DLR seasons question

[EeyoresBestFriend]

We're thinking of California for the next trip. For the best skellington display ~ would you book for Halloween or Christmas season in California?

:thumbsup:

[WDW_Meltdown]

For Halloween I would suggest the middle of October.

Christmas.... I would go for the first or second week of December.

Link to a decent crowd calendar. (edited per TOS)

I would go for Christmas. The Christmas decorations are much better than Halloween.

If it is your first time to the land you may not realize how much smaller it is and how accessible it is by foot. You can save load on your budget by staying at a nearby hotel.

Here is a google maps link with pins marking some nearby hotels. http://goo.gl/maps/Ow1pO

[BrerGnat]

Christmas. First two weeks of December should be a wonderful time to visit, if you have that flexibility.

Disneyland looks absolutely stunning at Christmas time and there is the bonus of the Holiday entertainment (Candlelight Processional, Christmas Parade, Christmas fireworks, special shows, etc.)

[frozman]

I prefer (and did) early December. My absolute favorite time of year is december (November away from thanksgiving would be fine too), because I like the haunted mansion holiday, but I prefer the normal space mountain to the haunted space mountain which only runs in October.

[eeyorepoohfan]

I LOVE Christmas at Disney!! My hubby and I did our first ever fall trip to Disneyland in October. I did enjoy seeing the fall/Halloween decorations and am glad we finally got the chance to see them. But I will say, that Christmas is my favorite. I agree and say that I like the regular Space Mountain vs the Ghost galaxy. The ghost galaxy is kind of creepy feeling and a lot of younger kids won't ride it because it's scarier. The good news is that the Haunted Mansion is decorated by Jack Skellington for Halloween through Christmas, so you will see that either way. It's a really neat way to see the Haunted Mansion, though some people still prefer just the regular version of the ride. The Christmas lights at Disney are just amazing! It's a Small World is breathtaking with all of the lights!

Right now, the Christmas parade is the regular parade during the entire Christmas season (it does not require a special event ticket to see). I heard this might be changing in the future and be a hard ticket event with the special parade, fireworks, etc. Hopefully that is just a rumor! I went just before Thanksgiving in 2011 and loved seeing the Christmas parade!! At Halloween, to see the special fireworks and parade, it is a hard ticket event. So I have not experienced those.

My hubby and I plan to brave the crowds the days before Christmas this year for our trip. We know it will be crowded, but that may just be the only time we can get our vacation in this year. Whatever you decide, I'm sure you will have fun and enjoy it!