First Christmas visit to DL- what to look for?

[Californian Elitist]

When is the best time to visit DL to see the holiday offerings? And I mean smallest crowds. Never been to DL. WDW us starting to get too crowded. Thank you

Honestly, Disneyland no longer really sees small crowds anymore, especially during the holidays. If you're thinking of going during Christmas, I'd say either go in November, right when it starts, or go in early January, close to when it's ending.

 

[KikoKea]

I really like trying all the different holiday food and treats. You could also consider trying to get one of the infamous candy canes offered every season. We did that last year and it was crazy but we had a blast.

Thanks. We are definitely going to look for different foods to try on this trip. Heard the food at the Viva Navidad celebration is really good.

 

[ForeverAnna]

Make sure you see the Buena Vista Street Bell Ringers.

As for the crowds, maximize your early morning hours. I was just there the last four days. It was super crowded but a huge chunk of the people head straight for the Star Wars stuff in Tomorrowland first thing making the rest of the park pretty manageable for the first few hours.

 

[prberk]

This is the final season for the Big Thunder Ranch, as they were allowed to stay through Christmas before demolition for Star Wars. They mentioned a holiday version of the stage show there as the reason to let them stay ("throught one final Christmas show"). Be sure to check it out. It is behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

In fact, if anyone would record it would love to see it posted this season.

(It is a singing cowboy show over dinner, not too different from the Hoop-De-Doo at WDW.)

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

This is the final season for the Big Thunder Ranch, as they were allowed to stay through Christmas before demolition for Star Wars. They mentioned a holiday version of the stage show there as the reason to let them stay ("throught one final Christmas show"). Be sure to check it out. It is behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

In fact, if anyone would record it would love to see it posted this season.

(It is a singing cowboy show over dinner, not too different from the Hoop-De-Doo at WDW.)

We had dinner there a few nights ago and the "show", for lack of a better word, was underwhelming to the point of being inconsequential. The two performers were clearly over it, there was no script, they were onstage a total of 15 minutes out of the 90 we were present and they sang my favorite Christmas carol of all time, "Ghost Riders in the Sky."

So if it's always like it was that night, you're not missing anything.

 

[prberk]

We had dinner there a few nights ago and the "show", for lack of a better word, was underwhelming to the point of being inconsequential. The two performers were clearly over it, there was no script, they were onstage a total of 15 minutes out of the 90 we were present and they sang my favorite Christmas carol of all time, "Ghost Riders in the Sky."

So if it's always like it was that night, you're not missing anything.

That's sad.
When I was there in August for D23, I talked to the guitar player, and it was strange time for him, I think. They had just "borrowed" him for D23 the day before, to play Jimmy Dodd's "Mousegetar" for the reunion of the original Mouseketeers at D23, which was a special experience, he said; but just that same day they had announced Star Wars land, but never had confirmed anything to them. He saw the plans on the web, and it looked like it woudl be behind them, but perhaps take away their breakroom (and the actual animal stables behind it, where all of the DL animals were kept). But he was not yet sure about the show. It was a poignant day.
I can say their harmonies were gorgeous and simple, as "Happy Trails" type of cowboy songs should be. And they interacted with the audience well.
I guess I just thought that, the way the media reports had said that they had postponed the closing of it for them to have one more holiday season before closing, there would be a Christmas/Holiday show.
I guess I will have to stick with Riders in the Sky, who still perform great versions of western cowboy classics T at the Grand Ole Opry and other venues and have fun with it. Check them out if you like western cowboy music.

 

[KikoKea]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! We returned a week ago and had a great time, despite fog and rain. We made sure to see the goats, but skipped the BTR meal since I am on a special diet, trying to sort out some health issues. We really enjoyed Feliz Navidad and Olaf's Snowfest- we even rode the sleds down the tiny hill. The fireworks were great and we liked the special Star Wars launch bay and movie preview. Looking for hidden Mickeys on the hotel's gingerbread house was fun and we found 22 of 25. We ate at Blue Bayou on my birthday, which was terrific.

It was more crowded than we expected, mainly since our trip last year for Halloween must have been perfectly timed for no crowds. We quickly tired of shuffling along in a crowd, although I must say that most lines were not bad unless you were in Tomorrowland or the Haunted Mansion. DH and I both agreed that in the future our trips to DL would be for the Halloween party and we would stick with WDW for other visits. (We are moving to FL next year, so it will be much closer, too) Overall, much fun and with the chilly weather, it felt like Christmas- something we miss since we live in Hawaii.