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

[rentayenta]

Honestly, it doesn't take any time out of your day! You just walk by and the girls with the arm bands are outside the door on the sidewalk. Get the arm band and return at the designated time. They really have it down to a science!

I found out our candy cane day is at Disneyland not DCA. I really wanted it to be at DCA as they seem more organized.

 

[mrsw94]

2 more days!!!! AHHHH!!!!

However, I just checked the weather and the high for Sunday is 78 and Monday is 80!!!

The kids will be thrilled for some pool time, but I spent a bunch of time making cute LONG SLEEVED shirts for the trip! Ahhh...the best laid plans.....

 

[PHXscuba]

Well, since I asked about the little lighting show on IASW, I'll answer for others.

The parade came through at 5:30 and we made it into line just after the parade ended (a little after 6:00). One CM said the lighting show wouldn't happen until 6:30, another I asked said they might do it at 6:15. We were going down the last ramp to load at 6:15-ish and all the lights went off. I knew what was probably going to happen, so we started letting people go in front of us and saw the show. It's very short but so cute and a great example of the tech that is possible. Worth an extra 2 minutes before getting on the ride.

Side note: just as we came out after riding, the lights went out again and there were blue lights and "snow" projected on the facade -- I think it was part of the castle light show but I couldn't tell.

PHXscuba

 

[ksromack]

2 more days!!!! AHHHH!!!!

However, I just checked the weather and the high for Sunday is 78 and Monday is 80!!!

The kids will be thrilled for some pool time, but I spent a bunch of time making cute LONG SLEEVED shirts for the trip! Ahhh...the best laid plans.....

Best laid plans is right! Just when you thought you were in control......I bet you guys will have a great time anyway and the evenings will probably be cool enough for those cute long sleeve shirts!

Well, since I asked about the little lighting show on IASW, I'll answer for others.

The parade came through at 5:30 and we made it into line just after the parade ended (a little after 6:00). One CM said the lighting show wouldn't happen until 6:30, another I asked said they might do it at 6:15. We were going down the last ramp to load at 6:15-ish and all the lights went off. I knew what was probably going to happen, so we started letting people go in front of us and saw the show. It's very short but so cute and a great example of the tech that is possible. Worth an extra 2 minutes before getting on the ride.

Side note: just as we came out after riding, the lights went out again and there were blue lights and "snow" projected on the facade -- I think it was part of the castle light show but I couldn't tell.

PHXscuba

yes, that's what that means....the snow projected on the facade was the same music as the castle light show. I loved that technology, with the light show on IASW. We recorded it but missed the first couple of seconds as hubby was fiddling with his phone!

 

[KCmike]

Another great shot! Where was this taken from?

From Mickey's Fun Wheel. Thanks for the kind words!

How about "Christmas" car light trails?


Night Racing, Radiator Springs Racers by KC MikeD, on Flickr

 

[czmom]

How about "Christmas" car light trails?


Night Racing, Radiator Springs Racers by KC MikeD, on Flickr

LOVE this one!!! RSR at night was a definite highlight for us.

 

[letitsnow]

I completely agree!!! I do wish FL would get some decorations - it seems so obvious to me, but I love the decorations everywhere else. And we heard Christmas carols everywhere we went - I embarrassed my children regularly by singing along

For those who were underwhelmed, what would you have liked to see?

Holidays at the park has been our tradition for the past 10 years. This year I didn't hear the loop of Christmas they always play. I did not see the carolers they usually have on Main St. Usually walking in DTD is so magical. Last year they had a white horse and sleigh and carolers near the movie theater. I am not saying it was not festive..I am just comparing to the past 10 years. Disney always gives us a wonderful experience during the holidays which is why we keep coming back. It might be the missing peppermint ice cream, mickey gingerbread men, carolers, California Santa. I will be back next year, that's for sure.

BTW...the ice skating rink and chalets were cuter than last year but they were closed everytime we came by which was strange to me.

 

[Sherry E]

After cranking out a ridiculous number of photos over 5 days of holiday-ness at DLR, I have returned to my Superthread and my holiday season peeps, and I am tired!!!! I seem to have accomplished a lot, and yet I feel I didn't accomplish anything all at the same time.

I have (literally) over 680 emails to sort through, and who knows what is lurking in my regular mailbox, but I came here first.

Let me run down the highlights:

1. Met Kathy/ksromack, Janet/mom2rtk (who I bumped into two more times over the course of the next few days) and Kim/kmedina on Sunday. They were all lovely and delightful, and Kathy gave me a nice gift that she made for me!;

2. Met PHXscuba (who sent a very sweet thank you PM to me) for the first time, when she joined Liza/funatdisney, Laurie/DizNee Luver, Laurie's son Ty and me for lunch at Club 33;

3. Club 33 on Monday -- Awesome! We had the best server, but even the other staff there was wonderful;

4. I got another park view upgrade at the PPH -- this time it was the best park view room I've received thus far! I love that PPH!;

5. I did the Carthay Circle tour (thanks for the tip, KCmike!) on Wednesday. A very good use of 15 or 20 minutes of time -- for free!;

6. Candlelight -- I waited for a long time in the crowds to see the second show on Sunday night and it was beautiful and amazing...until I got nauseous and had to quickly escape the crowd. ;

7. I saw Kurt Russell in the lobby of the GCH on Monday morning. He was no more than 2 feet from me. He was by himself, and when he interacted with the CMs in the Valet area he seemed friendly, nice, personable, etc.;

8. I did the Walk With an Imagineer tour today, and that was very informative and fun. Plus, it took us into 1901, which is also awesome!;

9. I ran into Jessica/Belle Ella in DCA yesterday, which was nice as I hadn't seen her in a while;

10. To my surprise, I met DIS'er figment_jii today! figment_jii (another delightful person!) approached me before the Imagineer tour to introduce herself and her family -- and they were fortunate enough to get into the tour as well, taking over some spots left by no-shows!!!; and

11. I love Viva Navidad! Not only could I see all of the dancers and floats and performers walking to and from the "backstage" area from my PPH window, and I could see the warehouse where all of the floats were kept, but I could also hear the VN music from my room. When I finally made it over to Paradise Pier to see it, I was very impressed. It's a joyous, jubilant, uplifting show that makes you want to tap your feet. I hope it is brought back next year. I don't know that it really fits in the Paradise Pier area of DCA, but I can't really think of where else it could go.

​

I also chatted with some wonderful people along the way, including a wonderful lady named Pam, who was at Disneyland on the day it opened in 1955 and continues to visit it as often as she can. She just had heart surgery not long ago, and as a treat to herself she wanted to go to her favorite place (DLR) and enjoy herself. She hadn't been to DLR for the holidays in about 10 years, however. She went solo this time around because her family couldn't join her. She was on my Carthay Circle tour, but the last time I saw her she was in line to ride Peter Pan!

​

The bad news:

1. The peppermint ice cream is apparently gone forever from DLR, at least as far as Dreyer's is concerned. It's not that Dreyer's won't send the right size, as I was told. They actually stopped making the peppermint ice cream in the tub size that DLR needs, and they will not be making it in that specific tub size anymore. Ghirardelli did have the ice cream in at the beginning of the season, and they are not sure why, but they are out of it now and will not be getting anymore in;

2. The gingerbread cookies with mouse ears were actually discontinued for a short time, as a CM at Trolley Treats told me, and then all of a sudden TT got more of them in. That explains why those cookies seemed to be scarce when I was at DLR on 11/15. (And, by the way, the Trolley Treats CM who told me about the discontinuation of the gingerbread cookies also told me that she was looking for the Peppermint Wonderland ice cream at the store and it was all gone.);

3. I missed Winter Dreams, but...oh well... ;

4. The actual ornaments on the PPH tree are not so bad in person. What's bad is all of the stuff at the base of the tree -- there is way too much of it and it is even more cluttered-looking in person than it is in photos; and

5. My TV kept turning off and on again, like every hour or so. I've never had a PPH room with a TV that did that! IT was very annoying and it interfered with my viewing of The Mistle-tones on ABC Family! Lol.

we talked more about this today - I think the best analogy is when everyone sees an "awesome" movie and hype it up so much, then you go see it and eh, it was good, but not the best movie ever made as everyone made it out to be.

I just remember being in AWE of the Halloween decorations the 2 times we went in the Fall and people saying "if you think this is awesome you have to see it for Christmas". I found the Halloween decorations to be really "in your face" - probably because everything is ORANGE. Versus for Christmas, the decorations (in our party's minds) kind of blend in, at least during daytime. We did spend most of our time in Tomorrowland/Fantasyland/Toon Town, so that could be part of the problem too. Our first afternoon, though, I felt like I didn't see much decorations in New Orleans Square either (POTC area).

We did stay for the parade last night which i thought was great, and the fireworks as well - where we thought we had a prime spot in front of the walk & mickey statue, but many of the fireworks were blocked by trees & light posts from the bench we had - had we known all the fireworks would be to the left of the castle, we would have sat in the benches across the walkway, oh well, lesson learned).

Today we spent the day in DCA and I had to say I enjoyed the decorations in Car's Land & Buena Vista street. I also like the touches in the Monster's Inc ride. Crowds were way less in DCA today too which was nice (but we didn't do many rides - we were there mainly for characters for my 2 year old, and the parade). We also got to see the GCH Santa tonight who was very nice.

Sorry if I upset some people by saying we are underwhelmed, but that is our honest opinion. Today & tomorrow my mom & I are going to really try to and look at the little touches all around Disneyland to see if we can change our minds. (From Sherry's weekly themes I feel I have a grasp of the little details to be on the lookout for). And we are finally going to hit Jingle Jangle Jamboree.
Regardless, think of the bright side - we are not likely to be repeat Christmas-time visitors so that is one less family to contend with year after year ;-) With the crowds we are experiencing this trip in DL, I think our next trip will be planned for a non-holiday week in February!

egritz --

Thank you for giving your opinion and review.

I don't think anyone is upset with your comments. I think it's just that we are probably surprised by your observations about the decorations more than anything. I appreciate if someone just doesn't enjoy a certain thing, whatever that thing may be, but I'm not sure you are actually 'seeing' and noticing everything. If you see it and don't like it, that's a different story. But I have a feeling you've missed a lot, because there are holiday details, decorations and music all over the place.

Halloween Time only involves decorations on Main Street, in Frontierland and in New Orleans Square -- and even NOS' Halloween decor just involves what is near or specific to Haunted Mansion Holiday. The hotels get nothing in terms of Halloween decor. The overall level of entertainment and merriment is minimal in comparison to the holidays. Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy is in Tomorrowland, but there are no traces of Halloween in that land at all. Halloween only makes an appearance in DCA by way of Duffy's photo spot.

The holiday season at DLR -- and this year there have been more decorations resort-wide than ever before, by the way -- involves decorations of some sort in every single land except for Tomorrowland and Condor Flats. That's it. Every other land has something, whether it's a full-blown holiday overlay or a random strand of garland. Some lands will be more elaborately decorated than others, and some decorations will be more subdued while others are more ornate, depending on the theme. I think it would be overkill if every single land had a massive holiday overlay. I think it's good to be subtle in some spots and more over-the-top in others.

Toontown and New Orleans Square are two of the most detailed lands in terms of decorations -- but the decorations are specific to those lands. The Mardi Gras masks in NOS are everywhere. The beads are everywhere.

Well, at least you tried a holiday trip. It's just not your cup of tea, it sounds like. Shoot for the February trip -- hopefully that will work out well!

 

[tksbaskets]

Sherry sounds like an awesome trip! I am a tad concerned that I won't be able to find my Gingerbread Mickey on Sunday.

Some day I hope to be the DISer that you meet up with in DL. We'd have a blast.

Can't wait for your report and pictures!

 

[Jamian]

New Orleans Square looking festive:


Blue (Bayou) Christmas by -Jamian-, on Flickr

 

[aidensmom31]

Sherry-Sounds like an awesome visit. Club 33 and the Walk with an Imagineer tour sound like a great way to spend time at Disney


Oh and just one more day and I will be down to single digits!!!!

 

[kylie71]

Welcome back Sherry!! Sounds like a Blast! Did you get a picture of Kurt at the GC??
I can't wait to read your trip report, and see your pictures!
How was the weather? Christmasy enough? Brrrrrrr

--Lori

 

[farmfresh]

Leaving from Santa Monica this morning to start our visit to DLR. Happy to post on crowds etc for anyone interested so just ask away! (And Sherry, I know you are a fan of crisp weather, but I'm happy to see the temperature rising!)

 

[mrsw94]

Ok, so next time I decide to do this whole surprise thing, someone shoot me!! DS is only in Kinder, so I only had 4 hours this morning to try to get everything packed. I'd say I'm about 75% there.
And by the way...why do I think it necessary to bring so much CRAP?!?
Oh well, in just over 24 hours, we will be in the Happiest Place on Earth. If I live that long....

 

[Sherry E]

As I mentioned in my update from last night, my email box is backlogged and I am still trying to make my way through it. I haven't had any time to begin dealing with photos. I'm not sure how many I took, but there should be at least 2500. Some of them are complete crap, of course, but some will be pretty good!

​

Anyway, a few replies and additional comments/observations:

TK --

Thank you! You, for sure, with 100% certainty, would have been one of the ones that I invited to Club 33 if I thought for a second that you could get out here without your family, ahead of your own planned DLR holiday trip. I didn't think it would be possible so I didn't offer. You would have been at the top of my list, though, along with the other ladies I invited. I would happily invite deej as well!

I can't believe I met up with so many DIS'ers in one trip, either via planned meets or accidental encounters -- Kathy, Janet, Kim, Liza, PHXscuba, Laurie, Jessica and figment_jii!! If you and your family had been in the park at the same time, I'm certain that we would have run into each other repeatedly.

After speaking with the Trolley Treats CM, I, too, am a bit concerned for the fate of the gingerbread cookies with ears. I couldn't believe it when she told me those cookies had been temporarily "discontinued"! Madness! Why on earth would they even temporarily be discontinued?

Just remember, I got my cookies at Trolley Treats and in November I got them at Candy Palace -- but they were not abundant in either location. I also saw them in Pooh Corner a couple of days ago.

You might still encounter some leftover peppermint ice cream at the BBQ. Possibly. As I mentioned last night, the ice cream will no longer be supplied to DLR, according to the Ghirardelli CM. BUT I am thinking that it might still be 'in stock' at places like the BBQ or other restaurants where people would not think to look for it. It sold out at Ghirardelli because people went there looking for it. One would not expect to find Peppermint Wonderland at the BBQ or other sit-down restaurants so they may not have run out of it yet!

Have a great trip, TK! I'm so glad you will finally get to see Cars Land and soak in the holiday wonderful-ness of DLR once again!




Jamian --

Great photo, as always!





Lori --

Thank you! I got a picture of Kurt from behind as he was putting his stuff in the trunk of his car! That seems to be my M.O. I did the same thing last year when I saw Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani in DCA -- got a picture of them as they were walking away.

I first saw Kurt in the GCH lobby. He was checking his phone, standing by himself. I was maybe 2 feet from him, at most. I almost, almost, broke my rule of not approaching celebrities at DLR to go up to him and tell him that he did a great job as narrator of the CP the night before. He seemed like he would be approachable and friendly.

However, just as I was about to work up my nerve to say something, a CM came along to tell Kurt that his car was out front and the two of them walked out of the hotel. I followed a few seconds later, and it was at that point that I observed Kurt interacting with the various CMs. They were asking him about his son. They were thanking him for "doing this for us" (meaning the CP). Kurt was shaking hands, laughing, smiling and handing out tips. He finally got in his car and drove away. I didn't see Goldie with him so I don't know if she was in a separate car or if she didn't accompany him.

Our server at Club 33 confirmed that Kurt is a really nice, personable guy and not a jerk...which is always good to hear!




aidensmom31 -

Yes, indeed. Between Club 33, the Imagineer tour, my awesome park view room and Candlelight, this was a great trip!

Your trip is fast approaching -- I hope it is a great one!





farmfresh --

The funny thing about my trip is that it was cold and warm. It really cold and dry the first two nights -- appropriately Christmasy! I was bundled up and so was everyone else. However, the next couple of days warmed up a bit and the daytime was sunny and almost hot. I didn't even wear a jacket at all, yesterday or Wednesday. But I still saw people wandering around in winter wear -- scarves and heavy sweaters and jackets. I couldn't believe that they could possibly still be cold in the warm sun!

​

Further comments on my trip (adding on to what I already posted here last night):


1. Decorations -- Let's revisit this subject for a moment. I would have brought this up anyway, but it's particularly relevant (and maybe unintentionally amusing) in light of egritz's assessment of the holiday decor.

As I was walking around DLR over the 5 days I was there, I encountered many decorations that I didn't even know about. It seemed like everywhere I turned I saw a strand of garland, a wreath, a sign, a tree or some other symbol of the holiday season that I didn't expect to find and hadn't seen in the past. I saw so, so, so many Christmas trees. Trees that I never knew were there. Some places had many trees. Trees at Club 33. Trees at Carthay Circle. Trees in 1901. Trees, garland and wreaths at the Mandara Spa, in the Napa Rose lounge, in the window of the Heraldry Shoppe in FL, in the assorted towers of the Disneyland Hotel, in Tangaroa Terrace, in the Downtown Disney stores and restaurants, etc. They were everywhere -- and I loved it!

I think that a couple of my favorite trees for this year's holiday season have got to be the tree in Tangaroa Terrace -- adorned with exotic flowers and other tropical knick-knacks -- and the tree in Ariel's Grotto (thank you for that tip, Jamie!). The trees in Club 33 and 1901 were very elegant and sparkly. I also love the garland in the Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe -- which is dotted with little musical notes and sheet music!

My least favorite trees -- well... The Toontown trees are not ranking any higher on my list than they did last year, but I appreciate that Toontown has its own themed decorations.

Also -- I do not like this year's GCH tree as much as previous years' GCH trees. The lights have been changed and they are much brighter this year than in previous years -- not as dim and golden-toned as they used to be.

I love the new-for-2013 reindeer (maybe made of wicker or something like that?) planted outside of the entrance to the GCH! What a nice touch!

I also love the little colored lights in the planters outside of the entrance to the DLH -- they change color every few seconds! Each bulb changes color, from green to blue, to purple, etc.

I love the gingerbread houses at Storytellers and in White Water Snacks.

I did not like this year's Winter Castle as much as last year's version -- the lights have been switched out so that the Castle does not look quite as shiny and sparkly at night as it has in the past. The light pattern on the turrets is different this year, too, so the icicles are not twinkling as much as they have.

Overall -- and I said this even before my trip this week -- I am very, very pleased with the extensive level of decor resort-wide, even though there are a couple of areas that are lacking a bit of holiday oomph (like FL). My only fear is that Disney will not be able to continue this extensive of an overlay in the coming years, and that it may be scaled back next year;



2. Entertainment/characters -- It was probably just bad timing on my part, but I never saw the characters in Winter Sweaters in Town Square, as I normally do each year.

Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit and Eeyore were in constant rotation at the Pooh photo spot in CC.

The GCH Santa was a very busy guy this year. With the exception of the mornings, he was there every time I walked through the lobby.

Carolers -- for some reason, I did not see any carolers at all, ever. I saw the BVS Bell Ringers but that was it. No carolers in the GCH lobby and none in DL. I know they were there but my timing was bad.

I wanted to see the Dickens Yuletide Band in DL but I never caught them either.

However, again I say that Viva Navidad is great! It's just festive, colorful and celebratory, which is what I want in my holiday entertainment!;



3. Crowds -- Since I usually go to DLR during the same time frame I can make a direct comparison to previous years.

Yes, it was more crowded than the previous couple of years -- in fact, the usually calm Monday seemed to become more crowded while the usually busier Tuesday seemed a bit less so. However, it was not too bad. There were lots of times I walked down Main Street and peeked in shops and in Gibson Girl and there were only a few people. The line for POTC was only 10 minutes long when I got in it. IASWH's line said 45 minutes but it actually took only 20 minutes or so to board the boat.

So I would say the overall crowd level increased -- and that is likely due to the fact that word got out that the first 2 weeks in December are better than the second half of December -- but it still was not awful. Certain areas will always be more heavily trafficked, such as Adventureland and New Orleans Square, so on a busier-than-normal day they will seem crazy.

I always say that the concentration of crowds changes. At certain points in the day Main Street might be packed. At other points of the day it won't be. Sometimes New Orleans Square is packed and other times it is not; and




4. Miscellaneous stuff --

A) Earl of Sandwich -- They've hired better, nicer, more attentive employees, I think. No mistakes on the sandwiches -- and, they let me use my expired free sandwich birthday coupon! My birthday was in July. I could not get to EOS on that day in July to claim my free sandwich, but I brought in the coupon and asked if they would honor it even though it had expired and they happily obliged!! No arguments, no complaints, no problem! I don't know if they will keep up that habit, but just remember that if you cannot use your free b-day sandwich coupon from EOS (which you get if you sign up for their newsletters and mailings on their website), hang on to it because they may take it anyway if you visit EOS within a few months of the expiration date!;



B) The Paradise Pier Hotel -- First of all, the new in-room coffee is Joffrey's so it's better than what used to be there.

While I love the PPH for giving me the best park view room I have had thus far (I could see the people on the rides in DCA!) and for continuing to give me free park view room upgrades, they goofed at check-in. Because everything had been pre-paid well in advance, the dreaded "incidentals" hold on my card should have been waived. When you pay in full in advance, before arrival, unless you choose to leave your card on file to be attached to your room key, they are supposed to enter a "cash" code in their system to tell it to waive the hold and let you pay for any charges in cash (such as phone use, etc.), if they should be incurred. That's what I experienced in 2012 and I have heard of others experiencing this too.

However, when I checked in the CM asked me if I wanted to leave a card on file. I said no. I had already pre-paid and I don't want to leave a card because I don't use anything associated with the incidentals.

And, guess what happened? Yep. The PPH "system" put a hold on a hefty sum of money on my card anyway -- the last card that it had on file for me, from earlier this year! I was under the impression that nothing was being held on my card because that's what I was led to believe, so imagine my surprise when I got home and discovered an email alert that told me that a certain amount had been blocked on my card.

Since I was unaware of this until I returned home, I called the PPH to complain and...needless to say, they goofed. They offered to credit me back $100 for the inconvenience, which I think is more than fair and is not anything I expected! At first the CM on the phone tried to tell me that I handed over my card at check-in, which is unequivocally untrue. I handed over my ID and my AP. That's what I handed over. I never handed them a card because everything was already paid. Plus, I specifically said "no" when asked if I wanted to leave a card on file, so that should have been the end of it;

So my word of advice is -- even if you have pre-paid everything well before checking in at the PPH or any DLR hotel -- be sure to ask them at check-in if an incidentals fee is being applied or you could be in for a surprise later on!

The PPH business center offers Internet access, but the fee is something like $5.00 for 10 minutes. Not worth it unless it's an emergency, in my opinion;



C) I went on IASWH and thought I noticed a few differences in certain spots...and yet, I cannot figure out what they were! Did anyone else notice subtle changes inside the ride?; and



D) The fireworks -- are they louder this year than usual or is it my imagination? For some reason those fireworks seemed to really be much more powerful than I recall in the past.

 

[Gisele]

It is very busy right now at Disneyland and the pirates just shut down. People have to be evacuated from the boats. I can see several cast members quickly running or walking along the bayou to assist.

 

[czmom]

The GCH Santa was a very busy guy this year. With the exception of the mornings, he was there every time I walked through the lobby.

Carolers -- for some reason, I did not see any carolers at all, ever. I saw the BVS Bell Ringers but that was it. No carolers in the GCH lobby and none in DL. I know they were there but my timing was bad.

I wanted to see the Dickens Yuletide Band in DL but I never caught them either.

However, again I say that Viva Navidad is great! It's just festive, colorful and celebratory, which is what I want in my holiday entertainment!;

We stayed at VGC for a week and had the complete opposite experience.
We saw the carolers daily, but never Santa. Must be timing. We walked through the lobby each morning, afternoon, and evening though.

And we also enjoyed Viva Navidad! The parade was really cute, and my DD7 got to dance with one of the Mariachi dancers.

 

[Astylla]

We had surprise for my DH BB ressies at 11:30am then around 12:15om rode Pirates and we sat in some areas a good time and thought we may have to be walked off. We noticed there were several loud/obnoxious groups of mostly Pre teens and teens yelling in the bayou area of the ride.

Also we almost missed our reservation as tge Mickey and Friends garage wasn't open at 10:30am and we had to park at the convention center and take a shuttle over. I'm so glad this was our last day because the week had been great but today crowds are noticeably larger and there is also a Kanye West concert at tge Honda center tonight.

Hope everyone has an easy day.

 

[Gisele]

I am glad that you didn't miss your reservation.
Sounds like you had a very nice time.

The pirates are still taking a nap.

Pirates still away.
There is Dryers Grand Ice Cream in peppermint flavor at the Blue Bayou.

 

[PHXscuba]

(Sherry, I edited the 2 posts I wanted to comment on down to not make it the world's longest quote!!

2. The gingerbread cookies with mouse ears were actually discontinued for a short time, as a CM at Trolley Treats told me, and then all of a sudden TT got more of them in. That explains why those cookies seemed to be scarce when I was at DLR on 11/15. (And, by the way, the Trolley Treats CM who told me about the discontinuation of the gingerbread cookies also told me that she was looking for the Peppermint Wonderland ice cream at the store and it was all gone.);

I was really hoping to score some of the peppermint bark that I had heard about but they were out of it at Marceline's, Candy Palace, AND Trolley Treats. Proabbly sold out ovee the busy weekend. Sad PHX.

3. I missed Winter Dreams, but...oh well... ;
Me too. They canceled it 5 minutes into the show on Monday night because of the winds gusting. It didn't surprise me because the projections seemed fuzzy, but still a disappointment. I'm gonna watch it on YouTube one of these days ...

Trees that I never knew were there. Some places had many trees. Trees at Club 33. Trees at Carthay Circle. Trees in 1901. Trees, garland and wreaths at the Mandara Spa, in the Napa Rose lounge, in the window of the Heraldry Shoppe in FL, in the assorted towers of the Disneyland Hotel, in Tangaroa Terrace, in the Downtown Disney stores and restaurants, etc. They were everywhere -- and I loved it!

So do we need to add to the Tree Quest number of trees to spot now? I don't think anyone (including Disney) has a grasp on how many trees there are at the resort!!

2. Entertainment/characters -- It was probably just bad timing on my part, but I never saw the characters in Winter Sweaters in Town Square, as I normally do each year.

I felt the same way. I saw a couple on Main street early in the day, but when I was back at the Jingle Jangle Jamboree, only Mickey (with a long line) was there. I thought that area would have several more characters.

3. Crowds -- Since I usually go to DLR during the same time frame I can make a direct comparison to previous years.

Yes, it was more crowded than the previous couple of years -- in fact, the usually calm Monday seemed to become more crowded while the usually busier Tuesday seemed a bit less so. However, it was not too bad.

It felt busy to me, but only near the special holiday stuff. I didn't end up in any long lines for food or merchandise, which is usually a big indicator for me (since rides are so inconsistent).

The Paradise Pier Hotel
While I love the PPH for giving me the best park view room I have had thus far (I could see the people on the rides in DCA!) and for continuing to give me free park view room upgrades, they goofed at check-in. Because everything had been pre-paid well in advance, the dreaded "incidentals" hold on my card should have been waived. When you pay in full in advance, before arrival, unless you choose to leave your card on file to be attached to your room key, they are supposed to enter a "cash" code in their system to tell it to waive the hold and let you pay for any charges in cash (such as phone use, etc.), if they should be incurred. That's what I experienced in 2012 and I have heard of others experiencing this too.

However, when I checked in the CM asked me if I wanted to leave a card on file. I said no. I had already pre-paid and I don't want to leave a card because I don't use anything associated with the incidentals.

And, guess what happened? Yep. The PPH "system" put a hold on a hefty sum of money on my card anyway -- the last card that it had on file for me, from earlier this year! I was under the impression that nothing was being held on my card because that's what I was led to believe, so imagine my surprise when I got home and discovered an email alert that told me that a certain amount had been blocked on my card.

Since I was unaware of this until I returned home, I called the PPH to complain and...needless to say, they goofed. They offered to credit me back $100 for the inconvenience, which I think is more than fair and is not anything I expected! At first the CM on the phone tried to tell me that I handed over my card at check-in, which is unequivocally untrue. I handed over my ID and my AP. That's what I handed over. I never handed them a card because everything was already paid. Plus, I specifically said "no" when asked if I wanted to leave a card on file, so that should have been the end of it;

I cannot believe they screwed that up again -- the same way -- despite you asking all the right questions at check-in!! I'm glad they gave you some credit, but that is a huge glitch in the system that has obviously not been fixed since the last time they did that to you -- 2010?

I know all of that stuff I commented on sounded negative but it really was a beautiful park at a beautiful time. I think I am often harder on Disney because they do everything so well that we notice when something isn't as magical as we hope (or have seen them pull off).

PHXscuba