Holidays 2012 at the Disneyland Resort

[Californian Elitist]

I must say, the rink and the village sound really cool and interesting. Can't wait for Christmas

 

[Californian Elitist]

Sounds good to me as my wife and I and baby will be doing DL during the holidays for the first time this year. I'm actually more excited to take a ton of photos than rides. I really hope lines for my son to take a picture with Santa aren't too bad. We'll be there on a Monday too so I may have to wait out until then if wait times are bad over the weekend.

This has nothing to do with Disney, but The Grove in Los Angeles has a really neat Santa meet and greet. If the DLR one is too much, The Grove isn't far from the resort. The line there can get pretty long too, but I'm sure it won't be as bad as Disney's. Something to think about. Santa comes in December at The Grove, so if you're going in November, ignore this post LOL.

 

[cba]

"I don't want a lot for Christmas, just a little Disney magic"

 

[Mickey_777]

This has nothing to do with Disney, but The Grove in Los Angeles has a really neat Santa meet and greet. If the DLR one is too much, The Grove isn't far from the resort. The line there can get pretty long too, but I'm sure it won't be as bad as Disney's. Something to think about. Santa comes in December at The Grove, so if you're going in November, ignore this post LOL.

Yeah I heard about that one. The Grove is cool. We went there last year as part of our LA/SoCal vacation which obviously included DL . This time it's a shorter "spontaneous christmas trip" and we'll just be spending 3 days at DL with no rental car. Great suggestion though.

 

[nemofinder22]

Mouseplanet is reporting that the reindeer that usually take over the ranch will no longer be there.

New ranch residents

The Big Thunder Ranch Petting Farm will have a new look—and possibly a new name—this holiday season. Cast members were notified last week that Santa's reindeer will no longer be on exhibit at the petting farm, leading us to wonder if they'll continue to call the area Santa's Reindeer Roundup this year or pick a new name.

The pardoned presidential turkeys from 2008 and 2009 are also leaving the exhibit, and spend the rest of their days at Disneyland's Circle D ranch, out of public view.

Two new residents, a miniature Hereford cow and black lamb, are expected to move in sometime in November.

Concerning the name the Disney Parks Blog post has been edited since the original post date

From Sponono's first post it read-
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/holidays-2012-at-the-disneyland-resort.851906/

Santa’s Holly Jolly Jamboree in Big Thunder Ranch is where Disneyland park guests can meet Santa Claus and participate in games, music and crafts.

It now reads
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...-resort-coming-november-12-through-january-6/

Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree is where Disneyland park guests can meet Santa Claus and participate in games, music and crafts.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I think it sucks the reindeer aren't going to be there this year

 

[coachwnh]

wold love to see DL for the holidays. Looking forward to spending out first christmas in WDW! Maybe someday we will have the chance to travel out west to see the original in all its christmas glory.

 

[sponono88]

New details have been released for the upcoming holiday celebration in the new DCA. It sounds like it will really be spectacular, with the whole park celebrating in fun and unique ways. In addition to BVS and Cars Land, special surprises are expected to appear in World of Color and Mad T Party:

Read the full article here:

http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disney...stivities-buena-vista-street-cars-land-58050/

Buena Vista St will feature classic holiday decor, live carolers and bell ringers, and a unique xmas tree that will be "completely different from any others in Disney Parks", along with much more:

A community Christmas
“For this first holiday celebration, we imagined that all the businesses on Buena Vista Street got together like a chamber of commerce to bring the community together,” explained David Caranci, Manager of Resort Enhancement. “It becomes a matter of civic pride to decorate the street and stores and to erect a huge, 50-foot-tall Christmas tree in the heart of the city as a spot for everyone to join in singing carols.

“Even Mickey and his friends will sport a retro look — how they appeared in the 1930s — to match the rest of the theming on Buena Vista Street. We’ll also have wonderful vintage toys for display under the huge Christmas tree. From a tin robot to a blimp — all sorts of hidden surprises from that time period.”

The bell motif on the garlands and street decorations is continued on the oversize ornaments on the massive Yuletide tree as well. The Buena Vista Street Community Bell Ringers will perform as they wander up and down the street and participate in the evening tree lighting.

More details about the BVS Christmas celebration:

Underneath the airy tree will be a custom-made 1/16th-size train chugging along with sound and lights through the specially designed gifts, evoking Walt Disney’s love of model trains.

The Citizens of Buena Vista Street, the improvisational performers at the Park, will share in the holiday cheer with Disney California Adventure Park Guests, treating them as if they were residents of the town. Molly the Messenger will have forms for children to fill out to send their letter to Santa.

Speaking of the jolly old elf himself, Mr. Claus will be found in the lavish Elias & Co., a sprawling shop that evokes the grandeur of classic department stores. Just like those fondly remembered stores of yore, Santa will be at his special seat surrounded by his many helpers so that children can share their secret wishes with him.

​

Cars Land will celebrate with a new 7ft- "Snow Car", 20-ft tall xmas tree, and lots of fun decorations for each character -- it is a result of the partnership with Pixar, WDI, and Resort Enhancement:​

​

Every resident of Cars Land has incorporated their own personality into their holiday decorations. Mater has a nine-foot-tall tree with an arching sparkplug on top as the star. Luigi and Guido added holiday flair to the red, white and green color scheme of their shop—the colors of the Italian flag. Sarge sports a six-foot-tall, red, white and blue tree with a military star on top. And Flo’s nine-foot-tall tree is made out of oil cans!

Around almost every corner of Cars Land, you’ll discover new imaginative decorations and surprises — even the 20-foot-tall tree at the courthouse has a hubcap for every ornament. The courthouse statue of Stanley, the founder of Radiator Springs, is adorned with a Santa hat and a big bag of rims, wheels, accessories and other goodies for all the good residents of Cars Land.

“We’ve never done a land like this before,” David added. “Our Guests won’t see these types of unique decorations anywhere else in any of the Disney Parks.”

At the Mad T Party, holiday cheer will take over the nighttime party along with a surprise snowfall!​

The rocking Mad T Party will offer its own holiday spin on its special entertainment repertoire — including a live band and dancers with an icy, cool look for this party in the streets. Don’t be surprised if, just as things start to really heat up, a surprise snowfall doesn’t cool things off for a bit before the fun begins again!

​

Finally, the article reveals that special holiday surprises will be added to World of Color, and in Paradise Pier "the lights on Mickey’s Fun Wheel on Paradise Pier will be specially programmed for the holidays." In A bugs Land, the fun tradition of oversized christmas lights and huge ornaments will continue.

Click here to see the full article: http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disney...stivities-buena-vista-street-cars-land-58050/

So much to look forward to, I can't wait!

 

[Californian Elitist]

New details have been released for the upcoming holiday celebration in the new DCA. It sounds like it will really be spectacular, with the whole park celebrating in fun and unique ways. In addition to BVS and Cars Land, special surprises are expected to appear in World of Color and Mad T Party:

Read the full article here:

http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disney...stivities-buena-vista-street-cars-land-58050/

Buena Vista St will feature classic holiday decor, live carolers and bell ringers, and a unique xmas tree that will be "completely different from any others in Disney Parks", along with much more:




More details about the BVS Christmas celebration:

​

Cars Land will celebrate with a new 7ft- "Snow Car", 20-ft tall xmas tree, and lots of fun decorations for each character -- it is a result of the partnership with Pixar, WDI, and Resort Enhancement:​

​

At the Mad T Party, holiday cheer will take over the nighttime party along with a surprise snowfall!​

​

Finally, the article reveals that special holiday surprises will be added to World of Color, and in Paradise Pier "the lights on Mickey’s Fun Wheel on Paradise Pier will be specially programmed for the holidays." In A bugs Land, the fun tradition of oversized christmas lights and huge ornaments will continue.

Click here to see the full article: http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disney...stivities-buena-vista-street-cars-land-58050/

So much to look forward to, I can't wait!

Holy moly, I can't wait for this! It seems they've outdone themselves! With this, on top of a family visit to Grinchmas at Universal, this is going to be one great Christmas season for myself!

 

[Mickey_777]

Any words as to whether the Voices of Liberty will be caroling/singing christmas classics? Haven't heard anything...

 

[Californian Elitist]

Any words as to whether the Voices of Liberty will be caroling/singing christmas classics? Haven't heard anything...

I haven't heard anything yet. I'm sure as the date gets closer we'll find out.

 

[Californian Elitist]

New Christmas details this week at the DLR, as reported by Dateline Disneyland:

Lightbulbs have been going in for small world holiday:

The garland wires have gone up in New Orleans Square, as well as a few ornaments:

It wouldn't be a Disney Christmas without a whole bunch of merchandise available to purchase:

Some bolts have been put in the shops and buildings of Buena Vista Street:

The new "Secret of the Wings" ice skating rink in Downtown Disney is now open! I saw it last Friday for myself, and I think it looks great. Prices aren't that bad, either:

Apparently the snow-capped tops have been installed on Sleeping Beauty Castle as well. Christmas is coming fast!

All photo credits belong to Dateline Disneyland: http://micechat.com/14428-disneyland-refurbishments/

 

[nemofinder22]

DCA finally going all out for Christmas makes me happy. Course there's still a few areas that could use better/more elaborate decorations but I'm really excited to see BVS. The DLR Resort Enchantment team always does a fantastic job!

Now if we can only get Fantasyland decorated beyond the castle and small world.

Interesting news concerning WOC.

As raven24 mentioned snow has now appeared on the castle.
http://www.mousewait.com/disneyland/lands-talk/426144/Snow-already-Didnt-it-just-melt

 

[Californian Elitist]

I'd like some more decorations in Fantasyland, too. Besides small world and the castle, the only other thing I can think of that gets some sort of treatment is Storybook. It'd be nice if the dark ride facades got some love.

 

[nemofinder22]

I completely forgot about Storybook, such a cute set of decorations. I would love if the snow from the castle made its way to all the rooftops with appropriately themed garlands and such for the facades.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I'm all for that idea.

 

[nemofinder22]

A press release from Disneylandnews.com(official Disney site) confirms some more of this years offerings.
http://disneylandnews.com/2012/10/2...place-on-earth-gets-merrier-beginning-nov-12/


Below are the segments from the press release, see the link for more.
Disney California Adventure-
http://disneylandnews.com/2012/10/2...place-on-earth-gets-merrier-beginning-nov-12/

Celebrating their first Disneyland Resort holiday season, Cars Land andBuena Vista Street, the new lands of Disney California Adventure, will be decked out in unique and festive seasonal décor.

• A whimsical “snowcar” (the Radiator Springs version of a snowman) will stand at the entrance to Cars Land, and each address along Route 66 – Flo’s V-8 Café, Fillmore’s, Cozy Cone Motel, Luigi’s Casa della Tires and more – will feature holiday décor that reflects the personality of the “Cars” character who lives there.
• A dazzling, 50-foot Christmas tree will adorn Carthay Circle alongBuena Vista Street. The tree and surrounding buildings, inspired by Los Angeles as it appeared when Walt Disney arrived in the 1920s, will be decorated with vintage-style ornaments.
• The classic department store Santa Claus comes to Buena Vista Street. Children of all ages may tell Santa what they want for Christmas by visiting him at Elias & Co., the main department store along this thoroughfare, reminiscent of 1920s Los Angeles.
• New wintertime fun rocks the night at “Mad T Party” as Alice and the Mad Hatter add their own brand of off-kilter holiday spirit to the nighttime celebration in Hollywood Land.
• The nightly “World of Color” water and effects spectacular on Paradise Bay welcomes special holiday guests Lanny and Wayne, elves from the television show “Prep & Landing.”
• ”a bug’s land” transforms as Flik and his bug buddies spread giant Christmas lights and oversized ornaments throughout their realm.
• The holiday scene along the Paradise Bay boardwalk includes a beautifully decorated Christmas tree and lampposts decked out with seasonal wreaths.
• A Holiday edition of the street show, “Phineas and Ferb’s Rockin’ Rollin’ Dance Party,” includes festive décor, costumes and holiday tunes. The show invites guests of all ages to “seize the day,” dancing and singing on Paradise Pier with the Disney Channel’s inventive animated boy geniuses.

Disneyland-
http://disneylandnews.com/2012/10/2...place-on-earth-gets-merrier-beginning-nov-12/

At Disneyland, holiday guests will find the traditional snowdrifts and icicles adorning Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle. After dark, a sensational holiday lighting and special-effects show carries the magic of the holidays from the castle all the way to the Christmas tree in Town Square. The 60-foot-tall Disneyland Christmas tree is specially designed to present a nightly holiday light show like no other with more than 62,000 energy-efficient LED lights.
The Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle presentation unfolds throughout the evening in three acts, each of them featuring a touch of winter snow on Main Street, U.S.A. The finale of the show includes the legendary “Believe … in Holiday Magic” fireworks show, which takes guests on a journey of sights and sounds of the season and ends with a touching rendition of “White Christmas,” along with a climactic snowfall swirling down on Main Street, U.S.A., “it’s a small world” Mall and New Orleans Square.
“A Christmas Fantasy” parade has become a holiday tradition in Disneyland. Guests enjoy watching as Disney characters celebrate the magic of the season, wrapping gifts, baking holiday treats and preparing for the arrival of Santa Claus, who shouts a jolly greeting to spectators along the parade route. Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse even take to the ice for some skating fun.
More holiday favorites return to Disneyland, adding to the merriment.

• “it’s a small world” Holiday becomes a worldwide celebration of the season, boasting more than 300,000 glittering lights on its facade. Along with the children of many nations in their holiday attire, the attraction features a sparkling snowman dressed in a gold top hat, golden scarf and hundreds of twinkling lights for its finale. A frosty snowflake mobile twirls over his head, and his “Happy Holidays” sign is sculpted out of ice that changes color
• Haunted Mansion Holiday presents a madcap celebration as the traditions of Halloween and Christmas collide. The ghoulish but well-meaning Jack Skellington from the film “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas” has come to Haunted Mansion to transform it with his skewed vision of the holidays.
• Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus greet Disneyland guests at Jingle Jangle Jamboree in Big Thunder Ranch, Frontierland. Kids and their families can chat with St. Nick, meet Disney characters, and enjoy games, music, crafts and seasonal entertainment.
• Disneyland will celebrate Three Kings Day, also known as Dia de los Reyes Magos, from Jan. 4-6, 2013, with special décor, food and entertainment that showcases this Latin American holiday tradition.
• Guests may book guided “Holiday Time at Disneyland” tours that provide entry into “it’s a small world” Holiday and Haunted Mansion Holiday along with reserved seating for the Disneyland “A Christmas Fantasy” parade, a view of the new holiday décor in Disney California Adventure, a keepsake remembrance and entertaining information about the history of Disneyland holiday traditions. For information and reservations guests may visit any Disneyland Resort Guest Relations location or call (714) 781-TOUR (781-8687).

DownTown Disney, the Disneyland Resort Hotels and Menus-
http://disneylandnews.com/2012/10/2...place-on-earth-gets-merrier-beginning-nov-12/

For the first time during a Disneyland Resort holiday season, guests in the Downtown Disney district will be able to go skating on an outdoor “The Secret of the Wings” ice skating rink, located near ESPN Zone and AMC Theatres. Ice skates will be available for rental. The rink pays tribute to “The Secret of the Wings,” the new Tinker Bell adventure released to DVD and Blu-ray by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertaiment.
Holiday shopping at Disneyland Resort offers an array of merchandise available exclusively at Resort theme parks and the Downtown Disney district. Along with ornaments, holiday-themed Mickey Mouse ears, jewelry and tasty holiday sweets, guests can discover a new line of Cars Land holiday-inspired merchandise that is sure to have you Dashing Through The Snow and Wishing others a Happy New Gear.
Disneyland Resort hotels join in the holiday festivities with twinkling lights and ornaments, special entertainment and holiday dining with themed menus. Expanded hours at both Disneyland Resort theme parks extend the family fun and offer more time for guests to enjoy all there is to see at do at Disneyland Resort.

Wow DCA is the first mention on the press release in the past its just a little blurb under the DL parts. Great news for DCA and impressive it will have 3 giant trees, 50ft in BVS, 20ft in Cars Land and 35ft(if I remember right) in Paradise Pier

 

[nemofinder22]

In Cars Land the tree in front of Sarge's Surplus has received a fair amount of lights.
http://www.disneygeek.com/updates/disneyland_image.php?update_dir=2012_10_26&page_id=61&num_image=2

New Orleans Square has been completely decked out, in normal tradition that it's completed before Halloween.

Disneygeek
http://www.disneygeek.com/updates/disneyland_update.php?page_id=24&update_dir=2012_10_26

MagicEyeBlog- mintcrocodile.

http://mintcrocodile.smugmug.com/photos/i-r445Q5w/0/O/i-r445Q5w-O.jpg

http://mintcrocodile.blogspot.com/2012/10/invasion-of-christmas-before-halloween.html

Sleeping Beauty Castle
More snow has been added, and the trees in the Hub have received their lights as well(look carefully)

http://mintcrocodile.smugmug.com/photos/i-q85WsxW/0/O/i-q85WsxW-O.jpg

http://mintcrocodile.blogspot.com/2012/10/invasion-of-christmas-before-halloween.html

 

[Californian Elitist]

I was just at the parks on Friday and I didn't see any of these decorations. They must have just put them up. Very pretty!

 

[nemofinder22]

Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade Taping-
The stage has been set in front of the castle today(Nov 1st). Backstreet Boys are said to be performing.
http://www.mousewait.com/disneyland/lands-talk/428708/getting-ready-for-the-Backstreet-Boys

Buena Vista Street
Concept art has been released for Buena Vista Street's first Christmas.
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...a-street-at-disney-california-adventure-park/

Paradise Pier
From DCA Today(Official Facebook/Twitter account for DCA) has posted that Donald is now sporting his new holiday attire. Looks like the gazebo is already decked out.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...51419.208285489291036&type=1&relevant_count=1

ToonTown
Decortations are now up in ToonTown.
https://twitter.com/TouringPlans/status/264107552533528576/photo/1/large

Rodger Rabbit, Benny is still out for refurbishment.
https://twitter.com/TouringPlans/status/264107840917086208/photo/1/large

Muppet Vision 3D/Frankenweenie/Prep and Landing

http://www.ocregister.com/entertainment/nov-376434-disney-disneyland.html

In Disney California Adventure, the Muppet Vision 3D theater will close Tuesday to Nov. 15 while crews remove a Halloween movie and add a Christmas film. Workers will take out the "Frankenweenie" preview clip. In its place, Disney will add the ABC-TV special "Prep and Landing: Naughty vs. Nice," with 4D effects. The show will appear through Jan. 6, said Kevin Rafferty Jr., a Disneyland Resort spokesman.