Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #3!- HOLIDAYS BEGIN 11/12/13!!

[laurasvwee]

We did the jingle cruise yesterday and it was just ok in my book. The line got up to a 25 minute wait. We did go upstairs and see all of the decor up there too.

 

[Phoenixrising]

It's annoying more than anything regarding the washer. When the last one went, I had just caught up on all the laundry. DH is going to have to hit the laundromat to do his washing tonight. At least I had all the clothes packed for the trip before it went. I'm still focused on the trip, but am ready to get even with DH over the weight of the wedding gifts we bought the happy couple. Still trying to find creative ways to stuff it all into the carryons, along with paper, ribbon, tape, etc to wrap them once we arrive in Edmonton. All I can say it will be a weight off my shoulders once we deliver the gifts to the happy couple (literally!!).

 

[tksbaskets]

I just booked our Fantasmic! Dessert Premiere viewing package. I'm thinking I'd better just not mention to the DH how much each ticket is but just enjoy not waiting for hours for a good viewing spot.

 

[momtothreeinfinity]

^^^ YUM YUM - I'm so excited to book ours - looking forward to the treat

 

[aidensmom31]

I called today to ask a question about the tour and in the information I was given the attractions you get to go on are still HMH and IASWH. Cant wait to book mine in the next couple days

 

[rentayenta]

I just booked our Fantasmic! Dessert Premiere viewing package. I'm thinking I'd better just not mention to the DH how much each ticket is but just enjoy not waiting for hours for a good viewing spot.

How much is it? You've got me thinking.

 

[KCmike]

***Janet*** We got fastpasses around 9:15am and got the blue section. My morning for DCA went a little something like this....
I got fastpasses for WoC. They had two lines going. One for Annual Passholders who had a special viewing of the early show and another line for everyone else. Annual passholder line was all the way back in the Carthay Circle hub area! Crazy! I thought initially that this was the main line but a CM finally came around telling everyone there was two lines. The other line was much shorter.
From the that point I went over to get fastpasses for RSR. The line was almost to Animation Academy when we went in so I decided to make the judgement call to head over for WoC. Good decision!
So when I went back for RSR the line was in front of Carthay Circle. We ended up with passes for 2pm to 3pm.
From there I went and got fast passes for Soarin'. When you get fast passes for RSR your allowed to hold another fast pass to something else. So I had WoC, RSR, and Soarin'!!!!! I was rocking it.

From there I told my wife we had to do the Carthay Circle Tour which is free at 10:30 each morning. It was a very interesting and short tour. It lasted 15 minutes and was alot of fun. More importantly it gave me a chance to get some great photographs inside of Carthay Circle which was empty except for other people on the tour (which was about 12 of us).

To answer what time I lined up we ended up going about 9:30pm to lineup. They moved us to the back of the bridge up by Ariel's Grotto restaurant and then herded us back down into the blue section. I ended up right in the middle of the section with my family. Straight on view. I have seen it from this area before and from the front railing. I personally think that the middle blue section and just to the left of that (stage left) is the ideal spot. If your seeing it more than once and have the opportunity everyone should try the front of the railing to just get the wow factor. Warning though you will get wet, very wet! Be careful on camera/video equipment from the railing.

Alot more happened in the trip and I will start sharing some photographs closer the to the weekend. Work has been incredibly busy and I have some time off coming up Friday. I need to load the pics and tweak them just a bit I'm guessing.

Hope this helps!

 

[PHXscuba]

It's so fun to hear about DISers busily planning for their holiday adventures! I'm calling tomorrow to get (hopefully) our Fantasmic! Dessert package.

We are within the 30 day mark now. That deserves at least one and a face wash with pixie dust

Definitely worth a pixie-dust facial when you have less than a month to go!! (Does that take away wrinkles? )


PHXscuba

 

[tksbaskets]

How much is it? You've got me thinking.

$60 per adult. I wanted to classify our twins as kids but at 22 that's pushing it. We get a dessert tray and a beverage of our choice I was told we can stay in our seats and view the fireworks too. We got reservations for the 9 pm show. The Castmember told me to check in at 5 and then return at 8:30.

Definitely worth a pixie-dust facial when you have less than a month to go!! (Does that take away wrinkles? )
PHXscuba

I hope so! That would be great. Thanks for the big smile PHXscuba!

 

[Priory]

Has anyone been to an AP winter dreams showing yet? Do they give you the ornament when you sign up in the morning or when you see the show at night?

 

[Sherry E]

Has anyone been to an AP winter dreams showing yet? Do they give you the ornament when you sign up in the morning or when you see the show at night?

Priory --

This past Friday Liza/funatdisney got a blue ornament. Hopefully she will pop in and explain more but when I met back up with her later on, she showed the ornament to me. She got it when she signed up, showed her AP and/or got a Fast Pass. We never even saw the show, and I didn't get the ornament because I went into DCA later in the day -- when (I think) they were already gone. I don't know if that's how it works every day, though.

***Janet*** We got fastpasses around 9:15am and got the blue section. My morning for DCA went a little something like this....
I got fastpasses for WoC. They had two lines going. One for Annual Passholders who had a special viewing of the early show and another line for everyone else. Annual passholder line was all the way back in the Carthay Circle hub area! Crazy! I thought initially that this was the main line but a CM finally came around telling everyone there was two lines. The other line was much shorter.
From the that point I went over to get fastpasses for RSR. The line was almost to Animation Academy when we went in so I decided to make the judgement call to head over for WoC. Good decision!
So when I went back for RSR the line was in front of Carthay Circle. We ended up with passes for 2pm to 3pm.
From there I went and got fast passes for Soarin'. When you get fast passes for RSR your allowed to hold another fast pass to something else. So I had WoC, RSR, and Soarin'!!!!! I was rocking it.

From there I told my wife we had to do the Carthay Circle Tour which is free at 10:30 each morning. It was a very interesting and short tour. It lasted 15 minutes and was alot of fun. More importantly it gave me a chance to get some great photographs inside of Carthay Circle which was empty except for other people on the tour (which was about 12 of us).

To answer what time I lined up we ended up going about 9:30pm to lineup. They moved us to the back of the bridge up by Ariel's Grotto restaurant and then herded us back down into the blue section. I ended up right in the middle of the section with my family. Straight on view. I have seen it from this area before and from the front railing. I personally think that the middle blue section and just to the left of that (stage left) is the ideal spot. If your seeing it more than once and have the opportunity everyone should try the front of the railing to just get the wow factor. Warning though you will get wet, very wet! Be careful on camera/video equipment from the railing.

Alot more happened in the trip and I will start sharing some photographs closer the to the weekend. Work has been incredibly busy and I have some time off coming up Friday. I need to load the pics and tweak them just a bit I'm guessing.

Hope this helps!

Mike --

Free Carthay Circle tour??? How has this escaped me? Do you just walk up and ask for a tour at 10:30, or do you call in advance -- or what happens? I need to do that in December so I can get in there and see this year's gingerbread house (which I missed last year).

Also, I have my first Club 33 visit coming up in a couple of weeks too, so I will be eager to read your further thoughts on that (since you were a first-timer to the Club as well)!

 

[Priory]

Thanks Sherry! I just noticed the thread about this event was on page one (oops...) so I asked in there as well.

 

[ksromack]

Got back from Disneyland and California last night.

Got to eat at Club 33. It was great.

Kids ate at Steakhouse 55 and gave it two thumbs very high up AGAIN!

Lowlights:
WoC was a letdown. We love the original. I think the original is one of the top nighttime shows in all of Disney. Winter Dreams isn't.

How exciting to eat at Club 33! In regards to Steakhouse 55 we will probably do a breakfast there....looks yummy for a reasonable price too!

We watched WoC on our smart TV and since I have never seen the regular WoC I was satisfied with the Winter Dreams.

Yeah! My advance team is back! I can't wait to hear more and see some photos!

What a bummer about WOC! At least I never saw the original so maybe I'll love this version! Can you share a little though about where you stood, when you got in line, and whether you were happy with your "view".......

There were some parts that I thought were really cute.....

My apologies for not posting here much. Our washer that we purchased 5 1/2 months ago packed it in last week. The good news is that it's under warranty, the bad news is that it's going to take up to 2 more weeks to get the parts for it. So I've been doing alot of handwashing for the kids in prep for the the trips. I've been enjoying the pics, and I leave for Edmonton on Friday, and on Sunday to DL. So much to do and so little time to do it in. I think I'm under control for the trips, but that's subject to change at a moment's notice these days.

OMGosh....that is really a bummer. No fun spending vacation money on grown up necessities.

I have not taken the holiday tour yet this year, but we do have it scheduled for Wed next week! I will try to update during my trip on it. We leave on Sunday!!

I'm excited for our tour on Dec 1st. I'm excited to hear about yours!

I just booked our Fantasmic! Dessert Premiere viewing package. I'm thinking I'd better just not mention to the DH how much each ticket is but just enjoy not waiting for hours for a good viewing spot.

I didn't tell dh at first but then broke the news....didn't phase him in the slightest.

I called today to ask a question about the tour and in the information I was given the attractions you get to go on are still HMH and IASWH. Cant wait to book mine in the next couple days

Really looking forward to this tour!

 

[pattyduke34]

OMG! I leave in the morning...I am soooo excited!!

 

[ksromack]

From there I told my wife we had to do the Carthay Circle Tour which is free at 10:30 each morning. It was a very interesting and short tour. It lasted 15 minutes and was alot of fun. More importantly it gave me a chance to get some great photographs inside of Carthay Circle which was empty except for other people on the tour (which was about 12 of us).

To answer what time I lined up we ended up going about 9:30pm to lineup. They moved us to the back of the bridge up by Ariel's Grotto restaurant and then herded us back down into the blue section. I ended up right in the middle of the section with my family. Straight on view. I have seen it from this area before and from the front railing. I personally think that the middle blue section and just to the left of that (stage left) is the ideal spot. If your seeing it more than once and have the opportunity everyone should try the front of the railing to just get the wow factor. Warning though you will get wet, very wet! Be careful on camera/video equipment from the railing.

Alot more happened in the trip and I will start sharing some photographs closer the to the weekend. Work has been incredibly busy and I have some time off coming up Friday. I need to load the pics and tweak them just a bit I'm guessing.

Hope this helps!

Carthay Circle Tour? We are eating an early lunch there in 2 weeks...perhaps this would be a good time for this tour

I'm so lost in regards to the WoC. We have the lunch package but I plan to stand in the section for AG reserved section since it's closer. Hoping we'll be able to catch this show another time from maybe further back to take it all in. Is that why you suppose some CMs will say that the Carthay Circle reserved viewing area is the "best", because it's further back?

Anxious to see your photos and hear of your tales, and what do you know....I'm off friday

OMG! I leave in the morning...I am soooo excited!!

This is very exciting!

 

[Sherry E]

Have a great time, pattyduke34!

​

I had been waiting to see if word of who this year's Candlelight Processional/Ceremony narrator is would leak out since the schedule is back to the 2-night event with invitation-only seating. The Ceremony is fast approaching and I'd heard nothing. Traditionally there has been one narrator for the 2-night event, while last year's 20 nights had many narrators.

Today I read on another site that the unofficial, not-yet-confirmed-or-announced narrators (plural) are Blair Underwood and Kurt Russell. (Maybe this rumor has been out there for a while and I am just now hearing it?) If this is true, and if Kurt is the narrator on my night - jackpot!!!! He was the narrator I wanted to see last year -- he was my first choice out of all of the ones on the roster in 2012 -- but I didn't win the AP seating lottery and I changed my trip dates, so I "ended up with" Lou Diamond Phillips instead. LDP did a perfectly lovely job, but to see an actual Disney legend narrate would be that much sweeter.

So I am crossing my fingers that (A) the rumored CP narrators turn out to be accurate; and (B) that Kurt Russell narrates on my CP night. No offense to Blair Underwood -- I like him too, but he is not part of Disney history!

 

[momtothreeinfinity]

Crossing my fingers it's Kurt Russell for you Sherry E

 

[ksromack]

I swore I asked this before but I can't find my post....so I very likely dreamed the whole thing.....

What mode of transportation is everyone using to get from airport to hotel? I'm still on the fence. It's just hubby and I from LAX. I have a coupon for $5 off using Disneyland Express and it states no reservation required and since I can't find a coupon code on the coupon I can't make a reservation anyway. Is it fairly easy to find it once we get our luggage? I've read you just follow the overhead green signs.

 

[Sherry E]

Crossing my fingers it's Kurt Russell for you Sherry E

momtothreeinfinity -

Thank you! I hope the rumor is true. I had been debating on whether or not I would deal with standing for the CP this year -- last year I think I was spoiled because I ended up with a seat both times, even though I didn't win the AP lottery. I got very lucky. However, since this year's CP is back to the normal schedule, I won't get a seat and I would have to stand and watch.

So I was asking myself, who would I stand and watch? I loved the CP enough to see it twice last year but again, I had seats. For me to stand in a crowd around Town Square, it would have to be someone of Disney acting/history/legend-caliber...or Disneyland Superfan John Stamos!

So I would stand to watch Dick Van Dyke... or Tom Hanks... or Julie Andrews (she would be great as a narrator, I think)... or Jodie Foster... or Kurt Russell... or... or... well, you get the point. Disney legends!

 

[rentayenta]

$60 per adult. I wanted to classify our twins as kids but at 22 that's pushing it. We get a dessert tray and a beverage of our choice I was told we can stay in our seats and view the fireworks too. We got reservations for the 9 pm show. The Castmember told me to check in at 5 and then return at 8:30.

I think they're kids. They're your kids. Time is money. I think it's worth every penny. Have fun!