Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #4

[pudinhd]

 

[KCmike]

KCmike -- That very first photo of the last group that you posted is just awesome! They're always awesome, but that one is very special!

Thanks Sherry. That was my youngest daughter.

 

[lalasmama]

Love the Mickey fireworks!

I'll admit, like a previous poster, I'm not much of a parade person, or (GASP!) much of a firework person. Once is usually good enough for me! But, this is my first trip to DLR during Christmas, so I'm going to slow down and watch both the parade and the fireworks, and I'm sure I'll love them even though I don't usually care much about them!

 

[Sherry E]

Love the Mickey fireworks!

I'll admit, like a previous poster, I'm not much of a parade person, or (GASP!) much of a firework person. Once is usually good enough for me! But, this is my first trip to DLR during Christmas, so I'm going to slow down and watch both the parade and the fireworks, and I'm sure I'll love them even though I don't usually care much about them!

lalasmama --

Welcome!

Just remember, as I mentioned it happened to me in my post above, the song from the Christmas Fantasy Parade will probably get stuck in your head! I still can't get it out of my head, and I haven't made a point of watching the parade in a few years. All other times since then I just happened to encounter the parade when trying to get from Point A to Point B in the park!

The fireworks I could easily skip -- except for that I love the snowfall on Main Street (with the piped in scent of gingerbread or some sort of treat) at the end of the fireworks. The snow is more like teeny tiny bubbles, and it is sometimes barely even detectable, but for some reason it is delightful!

 

[lalasmama]

lalasmama --

Welcome!

Just remember, as I mentioned it happened to me in my post above, the song from the Christmas Fantasy Parade will probably get stuck in your head! I still can't get it out of my head, and I haven't made a point of watching the parade in a few years. All other times since then I just happened to encounter the parade when trying to get from Point A to Point B in the park!

The fireworks I could easily skip -- except for that I love the snowfall on Main Street (with the piped in scent of gingerbread or some sort of treat) at the end of the fireworks. The snow is more like teeny tiny bubbles, and it is sometimes barely even detectable, but for some reason it is delightful!

I think it's a chance I'm willing to take I'm excited about the snow too, because Disney in the snow just seems like a wonderful thing!

 

[PHXscuba]

All the pros have already posted such awesome photos!! I will just put up a few of mine because I know the parade has been well-photographed. Mine are from the Holiday Tour seating in 2010; I saw most of the parade last year but it was windy (no snowflakes on the snowflake skaters) and we got there last minute (actually tried to beat it to get to Small World but got caught by the parade!)

And no photos of the fireworks because I never try to catch them with my little camera. Someday ...

As a former trumpet player, I can't imagine how hard it is to march in these clumpy costumes and play for real. Major props to these guys.

These bakers really looked like they were having fun!

​

PHXscuba

 

[Sherry E]

You got yourself another entry into the random draw, PHX!

I love your pictures! They really capture the fun of the parade. I especially love the shot of the bakers and the gingerbread men dancing.

And I never thought about the soldiers (CMs) playing the trumpets! Are they really playing? Just being in those clumpy costumes, having to do anything, would be difficult enough, but playing an instrument with one's face covered in any way seems like it would be a huge pain.

 

[rentayenta]

Code word challenge? Do tell!

 

[Sherry E]

Code word challenge? Do tell!

Jenny --

The code word challenge is nothing you have to do, as you've already been posting photos for the themes. It's the 'other' part of the Theme Week Countdown competition for the non-photo contributors, and I included a whole section about it in the Rules for the Countdown when I posted them a couple of weeks ago!

I did the Code Word Challenge last year too -- ksromack won it!

 

[kylie71]

Lori --

I remember you mentioned staying there in its Pan Pacific days, correct? Then it became the Disneyland Pacific...and then the Paradise Pier.

I definitely think that Disney charges too much for the PPH because there is not much to the hotel in general -- there are not a lot of "hotel grounds" to wander around and explore. A standard room at the PPH should not cost as much as it does.

However, that said, I do appreciate the room upgrades and the improved décor and bedding in the last few years. And -- when I have been fortunate enough to have a park view room -- I can't get enough of that DCA park view!

Good memory! Yes, I have stayed there when it was the Emerald, the Pacific Pier... of course I had a great Parking lot view! Back then I could not imagine walking all that way! How things change! We took the parking lot tram, it was yellow and blue, wish I had a pic of it, and I may... buried in a picture album in a trunk somewhere.. anybody here have one handy?

--Lori

 

[longhorns2]

I love this thread. it helped me plan a pretty perfect short notice trip last year!

I'll be following again- hope to make a trip around New Years again

I'm starting a series in my blog (today!) called Christmas in July at disneyland. Link in siggy if you are interested.

I highly recommend the holiday times tour! We were blown away by it. The whole family enjoyed it.

 

[Sherry E]

I've been periodically posting about options for other Halloween-ish things to do in Southern California in my Halloween Time at DLR Superthread.

The other day -- in this Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread -- I posted about an alternate holiday thing to do (The Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade) if you should find yourselves in need of extra wintry fun while planning those trips to the West Coast.

Today, I bring you yet another option for something else to do, holiday-wise, if you have an extra day that you will not be spending at Disneyland...






The Queen Mary's CHILL -- in Long Beach, CA (right near the Aquarium of the Pacific and the Catalina Express boat terminal).




From the CHILL webpage:

"Our giant dome - once home to the legendary Spruce Goose - will be frozen over and transformed into a giant igloo and home to The Ice Kingdom – an awe-inspiring exhibit featuring larger-than-life ice creations that towers over 2.5 stories tall and used more than two million pounds of ice. But don’t forget to grab a parka and gloves – temperatures drop to a numbing 9-degrees in our igloo.

In addition to the enchantment of The Ice Kingdom , CHILL will also feature Ice Tubing, Ice Skating, live music, holiday carolers and so much more"

According to this website, CHILL returns to The Queen Mary on "Nov. 21- Nov. 30, Dec. 2-7, Dec. 9 - Jan. 4 & Jan. 8-11."

Through today, July 31st, only, it appears that there is a discounted "$12.25 offer valid for first two weeks in Dec (Dec. 2-5 Tuesday-Friday & Dec. 7-12 Tuesday-Friday)." (You have to use promo code XMAS7 to get the $12.25 offer.)

"Celebrate Christmas in July and get an all-inclusive CHILL ticket (Ice Kingdom, Ice Tubing, Ice Skating and access to The Queen Mary) for just $12.25 (get it? 12/25 = Dec. 25 = Christmas)."


Anyway, I know that many people out there just escaped a long, terrible winter and the last thing you want to be thinking about is snow and ice. So I am mainly putting this info out there for lurkers, and for the people who come from states or countries without much of a winter, who would like something else to do for the holidays when they travel out to SoCal to visit Disneyland Resort!!! Even if you don't buy tickets to CHILL while this special promo is happening today, you still may want to try it out when you're in town in November, December or early January!


For those unfamiliar with the area, Long Beach is approximately 27 miles from Anaheim, or 43 km. Time-wise, you're looking at a 35-minute jaunt, according to Travel Math.

 

[Orbitron]

Anyway, I know that many people out there just escaped a long, terrible winter and the last thing you want to be thinking about is snow and ice. So I am mainly putting this info out there for lurkers, and for the people who come from states or countries without much of a winter, who would like something else to do for the holidays when they travel out to SoCal to visit Disneyland Resort!!! Even if you don't buy tickets to CHILL while this special promo is happening today, you still may want to try it out when you're in town in November, December or early January!

Thank you for the tip, it sounds interesting! Germany is known for its long, hard winters, but last one was very mild. We didn't get any snow at all. I don't mind a little bit of cold, it belongs to winter!

 

[yupikgal]

Thanks for the info Sherry, we are actually going to the Queen Mary for the first time (very excited!) but what caught my eye and what I am very excited about is the Princess Diana exhibit, come to find out it's been there for over 2 years, I had no idea! We will be heading down and staying in Huntington Beach for 3 nights before we meet up with our grown kids in Anaheim (yay, 5 Disney days!) but we will be there before this "chill" thing takes place anyway, our dates at 11/15-18. But actually that's fine with me, seeing as we live in and are coming from Alaska! We have enough "CHILL" to last a lifetime, haha! But nonetheless, like you said, for those who haven't seen or experienced things like that, it will be great! I got a 1/2 price deal on the admission tickets on Travelzoo, very thrilled!!

 

[Sherry E]

Remember, everyone -- we are still in "A Christmas Fantasy Parade -- Believe...In Holiday Magic Fireworks" Theme Week, through Sunday night, August 3rd, 11:59 p.m., P.S.T.

A brand new theme -- Theme Week #3, for those keeping track! -- begins on Monday, August 4th.

So if you haven't gotten in your photo submissions yet, you still have a bit of time to do it, but don't wait much longer!

Thank you for the tip, it sounds interesting! Germany is known for its long, hard winters, but last one was very mild. We didn't get any snow at all. I don't mind a little bit of cold, it belongs to winter!

Orbitron --

You're welcome!

That's a good way to look at it! "Cold" definitely should go hand in hand with winter. What we have here in California is not a normal winter, by any stretch of the imagination! Up in the mountains -- Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear, for example -- it can get quite cold. In Los Angeles County and Orange County, however, we are lucky if it drops down to 30 degrees for a night or two in December.

Thanks for the info Sherry, we are actually going to the Queen Mary for the first time (very excited!) but what caught my eye and what I am very excited about is the Princess Diana exhibit, come to find out it's been there for over 2 years, I had no idea! We will be heading down and staying in Huntington Beach for 3 nights before we meet up with our grown kids in Anaheim (yay, 5 Disney days!) but we will be there before this "chill" thing takes place anyway, our dates at 11/15-18. But actually that's fine with me, seeing as we live in and are coming from Alaska! We have enough "CHILL" to last a lifetime, haha! But nonetheless, like you said, for those who haven't seen or experienced things like that, it will be great! I got a 1/2 price deal on the admission tickets on Travelzoo, very thrilled!!

yupikgal --

I think that the Queen Mary has a lot of things going on all year long, which many people don't know about (like the Princess Diana exhibit). I certainly don't know half of the things that go on there! I think that people tend to look at it as a giant, empty ship docked in the harbor, with nothing on it or around it. There are a lot of good things that happen there (including the popular Dark Harbor, for Halloween season, and CHILL). In fact, I think it's the Mother's Day brunch that I have heard about, which has gotten rave reviews.

I would actually like to go to CHILL at least once. I am so used to warm weather that it would be refreshing to get a nice dose of 9-degree temperatures for a change! This is a case in which I think the description given on the CHILL page does not do the event justice. I've seen photos of CHILL online, and footage on the news, and it actually looks way more interesting, more beautiful and almost majestic and magical -- and much cooler (no pun intended!) -- than how it is described in print.

 

[mom2rtk]

IMG_4222 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_4226 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_4232 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_4241 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_4247 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_4250 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_4254 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_4255 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

 

[tksbaskets]

Great fireworks photos!

 

[PHXscuba]

You got yourself another entry into the random draw, PHX!

I love your pictures! They really capture the fun of the parade. I especially love the shot of the bakers and the gingerbread men dancing.

And I never thought about the soldiers (CMs) playing the trumpets! Are they really playing? Just being in those clumpy costumes, having to do anything, would be difficult enough, but playing an instrument with one's face covered in any way seems like it would be a huge pain.

Yep, they are definitely playing those fanfares; it's not pre-recorded. Even harder than marching band with those bulky costumes and shoes.

And I had never heard about the Chill stuff at the Queen Mary! QM is on my long-term list of places to visit in CA; I want to do it when DH is with me because his father traveled on the QM back from England in the 1960s.

PHXscuba

 

[rentayenta]

Jenny --

The code word challenge is nothing you have to do, as you've already been posting photos for the themes. It's the 'other' part of the Theme Week Countdown competition for the non-photo contributors, and I included a whole section about it in the Rules for the Countdown when I posted them a couple of weeks ago!

I did the Code Word Challenge last year too -- ksromack won it!

Sorry girl, I have so many things going on right now. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[Luisa]

mom2rtk your fireworks pictures are amazing! I wish I could take pictures half as good as those, but as I can't here are some parade pics