One of our very favorite times to visit Disneyland is during the Holiday Season. We were fortunate enough to just spend a very magical week at Disneyland Resort. There are so many special decorations and events during the Holidays at the Disneyland and California Adventure parks – it is a wonderful time to visit!
Holidays at Disneyland run from Nov. 12 through Jan. 6, 2013.
Here are some of our favorite attractions to experience during the Holidays at Disneyland.
Holiday Cars Land
This was one of the highlights for us. This is a first Christmas for the new Cars Land and Disney has made sure that Radiator Springs is the place to visit for the Holidays.
Disney realized that Cars Land is of course just that. A land where cars live. So the decorations reflect that. Look out for the Christmas tree made out of tires! Other decorations are made out of hub caps, traffic cones, oil cans, and other cars memorabilia. We don’t get much snow here in Southern California but of course in this magical place there is a Snowy the snow car at the entrance to Cars Land!
Holiday It’s A Small World
Another family favorite is the It’s A Small World Holiday transformation. Since 1997 there has been a spectacular transformation of this classic Disney ride at Holiday time.
The music is different (but you still won’t be able to get this version out of your head just like the original). For the Holidays the It’s a Small World music is a version of Jingle Bells and Deck the Halls.
There are so many Holiday decorations inside It’s a Small World that the attraction is closed during some of October and November for the transformation to take place. Make sure you stop by this attraction – even if you have seen it before it really is worth experiencing this Holiday version.
Haunted Mansion Holiday
Probably my favorite Disneyland Holiday ride. The Haunted Mansion becomes themed for Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas. Jack Skellington and the residents of Halloween Town come to Disney’s Haunted Mansion.
The transformation for the Haunted Mansion takes 18 days. If you are familiar with the Haunted Mansion you will see just how much work goes into the Holiday attraction. The Haunted Mansion is of course best experienced at night time. Lines can be long at busy times – make sure you arrive early or make use of the Disney Fast Pass System.
Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle
Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle is of course the center piece of the Disneyland Resort. The Castle is so beautiful at night time. The Disneyland Castle is sprinkled with snow, and has 80,000 twinkling lights.
Don’t forget that you can actually go inside Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. The Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkway follows the story of Princess Aurora and one of the very best Disney villains, Maleficent. It is fun to go inside and walk up the castle stairs. There are some surprises along the way so make sure you spend some time inside Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Believe In Holiday Magic
No visit to Disneyland would be complete without viewing the fireworks! The Believe in Holiday Magic has run since the year 2000 and has proved to be one of the most popular of all the Disney fireworks attractions.
The music is always a very important part of a Disney fireworks show and of course there is lots of great Holiday music featured during the 13 minute display.
Our favorite part of Believe in Holiday Magic has to be the snow fall. Yes it really does snow on Main Street during the Holidays!
Holiday time is such a special time at Disneyland. If you get the chance then try and spend more than one day at the Disneyland Resort. There is so much to see, and it is a great way of celebrating the Holidays with your family.
Disney really is all about magical experiences with your family. We can all remember how magical the Holidays were as a child. Now is your chance to experience that with your children – and also share in some of that Pixie Dust and recapture those magical Holiday times you had as a child!
Go to Holidays at Disneyland for more details.
All photos courtesy of Disney. Disneyland were kind enough to provide me with a one night stay at the Disneyland Resort. My thoughts and opinions, as always, are my own!