Should we go for D23 or Halloween?

[o0quirkygirl0o]

So, my husband and I want to plan a Disneyland trip for 2015 (Yay for the 60th celebration!) but we are, unfortunately, indecisive on a few facets of our trip. We can't decide if we want to head down during August and do the parks in conjunction with the D23 expo or head down in late October as an anniversary trip.

First, why we want to go during D23. I'm a big Disney fan and my husband and I are both huge Star Wars fans. We figured by summer Disney would be pretty full throttle on Star Wars, impending the December release, and there would be some Star Wars information at D23. We would really enjoy that, as well as the rest of the Disney convention. The downside is that August is summer in California. (Though, it does mean there are longer park hours and more shows, which is nice.) That means hotter and with more crowds (or am I wrong?). We live in Vancouver and summer is lovely here, so we would be going from great weather to hotter weather. Not much of an escape. Both my husband and I haven't been to Disneyland since we were little children and we really want to take it all in and preferably not end up as puddles of sweat.

So, do we pick a late October anniversary trip? We had our honeymoon 2 years ago in Disney World and we thought going to Disneyland would be fun and a great callback. Halloween is my favorite holiday and I thought it could be great fun to check out the Halloween celebrations at Disney, Knott's, and Universal. And, if we took a longer trip we could even stay for the switch over from Halloween to Christmas at Disneyland. That in itself could be magical. The weather would have turned rainy here in Vancouver and the sun of California would be a great escape. But, there wouldn't be any special Star Wars information or Disney panels to attend. And, park hours would be shorter with some shows only running select days.

What do you think? Which should we pick? Neither of us are super familiar with Disneyland or D23. We are really trying to start a new branch in our Disney appreciation and I wanted to seek the advice of those more knowledgeable.

Thanks so much!!!

 

[starry_solo]

So, my husband and I want to plan a Disneyland trip for 2015 (Yay for the 60th celebration!) but we are, unfortunately, indecisive on a few facets of our trip. We can't decide if we want to head down during August and do the parks in conjunction with the D23 expo or head down in late October as an anniversary trip.

First, why we want to go during D23. I'm a big Disney fan and my husband and I are both huge Star Wars fans. We figured by summer Disney would be pretty full throttle on Star Wars, impending the December release, and there would be some Star Wars information at D23. We would really enjoy that, as well as the rest of the Disney convention. The downside is that August is summer in California. (Though, it does mean there are longer park hours and more shows, which is nice.) That means hotter and with more crowds (or am I wrong?). We live in Vancouver and summer is lovely here, so we would be going from great weather to hotter weather. Not much of an escape. Both my husband and I haven't been to Disneyland since we were little children and we really want to take it all in and preferably not end up as puddles of sweat.

So, do we pick a late October anniversary trip? We had our honeymoon 2 years ago in Disney World and we thought going to Disneyland would be fun and a great callback. Halloween is my favorite holiday and I thought it could be great fun to check out the Halloween celebrations at Disney, Knott's, and Universal. And, if we took a longer trip we could even stay for the switch over from Halloween to Christmas at Disneyland. That in itself could be magical. The weather would have turned rainy here in Vancouver and the sun of California would be a great escape. But, there wouldn't be any special Star Wars information or Disney panels to attend. And, park hours would be shorter with some shows only running select days.

What do you think? Which should we pick? Neither of us are super familiar with Disneyland or D23. We are really trying to start a new branch in our Disney appreciation and I wanted to seek the advice of those more knowledgeable.

Thanks so much!!!

While there may be some Star Wars news at D23, most of it will probably occur at the Star Wars Celebration 2015, happening in April (16-19) in Anaheim, CA

http://www.starwarscelebration.com/

I would plan to go in October, although it can still be warm in CA at that time of year (it didn't cool down until December this year). While we had a day or two of cooler weather in October and November, it wasn't consistently cool until December.

D23 will be nice, it has interesting panels but you're pretty much standing in line for long periods of time to get into those panels. You're also standing in line to get inside (long time) and to go shopping at the Disney Store they have at the center for D23.

 

[Sherry E]

o0quirkygirl0o --


Hello! Happy New Year!

Well, I thought I knew what my answer was going to be (and most people who know me on this board can guess that I would have suggested Halloween), but you make a very good case for both scenarios -- the Expo or Halloween Time.

I think it is expected by most people that there will be some exciting revelations or bits of news to come out of the Expo this year, because of the predicted increase in Star Wars' presence around DLR, and also because this is the year of Disneyland's 60th anniversary and it seems like a good time for a few big announcements.

The 60th will offer up some new entertainment (definitely a new nighttime parade, probably a new fireworks show and possibly a new Castle show) as well. That new entertainment may or may not carry into Fall/Halloween Time. Most likely it will last for the rest of the year, but we can't be 100% sure. Whatever the new entertainment may be, it will definitely be going on in August -- that much is certain. You may or may not want to see it.

Personally, I hate hot weather -- and August can often be one of the hottest months in Southern California. So it is a rare occasion when you will find me recommending an August trip over a Halloween or Holiday trip! I think that, in this case, August could be worthwhile for you.

However, Halloween Time at DLR is fun. Since it is your favorite holiday, I kind of think you should take your trip then, not just so you can enjoy Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort, but also at Knott's Scary Farm and Universal's Halloween Horror Nights, as you mentioned. There is also a Los Angeles Haunted Hayride (in the Hollywood hills), and Dark Harbor at the Queen Mary, if you wanted to expand your Halloween horizons a bit further. And Six Flags Magic Mountain has Fright Fest.

Plus, as you said, you could time it so that your Halloween trip lasted long enough to include some of the transformation into the Holiday season (again, most people who know me on this board know that I will never vote against a Holiday season or Holiday season-adjacent trip!).

So I am stumped as to what to tell you! I know I am of no help at all! All I can tell you is that I, personally, am a big champion of Halloween as a holiday, and of the Halloween season, the Holiday season, and any kind of festive holiday -- and I hate summer heat!

For your purposes, though, I think that you could have a great, full, rewarding trip for either the Expo or for Halloween season.

 

[SMD]

Judging by the last 2 D23s, unless you want to wait for hours in line to buy merchandise or wait before sunrise for a spot in the arena for a panel, it might not be worth it.

I agree with PP that any Star Wars information will be at Celebration. Generally once a trailer for a movie is out, they don't have much to tease at conventions. At Comic Con, movies come 13 months before their release, not 1 month before.

I'd plan an October trip and join D23 as a free member. If a studio tour or another event pops up during your trip, upgrade to paid level of membership so that you can buy tickets for your trip.

 

[o0quirkygirl0o]

Thanks for all the input!!!

I think we are really leaning towards October at this point. Looks like it is time to draw up some cost spreadsheets and start saving!