Dec. 6 - 8th CA

[E.Jane]

Anyone know what's happening the first week of December? CA is not available for reservation on the 6-8th. Our first trip to Cali (WDW vets) and it looks like I just picked the busiest week - even busyier than Christmas?!

 

[kikismom]

That is so strange. I have no answer for you but I've just never seen that. Maybe they'll announce something. We'll be there the 2-7 and expect it to be busy. Hopefully not as. Isy as I've heard the past few weeks were though.

 

[deejdigsdis]

I was wondering the same thing. I noticed hotel prices are higher during that period as well.

 

[2tinkerbell]

Candlelight Processional is in Disneyland the 3rd and 4th. Maybe people are reserving DCA to avoid the crowds. There is also the Food & Wine Festival in DCA. But that happens through the holidays, I believe. We are going the 2nd - 6th and plan it being crowded. Hopefully with 5 day park hoppers and Genie+ we will be okay.

 

[DLgal]

Anyone know what's happening the first week of December? CA is not available for reservation on the 6-8th. Our first trip to Cali (WDW vets) and it looks like I just picked the busiest week - even busyier than Christmas?!

You did not pick the busiest week. Don't worry. There are still reservations available for Magic Keys, so it's not completely booked up.

Keep checking. The dates will likely come available. Midweek tickets are the cheapest tier so those days tend to book up first.

 

[DLgal]

Candlelight Processional is in Disneyland the 3rd and 4th. Maybe people are reserving DCA to avoid the crowds. There is also the Food & Wine Festival in DCA. But that happens through the holidays, I believe. We are going the 2nd - 6th and plan it being crowded. Hopefully with 5 day park hoppers and Genie+ we will be okay.

Why would candlelight processional on the 3rd and 4th affect the 6th and 8th?

 

[E.Jane]

You did not pick the busiest week. Don't worry. There are still reservations available for Magic Keys, so it's not completely booked up.

Keep checking. The dates will likely come available. Midweek tickets are the cheapest tier so those days tend to book up first.

Thank you! we have already made our park reservations for the 4 days we are there, but I was just curious as to why it appears that CA is no longer an option for those 3 days. I spent a ton of time researching for the lowest crowd predictions before booking, so it just completely threw me off when, literally between now and then, those are the only 3 days showing no park reservations available for CA.

 

[ter-moo]

We booked the 6-8 and noticed the same thing with California Adventure. PLUS, most of the hotels are booked in the area (and there are no ressies at the Disneyland hotels available!) We wanted to avoid Candlelight Processional week, so I thought this would be a good time to come!

 

[E.Jane]

We booked the 6-8 and noticed the same thing with California Adventure. PLUS, most of the hotels are booked in the area (and there are no ressies at the Disneyland hotels available!) We wanted to avoid Candlelight Processional week, so I thought this would be a good time to come!

sounds like we followed the same planning process! I noticed that too about the Disney resorts, so now prepared for the worst lol I had thought perhaps they might be keeping CA "open" for Keyholders, with the food festival going on, but then that doesn't make sense to restrict it to only those 3 days. I suppose we're going to find out when we get there!

 

[DLgal]

Well, hopefully it isn't some private party that is going to close DCA early those days that Disney hasn't yet told anyone about. I hate when they do that.

 

[TexanInTheMidwest]

Yikes. I am there that week, too. I was hoping for low, low crowds.....

 

[DiznyDiva]

This is Disneyland Holiday season. There is no such thing as low low crowds anymore. Especially then. October might lead but anything in December is busy. Plan accordingly, and you can really make your vacation great. ONLY park hoppers are closed for those few days. Every other ticket is wide open including single and pass holder.

With the food festival, people tend to like to start in DCA first, because lines for the booths get longer at night when people get off work or school. Plus those are the middle of the week and tend to be the cheapest. So many, We are doing this, start in DCA for brunch/lunch and then hop to DL when the dinner crowd rushes in and back at after 7.

Just what I have noticed.

 

[gelatoni fan]

Well, hopefully it isn't some private party that is going to close DCA early those days that Disney hasn't yet told anyone about. I hate when they do that.

This is one of my biggest annoyances about the reservations system. You're expected to tell Disney when you plan to go months in advance but they can make the park hours shorter than expected after all the park reservations are booked up so you have to suffer through refreshing the reservation page if you want to adjust based on new information. Get rid of the park hopping restrictions and reservations and I'd be less upset by this.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Thank you! we have already made our park reservations for the 4 days we are there, but I was just curious as to why it appears that CA is no longer an option for those 3 days. I spent a ton of time researching for the lowest crowd predictions before booking, so it just completely threw me off when, literally between now and then, those are the only 3 days showing no park reservations available for CA.

The crowd calendars are worthless for DL. They have been for a long time but even more so since Disney put the reservation system in place. Plan for crowds, the parks are always busy now.

 

[2tinkerbell]

Never mind. I obviously was too literal in my response. First week in December means the 1st through the 7th.

 

[E.Jane]

This is Disneyland Holiday season. There is no such thing as low low crowds anymore. Especially then. October might lead but anything in December is busy. Plan accordingly, and you can really make your vacation great. ONLY park hoppers are closed for those few days. Every other ticket is wide open including single and pass holder.

With the food festival, people tend to like to start in DCA first, because lines for the booths get longer at night when people get off work or school. Plus those are the middle of the week and tend to be the cheapest. So many, We are doing this, start in DCA for brunch/lunch and then hop to DL when the dinner crowd rushes in and back at after 7.

Just what I have noticed.

When I go into the system, as a non-hopper ticket holder, it tells me I can only book DL for those 3 days. There is no CA opton avilable to me.

EDITED TO UPDATE: This morning, it's now only the 6th where CA is unavailable.

 

[E.Jane]

The crowd calendars are worthless for DL. They have been for a long time but even more so since Disney put the reservation system in place. Plan for crowds, the parks are always busy now.

That seems to be the general concensus! I would have imagined the reservation system would ease crowds, but I guess not. Oh well.... a busy day at Disney still beats a day in the office!!

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

That seems to be the general concensus! I would have imagined the reservation system would ease crowds, but I guess not. Oh well.... a busy day at Disney still beats a day in the office!!

Disney wants the parks full, they don’t want light crowds. If times look less busy now Disney can see it in advance and roll out something to get people in the parks during that time.

 

[DLgal]

That seems to be the general concensus! I would have imagined the reservation system would ease crowds, but I guess not. Oh well.... a busy day at Disney still beats a day in the office!!

The reservation system is not for us, it's for Disney to staff at the minimum level they need to "get by." It was never about limiting crowds.

 

[LuvDis01]

We booked the 6-8 and noticed the same thing with California Adventure. PLUS, most of the hotels are booked in the area (and there are no ressies at the Disneyland hotels available!) We wanted to avoid Candlelight Processional week, so I thought this would be a good time to come!

Today a bunch of rooms became available for Grand Californian for Dec 7th. This date had been unavailable for weeks.