First-Time Visitor has questions for December/January Trip

[CardinalsFan]

First of all, this is my first post, after reading much of what's already available out there, and I want to start of by saying THANK YOU to all of you who voluntarily supply us with so much information!

My family (DW 32, DD7, DD3 and me, 37) will be visiting DL for the first time this winter. We were first considering an early January trip (Saturday, January 5th through Thursday, January 10th) in 2008, but after learning much on this forum, we believe we'll pull the kids out of school in early December instead, settling on Saturday, December 8th through Thursday, December 13th, 2007. Saturday and Thursday are travel days, with Sunday through Wednesday in the parks. Reasons for bumping up the dates:

• We want a chance to visit during the Year of a Million Dreams promotion, which ends at the end of the 2007 calendar year
• (slightly) better weather in early December as opposed to early January?
• A chance to experience the BEFORE-Christmas magic instead of the AFTER-Christmas magic

The weird Saturday-to-Thursday itinerary is all about cost savings and minimizing weekend days in the parks. We can travel from Kansas City to the Ontario airport via Southwest Airlines for $654 (including taxes/fees!) if we avoid Friday and Sunday travel. I can't believe that rate! It is part of the reason we decided to do this trip. That, and the excitement built after reading this forum!

We're not locked-in to those dates (yet); I hope to buy the airline tickets soon before we lose the opportunity for the best flights. My first question (#1) is about those dates: IS THERE A BETTER CHOICE IN DECEMBER FOR FOUR DAYS IN THE PARKS? Today, after reading on this forum, I learned that the Electrical Parade operates seasonally, and it might be dark during our proposed timing, but if we delayed by a week, it would be running. So that is an example of the data points I'm looking for from y'all... any other benefits to being in the parks on 12/16 through 12/19 instead? More opportunities for fireworks and parades and shows? Any negative consequences to delaying by a week? Bigger crowds? More expensive hotel rates?

Second question (#2): Since Disney hasn't/won't publish them yet, WHAT ARE THE PARK OPERATING HOURS FOR SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY IN DECEMBER? For those of you who visited in early December 2006 - do you remember what time the parks opened/closed?

We are Costco members. We're not AAA members. We do get an Entertainment book every year (school fundraiser). I've been using the Costco Travel site to help price out lodging options. There's no way we're going to afford a stay at a Disney-owned property, so it's Good Neighbor for us. After I read many, many threads, you all had me talked into the Candy Cane Inn, but my wife really wants a suite so we can put the kids down for a nap mid-day in a room separate from us. And she feels like we'll be "constantly on top of one another" in a small CCI room, leading to stress/tension not necessary when we're on vacation. I'll bet we'll be going back to the room each day for a park break, so I want to optimize travel time to-and-from the park. Also, a free breakfast is important to me, as a time-saver and money-saver. So, knowing that we don't want to be on top of one another in a small room, and that we would ideally like to have a separate sleeping area for the kids to nap in, and we don't want to spend a lot of time traveling to-and-from the hotel for a park break, and a decent free breakfast is important, the next question (#3) is WHICH GOOD NEIGHBOR HOTEL OPTION IS OPTIMAL FOR US?

Thanks in advance for your responses. I'm sure I'll have more questions specific to our visit later, but these are the important ones so I can get started on reservations.

 

[HydroGuy]

Here is what happened in Dec. 2006: www.laughingplace.com/Guide-Cal-DL-200612.asp.

The YOAMD is being extended to 2008. Guess they will have to rename it to Year and a Half of a Million Dreams.

I have never stayed at either of these, but the Park Vue Inn and Desert Inn & Suites are close to the DLR gates and have suites with separate rooms. If you do not mind being a little further away, there is also the Residence Inn.

I think Saturday - Thursday is good. See the Fireworks on Sat night and Fantasmic and/or DEP on Sunday night. DEP showings have been a bit inconsistent, and reports of it going away forever (again) are common.

 

[CardinalsFan]

I found my own answer to question #2, as far as last year's December schedule.

I found it at www dot laughingplace dot com/Guide-Cal-DLR2-200612.asp (I can't post links yet, but I'll turn this into a link if I can edit this post later).

So it appears that if I make the following assumptions:

• 12/9/2007 - 12/12/2007 will be like 12/10/2006 - 12/13/2006, and
• 12/16/2007 - 12/19/2007 will be like 12/17/2006 - 12/20/2006

then it appears that the later week will have greatly expanded operating hours and much better opportunities for shows!

Follow-up questions:
Will the later week therefore have bigger crowds?
If my kids are 7 and 4 at the time, do I really care if the parks are open super-late, since we won't be able to last that long anyway?

Thanks again in advance for any help you're able to offer!

 

[CardinalsFan]

Thanks Trey! Looks like we found the schedule answer at about the same time!

 

[Saavy?]

Question #1:
I do Disneyland every December only.
I used to visit anytime from the 15th up to the 23rd (do vacation there, fly to parents for Christmas Eve, make it all one long trip).
My advice to you is stick to your dates.
DO NOT VISIT AFTER THE 14th.
The schools down in that area let out for the Holiday, and the parks are miserably crowded from that date on. It gets worse, the closer you approach Christmas day.
My strategy this year is to do 12-3 to 12-9.
Good reasons to go at this time:
1.) The Candlelight Processional may be on the 2nd weekend this year. If so, that is a delightful bonus. It will be more crowded those two days, but well worth it.
http://www.laughingplace.com/Lotion-View-331.asp
2.) Although the park is becoming more crowded in December, you still have a better chance of lower crowds in early December. I went earlier one year and was amazed at how you could zip around the park with barely any waiting time on rides, and not have to be elbow-to-elbow with the other visitors. Then the schools let out and it was crowded, miserable, and very long wait times for everything.
3.) With your dates, you will still get the parades, Fantasmic!, and the good shows on the weekend.
4.) The weather is usually great in December. Not too cold, and NOT hot. Wear layers, some days are T-shirt weather, other days are ski sweater weather.
5.) Your January dates fall in the "insane" category because it is still busy at that time.

Hope this helped a little.

 

[CardinalsFan]

That helps a lot! Exactly the kind of first-hand experience I'm seeking!

I have been pouring over the 2006 schedule, and getting upset about the lack of operating hours and shows during the earlier dates, but if it's going to be that crowded, then forget it!

I'm now wondering if we could skip naps on Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday since DL is only open 9a - 8p, and CA even less than that. Then the proximity of the hotel isn't quite as important.

Maybe we'll fly in a little earlier on Saturday and get 5-day tickets (instead of 4-day) and go into the park on Saturday night, to enjoy some of the stuff only offered on the weekend. I dunno, we'll be two hours ahead of local time (coming from Central Time Zone to the Pacific Time Zone that day), so I have a feeling we'll be beat, and we should try to go to bed early and get up early for the 8am park opening on Sunday morning.

Lots to think about!

 

[CardinalsFan]

Well, saavy, looks like we'll just miss you this year. My DW has informed me that she needs the first 9 days of December available for work (she does in-home party sales) so she can make her sales quota, and she especially needs that Saturday night, December 8th. I guess she has to do all of her selling in the first week or so of December, because everyone's too busy to host those parties during the last few weeks of December. She wanted me to delay our trip a week, and I had to explain the crowd issues, etc.

So, we're going to head out on Monday, December 10th, and have Tuesday through Friday in the parks (4 day parkhoppers). We'll check out and leave for home on Saturday, December 15th.

I think this could work out well - our first day in the park (Tuesday) can be our Early Entry day (while we're excited and full of energy and my daughters can do Fantasyland right away), on Wednesday morning we can do Mickey's ToonTown Morning Madness, on Thursday morning we can take it easy and maybe do our character breakfast, and on Friday morning maybe we can attempt Nemo and have lunch at Ariel's Grotto. We'll probably save most of DCA for Friday, since it's open a bit longer, and that's the day we'll see Aladdin, the Block Party, and close down DCA with the debut of the Electrical Parade for the 2007 holiday season. Then scoot over to DL for the late viewing of Fantasmic. Hope the kiddos can stay awake! At least that's our final night, so we can sleep late the next morning before packing up and checking out.

Anybody see any issues with those plans?

 

[Hound 109]

Looks like a good plan.

The other advantage of doing EE the first day (Tuesday) is that the time zone change works in your favor (easier to get up).

What's the price difference between a 4 day & a 5 day hopper? Might be worth it for a couple of hours in DL before heading to the airport.

Have fun.

hound -

 

[CardinalsFan]

OK, we're definitely going!

Yesterday, I got the Entertainment Book rate ($54) for a Deluxe room (two queen beds, overlooking the garden pool) at the Howard Johnson Anaheim, for 5 nights. So, the hotel reservations are done. Should I expect the total to be $54 x 5, plus 15% tax (i.e., [54*5]*1.15 = $310.50)?

Today, I jumped on the cheap Southwest Airlines fare ($69 each way, before taxes/fees) between Kansas City and the Ontario airport. $656 total after taxes/fees.

We'll take the SuperShuttle from-and-to the Ontario airport, at a cost of $60 each way for the four of us (after using the $2 off per person each way coupon in the Entertainment Book). I'll make those reservations a little closer to our travel date.

Next up: find cheapest possible option for purchase of 4-day (or maybe 5-day) parkhopper tickets, character breakfast (Goofy's Kitchen?) for Thursday morning (12/13), and princess lunch at Ariel's Grotto on Friday (12/14).

I'll also be monitoring eBay for four MTTMM tickets for Wednesday morning (12/12) - unless anyone here wants to donate some unused MTTMM tickets!

So, the "special event" schedule is:
Tuesday, 12/11: EE into Fantasyland
Wednesday, 12/12: MTTMM in ToonTown
Thursday, 12/13: character breakfast before going to parks
Friday, 12/14: lunch at Ariel's Grotto, spend most of the day in DCA

We're so excited! We're going to try to make this a surprise Christmas gift for the kids!

 

[stampinshauna]

Next up: find cheapest possible option for purchase of 4-day (or maybe 5-day) parkhopper tickets

If you get your tickets from disneyland.com you can get the advance purchase price. The 5 day is only $10 more than the 4 day, so if you'll be there for a few hours on your travel day, it may be worth the extra $10. I have heard of another site ARES travel that has discounted tickets, but it isn't much of a savings and then you have to pay shipping, so I'd suggest sticking with disneyland.com

Have fun planning and have a wonderful trip!

 

[CardinalsFan]

Our flight home isn't until 4:30pm on Saturday the 15th, so I do think we'll go with 5-day parkhoppers, and spend some of Saturday morning in the parks.

I mean, what else are we gonna do until we leave for the airport around 1pm?

 

[NVDisMom]

We made the mistake of not getting PH for our last partial day before we went home ONCE. We were all so bumed to not go back, hit a few favorites before going home. Believe it or not, you need achance to say goodbye. Its well worh the extra $40 for 4 people for a few hours in the am.