So, I have been saying for a while now that this will be my families first time at Disneyland at Christmas time. We are going to be staying at the Grand Californian (as a HUGE SPLURGE) and I am trying to make some decisions on some things.

There will be five us going:
Dad - 61 (Birthday Dec 5th)
Me - 41
DD#1 - 16
DD#2 - 12
DS - 11

I really wanted to take a few tours. Here is what I am kind of planning to do while we are there. Please let me know what you think:

19 Dec - Fly into the Ontario Airport, get checked in and go to Disneyland. I am not planning on any reservations for food because I don't want to be locked into anything that first day. We leave San Antonio at 6:00ish in the morning so we have to be up around 3:00 so that means a VERY short day doing most anything.

20 Dec - EE and breakfast at Carnation Cafe. Nothing planned, just having fun doing whatever.

21 Dec - Lunch Cafe Orleans. Nothing else planned.

22 Dec - EE and Walk in Walt's Footsteps (Lunch provided); all of us are doing this tour.

23 Dec - Disney Magic Tour. Dinner at Catals so DS can have duck. (Dad is not doing this tour; not sure how many kids are going to do it.)

24 Dec - EE and Lunch at Carnation Cafe (to try the Loaded Baked Potato Soup); Holiday Tour; all of us are doing this tour.

25 Dec - (Not sure if EE will be done on this day) Storytellers for Christmas Dinner.

26 Dec - Leave to go home but if they offer EE in lieu of Christmas' EE, then I'll do this for a couple of hours before we leave.

We have been to Disneyland the last two years, so this year is just do things we haven't tried, see the HMH and IASWH as well as the parades and fireworks.

Also I am sending a package to our hotel with gifts for the kids to open (but are portable enough to take home) as well as a small tree (maybe) that we can decorate. I am going to see if Vacation Planning can get us the Candy Canes so I won't miss them. So, in a nutshell, how does it sound? If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Wow that sounds like fun. I understand they have a special Holiday Tour that might be fun. Sounds like HMH and ISWH are on it - and without waiting in a long line, also special parade seating with the tour and goodies at the parade. I'm considering doing it when we go.

Anyway, have a great time!

Thanks! I hope you have a wonderful time as well!

The only ride I want to make sure we ride on because it is not on any tours is Finding Nemo. We didn't get to ride it when it opened so we want to make sure we do that. I am going to try to do it the first night we are there. Hopefully it won't be a long wait and DL closes at 9:00 that night.

I highly recommend the Holiday Tour. :) We took that tour during our stay last December and had a wonderful time. And yes, expedited seating rides on HMH and IASWH are included with the tour, as well as reservated seating for the Holiday parade.

My only regret, we can't go down for Christmas this year. Oh well maybe in 2008.

Christmas is my favorite time of year, Disneyland is my favorite place on earth. Christmas time at Disneyland? Nirvana! :D :D :D

Hope you have an absolutely wonderful time.

Thank you. I'm sorry you can't go this year, but hopefully you can next year.

We'll be there the same time, Shelley. Are you going to have a car?

One of the things that we are planning on doing since we are driving is going to Target on the way to the hotel and letting the kids pick out decorations for the hotel room. We are going to (hopefully) pick up a small living tree which we will take home and plant. Either that or we will get a small fake one. Anyhow, I thought it would be a fun trip for them and that way, if we lose anything, it won't be like we lost all our decorations from home...

Also, I am planning on letting everyone in the family pick out one ornament in the parks for the tree. We do this every year (at home), so it will just add to our collection.

The only thing I am bringing from home is our stockings - we have all Disney stockings so if I didn't bring them, I'd only be buying more Disney stockings... LOL! Besides it won't seem the same if my husband doesn't get to open his Mickey Mouse stocking or my daughter doesn't get her Stitch stocking. We've become attached to "our" character.

Well we aren't going to have a car but we could get a taxi if need be. I thought about just sending a small tree through the mail to ourselves at the hotel, that way it would be there. I found some cute Disney stockings at Wal-Mart for 10.88 each for our trip. The kids have these HUGE stockings I made for them when they were babies and I didn't want to bring them with us to try to fill up. So I got these smaller ones.

I also got some ornaments from Wal-Mart that are Disney related (they are ball ornames of Pirates, Princesses and Tinkerbell) for 5.97 for four. I figured I could pick up some small ornaments like that so if they don't come home with us, it isn't that big of a deal. Like you, our family picks out a new ornament each year. I figured I let the kids do that there as well.

I just got done with vacation planning and made my dinner reservations for every day except for Christmas. Tomorrow is the day you can start making reservations for that day. They also said that this year for the tree that you can put up in your room and take home with you is "Mickey and Friends" theme. The tree with ornaments is $208.00 + tax. I think she said you can get stockings as well, but they were like $88.00 + tax each. As much as I would love to go this route, I don't think it is going to happen.

We will be there from the 22nd or so. Our Christmas Tree comes via UPS and we have boxes with stockings, and stuff sent with UPS also. When we arrive, it's time to decorate!!

I would recommend the Holiday Tour, one of my favorites!

We're staying off-site, so we won't have the option of the Mickey & Friends tree. Last time we stayed at Ramada and we decorated with a Mickey wreath. It was nice. Main Street Emporium had a good selection of Christmas decorations - I think I spent $200 in there!

Wow, now that's my kind of trip! I LOVE Storytellers for Xmas Eve. Try to get a table by the fireplace. The Holiday tour is a great idea too, especially since you get the great parade seats. We can't get down until Dec. 31-Jan. 5th because of the kids school schedule and it just doesn't feel like Xmas , but at least we get to see all the great decorations. Maybe next year! Have a great time!

Thanks! I hope you have a wonderful time as well!

The only ride I want to make sure we ride on because it is not on any tours is Finding Nemo. We didn't get to ride it when it opened so we want to make sure we do that. I am going to try to do it the first night we are there. Hopefully it won't be a long wait and DL closes at 9:00 that night.

Some don't agree with me, but since you have so many EE days during your stay, I would just use one of them for Nemo. We had two EE days during our trip, and used the first for Nemo; we were off inside half an hour, and we didn't even plan to go on it that morning! Veered away from FL at the last minute. And then we still had another EE to play in Fantasyland. So that's what I would suggest.

We might do that with one of our EE days. I would like to see Nemo in the dark and then in the light. I am so excited I can hardly stand it.

That's a fun plan, too. :) I went on it at dusk one day when DH and DS were napping at the hotel, and I kept looking up at the water, seeing the darkness coming down. I'm not sure it made a true difference in the ride's effects, but it was definitely worth doing.

Like you I will probably do a lot when the rest of my family is back at the hotel. I am usually an early riser and I hate sitting around waiting for everyone. Makes me completely nuts. So, I will get up and get out. When they decide to join me then great. What I won't do though is go hold a space in line for 5 people at Finding Nemo. I will warn them ahead of time if they want to go they need to get their butts out of bed and go when I am ready or they won't go at that time.