Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #4

[Cheshirecatty]

Orbitron…..I had to "giggle" at the PLASTIC Tree!

Beautiful pic of the poinsettias---my favorite!

 

[nicolispicoli]

I love this thread! It always gets me so excited! Last year, I got super sick and had to cancel my dis-holiday the day before I was planning to leave, boooo. This year, I finally talked my anti-dis husband into going with me and our DD3. We're taking a road trip (we live in sacramento) to Monterey for a couple days and then down south. There is nothing more magical than disneyland at Christmastime, so I can't wait! We'll be going Nov 22-23, I couldn't talk him into more than 2 days there, but hey, i'll take it! Happppy dance!

 

[Sherry E]

In 3 days we begin a brand new Theme Week!! You have until 11:59 p.m., P.S.T., on Sunday, 8/24/14, to get in your Toontown holiday photos for this week's theme!

​

This silence from the Disney camp (as far as giving us anything official about the Disneyland holiday season) is deafening, as the saying goes!

Not only are we past the point in August when holiday dates and news were revealed last year and in 2012, but Epcot at WDW is even taking reservations for New Year's dining now!!!!!!

And... not only is there a weird lack of holiday news, but more and more info about the WDW Halloween festivities and about the DCL Halloween festivities keeps trickling out, while our DLR Halloween Time season doesn't even seem to be yielding any noteworthy blogs/press releases at all (other than the announcement of the MHP dates and the Halloween Time season). There are "more Villains and enhancements" coming to MNSSHP at WDW, but are there more Villains and enhancements coming to our Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland Resort??

So it really does seem like the silence is obvious on the Disneyland Resort end, and that it is leading up to something that is going to be revealed or announced any day now. Whether or not that big revelation is going to include the ice rink moving into Hollywood Land, along with a Frozen sing-along and meet and greet, is anyone's guess. I'd rather have that news than a hard ticket party that included the old fireworks and old parade, but it seems like something must be in the works.

I tend to think that if nothing new or out of the ordinary were happening this year, Erin would have just popped in with a quick blog on the Parks Blog by now, announcing the holiday season dates.

At the same time, if something really major were on the horizon -- like a brand new Christmas party -- it seems like that would have been announced by now (or even back in July, or earlier).

So, if it is the Frozen-in-DCA stuff that is going to be announced, I guess that would fall under the category of not insignificant, but not major enough to alert everyone way in advance.

The only really new thing about the whole Frozen set-up (if MiceAge's report was accurate) would be the sing-along and small stage show. The ice rink and the meet and greet were at DLR -- albeit, in different locations -- last year, so those would not really be new, just relocated (maybe).

In any event, we have two more of those #GetHappier/Monday Surprise deals coming up, and one of those days could be used to make a holiday announcement on the Parks Blog. I would certainly hope that nothing is announced past Labor Day!

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Orbitron -- I love that last series of photos you posted, and I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who loves Toontown and would be sad to see it removed!


nicolispicoli -- Welcome back to the thread! I'm so glad you have another holiday trip on the horizon! I agree -- there is nothing more magical than Disneyland at Christmas time (or during the whole holiday season, really), so 2 days is better than no days! If I had only one day to go, I would still do it because there is so much to see and do!

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That is the only event that I have never done during the holiday season and I will try to do that one day. Maybe if I don't coach basketball. But my season goes through late November all the way till early March and December is our busiest time of the year which I was lucky to get one trip during Christmas break last year. I will have no problem waiting or staking out a spot for the CP like I have been with the fireworks, F!, WoC, etc. to get the best spot.

I remember that well back in 2010 about that rumor that the non-MHP people were allowed to stay in the park during party to let them see HS fireworks. I was not happy about that report and I would have not paid for a ticket if the non-MHP people were allowed to stay in the park to see the fireworks. At least the rumor was not true and we had to pay in order to see HS inside the park just like the parties at WDW MNSSHP & MVMCP to be able to experience all the party shows.

Same here. I can never imagine 2 space-themed lands in DL where it makes sense to put it at Tomorrowland. Star Wars Land might be a great success but I do enjoy Tomorrowland a lot when I go to the park. Star Wars doesn't make sense for DCA while Marvel does make sense.

Absolutely. It makes sense for Marvel and Star Wars to have a park built for them and leave DL & DCA alone. I also realized that Islands of Adventure at Universal Studios Orlando have Marvel theme rides and what will it be like where Universal and Disney have Marvel in there parks.

It's going to be a long time if the Disney Company builds a 3rd park in Anaheim. It is also taking a long time for the Disney Company to complete Shanghai Disneyland which is taking longer than they thought.

Speaking of MHP, I just got an email today from Disneyland Guest Communications and they were able to fix the problem on the MHP AP discount rate. When I try to purchase MHP tickets on the website with my AP discount but the system didn't recognize my AP. After a few days and I try to purchase them online with the AP discount and it works. Sucks that I bought the tickets on the phone and will have to wait a few more days until I get them.

Bret --

Oh, that's great to hear that you got your MHP ticket situation worked out. I wondered what happened with that, and if the DLR system was still not recognizing you as an AP holder. So you had to end up calling and ordering them that way (before the problem was fixed)? That is a pain, but as long as your AP discount was applied to the purchase, that is the important thing!

What is going on with the lack of Christmas holiday news. Like the Halloween items are in the shop already and I need to plan! This is driving my anxiety mad

I like the idea of the Frozen thing though simply because it looks cool (no pun intended) in DHS and I didn't get to see it. I don't like the fact they could take Muppets away for this. That's one of the things I love seeing.

I don't think a Star Wars expansion belongs in the Disneyland park I think that would be better suited to DCA!

Also luvin all the Toontown pics

petals --

Judging by the other Frozen-related blogs that have been popping up on the Parks Blog in the last week, I would not be shocked if MiceAge's report is mostly correct this time around (which is not always the case), and the Frozen stuff is going to set up shop in Hollywood Land for the holiday season.

I so agree. Tomorrowland and Star Wars go together exquisitely well. I think it would make much more sense to put a few new attractions themed to the latter into the former rather than creating a whole separate land -- and, in the process, killing two much-loved parts of the park... well, maybe "much-loved" is a bit of a stretch for Toontown, as a lot of people are only lukewarm to it, but many kids adore it nevertheless.

A revamp for Toontown would be wonderful, and if they were to rip it apart and put something new in, that could be cool, too. A Star Wars land in Toontown's place, however, just seems... wrong. Like you said, Sherry, it seems too redundant with Tomorrowland literally right around the corner.

*sigh*

Natara --

I think that there always needs to be some area in each park for really little kids. A Bug's Land is that spot in DCA (and is often the spot that adults think should be changed into something else!), and Toontown is the spot in DL (and is also a spot that a lot of people don't visit, as we are finding out in the current Theme Week). Interestingly, both TT and ABL are fantastic lands for appreciating the famous Disney attention to detail, which is why I love them both and don't want them to be removed. I love the details.

The problem is that the Roger Rabbit influence in TT now seems out of place, or dated. Personally, I love the Car Toon Spin ride, but how many little kids are going to be watching Who Framed Roger Rabbit before visiting Disneyland in 2014 or 2015? I don't know if Roger is considered as 'classic' of a character in the pantheon of Disney characters as those featured in the other rides, but who knows? He's not on par with Dumbo or Peter Pan, in other words, nor is he up there with Woody, Buzz and the gang!

(Thank goodness no one ever had the bright idea to create a Marsupilami-themed ride! His days of appearing in Disneyland were numbered!)

I would be sad to see Car Toon Spin removed from TT because it is just as fun as any of the other dark rides, if not more fun than some of them. However, I could understand if Toontown got a makeover of some kind, and was refreshed a bit to reflect something a tad more recent. I'd rather have that happen than have the demolition of Toontown to put a second space-themed land into DL.

I looked at last years schedule for November and it looks like the Christmas parade began on Friday of Veterans weekend.

So *if* that holds true for this year....

We will be in the parks Saturday, Sunday and Monday of Veterans weekend. For Saturday and Sunday, the parade ran 2x a day at 2:30 & again at 5:30. On Monday the parade only ran once and that was at 5:30.

If there are any Disney channel celebrities performing in the parade, we will definitely want to stake out a spot. Do the celebrities perform in both the afternoon and evening parade? In looking at some of the info from last year, it looks like some of the Disney Channel folks were in the actual parade (Teen Beach Movie) and some, like Demi Lovato were on a stage. If they do a staged performance, any idea when that happens? Will this type of info be in the daily schedule you get at the gate....or might we be able to find out prior to the day of the performance?

I also want to make reservations for Goofy's Kitchen for dinner .....if the Christmas parade does not happen Veterans weekend, I would do Goofy's on Saturday night. However, if the parades ARE running that day with Disney channel celebrities, I feel like we will want more time at the parks. But....if it is crazy, crazy busy, AND we end up seeing the 2:30pm parade, it might be really nice to get out and go to Goofy's.. Any thoughts?

I also want to schedule a lunch at BB but I am leaning toward Monday. But we could do BB on Saturday for lunch and still be able to easily get a spot for the 5:30 parade if not, the 2:30 depending on the crowds.

Misskitty3 --

I'm sure there will be some sort of mention of who is part of the taping and where they will appear, somewhere -- I'm just not sure where. There should definitely be something in the daily schedule to alert you to who will be where, but you might try calling Disneyland beforehand to see what they say.

I would save BB for Monday and do Goofy's on Saturday. Goofy's serves dinner up until 9 p.m., I think it is, so you have a good window of time to get there even if you do end up seeing the parade.

I tend to think the "parade taping crowds" will be different (and maybe more substantial) than the regular Christmas parade crowds (which are lofty enough), and will require more waiting around.

I thought of someone I can ask about what happens on the taping days -- I don't know if she went to the parade taping last year or the year before, but she should at least be able to give some insight as to how you find out who is performing and where, and how early you have to start waiting, etc. I'll try to get in touch with her and see what she knows.

 

[mom2rtk]

Before we get busy packing our son up to head back to school tomorrow, I thought I should get this weeks photos posted:




IMG_9943 by mom2rtk, on Flickr


IMG_9942 by mom2rtk, on Flickr


IMG_9932 by mom2rtk, on Flickr


IMG_9920 by mom2rtk, on Flickr


IMG_9916 by mom2rtk, on Flickr


IMG_9907_1 by mom2rtk, on Flickr


IMG_9905_1 by mom2rtk, on Flickr


IMG_9900_1 by mom2rtk, on Flickr


IMG_0508 by mom2rtk, on Flickr


IMG_0507 by mom2rtk, on Flickr


IMG_0504 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

 

[tksbaskets]

In a wildly impulsive extravagance DH and I just booked a trip to DL for December 4-9! It will be the first time going to Disney as a couple without our kids. You betcha I'll be taking a picture or two in Toontown!

Now I greedily hope that the CP will be that weekend.

Thanks to Bret for his lodging recommendations

As for Star Wars Land... WDW took down Toontown and replaced it with new Fantasyland which even when we saw it partially completed (no Seven Dwarf Mine Ride yet) I felt it was an improvement in theming. Hey - my family LOVES Star Wars. Bring on the Death Star ride I say

TK

 

[Sherry E]

Janet -- Beautiful photos, and another entry into the random draw!

In a wildly impulsive extravagance DH and I just booked a trip to DL for December 4-9! It will be the first time going to Disney as a couple without our kids. You betcha I'll be taking a picture or two in Toontown!

Now I greedily hope that the CP will be that weekend.

Thanks to Bret for his lodging recommendations

As for Star Wars Land... WDW took down Toontown and replaced it with new Fantasyland which even when we saw it partially completed (no Seven Dwarf Mine Ride yet) I felt it was an improvement in theming. Hey - my family LOVES Star Wars. Bring on the Death Star ride I say

TK

TK --

I'm glad you got your trip set for December!

You must have missed it (I think you may have been out of town) when I posted the confirmation of the CP dates. We already knew it would be Sat., 12/6 and Sun., 12/7, but the confirmation went up on the Disneyland Events page a while back (I posted the link to it in a couple of places, and announced it HERE). So you're in luck!

 

[mom2rtk]

Janet -- Beautiful photos, and another entry into the random draw!

Thanks Sherry!

 

[mvf-m11c]

Bret --

Oh, that's great to hear that you got your MHP ticket situation worked out. I wondered what happened with that, and if the DLR system was still not recognizing you as an AP holder. So you had to end up calling and ordering them that way (before the problem was fixed)? That is a pain, but as long as your AP discount was applied to the purchase, that is the important thing!

The MHP ticket on the DL website is all fixed where the AP holders will be able to get the discounted tickets (on certain days). It might have been a glitched in the system. It doesn't helped me a lot when I was trying to purchase the tickets last week and so I had to order them by phone. I am so used to ordering it online over by the phone. At least I was able to get the AP discount for my date and just waiting to get the tickets.


Your welcome TK. Hope you will have a good time staying at the hotel that you chosen for your trip.

 

[Sherry E]

I just realized that it is looking as though a bunch of DIS'ers from this thread will be at DLR in the same time frame again (just as there were last year), or at least overlapping.

I know that Janet/mom2rtk has not picked dates yet, but I am guessing that at least a couple of her days will overlap with Jenny/rentayenta's dates and possibly TK/tksbaskets' dates as well!

Of course, I have not picked any dates yet and I don't know how long I would be there, but my usual pattern is to go in that same timeframe -- at the tail end of the CP and/or into that week.

So, there are many of us who may be there at the same time again!

 

[mom2rtk]

I just realized that it is looking as though a bunch of DIS'ers from this thread will be at DLR in the same time frame again (just as there were last year), or at least overlapping.

I know that Janet/mom2rtk has not picked dates yet, but I am guessing that at least a couple of her days will overlap with Jenny/rentayenta's dates and possibly TK/tksbaskets' dates as well!

Of course, I have not picked any dates yet and I don't know how long I would be there, but my usual pattern is to go in that same timeframe -- at the tail end of the CP and/or into that week.

So, there are many of us who may be there at the same time again!

We'll have to keep track and make arrangements for a DISmeet when more people have dates firmed up. We're sort of targeting 12/6 through 12/13 or 12/14.

 

[pudinhd]

I was planning on uploading pictures from 2013 and recent years, but I just couldn't do the plastic...

 

[tksbaskets]

We'll have to keep track and make arrangements for a DISmeet when more people have dates firmed up. We're sort of targeting 12/6 through 12/13 or 12/14.

That would be a blast!

 

[Sherry E]

pudinhd --

I cannot blame you for rejecting the plastic trees! It's great to see what Toontown used to look like, with the nice trees and the Mickey-shaped wreaths! You have another entry into the random draw!



Janet --

It is definitely looking like we (you, Jenny, TK and I) will all be there at the same time, for at least a couple of overlapping days. So, yes, we will touch base closer to the time and see what the schedules are looking like!

 

[tksbaskets]

pudinhd --

I cannot blame you for rejecting the plastic trees! It's great to see what Toontown used to look like, with the nice trees and the Mickey-shaped wreaths! You have another entry into the random draw!



Janet --

It is definitely looking like we (you, Jenny, TK and I) will all be there at the same time, for at least a couple of overlapping days. So, yes, we will touch base closer to the time and see what the schedules are looking like!

Sherry I'd love to meet in person! I hope it works out. Perhaps for the CP? Now I'll have to pay attention to how to get a seat/ticket.

 

[WestMom2two]

I love this thread! It always gets me so excited! Last year, I got super sick and had to cancel my dis-holiday the day before I was planning to leave, boooo. This year, I finally talked my anti-dis husband into going with me and our DD3. We're taking a road trip (we live in sacramento) to Monterey for a couple days and then down south. There is nothing more magical than disneyland at Christmastime, so I can't wait! We'll be going Nov 22-23, I couldn't talk him into more than 2 days there, but hey, i'll take it! Happppy dance!

We live in Sacramento too! We are going as a family for our 3rd visit Nov 17th-21st! We have yet to see Disney for Christmas and we are such Christmas people. I can't wait! We are driving down, hitting Lego land first then over to Disney.

 

[rentayenta]

Janet --

It is definitely looking like we (you, Jenny, TK and I) will all be there at the same time, for at least a couple of overlapping days. So, yes, we will touch base closer to the time and see what the schedules are looking like!

Sounds great.

 

[Misskitty3]

Misskitty3 --

I'm sure there will be some sort of mention of who is part of the taping and where they will appear, somewhere -- I'm just not sure where. There should definitely be something in the daily schedule to alert you to who will be where, but you might try calling Disneyland beforehand to see what they say.

I would save BB for Monday and do Goofy's on Saturday. Goofy's serves dinner up until 9 p.m., I think it is, so you have a good window of time to get there even if you do end up seeing the parade.

I tend to think the "parade taping crowds" will be different (and maybe more substantial) than the regular Christmas parade crowds (which are lofty enough), and will require more waiting around.

I thought of someone I can ask about what happens on the taping days -- I don't know if she went to the parade taping last year or the year before, but she should at least be able to give some insight as to how you find out who is performing and where, and how early you have to start waiting, etc. I'll try to get in touch with her and see what she knows.

Thank you Sherry for your insight!! For someone like me (a total vacation over-thinker), it is really wonderful to have someone to bounce things off of! I am going to plan on Goofy's for Saturday night. Looking at the parade photos from last year on the Disney blog, the photos are taken during the afternoon not the 5:30 parade. Not that that means anything for this year.....

 

[rentayenta]

Joshua in Toontown a decade ago. Sorry for the lack of plastic Christmas trees.

 

[Sherry E]

​

Remember, you have until 11:59 p.m., P.S.T., tonight (8/24) to post your Toontown photos! A new Theme Week will begin tomorrow, Mon., 8/25! (Hopefully it will be a theme week in which those "on the bench" -- TK, KCmike and Lori -- can participate!

Sherry I'd love to meet in person! I hope it works out. Perhaps for the CP? Now I'll have to pay attention to how to get a seat/ticket.

TK --

I have to look at it as, just in case I don't stay over and only go for one day in that early December time frame, which one day would I be there? Chances are, I would probably be there on Sunday, 12/7.

I don't think that Janet and Jenny will want to deal with the CP madness, but I would probably be willing to stand in the Main Street line and wait around again (unless the narrator is horrible) -- because the CP is awesome!

There are no seats (for the general public) or tickets for the CP, but I saw some folks get seats last year in the same way I got seats in 2012. So we shall see. I just didn't stand in the right place last year because I didn't think the same trick would work. If I had stood there I might have gotten a seat.

Sounds great.

Jenny --

Such a cute picture you posted above^^!

Keep Sun., 12/7 in mind as an option for a meet-up. Other days after that may become available and plans can be changed/switched, but I would probably be at DLR that day.

Thank you Sherry for your insight!! For someone like me (a total vacation over-thinker), it is really wonderful to have someone to bounce things off of! I am going to plan on Goofy's for Saturday night. Looking at the parade photos from last year on the Disney blog, the photos are taken during the afternoon not the 5:30 parade. Not that that means anything for this year.....

Misskitty3 --

You're very welcome!

I asked Nancy Johnson -- DIS Unplugged blog writer and Podcast team member and correspondent -- these questions about the CFP parade taping days:

"1. How, when and where can people find out who will be appearing in or performing in the taping of the parade in advance, and where they will be? Does ABC post it on their site? I know that the Parks Blog cannot always be relied upon to post that info in advance.;

2. Will CMs hand out schedules or brochures with the taping info (such as where the performers will be set up) at the turnstiles?;

3. How early should people begin waiting or lining up to see the performers/singers or the actual parade?;

4. Are crowds substantially worse in DL or DCA on taping days (I am going to assume they are)? and

5. Will all taping be done early enough to get out of DL for a reasonably early Goofy's Kitchen dinner?"




Nancy's reply (copied and pasted directly from Facebook, and I broke it up into paragraphs) contained great information!:

Taping is a long drawn out process done over multiple days. How do I want to put this -unless you want to do nothing else, but sit and wait for things to happen in taping, don't bother with trying to be in it. It goes all day when they are doing the actual parade.

Celebrity appearances only come out through leaks and gossip, so watching the dis is best for that. The reason is they want to control the crowds and not have a rich on screaming Tweens who will disrupt the crowds.

Surprisingly, Attraction waits are light because of the curious guests and tapings are held on low traffic weekends with the celebrities done on weekdays to eliminate the aforementioned Tweens.

CMs will not tell you anything. They are specifically kept in the dark about the schedule unless they have a need to know. Signs are posted in specific areas, but are vague. They will say things like Taping is Occuring, your presence indicates permission to be photographed.

Bring holiday hats and clothes if you want to be in the close-up crowds. On the parade dancer day, usually Saturday, all of the parents and extra people stay along the parade route, so they don't affect the park guests for rides. If you want to see a celebrity appearance and be in the front of the taping, plan on standing in the same spot forever and doing nothing else, or wander up at the last minute and stand in the back if you don't care.

Leave the tapings when you have your reservations. No one cares if you are there or not and your reservation is more important.

Did that answer everything?

I hope that helps clarify/explain things for you, Misskitty3!

 

[rentayenta]

Sherry, we'll be in So Cal 12/7 but not the the DLR until 12/9 so hopefully we can meet up that week. Keep me posted.