DLR at Christmas ?

[adisneymama]

For all of you vets, we are planning on visiting DLR 12/22/10 - 12/28/10. Do the park opening hours tend to stay the same or do they open earlier? Also, what time would we need to be in line to get in? I know the parks are packed during that time. Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[DLR29]

Park hours during that time will be (every day):

DL- 8AM-12AM
DCA- 10AM-9 or 10PM

The earlier you are in your trip, the less crowded it will be (22nd will be the least crowded, 28th the most). Arriving 15-30 min before 8AM during the first couple days should be ok, but if you really want a head start on crowds from the 25th on, I recommend being at the gates 45-60 min before 8AM.

 

[adisneymama]

Park hours during that time will be (every day):

DL- 8AM-12AM
DCA- 10AM-9 or 10PM

The earlier you are in your trip, the less crowded it will be (22nd will be the least crowded, 28th the most). Arriving 15-30 min before 8AM during the first couple days should be ok, but if you really want a head start on crowds from the 25th on, I recommend being at the gates 45-60 min before 8AM.

Thanks for the info! A few more questions if you don't mind. We are currently booked at Candy Cane Inn but are thinking of switching to either PPH or DLH. Which one would be the most convenient to DL? What is the best way to get to DL? I'm not as worried about DCA because we will most likely go to DL first and then over to DCA. If we stay at DLH would it be faster to walk to the park in the mornings or ride the monorail? Where does the monorail drop us at? Ok that is a lot of questions! I'm sure I'll have more, but am so thankful for all your help!

 

[Jupiter&Wolfe]

I would recommend staying at DLH as far as convenience. It's pretty much connected to Downtown Disney. Just walk through DTD and boom, you're at DL. With PPH, you have to go across some parking lots and such. Same goes for DCA, as their entrances are right across from each other. Plus, DLH is AWESOME to stay at. High class, a disney fan's ultimate dream...I loooved DLH.

First thing in the morning, I would recommend just walking if you're coming from DLH. You're already inside of DTD when you reach the monorail entrance, and the walk isn't very long at all and it's lovely to walk through DTD. If you do take the monorail, it would drop you off in Tomorrowland....and I could be wrong but I don't think you would get to DL via monorail until after it opened.

Have fun with whatever you choose!

 

[adisneymama]

How long do you think it would take to walk to the entrance of DL? Thanks for the info!

 

[tinkcollector]

The walk from DLH to DL is about a 10 to 15 minute walk. I have stayed at the PPH once over the Holidays. I would suggest the DLH, GCH or the PPH over the Candy Cane because if DL reaches capacity, you are treated as a special guest and allowed in. The Monorail is not like the one at WDW. It only goes from DTD to TL. But, it would be your shortest distance if staying at the DLH or the PPH.

 

[adisneymama]

The walk from DLH to DL is about a 10 to 15 minute walk. I have stayed at the PPH once over the Holidays. I would suggest the DLH, GCH or the PPH over the Candy Cane because if DL reaches capacity, you are treated as a special guest and allowed in. The Monorail is not like the one at WDW. It only goes from DTD to TL. But, it would be your shortest distance if staying at the DLH or the PPH.

Do you have to book your room and tickets as a package to get that perk? Or do you just show your room key? The reason I ask is because when I price out buying the tickets and reserving a room only vs a room/ticket package it is $130 more for the package? I can't figure out where that money is coming from. I have no dining on there and 5 day park hoppers at the same resort, same standard view room, same dates etc. It isn't the insurance either.

 

[sonnyjane]

I believe when you book a package, they already include the $14/day (or whatever it is) "resort fee" in the price, but if you just book the room, you'd have to add that onto your bill. There are also a few extra perks, like priority seating for some attractions, if you book the package. Not saying that's how I justify the cost, but that's how Disney justifies it

 

[adisneymama]

I thought of that too, but it is only $84 not $130. I really just can't figure this out! LOL I'm going to talk to Disney and see what they get!

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I thought of that too, but it is only $84 not $130. I really just can't figure this out! LOL I'm going to talk to Disney and see what they get!

Don't forget room tax which is like 15%.

 

[adisneymama]

Well it is official. We are booked at Disneyland Hotel!

 

[dstorm]

For all of you vets, we are planning on visiting DLR 12/22/10 - 12/28/10. Do the park opening hours tend to stay the same or do they open earlier? Also, what time would we need to be in line to get in? I know the parks are packed during that time. Any help is greatly appreciated!

We just returned from the parks over Christmas - I had many of the same questions you have.

DL actually filled to capacity in the days leading up to the 24th. Not all AP holders were blocked out until the 24th - so keep that in mind.

Christmas Eve at disneyland was much better than I expected - I dropped off the family near the gates 50 min before open then drove to the parking structure - Family was literally first in line at Gate 14 (this was a magic morning) -

We also noticed as all the queues built rapidly, Gate 14 did not, because a tree conveniently shields it from the masses and doesn't allow for an unobstructed line.

On Christmas Eve were were able to walk onto most rides in the morning (we did Fantasy Land during Magic Morning) without any problems (collected fastpasses when we could). The afternoon was a bit more crowded but not too bad. We took some advice from these boards and watched the fireworks from in front of Small World - (as a WDW vet, I always thought you would want the 'castle view' - but not the case for DL) - It was fantastic - so magical with Small World lit up and the 'snow' machines that blow after it's over.

Christmas Day (friday) was absolutely packed. Because we had hit nearly all the attractions on Christmas Eve (including a few in DCA!) we were a bit more 'lazy' Christmas morning and only showed up 40 min before opening. It was a zoo. But once in the park we had a great morning. Rode Mattahorn out of the gate (we crossed Nemo off the list day before) and basically re-visited many of the rides from the day before. We also hit Toontown on Christmas Day. Had a nice lunch at Carnation Cafe (avoided the long line by mentioning to the front desk we had a reservation!) - We then rode Grizzly River Run at DCA before heading back to the hotel.

Christmas dinner was at Carl's Jr (lol - everything else was closed and hadn't set reservations soon enough) and we returned for a great evening at the park - saw Fantasmic - when we returned to the park around 6:30pm I couldn't believe the crowds. It was a zoo. Difficult to move around the park - I was SOOOO glad we had already eaten - food lines were unbelievable and bathroom lines were very long as well - We just moved around the park and enjoyed our fast passes - then took in the 10:30pm Fantastmic show.

We also caught the fireworks over by the Rivers of America - great viewing location and they drop the snow as well - very magical indeed.

The Saturday after Christmas we 'slept in' a little bit - knowing we would do the later DCA start at 10am - arriving a bit later gave me an eye-opener of what the masses experience. The parking lot was a zoo. The Tram lines were unbelievable. We ended up walking from parking garage and took monorail to Tomorrowland - we arrived at 9am as Pixie Hollow opened at DL - daughter really wanted to visit - so we checked that off the list (I grabbed a couple fast passes during the time as well) -

We then headed to DCA for the 10am open - and enjoyed Toy Story Mania and all the pier attractions with little to no waiting. We took another afternoon break and I really couldn't believe how empty DCA was the Saturday after Christmas - Monster's Inc was a walk-on - We spent a lot of time in the Animation Academy. Saw both 3-D shows and then found a great spot on a bench and enjoyed hot chocolate and the electrical parade. (in 2010 may be a bit more crazy with new Water Show and any new attractions that open).

After DCA closed we wandered back over to DL and finished the trip enjoying Space Mountain for the 4th time, Autotopia (fast passed in the morning), Buzz Lightyear and It's a Small World.

Sorry for the novel - but just wanted to verify Christmas is MAGICAL at Disneyland and we managed the crowds very well with a little planning. Longest waits without question were the lines for the trams back to the parking garage at closing. But honestly I was glad we didn't have to hike very far back to an off-site hotel - Parking garage was very convenient for us to zip in and out of the parks to the hotel and back. If you're staying at the Disneyland Hotel you will be set with the monorail!!!!!

You will have a fantastic trip with a little preparation - great time to go to the parks!!!! Over 3-days (with early close Christmas Eve) and 2 long breaks on Christmas Day and the Saturday after Christmas we experienced pretty much everything in both parks and rode our favorite attractions 2 to 4 times.