Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #4

[Sherry E]

I think if the party is coming, we'll know about it by at least November 1st, right?

You know, I'd be fascinated with all of this even if we weren't headed for DLR that time of year. It would be very interesting to see if they could find a way to pull it off without ticking off a whole lot of people.

I would actually like to see them offer a party. First, it would allow us as non-AP holders to buy more park access in the week we are there without the expense of an AP I probably wouldn't get to use again or the full price of another single day admission. Second, to sell a party, I think DLR would have to pull out all the stops to appease the regulars, so I have to think they'd find some cool stuff to add in, maybe rare character meets, just the sort of thing I love.

I don't have a clue how they would handle the parade and fireworks. I sure wouldn't want to be in charge of figuring that out.

So for now..........

November 1st...or December 1st! Why jump the gun and let people actually plan their trips too early, right?

Based on what I observed last year -- both in terms of extra/new holiday-themed events and in terms of new or enhanced decorations popping up in many places around DLR -- to me it definitely seemed as if DLR was kicking everything up a notch or two. I think that was all part of a grand plan to build everything up for the holiday season even more, and to make it bigger and better than ever.

Overall it seemed like DLR was ramping up to what will eventually become a better-developed holiday season with a Christmas party. I just don't know if that party would happen now, or in 2015 (the 60th anniversary year), or after the 60th is out of the way.

At first it made sense to me that starting a Christmas party during the year of the 60th anniversary would be "too much" (which is what I was told by a CM last year). But the Halloween party (when it was called Mickey's Halloween Treat) resumed (after a 9-year absence!) in 2005, the year of the 50th anniversary.

So if the Halloween party could begin in the 50th anniversary year, then why couldn't a Christmas party begin in the 60th anniversary year?

One thing I pondered was that the Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks were shelved for the holiday season of 2005 because DLR chose to run Remember Dreams Come True instead (for the 50th anniversary).

What could possibly happen is that BIHM could be shelved in 2015 once again, and RDCT could run in its place "for the 60th anniversary" -- except on (hypothetical) Christmas party nights, assuming that a party would come to fruition by then! On Christmas party nights in 2015, BIHM would be the entertainment for the guests who bought the tickets! That could be a sneaky way of getting the guests accustomed to only seeing the holiday fireworks at a paid party from that point forward.

 

[mom2rtk]

November 1st...or December 1st! Why jump the gun and let people actually plan their trips too early, right?

Based on what I observed last year -- both in terms of extra/new holiday-themed events and in terms of new or enhanced decorations popping up in many places around DLR -- to me it definitely seemed as if DLR was kicking everything up a notch or two. I think that was all part of a grand plan to build everything up for the holiday season even more, and to make it bigger and better than ever.

Overall it seemed like DLR was ramping up to what will eventually become a better-developed holiday season with a Christmas party. I just don't know if that party would happen now, or in 2015 (the 60th anniversary year), or after the 60th is out of the way.

At first it made sense to me that starting a Christmas party during the year of the 60th anniversary would be "too much" (which is what I was told by a CM last year). But the Halloween party (when it was called Mickey's Halloween Treat) resumed (after a 9-year absence!) in 2005, the year of the 50th anniversary.

So if the Halloween party could begin in the 50th anniversary year, then why couldn't a Christmas party begin in the 60th anniversary year?

One thing I pondered was that the Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks were shelved for the holiday season of 2005 because DLR chose to run Remember Dreams Come True instead (for the 50th anniversary).

What could possibly happen is that BIHM could be shelved in 2015 once again, and RDCT could run in its place "for the 60th anniversary" -- except on (hypothetical) Christmas party nights, assuming that a party would come to fruition by then! On Christmas party nights in 2015, BIHM would be the entertainment for the guests who bought the tickets! That could be a sneaky way of getting the guests accustomed to only seeing the holiday fireworks at a paid party from that point forward.

Well, I suppose we'll all know by the end of the year anyway......

As always Sherry, I enjoy reading your thoughts on this.

 

[rentayenta]

As of right now I hope there isn't a holiday party. I can't see how it would vary more than what's already offered.

 

[Sherry E]

I just tend to think that if a party were held in Disneyland, it would be more exciting if there were an all new parade and/or fireworks show thrown in, instead of the same ones that have been around for years and years and years. At least one of those two things should be all new for a party.

I could still get behind a party in DCA -- there's lots of space to move around and both Cars Land and Buena Vista Street could be focal points. I just don't know if Winter Dreams was a big enough hit to warrant charging extra money to see it. Something would have to be added into that park as well, if a party took place.

By the way, I forgot to mention in my previous post that I suspect that DLR may try to once again expand the Candlelight schedule (as they did in 2012, but maybe not for another 20 nights!) when this reported "back alley work" behind Main Street is complete. I don't think they would necessarily expand Candlelight this year (assuming the Main Street back alley is ready for foot traffic by the fall), but maybe next year (again, "for the 60th anniversary" of DL) or in 2016.

Candlelight was a hit in 2012 (many more people got to see it that year) and I think that some of the newly acquired Candlelight fans packed into Town Square last year, along with the regular, yearly Candlelight fans.

I know that Disney supposedly took an economic hit when the Main Street shops lost business due to the 20-night Candlelight run in 2012. If this back alley project is effective in providing another route for crowds to travel without clogging up Main Street and Town Square, I could easily see Candlelight running for more than one weekend once again in the future.


Off-topic -- have I mentioned that it is 101 degrees today, and will be 100 degrees tomorrow? Autumn cannot get here fast enough for me.

 

[mom2rtk]

I just tend to think that if a party were held in Disneyland, it would be more exciting if there were an all new parade and/or fireworks show thrown in, instead of the same ones that have been around for years and years and years. At least one of those two things should be all new for a party.

I could still get behind a party in DCA -- there's lots of space to move around and both Cars Land and Buena Vista Street could be focal points. I just don't know if Winter Dreams was a big enough hit to warrant charging extra money to see it. Something would have to be added into that park as well, if a party took place.

By the way, I forgot to mention in my previous post that I suspect that DLR may try to once again expand the Candlelight schedule (as they did in 2012, but maybe not for another 20 nights!) when this reported "back alley work" behind Main Street is complete. I don't think they would necessarily expand Candlelight this year (assuming the Main Street back alley is ready for foot traffic by the fall), but maybe next year (again, "for the 60th anniversary" of DL) or in 2016.

Candlelight was a hit in 2012 (many more people got to see it that year) and I think that some of the newly acquired Candlelight fans packed into Town Square last year, along with the regular, yearly Candlelight fans.

I know that Disney supposedly took an economic hit when the Main Street shops lost business due to the 20-night Candlelight run in 2012. If this back alley project is effective in providing another route for crowds to travel without clogging up Main Street and Town Square, I could easily see Candlelight running for more than one weekend once again in the future.


Off-topic -- have I mentioned that it is 101 degrees today, and will be 100 degrees tomorrow? Autumn cannot get here fast enough for me.

I've heard it's hot there, but over 100?

It's 57 in Missouri today. But to get that incredibly comfy temperature, you would have to give up living in paradise and be as far from both Disney resorts as you can possibly be.

I wondered if they might find a way to put a party into DCA, but all I can come up with them offering is lower crowd access to Carsland. That's no small thing, but probably wouldn't move enough tickets.

CP is an interesting possibility. I could see that having some piece in it. I would definitely be excited about that since I didn't fight the crowds last year to see it.

I would love if they'd put the parade and fireworks into just the parties, then leave the regular parade and fireworks in DL the rest of the time. We saw the parade 3 times last year, so this year it is much less of a draw for us. I love that at WDW you can still see all the regular entertainment plus the Christmas entertainment on party nights.

I agree that the reception the holiday WOC got last year isn't enough to carry a party. Heck, they could probably put holiday WOC on the non-party nights and from what I hear regular WOC would be enough to get people to buy tickets!

Of course, I personally would pay the money for a party if they would just add a whole bunch of rare characters, or more regular characters in souped up winter attire.

And I must have missed the info on the Main Street back alley work. I had heard they were doing that at WDW but hadn't heard it about DLR. That would be SO helpful. We didn't watch the CP last year, but I had to navigate that mess "quickly" when I realized I had forgotten to pick up our Fantasmic tickets.

 

[crystal1313]

minbabies --

You're very welcome!

I was hoping that one of the other followers of this thread who has stayed at both the DLH and PPH recently could address the subject of the daybeds, but no one has spoken up! I have never used the daybed in my PPH rooms (other than for sitting and setting down my bags), but I know that it is kind of a confusing contraption to assemble. I have no experience with the DLH daybeds at all.

Both my boys have slept in the day bed at the PPH and have never once complained. I have slept on it briefly (fell asleep putting my youngest to sleep!) and it was super comfortable. It's quite big too. They love having their own bed!

 

[Sherry E]

I've heard it's hot there, but over 100?

It's 57 in Missouri today. But to get that incredibly comfy temperature, you would have to give up living in paradise and be as far from both Disney resorts as you can possibly be.

I wondered if they might find a way to put a party into DCA, but all I can come up with them offering is lower crowd access to Carsland. That's no small thing, but probably wouldn't move enough tickets.

CP is an interesting possibility. I could see that having some piece in it. I would definitely be excited about that since I didn't fight the crowds last year to see it.

I would love if they'd put the parade and fireworks into just the parties, then leave the regular parade and fireworks in DL the rest of the time. We saw the parade 3 times last year, so this year it is much less of a draw for us. I love that at WDW you can still see all the regular entertainment plus the Christmas entertainment on party nights.

I agree that the reception the holiday WOC got last year isn't enough to carry a party. Heck, they could probably put holiday WOC on the non-party nights and from what I hear regular WOC would be enough to get people to buy tickets!

Of course, I personally would pay the money for a party if they would just add a whole bunch of rare characters, or more regular characters in souped up winter attire.

And I must have missed the info on the Main Street back alley work. I had heard they were doing that at WDW but hadn't heard it about DLR. That would be SO helpful. We didn't watch the CP last year, but I had to navigate that mess "quickly" when I realized I had forgotten to pick up our Fantasmic tickets.

Oh my goodness -- 57 degrees sounds heavenly to me right now (or, really, any time of year)!! It shouldn't be this warm before July 4th, or after August. There should be a law or something. The key is to live by the beach (which I do not, sadly). Sea breezes are amazing air conditioners, aren't they? The sun will beat down for a while, and then all of a sudden the breeze will kick in to cool everything off. Where I am, in the middle of the city, even the breezes are hot! I just have to keep repeating the mantra, "Four more months until fall starts...four more months until fall starts...four more months until fall starts..."

I first read about the Main Street back alley project on MiceChat...who apparently got the info from MousePlanet! I did not hear anything in the official sense, so I don't know if plans are actually underway. The work was supposed to have begun this week, though I don't know if it did, and was scheduled to be finished by or in the fall. Some folks on MiceChat were annoyed about the fact that the lockers with charging stations would be closed during the work.

The idea -- if it is happening -- would be to open up the back alley on at least one side of Main Street (maybe both sides?) to help with the flow of traffic during those extra-crowded times (during Candlelight would be a good example of that). There may be some light theming of the alley(s), but if the idea is to shuffle bunches of people up or down Main Street, to me it would seem like a good idea to keep it as non-exciting as possible, so no one will need to stop and look at anything. I think that some alternate routes out of certain shops onto the alley were going to be explored too.

Again, I don't know if this is actually all taking place, but it sounds like a believable, reasonable plan. So if this helped to thin out some of the masses packed into Town Square or on Main Street, why not add some extra Candlelight performances down the road? It's a logical idea, I suppose. I just don't think it would happen this year.

You mentioned the idea of adding in rare characters to a potential Christmas party. If Disney were to handle a Christmas party like they handle the MHP -- where certain rare-ish characters appear and the Villains are not as easily accessible in the daytime hours -- people would buy tickets. The Villains becoming less available during regular Halloween Time hours and more available during the MHP has prompted more than a few people to buy MHP tickets, I would bet.

That could happen. Disney may limit the number of winter/holiday attire-clad characters in the daytime and make them party exclusives at some point. I agree -- the seasonal attire is very important for the characters! I like to see them getting into the spirit of things.

Yikes! I remember you mentioning having to go back and get the Fantasmic tickets, and I can just imagine the fun of having to do that while trying to push through the non-moving masses on Main Street -- and they could be people who were also trying to escape, but just not succeeding! You should have seen the mess that was the Unleash the Villains event on 9/13/13!

Both my boys have slept in the day bed at the PPH and have never once complained. I have slept on it briefly (fell asleep putting my youngest to sleep!) and it was super comfortable. It's quite big too. They love having their own bed!

Thank you for speaking up about that, Crystal!

Hopefully minbabies is still out there, following along.

I wonder if the DLH daybeds are basically the same things, but in different colors? I would bet that if the PPH daybed was comfy, the DLH daybed must be too.

 

[GatorChris]

As a WDW regular I'd hate to see a Christmas party offered at DL. Here's why. In FL, there's 4 nights a week with a party and 3 without. Those 3 days, the MK is PACKED. Why? Because on party days, the MK essentially closes to the regular ticket purchasers. Only those with a Party Ticket can get on the rides, stand around for the parade, see the fireworks. So people opt to come to the park when it's open until 8pm with fireworks show instead of 6pm and no fireworks show. All the other parks become increasingly crowded on the Party days.

Can you imagine what DCA will be like if DL offers a party and kicks everyone without a Party ticket out? Complete madness and chaos will ensue. I bet it's bad enough during the empty October days, but bring on the Christmas Season and it will be an even bigger headache to manage all those folks.

My two cents: FL can keep their parties.

 

[mom2rtk]

Oh my goodness -- 57 degrees sounds heavenly to me right now (or, really, any time of year)!! It shouldn't be this warm before July 4th, or after August. There should be a law or something. The key is to live by the beach (which I do not, sadly). Sea breezes are amazing air conditioners, aren't they? The sun will beat down for a while, and then all of a sudden the breeze will kick in to cool everything off. Where I am, in the middle of the city, even the breezes are hot! I just have to keep repeating the mantra, "Four more months until fall starts...four more months until fall starts...four more months until fall starts..."

I first read about the Main Street back alley project on MiceChat...who apparently got the info from MousePlanet! I did not hear anything in the official sense, so I don't know if plans are actually underway. The work was supposed to have begun this week, though I don't know if it did, and was scheduled to be finished by or in the fall. Some folks on MiceChat were annoyed about the fact that the lockers with charging stations would be closed during the work.

The idea -- if it is happening -- would be to open up the back alley on at least one side of Main Street (maybe both sides?) to help with the flow of traffic during those extra-crowded times (during Candlelight would be a good example of that). There may be some light theming of the alley(s), but if the idea is to shuffle bunches of people up or down Main Street, to me it would seem like a good idea to keep it as non-exciting as possible, so no one will need to stop and look at anything. I think that some alternate routes out of certain shops onto the alley were going to be explored too.

Again, I don't know if this is actually all taking place, but it sounds like a believable, reasonable plan. So if this helped to thin out some of the masses packed into Town Square or on Main Street, why not add some extra Candlelight performances down the road? It's a logical idea, I suppose. I just don't think it would happen this year.

You mentioned the idea of adding in rare characters to a potential Christmas party. If Disney were to handle a Christmas party like they handle the MHP -- where certain rare-ish characters appear and the Villains are not as easily accessible in the daytime hours -- people would buy tickets. The Villains becoming less available during regular Halloween Time hours and more available during the MHP has prompted more than a few people to buy MHP tickets, I would bet.

That could happen. Disney may limit the number of winter/holiday attire-clad characters in the daytime and make them party exclusives at some point. I agree -- the seasonal attire is very important for the characters! I like to see them getting into the spirit of things.

Yikes! I remember you mentioning having to go back and get the Fantasmic tickets, and I can just imagine the fun of having to do that while trying to push through the non-moving masses on Main Street -- and they could be people who were also trying to escape, but just not succeeding! You should have seen the mess that was the Unleash the Villains event on 9/13/13!

For starters, you might have nasty heat right now, but at least you can go find some ocean breezes without driving 2 1/2 days to get there!

And I would totally pay for a party just to meet the rare characters. It was with heavy heart that I passed on planning to attend last year's Unleash The Villains event. It was right up my alley, but I just don't do well with uber crowds, which is what I feared all along that would be.

So you can imagine me with those CP crowds heading for City Hall that night!

As a WDW regular I'd hate to see a Christmas party offered at DL. Here's why. In FL, there's 4 nights a week with a party and 3 without. Those 3 days, the MK is PACKED. Why? Because on party days, the MK essentially closes to the regular ticket purchasers. Only those with a Party Ticket can get on the rides, stand around for the parade, see the fireworks. So people opt to come to the park when it's open until 8pm with fireworks show instead of 6pm and no fireworks show. All the other parks become increasingly crowded on the Party days.

Can you imagine what DCA will be like if DL offers a party and kicks everyone without a Party ticket out? Complete madness and chaos will ensue. I bet it's bad enough during the empty October days, but bring on the Christmas Season and it will be an even bigger headache to manage all those folks.

My two cents: FL can keep their parties.

I actually love going to WDW during party season because it makes it so easy to predict what the crowds will day. When they all bunch up on non-party days, it's easy to decide to go to the MK on party days. We have had some awesome low crowd days that way, even if it meant missing the chance for evening entertainment.

With both parks so close together at DLR though, it's hard to say what it would do to crowds. I will say that WDW only schedules the parties during low-crowd seasons, never on a Saturday night, never over Thanksgiving week. I think you're right though that evenings at DCA would be much busier if a party was happening at DL.

 

[Cheshirecatty]

Both my boys have slept in the day bed at the PPH and have never once complained. I have slept on it briefly (fell asleep putting my youngest to sleep!) and it was super comfortable. It's quite big too. They love having their own bed!

Sorry I missed the inquiry about daybeds, as well!

We've had teens(one at a time) sleeping on the daybeds at PPH, and it was large enough and perfectly comfortable!

 

[Sherry E]

Cheshirecatty --

Better late than never! I was thinking that you must have had some daybed experience at either the PPH or the DLH -- or both -- at some point, but I wasn't sure!

As a WDW regular I'd hate to see a Christmas party offered at DL. Here's why. In FL, there's 4 nights a week with a party and 3 without. Those 3 days, the MK is PACKED. Why? Because on party days, the MK essentially closes to the regular ticket purchasers. Only those with a Party Ticket can get on the rides, stand around for the parade, see the fireworks. So people opt to come to the park when it's open until 8pm with fireworks show instead of 6pm and no fireworks show. All the other parks become increasingly crowded on the Party days.

Can you imagine what DCA will be like if DL offers a party and kicks everyone without a Party ticket out? Complete madness and chaos will ensue. I bet it's bad enough during the empty October days, but bring on the Christmas Season and it will be an even bigger headache to manage all those folks.

My two cents: FL can keep their parties.

Welcome, GatorChris!

You bring up a good point about October. In the good ol' days of yesteryear, October was not busy. Halloween Time was introduced, and then eventually it became an official 6- or 7-week-long "season" (which is odd, since it is not as fully developed as the holiday season is).

By Disneyland Resort's standards, October is still technically considered their off-peak season, though anyone can tell you that October is no longer the quiet time that it used to be. There are plenty o' people milling about in the parks in October -- especially in the first couple of weeks of that month, and right around Halloween.

On nights when Mickey's Halloween Party takes place, there are a lot of people moving across the Esplanade into DCA (especially on Friday nights), but I think that crowds are able to spread out a bit better in DCA because there are wider walkways and there is more room to get around in some spots.

However, during the holiday season -- which has always been considered peak season at Disneyland Resort, especially now -- it would be very interesting to see how the crowd dynamic in DCA was impacted by a potential Christmas party in DL (or in DCA, for that matter). All of the people who did not want to attend the party in DL would have to go somewhere -- and so DCA, DTD and the 3 hotels would have to pick up the slack, which would mean that a lot of people would crowd into DCA.

Four nights a week sounds like it would be a bit much for a party at DLR. I suspect that if DLR decided to have a Christmas party they would do 2 nights a week, basically like the Halloween party schedule, more or less.

For starters, you might have nasty heat right now, but at least you can go find some ocean breezes without driving 2 1/2 days to get there!

And I would totally pay for a party just to meet the rare characters. It was with heavy heart that I passed on planning to attend last year's Unleash The Villains event. It was right up my alley, but I just don't do well with uber crowds, which is what I feared all along that would be.

So you can imagine me with those CP crowds heading for City Hall that night!

Janet -

The Unleash the Villains event in DL was poorly planned out and organized, I think. It wasn't well-publicized either, so no one really knew exactly what to expect from it, which caused a lot of people to just stand around in Town Square, unaware of what was coming. And then when the Villains were unleashed, they made a not-so-dramatic entrance and walked up to a photo spot, where they posed with guests. So there were a bunch of people standing around, watching others pose for photos!

Unleash the Villains was a bit of a hot mess, in my opinion. Halloween Time itself is great fun, but that event was silly. There was a fun DJ in a witch hat, though -- and she was pretty lively.

 

[mlnbabies]

Sorry I missed the inquiry about daybeds, as well!

We've had teens(one at a time) sleeping on the daybeds at PPH, and it was large enough and perfectly comfortable!

Thanks for the info about the day beds. Are they in every room or do I need to request one?

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks for the info about the day beds. Are they in every room or do I need to request one?

minbabies --

You probably won't need to request the daybed, but it wouldn't hurt to mention it when you book. The daybeds have been in every room at the PPH that I have stayed in over the years, and those have always been rooms with 2 main beds as well. Those rooms are meant for "up to 5 people," assuming that each bed accommodates 2 people and one person takes the daybed. I think that those rooms are the ones that are the most common at the PPH, and they are what people usually end up with. I'm not sure how many rooms with only one bed there are at the PPH, but it's probably not as many. I have stayed there solo before and I still got the room with 2 beds and a daybed!

 

[mlnbabies]

minbabies --

You probably won't need to request the daybed, but it wouldn't hurt to mention it when you book. The daybeds have been in every room at the PPH that I have stayed in over the years, and those have always been rooms with 2 main beds as well. Those rooms are meant for "up to 5 people," assuming that each bed accommodates 2 people and one person takes the daybed. I think that those rooms are the ones that are the most common at the PPH, and they are what people usually end up with. I'm not sure how many rooms with only one bed there are at the PPH, but it's probably not as many. I have stayed there solo before and I still got the room with 2 beds and a daybed!

Thanks Sherry! I would love to stay at PPH because of the view. It sounds like the day beds are comfy!

 

[jessiegirl84]

Hello, I'm Jess this thread is awesome, so much stuff to read! I really appreciate all the links!

My husband & I are coming to America (we are Aussies) from November 7 - November 21. Our plan is to spend at least 5 nights at Disney and the rest in NYC and maybe a night in Vegas to see Britney Spears !
Anyways, I was planning on being there from the 16th to the 21st but now I've read that there is a marathon weekend there that weekend, and although we arrive on the Sunday, will it still be busy? Then thanksgiving the following week will that make it busier?
So my other option is the week of the 8th - 14th but I just read that maybe the taping of the Xmas party will be on? Eeek? Does that get busy things may not be working?
If the Xmas season hasn't officially started by the 8th what sorta decorations and parades are on? Halloween or back to normal? Will it be half Halloween and almost Xmas?
I gues if we went with the later option more Xmas stuff would be out?

I would welcome any advice about our plans, we cannot decide which week to go, I guess a lot of stuff is still unknown and we will have 2 full days at both parks so it should be ok? Right?

Thanks for letting me ramble! Looking forward to following and joining this thread

 

[Sherry E]

Hello, I'm Jess this thread is awesome, so much stuff to read! I really appreciate all the links!

My husband & I are coming to America (we are Aussies) from November 7 - November 21. Our plan is to spend at least 5 nights at Disney and the rest in NYC and maybe a night in Vegas to see Britney Spears !
Anyways, I was planning on being there from the 16th to the 21st but now I've read that there is a marathon weekend there that weekend, and although we arrive on the Sunday, will it still be busy? Then thanksgiving the following week will that make it busier?
So my other option is the week of the 8th - 14th but I just read that maybe the taping of the Xmas party will be on? Eeek? Does that get busy things may not be working?
If the Xmas season hasn't officially started by the 8th what sorta decorations and parades are on? Halloween or back to normal? Will it be half Halloween and almost Xmas?
I gues if we went with the later option more Xmas stuff would be out?

I would welcome any advice about our plans, we cannot decide which week to go, I guess a lot of stuff is still unknown and we will have 2 full days at both parks so it should be ok? Right?

Thanks for letting me ramble! Looking forward to following and joining this thread

Welcome, Jess!

I'm so glad you found us and joined in. This will be a fun (and hopefully helpful) thread to follow along with as the months speed towards the holiday season, especially as we get into the Theme Week Countdown at the end of July.

Rambling is perfectly fine here!

Bret/mvf-m11c and Jamie/DisneyJamieCA are seasoned November visitors to Disneyland (whereas I usually go for one day in November and have my main holiday trip in December), so even though the Avengers Half-Marathon is a bit of a wild card and no one knows how it will affect crowds, they might be able to chime in and help give some insight into the November crowds and so forth.

The Avengers Half-Marathon is a totally new event for this year, and it is a big mystery in regards to the holiday season. Never before has there been any kind of marathon happening at or near the beginning of the season, so we are not sure how it will affect crowds, holiday entertainment, etc.

I guess we'd have to assume that a lot of people will leave after the marathon ends, but I would imagine that there would still be a good group of people in the parks on 11/16, your intended arrival day. November 17th will probably be less crowded. November 18th will probably be less crowded. November 19th will probably be okay. As it gets closer to the weekend, the crowds pick up a bit.

Thanksgiving is late again this year, but I would expect that a lot of people will begin arriving at Disneyland Resort over the preceding weekend to spend their Thanksgiving holiday. So, perhaps, there might be an influx of holiday visitors on 11/22 or 11/23.

The good news is that, because Thanksgiving is so late again this year, I suspect that Disney will get the 3 hotels decorated a bit early (and those are worth seeing, as they are all within walking distance from the parks and from Downtown Disney). My hunch is that they will repeat what they did last year and get the hotels' trees, etc., in place more than one week before Thanksgiving -- which has not always been the way it works.

I think the taping of the Christmas parade for ABC will take place (probably) on 11/7 and 11/8. Crowds will show up for that. Some of the Main Street decorations (which are very charming and lovely) can't go up until the taping has been completed, so that's likely one reason why the parade has to be taped before the season officially begins, because once the season officially begins the parks have to be in full holiday swing.


Personally, I would really recommend that you go with the later November dates instead of the earlier ones. You will have more options that way, but it really depends on how much "Christmas" you want out of your trip. Some folks want more (the full array of holiday fun); some folks are okay with less.

If the season has not officially begun by 11/7, there will still be a good bit of holiday cheer in the 2 parks (but not in the hotels or in Downtown Disney so much yet) before it begins:

The 2 parks will be almost fully decorated, with the exception of the extra Main Street things I mentioned above and possibly some less obvious decorations;

It's a Small World Holiday should be up and running;

Haunted Mansion Holiday will begin in September, so that will still be up and running;

The Jingle Cruise will probably be running in holiday mode, but may not have all of its holiday décor in place yet (which is not much to begin with, but more décor got added to it as the holiday season wore on in 2013!);

The Jingle Jangle Jamboree may or may not be open yet;

Most of the holiday snack-type foods will be available (some of the seasonal meals at sit-down restaurants may not be, though) in the sweets shops and bake shops;

The giant tree on Buena Vista Street will probably begin its tree lighting on 11/7;

The Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks (and snow on Main Street) will probably begin on 11/7 or 11/8, but that is not guaranteed; and

I think that the Christmas Fantasy Parade will more than likely continue on a daily schedule after the ABC taping is done, right on into the start of the season.





What will most likely not be open, available and operational until the holiday season officially begins:

The Winter Castle lighting (it illuminates in icicle lights);

The Holiday tour;

Viva Navidad;

World of Color-Winter Dreams;

The holiday version of the Mad T Party; and

The "Frozen"-inspired ice rink in Downtown Disney (which is certain to return this year).




And, again, the 3 hotels' wonderful decorations (including the real gingerbread house in Storytellers Café; the fake gingerbread Castle in the Disneyland Hotel lobby; the various themed trees, etc.) will not be up -- in my estimation -- until probably about 7-10 days before Thanksgiving.

Santa Claus and Dickens carolers will not appear at the hotels until Thanksgiving and beyond.

So far, we don't have any confirmed, official information about a Christmas party taking place. If it happens, this would be the first year there has been a Christmas party at DLR. If a party is coming we should know about it within the next 2 or 3 months, I'd say.


I think that 2 full days at each park should be good. If you can swing a 5th day, that would be even better. Will you be getting Hoppers or one-park-per-day tickets? I think Hoppers are a better choice because they allow more flexibility if plans change along the way. If one park gets too crowded you can easily hop over to the other one.

​

Although this is not holiday season-specific news, it is always big news in the Disneyland discussion board communities!

You probably all know by now that all of the Disneyland Resort ticket, Hopper and Annual Pass prices have gone up, as of today. These increases happen every year, though not always in May.

In this post from helpful DIS'er Malcon10t you can see the breakdown of prices and by how much of a percentage they increased.

I have often thought about downgrading to the Deluxe. I have to go back to the Deluxe section of the AP website and re-examine the blocked days. Schedule-wise -- in terms of when I usually would be going to DLR -- the dates included in the Deluxe would probably work. Again, I have to take another look at those blocked dates.

The Premium AP offers a better dining discount, though -- and that comes in handy at expensive character meals or pricier sit-down restaurants.

For me, a Hopper makes very little sense based on when I would want to be at DLR and the things I do that would require discounts (meals, DLR hotels, the Halloween party, etc.).

Let's say I ventured to DLR for another 3-5 day December holiday trip, as well as a one-day visit in November; a couple of one-day visits for Halloween Time; another day trip during the Easter/Springtime festivities; and maybe an unexpected one-day trip for some other event (for example, "Christmas in July," Mardi Gras/Bayou Bash, Valentine's Day, or St, Patrick's Day, or Three Kings Day, or my birthday). At $150 a pop, it would make no sense at all to go with buy-as-needed Hoppers for several one-day trips. In that case, a Premium AP is a better investment.

And one of these days I will end up at DLR on Thanksgiving, or on Christmas -- maybe even on New Year's Eve again (although that's a long shot!). Deluxe APs won't work for those dates.

I could, perhaps, adjust my way of meandering around the parks to a one-park-per-day plan and buy the one-park-per-day tickets for multi-day trips, which would be cheaper, but for the single day trips I would still need to hop between parks.

​

Will these new increases affect your holiday season trip budgets at all? Will you plan to buy fewer things? Stay at a different hotel than where you had planned? Eat at fewer table service restaurants? Skip the holiday tour? Cut your trip short by a day?

And...if the (rumored, not confirmed) Christmas party does, indeed, happen this year (I still have my doubts that it will), will you buy tickets for it (which would surely be in the range of $50-$60 each, I would think)??

Will any of the AP holders who follow this thread renew their APs when they expire? Will you downgrade to a Deluxe AP if you currently have a Premium or Premier? Will you opt for monthly payments if you haven't already been on the payment plan?

Realistically, the monthly payments -- for those who choose to automatically renew their APs under that plan before they expire, with whatever renewal discount is offered -- will probably only be paying a few dollars more per month, if that.

Will you get an Annual Pass so that you can attend whatever special 60th Anniversary events take place next year?

Are Annual Passes still worth it for everyone who has them or who wants to buy them? Has the price pushed you too far, or is the AP still a bargain/value to you based on your park-touring habits?

 

[Cheshirecatty]

Great post Sherry……LOTS to ponder/think about!

We just renewed our Premium Passes 3 days ago, so we're set for the next year!

We visit the Resort several times per year, so it still makes sense for us, and is cost effective enough for us personally, to continue purchasing the Premium Annual Passes.

I am glad however, that we renewed while still at the old price, with the $40.00 renewal discount---very helpful, so this will not affect our Holiday Time budget(for this year, anyway)!

I hope they don't ever bring about a "Christmas Party", but if they do, since we visit the Resort every December, without fail, we would probably just bite the bullet and get tickets for that!

We are hopelessly addicted to visiting the Resort, so I am pretty sure that we will continue to buy Annual Passes each year, as we still feel that they offer us a pretty good value.

We will definitely be attending whatever they decide to do for the 60th Anniversary, and will just begin saving more/sooner!

 

[Sherry E]

Great post Sherry……LOTS to ponder/think about!

We just renewed our Premium Passes 3 days ago, so we're set for the next year!

We visit the Resort several times per year, so it still makes sense for us, and is cost effective enough for us personally, to continue purchasing the Premium Annual Passes.

I am glad however, that we renewed while still at the old price, with the $40.00 renewal discount---very helpful, so this will not affect our Holiday Time budget(for this year, anyway)!

I hope they don't ever bring about a "Christmas Party", but if they do, since we visit the Resort every December, without fail, we would probably just bite the bullet and get tickets for that!

We are hopelessly addicted to visiting the Resort, so I am pretty sure that we will continue to buy Annual Passes each year, as we still feel that they offer us a pretty good value.

We will definitely be attending whatever they decide to do for the 60th Anniversary, and will just begin saving more/sooner!

Cheshirecatty --

Oh, so you renewed your APs just in the nick of time! That was lucky timing.

You're very correct -- of course, opinions will vary on the issue of the AP, but there is still a good value to be had with the APs, as costly as they are. If you go to DLR several times a year, or more often, it doesn't make much sense to bother with Hoppers. If you do three multi-day trips in a year and get multi-day Hoppers each time, or if you go for several one-day trips and get one-day Hoppers, or if you do a combination of a few one-day trips and one multi-day trip -- any way you slice it, the AP makes more sense.

It also allows for those unexpected trips that you may not have planned to take at the beginning of the year, but now would like to take. I think that next year will be a good example of that, as assorted events in honor of the 60th Anniversary begin to roll out.

Add to that the larger food discounts with the Premium, the hotel discounts, the merchandise discounts, the discounts on things like the Halloween party, etc., and the AP is really a valuable tool in visiting Disneyland. I think that people will continue to buy them until Disneyland either makes the price so high that no one can afford them, or they discontinue the payment plans, or put some other sort of limitation on the APs.

I'll have to play it by ear, but if and when there is a Christmas party, I think I would only be gung ho about it if it included something all new and exciting that I have not yet experienced. If Disney pops up with a party and the highlights are the existing, old holiday parade and fireworks and that's it, I might have to skip the party.

If a party ended up in DCA or had some sort of new 'thing' in Disneyland, then I might be excited about it. So I guess I would have to wait and see the exact roster of activities included in the party, as well as see how it affected the other seasonal activities/events during the non-party hours. If the Winter Castle stopped glowing in icicle lights except on party nights, that would be a huge hit to the holiday season landscape!

 

[ARIELvsURSULA]

Hi all! I just discovered this thread and I'm so happy I did. My name is Jenna and this is my first year planning a holiday trip! DH, DD and I have been to DLR and WDW many times, but never around Christmas. We're all set for Dec 1st - 6th for my DD's 13th birthday! Now to go back and skim all these pages for pics and tips and to build my excitement!

 

[Sherry E]

Hi all! I just discovered this thread and I'm so happy I did. My name is Jenna and this is my first year planning a holiday trip! DH, DD and I have been to DLR and WDW many times, but never around Christmas. We're all set for Dec 1st - 6th for my DD's 13th birthday! Now to go back and skim all these pages for pics and tips and to build my excitement!

Welcome, Jenna!

I'm so glad you made your way over here from the December Check-In thread!

You are in the right place to soak in all sorts of info and details about the holidays at DLR! Hopefully you will find that this thread is a valuable tool to help you plan and get excited for your trip! We're in a quieter time frame in this thread right now, as there isn't really a whole lot of official information coming from Disney about the season yet, so we can only go by what has happened in the last few years as a guideline.

Once we hit late July and the Theme Week Countdown kicks in, and then the slow revelations of bits of news and info about the season start to trickle in from various Disney sources, this thread will be hoppin'!!

I can tell you that if you love Christmas as a holiday in general, you will probably adore the holiday offerings at DLR! There are some areas of the parks and hotels that are more decorated than others -- some are more elaborate and extravagant -- while others are more subtle, simple, sparse and quietly festive.

All in all, it balances out quite well, I feel, and last year it seemed as if I was finding holiday music and décor everywhere I went. From unexpected Christmas trees, to reindeer figures greeting guests outside of the Grand Californian Hotel, to window displays, to Viva Navidad, etc., there was something new to enjoy all around DLR. The seasonal music changes theme from land to land. The decorations change theme from land to land. The lights are breathtaking at night. Seeing the Castle light up in icicles during the Winter Enchantment Lighting is one of those goose bump-inducing moments. The colors on the façade of It's a Small World Holiday are awe-inspiring at night. I could go on and on.

It really is magical, which is why I am so excited for you that you have a wonderful Christmas time trip (and 13th birthday trip for your daughter) ahead!