Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #4

[Nicolette11785]

Thank you so much for all the info. Are all the activites such as lighting of the castle or snow in the listed times? Or do you just happen to have to be there for it. Also does the DL Band do the castle show like they do normally? I only caught the last 2 min the last time we were there and wanted to see the whole show.

Thanks again!

Welcome, Nicolette11785! Thank you for joining us.

Don't worry -- no one expects you to go through the entire thread. We have a lot of folks who join us at all stages of the thread -- when it starts, in the middle of our Theme Week Countdown and just after the holidays have officially begun at Disneyland.

One thing I will suggest is to have a look at page 1 of this thread -- specifically the first 12 posts or so. You don't have to read them in detail, or all at one time, but I have them broken up into subjects (important Dates/Events to Remember, General Info, FAQs, merchandise, hotels, Disneyland-specific activities and California Adventure-specific things, etc.), and some of the blogs and info contained in them may help paint a picture of what to expect for your first Disneyland holiday trip! I think that often times people don't know to go to page 1 first, so they don't realize that a lot of the info they want may be right there.

To your questions, Bret/mvf-m11c would be a good one to tackle the fireworks question!

The characters at Surf's Up do not wear anything holiday-ish (at least not that I've seen in person). At Minnie & Friends at the Plaza Inn, from what I have seen in photos, sometimes a few of the characters may wear a holiday scarf, sweater or hat, but it doesn't seem to be consistent or dependable, and they don't dress in head-to-toe seasonal garb.


There are a lot of things that are only available for the holiday season -- even the decorations are pretty thorough. I think the main things to see/do are:

In Disneyland

• A Christmas Fantasy Parade;
• Believe in Holiday Magic Fireworks;
• Jingle Cruise;
• The Wintertime Enchantment Lighting of the Castle (in icicle lights);
• "Snow" falling on Main Street, in IASW mall and in New Orleans Square;
• (If it is open) Storybook Land Canal Boats (there should be tiny decorations on the cottages);
• It's a Small World Holiday;
• Haunted Mansion Holiday -- look for the holiday hidden Mickey on the floor of the ballroom/dining room scene;
• Jingle Jangle Jamboree (in Frontierland -- this is one of Santa's locations, and one of the places where characters in holiday attire can be found); and
• Themed decorations in every land (sometimes elaborate; sometimes subtle) except Tomorrowland.

In California Adventure

• Winter Dreams -- World of Color;
• Viva Navidad;
• (IF it comes back this year) Elf Days;
• Buena Vista Street Bell Ringers;
• Santa Claus at his department store setting in Elias & Co. on Buena Vista Street;
• Possibly the Mad T Party's holiday-themed set;
• Roz wears a Santa hat inside the Monster's Inc. ride (at the very end);
• Character photo spot on Paradise Pier (next to the large Christmas tree); and
• Themed décor (sometimes elaborate; sometimes subtle) in every land but Condor Flats. Look for the miniature (most likely fake) gingerbread Cozy Cone model in the office of the Cozy Cone Motel.

In Downtown Disney

• Olaf's Frozen ice rink with a big Christmas tree in the middle of it;
• Winter Village (basically this is a series of mini-chalets set up to sell food, merchandise and rent skating equipment); and
• There may or may not be any special holiday entertainment going on in Downtown Disney at that time.

At the 3 Hotels

Grand Californian Hotel -- Santa; carolers, giant Christmas tree in lobby, pianist playing holiday tunes; occasional guitarist playing holiday tunes; real gingerbread house inside the entrance of Storytellers Café; small (real) gingerbread house in White Water Snacks;


Disneyland Hotel -- Carolers are here too; Santa's very beautiful photo spot in the Fantasy Tower; Goofy's Kitchen's wacky Christmas tree; different themed trees in every tower of the hotel; a tropical tree in Tangaroa Terrace; a giant fake gingerbread Castle in the lobby of the Fantasy Tower; twinkling colored lights in the poinsettia planters at the front entrance to the Fantasy Tower; and


Paradise Pier Hotel -- Carolers and Santa are here too; very pretty blue-green-ish tree in lobby, with all sorts of sea-themed ornaments and knick knacks.



**If you stay onsite at one of the 3 Disney hotels, you can also participate in an ornament workshop (assuming it is held again this year) and the Merriest Holiday Hunt.







Karin1984 --

The Lighting of the Castle is a huge part of the season. I think it will happen -- unless there is some new, unexpected thing coming along to prevent it (which is unlikely). Last year the Enchantment Lighting wasn't showing on the calendar/schedule for certain dates, but it was just an oversight. It still happened every night, all season long. That Disneyland schedule is not always 100% complete or filled in.






purplecrush --

Kristin Davis -- yes, that's the other "3 Days" movie I was thinking of!





poppinspal --

To be honest, sometimes the Mickey gingerbread cookies are softer, and sometimes they are on the harder side -- as if they have been sitting out for a couple of days. I prefer softer as well. The cookies are yummy. They are very popular -- they were very briefly discontinued at some point last year (November, perhaps?), and then Disney thought better and decided to continue them. On some trips I see the cookies in every single candy store. Other times I can barely find them in even one store, or I find 2 cookies and that's it!

Orbitron shared a photo of the cookie kit above ^^^, complete with cutter! I'm not sure if the cutter can be purchased separately as well (separate from the kit).

Thank you! I will definitely take your advice! By sitting by IASW for the parade will we see it before main st. or does it go down main st. first?

As for the best place to see "A Christmas Fantasy" parade with little wait time is watching it at It's a Small World Plaza. I would say this is one of the best places to watch the parade with little wait time. I have shown up about 30 minutes until the parade (1st parade) started and got a front row spot. You can even show up about in a few minutes (depends on the crowd levels) and get a good spot to see the parade. The busiest will be Main Street from Town Square all the way to the Hub area.




As for "Believe...In Holiday Magic" fireworks, the best spot to watch the fireworks is in front of Sleeping Beauty Winter Castle. But it will require wait time that can be up to 2+ hours (bench, curb side or up at the rope off area). You can still be able to get a spot on the road for the fireworks about an hour to hour and a half until the fireworks start. There are a lot of different places to watch BIHM fireworks around DL but this that is the best to watch the fireworks. Seeing the show in front will also get you the full effects of fireworks launching around SB Winter Castle.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Thank you! I will definitely take your advice! By sitting by IASW for the parade will we see it before main st. or does it go down main st. first?

Your welcome. If there are two parades in one day, the first parade starts from IASW Plaza towards MS Town Square. Than the second parade comes from MS Town Square to IASW Plaza. On days when there is only one parade, it mostly comes from IASW Plaza to MS Town Square. There could be times when it comes from MS Town Square to IASW Plaza.

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks Sherry. I am glad to be back home! Vacations are great, but I am always glad to be back home in my own bed and with my dog, Daisy!

I don't get the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries channel. That may be a good thing because like you I do not have enough hours in the day for ALL the Christmas movies! Plus my husband isn't as interested in watching Christmas movies as I am.

I will have to check out UP and ION a little more closely. I have not really ever looked at their programming and have probably missed some good movies! Any recommendations?
Lifetime has always been hit or miss for me. ABC Family doesn't always seem as "Christmas" as I would like.

My work days will be far more entertaining after 10/31!

Tracy --

Movie recommendations:

There is a cute movie called 12 Wishes of Christmas that was cute -- it was either an Ion movie or an UP movie.

There was another fairly cute movie called Christmas Town -- either from Ion or UP -- that is worth seeing.

Last year I saw a movie with Drew Lachey called Guess Who's Coming to Christmas, which I liked. I can't recall if it was from Ion, Up or INSP.

Christmas Angel (with Teri Polo, Della Reese and Kevin Sorbo) was on, I think, Ion or UP.

A Snow Globe Christmas, Twelve Trees of Christmas and Christmas Angel (with Bruce Davison) were all good, in different ways. Those are all Lifetime movies.

12 Men of Christmas stars Kristin Chenoweth and was either a Lifetime movie or ABC Family movie.

Snowglobe and The Mistle-Tones (from ABC Family) were very cute.

The ones I like that will be shown on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries are movies such as November Christmas, A Christmas Wish and A Christmas Visitor. A lot of people seem to love love love The Christmas Card, but I've never seen it all the way through.

There are so many!

I've got a question for those who go in early Nov, what are the crowds leading up to Veterans day like??? I'm contemplating turning my solo trip to DL in 2017 into a family trip, depending on how much the trip to WDW costs. I'll know that answer by the fall of 2016, as we would headed to WDW in Jan/17 for 8 days. I can book the WDW closer to the departure date, as we wouldn't want any TS reservations, and the flights tend to be the same no matter when I book (bad, but coming from the west coast it tends to be expected), just the price get's cheaper. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Have a great day!

Tinselita (Trish)

Trish/Tinselita --

I think that 2017 is so far off at this point, it will be hard to tell what crowds will be like. Anything could happen between now and then to impact crowds -- new rides/attractions/shows, some sort of construction, etc. If things go the way they have been going, then there would already be some rides and attractions open in time for Veterans Day weekend, and the holiday season would probably start right after Veterans Day. So there could be some crowds, but probably not horrible crowds. Again, I think it has to do with what is on the horizon as far as new attractions between now and then.

Oh, I am so excited about the demi-tasse dessert. I got both versions of the Halloween demi-tasse dessert in 2011 and I love to use the cups. I can't wait to add a holiday version. Does anybody know if there is just one version?

Corinna

Corinna --

I'm actually not even sure if the demitasse will be there for the holidays this year. It was nowhere to be found at the start of Halloween Time this year, and I have not heard any reports to indicate that it is there now. We will have to wait until the holiday season starts and see what is there!

Thank you! I suppose I'll just have to get one and hope for the best! Gingerbread men are a big part of my Christmas tradition. My aunt makes them for Christmas Eve and then I have some left overs and hot chocolate out of my mickey cup on Christmas morning. So I'm very excited to make it a part of my Disneyland trip!

I saw the picture of the kit, it'll be worth it to me just to have the cookie cutter. I usually use the family recipe but a mix would be good for me to use with my niece as it's bound to be easier then the recipe I make.

I have another question looking at all these pictures. (Sorry first trip and I'm trying to get all the details I can! haha)

What is the Demitasse dessert? Just the mug had me excited!

Thanks for the wonderful thread!

poppinspal --

You're very welcome! Orbitron explained the demitasse, although -- as I mentioned to Corinna above -- there is a chance it might not be back this year. The Halloween Time version was not seen at Disneyland at the beginning of the season, so it makes me wonder if it will be back for the holidays.

For years there has been a version of the demitasse dessert, but the mug it was previously served in (like 6 or 7 years ago) was a less interesting mug. The Santa Mickey mug is much better!

I will be photographing food cases this year! Lesson learned!

--Lori

Sherry, do you think the Walk In Walts Footsteps tour will be going on during the Thanksgiving week, and weekend? Or will it just be the Holiday tour? I would rather do the WIWF tour..... and go to the apartment.

--Lori

Lori --

I've never done the WIWDF tour, but right now it is showing as taking place over Thanksgiving week and weekend (assuming the calendar doesn't change between now and then).

I saw mention of handmade candy canes? That sounds wonderful! Where might I find them assuming they are being made when we are there?

deserrai --

In addition to Candy Palace on Main Street (which tksbaskets explained earlier), if I am not mistaken I think that the candy canes are also made at Trolley Treats in California Adventure, so the schedule was expanded a bit from what it used to be.

Man I came in on a delicious note! I may blow the food budget on sweet treats at this rate.

We will be in the Anaheim area Dec 23-27 this year and will have two days at Disneyland. I'm leaning to Dec 24 at DL and 26 at DCA. I know we're looking at major crowds, but I'm not sure the best way to prepare our plans. We lived 10 minutes away for two years a decade ago so are very familiar with the parks. We've visited several times since then with a day in each park so we know that aspect pretty well also. The Christmas crowds, however, have me concerned.

Should I consider RideMax or Touring Plans for this trip to maximize our time and experience? Since we're annual to bi-annual visitors we don't have to feel like we want to "see it all," but at the same time we always have so much we want to do. Holiday season things will be must-dos as will some character greets. Plus, DD4 is finally tall enough for the 40" rides so we want to hit some of her "firsts" as well.

I'd welcome any suggestions on the best way to attack our plans. Our park visiting party will be me, DD11 and DD4.

Thanks all!

Welcome, tmfranlk!

Thank you for joining us!

A lot of people use Touring Plans (RideMax seems to have almost fallen to the wayside), but a lot of other people kind of frown on it. I mean, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to use TP if you feel comfortable with it. I don't know if it will help too much, but you may get some mileage out of it.

I think you have the right idea -- Disneyland on 12/24 and California Adventure on 12/26. It will be very crowded in both parks over those dates (especially on 12/26), but Disneyland is the park that is more likely to reach capacity and close for several hours on 12/26 (that's not to say it will, but it happens a lot in that week between Christmas and New Year's). It doesn't happen at California Adventure as often as it does at Disneyland, so that's why I think that planning DCA for 12/26 is a good idea. DCA will probably just be a tiny bit less crowded in general for most of the day -- unless a bunch of people who can't get into Disneyland wander across the Esplanade to DCA too!

One thing to hope for is a chance of rain. Even if it doesn't rain, if there is just a threat of rain in the weather forecast it will keep a lot of people away from the parks.

Does Christmas Day Dinner ADRs open on 10/26?

HappiestHaunt --

I have to think that they will open up on that date, and I have to hope that the Disney Parks Blog finally puts out a decent blog (by the end of this week or early next week) on the full array of Christmas Eve and Day dining options, special menu items, etc. -- just like Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is certainly not the only big "dining holiday" this year!

Thank you so much for all the info. Are all the activites such as lighting of the castle or snow in the listed times? Or do you just happen to have to be there for it. Also does the DL Band do the castle show like they do normally? I only caught the last 2 min the last time we were there and wanted to see the whole show.

Thanks again!

Nicolette11785 --

You're very welcome! I'm happy to help.

I have seen the Disneyland Band in front of the Castle during the holidays, but I have never paid attention to the times or if they were listed on the Entertainment calendar on the DLR website. They could be listed in the Times Guide that you get when you enter the turnstiles. (Edited to add: I just checked my Times Guide from last December 2-8, and the Disneyland Band performed at 9:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m. and 10:55 a.m.)

The snow happens before and after the fireworks -- and I don't think I have ever seen specific times for just the snow in the Times Guide, though I may have overlooked them. The fireworks can happen anywhere from 7:30 p.m. to 7:40 p.m., to 9:30 p.m., depending on which night of the week it is.

The Wintertime Enchantment Lighting of the Castle should be listed on the Entertainment calendar on DLR's website, but it may not be. Last year it was missing from the calendar for several days, even though it was happening nightly in Disneyland. So even if it does not appear on the website, it may be listed in the Times Guide or map at the park's entrance.

 

[WestMom2two]

I've been waiting for this week for forever! So excited to see all the treats and merchandise! Not only is December my favorite time of year and xmas being my favorite holiday. It is also my husband, daughter and my birthdays! I'm going to shop like a crazy person, my poor husband! 25 day's left until our visit!

 

[Sherry E]

I've been waiting for this week for forever! So excited to see all the treats and merchandise! Not only is December my favorite time of year and xmas being my favorite holiday. It is also my husband, daughter and my birthdays! I'm going to shop like a crazy person, my poor husband! 25 day's left until our visit!

WestMom2two --

I know you have been waiting! I'm sorry to make you wait so long. Thank you for being patient. Believe me, I never forgot you. You were one of the people to whom I was referring earlier today, when I said that I knew a few folks were waiting for merchandise photos!

I didn't want to unload all of my merchandise photos today, when we have a whole week ahead of us, so I will probably be posting more photos each day, or until I run out of decent ones to share. Stay tuned!

December and the holidays are a very special time in your family. You will find many things to buy!

I was looking at an article on MiceAge this morning, and it appears that the China Closet on Main Street already has a Christmas tree or two up in the store, with a complete array of holiday merchandise! It's October 20th, and there is at least one Christmas tree up in the China Closet!

 

[MinnieLovesMickey]

We paid $80, they raised the price from last year, and i noticed that they just updated the price on the website yesterday, but they still have last years dates on their website and haven't changed that yet. There is an AP discount of 20% if you have one.

Thank you for the information! We do have APs so that 20% would definitely be nice.

 

[DharmaLou]

I am fairly certain I gained 10 lbs just looking at the treat photos! The yummy holiday treats are one of my favorite things about going this time of year!

 

[Sherry E]

I am fairly certain I gained 10 lbs just looking at the treat photos! The yummy holiday treats are one of my favorite things about going this time of year!

Seasons such as Halloween Time and the Holidays would certainly be a lot less fun without the bounty of treats and food items, wouldn't they?

At some point this week I hope to have my (somewhat comprehensive) list of Holiday season food items finished (which will be like the one I did for Halloween Time, with both snacks and seasonal meals included, and where to find them), but as I began putting it together a while back I realized it was going to be more extensive than Halloween Time, as it includes Thanksgiving food items, Three Kings Day food, Viva Navidad food, Christmas food and random New Year's food items or meals.

Halloween Time doesn't have as many food sub-categories to it (Dia de los Muertos, and sometimes there might be Oktoberfest items) and its food list was less complex (but still time-consuming) to put together.

 

[WestMom2two]

WestMom2two --

I know you have been waiting! I'm sorry to make you wait so long. Thank you for being patient. Believe me, I never forgot you. You were one of the people to whom I was referring earlier today, when I said that I knew a few folks were waiting for merchandise photos!

I didn't want to unload all of my merchandise photos today, when we have a whole week ahead of us, so I will probably be posting more photos each day, or until I run out of decent ones to share. Stay tuned!

December and the holidays are a very special time in your family. You will find many things to buy!

I was looking at an article on MiceAge this morning, and it appears that the China Closet on Main Street already has a Christmas tree or two up in the store, with a complete array of holiday merchandise! It's October 20th, and there is at least one Christmas tree up in the China Closet!

Wooo Hooo, I will be glued to my computer every night this week to see it all! lol

 

[debdreamsofdis]

Question for all you Holiday Tour experts. Which tour time would you pick if you were going to do the tour on Thanksgiving Day? There is a 12 and 12:05 time and then there is 2:45. 2:50 and 2:55 time. I understand the earlier tours get preferred seating for the daytime parade and the later get seating for the evening parade. The evening parade looks more exciting to me with the lights, but do they seat all 3 tours together for the preferred seating? Will it be more crowded for the evening parade? How exactly does the preferred seating work? We will have younger children in our party and would hate to pay for preferred seating for them just to be stuck behind someone taller anyway. We are planning on eating our Thanksgiving meal at Carnation Cafe that day, so if we do the later tour, we would eat around 12-1 and if we do the earlier tour we would eat around 4-5. Plusses or minuses for either tour?? Also, does anybody know what the cancellation policy is for the tours?

 

[petals]

Question for all you Holiday Tour experts. Which tour time would you pick if you were going to do the tour on Thanksgiving Day? There is a 12 and 12:05 time and then there is 2:45. 2:50 and 2:55 time. I understand the earlier tours get preferred seating for the daytime parade and the later get seating for the evening parade. The evening parade looks more exciting to me with the lights, but do they seat all 3 tours together for the preferred seating? Will it be more crowded for the evening parade? How exactly does the preferred seating work? We will have younger children in our party and would hate to pay for preferred seating for them just to be stuck behind someone taller anyway. We are planning on eating our Thanksgiving meal at Carnation Cafe that day, so if we do the later tour, we would eat around 12-1 and if we do the earlier tour we would eat around 4-5. Plusses or minuses for either tour?? Also, does anybody know what the cancellation policy is for the tours?

Can't answer most of your question but I'm pretty sure that all the tours are non refundable if you cancel

 

[Phoenixrising]

Sherry, my younger DS10 doesn't do well in heavy crowds. He has learning/language/ fine motor delays. He's very sensitive, and get's very overwhelmed in heavy crowds. I need to be aware of this when planning any family vacations. I can tell when he's had enough, and the last trip to DL during Halloween time was pushing it a bit for him. I'd like the family to experience Christmas time in DL, while avoiding the heavier crowds that go along with travelling to DL during that time of year. Worse case scenario is I delay the trip for a couple of months and go during a slower time of year (Jan). This is why I'm doing my research now, rather than waiting till closer to the booking of the trip. One of the main reasons we are heading to WDW when we are is that it's one of the slowest times of the year for crowds, and the prices on air/hotel are reasonable enough that we can afford to go.

 

[Karin1984]

The Lighting of the Castle is a huge part of the season. I think it will happen -- unless there is some new, unexpected thing coming along to prevent it (which is unlikely). Last year the Enchantment Lighting wasn't showing on the calendar/schedule for certain dates, but it was just an oversight. It still happened every night, all season long. That Disneyland schedule is not always 100% complete or filled in.

I know... but still, I want to know! I hate waiting! It seems so weird to me that for WDW Disney is able to determine it's schedule months in advance and for DL they can't. It's something so iconic, something that happens every year, so why not announce it.

 

[Sherry E]

The latest -- cough cough -- rumor, courtesy of MiceAge/MiceChat, is that all of the Frozen mini-land stuff in Hollywood Land is beginning on December 20th!!!!! Supposedly this was planned specifically to coincide with when a lot of AP holders are blocked out and a lot of non-AP holders and tourists visit. In early January, a lot of the AP holders who are no longer blocked would be able to come and see the Frozen fun (after it had already been around for a few weeks).

Apparently -- and this is all a rumor, once again -- the ice rink, real snow, snowman-building, sing-along, meet and greet, special Frozen food and merchandise, etc., would begin on 12/20/14 and last through early May 2015!!! The quote is: "The Frozen installation would remain in Hollywood Land through early May..."


So, what do you think? Is MiceAge on to something now that they are throwing out specific dates? Are you early holiday travelers going to move your trip dates to post-December 20th (oh, think of the crowds in DCA during that week between Christmas and New Year's once everyone packs in to build snowmen in Hollywood Land!)?? Or are you going to stick with your trip dates and avoid December 20th and beyond, just in case MiceChat is correct??

​

Sherry, my younger DS10 doesn't do well in heavy crowds. He has learning/language/ fine motor delays. He's very sensitive, and get's very overwhelmed in heavy crowds. I need to be aware of this when planning any family vacations. I can tell when he's had enough, and the last trip to DL during Halloween time was pushing it a bit for him. I'd like the family to experience Christmas time in DL, while avoiding the heavier crowds that go along with travelling to DL during that time of year. Worse case scenario is I delay the trip for a couple of months and go during a slower time of year (Jan). This is why I'm doing my research now, rather than waiting till closer to the booking of the trip. One of the main reasons we are heading to WDW when we are is that it's one of the slowest times of the year for crowds, and the prices on air/hotel are reasonable enough that we can afford to go.

Trish --

Oh, I totally understand why you have to plan and find out, but I just don't think there is any way to accurately predict early November crowds 3 years in advance. Many, many things could change between now and then. It's unlikely that in 2017 everything will be a carbon copy of what it's like this year. Entertainment, schedules, crowds -- all of it could change between now and then. I think you'll have a better idea of what to expect in another year.

Also, if you go before Veterans Day you may only get a partial Christmas time at Disneyland experience, as you know. It's not guaranteed that certain things will have soft opened. What happens in 2017 may be very different from what happens in 2014.

I know... but still, I want to know! I hate waiting! It seems so weird to me that for WDW Disney is able to determine it's schedule months in advance and for DL they can't. It's something so iconic, something that happens every year, so why not announce it.

Karin1984 --

I know. Everyone wants to know -- but just be forewarned and prepared that it may never appear on the website, and yet the Enchantment Lighting will still be happening in the parks.

I looked at my Times Guide and Map from last year, and the Enchantment Lighting was not listed on either of those things at all -- and yet it was still happening nightly in Disneyland. For whatever reason, it may not be announced -- but it will happen.

 

[Orbitron]

The latest -- cough cough -- rumor, courtesy of MiceAge/MiceChat, is that all of the Frozen mini-land stuff in Hollywood Land is beginning on December 20th!!!!!

MiceAge is writing a lot of stuff that isn't true. Strange that nobody else knows about that plans except them!

 

[Sherry E]

Question for all you Holiday Tour experts. Which tour time would you pick if you were going to do the tour on Thanksgiving Day? There is a 12 and 12:05 time and then there is 2:45. 2:50 and 2:55 time. I understand the earlier tours get preferred seating for the daytime parade and the later get seating for the evening parade. The evening parade looks more exciting to me with the lights, but do they seat all 3 tours together for the preferred seating? Will it be more crowded for the evening parade? How exactly does the preferred seating work? We will have younger children in our party and would hate to pay for preferred seating for them just to be stuck behind someone taller anyway. We are planning on eating our Thanksgiving meal at Carnation Cafe that day, so if we do the later tour, we would eat around 12-1 and if we do the earlier tour we would eat around 4-5. Plusses or minuses for either tour?? Also, does anybody know what the cancellation policy is for the tours?

debdreamsofdis --

I'm not a tour expert -- hopefully our tour experts will speak up! -- but I would always choose the latest tour, because the timing of it would put me at It's a Small World Holiday when the lights on the façade go on (you get the priority loading privileges with the tour). Also, I like the Christmas Fantasy Parade better at night than in the daytime.

MiceAge is writing a lot of stuff that isn't true. Strange that nobody else knows about that plans except them!

Orbitron --

They are known for putting out these stories and rumors based on info they have received from "inside sources." Some of it has come true over the years, and some of it has not happened at all. It is possible that certain things are tossed around in Disney's early planning meetings, and then those things never happen or see the light of day. What MiceAge reports could be something that was discussed in an early planning meeting... and then later discarded or abandoned!

Starting the Frozen stuff on December 20th is an interesting concept, if it turns out to be true. It is already very, very crowded over those last 2 weeks of the year, and that would only increase crowds. It would be a shame for the early holiday season travelers if they couldn't experience the Frozen fun, and if they had no chance to get back to DCA before early May.

That's the other thing -- snow, snowman building and ice skating in May just seems wrong, though I understand the concept of it all.

 

[crystal1313]

Hmmm....APs blocked or not, I find it odd that Disney would miss out on a lot of profit from the Frozen stuff being out before Dec. 20th....but maybe they waited so long they cannot get everything set up until then? I don't really believe Miceage anymore....but you never know. I am for sure not changing my dates for this (even though DS6 is obsessed with Olaf).

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

We just got back from our Halloween trip and I'm a still a bit out of it. Thankfully I took these pictures in Carsland this past weekend, so I can participate in this week's theme! Here is some 2014 merchandise!

 

[crystal1313]

Jamie, thanks for posting! I really hope they have the snow car ornaments when I am there Dec. 6-7 because they were sold out last year when I tried to get one!

 

[Sherry E]

I love the Snowy the Snow Car/Season's Speedings ears in Jamie's photo above!!

Hmmm....APs blocked or not, I find it odd that Disney would miss out on a lot of profit from the Frozen stuff being out before Dec. 20th....but maybe they waited so long they cannot get everything set up until then? I don't really believe Miceage anymore....but you never know. I am for sure not changing my dates for this (even though DS6 is obsessed with Olaf).

crystal1313 --

Yeah, something about the story doesn't sit right. December 20th is a long time to wait (seeing that the holidays are starting in mid-November) to put out a Frozen mini-land in Hollywood, especially if it were to debut in the busiest 2 weeks of the whole season, when it is already packed enough.

At the same time, it does seem suspiciously quiet on the Disneyland front as far as Frozen goes. It seems like there is a lot of Frozen going around, across WDW and other Disney divisions, and it would be odd for Disneyland to not try to milk it even more -- though I feel like we already have enough of Olaf and company in Winter Dreams, in the DTD ice rink, at the Boutique in DTD, at the meet and greet, etc. They would make a lot of the early holiday travelers (not just AP holders) mad by launching this Frozen area so late in the season, as well.