Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #4

[kylie71]

Here are mine for this weeks theme:

 

[Sherry E]

Okay, so, according to some info that has just come out (or that has just been noticed on the DLR website and on MiceAge), it appears that both It's a Small World Holiday and the Jingle Jangle Jamboree/Big Thunder Ranch in Frontierland will be open on Friday, 11/7! (I know that Misskitty3 will appreciate that news!)

It was a pretty likely conclusion that those attractions would be open in some capacity on 11/7 but they are now both scheduled to be closed through 11/6, which means that they will reopen in their holiday glory on 11/7.

However, I don't recall if Santa was actually at his post at the JJJ on Friday, 11/8 last year, so he may or may not be there on 11/7, but the rest of the JJJ should be up and running.

I think that it is almost certain that Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks will be running on 11/7 too, and A Christmas Fantasy Parade will have to begin because of the taping.

I think that the Buena Vista Street Christmas tree lighting will also begin on 11/7.

The mystery of the fate of Jingle Cruise still looms large...

As for any other seasonal entertainment or attractions, we can't be sure, but for those who are going early in the season there will be some fun things to do!

 

[arasekim]

What great news sherry, thanks! Our first park day is 11/10, so I was wondering if things would soft open. So excited! Btw, I feel like we are kindred spirits. I have never known anyone to be as excited about the holidays as I am. I have met my match! I love theming to the holidays and get so excited to see any new products that are holiday themed. Halloween through Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year! The thought of seeing Disneyland at Christmas time just might do me in! So excited to see how beautiful it is. We r a family of 13 coming down in November. My parents, my family of 6 and my brothers family of 5. Sorry for the rambling, we r just so excited. Our parents used to drive us down to Disneyland from Washington state every other year growing up, so it definitely holds fond memories for me. I can still hear my dad say, "we used to do a week long trip to Disneyland for $1000!" My how things have changed! Thanks for doing this wonderful thread for me to pour over until we leave for our trip. Love it!

 

[Sherry E]

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I have logged all of the photo posts (with the most recent being Lori! Welcome back, Lori!), so everyone has another entry into the random draw. In 3 days we move on to a new theme for the week. What could it be??

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TK/tksbaskets, if you're out there... the Hallmark movie Fir Crazy (one of the ones you liked, from 2013) is available for pre-order on Amazon right now, and it's due out in November, but the title has mysteriously changed to.... "Oh Christmas Tree"??? Why on earth did they change the clever title?

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What great news sherry, thanks! Our first park day is 11/10, so I was wondering if things would soft open. So excited! Btw, I feel like we are kindred spirits. I have never known anyone to be as excited about the holidays as I am. I have met my match! I love theming to the holidays and get so excited to see any new products that are holiday themed. Halloween through Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year! The thought of seeing Disneyland at Christmas time just might do me in! So excited to see how beautiful it is. We r a family of 13 coming down in November. My parents, my family of 6 and my brothers family of 5. Sorry for the rambling, we r just so excited. Our parents used to drive us down to Disneyland from Washington state every other year growing up, so it definitely holds fond memories for me. I can still hear my dad say, "we used to do a week long trip to Disneyland for $1000!" My how things have changed! Thanks for doing this wonderful thread for me to

arasekim --

You're very welcome! It's not rambling at all!

I think you and your family will be very impressed and excited to see Disneyland in all of its holiday magic (although your dad might be stunned to see that $1000 will not last a week anymore!). It is truly beautiful (which you can tell by all of the photos that people have been sharing here for the last couple of months!), charming, heartwarming, joyful, etc.

I like to think of Halloween Time at DLR as a lot of fun and very entertaining, but the Holidays at DLR could probably bring a tear to your eye if you are easily moved! Seeing the lights on Main Street, or on the Castle and It's a Small World Holiday at night, is a tug-at-the-heartstrings sort of experience (I think that DisneyJamieCA posted a video of the lighting of the Castle 3 pages back). The Bell Ringers on Buena Vista Street are wonderful and really help to set the theme. Cars Land is whimsical and humorous. The details and little holiday gems are everywhere. The seasonal music is themed from land to land (Jazz-inspired Christmas songs in NOS; retro on Buena Vista Street, etc.) too.

We are kindred spirits, indeed! I am all about the holidays -- music, food, movies, TV specials, decorations, atmosphere, etc. I love it all!

In my mind, the holiday season unofficially begins with Halloween or, specifically, not on 10/31 but during the celebration of Autumn and build-up to Halloween (the weeks leading up to 10/31). Really, as soon as we hit Fall, it then becomes acceptable for people to begin putting up Harvest-y decorations, which transition into Halloween decorations, which then transition into Thanksgiving décor. And then, of course, in comes Christmas in all its glory and beauty, and New Year's Eve wraps it all up and puts a nice bow on it for the year!

So, if I am going to look at Fall as the unofficial start of my holiday season (although the technical definition of the holiday season does not include Halloween and does not begin until Thanksgiving), then the holiday season starts in 4 days!

I love seeing the seasonal products -- especially this year, when there seem to be so many more of them than I was aware of. I had no idea that there were soooooooo many Pumpkin Spice or Pumpkin Pie versions of familiar products -- I mean, at this point, I have seen photos of everything from Pumpkin Spice chewing gum, to pasta sauce, to pretzels, to Pop Tarts, to Oreos, to Eggos, to beverages, to candles, etc. There are plenty of Caramel Apple and Candy Corn products too, but Pumpkin seems to be the standout flavor/aroma for Fall.

I know that I will not be eating or drinking 95% of these items, but I am finding it fascinating to see what is out there in the stores. It really is Pumpkin Pandemonium, as I have been saying in the Halloween Time Superthread!

The holiday/Christmas-specific scents and flavors are quietly trying to sneak in without stealing too much of the spotlight from the Pumpkin Pandemonium, but we have not been hit with the true wave of holiday season goodies yet. It's coming, though.

(Note to self: Must go on a quest for Peppermint Wonderland ice cream this weekend.)

In fact, if anyone here spots Gingerbread Oreos (which, inexplicably, I did not know existed last year), please let me know when and where you see them! I must find them! Unlike the Candy Corn Oreos or Pumpkin Spice Oreos, I am willing to take a chance on the Gingerbread version because I am confident they will be good!

Out of all of the seasonal/holiday varieties of Oreos, the Gingerbread versions are the ones with the best reputation and reviews that I have seen, and they are supposedly yummy, so they will be mine -- wherever they are!

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[She Taz]

Hi Everyone

First I like to say thank you to Sherry for all the work you have done on this thread. I've thoroughly enjoyed reading through it.

Secondly, the pictures that everyone has posted are truly awesome. I can understand why people are so enamoured with DL at Christmas. I have wanted to go during the holiday season for quite sometime and this year it's going to happen. Sort of. Unfortunately though due to other commitments we can't leave until New Year's. We are booked to go Jan 1-7. I haven't been able to find any TR's for this time frame and am bursting with questions. I'm hoping some of you will be able to help me with them.

#1. Will there still be lots of holiday cheer during the first week of January? I'd really like to see the Christmas Parade and the fireworks with the snow falling along with all the decorations. Will they still be running or will it be back to to the regular scheduled programming?

#2. Will the pools be open? Very important to my 8 yr old DD. We are from northern Alberta so when we fly out of Edmonton there is a good chance it will be -40F. Anything over 50F will be short and tee shirt weather for us lol.

#3. We are booked at the Hojo but I'm double guessing myself about maybe booking at the PPH instead. Will the crowd levels be so crazy that being on site is a better option?

#4. We will be heading back to DL for Halloween next year after our DCL cruise to Baja in Oct. Planning on going for 5 days in order to do MHP. Would it be worthwhile to purchase an AP for myself if we are going to at the park for 12 days during 2 separate occasions? Can just one of us get an AP to benefit from it or do we all need one? Also if I purchase one now from what I understand I would receive it by email and I would have to validate on the first day of our visit. If I decided to go with a Disney hotel in Jan would I be able to take advantage of an AP discount?

Thank you so much for any and all help or direction pointing you can give me.

 

[Sherry E]

Hi Everyone

First I like to say thank you to Sherry for all the work you have done on this thread. I've thoroughly enjoyed reading through it.

Secondly, the pictures that everyone has posted are truly awesome. I can understand why people are so enamoured with DL at Christmas. I have wanted to go during the holiday season for quite sometime and this year it's going to happen. Sort of. Unfortunately though due to other commitments we can't leave until New Year's. We are booked to go Jan 1-7. I haven't been able to find any TR's for this time frame and am bursting with questions. I'm hoping some of you will be able to help me with them.

#1. Will there still be lots of holiday cheer during the first week of January? I'd really like to see the Christmas Parade and the fireworks with the snow falling along with all the decorations. Will they still be running or will it be back to to the regular scheduled programming?

#2. Will the pools be open? Very important to my 8 yr old DD. We are from northern Alberta so when we fly out of Edmonton there is a good chance it will be -40F. Anything over 50F will be short and tee shirt weather for us lol.

#3. We are booked at the Hojo but I'm double guessing myself about maybe booking at the PPH instead. Will the crowd levels be so crazy that being on site is a better option?

#4. We will be heading back to DL for Halloween next year after our DCL cruise to Baja in Oct. Planning on going for 5 days in order to do MHP. Would it be worthwhile to purchase an AP for myself if we are going to at the park for 12 days during 2 separate occasions? Can just one of us get an AP to benefit from it or do we all need one? Also if I purchase one now from what I understand I would receive it by email and I would have to validate on the first day of our visit. If I decided to go with a Disney hotel in Jan would I be able to take advantage of an AP discount?

Thank you so much for any and all help or direction pointing you can give me.

She Taz --

Welcome! Thank you for joining us, and thank you for the kind words! I appreciate it.

Let's see if I can tackle some of what you asked!

1. Holiday cheer -- It's a Small World Holiday will be up throughout your entire trip, so there is no chance you will miss that.

Since the Holidays at DL officially end after 1/6, I really think that you will see everything -- the holiday fireworks and snow, the Christmas parade, Viva Navidad (including the Three Kings Day celebration from 1/2-1/6), World of Color-Winter Dreams, the Jingle Jangle Jamboree, etc., for the majority of your trip. Haunted Mansion Holiday will be up and running through 1/6. I think that the Olaf-themed ice rink and the Winter Village will stay open though 1/6 as well.

The only "question marks," for lack of a better word, would be the decorations at the 3 Disney hotels (the gorgeous trees, the gingerbread houses in the restaurants at the Grand Californian Hotel, the giant fake gingerbread Castle at the Disneyland Hotel, etc., etc.) and Santa Claus. I am not sure if Santa will be at his posts in Disneyland and California Adventure through 1/6/15. In previous years, he has been seen in a green plaid ensemble past 12/25, at the Jingle Jangle Jamboree, but I don't know if he is guaranteed to be there past 12/25.

If you want to see the 3 hotels' decorations, I would try to do that on your first day, as I understand that the hotels' décor starts coming down right after New Year's Day.


2. Pools -- As far as I know, all of the pools should be open (barring any kind of weird weather).


3. Crowds/Hotels -- While I think the worst crowds will be in the week between Christmas and New Year's, there will be a healthy congregation of folks in that first week of January, as a lot of people are still out of school and work until after 1/6/15. I don't know if staying on or offsite would help counter that issue, but at least by staying onsite you get early entry every day (to whichever park is offering it).


4. AP -- I certainly think it would be a worthwhile consideration for you. Getting one AP would allow you to use it for food discounts and merchandise discounts for your group when you go (you'd have to be the one paying, though), as well as for your own park admission during your holiday trip and Halloween trip. You could also buy MHP tickets and get an AP discount on them next year.

Yes, your AP will be activated on the first day you enter the park with it, so if that is January 1st, then that would be the first active AP day for you. You would start getting discounts that very day (and they come in handy for food and merchandise!). There are onsite hotel AP rates that pop up from time to time (like the current Fall Package that ends before Christmas), but I am guessing that there won't be any good AP hotel rates for January 1st-7th.

 

[She Taz]

Thank you so much for all your help Sherry. Wish I had found this thread earlier. Definitely would of made planning easier. For now I will just live vicariously through everyone's pictures and comments until our trip. Countdown has officially started.

 

[tksbaskets]

Thanks for the head's up Sherry! I totally missed "Fir Crazy" in my Amazon shopping due to the inexplicable change in the name. Indeed it was one of my favorites from last year's line-up.

I'm sitting here making a list of the new movies so I remember to set my DVR.

 

[Brunolvr]

I, too, have been enjoying all of the beautiful pictures and learning as much as I can about DL during the Holiday Season.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a good "point & shoot" camera capable of taking good pictures at night? I currently have an old (10+years) Canon PowerShot that does a good job of daytime pictures but that's about it. My nighttime pictures always come out blurry.

 

[Misskitty3]

Okay, so, according to some info that has just come out (or that has just been noticed on the DLR website and on MiceAge), it appears that both It's a Small World Holiday and the Jingle Jangle Jamboree/Big Thunder Ranch in Frontierland will be open on Friday, 11/7! (I know that Misskitty3 will appreciate that news!)

It was a pretty likely conclusion that those attractions would be open in some capacity on 11/7 but they are now both scheduled to be closed through 11/6, which means that they will reopen in their holiday glory on 11/7.

However, I don't recall if Santa was actually at his post at the JJJ on Friday, 11/8 last year, so he may or may not be there on 11/7, but the rest of the JJJ should be up and running.

I think that it is almost certain that Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks will be running on 11/7 too, and A Christmas Fantasy Parade will have to begin because of the taping.

I think that the Buena Vista Street Christmas tree lighting will also begin on 11/7.

The mystery of the fate of Jingle Cruise still looms large...

As for any other seasonal entertainment or attractions, we can't be sure, but for those who are going early in the season there will be some fun things to do!

Yay!!!!

Cannot wait to see IASW all decorated! Jingle Jangle Jamboree sounds like so much fun! I love that part of the park anyway, soooo picturesque! I would love to do the Jingle Cruise too (the Jungle cruise is one of our favorites!).

 

[siskaren]

In fact, if anyone here spots Gingerbread Oreos (which, inexplicably, I did not know existed last year), please let me know when and where you see them! I must find them! Unlike the Candy Corn Oreos or Pumpkin Spice Oreos, I am willing to take a chance on the Gingerbread version because I am confident they will be good!

Out of all of the seasonal/holiday varieties of Oreos, the Gingerbread versions are the ones with the best reputation and reviews that I have seen, and they are supposedly yummy, so they will be mine -- wherever they are!

I've been on the hunt for the Pumpkin Spice ones with no luck, but I decided to try the Caramel Apple ones, and I thought they were very good - they really got the flavor right. I also spotted (and bought) Pumpkin Spice Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a good "point & shoot" camera capable of taking good pictures at night? I currently have an old (10+years) Canon PowerShot that does a good job of daytime pictures but that's about it. My nighttime pictures always come out blurry.

I have a PowerShot too (I bought mine a year ago after deciding that my 8 year old one needed to be replaced) and I've been able to get good nighttime shots with it. The thing is, using a flash doesn't work (and in fact will often make the shot washed out), but not using the flash can make the pictures come out blurry. The way around that is to hold the camera very steady - brace it against something if you can.

 

[Jenasweetemotion]

I, too, have been enjoying all of the beautiful pictures and learning as much as I can about DL during the Holiday Season.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a good "point & shoot" camera capable of taking good pictures at night? I currently have an old (10+years) Canon PowerShot that does a good job of daytime pictures but that's about it. My nighttime pictures always come out blurry.

Just was talking about this with another person on these boards. I LOVE my Sony RX100 II. It is not cheap but it is a point and shoot, it takes great night shots and I have yet to even need to use the flash or take it out of the easy shooter mode. I got mine at Costco and it came with the case and other items as well. I have always been a Canon girl but the camera was just not cutting it so I looked around and did a lot of research and got the Sony RX100 II. Like I said it is not cheap but it is worth it when you see the pictures that it takes.

Now I know these are not Christmas photo's but I wanted to show a couple of examples from the Camera (neither were shot with flash).

 

[Brunolvr]

I have a PowerShot too (I bought mine a year ago after deciding that my 8 year old one needed to be replaced) and I've been able to get good nighttime shots with it. The thing is, using a flash doesn't work (and in fact will often make the shot washed out), but not using the flash can make the pictures come out blurry. The way around that is to hold the camera very steady - brace it against something if you can.

Which PowerShot model do you have? Mine (10+years old) is only 4.0 mega pixels but I think the newer ones are more powerful.

 

[siskaren]

Which PowerShot model do you have? Mine (10+years old) is only 4.0 mega pixels but I think the newer ones are more powerful.

SX160IS - I got it for a really good price because it was on clearance (a newer model had just come out), plus Best Buy only had the floor model left. My old one was also 4.0 mega pixels, but this one is 16.0. Plus what I really like is that my old one had a 4X zoom, but this one is 16.

 

[Sherry E]

I was going to reply to a couple of messages but I am short on time at the moment, so I will have to do that later.

In case there are people out there who are just now joining the thread (either lurking or posting), or people who have only been popping in here and there and are not up to date, the following is a recap/summary of what we know so far -- officially -- about the upcoming Holidays at Disneyland Resort, as well as any likely scenarios that will take place, though not confirmed as of yet:

What We Know About the Upcoming Holiday Season​

• OFFICIAL/CONFIRMED -- "Holidays at the Disneyland Resort" begin on Thursday, November 13, 2014, and end on Tuesday, January 6, 2015 ;

• OFFICIAL/CONFIRMED -- Returning this year are: Haunted Mansion Holiday (which is currently already running as part of Disneyland's Halloween Time celebration, but will stay open through the Holidays); It's a Small World Holiday; Jingle Cruise; Believe in Holiday Magic Fireworks (in DL); A Christmas Fantasy Parade (in DL); Sleeping Beauty's Winter Castle (in DL); Disney Viva Navidad (in DCA); World of Color - Winter Dreams (in DCA); Olaf's Frozen Ice Rink (in DTD); and the Winter Village (in DTD);

• 
  OFFICIAL/CONFIRMED -- It's a Small World is scheduled to be closed from 10/20-11/6, which means that it will reopen as It's a Small World Holiday on Friday, November 7, 2014;

• OFFICIAL/CONFIRMED -- Big Thunder Ranch (currently in its Halloween Carnival mode) is scheduled to be closed in some capacity from 11/1-11/6, meaning it will reopen as the Jingle Jangle Jamboree (or whatever Disney is calling it this year) on Friday, November 7, 2014;

• OFFICIAL/CONFIRMED -- The Avengers Super Heroes Half-Marathon weekend takes place at Disneyland Resort from Friday, November 14, 2014 - Sunday, November 16, 2014.

• OFFICIAL/CONFIRMED -- The Candlelight Ceremony/Processional will take place on Saturday, December 6, 2014, and Sunday, December 7, 2014 (there will be 2 performances each night, and the narrators have not been announced); and

• OFFICIAL/CONFIRMED -- Carolers and special holiday activities will return on select nights in December in Downtown Disney; see this page for more details.

• OFFICIAL/CONFIRMED -- Three Kings Day will return to California Adventure from January 4 - 6, 2015;

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• MAY OR MAY NOT BE COMING BACK IN 2014? -- Elf Days (in DCA).

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• UNOFFICIAL, BUT PROBABLE -- Believe in Holiday Magic Fireworks, A Christmas Fantasy Parade and the Buena Vista Street Tree Lighting are likely to begin on Friday, November 7th;

• UNOFFICIAL, BUT PROBABLE -- A Christmas Fantasy Parade will most likely be taped over Friday, 11/7 and Saturday, 11/8, and some segments may possibly be taped in the days surrounding that weekend;

• UNOFFICIAL, BUT PROBABLE -- The Mad T Party's holiday show (in DCA) will likely return;

• UNOFFICIAL, BUT PROBABLE -- The 3 Hotels of the Disneyland Resort will likely not be fully decorated until approximately 6-9 days before Thanksgiving, while Santa Claus and the Dickens Carolers will probably not appear at the hotels until Thanksgiving Day; and

• UNOFFICIAL, BUT PROBABLE -- The Downtown Disney Winter Village and Olaf's Frozen Ice Rink will most likely not go up until after the Avengers Half-Marathon Weekend is over.

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• RUMORS, RUMORS, RUMORS (not confirmed at all) -- A Frozen sing-along, ice rink and meet & greet could be coming to Hollywood Land in California Adventure. This was published in an article by the unofficial site MiceAge, but there has been no announcement of this by Disney at all.

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Also see this Days/Dates/Events to Remember post on Page 1 of this thread, as I have updated it with the dates for Jazz Kitchen's Gingerbread House Building Workshop, and other significant dates that may impact your trips! (When the dates for the crafting of the famous handmade candy canes come out, I will add those in as well!)

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[FromOz2014]

Thanks so much for all the effort in compiling the holiday information Sherry!

We are having a jam-packed trip to the US in November which only allows one day at DL on Nov 12, so I'm a bit disappointed to read that the Holiday festivities start the day after. Do you know if anything will be in place in the 12th (I did read that the parades may start the week before)?

There are six of us traveling together, grandparents, my sister and I and our daughters (11 and 15).

Thanks so much!

 

[kylie71]

Thanks Sherry, nice to be back! I have some time now, so here are some more from my Favorite theme so far!

[/IMG]

 

[tksbaskets]

It's raining cats and dog here so a good time to post my pics for this week's them from December 2013!

I love this guy is taking a 'Selfie' with the horse!

Guess what they are about to make here?

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Thank you, Sherry. I am so happy the Candlelight Processional has been officially confirmed and am excited to learn who the narrators will be. I hope to get to ride on Small World Holiday with some of you also going the first weekend in December

 

[mom2rtk]

IMG_3506 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_3800 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_3807 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_4124 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_4126 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_4268 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_4949 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_8916 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_8917 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

Sleeping Beauty Castle by mom2rtk, on Flickr

Practically Perfect by mom2rtk, on Flickr