Christmas in Disneyland: Heaven in 2011
GUEST BLOG POST BY CARMEN YEPEZ ABOUT HER EXPERIENCE IN DISNEYLAND, CA CHRISTMAS OF 2011.
It’s true! I’ll confess now! I wasn’t too thrilled at the thought of spending actual Christmas day at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. As long as I could remember, it was understood that we would wake up on Christmas Day (or should I say, be woken up early by our parents because they were more excited to see our happy, surprised faces), open up stockings and follow up with presents before having breakfast. We’d then get dressed in our holiday attire and head to my grandparents to do our gift exchange with them. Proceed with a late lunch/early dinner and then head back home to enjoy the newest toys, games, or clothes that we’d received that morning and then settle in with a bonfire, hot cocoa, fireworks, stories, and finally-bed! Those were my memories of Christmas at home: simple, relaxed, family-focused, and traditional.
Fast forward to many years later and I’m now a wife with my own family and my own traditions. I’ll admit that it wasn’t easy for me to break away from what I was accustomed to and do something extraordinary for Christmas, but I’m so glad for the experience in doing just that.
We took a trip to Fontana, California on Christmas Eve this past December and had a nice, upbeat dinner (complete with fantastic Mickey-shaped cupcakes for dessert) with a small group of cheerful relatives, did a White Elephant style ornament exchange, and played board games as a family until late that night and brought in Christmas Day with smiles on our faces. Those smiles continued as we hit the road and headed towards Anaheim to Disneyland on such a sunny, but crisp day.
Little did I realize that Christmas Day would be such a hit in Disneyland! There were so many people entering the gates-so many in fact, that the 1-day Park Hopper was being sold at the same price as regular admission, but recipients had to spend the first part of their day in California Adventures and wait until 4 pm to enter the Disneyland Park in order to control capacity! We decided to stick with just admission to the Disneyland Park because we had a specific agenda and our biggest obstacle had already been conquered: we were all together at the same time in Disneyland and it was an added bonus that it was Christmas Day!
We explored the Indiana Jones Adventure at the request of my mother-in-law since it is her favorite and then we took the Jungle Cruise to relax and enjoy each other’s company, before tackling Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! What excitement to hear the shrieks and shrills of our beloved family members and for us to all be together and for that day to forget the troubles of the world.
Next we ventured toward the Haunted Mansion which had been accommodated to fit the theme of the Nightmare Before Christmas. To
my delight we saw characters Jack and Sally of the NBC, right outside making their appearance while we anxiously awaited our turn in line to enter the Mansion. This really made it all worth-while for me!
Ever since that movie came out, I fell in love and to see the movie come to life in front of me was even better! My friends and I took a trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL back in September of 2011 and once they’d told me that the Haunted Mansion would be themed for Halloween and that we were just days shy of seeing that, I was a little disappointed. I had put the idea in my head that I was determined to get back to see for myself if at all possible. That dream has become reality because it was Christmas Day and I was standing in the Mansion! The ride was more than I could fathom-definitely something you must experience for yourself.
Next up was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and that was quite an adventure in itself! The quick turns, creaky noises of the track beneath you, and the layout of the ride was enough to keep you guessing! Afterwards, we rode my personal favorite-Pirates of the Caribbean. The entrance to the ride was pretty neat. You walk in and you can see that there are guests riding on the ship that you’ll soon go onto to begin your own voyage. Once you make it on the ride, there is a restaurant, the Blue Bayou, which almost seems to become a part of the ride’s attractions. What a special bonus! Not only is the layout of the ride amazing, but a few surprises remain ahead once you begin your journey. I must say that there is quite a difference between Disneyland and Disneyworld when it comes to this ride, but California leads the way with this attraction!
Many other rides later, we finally decided to catch the Christmas parade before stopping off for a nice but quick sit- down meal at Plaza Inn. The parade never let us down, and the finale fireworks in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle were absolutely enchanting. Pair the fireworks with priceless family conversation, a place to sit while drinking hot cocoa, and soothing, but whimsical Christmas tunes and you have a recipe for perfection and a night that I’ll never forget!
The Holidays in Disney parks are always more than you can ever imagine, but as always, the mastermind magic of Walt Disney and his crew shines through and you’re left with more than you bargained for-but in a wonderful way! This really put me at ease because being a Southern-girl and seeing how back home the holidays are really reserved for your closest family, I was a little unsure about spending Christmas amongst “total strangers”, but then at the end of the day I realized that I had just spent that day with fellow “Disney” family members and it wasn’t so bad!
My husband, Scott, and I had a cncahe to try out the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure during our visit to WDW last December.Our mission was based on the Mexico pavilion we had a good time exploring corners of the pavilion we hadn’t spent time in before and thought the payoffs were entertaining, without being intrusive to the other guests. As you mentioned, this type of technology is a great way to plus the parks without expanding the physical environment.LOVED the look at Disneyland in the future reminded me a bit of Ridley Pearson’s Kingdom Keepers as well as Cory Doctorow’s Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom both novels have some innovative uses of technology in the Parks.