Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #4

[blackjackdelta]

A couple of snaps from me...

Everyone enjoy their holiday trips,

Jack

 

[tksbaskets]

crystal1313 I believe the Holiday Tour about 2 1/2 hours plus the parade. Our tour started at 12:30 and ended with the 3 pm parade if I recall.

December 2013

I'm counting this as BVS because you can tell Grumpy is so happy to be here! Although I miss the candy cane stripped letters, this fits with the BVS theme.

Don't forget to look around right as you enter BVS. So many festive decorations.

Let's stop and listen to the Bell Ringers shall we? It's worth your time.

DH appreciates a well appointed bench.

Hey - we found a Photopass Photographer so I'm actually IN the photo! As you can see Donald is 'thrilled'

It's all about perspective (or the ability of the person holding the camera) The tree really doesn't lean in person...

My attempt to compose like Mike...Bret...Sherry...Elk...and so many more great DIS photographers. Sigh.

The Hollywoodland to BVS Trolly. Sometimes for transportation:

Sometimes for entertainment:

Sometimes it just looked cool at night:

I'm really enjoying everyone's contributions!

TK

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

I don't remember the cost for the tour, sorry. I think the tour was about 3 hours. It was well worth it, IMO.

 

[mom2rtk]

I think the tour was in the neighborhood of $70 or so.

I highly recommend the tour. If you do it on a really busy park day (think Friday, Saturday or Sunday) you won't lose much park time because of the 3 rides plus parade you get priority access to.

 

[Jenasweetemotion]

Here are a few of mine. Can't wait to take more pictures of these areas. This photo challenge made me realize I never really take pictures in this area which is a shame.



We were riding in a passing trolly. I love riding the trolly at night.






Loved the addition of Santa and his sleigh.

 

[Irony personified]

Jack and I did the Holiday tour this past November. If you get the chance, DO IT. It was great fun, lots of info on the different decorations in both parks, a treat from CA, two rides without waiting, AND the seats right outside IASM for the parade, along with hot chocolate. When they did the countdown and lights came on at IASM, the most magical thing I've ever experienced at DL. He has wonderful pics, I'll have him post them.

 

[marlana323]

Is anyone else having trouble deciding on where to stay? We stayed at the GCH last time and I have booked the DLH for our December trip but I keep wavering back and forth. My kids are 7 and 9 and thought DLH would be fun but GCH was amazing last time.

Any advice? We are staying Sunday - Friday...would it be crazy to split it? My DH thinks I'm nuts!

 

[crystal1313]

Thanks for the info on the tours guys! 3 hours sounds reasonable, especially with a 6 and 5 year old =)

 

[Sherry E]

As we continue to patiently await an official announcement of the holiday season start and end date from Disney, I am wondering what the delay is!

The fact that Disney has not come out with an official date yet could be a good sign or a bad sign, depending on how you look at it. It could mean that there is something -- some big new event or addition to the season -- that they are waiting for details on before including it in a Parks Blog or Press Release.

Or, the delay could mean that nothing new or different is happening this year at all -- which would be fine with me, as last year's holiday season was pretty great -- and, therefore, there is no reason to rush a holiday season announcement blog until after Labor Day.

However, in August of the last couple of years there have been holiday-related blogs or bits of info released (August being the 3-month point before the season is expected to start every year, presumably giving people time to plan trips), or info has trickled out in some other way by this point in the month. I would have to think that something is coming, news-wise -- even if it is just the announcement of the official dates and nothing else -- this month.

We have just over two weeks of August left (and, by the way, yay for that sweet miracle!)-- and 3 more of those wacky #GetHappier/Monday Surprise deals to contend with between now and Labor Day -- so I guess we should be on hyper-alert, because something is coming. As popular as the holiday season has become at DLR, I can't see any logic whatsoever in waiting until after Labor Day to post the season start and end dates.

​

Reminder (to all the last-minute photo contributors)!!

You've got all of today (Friday, 8/15), tomorrow (Saturday, 8/16) and Sunday, 8/17, until 11:59 p.m., P.S.T., to submit your photos of "Buena Vista Street and Hollywood Land"! In 3 days -- on Monday, 8/18 -- we will move on to a brand new theme (our fifth theme!).


I have logged everyone's contributions (I am really loving all of the fun, happy, amazing and colorful photos that everyone has posted so far!), with the most recent ones being Jenasweetemotion, blackjackdelta and tksbaskets!! Jenasweetemotion and TK each have another entry into the random draw, and Jack has his first entry into the random draw!

I'm also glad to see that some of our non-photo contributors are playing along (quietly) with the Code Word Challenge portion of the contest/Countdown!

It will be exciting to see who ends up winning the 3 Disney gift cards when we wrap this up in November!

Of course, for those who are submitting photos, it will increase your chances of winning if you contribute to as many of the themes as possible (we have 18 more themes to go in the coming months and weeks). However, I will point out that the person who won the gift card for the photo part of the Countdown last year (Mickeybell) was not the one who contributed to the most themes! She contributed to quite a few themes, but she did not have the most contributions! In fact, Mickeybell was not even among the Top 5 most frequent photo contributors in the Theme Week Countdown of 2013!

I guess my point is, you never know who will win in these random drawings, so don't be afraid/reluctant to enter the Countdown even if you only have one photo for one theme and that's it! The winner could be someone who posted one photo, one time, or it could be someone who has contributed to many themes! That's how "random" the selection will be (to choose the 2 photo contributor winners, I will literally be putting my hand into a box of names scribbled on crumpled pieces of paper, which are mixed up/tossed around, and blindly pulling out the names of two winners).

​

Thank you, TK, Jamie and Janet for the info on tour length and approximate tour price!

​

Thank you, also, TK, for generously including me in the same sentence with Bret, Mike and Elk in terms of composition. That's very kind and thoughtful (if largely untrue!) of you to say. My camera may be little -- and not a DSLR -- but I do try very hard and take a lot of time with my photos, always attempting (albeit, sometimes unsuccessfully) to get something interesting or slightly different, because I love the whole process of taking pictures and "creating." A couple of my BVS-HL photos had not been posted anywhere prior to this Theme Week, and I was excited to share them.

Your photos have been awesome! Your tower/fountain photo is certainly better than anything I have been able to get of the tower/fountain thus far, as there are always too many people in the way and I can never get the shot I want to get, from the angle I want. If I try to rush and snap hastily, it will be a big, blurry mess. I cannot get a shot of the Storytellers statue on BVS without 9 million people in the way as well. Also, I cannot get a photo on the Storybook Land boat ride to save my life.

I've really been delighted and impressed with the quality and variety of photos that we have seen from all of our contributors in the Theme Weeks thus far, and I can't wait to see what you all have to offer in the upcoming weeks/months!

​

Jack and I did the Holiday tour this past November. If you get the chance, DO IT. It was great fun, lots of info on the different decorations in both parks, a treat from CA, two rides without waiting, AND the seats right outside IASM for the parade, along with hot chocolate. When they did the countdown and lights came on at IASM, the most magical thing I've ever experienced at DL. He has wonderful pics, I'll have him post them.

Hi, Irony!

Welcome.

I'd love to see Jack's photos -- but tell him to hang onto them until November 3rd, or until we hit another theme that the photos can fit into!

Our "It's a Small World Holiday--Fantasyland" theme week was last week. Right now we are in "Buena Vista Street--Hollywood Land week," and on Monday, 8/18 we will be switching to a brand new theme. (Prior to IASWH-FL week we covered "A Christmas Fantasy Parade--Believe in Holiday Magic Fireworks" and "Santa Claus--PhotoPass--Holiday Characters"!)

I am afraid that if anyone posts photos from a previous theme, any newcomers or sudden arrivals to the Countdown may see what was posted and think that we are in that theme instead of the current one. (A lot of folks will not go back to my Theme Week intro post from Monday and will just look at what has recently been posted to get a sense of what the theme is.) Since this Countdown is also a contest in which people are trying to win Disney gift cards, I need to keep things somewhat on track, photo-wise! (Though we're still here to discuss all aspects of the holiday season, answer questions and ponder breaking news as it comes in!)

Monday, November 3rd will be our "Holiday Cornucopia" week. That's the week in which everyone can submit photos for previous themes that they were not able to make it into earlier in the Countdown, as well as a lot of other holiday photos of all types, in and out of Disney parks -- but I will explain more about that as we get closer to November.

​

 

[ashnjam]

Is anyone else having trouble deciding on where to stay? We stayed at the GCH last time and I have booked the DLH for our December trip but I keep wavering back and forth. My kids are 7 and 9 and thought DLH would be fun but GCH was amazing last time.

Any advice? We are staying Sunday - Friday...would it be crazy to split it? My DH thinks I'm nuts!

We went last year the same dates you are going and stayed at DLH. The kids in our group were 8, 10, 13 we had a DTD/park view and it was amazing! Looking at the christmas lights of DTD and the skating rink was so cool to see at night from our room. The hotel SCREAMS disney and the kids still talk about DLH. Never stayed at the GCH so can't help much there. Have fun!!

 

[Luisa]

Going through my pictures to find some for this weeks theme I realised just how out of focus many of them are! I really need to practice some more

 

[mvf-m11c]

Some old Classics of Hollywood Land where it had some holiday decorations on the lamp posts.


The old Hollywood Pictures Backlot entrance with the elephants

 

[dhorner233]

 

[Orbitron]

I have just learned that ¡Viva Navidad! is coming back this year. A friend of ours, that was part of it last Christmas season and knows Minnie Mouse very well, had an audition for the show today. I can't wait to see it again!

 

[dsneygirl]

Is anyone else having trouble deciding on where to stay? We stayed at the GCH last time and I have booked the DLH for our December trip but I keep wavering back and forth. My kids are 7 and 9 and thought DLH would be fun but GCH was amazing last time.

Any advice? We are staying Sunday - Friday...would it be crazy to split it? My DH thinks I'm nuts!

By some miracle we got the GC on points (DVC members) and we my ODS said he wanted to stay at the DLH again! Really?

 

[lucysmom]

Oh, I am excited to hear about Viva Navida!. Even though we were there for five days last year, I didn't make it to see that. I was going to go our last day. We were a short walk away, staying at the GCH for heaven's sake. But, my feet gave out. This year it will be one of the first spots I go.

 

[Sherry E]

Remember, last-minute photo contributors, you have until tomorrow night -- Sunday, 8/17/14, at 11:59 p.m., P.S.T. -- to submit your photos for this week's theme, which is "Buena Vista Street and Hollywood Land." On Monday, 8/18 we will begin a new theme!!



Luisa has earned another entry into the random draw!

I have just learned that ¡Viva Navidad! is coming back this year. A friend of ours, that was part of it last Christmas season and knows Minnie Mouse very well, had an audition for the show today. I can't wait to see it again!

Orbitron --

Thank you so much for passing on that bit of info, courtesy of your friend! I'm delighted to hear that Viva Navidad will be back.

I was almost certain that VN would be back this year because it seemed to get a lot of great reviews in 2013, but I don't trust Disney -- when I expect them to do something, they sometimes surprise me and don't do it at all!

Quite honestly, the reviews for VN seemed more positive on a whole than the reviews for World of Color-Winter Dreams!! I don't think I read anything bad about Viva Navidad, other than a couple of comments from people who didn't have the best viewing locations. I did two different surveys about it -- one in DCA, at the Viva Navidad location, and one online, a few weeks after my December trip was over. I suspected that Disney would probably not be investing resources, time and research into an event that they did not plan to bring back.

However, that said, I wouldn't be shocked if we see a couple of small changes to VN this year -- maybe a couple of extra things added in, more food items on the VN menu, etc.

You know, I follow one or two Facebook pages for Disney talent/performers, and at least one page announces auditions and things like that. I "liked" the page a while back because I thought that seeing what kinds of auditions were being held might clue me in to what sort of entertainment was coming up. If they posted anything about auditions for Viva Navidad, I certainly didn't see it, so my idea didn't pan out!

​

 

[rentayenta]

Is anyone else having trouble deciding on where to stay? We stayed at the GCH last time and I have booked the DLH for our December trip but I keep wavering back and forth. My kids are 7 and 9 and thought DLH would be fun but GCH was amazing last time.

Any advice? We are staying Sunday - Friday...would it be crazy to split it? My DH thinks I'm nuts!

I like to split stay. Last December we had a two day trip and we did one day at each. We enjoyed DCA on our GCV day and Disneyland on our DLH day. It was perfect. It really wasn't any issue to switch.

 

[Orbitron]

Oh, I am excited to hear about Viva Navida!. Even though we were there for five days last year, I didn't make it to see that. I was going to go our last day. We were a short walk away, staying at the GCH for heaven's sake. But, my feet gave out. This year it will be one of the first spots I go.

¡Viva Navidad! is well worth a visit, you will not be disappointed!

Orbitron --Thank you so much for passing on that bit of info, courtesy of your friend! I'm delighted to hear that Viva Navidad will be back.

You're welcome!

However, that said, I wouldn't be shocked if we see a couple of small changes to VN this year -- maybe a couple of extra things added in, more food items on the VN menu, etc.

It might well be. As long as they keep the street party and the meet and greet everything is fine with me!

You know, I follow one or two Facebook pages for Disney talent/performers, and at least one page announces auditions and things like that. I "liked" the page a while back because I thought that seeing what kinds of auditions were being held might clue me in to what sort of entertainment was coming up. If they posted anything about auditions for Viva Navidad, I certainly didn't see it, so my idea didn't pan out!

It is quite possible that it was a internal audition. Our friend is working at Disneyland for many years and maybe they asked these performers first.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I have just learned that ¡Viva Navidad! is coming back this year. A friend of ours, that was part of it last Christmas season and knows Minnie Mouse very well, had an audition for the show today. I can't wait to see it again!

Thanks for sharing. I was hoping that I would get to see this.

Corinna