trip for Thxgiving week..what am i forgetting?

aijj

Earning My Ears
Joined
Mar 10, 2014
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we will be there Sat Nov 21-Thurs Nov 26 (Thanksgiving), staying at the new Marriott with water parks. Although we arrive on Sat mid-day, probably will get a 5-day pass (Sat-Thu) since it's not much more $$ than 4-day.

this is our 2nd trip to Disney but our very first during the holiday season! Our kids are 4.5 and 5.5. Would love any tips/suggestions! They love Frozen, and trains..already planning on going on Big Thunder Mountain railroad again and of course the disneyland railroad.

I reserved a CityMini double stroller thru stroller rental company. Now trying to book character dining @ Ariel's (though the website is giving me issues -ugh). We ate at Ariel's last time (1.5 years ago) and loved it and i thik it's great way to see several princesses at once so will go again. Any other good places for character dining, especially during the holidays??

Any other tips/suggestions or other things I should book?? I cannot believe it is only few weeks away!!

And FWIW, everybody and their mother has already told me it is going to be super crowded that time, so i am fully aware of that. :) I don't mind crowds itself, i'm just glad it will not be hot AND crowded :) And i figured for 5 days it should be ok...
 
We missed the Frozen Singalong in DCA and I know our grandkids would have loved it. There are shows like every hour, so plenty of opportunities to enjoy it.

Mickey and the Magical Map was about to start when we rode the train around the park. The conductor announced it, and it sounded like a nice break so we hopped off and enjoyed the show with a snack from the stand next to the theatre. It's a very fun set and there are lots of Disney songs that the kids will love.

We also let the kids run through the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail and explore that area a bit. The "challenge" was a little too structured for one of the kids, but he was able to run around and do some of the less supervised activities and have fun.

One thing I really wanted to do was write down the impressions of each kid on a postcard each day and put them in my photo album to look back on later. Sadly, predictably, I forgot! But can you imagine how precious those memories would be later! :o

We tried to get the kids to nap, but they were not having it! If they had, I bet they would have had better evenings. As it was, we practically dragged their tired bodies back to the hotel every night! That's when staying across the street is THE BEST! The new Marriott is very close, and very shiny and new! I bet you'll love staying there!

Have fun!
 
If possible, get your tickets ahead online so that you can go straight to the turnstiles. So much easier, especially with excited kids!
Try to see fireworks early during your visit. Thanksgiving is still Santa Ana wind season, so it is not uncommon for fireworks to get cancelled because of winds at higher elevations. If you try early in your trip and the show gets cancelled, you will still have several more nights to try again. Don't be sbsolutely sure that the weather won't be warm. It could get hot, although it shouldn't be nearly as hot as it was in October. This has been an unusually warm fall, so just be mentally prepared that crowds and heat could happen. I have heard great things about the Minnie and Friends breakast at Plaza Inn. You can see if your little ones would like meeting characters for breakfast and then meet the princesses at PFF. Have a wonderful trip!
 
There will be lots of Frozen everywhere -- Olaf's Snow Fest in California Adventure, Olaf's Frozen Ice Rink in Downtown Disney, Anna & Elsa's meet & greet, the show at the Royal Theatre at the Princess Fantasy Faire, and so much more.

This doesn't have to do with character dining, but if you want to meet Santa Claus, remember that you will find him in Critter Country in Disneyland and in the Elias & Co. store on Buena Vista Street in California Adventure. He will be in both of those locations during your entire trip.

Santa Claus should appear at the 3 Disney hotels on Thanksgiving and beyond. There should also be a big gingerbread creation in the lobby of the Grand Californian Hotel -- it will begin being assembled in the week leading up to Thanksgiving, and will probably be fully complete by Thanksgiving. There should also be smaller gingerbread creations in Storytellers Cafe and White Water Snacks at the GCH (on Thanksgiving and beyond) as well. There will also be a fake gingerbread Castle in the lobby of the Fantasy Tower at the Disneyland Hotel.

Also, needless to say, don't skip a ride on It's a Small World Holiday and Jingle Cruise. The Storybook Land Canal Boat ride will hopefully feature teeny tiny decorations on the cottages, as well as the whole new Arendelle scene.

Characters in winter sweaters and other holiday gear will probably be found in Town Square and maybe even in Toontown. Characters in theme-specific holiday attire will be found on Buena Vista Street in DCA.

On Buena Vista Street, have Molly the Messenger deliver your handwritten postcard to Santa (she will provide the cards, I believe).

The Three Caballeros will be greeting guests over at the Viva Navidad area of Paradise Pier in DCA.

Anyway, those are a few holiday season-specific thoughts/tips/suggestions. Feel free to join us in the Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread for more holiday info and chat.
 

If your kids watch Disney Junior on TV (or even if they don't) you can't miss the Disney Junior show in DCA. You sit On the floor to watch (stroller Parking is outside), but it is very interactive with surprises coming down from the ceiling!

We loved Minnie and Friends breakfast is DL- we went twice!

Did you order a PhotoPass plus? We loved it and got lots of nice family photos.
 














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