Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #4

[planningjollyholiday]

quick question for anyone who knows. does the railroad run during and or immediatelyafter the fireworks

Yes the train runs during the fireworks

Is this another mystery, or am I just blanking out on an obvious tree somewhere? (I am old and tired, so anything is possible!)

In this installment of D23's Days of Christmas, under #9 (Tree Topper) it says: "At Disneyland we have added an Indiana Jones hat at the top of a tree in Adventureland with bamboo coming through it."

Tree in Adventureland? Does that makeshift tree in the queue of Jingle Cruise have an Indy hat on it this year? Is there an Adventureland tree somewhere that I am unaware of? Is there a tree in the Indy queue?

I have definitely seen some cool tree toppers all around DLR -- especially the ones at the hotels -- but has Adventureland had a tree all this time? I never saw one in the shop in Adventureland.

​

In the adventure tower of the disneyland hotel there is definitely a tree in the lobby with indiana jones hat as the tree topper. It was really cute with spears going throughthe tree as well. I know i took a pic, i just have to find it......

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[pepe3penelope]

For the first time I am going to do a mini trip report.
We went Nov 30th- Dec 5th and were going to be staying at the Disneyland Hotel for the first time. We were celebrating our 13th Anniversary and DH's 30th Birthday. We have always stayed at Paradise Pier for the last 9 years. Anyway we left Northern California at 8:00 a.m. and had rain the entire time as well as lots of traffic on I-5. Our 7 hour trip turned into 9 hours and by the time we got to the Disneyland Hotel I was hungry and tired and ready for a magical trip which just was not the case on this day. We went to check in and had a very unfriendly CM who was apparently under the weather and he did not want to deal with people at all. Another CM saw what was going on and took over his check in she helped us and to apologize upgraded our room to a fireworks view. We were so excited we went up to our room to get settled in. Well it turns out the room next to ours was have a party of some sort and it was very loud. I told my DH that I was going to go down and ask to be moved. We then got moved to another room higher in the same building (Fantasy). I told DH I wanted to check the room out before going and retrieving our luggage from the first room. I walked in and all was good for about a minute. The people next to us were having an argument and the kids were screaming. I told my DH that it was fine and that they would quite down I was sure of. I asked for him to just turn the TV on. Well the TV didn't work at this point our fridge starting making a high pitch alarm noise (almost like a car alarm). I told him I was done and that I wanted to leave. We went back down to the wonderful CM who had been helping us and told her we wanted to change hotels and didn't care which hotel we just wanted out of that hotel. She came back and told us how sorry she was that our trip wasn't magical and that they were sending us to the Grand Californian and that we didn't need to do anything that the room was ready for us and gave us our room keys. I was very happy to just be moving out of this hotel. We got over to the Grand and it was amazing (our first time staying here). We opened the door to our room and the first thing I noticed was that it was quite. I then noticed that they put roses on our bed in the shape of a heart and with a card that apologized for our stay so far and that they hoped to make it magical which they did. We were planning on going into Disneyland but after our long and eventful first day we decided to just go eat something and relax. I decided to stop into Disney Vault 28 to see if they had any of the Haunted Mansion Dooney's which they had 1 left and of course it was all mine haha. I was happy that it seemed our luck was changing.

So for the rest I am going to just do an overview of our days.

We have always loved the Holidays at Disneyland and California Adventure and we were surprised that the crowds on Dec 1st were very manageable we didn't wait for a ride for more then 15 minutes and we decided to do fast passes for the rides that had a longer wait. We saw Jack out and waited for him which was about 20 minutes. We were eager to ride the Jingle Cruise which we loved (except for the scent). I also rode Big Thunder for the first time since they added the new effects and refurbished it. I LOVED everything they did to this ride and ended up riding it a few more times during our stay. We had reservations at Steakhouse 55 at 5:30 which was also our only reservation we made. I love the food here but this time it took a while for the food. They had to warm up the oil for my fries (since I have a PN/TN allergy) but didn't do it until after the steak had already been served. we didn't leave until 7:20 which for a dinning experience was just a little long for my liking. That being said the food was really good and the CM's were all really nice. We spent sometime taking in the Hotel and really liked the Gingerbread house at the Grand. To me it looked better in person then in photo's and the smell was amazing. We also went up to the panoramic view of California Adventure and took in everything.

On Tuesday it rained which I was so very happy about. I know most people don't like the rain especially when it is happening on their vacation but we were prepared and knew that with the rain meant low crowds. We saw more parents and adults having melt downs then the kids which I found entertaining. We didn't wait for any ride for more then 5 minutes almost all were walk on including the character meets and houses in Toontown. We went over to California Adventure to ride the few rides that weren't outdoors and to take the class in the Animation Academy for the first time we got to draw Baymax. I loved doing this and will be something we will do in future visits. We went back over to Disneyland to eat at Plaza inn but found the line out the door and around the corner and changed our plans and ate at Rancho Del Zocalo which is always good.

Wednesday it was again raining but it was off. It seemed like people didn't want to deal with the rain and again the parks where empty. We started off in California Adventure and went on California Screamin', Toy Story Mania and then saw they had Radiator Springs Racers up and went on that all before the rain started again. We went over to Disneyland and rode more rides and went on the Haunted Mansion Holiday for the 6th time (we love this ride) at noon I went over and registered for the Wednesdays with Walt and since the rain had kept people away they allowed me to have a guest who didn't have an AP be my guest. We decided since we had rode everything we wanted that we would look for characters in both parks. We got pictures with Buzz, Woody (both in the Animation building) Goofy outside of Carthay, Santa in Elias & Company and Daisy was over were Duffy used to be on the Pier. We then went over to see Wednesday with Walt at 5:00. It was amazing the animated shorts we saw where “Pluto’s Christmas Tree”, “Toy Tinkers” and “The Night Before Christmas”. I was also very happy to get the free ornament which I had no clue about. After we went to Plaza Inn for dinner and had some of the best CM's they brought us roses and cupcakes for our Anniversary it was great. We decided to go ride Star Tours and got stuck on it which was a first. Our 5 minute wait turned into a 45 minute ride but I was still happy that it was a new experience haha. After this we roamed the park taking pictures since the rain had stopped and made everything look even more magical. I am telling you it was like we had the park to ourselves and I was able to get pictures that I never would have been able to get if it was busy.

Thursday since we had rode every ride and some multiple times we decided to just take it easy and went to meet Captain America and see the Big Hero 6 preview. We stopped at every photopass photographer since they weren't really out when it was raining. Went to the princess fairytale hall a couple of times and rode the train around the park. We noticed it was getting busier as the day progressed and were happy that we had done everything we wanted and more in the previous days. We got to meet some awesome Marines that I got pictures of and saw the flag retreat for the first time. The flag retreat was more emotional then I thought and will definitely be something we will do in future visits. We decided to go spend some time in Downtown Disney and ended up stopping back into Disney Vault 28 were they had received another shipment of the HM Dooneys and yes I got another one for my Mom as a early Christmas gift (I've been saving for these pricey bags since the first one came out). We went back to the Grand and just spent time in the lobby taking everything in.

Friday was our last day and since we knew it was going to be busy we decided we would use this day as our shopping day and just get a fastpass for what would be our last ride. Not a shock the last ride we chose was Haunted Mansion Holiday. We got some more photos with the Photopass photographers and finished up our lists of gifts and goods that people had wanted us to get. The crowds did get progressively worse. We left at 4:30 to head home to what would be another really long drive (18 hours round trip which is usually 14 hours).

I am not the best writer but I do hope you enjoyed reading our mini trip report and if you have an questions I am happy to answer. I will post some photo's later.

What a great miniTR!!!

It's so amazing when a CM really comes through for you and you are pixie-dusted!!! In September our house was burglarized the day before our weekend trip for DD's birthday weekend. Upon Checkin, I was such an emotional crying mess. We got some MAJOR pixie dust that I sent thank you letters to disneyland corporate and front desk management. I posted about it in that weekend's TR.

 

[Jenasweetemotion]

What a great miniTR!!!

It's so amazing when a CM really comes through for you and you are pixie-dusted!!! In September our house was burglarized the day before our weekend trip for DD's birthday weekend. Upon Checkin, I was such an emotional crying mess. We got some MAJOR pixie dust that I sent thank you letters to disneyland corporate and front desk management. I posted about it in that weekend's TR.

Thank you!

That is horrible glad they sprinkled you with pixie dust. I was crying as well. I am going to be writing Disneyland as well to let them know. Plus there where a few CM that I want to be recognized for going above and beyond.

 

[Sherry E]

I'm posting this for Tracy/OHBelle and TK/tksbaskets (when she gets back from DLR), as they are the two who have been ranking the 2014 Hallmark Christmas movies along with me. My rankings are now as follows:


The Gems

1. Nine Lives of Christmas (Still holding strong at #1!!)

2. Angels and Ornaments (This remains #2 only because I didn't expect the surprise in the movie and I had to grab for the tissues a couple of times.)

3. Christmas at Cartwright's (Alicia Witt comes through for Hallmark! She is very charming and likeable. This could/should have easily been the Mr. Miracle movie instead of the actual Mr. Miracle movie.)

4. The Christmas Shepherd (This comes in very, very close behind Christmas at Cartwright's, and can also switch places with A Royal Christmas, depending on my mood.)

5. A Royal Christmas (A very close runner-up and sometimes alternate to The Christmas Shepherd.)




The "Not Great, But Not Terrible" Movies...

6. Christmas Under Wraps (I love Candace Cameron Bure, but Let it Snow was way better than this one. This was just so-so -- not great; not bad)

7. A Cookie Cutter Christmas (meh...)

8. One Starry Christmas (Really, it wasn't horrible, but I didn't like it and have no need to see it again. The only thing that puts it at #8 is that there were three movies I actually liked less than One Starry Christmas!)

9. Northpole (It has some nice effects and sparkly scenes, but all the hype and promotion killed it for me. If it hadn't been advertised as heavily I probably would have liked it more.)




The "I Want to Run Screaming Into the Night to Get Far, Far Away From Them" movies

10. Mr. Miracle confused3This movie was like nails on a chalkboard for me. It was a bad job of casting all around, I think -- probably not the fault of the actors themselves, but the fault of the actual casting folks. Rob Morrow of Northern Exposure was not right for the role. The only things that put it one spot above the last spot on my list are that there was a beautiful dog in it, and the woman who wrote the Mr. Miracle book -- Debbie Macomber -- is responsible for two of my favorite Hallmark movies, Trading Christmas and Mrs. Miracle! Mr. Miracle is no Mrs. Miracle -- that's for sure!)


11. One Christmas Eve (Sigh. The only redeeming thing about this annoying mess was the adorable puppy. Otherwise, it was ridiculous. It was a Hall of Fame movie, so it had a different vibe about it.)

​

There are only two brand new Hallmark Christmas movies left (next weekend) -- The Best Christmas Party Ever and The Christmas Parade. I call them the "beauty block" of movies, as each of the lead actresses appears to be exceptionally striking. Thank goodness there will be several more showings of Snow Bride, Let it Snow, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, The Christmas Ornament, Mrs. Miracle, Trading Christmas, Finding Christmas, Window Wonderland, Naughty or Nice, A Bride for Christmas, Farewell, Mr. Kringle and A Very Merry Mix-Up before the year ends -- to erase the memories of Mr. Miracle and One Christmas Eve from my mind.

​

 

[tksbaskets]

Jenasweetemotion --

Have you encountered huge crowds? Another DIS'er mentioned in a separate thread that it is super packed -- more crowded than it has been on this weekend in the past. I have to imagine that it's because of the combo of Candlelight crowds, RaverDay crowds, pharmacists (who are also staying at the Disney hotels) in town to attend their Midyear meeting over the next several days, and maybe some folks who were there for the limited edition pin event and signing at the GCH this morning.

Yesterday (Sunday) afternoon at DL was CRAZY busy. We took the "Walk in Walt's Footsteps' tour which I really recommend. Spent time taking pictures in Critter Country and Toon Town so I won't be a looser on theme week next year. Only rode a couple of rides and then skedaddled out of town. Mainstreet was a crush of humanity (OK it was 5:10 pm, 20 min before CP) No way were we waiting 3 hours to stand. I'm glad others thought it was lovely. The set-up was beautiful

DCA was nice and open last evening. At 8 pm Soarin' was a walk on!

Thank you!!! Having so much fun!!

CP crowds must have been heavy as we got to use the west side new alleyway! Saw the JC boats docked up. So cool! DH got ahead of me when it dumped us out by Walt's apartment and he was right behind beau bridges! And we saw Billy Bush from access Hollywood at carnation at lunch! Lots of plaids out today!

Sweet!

I'm posting this for Tracy/OHBelle and TK/tksbaskets (when she gets back from DLR), as they are the two who have been ranking the 2014 Hallmark Christmas movies along with me. My rankings are now as follows:


The Gems

1. Nine Lives of Christmas (Still holding strong at #1!!)

2. Angels and Ornaments (This remains #2 only because I didn't expect the surprise in the movie and I had to grab for the tissues a couple of times.)

3. Christmas at Cartwright's (Alicia Witt comes through for Hallmark! She is very charming and likeable. This could/should have easily been the Mr. Miracle movie instead of the actual Mr. Miracle movie.)

4. The Christmas Shepherd (This comes in very, very close behind Christmas at Cartwright's, and can also switch places with A Royal Christmas, depending on my mood.)

5. A Royal Christmas (A very close runner-up and sometimes alternate to The Christmas Shepherd.)




The "Not Great, But Not Terrible" Movies...

6. Christmas Under Wraps (I love Candace Cameron Bure, but Let it Snow was way better than this one. This was just so-so -- not great; not bad)

7. A Cookie Cutter Christmas (meh...)

8. One Starry Christmas (Really, it wasn't horrible, but I didn't like it and have no need to see it again. The only thing that puts it at #8 is that there were three movies I actually liked less than One Starry Christmas!)

9. Northpole (It has some nice effects and sparkly scenes, but all the hype and promotion killed it for me. If it hadn't been advertised as heavily I probably would have liked it more.)




The "I Want to Run Screaming Into the Night to Get Far, Far Away From Them" movies

10. Mr. Miracle confused3This movie was like nails on a chalkboard for me. It was a bad job of casting all around, I think -- probably not the fault of the actors themselves, but the fault of the actual casting folks. Rob Morrow of Northern Exposure was not right for the role. The only things that put it one spot above the last spot on my list are that there was a beautiful dog in it, and the woman who wrote the Mr. Miracle book -- Debbie Macomber -- is responsible for two of my favorite Hallmark movies, Trading Christmas and Mrs. Miracle! Mr. Miracle is no Mrs. Miracle -- that's for sure!)


11. One Christmas Eve (Sigh. The only redeeming thing about this annoying mess was the adorable puppy. Otherwise, it was ridiculous. It was a Hall of Fame movie, so it had a different vibe about it.)

​

There are only two brand new Hallmark Christmas movies left (next weekend) -- The Best Christmas Party Ever and The Christmas Parade. I call them the "beauty block" of movies, as each of the lead actresses appears to be exceptionally striking. Thank goodness there will be several more showings of Snow Bride, Let it Snow, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, The Christmas Ornament, Mrs. Miracle, Trading Christmas, Finding Christmas, Window Wonderland, Naughty or Nice, A Bride for Christmas, Farewell, Mr. Kringle and A Very Merry Mix-Up before the year ends -- to erase the memories of Mr. Miracle and One Christmas Eve from my mind.

​

Of course I agree with your assessments above on the shows I've seen. I'm going to have some gems and a couple of 'meh' (LOL at your description) movies to catch up on. No matter - Snow Bride is still on my DVR for just the right dose of Christmas Cheer after I get through Mr. Miracle.

Last day at DLR today for us. Some quick thoughts -
* I really prefer to stay on property. BWPAI is really a great location but I miss the magic morning/early entry hour (and I miss GCH)
* It's 'different' without the kids (OK, they'll always be my kids even though their 24th birthday is looming) DH and I are having a lovely vacation but something seems to be missing...
*Bret's recommendation of Pizza Press was a great one. YUM.

Favorites so far: Tour with dream suite tour, meeting Oswald and Thor getting 2 candy canes.

I think I will do a TR when I return. I'll Let you know.

 

[Orbitron]

Orbitron --When you were at LEGOLAND, did they already have their cute LEGO Christmas displays up -- or was it too early in the season? Grinchmas at Universal Studios didn't start until, I think, yesterday, 12/6 (I'm not sure why it starts so late)!

Yes, the Christmas season had already started when we were at Legoland. We did like the decorations a lot. Yes, we missed Grinchmas, which is pretty annoying. Last year they started on Thanksgiving, this year it was too late for us.

And you were at The Grove! That's in my neighborhood! Did you stay to see the snow at night? I don't know if you saw the photos that I shared from The Grove and Farmers Market (I posted them in this thread on Thanksgiving), but one comment I made was that I felt that the snowfall at The Grove was actually better than the snowfall at DL. Of course, the snow at DL comes with lights and fireworks and nice aromas wafting through the air and all of that wonderful Disney magic. But in terms of how much actual snow falls, I think there is more snow at The Grove, and I think it falls (or seems to fall) for a longer period of time at The Grove than it does at DL.

We were at The Grove on Thanksgiving, most of the shops were closed. It was nice walking around there anyway. We didn't saw the snow there, but we also didn't saw it at Disneyland this time. We were really disappointed about the snow last year, it was hardly visible. They had great snow at Legoland.

As for the Winter Village in Downtown Disney -- was this your first year seeing it? Wasn't it there last year when you visited, or did you miss seeing it in 2013? I agree that it is lacking when compared to the fun Christmas markets that can be found throughout Europe. I haven't even been to Europe and I can see (from TV specials) that the Christmas markets are charming and festive. I would love it if Disney did something like that. Since we don't have an Epcot to celebrate different holiday traditions, it would be amazing if Disney could throw in a Christmas market sort of situation in DTD, or somewhere in DCA.

We saw the Winter Village last year, but didn't pay a lot of attention to it. Spend some more time there this time, it was not really impressing.

 

[Sherry E]

New:

"Disney Parks Merchandise Offers Hanukkah-Inspired Gifts This Holiday Season" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on December 8th, 2014 by Steven Miller, Merchandise Communications Manager


The above blog seems to only mention WDW, but I'm certain that most -- if not all -- of these Hanukkah-inspired items can be found at DLR too. I've seen the mugs before, and I think I saw the goblets as well.

​

Yesterday (Sunday) afternoon at DL was CRAZY busy. We took the "Walk in Walt's Footsteps' tour which I really recommend. Spent time taking pictures in Critter Country and Toon Town so I won't be a looser on theme week next year. Only rode a couple of rides and then skedaddled out of town. Mainstreet was a crush of humanity (OK it was 5:10 pm, 20 min before CP) No way were we waiting 3 hours to stand. I'm glad others thought it was lovely. The set-up was beautiful

DCA was nice and open last evening. At 8 pm Soarin' was a walk on!



Sweet!



Of course I agree with your assessments above on the shows I've seen. I'm going to have some gems and a couple of 'meh' (LOL at your description) movies to catch up on. No matter - Snow Bride is still on my DVR for just the right dose of Christmas Cheer after I get through Mr. Miracle.

Last day at DLR today for us. Some quick thoughts -
* I really prefer to stay on property. BWPAI is really a great location but I miss the magic morning/early entry hour (and I miss GCH)
* It's 'different' without the kids (OK, they'll always be my kids even though their 24th birthday is looming) DH and I are having a lovely vacation but something seems to be missing...
*Bret's recommendation of Pizza Press was a great one. YUM.

Favorites so far: Tour with dream suite tour, meeting Oswald and Thor getting 2 candy canes.

I think I will do a TR when I return. I'll Let you know.

TK --

Good luck getting through One Christmas Eve and Mr. Miracle [said with a diabolical laugh]! Maybe you'll end up liking those two movies more than I did, and you may end up enjoying Christmas at Cartwright's less than I did! -- everyone has different tastes. But judging by the number of negative reviews/comments about Mr. Miracle on the Hallmark Channel Facebook page, I'd say that Hallmark will/should probably not be repeating that one too much when it comes time for Christmas in July and next year's Countdown to Christmas! There must be someone out there who loved it, though.

Hallmark needs to get Doris Roberts back for another Mrs. Miracle movie!

Enjoy your final DLR day. Whether or not you do an official TR, please come back and give us a good recap/overview!

Yes, the Christmas season had already started when we were at Legoland. We did like the decorations a lot. Yes, we missed Grinchmas, which is pretty annoying. Last year they started on Thanksgiving, this year it was too late for us.



We were at The Grove on Thanksgiving, most of the shops were closed. It was nice walking around there anyway. We didn't saw the snow there, but we also didn't saw it at Disneyland this time. We were really disappointed about the snow last year, it was hardly visible. They had great snow at Legoland.



We saw the Winter Village last year, but didn't pay a lot of attention to it. Spend some more time there this time, it was not really impressing.

Orbitron --

You were at The Grove on the same day I was there! If I had known that in advance I would have met up with you to say hello! Well, I do live in the neighborhood of The Grove, so I go there (and to Farmers Market) throughout the year, just to do a quick walkthrough and see what's happening, or to stop at Starbucks or See's Candy or wherever -- but I don't often spend a lot of time there. In the past I had seen the giant Christmas tree and the Santa/reindeer display, and Santa's cottage, but I had never actually stayed for the snowfall. This time I wanted to be sure to stay for the snowfall, so I could compare it to Disneyland's snowfall.

I am confused as to why Grinchmas got a later start at Universal this year, but it probably gave a lot more people a reason to visit Disneyland Resort -- because DLR's holiday season was up and running in mid-November!

 

[meljensmom]

The great search for Santa....

We will be at DL from Dec. 22-27 and are staying at the DLH. I know that someone on the thread made reference to the locations of Santa in the two parks.

My daughter doesn't want to see Santa here in our hometown, she keeps insisting that she wants to see Santa when she gets to DL. So....any suggestions for best location and times would be appreciated. Hopefully the lines won't be horrendously long for him.

Thanks!

 

[Sherry E]

The great search for Santa....

We will be at DL from Dec. 22-27 and are staying at the DLH. I know that someone on the thread made reference to the locations of Santa in the two parks.

My daughter doesn't want to see Santa here in our hometown, she keeps insisting that she wants to see Santa when she gets to DL. So....any suggestions for best location and times would be appreciated. Hopefully the lines won't be horrendously long for him.

Thanks!

Cindy --

I'm the one who mentioned Santa -- although I can't seem to figure out his exact schedules at the two parks. I don't know of the specific times Santa greets guests at Elias & Co. on Buena Vista Street or at the Jingle Jangle Jamboree in Frontierland. He takes breaks, but the CMs should be able to tell you when he will be back. I do know that the lines for Santa in the 2 parks can get long at times.

There is a Santa section/category in this post -- HERE -- and if you scroll down and click on the Theme Week Countdown links for Holiday Characters/PhotoPass/Santa photos you will see photos of some of the Santas around DLR.

You may want to find Santa at the hotels. In this post -- HERE -- Santa's times at each hotel (from 2013) are listed. No one has reported back with the detailed Santa hotel schedules from this year -- so far -- but I would imagine that his hotel schedules will be more or less the same. The schedules will be posted somewhere around the front desks of each hotel. There are also thumbnail photos of Santa's spots in that post (for example, the milk and cookies picture is from Santa's spot at the Disneyland Hotel).

You will find less of a line for Santa at the Paradise Pier Hotel, I think -- at least, from what I have witnessed. The line for Santa at the Grand Californian Hotel (while beautiful) can get very long, and it will not be any shorter due to the gingerbread house that is now there.

I think that the Santa spot in the Fantasy Tower of the Disneyland Hotel can sometimes be overlooked, as it is tucked away and not right out in the main flow of traffic. It is a beautiful spot, though -- lots of rich reds and greens (the teddy bear thumbnail in the above-linked Hotels post is from the DLH Santa spot as well).

 

[meljensmom]

Cindy --

I'm the one who mentioned Santa -- although I can't seem to figure out his exact schedules at the two parks. I don't know of the specific times Santa greets guests at Elias & Co. on Buena Vista Street or at the Jingle Jangle Jamboree in Frontierland. He takes breaks, but the CMs should be able to tell you when he will be back. I do know that the lines for Santa in the 2 parks can get long at times.

There is a Santa section/category in this post -- HERE -- and if you scroll down and click on the Theme Week Countdown links for Holiday Characters/PhotoPass/Santa photos you will see photos of some of the Santas around DLR.

Y

Thanks! Now to go and read!

 

[lucysmom]

I did not last five minutes into Cookie Cutter Christmas! I did not like either of the main characters. They were both so mean. Oh, and teachers cannot afford those fancy houses! And North Pole was just silly. That kid in the commercials and the way Hallmark tied the movie into all the products they want to sell was too much for me. It reminded me of Frozen marketing!! Haha!!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Can I just say how excited I am that our trip is now less than 3 weeks away??? It seems like I've been counting down forever and now it's getting so close! We ended up booking one of the World of Color packages. I am really looking forward to seeing that show. But then again I'm looking forward to it all!

 

[krispin41]

This just popped up on the Disney Parks Blog: Mapping out the Holidays at DCA.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...he-holidays-disney-california-adventure-park/

Here's the DL version:

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2014/12/mapping-out-the-holidays-disneyland-park/

 

[Sherry E]

Last week the Disney Parks Blog "mapped out the holidays" in Disneyland. Today they are mapping out the holidays in California Adventure (which is, apparently, another term for sharing a short video vignette of holiday scenes and locations from the park)!

"Mapping Out the Holidays: Disney California Adventure Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on December 8th, 2014 by Shannon Swanson, Public Relations Manager, Disneyland Resort

​

I did not last five minutes into Cookie Cutter Christmas! I did not like either of the main characters. They were both so mean. Oh, and teachers cannot afford those fancy houses! And North Pole was just silly. That kid in the commercials and the way Hallmark tied the movie into all the products they want to sell was too much for me. It reminded me of Frozen marketing!! Haha!!

lucysmom --

The Northpole kid popping up during commercial breaks -- which he continues to do -- drives me bonkers. Enough of him.

Can I just say how excited I am that our trip is now less than 3 weeks away??? It seems like I've been counting down forever and now it's getting so close! We ended up booking one of the World of Color packages. I am really looking forward to seeing that show. But then again I'm looking forward to it all!

wdwgirl03 --

Time has zoomed by so quickly this year -- it's amazing to think about how fast it has flown by. It almost doesn't even feel like the holiday season to me because the months have passed by so fast. Also, it is not as cold right now as it was at this time last December, so it doesn't quite seem like late Fall/almost Winter!

I hope you have a great holiday trip to DLR!

 

[OHBelle]

I'm posting this for Tracy/OHBelle and TK/tksbaskets (when she gets back from DLR), as they are the two who have been ranking the 2014 Hallmark Christmas movies along with me. My rankings are now as follows:


The Gems

1. Nine Lives of Christmas (Still holding strong at #1!!)

2. Angels and Ornaments (This remains #2 only because I didn't expect the surprise in the movie and I had to grab for the tissues a couple of times.)

3. Christmas at Cartwright's (Alicia Witt comes through for Hallmark! She is very charming and likeable. This could/should have easily been the Mr. Miracle movie instead of the actual Mr. Miracle movie.)

4. The Christmas Shepherd (This comes in very, very close behind Christmas at Cartwright's, and can also switch places with A Royal Christmas, depending on my mood.)

5. A Royal Christmas (A very close runner-up and sometimes alternate to The Christmas Shepherd.)




The "Not Great, But Not Terrible" Movies...

6. Christmas Under Wraps (I love Candace Cameron Bure, but Let it Snow was way better than this one. This was just so-so -- not great; not bad)

7. A Cookie Cutter Christmas (meh...)

8. One Starry Christmas (Really, it wasn't horrible, but I didn't like it and have no need to see it again. The only thing that puts it at #8 is that there were three movies I actually liked less than One Starry Christmas!)

9. Northpole (It has some nice effects and sparkly scenes, but all the hype and promotion killed it for me. If it hadn't been advertised as heavily I probably would have liked it more.)




The "I Want to Run Screaming Into the Night to Get Far, Far Away From Them" movies

10. Mr. Miracle confused3This movie was like nails on a chalkboard for me. It was a bad job of casting all around, I think -- probably not the fault of the actors themselves, but the fault of the actual casting folks. Rob Morrow of Northern Exposure was not right for the role. The only things that put it one spot above the last spot on my list are that there was a beautiful dog in it, and the woman who wrote the Mr. Miracle book -- Debbie Macomber -- is responsible for two of my favorite Hallmark movies, Trading Christmas and Mrs. Miracle! Mr. Miracle is no Mrs. Miracle -- that's for sure!)


11. One Christmas Eve (Sigh. The only redeeming thing about this annoying mess was the adorable puppy. Otherwise, it was ridiculous. It was a Hall of Fame movie, so it had a different vibe about it.)

​

There are only two brand new Hallmark Christmas movies left (next weekend) -- The Best Christmas Party Ever and The Christmas Parade. I call them the "beauty block" of movies, as each of the lead actresses appears to be exceptionally striking. Thank goodness there will be several more showings of Snow Bride, Let it Snow, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, The Christmas Ornament, Mrs. Miracle, Trading Christmas, Finding Christmas, Window Wonderland, Naughty or Nice, A Bride for Christmas, Farewell, Mr. Kringle and A Very Merry Mix-Up before the year ends -- to erase the memories of Mr. Miracle and One Christmas Eve from my mind.

​

So far our lists are pretty much the same. I was going to watch Mr. Miracle today while wrapping some gifts, but my husband accidentally erased it. Maybe he was trying to save me from watching it! I have it set to record on Friday instead. I will still give it a watch even though I am not holding out much hope for it. Hopefully I can get Christmas at Cartwrights in tomorrow. Snow Bride is on now, so I am enjoying that! I got to see Finding Christmas for the first time and I really enjoyed it! I am not sure what year it came out, but I know it isn't new this year.

 

[Sherry E]

So far our lists are pretty much the same. I was going to watch Mr. Miracle today while wrapping some gifts, but my husband accidentally erased it. Maybe he was trying to save me from watching it! I have it set to record on Friday instead. I will still give it a watch even though I am not holding out much hope for it. Hopefully I can get Christmas at Cartwrights in tomorrow. Snow Bride is on now, so I am enjoying that! I got to see Finding Christmas for the first time and I really enjoyed it! I am not sure what year it came out, but I know it isn't new this year.

I think you may end up liking other movies more than Christmas at Cartwright's, but I am guessing that you will enjoy Cartwright's better than Christmas Under Wraps. I don't know if you watched One Christmas Eve yet, but I will be curious to know if you like it more or less than Mr. Miracle. I thought they were both annoying.

Finding Christmas was one of the new movies of 2013. It's a good one. I liked it more after I saw it the second time. I think that one of the couples had a lot of chemistry, and one of the couples didn't have so much chemistry (in my opinion). So it was worth watching for the one couple!

 

[Congo Queen]

Dear Regular Holiday-Time Visitors, It has been fun to read this thread and now especially fun as I have finagled and schemed to get a one day to visit on Dec 22nd. We always visit for a week in the summer, but I v much wanted to see the holiday decorations and have stolen a day to do it. I have not visited Dland at holiday time for about 15 years so I am way out of practice on strategies for visiting at this particular seasonal peak for visitorship. Summer is crowded, but I know Christmas week is off the charts. So a couple of questions, please, for you all w more experience.

First, on Monday Dec 22nd, what is the likelihood that Dland will reach max capacity in the afternoon? I have booked a motel room on Harbor Blvd and would go there for midday rest (as we will surely arrive at park opening and want to stay until midnight closing), BUT I don't want to leave the park and then not be able to get back in. Second, I read that the "snow" effect that happens at end of the fireworks show happens on Main St and in front of IASW. Is that true? If we watch fireworks from IASW entry plaza will the snow effect be as pronounced as it is on Main St?

Any advice welcome and appreciated!

 

[Sherry E]

Dear Regular Holiday-Time Visitors, It has been fun to read this thread and now especially fun as I have finagled and schemed to get a one day to visit on Dec 22nd. We always visit for a week in the summer, but I v much wanted to see the holiday decorations and have stolen a day to do it. I have not visited Dland at holiday time for about 15 years so I am way out of practice on strategies for visiting at this particular seasonal peak for visitorship. Summer is crowded, but I know Christmas week is off the charts. So a couple of questions, please, for you all w more experience.

First, on Monday Dec 22nd, what is the likelihood that Dland will reach max capacity in the afternoon? I have booked a motel room on Harbor Blvd and would go there for midday rest (as we will surely arrive at park opening and want to stay until midnight closing), BUT I don't want to leave the park and then not be able to get back in. Second, I read that the "snow" effect that happens at end of the fireworks show happens on Main St and in front of IASW. Is that true? If we watch fireworks from IASW entry plaza will the snow effect be as pronounced as it is on Main St?

Any advice welcome and appreciated!

Congo Queen --

I'm so glad you're going to be able to experience DLR during the holidays again!

I could be completely wrong, but I wouldn't think that any dates before Christmas would reach capacity. The dates between Christmas and New Year's are usually the dates to worry about.

However, that said, because of this new "Frozen Fun" business that is "sneak peeking" on and beyond Saturday, December 20th, I can't be sure what the effects on crowds will be. It will inevitably be popular in an already popular week, so I think it will be quite crowded.

Yes, the snow falls on Main Street, in the IASWH mall/plaza and also in new Orleans Square, near the Rivers of America. A good explanation of the snowfall and when it happens can be found on The DIS' main page:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/Events/holiday-season.htm

The snowfall is not all that much anyway -- sometimes it seems barely detectable. I noticed there was quite a bit by IASWH in one year (more than what I've seen on Main Street), but I don't know if it is consistent each year.

Bret/mvf-m11c or figment_jii might be able to answer that snow question better than I was able to!

 

[crystal1313]

The great search for Santa.... We will be at DL from Dec. 22-27 and are staying at the DLH. I know that someone on the thread made reference to the locations of Santa in the two parks. My daughter doesn't want to see Santa here in our hometown, she keeps insisting that she wants to see Santa when she gets to DL. So....any suggestions for best location and times would be appreciated. Hopefully the lines won't be horrendously long for him. Thanks!

We see the Santa at Elias & Co every year and he is amazing!! Saw him this Sat and was blown away again. Not only does he spend a ton of time with the kids, but he knew everything they were talking about (mine craft, xbox1)! And had cute little stories about the elves making that etc. He also spend a ton of time trying to convince my little guy to tell him what he wanted. DS5 is super scared of Santa for some reason. Santa tried so hard. We really appreciated all his effort and time planning on writing to compliment him.

 

[figment_jii]

Second, I read that the "snow" effect that happens at end of the fireworks show happens on Main St and in front of IASW. Is that true? If we watch fireworks from IASW entry plaza will the snow effect be as pronounced as it is on Main St?

I'm fairly sure the "snow" effect should be quite visible from IaSW entry plaza area (also known as "Small World Mall"). The Disneyland guide map lists snow as occurring in three distinct locations: Main Street, Small World Mall, and Rivers of America/NOS. I feel like the one time I was there, it was pretty much the same as MS, but I can't remember for sure.

Although not directly related, it used to "snow" while the Mad T Party band was performing. I'm guessing (and it's totally a guess) that they'll use that effect for the Frozen themed evening activity (Freeze the Night) when it starts up.