The holiday season at the Disneyland Resort is quickly approaching, and for the first time, includes Buena Vista Street and Cars Land at Disney California Adventure park.
Sleeping Beauty's Castle now sports snow as the resort prepares for the holiday season. Photo by Bryan Pugh.
Guests entering DCA are greeted by Buena Vista Street: a re-creation of 1930s Los Angeles, to which Walt Disney arrived to begin his career as an animator. Park guests are reminded of a Christmas of years gone by. The Carthay Circle area will include a 50-foot Christmas tree with vintage-style ornaments. You will also have a chance to meet Santa Claus inside the Elias and Company Department Store. Buena Vista Street will feature vintage Holiday decor, garland stretched across the streets and town bell ringers.
Cars Land will also feature special holiday decorations, including a "whimsical snowcar at the entrance area. Each address along Route 66 will feature holiday decor that reflects the personality of the Cars character who lives there. Each character and shop owner of Radiator Springs will also have their own, specially decorated Christmas tree.
During the holiday season, you can expect to see the following at Disney California Adventure:
Across the Esplanade at Disneyland, Main Street U.S.A. is once again getting decked out with holiday decorations. Sleeping Beauty's Winter Castle returns with a holiday lighting show that also incorporates the 60-foot-tall Town Square Christmas tree. In addition:
New this holiday season, Downtown Disney is featuring ice skating. Located near ESPN Zone and the AMC Theater, shoppers can enjoy a skate around an outdoor ice rink, complete with music and special lighting; skates are available for rent.
The 2012 Holiday season at the Disneyland Resort kicks off November 12, and runs through January 6, 2013.
Holiday decorations have been installed in New Orleans Square. Photo by Bryan Pugh.
"it's a small world" is currently closed for the annual Holiday overlay. Photo by Bryan Pugh.
Disneyland announced the narrators for the 2012 Candlelight Ceremony and Processional this past week. The Candlelight Ceremony is among the oldest traditions at Disneyland, dating back to 1958. The event is made up of Disney Cast Members, and orchestra performing classical Christmas hymns and a celebrity narrator telling the story of the first Christmas. Disneyland will be holding a record 20 performances of the Candlelight Processional this year, from December 1 - 20, 2012.
The list of narrators for the 2012 Candlelight Processional are:
In a tradition that dates back to 1958, the December 1 and 2 performances will be by invitation only to thank the partners in the community for their support throughout the year. Disney has still yet to confirm the registration details for the Annual Passholder or dining packages, which were announced on the Disney Parks Blog in August. Disney dining currently has no information available. Disney is encouraging those interesting in this information to register at Disneyland.com/ap so that they can receive information on Annual Passholder opportunities as they become available.
Disney formally announced its plans this past week to enter a Cars Land-inspired float in the 124th annual Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. The Cars Land float will feature a bouncing tire from Luigi's Flying Tires, a bubbling "Original Radiator Spring," a real waterfall, baby tractors (complete with puffing smoke), a re-creation of Ornament Valley, the Cozy Cones, and Cars characters Lighting McQueen, Salley, Luigi and Guido in floral representations.
The Cars Land-inspired Rose Parade Float features elemets from the newly opened Cars Land at Disney California Adventure park. Art © Disney.
The Cars Land Rose Parade float is not the first Rose Parade float built by Disneyland. In recent years, the Disneyland Resort has displayed a Twilight Zone Tower of Terror float and a float celebrating the 50th anniversary of Disneyland in 2005.
You can see the Cars Land-inspired Rose Parade float during the 124th Tournament of Roses Parade, which airs live on New Year's Day, January 1, 2013.
Disneyland guests now have the opportunity to meet the characters from the latest Disney animated movie Wreck-It Ralph. The meet-and-greet opened this past week in the Tomorrowland Starcade, and also features vintage-style Wreck-It Ralph video games and background music from classic 1980s video games.
Guests can play classic-style Fix-it Felix Jr. video games at the Wreck-It Ralph meet-and-greet. Photo by Bryan Pugh.
A variety of characters are available for photos, including Wreck-it Ralph and Sugar Rush. Photo by Bryan Pugh.
Wreck-It Ralph opens in theaters on November 2, 2012.
... The long-awaited grand opening of the Downtown Disney Earl of Sandwich location takes place on November 2, 2012. However, Earl of Sandwich has confirmed on its Twitter account that soft openings start today, October 29, 2012.
The Downtown Disney Earl of Sandwich Location as it appeared this past weekend, prior to opening. Photo by Bryan Pugh.
... The Orange County Register has a few more details about the Disneyland location filming of Saving Mr. Banks, which we first reported on two weeks ago. Filming should take place on November 6 and 7 (Tuesday and Wednesday), with "several" locations of the park blocked off during throughout the day. The movie, which follows the story of how Walt Disney secured the rights to film the movie Mary Poppins, stars Tom Hanks as Walt Disney, Emma Thompson, and Colin Farrell. Disney, however, has declined to comment on which actors or actress will take part in the Disneyland filming.
... In the continued effort to crack down on multi-day "ticket-rentals," Disneyland is now checking the IDs of guests showing up to the parks with four- or five-day passports to see if they match the purchaser of the tickets. In a statement to MousePlanet, Disneyland Resort spokeswoman Suzi Brown said, "In an effort to mitigate 'ticket renting,' we are requiring the guest's name on all 4- and 5-day tickets, and will be checking IDs. Tickets that are purchased at the Resort will have the guest's name printed on them; tickets purchased at other authorized sellers will require that the guest name be added at the gate with indelible ink."
Brown said that they don't believe this new policy will have a big impact on guests. She said the resort is also looking at additional options for addressing the problem, but have nothing to announce at this time.
A sign has been placed between gates 15 and 16 at Disneyland directing guests with 4- and 5-day tickets to have their IDs ready. Photo by Bryan Pugh.
... Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen, a restaurant in Downtown Disney, is offering a 10 percent discount as well as priority seating in any available dining room before 6:00 p.m. to guests who show their ticket to the recently opened Downtown Disney Ice Skating rink.
... The Downtown Disney House of Blues was recently presented with a certificate of recognition by the California Legislature for being voted one of the 'Best Concert Venues in Orange County' by the readers of the Orange County Register.
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Advertisement Crowd information and forecasts are provided by TouringPlans.com, the website of the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland, to help you better plan your trip to the Disneyland Resort. TouringPlans.com gathers wait time data from a team of in-park researchers and users of their Lines mobile phone application, and then predicts crowd levels for the next 365 days. Using a scale from 1 to 10, TouringPlans.com has a 90 percent accuracy of predicting the crowds to within 1 point, helping visitors prepare for their trips so they can "Do more. Wait less."
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Note: Refurbishment schedules are estimates only. All information is subject to change without notice. To get the most recent updates, call Disneyland at (714) 781-7290.
Check here to see if a large convention, competition or park event might fall during your next trip to the Disneyland Resort. If you know of any in-park events, official or unofficial, that should be listed here, please send us an e-mail (link).
2012
Fall
Winter
We also recommend checking the convention calendar at the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor and Convention Bureau website (link). When looking at that site, remember to note both the number of people and the number of rooms resulting from each convention. A gathering of 25,000 people booking few room nights (indicating most will be driving in to the area for their meeting) can impact traffic around the resort much more than a crowd of 25,000 staying in area hotels. Of course, that second group is going to make finding a hotel room more difficult (and possibly more expensive), so it's best to book your own room as early as possible if you see that a big convention is in town during your trip.
Note: MousePlanet does not edit past Updates to reflect price increases; for up-to-date prices check the most recent Disneyland Resort Update. Several current promotions offer discounted admission to the Disneyland Resort. For your convenience, we have grouped the discount offers based on the number of days the tickets are valid. Check out the category that best matches the amount of time you plan to spend at the resort, and pick the offer that works best for you. And keep those tips coming—let us know if you find a better or different offer, so we can share it with other readers!
This first section is a list of discounts on ticket-only purchases. Though it has become more common in recent years, Disneyland tickets are rarely offered at deep discounts unless you are a resident of Southern California or Northern Mexico. For residents outside that area, the best discounts available tend to be simple advance purchase discounts. If you know of any additional discounts, offers, promotions, or contests that should be listed in this section, drop us a line. Note, we are no longer listing offers from the Anaheim-Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau, as their convenience fee negates any savings.
| One Day, One Park Ticket – Regularly $87/$81 One Day Park Hopper – Regularly $125/$119 | No discounts currently available to the general public. Check with your employer, school or credit union to see if any discounts are available through them. | |
| Two Day, One Park per Day Ticket – Regularly $170/$158 Two Day Park Hopper – Regularly $200/$188 | Get Away Today Vacations – MousePlanet sponsor Get Away Today Vacations sells two-day tickets at a slight discount over the Disneyland main gate price. 2-day Park Hoppers are $197 for adults and $185 for children; 2-day 1/park/day tickets are $168 for adults and $156 for children Check with your employer, school or credit union to see if any discounts are available through them. | |
| Three Day, One Park per Day Ticket – Regularly $220/$205 Three Day Park Hopper – Regularly $250/$235 |
Get Away Today Vacations – MousePlanet sponsor Get Away Today Vacations sells three-day tickets at a slight discount over the Disneyland main gate price. 3-day Park Hoppers are $245 for adults and $230 for children; 3-day 1/park/day tickets are $217 for adults and $202 for children 2012-2013 Disney Military Promotional 3–Day Park Hopper Ticket ($125) – A discounted price offered to Eligible Service Members or their spouses. Disney Military Promotional 3-Day Park Hopper Tickets may be purchased August 17, 2012 through September 26, 2013, and are valid October 1, 2012 through September 28, 2013. Disney defines "Eligible Service Members" as active or retired members of the U.S. military, including the National Guard, Reservists and the U.S. Coast Guard. Valid military identification will be required for purchase. This discount is available at MWR/ITT offices at your military base or other at participating U.S. military sales outlets. The tickets are not available for sale at the Disneyland Resort ticket booths. The price is the same for adults and children, and total of six tickets may be purchased per military member, regardless of who purchases the tickets (the member or their spouse). Tickets are blocked out December 23, 2012 to January 2, 2013; February 15–17, 2013; March 25 to April 5, 2013; and July 4, 2013. As far as we can tell, there is no "fuse" on this ticket, so you may have more than the standard 13 days from first use to use the remaining two admissions, but we highly recommend you contact your base MWR/ITT office for more details before making travel plans. Please note that this ticket is not a "bonus" ticket, and so does not include an early admission day. Check with your employer, school or credit union to see if other discounts are available through them. |
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| Four Day, One Park per Day Ticket – Regularly $245/$225 Four Day Park Hopper – Regularly $275/$255 |
Costco 4-Day Park Hopper Ticket plus $50 Costco Cash card ($259.99) – The Fall 2012 version of this discount offer is a bit different than past deals, with several important changes:
At face value, the ticket is only $15 less than the rack rate for a Disneyland Resort 4-Day Parkhopper ticket purchased at the Main Entrance booths, and is more expensive than the child's ticket. The real "savings" comes in the form of the $50 Costco Cash Card. If you were already in the market for a 4-day Parkhopper and plan to spend $50 at Costco, this deal will save you $65.00, but it may not be a real value if you aren't an avid Costco shopper. Get Away Today Vacations – MousePlanet sponsor Get Away Today Vacations sells four-day tickets at a slight discount over the Disneyland main gate price. 4-day Park Hoppers are $270 for adults and $250 for children; 4-day 1/park/day tickets are $240 for adults and $220 for children Check with your employer, school or credit union to see if any discounts are available through them. |
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| Five Day, One Park per Day Ticket – Regularly $260/$240 Five Day Park Hopper – Regularly $290/$270 |
Get Away Today Vacations – MousePlanet sponsor Get Away Today Vacations sells five-day tickets at a slight discount over the Disneyland main gate price. 5-day Park Hoppers are $285 for adults and $265 for children; 5-day 1/park/day tickets are $255 for adults and $235 for children Check with your employer, school or credit union to see if any discounts are available through them. |
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| Six Day, One Park per Day Ticket Six Day Park Hopper | No longer offered by Disneyland. Some travel providers may offer 6-day or longer tickets to international customers as part of a package; residents of Canada, Australia or the U.K. should check with local travel agencies to see what options may be available to you. | |
| Disneyland Resort Annual Passports |
No discounts currently available for new purchases. California residents can take advantage of the monthly payment plan when purchasing any but the Premier Annual Passport.
Premier Annual Passport: $849 – valid at both Disneyland Resort and Florida's Walt Disney World Resort; includes parking. Premium Annual Passport: $649 – includes parking. Check with your employer, school or credit union to see if other discounts are available through them. |
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| Southern California CityPass $279/$239 Southern California CityPass PLUS $311/$263 |
2012 Southern California CityPass ($279/$239) – includes a 3-Day Disneyland Resort Park Hopper Bonus Ticket (including one early-entry day), a one-day admission to Sea World San Diego and a one-day admission to Universal Studios Hollywood. The CityPass expires 14 days after first use at any location, and the first use must occur by December 31, 2012. Purchase CityPass through the Disneyland Website or on-site at the ticket booths of Disneyland Resort or the other theme parks included in the pass. You can also purchase directly from the CityPass Website, though a shipping charge may apply depending on how quickly you need the ticket. 2012 Southern California CityPass PLUS ($311/$263) – includes a 3-Day Disneyland Resort Park Hopper Bonus Ticket (including one early-entry day), a one-day admission to Sea World San Diego and a one-day admission to Universal Studios Hollywood, PLUS one-day admission to either San Diego Zoo or San Diego Safari Park. The CityPass expires 14 days after first use at any location, and the first use must occur by December 31, 2012. This upgraded pass is only available for purchase directly from the CityPass Website. Check with your employer, school or credit union to see if other discounts are available through them. |
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Costco Travel Packages – Many different travel packages including visits to Disneyland and Disneyland hotels are available through Costco. Extras when purchasing a Costco Disneyland travel package include Mickey's Toontown Madness admission (currently available Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays, and Saturdays), a character breakfast collectible pin and lanyard, and a Costco luggage tag per person, plus a $20 Disneyland Resort gift card per package.
Disney's Resort Magic and Good Neighbor Magic Packages – Package includes accommodations in one of the three resort hotels or at one of 40 Good Neighbor hotels; Souvenir Park Hopper ticket with voucher for admission to Mickey's Toontown Morning Madness, plus one Magic Morning (early entry) for three–day or longer Park Hoppers; preferred seating at three DCA attractions (Disney's Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular, Muppet*Vision 3D, It's Tough to be a Bug!); preferred showing of Turtle Talk with Crush (priority viewing at the first Turtle Talk with Crush show of the day, on any one day—one voucher per Guest); Disney Dream coin keepsake (one per package), luggage tag and lanyard with pin; a Downtown Disney Fun Card; and a "Character Call" from Mickey, Minnie, Goofy or Crush. Contact Disney Travel or your favorite travel agent.
Contact a MousePlanet sponsor travel agency for assistance in booking your next trip
(800) 523-6116 www.getawaytoday.com
www.mouseearvacations.com
www.smallworldvacations.com |
Annual Passholder offers – Disneyland has once again extended the 20% merchandise discount offered to Premium annual passholders. The discount is now valid through December 31, 2012.
Purchase with Purchase offers – Disneyland Resort shops frequently offer a reduced–price souvenir (often a tote bag, watch, or blanket) with a qualifying minimum purchase. These are offered at Disney-operated stores only, and generally can not be combined—you must choose one of the eligible offers. If you're a passholder, the minimum purchase is calculated after your discount, and your discount does not apply to the promotional item. The current offers are:
Disneyland shops
Disney California Adventure shops
Downtown Disney / Disneyland Resort Hotel shops
Character Dining Vouchers – Discounted character dining vouchers are available for purchase online, in advance of your trip, through Get Away Travel.
Disney Visa – Cardholders have access to a private Character Meet 'N' Greet photo opportunity at Disney California Adventure, and receive one free 5x7 photograph per visit. Cardholders also receive 10% off qualifying merchandise purchases of $50 or more from Disney–operated retail stores, 10% off at selected Disneyland Resort restaurants, (Big Thunder Ranch, River Belle Terrace, French Market, Cocina Cucamonga, Steakhouse 55, PCH Grill and Storyteller's Café), and 20% off the "Welcome to Disneyland," "A Walk in Walt's Footsteps," and "Discover the Magic" guided tours. See the Disney Visa website for terms and conditions.
Landry's Select Club – Members of the Landry's Select Club get priority seating at the Rainforest Cafe when available (which makes a huge difference on busy days), and a 10% discount on retail purchases. This club replaces the former Rainforest Cafe Safari Club as of March 31, 2012. If you are already a Safari Club member, you can migrate your membership to the new Landry's Select Club at no charge, and start to earn points in the new program. The new Select Club eliminated the entree discount and free appetizer offer that was included with the Safari Club, replacing them with a point-based system that gives you a $25 gift certificate after you spend $250. If you are not yet a member of either the Safari Club or the Landry's Select Club, you can pre-purchase your membership before your trip. Membership now costs $25, but comes with a $25 reward.
ESPNZone MVP Club – Membership in the MVP Club does not offer any discounts on food. However, once a member you can make an online reservation for your party up to three days in advance and will get a 25% increase in points purchased when playing games in the Sports Arena (and 40 bonus points at activation). You must register online and your membership card will then be mailed to you within two weeks. The card must then be activated at any ESPNZone by the person who signed up for the card and ID will be required (link).
DL: Disneyland DCA: Disney California Adventure Annual Pass blockouts:
| 10/28 | 10/29 | 10/30 |
10/31 |
11/1 | 11/2 | 11/3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
DL: 8a-12a None DCA: 8a-10p EMH AP Blockouts: SL Events: None |
DL: 8a-6p TT DCA: 10a-8p EMH AP Blockouts: Events: MHP |
DL: 10a-8p EMH / MM DCA: 10a-8p None AP Blockouts: Events: None |
DL: 8a-6p AP Blockouts
Events: |
DL: 10a-8p EMH / MM DCA: 10a-8p None AP Blockouts: Events: None |
DL: 9a-11p AP Blockouts
Events: |
DL: 9a-12a EMH / MM / TT DCA: 9a-9p None AP Blockouts: SL/SC Events: None |
| 11/4 | 11/5 | 11/6 |
11/7 |
11/8 | 11/9 | 11/10 |
|
DL: 8a-11p None DCA: 8a-9p EMH AP Blockouts: SL Events: None |
DL: 8a-8p TT DCA: 10a-8p EMH AP Blockouts: Events: None |
DL: 10a-8p EMH / MM DCA: 10a-8p None AP Blockouts: Events: None |
DL: 10a-8p AP Blockouts
Events: |
DL: 10a-8p EMH / MM DCA: 10a-8p None AP Blockouts: Events: None |
DL: 9a-12a AP Blockouts
Events: |
DL: 9a-12a EMH / MM / TT DCA: 9a-10p None AP Blockouts: SL/SC Events: None |
Visit our Annual Passholders Blockout Dates page to see more dates. You can see future calendar schedules at Disneyland. As always, specifics are subject to change without notice (or occasionally, without us noticing) so when information conflicts between what is presented here and that presented by Disney, it is best to assume Disney's information is correct. Visit the Park Hours section of our Disneyland Park guide for additional details about Magic Morning and Toontown Morning Madness, including available attractions. Entertainment schedule: Go directly to the Disneyland Resort schedule for this week at Disneyland.com here.
(Send an email to Bryan Pugh)
Born and raised in Southern California, Bryan Pugh is a paramedic, amateur photographer and an avid Angels baseball fan. Bryan writes the DisneylandLive blog, and is a guest contributor to MousePlanet. When he is not writing, roaming the Disneyland Resort with his camera or playing his guitar, he is spending time with his wife and two children. You can write to Bryan at bryan@dlandlive.com or follow @DisneylandLive on Twitter.
