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

[MommyLove]

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.

Thanks! Ya, I actually check this thread throughout the week and look forward to seeing everyone's pics and comments and such. This weekend I... um... was wanting it to be Monday cause I was curious what the new theme was going to be! How crazy is that?! I just had to pay some bills and take care of some "business" first before I let myself come over here and play.

Thanks for all the amazing threads you create & maintain around here. Been enjoying them for years!

 

[twinky]

I came here as a result of a gingerbread beignet search last year and am now just gearing up for our Nov 2012 visit (plane tix purchased last week!). As some of you have said, holidays at Disneyland are addictive!

Thanks for the welcome. Looking forward to sharing more as I can!

*can't you tell by my supersized pictures? sorry, next time I'll scale it down...

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.

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks! Ya, I actually check this thread throughout the week and look forward to seeing everyone's pics and comments and such. This weekend I... um... was wanting it to be Monday cause I was curious what the new theme was going to be! How crazy is that?! I just had to pay some bills and take care of some "business" first before I let myself come over here and play.

Thanks for all the amazing threads you create & maintain around here. Been enjoying them for years!

Kathleen -

You're welcome! And thank you so much for the kind words. I'm glad to see that - like last year - the Theme Weeks seem to be going over well, and it's always wonderful to see who joins in. It's a bit of a different vibe in the Halloween thread (and the Theme Weeks just ended there). We saw a lot of great photos posted by some great DIS'ers who were kind enough to share them with with us, but at the end of the day I don't think anyone in the Halloween thread really minded when Theme Weeks came to an end, and I don't think anyone was all that excited to see what the new theme was going to be each week!

I think that Theme Weeks work really well with the holiday season and this thread because there are so many aspects and sub-aspects to cover in photos. Halloween Time doesn't seem to provide quite as much of a well from which to tap for theme ideas.

I am using basically the same themes I used last year in this thread (right down to the daily mini-themes in November), but switching up the order a bit. Initially I had picked Haunted Mansion Holiday/Nightmare Before Christmas for today's theme, and then I almost changed it at the last minute to a different theme...and then I changed it back to HMH again!

I came here as a result of a gingerbread beignet search last year and am now just gearing up for our Nov 2012 visit (plane tix purchased last week!). As some of you have said, holidays at Disneyland are addictive!

Thanks for the welcome. Looking forward to sharing more as I can!

*can't you tell by my supersized pictures? sorry, next time I'll scale it down...

twinky -

Oh, lots and lots of people post the larger photos. Don't worry about that. Your photos are great - I especially love the very first shot from what you posted above. It's gorgeous.

We have lots of Theme Weeks to come - right up to 11/12/12 - so stay tuned!

Yes, the holidays at Disneyland are addictive, indeed! I'm glad to see you're going to be making another trip. Are you going around Thanksgiving, or another time in November?

And...did you like the gingerbread beignets (assuming you tried them last year)? I have heard very mixed reviews of them. I like gingerbread, but I have not brought myself to try them yet.

 

[I'm mikey]

All pics were taken between 12/5 - 12/10 2011

See the hidden Mickey?

 

[twinky]

We are going during the early part of Thanksgiving Week and I can't wait. I know there are so many places to visit in the world, but I can't help but want to return for more magic.

I really liked the gingerbread beignets with the vanilla creme anglaise. Maybe I just got an extra magical batch, because to me they were warm, spicy, and comforting...and they offered a taste of the holidays in every bite. I love the "plain" Mickey beignets, too!

Thanks for helping to build our excitement and anticipation with this board!

 

[MommyLove]

All pics were taken between 12/5 - 12/10 2011

See the hidden Mickey?

Oh wow, that is so cool! Thanks for sharing that!

And also... awesome no-flash inside photos!!

 

[simplicio]

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.

simplicio -

You are in luck! (Sorry it took so long to respond.) While the season officially begins on Monday, 11/12 this year, I think that there is a good chance that certain things will be open or running over the weekend leading up to that day, such as the Christmas Fantasy Parade and It's a Small World Holiday.

If history repeats, I expect that IASWH should possibly be open by Friday, 11/9, at the earliest, and if not on 11/9 then it should be open by 11/10. I could be wrong, but I think the holiday parade began a day or two early last year as well. Worst case scenario is that the parade will begin on 11/12, and you'd still see it.

November 12th is also when the nighttime Winter Castle should light up in icicles at night and when Santa's Reindeer Round-Up is open.

The Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks should be running on 11/12.

All the lands that are going to be decorated (Toon Town, New Orleans Square, Frontierland, A Bug's Land, Cars Land, Main Street, Buena Vista Street, especially) will be decorated by the time you arrive, and all of the Christmas trees, large and small, will be up.

All of the holiday treats should be on sale at that point. Some items may appear later in the season but most of them will be available when you go. I'm not sure if the freshly made candy canes will be out yet (these are the ones that people wait in line for at the Candy Palace on Main Street), but we'll see.

The only thing that you won't really get to experience is any of the holiday decor at the 3 Disney hotels. The hotels tend to not really be decorated until after the season begins, by Thanksgiving weekend. While it may not sound like a big deal to miss the hotels, they do offer some really nice photo spots with Santa and some gorgeous Christmas trees. Also, Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel has a really whimsical tree. They might make an effort to get the hotels decorated a little earlier this year, so check them out anyway just to be sure, but otherwise, if not, that is the only aspect of the seasonal decorations that you will miss.

shishigirl -

Thank you so much for the kind words. I'm so glad you're enjoying the thread. I have (and do) put a lot of time into it, and I'm glad it has paid off in creating a place where we can all plan and share our anticipation, discuss breaking news, etc. We have some amazing contributors here. I love this thread not only for the wonderful pictures and information provided by the people who participate, of course, but also because there is just a fun vibe here. It's a subject (Disneyland at Christmas Time) that is just magical, and I think it's great fun finding ways to talk about it, plan and build excitement.

Yes, it will probably be pretty busy during your trip (though not like post-Christmas busy) - especially towards the end of it - but you'll have a whole week at DLR, so there will be plenty of time to do everything. If it's too crowded to do something on one day, you can go back and do it the next day. You'll have a wonderful trip!

There's a new Theme Week starting tomorrow, so stay tuned for that!

JediMasterNerd -

I don't think anyone knows yet. I would think that Carthay would have at least a few special items for Christmas, but Disneyland is notorious for taking a long time to release information. (There was recently a whole thread about the delay in releasing the hours/schedule for October.) You could call the Dining people, or e-mail them, and ask the question but they will probably say they don't know.

I would hope that Disneyland releases the Christmas Day menu info in October, but chances are it won't be until November. I hope I'm wrong, though!

Thank you! This is good to know!!!

 

[MrsMac218]

This is so much fun!

 

[bjmbr1223]

Hello- I have been reading this thread and absolutely love it!!! Wanting to join if thats ok. We are heading to Disneyland the 1st week of Dec and can't wait. It's been 12 years since we have been for xmas. We try to visit every couple of yrs but finally are making down for the holidays. I just wish I had all the cool pics that everyone has, that is my goal this trip and seeing all the different views is giving me so much inspiration. I am getting more and more excited. My kids DS 8 almost 9 and DD 5 has no clue what an awesome experience this is going to be. The were 5 and 2 last time we were down.
Love, Love, Love the pics

 

[Crazy4Pooh]

Hi there. We are going to Disneyland the first week in December also. We have gone in November a few years ago and loved the Christmas decorations. A little concerned about the Candlelight Procession being there our whole visit. Hope all who want to enjoy it do so but it was not in our plans and hope it doesn't make it too crazy.

 

[tksbaskets]

Hello- I have been reading this thread and absolutely love it!!! Wanting to join if thats ok. We are heading to Disneyland the 1st week of Dec and can't wait. It's been 12 years since we have been for xmas. We try to visit every couple of yrs but finally are making down for the holidays. I just wish I had all the cool pics that everyone has, that is my goal this trip and seeing all the different views is giving me so much inspiration. I am getting more and more excited. My kids DS 8 almost 9 and DD 5 has no clue what an awesome experience this is going to be. The were 5 and 2 last time we were down.
Love, Love, Love the pics

Welcome! You sure came to the right place to get excited about Christmas time at DL! Your upcoming trip will be wonderful.

Hi there. We are going to Disneyland the first week in December also. We have gone in November a few years ago and loved the Christmas decorations. A little concerned about the Candlelight Procession being there our whole visit. Hope all who want to enjoy it do so but it was not in our plans and hope it doesn't make it too crazy.

You'll have a wonderful time!

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

Did you all see, Al Lutz says they cancelled the cast parties for Christmas...

Doesn't affect me, but I bet some of you are pretty excited to not have short nights for cast parties!

 

[Sherry E]

Did you all see, Al Lutz says they cancelled the cast parties for Christmas...

Doesn't affect me, but I bet some of you are pretty excited to not have short nights for cast parties!

Wow! Thank you so much for reporting that! I have not made my way over to read Al's latest article yet. I'm so glad you posted because I wondered what in the heck they were going to do with the CM parties since the Candlelight Processional is eating up a big chunk of the nights in December at Disneyland. It would be impossible to have the CM parties after the CP ends, and they wouldn't be held before the CP starts.

What I was truly thinking would happen is that the CM parties would take place in DCA this year - as sort of a celebration of the new BVS and Cars Land decorations. I am shocked that they have been cancelled and are not being held in DCA!

 

[Sherry E]

Two more very, very interesting quotes from Al Lutz's article on MiceAge today (pay close attention to the second one):

...more AP price increases are coming this winter...

Much like they’ve done with Halloween, the long term goal for 2013, or ’14 at the very latest, is to turn that menu of Christmas offerings into an extra-cost private party held after park hours. Going the way of Disney World’s Very Merry Christmas Party, Disneyland would bundle the existing Christmas Fantasy Parade and Believe In Holiday Magic fireworks with a performance of the Candlelight Ceremony into one big evening of entertainment.

I knew that Disney was up to something when they decided to hold the CP on 20 nights this year instead of 2! I thought that they were either priming people and gearing them up for a possible relocation of the CP to DCA next year, or that the CP would become part of an eventual ticketed event like a Christmas party. I actually thought that the CP becoming part of the party would be less likely.

This is exactly what they did with Halloween Screams fireworks - they made them available all through Halloween Time in 2009, so that the general public would get used to them. Then they made them part of a private event as of 2010. The CP is going to 'rope people in' this year, and then it will be used as part of a party package next year or 2014.

I still think that people will not be happy about suddenly having to pay even more money to see the holiday parade and fireworks at the party, though, even with the CP added in.


Of course, none of this is official - and Al Lutz has been incorrect before - but this does fit with what I and others have suspected for a while.

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

I actually like the Halloween party and would be willing to pay for a Christmas party if it meant less crowds. But since this is our first Christmas trip and we hopefully picked quieter days to go maybe we won't even have to worry.

 

[Sherry E]

I actually like the Halloween party and would be willing to pay for a Christmas party if it meant less crowds. But since this is our first Christmas trip and we hopefully picked quieter days to go maybe we won't even have to worry.

I like the Halloween party too. It's not about not liking the party for me.

What my issue is, and what I feel will be the focus of the backlash I expect Disney to get if it goes through with a Christmas party, is that the separate ticketed event for Halloween made more sense because Disney took two things that were either only running for one year beforehand (Halloween Screams) or never available in the parks before (the Cavalcade) and made them signature events, along with trick or treating.

In the case of a separate ticket event for Christmas, they would be taking things that have been available to the general public for years, to which people have become attached - the holiday parade and the holiday fireworks - and making them suddenly have to pay even more money on top of what they already spend to see them. That is where there is going to be a lot of outrage from longtime holiday visitors, I suspect.

Now, IF there were a way to actually cut the crowds down substantially enough, people might be more up for it. The thing is that the attractions that people would be paying extra money to see in the first place - snow on Main Street, fireworks, parade, Candlelight Processional - will not attract light crowds. If people are attending that party, those highlights will be the reasons for it, and all of the parade people and fireworks people will still congregate in the parade and fireworks spots, so it won't seem uncrowded in those locations. For example, I haven't noticed a shortage of crowds gathered to see Halloween Screams. The only places where I have noticed lighter crowds during the MHP are the lines for rides - but the focal points of the party are not the lines for rides, as a rule.

But, I'm am 100% positive that Disney has thought about all of the things I'm mentioning for years. I'm sure those are all reasons they didn't want to have a party yet - and they wanted to fill out DCA a bit more first, before cutting off nighttime holiday activities in Disneyland to people who don't buy party tickets. I really thought that their best bet would be to have a Christmas party in DCA first - make the holiday World of Color and the holiday Toy Story Midway Mania (that have been rumored for a while) the signature attractions of the party, and get people warmed up to the idea of a party...before moving it over to Disneyland.

So it will be interesting to see if it all pans out and exactly how they do it. People react badly and prematurely to rumors even if they are just rumors, so I wouldn't be shocked if Guest Communications/Services starts getting bombarded with letters from people complaining about only being able to see the parade and fireworks at a Christmas party (which may or may not ever happen)!, just based on this Lutz article!

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

I understand what you are saying... We've done 2 Halloween parties, the first at DCA, the other at DL and I loved the non existent lines for the rides, that was our priority, more than the candy or meet and greets or the shows. We did grab a spot last minute for the cavalcade and did watch the fireworks which I loved. But for us having shorter ride lines was the draw. I know the locals would not want to lose something they've had all along, but as a vacation visitor I'd pay for the party.

 

[Sherry E]

I understand what you are saying... We've done 2 Halloween parties, the first at DCA, the other at DL and I loved the non existent lines for the rides, that was our priority, more than the candy or meet and greets or the shows. We did grab a spot last minute for the cavalcade and did watch the fireworks which I loved. But for us having shorter ride lines was the draw. I know the locals would not want to lose something they've had all along, but as a vacation visitor I'd pay for the party.

I'm sure there will be people who feel like you feel and wouldn't mind paying extra for a party. But there will be a lot of backlash and complaints if the party idea happens with the current line-up of the standard holiday parade and fireworks.

I don't think it's a locals/non-locals issue at all. There are people who come to DLR every holiday season (or every other year) and they live in other states. Lots of people have become accustomed to those fireworks and that parade and the snow on Main Street, and many of them are from other places besides local areas. I am talking about the 'established tradition' aspect of it more than the geographical aspect.

One other option - and this is IF this party ever happens - is that Disney could put on a whole new holiday parade and a whole new holiday version of the fireworks. Now that would make more sense to me!! That way it wouldn't be 'taking away' what people had become accustomed to over the years, and it would be adding something exclusive to the party to draw people in.

Banking on the Candlelight Processional as being a big party draw is a gamble - it is a religion-based ceremony, and there are folks who visit DLR for the holidays who enjoy the more 'superficial' offerings of the season, but who are not religious in the least bit. I think that's why Disney is testing the waters with the CP this year - they want to gauge how popular it is or is not before they make it a party exclusive.

Another possible outcome is that - if Disney keeps the exact same holiday parade and the exact same holiday fireworks - it could backfire. Many of the people who have grown accustomed to those offerings over the years could just decide, "Eh...I've seen the parade 10 times before. I'm not going to see it again and pay extra for it." This is yet another reason why it would make more sense to change the parade and fireworks and make them all-new.

It will be interesting and exciting to see what happens in 2013 or 2014 - we can be sure that Disney is thinking about all of these things and the best way to pull them off. IF the CP turns out to be a big hit this year, we know they will decide to stick it into the party offerings. If it is not a big hit, they will have to go back to the drawing board.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

I think they will follow WDW. They do MVMCPs one select nights in November and December. In the week or so leading up to Christmas they just have holiday evenings. The holiday fireworks and parade are performed during regular evenings.

I can see them giving APs a select night to be "unblocked" to attend a holiday evening. Sort of like the APEEs.


Totally off topic, but....

I had lunch with a friend yesterday and we talked about going to DL for Christmas! I'm in charge of picking dates, etc. Last year I went to WDW for Christmas, but I did go to DL two Christmases ago. My biggest memory of that trip was CROWDS!

I'd really like to avoid that, but understand how evening activities happen on weekends. We are willing to take our daughters out of school for a couple of days.

I've spent the morning going over this wonderful thread! With the new 20 day CP I don't see a clear "best week" this year. We can go either Nov. or Dec. Any recommendations? Also...which is best...Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Saturday, Sunday, Monday?

Thanks so much for your help!!!

 

[Sherry E]

I think they will follow WDW. They do MVMCPs one select nights in November and December. In the week or so leading up to Christmas they just have holiday evenings. The holiday fireworks and parade are performed during regular evenings.

I can see them giving APs a select night to be "unblocked" to attend a holiday evening. Sort of like the APEEs.


Totally off topic, but....

I had lunch with a friend yesterday and we talked about going to DL for Christmas! I'm in charge of picking dates, etc. Last year I went to WDW for Christmas, but I did go to DL two Christmases ago. My biggest memory of that trip was CROWDS!

I'd really like to avoid that, but understand how evening activities happen on weekends. We are willing to take our daughters out of school for a couple of days.

I've spent the morning going over this wonderful thread! With the new 20 day CP I don't see a clear "best week" this year. We can go either Nov. or Dec. Any recommendations? Also...which is best...Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Saturday, Sunday, Monday?

Thanks so much for your help!!!

Hello, there, Halloweenqueen! I'm glad to see that you're planning another holiday trip - I remember when you went for the holidays a couple of years ago.

I agree - I think the CP is going to throw off the crowd dynamic and possibly change the patterns in DL. It's so hard to predict because that is uncharted territory for us - having that many nights for the CP. It's hard to tell how it will pan out. Will it be a smash success like Disney is obviously hoping, and bring in bigger crowds on all of the nights, or will it essentially spread the crowds out over all the nights so that no single night seems that congested?

Also, this year DCA will be in full decorations mode (which it has not been in a while), so that will attract people.

In any case, CP or no CP, I still tend to think that the period immediately after Thanksgiving weekend ends - but before the 3rd week in December - is probably the best option for lower crowds and the full-fledged holiday experience. Some folks have to go back to school and work on that Monday after Thanksgiving, and many will not begin to take their Christmas vacations until perhaps the 3rd week in December.

I think that the week immediately after Thanksgiving weekend ends is probably the best choice (and the CP will not have started yet), with the first week in December being the second best choice (that was when I went last year).

I don't think there will be too much difference in your choice of Thurs-Sat or Sat-Mon because Saturday will still be involved in either option and weekends are always busy during the holidays. I experienced an uncrowded Monday last year (first Monday in December), so maybe, possibly, I would go for Sat-Mon, but Thursday might not be terrible either.