Christmas is coming! This is the official magicforum topic for the 2014/15 season of Disney's Enchanted Christmas at Disneyland Paris, from 9th November 2014 to 7th January 2015.
This year, we can look forward to meet 'n' greets with Anna and Elsa from Frozen, and Merida from Brave. There's also a new "Sugar and Spice" float in Disney's Christmas Parade and the return of both Disney Dreams! of Christmas and tree illumination show Magical Christmas Wishes.
(http://www.dlptoday.com/images/2014/09/Disneyland-Paris-Frozen-640x426.jpg)
More at DLP Today: Frozen but Brave: Anna, Elsa and Merida to meet Disneyland Paris guests this Christmas (http://www.dlptoday.com/2014/09/27/frozen-but-brave-anna-elsa-and-merida-to-meet-disneyland-paris-guests-this-christmas/)
Discuss all the Disneyland Paris Christmas events here!
Merry Christmas one and all! ;)
@DisneylandBerry (https://twitter.com/DisneylandBerry/status/518385572029952001) released an official artwork of the new float for the Christmas Cavalcade:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BzGs7lCIMAEVuYE.png)
Has there been any more news of a show in the chapparel theatre?
Quote from: polar vixen on October 05, 2014, 05:10:49 PM
Has there been any more news of a show in the chapparel theatre?
There won't be a show there this year.
The testing of Frozen Sing-a-Long was always meant as a test for a new show next year.
From DisneylandBerry on Twitter: @DisneylandBerry
QuoteIn Disney Dreams! of Christmas, you will see new characters as Tinkerbell & her Fairies friends who introduce the show Fix-It Felix & Wreck-It Ralph, Beauty and the Beast or also Hiro & Baymax from the Disney's upcoming animated film, Big Hero 6!
I've read that the Christmas season will no longer have Disney magic on parade, and will be replaced by the Christmas cavalade, and a princess promenade....does anyone know what the princess promenade is? Will there be any chance for interaction?
Oooo No answers but really interested to find out about the Princess Promenade too!
Every morning a royal procession of Princesses arrive out of Sleeping Beauty Castle for the new Disney Princess' Promenade.
A fairytale comes to live right infront of your eyes as The Royal Castle Stage transforms into a magical outdoor ballroom.
(From 14 November 2014)
Source: InsideDLParis
That's what we know, there isn't any more information.
Quote from: polar vixen on October 25, 2014, 10:20:54 PM
I've read that the Christmas season will no longer have Disney magic on parade, and will be replaced by the Christmas cavalade, and a princess promenade....does anyone know what the princess promenade is? Will there be any chance for interaction?
No there isn't unfortunately.
There will be 4 princesses you can meet this Christmas (Auberge de Cendrillon not included):
* Anna and Elsa at the Princess Pavillion
* Merida at the Old Mill
* Rapunzel between Fantasia Gelati and Mad Hatter's Tea Cups
The other princesses will be temporarily axed from the pavillion, and can only be seen in the Princess Promenade.
Just like any other promenade/cavalcade/parade you can't meet the characters. Just see them.
oooh, yay, so glad we'll be able to catch Rapunzel aswell! She was great last time we were there!
I think this is fantastic news, sounds almost like a completely new show. Which is great as last year's Christmas addition just didn't work.
Quote from: peep on October 26, 2014, 04:34:46 AM
I think this is fantastic news, sounds almost like a completely new show. Which is great as last year's Christmas addition just didn't work.
It's not a complete new show.
It's the same show as last year, slightly altered.
The Frozen segment will be a bit longer, and Toy Story will be a lot shorter.
The gap in between will be filled with short moments from films that are mentioned above.
Just like Bambi/Thumper, 101 Dalmations etc. from last year.
Does anyone know how the Princess Pavillion is going to work? If you get to meet Anna and Elsa together does that mean they are only using one room and the 2nd one will be empty? Thoughts of the queues with everyone going into one room, eeek!
Yay! Thanks for the info! We were only there in Feb but it seems that things will be very different which I am really excited about as I did wonder if it would be the same parade etc! I am so excited! Cant flippin wait! xx
Quote from: AislingM on October 26, 2014, 09:11:35 PM
Does anyone know how the Princess Pavillion is going to work? If you get to meet Anna and Elsa together does that mean they are only using one room and the 2nd one will be empty? Thoughts of the queues with everyone going into one room, eeek!
Nobody knows since this has not been released.
We only know that both of them will be there.
But the queue will be massive anyway, also if they both meet separately.
It was already crazy at the Disneyland Hotel.
And hardly anyone knew about it or could see them standing upstairs.
Thanks for that. I suppose it makes no difference because I know I`ll queue up to meet them regardless!
Does anyone know from last year when Dreams swapped back to the standard show and was there a gap between? We are going 7th and 8th of January, with 7th being the last day of christmas it would be great if we could see both shows.
Quote from: evil cod on October 27, 2014, 02:26:02 PM
Does anyone know from last year when Dreams swapped back to the standard show and was there a gap between? We are going 7th and 8th of January, with 7th being the last day of christmas it would be great if we could see both shows.
Disney Dreams Of Christmas is on as long as Christmas season is on.
So that means you can see both versions.
The sing-along show has become a major hit at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida from this past summer, and is continuing indefinitely according to reports. And at WDW's Magic Kingdom, if you have a Fastpass-Plus, you might have to wait up to sixty days to meet Anna and Elsa, while at Disneyland, special tickets are available for their meet-and-greets.
If we go next weekend (Nov8th) should we see Halloween on Saturday and Xmas on Sunday?
Batamigo Halloween finishes today. So you will just see Christmas next weekend.
Thank you! I think we go this weekend to see Xmas already.
what would be the best way to see anna and elsa as we are going for new year with our 4year old daughter and want to make sure she gets to meet them
Quote from: DLRPWonders on October 27, 2014, 07:03:19 AM
It was already crazy at the Disneyland Hotel.
And hardly anyone knew about it or could see them standing upstairs.
I only waited for 15 minutes at the DLH, and that was to meet both Merida and Elsa. Not long at all, specially considering they took their time and were very talkative with guests. In comparison, I've had to wait around 45 minutes for Winnie the Pooh/Marie, Hook+Smee and around an hour for Minnie.
When they're in the Princess Pavilion it'll probably be massive, though. Everybody loves Frozen (God knows why) and the Pavilion is pretty popular, so we'll just have to go queue for an hour to the Old Mill and get our FastPasses.
Probably because hardly anyone knew Anna, Elsa & Merida could appear at the DHL ;)
Quote from: nathalie on November 03, 2014, 05:41:17 PM
Probably because hardly anyone knew Anna, Elsa & Merida could appear at the DHL ;)
Of course that's the reason. But my point remains: no, it wasn't huge while they were at the DLH.
Quote from: Esti on November 03, 2014, 05:23:41 PM
When they're in the Princess Pavilion it'll probably be massive, though. Everybody loves Frozen (God knows why) and the Pavilion is pretty popular, so we'll just have to go queue for an hour to the Old Mill and get our FastPasses.
Not sure they'll be doing the passes, at least for the first week in the programme there's no mention of the reservation tickets. I fear we'll have to join the long long queue...
Again at least for the 1st week, the meet 'n' greets for Merida and Rapunzel are only 45 minutes long (and at the same time), that seems pretty short...
We're going in a couple of weeks, I hope the queues for the rides will be minimal, because I fear we're going to spend a long long time queuing to meet the different princesses...
Is Disney Magic on Parade & Christmas Cavalcade = La Parade de Noel Disney ?
Or is it only the Christmas Cavalcade with a Other Name ?
Quote from: Magicpartytime on November 07, 2014, 01:08:16 PM
Is Disney Magic on Parade & Christmas Cavalcade = La Parade de Noel Disney ?
Or is it only the Christmas Cavalcade with a Other Name ?
There is no Disney Magic On Parade this Christmas season.
La Parade de Noel Disney is the Christmas cavalcade.
However because this year there's is an additional float, it's too big to keep calling it a cavalcade.
Therefor no DMOP, no cavalcade but a Christmas parade.
Quote from: DLRPWonders on November 07, 2014, 01:15:16 PM
La Parade de Noel Disney is the Christmas cavalcade.
However because this year there's is an additional float, it's too big to keep calling it a cavalcade.
Therefor no DMOP, no cavalcade but a Christmas parade.
Hang on if it's too big to be a cavalcade so it becomes a Christmas Parade does that mean we could get "Chante Cest Noel" back? Please, please, please (fingers crossed)
Quote from: RockNRoller on November 07, 2014, 02:53:58 PM
Hang on if it's too big to be a cavalcade so it becomes a Christmas Parade does that mean we could get "Chante Cest Noel" back? Please, please, please (fingers crossed)
Sorry to burst your bubble about that one, but no haha.
If only that would happen! I really really really miss that song!
Quote from: DLRPWonders on November 07, 2014, 03:03:16 PM
Sorry to burst your bubble about that one, but no haha.
If only that would happen! I really really really miss that song!
I have 3 words for you Christmas ring tone :D
Quote from: RockNRoller on November 07, 2014, 04:15:49 PM
I have 3 words for you Christmas ring tone :D
I have 3 words for you: Santa's Christmas Village.
Last year they kept playing the song over and over at the Santa Meet 'n Greet haha.
It's my ringtone now too! :P
What have I missed? Where is Chante c`est Noel gone???
Quote from: AislingM on November 07, 2014, 09:28:25 PM
What have I missed? Where is Chante c`est Noel gone???
It was already gone last year.
They used to use this song for the Halloween Parade and the Tree Lighting Ceremony.
However since last year they're not using that song anymore.
Oh no! I haven`t been for xmas season since 2012. I had no idea it was gone :'( That`s very upsetting! I have been playing it non stop on youtube.
Hi All,
Have been on this site for the last 2 months but this my first post. I'm so excited- have my first ever trip to DLP booked for dec 28th to jan 2nd. I'm guessing its going to be insanely busy. I've been trying to get through as many posts as possible to gather info as I don't really know what to expect. We're bring our 3 and 5 year old girls. Staying in hotel New York- not expecting much from the hotel as I've read some bad reviews- but location is great!
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Thanks :)
In my experience, about five stays at the New York, raise your expectations! The New York is a good quality, enjoyable hotel with a very easy stroll to the parks! Individuals will always have good or bad experiences, but it tends to be the ones who have a genuine or perceived gripe who post on websites! Probably the only thing about the New York that is lacking is that is not so "Disney" as some of the other hotels!
When you return don't forget to let us all know how you got on!
Have a great stay!
Thank you C.Rocket!
Will do ;D
New York is really amazing, for me it's the best hotel (three NY stays, plus some other). Looks so nice with a great atmosphere. If you're lucky you may even eat breakfast in the cocktailbar when it's busy, which looks fab! So definitly do so if you have the opportunity! :-)
New York is a brilliant hotel especially at that time of year , the parkside diner buffet is lovely and the orange juice you get at breakfast is amazing! The place even smells nice , and the bar is perfect for relaxing in the evening, waiter service and if your a whiskey drinker they have a great selection!
Quote from: DLRPWonders on November 07, 2014, 01:15:16 PM
Quote from: Magicpartytime on November 07, 2014, 01:08:16 PM
Is Disney Magic on Parade & Christmas Cavalcade = La Parade de Noel Disney ?
Or is it only the Christmas Cavalcade with a Other Name ?
There is no Disney Magic On Parade this Christmas season.
La Parade de Noel Disney is the Christmas cavalcade.
However because this year there's is an additional float, it's too big to keep calling it a cavalcade.
Therefor no DMOP, no cavalcade but a Christmas parade.
Well, it's not big enough to go around Town Square! Don't you think it should since It's the only parade this year??? Don't get me wrong, Fantastic Parade! I just wish DLP would use Town Square more often rather than saving it for Magic On Parade. The Halloween and Christmas Parades certainly deserve it!
Is there any other reason besides the Christmas parade growing why Magic On Parade was cut this year? They added Father Christmas and Christmas Bells last year and it looked nice. I liked it. Why they change this year?
Another thing, Why didn't DLP put the main street dancers into Halloween and Christmas? They were wonderful in the spring and summer. The music is available since spring and summer was from WDW.
Christmas is an expensive time for DLP, very expensive, so far it has an entirely new nighttime show, new parade, new characters and a ton more atmospheric decoration than any other point in the year, including hotel overlays.
Magic on parade is getting a tad old now, i'd cut them some slack. For free they put on a far better show than the other Disney parks at Christmas.
Main street dancers are likely due to the weather. Out when they can bank on it, in when they can't.
It's a nice parade, but it could definitely do with a few more floats if it's going to be used exclusively as "THE" christmas parade. Another three floats to add in some extra characters would give it more length. The parades at christmas in the US parks have traditionally always been long and I think the overall effect is much nicer, like you're watching a moving show. They have an element of old-fashioned pageantry that the DLP offering lacks.
According to youtube videos, the current christmas parade in Paris runs at approximately 6 - 8 mins, whereas the US parks easily run around 20 mins. They seem far less frantic and rushed than the Paris parade, and seem better quality, in spite of the fact that most of the floats are in fact mostly older recycled units from older parades.
A normal parade in DLP also runs for about 20 minutes. This is just the cavalcade renamed. Sure they added an extra float but aslo last year they canceled one and added one so if they were wise they would have added the float they deleted last year so you would have 2 extra floats this year.
(http://dedicatedtodlp.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/cavalcade.jpg)
The float that I mean is the most top left.
Also they changed the float with mickey on it.
That could easy be a float for the princesses and than you would have a real parade
I think the Christmas parade is gorgeous, but maybe my standards have been lowered after that god-awful, tacky, "please make it stop" Halloween cavalcade ;)
I agree it could use a few more floats, although I'd rather they had more dancers (I love dancers), even if that means having it "only" twice a day and not three times. But it isn't bad as it is. It is very christmasy, beautiful, the song is nice, floats are beautiful, costumes are amazing, dancers are engaging and I've seen Goofy do some reeeeeally cool dance moves.
The only real con I see is that the characters in the float, apart from the big ones (Mickey Minnie Donald Daisy Goofy Pluto), I just don't care about. They should add princesses and maybe some other movie characters too, in Christmas outfits. If they did that (please please please), it'd be just perfect.
Quote from: AislingM on November 07, 2014, 09:28:25 PM
What have I missed? Where is Chante c`est Noel gone???
And it's back, just watched the Princess Promenade for this year on YouTube and they're using an instrumental version of Chante Cest Noel as the music the princess's walk in to. Sounds so good and brings back so many memories.
Quote from: RockNRoller on November 14, 2014, 02:22:29 PM
Quote from: AislingM on November 07, 2014, 09:28:25 PM
What have I missed? Where is Chante c`est Noel gone???
And it's back, just watched the Princess Promenade for this year on YouTube and they're using an instrumental version of Chante Cest Noel as the music the princess's walk in to. Sounds so good and brings back so many memories.
Just watched the clip there , so happy to hear it! Where is Jasmine though?
I was actually quite disapppunted, mostly at its length, magic everywhere played a good while longer and I really missed it!
hi all
thinking of going for new year , and looking back at the programs for last year it seems the parks closed at 1.00am...
this has got me thinking does anyone know if we spent it in the studios , then when fireworks are over would we be able to run over to the main park , even if for 5 mins just so we could be in main st on the special night
or will they close the gates at a certain time ??
I was there over the Christmas 2014 period.
Never saw the Princess Promenade while there but watched it on YouTube once back & thoroughly enjoyed it :D
I was slightly let down by the parade though as I felt it was just too short, it had removed floats & replaced them with others when I feel it should have added the Christmas floats & kept the existing.
I was there too - we were in Paris from December 18th to January 5th and spent 8 days in the parks, plus visited the village on other days, including New Years, so we were very lucky! :o I shall be writing a full trip report with photos asap, I've left it this long through a combination of being really busy, and very sad that we're no longer there! :-[
Just to add my 2 cents on the Christmas season (it was the first time we've been at Christmas) overall it was fantastic - the decorations, theming and music everywhere were excellent. I loved the "snowman" versions of Disney characters (and even got a plush version of the Minnie snowman, which I love!) and the subtle re-theming of areas and rides was awesome. We loved the Christmas version of Small World, especially the fact that the mermaid sang "Jingle Shells"! The weather was cold but not unbearable - in fact I much prefer this to being too hot. Nothing was ever closed due to weather, and due to being peak season, everything was open, which is a definite huge bonus! If anything, the cold weather made all the buildings and indoor sections seem more cozy - this is especially true of the wooden buildings and open fires in and around the Cheyenne, where we stayed for the first time.
We loved the tree-lighting ceremony (FAR better than we'd imagined), and the Princess show was really cool - though very difficult to get a good view without queuing up for hours in advance! Disney Dreams of Christmas was a really really nice show too, although we were all confused by the Olaf "Summer" song being in the middle of it! :-\
As for the parade, I really liked it, but I agree that it was too short compared to previous parades we've watched (standard season in 2011/12). Also, the "royal greeting" with Anna and Elsa was essentially just them in a horse drawn cart. Very nice (well themed, beautiful princesses and costumes, and they interacted well with the crowd) but not really worth queuing up/waiting separately for. In my opinion, Anna and Elsa should have been attached to the Christmas parade to make it slightly longer, and save having to wait around twice.
We didn't bother queuing for the Princess Pavilion, as it was nearly 2 hours wait every time we went past it - even if you went straight there in magic hours. Having queued in there on our last holiday for an hour to meet Belle, we had no desire to see the inside of the "new" building etc, so gave it a miss. Our kids didn't want to see Santa, but we queued for Minnie in Santa's village - the theming was nice and she was lovely as always. Meeting Jack Skellington near Phantom Manor was an absolute necessity, he was brilliant and the theming of his area was really cool. Only a shame there was no Sally with him - I don't know if there ever is an official Paris Sally - but there should be!
As a side note, Disney Village really came into its own with the season. Lots of extra stuff to see, do, hear (and of course buy). There was near constant live music on both stages outside and inside in Billy Bobs, and it was all of a decent standard and added to the atmosphere. New Year's eve there was really cool, lots of stuff on and of course the fireworks over Lake Disney. Only negative points were no ice-skating (I hear its been permanently stopped?) and Panoramagique was closed every day of our entire trip (despite the sporadically placed man in the office saying repeatedly that it would be open "in a few days"). Minor points though, the village was much improved over our previous stays (Lego Store, World of Disney, Earl of Sandwich, vastly improved gallery, fashion & toy stores) and all the extra Christmas theming and entertainment was fantastic.
I would 100% definitely go to DLRP for Christmas season again, should the timing and prices work out well, it was a really nice time to be in the Parks. Is it worth paying significantly more for? Probably not if you are on a budget, and also if you are only on a short stay, its worth baring mind that the queues are much worse than usual, especially on key days (Christmas Day was almost a complete washout) - but for a leisurely stay, and if you can get a good deal, its definitely a really atmospheric and fun period to enjoy the parks.
Thank you for sharing, samuelvictor! It was so interesting to read your memories. 8 days - great!
May I ask - do you remember hearing somewhere in the park "Chante, c'est Noel"?
No problem, glad you liked hearing about it! :) Though this was our first time there at Christmas, I know the song well because we have all the DLRP cds. I heard the song in two places in the parks, once as an instrumental version before the start of the Princess Parade, and the "real" version was playing as part of a Christmas mix in the big shop at the front of Studios Park (before you go into Studio One). The instrumental may also have been played in Main Street or before Dreams of Christmas, I can't remember, but I know there were lots of instrumentals of Christmas songs there, including more obscure Disney specific ones, like Muppet Christmas Carol themes etc...
Super that you remember so many things!
I'll be very happy to hear the song when we visit in winter.
No problem. There's a good chance that it was also playing at some point in World of Disney and outside at Disney Village (outside they seemed to be switching between playing the same mixes played in the shops, and the "live" mix that you can listen to at Disney Village Radio). I was particularly listening out for DLRP tracks as I was hoping somewhere would be playing "Just Like We Dreamed It" and "Dancing a Catchy Rhythm" - I didn't hear them but I suppose they weren't "Christmassy" enough. Luckily I had them on my phone! haha 8)
Quote from: samuelvictor on June 08, 2015, 07:40:42 PM
I was there too - we were in Paris from December 18th to January 5th and spent 8 days in the parks, plus visited the village on other days, including New Years, so we were very lucky! :o I shall be writing a full trip report with photos asap, I've left it this long through a combination of being really busy, and very sad that we're no longer there! :-[
Just to add my 2 cents on the Christmas season (it was the first time we've been at Christmas) overall it was fantastic - the decorations, theming and music everywhere were excellent. I loved the "snowman" versions of Disney characters (and even got a plush version of the Minnie snowman, which I love!) and the subtle re-theming of areas and rides was awesome. We loved the Christmas version of small world, especially the fact that the mermaid sang "Jingle Shells"! The weather was cold but not unbearable - in fact I much prefer this to being too hot. Nothing was ever closed due to weather, and due to being peak season, everything was open, which is a definite huge bonus! If anything, the cold waether made all the buildings and indoor sections seem more cosy - this is especially true of the wooden buildings and open fires in and around the Cheyenne, where we stayed for the first time.
We loved the treelighting ceremony (FAR better than we'd imagined), and the princess show was really cool - though very difficult to get a good view without queing up for hours in advance! Disney dreams of Christmas was a really really nice show too, although we were all confused by the Olaf "Summer" song being in the middle of it! :-\
As for the parade, I really liked it, but I agree that it was too short compared to previous parades we've watched (standard season in 2011/12). Also, the "royal greeting" with Anna and Elsa was essentially just them in a horse drawn cart. Very nice (well themed, beautiful princesses and costumes, and they interacted well with the crowd) but not really worth queuing up/waiting separately for. In my opinion, Anna and Elsa should have been attached to the Christmas parade to make it slightly longer, and save having to wait around twice.
We didn't bother queuing for the Princess Pavillion, as it was nearly 2 hours wait every time we went past it - even if you went straight there in magic hours. Having queued in there on our last holiday for an hour to meet Belle, we had no desire to see the inside of the "new" building etc, so gave it a miss. Our kids didn't want to see Santa, but we queued for Minnie in Santa's village - the theming was nice and she was lovely as always. Meeting Jack Skellington near Phantom Manor was an absolute necessity, he was brilliant and the theming of his area was really cool. Only a shame tehre was no Sally with him - I don't know if there ever is an official Paris Sally - but there should be!
As a side note, Disney Village really came into its own with the season. Lots of extra stuff to see, do, hear (and of course buy). There was near constant live music on both stages outside and inside in Billybobs, and it was all of a decent standard and added to the atmosphere. New Year's eve there was really cool, lots of stuff on and of course the fireworks over Lake Disney. Only negative points were no ice-skating (I hear its been permanently stopped?) and Panoramagique was closed every day of our entire trip (despite the guy in the office saying repeatedly that it would be open "in a few days). Minor points though, the village was much improved over our previous stays (Lego Store, World of Disney, Earl of Sandwich, vastly improved gallery, fashion & toy stores) and all the extra Christmas theming and entertainment was fantastic.
I would 100% definitely go to DLRP for Christmas season again, should the timing and prices work out well, it was a really nice time to be in the Parks. Is it worth paying significantly more for? Probably not if you are on a budget, and also if you are only on a short stay, its worth baring mind that the queues are much worse than usual, especially on key days (Christmas Day was almost a complete washout) - but for a leisurely stay, and if you can get a good deal, its defintely a really atmospheric and fun period to enjoy the parks.
Thanks for the info samuelvictor, glad you had a good time.....
we have been for christmas day once before a good few years back , but have just booked for 29/12 - 1/1 so over new year , im very excited.... ;D
reading your post did you spend new years eve in the village ?? any tips for new year ???
we were thinking of going into the studios for it , but really want to be on main st on new years eve too ...really dont know what to do....
Hi ilovemainstxxx, ooh I'm jealous, I wish we were going again for Christmas this year! It was such a wonderful experience, I'm sure that you will have a similarly brilliant time! :D
We were in DLRP hotels from the 18th of December to 5th January, but only had 8 days worth of Park tickets (I say "only" but of course that is plenty and we were VERY lucky and grateful for those) so we had to ration exactly which days we used the tickets. We had a brilliant experience in the parks on every day except Christmas day itself, which we found WAY too busy to do anything much - we couldn't even slightly get a view of Dreams and the queues were unbearable. Because of this, we avoided the parks on New Year's Eve/Day for fear of a similar experience. That said, we went in to the Parks on the 2nd of January and it was fine - as was Christmas Eve. However, I wouldn't want to discourage you from spending New Year's Eve on Main Street, I imagine that could be really, really cool and a great atmosphere!
There was a LOT of stuff going on in Disney Village on New Year's Eve - it even had its own entertainment guide leaflet (like the ones for the show times in the parks) so we decided to walk there from our hotel and check it out. There was a street market with plenty of cool stores, photo locations, face painting, henna tattoos etc, and an outdoor stage, which had at least 3 live bands perform. They were in a pop/rock style and were pretty good, although we didn't stop and watch them exclusively, they were more a soundtrack as we checked out all the stalls and went round all the shops. Inside Billy Bob's there was also 3 live bands and then a DJ til the late hours, and there was another DJ playing dance music close to Lake Disney, counting down to midnight.
We got some snacks from McDonalds, but looking at the menus and prices of some of the other places it didn't look like prices had been artificially hiked up, which was nice! All the shops and restaurants had extra staff in, and although they were busy, it wasn't unbearable. As it got close to midnight, everyone took their places around Lake Disney, and there was a brilliant atmosphere whilst we all waited for the fireworks. Though plenty of people had been drinking, it was a safe, friendly, fun, family atmosphere. The fireworks were brilliant, and last about 8 minutes. Interestingly they were all white (no colours) but this was really classy looking and they were designed to make really interesting designs and shapes along the length of the Lake - very different to previous fireworks shows we've seen at DLRP, but really cool.
After the fireworks, we walked back to the hotel, and turned on the TV, ready to watch the New Year's fireworks over London in the UK (of course its an hour behind) and phoned/texted/facebooked friends and relatives. Then we all went to bed, exhausted, but having had a great time.
I'd definitely recommend that anyone nearby pops into the Village for New Years, we had a brilliant night, and of course, its all free - you don't need park tickets etc for it. Once again though, if the Parks stay open til midnight (we didn't even check if they did, as we didn't want to use our tickets) I'm sure that the atmosphere there would be awesome too :)