Disneyland in Dec Questions from Newbie

[fam4jc]

Hi. I haven't been to Disneyland in oh, about 25 years! We were planning on going back to WDW for Dec 05 for our 10th anniversary and MVMCP, but... I got to thinking about going to Disneyland instead. Is the magic there for the holidays like it is at WDW? Do they have the Christmas party also? How will the crowds be for early December? Which resort for 2 adults and 2 dd's (6 & 8). How do I get discounts? I haveAAA and disney visa.

Basically, do you think we should fly from SC to CA for three days (four nights) just to grab some holiday cheer Mickey style? (I do )

 

[iceskatejen]

DL doesn't do the Christmas party, but I can't get into the holidays until I've seen DL dressed up for Christmas, so if that's magic, then yes, it has magic. Early Dec is never crowded, except on weekends. DL does have special holiday fireworks and "snow" though.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I agree with iceskatejen. Even though DL doesn't have the MVMCP, there is a lot going on at Christmas time, beginning in November, and you do not have to pay extra for any of it (except the cookies):

* The whole resort is decorated & a HUGE Christmas tree stands in Town Square
* Haunted Mansion is made over to the Nightmare Before Christmas theme (October)
* It's a Small World Holiday - where the dolls sing Jingle Bells & much more
* Holiday fireworks and snow fall nightly
* Dickens carolers light the tree at dusk and sing on Main Street
* Christmas Parade begins around Thanksgiving weekend
* Christmas treats in restaurants and the candy stores on Main Street & Downtown Disney
* Pics with Santa and with Santa Goofy
* Decorating Christmas cookies for a nominal fee
* Santa's Beach Blast in California Adventure

 

[LucyKate]

We were there from December 1-5 last year and everything is exactly as Mary Jo describes - there was a wonderful Christmas (I hate the word holidays) feel to the place. The Small World and Haunted Mansion Rides were superbly done, and the Christmas lights and parade were truly magic.

Best of all no crowds! No queues even for rides like Pirates, Haunted Mansion or Splash Mountain - walk straight on! It is abolsutely the best time to go.

We have 2 daughters aged 9 and 6 and we stayed at the Howard Johnson - which was superb. Rooms were a decent size, there was a great heated pool that we swam in even on very cold nights, service is superb, there's a great family restaurant across the street - Mimis and a great shop in the lobby with everything you need. It's a 10 minute walk and is also very cheap (especially at that time of the year).

 

[got2travel]

I've heard that the Haunted Mansion won't be re-done this year so those folks visiting for the 50th won't miss out on what its normally like. Not sure if the same logic is going for Small World.

However, even if they don't redo these 2 attractions, DL is still magical during the holidays.