Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #5

[lvdis]

I'm so excited I had to share! Got my flights booked this morning, non-stops flying into SNA. We arrive on 12/5 and fly out on 5/10 and have 4 day park hoppers! Now I just have to contain my excitement until closer to the trip. I don't want the next 7 months to rush by, but I can't wait!!!

 

[peanutmomma]

I was surprised to see a nonstop SNA flight pop up for us as well (also on the 5th, maybe we can wave at each other at the airport?) It helped to take the edge off the less than stellar flight coming home on NYE.

Now to figure out if I sell my guys on Fantasmic - we've never seen it before on either coast!

 

[lvdis]

I was surprised to see a nonstop SNA flight pop up for us as well (also on the 5th, maybe we can wave at each other at the airport?) It helped to take the edge off the less than stellar flight coming home on NYE.

Now to figure out if I sell my guys on Fantasmic - we've never seen it before on either coast!

Oh wow, sounds like you have a long vacation planned! Our flight is a later one, it gets in at 6:10pm, but it works out good for us.

 

[peanutmomma]

My husband is from Australia so we're spending the holidays with his family - we usually tack on a few days in California on our way to help break up the trip a bit. Otherwise KC to Sydney is a whole lot of airplane seat time. Getting to see the parks decorated for Christmas and the 60th anniversary will be a nice bonus!

I was hoping for a nonstop on the way back, but I don't think we'd make the early one due to immigrations and baggage claim, and the prospect of spending 10 hours at LAX makes me stabby.

 

[Malroy]

Just booked our tickets!! We are doing 11/15-11/17 in the parks. Traveling with my husband, MIL, niece and nephew. First time doing christmas at DL and VERY EXCITED!

 

[michellelovesthemous]

Booked BWPPI for 12/11-12/15 secured as we missed it last year and stayed at Camelot, really nice just not "home" once DD17 college classes secured as she is in running start at the HS we can move forward with all else!! So excited to go back for Christmas and the 60th for more than 2.5 days!

 

[princesszelda]

Booked BWPPI Dec 2-6 Huge family trip!

 

[MarcV]

Booked at Disneyland Hotel Dec 13-17...super excited

 

[Tyggress]

Surprising hubby with a weekend trip for his birthday, Dec 11 - 13th. We're staying at the GCH..he has NO idea! I rented DVC points here on the board, which was SOOO much cheaper than directly booking a room. We've never stayed at GCH before...and for the holidays! OMG...I can't wait!

 

[LadyBJ]

I have mixed feelings about our Christmas trip this year since it is during the busiest week between Christmas and New Year! I wish we could move our dates but they're not very flexible. We're doing a split stay at BWPPI and GCH. Haven't booked anything yet but BWPPI as I'm hoping to get a good deal for our GCH stay.

 

[backinoz]

We'll also be there over Christmas - 23-26 Dec to end our 4 week holiday BUT we're also going for 5 days at the start of the trip 30 November - 4 Dec. Second trip for me & the girls, first visit for DH (a keen photographer) so do as much as we can in those first 5 days, and then take it easy, eat good food, start early, see shows and do FP rides on the return visit over Christmas. My girls are VERY happy the Mad Tea Party is returning - was one of their favourite things on our last visit.

 

[Kristina]

My cousins have danced in the Christmas Parade in the past few years, and were going to be filmed for the TV version again this winter. This year, however, they are being told there is no Christmas Parade. They were told they will be going to dance on stage for a show there on the normal recording weekend, but there is not a parade to be filmed in this year

Hi, question! Do we know or what's the best guess as to when filming for this years event will be?

I this very moment finally am ready to book my hotel/buy airfare and my excitment just went through the roof! This after watching 60th youtube video, gawh I'm so excited! I promise to read back but if anyone knows right now that would be great! I'm thinking Nov 30th monday for 5 nights. Although I'm worried that's right smack in the time for the taping and I'd rather not deal with that if I can help it.
Thanks!

 

[AWalks]

I was surprised to see a nonstop SNA flight pop up for us as well (also on the 5th, maybe we can wave at each other at the airport?) It helped to take the edge off the less than stellar flight coming home on NYE.

My husband is from Australia so we're spending the holidays with his family - we usually tack on a few days in California on our way to help break up the trip a bit. Otherwise KC to Sydney is a whole lot of airplane seat time. Getting to see the parks decorated for Christmas and the 60th anniversary will be a nice bonus!

I was already so anxious about having to fly with our preschooler and toddler from KC to LAX (even with a set of grandparents traveling with us), so I can't imagine going all the way from KC to Australia! Very smart to break it up with a stop at DL

Our first ever trip to DL (and our kids' first Disney trip ever!) is the week before yours (heading home on the 4th), and prior to Southwest opening up their late fall & winter schedule, I had just been using the Sept and Oct KC-LAX flight schedules as a rough guide to help us figure out which flights would work best. As of then, there were no nonstop flights from KC to SNA and I didn't see KC listed on any of the Southwest announcements about new nonstop flights for SNA, and DH just does not want to deal with layovers with the kiddos at this age. Then I got up at 5 am on the day the schedule came out to get everything booked, and the nonstop flights to/from LAX were super expensive and at terrible times! I started to freak out a bit and then thought to check KC-SNA just in case, and like you I was pleasantly surprised to see nonstop flights! I thought for sure we had already used up all of our pixie dust for this trip by securing the VGC rental, but I was very happy to get a little more!

I'm a little bummed that there will most likely not be the sparkling icicle lights on the castle for Christmas this year due to the 60th anniversary bling, but I guess that will just give us an excuse to go back in a year or two

 

[mom2rtk]

I was already so anxious about having to fly with our preschooler and toddler from KC to LAX (even with a set of grandparents traveling with us), so I can't imagine going all the way from KC to Australia! Very smart to break it up with a stop at DL

Our first ever trip to DL (and our kids' first Disney trip ever!) is the week before yours (heading home on the 4th), and prior to Southwest opening up their late fall & winter schedule, I had just been using the Sept and Oct KC-LAX flight schedules as a rough guide to help us figure out which flights would work best. As of then, there were no nonstop flights from KC to SNA and I didn't see KC listed on any of the Southwest announcements about new nonstop flights for SNA, and DH just does not want to deal with layovers with the kiddos at this age. Then I got up at 5 am on the day the schedule came out to get everything booked, and the nonstop flights to/from LAX were super expensive and at terrible times! I started to freak out a bit and then thought to check KC-SNA just in case, and like you I was pleasantly surprised to see nonstop flights! I thought for sure we had already used up all of our pixie dust for this trip by securing the VGC rental, but I was very happy to get a little more!

I'm a little bummed that there will most likely not be the sparkling icicle lights on the castle for Christmas this year due to the 60th anniversary bling, but I guess that will just give us an excuse to go back in a year or two

Just popping in to say hi to all my fellow KC travelers!

We have gone from KC to LAX nonstop and KC to SNA with a change of planes. Both have their advantages. I sort of enjoyed the way changing planes broke things up for us, and I enjoyed seeing Hoover Dam from the air landing in Las Vegas. It was great having only a short commute from SNA to DLR. But that direct flight into LAX left us with some time to enjoy the parks on arrival day, so definitely an advantage there as well.

Having a nonstop into SNA would definitely be the best of both worlds though. I'll definitely keep an eye out for that when we commit on dates for our fall trip!

 

[AWalks]

Just popping in to say hi to all my fellow KC travelers!

We have gone from KC to LAX nonstop and KC to SNA with a change of planes. Both have their advantages. I sort of enjoyed the way changing planes broke things up for us, and I enjoyed seeing Hoover Dam from the air landing in Las Vegas. It was great having only a short commute from SNA to DLR. But that direct flight into LAX left us with some time to enjoy the parks on arrival day, so definitely an advantage there as well.

Having a nonstop into SNA would definitely be the best of both worlds though. I'll definitely keep an eye out for that when we commit on dates for our fall trip!

I've been lurking around the boards for quite a while now and usually don't have much time to post, but I have loved looking at the photos in your trip reports - and you are an AMAZING seamstress!

Sometimes it seems like everyone else on here lives within easy driving distance to a Disney park and can make several trips per year with minimal travel time and expense, so I feel better when I see fellow Midwesterners on here who have a big trek to either park

Looks like the KC nonstops to SNA start on November 22, but hopefully it's popular enough that even if it doesn't work with your dates this year, it will be available for future trips.

https://www.southwest.com/html/promotions/newservice.html

I think as our boys get older the layover and/or flying into a bigger and busier airport won't be as much of an issue, and really if we had to do nonstops to/from LAX it would not have been the end of the world. Either way, we're going to be heading to DISNEYLAND, right?!

 

[sgrap]

I've been lurking around the boards for quite a while now and usually don't have much time to post, but I have loved looking at the photos in your trip reports - and you are an AMAZING seamstress!

Sometimes it seems like everyone else on here lives within easy driving distance to a Disney park and can make several trips per year with minimal travel time and expense, so I feel better when I see fellow Midwesterners on here who have a big trek to either park

Looks like the KC nonstops to SNA start on November 22, but hopefully it's popular enough that even if it doesn't work with your dates this year, it will be available for future trips.

https://www.southwest.com/html/promotions/newservice.html

I think as our boys get older the layover and/or flying into a bigger and busier airport won't be as much of an issue, and really if we had to do nonstops to/from LAX it would not have been the end of the world. Either way, we're going to be heading to DISNEYLAND, right?!

We are from the PNW, so we can't drive either. 18+ hours is way more than I consider reasonably driveable. Thankfully we do have a number of options for direct flights to SNA and LGB. We actually love the JetBlue flights into Long Beach much more than the flights into SNA. It's only a little bit further, but such a cute small airport, and JetBlue is our favorite airline.

 

[AWalks]

Hi, question! Do we know or what's the best guess as to when filming for this years event will be?

I this very moment finally am ready to book my hotel/buy airfare and my excitment just went through the roof! This after watching 60th youtube video, gawh I'm so excited! I promise to read back but if anyone knows right now that would be great! I'm thinking Nov 30th monday for 5 nights. Although I'm worried that's right smack in the time for the taping and I'd rather not deal with that if I can help it.
Thanks!

The dates you're looking at are when we'll be there, so I hope there won't be taping going on!

If you look back at the first page on this thread (http://www.disboards.com/threads/di...erthread-5-awaiting-details-for-2015.3358217/), for the last few years at least, the Christmas taping has been in early November. Of course if they are doing some kind of stage show instead of the parade this year, that could change the scheduling, but based on past years if they are filming anything it is likely to be before Thanksgiving (someone correct me if I'm wrong). I think that first weekend in December is the Candlelight Processional though, so that may be something to keep in mind when solidifying your dates.

We are from the PNW, so we can't drive either. 18+ hours is way more than I consider reasonably driveable. Thankfully we do have a number of options for direct flights to SNA and LGB. We actually love the JetBlue flights into Long Beach much more than the flights into SNA. It's only a little bit further, but such a cute small airport, and JetBlue is our favorite airline.

ITA, 18 hours is NOT reasonably driveable! DH once said that we could afford to take more trips to WDW if we drove instead of flying, and he insisted it would only be one, slightly long day of driving...it's an 18-19 hour drive, assuming no traffic or construction. And one of our kids gets carsick. Um, no thanks! Most of DH's family lives in the PNW too (Portland), so I think maybe when the kids are older we may drive out there and make a real road trip out of it, but otherwise I would rather just travel a little less frequently and take the 3 hour nonstop flight.

 

[sgrap]

ITA, 18 hours is NOT reasonably driveable! DH once said that we could afford to take more trips to WDW if we drove instead of flying, and he insisted it would only be one, slightly long day of driving...it's an 18-19 hour drive, assuming no traffic or construction. And one of our kids gets carsick. Um, no thanks! Most of DH's family lives in the PNW too (Portland), so I think maybe when the kids are older we may drive out there and make a real road trip out of it, but otherwise I would rather just travel a little less frequently and take the 3 hour nonstop flight.

I agree, and even if it was only one long day of driving ( my back would not tolerate that much driving in one day ), you have to recover. Road trips are much better when you can take your time and enjoy them instead of just gritting them out.

 

[peanutmomma]

This will be our first Christmas at DLR. I know the entertainment schedule won't be released for a while, but I think our first day (6 Dec) might coincide with Candlelight Processional weekend. Anyone have any experience with how that impacts Fantasmic, if at all?

I've only seen it at WDW years ago, and I've read that DL's version is the better of the two. I've been looking at restaurant menus and am wondering if one of the dining packages would be the better option for that day.

 

[mom2rtk]

I've been lurking around the boards for quite a while now and usually don't have much time to post, but I have loved looking at the photos in your trip reports - and you are an AMAZING seamstress!

Sometimes it seems like everyone else on here lives within easy driving distance to a Disney park and can make several trips per year with minimal travel time and expense, so I feel better when I see fellow Midwesterners on here who have a big trek to either park

Looks like the KC nonstops to SNA start on November 22, but hopefully it's popular enough that even if it doesn't work with your dates this year, it will be available for future trips.

https://www.southwest.com/html/promotions/newservice.html

I think as our boys get older the layover and/or flying into a bigger and busier airport won't be as much of an issue, and really if we had to do nonstops to/from LAX it would not have been the end of the world. Either way, we're going to be heading to DISNEYLAND, right?!

You are very sweet. Thank you! Sometimes it feels like we're about as far from at least one Disney park as you can get. I'm still waiting for them to add one here in the Midwest. We have actually driven to DLR 4 times, mostly because there's so much to see between here and there. We have also driven to FL a couple times, but that's not nearly as interesting. We're flying to FL in a couple weeks, but mostly for a beach vacation.

And thanks for the additional info on the SNA nonstops. Since we're talking about an October trip it looks like we'll miss out this time. Fingers crossed the routes are popular enough that they continue it!