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

[jitterbug]

Thank you for this thread! It has been so helpful as we plan our first trip during the holidays. We have only gone during end-January / begin-February to take advantage of the low crowds and lower rates. Of course, then we had refurbishments up the wazoo (looking forward to finally riding Splash), and DH doesn't know what DLR looks like with many lines, as the only lines where we spent any time in were the queues for Indy, Space Mtn, and TSMM (this was pre-RSR). For the rest of the rides, it took him a moment to realize just how long the lines can get.

With the help of this board, we are trying to prepare for the bigger crowds and sensory overload. In fact, the great pictures here have inspired me to buy a camera instead of trying to rely on our iphones for pictures. Looking forward to trying holiday treats too. OMG, did someone say peppermint cotton candy?! And popcorn buckets?!

We will be there Nov 17-20, and are hoping that even though it is holiday (read: peak) season, we can try the strategies mentioned throughout this board to enjoy ourselves. Especially noticing all the little holiday details that DLR so caringly puts out there for us.

 

[rentayenta]

I love theme weeks. Sadly no Disneyland this holiday season but I'll be following along.

 

[Sherry E]

Thank you for this thread! It has been so helpful as we plan our first trip during the holidays. We have only gone during end-January / begin-February to take advantage of the low crowds and lower rates. Of course, then we had refurbishments up the wazoo (looking forward to finally riding Splash), and DH doesn't know what DLR looks like with many lines, as the only lines where we spent any time in were the queues for Indy, Space Mtn, and TSMM (this was pre-RSR). For the rest of the rides, it took him a moment to realize just how long the lines can get.

With the help of this board, we are trying to prepare for the bigger crowds and sensory overload. In fact, the great pictures here have inspired me to buy a camera instead of trying to rely on our iphones for pictures. Looking forward to trying holiday treats too. OMG, did someone say peppermint cotton candy?! And popcorn buckets?!

We will be there Nov 17-20, and are hoping that even though it is holiday (read: peak) season, we can try the strategies mentioned throughout this board to enjoy ourselves. Especially noticing all the little holiday details that DLR so caringly puts out there for us.

Hello and welcome, jitterbug!

I'm happy that you're planning a holiday trip and that this thread has been of help!

You know, I don't think you will hit really big crowds in that 11/17 - 11/20 time frame. Bigger than you're used to based on the times you normally visit, but not horrible. You'll be arriving on a Sunday. The season will have already officially been in effect for several days at that point. I think that a lot of people will clear out by late Sunday afternoon or early evening. Then you've got Mon-Tues-Wed. I can't see any reason (unless Disney suddenly announces something to lure people in) why those dates would be hideously crowded at all. Thanksgiving is late this year, and it is more likely that people will start to trickle in for their Thanksgiving breaks over the weekend or on the Monday prior to Thanksgiving. You'll be long gone by that time, and you'll be in the parks after the Veterans Day crowds have left.

So I think you're in a good position for not-too-horrible crowds! Most likely, you will not get to see the hotels decorated and in the holiday swing (no Santa or carolers at the hotels) as the hotels tend to not be decorated until immediately after Thanksgiving, but both parks will be totally holiday-ized!

Now, as for those treats! At the Jingle Jangle Jamboree (formerly called Santa's Reindeer Round-Up, and this year referred to as the "Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree" by the Parks Blog) there is "candy cane" cotton candy sold. However -- and I just learned this in the last day or so, in my Halloween Superthread -- the cotton candy does not have a peppermint flavor, as I thought it did. It is pink and white and has a kind of swirly candy cane look (I saw it), but I have been told by two other DIS'ers -- Jamie and Priory -- that the cotton candy has a different flavor that is nothing like peppermint.

Yes, there are popcorn buckets! There was a very popular Mickey snowman popcorn bucket that lasted a few years, and then last year there was the Santa Mickey popcorn bucket. (You'll see more of those later in the Theme Week Countdown!) There is also at least one kind of Nightmare Before Christmas popcorn bucket -- possibly more than one.

I am partial to the yummy Peppermint Stick ice cream that is sold in the parks during the season. You can get it in a cup, in a regular cone, or in 2 different kinds of holiday cones. And the gingerbread cookies with mouse ears are delicious! Plus, you'll find gingerbread beignets at Cafe Orleans, peppermint fudge, assorted holiday shortbread cookies, snowman apples and marshmallow treats, cupcakes galore, etc.

There are a lot of wonderful details to discover -- the holiday season is very extensive in terms of decor. It is sensory overload, but in the best possible way, right down to the themed holiday music that plays in each land.

I'm so glad that you've been inspired to get a camera! I hope that we will be seeing some of your photos when you return from your trip.

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I love theme weeks. Sadly no Disneyland this holiday season but I'll be following along.

Jenny!

Welcome back!

I thought about going to your DCL thread and telling you that I had started the new Theme Week Countdown 3 days ago -- can you believe we are already on the 3rd Annual Countdown -- so that you could either participate by sharing photos to win a gift card, or participate by following the code word challenge to win the Disney gift card, or just sit back and enjoy. But you found your way here anyway!

Hopefully you haven't missed any of the wonderful photos that have come through since Monday (the Countdown began on page 62) -- we've had some awesome contributions already, and we are only one theme into it! A new theme is coming up in 4 days!

 

[MinnieMouseMom4]

Hello everyone, first off let me say I LOVE this thread! Christmas time at DL is the ONLY time I go. So having this thread in July is heaven for me. I just booked our trip for 11/17-11/20 also. We usually try to go the week after Thanksgiving, but with it being so late this year I was worried it might be more crowded. So I'm hoping for Light crowds the week before (fingers crossed).

 

[tdashgirl]

Tania --

Hello, stranger! I haven't had any interaction with you on the board in at least a couple of years, and this is your first post in this specific thread, and not even a hello?

Yup Planning some holiday trips, as well as mulling over a possible WDW trip next year, so I came back to the boards for inspiration. Getting thru a tough phase at work also means more time for me again

Good to "see" you again Sherry

 

[Sherry E]

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A new Theme Week starts in 3 days (Mon., 11/12)!!!

If anyone out there has anymore Christmas tree or wreath photos they'd like to share, be sure to post them today, tomorrow or Sunday. Once Monday hits we are onto a new theme and out of Tree/Wreath week!!!

If you can't get your tree or wreath photos posted before Monday there may be other themes coming up into which they can fit, or you can also post them in our final Holiday Cornucopia (Miscellaneous) theme on Monday, November 4th!

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Hello everyone, first off let me say I LOVE this thread! Christmas time at DL is the ONLY time I go. So having this thread in July is heaven for me. I just booked our trip for 11/17-11/20 also. We usually try to go the week after Thanksgiving, but with it being so late this year I was worried it might be more crowded. So I'm hoping for Light crowds the week before (fingers crossed).

Welcome, MinnieMouseMom4!

Thank you for joining us! This thread is here year-round, indefinitely, until it hits the page limit and we have to switch to a new thread. So you can always find us here if you need a dose of Christmas at random times of the year! Our Theme Week Countdowns last from August to November, and there is a new theme announced each Monday...at which point the photos begin to roll in (as they have this past week). In between all of that we discuss the latest rumors and news.

You are a DLR visitor after my own heart (to a degree) in that Christmas time is the only time you go. That is sort of true for me as well. I do not typically go to the parks any time before the Halloween Time season, unless it's a very special occasion (such as the Cars Land preview last year, in June). September is the earliest time of the year I will go (although I have some ideas that might change that in the coming year). Halloween Time and the the holidays are my 2 favorite times to be in the parks.

Every once in a great while I cannot make it to DLR for Halloween Time, but the holiday season is the one time above all other times in the year that I will go to DLR no matter what. If I could go no other time during the year, the holiday season would be the one time I'd choose to go. Whether it is for only one day or for several days, or two separate visits in November and December, I will be at DLR for the holiday season one way or another! I love it so much and it is truly my main holiday tradition!

I don't think the late Thanksgiving will have much to do with crowds. If anything, I would expect that many people would have to head immediately home after that holiday weekend (if not a couple of days earlier) and go to work or school for a couple of weeks until it's time for Christmas break -- because the gap between holiday breaks is shorter.

At the same time, I get the feeling that more DIS'ers are headed to the parks in that week post-Thanksgiving/early December time frame because that is the time I usually recommend to go for the full holiday experience and slightly lower crowds. The mass exodus of Thanksgiving visitors may be counter-balanced with people taking my advice and going to DLR in that time frame, but either way I don't see that there would be a reason for it to be extra crowded (more so than usual) post-Thanksgiving weekend because people still have to go home since the Christmas break is right around the corner!

Your November dates should be good -- I can't see any reason why those would be terribly crowded, but just remember that the hotels will more than likely not be decorated when you go (unless Disney changes their patterns and gets the hotels decorated early), and Downtown Disney may not be playing Christmas music yet or have decorations up. Some holiday merchandise is not out until post-Thanksgiving, and certain food items like tamales at Rancho del Zocalo are not made until Thanksgiving and beyond.

That may not make a difference to you -- maybe just the 2 parks being decorated and in the holiday swing will be enough. I don't know if you usually enjoy the holiday atmosphere in the hotels during your DLR holiday trips, so I just wanted to point that out in case you are expecting to see the giant GCH tree or Santa and the carolers at the hotels. Personally, those elements are important to me for my DLR holiday experience -- I like to know that the entire Resort is immersed in holiday merriment, and December feels decidedly more Christmas-y at DLR than November does to me. But I know that many, many people are okay with just having the parks' holiday experience and the hotels/DTD don't really matter too much.

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Yup Planning some holiday trips, as well as mulling over a possible WDW trip next year, so I came back to the boards for inspiration. Getting thru a tough phase at work also means more time for me again

Good to "see" you again Sherry

Tania --

I had noticed some posts of yours in the Chat thread and in a TR or two, so I knew you were around. You just hadn't made your way to any of my threads in a while, and I am glad to "see" you back! I hope we are able to make the work situation a little more bearable for you when you can steal away to read the threads!

Are you planning to head to DLR in November or December? Short trips or long trips? Staying onsite or off-property? What's the scoop?

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[crystal1313]

Let's see if I posted this correctly............yay! It worked!

Another from the parade.......

And the choir tree at Candlelight......

 

[Sherry E]

crystal1313 --

Yay! You made it into this Theme Week! You're our 14th participant in this week's theme (and the 14th person entered into the $25 Disney gift card giveaway)! I have not kept up with exactly how many people have entered into previous themes in previous Countdowns, but I'm fairly sure there were fewer than 14 per Countdown. We are only one theme into this, so it will be very interesting and exciting to see who contributes for the remaining 19 themes over 3 months!

Great pictures! And I love that you thought to use the Candlelight choir "tree" (I can see that Edward James Olmos was the narrator)!!! I knew that the singers formed the tree, and I even have photos of it myself, but it never even dawned on me to use that for this theme -- and yet, it totally fits the theme! Very clever, indeed! I enjoy seeing what people come up with to fit the themes, because most people -- when they are taking photos -- are not thinking, for example, "Let me get this wreath or tree shot because it will eventually be used in a Theme Week Countdown," and yet they end up with photos that fit the themes anyway.

 

[crystal1313]

Thanks Sherry! I was just going through all my photos and thought the choir tree looked beautiful! And yes, it was Edward James Olmos! He was AMAZING! We are HUGE Battlestar Gallactica fans and were thrilled to be able to see him narrate! (so say we all!) And we totally lucked out and scored seats! We were in the standing area when a nice security CM came over to the big group of us and said all the seats next to us were empty and that we could fill them! We were all SO thankful and that ended up as one of our best memories from the trip! I love photos and I'm excited to see what the next theme is =)

 

[egritz]

WOW WOW WOW! I've been off the thread for a week so it took a while to catch up from where I last read but I'm glad I took the time, the pictures are great and as a previous poster mentioned, inspiring! We'll be there 4 months from now soaking in all the fun that is Christmas time in DL for the first time!!!

I was wondering if any individuals out there would be willing to share a few tips for getting decent pictures of the Christmas decorations at night. I shoot with a DSLR (Canon Rebel T2i) and I know enough to be dangerous, I usually use natural light & I rarely shoot at night (and never outside at night) & i just got my first Speedlight for my birthday last month, but I'm assuming I don't want to use any flash to get these good shots. Any suggestion for settings? I do not plan to travel with a tripod, so all shots will be handheld. Would love and appreciate any recommendations!

 

[PlutoRocks]

Hi, Dawn!

I'm happy to see you here! What a surprise! I was just thinking of you recently. I was eventually going to drop you a PM and say hello, just to see how you were doing. I hadn't had time to write yet, but I saw you posting in the Divas thread so I knew you had been on the board.

Can you believe I still have to do the wrap-up to my TR thread?? I closed it until I get the Wrap-Up done, but I have not had the time to get to it. I am planning on doing something -- some kind of TR (maybe just a photo report) -- for Halloween Time over in the TR section, so I will let you know when I get that going.

Yes, that was a Hallmark Christmas in July marathon on TV a couple of weeks back! Was your sister also watching it (the one who listens to Christmas music year-round)? You know I was tuned in!

But...if I dump my stupid cable company and move to U-Verse, I miss out on Hallmark...and I can't have that when their Christmas marathon starts in early November! You're absolutely right -- these multi-million dollar companies play games and get in silly spats with each other at the expense of their customers...and the customers are not getting any less annoyed as time passes. The TWC Facebook page continues to be abuzz with angry posts, and we are almost one full week into the CBS/Showtime blackout.

Hello Sherry!

I keep checking your TR to see if you've done the wrap up so I'll keep watching...Definitely let me know if you start a new one for this year - I will be there!

Of course my sister watched the marathon - are you kidding!

No Hallmark or HMC would be a deal breaker - you enjoy those movies so much it wouldn't be a Christmas season without them so unfortunately, you have to stay with this company and hope they get over themselves quickly and solve the issue.

I thought about dropping back a package level with Dish but I would lose one of the channels I watch a lot (can't remember which one now) so no go for me -- not worth it from my perspective.

I'll keep checking in for the themes and pictures. Thank you for all your hard work on this thread - it is appreciated!!

 

[tksbaskets]

I'll be camping next week but hope to find some wifi to be able to participate in the next theme week!!

 

[Pesky]

Love the theme pictures! Already started looking at planning the trip and reality is taking hold. Off our lists are the Holiday Tour (2 small kids, plus a FIL who will happily stake a spot, means our money is likely better spent elsewhere) and believe it or not, BBB (I can buy my own glitter spray, do makeup and nails and have a fantastically dressed little girl without spending the money or time). Still likely 2 character meals though and F! dessert package I think. Gotta decide on WOC. The standing is a negative with the kids, as I don't know if they could see. And they still have no idea. They keep saying they hope they can get to DLR next year.

 

[Camela]

I have been reading everyday! We will be experiencing our first Disney Christmas in a mere 19 weeks! So much to do, this is a great place to get inspiration! I can get my Disney fix without driving my DH crazy! Thanks for this thread, I love seeing all the pictures.

 

[jitterbug]

Sherry, thank you for the big holiday welcome hug!!

Your reassurance about predicted crowd levels is comforting, especially since I got to ultimately choose the dates. With juggling schedules, airfares, hotel rates, and crowd levels, I can see why people use Disney specialists to book!

And the clarification on the candy cane cotton candy...good to know that it's not a peppermint flavor so much as a candy cane appearance. And WOW, all those other holiday treats you mentioned. I can't wait! I don't know if I'll remember to take pictures before we dig in, but I will try. Looking forward to doing my part in sharing holiday food porn after we get back.

 

[Phoenixrising]

It's looking like the family is going to be flying out for a quick trip 2 days before my trip to DL in Nov. We have to go to my DH nephew's wedding, which is out of province, and won't get back from that trip till late the night before I leave on my trip. Time to get another backpack and an extra memory card for my camera. I'm going to challenge the family to just use a carryon and no suitcase on this trip to make things smoother when traveling. Will book this short trip, once we receive the invitation to the wedding next month. Lot's of fun all around. Safe to say I'm going to have to go to DL for a vacation after the short trip. Have a great day everyone, and I can't wait to see more pics of Christmas time at DL.

 

[BeccaG]

I'm so bummed, I've been scouring my pics trying to find one I took of Luigi's Christmas tree. I spotted it on the freeway in a crate as it was on the way to Dland and the box clearly identified it with a label on the side!

 

[Autty40]

We are at 99 days till we'll be in Disneyland! It's going to be a loooooong three months!

 

[laurasvwee]

We are at 99 days till we'll be in Disneyland! It's going to be a loooooong three months!

98 days for us woot woot!!!

 

[Phoenixrising]

I'm at 105 days, and am still trying to figure out the logistics of the mini trip that the kids are clueless about 2 days before I leave on my trip to DL(Evil mom strikes again!!). I've got things figured out for the most part, but have to wait until I get the wedding invitation next month before I can book air and hotel. It's looking like the mini trip is going to be another DIY booking. I can't wait for my Nov trip, even though I'm going to be tired from the mini trip just prior to it. But what a place to recover in!!