Originally Posted By grammiek My daughter & family are planning a trip to DL. They want to see Christmas Decorations in 2008 and avoid the worst crowds. How early do those decorations go up? They plan on staying at one of the three Disney hotels. The group consists of 6 adults and four childrens - 2 - two year olds and 2 6 year olds. Any suggestions. I know Grand California is most luxurious, Paradise Pier is a hike to get to park and DL Hotel is old. Other than that any thoughts on where they should stay and why? They know the $$ difference and are willing to pay big bucks if they can justify it for the good of the group. Any input is appreciated.
Originally Posted By mater4 Christmas goes up about mid November. I would avoid thanksgiving weekend and anytime from the week of christmas and later. The first part of Dec. is good and I have heard the week before thanksgiving is not bad either. As for the hotel I don't stay at the DLR hotels unless the prices are good. I would recommend GCH if you have little ones and will be in your room throughout the day. DL hotel is my second choice. If you want to stay offsite I recommend Howard Johnson. Other good ones are Carousel Inn and Best Western Park Place Inn. They are across the street and walking distance. Oh and unless you get a suite DLR hotels only hold 5 people per room.
Originally Posted By 8 ilovemickey 8 We went this year on Dec 17th (Mon.) - Dec. 20th (Thurs.) and there was literally no one there. We occasionally had a 15 minute wait but usually much less. I'm not really sure if we happen to get lucky but it kind of seemed like everyone either went the weekend before that (I heard it was packed.) or waited until Christmas to go. It was an awesome time to go and all of us had the best time. As far as where to stay we always stay at the Grand Californian. We, however, enjoy spending time in the hotel. We like to be able to easily go back for a nap in the afternoon and enjoy drinks in the lounge, etc. If you are the type who don't expect to spend anytime at the hotel then I don't recommend the splurge, but if you are planning to then I definitely recommend it! Especially during the holidays. We were able to get a fairly decent price (I believe around $350 a night.) using a AAA discount.
Originally Posted By rtjl72 i scoped out the price of 3 sepearte rooms at dl and came up with the better, more economical 3 bedroom suite idea. i did need to pursue this on my own, the cm over the phone was nice enough, but no volunteering for any suggestions. the suite should do the trick- everyone can get ready at the same time because there will be 3 bathrooms. and a half bath in the suite. for 3 bedrooms it is actually a 2 bedroom suite with an adjoining room, there will be a a living room area that we can gather at to plan the day or regroup at night without having to cramp into 1 room or meet in the lounge. i hope it is really this way when i get there. i can let you know for sure near the end of the summer. the thing is you can book whatever rooms you want and cancel later as there is not booking fee or prepayment. the suite i picked is at the dlh as this is my familys favorite
Originally Posted By SuzieQ We were there Dec. 10-13 and the longest line in the park (other than Nemo) was 15 minutes.
