Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #5

[DisneyJamieCA]

We spent it the same way we have for the last 8 years - at a progressive NYE party with our neighbors. It's a fun way to ring in the new year and none of us have to drive home! Kids are included and it's just a festive, fun time. As the years have gone on though, we tune into the countdown later & later (this year it was at 10 mins to midnight) and we all disperse much sooner afterwards - our age is definitely starting to creep up.

Way back before we had kids, we did NYE in Disneyland and I remember how odd the feeling was when the big celebration was at 9pm - at that time they were part of the Dick Clark NYE show. There was another party at midnight, but it did feel kind of a like an after thought since the big deal was done.

Happy New Year to you all! Time to try to figure out a 2015 Disney trip, lol.

 

[Sherry E]

Happy New Year, Luisa and Jamie!

We have a year of mysteries and question marks ahead of us, as we learn details of the 60th anniversary and how it will impact the holiday season of 2015. The 60th anniversary events should begin by at least mid-May (if not earlier), so I am guessing we should get some sort of an idea of what is happening with the 60th in the next couple of months.

There are still 5 more days (not including today) left of the DLR holiday season, and then the Frozen Fun officially begins (even though it's already going on now) on 1/7. Remember, everyone, to report back here (to this thread, specifically) with reviews of your trips, the Holiday Tour, your experience in the parks during Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Three Kings Day, etc. Let us know how everything went!

​

Here is how the beginning of 2015/end of 2014 is starting for me, as relayed in random, tangential quotes (things I have said to myself over the last 48 hours):


"Oh, yay! Boston Market sent me coupons for 2 free frozen meals! I hope they changed their gravy..."

"Oh goody! Betty Crocker sent me 2 free calendars... and I can't read the dates. What kind of calendar is that, where you can't see the numbers?"

"Wow! Pillsbury also sent me 2 free calendars?!? How many walls do these places think I have?"

"Ick. That Slow Churned ice cream might as well be my tube of Colgate. Nestle's white chocolate morsels will make anything taste good!"

"Yay! The Christmas Ornament and The Most Wonderful Time of the Year are each airing on Hallmark one final time this afternoon! Only 10 months until the next Countdown to Christmas."

"Oh yay! Awards season is starting soon! The Golden Globes are on in 11 days!"

"Why can't it snow here like it snowed in other parts of SoCal?"

"I'm wearing 2 sweaters, a t-shirt, a hoodie and 2 pairs of pants, and I'm still cold. Yay! I love it!! Wheeeeeeee!"

"Ooooh! I love this episode of The Twilight Zone! It's really cold; it's not hot at all!"

"Oh, drat. Time for Jury Duty again. Every 3 years, like clockwork, they come for me..."


Those are just some of the assorted New Year's musings from the mind of... me!

​

 

[siskaren]

"Ick. That Slow Churned ice cream might as well be my tube of Colgate. Nestle's white chocolate morsels will make anything taste good!"

I didn't think it was possible for me to find something peppermint-flavored that I didn't like, but I just did. Pillsbury has a peppermint-flavored icing that tastes like toothpaste. Good thing I only put it on one cookie.

 

[Luisa]

"Why can't it snow here like it snowed in other parts of SoCal?" "I'm wearing 2 sweaters, a t-shirt, a hoodie and 2 pairs of pants, and I'm still cold. Yay!

I'm so envious- we're expecting it to be 102 today and 106 tomorrow

As for the 60th I'm dying to find out more! We are going to be there December 2 to 5, counting down already.

 

[Speechphi]

Happy New Year, Luisa and Jamie!

We have a year of mysteries and question marks ahead of us, as we learn details of the 60th anniversary and how it will impact the holiday season of 2015. The 60th anniversary events should begin by at least mid-May (if not earlier), so I am guessing we should get some sort of an idea of what is happening with the 60th in the next couple of months.

There are still 5 more days (not including today) left of the DLR holiday season, and then the Frozen Fun officially begins (even though it's already going on now) on 1/7. Remember, everyone, to report back here (to this thread, specifically) with reviews of your trips, the Holiday Tour, your experience in the parks during Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Three Kings Day, etc. Let us know how everything went!

​

Here's the link to my trip report (in progress) from 12/19 - 12/21..."Best Christmas present EVER" was what my kids called it

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3362549

 

[Sherry E]

Here's the link to my trip report (in progress) from 12/19 - 12/21..."Best Christmas present EVER" was what my kids called it

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3362549

I haven't forgotten you, Speechphi -- I'm going to add your link to my list of Trip Recaps on page 1 (I had planned to do that when you posted the link here before, but I want to add a bunch of them in one swoop when I edit that specific post, instead of one here and one there, so I am accumulating a bunch of things to add at the same time and then I can add them all at once).

In addition to linking to people's TRs, I am interested in getting some folks to post their recaps here, in this thread -- in other words, post a synopsis/overview of their trip here (like Jamie did, like Corinna did, like Tracy did, like egritz did, like DisneylandPlanner did, etc.).

I want to have a good mix of recaps/reviews posted directly in the thread, along with links to other outside reports, because I think that some folks will just want synopses and some will want full trip reports. I am not always going to have time to follow separate threads/trip reports, but I will read what is posted in this thread.

I had been asking for Holiday Time tour reviews, and Christmas Day reviews, Thanksgiving reviews, New Year's reviews, etc., in this thread, but a lot of people did not come back here to share the details.

 

[Speechphi]

I haven't forgotten you, Speechphi -- I'm going to add your link to my list of Trip Recaps on page 1 (I had planned to do that when you posted the link here before, but I want to add a bunch of them in one swoop when I edit that specific post, instead of one here and one there, so I am accumulating a bunch of things to add at the same time and then I can add them all at once).

In addition to linking to people's TRs, I am interested in getting some folks to post their recaps here, in this thread -- in other words, post a synopsis/overview of their trip here (like Jamie did, like Corinna did, like Tracy did, like egritz did, like DisneylandPlanner did, etc.).

I want to have a good mix of recaps/reviews posted directly in the thread, along with links to other outside reports, because I think that some folks will just want synopses and some will want full trip reports. I am not always going to have time to follow separate threads/trip reports, but I will read what is posted in this thread.

I had been asking for Holiday Time tour reviews, and Christmas Day reviews, Thanksgiving reviews, New Year's reviews, etc., in this thread, but a lot of people did not come back here to share the details.

Aha...I'll try to get on that tomorrow.

I'd figured my post had gotten lost in the holiday movie discussion

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Sherry, it sure has been cold for LA!

Luisa, 102 is too extreme in the opposite direction! I am also planning on going to DL on December 5th as that will be the first Saturday in December and unless (I sure hope DL will) expand the Candlelight Processional this year, that'll be it's first night. As it gets closer, let me know if you plan to be there, maybe we can view together.

I am also excited to see how Christmas season may be expanded at DL this year. I so loved seeing all the decorations and CP for the first time this year, can't wait to go back

 

[Sherry E]

Aha...I'll try to get on that tomorrow.

I'd figured my post had gotten lost in the holiday movie discussion

Nope! I definitely saw it. The holiday movie discussion had ended by that point (and the movies are totally over now), but we were discussing Frozen Fun, the crowds in the parks, and the decorations that were in DCA during its first holiday season (of 2001)!

Sherry, it sure has been cold for LA!

Luisa, 102 is too extreme in the opposite direction! I am also planning on going to DL on December 5th as that will be the first Saturday in December and unless (I sure hope DL will) expand the Candlelight Processional this year, that'll be it's first night. As it gets closer, let me know if you plan to be there, maybe we can view together.

I am also excited to see how Christmas season may be expanded at DL this year. I so loved seeing all the decorations and CP for the first time this year, can't wait to go back

It has seemed particularly cold here in L.A., although, to be honest, there have been many occasions when the temperatures have been lower than they are right now and yet it feels colder this time around than it has before. I'm not sure why. Still, though, I don't mind bundling up to stay warm. My apartment is freezing if I don't leave the heat on all day long -- and I just can't leave it on all day long, so it feels like a meat locker in here. My hands are blocks of ice.

I'd rather bundle up and wear many layers now, than feel like my face is melting off when we get hit with another 100-degree heat wave in May or something. It's much easier and more comfortable to throw on a bunch of sweaters and pants, and climb under lots of blankets, than it is to try to get cool when it's hot outside. So I am not complaining. I only wish that L.A. had gotten some of the snow that the Inland Empire got a couple of days ago!

 

[mlnbabies]

I completed my trip report which Sherry linked for me. Here is my recap from our first DL trip from 12-9 through 12-13.

My recap on the first and maybe last trip to DL. The reason I say that is because we are going to World in Dec. 2015. My husband told me that when we booked this trip to DL in May 2014 and the next one to World we are done going to Disney for a long time. Even now he still says that Disney vacations can't be done cheaply. Sure you can get room discounts but you can't on the tickets themselves. Food is expensive and getting there isn't cheap either.

I was surprised that my husband likes DL better than World. He doesn't like Epcot. He can do without DHS. He likes AK and MK. He did a lot of comparing DL to MK and DL won other than the fact the castle is small. He was impressed with the theming of DL. So with that attitude just maybe we will make it to DL one day.

I also fell in love with DL. It definitely beats MK at Christmas as far as the holiday overlays and decor. MK's fireworks are much better than DL's. We were really disappointed in them. DCA was really cool and we loved Carsland. We never did ride Screamin.

My girls love both DL and WDW. Each park has favorite rides for both of them. I really hoped that my oldest would pick DL for her 16th birthday trip in 12-15 and she almost did. She really wants to stay at the Grand Floridian in Dec. so that's what we will do. She was promised that we could go to WDW before we planned our DL trip so I can't fault her for wanting to go there.

My youngest told me she likes DL better. Her favorite is Toontown! She wants to go back and spend more time there. She is 11 now and hopefully when we go back it will be there.

Another big advantage DL has is the weather! We hate the humidity in FL. The crowds weren't too bad. Never had to wait more than 30 minutes in a ride line. The one day we noticed an increase in crowds was on Wednesday afternoon in DL. Even on Friday afternoon, DL wasn't as bad as I thought it would be after the weather cleared. We used FP when needed. Being able to walk from PPH to the parks by going through the GC was so easy. Park hopping was great. The food was good everywhere we ate. Didn't run into rude people or CM's. We got lots of "Happy Birthday's" from CM's. All in all it was a wonderful and amazing trip to DL. I can't wait to come back to DL.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

So my trip starts January 11. Am I correct that all the holiday stuff will be gone by then except IASW and HM overlay?

I know the fireworks and parade end in early January, do the parks also take down all the decorations at that time?

 

[Sherry E]

So my trip starts January 11. Am I correct that all the holiday stuff will be gone by then except IASW and HM overlay?

I know the fireworks and parade end in early January, do the parks also take down all the decorations at that time?

Hi there, OhioStateBuckeye!

HMH should be open on your arrival day of 1/11, but closed as of 1/12 -- so make that one a priority if you want to see it. This is unusual for HMH, as it normally closes down right when the holiday season officially ends. The fact that it is staying open several days longer than usual is surprising, but I assume it is due to the fact that Disney anticipates a lot of people heading to DLR for the opening week of Frozen Fun (the "official" opening week, that is, beginning on 1/7), and wants to give them something else to enjoy.

In addition to IASWH remaining open through 1/25, you will also have Olaf's Frozen Ice Rink and the Winter Village in DTD - they will be open through February 22nd.

I would not be at all shocked if some other things 'quietly' (unofficially) stay open or up through 1/11, along with HMH. Of course, I could be completely wrong and the DLR calendar is not showing it, but I would not be shocked if some extra decorations stay up and maybe something like the Jingle Jangle Jamboree in Frontierland stays open a bit longer than usual. Again, I think that Disney is expecting a lot of people for the opening week of Frozen Fun (those who have not already seen it since 12/20), and that may compel them to keep some things open/up for a few extra days (with no announcement).

Ordinarily, though, all of the decorations (with the exception of what is near IASWH) begin to come down as soon as the season end date passes.

I think that you could, perhaps, also see a few lingering decorations (masks and so forth) in New Orleans Square, as some of the Mardi Gras-specific (less Christmas-specific) décor stays up from before Halloween through whenever the real Mardi Gras happens, as well as when DL has any sort of Bayou Bash or Mardi Gras-related events.

 

[KalamityJane]

Trying to plan for this coming Christmas season, which week had lower crowds this year?

The week before the week of Thanksgiving (nov 16-22) or the first 2 weeks in December? We normally would go the week including the Avengers marathon but trying to skip the crowds.

 

[Sherry E]

Trying to plan for this coming Christmas season, which week had lower crowds this year?

The week before the week of Thanksgiving (nov 16-22) or the first 2 weeks in December? We normally would go the week including the Avengers marathon but trying to skip the crowds.

Welcome, KalamityJane!

I was waiting to see if anyone else responded before I said anything. No one spoke up yet, so I will offer some thoughts.

My first reaction to your dates was to think that if there is going to be a lesser of two evils, crowd-wise, it could be the November dates (especially the 11/16 - 11/19 portion of the trip). While the early December time frame is good because it's in between two major holiday breaks and everything is in full holiday swing at that point, the crowds have begun to pick up over the last couple of years and that time in December is not as quiet as it once was.

November 16-22 probably would not be totally quiet, either, because Thanksgiving is on 11/26 and some folks will arrive over that pre-Thanksgiving weekend, but I suspect it will be manageable for at least the first half of the trip.

If you choose the November dates, you will most likely be there long enough to see the 3 hotels' Christmas trees and possibly the GCH gingerbread house going up, but Santa won't be at the hotels yet, nor will the carolers (which may not matter to you).

If you have time, look over some of the trip recaps linked in this post (some are very brief synopses; some are detailed) from November and December this past couple of years, and you might get a sense of what folks thought of the crowds.

Of course, anything that may pop up as part of the special 60th anniversary offerings is a wild card, and that could throw off crowd patterns.

 

[Speechphi]

We went on the Holiday Tour on Friday 12/19, a busy day, but not crazy busy. No busier than I expected, and maybe even a little lighter than I expected this close to Christmas.

I booked the 2:55 tour, so we had to check in at 2:40. We were walking down Main St, and as we hit City Hall, Mickey was greeting guests, so dh & the kids stood in line for that while I checked in for our tour. My 8 year old dd has celiac, so I mentioned that we’d need gluten free treats for her when I booked the tour. They confirmed this when I checked in, and asked her which gluten free treat she’d like: chocolate chip cookie, chocolate chip brownie, or a blueberry muffin. She chose the brownie (but has had the cookie before as well and loves it too).

I think our tour started closer to 3pm, I’m not sure what the hang up was. But we had our lanyards & earpieces by about 2:50. I wished that I’d remembered that we could use regular earbuds, and brought those. I could hear fine, but the earpiece wasn’t snug enough, so I felt like I needed to push it to my ear to hear when we were in crowds. Dh & 2/3 kids had no problem either; dd6 didn’t like hers at all & it kept coming off (probably because she kept fiddling with it).

Our tour guide was Brigham, and he was wonderful! Super peppy & knowledgeable & didn't mind that my ds was walking right with him the entire time. We started in DL, then walked to Trolley Treats at DCA for our yummy minty caramel marshmallow treat. I never would've put those flavors together before, but it was delicious!

While we were in Trolley Treats, our guide Brigham came up to me to let me know that the treats weren’t gluten free, and was going to offer something else to dd8. I was so impressed that the guides are aware of what is & isn’t okay for those with food allergies/sensitivities. I did know that the treats weren’t GF, but dd8 has had them before, so we just crossed our fingers. And she was fine…phew!

From DCA we went back to DL, and over to the Jingle Cruise. We hadn't been on this ride before, and it awesome! I love all the silly corny jokes, and ds is totally into bad puns, so this was right up his alley. We walked on through the entrance, which was great. It was about 3:30-ish at this point, and the crowds in Adventureland were picking up (like a summer afternoon). I think the wait was posted at 30 minutes.

Next up was HMH, which had a 45 minute wait...that we just skipped right past! (The crowds in NOS were CRAZY, but I think that had to do with the HMH line spilling out into the walkways.) We walked right up to the front door, and entered the stretching room with the regular guests. The walk from the stretching room to the doom buggies was definitely more crowded that I’m used to in the summer, but dh & I always hold the kids’ hands in here anyways.

Once we were off the ride, we had a mini-break to use the restrooms. Then we walked on over to Fantasyland, right past the Jingle Jangle Jamboree. The walkway wasn’t too bad, and I would say “normal” crowded-ness.

Now it was time to head over to IASW holiday. Love this ride. Again, we were able to bypass the line, which was over 45 minutes. Although I was bummed that my camera battery was pretty much dead, so I couldn’t take pictures, I was glad that it forced me to just sit back & enjoy the ride, and the yummy smells that are piped in. Dd8 was excited to see the Mouse King & Clara from The Nutcracker being represented (she’s a ballerina who just finished dancing in The Nutcracker).

Once out of the boats, we stood outside the ride & watched the lights come on the outside of IASW together. Then we all walked together over to our seats for the parade. Since we were the last tour group, we were in the last set of seats (closest to the gate by IASW that the parade exits into). Our guide asked that the adults sit in the second two rows, and leave the first row for the kids (thank you…especially since I think my 3 kids were the only young ones on this tour…there were a handful of fully grown teens too).

Once seated on our cushioned folding chairs, we received our gingerbread cookies. Dd8 has celiac, which I’d told them when I booked the tour, so she was given her OMG! It’s Gluten Free! Brownie. Then we got our mug of hot chocolate & collectible pin. We all love our mugs & the pins are adorable!

Watching the parade from the seats was AMAZING! And much needed after walking around all day ☺ The characters & dancers in the parade definitely pay more attention to the kids & adults right up front, and it seemed to me that they pay even more attention to those in the seats.

The tour was a surprise gift for dh's birthday, so he doesn't know what I spent. So I asked him when it was done if he would do it again, and got a resounding YES! from my whole family (dh, ds9, dd8, & dd6). I think it was worth every penny! We did get an AP discount, but I had to buy 5 tickets, so this wasn't a cheap afternoon by any means. But I think it's a holiday must do!

 

[loveysbydesign]

Joining in here, we are planning to visit DLR for the 1st time ever the week after Thanksgiving 2015! We have never been west of the Mississippi. My kids are excited to go to DLR and California in general, they'll be 16, 13 and 8. We are hoping to arrive Thanksgiving Day and stay until the following Sat or Sun. We'd like to do at least 4 days at DLR and also do a few more things, such as visit Hollywood, the beach etc.

Also have to add that I find the very idea of going to DLR as exciting as I do scary!! The info. in this thread is amazing, but egads I feel overwhelmed
I guess I had better get to work researching!

 

[maleficent55]

I miss this thread.
I'm almost a month behind in reading it.
Work sucked me right back in after the stellar vacation.
Our trip was beyond amazing and I definitely owe a report.
Disneyland in the rain is incredible!

Be back soon....

 

[Disney127]

I had been asking for Holiday Time tour reviews, and Christmas Day reviews, Thanksgiving reviews, New Year's reviews, etc., in this thread, but a lot of people did not come back here to share the details.

Here is mine

Quick re-cap of our DLR holiday time from November 15 – 23.

Cast Members – myself and DD (13) celebrating her 13th birthday at DL – DD’s birthday is the same day as Mickey’s!

Motel/Hotel – split stay at BWPPI (we usually stay here) and PPH (got AP rate) – love the closeness of BWPPI and the DCA views from the PPH. Would stay at the PPH all the time if I could affort it!

Character breakfasts - Surf’s Up – we had a 7:30 am reservation and had great interaction with Stitch, Goofy, Pluto and Minnie. We also had a 10:30 am breakfast on another day at Storyteller’s Café where we saw Koda, Kenai, Meeko, Chip and Dale. We enjoyed the food more at Storyteller’s.

A & E Meet and Greet – was first in line at Gate 14 and walked briskly to the left side of the Partner’s Statue. Was 4th family in line behind rope, lead into Fantasyland before rope drop for rest of the crowds. Great interaction with both characters.

Jingle Jangle Jamboree – saw Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Chip and Dale in their Christmas outfits. The characters wanders around so if you are trying to get a pic/autograph, you might have to follow them around until they see you.

Big Thunder BBQ Ranch – made a lunch reservation here for 2:30pm. Was seated right away, good ribs, chicken, coleslaw, cornbread and unlimited drinks. Lots of food but I don’t think that we ate enough to justify the price but glad that we at least experienced it. Good entertainment on stage.

Holiday Time Tour – reserved the 3 pm tour. We had a group of about 13 and our tour guide was Lauren. We brought our own earbuds for the tour. Learned a few interesting things about the Christmas trees and decorations at both DL & DCA. Rode Jingle Cruise, Haunted Mansion and It’s a Small World. Had front row seats to the parade just in front of IASW with hot chocolate in a souvenir mug and a gingerbread cookie. Also, received a Chip and Dale Holiday pin. Best part was meeting fellow Diser – Planningjollyholiday! 

Mickey’s Magical Map – really enjoyed this show, saw it twice. Never had to worry about finding a seat – arrived a few minutes before they start letting people in. Saw appearances by Pocahontas, Mulan, Rapunzel, Flynn, King Louie, Sebastian, Stitch and Tiana.

Characters – meet lots of characters, the Fab 5, Daisy, princesses, Hiro/Baymax, Woody, Jesse, Buzz, Tink, Cruella, Oswald etc. My DD loves meeting the characters and getting autographs. So, we do spend more time lining up to meet characters than doing the rides. Also, met Santa at Elias & Co. over in DCA.

Rides – we usually hit the parks first thing in the mornings and did not have to wait long for any of the rides that we were interested in. This worked out well for us in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. We also used FPs for RSR, Soarin’, Space Mountain, Indy, Screamin’ when we didn’t feel like waiting in stand by lines.

Parades/Fireworks/WOC – we watched the Christmas Fantasy parade during our Holiday Time tour and again near IASW – got a front row spot about ½ hr before the start of the parade. We really like the Pixar Play Parade because of the interaction and enjoyed this most of the evenings that we were in DCA. Viva Navidad parade was awesome, love the music and dancing. Watched the Fireworks from the middle of Main Street on evening, couldn’t see the castle much but that didn’t really matter to us – we didn’t want to stake out a spot early on. Saw the Fireworks again from our PPH room and really enjoyed it more without the crowds. WOC was okay to us but we liked the original version better. Too much Olaf for our taste ... hehe.

Photopass Plus – we always ordered this before our trips, had over 300 pics this time. Had no issue with adding Christmas borders or editing our photos – ended up with over 600 photos. Always a great deal if you like to be in the photos too!

Christmas decorations – so many beautiful decorations, took lots of photos for next year’s Christmas thread! We took our time to really enjoy everything and notice all the little details.

Crowds – it was busy the first weekend that we were there due to the Avengers Marathon but crowds were manageable the rest of the time. We start our days at rope drop and take a break at mid-day and head back into the parks in the evenings.

All in all, we had another wonderful time at Disney. Since this was our second time visiting during the Christmas holidays, we thought that we would not be coming back during Christmas again but plans are already in the works for another holiday visit in 2015!

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Lori Laughlin posted on Instagram today that North Pole 2 will be a December 2015 offering on Hallmark channel.

 

[lorijohnhill]

On my phone, so I'll have to keep this short. We got back Sunday night from 8 days in Disney. We had a great time!

I was not impressed with the PPH. We will NOT be staying there again. The showers ran from ice cold to scalding hot continually throughout the shower. The room was warn and dingy. I also had major issues with accessibility.

Besides the hotel and the rain the last two days, everything else was great!

We really enjoyed Olaf's SnowFest. My daughter loved sledding and playing in the snow. I found out later that there is a Photopass photographer in the snow play area, so keep an eye out for them. The people I was talking with in the photo shop ended up with some great sledding photos.

The characters were fantastic, as usual. Minnie Mouse just gushed over my daughter dressed in her Minnie outfit. It was really cute! When we went through the Princess Fantasy Faire each princess took her by the hand and walked her to the next princess to introduce her. The grin on my daughter's face was huge! There were so many more fun interactions... Pluto tried to take her home with him... Loved it!

We loved Winter Dreams WOC and Viva Navidad parade. The Pixar parade was great. My daughter received so much attention from those in the parade. It was amazing!

For the first time we did the Animation Academy. We learned to draw Olaf and Marshmallow. So much fun!