Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #4

[Mouseketeers4]

DLH Deluxe view $290 a night $1,357.20 with TAX
DLH Standard is $350 a night

PPH (Standard Room Rate) No Fall package offer $271 a night
PPH Premium View (Passholders Save 10% on Disneyland Resort Hotels) $314

GCH Woods-Courtyard View $335 a night

Just wanted to add that the only ones that had the AP fall package are DLH and GCH also wanted to add that when you call to book (if you do) make sure you say AP fall package price as shown online because just like my experience both FALL ROOM and FALL PACKAGE both show up for the same dates. Enjoy

Thanks for checking for me! I called the day after you posted and they said there were no more standard rooms available for the AP discount. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that more will open up in the next few weeks. Hopefully someone will post about new availability here and I'll get another chance at it.

 

[Sherry E]

I don't know if I would be the first one to notice any new dates or weeks opening up on the AP hotel calendar for that Fall Package discount, but if I notice something new I will post about it here!

 

[Jenasweetemotion]

Thanks for checking for me! I called the day after you posted and they said there were no more standard rooms available for the AP discount. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that more will open up in the next few weeks. Hopefully someone will post about new availability here and I'll get another chance at it.

I am looking at the calendar now and they have DLH standard for $285.17 USD Avg/Night Excl Tax and it falls under the Annual Passholder Fall Package. It is odd that the last time I looked for you the DLH standard was much more expensive. Premium is $339.67 a night and also falls under the same AP fall package.

 

[rentayenta]

All the ice cream had me curious so when I went grocery shopping I looked. No such luck. I was at Walmart though. I'll try some other stores this week.

 

[Sherry E]

I am looking at the calendar now and they have DLH standard for $285.17 USD Avg/Night Excl Tax and it falls under the Annual Passholder Fall Package. It is odd that the last time I looked for you the DLH standard was much more expensive. Premium is $339.67 a night and also falls under the same AP fall package.

That ever-changing hotel calendar and those corresponding discounts drive me nuts! I mean, it's good that the prices randomly drop here and there, but then it leaves us feeling as though we have to check the site every hour to be sure something important didn't happen to the rates!

All the ice cream had me curious so when I went grocery shopping I looked. No such luck. I was at Walmart though. I'll try some other stores this week.

I'm curious to know if your stores have it too -- I know that you would not ordinarily be hunting down Peppermint Wonderland ice cream, but I am interested to hear about where it is appearing this year and where it's not! I was truly expecting my stores to be the last to get the ice cream in this year, based on what happened last year. I am shocked that my stores seem to have it and certain others don't.

 

[surgefest]

Maybe this has been mentioned already and i just havnt found it but. Do they still have reindeer at BTR? If so when do they normally appear? Also if anyone else has any other things other than the obvious stuff to look for around the holidays????? We'll be going in the middle of november just for a few days and it'll be our first time to DL to see the holiday festivities. thanks!

 

[tksbaskets]

TK --

Did you see the movie??

​

Hi Sherry! Indeed I did and like you enjoyed the Halloween decorations but the story line - not so much. I guess I couldn't get over the hero's chiseled jawline...His handsome face looked strangely plastic. I'm looking forward to Recipe for Love on 10/11 and My Boyfriends' Dogs the following Saturday. Like I needed something else to fill my time - I just added the Hallmark Movie Channel to our line-up as there are a few mystery series starting that looks great.

 

[Mouseketeers4]

I am looking at the calendar now and they have DLH standard for $285.17 USD Avg/Night Excl Tax and it falls under the Annual Passholder Fall Package. It is odd that the last time I looked for you the DLH standard was much more expensive. Premium is $339.67 a night and also falls under the same AP fall package.

Thanks for looking again! I called and was able to book a DLH Standard for November 16-22 at an average of $333 including tax. I believe she said the pre-tax amount was around $264.

 

[sabrecmc]

We booked Thanksgiving lunch at Goofy's Kitchen. What a wonderful way to celebrate! I'm really getting excited about our trip now that we have dining reservations!

 

[Sherry E]

Maybe this has been mentioned already and i just havnt found it but. Do they still have reindeer at BTR? If so when do they normally appear? Also if anyone else has any other things other than the obvious stuff to look for around the holidays????? We'll be going in the middle of november just for a few days and it'll be our first time to DL to see the holiday festivities. thanks!

surgefest --

The reindeer have been mentioned just in the last week -- they're gone!

 

[Sherry E]

It’s Monday -- and it’s time for the Theme Week Countdown!!

……Only 45 DAYS Until the
Holiday Season Begins at the Disneyland Resort!!!!
​

With each new week will come a different Disneyland Resort holiday theme!

As I have previously mentioned in this Superthread, I’ll be showcasing a particular aspect of DLR's holiday festivities each week until early November. Including today’s theme, there are many more themes to come over the next five weeks: 4 main weekly themes (this Countdown began with the first theme on 7/21/14, and there will be a new weekly theme every Monday from today, September 29, 2014, through October 20, 2014); 7 ‘mini-themes’ which will be featured daily from 10/27/14 – 11/2/14, and a final “Holiday Cornucopia/These Are a Few of My Favorite Things” theme on Monday, November 3, 2014 (there will be more details about what the “Cornucopia” can include when we get closer to that date!).

Those of you who have participated in previous Theme Week Countdowns may have noticed that this year’s Countdown began a couple of weeks earlier than it did last year. I kicked off the Countdown two weeks earlier than I did in 2013, and I am ending it the week before the Holidays at DLR officially commence (which will be Thursday, November 13, 2014). The reason for that is, once November starts and the decorations in the parks appear little by little each day, our attention shifts to learning information about and seeing photos of what is new for the current season’s celebration.

Theme Week Countdowns are a great way to keep the photos rolling in on a regular basis and build anticipation for November at the Disneyland Resort! They are also a way to display the different elements, nuances and details of the Holidays at DLR that may be totally new to some visitors…or previously unnoticed/undiscovered by others. Finally, this is an excellent way for our Theme Week Countdown participants to shine a light on their wonderful photos and attract visitors to their Trip Reports, blogs, etc.

Last week, we enjoyed the holidays with a rustic, Western flair in Frontierland and at the Jingle Jangle Jamboree. Just before that we strolled along Main Street to soak in its small town holiday charm, and onward to the sparkling Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle, resplendent in snow and icicle lights. Previously we journeyed down the mystical, musical alleys of New Orleans Square and enjoyed Christmas with a Mardi Gras twist, including balconies draped in beads and lampposts adorned with mysterious masks. We also paid a visit to New Orleans Square’s most famous residence and met its temporary houseguest, Jack Skellington, as he attempted to put a bit of a “nightmarish” Halloween spin on the Yuletide season in Haunted Mansion Holiday. We revved up our engines and raced to Radiator Springs, where we observed some rather unusual Yuletide decorations done Cars Land-style. Just before that, we caught a glimpse of the special holiday offerings at the three Hotels of the Disneyland Resort. We visited the playful, animated, off-kilter world of Mickey’s Toontown. Prior to that we stepped back in time to see how Christmas was celebrated on Buena Vista Street and in Hollywood Land in the 1920s through the 1940s, respectively. Not too long ago we also enjoyed the Yuletide season around the world as we sailed through It’s a Small World Holiday and strolled through Fantasyland. Before that, we reveled in the pageantry of A Christmas Fantasy Parade, and gazed in awe at the spectacular Believe…In Holiday Magic Fireworks. Just prior to that, we began this Countdown by showing off our best Holiday Character photos, PhotoPass photos and Santa Claus photos..

So…what will be our eleventh theme of 2014? What better way to showcase the beauty of the holidays than by celebrating some of the most universally iconic symbols of any holiday season? Today, let’s turn our focus to the glorious -- and sometimes goofy -- staples of Disneyland Resort merriment.....

In the Spotlight this Week......

CHRISTMAS TREES and WREATHS!!!​

As beautiful stalwarts of the merriest months at Disneyland Resort, the prolific Christmas tree and wreath are presented in a wide variety of themes, sizes and/or colors from land to land. There are very small trees featured in window displays along Main Street. There are huge trees or wreaths welcoming people through the parks’ gates or greeting guests in hotel lobbies. There are trees or wreaths in almost every restaurant and shop. There are trees inside It’s a Small World Holiday and rather menacing wreaths in Haunted Mansion Holiday. There are trees and wreaths festooned with a bounty of ornaments, while others are rather bare. There are trees and wreaths which look as though they are made of sweet confections and…automotive parts? There are trees in plain view, and others in unexpectedly hidden locations. Some trees/wreaths are more traditional. Some trees/wreaths are very unique. No matter how they are decorated they are always perfect for their settings.

From the elegant to the eccentric…from the stately to the silly...from the towering to the tiny…from the magnificent to the mediocre…the Christmas tree and wreath are ever present around Disneyland Resort. If you are visiting Disneyland Resort for the holiday season, take a little time to admire them!

Let me start with mostly trees and a couple of wreaths!!!



November and December 2013


Close-up of Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor tree (with lots of pink, lace and old-fashioned knick-knacks)…

Close-up of one tree in the Market House/Starbucks…

Another tree in the Market House…

Close-up of Refreshment Corner/Coke Corner tree…

Close-up of Main Street's tree…

Cars Land – Fillmore’s Taste-In peace-themed Tree…

Flo’s Oil Can tree…

Star-themed tree in Hollywood Land…

Close-up of Buena Vista Street tree…

Tinsel mini-tree in Elias & Co. …

Club 33 trees (there are many trees all around Club 33)…

One of the trees in 1901…

Disneyland Hotel – Fantasyland Tower tree…

Paradise Pier Hotel front desk tree…

Disneyland Hotel wreaths – Fantasy Tower…

Wacky wreath near Goofy’s Kitchen…

​

I will post more photos during the week. This is only a start!

Please feel free to post your photos of Disneyland Resort’s Christmas Trees and Wreaths all this week, through Sunday, October 5, 2014, 11:59 p.m., P.S.T.

Then, stay tuned for our twelfth theme on Monday, October 6th!! We still have many themes coming up over the next 5 weeks, so get your photos ready! The code word for today is: rings.

 

[mvf-m11c]

I could go on and on but here are some of the trees and wreaths.

NOS Railroad Station Wreath

NOS Hanging Wreath

Pooh’s Corner store Christmas Tree

La Boutique de Noel store Christmas tree

Court of Angels tree

Coke Corner tree

Main Street Town Square tree

Former Golden Gate Bridge Wreath

The original Christmas tree at Minnie’s House

The original Christmas tree at Mickey’s House

Mickey’s Toontown Christmas tree

Splash Mountain Christmas tree

DCA Christmas Wreath that was on the backside entrance when Buena Vista Street was under construction in 2011.

Frontierland Christmas tree

Sleeping Beauty Castle Wreath

DCA Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta restaurant

Mickey shape Wreath over the streets of Main Street

DCA Christmas Wreath at Paradise Pier right close to the restaurants

LeBat en Rouge store with a bone Christmas Wreath

Buena Vista Christmas tree

Radiator Springs Courthouse Christmas tree

Sandbag Christmas Tree at Sarge’s Surplus Hut

Viva Navidad Wreath




Pacific Wharf Wreath

 

[rentayenta]

I'm curious to know if your stores have it too -- I know that you would not ordinarily be hunting down Peppermint Wonderland ice cream, but I am interested to hear about where it is appearing this year and where it's not! I was truly expecting my stores to be the last to get the ice cream in this year, based on what happened last year. I am shocked that my stores seem to have it and certain others don't.

I've seen peppermint ice cream and bought some before but not sure if its this brand. I'll keep you posted.

 

[Orbitron]

So I was, in fact, able to book the Disneyland Hotel Ballroom for Thanksgiving Dinner today (9/28). The information on the Disney Parks Blog was, and is, still wrong about the Oct. 8 date.

Thank you very much for letting us know. I made our reservation now too. By phone, because I couldn't find out where to make it on the website.

 

[Sherry E]

Hi Sherry! Indeed I did and like you enjoyed the Halloween decorations but the story line - not so much. I guess I couldn't get over the hero's chiseled jawline...His handsome face looked strangely plastic. I'm looking forward to Recipe for Love on 10/11 and My Boyfriends' Dogs the following Saturday. Like I needed something else to fill my time - I just added the Hallmark Movie Channel to our line-up as there are a few mystery series starting that looks great.

TK --

I could have gotten past the chiseled jawline if the story had been more interesting, and if the two actors had any chemistry! As I watched it I kept thinking, "Okay, I love Halloween and we don't get many movies with a Halloween theme that aren't slasher films, or made just for 6-year-olds. And I love all of the Hallmark Christmas movies. Why am I not loving this one?"

I really did find it interesting that in every single scene there were traces of Halloween in the background -- I mean, have you ever seen an office like that one, with pumpkins on all of the walls and on all of the desks? I was thinking, "Wow -- this company really goes all out for Halloween." But then I got bored because there were too many scenes in the office!

I can't explain it, but there is something extra special about the holiday movies that the Halloween movie did not have. All of the movies are predictable and cut from the same cloth, but it could be the extra holiday music in them that makes them better....the snow on the ground...all of the beautiful Christmas trees in every scene...the random snowmen...Santa Claus...the warm, cozy feeling...the prospect of holiday romance blooming. Whatever it is, the Hallmark Christmas movies work, and the Halloween movie didn't work!

Ahhhh, so now you have the Movies & Mysteries Channel too! They begin their holiday programming on 10/31 as well, and they will have one or two new ones (not nearly as many as Hallmark, though). They tend to run a lot of the "more serious" movies on that channel, rather than the breezy romances and movies about magic-gone-awry. Sometimes there is a crossover, and the regular Hallmark Channel will air some of the more serious movies and the Hallmark Movie Channel (Movies & Mysteries) will pick up a couple of the breezy romance movies, but most of the time Hallmark Movies gets the more serious stuff. They will also air some well-known Christmas classics during the holidays (not Hallmark movies, but movies that everyone has seen). I like the regular Hallmark Channel better, but it's nice to have the other one as a bookend!

We booked Thanksgiving lunch at Goofy's Kitchen. What a wonderful way to celebrate! I'm really getting excited about our trip now that we have dining reservations!

welcome, sabrecmc!

It is a wonderful way to celebrate, indeed!

I love Goofy's Kitchen, though I have never eaten there on Thanksgiving. I've heard that they do a good job with it -- they certainly have a big buffet, even on normal days, so I would imagine it's bountiful on Thanksgiving. Have a great time!

 

[crystal1313]

 

[tksbaskets]

Great picture Sherry, Bret, and crystal1313. I really liked the tree that was on the Paradise Pier front desk I didn't ever notice the great bones one in NOS.

I have LOTS to look for in December.

Keep 'em coming!
TK

 

[dolphingirl47]

Hi all,

So I was, in fact, able to book the Disneyland Hotel Ballroom for Thanksgiving Dinner today (9/28). The information on the Disney Parks Blog was, and is, still wrong about the Oct. 8 date.

However, the Reservations Agent said the Ballroom is only serving dinner from 12-6pm. Somehow I missed that and I'm a little disappointed we have to get there around 5 pm to eat now, as we usually like to eat a bit later.

Thanks for the heads up. By the way, do you know how much it is this year. I was so excited I forgot to ask and the information was not volunteered either.

In any case, I hope that our DIS'ers Orbitron and Corinna are able to hurry and get their reservations for Thanksgiving Day, as they were under the assumption that 10/8 was the booking date!

I am surprised that the Feast at the Ballroom is only serving for 6 hours. I would have thought that they'd stay open until at least 8 p.m. or so.

I am in. I checked the thread on my iPhone on my way home from work this afternoon and saw southlake's post. I called as soon as I got home. I had to wait for about 20 minutes before I could speak to somebody, but I managed to snag a 1:30 reservation. I was surprised by the timings, too and decided to go for lunch instead of an early dinner. The plan for the rest of the day is check out all the Christmas decorations at the hotels.

Corinna

 

[SweetAlex]

Oh my gosh, this waiting is KILLING us! I'm not sure if the amazing pics on here are helping or hindering (well, at least they are giving me ideas on what I want to make sure to take pics of anyway). Just over 2 months and we are all getting pretty impatient. It's going by fast but still seems to take forever some days.

Keep them coming! It's a strange form of torture for me. I'm a masochist, apparently.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

I love this theme! (Do I say that every week?)

Here are mine

Downtown Disney Tree


Flo's V-8 Café Tree


Buena Vista Street Tree


Adventure Tower Tree (DLH)


Ariel's Grotto Tree


Up close ornament on Ariel's Grotto Tree


Viva Navidad Wreath


Redwood Creek Challenge Trail Wreath


Up close ornament on BVS tree


Holiday Parade Tree


Steakhouse 55 Tree (DLH)


Goofy's Kitchen Tree (DLH)


Duffy's Wreath


Paradise Pier Tree


Toontown Tree


Up close ornament on Main Street Tree


Fantasy Tower Tree (DLH)


Jazz Kitchen Tree (DTD)


Carsland Tree (2012)


Grand Californian Tree (2012)


Main Street Tree (2012)


Main Street Tree (2012)


Main Street Wreaths (2012)