Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #5

[Sherry E]

After struggling with Internet Explorer on DISboards every time I signed in earlier today, I finally switched over to Firefox. Explorer had gone from crashing on DISboards over and over again, to suddenly 'gifting' me with these constant pop-up messages about security errors and sandboxes and who knows what else. It seems there is some sort of conflict between Flash and Explorer and I can't figure out what it is, as they are both updated. In any case, I pray that Firefox can hold out for a while.

Oh -- I was going to mention to flyingdumbo127 about the missing smilies -- make sure you're using the Rich text Editor and not the BB Code Editor to get to the Smilies, Bold, Italics, Underline, etc. All of the icons appear when you're in Rich Text mode. Based on what I do -- some of which involves copying and pasting my previously written text for the Theme Week Countdowns -- I have to alternate between Rich Text and BB Code editing. Some things don't translate well in the copy and paste mode via BB Codes or Rich text. So I have to keep switching back and forth between them.

And, to Mouseketeers4 -- Thank you for your photo contribution! I'm glad you joined us. You have an adorable family, and you got some great shots! Those teeny decorations in Critter Country (which we will be seeing more of in a future theme week!) are among my favorite holiday decorations. Those are the same kinds of decorations that are usually on the cottages along the Storybook Land Canal, but I don't know if those decorations will be back this year.

To Jamie, Lori and Tracy/OHbelle and anyone else out there tolerating my momentary Hallmark Christmas movie updates -- I found out that Alicia Witt (star of one of my absolute favorite Hallmark movies, A Very Merry Mix-Up, and also last year's Christmas at Cartwright's, as well as Hallmark's Backyard Wedding and Lifetime's A Snow Globe Christmas) is doing another Christmas movie. She is filming it right now, in Salt Lake City -- which has to look "wintry" in the scenes, I suppose -- and her co-star is George Stults, who is pretty cute. She confirmed that it is a Christmas movie, although she did not say if it was for Hallmark. So many channels are getting in on the Christmas movie action now -- including Ion and UP -- along with Hallmark, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Lifetime and ABC Family, that it could really be for anyone! I do hope that it's a Hallmark movie, though.

 

[egritz]

Wreath from Toon Town 2013

2013 Parade Trees

Parade Garlands 2013:

Nightmare Before Christmas Scroll & Garland 2013

Nightmare Before Christmas Wreath 2013

Carriage Garland 2013

Main Street Decorations 2013, Day & Night

Main Street Garlands 2013:

Paradise Pier Tree 2013

Buena Vista St Tree 2013:

Grand Californian Tree 2013:

Minnie & Friends Breakfast Tree 2013:

Frontierland 2013

Jingle Jangle Jamboree 2013:

Paradise Pier Decorations 2013:

I'll go through my 2014 trip pictures later this week

As a side note I'm shopping for a new P&S camera for this year's trip. The DSLR is just too big/bulky/heavy when running around after 2 small children. Looking at the Canon Powershot G16, hoping to take a memory card into Best Buy and test it out on my kids soon!

 

[dlawallace]

I am really hoping for a soft opening for at least SOME christmas stuff. We will be there 11/7 - 11/10. Definitely hoping that small world and jingle cruise may be open. Small World is my mother in laws fav ride and she hasnt been to DL in 30 years!!

 

[ksromack]

As a side note I'm shopping for a new P&S camera for this year's trip. The DSLR is just too big/bulky/heavy when running around after 2 small children. Looking at the Canon Powershot G16, hoping to take a memory card into Best Buy and test it out on my kids soon!

Your pictures are so nice! I bring my clunky dSLR too, which one do you shoot with? I just can't bring myself to leave it at home....I feel naked without it I also bring a Canon Supershot S-something or nother.......while that little one can zoom nicely, I am never as pleased with those pictures as I am with the ones from my Canon 70d (and with my 24-105mm lens, it does get heavy).

 

[mom2rtk]

Your pictures are so nice! I bring my clunky dSLR too, which one do you shoot with? I just can't bring myself to leave it at home....I feel naked without it I also bring a Canon Supershot S-something or nother.......while that little one can zoom nicely, I am never as pleased with those pictures as I am with the ones from my Canon 70d (and with my 24-105mm lens, it does get heavy).

Have you tried a cross body strap like Black Rapid? I really found that made a big difference for me.

 

[ksromack]

Have you tried a cross body strap like Black Rapid? I really found that made a big difference for me.

You betcha! I got it for our Europe trip and now there is no way I will ever leave home without it! Your baby girl is certainly growing up!!!

 

[mom2rtk]

You betcha! I got it for our Europe trip and now there is no way I will ever leave home without it! Your baby girl is certainly growing up!!!

I love my Black Rapid! Nice cameras are heavy, but it sure helps mitigate that. And I'm always glad when I get home that I lugged it around.

And yeah.... my "baby girl" started high school yesterday. Sigh.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

BTW thanks for the post about star wars and marvel land it looks so cool. I must now put toon town on my must do list and the bbq at the ranch since they look like it may be closed soon.

Also loving all the pics every one.

 

[egritz]

Your pictures are so nice! I bring my clunky dSLR too, which one do you shoot with? I just can't bring myself to leave it at home....I feel naked without it I also bring a Canon Supershot S-something or nother.......while that little one can zoom nicely, I am never as pleased with those pictures as I am with the ones from my Canon 70d (and with my 24-105mm lens, it does get heavy).

Thanks! I just have a Canon rebel t3i, but I have a nice (and very heavy) 17-55 f/2.8 on it (the same lens mom2rtk uses - she helped me choose it!) I also carry it cross body, but with a baby either in the carrier or running around, I feel like I'm going to smack someone in the head with it. Plus it is a pain to bring on all the rides with us. I don't think I'll leave the DSLR at home...I'll bring it on vacation, but may only bring it into the park on character meal days. I'm hoping to buy the new P&S within the next month so I have plenty of time to get used to it. Still have a little bit more reading/research before I commit to it. But the reviews are stellar. I also buy the PP+ so that will help with the character pictures.

 

[mom2rtk]

Thanks! I just have a Canon rebel t3i, but I have a nice (and very heavy) 17-55 f/2.8 on it (the same lens mom2rtk uses - she helped me choose it!) I also carry it cross body, but with a baby either in the carrier or running around, I feel like I'm going to smack someone in the head with it. Plus it is a pain to bring on all the rides with us. I don't think I'll leave the DSLR at home...I'll bring it on vacation, but may only bring it into the park on character meal days. I'm hoping to buy the new P&S within the next month so I have plenty of time to get used to it. Still have a little bit more reading/research before I commit to it. But the reviews are stellar. I also buy the PP+ so that will help with the character pictures.

I'd probably have more issues with mine if I was chasing little ones still.

That lens gave me the greatest hesitation before going full frame last year.

Which P & S are you looking at?

 

[mommy2girls79]

Well, if you are a fan of the holiday season in general, I think you'll really enjoy what Disneyland does with it!

I don't know exactly what is in store for this year's array of holiday season decorations and offerings -- it seems like some things are certain to return, and other things probably won't return because of the focus on the 60th anniversary -- but I can say that, as a rule, Disneyland does a much bigger, grander job with the holiday season than they do with Halloween Time. I love Halloween and Halloween Time at DLR, but I think that anyone who has experienced both Halloween Time and the Holiday Season at DLR can agree that Halloween Time is very underdeveloped by comparison.

The Holidays at Disneyland Resort are a much more all-encompassing experience. There are (usually) themed decorations in almost every land in both parks, with the exception of Tomorrowland. Some of the lands have more elaborate decorations; some of them have very subtle, minimal decor; some of the lands have very whimsical, playful décor, etc. I really hope that Disney does not skimp on those decorations this year, in favor of blue bunting and random things that have the number '60' on them. Part of what makes the holidays so special at DLR is that there is so much attention to detail in the themed decorations, wreaths and Christmas trees. California Adventure is decorated as well, unlike during Halloween Time. The hotels have their own theme-specific decorations. Downtown Disney gets involved. There's just more going on in general.

​

Still no Candlelight Ceremony dates posted where they should be, but I have other news.

First of all, I already reported here that A Christmas Fantasy Parade is happening this year. Some auditions were already held, and more auditions for ACFP are going to be held in the next week or two.

Now... on to the next news. Keep in mind -- and this is important to note -- that I don't know for sure if this is going to be HOLIDAY SEASON news, but my guess is that it will be involved in the season somehow.....


Olaf's Snow Fest is coming back!! Remember, last year, I learned about auditions for lute players, guitar players, tuba players, etc.?? That was before Frozen Fun had been officially announced by Disney, but those musicians ended up performing at Olaf's Snow Fest.

Well, you guessed it -- the lute players and other musicians are about to audition again. In fact, they are auditioning even before the next round of Christmas Fantasy Parade auditions takes place.

Given the timing of the auditions, I very strongly believe that Olaf's Snow Fest will return as part of this coming holiday season!!! Now that could mean that it starts in November -- which is when Olaf's Frozen Ice Rink in Downtown Disney goes up -- or it could start in December, right before Christmas (which is what happened with the Frozen Fun previews last year). Either way, I think that Olaf's Snow Fest will definitely be a part of this year's Holiday Season at some point. I think it will be back before January. The lute players gave it away!!!!!!

Stay tuned for more teeny bits of news as they come in!!!! And stay tuned for the 5th Annual Theme Week Countdown starting in 3 days, on Monday, August 10th!!!!!!

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EEEK! This is so exciting! When we went for Halloween 2013, it was fun but we didn't fully enjoy the Halloween party because it was SO darn crowded and the candy lines were crazy. Outside of the party, it was a blast because overall crowds were lower and my daughter's birthday is on Halloween, so it was special. Anyway, Frozen hadn't been released yet when we were there and I remember seeing the merchandise and thinking, "Eh, not a big deal." Well a few months later and I've got two little girls who are Frozen crazy. LOL! So we are beyond excited that there is a chance that we'll get to enjoy some of the Frozen Fun we missed out on in 2014 and earlier this year. There were little hints of Christmas going up throughout our Halloween trip, we'd get to the park and there was suddenly snow on the buildings and on November 1st, I remember there was snow on the castle and garland going up in Cars Land. We let the girls choose the time of year they wanted to go this time and Christmas was it... I'm getting giddy! Hubby and I went in June 2014 by ourselves... so it's the girls turn to go back this time.

 

[ksromack]

I cannot even imagine a better time to go! We were there Dec 2013, then again over Mardi Gras 2014......while I've never been during Halloween season at DLR, we ARE going to WDW this Halloween season. Christmas is just such a special holiday, I'm sure it'll continue to be our favorite. I love how DLR has the ride holiday overlays. WDW does not do this for the rides.

 

[egritz]

I'd probably have more issues with mine if I was chasing little ones still.

That lens gave me the greatest hesitation before going full frame last year.

Which P & S are you looking at?

Lol, yeah that lens is going to be my hangup when it comes time for a new body. No clue if I'll jump ship for a full frame or just upgrade my crop.

I'm looking at the Canon Powershot G16. I want something small enough to fit in my purse or DH's pocket, but it has to have a viewfinder, and allow for full manual and RAW.

 

[mommy2girls79]

Didn't think I'd get to participate right off the bat but we were at Disneyland / DCA the day after Halloween (November 1, 2013) and it was like typical Disney magic when we entered the parks that day. All signs of Halloween were completely gone and they had decked the halls overnight.

First up, you've got Cars Land with the wreath and tire Christmas tree in the background.

And it was AWESOME coming into the park and seeing the Garland hanging from the castle. The snow had been there for most of our trip but the garland was exciting for my girls to see... at the time they were 6 and 3-1/2.


Loving this... gets me VERY excited for our upcoming trip!

 

[Mr. Bastos]

Fiance and I are new AP holders, so we're trying to make the most of it by going to MHP on Halloween, and possibly for Christmas. This thread and all the pictures have me super excited. I need to book a hotel asap.

 

[kylie71]

Fiance and I are new AP holders, so we're trying to make the most of it by going to MHP on Halloween, and possibly for Christmas. This thread and all the pictures have me super excited. I need to book a hotel asap.

Great! Then you can join in next year! Once you go over the Winter Holiday's, you will be stunned by all the Magic that still exists!
Its very special to everyone on this thread, who participates in the picture sharing...
Have a Blast on your future trips!

--Lori

 

[OHBelle]

To Jamie, Lori and Tracy/OHbelle and anyone else out there tolerating my momentary Hallmark Christmas movie updates -- I found out that Alicia Witt (star of one of my absolute favorite Hallmark movies, A Very Merry Mix-Up, and also last year's Christmas at Cartwright's, as well as Hallmark's Backyard Wedding and Lifetime's A Snow Globe Christmas) is doing another Christmas movie. She is filming it right now, in Salt Lake City -- which has to look "wintry" in the scenes, I suppose -- and her co-star is George Stults, who is pretty cute. She confirmed that it is a Christmas movie, although she did not say if it was for Hallmark. So many channels are getting in on the Christmas movie action now -- including Ion and UP -- along with Hallmark, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Lifetime and ABC Family, that it could really be for anyone! I do hope that it's a Hallmark movie, though.

Sherry- you know I always enjoy any Christmas movie information. I had seen that Alicia Witt was filming what appeared to be a Christmas movie but wasn't sure. I had figured it out just before I came over the the boards. I saw today that she posted a picture on Instagram of one of her costars Dan Lauria dressed as Santa, so I figured it was a Christmas movie. I should have checked here first as I know you are top of these things! I do hope it is on Hallmark. I tend to forget about the other channels. If it is on one of the other ones I will have to make a note to record it. I usually like her Christmas movies.

I know that Mayim Bialik (from The Big Bang Theory) recently finished filming a movie with Ryan McPartlin (from Chuck). Some of her Instagram pictures have snow and one has a Christmas tree in the background, but I have no idea what channel it is for or if for sure it is a Christmas movie.

I am unsure of Mariah Carey's part in the Countdown to Christmas. I am not really a fan of hers and I hope that it doesn't overtake the Countdown. A little of her goes a long way with me and if she is shoved down our throats, (like Northpole last year) I may have to mute the TV or change the channel.

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry- you know I always enjoy any Christmas movie information. I had seen that Alicia Witt was filming what appeared to be a Christmas movie but wasn't sure. I had figured it out just before I came over the the boards. I saw today that she posted a picture on Instagram of one of her costars Dan Lauria dressed as Santa, so I figured it was a Christmas movie. I should have checked here first as I know you are top of these things! I do hope it is on Hallmark. I tend to forget about the other channels. If it is on one of the other ones I will have to make a note to record it. I usually like her Christmas movies.

I know that Mayim Bialik (from The Big Bang Theory) recently finished filming a movie with Ryan McPartlin (from Chuck). Some of her Instagram pictures have snow and one has a Christmas tree in the background, but I have no idea what channel it is for or if for sure it is a Christmas movie.

I am unsure of Mariah Carey's part in the Countdown to Christmas. I am not really a fan of hers and I hope that it doesn't overtake the Countdown. A little of her goes a long way with me and if she is shoved down our throats, (like Northpole last year) I may have to mute the TV or change the channel.

I saw the Dan Lauria photo earlier this morning, and that beard looks terrible! I posted on Alicia's Facebook page and said that I could see the Christmas garland in the background of her photo and that I hoped it was a Christmas movie. She replied, "IT IS." But I agree with you -- I hope it's for Hallmark. I love, love, love "A Very Merry Mix-Up," and I really enjoyed "Christmas at Cartwright's" last year (though it wasn't my favorite). I also like "Backyard Wedding" a lot. Although I will DVR the Christmas movies on the other channels, they're not as good (even though they use most of the same actors!!). I can't even explain why they're not as good. They just aren't.

Mayim Bialik in a Christmas movie would be very surprising. To me, she doesn't seem like the type of actress who would want to do a Hallmark-type of movie (wasn't she the one who was speaking out about her dislike of "Frozen" because of the way it depicts women and other things?). But... Ryan McPartlin has been in at least one Hallmark movie in the past, so you never know. Maybe, just maybe, she is going to do a Thanksgiving movie for Thanksgiving week (and it carries through past Thanksgiving)? Or maybe a Hanukkah movie?? That is news to me, so I'm glad you filled me in on it!

To be honest with you, I am really shocked that Hallmark has the budget to afford Mariah Carey on any level -- acting, directing, singing, whatever. I can't see her wanting to do a movie with them -- unless, because she loves Christmas, she has found herself (like us!!) sitting in front of the TV, glued to the Countdown to Christmas on Hallmark, and wanted to be a part of it! Very interesting.

Let's hope that this year's "Northpole" is better than last year's! I like Dermot Mulroney, so there is promise.

​

Oh, the joy of it all. First, it was a strong El Nino. Then it became a "massive" El Nino. And now, folks, it is a "Godzilla El Nino." http://www.cbsnews.com/news/noaa-warning-that-godzilla-el-nino-could-hit-u-s/

Peachy. The water temperatures are not cooling down, and if they don't cool down soon we can expect a lot of wet weather and all of the hazards that come with it by late fall/early winter (and still no real drought relief, apparently!). It won't all slam us at one time -- the intensity will build, most likely. But the outdoor entertainment at DLR will certainly be affected.

 

[Speechphi]

Yay! Thank you SherryE for hosting this again...love this thread & especially this time of year when we're all starting to get in the holiday mood.

We've now been to DLR for 2 Christmastimes: Nov 2011 & Dec 2014. We are hoping to surprise the kids again for Christmas this year too


wreath in toontown



garland above the firehouse



my goofy family at the tree on buena vista street in dca



three freezing children in carsland



tire tree in carsland (and yes she is wearing her hat like that on purpose)



in paradise pier, outside of ariel's ride



paradise pier tree



christmas tree in the lobby of the PPH





at the jingle jangle jamboree

Oh, the joy of it all. First, it was a strong El Nino. Then it became a "massive" El Nino. And now, folks, it is a "Godzilla El Nino." http://www.cbsnews.com/news/noaa-warning-that-godzilla-el-nino-could-hit-u-s/

Peachy. The water temperatures are not cooling down, and if they don't cool down soon we can expect a lot of wet weather and all of the hazards that come with it by late fall/early winter (and still no real drought relief, apparently!). It won't all slam us at one time -- the intensity will build, most likely. But the outdoor entertainment at DLR will certainly be affected.

Sherry, we're in NorCal, and we NEED the rain...but I *hated* 1997-98 & all that rain (I was in college & swore I would move to the desert when I was older to escape all that dreariness, lol!). Now I'm older & more okay with the rain, but I really want to go to DLR for Christmas again, and not get soaked! Dh & I went in May when it poured, and we had a blast. But we had no kids with us (so no whining). I told dh that we can get as much rain as El Nino wants to bring, as long as it only before & after our trip

 

[ksromack]

I cannot express enough how happy I am that UVerse picked up the Hallmark channel! Yippeeeeeeeee