Lots of early Dec/CP/Holiday Tour/CM party questions!

[liesel]

Hi there, we are planning a trip for early December. Our socal dates will be Nov 26-Dec 9. We are spending Thanksgiving with the inlaws and have to leave on the 9th because that is when my airline voucher expires. We have deluxe APs which are blocked out Nov 26, 27, and 28th and are thinkingof arriving in Anaheim, around Dec 3. Anyway, we will be there during Candelight Processional and are wondering how long the show is, where it is, and how many people it pulls away from the rides. Also, I noticed that the socal passes are blocked out on Sat but not on Sun, so would this make Sunday the more crowded day? Is the Thurs and Fri before pretty packed as well? Is the CP crowd mostly locals, tourists, or a combo of both? Also, if anyone has done the holiday tour and can give details? Do kids like it? TIA!

 

[liesel]

any early december vets out there?

 

[liesel]

anyone...bueller?

Here's hoping someone has some info!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

The show is 50 minutes long (I think) and is performed twice on Saturday and twice on Sunday. The show is tremendous, but be prepared because it will bring huge crowds into Disneyland itself. It takes place on Town Square with a big stage set up in front of the train station facing the castle. The show will delay the start of the fireworks each evening by 15-20 minutes if memory serves me correctly.

Seating is extremely difficult if you can't get dinner package tickets, which are pricey. The first show is always tougher to get seats for than the second, but both will require waiting a long time(90 minutes at least) to get your seat. Best bet is to wait for the second show and ask a CM for help on where to go to get seats for the 2nd performance shortly after the 1st one ends. Do this before the 1st performance.

That said, I loved the show and highly recommend it, though it may not work for younger children with short attention spans. Guests should know that the Candlelight Processional tells the story of the birth of Jesus Christ and features many beautiful performances of beloved Christmas hymns. It is a very religious show and does not focus at all on secular holiday traditions. The processional starts at Small World and follows the parade route down to Main Street, with the choir members holding candles and singing Christmas hymns about the birth of Jesus. A celebrity narrator will then read the Christmas story from the Bible interspersed with choir numbers and trumpeters from the roof of the train station.

I recommend that anyone of a Christian faith visiting Disneyland during the Processional do what they need to in order to experience this tremendous Disneyland tradition dating back to Walt's time. It is beautiful.

 

[liesel]

Thank you so much for the info!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Glad to be of help. If possible, I recommend having at least one regular weekday on an early December visit. The crowds are extremely light, but the park is all decorated for the season and the holiday fireworks and parade are running too (even when the park closes early).

 

[wendithepooh]

We will be there thefirst full week in Dec. I really want my kids to see the percession but I really don't want the crowds. I guess I can't have them both, huh. It really is a neat thing to watch. I was in it in like in 1986. Our guest host was Craig T. Nelson. It was a highlight in my life and I like to brag a little about being able to sing inside Disneyland. It would be fun to see it from the other side of the walkway. I hope my kids will enjoy it as well.

Have fun while you are there.

 

[cccdisney]

The show is 50 minutes long (I think) and is performed twice on Saturday and twice on Sunday. The show is tremendous, but be prepared because it will bring huge crowds into Disneyland itself. It takes place on Town Square with a big stage set up in front of the train station facing the castle. The show will delay the start of the fireworks each evening by 15-20 minutes if memory serves me correctly.

Seating is extremely difficult if you can't get dinner package tickets, which are pricey. The first show is always tougher to get seats for than the second, but both will require waiting a long time(90 minutes at least) to get your seat. Best bet is to wait for the second show and ask a CM for help on where to go to get seats for the 2nd performance shortly after the 1st one ends. Do this before the 1st performance.

That said, I loved the show and highly recommend it, though it may not work for younger children with short attention spans. Guests should know that the Candlelight Processional tells the story of the birth of Jesus Christ and features many beautiful performances of beloved Christmas hymns. It is a very religious show and does not focus at all on secular holiday traditions. The processional starts at Small World and follows the parade route down to Main Street, with the choir members holding candles and singing Christmas hymns about the birth of Jesus. A celebrity narrator will then read the Christmas story from the Bible interspersed with choir numbers and trumpeters from the roof of the train station.

I recommend that anyone of a Christian faith visiting Disneyland during the Processional do what they need to in order to experience this tremendous Disneyland tradition dating back to Walt's time. It is beautiful.

Thank you for this awesome review! I am going to ask my dh to make this my (early) Christmas present this year.

 

[liesel]

Glad to be of help. If possible, I recommend having at least one regular weekday on an early December visit. The crowds are extremely light, but the park is all decorated for the season and the holiday fireworks and parade are running too (even when the park closes early).

Is the Friday before CP usually light or do the crowds start to build for the weekend? That is one of the days we are planning on going, as well as the Monday and Tuesday after, which I heard are usually the CM parties.

 

[Tasmen]

When is the processional this year?

 

[DoOverDreams]

This sounds wonderful! So, if we plan on being there the first week of December, the Candlelight Processional will be going on? Trying to get a feel for dates.

Thank you!

 

[disneyfan4ever54]

When is the processional this year?

The dates haven't been announced yet but it is usually the first weekend of December, so that would be the 6th and the 7th (Sat. and Sun). There are two shows nightly at 5:30 and 8:00 P.M.

 

[Tasmen]

The dates haven't been announced yet but it is usually the first weekend of December, so that would be the 6th and the 7th (Sat. and Sun). There are two shows nightly at 5:30 and 8:00 P.M.

It's just a show up and hear type of thing or do you need tickets? We are going to be there at that time as well. It sounds like something my mother and Aunt would practically pee all over themselves to attend. It's right up their alley of interest.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Disneyland offers dinner packages for the processional, but the cheapest ones run around $80 per person (including dinner and a seat) and are sold only online. They have always sold out extremely quickly, leaving many people frustrated that they couldn't get tickets.

However, even if you can't get dinner package tickets, you can still get a seat. You'll just have to camp out for it. I would not describe it as a hear them sing as you walk by kind of event. While they do walk and sing from Small World down to the end of Main Street, that part is very short. The show itself once they take their places is about 50 minutes long, so you'll have to be seated somewhere for the duration of the show. And again, you'll really only be able to see and hear the performance from Town Square. Some views of the performance are blocked by trees, flagpoles, etc. as well.

Because Fridays tend to be busy, I would plan on heavier crowds the Friday before the processional anyways. However, the Thursday before the processional last year was not crowded at all. My sister and brother-in-law walked right onto Haunted Mansion Holiday. On Friday, we needed FP tickets.

 

[disneyfan4ever54]

It's just a show up and hear type of thing or do you need tickets? We are going to be there at that time as well. It sounds like something my mother and Aunt would practically pee all over themselves to attend. It's right up their alley of interest.

LOL......too funny! It's absolutely beautiful and I do recommend everyone go at least once if they think they might be interested in it. There are dining packages which include a reserved seat. I think they started at around $85 last year (not sure about the exact price). The tickets have been very hard to get in the past years. They release them online at a certain time and the site has gotten so flooded that some people who wanted tickets weren't able to get them. There are also a limited number of seats that they release to the general public after you wait in a standby line. You can also just stand to see the show.
We went last year and were able to sit on the far edge of the wall near City Hall and only had a side view of the stage, but it was fine for us. I had a sprained ankle and couldn't stand for long. I hope it works out for you to see the show. It really is worth it IMO.
(SleeplessKnight: I was typing my response as you entered yours, so sorry for duplicating some of your information.

 

[ballarinamom]

I wanted to chime in about the Holiday tour. We did this last November. We really enjoyed and I plan on doing it again this November. There were two times offered as there were two parades. We opted for the 4:30 so we could see the ight parade. They gave us head phones to hear the tour guide. He showed us some secret spots along Mainstreet that had Holiday traditions behind them. We learned facts about some of the traditions of the park decorations and Walt's favorite things. We got to the front of the line to ride HM. Rode the train from New Orleans Square Station to Toontown. We got to ride front of the line on IASW. After we got hot cocoa and gingerbread cookies to enjoy from our front row seats, we watch the parade. It was nice just walking up, sitting down and having the parade come by a few minutes later! We also each received front of the line passes to use on any ride we wanted! It was worth it just to have seats for the parade.
The main reason we did it was because IASW was closed the refurb and was scheduled to open the day AFTER we were leaving. We thought it would help our chances of getting in on the soft opening. But they reopened early. However the lines were INSANE. Front of the line was a nice perk.
Also, our first trip for the holidays, we waited forever for the parade to star. We saw this group of folks run in at the last minuts, sit in nice padded seats and sipping on hot cocoa. DH asked who are they and how did they get there. So the next time, we were them!

 

[ballarinamom]

Also, with the holiday tour, there was no AAA discount like on some of the tours. But, we booked with a Chase Visa, not a Disney Visa. But the first 4 numbers were the same as a Disney visa, so our CM on the phone gave us the 20% discount.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

The dates haven't been announced yet but it is usually the first weekend of December, so that would be the 6th and the 7th (Sat. and Sun). There are two shows nightly at 5:30 and 8:00 P.M.

If we are talking 2009, that would be Sat 12/5 and Sun 12/6. Last year, it was the 5th and 6th. -- Suzanne

 

[disneyfan4ever54]

If we are talking 2009, that would be Sat 12/5 and Sun 12/6. Last year, it was the 5th and 6th. -- Suzanne

Thanks.....I just looked at the calendar wrong. I think you meant to say that last year it was the 6th and 7th. We both had the wrong dates.....LOL

 

[liesel]

I wanted to chime in about the Holiday tour. We did this last November. We really enjoyed and I plan on doing it again this November. There were two times offered as there were two parades. We opted for the 4:30 so we could see the ight parade. They gave us head phones to hear the tour guide. He showed us some secret spots along Mainstreet that had Holiday traditions behind them. We learned facts about some of the traditions of the park decorations and Walt's favorite things. We got to the front of the line to ride HM. Rode the train from New Orleans Square Station to Toontown. We got to ride front of the line on IASW. After we got hot cocoa and gingerbread cookies to enjoy from our front row seats, we watch the parade. It was nice just walking up, sitting down and having the parade come by a few minutes later! We also each received front of the line passes to use on any ride we wanted! It was worth it just to have seats for the parade.
The main reason we did it was because IASW was closed the refurb and was scheduled to open the day AFTER we were leaving. We thought it would help our chances of getting in on the soft opening. But they reopened early. However the lines were INSANE. Front of the line was a nice perk.
Also, our first trip for the holidays, we waited forever for the parade to star. We saw this group of folks run in at the last minuts, sit in nice padded seats and sipping on hot cocoa. DH asked who are they and how did they get there. So the next time, we were them!

Thanks for the description. My inlaws might come with us and really enjoy looking at holiday decorations. My MIL had back surgery in Feb and we will most likely be renting an ECV for her. I thought the front of the line privileges plus the seating for the parade would be great for them. Thanks so much again for the response!