Jamian --
^^That's a fantastic photo of the entrance to Haunted Mansion Holiday!
And
Mike -- What a great capture in that "Mr. Bluebird's House" shot!
I am realizing that I have somehow missed quite a few details around Critter Country, between your photo and
I'm mikey's photos of the tiny Christmas decorations near the Pooh ride (which he posted back in August). I have no clue how I have missed these things -- it's not like I don't spend inordinate amounts of time wandering around looking for lesser-known gems like that, as well as any kinds of holiday touches. I certainly do. I think that I get caught up in what is going on in one land or two lands, spend all my time there, and then I forget to wander over to the other lands. There are so many little details to take in!
I have to make a point of taking a closer look at Critter Country next week!
perlster --
I'm very glad I wasn't there on 11/25 after seeing your photo.
That scene is really what I was thinking the crowds are like in the days leading up to Thanksgiving.
Just made reservations for Holiday Tour on the 23rd and Fantasmic on the 25th. All dining ressies made already too! Our 4th or 5th Christmas week visit in last 15 years. I remember about 12 years ago it was an El Nino year and it POURED on Christmas Eve. There was absolutely NOBODY in the park! I'm not hoping for that, but I wouldn't mind a few days of rain.
There is NO place like
Disneyland for the holidays!
barngro -
Welcome! It sounds like you have a wonderful trip ahead of you, with the tour, Fantasmic, and being at DLR during Christmas week!
You know, I have been wondering when we will get hit with another bad wave of El Nino rain. It's been a long while since we really got hit hard with it, but I remember certain seasons in the past when the El Nino rain was seemingly non-stop for weeks -- and it was very heavy at times. It wreaked all kinds of havoc, flooding streets (because a lot of storm drains around So Cal can't handle that much runoff), causing mudslides and damaging roofs, etc. I recall back in December 2004 it was pouring, pouring, pouring right around Christmas. My roofs/ceilings at both work and home kept leaking. I also remember some heavy rain back in either late 2000 or early 2001, and then again in November of 2001.
Off the top of my head, I can't think of any really bad El Nino rain taking place in So Cal since maybe 2005-ish or so? I could be forgetting something, but it's been a while. We're overdue, it seems, but I don't think there has been any indication that severe El Nino storms are coming this winter (so far).
I agree -- Disneyland for the holidays is wonderful! It's a very special time of year in the parks and at the hotel, and I think that the Enhancement Team, decorators, designers, Imagineers, etc., have really outdone themselves this season as far as the overall level of decor around both parks and hotels. They have added new decorations in many spots (even if it's just a random strand of garland here and there), and they have added extra entertainment and holiday merriment in Downtown Disney. I like that the whole Resort is in full holiday mode!
Sherry, there is a cozy cones gingerbread scene inside that show building near the cones and meet and greet area in Carsland. Very cute.
longtimedisneylurker --
I love the gingerbread model of the Cozy Cone property! It's adorable. My favorite little detail about it is that it's a mini-version of the holiday-ized Cozy Cone, instead of just a miniature model of the regular Cozy Cone. I love the mini-cone Christmas tree! I was so glad to see that it was brought back this year. Whoever set it up in the Cozy Cone office made the smart choice to move it a bit closer to the window, on the side where most folks would be trying to view it. Last year that mini-Cozy Cone display was further away from the window and harder to see in terms of really being able to appreciate the small details.
The Cozy Cone gingerbread display was the only one I saw on 11/15. I knew that the gingerbread houses in Storytellers and White Water Snacks would take a bit longer to go up (it sounds like at least one of them is there now), but I saw nothing in Flo's (last year there was a gingerbread Mater -- this year, nothing?) and nothing in the Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Cafe (which had some sort of gingerbread house last year). I did not go into Carthay Circle, so I didn't see if they have another gingerbread house this year (last year it had a Snow White theme).
If nothing else, at least the Cozy Cone gingerbread model and the gingerbread house at Storytellers are both back for 2013!
I think they printed 50 and 49 of them ended up on eBay at ridiculous prices.
I am shocked they gave them away. The initial blog announcement gave me the impression they'd be for sale. I'd happily pay a reasonable amount for one in the park.
Priory --
I hadn't checked eBay but yesterday I was wondering if people were trying to sell them.
You're right -- selling them for a reasonable price (not eBay prices, in other words) would be a great idea. It seems to me that Disney missed a good money-making opportunity on that one. They could have still made the posters a "Limited Time Magic" thing for the holiday season of 2013 only, and they could have limited the quantities printed up for sale so that they would surely run out of them before January 6th but still have enough to last through at least Thanksgiving weekend. If they marketed them as being available for this season only (to commemorate the first year of Jingle Cruise) and never again, people would have bought up every last poster.
I saw Ben on Saturday at Downtown Disney and he was so normal looking that I didn't even realize it was really him until he was passing right by us. I saw this scruffy looking guy walking in our direction, but he didn't really catch my eye. Only as he was passing did I notice a resemblance, and as I was about to say to my sister, "That guy looks kind of like Ben Affleck...", I recognized his profile and realized it really was him! I had a huge crush on him way back when so I was kind of let down that he didn't look the way I remembered. Serafina is adorable though
We only hung out at Downtown Disney because we were blocked out from the parks. It was pretty crowded as well, but didn't feel unusually so for a holiday weekend. I'm really excited to see the parks for the holidays, but haven't had a chance to do so yet. I'm hoping to go sometime this week
jamalana --
Another Ben Affleck sighting! I am still shocked that a major A-Lister (and 2013 Oscar winner) would be in the thick of things at DLR, walking through DTD, the GCH and the parks on a weekend -- when weekends are always more crowded -- and a major holiday weekend, no less! The typical trick the super-famous folks seem to use is to go on weekdays.
Did Ben and Jen have any kind of security with them, or were they just walking through like a regular family at DLR?
You'll love both parks at this time of year. The decorations, entertainment and overall atmosphere are amazing. The whole holiday makeover of the parks and the 3 hotels is much more thorough and all-encompassing than what is done for Halloween Time.
Mr. Bluebird's on my shooooouuuulllllder....
You're already booked! That's a sign of a successful trip. You know that the previous trip was a great one if the next trip is booked right on its heels!
