Visiting Disneyland Park During the Holidays

The word Disney is synonymous with entertainment even more so during the holidays.  Our favorite time to visit the Disney parks is during the holiday season when they are decked out in festive splendor. My daughter’s birthday is in early December so we’ve spent many weekends here over the years. Many things have remained the same but there are also always a few surprises.

These are some of our favorite holiday attractions and spots to visit and some tips to make your trip even merrier. See how they transformed the happiest place on earth to the merriest one during Christmas at the Disneyland Resort.

Favorite Photo Spots

There are many areas around the park filled with wonderful holiday backdrops and perfect for those precious family photos or selfies. These four areas have always been our favorite photo spots.

It’s hard to miss the train depot all decorated and Mickey’s smiling face in flowers at the entrance. This used to be a free for all area to take photo spots. But, the prime spot now has a line so Disney official photographers can take your picture. But, they will also gladly take photos of you using your smartphones or camera.

The 60-ft Christmas Tree at the town square and the start of Main Street has been a staple here for many years. The huge and colorful ornaments and the presents underneath make it a popular photo spot.

I have always loved standing on Main Street and seeing the garlands and Mickey wreaths strewn across the street with balls of poinsettias hanging on lampposts.  It is amazing to see how much attention to detail is put in decorating the park.

Plenty of red poinsettias surrounded the Walt Disney and Mickey statue.

Despite seeing Sleeping Beauty Castle many times over the years, its transformation as a winter castle during the holidays has always left me in awe. Its towers and turrets are covered with snow and icicles hanging from it.  It makes a perfect backdrop for many of the celebrations around the park.

The Holiday Rides

Disneyland also completely changes a couple of the rides for the holidays.  One of my favorite rides at Disneyland has always been It’s A Small World.  For those unfamiliar, it is a boat ride through the many lands with the dolls in their native costumes singing along. It’s travel inspiration – Disney style.

Its facade is adorned with some merriment including the main face with a Santa hat. The ride is completely transformed with a holiday theme and decorated with 300,000 lights.

The It’s A Small World song is still playing through the duration of the ride but it is mixed with Jingle Bells sung in different languages. Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas signs in different languages were also displayed in the various lands.  Feliz Navidad from Mexico

Buon Natale from Italia.

Then, there was winter wonderland which included a giant snowman and numerous dolls representing many of the countries singing their hearts out. It’s always fun trying to look for the Disney characters incorporated throughout the ride.

The other ride that is transformed during the holidays is the Haunted Mansion where it is taken over by characters from the movie, the Nightmare Before Christmas. The mansion is adorned with Halloween and Christmas decor. I’ve never been a fan of the Nightmare franchise and we’ve never seen the movies so I didn’t get a lot of the references.

Toon Town was decorated with whimsical garlands and trees. This is a common place for many families especially those traveling with babies and toddlers.

The Parade

The highlight for many visitors though is the Christmas Fantasy Parade which occurs twice a day. It starts from Small World and travels to Main Street USA and reverses in direction and gets everyone into the holiday spirit.  Many people stake out seats along the route an hour or so before the parade starts to get front row access to the floats.  It gives everyone a chance to see many of the characters.

Mickey and Minnie are always in their finest holiday outfits.

Some of the classic characters and floats return every year that always bring smiles like dancing holiday gingerbread cookies.

The characters dressed in their holiday attire were enough to get so many toddlers excited especially the Princesses. I loved hearing screams of joy and recognition as each float passed them by. I remember those sweet days when my kids were younger. As teens, they still enjoy watching the parade.

Of course, the grand marshal of the parade is Santa Claus preceded by the dancing, upright reindeer.

I love watching all the kids’ faces light up as Santa waved to the crowd and shouting out holiday greetings in many languages.

As dusk settled, the lights transformed Disneyland into an even more magical place.  I actually love seeing the decorations and attractions more when they’re lit up at night. Sleeping Beauty Castle is adorned with about 800,000 lights.

All the Disneyland merriment and decorations are enough to make even the Grinch or Scrooge smile a bit. Disneyland is a wondrous place for all kids and the young at heart.  But, the holiday atmosphere, sights and scents make for quite an amazing experience and a special time to visit.

Holiday Entertainment

• Meet Santa Claus.  Kids can meet Santa at Pooh’s thotful spot in Critter Country.
• “Believe… In Holiday Magic” Fireworks Spectacular. This is a can’t miss holiday entertainment over Sleeping Beauty’s castle that has fireworks, holiday songs and ends with falling snow on Main Street and several locations marked with snowflakes around the park.  It is truly magical!
• Candlelight Ceremony and Processional.  This event occurs usually on the first weekend of December. It starts with a candlelight procession and a celebrity narrator, several choirs of about 600 singers and the Disneyland orchestra tell the first Christmas story with holiday music. The stage is set up behind the train station on the town square.

We’ve watched it a couple of times and it is such an extraordinary experience. The combination of various choir groups singing holiday music is so inspiring and moving especially the Hallelujah song. Chris Pratt from Guardians of the Galaxy was the celebrity narrator during our last visit.

The time leading up to the procession can get very chaotic as they close Main Street and reroute traffic. The seats are reserved and the general public stands behind with not that much room. So, you almost have to stake out your spot and stand for over an hour. The processional and songs last for almost an hour. We recommend standing near the guest services building or by fire station to get a closer glimpse of the celebrity narrator.

Tips for Visiting Disneyland Park during the Holidays

• Time Your Visit. Some Disneyland visits can’t really be avoided until the kids are out of school. Just know that visits between Christmas and New Year can get pretty crowded including Christmas Day and also New Year’s day. Visit with a lot of patience and use the tips below.

If you can, go during the first two weeks in December and weekdays will always be better. In the rare rain occurrence here in Southern California, those are also the best times to go. Check out the crowd predictor calendar in isitpacked to see the crowd size. They do turn people away if both parks hit a certain threshold.

• Go early. It’s important to go as early as you can into the parks preferably even before the park opens which is usually around 8 AM. This will help ensure you can ride and see more attractions as wait times increase throughout the day. There have been occasions where we walked to the entrance of rides with no lines within the first hour of the park opening.

Guests staying at the Disneyland Resort hotels have the opportunity to enter some attractions, dining areas and stores in the parks one full hour before the parks open on specific days and known as the Extra Magic Hour.

For Disneyland Park, it is currently on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. If you have the Park Hopper ticket, you may want to consider going early to the other park which doesn’t have the Extra Magic Hour.

• Use FASTPASS or MAXPASS . The free FASTPASS Program is Disney’s version of a ride reservation system. These allow holders to skip the regular line at specific rides in the park. FASTPASS is available on 10 rides and a reserved viewing spot for the Fantasmic! show. Be aware that tickets can run out on popular rides like Space Mountain.

Simply go to the specific attractions and see the posted FASTPASS return time. If the time works, simply insert your admission ticket into the kiosk and you will receive a FASTPASS ticket with the return time printed allowing for an hour timeframe.

These FASTPASSES can be managed on the Disneyland app including cancellations. These tickets also show when you are allowed to get your next FASTPASS.

For an extra $10 more per visitor, per day, you can buy the MaxPass. This allows visitors to reserve a FASTPASS from their mobile devices using the Disneyland app. It also allows visitors unlimited Disney PhotoPass photo downloads during the day. These include memorable photos you can pose for and taken by the Disney PhotoPass photographers.

• Ride the train, cars, omnibus, carriages along Main Street to save walking with the little ones or for the experience.
• Download the Disneyland Resort app. This is such a valuable app for anyone who has a smartphone. Visitors can buy park tickets avoiding the first major line, check wait times for rides, check FASTPASS return times, make dining reservations at several restaurants, order and pre-pay for food and beverages at select places saving a lot of time, find attractions, shops and restaurants quickly with GPS-enabled maps and find the Disney characters around the park. Download it every time you visit!
• Have a planned but also flexible itinerary. Most visitors only have one day here and you really do need some sort of a plan or priority list. Determine your family’s list of “can’t miss attractions and shows” especially if it’s your first visit.

See the entertainment schedule right when you get in and plan accordingly. Take advantage of the FASTPASS system to maximize your day.

• Bring plenty of snacks. Disneyland charges a premium for almost everything once you’re inside the park and this includes food. Snacks have helped us in between meals and while waiting in lines and before shows. Pack enough to last through the day.
• Take Advantage of Single Rider. If your kids are a little older and you don’t mind being separated while riding attractions, this is a great opportunity to minimize wait times. There is a separate line that’s usually a lot shorter than the general entry and sometimes even the FASTPASS line used to fill empty seats.

My kids love doing this option. Matterhorn, Splash Mountain, Indiana Jones and Space Mountain currently offer the Single Rider service.

• Wear Layers. While Southern California has a mild weather, it can get quite chilly at night. Stay warm while waiting for the nighttime shows and pack those light jackets. Lockers are easily accessible and available for rentals for storage.
• Eat Holiday Treats. Disneyland always has some delicious food and goodies around the park to sample. But, the holidays bring some unique seasonal items you also have to seek out and eat. Tasty treats like caramel apples, crispy treats/rice krispies, cake pops, peppermint bark or fudge, adorably decorated cookies are available at restaurants, cafes and especially the Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe.

Read and download the foodie guide before your visit at the Disneyparks blog like this one for 2018. Don’t forget the holiday-flavored churros (sour apple, gingerbread, sugarplum, peppermint). Look for the churro carts around the park. We also love the candy cane Mickey-shaped beignets at the Mint Julep Bar.

*Have you visited the Disney parks or other theme parks during the holidays?  

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