Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #5

[PHXscuba]

My pictures, from 2010 and 2013.

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PHXscuba

 

[Disney127]

Here's a photo from 2012

 

[OHBelle]

This has been such a fun Theme Week. I am enjoying seeing everyone having so much fun with all the characters and in the Photopass pictures!

I LOVE the Santa pictures so much. I really wish I had taken one with him last year!

 

[Sherry E]

By the way, folks -- if you are a fan of the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ and you are planning to visit DLR for the holidays this year -- be sure to get in one last meal there -- while you can. We knew it was coming -- the whole Ranch is being razed as it gets rebuilt to be part of Star Wars Land. It was only a matter of time before the BBQ closed.

Today I saw something posted on Facebook (from a non-official Disney page) that said that the BBQ is closing on Monday, January 11, 2016. Disney has not 'announced' that info yet, and I don't know if it's true, but the date makes sense, seeing as they are removing the Carnival and probably the JJJ this year. They are basically wrapping up everything at the Ranch and winding it down.

So, be sure to get in one last helping of all-you-care-to-eat ribs and chicken just in case the report/rumor turns out to be accurate!

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[ksromack]

I'm glad we were able to enjoy the BBQ when we did!

 

[puss]

Hi Sherry Just wanted to say a big thank you for all your time spent on this post. I am bringing my kids to Disneyland in early Dec from Brisbane, Australia. Your posts have been invaluable in helping us plan to go at this special time of year. Have you heard anything yet about the Candlelight Procession?

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Hi Puss, thanks to Sherry, we know Candlelight is going to be the first weekend in December. Saturday and Sunday the 5th and 6th. No info yet on times or narrator(s). Are you planning to view? Please let me know if you are. I would love to view with a friend this year.

 

[Sherry E]

Hi Sherry Just wanted to say a big thank you for all your time spent on this post. I am bringing my kids to Disneyland in early Dec from Brisbane, Australia. Your posts have been invaluable in helping us plan to go at this special time of year. Have you heard anything yet about the Candlelight Procession?

Thank you for the kind words. I hope you have a wonderful trip in December.

As Mona/flyingdumbo127 mentioned, Candlelight will be held on Sat., 12/5 and Sun., 12/6. (DisneyJamieCA was the one who confirmed the dates here in this thread, even though we figured those would be the dates all along.) The narrator or narrators won't be announced by Disney -- they try to draw as little attention to Candlelight as possible -- but rumors of the narrator(s) will probably leak out online somewhere in September or October.

 

[puss]

Hi Puss, thanks to Sherry, we know Candlelight is going to be the first weekend in December. Saturday and Sunday the 5th and 6th. No info yet on times or narrator(s). Are you planning to view? Please let me know if you are. I would love to view with a friend this year.

Thanks so much for the info. We had planned on leaving the day before. If I can change some dates I'll let you know flyingdumbo127!!

Thank you for the kind words. I hope you have a wonderful trip in December.

As Mona/flyingdumbo127 mentioned, Candlelight will be held on Sat., 12/5 and Sun., 12/6. (DisneyJamieCA was the one who confirmed the dates here in this thread, even though we figured those would be the dates all along.) The narrator or narrators won't be announced by Disney -- they try to draw as little attention to Candlelight as possible -- but rumors of the narrator(s) will probably leak out online somewhere in September or October.

Sherry just wanted you to know you have lot's of people who follow your info in Australia. You will have to plan a trip down under soon!

 

[JadeDarkstar]

I am glade we will get to go once before it closes. I wish and pray JJJ will be there this year too. So we can do it. Last year three times we tried to go and it was not open

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Kids want BTRBBQ for Thanksgiving dinner again this year. I was ready for a change, but seeing as this is our last trip to enjoy it, I think we'll have to fit it in some where.

I saw the parks blog about Halloweentime and saw somebody asked about when holiday info would be released we got the ever evasive "soon". I saw you answering some questions on there, Sherry and I hope they take that as a sign to start releasing info!!!

 

[Sherry E]

Not holiday-specific, but since this will undoubtedly be going on during the holiday season I will report it here....... It looks like.... in all probability....

Star Wars Launch Bay is beginning on (or close to)... Sunday, October 11th???!!!!!!! What a weird day to start it -- a Sunday? Ah, but that is CHOC Walk day and Columbus Day weekend, so there is a method to the madness! I just read official Disney info that indicates the Launch Bay will be up and running by 10/11.

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Thanks so much for the info. We had planned on leaving the day before. If I can change some dates I'll let you know flyingdumbo127!!


Sherry just wanted you to know you have lot's of people who follow your info in Australia. You will have to plan a trip down under soon!

Thank you again for the kind words! I really appreciate it, and appreciate that people are following from far, far away. Hello to our Australian friends out there! I have met some people from Australia at DLR in the past, but I have never been there. You're right -- I must go!

I am glade we will get to go once before it closes. I wish and pray JJJ will be there this year too. So we can do it. Last year three times we tried to go and it was not open

I hope the JJJ comes back for one last hurrah, too. If the original piece of info I heard turns out to be true, then Santa might be in the little cabin there -- at the very least. But I guess the actual "Jamboree" part of the area would be closed. I would like to see the cute reindeer décor one final time.

Kids want BTRBBQ for Thanksgiving dinner again this year. I was ready for a change, but seeing as this is our last trip to enjoy it, I think we'll have to fit it in some where.

I saw the parks blog about Halloweentime and saw somebody asked about when holiday info would be released we got the ever evasive "soon". I saw you answering some questions on there, Sherry and I hope they take that as a sign to start releasing info!!!

Looks like this isn't the year to change Thanksgiving dining plans!

Well, if the audition info for the Christmas Fantasy Parade can be used as a guideline, then 11/13 would be the start of the holidays and 1/6/16 would be the end. Or, at least, 11/13 would be the first day of the parade (no soft opens this year, I guess?). Disney could always start the season on 11/12, and then just begin the entertainment on 11/13. So I think that it's between those two dates.

What's interesting, though, is that they are keeping the BBQ place open through 1/10/16. And yet... it looks like the holiday season is ending on 1/6/16. So, if we can use this past January as a guideline, I am guessing that Haunted Mansion Holiday might stay open through 1/10 as well, and that Season of the Force (with Hyperspace Mountain and all of that) will begin on January 7th or January 8th. This past January, Frozen Fun officially opened on 1/7. Disney wanted to bring in people even after the holidays ended, and they kept HMH open a few days longer because of the extra people coming to the parks for Frozen Fun.

I will bet that they do the same thing with Season of the Force/Hyperspace Mountain. They may "preview" them in December, maybe? Maybe not. But the official Season of the Force opening will likely be 1/7 or 1/8, and HMH will again stay open a few days longer for the extra people coming in for the Star Wars stuff. The BBQ will stay open as well.

Yep -- I was answering questions on the Parks Blog, but you'll notice that I didn't say anything about the Carnival not returning until Erin finally confirmed it. The other stuff was safe to say, I figured, but the Carnival thing was risky until it had been officially confirmed!

 

[Angrose]

Here are some pictures for this week. Loving it!

 

[JadeDarkstar]

I want holiday fun news to be released lol so i can plan more. I also hope frozen fun will be open for holiday time this year.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Sherry, I would love to know the Candlelight Narrator(s) sometime next month. For some reason I'd rather view Sunday night than Saturday, I may change a day or two but have plenty of time still. I thought Beau Bridges did a really good job last year at the first showing I saw. I do think it might be interesting to see more than one narrator (like someone Saturday and then someone else Sunday) different voices to a miraculous story of love from God.

Hug, Puss, definitely let me know. I will also post in an eventual December thread once (there is one, lol) and my plans are for sure.

Happy Weekend everyone!

ETA: Your post and JadeDarkStar yours too must have snuck in just as I was hitting reply. did not mean to ignore either of you, Thanks for your pictures, too. I would love more Disneyland Christmassy news!

 

[JadeDarkstar]

Well good news for me. I have the 30th-12 at best western reserved now so I can decided if i want to miss the Candlelight or not. I was missing one day but apparently some one sprinkled pixie dust and my night was added to the reservation so I can now choose what week I want most.

Part of me just doesn't want to deal with the candle light crowds so much . I would still be there for one of the candle light days (sun) but I can work around that too. But of course if some one good will be hosting well my hubs may want to try and go to it LOL.

So far this year we are calling our trip a Favs, News, and Goodbye trip.

Favs of every trip is of course Pirates, HM, RSR, space, star tours Jungle cruse and IJ

New this trip is (BBQ at the ranch is new and goodbye) CC for woc, CO, Tiki bar and show, Fantasy fair, Toon town (more time try mickey house and over there. Haven't done since rt was 3 or 4 also a goodbye) Also we have decided not to do other chr meals and try new places like the bbq but also the new paradise peer meal that looks so good.

Good byes are toon town, ranch, JJJ hopefully, Santa hopefully at ranch with miss Clause.
some of bugs land too but that land is so our most least fav.

We have a plan to start one morning when we dress up super nice for Plaza inn Breakfast, then do Fantasy fair get princess since we are skipping princess meal. Then over to toon town for some Mickey house and maybe Mickey pics. Then we will find Santa hopefully at the ranch and head to the hub for some Photo pass pics in our nice dress day outfit. Then over to DCA Santa there, Frozen, partner statue there and then to CC for lunch. After lunch we head to hotel for few hours and get to have a nice relaxing evening just waiting for WOC.

Besides that I don't got much planed. Except we will have a day off some time and that day off we will do The three hotels trees and pics.

 

[Kauai4life]

I love all the photo's really gets you in the Holiday Spirit. We will be there for candlelight what can we expect as far as crowds and things.

 

[Sherry E]

I love all the photo's really gets you in the Holiday Spirit. We will be there for candlelight what can we expect as far as crowds and things.

Are you there for the whole Candlelight weekend (12/5 and 12/6)? I have not been to the parks on a Candlelight Saturday in many years, but I have been there on a Candlelight Sunday quite a few times.

What I have been told about the Saturdays is that they are extremely busy. Last year Candlelight weekend was excessively crowded by most accounts, but it was not solely due to Candlelight crowds. It was due to a perfect storm of Candlelight, a nearby pharmacy convention that involved the attendees staying onsite at DLR hotels and visiting the parks, and a previously unknown event called RaverDay (which has apparently been happening for years, but we just learned about it in 2014). All 3 of these things brought tons of people to the parks over that whole weekend.

This year there is no pharmacy convention in town, and RaverDay is happening on the following weekend instead (starting 12/12), so the Candlelight crowds should be back to normal.

I have found that on Sunday Candlelight days, Disneyland starts out not being too crowded, but by mid-to-late afternoon it really picks up and Main Street gets super crowded. Add to that the various parades and fireworks happening throughout the day and night, with Candlelight sandwiched in between, and there will be a lot of people in the second half of the day.

A lot of the crowds are caused by people trying to escape what they think are going to be huge Candlelight crowds! That's the "crowds causing crowds while avoiding crowds" effect I often speak of. The people who are trying to avoid what they think will be Candlelight crowds end up piling onto Main Street and into Town Square to escape, en masse. And that makes Town Square and Main Street crowded! If they stayed put somewhere in the back of the park, Town Square probably wouldn't be as bad.

Candlelight -- if it keeps the same time schedule this year -- should be over each night by 9 p.m. After that the crowds thin out substantially, and then whoever is left in the park congregates for nighttime entertainment, or in front of the 'shiny spots' -- such as It's a Small World Holiday and the Winter Castle.

 

[Kauai4life]

Aloha Sherry,
We arrive December 3-10. I read somewhere and please correct me if I am wrong, that Fantasmic only runs on weekends in December? My plan right now has us in the parks on Saturday and Sunday. I cant change our dates now that airline tickets are booked. I am not going to stress about the possible massive crowds it is what it is. I will just keep watching this excellent thread.

 

[lorijohnhill]

Are you there for the whole Candlelight weekend (12/5 and 12/6)? I have not been to the parks on a Candlelight Saturday in many years, but I have been there on a Candlelight Sunday quite a few times.

What I have been told about the Saturdays is that they are extremely busy. Last year Candlelight weekend was excessively crowded by most accounts, but it was not solely due to Candlelight crowds. It was due to a perfect storm of Candlelight, a nearby pharmacy convention that involved the attendees staying onsite at DLR hotels and visiting the parks, and a previously unknown event called RaverDay (which has apparently been happening for years, but we just learned about it in 2014). All 3 of these things brought tons of people to the parks over that whole weekend.

This year there is no pharmacy convention in town, and RaverDay is happening on the following weekend instead (starting 12/12), so the Candlelight crowds should be back to normal.

I have found that on Sunday Candlelight days, Disneyland starts out not being too crowded, but by mid-to-late afternoon it really picks up and Main Street gets super crowded. Add to that the various parades and fireworks happening throughout the day and night, with Candlelight sandwiched in between, and there will be a lot of people in the second half of the day.

A lot of the crowds are caused by people trying to escape what they think are going to be huge Candlelight crowds! That's the "crowds causing crowds while avoiding crowds" effect I often speak of. The people who are trying to avoid what they think will be Candlelight crowds end up piling onto Main Street and into Town Square to escape, en masse. And that makes Town Square and Main Street crowded! If they stayed put somewhere in the back of the park, Town Square probably wouldn't be as bad.

Candlelight -- if it keeps the same time schedule this year -- should be over each night by 9 p.m. After that the crowds thin out substantially, and then whoever is left in the park congregates for nighttime entertainment, or in front of the 'shiny spots' -- such as It's a Small World Holiday and the Winter Castle.

I'll be interested to hear how well the Candlelight crowds play with the PTN and Disneyland Forever crowds. Seeing as how both crowds will need to be in the same place at the same time, it should be very interesting.