Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #4

[Sherry E]

Well, after our various Theme Weeks in the Theme Week Countdown for the last few years, I think we've covered almost every tree at and around DLR (with a few exceptions), but here is a Parks Blog showing a few of the trees (including the missing hubcap tree in Cars Land!):

"Christmas Trees of the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on November 28th, 2014 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort




And, while we have already read about and seen much of what there is to see of the gingerbread house at the GCH, Nancy Johnson of The DIS/DIS Unplugged actually expanded on the aspect that we were all wondering about -- How are treats going to be sold from the gingerbread house?

Well, the answer is -- they aren't being sold from the house itself. Read Nancy's blog for the explanation and photos:

"'Grand New' Gingerbread House at Disneyland’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa" -- The DIS; posted by Nancy Johnson on November 28, 2014

​

 

[DSNY4ever]

So we had to cancel our trip (we would have had our first park day today). But our son is really sick. If he can get better in time, and my husband can get the time off of work, we were thinking of re-scheduling for Jan 3-7. It looks like from what I read that the carolers and Santa will be gone, but would they still do the Christmas parade up until the 6th? Does it still feel Christmasy or is there too much stuff coming down at that point already?

 

[Sherry E]

So we had to cancel our trip (we would have had our first park day today). But our son is really sick. If he can get better in time, and my husband can get the time off of work, we were thinking of re-scheduling for Jan 3-7. It looks like from what I read that the carolers and Santa will be gone, but would they still do the Christmas parade up until the 6th? Does it still feel Christmasy or is there too much stuff coming down at that point already?

DSNY4ever --

I'm so sorry that you had to cancel! I hope your son gets better soon.

The Christmas parade -- and all of the holiday entertainment -- should be happening all the way through January 6th. I think that Haunted Mansion Holiday may even still be open past that date this time around, along with IASWH. Even the gingerbread house in the lobby of the GCH is supposed to be there through January 6th, although (in the past) decorations at the hotels used to come down right before or after the New Year.

The DLR hotels will tell people that the Carolers are there through Christmas Day. I have been told in the past that, depending on which day of the week Christmas falls, the Carolers may stick around a couple of days later -- but they are gone before New Year's Eve.

In the parks, I think that the Buena Vista Street Bell Ringers stick around past Christmas, so you might see them during your trip. I'm not sure what the Carolers do in DL.

Santa disappears from the hotels after Christmas Eve, but he is sometimes at the Jingle Jangle Jamboree in DL in a green plaid ensemble (instead of the red suit) after Christmas and on into the New Year. Disney doesn't advertise that he will be at the JJJ past Christmas Eve, so he may or may not be there, but DIS'er Malcon10t has seen him there past New Year's Day more than once -- so you will probably see "green plaid Santa" at the Jingle Jangle Jamboree during your trip.

I'm not sure if the Elias and Company Santa stays in his spot all the way until the end of the season (January 6th).

All in all, with the possible exception of missing Santas and Carolers, and maybe a thinner selection of holiday merchandise, I think everything will still be pretty Christmasy on those January dates! Most -- if not all -- of the decorations will be up through January 6th.

DIS'er tksbaskets has gone to DLR during that time frame before, and can probably give more insight into how Christmasy it feels.

 

[OHBelle]

Sherry-

I loved your pictures of the Grove. We won't have time to run over there this trip, but I will keep it in mind for future trips!

I read the blog about the GCH gingerbread house. I can't wait to see it for myself! I was a tiny bit disappointed to learn they aren't selling the goodies from the house itself, but near it.

After all this planning we are just 5 days away! The next few days will be super busy with work, Christmas decorating, packing for the trip and getting the Christmas package ready to send my boys. (I need to ship them shortly after we get back, so I want most of it done before we leave).

I am still trying to catch up on my Hallmark movies! I am hoping for some time tonight to watch A Royal Christmas.

I hope you and everyone else on this great thread had a Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry-

I loved your pictures of the Grove. We won't have time to run over there this trip, but I will keep it in mind for future trips!

I read the blog about the GCH gingerbread house. I can't wait to see it for myself! I was a tiny bit disappointed to learn they aren't selling the goodies from the house itself, but near it.

After all this planning we are just 5 days away! The next few days will be super busy with work, Christmas decorating, packing for the trip and getting the Christmas package ready to send my boys. (I need to ship them shortly after we get back, so I want most of it done before we leave).

I am still trying to catch up on my Hallmark movies! I am hoping for some time tonight to watch A Royal Christmas.

I hope you and everyone else on this great thread had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Tracy --

Thank you. The Grove and Farmers Market (wish I could have shown more of Farmers Market's holiday festivities, carolers and décor, but they were mostly closed yesterday) are nice to go to for a bit of holiday cheer outside of DLR -- only if one has time to waste and is already not going to be at DLR on a given day. Everyone is very happy when it starts snowing there, because that fake snow is pretty dense in the air for a while -- and it lasts for 3 or 4 songs. I was breathing it in and coughing after a few minutes because there was more of it than I expected! I am more accustomed to Disneyland's rather modest snowfall, but -- coughing aside -- I prefer lots of fake snow! I wish DLR would kick up the snowfall a bit.

But there is obviously nowhere better to spend a holiday trip in SoCal than at DLR. Everything there is beautiful and magical.

I, too, was disappointed to see that the goodies are not being sold from the actual house, because the original blurb about it in the Disneyland News press release said: "The six-foot-high gingerbread house in the spacious lobby of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is large enough for hot chocolate to be sold from its window."

Then the Parks Blog said: "Want to bring home a piece of the holiday magic? Seasonal offerings for sale include..." -- which is ambiguous, and doesn't necessarily mean that treats are being sold from the house itself, but it supported what was already posted by Disneyland News.

So I am wondering if the original plan was to have a functional gingerbread "shop" in the GCH lobby (much like the one in the Grand Floridian lobby at WDW), but once they got into building it they realized it wouldn't work? Maybe this is a test run of sorts, to see how it all goes, and then next year there could be a bigger and better house that can actually sustain a counter that sells treats.

I can't believe your trip is now 5 days away! You will definitely be super busy between now and then, as 5 days will pass in the blink of an eye. I can't wait to hear/read about how your trip goes -- especially because you haven't been to Disneyland in so long and have so much to catch up on, even aside from all of the holiday fun!

 

[DisneylandPlanner]

What about the gingerbread house kits? I keep passing on them when I see them because I plan to buy one there.

 

[Sherry E]

What about the gingerbread house kits? I keep passing on them when I see them because I plan to buy one there.

DisneylandPlanner --

I was wondering the same thing when I read Nancy's blog today. The Parks Blog definitely listed "Gingerbread house kits" as one of the items being sold. I wonder if that plan changed as well (along with the plan to actually sell items from the house itself!). At the Grand Floridian in WDW, don't they sell gingerbread houses and kits?

The Parks Blog mentioned:

• Gingerbread shingles and other assorted holiday cookies
• Holiday cookie-decorating kits
• Gingerbread house kits
• Specialty hot chocolate and cider

And Nancy Johnson's blog from today mentions (or shows in the menu):

• Traditional German stollen bread – filled with candied fruit and marzipan (by the slice or whole, with or without a gift box
• Iced gingerbread cookies (Note -- I think these are the shingles, and if these are the same shingles that were sold at DLR last year, they were hard and I would not buy them again)
• Iced shortbread cookies in the shape of snowmen.
• Cookie decorating kits with frosting and sprinkles
• Hot chocolate (with or without rum)
• Hot cider (with or without rum)

No mention of gingerbread house kits in Nancy's blog?

Maybe the kits are coming later -- like when December starts? It's possible that some things were not available yet, and maybe they will be. But that is very odd.

I wish they were selling the gingerbread cookies with chocolate-dipped Mickey ears!

 

[dsneygirl]

I noticed that on the Disneyland Today Facebook page, underneath the photo of the GCH gingerbread house that was posted one hour ago, in the comments someone says, "Let's take a bite!" Her friend (or whoever it is) then responds, "How mad would they be lol."

(Quick, Disney and GCH people! Spray something awful-tasting on that house, STAT! Stop all the biters before anyone else has a chance to sink their teeth into it!)

Now you see what I mean when I say that people can be so disappointing. Jamie/DisneyJamieCA already noticed that a bite had been taken out of the house, and that was even before it was fully set up and ready to go! Who knows how many people have taken bites out of the house since then, but as you can tell by the above-referenced Facebook exchange, some people obviously must think they are being funny by trying to deface the holiday displays!

These are the kinds of folks who are going to ruin it for everyone and cause the house to be taken down, if the GCH can't station a guard there or some other sort of deterrent.

​

Any time we passed by there was a manager or CM there answering questions. Now later at night I don't know. But that is really ridiculous.

I saw a post about this somewhere, but I'm not sure if it was in this thread or another...where does the Viva Navidad Street Party stop to perform their set? I don't want to claim a spot and then have them be all the way down the street.

This was my DH's favourite Xmas thing all week. I think he saw it 5x (we saw it twice) Once near Goofy's and the second time we got dinner and watched from the seating at the Garden Grill facing out to the street. No ideal but comfy and the dancers were lined up right beside us, waving, high fives etc. The energy, costume and music are not to be missed.

The 3 cabellors take photos immediately after each parade. As soon as it ended DH hopped over and we were like the 2nd or 3rd family in line.

 

[DSNY4ever]

Thank you Sherry E for all your tips about the dates after New Years. I am hoping to be able to squeeze in our re-scheduled trip before the holiday stuff comes down, we'll see! And wow your photos of the Grove look pretty cool!

 

[dalstitch45]

Hi Sherry, just reporting in. Got here late yesterday afternoon. I was so tired, I just went and got a corn dog at DL and redeemed our photopass+. I am rested and refreshed, so it is off to the parks I go. I did get a really cute Olaf Happy Holidays sweatshirt.

 

[figment_jii]

joyfulDisneytears --

Bret/mvf-m11c and figment_jii may want to chime in on this as well, but I will give you a quote from DIS'er grnflash:

In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit that I think I was on the Garden Grill side (the side that grnflash says to avoid). The dancers were really easy to see, as was most of the street party/procession from where I was, but I missed the Three Caballeros -- so I think that grnflash is on to something with that tip!

I concur with grnflash that the "best" location is going to be by Bayside Brew facing Garden Grill. You can see a lot of the street show from pretty much anywhere, but if you want to see the Caballeros for most of the show, you need to be in the middle. I would think that pretty much anywhere between Bayside Brew and Jumping Jellyfish would be a pretty good location.

Hi Sherry, just reporting in. Got here late yesterday afternoon. I was so tired, I just went and got a corn dog at DL and redeemed our photopass+. I am rested and refreshed, so it is off to the parks I go. I did get a really cute Olaf Happy Holidays sweatshirt.

I saw that Olaf sweatshirt! It was very cute. It was available in World of Disney and select locations in the parks. I remember seeing it over by Paradise Pier in DCA.

 

[Jenasweetemotion]

Eeek. We leave in less then 10 hours. I have the app for the iphone and will be posting some pictures. Let me know if there is something you would like to see and I will try to post it. Can't believe it is already time for our trip.

Edit: I see the app isn't working so I will try and post photo's when I get to a computer while I am there.

 

[mvf-m11c]

I saw a post about this somewhere, but I'm not sure if it was in this thread or another...where does the Viva Navidad Street Party stop to perform their set? I don't want to claim a spot and then have them be all the way down the street.

Bret/mvf-m11c and figment_jii may want to chime in on this as well, but I will give you a quote from DIS'er grnflash:

Just as grnflahs quoted that the best spot to see the Viva Vavidad Street Party is to watch it from the area right by Bayside Brews and Jumpin' Jellyfish area. There is a spot right next the Bayside Brews which the CM's won't let the guests in the specific spot until the float moves into a specific location. We were able to get that good spot close to the float. As you can tell from these pictures. We watched the first show at 12pm with a 15 minute wait time. Never watch the Street Party on the other side since you won't be able to see the float with the Three Caballeros.

 

[tksbaskets]

Great pictures Bret! DH and I will be sure to take this show in at the spot you suggest. So bright and colorful.

 

[petals]

I started my trip report for my trip it's linked in my signature. It will probably take a while to complete as I've over 3900 pictures and I'm waiting on photopass to sort out a few issues. One of my magic shots is empty and they lost my pictures with Pluto. I do have a photo of some other random dad and two kids with Pluto though so if anyone is missing there picture I might have yours

 

[kylie71]

Look what we got yesterday!!!
Sadly I am home, laded at 8:35am....
Yesterday, while waling down Buena Vista street, in front of Trolley Treats, 2 CM's had signs, with FRESH CANDY CANES, on them!
So, of course we each got a wrist band, and returned at 4pm, to pick them up!!

They made it home safe and sound! I just cracked one up and put in a candy dish, they are so YUMMY!!!!!!!!

I took 500 pics..... so I will be back!
But here is one, of the Canes!

--Lori

 

[tksbaskets]

I started my trip report for my trip it's linked in my signature. It will probably take a while to complete as I've over 3900 pictures and I'm waiting on photopass to sort out a few issues. One of my magic shots is empty and they lost my pictures with Pluto. I do have a photo of some other random dad and two kids with Pluto though so if anyone is missing there picture I might have yours

Don't give up hope! I lost a PP card a few years back (son's had a couple of pics taken for me when I wasn't with them. That was the special part). I told the pp castmember through an email what they were wearing and where/when the picture was taken and they found the pictures!

Going over to sub to your trip report. With all those pics I'm sure it will be a good time.

Look what we got yesterday!!!
Sadly I am home, laded at 8:35am....
Yesterday, while waling down Buena Vista street, in front of Trolley Treats, 2 CM's had signs, with FRESH CANDY CANES, on them!
So, of course we each got a wrist band, and returned at 4pm, to pick them up!!

They made it home safe and sound! I just cracked one up and put in a candy dish, they are so YUMMY!!!!!!!!

I took 500 pics..... so I will be back!
But here is one, of the Canes!

--Lori

YUM! Love those candy canes. Hope to score a couple this week as a matter of fact. We leave on Thursday!!!

 

[Hummingbird15]

Do they still do the Sh-Boom Carsland lighting at sunset during holiday time?

 

[funatdisney]

Hello all! I used to be a regular here but I haven't posted in a super long time.

I had a chance to go to DLR today after I dropped my eldest daughter at the airport this morning. I just wanted to say the gingerbread house in the Grand Californian Hotel is just stunning. Here is the picture of it I took with my cell phone.



Also I got the Souvenir Christmas Mickey Mouse Soup Travel Mug at the Jolly Holiday (filled with the Tomato Basil soup – yum!). Here is a picture:



It is niffy mug. It kept my hands warm (it rained today so this feature came in handy!) and was easy to sip from while touring the Parks.

 

[tksbaskets]

A short break for a Hallmark Movie review by TK: Christmas Under Wraps I enjoyed the movie and the whimsical plot. I had REALLY high hopes as I love Candace C-B and "Let is Snow" last year is still one of my favorites. It did not rank up high enough to remain on my DVR for another viewing. I didn't really feel any sizzle between Andy and CC-B. As a bonus the Coke commercial (short film length) was adorable.

So far with the new movies:

The Chrismas Sheperd
The Nine Lives of Christmas
A Royal Christmas
Signed, Sealed & Delivered for Christmas (HM&M)
Northpole
A Cookie Cutter Christmas
Angels and Ornaments
One Starry Christmas

Hallmark Christmas Movie fans - what did you think?