Home

[dlpowl]

Hi guys,

Although we are seasoned DLP visitors, we've only ever been in September so for our next visit we are having a change and going for the Christmas season.

So I've just a couple of questions for those who have been at this time.  Is November less busy than December?  We are thinking of going towards the end of November, it would be a Mon-Fri trip probably, during term time, so what kind of crowds and weather could we expect? 

[elisje]

Hey.
November is great. It went november 2014 and it was a fantastic trip
It should be fairly quiet (10\ 20 minute queues). the weather is not that cold as December. It is still winter though so expect the weather to be cold and somewhat rainy. But just dress in layers and pack a poncho and you will be fine.

[div129]

We've been during the last week of November for the past 2 years. In 2015, we went Tuesday-Thursday. It was only, like, 10 days or so after the terror attack in Paris, which is probably why it was so quiet. Staff were constantly on edge, but still made for a good time. It was sooo cold! It rarely got above 2' while we were there the whole time. Being wrapped up in thick coats and scarves defiantly made us feel more in the Christmas mood. Early Magic Hours were so quiet. We managed to meet Donald, Goofy, Pluto, Mickey and Minnie all within the first hour of entering the park. Queues for the rides were virtually non-existent all day. Think the longest we waited was 10 minutes if that. Always got good spots for the parades.
In 2016 we went Monday - Friday. It wasn't as cold as the year before! Just jumper weather. It was busier than the year before. EMH were still pretty quiet. Longest queue this time was probably around 20 minutes for Autopia. (they opened this during one EMH due to Space Mountain not working). Because it was warmer, it didn't have as much of a 'Christmas feel' to it as the year before, but we still got plenty of Disney Magic!
It does get crowded for Disney Dreams of Christmas, with people finding their spot early - if you plan on doing this, get a hot chocolate and a hot dog from Casey's to keep you warm as you wait!

[dlpowl]

Oh brilliant, thanks for your replies!

November definitely sounds like a goer then!   Yes, I'm not great with the cold but it's unavoidable if we want to see Christmas at DLP, isn't it!  So I just need to suck it up and get on with it!  Hahaa!  As long as it doesn't rain, I really don't like rain.  It actually rained a lot in the evenings towards the end of our last trip in September and it really spoiled it.  Because it didn't just rain, it absolutely threw it down.  We had pack-a-macs so our bodies were dry but only trainers and by the time we got back to our hotel our feet were soaked through.   We've always had glorious weather in September so it was a real shame.  We only saw dreams twice and we were there for 7 days!  Because it was raining too hard!  So fingers crossed, it will be chilly but dry.

Have you got any other tips or must-see must-do things that are specific to Christmas?

[Queenie]

We went in November, and last night we booked for this November! We found the weather really mild and our thick coats and my winter boots were probably a bit too warm! We had no rain at all, which was great because I hate the rain. Hope we get as lucky this year
At certain times of the day they have artificial snow coming down on main street which is lovely.  We didn't really figure out a pattern of when it happened, it seemed to be pot luck that we were there at the time. Dreams was very crowded, we had a green pass as my son has ADHD & ASD and we were lucky to get a spot in the roped off area. Neither of my boys could really see anything unfortunatley, until  a kind man allowed my son to stand in front of him. So I'd second getting your spot early if you can.
We loved the Frozen sing-a-long (falling snow again), the christmas parade and browsing the shops for the disney themed decorations (could have spent a fortune!)
We did tues-sat and saw a noticable difference in the crowds on the fri & sat.  The weekdays were fairly  quiet, and so were the EMH.  You'll have a great time in November!

[Elodie]

No advice, but I'm glad I saw this. We're going in December (getting home on Christmas Eve) and I keep wondering how I'll cope with the cold. We have a 1.5 hour school run (I don't drive) so we're used to being out in the cold and have plenty of warm layers, but it doesn't mean I actually like the cold!! I do agree that it gives you more of a Christmassy feeling, and I've felt quite happy and festive when we've been to children's theme parks in England at Christmas.

I wasn't too worried about missing things if it rained, since we only went a few months ago and ticked everything off our wishlists. But reading this, I've realised that we should be prioritising the special Christmas events as soon as possible, in case the rain spoils things later in the week. I'll be gutted if it's torrential rain all day every day though!

[dlpowl]

Thanks guys, all good stuff. 

You've helped me decide that we are definitely going to go in November.  Now I just need to wait until the 30% off and free full Board meal plan offer comes on!  Fingers crossed it will because we won't go without a meal plan and as there will be 7 of us going, we need it on the offer!  Hahaa!

[div129]

They also have different shows on at the Castle Stage to do with Christmas, mainly involving the Princesses. Once a day, I think it was, they had a Royal Frozen Welcome with Ana and Elsa in a horse drawn carriage going along the parade route down Main Street. We were lucky on our first day last year, as they were just starting this as soon as we entered the park! The Christmas Parade is worth several views. And the Christmas merchandise! lucky we got a Dream annual pass to get discount on the merchandise!

[dlpowl]

Oh I just know I'm going to be in heaven with all the Christmas merchandise!   I saw all the amazing sales they were having in January and I'm tempted to go then just for the shopping but I just wouldn't be able to get into the Christmas spirit in January, it just wouldn't feel right. 

We've done Frozen Summer Fun so we saw the Anna and Elsa carriage and the Frozen Sing Along so I'm hoping that they will have some new stuff for next Christmas, especially with it being the 25th Anniversary.  I think Frozen has been done to death a bit now so let's hope they have something new.  One of the cast members told me that Rapunzel is going to feature heavily this year as part of the 25th celebrations which I'm really excited about.  He told me because despite being there for 7 days, we didn't get to meet her and I was almost in tears about it because she is my favourite!  So he told me that I should come back in 2017! 

[Elodie]

Oh I really, really hope that's true about Rapunzel! We also did the Frozen Summer Fun last year, and my girls loved it (even being snowed on while we were melting in the summer heat!) but Rapunzel is my 5 year old's favourite. She had a lookalike at her 3rd birthday and gets birthday messages off her every year, so she thinks Rapunzel is a real family friend. She loved that Rapunzel blew her a kiss from the parade last year when she was wearing her Rapunzel dress (tbh it could have been aimed at any of about 10 children stood near us but she believes it was for her!) and it would make her year to meet her at Christmas. Fingers crossed!

[dlpowl]

Aaah, bless her!  My 6 year olds favourite is Belle (grrrr, my least favourite) but she knew how disappointed I was not to meet Rapunzel so on the last day she wore her Rapunzel dress (for me, she said) and I wore my custom Rapunzel ears and she said "together, Mummy, we are going to shout and scream until Rapunzel sees us!"  We did and she saw us and waved and blew kisses, it was awesome!  Hahaaa!  I think I'd probably shed an actual tear if I met Rapunzel.  Hahaaa!  Only in a Disney forum can I say that and know that people won't think I'm mental!  Hahaa!

[Elodie]

I'm sure you wouldn't be the first! I get emotional just thinking about the magic there, never mind actually meeting a favourite princess!