Candlelight Processional 2017?

[mom2rtk]

Thoughts on when it will be this year? First weekend of December is traditional but looking for thoughts since that's so early in the month.

I'd also like to hear feedback on touring the parks that weekend. We were there for CP weekend a few years ago and it was pretty busy.

Did you feel like earlier in the day was still ok crowd wise or did it just make the whole weekend crazy?

 

[SMD]

It's already been confirmed to those in the know as Dec 2nd & 3rd, I believe someone has given all the details here already. Don't attempt to hop within 3 hours of when it starts. If you're in DL, stay in the back of the park. Keep in mind, RR won't run. If you're in DCA, stay there. We won't know if there will be a night time parade going then, and I don't remember if they ran the parade last year, but knowing the set up, I don't see how they could have. It's probably a good night to do WOC dessert seating, the TL dessert party or F! reserved dining if you're so inclined. Also, if you're going to stay onsite, book now, because the invitees tend to be people who have access to perks for staying on site and will do it for those nights.

 

[Malcon10t]

I don't remember if they ran the parade last year, but knowing the set up, I don't see how they could have.

They did run both parades, timing was early for first parade (Christmas). Instead of going around Town Square, it made a tight left before the loop at the Showcase.

 

[ParkHopper1]

Don't attempt to hop within 3 hours of when it starts. If you're in DL, stay in the back of the park. Keep in mind, RR won't run. If you're in DCA, stay there.

Last year they had the bypass tunnels behind Main Street on both sides open which made it manageable to pass through that area.

 

[mom2rtk]

Thanks for the info everyone. I wasn't paying attention to December info since I thought we were going in November. Now we're back and forth on dates again.

I get that the traffic will be a mess in the evening. We've been there in the park a couple times when it was taking place so I recall the gridlock. I would probably choose to spend that Saturday at DCA (including WoC). But what about the rest of the weekend? Is the park substantially busier all weekend because of it? I honestly can't remember that piece of it. Our trips are shorter now, so each day is more important to us.

 

[SMD]

They did run both parades, timing was early for first parade (Christmas). Instead of going around Town Square, it made a tight left before the loop at the Showcase.

That makes sense. I was imagine a mad scramble to move people and things so the parade could go through.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Thanks for the info everyone. I wasn't paying attention to December info since I thought we were going in November. Now we're back and forth on dates again.

I get that the traffic will be a mess in the evening. We've been there in the park a couple times when it was taking place so I recall the gridlock. I would probably choose to spend that Saturday at DCA (including WoC). But what about the rest of the weekend? Is the park substantially busier all weekend because of it? I honestly can't remember that piece of it. Our trips are shorter now, so each day is more important to us.

You can't really say because all weekends in December are busy - the Candlelight weekend makes it tougher to navigate the park more than it substantially alters crowds, if that makes sense. There's not a light December weekend...

 

[mom2rtk]

You can't really say because all weekends in December are busy - the Candlelight weekend makes it tougher to navigate the park more than it substantially alters crowds, if that makes sense. There's not a light December weekend...

Well, for that matter, it's hard to find a light weekend at all. But last time we did that weekend we had more days overall, so losing a couple to bigger crowds wasn't a big deal. We only have 4 days this time, so it's harder to want to take a chance.

We went a week before Thanksgiving last year (Wed through Saturday) and it wasn't bad, but it wasn't exactly dead either. We thought that would be our best bet for non-marathon, non-holiday weekend crowds. Then at the last minute they added parade taping, Mariah Carey taping, a special even at Small World and them debuting PTN again. So that came with its own crowd control issues.

 

[SMD]

Well, for that matter, it's hard to find a light weekend at all. But last time we did that weekend we had more days overall, so losing a couple to bigger crowds wasn't a big deal. We only have 4 days this time, so it's harder to want to take a chance.

We went a week before Thanksgiving last year (Wed through Saturday) and it wasn't bad, but it wasn't exactly dead either. We thought that would be our best bet for non-marathon, non-holiday weekend crowds. Then at the last minute they added parade taping, Mariah Carey taping, a special even at Small World and them debuting PTN again. So that came with its own crowd control issues.

That's really the problem all the time now, though. It's impossible to find a few consecutive days where there aren't "artificial" things inflating the crowds. Or, crowded is the new normal.

 

[mom2rtk]

That's really the problem all the time now, though. It's impossible to find a few consecutive days where there aren't "artificial" things inflating the crowds. Or, crowded is the new normal.

Yeah, I gave up on "uncrowded" a long time ago. Right now I'm just trying to avoid the most insanely crowded. If we show up and it's too much, we can't just come back next week and hope for better conditions. So I have to at least consider as many factors as possible up front. At the very least we'll go into it with eyes wide open.

 

[Malcon10t]

the Candlelight weekend makes it tougher to navigate the park more than it substantially alters crowds, if that makes sense. There's not a light December weekend...

To clarify, there is no problem navigating DCA nor is the park a problem, with the exception of Main St around Town Square. Once you get past Carnation Cafe, it is no different than normal busy weekends.

 

[mom2rtk]

To clarify, there is no problem navigating DCA nor is the park a problem, with the exception of Main St around Town Square. Once you get past Carnation Cafe, it is no different than normal busy weekends.

Thanks. I was thinking that's how I remembered it from a few years ago, but wanted to see if that's what others thought too.

 

[lilsassymom]

I wonder how the weekdays BEFORE the Candelight will be? We will be in the parks that week and hoping the Candelight crowd won't arrive til late Friday. Here's hoping

 

[Nonsuch]

I wonder how the weekdays BEFORE the Candelight will be? We will be in the parks that week and hoping the Candelight crowd won't arrive til late Friday. Here's hoping

Those weekdays should be an excellent time to visit. We try to visit around that time every year, and crowds are "relatively" light.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

I wonder how the weekdays BEFORE the Candelight will be? We will be in the parks that week and hoping the Candelight crowd won't arrive til late Friday. Here's hoping

Last year, the first few Thursdays in December had 8am openings even though the rest of the weekdays (even Friday) opened later. I'm not sure if people didn't realize or what, but the DCA was EMPTY for the first hour or two on those Thursdays... so if that happens again, it's something you may want to take advantage of!

 

[miamimi]

Yeah, I gave up on "uncrowded" a long time ago. Right now I'm just trying to avoid the most insanely crowded. If we show up and it's too much, we can't just come back next week and hope for better conditions. So I have to at least consider as many factors as possible up front. At the very least we'll go into it with eyes wide open.

I can totally relate. we only visit once a year and we haven't got the luxury of going to the park and discovering it's crowded so deciding to return another time. That's why I find it so frustrating when people who are regular visitors say the parks are always crowded. Yes, everyone knows that. But there are times when it's less crowded than other times.

I wish I could help, but I'm in the same boat as you. We're trying to pick a less crowded time. I've seen some posts saying that AP blackouts are the best time, but that's when Disney anticipates the parks will be full. So what do you believe?

 

[RainyDayPixie]

I think I'll be there that weekend. I would avoid, but I'm determined to spend me not-so-fun-divisible-by-10 birthday at Disneyland.

Can someone remind me of the schedule and timing of CP? (Eg- two shows/night? Sat and Sun?) Sorry if I've missed it.

 

[Malcon10t]

There are 2 performances on Sat and Sun. The first performance is at 530p, and the second is at 745p usually (had been 8). It is about 50 mins long.

 

[RainyDayPixie]

There are 2 performances on Sat and Sun. The first performance is at 530p, and the second is at 745p usually (had been 8). It is about 50 mins long.

Exactly what I needed, Thanks so much!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I can totally relate. we only visit once a year and we haven't got the luxury of going to the park and discovering it's crowded so deciding to return another time. That's why I find it so frustrating when people who are regular visitors say the parks are always crowded. Yes, everyone knows that. But there are times when it's less crowded than other times...

Not everyone knows that the parks are much more consistently crowded now than they were even a few years ago. That's why you read trip reports/rants on this board from frustrated visitors who thought that their experience from 10+ years ago would still hold true today. Regular visitors say that the parks are always crowded because we see that consistently from our frequent visits. Our experience on the ground can help people here plan more efficiently. So, yes, there are times when the parks are less crowded than at other times. Yes, there are times when you might encounter a really low crowd day. But those times are not predictable any more. (Ask anyone who relies on one of the notoriously unreliable crowd predictor sites.) Who would have thought that May 25th (a weekday) this year would have been so crowded at DL that there would be gate closures? But there were. Who would have thought that the following weekend (Memorial Day -- the Sat. and Sun.) would be low crowds? They were. There's just no rhyme or reason any more, unless you're talking the last two weeks of the year which will be crazy, no question. We just tell our friends to pick whichever dates work the best for their schedules (e.g. work, school, sports, etc.), do the research and planning, then hope for pixie dust. If the crowds are low, terrific! If they aren't, at least you're at DLR and you've done your planning.