Pixelmania West - Christmas 2023

Per the front desk at candy cane this am ABC has not been there in awhile and may not be in business anymore. A lot of guests are using karmel.com I will look into this and try to post a status update tonight

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ok latest news from the east coast planning unit, after much thought, and full consultation with home i have changed my flight back to the nonstop. i was forgetting that by saturday i will be fully on west coast timezone, so it will only be 7pm on my body/internal clock when i land in ny. which should allow 3 hours of attentiveness before fatigue shows it's ugly face. east to west is when jet lag strikes. i am using www.karmel.com shuttle service. i found some good recent reviews on yelp and travel advisor, so i splurged for a town car for 1, with 2 pieces of luggage, just in case i need that second piece. they seem to be into that 3 hour magic express mode, my return pickup at the candy cane is 11:05 for a 1:40 pm flight. this is only a benign 5 1/2 hour flight without 2 hours in delightful dallas/ft worth. i suggest dennis and michael that one of you book for both since your flights are not far apart , unless you are both coming back via austin again and catching other flights there. i used the quote widget and used 8:45 as my flight time and it showed they wanted to pick me up at the candy cane at 5:15 am
 
gary said:
ok latest news from the east coast planning unit, after much thought, and full consultation with home i have changed my flight back to the nonstop. i was forgetting that by saturday i will be fully on west coast timezone, so it will only be 7pm on my body/internal clock when i land in ny. which should allow 3 hours of attentiveness before fatigue shows it's ugly face. east to west is when jet lag strikes. i am using www.karmel.com shuttle service. i found some good recent reviews on yelp and travel advisor, so i splurged for a town car for 1, with 2 pieces of luggage, just in case i need that second piece. they seem to be into that 3 hour magic express mode, my return pickup at the candy cane is 11:05 for a 1:40 pm flight. this is only a benign 5 1/2 hour flight without 2 hours in delightful dallas/ft worth. i suggest dennis and michael that one of you book for both since your flights are not far apart , unless you are both coming back via austin again and catching other flights there. i used the quote widget and used 8:45 as my flight time and it showed they wanted to pick me up at the candy cane at 5:15 am
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I just looked at their website. I might use them from LGB, the cost of an Uber or Lyft isn’t much less than a town car.
 
For the zoom meeting I am not fixated on the railroad first thing Monday I can do it some other time. I will be in the car at zoom time enroute back to hotel at the slightly less than halfway home point. 2 nights in allentown cheaper than 1 in new jersey. Going out there and back with just 1 hotel night is just too tiring

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I just booked with Karmel shuttle. Because of the luggage I'm taking it'll be a private van so I am good to go. The person I was booking with on the phone seemed competent and capable and helpful so Karmel looks like the shuttle to go with until we can figure out otherwise.
 
I was going to suggest for Sunday that the first to arrive rent a car from Alamo for $70 and run our own shuttle service. Pick up at the airport, drop off around the corner from Candy Cane.

But I'm willing to split the cost of a shuttle with Michael if he's also arriving on the Southwest flight from Austin. Going back to the airport, I'm willing to leave early and wait for my flight if anyone else is leaving around that time. I'm leavnig less than 30 minutes before @gary.

Use the Disneyland Friends & Family conversation to post your flight information. I've added @mSummers and @Jeff Krause to the conversation.
 
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@gary It looks like @mSummers and I need to get to the airport on Saturday morning about the same time as you, so we should be able to share a shuttle. Let's coordinate our plans.
 
I posted the link to the Monday morning touring plan on the Friends & Family conversation. If you subscribe to TouringPlans.com for Disneyland, go check it out. If you have a WDW subscription only, I believe you can add a Disneyland subscription at a discounted price.

Also, be sure to check out the Pixelmania West 2023 Official Announcements thread on a regular basis. I've added entertainment schedules, lightning lanes and refurbishments along with updated times for our dining and tour reservations.
 
Good news, everyone: The Adventureland Treehouse is now open, featuring a theme that harks back to the original Swiss Family Robinson treehouse. I have removed it from the Closed for Refurbishment list on the Official Announcements thread.

I was able to change our Monday lunch reservation at Carthay Circle Lounge from 2 pm to 1:10 pm, which is closer to our original plan of 1 pm.

Here's some more reading material, from UnderCover Tourist:
 
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I thought I would post what was written about acquiring a famous Disneyland candy cane. This will make it easy for people that are interested to understand what we need to do in order to accomplish that goal.

With his giant candy FANG, I bet that Dennis is interested in doing this.

From the article: "The 2023 candy cane dates at Candy Palace in Disneyland:

To come!
The 2023 candy cane dates at Candy Palace in Disneyland:

To come!
Candy Cane dates at Trolley Treats at Disney California Adventure:

"We hopped by on the first day of candy cane sales at Disneyland Park in past years to get one, and here's how it went for us. Spoiler alert: We got one! We are early frogs because we like to get the flies, so we arrived excessively early, but we got a candy cane so we don't argue with the results. We arrived at the Harbor Blvd. security checkpoint at 6 a.m. Believe it or not, we were not the first ones at the gate. At about 6:30 a.m., they moved us to the K-9 security screening and held us there.

At 7:15 a.m., we entered the Esplanade and waited outside the Disneyland gates. FYI: the Disneyland Resort hotel security and Downtown Disney security opens at 7 a.m., so people beat us to the park gates but not that many. Harbor Blvd. security opens when the first bus from Toy Story lot arrives between 7:00 and 7:15 a.m. each day, so you could just get to Toy Story early and catch the first bus to Disneyland and still make it.

At 7:30 a.m., the turnstiles start letting people into the park. We were amongst the first people in the park. This is where it gets crazy though! People move very quickly — even though there is technically no running allowed — to the Candy Palace. (At Disney California Adventure, the line will form outside Trolley Treats.) A line forms out front in the direction of the castle and wraps around by Jolly Holiday Café. At 8 a.m. when the park officially opens, one by one, people waiting in line can scan a QR code to join a virtual waitlist.

You will input your party size (so only one party member needs to scan the code) for the number of candy canes your group is purchasing, and all purchasing party members need to be present at pick up. An infant counts as much as a person as an adult. There is a strict one candy cane per person, per day rule. You input your name and cell phone number. You'll get a text when it's your turn to come back. People at the front of the line may get their candy canes right away. Others will have to return.

When you receive your text to return, check in outside Candy Palace, get a ticket and then take it to the register to pay. There are no discounts or refunds. The canes cost $19.99 plus tax (subject to change). They come bubble-wrapped and double-bagged.

Disneyland has been making these special candy canes since 1968, and the candy shops make a limited amount each day. In the past, cast members passed out wristbands. If you miss the morning window, they may sell the candy canes not picked up by 4 p.m., so be in line at 4 p.m. just in case. Whether you get a candy cane or not, it’s fun to watch them making the candy canes through the shop windows. Each cane is measured and weighed, then sealed in plastic and wrapped in bubble wrap.

What is the cane like? It's a big, beautiful white, red and green cane that's an inch thick and over a foot tall! It tastes like a candy cane with a flakier texture. We loved the anticipation and getting to bond with other nice Disney fans from places near and far for over two hours while we waited. Now we can say that we have participated in a Disneyland tradition that started before we were born. While we waited to join the waitlist, cast members brought out large candy cane photo-ops. It was a festive and fun morning, and the process of getting the cane is toadally part of the experience! By 8:20 a.m., we had our cane and were able to go enjoy the park."
 
I've had one. It's every bit as good as they say it is. I knew about the lines and everything, but the day I weht to see if I could get one, I entered the park 30 minutes before rope drop and went directly to the shop. The line was pretty short and I had purchased one and put it safely in a locker before rope drop.

My recommendation is to take it home and cut it up into bite-sized pieces that you can enjoy over several weeks.
 
Disneyland Candy Cane update: The schedule is out, and it's bad news for us. They are only available on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in the parks opposite the ones we have reservations for: DCA on Monday and Wednesday, Disneyland on Tuesday. There may be a remote chance of snagging one after hopping promptly at 11 am, but I'm not too optimistic.

This information came from a MousePlanet post which contains this photo showing you the size of the product:

CandyCanes-120821-AVP.jpg
 
I just heard a review of the Holiday Time tour. It sounds like we will get reserved viewing for the afternoon parade, not the evening parade. That's disappointing because the main reason for taking the tour was watching the evening parade without fighting the local crowds. The viewing area is across the street from the train station in Town Square. Since the review was from a woman who did it for her podcast and not because she's a fan of the tour, it was pretty much a negative review. I'm not cancelling my reservation just yet.
 
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