When do Universal announce their Holiday Celebration Dates?

[djlaosc]

http://www.orlandoinformer.com/universal/holidays-2013/

From Orlando Informer...

The 2013 holiday season is still a couple of months away, so we won’t know all the official details for a while.

...

Okay, one detail for 2013 is now official: the dates…

In a slight change from previous years, the holiday celebrations at Universal will not start on December 1 and go through New Years Day. In 2013, the official dates are December 7 through January 4. So we still get four weeks, but this year Universal is starting the festivities a little later and running them a little later.

When will Universal start announcing more holiday details for 2013?

Last year we got our first major holiday announcement on November 5, and you can expect the same this year.

Does anyone know when these dates (of the celebration) were be announced? And will we be looking at similar dates for next year (Thanksgiving 2014 is only 1 day earlier than in 2013)

We were looking to go to Universal in the first week of our holiday next year, but if the dates are basically the same as 2013, then we would have to move it to be able to see the Christmas events (we would have been fine with the 2012 dates) - we would also be looking at booking a night on-site, and so would want to do this before Diagon Alley opens, as the prices will probably increase after an opening date is announced...

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Universal usually starts their Holiday Celebration about a week AFTER Thanlsgiving because of the inclusion of The Macy's Parade stuff. It takes about a week to transport it down from NYC.

 

[djlaosc]

Universal usually starts their Holiday Celebration about a week AFTER Thanlsgiving because of the inclusion of The Macy's Parade stuff. It takes about a week to transport it down from NYC.

Then I guess we will have to talk about delaying our visit a few days then...

 

[djlaosc]

Universal usually starts their Holiday Celebration about a week AFTER Thanlsgiving because of the inclusion of The Macy's Parade stuff. It takes about a week to transport it down from NYC.

Are the Macy's Holiday Parade/The Blues Brothers Holiday Show/Grinchmas/Grinchmas Wholiday Spectacular worth moving our Universal days back a week to see?

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Are the Macy's Holiday Parade/The Blues Brothers Holiday Show/Grinchmas/Grinchmas Wholiday Spectacular worth moving our Universal days back a week to see?

I think so. Grinchmas is probably my favorite holiday thing in Orlando.

 

[71jason]

Are the Macy's Holiday Parade/The Blues Brothers Holiday Show/Grinchmas/Grinchmas Wholiday Spectacular worth moving our Universal days back a week to see?

Macy's Parade is fun if you've never seen the original in person, Grinchmas is really well done year after year. The rest is worth seeing if you're in the parks anyway.

 

[djlaosc]

Are the other Christmas decorations up before the start of the celebration, or are they like Disney, where they aren't there one day (this year it would be December 6) and then they're there the next (December 7)?

 

[Disneyhead'71]

There are some decorations up. But it pretty much is an overnight transformation.

 

[djlaosc]

There are some decorations up. But it pretty much is an overnight transformation.

That's what I thought.

 

[djlaosc]

It's now looking like we may be adding another afternoon at Universal to our plans in order to see the Universal Holiday Celebration...

If we are planning on watching the Grinchmas Wholiday Spectacular and the Macy's Parade on the same day, which showtime for Grinchmas would you recommend? And how far in advance should you join the queue?

How far in advance should you stake out your spot for the Macy's Parade?

Does anyone know how long the Mannheim Steamroller concert is?

 

[scoobygirl39541]

It's now looking like we may be adding another afternoon at Universal to our plans in order to see the Universal Holiday Celebration...

If we are planning on watching the Grinchmas Wholiday Spectacular and the Macy's Parade on the same day, which showtime for Grinchmas would you recommend? And how far in advance should you join the queue?

How far in advance should you stake out your spot for the Macy's Parade?

Does anyone know how long the Mannheim Steamroller concert is?

Grinchmas is in IoA and Macy's is in USO. If you plan on park hopping, I'd try for a Grinch before 3pm. The showtimes are usually on the 30's and lasts about a half hour. You should be fine with the 2:30 showing. You don't have to be at the queue too early. The theater takes lots of people. I'd say arrive 15 minutes early and you should be fine.

The parade is usually at 5pm and people start waiting as early as 3:30! But you should be able to find a good spot by 4.

The Mannheim concert starts at 6pm and lasts an hour. There's a 15 segment where the cast of Grinchmas comes out to perform some songs from the show. It's a nice change of pace. A full hour of just Mannheim banging away starts to get to you, in my opinion anyway lol The Grinch cast used to come out 15 minutes into the show, but this past year they were towards the very end.