Well, hello there,
Escape2Disney!
Thank you for the kind words -- and Welcome Aboard!
I'm glad you joined us. I hope that you're doing well (I know you've had some health scares in the past and were not doing so well for a while) and feeling great!
Thanks for the warm welcome, Sherry! The health scares have been big, but I'm still here. My youngest DD calls me a herd of cats because I have way more than 9 lives 
Yes, indeed, we hit the page limit in the previous Superthread (the Theme Week Countdown that took place from August to November really accelerated the activity) sooner than we normally would have in the past, so it was time to move into a new thread and start anew.
I copied and pasted into this thread all of the stuff I had in the posts on Page 1 of the previous Superthread (including your TR, of course!
), but I have to add in more TR links and more links to detailed reviews of trips from some of our DIS'ers, as well as links to additional blogs and bits of info. I am also planning to split up the post dedicated to Seasonal Activities into two -- one for
Disneyland Seasonal Activities and one for California Adventure Seasonal Activities. I will likely also split the Hotels/DTD post into two.
Your efforts are really appreciated! Thanks for keeping the holiday spirit going throughout the year.
I've been saving all of the links and info I need to revamp Page 1, but have been waiting on my new PC to be set up with the software I need. I feel like I am in limbo and can't get anything done until the new system is set up! My current PC keeps freezing up and making me miserable.
I hope your new one works better for you! Computer problems can be so stressful.
Then, of course, we will kick off the 4th Theme Week Countdown in late July or early August (there will be at least 20 themes to cover, but probably a couple more than that), and it will last until early November. There will be a chance to win a small Disney gift card for at least a couple of participants in the Countdown (last year I gave out 2 gift cards), so I hope that you'll join in as well!
I'll certainly be there! The only thing is I posted most decent pictures in the trip report. Is it okay to post them again here when we hit the weekly countdown?
Anyway, I'm so glad to see that you are returning to the PPH for the holidays! This will be your first year of seeing their newly cluttered Christmas tree in person! It used to be so elegant and simple, and now it has clunky seashells and surfboards around the base of it, and assorted starfish, sea horses and sea grass hanging on it.
I just love PPH. The rooms are big and bright, and the staff is fantastic! We only go once a year (except this year I will go twice), and Robert remembers us each time. It feels like going home. While I do eventually want to see the headboards in DLH, I'm glad we're going back to PPH.
Last year's holiday season definitely felt bigger and better to me. Whether I liked some of the the changes or not, it felt like everything had been kicked up a notch or tweaked in some way. To me it seemed like everywhere I went I was finding decor or some sorts of holiday touches that hadn't been there in the past (or that I didn't realize were there).
You mentioned:
- DLH Gingerbread Castle
- Viva Navidad
- Main Street Flower Market
- Elf Days
- Reindeer at GCH
The Castle at the DLH, while not made of real gingerbread, emits a gingerbread aroma. Others stated that they didn't smell the fake gingerbread scent, but when I was in front of it I smelled it for sure.
Even the Santa photo display at the DLH seemed better and cuter to me than usual -- I could be imagining that, though. Maybe it wasn't any different than it had been in the past.
Viva Navidad was great fun -- so vibrant, lively, jubilant, etc. It is really a joyous celebration and a great addition to DCA.
I loved the Main Street Flower Market! It had so many beautiful, fresh flowers in all sorts of holiday colors.
Elf Days was great because it actually brought something holiday-ish into Grizzly Peak! In fact, with the exception of Tomorrowland and Condor Flats, I found holiday touches in every single land in both parks -- whether it was one single wreath or an extravagant overlay, there was no shortage of holiday merriment in the 2 parks, at the 3 hotels and in Downtown Disney! (Who knew the 2013 DTD Winter Village would be so cute? Even ESPN Zone had sports-themed wreaths outside!)
Also -- keep your eyes and ears peeled for something called the
Merriest Holiday Hunt. This appears to be a holiday scavenger hunt sort of thing (?) offered by the hotels -- I totally missed out on doing it last year because I didn't go down to the Guest Services desk at the PPH and look into it. I am hopeful that it will return this year.
Last year the GCH (I think it was the GCH?) offered a "
Winter Ornament Workshop" as well -- another thing that I totally missed. I am guessing it would have been open to guests of all 3 hotels and not just the GCH.
And yes -- I loved the new reindeer (don't know if they are made of wood, or wicker, or whatever) that sat outside of the entrance to the GCH, greeting guests as they arrived! What a great addition to the GCH holiday fun! I enjoyed seeing them every day, as I crossed the street from the PPH to get to DTD or the parks.
So I will say that the overall 2013 holiday season exceeded my expectations -- and, as we all know, I was already in love with the holidays at DLR so that is saying a lot! I only hope that DLR can continue on this path of making the holidays bigger and better -- or at least maintaining what they did last year for a while before they remove things. Some details were missing last year, such as the gingerbread displays in Flo's and in Carthay Circle, but they kept the display in the Cozy Cone and at Storytellers & White Water Snacks.
I think you have a great holiday trip ahead of you!
)!
ONLY 6,480 MORE HOURS & I WILL BE IN DISNEYLAND!!:
