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Christmas at Walt Disney World Photo Trip Report, Part Three - Christmas at Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios
DisneyDan  Monday, December 22, 2014 12:34:09 PM
Hello everyone,

This is the third part of my Walt Disney World Christmas trip report. In case you missed parts one and two, here are the links:

  • Part 1 - The Magic Kingdom
  • Part 2 - Epcot

    In this part I am going to share the festive fun we had at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney's Hollywood Studios.

    Let’s start with Animal Kingdom.

    At the main entrance, the beautiful Christmas Tree welcomed us.

    Christmas Tree

    On Discovery Island we met Mickey and Minnie in their Christmas attire, and Daisy was greeting in her safari wear, with some small little holiday additions - some holly and a candy cane striped scarf and ribbons.

    Daisy Duck

    Mickey and Minnie Mouse

    Up at Rafiki’s Planet Watch, Chip and Dale were inside the building due to the rain, but they were wearing winter scarves and hats. They were so cute!

    Chip and Dale

    In Asia, King Louie and Baloo were wearing winter scarves, and had a great backdrop with Christmas Trees and garlands with bananas on them!

    King Louie and Baloo

    In DinoLand USA, Santa Goofy and his trusty helper, Pluto (who has bells on his collar) had a nice setup with their own Christmas Trees, too. Donald Duck was at his location near Dinosaur, and while his outfit was his regular one, he had a festive addition to his hat, and a candy cane striped scarf.

    Pluto and Santa Goofy

    Donald Duck

    It was really nice to see so many characters wearing Christmas outfits at Animal Kingdom - I just wish that there were as many at the Magic Kingdom (during regular hours), too!

    Now let’s move onto Hollywood Studios.

    Phineas and Ferb were at their regular location wearing Christmas hats and scarves (the same ones they wore at the Club Tinsel dance party at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, which we saw in part one of this report).

    Meeting Phineas and Ferb

    Santa Goofy was greeting fans on the Streets of America, and while he wears the same outfit as he over at Animal Kingdom, it was nice to meet him with a different festive backdrop.

    Meeting Santa Goofy

    Hollywood Studios has some nice Christmas decorations, too, including a large tree at the main entrance.

    Christmas at the Muppets

    Christmas Tree

    Of course, the highlight for me for Hollywood Studios, and one of the top things from the whole trip was seeing the Osborne Lights. I love the Osborne Lights, and was so happy to finally get to see them again having spent several Christmases at the other Disney Parks around the world. The lights are nothing short of spectacular. The colours, the way they dance to the music - they are simply awesome. No amount of photos can ever do them justice, but I’ll try nonetheless!

    The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

    The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

    The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

    The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

    The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

    The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

    The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

    The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

    The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

    The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

    The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

    The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

    The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

    I took some short video clips on my phone, which I’ll post below, but just be aware that the quality might not be the best!





    So, this report along with the previous two parts, we have now covered everything festive that we experienced during our recent Walt Disney World trip. I think I’ll probably try to make a final part to just share with everyone the other things that we did during our trip that were not Christmas related, but that might not come until next week.

    Have a great Christmas everyone!

    Dan.

    ***

    Want to discover the magic of all the Disney Parks worldwide without leaving your seat?! Then be sure to check out my “Grand Circle Tour”, which is currently touring Main Street, Adventureland and Frontierland, here on the Character Central Blog! See below for links.

  • Part 1 - Main Street USA
  • Part 2 - Adventureland
  • Part 3 - Frontierland
  • Christmas at Walt Disney World Photo Trip Report, Part Two - Christmas at Epcot including "Holidays Around the World"
    DisneyDan  Friday, December 19, 2014 11:59:09 AM
    Hello everyone,

    In this second part to my Walt Disney World Christmas Trip Report, I am going to share the fun we had at Epcot across several days, for their Holidays Around the World, and other festive things.

    We start our journey at the front of the park of course, where we shall stop to look at the Christmas decorations and topiaries of Future World. We took day and night shots of some of the topiaries, as they had a different look and feel to them at different times of the day, so I’ll share both with you.

    Christmas in Future World

    Christmas at Spaceship Earth

    Christmas in Future World

    Christmas in Future World

    Christmas in Future World

    Christmas in Future World

    Christmas in Future World

    Christmas in Future World

    Christmas in Future World

    Christmas in Future World

    Future World is also host to a religious musical performance - “Joyful! A Gospel Celebration of the Season”.

    Joyful! A Gospel Celebration of the Season

    Joyful! A Gospel Celebration of the Season

    Joyful! A Gospel Celebration of the Season

    The main Epcot Christmas Tree is located on the walkway that links Future World to World Showcase. We took day and night photos of this, too, of course!

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Christmas in Future World

    Duffy the Disney Bear has his permanent location near the Christmas Tree, on Showcase Plaza, and for the holidays he wears his cute Christmas outfit.

    Duffy the Disney Bear

    Now we shall make our way around World Showcase to discover their holiday offerings, starting in Canada.

    Canada used to be home to the Canadian Pere Noel, but sadly he has departed for voyages into the great wilderness of Canada, and has been replaced with a live band. The Canadian Holiday Voyageurs perform what are told to us to be Canadian Christmas songs and music styles from the different provinces and territories of Canada. The band and the music has a strong Christian rock overtone, although there are some songs that are non-religious too.

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    The Canadian Holiday Voyaguers

    The Canadian Holiday Voyaguers

    The Canadian Holiday Voyaguers

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    In the United Kingdom you can listen to Father Christmas as he shares stories of festive British traditions, including mistletoe and Christmas cards.

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Father Christmas

    Father Christmas

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    I’m sure these next two will make my fellow Brits chuckle. A giant Christmas tea set, and Christmas crackers on a garland - because that’s what we all use and decorate our homes with, right?!

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Crossing the ”English Channel” (AKA the bridge across to France), we can discover the enchanting Pere Noel, and his story of Babette and her brother, Francois, who didn’t believe in Pere Noel.

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Pere Noel

    Pere Noel

    Pere Noel

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    In Morocco you can learn all about traditional Muslim festivals and food, where celebration is “the spice of life!”

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Moroccan Storyteller

    Moroccan Storyteller

    Japan hosts the Daruma vendor who tries to sell everyone her Daruma dolls. You also learn about the Japanese New Year traditions.

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Daruma Vendor

    Daruma Vendor

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    At the American Adventure, you can discover the traditions of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, as well as meet Santa Claus and Mrs Claus, and wander around the Santa’s Village they have there. The American Adventure is the permanent home to the Voices of Liberty, and while we were there they were singing traditional carols, dressed in Dickens wear. Sadly we didn’t get any photos of them - they were the only thing from Holidays Around the World we missed!

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Meeting Santa and Mrs Claus

    Meeting Santa and Mrs Claus

    Meeting Santa and Mrs Claus

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Hanukkah Storyteller

    Hanukkah Storyteller

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Kwanzaa Storyteller

    Kwanzaa Storyteller

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Three times per night Epcot hosts its Candlelight Processional at the America Gardens Theater. Candlelight Processional is an epic musical retelling of the traditional Christmas story. During its run the narrator is always a celebrity, and while we were there it was Jonathan Groff - known more recently as Kristoff from Frozen! While we aren’t really into religious retellings and religious carols, it was pretty neat to hear him speak live, and the musicians and choir are exceptionally talented.

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Candlelight Processional

    Candlelight Processional

    Candlelight Processional

    Candlelight Processional

    I have included a short video clip below. It was taken on my phone, and I didn’t want to be rude and sit there holding my phone above everyone for a minutes on end, so the quality is poor, but I thought I’d share it anyway, to give you some idea of what the experience is like.



    Moving on to Italy, and we learnt about the story of the good witch, La Befana, who leaves presents for good children on the Eve of Epiphany, having searched the world for Christ for thousands of years.

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    La Befana

    La Befana

    In Germany Helga tells her story of her very first Nutcracker, which comes to life as if by magic!

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Helga and the Nutcracker

    Helga and the Nutcracker

    Helga and the Nutcracker

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    The Germany snowman topiary by day…

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    ...and by night!

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    In previous years, China used to be home to the Monkey King, but like Pere Noel in Canada, he had to depart and make way for new entertainment. This year the Chinese Lion Dancers entertain guests.

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Chinese Lion Dancers

    Chinese Lion Dancers

    Chinese Lion Dancers

    As with the video for Candlelight Processional, this was taken on my phone, so don’t expect great quality - I just wanted to capture the moment!



    Next up is Norway. Here, Sigrid tells the story of the Christmas gnome, Julenissen, however, she doesn’t believe in him! With a little bit of magic, faith and trust, she eventually realises he’s real! For some reason this is the only Holidays Around the World that I didn’t take a picture of the storyboard for. There is also a video below, and like the previous two, it was taken on my phone.

    Sigrid and Julenissen

    Sigrid and Julenissen

    Sigrid and Julenissen



    The final stop on our tour around the holidays of the world is Mexico. Previously the Three Kings would tell their story, but sadly they have now gone too. This year instead there is a Mariachi band and some performers who show us what it is like to celebrate Navidad the Mexican way. In addition, Donald Duck, who always greets in Mexico, dons a new outfit this year to celebrate Navidad. There are two videos for the Mariachi performers, below.

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Donald Duck

    Donald Duck

    Mariachis and Dancers

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World

    Exploring the Holidays Around the World





    That’s wrap! We have discovered all the Holidays Around the World! We really enjoyed Holidays Around the World this year, even if they did cut some of the storytellers in favour of musicians. I don’t mind the musicians, but I wish they had been in addition to the storytellers, instead of replacing them. Also, I didn’t mention it in the main part above, but for the storytellers that remain, you can’t always meet them now, either. In the past it would be that they would stop for photos and autographs afterwards, but now most of them do not, and the ones that do feel very rushed, which is a shame.

    In case you missed part one, which was all about Christmas at the Magic Kingdom (including Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party), you can read that here. Part three of this report, which will be about Christmas at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, will come in the next week or so, so look out for that!

    Dan.

    ***

    Want to discover the magic of all the Disney Parks worldwide without leaving your seat?! Then be sure to check out my “Grand Circle Tour”, which is currently touring Main Street, Adventureland and Frontierland, here on the Character Central Blog! See below for links.

  • Part 1 - Main Street USA
  • Part 2 - Adventureland
  • Part 3 - Frontierland
  • Christmas at Walt Disney World Photo Trip Report, Part One - Christmas at the Magic Kingdom including "Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party"
    DisneyDan  Friday, December 12, 2014 4:53:06 PM
    Hello everyone,

    Last week Jon and I were in Walt Disney World, and while there we took in all the wonderful festive offerings at the Magic Kingdom, including three Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Parties.

    This is a photo-heavy post, so be prepared in case you have a slow connection speed.

      [ Read More... ]
    Disneyland Paris August 2014 Trip Report and Photo Round-Up Part 2!
    DisneyDan  Saturday, August 23, 2014 7:43:08 AM
    Hello everyone,

    Two weeks ago Jon and I were in DLP, and I put together a photo trip report which you can read here. Last weekend we were at DLP again! So, here's another photo report from our three days in the magic!

    Let's start at Disneyland Park.   [ Read More... ]
    LEGOLAND Trip Report: Billund - The Town that LEGO Built
    DisneyDan  Friday, August 22, 2014 7:05:18 AM
    Hello everyone,

    This blog post is somewhat a change of pace from what I usually post here, but I wanted to share a recent experience with you that I know some of you will appreciate.

      [ Read More... ]
    Disneyland Paris August 2014 Trip Report and Photo Round-Up - including Ratatouille!
    DisneyDan  Thursday, August 14, 2014 11:56:17 AM
    Hello everyone,

    Last week Jon and I were in Disneyland Paris again for three days. As always, we had an awesome, action packed time! I wanted to share with you some photos from our trip.

    Let's start on Main Street USA with the brand new "New Century Notions - Flora's Unique Boutique" that has replaced the former Town Square Photography. It should be noted that PhotoPass pictures can still be viewed and purchased here.
      [ Read More... ]
    Disneyland Paris June 2014 Trip Report and Photo Round-Up
    DisneyDan  Sunday, June 22, 2014 5:48:59 AM
    Hello everyone,

    Last weekend I was very lucky to be able to spend an unexpected, last minute trip at Disneyland Paris to once again enjoy all their Spring offerings.

    While I never do trip reports, I thought it would be nice to just showcase some of my experiences in a photo round-up.

    Instead of jumping from thing to thing, I'm going to group items into categories, such as meals, meeting characters, shows etc. So these aren't necessarily chronological.

    Be warned! This is a very photo heavy post!

    First up, Disney Magic on Parade. For some reason, the day we watched the parade Princess Aurora, Prince Phillip, Duffy, the Clubs Card and the White Rabbit were missing. The Peter Pan ship was also out because of being refurbished, however the characters were walking on the ground. The floating wizards that are usually before Mickey and Friends were behind, for some reason.

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    Disney Magic on Parade

    I was very happy that I got to watch Disney's Spring Promenade a couple more times before it ends (today in fact is its last day this year). I am in love with this parade/show, and am obsessed with the music, especially the "Let's Go Fly a Kite" sequence!

    Disney's Spring Promenade

    Disney's Spring Promenade

    Disney's Spring Promenade

    Disney's Spring Promenade

    Disney's Spring Promenade

    Disney's Spring Promenade

    Disney's Spring Promenade

    Disney's Spring Promenade

    Disney's Spring Promenade

    Disney's Spring Promenade

    Disney's Spring Promenade

    Disney's Spring Promenade

    Disney's Spring Promenade

    Disney's Spring Promenade

    Disney's Spring Promenade

    Disney's Spring Promenade

    Disney's Spring Promenade

    Disney's Spring Promenade

    Disney's Spring Promenade

    Disney's Spring Promenade

    Disney's Spring Promenade

    Disney's Spring Promenade

    Along similar Spring lines, we saw the Welcome to Spring show once, which I was happy about. I am so glad that this show will be staying through the summer (obviously with a different title!). It brings much needed life and energy to Main Street, like similar shows at the US parks.

    Welcome to Spring

    Welcome to Spring

    Welcome to Spring

    Welcome to Spring

    Welcome to Spring

    Welcome to Spring

    Welcome to Spring

    We also watched Disney's Stars 'n' Cars. I have to say that having known this parade from Walt Disney World more than a decade ago, and also knowing what it was like when it first came to Paris (where it was vastly different in concept to WDW), it is not too surprising that it is coming to an end.

    Disney's Stars 'n' Cars

    Disney's Stars 'n' Cars

    Disney's Stars 'n' Cars

    Disney's Stars 'n' Cars

    Disney's Stars 'n' Cars

    Disney's Stars 'n' Cars

    Disney's Stars 'n' Cars

    Disney's Stars 'n' Cars

    Disney's Stars 'n' Cars

    Disney's Stars 'n' Cars

    Disney's Stars 'n' Cars

    Disney's Stars 'n' Cars

    Disney's Stars 'n' Cars

    Disney's Stars 'n' Cars

    Sticking with Stars 'n' Cars, we stayed for both sets of the lunchtime Stars 'n' Cars greetings one day. Here's who we managed to see.

    Stars 'n' Cars Greeting

    Stars 'n' Cars Greeting

    Stars 'n' Cars Greeting

    Stars 'n' Cars Greeting

    Stars 'n' Cars Greeting

    Stars 'n' Cars Greeting

    Stars 'n' Cars Greeting

    Stars 'n' Cars Greeting

    Stars 'n' Cars Greeting

    Stars 'n' Cars Greeting

    Stars 'n' Cars Greeting

    Stars 'n' Cars Greeting

    Stars 'n' Cars Greeting

    Stars 'n' Cars Greeting

    I think we did exceptionally well meeting everyone that we did in two sets!

    Other characters we met in Walt Disney Studios were Buzz and Spider-Man. We also saw Mickey at Toon Plaza, but didn't go to meet him.

    Meeting Spider-Man

    Buzz Lightyear

    Buzz Lightyear

    Mickey Mouse

    At Disneyland Park, there were a lot of characters out and about over the few days I was there. Here's who I saw, including the special Spring greeting characters (Minnie and Duffy in special outfits, and Russell).

    Minnie and Duffy dressed for Spring

    Meeting Suzy and Perla

    Genie

    Goofy

    Stitch

    Queen of Hearts

    Tweedle Dee

    Tweedle Dum

    Baloo

    Meeting Chip 'n' Dale

    Russell

    Eeyore

    Pluto

    Tigger

    Minnie Mouse

    I also know that while I was there Scrooge, Donald and Daisy made an appearance in Fantasyland, Pluto in Frontierland, Tigger and Eeyore in Central Plaza, and King Louie and Mr Smee were in Adventureland. Those I know for sure, anyone else I can't attest to. Of course, as well as all of those, the Princesses were in the Pavilion, Meet Mickey was open as always, and Rapunzel was at the Spring location in Casey's Corner. I didn't get chance to meet any of those either, but thought it'd be good to mention.

    On one of the days, the Auberge Royalty walked past me, and as well as Suzy and Perla there was the following.

    Royalty walks past

    Royalty walks past

    Royalty walks past

    I was privileged enough to stay in the Golden Forest Club in the Sequoia Lodge during my trip, and each morning had breakfast with the characters in the Golden Forest Lounge. Here's the Golden Forest Lounge (including the tea time items), my room and my breakfast greetings.

    Breakfast at the Golden Forest Lounge

    Breakfast at the Golden Forest Lounge

    Breakfast at the Golden Forest Lounge

    Breakfast at the Golden Forest Lounge

    Golden Forest Lounge

    Golden Forest Lounge

    Golden Forest Lounge

    Golden Forest Lounge

    Breakfast in the Golden Forest Lounge

    Breakfast in the Golden Forest Lounge

    My room at the Sequoia Lodge

    My room at the Sequoia Lodge

    On my way from the Sequoia Lodge to the parks each morning I checked in the Hotel New York and the Disneyland Hotel. All regular characters the whole time, except one character at the New York one morning gave me a pleasant surprise!...

    Launchpad McQuack

    Launchpad McQuack

    To break this post up a bit, here are some general park shots I took.

    Spring in Town Square

    Russell and Carl

    Waiting for Disney Dreams!

    Poster

    Poster

    Poster

    New Ratatouille merchandise

    New Ratatouille merchandise

    Spring on Main Street USA

    Princess Pavilion

    The new entrance to Crush's Coaster

    New Ratatouille merchandise

    Spring on Main Street USA

    Around the Studios

    Horse-Drawn Streetcar

    Wandering around Fantasyland

    Wandering around Fantasyland

    Spring on Main Street USA

    Spring on Main Street USA

    Spring in Central Plaza

    Wandering around Fantasyland

    Wandering thru Discoveryland

    Wandering around Fantasyland

    Spring in Central Plaza

    Spring in Central Plaza

    Spring in Central Plaza

    Wandering thru Discoveryland

    We ate dinner at Inventions two nights. The characters were almost identical both nights, so I won't post each occasion I met the same character, but instead just a photo of each different character between the two meals.

    Dinner at Inventions

    Dinner at Inventions

    Dinner at Inventions

    Dinner at Inventions

    Dinner at Inventions

    Dinner at Inventions

    Dinner at Inventions

    Dinner at Inventions

    Dinner at Inventions

    Dinner at Inventions

    Dinner at Inventions

    We also had lunch one afternoon at Restaurant des Stars at the Studios, which has now lost the Ratatouille theme, since the new area is opening imminently. Oddly enough there were some carvings that I thought were interesting.

    Carving

    Carving

    Carving

    Carving

    Carving

    We attended the Sunday Brunch at Inventions too. The theme this week was sports, but had an overriding feel of basketball only...

    Inventions Sports Brunch

    Inventions Sports Brunch

    Inventions Sports Brunch

    Inventions Sports Brunch

    Inventions Sports Brunch

    Inventions Sports Brunch

    Inventions Sports Brunch

    Inventions Sports Brunch

    Inventions Sports Brunch

    Inventions Sports Brunch

    Inventions Sports Brunch

    Inventions Sports Brunch

    Finally, we saw the Magical Moment at the Disneyland Hotel on Sunday, after the Brunch.

    Magical Moment

    Magical Moment

    Magical Moment

    Magical Moment

    Magical Moment

    Magical Moment

    Magical Moment

    We experienced some attractions and other shows too (Animagique, Cinemagique, Armageddon, Swiss Family Treehouse, Phantom Manor, Pirates of the Caribbean to name a few), watched Dreams! from Central Plaza and walked around, a lot!

    Have a great Sunday everyone!

    Dan.
    Walt Disney World Easter 2013 - A Photo Report
    DisneyDan  Monday, April 8, 2013 6:44:36 AM
    Hello everyone,

    If you had been following our Twitter last week, you will know that we spent 5 days in WDW over the Easter period.
    Of course, going to WDW is nothing new for us (!), and so I don't usually post a review or trip report these days, but, there were a lot of new things on this trip that we hadn't experienced before, so I thought I would cover them in a short photo report (as opposed to a full trip report), so that you can all see some of our adventures.
      [ Read More... ]
    Disneyland Resort Christmas 2012 Trip Report - Part Two
    DisneyDan  Sunday, January 27, 2013 10:00:09 AM
    Hello everyone,

    Sorry this has taken me a bit longer than I had anticipated, but of course life gets in the way! Anyway, here we are at part two of my Christmas trip report!
    You can check out part one here, which was all about Disneyland Park.

    Before we move on to the hotels and Disney California Adventure, there are a few additional things that I wanted to mention for Disneyland.

    We were sad that this year Disneyland had axed the reindeer that used to feature at the ranch. In the past they had featured at Santa's Reindeer Round-up, which this year became the Jingle Jangle Jamboree. Overall this was a positive move, as the characters were still on Main Street, and Santa was still at the ranch, but additionally there were more Christmas characters at the ranch too. Besides losing the reindeer, Santa used to also appear after Christmas in a "post-Christmas" outfit, since Christmas is over. This year though, they decided that Santa would not appear. Instead, what they did was change Mickey and Minnie's outfits for after Christmas. Before Christmas they wore traditional, almost Victorian wear, after Christmas they sported neat Santa and Mrs Claus outfits. So, overall not a bad change. No Santa, but some really cute outfits.
    One really annoying thing we discovered also, is that Disneyland are REALLY fussy about the weather. We travel a lot to all the parks, especially Florida and Paris, and the rain, and even snow in DLP, doesn't seem to affect things too much unless it's really serious. At DL though, the second there was the slightest inkling of some small drops from the sky, that was it. Ranch closed, characters cancelled. I am all for safety, but honestly, if you had seen the way they over reacted, it was ridiculous.

    Similarly on the Santa situation, Santa at DCA disappeared after Christmas too, and did not return like in the past (we'll come to him shortly though).

    While we're still at Disneyland, although not Christmas related, we did get to meet Ralph and Vanellope from the new Wreck-It-Ralph movie, which was neat.

    Ralph

    Vanellope

    We also, for the first time, had dinner at the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ. We had intended to eat here in the past, but for one reason or another, it had never happened.
    I have to say that I really enjoyed it. The live entertainment were good, and while they normally have a band there, they were especially festive for the season. Oh, and make sure you order the dessert! (I think it was called a S'mores Bake, or something)...

    Dinner at Big Thunder Ranch BBQ

    Dinner at Big Thunder Ranch BBQ

    Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree

    Something randomly that I thought of also, regarding "snow". At Walt Disney World, during the Christmas parade when it is travelling down Main Street, it snows. At Disneyland Paris, during the Christmas Cavalcade, and at intervals throughout the day, everyday, it snows. So, I don't understand why Disneyland only snowed at night during the Castle Lighting or the Christmas fireworks. I realise this shouldn't bug me too much, but would it have killed them to have it snow when Santa was heading down Main Street atop his sleigh? Just a thought.

    One last thing before we head to the hotels, Downtown Disney and finally DCA, is about some things we heard while in DL. On many - far TOO many - occasions this trip we heard things like "because Florida say no", "because Florida don't allow it", and so on. It seems that gradually WDW are trying to somehow cripple everything that DL do. Every time we asked why something had changed, why something wasn't as nice or good any more, why something had to be cancelled - you name it - the answer was that Florida didn't like it. Maybe now that Meg Crofton is being inched out the door, things might change a little, but only time will tell.
    The other thing we heard a few times is that to everyone's great sadness, it might appear that this would be the last real year for Christmas season as we know it in DL. Once again Florida want their way, and Christmas sounds like it might be ticketed, like it is at the Magic Kingdom. That would be a heavy loss indeed. I am glad we went this past year to experience it fully, before the magic is sold out to hard ticket events.

    Ok, so that's enough about Disneyland, now we shall take a stroll through Downtown Disney and the resort hotels, before heading into DCA!

    For the new Tinker Bell movie about the winter, and because it is winter, Downtown Disney featured an ice skating rink for the Christmas period. Other than that, and some regular decorations, there wasn't too much in the way of Christmas offerings at DTD, not that we saw at least.

    At the resort hotels, before Christmas Day they had Santa greeting in the evenings in their main lobbies. We managed to meet Santa at the Grand Californian and DL Hotel, but not the Paradise Pier.
    The hotels looked pretty with their large Christmas trees in their lobbies, and the restaurants had gingerbread houses made by the in-house chefs.

    Meeting Santa

    Meeting Santa

    Christmas at Goofy's Kitchen

    Ok, so we shall step in to Disney California Adventure now, and discover their festive line-up.

    It was DCA's first Christmas with it's shiny new look. Buena Vista Street, Cars Land and all the other things that they had re-launched earlier in 2012 got another chance to shine with the decor and lights of Christmas.

    The decorations on BVS and Cars Land were really nice, and felt appropriate and not too overdone. The rest of the park didn't have too many decorations, but here and there were some small things, that just added a nice touch.

    Christmas in Cars Land

    Wandering down Buena Vista Street

    Wandering down Buena Vista Street

    Wandering down Buena Vista Street

    Wandering thru Cars Land

    Wandering thru Bugs Land

    Wandering thru Cars Land

    Christmas on Buena Vista Street

    There was some new entertainment offerings for Christmas too, including the really talented Community Bell Ringers.
    The other regular park bands played seasonal tunes, too, and the Phineas and Ferb mini-show had a small Christmas overlay.
    Of course there were all the normal things that you would expect for the holidays, such as treats and merchandise. Some of the DCA Christmas merchandise was actually really nice.

    Buena Vista Street Community Bell Ringers

    Over at Hollywood Land, they had switched the Muppets 3D movie for the new Prep and Landing short film. We got to see it twice, which was good as we got to sit in the warm, and see a decent Disney movie in 3D for free!

    Prep and Landing

    One other main thing that they did, oddly though only on select days, was the Holiday Tree Lighting in Carthay Circle.
    This little show in front of the large Christmas tree involved the characters, Citizens of Buena Vista Street and the Bell Ringers coming together and lighting the tree.

    The Buena Vista Street Community Bell Ringers

    Christmas on Buena Vista Street

    It was a pretty touch, but for some reason they didn't do it every night, and it ended on Christmas Eve, which is weird since they call the entire season Holiday Time (note the lack of actually being Christmas), and their "Holiday Time" runs until 6th January. The least they could have done is lit the tree on Christmas Day itself, but nope, it ended on Christmas Eve. Odd.

    Now we come to characters at DCA for the Holidays.
    On Buena Vista Street, Mickey, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale all had festive alterations to their BVS outfits. Milly/Molly the Messenger, Phi Phi the Photographer and Donna the Dog Lady got a few small additions too.

    Character fun on Buena Vista Street

    Character fun on Buena Vista Street

    Character fun on Buena Vista Street

    Character fun on Buena Vista Street

    Character fun on Buena Vista Street

    Meeting Mickey Mouse

    Over in Cars Land Tow Mater had a large Santa hat on (but not McQueen though), and at Paradise Pier Donald and Duffy had Christmas clothes too.

    Donald Duck

    Duffy

    Christmas Mater

    Of course no Christmas would be complete without Santa, and he was available up until Christmas Eve at Elias and Co, in a traditional America department store setting, along with some Elf helpers.

    Meeting Santa

    One of Santa's Elves

    Lastly we come to New Year's Eve. We had decided that our best option would probably be to stay over at DCA because, honestly, we had experienced Disneyland on busy days, and that was bad enough. Add New Year into the equation and you get a whole other level of insanity! DCA provides larger open areas, wider walkways and generally less intensity of craziness than DL park (generally, not always!).
    We actually ended up making the right decision, because really, honestly, compared to what DL Park had been the few days leading up to New Year, DCA was a BREEZE. We were pleasantly surprised how quiet it was. We wandered around and checked out the special New Year entertainment, which consisted of three bands. One country rock in Cars Land, and two jazz (one on BVS and the other in Paradise Pier). I'm not a fan of jazz and found them quite dull, especially the one on BVS, but that's just me.

    Kelly and the Radiator Springs Rockers

    Boringness

    Wandering thru Paradise Pier

    I think that overall the bands and entertainment for New Year's Eve could have been a bit better, but the best was yet to come!
    For the turn of the year there was a breathtaking spectacular on Paradise Bay, with lasers, fireworks, fountains, music and an energy that really brought the park to a roaring climax, before they followed it up with a full presentation of World of Color.

    New Year Fireworks

    New Year Fireworks

    New Year Fireworks

    World of Color

    Over at Disneyland they would never been able to achieve what they did at DCA simply because of the setting, surroundings and size. DL wouldn't have the fountains, and probably no-where near as many lasers, if any (has anyone ever seen lasers used in DL for spectaculars? Let me know!).
    If we are ever back at DLR for New Year we would definitely chose DCA again. I can't imagine at the end of the night how horrendous the crowds must have been. Getting out of DCA was relatively easy. DL was at capacity, and we know from previous experience - on a non-New Year's event - that even if it gets remotely crowded the park grinds to a miserable halt. We made the right choice for sure!

    Well, that concludes this report. We really enjoyed Christmas ("Holiday Time") at Disneyland Resort, and definitely recommend it. We just hope that they continue to add things to the season, and they manage to stave off Florida's advances regarding the ticketed Christmas!

    Dan.
    Disneyland July 2012 Photo Trip Report Part 2
    PeterPanFan  Sunday, September 2, 2012 8:21:32 AM
    Sorry for the delay in posting part 2 of my Disneyland Photo Trip Report; however, I have been busy working on enhancements for the next version of the website as well as some other things... but without further ado here is part 2 :)   [ Read More... ]
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