Special things happy for the holidays

Snow in Disneyland? It happens. Seriously.

And that’s just one of the wonderful things you’ll see. Over the holidays Disneyland goes all out in a way you can online imagine. The streets change into a winter paradise, giant ornaments replace the signs and even the desert list is updated. There’s few better places to enjoy the holidays at than the park so prepare to be amazed.

Also prepare to see some changes to the rides, shops and shows. Aside from snow there’s also different music, more specials, more characters and on and on. Since a photo is worth a thousand words we’ve included a few.

Crowds & Ride Maximization

It will be busy. Very busy. This should go without saying but we’re saying it just in case. If you travel during the holidays you’ll see crowds unlike anything you’ve seen before. You’ll also see different crowds – less locals and more tourists meaning more general confusion and uncertainty. This is reality and the best you can do is work within what exists.

Come on the right days. If you head to the park a little earlier December you’ll find the park a whole lot emptier. In fact if you show up mid month you’ll find it almost empty. However going late has the opposite effect… people start showing up in mass a week or so before Christmas and the park stays packed through the first few weeks of January.

While you can’t stop the crowds from showing up you can plan smart. Collect fastpasses in the morning [See our guide to smart fastpassing], check the ride wait board and take the big rides when the waits go down, the small ones when they’re longer.

The colder weather helps too. You can easily spend the entire day in the park although if you do so take a good long lunch break and take it easy.

Fireworks & Shows

As you can guess the crowds for shows will be nothing short of… nuts. Your best bet is to get your spots early and guard them with your life (or your blanket). We always prefer the second fantasmic show although it’s still just as full. Dash around after the fireworks and grab a seat but be sure your group joins before the start – once things get too packed the stop letting people into the front areas.

For those really set on a good viewing area just plan to setup shop a few hours early. You can bring a blanket, sit down and chat with everyone else doing the same thing.

Hotels & Accommodations

With so many people in the park you can bet there’s a high demand for hotels too. But that doesn’t mean you have to spend a fortune or be completely surrounded by screaming children.

All of the Disney properties book well in advance of the holidays (like 6-12 months in advance) so well, you’re pretty much not going there.

Other properties aren’t quite so bad but they do fill early and you need to book well in advance. This means you have to actually plan in advance. Seriously.

Our suggestion is as always the Hyatt although we also like the Hilton, Embassy Suites and the Crown Plaza isn’t bad either. Prices do go up for the holidays as you can imagine but if you book in advance you can get a good deal. If you have a few months lead time sign up for a emails from the hotels you prefer and check their websites for specials. Longer stays tend to better deals and calling a hotel never hurts.

Getting to the park

Airplanes, roads, it’s all more crowded this time of year but the fundamentals don’t change. Check LAX and Long Beach airports in addition to Orange County and rent a car, take a shuttle or a bus as suits your needs. You can find all sorts of tips about getting from airports, to the place, and so forth on this site.

If you’re driving from Northern California or through the LA Grapevine be sure to check road conditions often. Snow can close the pass and bad traffic accidents often cause hours of backup. As a plan B you can take 101 down the coast – it’s a longer drive but if you have a 10 hour delay, well, enough said.

1. Start with the official Disneyland.com website and look at their rates (they let you book both in-park and out of park properties). Sometimes they’ll offer incentives like discounted tickets to people who book a hotel through them which can make their extra costs disappear.
2. Compare those rates against what you find on Travelocity.com and Hotels.com  both of which let you select the Disneyland area and break things down by star ratings and amenities, offer reviews from their own members and will let you book into your room of choice directly.
3. If you’re booking airfare and/ or a car try running that through Orbitz and Expedia; this may give you a nice discount as a “vacation package”.
4. Once you have found your preferred property see if the hotel’s official website is about the same price (or cheaper). While the booking sites do a great job of getting your reservation in, they also prevent changes by acting as a middle man. Having a direct booking can help with date changes and cancelations but if it’s more than a few bucks difference, skip it and stick with the site offering the best rate.
5. Be sure to use any membership discounts as well. Most local hotels offer $10 or 10% off on bookings to AAA members.