I should point out, too -- in case I made it sound as if we are skipping something when I stated in my announcement above that I was originally thinking of 27 themes, then 25, then 23, etc. -- that we will not be bypassing anything. We will still cover the full array of holiday offerings (and then some!) at Disneyland Resort during Theme Weeks.
I was mainly looking into splitting up some previously grouped together (2-for-1 or 3-for-1) themes and giving them their own theme weeks (or theme days), but when I mapped it all out on paper I saw that it meant that the Theme Week Countdown would either have to start or end on a weird day of the week, or it meant that it would have to start...like now, in June!
There were too many individual themes when I tried to break them all down, and it was throwing things off, schedule-wise!
I'm not ready to start the Countdown in June, and I think that July 21st is good because it will either correspond with or land right on the heels of whatever Disneyland does for Christmas in July this year (if anything).
So I ended up keeping the 2-for-1 themes and 3-for-1 themes together, for the most part. If I had not added 2 brand new themes into the mix, I would have had some room to deconstruct one of the existing multi-theme themes!
In any case, nothing will be skipped or overlooked. All bases will be covered! It's just that we will cover more bases in certain weeks (or on certain days) than others.
Hooray for the Theme Week Countdown!! Can't wait!
Luisa --
I'm so glad you'll be joining in again this year!
I am hoping this supersized Countdown will be another success.
pattyduke34 --
You're one of the best contributors to Theme Weeks, as you seem to have photos for every single theme/category (though some might be slightly more difficult to find photos for than others)! I am even adding in 2 new themes that we have never used as a theme in the Christmas/Holiday Superthread before, and I already know that you will have photos for those too!
I am glad that the countdown runs until November 3rd. This will be a personal countdown for me as well, almost like a vacation advent calendar as we are leaving for our Disneyland and Hawaii trip on November 10th.
On the note of my holiday trip, the first part is pretty much set in stone. We will be at Disneyland from November 10th to 13th before heading to Aulani. Initially we were then going to be back to Disneyland from November 23rd to November 27th, but I am seriously considering to extend this to December 1st.
Corinna
Corinna --
Perfect timing!
Yes, it will pretty much be like last year. The final theme week will kick off on Monday, November 3rd (I think it was November 4th in 2013, wasn't it?), and I will choose the winners of the random draw on Monday, November 10th. I used to end the Countdowns a week later but, by the time the second week of November rolls around, news and photos are already beginning to trickle in somewhere or another, featuring updates on whatever "new season stuff" is happening in the parks, and there is a lot to discuss in this thread. It just seemed like a better idea to end the Countdown a week earlier -- but still in November, so that it basically takes us right into the holiday season!
Of course, whoever wins the Code Word Challenge (or whatever I am calling it this year!) can announce the answer as soon as the final theme on 11/3 goes up, if he/she has it! I would still, most likely, mail out all 3 gift cards to all 3 winners on the same day, which would probably be late on 11/10 or early on 11/12.
So for the third segment of your holiday trip (first segment being DLR; second segment being Aulani; and third segment being DLR) you're thinking of leaving DLR on December 1st instead of on November 27th? And you would still arrive on November 23rd?
Well, I think that if you can swing the extra days, go for it! It sounds as if your November is going to be action-packed and wonderful! When will you know for sure?
Yay for the theme weeks! It made the weeks go by so much faster last year and I love seeing everybody's pictures! Again, a big thank you to you Sherry for putting this all together!
Jamie --
You're very welcome! I'm glad you will be joining in again.
I love seeing everyone's photos too -- and I also love that people come out of the woodwork to join in, post their photos or participate in the Code Word Challenge, who might otherwise be hiding in the shadows! So we end up with some surprise contributions.
Of course, it would be nice if everyone joins in and lets us know they are out there before the Countdown begins -- so I have some sort of idea of who I might be sending a Disney gift card to
-- but I know that people are not always comfortable joining in until they make sure we are friendly and helpful, or until they have time to get caught up on the previous pages!
These little Countdowns really do help to pass the time in between summer and the holidays, and if we can build momentum and mystery, and gain interest before the Countdowns kick off, I think it makes the impact of seeing everyone's photos grouped together by themes even stronger.
I suspect that some people who are new to the thread (and maybe new to the holiday season at DLR) have no clue what to expect, and will not realize the treat that awaits if they just kind of sit back and watch the photos roll in!!
I was kind of hoping that we'd have a firm, officially published start of the DLR holiday season before the Countdown begins -- and that may or may not happen -- because it helps me with the timing of the actual "Countdown" part of Theme Weeks. If I have no clue when the season is officially starting (11/10? 11/12? 11/14?), I have to just wing it and assume when it will be. I wouldn't want to end the Countdown any earlier than somewhere during the week
before the official start of the season because it's important to keep that holiday momentum going and not have too much down time between the end of the Countdown and the beginning of the reports on the new seasonal things. So I have to just kind of hope that the season officially begins on one of the dates I predict.
I was having the hardest time trying to figure out how many themes there would or could be (without starting the Countdown ridiculously early), and when I would be starting and ending this Countdown! I ended up graduating one of the daily themes to a weekly theme (stay tuned to find out which one!), and adding in 2 brand new daily themes (both of which I think you'll have photos for!). Otherwise, everything will be mostly the same as last year -- except for that the order of the themes will be mixed up, of course.
I'm excited to experience the theme weeks for the first time! Thanks for all you do Sherry!
Thank you for the kind words,
dedesmith32!
I am so glad that you will be joining us this year for the Theme Week Countdown. It will be a lot of fun. And it is something you can participate in, if you choose to. You can ether choose to participate in the non-photo contribution Code Word Challenge part of it (more details on that as we get closer to 7/21), or you can also participate in the "Holiday Cornucopia" Theme Week, which will kick off on 11/3 (that theme is open to more than just Disneyland Resort holiday photos -- it will include holiday photos from anywhere, even non-Disney places!).
I cannot wait for theme weeks! It will definitely help us pass the time before we get to go. I have a feeling it will be group viewing when they start with DSIL and DMIL!
mybestieismickey --
I'm happy you will be tuning in (or joining in) as well!
And yes, by all means, rally DSIL and DMIL or anyone else to peek in on the happenings!
This will be a good way to connect the whole "Christmas in July" phenomenon (assuming DLR does something for it again this year) to the actual holiday season beginning at DLR, and then lead us right into photos and reports of the November 2014 offerings!
I know there are lots of people heading to DLR this holiday season this year -- both repeat visitors and first-time visitors. This is a discussion thread to help people plan for their trips. So if you are a first-timer and have questions about anything happening in November, December or early January and you were not able to find an answer on page 1 of the thread or elsewhere, please don't hesitate to ask us and someone here should either know the answer, or be able to find it for you/point you to it.
I may be able to find a specific past thread or older post for you that addresses whatever info you are looking for, as well, because I am very good about remembering that there were posts or threads about specific holiday-related things, and then tracking them down!
Anyone who is an experienced DLR holiday visitor, please don't hesitate to jump in, share your wisdom and help out as well!
