Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #4

[mvf-m11c]

Just like Mike, it is a little sad to not hear of any new information where we have been talking about it for a while. Even though the Diamond Anniversary logo looks nice and the contest is good to have. I want to know what the DLR will be doing for the 60th anniversary for next year.

That would be nice to see the giant star on top of Matterhorn Mountain.

 

[Sherry E]

Just like Mike, it is a little sad to not hear of any new information where we have been talking about it for a while. Even though the Diamond Anniversary logo looks nice and the contest is good to have. I want to know what the DLR will be doing for the 60th anniversary for next year.

That would be nice to see the giant star on top of Matterhorn Mountain.

Bret --

I must correct myself -- I remembered that it was the red "Mickey star" on top of the Matterhorn that I saw on NYE in 2000. I don't remember when the real (large) Christmas star was on the Matterhorn, or if I ever saw it.

Yes, it's too bad that Disney scaled back what they were going to reveal today. I still think that all of those new things (new parade, new fireworks, new Castle show) will be happening next year, but we may not hear the actual announcements for a while. Or maybe they will slowly be revealed as some of the Get Happier/Monday Surprises during the summer.

I think that someone on MiceChat was mentioning that the news of the 50th anniversary events was released a full year in advance -- of course, the 50th was probably a bigger deal than the 60th, but it's interesting that we have less advance notice now than we did 10 years ago!

 

[mvf-m11c]

Bret --

I must correct myself -- I remembered that it was the red "Mickey star" on top of the Matterhorn that I saw on NYE in 2000. I don't remember when the real (large) Christmas star was on the Matterhorn, or if I ever saw it.

Yes, it's too bad that Disney scaled back what they were going to reveal today. I still think that all of those new things (new parade, new fireworks, new Castle show) will be happening next year, but we may not hear the actual announcements for a while. Or maybe they will slowly be revealed as some of the Get Happier/Monday Surprises during the summer.

I think that someone on MiceChat was mentioning that the news of the 50th anniversary events was released a full year in advance -- of course, the 50th was probably a bigger deal than the 60th, but it's interesting that we have less advance notice now than we did 10 years ago!

I remember when Matterhorn Mountain was under refurbishment back in 2012 for the track replacement, I did see on the construction walls that had a history of the Matterhorn and that showed a star on top of the Matterhorn. From the picture, it looked like it was during the old days.



But when I looked it up on google, it was on top of the Matterhorn from 1961 and it ended in the early 1970s.
Here is the link http://davelandweb.com/christmas/#star

We'll just have to wait until we hear any new information.

 

[Sherry E]

Bret -- ^^ That star was quite large, indeed! The red Mickey icon thing that I saw on top of the Matterhorn in 2000 seemed a bit smaller. It will be interesting if a new star is placed on top of the Matterhorn this year.

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Reminder!!​

The 4th Annual Theme Week Countdown kicks off in 3 days -- Monday, July 21st!!! I posted the rules and guidelines HERE. Be sure to read them -- especially if you are new to the Countdown, or are taking on the Code Word Challenge (the CWC is slightly different and more complicated this year than it was last year).

After I put up the first theme on Monday morning (in the wee hours, under the cloak of darkness, before most people are awake), I will be gone all day and will not be able to answer questions. I will not be back until nighttime (late), and after a day of sun/heat and/or being out on the ocean I have no idea how I will be feeling by the time I get home. I will probably have to log all of the 7/21 entries/photo submissions the next day instead of on Monday night.

Not only that, but I will probably be busy tomorrow and Sunday (especially Sunday), so if you have any questions about the rules (after reading them), or about how to enter the Countdown as a photo contributor or as a non-photo contributor, either ask now or wait until Tuesday, 7/22.

​

 

[kylie71]

Have FUN on Catalina Island, Sherry! Happy Birthday!!!
I will be posting on Monday!!! Yay! I am an early bird......... so I will be one of the first, hopefully to see the theme!

--Lori

 

[KCmike]

Happy Happy Birthday Sherry E!!!!! Have a blast on the blue Pacific Ocean and get some relaxation on Catalina Island. Hope you have the best B-Day.

 

[dhorner233]

Lucky you going to Catalina! I read your trip report from a long day there. Loved the tile!

 

[Sherry E]

Allow me to vent momentarily --

I was lining up my various birthday freebies (assorted free meals, free baked goods, free whatever) to put them in order of what needs to be used first and what has a longer expiration date (I have a bunch of them -- Jersey Mike's, Starbucks, Sprinkles, Shakey's, IHOP, Catalina, of course, Earl of Sandwich, Corner Bakery, etc.).

I didn't see any kind of expiration date on the Starbucks birthday offer, so I signed into my Starbucks Rewards account to discover that the balance I had left on my gift card was GONE!!! My birthday reward was still there, but someone must have hacked into my Starbucks account and transferred my balance to their card!!

I saw a "merged balance" reference for June 26 -- the thing is, I didn't sign in and merge any balance on June 26th.


So I had to call Starbucks and explain, and they agreed to issue me a new gift card with my old balance on it, and then will try to trace the card/person that my balance went to! (I won't lose my free birthday goodie in the process!)

I rarely ever even go to Starbucks, to be honest, and the balance on the card was from a gift card that I won. So it wasn't a huge loss if I couldn't get it back -- I mainly wanted my free birthday treat!

But just the fact that people are even hacking Starbucks accounts and gift cards now is a sad state of affairs! I guess if they can't get into the "important" accounts, they go for the less important ones. Shameful!

​

Thank you, Lori and Mike!

I've still got another 3 days to go, but I am glad to be getting a free Casino tour out of the deal too (as well as the free boat ride, which is the major value).

By the way, I called the tour office that is running the Casino tour and, until I called, they didn't even know that the Casino tour was part of the free birthday promo! It was not part of the promo in 2013, 2012 or 2011, so they were a bit shocked to learn that they were giving away free Casino tours to people on their birthdays. Apparently, a lot of the birthday visitors have not noticed that they get a Casino tour too, or they haven't bothered to check their list of free birthday goodies. I just happened to check, so I saw that the Casino tour had been added onto the list.





Denise --

You know, when I just read your comment here now I went over to that old Catalina TR (mostly from 2012, but I think I did a brief mini-recap after 2013 and then never finished it), and saw that you had commented...back in April!

I never got an email alert to let me know that you had posted, and I haven't posted in that report in so long that I didn't even check it. I can't figure out why certain alerts come through for some things and not for others.

Anyway, yes -- the tile! There is plenty o' tile around Avalon, isn't there? Some of it is more ornate than other tile. All of that tile art that lines the Via Casino walkway to the Casino seems to have materialized sometime between 2003 and 2012. I had never seen it before 2012, but it is very interesting.



I look forward to seeing everyone's contributions to the first theme of the Countdown, either when I get home on Monday night or on Tuesday morning!

​

 

[ACDSNY]

Happy Birthday Sherry! Have a wonderful time!

 

[mvf-m11c]

Hope you have a great time at Catalina and have a great birthday Sherry.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

Happy bday have fun, and I am sorry some one did that to you. At least they gave you new card

 

[Sherry E]

Happy Birthday Sherry! Have a wonderful time!

Thank you, Angela!

I'm not going for 2 more days, but I have a lot of errands and odds and ends to take care of this weekend, and I won't have time to do anything else but put up the first theme of the Countdown on Monday morning!

Hope you have a great time at Catalina and have a great birthday Sherry.

Thank you, Bret!

Happy bday have fun, and I am sorry some one did that to you. At least they gave you new card

JadeDarkstar --

Thank you! It will just be a long day trip on Monday -- I'd rather go on a weekend, and I'd rather stay for a couple of nights, but my birthday is on Monday and I have to use the free boat ride on that actual day (no exceptions), so that's when I'll be there.

Yes, at least Starbucks is sending me a card with my missing balance on it! I go to Starbucks so infrequently that if I had not signed into my account to see if I could find an expiration date for the free birthday reward, I might have not noticed that my balance had vanished for another few months!

I just wonder where the balance went. I think that even if Starbucks can trace whose card/account my balance was transferred to, it won't do them much good because it probably just went to another gift card. People will use it and throw it out, and they don't even have to give a name to use the card. It's not like a credit card, which would be different.

Anyway, did you see that I posted a couple of days ago that if it turns out to be true that the Matterhorn is going to be closed from late August through November 13th, I am assuming that means that the holiday season at DLR will officially begin on 11/14?

I think that there will be quite a few things (unofficially) up and running before 11/14, but I think that 11/14 will be the target start date if the Matterhorn is scheduled to be closed through 11/13.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I am so excited about the countdown as this year it will be my personal countdown as well. By the time the countdown officially finishes, we will be on the plane and on our way to Disneyland. I am a little sad that the holiday season probably won't have officially started before we head to Aulani, but we have 8 nights after we are coming back so I can enjoy it in full swing then.

I will have another go at the code word challenge this year. Next year I should have plenty of photos.

Corinna

 

[Sherry E]

I am so excited about the countdown as this year it will be my personal countdown as well. By the time the countdown officially finishes, we will be on the plane and on our way to Disneyland. I am a little sad that the holiday season probably won't have officially started before we head to Aulani, but we have 8 nights after we are coming back so I can enjoy it in full swing then.

I will have another go at the code word challenge this year. Next year I should have plenty of photos.

Corinna

Corinna --

Next year you will have lots of photos to contribute to the Countdown! Just remember that the Code Word Challenge is a bit more challenging this year (as explained in the rules), and some weeks may offer up NO code words, while other weeks might provide 2 code words. Some weeks will have only one.

And in the end, all of the actual, real code words will belong to either a Christmas song or a line from a popular Christmas/Holiday-themed movie (I won't reveal whether it is a song or a movie line as the Countdown rolls along!).

Yes, you'll at least get in some time during the "official" season at DLR, even if it has not officially begun when you first swing through before you head to Aulani.

I could be wrong -- Disney may still cling to that November 12th date that it has used for the last couple of years to officially kick off the season, though last year we saw that the ice rink in DTD, Viva Navidad and Winter Dreams did not begin until 11/15.

This year it really makes no sense to "say" that 11/12 is the official start date if a few things will not be open and running until 11/14. The Matterhorn being closed through 11/13 would seem to be a telltale giveaway that Disney wants to get all of its big rides ready by the time the holiday season begins.

I still think that there will be an ample supply of décor in place and certain things open (quietly) well before 11/14. I don't know if IASWH would open as early as 11/7 or maybe more like 11/12. The Buena Vista Street tree lighting will probably begin on 11/7.

 

[tksbaskets]

Happy birthday Sherry! You deserve all the best. Have a blast on your travels. This deserves:

So glad that Starbucks did the right thing and reissued your gift card balance.

 

[Sherry E]

Happy birthday Sherry! You deserve all the best. Have a blast on your travels. This deserves:

So glad that Starbucks did the right thing and reissued your gift card balance.

Thank you, TK!

I can always use a smash in the face of pixie dust and a banana!

In a way, it's kind of good that the balance that mysteriously disappeared from my Starbucks Rewards account was a small one. That's probably why they were willing to issue me a new gift card with that balance on it. If it had been something really substantial, they might not have been willing to do it. They probably would have had to "investigate" where the money went first, before crediting me.

I hope they send me the new card before my free birthday treat expires! That was the whole point of my signing into the Starbucks account in the first place -- to see when my birthday treat expired!

I had planned on including Starbucks in my "birthday food crawl" this year, as I systematically use up all the free offers I have, one by one! (I used the first birthday freebie today, in fact -- it was a [large] sub sandwich at Jersey Mike's and a large drink! Totally free!)



Hey, TK -- have you had a chance to watch the Harry Connick Jr. Christmas movie that aired on Hallmark last weekend, Angels Sing? If so, did you like it? I liked it, and I thoroughly enjoyed being able to watch most of my favorite Hallmark Christmas movies during the Christmas in July marathon.

I was just now trying to prepare a spreadsheet to track all of the Theme Week Countdown entries (I've been trying it in MS Word and in Excel, but I think I'll probably have to go with Excel). I could do it the same way I did it last year -- jotting them all down by hand -- but I thought a spreadsheet might be nice. If I could just get it set up the way I want it without the size of the pitch being super tiny, I'd be good to go!

 

[dhorner233]

 

[tksbaskets]

...

Hey, TK -- have you had a chance to watch the Harry Connick Jr. Christmas movie that aired on Hallmark last weekend, Angels Sing? If so, did you like it? I liked it, and I thoroughly enjoyed being able to watch most of my favorite Hallmark Christmas movies during the Christmas in July marathon.

I was just now trying to prepare a spreadsheet to track all of the Theme Week Countdown entries (I've been trying it in MS Word and in Excel, but I think I'll probably have to go with Excel). I could do it the same way I did it last year -- jotting them all down by hand -- but I thought a spreadsheet might be nice. If I could just get it set up the way I want it without the size of the pitch being super tiny, I'd be good to go!

You are my sister from another mother! I've got Angels Sing on my DVR too! I love Harry Connick Jr.

If you have any issues with the spreadsheet let me know and I can try and give you a hand. Just PM me

 

[dolphingirl47]

Corinna --

Next year you will have lots of photos to contribute to the Countdown! Just remember that the Code Word Challenge is a bit more challenging this year (as explained in the rules), and some weeks may offer up NO code words, while other weeks might provide 2 code words. Some weeks will have only one.

And in the end, all of the actual, real code words will belong to either a Christmas song or a line from a popular Christmas/Holiday-themed movie (I won't reveal whether it is a song or a movie line as the Countdown rolls along!).

Yes, you'll at least get in some time during the "official" season at DLR, even if it has not officially begun when you first swing through before you head to Aulani.

I could be wrong -- Disney may still cling to that November 12th date that it has used for the last couple of years to officially kick off the season, though last year we saw that the ice rink in DTD, Viva Navidad and Winter Dreams did not begin until 11/15.

This year it really makes no sense to "say" that 11/12 is the official start date if a few things will not be open and running until 11/14. The Matterhorn being closed through 11/13 would seem to be a telltale giveaway that Disney wants to get all of its big rides ready by the time the holiday season begins.

I still think that there will be an ample supply of décor in place and certain things open (quietly) well before 11/14. I don't know if IASWH would open as early as 11/7 or maybe more like 11/12. The Buena Vista Street tree lighting will probably begin on 11/7.

I am sure that I will use this year's countdown as inspiration for some kinds of photos that I otherwise may not have thought to take.

Actually, I am not too upset that they Holiday season may not officially started when we get there before Aulani. I know that Haunted Mansion Holiday will be open. At that stage we will be wide awake at 4 or 5 in the morning and will be ready for our beds by 7 PM so I would not plan on seeing the parade, WOC or the fireworks anyway. Those three nights will be the only nights that we stay onsite. It looks like it will be at Paradise Pier, but I am still hoping that my waitlist for Grand Californian will clear during the next week or so. Wherever we stay, I want to do EMH at both of the parks and I may decide to do the A Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour on the Disneyland day. I am also planning to do the Holiday tour when we come back and I am getting a nice birthday present: the VIP tour.

As to the codeword challenge, I am sure I will be up to whatever challenge you will throw at us. My only worry is that if the sentence comes from a movie, we may not have that movie in the UK.

Corinna

 

[Sherry E]

...My one and only check-in for today -- and then the next time I pop in here to post, it will be in the middle of the night (early tomorrow morning), with the first theme in the 2014 Theme Week Countdown!

And, remember, after the Theme has been posted, if anyone who is new to these Countdowns has questions, hold them until I get back (I'll be back late tomorrow night, but may not be able to answer until Tuesday, 7/22).

Thank you, Denise!

You are my sister from another mother! I've got Angels Sing on my DVR too! I love Harry Connick Jr.

If you have any issues with the spreadsheet let me know and I can try and give you a hand. Just PM me

TK --

The funny thing is that Angels Sing wasn't even an official Hallmark movie -- they didn't make it, but I guess they acquired the rights to air it one time. It never even repeated, unlike the other Hallmark movies. It seemed to fit right into Hallmark's style of Christmas movies, though -- but with a more well-known cast.

I'll let you know if I have a spreadsheet emergency! Thank you for the offer of help.

I am sure that I will use this year's countdown as inspiration for some kinds of photos that I otherwise may not have thought to take.

Actually, I am not too upset that they Holiday season may not officially started when we get there before Aulani. I know that Haunted Mansion Holiday will be open. At that stage we will be wide awake at 4 or 5 in the morning and will be ready for our beds by 7 PM so I would not plan on seeing the parade, WOC or the fireworks anyway. Those three nights will be the only nights that we stay onsite. It looks like it will be at Paradise Pier, but I am still hoping that my waitlist for Grand Californian will clear during the next week or so. Wherever we stay, I want to do EMH at both of the parks and I may decide to do the A Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour on the Disneyland day. I am also planning to do the Holiday tour when we come back and I am getting a nice birthday present: the VIP tour.

As to the codeword challenge, I am sure I will be up to whatever challenge you will throw at us. My only worry is that if the sentence comes from a movie, we may not have that movie in the UK.

Corinna

Corinna --

The VIP tour should be great. You have so many fun things planned for your birthday and the holiday season!

If the code words turn out to be from a line in a holiday movie, it would be a popular movie that I think everyone knows or could easily have access to. In other words, I wouldn't pick a line from a Hallmark Channel TV holiday movie or something, knowing that the majority of people have not seen it!