Dinseyland at Christmas Time

Princess Ariel

Princess Ariel

Member
Original Poster
We have just switched our Nov 2007 WDW trip to a DL trip. DS really wanted to go to DL, especially since we were at WDW in May. We were planning on going to MVMCP. So, is there any special party at DL for Christmas?
 
Nicole220

Nicole220

Well-Known Member
I don't think they do, but I could be wrong. They do have the Halloween party though.

Even though there's no party, DL at Christmas time is the best!! It's so pretty and more magical.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask! :xmas:
 
Princess Ariel

Princess Ariel

Member
Original Poster
Thanks! That's what thought. I am really excited about this trip. We just bought into DVC, so we just decided today to switch our vacation to DL. Can I get the customized maps for DL like WDW's. Are there any good guide books. I haven't been to DL in 14 years.
 
mouselvrmom

mouselvrmom

Well-Known Member
Princess Ariel said:
We have just switched our Nov 2007 WDW trip to a DL trip. DS really wanted to go to DL, especially since we were at WDW in May. We were planning on going to MVMCP. So, is there any special party at DL for Christmas?
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You're going to be there right before we go. You'll have to write a quick trip report as soon as you get home so I can see how fabulous it is! :lol:

Now, I know that the parades and the fireworks are different for the holiday season. Are they completely different than is normally run or do they just decorate the regular parade for christmas?
 
Nicole220

Nicole220

Well-Known Member
Princess Ariel said:
Thanks! That's what thought. I am really excited about this trip. We just bought into DVC, so we just decided today to switch our vacation to DL. Can I get the customized maps for DL like WDW's. Are there any good guide books. I haven't been to DL in 14 years.
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There aren't any customized maps for DL, and I have no idea about guide books.

Here's a quick list I made in another thread about the resort:

Rides:
Space Mountain- blows MK's out of the water! Since its renovation, the ride is smoother and feels faster.
Indiana Jones- can't even compare it to Dinosaur. The theming is fantastic and the ride is amazing!!
Haunted Mansion- better effects and quality than MK's old version.
Pirates of the Caribbean- longer than MK's
Matterhorn- unique and one of a kind
The Subs! The line gets long fast!! To get in line with a minimal wait, you have to be the first one in the turnstiles and run there. These days we have been seeing a 120 minute wait.
Pirates Lair (Tom Sawyer's Island)- Very cool, fun stunt show, great pirates.
Alice and Wonderland and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride- darkrides that cannot be found in WDW.

Food:
Blue Bayou is pretty neat.
Napa Rose- best restaruant on property, and possibly the best on any Disney property!

Other:
Parade of Dreams- a great parade, I love it!
Remember...Dreams Come True- the best fireworks display Disney has created! This is not to be missed! The best seats are in the hub, right in front of the castle. Since you're going in the summer, I would get your seat
1-2 hours before.
Fantasmic- a lot better than MGM's. Again, I would get there an hour before showtime.

DCA:
The Aladdin musical is great, I highly recommend this!
California Screamin'- a rollercoaster that is a lot of fun.
ToT- does not have the 3rd dimension room, but is still fun. I'm one of the few who actually prefer this one to MGM's.
Soarin'- the same as Epcot's
Monster's Inc.- cute darkride
Grizzly River Rapids- fun, imho better than Kali.

mouselvrmom said:
You're going to be there right before we go. You'll have to write a quick trip report as soon as you get home so I can see how fabulous it is! :lol:

Now, I know that the parades and the fireworks are different for the holiday season. Are they completely different than is normally run or do they just decorate the regular parade for christmas?
Click to expand...
Yes, both are different.

Remember...Dreams Come True is repaced with Believe...In Holiday Magic. I absolutely love the holiday version! It gives me the chills! And it's fun seeing the snow at the end.

The Parade of Dreams sometimes runs during the holidays, and sometimes takes a break. A Christmas Fantasy Parade usually runs at night while PoD runs during the day.

The decorations at the Resort are beautiful. Much better than what's at WDW. In the past year, there have been reports that a lot more decorations are coming, which is very exciting!
 
mouselvrmom

mouselvrmom

Well-Known Member
Thanks, Nicole!

It would be great if we could see both the holiday parade and the regular parade when we are there.

Do you think in the beginning of december, they will be only showing fireworks and parades on weekends, or do you think it will be busy enough for them to show it more nights? If it's only weekends, it will be hard to try and see everything. I want to make sure that we see the electric light parade at dca,too.
 
Nicole220

Nicole220

Well-Known Member
mouselvrmom said:
Thanks, Nicole!

It would be great if we could see both the holiday parade and the regular parade when we are there.

Do you think in the beginning of december, they will be only showing fireworks and parades on weekends, or do you think it will be busy enough for them to show it more nights? If it's only weekends, it will be hard to try and see everything. I want to make sure that we see the electric light parade at dca,too.
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I can't for the life of me remember what the schedule was like. :hammer:

I've been searching the internet and found an old thread about the calendar for December in 2006. What I got from that was:

-on weekdays, the park closes at 8 pm
-the MSEP at DCA started Dec. 15th
-the Parade of Dreams did not run through the holiday season. A Christmas Fantasy Parade showed at 3:30 and 6:30 every day.
-the fireworks went on every day. On weekdays, they were at 7:45 so the park could close at eight. On weekends, they were at 9:45 because the park closed at a later time.

This was last year's schedule, and could possibly change like it has over the past few years. :wave:

Oh! I don't know if I already told you this, but you picked the best time to visit the Resort! Early December is not crowded at all (with the exception of the weekends) and you get to see the decorations.
 
mouselvrmom

mouselvrmom

Well-Known Member
No MSEP until December 15th? :cry: I so hope it will be running while we are there! My kids have never seen it. They really love Spectro and I would like them to be able to make a comparison.
 
Disneyfalcon

Disneyfalcon

Well-Known Member
For guidebooks I'd go with The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland. It's much smaller then WDW's version but full of lots of good info.

There is not party but they do have a candlelight processional. I think it's usually the first weekend of December.

As Nicole said the Christmas versions of the parades, etc. are great. The snow is super cool. Unfortunately the electric parade is never run in off season anymore. It's very sad.:cry:

But crowds and weather are awesome!!
 
Princess Ariel

Princess Ariel

Member
Original Poster
Thanks. I was thinking that the Unofficial would be a good one. We have the Unofficial and Birnbaum's for WDW. I was hoping that we would get to see the MSEP. I love that parade. I saw it years ago and it is my favorite memory. We have the music at home and listen to it all the time. Well I guess we will just have to go again.:lol:
 
M

mermaid1

New Member
They have a great Holiday Time tour as well, but it books fast. You will get preferred seating for the parade as well as Hot Chocolate in a keeper cup and a gingerbread cookie on the tour. It is a great tour. Call Guest relations for info. I highly recommend this tour for DL Christmas. We spent Christmas at DL last yr and it is the most magical time of all. The DL Hotel is all decked out with carolers in the lobby and DtD is gorgeous. The Parks are fabulous this time of year. As for dining, you cannot miss Blue Bayou, the famous Monte Cristo sandwich is the best! We are DL people, since we were are from California, we grew up with the original and just started our WDW love affair more recently. We think of DL as our home away from home and the DL Hotel is the most wonderful place to stay. The CMs there are so great and it is a just a 5 minute walk to the Main gate at DL or DCA. You can also take the Monorail into the Park from DtD which is right next to the DL Hotel.
Have fun! I am hoping that we can do another Christmas there. It IS crowded, so be prepared for that. It is not a huge Park either, it is smaller, cozier and more home spun than WDW.
You will have lots of fun!:)
 
CSUFSteve

CSUFSteve

Active Member
Princess Ariel (that's a little weird to be typing, haha!),

I'm not sure I'll be able to remember all of your questions, but...

1) disneyland.com has the schedule for November and December online at this point - I recommend you reguarly check it for rehab and entertainment schedule updates
2) Disneyland is basically open until midnight Fri, Sat, Sun throughout Nov and Dec. During the week in the "slower" parts of those months, Disneyland is basically open until 8/9pm Mon-Thu. There is some variability in this, but those are rough guidelines. DCA generally closes 2-3 hrs earlier than Disneyland.
3) The online calendar shows DCA closing at 9pm when Disneyland closes at midnight. Last year they started that too but then ended up extending DCA hours until 10pm. Reason? Disneyland fireworks are generally after the 1st Fantasmic (9pm), which falls roughly around 9:30pm. So guess what? There's a mad rush from DCA to Disneyland. Park hopping is WAY easier here since there's no commute involved from one Park to another - you simply walk across the esplanade. Add to that, Disneyland, for some maddening reason, only has half the turnstiles open so that there are HUGE lines at this time of night to get into Disneyland. I strongly recommend that, if you want to see Believe fireworks, that you are INSIDE Disneyland at least an hour before.
4) Believe in Holiday Magic is every bit as amazing as Nicole says. DO NOT MISS IT!! One of my pet peeves is that Disneyland doesn't seem to warrant getting its own music. If you "Remember the Magic" from WDW's 25th, you will recognize the underlying tune of Believe's soundtrack as well. But the lyrics are appropriate for the season. It really is amazingly well done. Most people will want to stand dead center in front of the Castle for Believe. I'm not telling you not to since it's your 1st trip, but I personally prefer either between Coke Corner and Camera Center at the north end of Main St (between the two speakers), or at the north tip of Town Square (with the Christmas tree at your back). I like the Town Square location b/c when the snow falls, it's really well lit all the way up Main St and it looks amazingly magical with Sleeping Beauty Castle in the far distance.
5) We have no private party because all of our Christmas stuff is FREE to all!! Obviously don't miss Haunted Mansion Holiday or Small World Holiday. You could just stare down Small World Mall and feel hypnotized by all the lights. To me, Osborne is a little much. We don't have synchronized lights like that, but Small World does have a Nutcracker thing it does every quarter hour. It's unfortunate we don't have Country Bear Xmas anymore, but you guys do so guess you're not missing it.

Disneyland is definitely magical. I love WDW at Christmas too, particularly Epcot, but Disneyland, as Nicole said, blows away MK at Christmas, even without perimeter fireworks :-)

ENJOY!!
 
1FoolishMortal

1FoolishMortal

New Member
When are you going in November?

I ask because this year's Christmas celebrations begin a week later so facilities has more time to transition between the Halloween & Christmas seasons. All of the Christmas stuff officially begins on Friday, Nov. 16th and continues through January. "it's a small world" Holiday is the only attraction that opens earlier, and it opens on Friday, Nov. 9th. And, of course, Haunted Mansion Holiday opens in late September.

Also, according to the official Disneyland calendar, the last day for Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams is Sunday, Nov. 11th. There will be no DL parade shown at all the 12th through the 15th until "A Christmas Fantasy Parade" debuts Fri. the 16th.

Just a heads up! Hope it helps! :)
 

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