When does Christmas season start at DL?

[MyMonkies]

The website just says to check back in the Fall. Does anybody know when it typically happens? Before Thanksgiving? After Thanksgiving? Then how long does it last AFTER Christmas?

When we went in May we were hainvg such a good time we weren't ready to leave. We really felt like we needed another day! Sooooooo, I checked around & the best way to do that was just to upgrade our current tickets to the cheapest pass. We want to get back at least once more & I think taking the kids around Christmas time would be magical!

Any info would be great

Also, we stayed at the HoJo our last trip & loved it. We chose it beacause of the water area. I'm thinking that over Christmas, the water wouldn't be a big deal???? Any other ideas on where to stay then for the best deal? I did see that some of teh dates I'm considering fall under the "entertainment" period at HoJo. Any better deals than that?

 

[LavenderPeach]

I believe last year the official Christmas season started on November 21. And then they take everything down a day or two after new years. I think last year Jan 4 was the last day.

I love Christmas time at DLR!

I don't know anything about Hojos except that a lot of people like staying there, esepcially if they get the entertainment rate. There are closer hotels but probably not for cheaper than the Ent rate would be and probably not as nice. I like the Candy Cane Inn but it would be more expensive than Hojo's ent rate. CCI does have a free breakfast and free shuttle though (which hojo's doesn't).

Good luck planning your trip!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Christmas decorations and overlays start going up about Veteran's Day. All of the parades start around Thanksgiving. Stuff starts coming down the first week of January.

You can't beat HOJO's for the Entertainment deal. We, however, also enjoy staying at the Candy Cane Inn. They offer a free breakfast and a dedicated shuttle to the park.

 

[Sherry E]

The 'official' holiday season at DLR begins this year on November 20, which is the date everything will be up and running, the light show from the Winter Castle up through Main Street and the 'snow' on Main Street will begin. IASW Holiday will be decked out in all its glorious, colorful splendor and there will be no less than 700 Christmas trees of all sizes scattered about the entire resort - including in DTD, all 3 hotels, in all the shops and restaurants in both parks, in window displays, in Santa's Reindeer Roundup (if they bring that back this year), and anywhere else they can stick a tree. Miles of garland and lights will be strung around DLR. Characters wearing 'winter wear' will be greeting people in various locations. Gingerbread men with Mickey ears will be for sale at any of the bakeries or candy shops, beckoning to be bought. ToonTown and A Bug's Land will be decked out in special themed decorations specific to those lands. The sounds of holiday music will change style from land to land - banjo/country & western Yuletide tunes in Frontierland, steel drum/calypso songs in Adventureland, and jazz-influenced Christmas classics in New Orleans Square. Santa will set up shop in all 3 DLR hotels, most notably in the GCH, where PhotoPass people snap your picture with the Jolly One while carolers sing and take requests in the huge GCH lobby. When the carolers leave, holiday tunes can be heard as the piano player plays and the guitar player strums by the fireplace. The sounds, smells, tastes and sights of the season will be in their full glory.

Now, some of this will start to happen early in November, as the Halloween decorations come down and the beginning signs of Christmas begin to appear here and there, slowly but surely. November 20 - probably January 3 will see DLR 'officially' immersed in Christmas splendor, and then on January 4, the decorations will sadly begin to come down.

 

[disneymom23]

Gingberbread men with Mickey ears will be for sale at any of the bakeries or candy shops, beckoning to be bought.

Mmm, Sherry, you just made me want a Mickey gingerbread man. I don't even like gingerbread but I had to have one of those each day.

We just booked a trip from 11/20-11/23. I loved it last year and am so glad we're going back. Everything was so magical. We stayed at the GCH and the tree wasn't up until the night before we left so we didn't get to enjoy it too much but everything else was wonderful.

 

[Sherry E]

Gingberbread men with Mickey ears will be for sale at any of the bakeries or candy shops, beckoning to be bought.

Mmm, Sherry, you just made me want a Mickey gingerbread man. I don't even like gingerbread but I had to have one of those each day.

We just booked a trip from 11/20-11/23. I loved it last year and am so glad we're going back. Everything was so magical. We stayed at the GCH and the tree wasn't up until the night before we left so we didn't get to enjoy it too much but everything else was wonderful.

Oooh! I love the GCH during the holidays! I want to go back there again.

Did you do the holiday tour last year, disneymom23? I seem to remember that you and a couple of other DIS-ers were on the same tour in November (DizMe and someone else - maybe Ballarinamom...can't recall...). I would love to try that this year.

I know - those cookies are addictive! I don't think I had eaten anything gingerbread in probably 10 or 15 years, but I was on a mission to get the cookies with Mouse ears last year. I didn't expect them to be dense - for some reason I thought they would be lightweight or thin. But those little Ginger-mice had some heft to them, didn't they? And they were soft and chewy - just the right consistency. Not too short, either - they were big cookies. I left my friend sitting in the GCH lobby, watching Santa and listening to the carolers while I went off to Marceline's. Of course, I got 2 gingerbread men with ears, and also a Christmas tree shortbread cookie and a Snowman cookie (have to complete the holiday set, after all). I returned to my friend and broke off an arm of the gingerbread cookie for her to try. In 2 days, she was back at Marceline's buying 8 of those cookies for her family at home!!!!

It is hard to explain DLR at Christmastime to anyone who hasn't experienced it, don't you agree, disneymom23? I can do a fair job of explaining what is there and how the holiday feeling just immerses you, but until you actually go there you don't get the full scope of it. It is really so detailed and complete, from every corner of every land to every restaurant or shop or hotel, everything is just bathed in holiday beauty, and it captures all of your senses.

As much as I love Halloweentime at DLR, it doesn't feel like that same 'special' brand of magic that can only be found at DLR during the holidays.

 

[Sherry E]

So, MyMonkies, are you going in late November or in December? I think November, between Thanksgiving and mid-December, may be less crowded than other times in December.

 

[MyMonkies]

I'm still working out our dates. At this point we are completely flexible. We have the cheapest So Cal pass (even though we live several hours away we still qualify!) so have blackout dates to work around. (We bought the passes during our trip in May because we just had the 2fer ticket but weren't ready to leave, lol. So, we just upgraded to a pass.)

*M, T, W before Thanksgiving is open but I'm wondering if that might get crowded with it being a holiday week.

*Then during the first 3 weeks of December they have open dates. We'd probably do a T, W, Th any of those 3 weeks.

Any opinions on when might be best to avoid crowds? I was leaning more towards the week of the 7th.

 

[Sherry E]

I'm still working out our dates. At this point we are completely flexible. We have the cheapest So Cal pass (even though we live several hours away we still qualify!) so have blackout dates to work around. (We bought the passes during our trip in May because we just had the 2fer ticket but weren't ready to leave, lol. So, we just upgraded to a pass.)

*M, T, W before Thanksgiving is open but I'm wondering if that might get crowded with it being a holiday week.

*Then during the first 3 weeks of December they have open dates. We'd probably do a T, W, Th any of those 3 weeks.

Any opinions on when might be best to avoid crowds? I was leaning more towards the week of the 7th.

I can't recall when the annual Cast Member parties are, but it seems like it might be around the 7th or so. DL closes early on those nights, if I recall. So you were thinking of the 8th, 9th and 10th? Well, that should be okay. Even if that is the week of the CM parties, they won't be held every single night that week. But if you want to see the fun nighttime stuff like the 'snow' and the Winter Castle/Main Street light show, parades, etc., then you want to make sure you have at least one night with no CM party. I wish I could recall the exact dates of the CM parties, but someone here will know!

Otherwise, the next week of December 14 should be okay. There will be crowds during the holidays anyway, but many of the AP holders are blocked out come mid-December, so the crowds may not be as bad as they could be. Once Christmas week rolls around, then the vacationing crowds really pick up, I think.

 

[MyMonkies]

Bummer, I didn't realize they did that. Any idea on how I can find out when those will be? Regardless it would just be 1 night, right?

I was thinking of going as early as possilbe in December to try & beat the vacationing crowds & also to beat the rush of people using their passes before they are blocked out, lol.

 

[disneymom23]

Yes sherry, we did the holiday tour last year. We loved it. We're meeting friends this year who have not done the tour. So we are going to do it again. I don't normally want to do the same thing twice but this I do. It was so magical and really included a lot. Ending with seats to the parade was just perfect, along with the hot chocolate and cookie.

I agree with sherry that it's hard to describe DL at the holidays. We went last year and I told DH that I wanted to go every year at the holidays. I'm so glad that he agreed to go again. The weekend before thanksgiving is the only time we can go. I'm glad almost everything is up then. The tree at the GCH was only put up the night before we left so we didn't get to see Santa or the carolers but got to experience everything else.

 

[karylrocks]

Sherry, your descriptions are getting me so excited for our trip! We will be there Dec. 10-14 and I am pretty happy with those dates after everything I have been reading.

 

[Sherry E]

Yes sherry, we did the holiday tour last year. We loved it. We're meeting friends this year who have not done the tour. So we are going to do it again. I don't normally want to do the same thing twice but this I do. It was so magical and really included a lot. Ending with seats to the parade was just perfect, along with the hot chocolate and cookie.

I agree with sherry that it's hard to describe DL at the holidays. We went last year and I told DH that I wanted to go every year at the holidays. I'm so glad that he agreed to go again. The weekend before thanksgiving is the only time we can go. I'm glad almost everything is up then. The tree at the GCH was only put up the night before we left so we didn't get to see Santa or the carolers but got to experience everything else.

This year you will get to DLR on the day everything kicks into full holiday swing so you won't miss a thing! In fact, because of the extra stuff they are adding for Halloween this year, I wouldn't be surprised if DLR pulls an extra trick or two out of its hat for the holidays as well. Of course, be prepared - it will be a bit crowded pon the first couple of days of the holiday season (like last year was), but you will have a great time nonetheless.

My friend was questioning last eyar why anyone would want to do the Holiday Tour if they have already been to DLR during the holidays many times. I explained the perks involved with the tour, like not having to wait in the IASW Holiday or HMH lines, but when I got to the part about the cocoa and the cookie and the actual SEAT for the parade, she perked up. If I can swing it this year, I will try to get us on that tour.

Sherry, your descriptions are getting me so excited for our trip! We will be there Dec. 10-14 and I am pretty happy with those dates after everything I have been reading.

Honestly, Karylrocks, I was getting myself excited to hurry and get to DLR for the holidays when I was describing it!! I am currently trying to pull together a Halloweentime DLR plan, which is turning out to be more complicated and confusing and stressful than I had wanted it to be. Even though I am excited to see all the Halloween merriment again, part of me almost wants to just scrap those plans and focus on making the DLR holiday trip the priority! I could probably go 20 times during the holiday season (though I have not done that yet) and not be bored. There is always so much I want to see, and never enough time or money to do it!! Why can't November and December HURRY UP and get here already??

 

[DisneylandPlanner]

Just wanted to post this. I do not know if it is true but costco has this on there website.

Holidays at the Disneyland® Resort begins 11/13/09 through 1/3/10. Celebrate with family and friends as holiday magic unfolds all around you with seasonal excitement, like Sleeping Beauty's Winter Castle, "Believe ... in Holiday Magic" Fireworks Spectacular, "A Christmas Fantasy" Parade and Santa's Reindeer Round-Up.

So maybe they will have everything up and running on Nov 13.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

Just wanted to post this. I do not know if it is true but costco has this on there website.


So maybe they will have everything up and running on Nov 13.

I saw that too! Hmmmm?

 

[Kayla's Mom]

Just wanted to post this. I do not know if it is true but costco has this on there website.


So maybe they will have everything up and running on Nov 13.

I am not sure if I am excited about that or not. We arrive on November 13th and I am thinking of how packed it might be in the evening if that is the start of the holiday fireworks/parade.

 

[Sherry E]

I am not sure if I am excited about that or not. We arrive on November 13th and I am thinking of how packed it might be in the evening if that is the start of the holiday fireworks/parade.

If they have everything up and running by 11/13, I think that is awesome! (Though I do hope you don't run into horrid crowds, Kayla's Mom.) My guess was that maybe IASW Holiday would be up by November 13, with everything else falling into place on 11/20, as expected. I mean, they are taking down the Halloween stuff overnight 11/1 to 11/2, so they would literally have to start right away with putting up the Christmas decorations and not waste a minute to get it all up by 11/13, unless they are planning on doing 'less' for the holiday season this year and don't need as much time. I think that IASW closes down for the overlay in late October sometime, so it would make sense if that opens on 11/13. However, I am thinking that this may be a crowd control measure that DLR is taking. Perhaps they feel that if they extend the holiday festivities and the entire season by a week, it will give more people a chance to see everything over more time, to thin out the crowds a wee bit and avoid large mobs of people packing in at certain specific times. I am not sure when the lower level SoCal AP holders are blocked out, but they may also be trying to give them more time to see everything.

In any case, I know I have been waiting for this upcoming holiday season at DLR since LAST holiday season at DLR, and I can't wait!!! Only 3 months away!! My favorite time ever at DLR! As much as I love Halloweentime at DLR, nothing compares to the magic of Christmastime.

 

[Sherry E]

Just wanted to post this. I do not know if it is true but costco has this on there website.


So maybe they will have everything up and running on Nov 13.

I notice they didn't mention the IASW Holiday overlay, which is one of the biggest draws of the holiday season. They DID mention the Reindeer Roundup, which is nice, but where is the IASW Holiday? That had BETTER be coming back this year or I will be super unhappy!

 

[DisneylandPlanner]

All I know is I am going on the 12th and I am trying to not get too excited about the idea of ALL the christmas stuff up. In case it is not going to happen. I have been hoping and waiting to see Disneyland at Christmas time all decked out. Maybe this is my luckiest year ever!!
I have always wanted to see it snow on mainstreet!! I am so hoping to do the Christams tour also . . . oh there I go again getting to excited!

Side question: how long does the snow storm last each night??

 

[disneyfaninaz]

It has been my experience that around Veteran's Day weekend that the Christmas decorations will be up on Main Street and New Oreleans Square. Big Thunder Round Up will be open with Santa Claus and cookie decorating. Small World and Haunted Mansion will have the holiday overlays complete. Except for the taping of the Christmas show, the parade and Christmas fireworks will not be running yet. Those usually start Thanksgiving weekend.