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

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

HM question... we've been at Halloween and are actually quite fond of the NBC version... I am pretty sure it lasts all the way thru Christmas, but do they adjust the outside decor at all--cause it seems pretty Halloween-y to me, or is it pretty much the same?

 

[jkh1978]

HM question... we've been at Halloween and are actually quite fond of the NBC version... I am pretty sure it lasts all the way thru Christmas, but do they adjust the outside decor at all--cause it seems pretty Halloween-y to me, or is it pretty much the same?

Its themed well for the movie and the decor doesn't change outside.

 

[Sherry E]

HM question... we've been at Halloween and are actually quite fond of the NBC version... I am pretty sure it lasts all the way thru Christmas, but do they adjust the outside decor at all--cause it seems pretty Halloween-y to me, or is it pretty much the same?

It's the same, as far as I've noticed. I don't think anything on the facade changes from September through early January.

However...one thing I noticed that was different inside the ride is a particular hidden Mickey! When you get to the ballroom scene with the wonderful gingerbread display, during the holiday season there is a 'snowdrift' hidden Mickey on the floor, usually somewhere over on the far right-hand side. I have looked for that hidden Mickey during Halloween Time and have not seen it, but it is there during the Christmas season. The hidden Mickey looks more like a big, white, Mickey-shaped bathroom rug, or a Mickey-shaped mass of cotton, than it does a snowdrift, but it's supposed to be snow.

 

[jkh1978]

I'm glad they announced the CP changes already, but I need more details! We had planned to arrive sunday so we'd be there for CP, but now want to plan (and overplan) to visit CP another time in the week.

 

[Sherry E]

I'm glad they announced the CP changes already, but I need more details! We had planned to arrive sunday so we'd be there for CP, but now want to plan (and overplan) to visit CP another time in the week.

I agree - especially since it sounds like it may be another sort of "lottery" situation for the AP holders, where we enter and specify the time/date we want, along with the number of people in our group.

If that's how it is going to work, I need to know so I can round up at least a friend or two in advance. I can't wait until November 27th to ask people if they want to see the CP on December 4th, for example. Or, if no friends are interested in doing the CP, I need to know so I can just enter for one person and plan to go solo.

One thing I can say is that I am sooooo glad it appears that Cars Land and Buena Vista Street will be decorated for the holidays this year, as DCA has one again been almost left out of the Halloween Time festivities. Yes, there is a Frankenweenie exhibit in the Animation Building and a preview at the Muppets theater, and Duffy has his pumpkin patch photo spot, but in terms of seasonal decor out on the streets...nothing, from what I have heard/seen.

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

It's the same, as far as I've noticed. I don't think anything on the facade changes from September through early January.

However...one thing I noticed that was different inside the ride is a particular hidden Mickey! When you get to the ballroom scene with the wonderful gingerbread display, during the holiday season there is a 'snowdrift' hidden Mickey on the floor, usually somewhere over on the far right-hand side. I have looked for that hidden Mickey during Halloween Time and have not seen it, but it is there during the Christmas season. The hidden Mickey looks more like a big, white, Mickey-shaped bathroom rug, or a Mickey-shaped mass of cotton, than it does a snowdrift, but it's supposed to be snow.

OOOH... I will be looking for that! I got DD the hidden mickey book so we are going to be on the lookout for more this time now that she is older!

 

[Sherry E]

OOOH... I will be looking for that! I got DD the hidden mickey book so we are going to be on the lookout for more this time now that she is older!

As soon as you get to the ballroom scene and are able to get the far right side of the room in view, look on the floor. They (the sneaky Disney people) move that hidden Mickey around every so often, but it's always on the far right side. At times it has been on the floor, directly underneath a window. Another time I think it was underneath something else, like maybe a small tree or other object (can't recall). But it's always on the floor, somewhere on the far right-hand side of the room.

 

[6Smiles]

Hey Sherry E.

Looking forward to tomorrow's pictures. I tried to post on your Catalina thread and my computer just kept messing up so I wanted to tell you the pictures were awesome and brought back wonderful memories for me. Thanks

Kris

 

[Sherry E]

It's Monday, and you know what that means.....



It’s time for the Weekly Monday Countdown!!!

...Only 56 Days Until the
Holiday Season Begins at Disneyland Resort!!!!​

And with the new week comes a new DLR holiday theme!!

As I’ve mentioned, I've decided to showcase a particular area of interest of DLR's holiday celebration each week until the 2012 season begins on Monday, November 12th!! There are many themes to come over the next 2 months, including 8 main weekly themes every Monday, 6 ‘mini-themes’ which will be featured each day from 11/6 – 11/11, and a final ‘Miscellaneous’ theme on Monday, November 12th (with a catchier name than “Miscellaneous,” though!).

Theme Week Countdowns are a great way to keep the photos rolling in on a regular basis and build anticipation for 11/12! Also, this is a way to display the different aspects and details of the holidays at DLR that may be totally new to some people...or previously unnoticed/undiscovered by others.

Last week, we visited the rustic holiday celebration at Santa’s Reindeer Round-Up. The week before that, we searched for signs of Christmas in California Adventure – a park that is sure to look very different this November than it ever has in the past. The week before that we soaked in the small town American charm of Main Street.



This week, in honor of the Halloween Time season, which is currently in full swing at Disneyland Resort, we recall a little tale of two holidays colliding.


So, that said....

In the Spotlight this Week......

HAUNTED MANSION HOLIDAY and...
NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS!!!​

Nineteen years ago, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” - a fable about what can go wrong when Halloween and Christmas collide - introduced us to Jack Skellington, the wiry Pumpkin King of Halloween Town.

After catching a glimpse of the festivities enjoyed by the residents of Christmas Town, Jack yearns for a way to incorporate a little bit of Yuletide spirit into everyday life in his own spooky city and decides to make it happen…an idea that doesn’t exactly sit well with its various ‘offbeat’ citizens.

Needless to say, Jack Skellington’s well-meaning but misguided mission begins and chaos ensues, including a kidnapped Santa Claus (“Sandy Claws”), several ‘shocking’ Christmas presents and their horrified recipients…and the roly poly, bright green Oogie Boogie.

In the end, things get back to normal in both holiday villages, and Sandy Claws even delivers a little bit of Christmas magic to the various befuddled, creepy creatures of Halloween Town. (And Jack Skellington finds romance with Sally, the rag doll creation of a local doctor.)

In 2001, Jack Skellington left his mark on Disneyland’s venerable Haunted Mansion ride for the very first time, and Haunted Mansion Holiday was born. Lasting from mid-September through early January, this extremely popular overlay is a signature attraction, drawing large crowds every year for both the Halloween Time and Christmas seasons at the Disneyland Resort.

The concept of Haunted Mansion Holiday invites us to imagine what would happen if Jack Skellington took over the existing Mansion and infused some Christmas merriment into it. While there is some controversy over the theme of Haunted Mansion Holiday and how well it actually fits or does not fit in with the Halloween and/or Christmas seasons in the park – or how well “Nightmare Before Christmas” fits in to the Disney family at all, for that matter – there is no question that the attention to detail in this transformation of a longstanding, beloved park attraction is exceptional. There are Skellington-ized accents everywhere, from the cemetery, light fixtures and shrubbery in the outdoor queue to the famous ballroom scene inside…which features a most interesting and menacing gingerbread creation as the table’s centerpiece (there’s a new one made every year!). Almost no corner of the ride is left untouched, which explains the nearly 3-week time frame it takes to install the makeover. Love it or hate it, most people will agree that it is an elaborate undertaking and truly a spectacle to behold.

Because of the immense popularity of Haunted Mansion Holiday and the “Nightmare Before Christmas” story in general, there is a strong presence of Nightmare merchandise in Disneyland, particularly in New Orleans Square, home of Haunted Mansion/Haunted Mansion Holiday. You will also find a few Skellington-esque decorations here and there, in shop displays and hanging on walls.

Haunted Mansion Holiday...

​

In the next day or two I will post photos of some “Nightmare Before Christmas”-specific touches around Disneyland.


Please feel free to post your Disneyland Resort photos of Haunted Mansion Holiday/Nightmare Before Christmas all this week!!!!!

 

[Sherry E]

Hey Sherry E.

Looking forward to tomorrow's pictures. I tried to post on your Catalina thread and my computer just kept messing up so I wanted to tell you the pictures were awesome and brought back wonderful memories for me. Thanks

Kris

Kris -

Thank you so much for attempting to post in my Catalina photo report thread, and for the kind words.

I wonder why it didn't work when you tried to post? There are a lot of photos in that Catalina thread - more photos than anything else - so that can sometimes slow down pages and prevent them from loading quickly. Maybe that's what happened? Maybe your computer just didn't react well to all the photos and the pages loading more slowly?

I used a smaller size of photo in my Catalina report (well, the same basic size of photo that I use here in this thread for Theme Weeks), but I know that I have lots and lots of trouble with pages loading and my computer locking up when I try to open a thread or a page with many, many jumbo-sized pictures. A random jumbo photo here and there doesn't cause trouble, but if there are many of them all on the same page, my computer will just not load the page and will lock up.

Anyway, again, thank you for visiting my Catalina report and trying to comment on it! I'm glad it brought back memories for you - although, as I'm sure you noticed, quite a few things have changed on the Island since you were last there. Many shops and restaurants that used to be there are no longer there, or are now relocated. Overall, though, it's the same great town with the same charming, beachy vibe - and I hope to get more people to visit Catalina while the free birthday trip is still in effect! It's a great idea for a day trip away from DLR, for those folks who happen to be in Anaheim for long trips and plan on taking a day or two away from DLR to do other things.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Gingerbread house from last year

Gingerbread house from 2010

At night

Inside the ride

 

[tksbaskets]

Happy Monday! I don't want to be a photo slacker this week so here are my contributions from 2009. Later in the week I'll post from last year.

One of my all-time favorite rides at DL

I was a tad more artsy in 2012 so I'll save those for a bit later in the week.

 

[tksbaskets]

Sherry and Bret - LOVE your pictures! Do I smell gingerbread?

TK

 

[MyMuse]

Your carthay ressie time looks much better! Another suggestion for you... on Friday nights, the lines for counter service can be stupid long. We waited for Hungry Bear for an hour at 5 pm once on a Friday night (so not worth it). If I was to take a night off and not do a ressie, it would not be on a Friday or Saturday night. Looking at your schedule I would switch and do the BBQ on Friday and do counter service on the quieter Tuesday night. Or put another place you'd like to try for Friday night... at least as a backup. So you have a ressie in place if it is super crowded and you don't want to deal with a CS place.

Sorry I keep messing with your schedule!! Just trying to alleviate frustration!

No, no problem! I appreciate the help very much. This way, we can enjoy Carthay, take pictures, take it all in instead of rushing through dinner, being worried that we would get a decent place for World of Color.

For Friday night, a friend of ours made a reservation. So, it's a "surprise". LOL!

Tho, I do hope Big Thunder has the Reindeer Round-Up, cause all your pictures are making me really happy to see it!!!

MyMuse -

I'll look for you under that name on Facebook and send a friend request, but if I can't find you I'll send you a PM here.

I should double-check, but I'm pretty sure it's /MyMuse18.

It's the same, as far as I've noticed. I don't think anything on the facade changes from September through early January.

However...one thing I noticed that was different inside the ride is a particular hidden Mickey! When you get to the ballroom scene with the wonderful gingerbread display, during the holiday season there is a 'snowdrift' hidden Mickey on the floor, usually somewhere over on the far right-hand side. I have looked for that hidden Mickey during Halloween Time and have not seen it, but it is there during the Christmas season. The hidden Mickey looks more like a big, white, Mickey-shaped bathroom rug, or a Mickey-shaped mass of cotton, than it does a snowdrift, but it's supposed to be snow.

Oh, this is awesome! I'm a Hidden Mickey hunter, so this is great! I was kind of hoping there would be a new book that includes Carsland, but I don't see a new edition yet?

Thank you for the Haunted Mansion, I'm most definitely looking forward to this ALOT!!!!

 

[DisneyIsMagical]

 

[twinky]

....looking forward to Nov 2012 visit!

 

[tiggerluvr]

I found a few from Halloween 2006!

My boychild and I are super excited to be able to see it again this December! This has been DS(13)'s favorite movie for many years now. In fact, he dressed up as Jack Skellington for Halloween that year.

 

[MommyLove]

Woot! I'm so loving this thread and seeing everyone's pics. I can't wait till our trip!!

Again, from the first week of Jan '09, the only time we've been during the Christmas celebration time:

 

[Sherry E]

twinky -

Great pictures! A few of them look familiar to me. Did you used to post on the DIS under another name, by any chance (some folks get tired of their DIS screen names and then reinvent themselves later)? I just wondered if maybe we had known you as someone else in the past, and that could explain why the shots seem familiar to me.

In any case, welcome to the thread!



TK, Bret & Vanessa & tiggerluvr - Thank you for posting your wonderful photos! Vanessa - I'm glad to see that you got Photobucket working for you again!



MyMuse -

I don't think there's a hidden Mickey book that includes Cars Land yet, but given how chock full of small details and sight gags that land is, I can only imagine how many hidden Mickeys there must be!

 

[Sherry E]

Kathleen -

Yay! I'm so glad you shared your photos. I wondered if you had seen the new theme for the week when I posted it this morning, as you are usually one of the first to get some photos up after the themes have been announced.