Disneyland Christmas

[adelaster]

Hello!

I am looking at the possibility of getting out to California to experience Disneyland at Christmas. My work limits my availability, so I would be looking at a 3-4 night stay somewhere in the following dates.

Monday, November 26, 2018 - Sunday, December 2, 2018

Sunday, December 16, 2018 - Saturday, December 22, 2018

Obviously weekdays are probably better. I've looked at passholder blackout dates- doesn't seem like that will make much of an impact.

Our last visit was May of 2017, & one of our two park days was a gradnight. I didn't love how crowded the park got- in fact it closed at capacity later that week.

If ride closures are a factor, please do mention it. On my last visit Indiana Jones, the monorail, The train, mark twain riverboat, the canoes, and maybe a few other things were down. Thunder Mountain Railroad kept going down too. Would love to see the park mostly functioning, and obviously holiday overlays on it's a small world and haunted mansion, etc.

I'd be looking at a walking distance hotel most likely, as I am not sure on the availability/price of renting DVC at the grand californian or shouldering the cost of the disneyland hotel. We stayed at the park vue inn last time and enjoyed it.

Not sure at this point about car rental. Might just rely on lyft, but we may go with the rental and if we do it'll definitely be a stay at a hotel with parking. Mentioning this in case there is a difference in traffic that is worth noting.

I absolutely fell in love on my first visit, and am eager to experience the holidays before the crowds explode with Star Wars. Thank you in advance for any input!

 

[midnight star]

I would guess that late November and early December would have smaller crowds than the dates closer to Christmas. However, since you said your works limits when you can go, I would base your trip off of that rather than crowd predictions. Usually during this time of the year, there are little to no ride closures since it's the peak season. Even the water rides are going. Ride breakdowns can happen, but there aren't many planned closures. Small World and Haunted Mansion have notable holiday layovers. There's a Christmas parade. And of course there are a ton of decorations on both sides. I would look into MaxPass as well to help with doing more attractions.

I am local so I have never stayed on site, or in the hotels near the park, but I am sure some other posters can give tips on lodging and the early magic hours.

One big tip I can give when going during this time of year is to be flexible. This past Christmas season there was a power outage, which caused frustrations (understandably so). But if something out of your control happens, just go with it.Christmas time at DL is very magical. The atmosphere is amazing! I think I almost cried once when the snow started to fall on Main Street.

Hopefully this is helpful! I felt like I kind of rambled lol.

 

[katyringo]

Well.. we are going the 24-28th. The days following thanksgiving weekend were very low crowds last year. I’m curious to see the difference in our trips. We went the week between Christmas and New Years last haha. Crazy crowds but still amazing trip.

The more I learn from disboards and other related blogs is that low crowds at Disneyland are random, and really hard to predict now a days. There really isn’t a slow time.

The one thing I loved about max pass was if a ride went down while we had a fastpass for it that fast pass turned into a multiple expirence fast pass for almost any other fastpass ride. It took that sting of the ride going down for us. It happened to us twice in 3 days.

 

[Malcon10t]

Just a heads up, Candlelight Processional should be Dec 1st and 2nd, if it follows the normal dates.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I’d do late Nov. We did week before Xmas this year think APs blocked + some schools still in session... omg SO busy!!! EVERYONE thought that week was a great time to Xmas at DLR.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

This recent thread has a lot of good information for deciding on a hotel at DLR: https://www.disboards.com/threads/choosing-the-right-dlr-area-hotel-for-you.3656512/. If you rent a car, some hotels (like the Candy Cane Inn) still have free parking. CCI also has a private shuttle, so you wouldn't have to worry about paying for parking at the DLR lots. I agree with the advice to choose the dates that fit your work schedule best. Holiday Time at DLR is a busy time, but with good planning and a positive attitude, you can have a wonderful time no matter what the crowd levels.

 

[Bossy22]

I'm kind of sad we went for Christmas. Due to my job it was a once in a lifetime and now all my wife talks about is how she would like to go again at Christmas!!! It is truly magical and well worth the trip!!!

 

[adelaster]

Well, as of right now it's the week after Thanksgiving or the week of Christmas.

Leaning towards November. Anything we'd be missing by going earlier in the season?

 

[PHXscuba]

Well, as of right now it's the week after Thanksgiving or the week of Christmas.

Leaning towards November. Anything we'd be missing by going earlier in the season?

Everything should be decorated and running by Thanksgiving. The parks get it first and then the hotels and DTD. Who knows if anything will be scaled back with DTD/hotel construction this year? You might run into the Candlelight Processional as someone pointed out but that isn't too hard to avoid if you know it's happening and your options.

I love Christmastime at Disneyland. The holiday entertainment is the best!

PHXscuba

 

[chickapin parterre]

cold weather, winds......and I almost said hand made candy canes, but the schedule on those treats is available any weekly holiday visitor...and crowds... 2018 is the last year to have a week after thanksgiving for a long time to come.

 

[adelaster]

Everything should be decorated and running by Thanksgiving. The parks get it first and then the hotels and DTD. Who knows if anything will be scaled back with DTD/hotel construction this year? You might run into the Candlelight Processional as someone pointed out but that isn't too hard to avoid if you know it's happening and your options.

I love Christmastime at Disneyland. The holiday entertainment is the best!

PHXscuba

Thanks- I'm sure it's beautiful!

cold weather, winds......and I almost said hand made candy canes, but the schedule on those treats is available any weekly holiday visitor...and crowds... 2018 is the last year to have a week after thanksgiving for a long time to come.

Well I'll have plenty of cold & wind at home! I'm trying to do it this year as I know crowds are only going to increase in the foreseeable future. Thanks for your imput!