With the beginning of November upon us, the holiday season gets into full season at the Disney resorts. Our first group of letters deals with this special time of year. First, MousePlanet staff writer Mark Goldhaber answers a letter from reader Kelly Marchetti, who writes:
I, too, have been going to Disney since I was a child annually. I continue the ritual now with my kids.
I just returned from the Polynesian in early June. We had a fantastic time, and the renovated concierge rooms are gorgeous. I am planning a larger then normal group to visit over Thanksgiving. My husband and I went during that time on our Honeymoon, and it was fabulous. We woke one morning to find the entire hotel and parks decorated for Christmas magically while we slept.
I was wondering when to expect annual pass rates released for November. I make all the arrangements for everyone and the phones are crazy once released so I have to be on the ball. I check in with mousesavers.com, but usually they put a clause that those dates are blackout… Truthfully I never had that problem.
From what I remember the time between Thanksgiving and before Christmas is relatively calm? Anyway if you could recall or ask around anyone with some info I just want to get an idea when to start looking for the release.
Also, do you have any recommendations for Thanksgiving Dinner? We ate at 1900 Park Fare in 2001. It was nice, but I really wanted a sit down and it was a buffet. If anyone has had a recent good experience, I would appreciate any details.
Thanks for writing! My wife and I also spent a portion of our honeymoon at Walt Disney World (Polynesian) back in 1987, on the old Gold Key plan. It’s a great way to enjoy your early days of being married. I’ve been going since 1972, though the frequency has picked up in the last few years.
Unfortunately, the hotel and parks are no longer transformed overnight, as the decorations start going up shortly after Halloween. I was told that the reason is that people told Disney “My local mall has Christmas decorations up already, why don’t you have them up too? I was expecting to see them!” Disney has also started taking advantage of that early start date by holding the first Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party of the year on November 13. So, while there is a final push for a last-minute surge the day after Thanksgiving, it will not be the same overnight transformation as in the past.
On the subject of discounts, I would not expect to see any for Thanksgiving weekend. Disney only discounts rooms when they are unable to fill them, and the resorts get very full at Thanksgiving time. I think that you’ll see AP discounts become available for dates starting around November 3 or 4. In fact, if you want your choice of resort, you probably should make reservations soon, at least as a placeholder, and you can always apply the discounts later if they become available. Discounts are also being announced closer and closer to the effective dates, sometimes thirty days or less, as they are giving the resorts as much chance as possible to fill up without discounted rooms. This has become more of a priority since last May, as Disney has had to make up the cost of Disney’s Magical Express, and part of the way that they’re doing it is by having fewer discounted rooms.
For Thanksgiving dinner, I would call right away and see what is still available. Especially with a “larger than normal group,” you may have difficulty getting a seating anywhere. I’ve already heard that many favorites are already booked solid or nearly solid, and with a large party your options will be especially limited. Call the WDW Dining Line and see what is available for a party your size. You may only have a few choices available to you, possibly at odd hours, especially if you’re looking for traditional Thanksgiving fare.
Next, staff writer Lisa Perkis answers some questions about Christmas at Disneyland. John Shannon writes:
For some reason, I just can’t seem to find what should be easy information to come by. And that is, is Disneyland actually open on Christmas Day? I know there’s plenty going on around Christmas, but we’re thinking about heading out that way over the holidays and I’m a little concerned that on Christmas day itself, we may end up sitting in our hotel room. Fine for the folks, but not so great for our 7-year old daughter. Actually, whether or not the whole vacation happens or not hinges on this point. Any advice would be appreciated.
Yes, Disneyland is open Christmas day. It’s actually very busy crowd-wise at the park that day, so take advantage of the early opening times they will have. Check the official Web site for park hours as the date gets a bit closer.
Amy Stites writes:
I am the granddaughter of a former park employee named Robert (Bob) Hinrich. He worked at the park, in Anaheim, from the mid-1960s and retired in about 1982. He died suddenly in February 1984. The last time I was at the park with him was on July 4, 1983.
Our family had always gone to Disneyland during the Christmas holiday to see the tree on Main Street. My mother has now passed away as well, and none of us kids have been able to go see the tree since she died. For one, I live in Michigan, but it is also still too painful. I did a search today to see if I could find a nice picture of the tree and I found the very pretty nighttime picture you have on this site. Do you have any others that I may have access too, for personal use? I would like to have it as the wallpaper on my desk top, and maybe share it with my brothers.
My grandfather made several of the ornaments that are still used today, and it’s very special to us. If you have any Christmas Tree photos or stories, we would love to see them. Thanks so much for your consideration.
The link takes you to a collection of Christmas desktop wallpaper with a few nice ones of the tree.
Last year all the ornaments were golden in honor of the 50th anniversary, and many of us really missed the traditionally decorated tree. Do you happen to remember any of the specific ornaments your grandfather made? I can keep an eye out for them this Christmas season, and hopefully get some pictures.
The Main Street tree is one of my very favorite things about Christmas, and my children and I always head for the tree first thing and look for a sprig of needles that have fallen to the ground to carry around with us for the rest of the day in the park, just to “smell Christmas.”
Lani Teshima, editor of the MousePlanet Marathon Guide, answers some reader questions about Disney’s endurance events. Joe writes:
What is the date for the half marathon? I am thinking about doing it. I am from Connecticut and thought it might be a nice mini-vacation. If you could let me know when it is I would appreciate it.
The date for the Disneyland Half-Marathon in California was September 17, 2006.
The date for the Walt Disney World Half-Marathon in Florida is January 6, 2007.
Both events are full and Disney is no longer taking registrations for either. Traditionally, registration for the Florida event fills up about 6 months before the event. The one in California was open for a little longer than that, but it was still full by about four months before event. You’re quite right that people enjoy doing little mini-vacations with these events, but you do need to plan well in advance.
Registration for both events for the following year (the 2007 Disneyland, and 2008 WDW) should be available in the days after the events are over.
Mel writes:
Thank you for the great article about the marathon. It keeps my hopes up that I can finish a half-marathon. I know I will not be able to do the one in January. Do you know if the Minnie Marathon will still be offered in 2007 and if so do you know when?
You will be happy to know that Disney already has information about its Minnie Marathon Weekend. The weekend is scheduled for May 4-6, 2007, and includes two events: The Go Red for Women 5K, and Run the World 15K.
You can visit Disney’s Web site and expand the Sports link and click on Endurance to see a list of all upcoming road race events. The Minnie is listed there.
Janice Lund writes:
Hi Lani! I just wanted to thank you for your excellent articles during the past year—especially the one on pacing. My husband and I are in our mid-50s and have never even considered this type of activity before. On a whim, we signed up for the half, and had an absolute ball! Needless to say, we were sore afterwards, but it’s worth it because we have those beautiful medals! Our children are in shock, but we’re all very proud of us!
Finally, Stephanie Wien, mailbag editor, answers a letter from reader Max Clark, who writes:
I noticed that someone asked about pacers during the 2007 WDW Marathon. In 2006, I know the Clif Bar Company had a pacing team in addition to the ones for the various charities. You were able to get info about the Clif pacing team both from the email newsletters sent out by Disney and again at the expo before the race. I don’t know if Clif will do it again, but I would be surprised if someone didn’t. Hope this helps someone out there, and I’ll see you at the 2007 marathon.
Thank you for that information! I will pass that on to our readers.
I will be doing the full marathon in January. Right now I’m preparing for it with Team in Training. Best of luck to you and hope to see you there!
[Note: if you would like to learn more about the Clif Bar pacing team, follow this link for more information.]
