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

[Sherry E]

If anyone calls and books the holiday tour today or tomorrow (or whenever it opens), let us know! I am thinking it should be open for booking by tomorrow.

In 3 weeks the 2013 Hallmark Channel Countdown to Christmas (2-month long) movie marathon begins! I wonder if the movie schedule is already up on the Hallmark Channel website. I haven't checked.

I am in the process of rounding up the photos to go in my last couple of posts for this current Characters--PhotoPass--Santa Claus Theme Week, as well as putting together the new Theme Week that begins in 2 days.

But first, I finally have a quick moment to reply/comment on a few of the recent posts in the thread...

OK Christmas threaders, help me decide!

We are heading to DLR for 3 nights 13-16 December. Originally it was just our family of four, but now we have another family joining us who have never been to Disney before (well the parents have many years ago). Altogether we'll have four kids with us, all girls, 13-16.

Now - my plan when it was just us was to arrive on Friday early afternoon, check in and do the Holiday tour, as a good way to spend the afternoon adn side step the crowds. But now I'm thinking maybe we should do something different.

I'm thinking we should swap to making a Cathay circle dinner booking and seeing the new WOC show on that first day. We could go into Disney first and see Main street etc, then go across, have dinner and maybe even ride something like the Little Mermaid, or pick up a Fast pass .

Instead of the tour, we might think about a Fantasmic booking - but I'd quite like to experience the snow on Mainstreet - maybe that could happen Saturday night , and we could do Fantasmic on the Sunday.

Funnily enough, I think one of the older girls (who hasn't been) is worried about being bored...so that's why I think we might skip the tour and focus more on activities.

Anyway, let me know what you think! Any other Christmas ideas appreciated!

farmfresh --

Hmmm.... I can see what you mean about wanting to do something different so the older kids don't get bored.

I should preface this by saying that the dates have not been released yet, but just in case the Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen (in DTD) Gingerbread House-building workshop is going on during your trip, would that be of interest to you or to the kids? I know that the workshop only takes place on 2 or 3 dates in December (currently, the Haunted Gingerbread House workshop is being featured on the Jazz Kitchen Facebook page), and I don't know if one of those dates will be during your trip but it looks like a lot of fun.

The good thing about the holiday tour (other than the parade seats) is that you can get right on It's a Small World Holiday (there is no Fast Pass for that, from what I've seen, and the lines can get very long) and right on Haunted Mansion Holiday. Plus, you also get the cookies and fudge samples and all of that. Will the kids want to wait in a very long line for It's a Small World Holiday? (I am assuming they will enjoy Haunted Mansion Holiday, but IASWH to teenagers may be a different story!).


Maybe the older kids will like the Mad T Party in DCA? Last year they did a holiday-themed show and there was snowfall at the end of it, but because the Mad T Party band is a bit edgier and more hip than your average Disney band the kids may appreciate it?

There are activities I could suggest that are good for the adults -- spending some time in the GCH lobby and taking in the atmosphere, for example -- but for teenagers or older kids that could be sheer misery!

I don't know -- I am hoping that between Winter Dreams, Fantasmic, the Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks, the Christmas Fantasy Parade, Viva Navidad, the Jingle Jangle Jamboree, IASWH, Haunted Mansion Holiday, the Jingle Jangle Jamboree, the "Winter Village" (probably an ice rink) in DTD, the assorted rides and treats, etc., there will be no possible way anyone could be bored!!

New Christmas event at Disney California Adventure, looks like something to look forward to!

Disney ¡Viva Navidad! Brings a Festive Celebration to Disney California Adventure Park!

Thanks, Orbitron!

I added that link to the Seasonal Events/Activities post on Page 1. Every time I think I have got the posts on Page 1 updated with new links, the Parks Blog puts out yet another one. We are only in Halloween Time now. Once we get past October 31 I expect there will be lots of holiday blogs and articles coming our way!

HMMM...I'm wondering if the Target that will be opening within walking distance of where I live will have it. It's due to open on or around Nov 4th, so will have to check and see if they are going to stock it. We are finally getting a Target up here, and I' m curious as to what their prices will be. Right now I'm grumbling about packing for the trip. I tend to pack light by nature, and while I'm packing enough to fill a backpack for 6 days, am taking 2 suitcases nested within each other due to the Christmas shopping I'm doing while on vacation in DL. I would love to travel with just a backpack, but know that I wouldn't be able to bring back any souvenirs. So it's an evil necessity to bring the suitcases, even though I don't need them, at least on the outbound leg of the trip. I've been enjoying the pics, and am really looking forward to my trip next month.

Trish --

I will be very, very curious to hear if your Target has the Dreyer's (or Edy's) Peppermint Wonderland ice cream in stock, and whether or not is it Slow Churned. Unless I move to Arizona, Alaska or Northern California, I am thinking my only hope of getting the "real" stuff is actually at Disneyland!

Your trip is coming up so soon! I can't believe time has flown by that fast. I remember when you first joined the thread as you established that you were going to be making a holiday trip. It seems like someone took a chunk out of the year somewhere along the line! Not that I'm complaining -- I was hoping that Fall, Halloween Time and the holidays would hurry and get here, but it really seems like Summer zoomed by much faster than I expected.

You have to be able to bring back some souvenirs and collectibles, so those suitcases are necessary. There will be a lot of merchandise to inspect! Don't forget to check out the shops in the Disneyland Hotel and the Grand Californian Hotel as well (I suggest those because they are easily accessible from Downtown Disney).

Ugh, I just caught up after not checking for about a week. These PP+ pictures have done me in, I'm almost sick with anticipation for our upcoming trip...2 months from today we will BE THERE! I need to figure out my dining reservations, still debating between Minnie & Friends (which we prefer over Goofy's Kitchen) &/or Surf's Up which we've never done. I just love being in the park already so when we're done eating we are already in midst of the fun. I'm worried I'll be tying up too much time by doing both too.

I need to order my PP+ card too. To the previous poster who asked if it is worth it, I say YES! Our April trip we managed to get over 100 pictures in 2 half days & 1 full day - and that didn't include any ride photos (We didn't do any rides). You just have to really keep an eye out for the photographers and every time you see one, set your stuff down and have some pictures taken. I'm really excited to do this with all the Christmas decorations....and then the Christmas borders, oh my (I go crazy with the borders....I never print them like that but I figure I can never go back to add the borders, so might as well add them now so I have them later should I want them).

And as for mini-photo shoot like the other person suggested, chat the photographer up. We had one girl who we waited for her camera to re-boot (it was several minutes) at the fountains in DCA (at the main junction at the end of the main street...is that Buena Vista?) Anyway she took us around that fountain to get different angles, then she saw the trolley coming & even though she had a line by now, she moved us and had us wait to pose for pictures with the trolley, it was really nice.

Sherry, your pic in front of the Castle with the icicles gave me chills. I told my co-worker that is the picture I want 5 versions of! Me & DH, Me & DH & DD, My parents, my parents with DD, and all 5 of us.

Sorry for the rambling, had to get some excited energy out!!

egritz --

What ended up happening with your co-workers? Did you find people to cover those other shifts so you could get away?

Well, as for a character meal -- you already know you enjoy Minnie & Friends so that's already a home run for you. Also, there is a chance that at least a couple of the characters at M&F will be wearing Winter sweaters or scarves (like they used to go at Goofy's many moons ago). I've seen photos taken at M&F during the holidays, and some of them are in holiday garb.

At the same time, Surf's Up has Mickey in Lifeguard gear. The restaurant is usually not all that crowded. Stitch and Daisy Duck are there, and they are pretty rare. The character interaction -- while there are fewer characters in the restaurant -- is great. They are very attentive -- to kids, to adults, to anyone who is receptive. I mean, as soon as we sat down in our chairs we were greeted by a character. I didn't even have a chance to take my bag off of my shoulders and settle in before Minnie (or whoever it was that got to us first) was standing there. I barely had a chance to get a bite of food in between character visits. I still greatly prefer the Goofy's Kitchen array of food at the buffet (a wider variety than at Surf's Up), but since you don't like Goofy's you might really enjoy Surf's Up!

Thank you -- I love the Castle picture too! It was taken after 11:00 p.m. (it is unheard of that I even got my friends to stay out that late), and we were lucky to get a photographer that was very diligent about making sure to get some decent shots for each guest. He took his time with it, which made for a slower line of people waiting their turn but was worth it in the end.

I am going to post (today or tomorrow) the nighttime Castle photo that you don't want to get (just for the purposes of showing the difference between the "good" Castle shot and the "not good" shot) -- the one without the icicle lights! It was a different PhotoPass photographer who took this picture, and even though the Castle is always pretty at night, when the icicle lights are not on the PhotoPass pictures have less of that magical 'wow' factor! The lights turned off just as I got to the line!

I sorted out my leave for next year today. If all goes according to plan, I will be at Disneyland from November 11th to 14th and then again November 29th to December 4th.

Corinna

Corinna --

Yay! So you will get a taste of the opening days of the season on the first visit, and then when you come back for the second you will be there in time to see the hotel decor/carolers/Santas. And, by then, maybe a party too... Maybe Disney will have figured out a way to have the Candlelight Ceremony on more nights by 2014 as well.

 

[egritz]

What ended up happening with your co-workers? Did you find people to cover those other shifts so you could get away?

Your memory NEVER ceases to amaze me Sherry! It is looking good. I actually took a look at the schedule yesterday and it looks like I only need 10 hours (here & there among the days) that I still need to find coverage for. Everyone keeps telling me not to worry, but I really would love to have "approved" on my time off request! I'm getting so stinkin' excited it is hard to not talk my co-worker's ears off all day.

Thanks for your feedback on the character breakfast thing too. The more & more I think of it, I think I'm going to book Minnie's for Thursday morning (if it is a EE day I'll try to do it during EE since we'll use our 1 EE day on Tuesday; otherwise I think I'll make the ADR for 10:30). And then book Surf's Up for Saturday at 10:30 and just plan to only spend 2 hours in the park that morning. Just hate to only spend 2 hours on both the first & last days in the park, seems like such a waste, but the 5 day PH tickets have already been purchased.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Corinna --

Yay! So you will get a taste of the opening days of the season on the first visit, and then when you come back for the second you will be there in time to see the hotel decor/carolers/Santas. And, by then, maybe a party too... Maybe Disney will have figured out a way to have the Candlelight Ceremony on more nights by 2014 as well.

I would love to experience the Candlelight Processional at Disneyland, but even if they added a few dates, I think we are leaving too early. I actually just moved our vacation plans a week backwards, which means that I have to fly from Los Angeles to Honolulu on my big birthday, but the trade off for that is that I get to spend Thanksgiving at Aulani and should see the resorts all decorated. Seeing the resorts in all their holiday splendor was one of the highlights of our Walt Disney World trip last year and I would have disappointed to miss this at Disneyland.

Corinna

 

[ksromack]

If anyone calls and books the holiday tour today or tomorrow (or whenever it opens), let us know! I am thinking it should be open for booking by tomorrow.

This is to be booked 30 days out, right? Oh, I guess a month from now will be the start of the holiday season....omgosh, it really is coming quickly now!

I should preface this by saying that the dates have not been released yet, but just in case the Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen (in DTD) Gingerbread House-building workshop is going on during your trip, would that be of interest to you or to the kids? I know that the workshop only takes place on 2 or 3 dates in December (currently, the Haunted Gingerbread House workshop is being featured on the Jazz Kitchen Facebook page), and I don't know if one of those dates will be during your trip but it looks like a lot of fun. .

We want to eat at the Jazz Kitchen.....but I expect it will be fairly crowded our first night there.....a friday night, after 8pm. We may just have to be satisfied grabbing some EOS and hitting the sack early that first night.......I love Gingerbread.....

The good thing about the holiday tour (other than the parade seats) is that you can get right on It's a Small World Holiday (there is no Fast Pass for that, from what I've seen, and the lines can get very long) .

So another "quirk" for booking with the AP discount besides getting a free 5x7" photopass picture is getting a free "Fast Pass"....but it doesn't say anything about any limitations....so I wonder if we could use them on IASW or if we would just want to hold them for an emergency....or what about Radiator Springs? I JUST watched Cars again, just to get in the Disney mood and I had forgotten how good that movie was. I'm ready for Carsland!

I don't know -- I am hoping that between Winter Dreams, Fantasmic, the Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks, the Christmas Fantasy Parade, Viva Navidad, the Jingle Jangle Jamboree, IASWH, Haunted Mansion Holiday, the Jingle Jangle Jamboree, the "Winter Village" (probably an ice rink) in DTD, the assorted rides and treats, etc., there will be no possible way anyone could be bored!!.

I'm going to have to read up on Jingle Jangle Jamboree......that's the holiday area, right? Where the reindeer used to be? Where the Hillbillies play?

I will be very, very curious to hear if your Target has the Dreyer's (or Edy's) Peppermint Wonderland ice cream in stock, and whether or not is it Slow Churned. Unless I move to Arizona, Alaska or Northern California, I am thinking my only hope of getting the "real" stuff is actually at Disneyland!.

Is Dreyers the same as Breyers? I don't think I know of this Dreyers brand. I LOVE the Natural Vanilla ice cream of Breyers....but I did see a Peppermint flavor of ice cream the other day at the grocery store. I like chocolate chip mint......I think I would like Peppermint with White Choc chips!

Well, as for a character meal -- you already know you enjoy Minnie & Friends so that's already a home run for you. Also, there is a chance that at least a couple of the characters at M&F will be wearing Winter sweaters or scarves (like they used to go at Goofy's many moons ago). I've seen photos taken at M&F during the holidays, and some of them are in holiday garb.

Gosh, I'm really thinking I need to only do 2 of the character breakfasts.....Goofy's Kitchen is a for sure so now I'm tetering between M&F and Surf's Up.......and Surf's Up is at our hotel and I'm thinking we could do that our last day, which is a monday. 3 character breakfasts for 2 adults seems a little much.

 

[Sherry E]

Checked Lucky's today...still only slow churned I'm hoping we'll get some of the regular later in the season, but not holding out too much hope since they already have the slow churned and their own store generic (which is horrible!). I might have to break down and buy the slow churned.

Jamie --

I am hoping the Slow Churned has a better flavor this year. I still have no clue why certain areas would get the non-Slow Churned and others only get Slow Churned, nor do I know why there are two varieties of pumpkin ice cream (Grand and Slow Churned) floating around.

...Betting Sherry can respond with more ideas.

Thanks, Pesky -- I don't know if I necessarily had any good ideas to offer, but I had a couple of ideas at least!

Thank you sweet Sherry!! We are considering going out a day or 2 early. That would be CP weekend , but several of our good friends will be going that weekend, and we'd love to do it with them. Plus, dh could join us, w/o missing work. Not sure I want to deal with the crowds, but wonder if while the CP is going on, the rest of the park may be less full? That might be nice!

I got to enjoy the CP at Epcot years ago. It's lovely!!

Thanks again for this wonderful thread!! I appreciate you!!

Julie --

You're very welcome. I'm glad to help in any way I can. Thank you for the kind words of appreciation!

You know, that's a good point -- at the time the CP is happening in DL, it is likely that the other areas of DL (in other words, anywhere except Main Street or Town Square) could be less crowded. On the other hand, the opposite could happen -- everyone who does not want to see the CP and does not want to go to DCA could head to all of the other lands in DL. It's hard to say what will happen.

I think that there will be other folks -- like myself -- who saw the CP for the first time last year and knew they wanted to see it again. It is just wonderful in the outdoor Town Square location. However, they may not realize that it is only taking place on 2 nights this year, therefore possibly bringing even more people in to see the CP than there have been in previous years. In other words, "new" fans of the CP who caught it for the first time in 2012 may want to crowd into DL on 12/7 and 12/8 to see it this year, as it will be their only chance. I don't know that this will happen, but it is possible.

We saw CP last year at Epcot too........Jodi Benson (Ariel) narrated ours and I would love to see it again this year.

Sherry, when do you think they will announce how they will handle it this year....who the narrators will be.....how they choose participants?

We are getting APs but don't have them right this moment....we'll pay for them once we arrive. I'm guessing we're not on an AP "list"......

Kathy --

Last year's Candlelight Ceremony set-up was an exception. The 20-night run was not the norm at all.

The way it usually works for the regular 2-night CP schedule is that only people on a mysterious list of invited guests can sit in the chairs set up in front of the Town Square stage. I have no idea who the people on this exclusive list are, but I have heard that they could be Club 33 members, media people, family members of Disney/ABC/Pixar employees, and other people with connections.

During the CP performances (2 shows on each night), the seats are filled but there are many, many, many people crowded all around the perimeter of the seating area -- in other words, all around Town Square, which causes a big traffic jam as people want to get in and out of the park. Main Street gets backed up as well. People stand in the allowed viewing locations around Town Square to watch the CP from afar, and some of them may begin waiting hours earlier.

This is why the CP in the Town Square location is a controversial issue. On the one hand, the people who have been invited to see it for decades (and there are some "older" folks who come back every year) love seeing it in that setting. On the other hand, it causes a foot traffic issue in that general vicinity.

I am guessing that the narrator will be the same for both nights, as has been the case in the past. It could be John Stamos again (Disney likes him, and the crowds like him!). It could be one of the go-to people who does the CP at WDW or at DLR, like Whoopi Goldberg, Neil Patrick Harris, Edward James Olmos, Gary Sinise, Kurt Russell, Andy Garcia, etc. Disney probably knows who it will be right now, but because they are not making a big point of advertising it to the non-invited public this year they probably don't know how to handle it!

Disney kind of dropped the ball, in my opinion. They have to know that they gained a lot of new CP fans last year over the course of 20 nights, and now to reduce it back down to only 2 nights and invitation-only seats with little fanfare is going to be disappointing for many of those people, and will probably draw in more people to Town Square than what there used to be 2 years ago!

I was hoping that Disney would have figured out something at the last minute, just to add in a few new CP nights (maybe not 20 nights, but more than 2), but I don't think it will happen as the participants/choir members were only advised about the 12/7 and 12/8 performances.

So I think the only way to view the CP will be to stand in the allowed viewing area around Town Square... and if that is anything like the madness that was the Unleash the Villains event at DLR last month, I will not be standing there! I loved the CP when I saw it last year -- but I was lucky enough to walk up at the right time and get seats that were being held for the no-shows!! I doubt there will be any empty seats for a 2-night event.

 

[mom2rtk]

Speaking of holiday shows........

Just an FYI "Nightmare Before Christmas" will be on ABC Family a week from tonight. We have never seen it, so it's already set on my DVR!

 

[cmwade77]

We saw CP last year at Epcot too........Jodi Benson (Ariel) narrated ours and I would love to see it again this year.

Sherry, when do you think they will announce how they will handle it this year....who the narrators will be.....how they choose participants?

We are getting APs but don't have them right this moment....we'll pay for them once we arrive. I'm guessing we're not on an AP "list"......

By all reports it has gone back to only doing it for the one weekend this year. Which means only one narrator and no AP deals. Likely if there are ashy packages offered it will be high end packages, such as a $2,000 packageoffered only to paid D23 members.

Other than that the chairs are invited guests, which are people that work for the various vendors that service Disneyland. Candlelight was always meant as a thank you to them.

It could also be Dick van Dyke as the narrator, he always loves to do it.

As to why they would change it back to only 2 nights, by all accounts Disney lost so much in sales on CP nights on main Street that they barely broke even for the entire Park those days and on some lost money.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Is Dreyers the same as Breyers? I don't think I know of this Dreyers brand. I LOVE the Natural Vanilla ice cream of Breyers....but I did see a Peppermint flavor of ice cream the other day at the grocery store. I like chocolate chip mint......I think I would like Peppermint with White Choc chips!

Dreyer's and Breyers aren't the same. Dreyer's goes by the brand Edy's back east I think. Do you have Edy's?

 

[dolphingirl47]

I think we can be reasonably sure that the narrator for the Candlelight Processional won't be Whoopi Goldberg as she is the narrator for the Candlelight Processional at Epcot that same weekend. I have booked one of the Candlelight Processional dinner packages on the Saturday to see her.

Corinna

 

[greenkai3000]

Does anyone know if they have posted the calendar of refurbishments for the month of December yet?

 

[Sherry E]

Your memory NEVER ceases to amaze me Sherry! It is looking good. I actually took a look at the schedule yesterday and it looks like I only need 10 hours (here & there among the days) that I still need to find coverage for. Everyone keeps telling me not to worry, but I really would love to have "approved" on my time off request! I'm getting so stinkin' excited it is hard to not talk my co-worker's ears off all day.

Thanks for your feedback on the character breakfast thing too. The more & more I think of it, I think I'm going to book Minnie's for Thursday morning (if it is a EE day I'll try to do it during EE since we'll use our 1 EE day on Tuesday; otherwise I think I'll make the ADR for 10:30). And then book Surf's Up for Saturday at 10:30 and just plan to only spend 2 hours in the park that morning. Just hate to only spend 2 hours on both the first & last days in the park, seems like such a waste, but the 5 day PH tickets have already been purchased.

egritz --

Is it possible to get to Surf's Up really early, like at 7 a.m. or 7:30 a.m., so you can get into the park and have a little more than 2 hours? Or will that not work? I know that some people can't get up that early.

I would love to experience the Candlelight Processional at Disneyland, but even if they added a few dates, I think we are leaving too early. I actually just moved our vacation plans a week backwards, which means that I have to fly from Los Angeles to Honolulu on my big birthday, but the trade off for that is that I get to spend Thanksgiving at Aulani and should see the resorts all decorated. Seeing the resorts in all their holiday splendor was one of the highlights of our Walt Disney World trip last year and I would have disappointed to miss this at Disneyland.

Corinna

Corinna --

I think that seeing the hotels -- even if they are not as elaborately decorated as the hotels at WDW -- helps to enhance the overall holiday experience, so I'm glad you'll get to do that in 2014. And Thanksgiving at Aulani should be awesome! Actually, I'm sure that any time at Aulani should be awesome (one day I'll get there)!

This is to be booked 30 days out, right? Oh, I guess a month from now will be the start of the holiday season....omgosh, it really is coming quickly now!

We want to eat at the Jazz Kitchen.....but I expect it will be fairly crowded our first night there.....a friday night, after 8pm. We may just have to be satisfied grabbing some EOS and hitting the sack early that first night.......I love Gingerbread.....

So another "quirk" for booking with the AP discount besides getting a free 5x7" photopass picture is getting a free "Fast Pass"....but it doesn't say anything about any limitations....so I wonder if we could use them on IASW or if we would just want to hold them for an emergency....or what about Radiator Springs? I JUST watched Cars again, just to get in the Disney mood and I had forgotten how good that movie was. I'm ready for Carsland!

I'm going to have to read up on Jingle Jangle Jamboree......that's the holiday area, right? Where the reindeer used to be? Where the Hillbillies play?

Is Dreyers the same as Breyers? I don't think I know of this Dreyers brand. I LOVE the Natural Vanilla ice cream of Breyers....but I did see a Peppermint flavor of ice cream the other day at the grocery store. I like chocolate chip mint......I think I would like Peppermint with White Choc chips!


Gosh, I'm really thinking I need to only do 2 of the character breakfasts.....Goofy's Kitchen is a for sure so now I'm tetering between M&F and Surf's Up.......and Surf's Up is at our hotel and I'm thinking we could do that our last day, which is a monday. 3 character breakfasts for 2 adults seems a little much.

Kathy --

Yes, the tour can be booked at 30 days. Usually the holiday tour begins on the first day of the holiday season. So I am guessing that it should open up for booking tomorrow (that's the 30-day point). It is all coming up very quickly! It seemed like the year was kind of slugging along for a bit of time, and then all of a sudden it zoomed forward.

I've never eaten at Jazz Kitchen myself, but I know that they do have a little takeout stand/window next to the main restaurant. You might be able to get something from there if you just had a craving for that kind of food and maybe it wouldn't be as crowded as the actual restaurant.

You know, this will sound bad but I think I like Cars Land, the land, better than Cars, the movie! I don't dislike Cars, but it never grabbed me as much as the Toy Story movies did, or Finding Nemo, Monsters, Inc., etc. The land, however, is great! I didn't think that Cars Land was a good idea for a land at all when I first heard that it was in the works, but Disney (with John Lasseter's guidance) did an excellent job on it. The details are amazing, from the foliage to the deliberate cracks in the ground and oil-stained cement near Flo's, etc. During the holidays the decorations are so unique and clever.

I think that you can use the Fast Pass that you get with your reservation for any ride that takes a Fast Pass. I don't think It's a Small World Holiday has a FP machine. I could be wrong about that, though. Haunted Mansion Holiday has a FP machine but sometimes it's not working.

Yes, the Jingle Jangle Jamboree is the area that used to have the reindeer. Billy Hill and the (Holiday) Hillbillies play there. Santa is there. Santa Goofy is also there. Pluto in reindeer ears is there. Other characters are there. You can find the non-peppermint flavored candy cane cotton candy there, as well as cookie decorating and crafts. Also, there are all kinds of cute, rustic decorations around the cabin area. The Big Thunder Ranch BBQ in this location too.

Dreyer's and Breyer's are two totally different brands! In your area, Dreyer's might be called Edy's (just like Best Foods Mayonnaise and Hellmann's Mayonnaise are the same thing, but have different names depending on the location, and my Ralphs store is called Kroger in other states). Do you have Edy's at your stores? The Edy's is the one that should have the Peppermint Wonderland ice cream (or Peppermint Stick).

I have never seen a peppermint variety of Breyer's ice cream -- only the green mint/chip -- although I did try the Breyer's limited edition Strawberry Shortcake ice cream during the summer!

Surf's Up is a little more laid back, but there is still a lot of character attention. And again, Mickey is there. The issue with that restaurant is that it is tucked kind of out of the way at the PPH, and a lot of people have the impression that the PPH is too far away so they don't walk across the street to get to it and eat at Surf's Up. That's why it often seems slow in there. In truth, the PPH is not far away and you just have to know the "short cut" out the front entrance, across the street and through the GCH lobby. If you follow the signs on the PPH property as to how to get to the parks you will be walking a more roundabout way. The GCH lobby route is better -- and much more interesting!

Minnie & Friends has lots of characters -- as egritz can attest to -- but is probably a much busier restaurant than Surf's Up. As you know from reading Laurie/DizNee Luver's trip reports, she loves Surf's Up and I think that Goofy's is her second favorite. Goofy's is my favorite. I haven't tried Minnie & Friends yet. I liked Surf's Up enough to try it again in the future. And the Critter Breakfast at Storytellers Cafe in the GCH is my least favorite -- it's really quiet and laid back! (Which is a big bonus for a lot of people.) I like Storytellers better as a non-character meal, for lunch or dinner.

 

[egritz]

egritz --

Is it possible to get to Surf's Up really early, like at 7 a.m. or 7:30 a.m., so you can get into the park and have a little more than 2 hours? Or will that not work? I know that some people can't get up that early.

That's the day we check out of the hotel so we have to get ready and pack up the rest of our stuff and get it checked with Bell Hop. It is entirely possible we could get up early enough to do that, but I don't want to bank on it. We are spending the day before (Friday) at Knot's Berry Farm so I anticipate being done there by 4, and I'm guessing back to the hotel by 5 (depending how long it takes on the bus, which is a whole other issue). I'm hoping to complete most of our packing on Friday night and just have the morning toiletries left but who knows how tired I'll be!!!!

 

[Sherry E]

Speaking of holiday shows........

Just an FYI "Nightmare Before Christmas" will be on ABC Family a week from tonight. We have never seen it, so it's already set on my DVR!

Janet --

You've never seen it? Wow! Toy Story of Terror is coming up this week on ABC, too. It's only 30 minutes, but it's a little Halloween dose of the Toy Story characters, which will be fun.

By all reports it has gone back to only doing it for the one weekend this year. Which means only one narrator and no AP deals. Likely if there are ashy packages offered it will be high end packages, such as a $2,000 packageoffered only to paid D23 members.

Other than that the chairs are invited guests, which are people that work for the various vendors that service Disneyland. Candlelight was always meant as a thank you to them.

It could also be Dick van Dyke as the narrator, he always loves to do it.

As to why they would change it back to only 2 nights, by all accounts Disney lost so much in sales on CP nights on main Street that they barely broke even for the entire Park those days and on some lost money.

cmwade77 --

Yep. Sadly, only 2 nights this year -- we were discussing it in this thread probably 5 months ago, or as soon as that internal letter was circulated to choir directors and other participants that announced 12/7 and 12/8 as the nights. I was hoping that something would have changed since that time, when we first learned of the 2 nights, but it did not. And yes, we also heard the rumors of Main Street taking a big revenue hit. Still, though, dropping down from 20 nights to 2 is a huge cutback. I think there could and should have been a happy medium or middle ground!

I think we can be reasonably sure that the narrator for the Candlelight Processional won't be Whoopi Goldberg as she is the narrator for the Candlelight Processional at Epcot that same weekend. I have booked one of the Candlelight Processional dinner packages on the Saturday to see her.

Corinna

Corinna --

Well, Whoopi can't very well be in two places at once, can she? I can tell you one thing -- the more popular the narrator, the more of a chance there will be people gathered 'round Town Square to watch from afar! If they get someone who is not very interesting on a grand level...like, say, Marcia Gay Harden or Patricia Heaton, I don't think the appeal will be as strong. However, someone like Dick Van Dyke, Kurt Russell, John Stamos -- or, let's say, someone like Julie Andrews or Tom Hanks -- would draw in the masses. The Disney movie veterans, or the actors with a strong Disney history or pedigree, are big hits. If Jodie Foster ever narrated, she'd be a huge hit too.

Does anyone know if they have posted the calendar of refurbishments for the month of December yet?

greenkai3000 -

When I was putting together the list of dates in post #2 on page 1 of this thread (just yesterday), I looked for December info and was curious about refurbs too, but all I really saw was what we already know about BTMRR being down. At this point the information for November isn't even fully filled in yet on the Disney calendar.

 

[Pesky]

I'd love some input on a rough schedule, as here is what I'm thinking.
Sun: Arrive; dinner at Storyteller's; hit DLH to get my Photo+ card near Goofy's before the next day.
Mon: Make the RSR dash! perfect intro to DLR for DS. Do the Carsland thing, grab a snack. Hit Little Mermaid and TSMM and boardwalk area. Hopefully can do Bug's Land and the Disney Jr. Show. Maybe Soaring before lunch but we'll see. Lunch at Flo's or Pacific Wharf. Head back to the room for a little rest. When kids are up, off to DL! Thinking we can start by picking up FP for HMH, then hit Jungle Cruise and PoTC. Then walk over to Tomorrowland if there is time, see about Star Tours, Buzz Lightyear and check the lines on Autopia. Hit HMH. Will have to get in line to get the F! dessert seating assignment. Hoping we can make it to dinner without issue because of that! Thinking dinner at BTRBBQ and that would be a nice break to see the animals there. Then F! dessert seating and off to bed after that. Whew!
Tues: Kids will be up and raring to go. This will be our DL day (mostly). Figured we'd do a morning in DL. This is when we'll try to do some of the slow loaders and IASWH. Hopefully get in the M&G with the Frozen gals and catch the Rapunzel show. If time permits, check out Toontown. Lunch at AG as DD will be in princess regalia! Small rest in the room. Back to DL to catch the parade if kids are interested. Tour more of rides in DLR like carousel and tea cups and maybe check out the wait with the fairies and princesses, if DD's appetite is not sated. Dinner at Blue Bayou.
Wed: I think we'll let the kids drive this day generally and see where they really want to go. I will likely go and see if I can get the kids on a tender ride for the train sometime this day. One thing we will shoot for is Jedi training academy. If we decide on trying to catch the WOC, thinking Carthay Circle lunch. If not, might be CC or Plaza Inn or just QS somewhere. Dinner that night will be adults at NR and kids get to eat in the room with a sitter. After that, we can grab them for the fireworks or WOC.
Thurs: Minnie & Friends, which I'll likely schedule for slightly later in the morning so we could do a few rides first. DS can meet his beloved Captain Hook! Definitely some shopping for me too. I figured the night before they can each pick a "must do" ride for their last day. To ease the pain of departure, might let them do B-a-B or pick another souvenir. Will leave that afternoon to drive to IL's home.

Will that work or too much? Appreciate you vets letting me know if I'm being unrealistic!

 

[mom2rtk]

Janet --

You've never seen it? Wow! Toy Story of Terror is coming up this week on ABC, too. It's only 30 minutes, but it's a little Halloween dose of the Toy Story characters, which will be fun.

Nope, never seen NBC. I have heard some of the music though and do enjoy that.

I have seen Toy Story and Toy Story 2, but never saw 3. I heard how that ends and didn't think I was up to the task. But I DO have Toy Story of Terror set to tape on my DVR this week too. It will sort of kick off our Disney research for this year, where we make it a point to watch some of our favorite movies again to get us in the mood for our trip.

We're really more about the classic Disney stuff. We're not really even into Pixar stuff all that much. I know..... I know...... We're going to Carsland and all. We did see both Cars movies last year before staying at the Art of Animation resort and they were fine, but didn't really grab us. But like you pointed out in an earlier post, I'm counting on LOVING that area of the park. I LOVE LOVE LOVE red rock country in the southwest and can't wait to see how Disney brought it to life!

 

[Sherry E]

That's the day we check out of the hotel so we have to get ready and pack up the rest of our stuff and get it checked with Bell Hop. It is entirely possible we could get up early enough to do that, but I don't want to bank on it. We are spending the day before (Friday) at Knot's Berry Farm so I anticipate being done there by 4, and I'm guessing back to the hotel by 5 (depending how long it takes on the bus, which is a whole other issue). I'm hoping to complete most of our packing on Friday night and just have the morning toiletries left but who knows how tired I'll be!!!!

egritz --

Oh, I see. Yes, I'm that way about check-out days as well. I never know exactly how long it will take me to get my things together and get out of the room. Sometimes I can get it done faster than I expect, and other times it's a slow process. And I never know when I'll be awake.

Is it a huge hassle to take the bus to and from Knott's? I don't think I've traveled from Disneyland to Knott's since I was a child, and that was probably to have the Mrs. Knott's chicken dinner after a long day at Disneyland...and someone was driving us. I've never considered the bus situation, but when you said it's a "whole other issue" that led me to believe that it might be a hassle.

In any case, I'm glad to know that you will most likely get those hours covered and be able to go, but having the official stamp of approval would be nice!

 

[mom2rtk]

I actually just tried to schedule Surf's Up for our departure day of 12/11. But it appears they don't have any tables loaded yet. Because I doubt they are completely booked already. We're going to have to be efficient so we can pack, eat, check out and make it to the airport in time.

Any suggestions on when we need to leave the hotel for SNA to make a 12:40 flight?

 

[egritz]

egritz --

Is it a huge hassle to take the bus to and from Knott's? I don't think I've traveled from Disneyland to Knott's since I was a child, and that was probably to have the Mrs. Knott's chicken dinner after a long day at Disneyland...and someone was driving us. I've never considered the bus situation, but when you said it's a "whole other issue" that led me to believe that it might be a hassle.

I don't know? lol. I think I have the instructions from someone on what bus to take, but I'm a suburban girl and don't really "get" bus routes, etc. So I'm guessing we'll end up having to ask the conceirge (I'm guessing Anabella has one) for help on figuring that all out. my daughter is 2 1/2 and we are flying and won't have a car seat, otherwise I would just take a taxi for the shorter drive. Not looking forward to doing the bus thing with a stroller (considering going sans stroller that day, but then there is ZERO chance of a stroller nap for the kiddo sooooo. yeah.

I don't really want to go to Knot's it was the one request from my Dad. After several trips of only hitting DL I caved and chose Friday since I figure it will be busy at DL anyway once the afternoon hits. He really wants the chicken dinner too so that is a must do for our Knot's trip.

Any suggestions on when we need to leave the hotel for SNA to make a 12:40 flight?

What is your transportation - private car, rental car, super shuttle, disneyland bus?

 

[ksromack]

Speaking of holiday shows........

Just an FYI "Nightmare Before Christmas" will be on ABC Family a week from tonight. We have never seen it, so it's already set on my DVR!

I just got this movie as a BluRay and a 3D! I had never seen it before and I wasn't quite sure what to expect from it....but I did enjoy it.

Dreyer's and Breyers aren't the same. Dreyer's goes by the brand Edy's back east I think. Do you have Edy's?

Yes! WE have Edy's.....and come to think of it, that was the brand I saw because that's the brand of Vanilla Bean ice cream I bought last thursday.

I've never eaten at Jazz Kitchen myself, but I know that they do have a little takeout stand/window next to the main restaurant. You might be able to get something from there if you just had a craving for that kind of food and maybe it wouldn't be as crowded as the actual restaurant.

Oh, yes.....maybe we'll do the express window at Jazz Kitchen. Should be cheaper too........
So, another question.......
which "nicer" meal do you prefer at DLR/DTD/DCA? We're already doing the Carthay Circle WOC package......and Blue Bayou. Would it be between Napa Rose and Steakhouse 55? Which would you choose?

You know, this will sound bad but I think I like Cars Land, the land, better than Cars, the movie! I don't dislike Cars, but it never grabbed me as much as the Toy Story movies did, or Finding Nemo, Monsters, Inc., etc. The land, however, is great! I didn't think that Cars Land was a good idea for a land at all when I first heard that it was in the works, but Disney (with John Lasseter's guidance) did an excellent job on it. The details are amazing, from the foliage to the deliberate cracks in the ground and oil-stained cement near Flo's, etc. During the holidays the decorations are so unique and clever.

I loved all the movies you mentioned. I needed to rewatch Cars because I wanted to be familiar with all the characters and places in the movie so I could really immerse myself in Carsland. I just know I'm going to love it.

I think that you can use the Fast Pass that you get with your reservation for any ride that takes a Fast Pass. I don't think It's a Small World Holiday has a FP machine. I could be wrong about that, though. Haunted Mansion Holiday has a FP machine but sometimes it's not working.

That makes sense. Hopefully we'll get the FP from the Holiday Tour if that all works out okay......I have a feeling we'll want to ride Radiator Springs more than once!

Dreyer's and Breyer's are two totally different brands! In your area, Dreyer's might be called Edy's (just like Best Foods Mayonnaise and Hellmann's Mayonnaise are the same thing, but have different names depending on the location, and my Ralphs store is called Kroger in other states). Do you have Edy's at your stores? The Edy's is the one that should have the Peppermint Wonderland ice cream (or Peppermint Stick).

Hm....it IS Edy's here......and I think it was Peppermint Wonderland. I guess I need to go buy some quick-like!

Surf's Up is a little more laid back, but there is still a lot of character attention. And again, Mickey is there. The issue with that restaurant is that it is tucked kind of out of the way at the PPH, and a lot of people have the impression that the PPH is too far away so they don't walk across the street to get to it and eat at Surf's Up. That's why it often seems slow in there. In truth, the PPH is not far away and you just have to know the "short cut" out the front entrance, across the street and through the GCH lobby. If you follow the signs on the PPH property as to how to get to the parks you will be walking a more roundabout way. The GCH lobby route is better -- and much more interesting!

Minnie & Friends has lots of characters -- as egritz can attest to -- but is probably a much busier restaurant than Surf's Up. As you know from reading Laurie/DizNee Luver's trip reports, she loves Surf's Up and I think that Goofy's is her second favorite. Goofy's is my favorite. I haven't tried Minnie & Friends yet. I liked Surf's Up enough to try it again in the future. And the Critter Breakfast at Storytellers Cafe in the GCH is my least favorite -- it's really quiet and laid back! (Which is a big bonus for a lot of people.)

Ah, heck.......I'm just going to do the three I have mentioned. Don't really feel the need to do Storytellers Cafe (i just had a friend come back from that meal a couple weeks ago and she did not rate it a favorite)......and we did both Cinderella's Royal Table AND the Princess Breakfast at Epcot last December.....so Ariel's Grotto isn't necessary for us this time.

I actually just tried to schedule Surf's Up for our departure day of 12/11. But it appears they don't have any tables loaded yet. Because I doubt they are completely booked already. We're going to have to be efficient so we can pack, eat, check out and make it to the airport in time.

Any suggestions on when we need to leave the hotel for SNA to make a 12:40 flight?

Our flight is at 12:55 on our last day and we're probably doing the Surf's Up breakfast too.......oh gosh, now I feel like I should make a reservation. ARe you planning on going into the parks at all that day? I'm undecided if we should make one last dash for the parks THEN eat, or eat early and dash to the parks....or just skip the parks.

That doesn't help you with your travel times, does it? SNA is closer than LAX and I figured we should leave the hotel 4 hours prior to our flight......just to make sure we allowed for traffic/problems. I guess I need to make those transfers scheduled too......are you taking the Disneyland Express? I wish it were free like Magical EXpress

 

[farmfresh]

Hmmm.... I can see what you mean about wanting to do something different so the older kids don't get bored.

Thanks for all your suggestions Sherry...answering all our queries must take up so much of your day!

No chance of them being bored generally...but I was worried they might get a bit bored doing the tour when they hadn't much chance to experience the parks beforehand...so they might have almost been straining to get on some rides rather than be shown around!

Anyway, I chatted it over with them, and I think we'll do Fantasmic the first night... and maybe just grab a few Fps as we do our own 'orientation' tour!