Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #5

[Sherry E]

We have had 2 solid weeks of rain, thunderstorms, flash flood warnings, you name it we have had it! Its 70 here today, when its normally high 90's in July, in Reno ( Northern Nevada )
I wonder if this is El Nino weather? Last time we had El Nino year we had a 100 year flood!

Oh Joy, I know we need the moisture, but YUK! I feel like we live in the deep south... we are used to Dry Heat!

--Lori

That's the problem -- it's one extreme or the other. It's either oppressively hot and dry, or it's pouring heaving, pounding, relentless rain for weeks. There is no happy medium. I hate the heat, but I also don't want water pouring through my ceiling again either (had that happen in a previous El Nino year), and I'm sure that everyone who parks in a subterranean garage is not going to love having their car flooded.

 

[skellinton]

I am super excited to be going to DL 12/4-12/10 with 5 park days.
My brother and I are taking our mother for her birthday, she went 10 years ago for the 59th with my husband, myself and our kids and loved it, so I wanted to take her back for the 60th. Kids are grown up now, so I thought it would be fun for my mom, brother and I to go. My brother hasn't been to DL since 1996, so he is going to be amazed at how different it is!
Each week I am sending an email about something at DL to keep them excited! My first months emails are going to be all about the good. As info about holiday going ons appears I will include that.
Any chance the holiday tour will be going on this year?

We saw the CLP when we went in 2005, it was Dick Van Dyke and they had the special dinner seating then, I wish they would bring that back! That was incredible, seeing DVD was such a treat, one of my most favorite memories.

 

[Sherry E]

I am super excited to be going to DL 12/4-12/10 with 5 park days.
My brother and I are taking our mother for her birthday, she went 10 years ago for the 59th with my husband, myself and our kids and loved it, so I wanted to take her back for the 60th. Kids are grown up now, so I thought it would be fun for my mom, brother and I to go. My brother hasn't been to DL since 1996, so he is going to be amazed at how different it is!
Each week I am sending an email about something at DL to keep them excited! My first months emails are going to be all about the good. As info about holiday going ons appears I will include that.
Any chance the holiday tour will be going on this year?

We saw the CLP when we went in 2005, it was **** Van Dyke and they had the special dinner seating then, I wish they would bring that back! That was incredible, seeing DVD was such a treat, one of my most favorite memories.

I think you'll have a great trip! Early December is a wonderful time to visit. I also think your brother will be very surprised at how much as changed all over the resort since he was last at DLR. He was last there right before a huge wave of changes kicked in. That wave of changes produced Downtown Disney, the Grand Californian Hotel, the newly-renamed Paradise Pier Hotel and, of course, California Adventure park. Even the Disneyland Hotel has changed a lot since 1996.

My belief is that the Holiday Time tour will be going on this year, in some capacity. I have no idea if the Christmas Fantasy Parade will be happening in the daytime, and/or if it would be included in the tour as usual, or if the new Paint the Night parade would be the parade included in the tour. But I think there will still be priority boarding on Haunted Mansion Holiday, It's a Small World Holiday and Jingle Cruise (if Jingle Cruise returns).

I love the Candlelight Ceremony. I can't recall which year it was when they did away with the dinner seating. I might have never seen it if it hadn't run for 20 nights in 2012. I know that Disney does not want to run it for 20 nights again in the middle of Town Square, but I hope they can eventually find a way to expand it to more than 2 nights. It is just not treated as an actual part of the holiday season like it is at WDW. Many people don't even know that there is a Candlelight Ceremony at Disneyland until they get there and see something going on in Town Square. A couple of years ago I met a lady in California Adventure who had been going to Disneyland for decades -- she was there on opening day in 1955 -- and never knew that there was a Candlelight Ceremony, because Disney keeps it so hush-hush. They can't really advertise it until and unless they figure out how to allow more people to be able to see it. Otherwise, it will be mayhem in Town Square.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

^Sherry, you know I would sure love an expanded Candlelight. I loved the Town Square setting so much and the choir filling in by the train platform was awesome. I was super duper blessed to get a seat last year after standing in one place for almost 2 hours. It was exhausting and I was so thankful to sit down. I do wish it were more public friendly but at the same time also love that it is kept smaller. I have never been to Disney World but I think Candlelight out there is indoors? Also there is no processional the way there is out here? As much as I personally would appreciate an expansion, at least typing this right now, outside and for sure the processional is my vote big time. Where else could it be?

 

[dolphingirl47]

I have never been to Disney World but I think Candlelight out there is indoors?

No, it is in the America Garden Theater, which is an open air venue by the World Showcase lagoon. There is a processional down the aisles and it is quite breath-taking.

Corinna

 

[Sherry E]

^Sherry, you know I would sure love an expanded Candlelight. I loved the Town Square setting so much and the choir filling in by the train platform was awesome. I was super duper blessed to get a seat last year after standing in one place for almost 2 hours. It was exhausting and I was so thankful to sit down. I do wish it were more public friendly but at the same time also love that it is kept smaller. I have never been to Disney World but I think Candlelight out there is indoors? Also there is no processional the way there is out here? As much as I personally would appreciate an expansion, at least typing this right now, outside and for sure the processional is my vote big time. Where else could it be?

There was a rumor a few years back that Candlelight would eventually move to California Adventure, and probably to the Hyperion Theater. That never happened, of course. It would provide a way for more people to see the Ceremony, but it would likely change the feel of it as well -- because it would suddenly become an indoor event instead of an outdoor event. I think the people who have been going to DL to see Candlelight for decades would probably not like a Hyperion version of it as much.

In the past, there was a stretch of a few years when Candlelight was held in Fantasyland, but it really didn't work in that spot and it eventually moved back to Town Square.

One CM told me a couple of years back that she had always thought that the festival area of the Jingle Jangle Jamboree/Big Thunder Ranch would be a good spot for Candlelight (there is a stage there). It doesn't look like that will be happening, though.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I think it would work very well there. There is plenty of room at the Jingle Jangle Jamboree and it is out of the way enough that it would not cause chaos.

Corinna

 

[wehrengrizz]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this whole DLR thing...I've been planning a WDW trip for like 6 months...only we keep running into insane airfare, with NO wiggle room on connections/layovers. Let me just say, I'm not cool with a 40 min "layover" at O'Hare any time around Thanksgiving...since we've got 5 kids, one being an infant. Just not happening. SO, what do I do? Look into going to DLR instead! But, I've never been! ANY advice/tips/tricks planning help is welcomed, I'm getting really good at planning WDW stuff but this is a whole new ball game!
Our dates: flexible between 27Nov-03Dec, looking for 3 park days, so most likely doing week of 30Nov15, it's after turkey day's weekend o' madness
Our crew: DH, me, DS(turning 10 on our trip!), DS6, DD4, DS2, DD4mo at travel time

One other quick question, our DS will be turning 10 on 30 Nov...if we stay at a good neighbor hotel with a check in date of the 29th, and have tickets attached to our package...does he still count as "9"? This is no question with WDW, he's "9" for the whole trip but no clue how it would work at DLR (guessing it's the same? )


Thank you thank you thank you for helping keep my Disney at Christmas time dream alive with five kids!

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Thanks Corrina! I may never get out to FL but will look for a video online of the CP out there.

Sherry, I've still never really been to CA Adventure so am not familiar with the theater you mentioned. Sounds like that would make it fully enclosed and indoors, tasking away perhaps from the town gathering feel. I will have to check out Jingle Jangle Jamboree this year. I did last week when I went to DL go the wrong way and ended up going by the ranch area and saw a couple of the animals even. It was quieter over there and seemed open spaced.

Wehrengrizz, I wish you and your family a fantastic trip! What a cool birthday for your son as well.

 

[Sherry E]

Okay, I have to pop back in to this thread when the dust settles a bit in the Halloween Time Superthread (all of the dates and prices for everything were just released, so there is a flurry of activity at the moment as we process all of the details), and announce the details for this year's Theme Week Countdown and reply to some comments, etc.

However, remember I said I was keeping a close eye on how things are going to be handled with the Halloween Time season and Mickey's Halloween Party in regards to the 60th anniversary entertainment? I thought it might help inform us of how things could run during the holiday season.

Well.... it turns out that the Paint the Night parade is going to be included in Mickey's Halloween Party. In fact, the actual Halloween-specific Costume Cavalcade/mini-parade is not happening this year. So party guests are having to pay for higher-priced tickets with less Halloween-specific entertainment.

Erin of the Disney Parks Blog did not specify if Paint the Night would be running on non-party nights, which is interesting. But PtN is not a party exclusive right now -- in fact, it is running nightly for everyone to see. So to charge people even more money to see it at a Halloween Party makes me think that Paint the Night is not going to run on non-party nights at all. That may be the catch -- perhaps they are luring everyone in right now, so that everyone becomes attached to PtN and wants to buy Halloween Party tickets to see it.

So then... what would happen for the holiday season? Will Paint the Night then go back to being available nightly for the general public, or even available just on certain nights for the general public? Or... will Disney suddenly shock us and throw in a Christmas party with a separate ticket price, just so that guests can see Paint the Night? It seems kind of weird to say "Here is Paint the Night, available for everyone to see all summer long, But come Halloween Time, you have to buy an extra ticket to see Paint the Night. And when the holidays roll around, we will make Paint the Night available to everyone all season long again."

I was not expecting a Christmas party this year, to be honest. I figured that it would happen in the next year or two. But seeing how Paint the Night is being handled during Halloween Time has now got me very curious about how it might be handled during the holidays. And the rumor mills have completely dried up, so if there is a secret Christmas party in the works, no one is spilling the beans!


As for Disneyland Forever fireworks, Erin says that those will run on non-Halloween party nights, but she didn't say if they will run on non-party weeknights during Halloween Time, or just on weekend nights when there is no party.

Something to ponder...

 

[mom2rtk]

Sherry, now soon after the Halloween announcements have they traditionally announced the Holiday season stuff?

 

[planningjollyholiday]

I think it is shady that paint the night is the party parade, yet ticket prices have gone up. I wonder why they aren't doing the Halloween parade? I wonder if there isn't enough space backstage for all 3 parades? I am so happy to hear that the hatbox ghost will stay in the haunted mansion for the holidays!

 

[planningjollyholiday]

Sherry, now soon after the Halloween announcements have they traditionally announced the Holiday season stuff?

Last year holidays weren't announced until September. I think it was September 10th. Information trickled out painfully slow last year.

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry, now soon after the Halloween announcements have they traditionally announced the Holiday season stuff?

Last year you may recall the extra, extra 'early' Holiday Season date announcement -- September 10th, to be exact, when the Holidays started on November 13th. And last year's Halloween announcements came in in early July (before July 4th).

So, if they can announce the Halloween Party info and MHP info on July 15th this year, I don't see why they couldn't give us lots and lots of notice and announce any Holiday season news by September again.

 

[mom2rtk]

Last year holidays weren't announced until September. I think it was September 10th. Information trickled out painfully slow last year.

Thanks. It sounds like they are waiting until right when they have to commit to the public on park calendars.

If they did decide to add a Christmas Party, I'd probably switch to November instead of October, but it sounds like there's no way for me to know that ahead of time.

 

[Sherry E]

One good thing is that it sounds like there will be "special sparkling Halloween decor in honor of the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration." If they are putting up sparkly pumpkins for Halloween Time (or whatever the décor may be), I think we can almost certainly be guaranteed a sparkly new Christmas decoration or two -- maybe a diamond-themed Christmas tree?

 

[JadeDarkstar]

I would love a party *i would pay for it* and if they did the tour/party ticket Like they did with the Halloween party I may do that too so we could have good seats hopefully for PTN. Eagerly awaiting for sep 10th now. *taps fingers waiting*

 

[mom2rtk]

I would love a party *i would pay for it* and if they did the tour/party ticket Like they did with the Halloween party I may do that too so we could have good seats hopefully for PTN. Eagerly awaiting for sep 10th now. *taps fingers waiting*

I hadn't heard about the tour/party ticket since we haven't been at Halloween yet. Do you know where I can find info on that?

 

[Sherry E]

I hadn't heard about the tour/party ticket since we haven't been at Halloween yet. Do you know where I can find info on that?

It wasn't offered last year, if I recall correctly. It was called the Ultimate package or something, and it combined MHP with the Happiest Haunts tour. I think it was discontinued in 2014, but I may be misremembering.

 

[mom2rtk]

It wasn't offered last year, if I recall correctly. It was called the Ultimate package or something, and it combined MHP with the Happiest Haunts tour. I think it was discontinued in 2014, but I may be misremembering.

Ok, thanks Sherry!