Tell me about December

[dlawallace]

I am trying to decide when to go to DLR and am leaning towards the first or second week of December. I know it will be very uncrowded. How is the weather this time of year? Are there a lot of ride closures? Are there any rides that are ALWAYS closed this time of year? I know I will miss the ELP, but will Fantasmic and the Christmas Fireworks be going on?

 

[spacemermaid]

I always take my "holiday" trip to DL during that particular time, and in my experience, it's one of the best times of year to visit! You can see all of the holiday decorations and the parade, without huge crowds. (Unless of course you visit during the Candlelight Processional!) Last year there were no major ride closures, and even the Columbia and the Explorer Canoes were up and running at the time. The weather is pleasant, not too cold, typical Southern California winter weather It will SNOW, but it's just the fake snow they have for the holiday season, which is much nicer than real snow! Fantasmic should be on during that time, as well.

 

[Brady's Mom]

I am trying to decide when to go to DLR and am leaning towards the first or second week of December. I know it will be very uncrowded. How is the weather this time of year? Are there a lot of ride closures? Are there any rides that are ALWAYS closed this time of year? I know I will miss the ELP, but will Fantasmic and the Christmas Fireworks be going on?

I wouldn't expect it to be very uncrowded. We went the first full week of Dec. this last year and it was crowded. Not as crowded as later in the month, but definitely more crowded than I expected. The weather was nice - upper 60's during the days and cooler at night and in the morning. My kids wore shorts, but we live in Utah - so we were coming from high 20's to low 30's. Upper 60's was warm to them. They even swam most days for a while. Most every ride was open - except the Sun Wheel. The Christmas fireworks ran every day - but Fantasmic was only on the weekends. OH, and we did see the DEP one of our days in DCA.

After this trip, I am personally not a fan of DLR at Christmas (anytime between Thanksgiving and Christmas). I just felt out of sorts and out of my normal Christmas rhythm. I felt totally rushed and unprepared for Christmas and I even had my tree up and my house decorated before I left! I would choose pre-Thanksgiving and after Veteran's Day to enjoy the decorations and the Christmas festivities. But, that's just me. Lots of people, especially on this board, wouldn't give up the Christmas trip and have managed to make it a great part of their family traditions!

And I could attribute the feeling out of sorts to my oldest son being away from home for the first time in his whole life (and mine!), but, I still think I wouldn't do DLR again at Christmas-time.

 

[prncssmel]

I love the 1st 2 weeks of December. It is not crowded (well, as not crowded as DL can be). It does get busy on weekends, though. All the Christmas decorations are up plus HMH and IASW Holiday. I can't think of any rides that are traditionally closed at that time. I live this better than pre-Thanksgiving because everything is up and going (like the parade), and you avoid Veterans' Day, when it consistently closes because of crowds.

 

[WannaBeAPrincess]

December is my favorite time to visit. I like to go the first or second week, before all the schools start their winter breaks. It is definitely busier the closer you get to Christmas. The weather is nice, 60's during the day, but chilly in the morning and evenings. I've never experienced any major ride closures during that time.

 

[Niele]

We're from Hawaii so the decorations in DL/DCA are so wonderful to see. Yes, we put up decorations here but Disney does it best. We like to stay at the GC, so when we enter the lobby with the woodsy lodge theme and huge Christmas tree they have there, it just takes your breath away. The kids love sitting in Santa's chair for pictures and story-time in the lounge keeps them very quiet at night. We try to go the third week in Dec. and sure it's more crowded than a rainy day but nowhere near as crowded as summer or school vacation time. The multitude of decorations and holiday spirit in the air make this time of year at Disneyland our very favorite.