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

Status
Not open for further replies.
It's herrrrrre. An interesting addition is "Christmas on Engine 41"
On the negative side, looks like there will be no parade this year.

I haven't found any information on Toys for Tots yet.

There is no Toys for Tots promo this year. It was on their Facebook page. I searched and found the comment, actually, on the November 7 post on their Facebook page with the comment:

For 2013, we made the difficult decision to end our discounted admission program for guests who donate toys during the holiday season. Guests who wish to continue to make donations at Knott’s may still do so by bringing unwrapped gifts to the Main Entrance.

So no discounted admission.
 
After cursing myself for wrapping and crumpling up the names so tightly (it took a minute to unravel them), I will now announce the winner...
The winner of the random draw is...
MICKEYBELL!!!!!
pixiedust:pixiedust:pixiedust:

Congrats! :dance3:

- Dreams
 
I've been "visiting" here on this thread, "lurking" seems so odd.... Anyway, I called Disney Dining yesterday regarding Christmas Eve & Day meals. They do have the menus for Goofys Kitchen, Storytellers Cafe, & PCH Grill. For 12/24, only Goofys is a character meal. Not sure about 12/25? The CM did say all the reservation restaurants inside both parks are booked for both days!!! I had already made our reservations for WOC dining @ CC on 12/24 and Minnie & Friends for 12/25, SO apply I did! I asked when the menus would be online & she said "soon". Hope this helps folks. Sherry this thread is incredible, so thankful for al the amazing information from you and everyone who has shared here!

Thanks! :) This is very helpful. It looks like I guessed correctly, lol, when I made my reservations. Crazy they are all full and the menus haven't even come out.
 
I got my gift card in the mail today from Sherry! It's a cute Mater gift card and I already have it set aside, waiting for our trip in 2 weeks. I'm not sure what I'll get with it....although a Christmas item is on my radar.....I think that will be a good way to remember this thread every Christmas.

We will be in the air 2 weeks from today! I sure hope the weather is on the warmer side. It's nice to escape the chill of the St. Louis air and go somewhere warmer! :beach:
 

Okay for those looking for menu information. I just called for menus. She said that they will not be publishing the menus online, but you can ask about restaurant menus on the phone. So if you are deciding where to eat you can call and they will read the menus out for you.

Storytellers will have a Christmas eve and Christmas day supper buffet, no characters.

Goofy's will have a Christmas eve and Christmas day character buffet for supper.

PCH - has a Christmas Day dinner, not sure about Christmas eve buffet.

Just call them and they can let you know hours. I didn't get everything written down, but the CM was VERY helpful.
 
Thanks to those that posted about Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dining. Do you need ADR for the Storytellers buffet or the Paradise Pier Grill?
 
Okay, I was in the parks today (and you know I took pictures but they will have to be uploaded to Photobucket, which is a whole separate ordeal...), and I will reveal what I discovered -- some of these things will be relevant as we have discussed them in this thread or elsewhere in the past.

In fact, I hope that Bret/mvf-m11c is following along, as this partially has to do with decorations that have disappeared or suddenly appeared -- and I know he looks closely for those sorts of things, as I do. I will list off my findings as I think of them:


1. To my absolute horror and dismay, the famous Dreyer's Peppermint Ice Cream will not be available at DLR at all for this entire holiday season!:faint: Not this month, not next month, not at all. Dreyer's is at fault, as they would not send DLR the carton sizes needed in the peppermint flavor. The CM who told me this (at Clarabelle's in DCA) said that I should write a "strongly worded letter" to Dreyer's (as he did) to complain. He said that people have been coming in looking for that ice cream flavor and all they have is the peppermint-encrusted cone!:rotfl2: So...if you see that Peppermint Wonderland ice cream at your store and you have not yet gotten it, get it because you will not be able to get it at DLR this year;


2. I love the Winter Village in Downtown Disney! Thumbs up!:thumbsup2 It's so cute! Don't get me wrong -- this is not a cozy Alpine hamlet nestled in a forest of trees or at the base of a mountain, but compared to last year's pitiful attempt at a "Village" this one is superior. The little chalets are adorable and festively decorated with lights and fun stuff. One chalet is hosted by Ghirardelli, and there are several others selling treats and merchandise. The ice rink was not open and work was still being done on it, but the tiny chalets are open for business! At least Disney made some effort this year in putting something in DTD! Yay!;


3. I found very few of the gingerbread cookies with mouse ears. They seemed to be scarce today. The zombie gingerbread cookies are no longer sold, but there is a big slab o' gingerbread being sold in New Orleans Square -- it is literally a big rectangular slab of gingerbread with a Mickey holiday scene on the front of it;


4. New Orleans Square -- it was sad to not see the Court of Angels, so there was no Christmas tree in that land (not counting whatever was in the shops). However, the creepy crescent moon-headed dude who once hung above the entrance to New Orleans Square's alley is gone!!!!:faint: That whole wreath on which he sat and the creepy moon-headed dude are gone, and in their place, suspended over the alley in NOS, is a giant gold Mardi Gras mask! This was shocking! I can't believe that moon headed dude is gone!;


5. The Jingle Jangle Jamboree seemed full of characters when I was there, but it seemed to have less stuff in it than it had last year. It seemed like it was missing some decorations or something. However, Santa was there. Mickey was there. Several of the Country Bears were there. Goofy and Pluto were there. Woody and Jessie were there. Billy Hill and the Hillbillies were there. Lots of characters everywhere...and the candy cane cotton candy too! There was a beautiful (large) white horse in the petting zoo as well;


6. The Jingle Cruise -- we (Liza/funatdisney and I) got on it when the line was short, so the whole upstairs section (with more decorations) was roped off. If you get on the ride right away (without a long line) you miss some of the decorations and, to me, the decorations are the reason to ride Jingle Cruise. We only saw what was in the downstairs portion of the queue (and it is minimal). You don't want to wait in a long line, but you will miss some of the overlay if you don't. Still, though, the decorations are very minor. There are some cute little holiday touches added in here and there, but that's what they are -- cute little touches. Nothing extensive;


7. There is no gingerbread Mater or gingerbread house or anything in Flo's (in Cars Land) this year. But Flo's has a cute Christmas tree with vinyl records used as ornaments. There is also no gingerbread house in the Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe this year;


8. There is, however, once again a mini-gingerbread replica of the Cozy Cone property located in the Cozy Cone office. The cutest thing is that it is a mini version of the decorated-for-the-holidays version of the Cozy Cone -- so in other words you will see the full-sized Cozy Cone Christmas cone tree in front of the Cozy Cone, but on the mini-model in the office you will see a mini-Christmas cone tree! Sooooooo clever and cute! The whole gingerbread replica was moved a little closer to the window to make it easier to see the details and to get photos;



9. Buena Vista Street's decorations looked mostly the same, except for a new Santa Sign above the entrance to the Elias and Company store and a 'Twas the Night Before Christmas window display;


10. I almost fainted when I saw....DECORATIONS IN HOLLYWOOD LAND!!!!:cool1: It was a wondrous thing! I was on my way out of DCA and I happened to glance towards Hollywood. I saw something that I hadn't seen last year. Yes, the red and white garland is on the poles again but there is actual garland on the facades! There are actual red ribbons and bows here and there! There are little Santas and stars adorning some of the posts or trees. There is a Santa and his reindeer display at the very end of the street! There are Christmas trees in front of the Hyperion! It's not much, but none of this stuff was there last year!!!:cool1::cool1: I'm so happy to see that Disney is putting an effort into Hollywood Land;


11. I don't recall the giant candy cane and Santa head at the entrance to Flik's Fun Fair last year;



12. As I predicted, a new nutcracker has been added to the Mickey nutcracker collection this year -- nutcracker Mickey on a rocking horse!!!!! It is soooo cute!;


13. Liza pointed this out to me because I did not see it earlier in the day, but there are miniature versions of Snowy the Snow Car (who sits at the entrance to Cars Land during the holidays) being sold this year. They are actually ornaments, but they are big enough to just be used as collectible plush toys;


14. There is a lot of Olaf this year -- Olaf in Fantasyland; Olaf at the ice rink in DTD; Olaf in Winter Dreams...



15. I think the holiday music loops in both Cars Land and on Buena Vista Street are slightly different this year (from what they were last year);



16. The entrance to Fantasyland through the Castle is blocked at the moment -- I think it's because of The View taping next week; and


17. ESPN Zone even has cute wreaths (the first I've seen of them) hanging outside, with basketballs used as ornaments. I am guessing that they holiday-ized that section of the property a bit to complement the Winter Village and ice rink!




So, all in all, there are some little things missing here and there that I wish were not missing (creepy moon-headed dude in the wreath in NOS, for one), but there are other things that have been added in and I think that it feels very festive all around both parks.


I did not go on IASWH this trip -- I will save that for next month -- but Liza said there were some different or new things in it.


I also did not make it to the Paradise Pier section of DCA to see the tree on the Pier or to see the area around World of Color. That will be next month's plan too.


Oh, and did I mention that it was probably in the high 60s or low 70s most of today, with a breeze and gloomy skies? I would be surprised if the temperatures even passed 72 degrees, because if they did I couldn't tell. This was my kind of weather! Nice and chilly and slightly breezy for most of the day (unlike that heatwave I encountered on the Unleash the Villains day on 9/13)!

 
I'm just checking in. I have been following this amazing thread for the last couple of months and since we leave in two weeks, I'll just stop by and say Hi :-)
 
Thanks for the update, Sherry! Boo about the lack of peppermint ice cream, but I'm happy to hear the DTD chalets are better this year! Just a little over a week until our trip :)
 
Okay for those looking for menu information. I just called for menus. She said that they will not be publishing the menus online, but you can ask about restaurant menus on the phone. So if you are deciding where to eat you can call and they will read the menus out for you.

Storytellers will have a Christmas eve and Christmas day supper buffet, no characters.

Goofy's will have a Christmas eve and Christmas day character buffet for supper.

PCH - has a Christmas Day dinner, not sure about Christmas eve buffet.

Just call them and they can let you know hours. I didn't get everything written down, but the CM was VERY helpful.


blue888 --

Keep an eye on the Disney Parks Blog in the coming weeks. I think you may see a Christmas dining blog (it would be the first one) coming soon, so the info would actually be in print that way -- not through Dining.


I'm just checking in. I have been following this amazing thread for the last couple of months and since we leave in two weeks, I'll just stop by and say Hi :-)

Welcome, the_princess!

I'm glad you decided to jump in and join us.:cool1: I have to battle Photobucket to upload and organize my photos, but expect to see some pictures of holiday treats, decorations and this year's merchandise -- lots of merchandise -- coming in the next day or two. Hopefully I can get the first round of photos posted tomorrow.
 
Nice to hear that you and Liza were able to go to the DLR today and see the decorations. When I go next week, I will be looking at a lot of the decorations closely of what is missing and added this year. From what you have said on your post, it looks like the DLR took out some of the decorations that we are used to seeing during the Holiday season.

What a disappointment that the Peppermint Ice Cream won't be at the DLR this year. It was nice to try it last year and find out that it won't be there this year is disappointing.

Glad to hear that the Winter Village at DTD is way better then last year.

It is sad that Court of Angels is closed for the new entrance to 33. I really did enjoy going through the Court of Angels to see the Christmas tree. It is going to be different to see the giant Gold Mardi Gras mask instead of the wreath.

I will plan on riding the Jingle Cruise during the trip to see all the decorations through the queue.

That will be so nice to see Holiday decorations in Hollywood Land.

Interesting to hear that the ESPN Zone has some decorations.

Nice update from today and I can't wait to go next week.
 
Sherry, thanks so much for the update - it got me even more excited to go to DLR! Less than 3 weeks now! :cool1:
 
THANK YOU Sherry, for the great update!

I am so disappointed:sad: about the peppermint ice cream!

The only thing that has kept me from buying it from my local Fry's and gorging, is the fact that we will be at the Resort next month, and we wanted to eat that ice cream at Disneyland.

Now I practically feel obligated;) to go out this morning and purchase some, so that we are not totally cheated!!!!!!

So glad that you gave us a "head's up" on this!!!:santa:
 
Great update Sherry! It's finally starting to seem real! :santa:
 
Great update Sherry :goodvibes I'm so glad I bought my peppermint ice cream from Target. I guess I will have to console myself with that :sad: Yay for DTD's "winter village" being improved this year. I have to say I wasn't looking forward to that at all -- last year's looked (IMHO) pretty sad and pitiful, and hardly anyone was hanging out there, not surprisingly.:p
 
Very true -- what is all of that hard work for if you can't enjoy a nice Christmas trip? And what better time to be there than over the actual holiday? I think the girls will be thrilled!

I am having the hardest time trying not to tell them anything.
 
Thank you, Sherry, for the update. I will get another carton of ice cream before it sells out here. I was feeling a bit guilty about indulging before I got to DLR, but now I know it is imperative that I do!
 
Okay, I was in the parks today (and you know I took pictures but they will have to be uploaded to Photobucket, which is a whole separate ordeal...), and I will reveal what I discovered -- some of these things will be relevant as we have discussed them in this thread or elsewhere in the past.

In fact, I hope that Bret/mvf-m11c is following along, as this partially has to do with decorations that have disappeared or suddenly appeared -- and I know he looks closely for those sorts of things, as I do. I will list off my findings as I think of them:


1. To my absolute horror and dismay, the famous Dreyer's Peppermint Ice Cream will not be available at DLR at all for this entire holiday season!:faint: Not this month, not next month, not at all. Dreyer's is at fault, as they would not send DLR the carton sizes needed in the peppermint flavor. The CM who told me this (at Clarabelle's in DCA) said that I should write a "strongly worded letter" to Dreyer's (as he did) to complain. He said that people have been coming in looking for that ice cream flavor and all they have is the peppermint-encrusted cone!:rotfl2: So...if you see that Peppermint Wonderland ice cream at your store and you have not yet gotten it, get it because you will not be able to get it at DLR this year;


2. I love the Winter Village in Downtown Disney! Thumbs up!:thumbsup2 It's so cute! Don't get me wrong -- this is not a cozy Alpine hamlet nestled in a forest of trees or at the base of a mountain, but compared to last year's pitiful attempt at a "Village" this one is superior. The little chalets are adorable and festively decorated with lights and fun stuff. One chalet is hosted by Ghirardelli, and there are several others selling treats and merchandise. The ice rink was not open and work was still being done on it, but the tiny chalets are open for business! At least Disney made some effort this year in putting something in DTD! Yay!;


3. I found very few of the gingerbread cookies with mouse ears. They seemed to be scarce today. The zombie gingerbread cookies are no longer sold, but there is a big slab o' gingerbread being sold in New Orleans Square -- it is literally a big rectangular slab of gingerbread with a Mickey holiday scene on the front of it;


4. New Orleans Square -- it was sad to not see the Court of Angels, so there was no Christmas tree in that land (not counting whatever was in the shops). However, the creepy crescent moon-headed dude who once hung above the entrance to New Orleans Square's alley is gone!!!!:faint: That whole wreath on which he sat and the creepy moon-headed dude are gone, and in their place, suspended over the alley in NOS, is a giant gold Mardi Gras mask! This was shocking! I can't believe that moon headed dude is gone!;


5. The Jingle Jangle Jamboree seemed full of characters when I was there, but it seemed to have less stuff in it than it had last year. It seemed like it was missing some decorations or something. However, Santa was there. Mickey was there. Several of the Country Bears were there. Goofy and Pluto were there. Woody and Jessie were there. Billy Hill and the Hillbillies were there. Lots of characters everywhere...and the candy cane cotton candy too! There was a beautiful (large) white horse in the petting zoo as well;


6. The Jingle Cruise -- we (Liza/funatdisney and I) got on it when the line was short, so the whole upstairs section (with more decorations) was roped off. If you get on the ride right away (without a long line) you miss some of the decorations and, to me, the decorations are the reason to ride Jingle Cruise. We only saw what was in the downstairs portion of the queue (and it is minimal). You don't want to wait in a long line, but you will miss some of the overlay if you don't. Still, though, the decorations are very minor. There are some cute little holiday touches added in here and there, but that's what they are -- cute little touches. Nothing extensive;


7. There is no gingerbread Mater or gingerbread house or anything in Flo's (in Cars Land) this year. But Flo's has a cute Christmas tree with vinyl records used as ornaments. There is also no gingerbread house in the Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe this year;


8. There is, however, once again a mini-gingerbread replica of the Cozy Cone property located in the Cozy Cone office. The cutest thing is that it is a mini version of the decorated-for-the-holidays version of the Cozy Cone -- so in other words you will see the full-sized Cozy Cone Christmas cone tree in front of the Cozy Cone, but on the mini-model in the office you will see a mini-Christmas cone tree! Sooooooo clever and cute! The whole gingerbread replica was moved a little closer to the window to make it easier to see the details and to get photos;



9. Buena Vista Street's decorations looked mostly the same, except for a new Santa Sign above the entrance to the Elias and Company store and a 'Twas the Night Before Christmas window display;


10. I almost fainted when I saw....DECORATIONS IN HOLLYWOOD LAND!!!!:cool1: It was a wondrous thing! I was on my way out of DCA and I happened to glance towards Hollywood. I saw something that I hadn't seen last year. Yes, the red and white garland is on the poles again but there is actual garland on the facades! There are actual red ribbons and bows here and there! There are little Santas and stars adorning some of the posts or trees. There is a Santa and his reindeer display at the very end of the street! There are Christmas trees in front of the Hyperion! It's not much, but none of this stuff was there last year!!!:cool1::cool1: I'm so happy to see that Disney is putting an effort into Hollywood Land;


11. I don't recall the giant candy cane and Santa head at the entrance to Flik's Fun Fair last year;



12. As I predicted, a new nutcracker has been added to the Mickey nutcracker collection this year -- nutcracker Mickey on a rocking horse!!!!! It is soooo cute!;


13. Liza pointed this out to me because I did not see it earlier in the day, but there are miniature versions of Snowy the Snow Car (who sits at the entrance to Cars Land during the holidays) being sold this year. They are actually ornaments, but they are big enough to just be used as collectible plush toys;


14. There is a lot of Olaf this year -- Olaf in Fantasyland; Olaf at the ice rink in DTD; Olaf in Winter Dreams...



15. I think the holiday music loops in both Cars Land and on Buena Vista Street are slightly different this year (from what they were last year);



16. The entrance to Fantasyland through the Castle is blocked at the moment -- I think it's because of The View taping next week; and


17. ESPN Zone even has cute wreaths (the first I've seen of them) hanging outside, with basketballs used as ornaments. I am guessing that they holiday-ized that section of the property a bit to complement the Winter Village and ice rink!




So, all in all, there are some little things missing here and there that I wish were not missing (creepy moon-headed dude in the wreath in NOS, for one), but there are other things that have been added in and I think that it feels very festive all around both parks.


I did not go on IASWH this trip -- I will save that for next month -- but Liza said there were some different or new things in it.


I also did not make it to the Paradise Pier section of DCA to see the tree on the Pier or to see the area around World of Color. That will be next month's plan too.


Oh, and did I mention that it was probably in the high 60s or low 70s most of today, with a breeze and gloomy skies? I would be surprised if the temperatures even passed 72 degrees, because if they did I couldn't tell. This was my kind of weather! Nice and chilly and slightly breezy for most of the day (unlike that heatwave I encountered on the Unleash the Villains day on 9/13)!





Thank you, thank you Sherry. :goodvibes I love all the updates. Bummer about the ice cream though.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.


Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE









DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter DIS Bluesky

Back
Top Bottom