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

[crystal1313]

Happy Happy birthday Sherry!

 

[Pinup Mommy]

Pinup Mommy --

Thank you!

Your 3-year-old is totally in on the whole "Christmas in July" thing! That's so adorable! The holiday season cannot come fast enough in your house, I would imagine!

We have to thank SueTGGR for posting the Christmas in July info in the Halloween Superthread! She remembered that I like peppermint stuff (or at least ice cream) and shared that info with me. Gibson Girl is going to be serving peppermint sundaes! I just wish that Disney gave more notice about these things.

I know that Dreyer's starts delivering their peppermint ice cream to the Ralphs (and probably Vons too) in my area of town in September -- and that is the brand that is used at DLR. I wonder if Dreyer's is now making the ice cream even earlier and it will suddenly pop up in the local grocery store next week, or if it is just exclusive to DLR until September? Hmmm... I have to think ahead about important matters such as peppermint ice cream because it is apparently very popular in my specific neighborhood, and if I don't snap it up it disappears. I used to not buy it until November or December, but drastic times call for drastic measures!

About the gingerbread cookies -- you know, for a long time I thought that those gingerbread cookies with mouse ears were only available during Halloween Time and during the holiday season. I don't know if that was actually the case, but it made sense. However, if the cookies were available for Halloween Time they began appearing in the parks as early as August, because I recall someone saying they saw the cookies in August.

Then, Disney started making (what I call) "impostor" cookies -- cookies shaped exactly like the gingerbread men with mouse ears, but actually made from shortbread or typical sugar cookie dough, and with pastel-colored buttons and ears.

In 2011, during Halloween Time, I was asking one of the CMs in the Candy Palace about the gingerbread cookies and whether or not they were available year-round. She said that there were a couple of shops that already sold them year-round, but that all of the shops that sell cookies were going to be selling those cookies year-round very soon.

So, since I had that conversation with the CM in 2011, I am now wondering if the cookies -- the actual gingerbread ones, not the impostor cookies -- are available at Candy Palace, Trolley Treats, Pooh Corner, etc., year-round? Has anyone seen those cookies this year in, say, March or April?

I kind of wish the gingerbread cookies with ears would remain a seasonal thing associated with Halloween Time and the holidays (or Christmas in July!). The gingerbread beignets are not available year-round, so I don't know why the cookies have to be. I think there is more novelty to them if they are only sold for certain seasons, but I suppose that people who don't get to visit DLR during Halloween Time or the holiday season would like to have a chance to eat them as well...so I suppose it is a good business decision on Disney's part.

So I am horrible employee and took a 3 hour lunch in the park today to enjoy a holiday sweet treat and do some shopping.

The ear ornaments are still on sale inside the park, 3 for $50.00.I was excited to learn that I could use my 20% AP discount on top of the sale price to receive an additional $10.00 off

It looks like I purchased the last Mary Poppins ornament and ISAW was already sold out :-(

Lunch was at the Jolly Holiday

Mothers guilt, I brought home a surprise for Yasmin since I made a solo trip.

 

[funatdisney]

The ear ornaments are still on sale inside the park, 3 for $50.00.I was excited to learn that I could use my 20% AP discount on top of the sale price to receive an additional $10.00 off

So glad to hear that. I was there last Saturday and they told me the promotion had ended. So glad that is not true!!! What store did you see the ornaments?

 

[Pinup Mommy]

So glad to hear that. I was there last Saturday and they told me the promotion had ended. So glad that is not true!!! What store did you see the ornaments?

Clothiers-China Closet on Main Street, I asked how long they are running the sale for, but the CM did not know. On my way out I stopped by World of Disney to look for the IASW ornament, and I noticed they were not running the 3 for 50.00 offer.

 

[KCmike]

Miss a few days on this thread and you miss a famous Birthday? Happy B-Day Sherry E!! Thanks for this wonderful thread as your present to us!

 

[mvf-m11c]

Happy Birthday Sherry.

 

[Sherry E]

Happy Belated birthday Sherry!

Thank you so much, Janet!

Oh, Sherry, will you accept late birthday greetings? I send you wonderful wishes!

lucysmom --

Of course I will accept late birthday greetings! Thank you so much for the wonderful wishes!

Hi Sherry, a belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Thank you, Trish! I appreciate the birthday greeting!

Happy Birthday Sherry It deserves some of my favorite icons

TK --

Thank you!

The dancing banana and the pixie dust smash-in-the-face smilies are some good ones, aren't they? They are giggle-inducing, for sure.

Ditto!

Bob --

Thank you!

The Creepy Dancing Guy (to those of you who don't know about the Creepy Dancing Guy, he was the mascot for the Halloween Superthread for a long time, because he is just so...bizarre)! I love him too! He dances oddly and would scare me senseless if I were ever to run into him on the street, but as an emoticon he serves a definite purpose!

Sherry-

Hope you had a magical birthday!!!

czmom --

Thank you! It was partially magical (and partially painful)! It was not spent at Disneyland, but it was spent at my other favorite SoCal destination...and it was free to get there. 'Free' is always magical!

Catalina Island does have a few loose Disney tie-ins as well -- or it did. What is now Ariel's Grotto restaurant in DCA used to be Avalon Cove, which was themed around the mermaid decor in Avalon, on Catalina Island. Also, there used to be a Catalina mural among the murals inside the old entrance to DCA (pre-billion dollar makeover). Currently I think there is a retro movie poster somewhere in Hollywood Land (maybe?), and I forget the title of the movie but it features Mickey and/or Minnie and Catalina.

Happy Happy birthday Sherry!

Thank you, crystal1313!

So I am horrible employee and took a 3 hour lunch in the park today to enjoy a holiday sweet treat and do some shopping...


Lunch was at the Jolly Holiday

Mothers guilt, I brought home a surprise for Yasmin since I made a solo trip.

Pinup Mommy -

Yay! Christmas in July pictures!! I want to go. I want a peppermint sundae! I wish Disney had announced this even just a few weeks ahead of time.

I have to admit -- the first thing I noticed from your photos was that the demitasse has strawberry shortcake in it!!!!!!! I want one!!!!!!! Normally, during the real holiday season, that demitasse has cake with peppermint sauce or something else more holiday-ish. There is also a mousse version. But I love strawberry shortcake too! Disney is putting a summer spin on a Christmas treat!

Since Yasmin is all for Christmas coming as soon as possible, I'm guessing she was thrilled with her holiday treat? So cute!

Miss a few days on this thread and you miss a famous Birthday? Happy B-Day Sherry E!! Thanks for this wonderful thread as your present to us!

Thank you, Mike!

And thank you for the kind words, and for the wonderful photos you always share with this board! I'm so glad you enjoy this thread.

I thought of you a couple of days ago when I went to Catalina. You had mentioned in your TR that many of the places in Avalon take cash only -- which was something that never really occurred to me when I used to go there a lot back in the '80s, '90s and early 2000's!! I knew that the golf cart place I rent from takes cash only, but otherwise I seemed to always hit the spots that took plastic.

When I was in Avalon this past Sunday (for the free birthday promo), I asked one of the owners of a counter service restaurant (Coney Island West) about the cash only thing. She told me that there are still quite a few places around town that take plastic (debit or credit), but she said that the businesses that continue to require cash only are doing it because "it allows them to keep their prices down." If they switched to accepting cards, they'd have to raise prices to cover fees and things. My burger and onion rings still managed to cost $13.00, which is not cheap, but there was no tax on it -- which is good.

So that was the official answer from one restaurant owner in Avalon: cash only = keeping the prices down and not having to raise them as often. I suppose that's why my golf cart rental place takes cash only too. The Coney Island West lady told me that a lot of people ask and complain about the cash only, so it is not an uncommon subject over there.

Happy Birthday Sherry.

Thank you so much, Bret!

 

[Pesky]

Belated happy birthday, Sherry! Hope you had a magical day and pixie dust through the coming year.

 

[funatdisney]

Clothiers-China Closet on Main Street, I asked how long they are running the sale for, but the CM did not know. On my way out I stopped by World of Disney to look for the IASW ornament, and I noticed they were not running the 3 for 50.00 offer.

Thanks for the info! I might be making a run to DLR tomorrow for a half day trip. I'll look for them on Main Street.

And oh... so want that Mickey Demitasse Desert. I just might have that for lunch tomorrow (if I go).

 

[princessmiki]

Wow so much information to read through, we are going to be at DISNEYLAND dec 2013, traveling from Christchurch New Zealand.

Would this year be too different from previous years festive activities? So excited!

 

[Patabel]

Sherry - most importantly HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!

But secondly, my DH and I are extremely seasoned DVC WDW Christmastime visitors. We LOVE how Disney celebrates the Christmas season. That being said, it's been years since we have been to DL (8 years ago for a July trip and probably 30 years before that). We are now planning our first ever DL Christmas adventure for mid-November and are beyond excited. Because we are so green when it comes to DL , your thread has been invaluable. I've read every page and look forward to each new response!

Just want to say THANK YOU!!!! to you and everyone else who has so generously contributed to this thread. You have made our planning so much easier. Can't wait!

 

[Axlcat]

I just want to express my thanks for this thread, Sherry.

My daughter and I were planning to visit DL this summer, but she mentioned she would love to see the Haunted Mansion with the Nightmare Before Christmas theme. So we postponed the trip to October. But thanks to all the wonderful information here, I learned that the entire park is decorated for Christmas in mid-November. So why not wait a few more weeks and get both? I know having to postpone a trip is usually not something to be happy about, but in this case, we are even more excited for our upcoming trip.

 

[KCmike]

That Catalina tip is important for people traveling over there I would think. Hope your time over there was fun! How long did you rent the golf cart? I can't remember if we did 60, 90 or 120 minutes but we got back just in time so we didn't get charged any extra.

I'm still waiting on pins and needles about this possible hard ticket event this year. Can I ask how does Halloween typically work? Do they kick the people out that bought regular passes? Is it around 4pm when the hard ticket event people get in? We are coming for just a quick weekend stay and a hard ticket event would really mess with our plans.

 

[mvf-m11c]

I'm still waiting on pins and needles about this possible hard ticket event this year. Can I ask how does Halloween typically work? Do they kick the people out that bought regular passes? Is it around 4pm when the hard ticket event people get in? We are coming for just a quick weekend stay and a hard ticket event would really mess with our plans.

Just like you Mike, we are all waiting to see and hear if DL is going to do or not do (which they shouldn't during the Holiday season) a separate paid admission ticket for the Holiday season just like they do for Mickey's Halloween Party. If you have even been to WDW at the MK during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (during the Halloween season) or Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, (during the Christmas season) the system of how the party works at WDW is similar to DL MHP. When the party begins at it's specific time at 6pm or 7pm, (depends on what time the party ends at 11pm or 12am) the guests that do not have a hard ticket wristband are asked to leave the park. The guests who have a party event ticket will be allowed to enter the park 3 hours before it start time which could be at 6pm or 7pm so you will be able to enter the park at 3pm or 4pm and the party will go till 11pm or midnight.

 

[KCmike]

Just like you Mike, we are all waiting to see and hear if DL is going to do or not do (which they shouldn't during the Holiday season) a separate paid admission ticket for the Holiday season just like they do for Mickey's Halloween Party. If you have even been to WDW at the MK during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (during the Halloween season) or Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, (during the Christmas season) the system of how the party works at WDW is similar to DL MHP. When the party begins at it's specific time at 6pm or 7pm, (depends on what time the party ends at 11pm or 12am) the guests that do not have a hard ticket wristband are asked to leave the park. The guests who have a party event ticket will be allowed to enter the park 3 hours before it start time which could be at 6pm or 7pm so you will be able to enter the park at 3pm or 4pm and the party will go till 11pm or midnight.

I really have never studied it before so thanks for the detailed insight. How much is DL's Halloween hard ticket?

Would every night be a hard ticket at Christmas time do you think? I'm just thinking what fireworks/parade would they do if it wasn't a hard ticket? Soundsational and Remember Dreams Come True? I know this is all hypothetical.

 

[Sherry E]

Belated happy birthday, Sherry! Hope you had a magical day and pixie dust through the coming year.

Thank you, Pesky!

It was not a day spent at Disneyland, but it was a pretty good day for the most part!

Wow so much information to read through, we are going to be at DISNEYLAND dec 2013, traveling from Christchurch New Zealand.

Would this year be too different from previous years festive activities? So excited!

Welcome, princessmiki!

Thank you for joining us!

There's a lot of info, but it's useful info! Don't worry about the length of the thread. You don't have to read every page. If you subscribed to the thread you can follow along from this point forward and keep up to date on any breaking news or rumors that we discuss or whatever.

I would imagine you probably already looked at the first page (the first 9 posts or so), but that's where I would advise beginning. You can kind of take in the info at your leisure, a little at a time, and learn about the different holiday treats, the various seasonal events/activities, the hotels' decor, etc.

And, of course, if you can't find something or need help with something please always feel free to ask and one of us here will answer. We're a friendly, holiday-loving group in this thread!

As for this year being different from the previous years' festivities, I would say that -- assuming there is not going to be a hard ticket Christmas party -- this year will probably be a step up from certain holiday seasons pre-2012, but a wee bit of a step back from last year. Last year there were 20 nights of the Candlelight Ceremony (or the Candlelight Processional, as it's commonly known). This year the CP is apparently going back to a 2-night schedule. I think that most other things (again, assuming there is no party) will be the same.

However, rumors abound that this year that we will see an all-holiday World of Color in California Adventure. That will fill in a bit of the entertainment gap left by the cutback of the CP.

Also, because Disney has been running this Limited Time Magic promo all year (and this may be the only year for it), I am certain that there will be a week or two during the holiday season that is devoted to something 'extra' in terms of holiday events. It could be a very short-term/limited run party. It could be some other kind of Limited Time Magic thing. But there will be something. There is a Limited Time Magic-Halloween Time event so it would make sense that something will be done for the holidays.

I am kind of secretly hoping (Disney Parks/TDA people -- are you reading this?? Take note!!!) that Disney does something really cool for Limited Time Magic, such as setting up pop-up Christmas Markets in the European traditional style, serving special foods and drinks, playing special music -- just as you'd find in Germany, Switzerland and anywhere else they have the Christmas Markets every year. Disney could borrow bits of the international holiday celebrations from Epcot and stick them in the hypothetical Christmas Markets I want them to put up at DLR!!

To me, I think that a week of Limited Time Magic pop-up European-style Christmas markets in DLR (especially set up near Fantasyland, for example) would be awesome and much more interesting than a regular Christmas party.

I don't know what will end up happening, but this upcoming season certainly has a big question mark attached to it!

Sherry - most importantly HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!

But secondly, my DH and I are extremely seasoned DVC WDW Christmastime visitors. We LOVE how Disney celebrates the Christmas season. That being said, it's been years since we have been to DL (8 years ago for a July trip and probably 30 years before that). We are now planning our first ever DL Christmas adventure for mid-November and are beyond excited. Because we are so green when it comes to DL , your thread has been invaluable. I've read every page and look forward to each new response!

Just want to say THANK YOU!!!! to you and everyone else who has so generously contributed to this thread. You have made our planning so much easier. Can't wait!

Patabel --

Welcome to the Superthread!

Thank you for the kind words and for the happy birthday! I'm so glad you joined us and that this thread has been a helpful tool in planning out the trip you will be taking. Thank you, also, for taking the time to read every page! I know that a lot of people don't even want to join a thread if it gets past a certain page because they feel they have to read everything in the thread (which is not true) -- but there are actually some people who like to read the whole thing and who choose to read it, for entertainment and for research!

You will be going to DLR in mid-November, eh? You probably picked up on a few mentions in this thread of how the 3 DLR hotels will not yet be decorated and in the holiday swing at that point. No Santa at the hotels. No carolers at the hotels. Those things don't seem to happen until immediately after Thanksgiving, though I have a hunch that at least the decorations may go up a few days early this year.

So I just wanted to mention the hotel thing because the lack of hotel holiday decor may be a complete 180-degree difference from what happens at the hotels of WDW, and from what you're used to. I know the WDW hotels have wonderful decorations (all those fabulous themed displays!), but I don't know when in the season the WDW hotels get decorated. I wish that DLR would just make sure the hotels are decorated when the parks are decorated in mid-November, but they don't.

But, hotels aside, the 2 parks will be decorated and in full holiday mode! There are some WDW holiday vets who have been less than impressed with DLR's holiday merriment, while others found it to be wonderful. I know that fellow DIS'er pixleyyy did a Trip Report about her December visit last year, and she was a bit disappointed in DLR in comparison to WDW's Christmas season. However, DIS'er/WDW vet danimaroo loved the DLR holidays!

I am hoping you have a wonderful trip in November! Stay tuned for the 3rd Annual Theme Week Countdown, beginning in just 12 days (August 5th) and lasting until November 4th. It will be 3 months of photos broken down into fun themes, covering every aspect of the season at DLR, and a chance to win a $25 Disney gift card!

And, of course, any time any news or rumors come in about the season we will certainly be discussing it here! Right now we all await news of whether or not there will be a hard ticket party and, if so, when it would begin, what would be included in it, etc. If not, I hope that things will be business as usual!

I just want to express my thanks for this thread, Sherry.

My daughter and I were planning to visit DL this summer, but she mentioned she would love to see the Haunted Mansion with the Nightmare Before Christmas theme. So we postponed the trip to October. But thanks to all the wonderful information here, I learned that the entire park is decorated for Christmas in mid-November. So why not wait a few more weeks and get both? I know having to postpone a trip is usually not something to be happy about, but in this case, we are even more excited for our upcoming trip.

Hello, Axlcat!!

You're very welcome!

I think you made the right choice in this particular trip postponement! Don't get me wrong -- I love Halloween Time at DLR. It's a lot of fun, it has its own style and it is a gem in its own right.

But -- and there is no disputing this fact -- the holiday season is much 'bigger' than Halloween Time. Disney just makes a bigger deal of the holidays than it does Halloween Time (which is kind of sad, to be honest). During Halloween Time, you can walk around large segments of DL and not know that it was Halloween season at all. People have stated that in the past. Most of the Halloween decor is concentrated in Frontierland and on Main Street. In California Adventure, all of the Halloween decorations that used to be up were removed a few years ago when the construction kicked into gear for the billion dollar makeover.

Quite simply, you will get more bang for your buck by visiting during the holidays. Both parks will be decorated. There will be themed music playing in various lands. The decorations are themed in each location. All of the shops and restaurants have trees or other decor. Santa is in both parks. There are carolers in Disneyland and Bell Ringers on Buena Vista Street. There are gingerbread 'sculptures' in all the restaurants in Cars Land and on Buena Vista Street, etc. It's a really wonderful time of year to be there!

Plus, not only will you get to experience Haunted Mansion Holiday but you will get to experience the magnificent It's a Small World Holiday! IASWH is completely transformed and holiday-ized inside the ride, from room to room, and the facade of the ride lights up in glorious colors at night. People flock from all corners of the park to stare at IASWH's beauty.

I hope that you and your daughter have a great time!

That Catalina tip is important for people traveling over there I would think. Hope your time over there was fun! How long did you rent the golf cart? I can't remember if we did 60, 90 or 120 minutes but we got back just in time so we didn't get charged any extra.

I'm still waiting on pins and needles about this possible hard ticket event this year. Can I ask how does Halloween typically work? Do they kick the people out that bought regular passes? Is it around 4pm when the hard ticket event people get in? We are coming for just a quick weekend stay and a hard ticket event would really mess with our plans.

Mike --

You're absolutely right. It is very important for people to know about the cash situation when visiting Catalina and, as I mentioned earlier, I don't think I was even really aware of how many cash-only places there were back in the old days of visiting Catalina. I think I just happened to hit a lot of the places that took plastic back then, or maybe I had cash on hand and used it willingly. While there are quite a few places that accept plastic, there are also quite a few that are cash only (some of which you wouldn't expect, like the golf cart places), and it is very good to know that!

I think I went to a different golf cart place than the one you went to, but I'm not sure. I hit the stand that is very close to where the Express and Flyer boats dock, which is called Island Rentals. I got the '3 hours for the price of 2 hours' deal. Last year I did the same 3 for 2 deal and I used up every last second of the 3 hours because I stopped to visit the Wrigley Botanical Garden and Memorial. This time I skipped Wrigley and I brought the cart back at about the 2 hour, 20 minute point. There were too many people driving up in the hills that day and I felt I could never stop anywhere to take a picture or do anything without a trail of carts or tour buses right behind me! It was getting on my nerves after a while so I brought the cart back early.

But they opened up a scenic, wonderful, seaside road that had been closed for 7 years to tourists, and I was able to once again drive on that -- which I used to do back in the '90s and early 2000's. That was a highlight.

Bret explained how the Halloween party works above, so I can't add much to that. I would have to assume that a Christmas party would work the same way.

I don't think a party would take place every night. There would probably be 10 parties or something like that. During the non-party nights DLR would likely run the non-holiday fireworks and non-holiday parade, which would be unfortunate and annoying! They would probably stop the party just before the weekend prior to Christmas and then run the holiday fireworks and holiday parade for the general public in the busy Christmas and New Year's weeks.

I suspect that a Christmas party would not begin until after Thanksgiving, but that doesn't mean that the holiday parade and fireworks would be happening before the party starts.

MHP tickets tend to cost anywhere from $50-ish dollars to $74 (depending on the night and whether or not there is a pre-purchase AP, Disney Visa or DVC discount). Halloween night is always more expensive.

Of course, I can't predict what Disney will do and how/when they will do it (every time I think I have them nailed down to a certain pattern or likely plan, they change something!), but I just have a feeling that there won't be a full-fledged, multi-night party this year. I think they will start the holiday World of Color and test the guests' reactions and feedback to that, to determine if it can be a viable alternative for those who do not wish to attend a party in the future. I am thinking a party is coming next year. By that time Disney will have had plenty of time to figure out some all-new entertainment to add to a party, and maybe worked out where to have the Candlelight Ceremony so they can add more nights to it and charge for dinner packages.

I suspect that this year will be about the holiday World of Color and whatever Disney decides to do for the holidays in conjunction with the Limited Time Magic thing. They could do little dance parties (like the one they are doing on 9/13 for the Villains) for LTM, but I just don't think they are quite ready for a full scale party yet. I could be totally wrong, though. It wouldn't be the first time!

My guess is still that IF there is going to be a Christmas party of any magnitude, we will hear something official about it sometime next month. It could be at the very end of August, but I am guessing August. Early September may even be too late to really promote a full scale party and entice people to plan holiday trips if they were not already planning them.

If we have not heard anything about a hard ticket, multi-night party by the end of August or very beginning of September, I have a feeling we will be in the clear and there will not be one in 2013. Again, I could be very wrong. But for something major like that -- which would put a big dent in the holiday schedule and existing entertainment to which so many people have become attached -- I cannot imagine that Disney would wait until Halloween Time begins in mid-September to let us know.

Just like the 20-night Candlelight Ceremony was announced in August last year, I have to believe a hard ticket, major party would be announced somewhere in that time frame too. Now if they just do some little mini-party thing for Limited Time Magic, that only takes place for a night or two, they may not announce that until late October!

 

[wdwmoose]

The more I hear you pitch your idea, Sherry, the more I get excited that there's a really good chance I won't have to do any planning around parties or anything. I know I can't really count the chickens yet, but I'm feeling much more confident about it.

 

[Sherry E]

The more I hear you pitch your idea, Sherry, the more I get excited that there's a really good chance I won't have to do any planning around parties or anything. I know I can't really count the chickens yet, but I'm feeling much more confident about it.

wdwmoose --

I could be totally wrong. As I mentioned above, every time I think I have Disney nailed down to a pattern or a likely plan of action, they switch things up. At this rate, even though November 12th was printed as the season start date in the AP Backstage Pass newsletter, we can't even be sure that's correct! Sometimes it seems as if Disney must have things planned out way, way in advance and other times it sort of seems like they are deciding things as they go along.

I don't feel that there will be a party this year because I just don't think DLR is quite ready for it and they have the Limited Time Magic stuff to deal with, but it could turn out that the MiceAge rumors from a few months ago are true and that a party is coming.

All I know is, even if Disney comes to its senses and adds in brand new entertainment to a party (instead of using the existing holiday parade and fireworks), we would still end up with a non-holiday parade and non-holiday fireworks on the non-party nights.

So, one way or the other (whether they take the existing holiday parade and fireworks and put them in the party or come up with brand new events for the party), we would still end up getting less holiday entertainment for the price of general admission and would have to pay extra money to get more entertainment.

If a party were to be held in DCA, however, Disney could keep the existing holiday fireworks and parade in DL, as well as move the CP to the theater in Fantasyland and add more nights/dinner packages. World of Color would then become the focal point of the Christmas party, with things like the Mad T Party playing a role in it as well (which Luisa suggested a while back).

But, alas, I think that the way things will eventually pan out is not like what I suggested above. I think that the CP will end up in DCA at some point, and the party will be in DL.


And I still think that the Limited Time Magic week should involve some pop-up mini Christmas Markets themed for the different European countries that have them. It wouldn't be that difficult to pull off. DLR already celebrated Greece and the Lunar New Year and all kinds of other things. It's not a huge stretch to imagine mini-European holiday celebrations, Epcot style, scattered around DLR for one week. They could do it and it would be great. They probably won't, but they could!

 

[wdwmoose]

wdwmoose --

I could be totally wrong. As I mentioned above, every time I think I have Disney nailed down to a pattern or a likely plan of action, they switch things up. At this rate, even though November 12th was printed as the season start date in the AP Backstage Pass newsletter, we can't even be sure that's correct! Sometimes it seems as if Disney must have things planned out way, way in advance and other times it sort of seems like they are deciding things as they go along.:

Oh, I don't take your pondering as fact. We could all be wrong for whatever we think the future's going to look like. But I'm an optimistic, so I live on hope.

 

[laurasvwee]

If there was going to be a party when do you think it would be announced? When does Disney start releasing and advertising the holiday season? This is my first christmas time trip and its soooo hard to wait. I just want it to get here already.