Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #5

[Stefndoug]

We are booked at the Disneyland Hotel (DVC) for November 11th - 14th. It was because of this thread that I found out about the Marathon, so instead of waiting for our 7 month mark to book into the Grand Californian, we just booked into the Disneyland Hotel using the Disney Collections of our DVC. First time for us to do Christmas at Disneyland...so excited.

 

[dedesmith32]

So our holiday trip on December 2014 was so amazing! It even made my husband a Disneyland fan now!

So my once in a lifetime trip that I thought we were taking....not so much once in a lifetime! That's right my husband is all gung-ho about taking another trip! I'm so excited! We are looking to be there from Nov 28-Dec 5, 2015 (to take advantage of the AP I got that will expire on the 6th). We are hoping to bring my brothers family with us this time so we are looking at suites and starting the planning! I couldn't be more thrilled!

Anyone have advice about renting a 2 bedroom villa at the Grand Californian?

 

[kirstie101]

We are booked for Hojo for a quick weekend Christmas trip as soon as DD gets out of school. Our dates are Dec 18-21. We've done this same weekend before so we know it will be crowded but we'll make do!

 

[funatdisney]

Anyone have advice about renting a 2 bedroom villa at the Grand Californian?

Hello!

I am new to this thread (though not new to previous Holiday Superthreads). If you want to rent a Villa I would do it from a DVC member (best to rent from one that owns at the Villas at the Grand Californian (VGC). A DVC member can book a room at the resort where they own points as early as 11 months out.) A VGC DVC owner can book at room for you now if there any available. You can go to the DVC Rent/Trade forum here at DISboards to find a VGC DVC member renting out their points. Also, take the time to read the stickies. They give a good explanation on how to the forum works and ins and outs of renting points.

You can rent from David at David's Vacation Rentals. You can find him at the same DVC R/T forum. He is rents out points for members (like a go between - for a fee)
Here is the link to the forum DVC-Rent/Trade Forum.



I would do it as soon as possible. The Villas book fast (there are only 48 DVC units at the Grand Californian) and they book pretty fast. So the sooner the better.
I hope others can chime in. Wouldn't be the first time I have left some important information out!

 

[Angel Ariel]

I saw someone say the fireworks, WOC, F! are nightly in December - but what about November? We're looking at a Nov. 13-20th trip (appx dates) - would nighttime shows only be on the weekends at that point? According to the first page of this post it seems likely that that will be the first offiicial weekend of DLR"s holiday offerings.

Did I also read that the Christmas fireworks won't be shown at all this year, that it will be the 60th anniversary show throughout the season?

What are thoughts about going at that time in November? Will it be crazy crowded that entire time? I expect the first weekend will be, with the Avengers 1/2, but what about during the week after that?

 

[figment_jii]

I saw someone say the fireworks, WOC, F! are nightly in December - but what about November? We're looking at a Nov. 13-20th trip (appx dates) - would nighttime shows only be on the weekends at that point? According to the first page of this post it seems likely that that will be the first offiicial weekend of DLR"s holiday offerings.

Fireworks, the parade, and WoC are typically presented nightly from the start of the Holiday season through the end. F! and Mad T Party remain on the weekend only schedule for most of November (except Thanksgiving week) and into mid-December.

Did I also read that the Christmas fireworks won't be shown at all this year, that it will be the 60th anniversary show throughout the season?

Yes, based on reports from the 60th anniversary announcement event, DLR will not be presenting Believe...In Holiday Magic fireworks this year. Instead Disneyland Forever will be presented. There hasn't been any word about the Christmas Parade or WoC Winter Dreams.

What are thoughts about going at that time in November? Will it be crazy crowded that entire time? I expect the first weekend will be, with the Avengers 1/2, but what about during the week after that?

The weekdays (Mon to Thu) following the Avenger's Half Marathon were pretty nice last year. The crowds were low-to-moderate. The weekends (Fri to Sun) really picked up in crowds, so if you can go on the weekdays, I would that. The only thing that seemed really crowded was the Christmas parade - I don't know why, but almost all of the curb/front spots were already taken 90 minutes before step off both days I planned to see it (Tue and Thu). That honestly surprised me...I would have expected that on the weekends, but not the weekdays. The rides lines, on the other hand, were all pretty good (e.g., in the 15 to 30 minute range for most things - except TSMM, RSR, and a few others). I would happily go at that time again this year.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

Hi Angel Ariel. I will try and help you out.
Your dates should have nightly showings of WOC and Fw. F. will still be only shown on the weekends.

Yes the only fw expected this year is the new ones. There is also a chance the parade will not be shown at all, but rumors say that the Christmas parade may be shown during the day and then the paint the night at night. Last year it was really crowded a few days because the 5k I was in. How ever I think you will find a few days are almost walk on days.

Try to do one weekend day but the rest aim for mon- thu and you will have better crowds.

 

[Angel Ariel]

There are 3 of us, and we qualify for the Armed Forces Salute tickets, which I believe are 3 day PH tickets at DLR (vs. 4 at WDW). DH can buy 6 of them, and at least at WDW they can be used back to back, where we could buy all 6 tickets and (at WDW) that woudl get us 8 days of PH tickets. Assuming the same is true at DLR, that would get us 6 days of PH. We likely would not be in the parks for 6 full days, but more than 3 (especially if the weekend is going to be that crowded!) - so we definitely would be going into the parks durig the week as well. We'll have our 3 y/o DD with us...her first trip to DL!

 

[AWalks]

So our holiday trip on December 2014 was so amazing! It even made my husband a Disneyland fan now!

So my once in a lifetime trip that I thought we were taking....not so much once in a lifetime! That's right my husband is all gung-ho about taking another trip! I'm so excited! We are looking to be there from Nov 28-Dec 5, 2015 (to take advantage of the AP I got that will expire on the 6th). We are hoping to bring my brothers family with us this time so we are looking at suites and starting the planning! I couldn't be more thrilled!

Anyone have advice about renting a 2 bedroom villa at the Grand Californian?

I don't know what the availability is like right now, but I was able to rent points for a 2 bed villa at GC through DVC Rental Store for almost the exact time frame you are looking to be there. That was back in January, just inside the 11 month mark. When I first started planning last year, Katrina @ DVC Rental Store told me that studios and 1 beds are pretty hit or miss at the 7 month mark, but 2 beds are usually the last to go (that was also what I was able to glean from various posts on these boards). So if you contact them now, they may be able to get a VGC owner to make a reservation for you, or have everything lined up to have another DVC owner ready to book for you right at the 7 month mark.

Or as a PP suggested, there are also the rental forums on here. I started looking in to that in case the DVC Rental Store didn't pan out, and it sounds like that is a good option as long as you are willing to do some research into the owner that you're renting from...I read a few unfortunate posts not too long ago about a few people getting scammed on private points rentals, so it is not entirely unheard of. But after lurking around these boards for vacation planning the last few years, most active members seem to be decent and helpful people, and the majority of the rental transactions that happen through here go through with no problems.

For peace of mind, you can always double-check someone's ownership status online at the Anaheim/Orange County, CA property tax record (or for WDW rentals, the Orange County, Florida property tax records). I would post the link here, but my post count isn't high enough yet (lots of lurking but rarely enough time to post anything useful to anyone!)...I think I just googled Anaheim CA property tax records, or something like that. I believe VGC units went on sale in 2005 or 2006, so that should be the farthest back you would need to go with your search (anyone else please correct me if those dates are way off).

You might also look into APH discount on regular rooms as an alternative. I went back and looked on Mousesavers at the DLR room discount history over the last few years, and using that as a guide it looked like we could get 2 regular rooms at DLH with an APH rate for cheaper than the VGC rental (don't remember how much cheaper though). You don't have the perks of the full kitchen and washer/dryer at DLH, but it still looks like a cool hotel and is at the top of our list if we make another trip out there!

Hope that helps, and that's you're able to get a villa!

 

[Mickeyflower]

I AM SOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!! I go 12/6-12/10 PP upper level resort view room! Not sure if I will have company or not but I don't care!!! This will be my first time in the parks at Christmas since 2001!! AND it's the Diamond celebration too!

 

[dedesmith32]

Thanks for the info AWalks! I really appreciate it. I think we are probably going to book 2 rooms at Paradise Pier Hotel and hope to get connecting rooms. But we are still thinking!

 

[lvdis]

Any thoughts on the expected hours for the first week of December 2015 (weekdays 11/30 - 12/3)? I looked at the historical hours for Dec 2014 and it shows Mon-Thurs, DLR open 9a - 9p and DCA open 9a - 8p each day. Any predictions if there will be longer hours this year with the 60th going on? I'm finding it hard to wait and see, although I realize we probably won't know for sure until 4-6 weeks out. Thanks!

 

[NewbieMouse]

When do you think they will allow bookings for January 2016? We are pushing our trip into January this year and might go for GC as a treat. I keep checking, but it still seems to only allow arrivals in December 2015.

 

[Lynne G]

There are 3 of us, and we qualify for the Armed Forces Salute tickets, which I believe are 3 day PH tickets at DLR (vs. 4 at WDW). DH can buy 6 of them, and at least at WDW they can be used back to back, where we could buy all 6 tickets and (at WDW) that woudl get us 8 days of PH tickets. Assuming the same is true at DLR, that would get us 6 days of PH. We likely would not be in the parks for 6 full days, but more than 3 (especially if the weekend is going to be that crowded!) - so we definitely would be going into the parks durig the week as well. We'll have our 3 y/o DD with us...her first trip to DL!

Yep, you can back to back the DL Salute tickets.

 

[figment_jii]

Any thoughts on the expected hours for the first week of December 2015 (weekdays 11/30 - 12/3)? I looked at the historical hours for Dec 2014 and it shows Mon-Thurs, DLR open 9a - 9p and DCA open 9a - 8p each day. Any predictions if there will be longer hours this year with the 60th going on? I'm finding it hard to wait and see, although I realize we probably won't know for sure until 4-6 weeks out. Thanks!

I would go with the hours from December 2014 (and see if 2013 was similar). While there is always a chance that the hours will be longer this year, I wouldn't count on it unless something happens to make them think the parks will be more crowded than expected at that point.

 

[siskaren]

When do you think they will allow bookings for January 2016? We are pushing our trip into January this year and might go for GC as a treat. I keep checking, but it still seems to only allow arrivals in December 2015.

When they release prices for next year, which should be June or July.

 

[PlutoIsHere]

Just reserved a room at the BWPPI for me and the wife from the 4th to the 11th of December! Still not sure if we're going to go on those dates or try and go when the decorations first start coming up in the middle of November.....Part of me wants to try for then due to the lower crowd times (I know the Processional will be commencing the weekend of the 4th), but I just want to make sure that we don't miss any of the Christmas goodness, and I know that some of it doesn't start until December.

 

[Sherry E]

Hello, all!

I just popped in to my Halloween Time Superthread and couldn't sign off without visiting this thread as well. I am still completely baffled by some of the features on this new platform/site/forum. I have no clue why I can open my Watched Threads and see certain threads listed, and then I will open Watched Threads again and not see the threads I just saw 2 minutes prior. I like the old "Subscribed Threads" layout of the previous platform so much better in terms of seeing which threads had been active recently.

In the first few months of every year I usually let this thread and my Halloween Time at DLR Superthread simmer down a bit -- or, rather, I let my activity in them simmer down a bit, while everyone else is still welcomed and encouraged to continue to post and share info, questions and answers here. Around March or April I start revving up the ol' engines to begin getting into Superthread mode again (when the weather starts hitting 90 degrees I can only think ahead to the sweet relief of autumn and the crisp chill of winter).

Signs of Halloween and fall will be appearing on store shelves in about 4 months, and from that point forward the rest of the year will zoom by!

As you know (because I mentioned it here a while back), when DISboards was moved over to the new platform/layout early this year, a lot of formatting and details that I had carefully crafted, typed, assembled, organized, etc. (for the posts on page 1 of this thread and of my Halloween Time Superthread) were knocked out of whack. As I said in my Halloween Time thread, to be honest, after glancing at the wreckage once or twice I was discouraged, disheartened and daunted by the notion of having to go through and fix anything, or everything. I stopped looking at what was wrong and pretended the mess didn't exist. I couldn't even change or fix anything yet because I knew the webmasters were going to try to fix some of what went awry in the transition, and for me to correct anything might mean that my repair work would be reversed once the webmasters waved their magic wands.

I think the webmasters have done all they can do at this point to reverse some of the wonky occurrences in people's random threads, but there is still a lot that needs to be cleaned up in this Superthread and in the Halloween Time Superthread -- links that no longer link where they are supposed to link, punctuation that simply vanished and has to be replaced, font sizes that suddenly got very small, and who knows what else. I'm still not even sure if I can go about typing and pre-preparing posts in the same way that I used to (in MS Word), or if the BB codes will go haywire and mess up the text. So I feel like I am slowly, nervously, hesitantly creeping into a house after a tornado or earthquake has hit it, with my hands covering my eyes, afraid to assess the damage.

I may have to tackle each post on page 1 individually, one at a time, as I try to fix everything -- which will not happen overnight -- and I have to keep in mind that, when news of this year's holiday season finally comes out I may have to change even more things if the details turn out to be vastly different. But, bear with me. This thread is still open for business to discuss all things Holidays at Disneyland (including Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Three Kings Day, etc.), and hopefully there is still enough salvageable information in the assorted posts on page 1 that will give you an idea of what happened last year and during previous years' holiday seasons, so you know what to expect this year (although the mystery surrounding the 60th anniversary's impact on seasonal events looms large). Thank you to figment_jii and everyone else who has continued to keep the thread going in some way!

On a non-holiday note, I sat in as a guest on (co-mod) Mary Jo's latest "Day Six" segment for the DIS Unplugged: Disneyland Edition podcast. This installment in Mary Jo's ongoing Day Six series is about Catalina Island, so we chatted about all things Catalina as it's a great place to go for a day trip (or a weekend) when in Southern California. You can find the "Day Six Adventure: Catalina" segment here: http://www.disunplugged.com/2015/03/23/dis-unplugged-podcast-032215-disneyland-show/

 

[Stefndoug]

I say leave the original stuff alone and we can all start new together

 

[Sherry E]

I say leave the original stuff alone and we can all start new together

I just started this specific thread this past December. It's not old. There is no way in hades that I am going back and retyping or reassembling everything from scratch for a new thread, so either way I would be working with what's on page 1 of this thread. I would either be revamping it, fixing and eventually updating it for this thread -- which is only 3 months old -- or I would be copying, pasting, revamping, fixing and eventually editing it for a new thread. Any way you slice it, it has to be done!