Two coasts: One very different world

[TP2000]

As to the cold, as a Floridian who has also been a Californian, I'll say that CA is much worse when it comes to weather wimps. If the temp dips below 72, they need to put hoodies on out there (even styling with board shorts and sandals!) ... and if they get a slight rain shower, then my good pal Dallas Raines is on KABC-7 talking about a 'rain event' ... It is California Crazy and I love it!

It's only a "rain event" if it sprinkles for 20 minutes.

If it actually rains for 30 minutes or more, then it's a "storm" and KABC and all the local channels go on "StormWatch 2012!" with scary graphics and dramatic music. A daring weather girl is sent out in a KABC logo poncho to stand on a corner and report back to Dallas in the studio that there are puddles along curbs in Burbank. Video footage is shown of SoCal freeways crawling with cars using their windshield wipers, with terrified drivers just trying to get home in the "storm". Cue the dramatic music, we're on StormWatch!

The "rainy season" in SoCal generally lasts from late December until late March. And that means there will be about 8 to 15 days randomly during those three months where measurable precipitation may fall at some point in the day. And the locals are terrified.

 

[djlaosc]

But...doesn't Small World get a Xmas overlay? I've been at DL for the holidays once, seem to remember.


Weather was pleasant, if a bit chilly at night. Two CMs (two Valley girls or wannabees) were loudly complaining about the cold. Me being North European, I was spending the days swimming outside in the pool. Like summer to me.

Yes, it gets a beautiful overlay ... the type the MK could only dream of having. Truly wonderful.

As to the cold, as a Floridian who has also been a Californian, I'll say that CA is much worse when it comes to weather wimps. If the temp dips below 72, they need to put hoodies on out there (even styling with board shorts and sandals!) ... and if they get a slight rain shower, then my good pal Dallas Raines is on KABC-7 talking about a 'rain event' ... It is California Crazy and I love it!

It's good to know that I've not gone mad yet!

Yeah, I would imagine I would be fine for temperatures being from the UK!

 

[djlaosc]

It's A Small World Holiday opens at Disneyland in mid November and runs through mid January.

The general timeline of Halloween and/or Christmas attractions overlays at Disneyland USA is as follows;

Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy - Mid September until October 31st
Haunted Mansion Holiday - Mid September until Mid January
It's A Small World Holiday - Mid November until Early January

The downtime for both Small World and Haunted Mansion to get them ready for the Holiday versions is usually about 15 to 17 days prior to opening, and about 10 to 12 days after closing to turn it back into the original. The downtime for Space Mountain is much shorter, usually 2 days to turn it into Ghost Galaxy and 1 day of closure to return to the regular version (most of the Ghost Galaxy changes are digital or audio effects, rather than physical sets).

Haunted Mansion Holiday closes first in very early January, right after New Years, and Small World Holiday closes about 12 days later in Mid January on the same day Haunted Mansion reopens as its normal self.

That looks amazing!

I thought it was IASW - It was just in the back of my mind, but I couldn't think what they would do to the ride - do they just decorate the outside, or are all the dolls dressed up as well?

Thanks for the extra dates as well!

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Yes, it gets a beautiful overlay ... the type the MK could only dream of having. Truly wonderful.

As to the cold, as a Floridian who has also been a Californian, I'll say that CA is much worse when it comes to weather wimps. If the temp dips below 72, they need to put hoodies on out there (even styling with board shorts and sandals!) ... and if they get a slight rain shower, then my good pal Dallas Raines is on KABC-7 talking about a 'rain event' ... It is California Crazy and I love it!

Don't forget the "June Gloom". We "encountered" this in '08. There was some fog in the morning and apparently that was supposed to ruin my whole day.

 

[Kiff]

Don't forget the "June Gloom". We "encountered" this in '08. There was some fog in the morning and apparently that was supposed to ruin my whole day.

I actually encountered this in May of 2010 (Despite the June name it can spread through May as well). I had 4 days lined up at DL and the rest of LA before we made the drive up to Yosemite. We only managed to get one good morning on our first day. It started raining in the afternoon and then we were stuck with rain/drizzle/fog the rest of our time in LA. Not great, but I still had a good time. 40 minutes after leaving the DL hotel on the last day we were basking in sunshine and heat for the rest of the California trip.

 

[TP2000]

That looks amazing!

I thought it was IASW - It was just in the back of my mind, but I couldn't think what they would do to the ride - do they just decorate the outside, or are all the dolls dressed up as well?

Thanks for the extra dates as well!

They go all-out both outside and inside for Small World Holiday. The music is changed to carols, the sets all have new decorations installed, and the dolls all have new costumes to wear that celebrate their take on Christmas and/or a culturally traditional New Year's celebration.

It's Not Exactly Subtle, But It's Fun!

Small World Holiday is best at night, when every 15 minutes they do the regular "Clock Show" with the toy soldiers and the march of the dolls out of the giant clock, but then they do a special projection show set to Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker that is really wonderful...



That happens every 15 minutes after sundown.

Disneyland puts on quite a show at Christmastime, as many areas of the park are decorated for the holidays, not just Main Street USA. Frontierland, Critter Country, and Mickey's Toontown all get the full Christmas decor package. My personal favorite is New Orleans Square, where all the back alleys and shops and restaurants there get a really lush, lavish, jazzy decorating scheme for Christmastime, in addition to the Haunted Mansion Holiday offering.

http://sullymansion.com/files/2011/11/christmasinola.jpg

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2700/4243182934_29433d9e62_z.jpg

Suffice it to say, the topic of Christmas and how the Two Coasts celebrate it and decorate it in the parks, especially Magic Kingdom vs. Disneyland, could be an entirely different thread. Cars Land has been rumored to get this full Christmas decor package this November, which should be interesting to see.

But there is a HUGE difference in the way Disneyland and Magic Kingdom operate during the holidays, and what they offer to their paying customers at what time. The differences are a mile long! (And yet owned and operated by the same company in the same country. Fascinating!)

Disneyland sparkles during the holidays. If you have a chance to visit then, you shouldn't pass it up. Although early December is much less crowded than the peak weeks of late December.

 

[Californian Elitist]

They go all-out both outside and inside for Small World Holiday. The music is changed to carols, the sets all have new decorations installed, and the dolls all have new costumes to wear that celebrate their take on Christmas and/or a culturally traditional New Year's celebration.

It's Not Exactly Subtle, But It's Fun!

Small World Holiday is best at night, when every 15 minutes they do the regular "Clock Show" with the toy soldiers and the march of the dolls out of the giant clock, but then they do a special projection show set to Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker that is really wonderful...



That happens every 15 minutes after sundown.

Disneyland puts on quite a show at Christmastime, as many areas of the park are decorated for the holidays, not just Main Street USA. Frontierland, Critter Country, and Mickey's Toontown all get the full Christmas decor package. My personal favorite is New Orleans Square, where all the back alleys and shops and restaurants there get a really lush, lavish, jazzy decorating scheme for Christmastime, in addition to the Haunted Mansion Holiday offering.

http://sullymansion.com/files/2011/11/christmasinola.jpg

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2700/4243182934_29433d9e62_z.jpg

Suffice it to say, the topic of Christmas and how the Two Coasts celebrate it and decorate it in the parks, especially Magic Kingdom vs. Disneyland, could be an entirely different thread. Cars Land has been rumored to get this full Christmas decor package this November, which should be interesting to see.

But there is a HUGE difference in the way Disneyland and Magic Kingdom operate during the holidays, and what they offer to their paying customers at what time. The differences are a mile long! (And yet owned and operated by the same company in the same country. Fascinating!)

Disneyland sparkles during the holidays. If you have a chance to visit then, you shouldn't pass it up. Although early December is much less crowded than the peak weeks of late December.

Halloween and Christmas at Disneyland FTW!

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Halloween and Christmas at Disneyland FTW!

I am really looking forward to how the whole park(s) celebrates the holiday at Disneyland when I'm there at Christmastime this year. Halloween was really neat to see it expand past bunting on MSUSA. I loved the pumpkin carvers out in Frontierland!

They did come out with special X-Mas Cars toys last year or the year before, so the Pixar folks have likely thought about how the cars would celebrate the holiday. I anticipate a hilarious backstory and maybe even a Cars Toon about Cars and Christmas (I wonder what a Car Santa would be like?).

 

[djlaosc]

They go all-out both outside and inside for Small World Holiday. The music is changed to carols, the sets all have new decorations installed, and the dolls all have new costumes to wear that celebrate their take on Christmas and/or a culturally traditional New Year's celebration.

It's Not Exactly Subtle, But It's Fun!

Small World Holiday is best at night, when every 15 minutes they do the regular "Clock Show" with the toy soldiers and the march of the dolls out of the giant clock, but then they do a special projection show set to Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker that is really wonderful...



That happens every 15 minutes after sundown.

Disneyland puts on quite a show at Christmastime, as many areas of the park are decorated for the holidays, not just Main Street USA. Frontierland, Critter Country, and Mickey's Toontown all get the full Christmas decor package. My personal favorite is New Orleans Square, where all the back alleys and shops and restaurants there get a really lush, lavish, jazzy decorating scheme for Christmastime, in addition to the Haunted Mansion Holiday offering.

http://sullymansion.com/files/2011/11/christmasinola.jpg

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2700/4243182934_29433d9e62_z.jpg

Suffice it to say, the topic of Christmas and how the Two Coasts celebrate it and decorate it in the parks, especially Magic Kingdom vs. Disneyland, could be an entirely different thread. Cars Land has been rumored to get this full Christmas decor package this November, which should be interesting to see.

But there is a HUGE difference in the way Disneyland and Magic Kingdom operate during the holidays, and what they offer to their paying customers at what time. The differences are a mile long! (And yet owned and operated by the same company in the same country. Fascinating!)

Disneyland sparkles during the holidays. If you have a chance to visit then, you shouldn't pass it up. Although early December is much less crowded than the peak weeks of late December.

That looks amazing - you're really making me want to go - November/December would have to be first choice for Haunted Mansion/IASW Holiday. Hopefully I will get there sometime this decade (current plan is next trip to Orlando in Nov/Dec 2014, so unless that got moved back it could possibly happen in 2017, depending on finances) - I was researching various places yesterday (Anaheim - DL/DCA/Knotts, LA/Universal, San Diego/SeaWorld, Las Vegas/Grand Canyon, Yosemite, San Francisco/Pier 39/Alcatraz, Six Flags) and looking at brochures. even though a trip probably won't happen for years!

 

[misterID]

It's amazing. TDO and WDW is becoming DLR's biggest maketing tool to visit DL.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I am really looking forward to how the whole park(s) celebrates the holiday at Disneyland when I'm there at Christmastime this year. Halloween was really neat to see it expand past bunting on MSUSA. I loved the pumpkin carvers out in Frontierland!

They did come out with special X-Mas Cars toys last year or the year before, so the Pixar folks have likely thought about how the cars would celebrate the holiday. I anticipate a hilarious backstory and maybe even a Cars Toon about Cars and Christmas (I wonder what a Car Santa would be like?).

Cosmic, you are going to have a ball during Christmas! I'm glad you were able to experience Halloween there too and the pumpkins are awesome! Love them. I'm anxious to see what Cars Land is going to look like. You know what? Now that you mention it, I bet they will create some sort of Christmas backstory for Cars. It would be so funny! Let's hope they do it!

 

[WDW1974]

The DL boards are still ok I think! But with the DLP board you are right... But there is actually a TR that was posted very recently! Which reminds me that you meant to tell us all about your adventures on your trip to DLP and never did! I would love to read what you experienced there!

I am not sure whether or not I'll start a thread there. I have posted a bit about said trip here. While I loved the visit, I was really saddened to see DLP look worse than it has since just before the 15th Anniversary. I was very surprised.

But maybe I will ... depends on how busy I'll be this month (and I think I just got busier!)

 

[WDW1974]

It's only a "rain event" if it sprinkles for 20 minutes.

If it actually rains for 30 minutes or more, then it's a "storm" and KABC and all the local channels go on "StormWatch 2012!" with scary graphics and dramatic music. A daring weather girl is sent out in a KABC logo poncho to stand on a corner and report back to Dallas in the studio that there are puddles along curbs in Burbank. Video footage is shown of SoCal freeways crawling with cars using their windshield wipers, with terrified drivers just trying to get home in the "storm". Cue the dramatic music, we're on StormWatch!

The "rainy season" in SoCal generally lasts from late December until late March. And that means there will be about 8 to 15 days randomly during those three months where measurable precipitation may fall at some point in the day. And the locals are terrified.

I just 'liked' this, but I gotta write how much I like it! Living there is a different world for an east coast Spirit, but it sorta gets in your blood (like Disney) and once it's there, it's there.

I am just amazed at how they handle weather issues (and, thankfully, I've never been there during an earthquake ... no, when I'm in 90210, I didn't feel that 3.2 they had in Pomona whether the neighbor swears she did!)

But, hell, I even love the diversity in weather disasters you get there ... from fire storms to winter storms, mudslides to extreme heat, yep ... I love it!

 

[WDW1974]

Don't forget the "June Gloom". We "encountered" this in '08. There was some fog in the morning and apparently that was supposed to ruin my whole day.

I love the June Gloom too ... that great marine layer as it spends the morning and often much of the day figuring out if it wants to hang around or dissipate. My first summer visit to DL came in 1998 during June and I found it glorious to have chilly foggy mornings and finally beautiful sun for a few hours and then chilly nights.

 

[jt04]

I am not sure whether or not I'll start a thread there. I have posted a bit about said trip here. While I loved the visit, I was really saddened to see DLP look worse than it has since just before the 15th Anniversary. I was very surprised.

But maybe I will ... depends on how busy I'll be this month (and I think I just got busier!)

Well just because I am posting more does not mean you need to busy yourself responding to each one. Take a break. I'll be OK.

 

[WDW1974]

Well just because I am posting more does not mean you need to busy yourself responding to each one. Take a break. I'll be OK.

Oh Frank ... you are a hoot, boy ... I'll tell you what, you are a hoot. Bless your heart!

 

[Longhairbear]

Halloween and Christmas at Disneyland FTW!

How DCA will decorate this year is something I'm looking forward to.

 

[Californian Elitist]

How DCA will decorate this year is something I'm looking forward to.

Amen.

 

[Longhairbear]

Amen.

The holiday music to suit each area will probably be amazing. No vacancies that I can find for we DVC members, guess I'll have to do day trips, like the old days...LOL.

 

[IlikeDW]

That looks amazing - you're really making me want to go - November/December would have to be first choice for Haunted Mansion/IASW Holiday. Hopefully I will get there sometime this decade (current plan is next trip to Orlando in Nov/Dec 2014, so unless that got moved back it could possibly happen in 2017, depending on finances) - I was researching various places yesterday (Anaheim - DL/DCA/Knotts, LA/Universal, San Diego/SeaWorld, Las Vegas/Grand Canyon, Yosemite, San Francisco/Pier 39/Alcatraz, Six Flags) and looking at brochures. even though a trip probably won't happen for years!

Something to consider, we are flying into Vegas and renting a car, going to see the grand canyon and maybe a Vegas show then make the 4 1/2 hour drive to Anaheim. Turned out flights and rental cars were cheaper in Vegas and we wanted to see the grand canton so it was a better deal than flying into LA/Anaheim.