Whirlwind Christmas Trip Questions

[SD33]

Hey everyone,

If there is already a super thread dedicated to this topic, please just feel free to post a link. I don't want to hash out things that have already been well addressed elsewhere.

Here's the deal. I am thinking of surprising my wife with a whirlwind trip to Disneyland from Wednesday or Thursday (dec. 21st or 22nd) to December 25th (two or three days in the parks). We would fly roundtrip from Seattle to Orange County. Both of us are big Disney fans, but neither has ever been there around the holidays. I'm not really sure what festivities they have on say, the two days before Christmas, and especially on Christmas Eve. We would be flying home Christmas morning in order to spend the afternoon and evening with family (as well as to take advantage of the discounted airfare) so Christmas morning festivities aren't really important (but you can fill me in anyway as I am curious as to what they do).

What are the park hours during those days, normally? Is the holiday fireworks show running? How crowded are the parks? Where would you recommend for a romantic dinner on Christmas Eve (we've done Blue Bayou before and probably would want to do something different? What are some other must do or sees during this season at the parks?

I'm sure I'll have a bunch more questions as some responses come in, so I will just leave it at that for now. Thanks, guys!

 

[deesquared]

Wow-I wish you were my husband! Ha ha!

I have no real answers for you except that those will probably be the most crowded days in the park for the entire year!

Hopefully someone who has been there during Christmas week will chime in.

 

[skiingfast]

What are the park hours during those days, normally? Is the holiday fireworks show running? How crowded are the parks? Where would you recommend for a romantic dinner on Christmas Eve (we've done Blue Bayou before and probably would want to do something different? What are some other must do or sees during this season at the parks?

Just to give you a heads up, it's going to the busiest you have ever seen the parks, very likely to hit capacity.

If you read the first posts in the superthread it will link you to pictures and reviews of the special events and activities.

Hours will be long, full entertainment, snow on Main Street, Special Castle lightings, probably a special WoC too(unconfirmed). Decorations Galore!

For a special dinner, Napa Rose, it's expensive and highly rated.

 

[SkRiderMom]

Disneyland at Christmas time is awesome. The decorations and atmosphere are just wonderful. However I've never been there when it is crowded, we were there the first week of December.

There is a wonderful Superthread http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2612827 with many helpful dissers to answer your questions.

 

[Arizona Rita]

If you can ,do the Holiday Tour!
I also agree with Napa Rose and if you are a foodie, the Chefs table is wonderful, but expensive. It could be your Christmas present to each other.

 

[DoleWhipLover]

DH and I go Disneyland every year around Christmas.....being from California it just seems like a must do. I will agree with others, those are going to be some busy days at the parks.

We love staying at the Grand California...it is beautiful. Napa Rose is a very romantic dinner spot. We also enjoy an evening cocktail in the lounge at the Grand California; or take the cocktail into the lobby by the fire or to sit in the lobby and watch the photos with Santa. The Santa at Grand California is awesome and the kids are cute with their excitement.

 

[SD33]

Ok, you guys are getting me super stoked for this trip!

As an update, I ended up booking flights for the 16th and 20th of December. So we will be in the parks for 3 days (Dec. 17, 18, & 19). That being said, I have some new questions....

Will this be any less crowded than my previous dates? We don't really mind crowds as we have studied and used Hydroguy's Fast Pass Bible, or whatever that thing is called, and kinda like the challenge. Still, it would be good to know what to expect.

Also, I see that the Aladdin Musical didn't get the boot (shows how long I have been away from the message boards), which I am really happy to see! It's my wife's favorite attraction there. Does anyone know if it stands a good chance of playing on the dates we will be there, or is there a place I could look that has historical park entertainment schedules?

Really thinking the Napa Rose looks perfect for that nice dinner. Excellent suggestion!

I'll go check out that super thread now to see if some of this has already been answered.

Thanks!

 

[skiingfast]

Being able to change you dates is very fortunate since many families don't have that flexibility. It will still be busy but not insane.

Hours and entertainment should be the same just like the busiest week but with less people.

Aladdin has two days per week off when it's not peak season. You should be fine.