Pixelmania West - Christmas 2023

The dates that we can get The holiday candy canes are as follows:
The 2023 candy cane dates at Candy Palace in Disneyland: Tues Dec. 12,

Candy Cane dates at Trolley Treats at Disney California Adventure: MONDAY Dec. 11th, WEDNESDAY Dec. 13th

Note that each person has to register and be there in person to get a candy cane.

To recap the process for doing this read this post from Undercover Tourist:

"Get to the 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.

Between 7:00 and 7:15 a.m., we entered the Esplanade and waited outside the Disneyland gates. 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.

Our Guide to the Yummiest Holiday Treats & Foods at Disneyland Resort-Donald statue presents the finished candy cane.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."

So who is wanting to do this?
 
I would like to, but it's not a deal breaker. I don't want to force everyone to change their park reservations on my account. Our meal and tour reservations are all after 11 am, so they wouldn't be affected.
 
i am willing to change park reservations to aid the candy cane quest , it's the least we can do with Dennis's doing all this work on the planning, just let me know what to do
 
Here's a possible plan:
On Monday, try to get candy canes after we hop at 11 am. If there are no spots available by then, we can try again at 4 pm when the unclaimed canes are released for sale.
We could swap park-of-the-day on Tuesday and Wednesday. We'll be tied up with the tour and parade on Tuesday afternoon but don't have any plans until late Wednesday.
A third option is swapping Wednesday and Thursday, but that only gives us Wednesday to stalk our prey.

Any other suggestions? The only experience I have was at the end of November 2018 when I entered Disneyland 30 minutes before rope drop, headed straight for the candy shop and was able to buy one without having to get a later time. The park wasn't really crowded that morning, probably the result of it being the week after Thanksgiving.
 
I think this is the best plan:"On Monday, try to get candy canes after we hop at 11 am. If there are no spots available by then, we can try again at 4 pm when the unclaimed canes are released for sale".

If we get them, we get them. We can reevaluate on the fly after Monday
 
I've been doing my homework. I re-watched Big Hero 6 to refresh my memory so I would not be confused by the Pacific Wharf to San Fransokyo retheming. That's a fun film.

Then I watched Cars again. It reminded me how accurately the town of Radiator Springs was re-created in DCA. I can't wait to be there at sunset to watch the lights come on while Sh-Boom plays in the background.
 
Words from the wise. I haven't started packing, but I've made my lens selection and am gathering things to pack. The problem is that it's hard to know what the weather will be this far in advance. The advanced guess looks like highs in the low 70s and lows around 50, with the highest temps on Monday and falling through the week.
 
Since I'm leaving Tuesday morning at 5:30 a.m. I'm already packed and ready to go!

For camera gear I've packed my Z9 with a 20 mm 1.8 lens, my 24 to 70 2.8 lens, my 85 mm 1.8 lens and my 70 to 200 f2.8.

I'm taking my peak design travel tripod which is packed in a smaller camera bag that is in a suitcase.

Then I'm taking my Lee filter system which requires a degree in mechanical engineering to use.

Don't forget your remote release trigger.

I hope to be able to run around Southern California between Los Angeles and San Diego with a base at my brother's house for a few days before PixelmaniaWest.

Packing clothing was a pain in the ass with an eye towards the weather. I'm used to packing for Florida, where you only have to bring one or two pairs of pants at the most. For this trip I have to bring three pairs of pants!

My flight takes off at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday from Philly. See you guys soon!!
~Joanie
 
One more reminder: Leave space in your suitcase for the souvenir cup and pin that we get from the Holiday tour:

PXL_20221112_234010022-1.PORTRAIT_copy_768x1020_1.jpg


Image from a review of the tour by Smart Mouse Travel
 
Ok, I'll take out the underwear! It was debatable whether I would need it anyway, because we are going to California, land of the dirty hippies...

PS I sent this to the webmaster about the site having many problems lately:
To:webmaster@wdw360.com
Hi, my name is Joanie Eddis-Koch and I am on the Pixelmania site of WDW360.
The website has been having a lot of problems lately and this is causing us problems, especially since we have a big trip planned to California for Pixelmania west that will start on Dec. 10th and we use the thread to communicate with each other and store vital information necessary for our trip.
Could you please fix the site and help us out? It would very much be appreciated.
Thank you for your time.
~Joanie Eddis-Koch
Edited to add that the email address to the webmaster is not operational in your messages will just bounce back unanswered and unread.
 
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Another thing not to forget to pack would be masks, especially for the plane. With all the new cooties that are floating around from, who knows where, I plan on wearing one on the plane.
 
Personally, I plan to wear a mask every time I'm in a theme park or on a plane in December. I'm tired of returning home with a cold that lasts two months or more.
 
woo hoo, almost check in time for my flight, magic band is charged and linked to my pass and my phone. lenses and body are packed, the rental lens arrived yesterday, picked it up in the afternoon, drove to a few beaches and took some photos, all appears sharp and functional. checked out my new bad elf flex mini, geo logger, lighter, faster and more accurate than it's predecessor. going over the peripherals and charger cable packing after this, let's see, kindle and cable, i-pad mini and cable, i-pod cable and headphones, bad elf and cable, multiple usb port block , batteries for camera and batteries, magic band + and cable,
almost ready to print and cross off the check list

and even though i am 5x vaccinated, i may indeed wear a mask on the plane, and carry a backup if i should feel i am getting too close to the masses
 
I've been listening to hear if people are coughing and I'm hearing a little but not any of the long constant throat tickling covid coughing. a handful of people are wearing masks when I go places out here so no worries about mask Nazis like you find in Florida.
 
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