't you think that expanding it to 20 nights will pull AP holders AWAY from the parks on the 2nd and 3rd, because they will be able to see it later on in the month? I mean, I don't doubt it won't be crowded from just people in general, but I would think because of the extra days geared specifically for AP holders, this would end up making AP holders realize, "Okay, we'll register for the 7th (or whatever date they choose), so we won't have to worry about standing around on the invitation-only nights." You know what I mean? Maybe it's just wishful thinking but this is what first popped into my mind.

I think you may be assuming that it was only AP holders who were standing around and crowding up Town Square in the past when CP's were happening. I don't believe that. I don't know that to be true. I think there were people of all places and backgrounds standing around. Weekends are weekends. Weekends are busy. Weekends at DLR welcome guests from all over the world who are not AP holders. It's not only AP holders who would stop and take notice if they saw something Christmasy happening in Town Square. I think there is kind of a sentiment that runs around this board - I see it all the time - where the AP holders and the "locals" get blamed for all crowds.

I think that having the CP on many nights will give people many choices for when they want to see it. However, on weeknights a lot of people may not be able to attend because they have work or school the next day. Weekends will always be busier.

If it is a lottery/sweepstakes situation, as I suggested it might be, not everyone will be chosen. There will not be room for everyone. The AP holders would have to be selected in advance.

So there may be a bunch of people who end up trying to stand around anyway, unless the Cast Members figure out a way to keep people moving along and not congregating.

I know that everyone wants a magic answer that will assure them that their chosen nights will not be crowded. I don't think any of us can give or get that answer with 100% certainty. I think we just have to carry through with our plans and hope for the best. We will hope that Disney has a master plan in place, and that whatever is happening in California Adventure will be enough to lure people over there. Hopefully it will all balance out.

 

[danimaroo]

I think you may be assuming that it was only AP holders who were standing around and crowding up Town Square in the past when CP's were happening. I don't believe that. I don't know that to be true. I think there were people of all places and backgrounds standing around. Weekends are weekends. Weekends are busy. Weekends at DLR welcome guests from all over the world who are not AP holders. It's not only AP holders who would stop and take notice if they saw something Christmasy happening in Town Square. I think there is kind of a sentiment that runs around this board - I see it all the time - where the AP holders and the "locals" get blamed for all crowds.

I think that having the CP on many nights will give people many choices for when they want to see it. However, on weeknights a lot of people may not be able to attend because they have work or school the next day. Weekends will always be busier.

If it is a lottery/sweepstakes situation, as I suggested it might be, not everyone will be chosen. There will not be room for everyone. The AP holders would have to be selected in advance.

So there may be a bunch of people who end up trying to stand around anyway, unless the Cast Members figure out a way to keep people moving along and not congregating.

I know that everyone wants a magic answer that will assure them that their chosen nights will not be crowded. I don't think any of us can give or get that answer with 100% certainty. I think we just have to carry through with our plans and hope for the best. We will hope that Disney has a master plan in place, and that whatever is happening in California Adventure will be enough to lure people over there. Hopefully it will all balance out.

Very good points, Sherry! I'm not necessarily looking for a magic answer, in fact, I'm fully expecting all of our days to be pretty busy in the parks crowd-wise.

People can stand around the CP/MS area all they want (well, if they don't make people keeping moving, that is); if it means less people on attractions for a little bit, then by all means, stand around MS. I think if we're in DLP that evening, we'll just catch the monorail out instead of having to deal with the crowds in the MS area.

Either way, I'm beyond thrilled to be going to Disneyland near the holidays.

 

[Sherry E]

Very good points, Sherry! I'm not necessarily looking for a magic answer, in fact, I'm fully expecting all of our days to be pretty busy in the parks crowd-wise.

People can stand around the CP/MS area all they want (well, if they don't make people keeping moving, that is); if it means less people on attractions for a little bit, then by all means, stand around MS. I think if we're in DLP that evening, we'll just catch the monorail out instead of having to deal with the crowds in the MS area.

Either way, I'm beyond thrilled to be going to Disneyland near the holidays.

danimaroo -

You know,to be perfectly honest, I always wondered who exactly all the people were who packed into Disneyland on previous CP weekends and why they were there! I had heard horror stories of awful crowds over CP weekend for years. Last year, a Facebook friend of mine confirmed that Saturday of CP weekend was awful.

But I was always thinking, who are these people in the parks? Back when Disneyland used to sell dinner packages to the general public, that made sense that perhaps more people would pack into Disneyland. When they stopped the dinner packages, however, and made it an exclusive, invitation-only event, I could picture people standing around Town Square trying to get a glimpse of John Stamos or Gary Sinise or whomever - but why would the rest of the park be so busy other than the fact that it was just a weekend?

So I began to wonder if maybe the CP guests (the VIP's and media, etc.) were bringing their families, and suddenly there were huge crowds. I was never really sure why the rest of the park got so crowded for one invitation-only event. It always baffled me!

I wish we had a template to which we could refer for patterns and crowds in a situation where the CP happens for multiple nights. I don't even think we can really use WDW's established routine as a guideline, because their CP happens in a different setting than ours does.

So now I think there are a few variables which will make a difference:

1. If the Cast Members can keep the crowds moving through Town Square and Main Street and not standing around to try to watch the CP from afar, then that should help a lot with the gridlock on Main Street on all nights (including 12/1 and 12/2), and it may deter some people from coming into the park in general;

2. If Disney puts enough holiday decorations and other holiday-esque stuff in California Adventure, then if people want to escape Disneyland for fear of crowds, at least they won't feel like they are missing out on seasonal festivities in the other park. That aspect is crucial! People who are there for the holidays have to feel like they are not being short-changed of holiday merriment by venturing over to California Adventure. If they feel like that park is lacking in decor, they may stay in Disneyland. So there has to be a really good balance of decorations and holiday highlights in both parks to keep people happy - unlike Halloween Time, which is mainly centered in Disneyland and not in California Adventure, sadly; and

3. If the AP holders have to enter a sweepstakes/lottery to be selected (or not) for their chosen CP time frames, this will limit the number of AP people who can attend, which will also keep crowds lower than expected in the park. And IF that happens, will the AP holders stick with weekends or weeknights, or all of the above?





Any of these things could make a big difference on the effects of the CP over all 20 nights, along with any possible weather disruptions and things like that.


One thing I think is safe to bet on is that it will most likely be very busy on 12/8 & 12/9, as well as 12/15 & 12/16 - those are holiday season weekends, so they would have been busy anyway, but the CP will add crowds to that.



It should be very interesting to see how it all plays out, and I hope it turns out well - and doesn't turn into a hotbed o' madness! Although, as Royal Consort alluded to above, after the Be Our Guest fiasco at WDW - which I had heard about (vaguely) through a friend's Pre-TR for her upcoming trip to WDW - Disney may not be thinking things through as much as we'd like!

 

[danimaroo]

danimaroo -

You know,to be perfectly honest, I always wondered who exactly all the people were who packed into Disneyland on previous CP weekends and why they were there! I had heard horror stories of awful crowds over CP weekend for years. Last year, a Facebook friend of mine confirmed that Saturday of CP weekend was awful.

But I was always thinking, who are these people in the parks? Back when Disneyland used to sell dinner packages to the general public, that made sense that perhaps more people would pack into Disneyland. When they stopped the dinner packages, however, and made it an exclusive, invitation-only event, I could picture people standing around Town Square trying to get a glimpse of John Stamos or Gary Sinise or whomever - but why would the rest of the park be so busy other than the fact that it was just a weekend?

So I began to wonder if maybe the CP guests (the VIP's and media, etc.) were bringing their families, and suddenly there were huge crowds. I was never really sure why the rest of the park got so crowded for one invitation-only event. It always baffled me!

I wish we had a template to which we could refer for patterns and crowds in a situation where the CP happens for multiple nights. I don't even think we can really use WDW's established routine as a guideline, because their CP happens in a different setting than ours does.

So now I think there are a few variables which will make a difference:

1. If the Cast Members can keep the crowds moving through Town Square and Main Street and not standing around to try to watch the CP from afar, then that should help a lot with the gridlock on Main Street on all nights (including 12/1 and 12/2), and it may deter some people from coming into the park in general;

2. If Disney puts enough holiday decorations and other holiday-esque stuff in California Adventure, then if people want to escape Disneyland for fear of crowds, at least they won't feel like they are missing out on seasonal festivities in the other park. That aspect is crucial! People who are there for the holidays have to feel like they are not being short-changed of holiday merriment by venturing over to California Adventure. If they feel like that park is lacking in decor, they may stay in Disneyland. So there has to be a really good balance of decorations and holiday highlights in both parks to keep people happy - unlike Halloween Time, which is mainly centered in Disneyland and not in California Adventure, sadly; and

3. If the AP holders have to enter a sweepstakes/lottery to be selected (or not) for their chosen CP time frames, this will limit the number of AP people who can attend, which will also keep crowds lower than expected in the park. And IF that happens, will the AP holders stick with weekends or weeknights, or all of the above?





Any of these things could make a big difference on the effects of the CP over all 20 nights, along with any possible weather disruptions and things like that.


One thing I think is safe to bet on is that it will most likely be very busy on 12/8 & 12/9, as well as 12/15 & 12/16 - those are holiday season weekends, so they would have been busy anyway, but the CP will add crowds to that.



It should be very interesting to see how it all plays out, and I hope it turns out well - and doesn't turn into a hotbed o' madness! Although, as Royal Consort alluded to above, after the Be Our Guest fiasco at WDW - which I had heard about (vaguely) through a friend's Pre-TR for her upcoming trip to WDW - Disney may not be thinking things through as much as we'd like!

Amen to everything you said!

It'll be very interesting to see how it goes...

On the Be Our Guest fiasco.. I was also one of those who got up at 4am (hey west coasters get stuck with the bad end of the deal, haha!) to get a reservation for our trip to WDW in January. It took 45 minutes of straight redialing but I finally got our reservation... that is, until word got out that if you did it the automated way, you had to call back AGAIN and put your CC# on the reservation.

It was a huge mess, and I find out this morning that I could've made our reservation online today with no problem (it helps that we go during a veeeeery slow time of year), but oh well.

Point is, with the way that went, I am a bit nervous about how Disney will handle the CP deal expanding to 20 nights. Hopefully it's coordinated well!

 

[sirvin12]

Where can I find last years Christmas calander? I know it somewhere but I can't remember where to find it. Sherry when does the countdown start?

Thanks,

Shannon

 

[Sherry E]

In Post #3 from Page 1, scroll down to the "Frequently Asked Questions" section (in red & green) and you will find links to both November's and December's hours/entertainment schedule from last year.

Although...I suspect that something will change this year because the Candlelight Processional will inevitably affect the parade's schedule, the snow on Main Street, and probably the fireworks too.




I am happy to tell you that, back by popular demand, the Theme Week Countdown (to the start of the holiday season at DLR) begins in 5 days!!!!!! That's right, on Monday, August 27th, we will once again begin to showcase our photos of trees, wreaths, food, window displays, rides, merchandise, decorations, etc., etc. This will last all the way to November 12!!!

I will be back here on Friday with a reminder of how it all will work, and on which dates we will be starting a new theme week.

Even though the categories will be more or less the same as last year (with some slight tweaking here and there), I will switch up the order of them - and we will (hopefully) have more people participating this year!!! Each week's theme will be a surprise until I announce it!



I've already been doing a Theme Week Countdown in the Halloween Superthread (this Friday will be the fourth week of that countdown) and it has been met with some success and enthusiasm, but I can still tell that the Christmas thread people were a little more excited about last year's holiday season countdown than the Halloween folks are, I think. Then again, we do have some crossover people who visit both threads and post!

 

[Crazy4Disney06]

I am excited for theme week! Even though we visited WDW last December this will be our very first DL visit during the holidays!

 

[StyledSugar]

Great info in this thread! As I posted a fewish weeks ago, we're off to DL for Christmas! Today we switched our hotel from the Del Sol to PPH. After going back and forth so many times, we figured we'd splurge a little (we are normally budget vacationers -- love finding deals!!) and surprise the kids with PPH. We stayed there for a couple of days just after Halloween last year and LOVED it. Can't wait!!!

Question for the Christmas regulars though. Years and years ago when I went to DL with my parents for Christmas (we're talking at least 25 years ago) they did a special Christmas dinner at the DLH complete with your own turkey and all the trimmings. I can't find anything about it online but have seen many reports about Christmas dinner at Storytellers. Anyone do this? When I called DL reservations today to book our room she said they are doing something special for Thanksgiving at the DLH but wasn't sure about Christmas. Anyone know of anything? We want a more traditional Christmas dinner (turkey and trimmings) or close to it.

 

[disneydreamer74]

One more question, does anyone know if Vacation Planning offers Christmas themed gift baskets during Christmas time at DLR? I would like to order something for my DD5.

 

[sirvin12]

Thanks Sherry! I'm interested in the gift baskets as well. How fun would that be. I'm surprising my girls with this trip and that would add to the magic!

Shannon

 

[DTDkettleCORNfan]

I am happy to tell you that, back by popular demand, the Theme Week Countdown (to the start of the holiday season at DLR) begins in 5 days!!!!!!

Awesome Sherry!!! Such a fun part of the planning/anticipation experience. Thanks so much...

 

[VictoriaAndMatt]

I just wanted to pop in and say hello. We were supposed to go at Christmastime last year, but unfortunately we hit an unexpected bump in the road and weren't able to. This year I'm determined to go for my son's 5th birthday, which is on Dec 20th, but because the hubby works retail it's going to be a last minute get the kids and go quick trip.

Does anyone know if the on site hotels are completely full in December? Probably Dec 14-15 or Dec 20-21st, and we'd need to book last minute. I'd prefer DLH but any on site is fine. We want to take advantage of EMH since it will be such a quick trip.

I'm really excited to see DL at Christmastime again. The last time was my very first trip back in 2004.

 

[disneyparami]

Hi all we are currently planning our first trip to Disneyland for the Holidays. My question is in previous years were the fireworks shown every night or just on the weekends? We're planning on going the week after Thanksgiving. TIA!