Holidays at Disneyland

[missynole]

Hi all. I'm a Walt Disney World person (live in Georgia) so I'm not too familiar with all the goings on at Disneyland during the holidays. The last time we went was about 7 years ago and we are thinking of going in 2012 after all the new things are completed. We'd like to go for Haunted Mansion Holiday and Small World Holiday. We were thinking of Thanksgiving time. Can anyone give me advice on the best time to go? We don't have any children so we are very flexible. Hotel ideas would be welcome, too. Thanks everyone.

[Amy]

Hi all. I'm a Walt Disney World person (live in Georgia) so I'm not too familiar with all the goings on at Disneyland during the holidays. The last time we went was about 7 years ago and we are thinking of going in 2012 after all the new things are completed. We'd like to go for Haunted Mansion Holiday and Small World Holiday. We were thinking of Thanksgiving time. Can anyone give me advice on the best time to go? We don't have any children so we are very flexible. Hotel ideas would be welcome, too. Thanks everyone.

You won't be disappointed by going when you can see Haunted Mansion Holiday or Small World Holiday. Both of those overlays are fantastic! The 2011 dates haven't been set yet, but you can always check the Disney website http://www.wdwinfo.com/Disneyland/Event ... season.htm They indicate the holiday season starts in mid-November and runs through January 2. You'll want to make sure you aren't there while they are putting the overlay in place as then you wouldn't be able to see the attraction or the holiday version

[mindflipper]

HMH usually starts in late September/early October, and the IASWH usually starts in the first half on November, so both should be up and running if you're planning to go for Thanksgiving. I would suggest you to get reservations early for both hotels and selected dining areas.

Does any one know how many days far out you can make ADR dining reservations at Disneyland?

[MmeLeota]

Not sure about the dining reservations...we usually play it by ear unless we want to go to Blue Bayou. (reservation is a must)

Mindflipper is correct, Haunted Mansion Holiday usually starts either the very end of September or the beginning of October (two holidays collide, after all ) and I believe IASW holiday starts up mid November, along with the Christmas Fantasy Parade. The Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks are beautiful and there is a lovely rendition of "White Christmas" sung at the end when the snow falls. If you might be interested in the Candelight Processional, it is usually held on the first weekend in December. We have yet to experience it, but from the pictures I've seen it looks pretty amazing! Unlike in WDW, it is only held 1 weekend, as it demands quite a bit of space for set up. The decorations are always great and New Orleans Square is my favorite. As far as California Adventure goes, I'm not sure what the decor will be like in 2012 after everything is completed. I would hope there will be more detailed decor like at DL, but even before the construction, it left much to be desired (except for the Lumberjack Santa, he was pretty cool. They even had a Surfin' style Santa at one time...bermuda shorts and all! ).

We used to go between Thanksgiving and the first couple of weeks in December, and it was less crowded. I'm not sure if that still hlds true, but I would imagine it's a good rule of thumb.

Of course, who knows if any of this information will change or not, but I hope it helps you in your decision!

[wxwiz]

Just be careful going Dec.15-Jan 2nd ish. The park is very crowded and can fill to capacity very quickly. Thanksgiving sounds pretty good.

[mindflipper]

I don't know what Disneyland is like for Christmas time (Dec 24th and Dec 25th) but I've been to WDW twice at Christmas time and both times the parks were just far too crowded. Avoid going Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!

[Wizzard419]

It use to be that TG and the 24th/5th were empty but apparently since the mid 90's they became popular, I don't think they have had capacity days on those days though.