UPDATED! They've Been Some Long Ones! Nov. 9-23, 2008 PLUS 2006, 2007 & now WDW 2009!

[mariezp]

Coming up with a plan…
Almost immediately after our trip in September 2007 I began making plans for our 8th annual family trip in 2008. On Apr 1, as a surprise for our son, I came up with the idea to ask one of his friends if she, Alex, her sister, Savannah, and their father, Don, would like to join us on our trip. She responded with a yes so the planning really kicked in! :woohoo:

Decisions! Decisions! I had first selected Nov 10-21 but DH suggested we stay right up til Thanksgiving, which would have been until the 26th which was fine with me as I never turn down an opportunity to add a few days to our trip. However, Alex said they could take the week of Nov 9-16. So, even though I had wanted to avoid the possible crowds of the Veteran’s Day weekend, I backed up the dates we had chosen to go and planned for our family to stay an extra week. I really wanted to be in the park for the Christmas season on the 21st so we could see the new castle lights and meet Santa at the Reindeer Roundup but didn’t want to be rushed so we went ahead and opted to stay a few extra days to the 23rd and ended up with a little over 2 weeks to spend leisurely at the park.

As soon as we narrowed down the exact dates I called and made reservations for our room at the Anaheim Desert Inn. I have found that booking as early as I know the dates can often save quite a bit, so on April 16 I booked for our November trip. I got a very good rate. We have stayed with them during all of our past trips and they have become, somewhat, a part of our tradition. Nothing fancy. However, they provide all we need, are reasonable, very close to the park and clean. They also offer a large family suite, which is basically 2 rooms for about the same rate as one standard room at one of the Disney properties so that cinches the deal for us.

In April, I also booked a limousine from U-R-THERE-Limousine Service to pick us up from the airport. I thought the kids would get a kick out of it, and frankly, I would too! I told DH but wanted to let it be a surprise for everyone else.

My next step was to start watching American Airline fares. I didn’t last long! I ended up booking those in April too simply because the price they were offering was already as low as what we paid the previous year.

Then from there, I spent a lot of time perusing all things Disney which also included lots of time spent on message boards taking notes and making plans for our to-do-list. Thanks to all who have added to my useful information!

Alright, I know, I know! Get to it already! Well, here it is:

In response to Travelmel's wise request, I am adding names and photos of the cast who will be mentioned in my report. Here you go:

Me
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u295/mariezp/Me.jpg
DH
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u295/mariezp/Dad.jpg
DS-17
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u295/mariezp/Lukeus.jpg
DD-8
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u295/mariezp/Emma.jpg
Alex-16
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u295/mariezp/ALex.jpg
Savannah-14
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u295/mariezp/Savy.jpg
Don
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u295/mariezp/Don.jpg

Trip Report November 9-23, 2008
After much anticipation, our day to head to Disneyland finally arrived! :yay: I really liked the new plan of choosing an afternoon flight so we could get to California on Sunday evening and not mess up an entire day traveling. When we arrived we would have the option to decide whether to go to the park late or just wait until morning. Our flight was originally scheduled to leave at 3:15 pm but was delayed until 3:40 pm. We don’t fly very often so we like to be at the airport PLENTY early. Also, we find it kinda helps build even more of the excitement to at least be making progress towards our destination! We left our house at about 12:15 pm. and headed to DFW where we were supposed to meet our traveling companions at 1:30.

We made a call to see if they were on the way to the airport. Well, they obviously do travel often enough to not get worried about arriving late because Alex, our son’s friend, was not even at home but they were expecting her at any minute. We decided we probably should have followed her example and went to church but alas, we appeared to be backsliding. We were hoping God knew us well enough to know that if we didn’t get an early start we would probably end up being late. That’s usually the way it goes.

We arrived at the Park Air Express to park the car for 2 weeks and called to check to see if she had made it home yet. She had and was currently in the process of packing. Nothing like waiting until the last minute! We made it to the airport, checked in and sat around acting goofy while we waited for them to arrive.
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Several other conversations transpired before they were finally actually in route to the airport. They seemed to remain much calmer than we were. They did finally arrive about 2:30.
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We had just enough time to spare to grab a bite to eat. We ate one of the best turkey sandwiched I think I have ever had at some little BBQ joint inside the airport. We finished our meal and did not even get seated in the waiting area before they started boarding passengers for our plane. Our flight left on time and thankfully was uneventful. We even arrived on time!

When we got to the airport, Don headed to the men’s room but somehow we lost track of Savannah. After a few tense moments for some of us, she shows up unaware that we did not know where she had been. (It brought back memories of when we had lost Alex at the movie theater some months back. These two girls are very independent and apparently do not rely on explaining their whereabouts.)

Anyway, since all was well we made our way to the baggage claim area where we were met by a driver holding up a sign with our name on it. How cool is that? He looked just like the driver in Driving Ms Daisy. Don was pretty sharp to catch on that we would be riding in a limo but the kids remained clueless until we were actually standing in front of the limo. (It ain't easy to get a good picture of a 10 passenger limousine and a bunch of people in a dark garage.)
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With her typical reaction, Savannah let out an ear piercing squeal of excitement.
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The limo was very cool! We enjoyed the lights, music and clowning around in the ceiling mirrors.
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DS loves making crazy faces but he looks a bit more normal, and handsome in this picture.
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We had some good laughs about the country hicks riding in the limo.
We even broke into a round of the Hee Haw song, “Where oh where are you tonight? Why did you leave me here all alone?”, complete with “phttttt you were gone”. We had only been with our traveling companions a few hours and I was already reduced to tears from laughing so hard! I can only imagine what the driver must have thought. However, I imagine while we were pretty strange I bet he gets some real doosies! At least we were sober.
So anyway, the limo was a big hit! And, U R There Limousine Service was excellent! Everything about them was very impressive. We arrived at Anaheim Desert Inn and got our luggage all unloaded.

When I checked in, I found that our grocery delivery had already arrived about an hour early and had been stored in a backroom for us. This was just fine with me because it meant we would not have to waste any time sitting around waiting for them to show up. So, after we got our luggage and groceries to the room we set out to the park to pick up our tickets.
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I had opted to get our tickets from GetawayToday.com because they offered 8 day park hoppers with 2 free magic morning days. After the 8 days, my plan was to upgrade us to our annual passes. As it turned out we did not use the MM entries because we were no good at getting all 7 of us up that early. DH was not very happy that we only had a paper pass instead of a nice AP with his picture on it. He rather enjoys being an AP snob. Needless to say, next time I will just go ahead and get the APs.

While DD and I were rearing to get into the park, the majority vote was that everyone was tired and just wanted to rest and head to the park in the morning. Whaaa! I travel with a bunch of party poopers! Since we also wanted to enter the park all together, we conceded and decided we might not suffer too much by waiting til morning to get to the park. Hunger had hit so we headed into Downtown Disney which ended up being a total waste of time and energy because it was pretty crowded and the waits were too long so we ended up just going back to Denney’s next door to our hotel. They had some really great nachos but I would have preferred my cheesecake to have not been frozen. After that, and much to my disappointment, we called it a night. :sad1:

Before I go any farther, I thought I should update my report and add links from our previous trips here so you won't have to find them later on in the report.
Here's 2006
http://micechat.com/forums/disneyland-resort/48321-long-better-late-than-never-trip-report-dec-3-14-lots-photos-part-1-a.html

and 2007
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1588869%22]http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1588869

[Sherry E]

I'm reading along. I'm in it for the long haul! I don't think I realized you had 8-day Hoppers. I think I assumed that for all that time you were gone, you were in the parks pretty much every day and had APs, but I guess you must have spent a lot of days out of the parks too? That is a good way to break things up and not get too sick of DLR. Oh well, you will get to all that and what you guys did in your TR!!popcorn:: No need to rush into it and jump all around in the story now!

Are your son and Alex a 'couple' or only friends? Or are they at that stage where they don't want to admit they want to be a couple? They seem like they would be cute together!:cutie:

[Hound 109]

We had some good laughs about the country hicks riding in the limo.
We even broke into a round of the Hee Haw song, “Where oh where are you tonight? Why did you leave me here all alone?”, complete with “phttttt you were gone”.

"....I searched the world over & thought I'd found true love...." :lmao:


Great looking family & great start to your report. :thumbsup2

Nice to see that not all bumpkins from texas take the el cheapo rental car....some splurge for the fancy dancy "Limozeen". :snooty:

Marie, I'm also on-board for the long haul. :hippie:

[chibichibirei]

Can't wait to read more! :thumbsup2

[stich626]

Subbing! So jealous you got to spend that much time in DL!

[DL55]

Eight days at DLR?! :banana: We always get to the airport early too. So afraid we might miss the plane. :guilty: That limo sure looks nice. :woohoo:

[prettyprincessbelle]

Woo! I'm in!! :yay:

My family always gets to the airport super duper early too, so don't worry!! :thumbsup2

[Pikester]

Hi marie! Just dropping buy to check out the start of your trippy. I think I'll hunker down and stay for the long haul! http://www.dachsie.org/vbb/images/smilies/popcorn.gif

[Golfing Goofy]

I just love TRs! Thanks for sharing :goodvibes

[mariezp]

Glad to have everyone along! Thanks to those who have decided to join me while I relive our trip. We signed the papers for a new truck for my son today so it may take me a few days to recover from that to get anything else added but I will do my best!

Sherry E, normally we do get an annual pass but I thought we would save a few bucks by getting the 8 day park hoppers for the other family since it is doubtful they will go with us again next year. So when I ordered their tickets I just got ours with the plan to upgrade after using the MMs. From here on out it will be APs cause it just makes sense for us. Nope, no days spent anywhere else but in the park. All 13 days! I didn't get tired of it in the sense of boredom. I was tired from a week of trying to play host and then the second week I got very tired of my DD's new phase of constantly changing her mind. I was glad to get home. Believe it or not, even with all those days, I did actually miss getting a few things done on my to-do-list. Oh well, that gives me a jump on next years list!

DS and Alex are just friends. He adores her and would be happy if it were more but at this point in time that appears to be all she wants. He would do absolutely anything for her. However, they are very different. She is quiet, sweet, independent and very studious. He is boisterous, rowdy, a country boy through & through and more like the class clown. I know opposites attraction but unless girls have really changed these days, I don't see any signs of interest of being more than friends coming from her. Oh well, her loss cause some day he is gonna treat the right girl like a queen.

Hound, I should have known you would know the song! What true Texan wouldn't, right? Thanks for complimenting my family. I feel like a real clod now because I left out the one good photo of my DH in the car. I have gone back and mended my ways by inserting his Limo photo as well! To tell the truth, we switched around on rides while at the park so much, at times, I felt like I was traveling with 2 husbands! Don is kinda handsome but 2 husbands! No thanks! Anyway, this bumpkin family generally hitches a ride from the airport with one of the el cheapo taxi services but we wanted to do something special this trip so with the extra people it seemed like the perfect opportunity to do the limo, probably just once. It was totally worth it.

Gonna go get some more photos uploaded right now so I can get started on more of this here trip report!

[mariezp]

November 10th, our first day inside the park!

I was awoken by a phone ringing at 5:00 am. Don was calling Alex. He had forgotten to pack his sneakers so he had walked to Target to get some for walking in the park and wanted to see if they needed anything else while he was there. Already awaken by the phone, still on Texas time and excited toget to the park, I went ahead and got up and started getting ready. Everyone else lazed around a bit and then Alex and Savannah began working on homework. I realize it was important that they keep up with their studies since they had taken time from school but, golly… it was our first day! We finally made it to the park at 11:00. It was a beautiful day and not too very crowded.
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Our very first ride was Pirates!
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This is my favorite ride. Every time I ride it I see something different. It was fantastic to be back! I don’t think Savannah liked it very much. She is very sweet, gentle, and innocent and doesn’t like violence. I’m not too sure she was very crazy about being in the dark with a bunch of sword wielding pirates and skeletons.

Looking back now, I guess we were not being very thoughtful of frightening newcomers but since it was right there what do you think we headed to next… HM!
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Right as we were pulling up the hill from the loading area there was a CM, acting his creepy, part who reached in to grab me. I thought it was pretty funny! I am glad he was on my side because I am sure Savannah would not have thought so. She obviously was not impressed with this ride either.
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I can understand how she might feel. When we first started coming to Disneyland we didn’t much care for HM ourselves. We aren’t much into ghost and goblins or anything so related. We don’t do Halloween and we don’t watch scary movies. However, over the years and after doing HM on the Christmas tour, where DD decided she loved it, we have come to look past any deep meaning and just value it as a well themed ride.

Since we had gotten to the park so late it was already lunch time so we headed to Plaza Inn. It is DH’s and DS’s favorite place to eat in the park. Not me. I don’t like packaged gravy mix but I went along to get it out of the way. DD and I shared the chicken which is usually pretty good but, boy, have those chicken legs shrunk! They also did not have much of a dessert selection so no strawberry shortcake for me. The guys were very satisfied.

When we got through with our lunch it was almost 2:30 which is just about time for them to start playing musical chairs. I have always wanted to see it but have never taken DD because we are usually taking our midday break at that time of day. It looked like a perfect opportunity since we were already in the area so DD and I split from the main group and headed for Coke Corner. We got there just in time and DD jumped right in with the kids. Peter Pan, Alice and Mad Hatter were all there and they were wonderful with the kids! It was so much fun to watch and DD had a wonderful time. Unfortunately, Alex had forgotten her camera and I had loaned her my camera for the day. Luckily, I did have DD’s new camera so I was able to take some pictures.
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After the game we got autographs and pictures with Peter and Alice.
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DD did not want Mad Hatter’s. I think he makes her nervous!

We headed over to Splash to meet up with the others. They had taken Don on his first ride. As worthy of any first time, he came out drenched! He was a good sport though and they have some hilarious memories of the ride.
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As is most often the case with large groups, we could not decide on a ride everyone could agree on so the “big kids” headed to SM. Apparently, they did did some clowning around while waiting in line.
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DD and I headed to Peter Pan but it was very crowded, as usual, so we passed on by and ended up on the Teacups. Then, we headed to Alice and popped out on the upper level during the parade. From there we thought about riding Nemo but decided to wait until we could all ride it together which ended up being a mistake because they rode it without us. That was the last time we had that thought!

We met up with DH and watched our first show of many in the Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room. DD and I just love that show! From there we took a ride on the Jungle Cruise. Johnny was our captain and a very good one too. When we got through, it was getting cooler and since this was our first year without our stroller to cram full of coats we would have to go back to the room to get them. DH wanted to go back to the room because he is always the first one to get blisters but I convinced him to stay with DD just long enough to ride Astro Orbitor, which I just hate, while I mad a dash back to the room to get the coats. He left when I got back and DD and I headed towards Pirates. She HAD to have some popcorn along the way and as soon as she got that she changed her mind and decided she wanted to go make her own hat. I agreed, if we could check the lines in Fantasyland along the way. It was pretty crowded and Storybookland was closed for the parade so we just went straight back to Toontown. Got the ears made, which I expect she will probably wear a couple hours and be done with. We headed back to see if Storybookland had opened back up but it hadn’t and we ended up trapped by the parade. Then, we drifted towards Tomorrowland to check on Nemo but it was long too so while deciding what to do next, DH calls to say that he is still in the park and supposed to meet back up with us and head back to the room to order in pizza. :confused: I cannot believe that everyone is ready to call it a day and that I went all the way back to the room only to get back and do well, let me see…. buy some popcorn, a set of Mickey ears and do a lot of walking. :sad2: Not one single ride! I am thinking to myself what is wrong with these people? (grumble, grumble) I comply again, so we hop on the train back to Main Street Station and head back to our room by 7:00. UGH! When we got there, Alex was already asleep. I ordered pizza and planned to sit down to watch a pay per view movie but the darn movie wouldn’t work so we had to just watch something on the regular stations. I found out that I was a lot more worn out than I thought and soon fell asleep too.

[chibichibirei]

Yay update! Sounds like you had some fun ( with your daughter doing musical chairs) but Im sorry the other people with you were party poopers :laughing: can't wait to read more

[DL55]

I didn't know about musical chairs. Too bad I'm too old. :laughing:
Maybe they were still tired from the traveling the day before? Looking forward to more. :)

[D&DDisney]

popcorn::
I'm loving this TR!!!
Can't wait to go to DL one day. :cloud9:

[MagiKitty]

yeah! I'm here too! Its so great to read about your trip. Your family is beautiful and looks like a lot of fun! I wanna go to Disneyland too!

I love Alice in Wonderland. I want to do the musical chairs too.

13 days in the parks sounds heavenly! Can't wait to hear more about it!

[mariezp]

Yay update! Sounds like you had some fun ( with your daughter doing musical chairs) but Im sorry the other people with you were party poopers :laughing: can't wait to read more

I didn't know about musical chairs. Too bad I'm too old. :laughing:
Maybe they were still tired from the traveling the day before? Looking forward to more. :)

yeah! I'm here too! Its so great to read about your trip. Your family is beautiful and looks like a lot of fun! I wanna go to Disneyland too!

I love Alice in Wonderland. I want to do the musical chairs too.

13 days in the parks sounds heavenly! Can't wait to hear more about it!
Musical chairs was great fun! As usual, it is one of those somewhat lesser known things to do in the park that is a true gem. (Last year, DD had a blast doing the Nestle Cookie making school but, alas, they have stopped doing it.)

I was thinking I should add a little more about the game, because as in typical Disney fashion, they have their own magical style. pixiedust: When we arrived, Alice, Peter and Mad Hatter were dragging up chairs from the tables for the game. The children began helping as they arrived. Then they announced that they were going to play Musical chairs so all the kids lined up around the chairs. Then, the piano player whose name I forgot :scratchin , began playing little snips of songs. When a child had "lost", they escorted them up to the platform in front of the piano where they got to tell a joke or riddle. :laughing: If they were too shy or could not think of one Hatter would tell one for them. They were all corny jokes, of course, but it was all sooo cute! The whole time the characters were bantering between each other :hyper2: and the kids, as well. Anyway, when it got down to the last chair and two children, instead of leaving the chair in one place they told the children to keep their eye on THE CHAIR and then rounded up a bunch more chairs and started sliding them all around mixing them up. When the kids had sufficiently lost track of THE CHAIR :confused3 they declared it a tie and the game ended. So much better Disney style with no losers and a single winner.

After the game kids were lining up for autographs. DD wanted Peter's. He took off because he had to go get ready for the parade but told us to follow him so we did. He finally stopped by where the characters exit back stage and started posing for pics and signing autographs. He was a great Peter :thumbsup2 and did a fantastic job staying in character. After we'd had our turn we headed back to catch Alice. We just barely made it because she was trying to make her escape too.
If you haven't watched it... GO! It was one of the highlights of our trip and as you will see later we didn't go just one time. Of course, anytime DD manages to achieve becoming one of the participants she is happy. :cloud9: I think she is destined for the stage!


popcorn::
I'm loving this TR!!!
Can't wait to go to DL one day. :cloud9:
Oh dear! If you are gonna make plans do try to go for more than ONE day! Maybe 13 days is not for you but for a first trip you gotta do more than one!

Thanks again to those reading along. I'll add more as soon as I can but unfortunately, real life takes priority now that we are back home.

Oh, MagiKitty, 13 days is wonderful but I am thinking next year might just be only our family. It is so much simplier!

[D&DDisney]

Oh dear! If you are gonna make plans do try to go for more than ONE day! Maybe 13 days is not for you but for a first trip you gotta do more than one!


:lmao: :lmao: I meant some day and I will definitely go for more than 1 day! :rotfl2:

[whgrn]

Oh dear! If you are gonna make plans do try to go for more than ONE day! Maybe 13 days is not for you but for a first trip you gotta do more than one!

Oh, MagiKitty, 13 days is wonderful but I am thinking next year might just be only our family. It is so much simplier!

I'm here! And all caught up too. Great TR so far!

I have only been to DL once, in 1985, and only for ONE day! You're right--it wasn't enough then and it certainly wouldn't be enough now! Someday...

This is exactly why I prefer to travel with just MY family. Trying to coordinate all those people is just too hard. Never again!

[travelmel]

Hi! I'm glad I found your TR! I am excited to hear all about the mega-hopper event! I've already learned new things about chairs and characters and all kinds of fun stuff!

I think I speak for many of us when I say,
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc55/TravelMiss/mariearistocat.jpg !!!

It's great to put a pic to the name. I have a tiny favor to ask.. if you have time, could you do another run down of the cast (maybe with a pic to tell who's who?)? If that's a pain, I understand. I'll figure it out eventually. http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc55/TravelMiss/read-1.gif

[mariezp]

Thanks travelmel! I feel so special!
Now since you asked so sweetly... I went back and added a cast listing at the beginning w/photos. Good suggestion and I really should have started with it to begin with. Thanks for keeping me on my toes!

[travelmel]

Thanks for clearing that up! :)

[mariezp]

November 11th, Veteran’s Day and our first chance at MM.

Today was Veteran’s Day and the park opened at 8:00 so I had been a little concerned that it might be a little more crowded. I honestly can’t say that I did notice a big difference but then again I tend to get absorbed in my own little world. There was no waking up at 4:30 this morning. I finally managed to sleep a few hours longer and made it until 6:30 which was not ideal since this was our first shot at using our MM entry. The original plan was to get to the park at 7:00. I made a mild attempt at getting everyone up and at em but when Alex started eating cereal at 6:50 I had a pretty good idea that we were not going to make it. We got headed out the door fairly soon afterwards but along the way Don made another pitstop to grab a bite to eat from the hotel’s free breakfast selection. While we were standing around waiting I snapped a picture of DD in her new ears she made yesterday.
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She had fun picking out the parts but I can’t say they are any more special that the ready made ones, just another way for them to make money, but I guess DD likes them. Already she had worn them longer than I imagined! When we made it to the park it was actually not too crowded but our MM attempt had failed. :sad2:

The men folk and the teens headed to Matterhorn. DD and I headed for Storybookland which we finally caught opened! It was wonderful. I have to admit that I really like riding it at night best. Oh, you know how on Jungle Cruise you always get to see the backside of water? Well, I got to thinking how I had never looked to see what Monstro looked like after he sneezed his tail right off and I remembered to take a picture. So here it is, the backside of Monstro:
http://inlinethumb54.webshots.com/10933/2841051720102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

Kinda disappointing, I know. I felt the same way! Anyway, here's a couple more from Storybookland.
http://inlinethumb11.webshots.com/44106/2156350210102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb51.webshots.com/41458/2966359810102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

We followed up with a spin on the Teacups. When we were done we ran into the rest of the bunch and went for another ride. DH sat this one out and operated they video camera. The kids loaded up together in one cup and Don was stuck with me.
http://inlinethumb01.webshots.com/37248/2299129460102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

After that DH decided to join DD and I on Alice in Wonderland. Next we rode Pirates and Haunted Mansion for our second time. DD thought up a creative way to sit waiting in line. She used DH's feet for a chair.
http://inlinethumb59.webshots.com/42234/2514978990102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

From there we made a thorough investigation of Tarzan’s treehouse, much to the chagrin of DH, I’m sure. He was looking rather bored. :bored:
http://inlinethumb42.webshots.com/4265/2703181800102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb02.webshots.com/37569/2154656380102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

Did Mrs. Potts used to be upstairs on a table? The table was gone. Mrs. Potts is now located by the pots and pans on the lower level.
http://inlinethumb44.webshots.com/42795/2770164540102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

I've never noticed this before.
http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/33158/2548238320102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

From there we decided to cut back to Fantasyland via the road less traveled, AKA Big Thunder Trail.

I needed to stop off at the little girl’s room to powder my nose. While inside the restroom I ended up witnessing a poor little girl fall out of her stroller and hit her head. The mother, who I can imagine was in a hurry, made the mistake of sitting her in the seat without making sure she was all the way down or buckled. When she turned the stroller, the little girl was actually sitting on the side and when mom went to take off the momentum of the sudden turn made the poor thing fall back and land flat on her back, striking her head against the floor. I imagine she was okay but she took a pretty hard fall. So, even though I do know how easy it is for accidents to happen and there are times it could have probably easily have happened to me, please moms make sure your little one is firmly seated in the stroller before moving. This reminder has been brought to you by one of the concerned moms from the “there-but-for-the-grace-of-God-go-I-club”.

Next up was a ride on Casey Jr. DD took some photos on this one.
http://inlinethumb21.webshots.com/12948/2647899610102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

I think this thing is a dragon.
http://inlinethumb03.webshots.com/17730/2668412930102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

We followed up with a flight through Neverland.
http://inlinethumb14.webshots.com/42253/2341564850102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

Peter Pan is my favorite dark ride in Fantasyland. I just wish it was a little longer and they could find some way to make the line go faster. But, alas, just to make the best use of the time waiting in line, I just always try to think of it as a good opportunity to visit with my family.

When we got off the ride it was just about time to meet up with the others for our lunch at the Rainforest Café. We decided to meet them at the monorail station since the Thibeaux family had been looking forward to riding it. The new cars are really pretty. We were actually about 25 minutes early for our reservation so we looked around in the souvenir shop.
http://inlinethumb03.webshots.com/34946/2942463810102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

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http://inlinethumb47.webshots.com/41774/2036366210102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

Of course, DD had no problem finding all sorts of things but since we were still early in our trip we talked her into waiting a few days before deciding if a toy parrot was exactly what she just had to have.

We were finally seated. I ended up right underneath a chimp. Everybody else was a big chicken! We had quite an assortment of orders. DH and Don both tried their Parmesan Crusted Snapper. DS had salmon. Alex had the Rasta Pasta. Savannah had pizza. DD had shrimp. I went with just the plain old fish and chips because I could not make up my mind. Even though we really didn’t need it, we had to have a Sparkling Volcano because they are just wonderful so we got one for the kids to share. I also ordered the Bananas Foster because I wanted to try it. The guys were more than willing to help me finish it off. It was okay but I think I will just help with the volcano next time. Everyone really did enjoy their food. However, the service was very slow and the price was a bit much so we will most likely skip going there next trip.

When we came out the kids all wanted to go see Madagascar 2. It sounded like a good way to rest so off we went. We all loved this movie! I know DS did because he and Alex sat off by themselves. We have already been using a ton of movie quotes. Since DD hasn’t figured out how to whistle yet she can just imitate King Julian. We all gave it a thumbs up! :thumbsup2

Well, you would have thought that would have been enough rest but it appeared that the traveling was catching up with all of us so we went ahead back to the room for awhile. Too bad because we missed the special Veteran’s Day flag ceremony. I had planned to take Don to see it since he is a veteran but I didn’t realize the time until it was too late. Anyway, I was getting a headache. DD had been working on one of those giant swirly suckers and her tooth had gotten very loose so she wanted to go back to keep from losing it in the park. Also, the artist in her wanted to go back to the room so she could draw Jack and Zero from NBC. :artist:

After lazing around the room for awhile it appeared that I was the only one ready to go back to the park. :hyper: Everyone else seemed to get interested in something else, like games on the PC or shows on tv. And even my sidekick, Emma, was not ready to go back yet. She was working on her tooth and didn’t want to go back until she got it out because I had promised to buy her a toy when she did. Bah hum bug!

For some bizarre reason I tend to forget to take pictures at night so from here to the end of the day you will just have to use your imagination!

We finally made it back to the park around 6:30 which wasn’t so bad since the park was opened until midnight. Upon entering Main Street we managed to get caught by the parade again. Some timing we have! Oh well, we made our way down to the Market House for DH to get a coffee and me a yummy White Hot Cocoa. From there we made our way to our guest’s first ride aboard the Jungle Cruise. Our skipper was not quite as good as the last one and I have to admit that I really like riding this one better during the day because at night you are limited to how much you can actually see and they seem to hurry through much faster. Savannah’s response was “interesting” which just happened to be the same response she had given for Pirates and Haunted Mansion. Hmmm, do I see a trend here? :scratchin Anyway, next we took them for their first viewing of the Enchanted Tiki room. Can you guess what Savannah’s description was for this one? If you said “interesting” you were correct! From there we were planning to see if she would like Peter Pan but as usual, the line was too long. Instead we rode the Carousel, Dumbo and Toad.

We tried to hop a ride on the train but it had closed at 8:30. At this point Savannah was getting cold so DH took her back to the room. DD and I stayed and were glad we did. We got in line for Nemo at 9:02 and only had a 15 minute wait.

After that we made our way through the fireworks which was pretty cool because we took the path right in front of the castle. Since I have never camped out a spot this was the closest I have ever seen the castle during the fireworks. It was very pretty. DD wanted one more ride on the Jungle Cruise so we did that and than made our way out of the park.

Savannah was already asleep by the time we got to the room. So we all wolfed down some Denney’s and hit the sack. I was pretty tired so I knew I would not be getting up early in the morning!

[DL55]

Enjoying the pictures. Sounds like you had a fun day. I'm glad someone else rides the teacups. :goodvibes I like Peter Pan but the lines are always too long.:sad2:

[D&DDisney]

Love the pics.

I enjoy the tea cups too. Can't visit w/o riding them at WDW.

Love the Rainforest Cafe. If you're a fan of spicy food, next time try the
Pastalaya - Shrimp, sauteed chicken breast, bell peppers, onions and Andouille sausage tossed in a hot and spicy Cajun sauce and served over linguini. Mmmmm!
It is sooo good. Then, wash it down w/ a smoothie. Theirs are to die for. http://bestsmileys.com/drooling/3.gif

[kesharn81]

:lmao: :cool1: :flower3:

thanks for the info - useful thread...

this seems useful information...thanks for sharing...:banana: :woohoo:
:confused:

[travelmel]

\I snapped a picture of DD in her new ears she made yesterday.
http://inlinethumb64.webshots.com/43839/2872073060102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

She had fun picking out the parts but I can’t say they are any more special that the ready made ones, just another way for them to make money, but I guess DD likes them. Already she had worn them longer than I imagined!

I think they're great! It's hard to remember that what is "quality" to us is NOT necessarily what is "AWESOMIST EVER" to kids. :lmao:

GOod to know about the Madagasgar 2 movie.. I may have to take the DD's to see that! :thumbsup2

NEMO was a 15 min wait at 9:00 PM!! :scared1:

That is so cool!

Great update, thanks!

[NorCalDisney]

I have a family that spends all their time in the parks and it's a fight to get them to go back to the hotel! Seems like the opposite with your group. Thanks for sharing.

[mariezp]

Well, I am hoping everyone has not given up on me, I am going to try to get some more posted about this here trip!


I have to blame my absence from the board on a certain portly, jolly fellow that showed up at our house! :santa:
http://inlinethumb17.webshots.com/41360/2455989360102182720S200x200Q85.jpg

He seemed a little out of place here so I felt obliged to make him feel a little more at home. You can see what I have been busy doing on Travelmel's Seasonal Picture Fun thread. I'm on post #99.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=29186326#post29186326


Anyway, now on with the report!

First, my Photopass pictures have arrived so here are a couple of group photos that missed making it on the first day of our trip. Remind me to never stand in the front of the picture again with a panoramic landscape picture on my shirt :sad2: ... well, without someone standing in front of me at least! And, next time not first thing in the day when the sun is shining in your eyes! :cool2: Just call me squinty!
http://inlinethumb47.webshots.com/42350/2173367130102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/42024/2831306260102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

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November 12
I woke up this morning with a headache so I was in no rush to get headed into the park. Apparently we are out of sync with our traveling companions because this morning they were up and rearing to go.

We decided to start our day at California Adventure because we had reservations at Ariel’s Grotto for lunch. We made it into the park at about 10:30. We headed straight to Soarin where we walked right in to the loading area. We had about a 5 minute wait from there since we requested front row seats. I absolutely LOVE this ride! :love: Apparently Don did too because he was so excited about what a fun ride it had been. On the way out of the building, Savannah realized that she had left her phone behind under her seat on the ride. So we stood around for awhile and waited and then decided there was no point in DD and I waiting because everyone else was heading to Screamin next so we went ahead and went our separate ways.

We headed to Jumpin Jellyfish which was my DD’s favorite ride last year but was not the case this year. We waitied in line and just as we were about to get on she chickened out because she was scared of how high it went. Go figure? :confused3 From there we met up with DH because the wild bunch, except for DS who was just going along to watch, were going to ride the Maliboomer. We opted to go much calmer and rode King Triton’s Carousel. We were able to ride 3 times in a row without getting off because there was hardly anyone else in line. Next we took DD and let her play around in the boat playground area. She looks like she takes her playing very serious in these photos but it really was just very sunny. :sunny:
http://inlinethumb44.webshots.com/43691/2051976360102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

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Shortly before 1:00 we met up with the others at Ariel’s. I checked us in and while we were waiting the guys decided they would sit this one out because they had been noticing that all the men were leaving. So it ended up just being the girls for lunch. They called our name and we were sent to where they were taking pictures with Ariel.
http://inlinethumb43.webshots.com/13418/2702253510102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

It must have been rush hour because they hurried us through there and quickly got us seated at our table. Shortly after we had made our selections they brought out the first course which was the antipasti tower which did not really impress anyone very much. It was kinda blah. When our food arrived we did all enjoy our meals. I wasn’t sure what to try so I decided to go with something that I would not normally eat so I chose the Spinach and Ricotta Agnolotti. I was pleasantly surprised but it still is not something I would order everyday. Alex had the Herb-Crusted Chicken Breast, Savannah had Seashell Pasta and DD had the Meatball Lollipops. When we were through with our meals, they brought out the shared dessert platter.
http://inlinethumb42.webshots.com/16041/2401216310102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

None of us found anything outstanding. I suppose serving dessert this way helps cut down on the portions they have to serve. However, I really prefer to choose my own dessert. Overall, the meal was good but it was overpriced. I really prefer the old style menu they used to offer where you could choose your own salad and dessert.

I did have fun taking pictures of the decor!
http://inlinethumb17.webshots.com/40336/2394800060102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb29.webshots.com/44764/2434849550102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

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The Princesses were all great and we got some pretty pictures.
http://inlinethumb42.webshots.com/42345/2814037650102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb31.webshots.com/43806/2164279650102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

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http://inlinethumb01.webshots.com/43904/2763146180102182720S500x500Q85.jpg


This may be one of our last character meals because I am starting to think that this type of meal is a lot of work, trying to get a bite, jumping up for a picture, getting one more bite and hopping back up again. We'll see. I have plenty of time to change my mind before next year.

[mariezp]

November 12, continued....

My head was really hurting at this point so I wanted to go back to the room for a nap. We headed over to meet up with the guys who were on Grizzly Rapids.
http://inlinethumb12.webshots.com/43787/2382862860102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

DH and DS had gotten out fairly dry.
http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/16096/2359657800102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

DS took great pleasure in pointing out that he was dry and
http://inlinethumb61.webshots.com/21564/2388517420102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

Poor Don was soaked AGAIN!
http://inlinethumb19.webshots.com/43730/2708084770102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

DH offered to take DD to the Grizzly Peak play area while DS, Alex and I headed back to the room. As it turned out DD got to play but Savannah was too big to participate so they did not end up staying very long. DH was very proud of DD because even though she tends to lack in the coordination skills, (she gets that from her mother) she did manage to make it all the way across on the swinging disc!

Meanwhile back in our room I had been trying to nap but somewhere outside a continual banging was taking place. I managed to bury my head in the pillows and finally doze off enough to ease the pain. When I woke up I was recharged and ready to hit the park again. Unfortunately, DD had a different idea. She didn’t want to go back! She was deeply engrossed in playing video games with Savannah. So, I did the only thing I could… I had a good boo-hoo. :sad: Apparently the headaches and the stress of trying to keep everyone perfectly happy was finally catching up to me. Not one of my finer moments but at least DH understood. Looking back, I think I get myself so worked up for everything to go perfect and when it doesn’t I have got to learn to go with the flow. Okay, I can work on that but I don’t know if I will ever get used to the idea of my little ride buddy preferring someone else’s company to mine. Guess that's one of the downfalls of my being a stay at home mom and being used to spending all my time with my kids and enjoying them. I don't share very well. :guilty:

So… after about another hour of me twiddling my thumbs, the masses finally decided they were ready to head back to the park. We stopped off at the Cold Stone Creamery where I grabbed myself a yummy smoothie. Me thinks the family has a new favorite treat to add to our ever growing list!

Once we were inside the park, we hopped on the train for a quick trip back to Toontown. We were planning to ride Roger Rabbit but it was closed so we headed over to check out some of the other things in the area.
http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/41376/2571380970102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

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We strolled around in Donald’s boat.
http://inlinethumb16.webshots.com/36751/2006708030102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

I wish this one came out better but I have not gotten used to this new camera and the new settings yet.
http://inlinethumb61.webshots.com/36924/2469106900102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

Then we went to Mickey's house.
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The Mickey that was on duty this night was wonderful! My DD was so happy to see him! I love this first picture!
http://inlinethumb39.webshots.com/43942/2948459580102182720S500x500Q85.jpg

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We visited Chip n Dale’s house.
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And finished up Toontown with Minnie’s house.
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From there we drifted through Fantasyland and rode Snow White.

Afterwards we went for another show at the Tiki room.
My DD met a little girl there named Emily who appeared to be just about as exuberant, energetic and talkative as she is.:hyper: You would have thought they had been friends forever! While I was trying to convince DD that she needed to stay with me, the little girl came over during the show and ended up sitting with DD. They ended up hanging onto each other through the thunderstorm part like they were really scared. They were a pretty cute pair.

Next we got on the Jungle Cruise. Our skipper this time was Jenn. She was very good! I am still trying to decide if she was also a performer in the Drawn to the Magic show over at CA. From there we quickly jumped in line for our last ride on Pirates. When we exited the park was closed.

On the way back in we picked up an order from Denney’s while the kids ordered pizza…again.

[Sherry E]

I am still hanging in there with you, Marie! Although now I have my own trip coming up in three days (gingerbread men, here I come!), and am completely ill-prepared, so have to get my butt in gear and start getting packed and other odds and ends taken care of so I am not doing everything at the last second and stressing myself out!

I do like the decor inside Ariel's (and it used to be Avalon Cove, based on Catalina Island, which I love almost as much as DLR), but we have no use for a Princess meal. I LOVE Goofy's, and the characters at Storyteller's are okay, but since I don't have kids and I don't really care too much about the 'people characters,' I stick with the large, furry ones! I know what you mean, though, about the character meals being a lot of work. If it is a day/night that is hopping with characters coming at you fast and furiously, you always have to keep your camera poised and ready to grab at a moment's notice, being careful not to spill food/drinks on it. Just as you take a delicious bite of whatever and you have a full mouth, along comes a character that you have to interact with and take a picture with! OR, just at the precise moment you get up to look at the buffet and see what you want, the characters decide to visit your table when you are nowhere near it! And if the characters are few and far between and nobody comes by, then it seems to be a let down! It is a lot of work! Fun work, but work nonetheless!

[DL55]

I loved your shirt! Enjoyed the pictures. I haven't gone to Toontown in ages as there are no small children in my family. We also don't do character meals for the same reason. Too bad about the headache. I hope it didn't return. :hug:

[DisneySuiteFreak]

I'm enjoyingyour report! Thanks for posting it!

[travelmel]

You can see what I have been busy doing on Travelmel's Seasonal Picture Fun thread. I'm on post #99.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=29186326#post29186326

Thanks for pimping...uh... I mean promoting my thread! :santa:


Remind me to never stand in the front of the picture again with a panoramic landscape picture on my shirt :sad2:

:lmao:

OME Mariezp.... that was SO Funny. I swear I saw that shirt and I was like.."Hmm..that's an interesting shirt" and then I read what you wrote up there and I Started-to-giggling and I could NOT stop! :rotfl2:

I'm still chuckling as I write this. Ohhhhhhhhhhhh I love to giggle. Thanks for the fun!

great update, as usual. I have never been to a character breakfast but they seem a little bit stressful! I loved the lamp shade pics that you took. They're beautiful and you really captured the ambiance nicely. :thumbsup2

[travelmel]

http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/41209/2210495540102182720S500x500Q85.jpg



I like this pic... totally engrossed in the oven in toontown. I think you should post this over on the "Spirit of DLR" thread :mickeyjum

[mariezp]

November 13

Well, this morning was one of our other MM entry days, and since the park opened a little later you would have thought we might make it this time. Nope. I received a phone call from my friend who was house-sitting while we were away. She couldn’t get in because our automatic gate opener had bit the dust. Luckily, we have another friend who just happens to be the one who had installed the gate quite a few years ago. So, a few more phone calls and our gate was scheduled to be fixed and we were on our way.

We made it to CA about 10:30. We were all in agreement on what to ride for once so we rode Soarin again. Next we headed to Grizzly Rapids. I came out pretty dry this time but poor Savannah did not have a dry spot one her. My gallant son ran into the gift shop and bought her a $20 towel.
http://inlinethumb45.webshots.com/42604/2756807030102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

With Savannah all wrapped up in her new towel, we headed to Monsters, Inc. I really feel for CMs trying to operate the rides when people like our group came along. In hindsight, I suppose you should always put the experienced park goers up front… but we failed miserably by putting the newbies at the head of the line where they almost 101ed the ride trying to figure out who was sitting where and how to get loaded. We did finally manage to get on the ride but not before my DD got caught on the wrong side of the gate and part of the group was asked to disembark from one ride vehicle and made to wait for another. It looked like a scene from a Three Stooges episode.

From there we watched the Muppets.
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When we finished there it was time to split up because the big kids wanted to ride TOT and I am NOT going on that one! DD and I decided to go check out the Animation Studio. Our character to draw was Minnie. Boy, are bows hard to draw!
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When we finished up everyone had gotten hungry so we went to eat at Taste Pilots Grill. They were very slow and the burgers were rather bland this trip. I think next time I will try their ribs since I just recently read a ringing endorsement for them.

When we were through we headed over to DL. DH wanted to upgrade our passes to APs because he didn’t like carrying around a paper ticket but mostly he wanted his photo on it. We made an attempt at upgrading but I did not have my receipt with me and the lead was not there so they said we would have to come back later.

DD wanted to play musical chairs again. We were a little early but we went ahead and grabbed a front row seat. DH and DD sat and waited while I went and made a mad dash to go get a milk shake or something along that line. As always, the ice cream place had a long line so I ran into Blue Ribbon Bakery and tried one of their blended mochas, which BTW was very good.

Our oldest DD called while I was racing in and out of stores. She wanted to let me know that she was at the hospital. DSIL had hurt his leg while on his job. Poor guy has the worst luck! During our conversation I did inform her that we had come to the conclusion that we would not be bringing anyone else with us except them from now on. DD is about as crazy about DL as I am which makes them excellent to share a magical trip.

Shortly after our phone call Alice and Mad Hatter showed up. No Peter this time. This round of musical chairs had about a dozen kids participating. DD informed me later that she had lost on purpose so she could tell her joke! Silly kid.
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There was one little girl who wanted to watch but appeared to be too shy to play. However, as time went on she came out of her shell and was all over the place. The child was precious but she kept getting in the way of the children actually participating and she was even physically hanging onto Alice. Poor Hatter finally gave up trying to divert her and eventually just sat down with her to keep her still. She ended up practically sitting in his lap. The entire time I guess the mom was entirely oblivious. She was on her phone most of the time. DH and I both agreed that Hatter and Alice deserved a medal for their skill and patience for babysitting some children while trying to do their performance at the same time. I tell you, this mom deserved her own award for self absorbed guest of the day. When the game was over, we headed back to our room for our midday break, shaking our heads in disbelief at some people.

Later in the evening when we were recharged we decided to head back into DL. Our first ride of the evening was Buzz. I beat the men! Whoo-hoo! Ride photos are really bad, well... except Don still looks good.
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Next up was Haunted Mansion and then another ride on a so-so Jungle Cruise. In defense of the captain, our boat load was really a boring unresponsive bunch. It’s got to be really tough to try to be humorous looking into a batch of blank stares.

DH offered to humor DD with another trip to the Tiki Room while I got to go ride Indy with the thrill seekers. DS and Don tickled poor Savannah when the rats landed on the hood so we were all temporarily deafened from the high pitch shrieking. We must have all been pretty tired because we decided to call it a night and head back to our room. On the way out the castle was lit. It was so beautiful! And silly me, I forgot to even take a picture! Heck, I didn't take very many pictures at all today.

Alex got her face painted in DTD today.
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[Pikester]

Still enjoying the report! http://www.dachsie.org/vbb/images/smilies/popcorn.gif

[mariezp]

Thanks Pikester! I am glad you are enjoying it! Here's some more....



November 14, 2008

I don’t remember what time we finally headed out this morning but you can be assured that we did not make it at park opening. We headed for CA to ride Toy Story Mania for our first time. There was only a 20 minute wait and we absolutely loved it!
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DD loved it so much that she and I went back and rode it a second time.
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I got my highest score of the whole trip on this ride. I think the harder I tried the worse score I got so here I was still running on beginners luck!
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While waiting in line I saw a girl with a Texas Tech shirt so with my normal Texas drawl I asked her if she was from Texas to which she replies “No, Australia…” in her very Australian accent. She went on to say that they had played them, Texas Tech, yesterday. Since I was a bit thrown off by the response I forgot to even ask her what sport. Also, while standing in line we talked to a lady about pin collecting since DD has begun to show a slight interest. The lady liked to collect cast member pins and pointed out to us how you look for the hidden mickeys. So we got our pin trading education for the day. There was another group of 3 ladies in line who appeared to be very serious pin collectors. They were wearing denim vests that were covered front and back almost completely with pins. It was a very nice looking and, to me, a unique way to display their pins. I wanted to get a picture but never could get a clear shot because of all the people in line between them and me.


Afterwards we rode King Triton’s Carousel where the ride operator, Kimmie, entertained us with ocean/Disney related jokes. I told her she should become a jungle cruise skipper because she really was pretty good.

We had reservations at House of Blues in DTD at 1:00 so we left the park and headed in the proper direction. Along the way we stopped and watched the parrot show in front of Rainforest Café. Kyle was the performer at this particular show. It's a cute little show and you can as questions if you ever wanted to know anything about parrots. Those birds are pretty smart and have some amazing strength in their beaks in order to be able to crack the nuts the trainers give them.
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When we arrived at HOB we were seated outside where they moved most of the umbrellas around just for us to keep the sun out of our eyes. We had never eaten here before but thought we would give it a try since Don is originally from Louisiana. I was a bit afraid of the food being spicy. I ordered shrimp with cheese grist and was surprised that it was not spicy at all but actually rather bland. Everyone else had the same thought on their dishes too. The portions were huge but with the bill coming to a total of nearly $200 with the tip we will most likely not be making a return trip. Oh yeah, I did have to try the White Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding but again was left less than impressed.

We considered watching Madagascar 2 again but our timing was no good and it was quite some time until the next showing. DH decided to check in with ESPN Zone to see if they might be able to catch the UFC fight this Saturday but no luck. We started heading back to the room and got just about to the package checking area when DD suddenly decides she has got to go NOW! So we zip into CA and rush her to the restroom. As we left from there we were pleased to discover that there are actually restrooms available in between the parks just to the left of the turnstiles which is good to know in case the problem should ever arise again.

On the way back, I snapped some pictures of some of the roses out front of the Anaheim Desert Inn. They are not a fancy place but they do have some nice flowers out front!
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I took a really good nap and woke up to the Wizard of Oz on tv. We headed back into the park at about 6:00. We stopped by to upgrade our passes which was a slow process that annoyed DH. At least we were successful this time around. We got a fellow whose personality was less than charming. DH has very little patience for grumpy folks, perhaps because he can be a grump himself. I like to think of them as a challenge and generally have them smiling by the time I am done. This guy was no exception.

To appease DD for having had to endure standing in line so long, we stopped by and got ice cream. I decided I was in need of a second batch of jelly beans. I made the mistake of letting DD help me because I had an ice cream in one hand and was holding the bag in the other. Her job was to pull the handle to release the jellybeans into the bag. She was a bit slow on the stop process so I ended up with $25 worth of jellybeans! I have enjoyed them greatly since the trip but I do feel compelled to warn anybody who might not look first that Disney jellybeans are $12 per pound!

Next, we headed to Autopia where we were able to hear the live band playing from the Tomorrowland stage while we waited in line. They were playing some oldies from my era. Eagles, a little Pat Benetar... "hit me with your best shot... This ride was the longest I have ever had on Autopia. We got in a car just behind a family who had split each one of their many children up in their own individual cars. Everyone of them was having a hard time pushing those darn gas peddles down. I knew we were in trouble when the first child started off. Oh well, it gave me a chance to pay more attention to the scenery. I even spotted the mouse hole! Eventually we were off and headed to try to catch the train to Roger Rabbit but our timing was off again because Toontown was closed. We thought about hopping back on the train again back over to NOS but we piddled around talking to a CM back by Small World. We got into a conversation about the changes made and she let us in on a little secret that there might be a soft opening on the 19th. Whoo-hoo inside info! Just before we left, I remembered that I had one of the pins I had made up for special CMs so she was our first recipient of the Peterson appreciation button.
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I forgot to get her name but she told us she would be working SW and to look for her when we rode it.

By the time we finished chit chatting the last train had come and gone so we hoofed it over to HM through a somewhat light Fantasmic crowd. The rest of our group had planned to watch the fireworks but they called to say the show had been cancelled so they were heading in for the night. After our ride on HM, we rode Pooh and Pirates. Then we grabbed some clam chowder and called it a night too.

[LivinInTheCastle]

Hey Marie, finally got over here to read your TR. I couldn't put it down, LOL!! Can't wiat to hear more about your trip. It is a dream of mine to get to DL one day (and I mean for more than a day!!)

[whgrn]

$12/pound for jelly beans?!?!?!:scared1: :scared1: :scared1:

I'm sorry, that is just OBSCENE!

[trodrigue]

Great update. I hate it when I can't get to the parks at opening. My family knows that and they seldom let me down. It helps that we have a farmer kiddo and are up at the crack of dawn everyday. Sadly, he can't make it for the fireworks though.

[mariezp]

I am glad you all have been enjoying my report. It was a blast to be in the park and almost as much fun to share it with all of you.

LivinInTheCastle it's good to "see" you again! I really do hope you get to make it to the park some day.... and soon! I think everyone should get to go at least once in their lifetime! But yeah, definitely multiple days. ;)

Yep, I agree very obscene! They were really good. I think they even tasted better after I got home and still had a little something of the park left with me. $12 a pound though, ummmm....still not sure.

trodrigue, I am not blessed with any farm kids. Everyone around here but me would probably sleep everyday until noon if I would let them. Usually if I threaten to go to the park without them they will get up pretty fast. On the other hand, around here I am the one ready to go to bed by fireworks time!

Ya'll stay tuned... I'm working on another day!

[mariezp]

November 15, 2008

Another slow start. This is our guests last day so DD and I will probably start hitting the parks earlier next week. We headed out the door to find an ugly gray ashy sky. The fires are burning again this year. We made it in the park and were approached by yet another survey taker. All of them so far have been via e-mail and nothing very long so I say what the heck. We headed for the canoes but they were closed due to the high winds and ashes. So, we hopped on Pooh since we were already on that end of the park.

From there our group split up because DD wanted to go to Pirates again and I was the only one willing to go with her. I snapped a few photos while standing in line. DD loves Speedy Gonzales even if he is not a Disney character. Ya'll have probably noticed from most of her photos that she cared some stuffed animal with her every day.
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Here's how the sky looked today. YUK!
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While we were on the ride I had to chuckle to myself at the conversation going on between the people behind me. Man asks “So when did they put in this ride?” Woman responds “I don’t know.” Man says “Well, it had to have been after the movie was made.” Woman responds “No, it’s been here since the park opened.” At least she got a little closer than he did. (I did my research and it actually opened in 1967.)

We met up with our group at the exit so we could arrive a little early for our Blue Bayou reservations to request a waterside table. When they said the wait would be a 1-1/2 to 2 hours we decided second row from the water would be just fine. Kevin was our waiter from Alaska. Did you know they say Ya’ll just like we do here in Texas? I liked it! Anyway, everyone enjoyed their food. Our Cajun food expert agreed that their gumbo was much closer to authentic Louisiana cuisine than HOB. I had the Monte Cristo, DH and DS had the Mahi-Mahi, Don had salmon, Alex had Tesora Island Chicken, Savannah had macaroni and Emma had the child’s salmon so we sampled almost everything on the menu. Three of them decided to split a cookie boat. DS and I opted to get our own ever so yummy crème brulee. I had saved up enough Disney Reward Dollars on my Visa to pay for the meal so it almost didn’t seem to hurt so much when we got our bill.

Afterwards, DD and I took another Pirate cruise and met up with DH later at the NOS station to completer our circle trip around the park and back to Main Street.
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On the way back in to the hotel, I stopped off in the lobby to inquire as to whether or not our movie channel box had been repaired. It is sort of our tradition to watch a movie each evening while we eat whatever we have ordered in for the night. Every movie we had tried had been to dark or flipping and they had sent the repair man over several times with no improvement. So far it hadn’t been a huge deal because we had company with us. However, they would be leaving soon and we wanted to make sure we could watch the movies even if we had to switch to a smaller room when they were gone. The manager assured me that we could get our movie tonight even if I had to call through the main operator.

After I got that settled, off I went to the laundry room to catch up on a week worth of laundry. I really never mind too much because it is the only time I have during the trip that is nice and quiet. I pack a drink, a candy bar and a book and sit in silence for just a little bit. When I get done all I have to do is ring for backup help toting the laundry back upstairs. I figure I might as well learn to enjoy it because there is no way I can pack enough clothes to last for 2 weeks!

Alvin and the Chipmunks came on tv just before we were starting to head out the door. So automatically DD wanted to stay and finish watching. Savannah was finishing up her homework so I took the opportunity to check in on the board since the others had headed on out and the computer was free. By the time we finally headed back into the park it was already dark. I couldn’t tell if is was still smoky but the smell was pretty much gone and there were no more ashes falling out of the sky.

Once in the park, we decided to head to Peter Pan since it is one of our favorites and Savannah had not been on it yet. The line was about as long as usual but we went ahead and waited anyway. From there we went to Storybookland and followed up with a ride on the teacups and Casey Jr. They are all so pretty at night! We were going to drop Savannah off with the rest of the group who had been waiting to watch Fantasmic but as we were about ½ way there, DS called to say they had stopped the show and they were over in Fantasyland now. DD and I waited at what we call rendezvous bridge over by Big Thunder while DH escorted Savannah back over to Peter Pan. Poor DH finally arrived back and we headed to HM and then walked straight on to Pirates. The crowds had really cleared out. I assume it was because of the fires. We decided to call it a night and grabbed some corn dogs on the way out to take back to the room. WRONG! That is a terrible thing to do to a perfectly wonderful corn dog because they turned soggy and were horrible. From now on, this girl eats her corn dog right there in the park while it’s nice and hot and crispy!

We were all tired so we didn't even end up watching a movie. DD did spend a little time before bed drawing some of her favorite characters.
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[DL55]

Sounds like you had fun. Loved the pictures.
The pictures of the smoky sky brought back memories. I remember days where everything had an orange tint from the smoke clouds.

[whgrn]

Ooooh, those skies look EERIE!!!:scared1:

[D&DDisney]

Still enjoying the report. Should be writing my own but its easier to just read others' reports. :laughing:
Mmmm... jellybeans. Even at $12- just buy 1/4lb. :laughing: Bet they are good.

Must be hard to look at pics of the girl friend after all that has happened. :grouphug: to your son

[mariezp]

I see my TKer buddies are following along with me!

Yeah, the sky did make things have an orange tint to it and yes, very eerie. I was so mad because I let my camera battery run down! I was over by Big Thunder and missed an amazing shot which I will probably never ever get to see again! :mad:

D&DDisney, it is indeed easier to read reports than get one posted. Here I am a month later.....still working on mine. But look! There's another installment coming soon!

Yeah, well, girl smirls...who cares! DS seems to be doing better.

[Sherry E]

I am still hanging in here, too! By the way, I love the blended mochas at Blue Ribbon Bakery! However, I do chuckle at what they consider to be their largest size (and most expensive), which is not that large at all!

That was another thing I wanted to do on my trip last weekend - stop in at BRB. As it was, I got my cookies at Marceline's, but there was never a good opportunity to pop into BRB and get a cinnamon roll and a mocha! I keep saying I got mostly everything done that I wanted, but if I had had one more day in the parks, I could have knocked off those remaining few things on the list!!

Anyway, I can't imagine what I would do if I had such a long trip to DLR and then had to write a TR! Yikes! I applaud you for sticking with it, and we are all still eagerly reading along with you! I managed to knock out my whole TR from last weekend's trip in one day, and that is even amazing for me! I didn't have nearly as many days to write about as you do, but I am the sort of person who will start something, then go back to it later, and it gets stretched out and delayed. I somehow managed to do it all - while being sick - yesterday, and the only things left to add to it later will be the PhotoPass pictures. I don't know how I did it!

By the way, I notice that some of your PP enhancements (Goofy and Minnie, for one) were not available when I went on to edit my pictures the other day. I guess they keep changing them every few weeks or so!!

[mariezp]

November 16, 2008

Our traveling companions are leaving today. Don got up early to have breakfast with an old friend he knew from long ago who lives here in California. I got woke up when he called this morning to ask Alex if she wanted to go to church and said he would be back to pick her up. I am ashamed to admit that we tend to skip going to church while we are on vacation. It is just so much harder to get up and at em early when you are somewhere besides home. (not that we do that great at home) Don apparently hasn’t got any problem waking up early. He has been up every morning at about 5 am. Guess he is still stuck on Texas time. Poor guy has been leaving the room every morning (and slamming the door) and wasting time down in the lobby while DH sleeps. (The girls are all bunking in one room and the guys in the other. I cannot sleep with DH on vacation because he snores like a bear. Then I lose sleep and we’re all miserable!)

Anyway, having company on our trip has been fun but honestly I will be glad when it is just the four of us so we can get back in our groove. I am pretty sure they will be glad to get out of here too! While they seem to have enjoyed the time here, I don’t think they are in any danger of becoming Disney nuts like we are. My DD will sure miss Savannah but she will get over it pretty quickly. We’ll just have to see how DS takes the separation from Alex. I’m not expecting it to be good. He is such a fine young man. He would love for them to be more than friends but I overheard her dad telling his friend on the phone that Alex had told him in the beginning that all they are is friends and that they really do not have much in common, which is true. I just don’t think he sees it that way. (Ya’ll feel free to send up a prayer for him that the RIGHT girl comes along. I’m pretty sure she is not the one.) Anyway, after they leave, it should be a slight relief for him, though I doubt he will admit it, because he will be able to relax and be himself instead of trying to impress someone the entire time. I know he should at least be glad about taking over Don’s bed and not having to sleep on the fold out couch and not being woke up every morning by the slam of the door.

This morning started out very crazy! I was sitting up taking down notes about our trip when DH finally woke up and asked me where DS was. Well, I thought he had moved into the bedroom or went down stairs but it never entered my mind that he was no where in the room! DH went into a full blown panic to the point of making himself physically sick. Me, being the more logical and calmer of the two of us, began rationalizing what had happened and where he could be. This is what I came up with. He is much too big for someone to drag out the door and no one hear anything. He has never done anything like this before so he must be down stairs at the convenience store or must have went to church with the Thibeauxs. I have to admit I did have a slight panic thinking of us being so far from home and him gone. Savannah had stayed a the hotel with us so eventually she got a call through to Alex and confirmed that he was with them.

A short time passed and in came the Thibeauxs with DS in tow. I calmly said to DS “You do know you are in some big trouble, don’t you?” to which he responded, while he hung his head low, “Yeah, I know, I’m dead meat! I don’t know what came over me. Alex came in and I got up, followed her down stairs and the next thing I know I was getting in a car.” He obviously had not been very awake and things happened pretty fast. He did say he had tried to call but without his phone he had dialed the wrong number and did not end up reaching us. I didn’t see how I could be mad at him for going to church. Besides that I figured he was gonna really catch it from dad so I said no more. I guess this was just a reminder to me that even my level headed child may lose his good common sense when a pretty face comes along. UGH! I did ask him later if DH had talked to him and he said “Oh Yeah!” Anyway, enough of the family drama. Now on with the report!

Now, where were we?….oh yeah, they were leaving this morning and their flight was scheduled to leave at 1:30pm so it looked like a whirlwind was sweeping through our room. They apparently do a lot of last minute packing because when they left they had done a thorough job of gathering all their stuff which was no easy chore. I had been living with a pair of messy teenagers for a week and their stuff had been scattered everywhere! We got in lots of hugs and said our farewells and they were on their way and we were left with just the four of us and a second week all to ourselves at Disneyland. Emma will be verbally grieving her lose for the next week but DS will be stoically hiding how much he misses them. He did voice it once and that will probably be the only time he mentions it. Me…. well, it was good while they were here but I am thinking now it is gonna be even better!

Since it was so close to lunch time and we had not even made it to the park I decided it would be a perfect time for us to try out Bubba Gump. I had an idea of how to get to the restaurant but decided to stop in at the front desk just to be sure. I was glad I did because the desk clerk gave me a coupon for a free appetizer! So… off we went! The day was starting out to be a really hot one so we were very thankful that the walk was fairly short and glad to get back into the air conditioning. The décor in this place is really fun if you are a fan of the movie. Heck, it’s a fun place even if you aren’t, you just miss out on some of the inside jokes.
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Our waiter was great! He gave us a Forest Gump quiz to which the family only missed 2 answers. Then he brought out our drinks and our free appetizer, the Bubba’s Far Out Dip, which was some pretty good stuff. We didn’t have to wait long for our food to arrive. I had the fried shrimp, DH and DS had the “I’m Stuffed Shrimp” and DD had the Fish n Chips which came out in this nifty little cardboard boat that she was able to take home.
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We all thought the food was very good. Another of the waiters noticed DS’s shirt and came over to talk Jiu-Jitsu with him so the deal was sealed. DS was even able to have some fun and give us his Forrest Gump impression. It was decided unanimously to add Bubba Gump’s to our annual must-do-list.
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As we headed back to the park, we saw that the skies had filled with smoke again and it was so hot that we decided to stop in at the movie and go to the park later when it cooled for the evening. We strolled through the Garden Walk which some how doesn’t seem to live up to the name. Not as much garden as I would imagine.
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I hope for the mall’s sake that their business picks up. I bet we didn’t see 2 dozen people in the whole complex. We checked the theater but no movies were about to start so we headed back to our room, dropped off the boat and called to check the theater schedule in DTD. As luck would have it, we had enough time for a 15 minute break until the next showing of Madagascar 2, AGAIN. Can you tell we really liked this movie?

After the movie we hopped on the monorail and headed into the park. From there we hopped on the train and headed to the NOS station and went our separate ways. The guys headed to Splash while DD and I headed to Pirates again! I have really been enjoying being able to study all the different character faces. Afterwards we were going to hop back on the train and head to Toontown but along the way DD asked to have her portrait done. Since it was on my to-do-list I couldn’t resist. It was really amazing to watch the drawing turn into my DD. Our artist was Gil. He is a wonderful artist who has been doing portraits at DL for 2 years. He just came from Korea 4 years ago. DD did a great job of sitting still for him. He even drew the little kitty she had been carrying around with her.
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Here's a shot I took the next morning of them side by side. What do you think? Not bad, huh?
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When our portrait was complete I checked with the guys and they just happened to be heading back to the room so we met them and let them carry the picture back to the room for me.

DD decided we might as well do HM since we were already there. I think she is finally catching on that it’s better to save yourself a few steps rather than picking a ride that is totally on the opposite side of the park. After another ride with Jack and Sally, we took the train to Toontown.
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Roger Rabbit was still closed so we headed to Mickey’s house. We caught him in a different costume and he was also in a much different mood than last time, not nearly so friendly. He must have had a long day.
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[mariezp]

Continued.....

From there I took DD and she played around in Chip n Dale’s house and we wandered the streets while I played around with my camera getting some night shots in Toontown.
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We took a ride on Storybookland and then Alice.
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Then we headed back to our room. On the way out I snapped some shots from some of the displays in the windows on Main Street. They are always so pretty!
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I grabbed DH and I some nachos from Denney’s to share. They are surprisingly good. DS and DD had their usual burger and chicken nuggets. We then made an attempt to watch Prince Caspian but the darn movie box was still not fixed. It didn’t make to much difference to me and DD because we both fell asleep anyway.

[Sherry E]

I love how the bench outside of Bubba Gump's has Forrest's suitcase and box of chocolates on it! Cute! See, that is the sort of restaurant I would enjoy because of the nice touches and details - and I could do okay in a FG trivia challenge, I think - but I am NOT a seafood lover at all. Not in any way, shape or form. Typically, the seafood places have one item for us non-fish folk, and it usually an expensive steak or something. Does Bubba Gump's have plenty to eat for the rest of us meat eaters/seafood haters?

I love your ToonTown pictures, though they make me sad. On my last few hours in the parks this past Monday, I wanted to use up what was left of my horrible film and take some pictures of a lot of the little details in ToonTon that I had previously missed. TT is underrated, I think, because people view it as being JUST for kids, but if you are a fan of the details and clever touches Disney puts into DLR, then you know that TT is one of the BEST places to see them. There were some things I had not previously noticed because TT is usually so crowded. So that was my mission on Monday, and I was snapping away - only to realize that my camera had died in the rain. None of my TT pictures came out and I had to leave to go home, or else I would have bought a disposable camera on Main Street and carried on!!! Drat! There are so many little cute things in TT - especially at Christmas time - that it is easy to miss them if it is overrun by crowds!

[mariezp]

I am still hanging in here, too! By the way, I love the blended mochas at Blue Ribbon Bakery! However, I do chuckle at what they consider to be their largest size (and most expensive), which is not that large at all!

That was another thing I wanted to do on my trip last weekend - stop in at BRB. As it was, I got my cookies at Marceline's, but there was never a good opportunity to pop into BRB and get a connamon roll and a mocha! I keep saying I got mostly everything done that I wanted, but if I had had one more day in the parks, I could have knocked off those remaining few things on the list!!

Anyway, I can't imagine what I would do if I had such a long trip to DLR and then had to write a TR! Yikes! I applaud you for sticking with it, and we are all still eagerly reading along with you! I managed to knock out my whole TR from last weekend's trip in one day, and that is even amazing for me! I didn't have nearly as many days to write about as you do, but I am the sort of person who will start something, then go back to it later, and it gets stretched out and delayed. I somehow managed to do it all - while being sick - yesterday, and the only things left to add to it later will be the PhotoPass pictures. I don't know how I did it!

By the way, I notice that some of your PP enhancements (Goofy and Minnie, for one) were not available when I went on to edit my pictures the other day. I guess they keep changing them every few weeks or so!!

Hi SherryE! :wave2: I am flipping between tabs and your trip report just happens to be one I am trying to catch up on right now! Thanks for sticking with me. I know it's long but I am hoping it is keeping some Disney lovers out there entertained.

Well... since you didn't get to do everything on your list that gives you a really good excuse to start planning THE NEXT TRIP! I know I didn't get all my things done so I am gonna start planning myself. So tell me.... did Marceline's have chocolate covered strawberries? That's on the top of next year's list! DD discovered she likes gingerbread so we're adding that to the list for her too!

I definitely would not be getting my report done if I hadn't written down notes every evening. You are pretty cool for getting your report done in one day! :worship: I hope you are feeling better. I can't wait for you Photopass pics!

I guess I should have mentioned that some of the added characters on my photos are from DD's little Disney camera. It's pretty neat in that you can add all sorts of characters straight when you take pictures and even more with the computer software it came with. Glad I at least had those to add because we saw very few Photopass photographers on our trip. Ooooh, something else to add to the list next trip....

[mariezp]

I love how the bench outside of Bubba Gump's has Forrest's suitcase and box of chocolates on it! Cute! See, that is the sort of restaurant I would enjoy because of the nice touches and details - and I could do okay in a FG trivia challenge, I think - but I am NOT a seafood lover at all. Not in any way, shape or form. Typically, the seafood places have one item for us non-fish folk, and it usually an expensive steak or something. Does Bubba Gump's have plenty to eat for the rest of us meat eaters/seafood haters?

I love your ToonTown pictures, though they make me sad. On my last few hours in the parks this past Monday, I wanted to use up what was left of my horrible film and take some pictures of a lot of the little details in ToonTon that I had previously missed. TT is underrated, I think, because people view it as being JUST for kids, but if you are a fan of the details and clever touches Disney puts into DLR, then you know that TT is one of the BEST places to see them. There were some things I had not previously noticed because TT is usually so crowded. So that was my mission on Monday, and I was snapping away - only to realize that my camera had died in the rain. None of my TT pictures came out and I had to leave to go home, or else I would have bought a disposable camera on Main Street and carried on!!! Drat! There are so many little cute things in TT - especially at Christmas time - that it is easy to miss them if it is overrun by crowds!

Well, SherryE, we must be posting at the same time and just missing each other!

Bubba Gumps was so much fun! You gotta go try it! I just popped over and checked their menu. They do offer a few options for the non fish eaters. They have several salads, a cajun chicken sandwich, burgers, and ribs. Oh dear, and now I noticed that we missed their desserts! Another good reason to go back! Anyway, here's a link to there menu:
http://www.bubbagump.com/menu.html

Glad you enjoyed the Toontown pics. I agree. There are so many under appreciated details to take in. That is one benefit of having a long trip... you do get to TRY to notice some of those things. Even staying for 2 week trips the last 8 years I still notice new things every time we go to the park. You be sure to resurrect that camera or get a new one by the next trip now!

[Sherry E]

Hi SherryE! :wave2: I am flipping between tabs and your trip report just happens to be one I am trying to catch up on right now! Thanks for sticking with me. I know it's long but I am hoping it is keeping some Disney lovers out there entertained.

Well... since you didn't get to do everything on your list that gives you a really good excuse to start planning THE NEXT TRIP! I know I didn't get all my things done so I am gonna start planning myself. So tell me.... did Marceline's have chocolate covered strawberries? That's on the top of next year's list! DD discovered she likes gingerbread so we're adding that to the list for her too!

I definitely would not be getting my report done if I hadn't written down notes every evening. You are pretty cool for getting your report done in one day! :worship: I hope you are feeling better. I can't wait for you Photopass pics!

I guess I should have mentioned that some of the added characters on my photos are from DD's little Disney camera. It's pretty neat in that you can add all sorts of characters straight when you take pictures and even more with the computer software it came with. Glad I at least had those to add because we saw very few Photopass photographers on our trip. Ooooh, something else to add to the list next trip....

Oooooh! I have seen those little Disney cameras around the park! Some of them are pink and some are black or silver, right? And the lens/viewfinder are arranged in such a way on the camera that it looks like a Mickey head (sort of), right? Had I known that buying one of those would allow for extra character effects, I would have done it!! (Yes, I am a 41-year-old female who wants to buy a Mickey camera!) How much do they cost? Are they disposable?

Yes, I really have to get back to DLR. I wanted so much to be able to go next weekend when some of the other DIS'ers are going, and that would give me a chance to do the last little things on the list that I didn't accomplish, but I don't think it is in the cards for me! I spent too much money on developing film!:scared1: (This is what happens when you don't have a car and live 45 minutes form DLR; any kind of mode of transportation to Anaheim costs money OR I have to try to talk a friend into picking me up and dropping me off, which is easier said than done.) Plus, I don't want to push myself and get even more sick!

I think Marceline's did have strawberries too, if I recall. They were not in the same display case as the cookies I got but they were in the other one. I think I caught a glimpse of them from afar. I know I saw them in the Pooh place (is it called Pooh's Corner or the Hunny Pot? I always forget!). There are lots of tasty treats around DLR in the bakeries and candy shops but it is scary to look at them! I ignored most of them and stuck to my cookies, but as I said before, if I had time, I would have gone into BRB and grabbed a messy cinnamon roll and a blended mocha!

[trodrigue]

I guess I should have mentioned that some of the added characters on my photos are from DD's little Disney camera. It's pretty neat in that you can add all sorts of characters straight when you take pictures and even more with the computer software it came with. Glad I at least had those to add because we saw very few Photopass photographers on our trip. Ooooh, something else to add to the list next trip....

What Disney Camera is that? We are thinking of getting my 6 year old a new camera, as his little fisherprice one gave out. How many megapixels is it?

Thanks.

Love the report too with all the pics. I am getting worried because my next trip is with 3 other families, but eveyone is on notice that we may spend time together, but everyone to make their own plans. We'll see how that goes!

[DL55]

More great pictures. That must have been a scare, missing your DS. :scared1:
Bubba Gumps sounds great. I went once long time ago.
Sherry E Sorry your camera died, but now you have an excuse to go back. ;)

[Sherry E]

Sherry E Sorry your camera died, but now you have an excuse to go back. ;)


Hee hee. I know! Not that I need much of an excuse to go back! I think what Marie said is correct - if you have a good two weeks in DLR (or let's say even one week), you really have the time to absorb a LOT of the little nuances and details around the parks and the resort as a whole, and yet, still not see everything. There is always more to see each time you go! Even if I had to just get another couple of disposable cameras to complete my aborted photographic mission in ToonTown last week (and A Bug's Land), as well as lots of other spots I didn't make it to, I would do it in the interim, until I buy a brand new spiffy camera. I hate being on a roll with the picture taking, only to have it end abruptly. I would have bought some overpriced disposable cameras at DLR last Monday and finished everything off (OR bought one of the cute Disney cameras!) had it not been for the fact that my friend was picking me up and taking me home so early in the day.:mad:

[mariezp]

Yes, SherryE, those are the cameras! They are really cute and came in all different colors. We got the silver with stars. They retailed for about $79.00 but I seem to remember paying about $40. I just noticed they have some on ebay for about that price. DD's is called a Disney Pix Max and takes 3.0 mega pixels. trodrigue, while the camera may not be quite as professional as a grown up camera it is perfectly good enough for the kids to enjoy. And I do have to tell you SherryE, one adult to another, that I was probably more excited about adding the characters than DD was. She just wanted to take pics! This one is not disposable although I am pretty sure I have seen some others that were for sale in the park. I agree that even a disposable camera is better than no camera. Hope you get to stay and finish your photo taking mission next time!

So what you need to do Sherry, since you are without a car, is start a "Help Get Sherry to Disneyland Thread". Then anytime someone is heading your way they could check to see if you are free on their days! I'd pick you up if I lived closer but it's hard to pick up someone from an airplane! I can't say as I blame you for not driving in that Ca. traffic! :scared: But that does have to really stink living that close to the park and not be able to go whenever you like.

Darn it! I went into Pooh's shop but it was so freakin crowded I didn't stay! I missed a perfectly good chance for a strawberry! Whaaaaa! :sad: Next year... I'm buckin up and fighting my way through that crowd! http://www.clipartof.com/images/thumbnail/761.gif

trodrigue, I hope I haven't thrown you into a panic about traveling with others. You will probably do much better than us. Since we homeschool, we spend quite a bit of time among ourselves and don't spend a lot of time hanging out with other familes all the time. So maybe being with a large group won't be as stressful to you as it was for me. I think my system just went into shock! I am also used to being in charge of our vacation so while I knew my family was good it was just worrisome wondering if the other family were having as much fun as we were. On the plus side, you will never have a shortage of ride buddies with 3 families! :thumbsup2 Good luck!

Hi DL55!:wave: It was scary! He just better be glad he showed up pretty quick or it would have been even scarier if DH had given himself a heart attack! I think he did work himself up into some sort of panic attack.

[fairykin]

*Love Love Love the pictures!* What a super great trip!
Thanks for sharing them with us.:goodvibes

I also appreciate You recommending the Limo Service, they were TipToP on the SpoT!:thumbsup2

[travelmel]

I really liked the drawing of your DD by the cast member!

That was cool that you handed out your own button to a CM! :thumbsup2

And, I recognized one of those ornaments from my OWN tree!
Hidden Mickey
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Great updates! Thanks :goodvibes

[mariezp]

Glad to see you stopping by fairykin. Glad you are enjoying the report. I'm half way through! I am so glad the limo service was good for you too. I would have felt horrible if I had recommended them and they had not done a good job!

Hi travelmel! Always good to see you too! Wish I had the chance to hand out more buttons but honestly we only had a couple CMs that did a really stand out job. No bad CMs though, so that was good.
Well thank heavens you only have the same ornament and don't try to drag home the same size tree! ;) We'll see if next year's tree is smaller.

[D&DDisney]

Glad to hear your DS is over her. Hearts mend fast.

Love that picture of your DD. I saw those at WDW and thought that would be neat to have done of the kids.

Glad to see you have another trip planned.

[Laneychris]

Great pics!

[fairykin]

ooohhhh what a great trip report..so many cute things.. i loved the little drawing...and the picture of your daughter waiting in line with her stuffed animal.. :goodvibes

there was a big line at the bank for annual passes..i guess alot of people are upgrading or purchasing annual passes, as it was also that way when we were there in october.:confused3

I just have to say it...Your outstanding Cast Member buttons are so Thoughtful and Cute! Very Special of you to think of making something like that. I would love to have some buttons made.. where did You get yours done? I think it's kewl You added to the Disney Magic:wizard:

[mariezp]

Glad to hear your DS is over her. Hearts mend fast.

Love that picture of your DD. I saw those at WDW and thought that would be neat to have done of the kids.

Glad to see you have another trip planned.
Not so sure he is really over her but he seems to be doing better.

The portrait really was fun to watch and I think it came out pretty good. DD thinks she wants to get a caricature picture made of herself next time.

Yep, next trip will be in 10 months! Oh my, it's nearly time to start planning!





fairykin, DD took a stuffed animal with her everyday. She would tuck them in the front of her coat so that's why in almost every picture she looks like she has 2 heads! Luckily she kept up with the animals pretty good.

I think there is always a line at the bank for the annual passes! They are a great bargain for some of us who know we will be returning. I imagine when they first started selling them, most buyers were locals but I imagine there are now lots of people that are from further away and just know a good value when they see one.

Since we enjoy going to DL so much I just wanted to come up with a way to let some of the CMs who did an outstanding job know someone appreciated them helping to make people's stays all the more magical. The buttons seemed simple and didn't really cost that much. I ordered them online from wackybuttons.com. You design it online and just send it in. They will e-mail you back with an image of what the button will look like and a link to order them. I got way too many so now I wish that I had not put a date on them. Still it was a fun little something else to do.



Thanks for the compliment and reading along Laneychris.

[mariezp]

I hope you all are ready for lots of pictures! Since we don't have so many people to keep up with now I was able to take my time taking more pictures... and I do mean more pictures!

November 17, 2008

Drats! DD woke up this morning with a slightly sore throat. I am hoping it doesn’t turn into anything really bad. So I thought since it’s just our little family now that we would probably be getting to the park earlier….WRONG! I guess we have gotten used to not getting up early now!

We made it into the park at about 11:00. Glanced at the wait board and the longest time posted was 20 minutes for Peter Pan. :woohoo: Oh yeah! Looking like a nice quiet day in the park. Also the skies were much clearer from the fires. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful day. Since the park wasn’t very crowded we thought it would be a great time to check out the new Pixie Hollow. We were lucky and ended up only having about a 20 minute wait.
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I took a few photos with my fisheye camera.
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They did a very nice job with the fairy area. It was very cute. The first fairies we came to were Fawn and Silvermist, who just happens to be DD’s favorite.
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They really went all out to give some quality interaction. Bet you didn’t know that Fawn can speak dog! After a good visit and some pictures we moved along the path to meet Tinkerbelle. She was a really good one. So cute!
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We spotted this chracter in front of the castle looking like he was making a quick get away.
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From there we made our way over to Alice, of course, snapping pictures along the way.
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[mariezp]

continued.....

Next we rode the teacups.
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DD's throat was bothering her so we stopped off at the first aid station to see if they might have a cough drop. Sure enough, they did and even gave me some Tylenol to give her. The man at the counter was extremely friendly and helpful. I will be sure to go back if we ever need anything.

We had PS for Carnation Café so we headed there to meet up with the guys. We were seated and while we were looking at the menu Oscar was making his rounds at the tables. We spoke to him last year but this time I actually remembered to have DH take a picture!
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We also got his autograph and had a nice chat with him. He is such a nice man! He asked if we were coming back and we said probably not this trip but that we did have ressies for Blue Bayou. His response was “BAH! What’s Blue Bayou got?” So we had a good laugh. Truthfully, we enjoyed his company even better than the meal. The food is okay but I think we all agreed that there are other places we would rather eat in the park so it’s off next year’s list to make room for something else. I had the ½ turkey sandwich and loaded baked potato soup. Both were fine but nothing really overly impressive. We also decided to split a Matterhorn. The guys didn’t care for the strawberry ice cream so I worked on that side but when I accidentally moved the bowl DH got snippy so I lost my appetite and we ended up leaving most of it on the table. Not one of my happiest DL memories. So, sharing an ice cream is definitely NOT on my to-do-list ever again!

Next up we Rode both Pirates and the HM with the guys before they took off back to the room for a rest. After they left, DD spent a good amount of time watching the ducks at the ROA while I, you guessed it, snapped more pictures.
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Then we headed to Fantasyland, cutting through Frontierland. Who should we see along the way but one of our favorite entertainers so we had to stop and listen. He is so funny and boy can he play that fiddle!
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We grabbed DD an ice cream to sooth her throat and jumped in line for Dumbo.
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We decided since the line was so short to go ahead and ride twice in a row which was good because as we were standing in line I noticed DD’s little puppy sitting on a CM’s shoulder.
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DD had left him behind in our ride vehicle. The CM said she had a feeling someone would be back for the puppy. I was just glad we hadn’t wandered off on several other rides and then noticed she was missing. DD would have went into a dramatic frenzy! We had started a CM autograph quest. The object was to get autographs from CMs with Disney character names. On the way out of Dumbo we were able to get Jazmine’s autograph.

We headed out of Fantasyland and headed to Tomorrowland. Stopped off so DD could take a spin around in a shiny red motorcar.
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[mariezp]

continued...

Next, we rode on Buzz Lightyear.
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I like their Saturn lights!
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We thought about heading back in to our room but said NAH! The crowds were so light it seemed such a waste to leave. It was almost 4:00 anyway and the weather had cooled down so we just decided to stay and not take our usual break. CA would be closing at 6:00 so we decided to go over there and ride TSMM. We took in some scenery on the way out of DL.
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I've seen better smiles. Maybe her lips are getting numb from smiling for the camera so much?
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I took even more photos once inside CA.
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When we got to TSMM, the wait was about 20 minutes. We're cool but my score is going downhill! Only 91,400 this time.
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Next we rode King Triton’s. I love this carousel because all the sea creatures are so pretty and bright!
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[mariezp]

continued....

Then we headed into Bugsland. We took a leisurely stroll around the area and took some silly photos of DD posing like the bugs. It was kinda dusky so sorry the lighting is off.
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This one is extra tricky when you don't have the extra legs!
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We rode Heimlich, which is my favorite in Bugsland and the Lady Bug Boogie, which I think we both decided we would skip next time. YUK!
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Next we headed to the Animation Studio. DD got to talk to Crush and they had a nice conversation about the currents and compared them to highways. She was very pleased with herself. We wandered over to see the Zoetroppe which we had never seen before. Very cool. We headed over to Monsters Inc.
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We came out just in time to catch the last showing of the Muppets. We were the only ones in the theater.
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On the way out we stopped in the candy store so I could pick up a caramel apple. We ended up leaving with the caramel apple, a white chocolate snowman apple and some truffles for the guys. The CM who waited on us was named Eric so we had to ask for his autograph. He thought I was kidding at first but then he realized I was seriously wanted his autograph. I think he thought we were a little nutty! Oh well.

From there we headed in for the night.
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We tried to watch Hancock while we ate but AGAIN it still would not play. DD fell asleep immediately after she ate and I drifted off somewhere in the middle of the Journey to the Center of the Earth.

[Sherry E]

That fish eye camera is crazy! Looking through some of those pictures feels like a weird hallucinogenic experience (or what I imagine one would be like) - or peeking through a peephole! Or maybe it's just my NyQuil caplets at work! Cool!

By the way, meant to say I think the button idea for the Cast Members was a great one too. I bet they are not used to receiving anything from guests, and it is a little more tangible than a favorable letter to Guest Communications, though that is a good gesture too! Very sweet and thoughful of you to do that. I would like to see the CM's who did NOT receive the gift button! Every now and then you will run into some grouchy CM's who don't seem to be feeling the Disney magic! Most of them are great, though!

And I forgot to ask before - that nice portrait/sketch done of your daughter, how much did it cost? I don't think I saw if you mentioned that. I like that her stuffed animal got included, but it was so detailed that it made me wonder if it cost a small fortune. (Well, what doesn't cost a small fortune in DLR, but that's expected!)

I am going to go read your post in my TR and reply to it now, but I will be back on this one as photos are posted!

[Sherry E]

I am so enjoying all the pictures! I never get tired of taking pictures or looking at other people's pictures! I love how cleverly you and/or your daughter inserted the Disney characters into those certain photos. The placement of some of them is hilarious and so perfect!! That is exactly what I would be doing too, if I had that Disney camera!!

I really like all the cute details in A Bug's Land, the colors and the over-sized decorations. It is another one (like ToonTown) that may be overlooked but has a lot of Disney magic to be found. Did you happen to hear the bug sounds coming out of the various hidden speakers near bushes and things in A Bug's Land? That is one of those special Disney touches I love. They don't have the sounds piped in behind every single bush in ABL, but behind some of them. One of them is outside the bathroom. We have heard a sneeze, we heard a chirping, a rustling and some other bug sounds. My friend Shawn happened to be standing by one of these bushes when one of the sounds happened, and it was so funny because we were not expecting that. It is like that ambient noise-snoring bear sound that used to be heard in Bear Country/Critter Country in DL. Just a nice little unexpected touch!

Why didn't you guys like Lady Bug Boogie? It is certainly a cute-looking ride. What is wrong with it?

Oh, by the way, meant to say earlier, thank you for the idea of the Get Sherry to Disneyland plan!!!:goodvibes It is tough because, I guess, in the scheme of things I am close to DLR compared to where other people live, but 45 minutes to an hour and a half away (depending on traffic) with no car is a hassle. I have been fortunate to always live in a decent area of town that is centrally located to everything. Everything is pretty much within walking distance for me (well, walking distance in my world may be too far to walk for other people!). But the two California places I love - Catalina Island and DLR - require some extra money spent on transportation if I go on a solo trip, and that is not always available! Yes, it would be hard to pick me up from a plane, but I'd appreciate the sentiment!!!:goodvibes :goodvibes I think if I lived where my friend Shawn lives - in Anaheim, just 5 minutes down the street from DLR - I would make sure I always had an AP and would probably go there at least 2 times per month just to take lots of pictures of everything and look in all the shops that I usually miss - because sometimes the shops have cute little things in them too (not only the merchandise, but I mean in the decor, sometimes there are Hidden Mickeys in shops or other special touches that are cool to see). I used to think that the DLR magic would wear off if I lived that close, but I see that I could occupy myself and not get bored for a long time!

[DL55]

Wonderful pictures! Now I want to go to DLR again!
Your DD was a trooper for going all over while not feeling so well. princess:
What's up with your DH getting snippy over shared ice cream? Tell him he wasn't a good role model for DD. :lmao:

[mariezp]

Hi SherryE! The fisheye camera photos do look pretty different but I thought it makes some pretty cool images. Mine, maybe not so much but I have seen some really great ones. I need a lot more practice! So no, it's not just the Nyquil!

Glad you liked the button idea. While there are a lot of really nice CMs, we only gave a few away to the ones who really made an extra effort and did something extra special to encourage them to keep up the good work. Thankfully, I don't recall running into any grumpy CMs.

I saved just about every piece of paper imaginable but wouldn't you know it... I can't find THAT particular receipt. I am thinking that the picture was about 25-35 dollars and then with the frame about $50 but I have such a horrible memory! I will look more to see if can find it later. Right now these yahoos around here have other plans for me so I am trying to finish up on the computer.

I am always more than happy to share all the photos I can even though mine are far from being as good as some of the people around the Disboard. Still, I am like you, as long as it is something at DL I will love it anyway!

DD's camera did have some cute characters to add. It also has frames and borders too. I need to go back and see if there was anything else I missed.
I got worn pretty out editing them all at the same time and then uploading them online so I may have missed some fun stuff.

We did hear the buggy sounds when we were heading through Heimlich's queue line. It was dark and sounded just like being outside our house when all the crickets and frogs are making noises. I have never heard the bear snoring in Critter Country though.

Oh, Lady Bug Boogie was not sooo bad. It is akin to the Teacups only much bumpier so If we are going to bother going on a cup of whirling dizziness I would much rather it be the Teacups.

If I lived 5 minutes from Disneyland I would probably be there more than 2 times a month. I suppose you could get burned out but it would take a very long time! I agree I can imagine all kinds of ways I could stay occupied even if it was just sitting on a bench all day enjoying the beauty of the park.


DL55, My whole family tends to just keep going even if we don't feel well at the park. Over the years there have been multiple times someone was ailing but it has yet to keep us away a full day. (knocking on wood!)

I tell ya, I just don't know what makes DH do some of the things he does! He can be as good as gold but his mood can do a sudden total reversal without any warning. I hear it is sort of an inherited trait from the men in his family. After nearly 20 years I have developed a pretty tough skin most of the time but on occasion it does get to me. Anyway, I agree that it was pretty crappy to get in a huff because I made the darn bowl move slightly. I guess I should have been the one to be sure to hold the bowl and make sure it didn't move at all everytime someone put their spoon in to get a bite. Well, I won't be making that mistake twice. You are right, a really good role model, huh? :sad2:

[trodrigue]

Yes, SherryE, those are the cameras! They are really cute and came in all different colors. We got the silver with stars. They retailed for about $79.00 but I seem to remember paying about $40. I just noticed they have some on ebay for about that price. DD's is called a Disney Pix Max and takes 3.0 mega pixels. trodrigue, while the camera may not be quite as professional as a grown up camera it is perfectly good enough for the kids to enjoy. And I do have to tell you SherryE, one adult to another, that I was probably more excited about adding the characters than DD was. She just wanted to take pics! This one is not disposable although I am pretty sure I have seen some others that were for sale in the park. I agree that even a disposable camera is better than no camera. Hope you get to stay and finish your photo taking mission next time!





trodrigue, I hope I haven't thrown you into a panic about traveling with others. You will probably do much better than us. Since we homeschool, we spend quite a bit of time among ourselves and don't spend a lot of time hanging out with other familes all the time. So maybe being with a large group won't be as stressful to you as it was for me. I think my system just went into shock! I am also used to being in charge of our vacation so while I knew my family was good it was just worrisome wondering if the other family were having as much fun as we were. On the plus side, you will never have a shortage of ride buddies with 3 families! :thumbsup2 Good luck!

.

Thanks Marie. I will keep a look out for that one. No worries about the group trip. It will be what it will be. Always looking for an excuse to book another trip anyhow.
Tracey
Love the rest of the report and all the pics.

[mariezp]

Tracey, that's great! Keep a positive attitude!

[fairykin]

So Many Great Pics!!! :goodvibes

I love this trip report!:cheer2:

Thank You for the info about the buttons.. and the insight on not putting a date on them.:thumbsup2

[DL55]

mariezp "If we are going to bother going on a cup of whirling dizziness I would much rather it be the Teacups."
:rotfl2: me too! :thumbsup2

[mariezp]

November 18, 2008

This morning we had a little side trip to take. We were taking DS for a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class to help ease his withdrawals from not having attended his 4 day a week classes. I would have preferred for DD and I to go to DL while DH took him but DH had other plans and requested that we go. I really think that DS liked us going with them too. We did end up enjoying going. DD woke up with a minor sore throat again and did not really want to go but DH bribed her by promising to buy her a new toy went we got back to DL later in the day so she agreed. She is such a push over.

We called Sunday, a driver we have used in the past, and requested he pick us up in time to get us to the class that started at 10:30 in Torrance. He arrived and got us to the Gracie Academy right on time. This is a really cool place because the Gracie’s are basically the founders of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. They even have a small museum which covers the Gracie family over the years. The family member who get the most for developing the specifics is in his 90s and still rolls.
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They have a super huge and nice gym full of a bunch of nice guys, and a few gals. We actually remembered Victor from last year. DS started out rolling with a female black belt. He is a blue belt so he did not beat her but he gave her a really good fight and she did not submit him either before their time ran out. She made sure to put the next blue belt out ASAP. From there he rolled with one white belt, several blue belts and a few brown and purple belts. Right before class ended the instructor came over and rolled with him to check out his skills. He was pretty tired by the end of class but at least he got to get some of his pent up energy out.

For anyone who doesn't know a thing about Jiu-Jitsu it is a form of martial art and a combative sport that focuses on grappling and ground fighting. They teach a lot of very affective techniques involving locks and chokes which lead to an end result of the opponent's submission. I or my DH never imagined that our lives would ever include, much less basically revolve around such a sport. It has been a positive journey for us. We were lucky to have found an excellent instructor with a school full of a bunch of great guys. The classes themselves not only have improved his game but they are excellent for promoting self discipline and improving self esteem. Our DS has a passion for the sport so we a have been more than happy that he has found something he has a skill for and loves so much. Not only does he take classes but he also currently assists teaching children's classes. He plans to achieve the rank of black belt and open his own school in the future.
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DD even took classes for awhile but she is more like her father and I and doesn't really like pain all that much so she is taking a break for awhile. I am thinking art class may be more along her line!

Our driver had hung around and waited for us so we all loaded up and headed back to our home away from home. When we got back we watched a little tv. I watched my soap opera for the first time since we had been gone. Emma fell asleep and finally woke up about 4:00. She was immediately ready to head back to the park. We stopped off at the Cold Stone Creamery and got some cones of their wonderful ice cream. We dropped a tip in their cup and they proceeded to serenade us with a song. “High Ho! High Ho! We love to take your dough!” We loved it! Just another good reason to like this place! Good sweet stuff and entertainment too!

Our next stop was in DTD at the World of Disney to pick out the toy that she had been promised. I took the opportunity to do my shopping while we were already in the store.
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I took a pics of holiday merchandise just for you Sherry! Of course, it's a little late now!
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I picked up a pen to replace one for our autograph book, a mouse hand hot pad for our oldest DD, a new large slouch bag so I could carry everything, a few new pins for DD to trade, the newly released Wall-E DVD and a yours-for-only-$15-with-a-$50-purchase-holiday-throw that I also gave to oldest DD for Christmas. DD, of course, couldn’t find anything in the entire store because she was determined to make me walk all the way to the Rain Forest Café for a tiger that she had seen the day we ate there. Nothing is ever simple! Of course, we spent another 15 minutes of her changing her mind about just which toy she wanted before we could finally head into the park. On our way back through DTD, I remembered that I needed to pick up our tickets for our tour in the morning. Guest services was already closed but thankfully, they were able to help me at one of the ticket booths. I was also able to pick up our PS tickets for Fantasmic on Friday night and got a $50 gift card while I was there for the oldest DD.

Finally, we made it INTO the park for our first time today at 6:00pm! We went straight to Pirates for a 2 minute wait.
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Then on to HM. DH and DS decided to go ride Splash so DD and I went on a late night Jungle Cruise. We met back up with the guys and watched the Tiki Room show.
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DS was in a good enough mood to sing some "In the tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki, room!"
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DS was already wanting to go back to the room since they had already spent some time in CA while we were shopping. His attention span for spending time with the family had dropped dramatically since Alex had left. DH managed to talk him into riding a few more rides with us as I was wanting to stay until 8:00 so we could at least spend a measly 2 hours in the park. We headed into Fantasyland where we went for a quick trip on Mr Toad. Hell was pretty hot so we all warmed up from the night air. Then we rode the Teacups. DS decided to ride in his own cup so he could see how fast he could spin. Since it was right there, we managed to get DS on Alice which didn’t turn out to be so bad because there were these cute teenage girls in front of us. By the time we got off the park had closed so we made our way back to our room.

I ordered in Chinese food. The tv was finally fixed so we ate while we tried to watch Prince Caspian…. until DD and I fell asleep again before it was over. Luckily, I have already pre-ordered it so we can finally see how it ends!

[mariezp]

To make up for the lack of Disneyland in the last installment I’ve got an abundance to bring you today!


November 19, 2008

This morning we were up bright and early! We are scheduled to take the Walk in Walt’s Footsteps Tour at 9:30. We are supposed to arrive at least 10 minutes early which seems kinda odd because the park does not even open until 10:00. Oh well, we’re just going to do what we were told. I actually was able to get everybody up and out the door on time! No small feat for this bunch! On the way out, there were picketers at our hotel. We saw another batch at another hotel on Harbor yesterday. It looks like there are an abundance of disgruntled employees in the area.

We arrived before opening and were directed to gate 6 where we met with the other people who would be taking the tour. A CM came out with a lunch menu which we looked over and then she took our order so it would be ready at the end of our tour. Then after a short wait, we were ushered into the park which was totally empty. It was very neat and I doubt I will ever get a chance to see the park like that again.
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Heck with all the excitement, I even got to be the first one in the restroom that morning! I was directed to the restrooms just on the other side of City Hall that I had never even noticed before. After all the ladies returned from the restroom, we gathered into our group where we met our tour guide Lani and were all given a tag to show that we were a part of the tour group. I was very pleased because our group was small, only 11 people and also by the fact that Lani spoke in a very clear voice.
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We started out by heading over to the flag pole where she told us details such as how tall it was, etc. I have a memory like a steel... sieve so my details are going to be rather sketchy! BUT I did take pictures to prove we were there!
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Next stop was the Fire Station. She talked about the apartment above and told some stories about Lillian and Walt. Then she went into some other details about the station.
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Then we headed up or down Main Street whichever you would call it. Along the way Lani pointed out little details about different things. She talked about some of the windows and some of the stores.
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Then we went into the theatre and she gave us some background information on some of the movies that were playing. DD liked watching the old movies.
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Next we headed towards the Partners statue. The park was just about to open so she had us turn around to watch all the people lined up for rope drop. We had a good laugh at the stampede that was created and coming right towards us.
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I saw this guy at the popcorn cart near the hub. Isn't he so cute!
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Lani talked about the statue and the castle and the layout of the park. I took the opportunity to take pictures while I was listening.
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[mariezp]

Continued….

From there we went to Adventureland.
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Next up was to go take a ride on the Jungle Cruise. We lined up at the exit to wait to board our boat. It just so happened to also be the handicapped loading area. It was very obvious who were first timers in the park because we had numerous people try to get into line with us because they did not know where to find the entrance. So while we waited we entertained ourselves directing traffic, reading signs and of course, taking more pictures.
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Our skippers name was Jay and he was the best one of our entire trip.
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[mariezp]

Continued…..

After our Jungle Cruise we headed towards NOS. Along the way I spotted an elusive LGMH! I asked if she was a Diser and of course she was. It was BC Disney Lover. I only had time enough to ask her screen name and then I had to rush off to keep up with the tour. Lani stopped off in front of the former Disney Gallery/Disney Suite and went into a little detail about the apartment.
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Can you guess where we went from there? Club 33! How about that! We paused at the door where she talked about some things in NOS and waited for the door to open. Then we were let into the lobby. Man, it is really dark inside so my pictures did not come out too good.
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Next we headed through the streets of New Orleans towards the train station.
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We ran into a bunch of pirates who chit chatted with us and then they sang a very short birthday song to a member of our group who just happened to be wearing a birthday button.
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Lani asked if anyone needed to go to the restroom and told us to wait right there while she went to secure seats on the train for us. So we did what anyone else would do... we stood around acting like crazy nuts.
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[mariezp]

Continued....

As it turns out she was inquiring into whether or not we could ride the Lilly Belle but wouldn't you know it they were doing some sort of inspection at the current time. She did get us seats on the train... just no ride on the Lilly Belle.
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We took the train around to Toontown Station. There she talked to us about the changes coming to Small World and other things in the area.
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Then we made our way to Fantasyland where she talked about the different rides and the castle.
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We cut through Snow White’s Grotto.
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[mariezp]

Continued....

Next we headed in front of the castle where we were treated to stepping into the wedding garden. Just as we got there, Lani pointed out the dream Squad over to the side of the castle so we ran over and got a pair of dream ears. She gave us a little more info about the castle, weddings and the garden.
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Doggon it! I wish this picture had not come out so dark!
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When we went to leave the gate fell off it's hinges. We has a good laugh about how DH had tried to break the gate!
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Next we passed through Frontierland where she shared more tidbits and talked about the Golden Horseshoe.
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I wonder where else besides Disneyland can you find a fully Christmas decorated popcorn cart? Aaah, the little details!
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We back tracked towards Adventureland where the guys grabbed us a Dole whip just before we went into the Tiki Room.
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After the show we were asked to remain seated. Lani and a couple of the CMs who worked in the Tiki Room shared some details with us and we got to meet Ophelia, one of the flowers from the show. I think the Tiki Room was our favorite part of the tour!
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From there we headed back down Main Street. Lani stopped in front of the train station and thanked us. We thanked her and she said goodbye just after she led us into the seating area in the tour gardens where our lunch was waiting for us.
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I didn’t want to give away too many details so as not to spoil anyone’s upcoming tour but you can get an idea of just what ground is covered during the tour. I can tell you that it was a great tour. Even DH said it was the best tour we have ever taken. DD was a little fidgety in the beginning but she kept up well and did not create any disturbances. The lunch menu was the only thing that we found disappointing and that was solely because it was very limited. There was no good choice for DD and unless you love sandwiches you are just out of luck. The fruit was very good.

[mariezp]

Continued…..

After our lunch, I wanted to do a few things in the park before we went back to our room for our break so, following Lani’s suggestion, we walked over and watched the First 50 Years of Magic show. They have some very interesting displays in the lobby if you love Disneyland enough to enjoy the history. So if you have never been, go. The show is actually pretty good too. We had the entire theatre to ourselves.
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Look who we saw just outside!
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Then we headed for the Market House. The guys sat down to play a game of checkers. They had to use coins because idiots keep stealing the game pieces. (must make self note to bring our own chess pieces)
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I decided since we were already there that I would grab myself my second white hot chocolate, which turned out to be much better than my first one. I also got a piece of pumpkin fudge to try. (no likey likey!) I pondered in my mind where the closest restroom was… DH says there is one right out that door but he was wrong, or I didn’t find it. I ended up walking all the way down by Plaza Inn. DD had stayed with DH and DS so what does she do just as soon as I return? She decides she has to go so we race off, because she always waits until the last minute, in the direction of the restrooms behind the bank to see if they are any closer, which they were. We were able to confirm that the potties there are self flushers.

Having gotten that all taken care of and now out of steam, we hopped on the Omnibus for a ride to the castle so we didn’t have to walk all the way down Main Street AGAIN!
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We headed through a half empty Fantasyland and rode the Carousel and then took a quick ride on Dumbo.
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[mariezp]

Continued…..

I was getting another headache again so we grabbed the Omnibus again, this time on the upper level, and headed back to exit the park.
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I have not got the hang of taking photos of us from arms length. I love DD's face in the second one... she's like "How many times do we have to take the SAME picture?" It took me several tries!
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There are some really good views from the upper level!
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We stopped at one of Photopass photographers to have a picture taken in front of the tree. She tried to be creative but the sun was in our eyes and this was the best she came up with.
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Spotted a few characters on our way out.
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Can you believe not a soul in front of the Mickey floral.
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[mariezp]

Continued…..

I tried to nap off the headache without much success because DD does not seem to understand the theory of being quiet. I finally drifted off and when I woke up we headed back to the park around 5:15. We headed into Tomorrowland. DH took DD on Buzz.
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DS and I attempted to ride Star Tours which I had not ridden in 2 years. Last year when we were about to board there was a medical emergency. This year we did have better luck. We did board and only had to move to another room after a mechanical malfunction. The poor woman in the flight prep film really needs to get a new hairdo! She's been wearing this one for how long now?
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When we exited the ride, we met back up with DH and DD and decided to ride Nemo which ended up being a whole 10 minute wait. We met back up with DS who had skipped Nemo because he had had a sudden craving for popcorn. We wandered over by Small World and they were allowing rides even though they were not officially opened. It was about a 20 minute wait.
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Did not notice any new Disney characters but there were a few new things which we thought were tastefully done and fit right in with the original theme. Everything looked nice and fresh and we loved the new smells! When we exited into the gift shop they had the 2 cutest window displays.
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We rode the train over to the “Adventureland Station” according to the CM who must have been having a memory lapse while doing his spiel. Actually, we disembarked at the NOS station where we headed for Pirates. On the way through NOS I spotted Tony Baxter. He had apparently just grabbed a bread bowl and was making his way back to wherever Disney executives go to get out of the crowd. I said "Hello, Mr. Baxter" and he responded "Hello" and we both kept walking. I was content with that but it would be really cool to sit down and talk Disneyland with him someday. Maybe next time.

DD and I continued on our way and walked straight into Pirates and boarded our boat which had only 4 other people on it. When we got through we had planned to meet up with DH and DS so I could ride Splash with DS but we had lost track of time and the park was about to close so we jumped in line for HM to get in one more ride for the night. We stopped by the Market House on the way out so DH could grab a cup of coffee… and a gingerbread cookie. DH is so funny. He watched a program on tv the other day about obesity. He has been bragging about cutting back on his churro consumption ever since but I haven’t seen it affect his gingerbread consumption. They are very good!

As we headed in for the night the boys discussed their plan for the next day which was to ride every ride in the park. We’ll see how that goes.

[Sherry E]

Hi SherryE! We did hear the buggy sounds when we were heading through Heimlich's queue line. It was dark and sounded just like being outside our house when all the crickets and frogs are making noises. I have never heard the bear snoring in Critter Country though.

Oh, Lady Bug Boogie was not sooo bad. It is akin to the Teacups only much bumpier so If we are going to bother going on a cup of whirling dizziness I would much rather it be the Teacups.

If I lived 5 minutes from Disneyland I would probably be there more than 2 times a month. I suppose you could get burned out but it would take a very long time! I agree I can imagine all kinds of ways I could stay occupied even if it was just sitting on a bench all day enjoying the beauty of the park.

There are bug sounds in A Bug's Land coming from behind random bushes too, not just in Heimlich's queue. Sometimes there are rustling noises and sometimes chewing or sneezing. It's a cute little effect.

I had not been on the Teacups in about 8 years prior to this trip 2 weeks ago, but used to ride them every trip. In the past, I used to be able to handle riding in them, even with people spinning at a medium pace - not the full throttle whirling dizziness, however:rotfl: . As long as it was not a group of strong men spinning (which was a nightmare), I was fine. Women could never spin as well as they thought they could so I knew I was safe! But, we noticed when we rode the Teacups during our MM option that they were much faster than they had been in the old days, even with the mildest of spinning action. We had to stop spinning them and just let them run their natural course! I was saying, "When did they speed these up and not tell us?" So I will have to rethink the Teacups in the future!

My friend Jackie - who has an AP but lives about 20 minutes from DLR - said to Shawn (who lives, as I said, 5 minutes down the street from DLR and hears the fireworks loud and clear every night) on the recent trip, "If I lived where you live, I would probably be at Disneyland all the time, just for a couple of hours here and there every weekend. You should get an Annual Pass, now that they have the monthly payment option." Shawn was silent, but kind of nodded in half-hearted agreement. Maybe the reality of actually paying for her own ticket (in monthly installments) left her speechless and she didn't know how to reply! Not to mention the fact that she is not as used to doing things by herself, like I am, and so the prospect of going to DLR alone probably sounds too weird to her!!!

[whgrn]

Wow, GREAT update!! That tour sounds awesome. I may have to look into when we get to DL someday.

Your pictures are great!:thumbsup2

[Sherry E]

As usual, I am enjoying all the pictures and the continuing adventures on the TR. Thank you for taking a picture of merchandise just for me!:goodvibes Actually, I appreciate seeing it now because I didn't buy anything while at DLR two weeks ago nor did I even really look in as many shops as I had planned. The ones I did look in, I made sure not to linger too long because that is when I get into trouble! So basically I missed seeing a lot of what DLR had this holiday season and it is much safe for me to see it in someone's nice photo!!!:rotfl:

You took a picture of the cute little Santa spinning the popcorn inside the popcorn cart. Did you happen to notice that somewhere in New Orleans Square, in one of the popcorn wagons, there is an Oogie Boogie (the green blob from Nightmare Before Christmas) spinning the popcorn? I almost missed him, but sharp-eyed Shawn pointed him out! Then again, she is also the one who noticed the ridiculously hard to see Hidden Mickey in the GCH grandfather clock face, so I like having her along because she notices things that many people miss!!!

I must see that 50 Years of Magic next time I go. I love those little displays inside that you took pictures of. That was one of the things I wanted to do if there was enough, and I probably would have done it if I had had one more day in DLR, but never made it happen!

I could look at endless pictures of IASW holiday. The exterior at night is just breathtaking! The colors are so vibrant and festive, and the pictures of inside the ride remind me of the fresh peppermint and pine scents piped into that ride!!!

[whgrn]

OK,you DLR experts. Where should we stay when we go? I tend to prefer fancier places (we LOVED the Beach Club at WDW), but I'm also just fine in a Hampton Inn. I guess the main priorities are location, location, location! We'd want to be walking distance from the entrance so we don't have to waste time on travel and parking. Is that possible?

There are 3 of us, me and 2 kids (DD would be 14, DS 12.5, so they can NOT share a bed!) I can share a King with DD if need be, and DS can do a rollaway or a pullout sofabed.

Any suggestions? I've not ventured out there, so I'm totally unfamiliar. Thanks!

[Sherry E]

OK,you DLR experts. Where should we stay when we go? I tend to prefer fancier places (we LOVED the Beach Club at WDW), but I'm also just fine in a Hampton Inn. I guess the main priorities are location, location, location! We'd want to be walking distance from the entrance so we don't have to waste time on travel and parking. Is that possible?

There are 3 of us, me and 2 kids (DD would be 14, DS 12.5, so they can NOT share a bed!) I can share a King with DD if need be, and DS can do a rollaway or a pullout sofabed.

Any suggestions? I've not ventured out there, so I'm totally unfamiliar. Thanks!

The Grand Californian Hotel is the most elegant of the three DLR hotels and also has a GREAT location, definitely within walking distance. It is gorgeous - huge, spacious lobby, dim lighting, dark wood, comfy sofas, a piano player, a fireplace - it is great. It is the closest of the three DLR hotels, and it also has its own handy dandy entrance into California Adventure. You can get a room with two beds, or one bed and two bunkbeds.

Paradise Pier is the cheapest of the three, and is nice, but not fancy. It has a cute beachy/ocean/surf theme and pastel coloring in the rooms. It is clean and shiny and new looking. Plenty of space in the rooms for up to five people (two beds and a daybed in most rooms).

Disneyland Hotel is the original, and it has a beautiful waterfall, koi fish pond, mini-Jungle Cruise remote control boats and the ever popular Goofy's Kitchen (my favorite DLR restaurant with characters). Plenty of room for three in each room. It is very much the most 'Disney-fied' of the three hotels (GCH being the least Disney-fied of all of them). But GCH is your best bet for elegant and within walking distance.

I like all three of them for different reasons, but you can't beat GCH for location. However, MANY folks on DISboards swear by the off-property, non-Disney hotels such as HoJo's, Candy Cane Inn, etc. And many of those hotels are also very close to the entrance, too (just coming from a different direction than the DLR hotels are facing).

Anyway, I am sorry to hijack your thread, Marie! :goodvibes

[whgrn]

Thanks Sherry! I'll check them all out.

[Pikester]

Still here and enjoying!

[mariezp]

Hi Sherry! I had a feeling I might see you again! Thanks for being there for me :hug: and reading along on my novel!

Yep, those Teacups are not too easy for us females to spin. However, funny how it is that if you try NOT to spin they still get spinning at a pretty good clip!

Your friend Shawn.... I am just not too sure about her! :confused3 Imagine what some of us wouldn't do to be able to live that close to DL! I do suppose you are right though... if she is just not the type of person to enjoy doing things on her own then I suppose the park just might not seem so appealing. ME.... I love having my family with me and would feel strange at first BUT I would overcome that REALLY fast! I would love to have time at the park by myself to just soak it all up!

You sound like me! Avoid those stores and save that money! I trying to get it all done it one trip if at all possible. Also, I despise using up perfectly good time that could be spent inside the park. I was a bad girl and didn't bring anyone home a souvineer. I didn't even remember to send postcards! :sad2:

I did actually see Oogie Boogie the popcorn man! Are you kidding? As many times as we rode HM and bought popcorn in the area! I may even have a photo of him buried somewhere in all my photos. This was the first time I ever saw the Santa one.

I would have stayed even longer looking at the displays inside of the 50 years of Magic Lobby but the doors opened for the show about 3 minutes after we walked in the door. It's one of those places that you always plan to spend more time in but end up forgetting about until it's too late.

We love Small World too. Even the repetitive song! Please tell me the smells were something new this year because in all our times of riding I don't remember ever having caught those scents before.

Sherry don't you ever worry about "hijacking" my thread! As a matter of fact, if someone has a question you better help me out and give them an answer! I need all the help I can get... and so do they. Besides that, you give really good responses since I have never stayed in any of the Disney properties.

whgrn, I am soooo glad you are enjoying my report! Even better that you're getting even more interested in Disneyland.

I can recommend the Anaheim Desert Inn IF you prefer large rooms, proximity to the park and reasonable rates over luxury. We have stayed with them on all 8 of our trips and they have met our needs just fine. We're pretty easy to please because we never plan on spending lots of time in our room. However, it may be that Sherry has some better recommendations for some of the more upscale accommodations. If you decide not to stay at a Disney resort, I do know that Hojos comes highly recommended around the Disboard as being one of the nicer places on Harbor and for offering reasonable rates.

Hi Pikester! Thanks for dropping by!

[DL55]

I don't know if I can continue to read this TR. The pictures are great, I want to go now! The tour is now on my list of things to do next visit! Love the picture of the rope drop! :thumbsup2

[D&DDisney]

popcorn:: Still here following along. Loving your pics!!!

[Sherry E]

By the way, almost forgot to say, the peppermint smell has been in IASW Holiday since I first went on that version of the ride, which was December 2000. (I can't recall when IASW Holiday debuted, but I think it was right around then.) However, it was very faint in 2000 and it was faint again in 2007, when I returned to the ride. It was the sort of peppermint smell where, if you were having any kind of sinus problems at all or turned your head for a split second, you would miss it. In fact, a couple of people in our group couldn't smell the peppermint at all. I did notice 2 weeks ago when I was at DLR, the smells in IASW Holiday are much stronger now. The peppermint can't be missed by anyone, and they have added in that pine scent or whatever it is as well as one other aroma that my friend insisted was gingerbread, but I wasn't convinced. It didn't quite smell like gingerbread but it was something! Anyway, I think everything but the peppermint is new, and the peppermint has been enhanced, definitely!

[travelmel]

I took a pics of holiday merchandise just for you Sherry! Of course, it's a little late now!
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I love that pic hanging on the wall of the HM with the "NBC" themed frame!

Finally, we made it INTO the park for our first time today at 6:00pm! We went straight to Pirates for a 2 minute wait.
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What an awesome pic of the BB! You should post it on the Disneyland pic of the day (if you haven't already)

[travelmel]

Then we went into the theatre and she gave us some background information on some of the movies that were playing. DD liked watching the old movies.
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I think this would be a major highlight for me. When I was a kid we used to go quite often and I loved having the luxury of spending time hanging out here and just taking in the movies and the ambiance of Main Street. What a fun tour!

P.S. I loved the little Mickey Skipper you put on your pic of the Jungle Cruise!

[mariezp]

Come on now DL55! You can't quit on me now! I only have a few more days to go! Be brave. And who knows maybe it will spur you right into action and get you there even sooner! The tour was definitely fun.

D&DDisney, glad you're still with us. Pssst.... I've almost got another day ready to post.

Sherry E I knew if it the smells had ever been there before that they must have been much fainter. We had 2 other years in the time period that you mention that we might have been there while SW had it's Christmas overlay. We did think the smell was gingerbread. Guess it could have been sugar cookie or something akin to something edible.

travelmel, you just know how to tell a girl the sweetest things! :blush: Really! When I started adding photos I first thought maybe I shouldn't add so many but then I know how much I love seeing ALL of everyone's pictures. So I decided to add TONS, some just for the ones of us who hang around all the time and can never get enough and some to spark a new love for the newcomers... to let them know that there is more to enjoy at DL than just rides and attractions. There have still been some pics that I debated posting because they were a little dark or maybe a little fuzzy BUT your admiration for that one BB picture has made it all worth it! See there... sometimes someone else sees something worth appreciating even if I might miss it!

DD wanted to go back and spend some more time in the theater but we just never got around to it. Shame on me! So it is on the top of my to-do-list next year since she enjoyed it so much. You should go to!

I really enjoyed the little characters I could add from DD's little camera! AND the software was easy enough that even I could figure out how to use it!

[DL55]

I was joking. I couldn't stop until your trip is finished. Have to see how it ends. :lmao: Just thinking...it will be 4 years since I've been to DLR...DH has been asking where we should go for a short vacation..:scratchin

[travelmel]

Aww.... my pleasure mariezp. Sometimes encouragement is the best spice for life, isn't it??

DL55, that is the cutest little mistetoe smiley in your siggie :laughing:

[mariezp]

DL55, that sounds like an opportunity to me! I can hear it now..."Honey, you did want to go to Disneyland, now didn't you?" :rotfl2:


travelmel, encouragement is a wonderful thing!

I'm so encouraged now that I am gonna go work on my report now!

[LivinInTheCastle]

Hey Marie-still here and enjoying the TR.

Love the pic of Mickey on the Jungle cruise, looks like he's patting the skipper on the behind! :rotfl:

[LivinInTheCastle]

Oh Marie---My DH and I went to Marceline one time (yup walt's "hometown") and I got to MEET Tony Baxter. He was having lunch, so I waited until he finished, summoned up some courage and walked over and asked for his autograph, told him I was/am a BIG fan and then he took a photo with me, and he had his arm around me in it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:woohoo:

[mariezp]

LivinInTheCastle, glad you are still enjoying the TR. I have to tell you that I am green with envy! I bet Tony Baxter was such a nice guy! So now...where's the picture? I bet going to Marceline was pretty cool too! Do they use Walt's name for a pretty big tourist draw there? Did it look just like Main Street?

[mariezp]

November 20, 2008

I finally had to say I was leaving this morning at 11:00 before I could get my family out the door. UGH! DD and I headed to CA.
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My mission for the day was to get our free Disney Visa 5x7. We got there at about 11:13 and there was no line so we were able to get our photo taken with Pluto. Actually we ended up with several photos.
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When we were through we had just enough time to make it to the 11:30 showing of Playhouse Disney.
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This was our first time to enjoy the new changes to the show.
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DD really enjoyed it. While she is a bit older than the majority of kids already it is going to be sad when she outgrows it because it is a cute show. I just hate to see her grow up!

Next we headed over to the Animation Building to look around.
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DD decided she wanted to watch Crush again.
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She got to talk to him and he gave her the name Electric Eel Emma. This time he even talked to Mondo Marie, her parental unit. He asked if she was always asking me questions. I said yes she does but mostly she usually thinks she knows all the answers! DD kept waving her hands wildly and he even picked her a second time. Later he was telling us about how if his wife lays her eggs in the hot sand that they would all be girl turtles and if she laid them in the cool sand they would all be boy turtles. He said that is why dudes are cool and chicks are hot!

Next we went in to the Animation Academy. We were disappointed because the character they were drawing was Minnie again. I found out later that you can ask at the podium and they can tell you in advance which character they will be drawing. Anyway, a second time did not help. Poor Minnie’s bow still did not look quite right. Here’s my drawing from both times:
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and DD’s:
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There was a nice surprise… the artist gave DD his picture that he had been drawing along with us.
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[mariezp]

Continued...

After our art class we looked around some more.
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DD’s character was...
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and I was...
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DD tried again and faked some answers. This time she came out...
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Then DD added her voice to the Bambi scene. She did an excellent job!
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Me… well, let’s just say her acting was much better than mine. We don’t even want to talk about my singing!

DH had called and said that he and DS would fend for themselves for lunch so I decided that DD and I and I would go ahead and keep our PS for Café Orleans which I had planned to skip since I didn’t think the guys really cared to go there. We picked up our free 5x7 on the way out of CA and headed over to DL. It was bright and sunny outside today!
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Once we got inside the park and were about to get on the train to head to NOS, DH called again. They decided to go ahead and meet us for a glass of tea and would meet us at Cafe Orleans.
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Oh how I wish the next two pictures had turned out better! As you can see I was playing with the fisheye camera again. DH and DS were making goofy faces at when while I was telling them about the camera. DS was actually supposed to be making a fish face... not sure about DH. I am surrounded by a bunch of goofballs! I don't care as long as they are having fun!
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We had already been seated when they arrived. DS had already had a turkey leg which he has decided is one of his favorite meals this trip. DH had already had part of a chimichanga but had thrown most of it away. He didn’t like them any better than I had last time I had tried one. I ordered the 3 cheese Monte Cristo, an order of Pomme Frites and some Beignets, knowing that DH would end up willing to help me and DD with the meal. I also got DS an order of Banana Bread Pudding. I have learned that prices are high but the portions are huge! If we ever eat here again the Pomme Frites and Beignets will be plenty. I say if because the service was incredibly SLOW! We had 3 different wait persons so perhaps they didn’t know whose table we were. I hope they realized they didn’t do a very good job because I only left them a $5 tip. The last straw was when it took them another 5 minutes to get my bill settled. I wanted to use the last of my Disney Rewards to pay for the meal. My total bill was $52 and some change. I had $50 and some change left on the card and I threw in a 10 dollar bill to cover the difference. I guess it blew their mind because it took them some time to come back to the table with my card and the change.

When we finally got out of there we headed to Fantasyland so the guys could ride Snow White and Pinocchio to mark them off their list without embarrassing themselves by being seen alone on the kiddie rides. Somewhere along the way they decided to change their plan to include everything they had already been on. I assume because the were running out of time to get it all done in one day.

Next we headed to Roger Rabbit which was finally open for the first time since we got here. I never get good pictures in here! Perhaps if I weren't whirling out of control!
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Then we wandered the streets of Toontown for awhile.
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[mariezp]

Continued...

Afterwards, we took the train back to NOS so DS and I could ride Splash before heading back to our room for a late afternoon rest.
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DD and I were willing to stay and skip our break but DS wanted to go back so like a good family we all headed back with him. We stopped off and picked up the Parasol that we had painted for DD. I really wanted to stay and try to find some Photopass photographers so we could get more pictures on our account but no matter how many hints I dropped they just didn’t seem to get it.

After a good rest we headed back to the park. Our first stop was Autopia.
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The ride is sorta fun but nothing amazing. I can never understand why the line is so long. I had a car that bounced and sputtered so much I wasn’t real sure it was going to make it back. However, eventually, after a booming backfire that scared me and made me emit a little scream, we did finally make it around the track.
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From there we headed to Small World for our second trip before the big crowd hits tomorrow for the “official” opening. We had about a 20 minute wait but it was already dark outside so waiting in line wasn’t so bad because it is really beautiful with all the lights on. I still did not notice any big changes.
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Next we rode Peter Pan for our last ride of the night. While waiting we noticed that there are some pretty unusual people in the park. I think we found the most unique characters right their in line with us! Now I know some people find it necessary to make a state statement with the clothing they wear. I often have trouble trying to figure out just what it is they are trying to say! The couple in question were very “unique”. She was very beautiful and the more reserved of the two in her style. He, however, had on bright turquoise blue glasses, skin tight orange pants and a mid drift shirt. They both were wearing face paint. It did give us something to ponder while we were in line.

Next we rode Dumbo. When we got off the park was closing. On the way out we noticed that they had moved in new decorations in preparation for tomorrow. Also, there were tables set up in front of Plaza Inn with a sign about a live broadcast by a radio station. Over the arches by the train station there was a sign which said they were having a private after hours party for the holiday season kick off. Upon exiting the turnstiles there were booths labeled A-Z in front of the ticket booths apparently for people to pick up tickets and a pretty good line started for entry into the park.

Only 2 more days here in California and tomorrow we get to go meet Santa! :santa:

[Sherry E]

Those license plates on the Autopia cars are supposed to mean something - some sort of Disney inside jokes - but I can never guess what any of them mean.

The character I was most like when I took that quiz (and answered honestly) in the Beast's Library was Lady. Great. I am not even human, I am a canine! Shawn came up with Lady, too, which is odd because I am SURE we answered some of those questions differently! Hmmm.... In any case, she wasn't content with Lady and wanted to go back and choose the option of 'eating people for dinner' or whatever it was just so she could get a different result!

Did you do the Disneyland history trivia quiz in the Blue Sky Cellar in DCA? It scores you based on how many answers you get right on the first try, rather than what you get right on the second or third try. Anyway, it is interesting to gauge how much you know about the origins of DLR and Walt Disney, etc. The questions are sort of common sense-type things, but I did get a couple of them wrong, and I think they had higher levels to go to after that which I am sure I would have failed miserably!

What kind of camera do you use, Marie? Aside from the crazy fisheye and Disney cameras, what 'normal' camera do you use? Is it a point and shoot? If so, it's a good one. The pictures always look especially clear and bright - even in dark places like the Beast's Library, etc.

I really love Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. The line was 40 minutes when we were at DLR recently so we skipped it that time, but I really enjoy it. I think that is my favorite of what would be considered the 'kid rides' in DL. (I don't count Buzz Lightyear as a kid ride.) I can handle that wild, jerky spinning much better than the spinning on the Teacups!

[DL55]

Those fish eye photos make me feel like I'm dreaming. I do have weird dreams. :3dglasses
You can't hint to men you have to tell them. :rolleyes:

[BC Disney Lover]

Your trip report is great and I love that I got mentioned in it. It was so great to meet a DIS'er in the park, that was our first day!

[mariezp]

Sherry E, I don't guess I have ever noticed the license plates. I am probably usually concentrating on pushing those darn hard-to-push-gas-pedals!

I think Shawn and Emma had the same idea. Go for one of the more sinister characters! From what you have told us of you and Shawn, I don't think the character test works accurate either if you both got the same character.

Nope, didn't go in the Blue Sky Cellar. I figure as much info as I garner from reading everywhere I probably already know about most of what they are planning to do. :lmao: I might have to go check it out anyway just to see how I do on the trivia though. I'll put it on the list right now! Okay... I'm back! That was pretty cool because I just noticed there were some things I was actually able to cross OFF the list! :woohoo:

My camera is a Panasonic DMC-TZ5. I love it! It is very easy to use. I got it to replace my Canon Powershot A640 which was giving me trouble on the auto focus. I am still considering getting it fixed because I think it was just a bit better on the photo quality BUT I really love the smaller size of the new Panasonic. It's always something! Anyway, sorry to ramble! And thanks for the compliment! I have to confess that I did do some photo editing and brighten a few shots but after I played around with some of the settings my pictures certainly did improve straight from the camera.

Yep, the old fisheye camera is unique. I have seen some photos that look way dreamier than mine but what can I say? I am just an amatuer and really haven't a clue as to what I am doing! Still, it was fun and gave me some different looking pictures. I think I am going to do some with the black and white theme next trip.

Roger's okay but 40 minutes? No way! I don't think we ever have waited that long for any ride... well, maybe Nemo.

DL55, who knows maybe those fisheye pics will give your weird dreams some new material to work with!
You are so right about hinting with men. I have a feeling that with these two even if I had told them outright they still wouldn't have "got it". :sad2:

:wave2: BC Disney Lover! I wish I would have had some time to stop and chit chat with you! I hope you all had a great trip too!

WHOO HOO! I MADE MY 1000th POST!

[LivinInTheCastle]

LivinInTheCastle, glad you are still enjoying the TR. I have to tell you that I am green with envy! I bet Tony Baxter was such a nice guy! So now...where's the picture? I bet going to Marceline was pretty cool too! Do they use Walt's name for a pretty big tourist draw there? Did it look just like Main Street?



He was a very nice man. I walked up holding a pen and paper (to ask for his autograph) and he could see I was shaking and said to me, now what have you got there? In the friendliest voice! He even drew me a little picture! And yes Walt's name is everywhere! They even have plaques all around the town saying Walt played here, Walt used to shop here, etc. You can even go (only outsie) to the house he lived in, they have a small museum with LOTS of stuff from his life, especially several hand written letters, but alas--no photos in there, darn it!

I will have to ask my Dh to help me but the photo on here. I have it on my cell phone, but I don't think I can transfer it from there to here!!

[mariezp]

Sounds like a fun place!
There is bound to be a way to get that picture! If you figure it out... let me know. I have some trapped in my phone too!

[mariezp]

November 21, 2008

We actually made it out the door by 10:15 this morning! On our way through the baggage check tables I noticed these signs that I had never noticed before.
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Once in the park we headed straight for the Reindeer Roundup via Frontierland to get our chance to see Santa.
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The wait was probably about 40 minutes and would not have even been that bad if there had just been some SHADE! Thankfully, you got to enter the building for part of the wait which helped alleviate some of the heat. I amused myself by taking way too many pictures of the Christmas decorations.
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When we nearly reached Santa a CM named Amber approached us and wanted to be our buddy. I said “Ohhh? So now what does that mean?” She said “It’s not bad. I’m just gonna hang out here and talk to you and entertain you while Santa takes a 10 minute break.” I knew there had to be a catch. Just our luck! It wasn’t so bad and she did keep us busy and was very sweet with DD. She talked to her the entire time, showed her around and let her keep Santa’s chair warm for him until...
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[DL55]

That's definitely a snowwoman. :laughing: (spell check doesn't approve, only snowman :p )

[mariezp]

I had to go back and undo my post because I thought I had hit the button for the first part of my report but it got lost somewhere and I ended up posting the second part. So now if all goes well when I hit the button again everything will be in order! Follow?

DL55, your comment got caught in between posts so your comment looks like you were able to predict the future.

[mariezp]

Continued...

Santa showed back up!
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If you have never seen Disneyland’s Santa he is great! Just like you would expect… nice and plump with rosy cheeks and a big smile. DD told him she wanted a roll over puppy and for her friend Mikayla to come see us during her Christmas break. (she got both) He said he would see what he could do. Amber headed out the door a bit ahead of us. She was too fast for us to catch up with. I wanted to give her one of our special CM buttons. I finally spotted her in the crowd, probably 30 minutes later, and was able to give it to her.

We went out side and wandered around checking out the reindeer and Christmassy atmosphere of the area.
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Then we mosied over to the tables in front of the stage. Our plan was to decorate some Christmas cookies so we went and made our cookie purchase before finding a seat. DD picked out a gingerbread man and I took a snowman. We grabbed some coloring pages and found ourselves a table and sat down to watch the shows. DD went to work coloring and decorating her cookie.
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Eventually she got interested in the shows and left me in the middle of my cookie decorating and went and sat up front on the benches to get a better view. I stayed with all our stuff and finished decorating my cookie.
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[mariezp]

Continued...

We sat so long that we had time to watch all the different shows alternating from Farley the Fiddler to Johnny the Magician to Miss Chris. In between shows they played games. The area is really fun! Also, between shows each entertainer came out into the audience to sign autographs, talk pictures and visit with the guests. There were also some big furry characters wandering the area.
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During one “intermission” Johnny the Magician came over and began talking with me and DD, who graced me with her presence every now and then when she wasn’t too busy. We talked with him for a good while and told him how much we enjoyed his show. DD pipes up and asks him if she can be in his next show. I try to hush her and as he leaves he asks where we are from and her name. He takes the stage and when he looks for a volunteer he calls “his friend, Emma from Texas” up to the stage! She got to help him pull the bunny out of the hat. She was so excited!
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They do an amazing job with the decorating and entertainment at Big Thunder Ranch. However, I have a major complaint after having tried to watch the shows this year! There were quite a few management type looking people milling around in the area with notepads, no doubt taking notes on how things were going. No problem there. It is great that they have people who pay attention to things. What I did find to be VERY ANNOYING is that they should have taken notice of guests around them before they decided to STOP and watch the show! They have a large number of tables set up so you can see the show behind several rows of benches while you color and decorate the cookies. Would you not assume that they also intend for you to be able to see the show from the tables? I cannot even remember how many times different management people stopped right in front of me and obstructed my view when there were plenty of other places they could have stopped. I was pretty noticeable sitting there trying to take photos of my DD who had been chosen to participate in the show. I know the simplest thing would have been to move up front but my point is that it was NOT a simple thing because I would have had to move all out stuff. DD was not through decorating her cookie so she had icing and sprinkles scattered about along with colors and her coloring pages, not to mention our coats, my purse, and my cookie stuff. I finally took a chance and left our stuff sitting on the table while I got closer to watch her.

DD was having such a good time and honestly, so was I. We had spent the entire morning at Big Thunder Ranch. I hated to make her go but our guys showed up and got restless and hungry so I broke the news to her that it was time for us to go in search of food.
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She finished up her cookie and then we left. (Too bad the BBQ joint isn’t still in the area. I am sure she could have gotten in another 30 minutes if I could have just had something to feed the men folk!)
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[mariezp]

Continued...

The guys had just come from CA and had tales to share. While they were waiting in line for Screamin and after about a 30 minute wait the ride went down. After that they headed to TSMM and were on the ride, nearly to the end of setting a 200,000 record when it broke down. They were sure they were the cause of both breakdowns. They had enjoyed being walked out of TSMM and they did get some free passes so they were in pretty good humor.

DS had enjoyed a turkey leg a few days ago so he decided he would make another attempt at eating a whole one so he went to grab one and met us at Rancho de Zocalo. DH and I grabbed our food which was only so-so. DD did not like it at all. DS did not manage to eat the entire turkey leg but he did give us a good laugh. (I doubt very many of you have watched Ernest Goes to Africa but if you have you will understand why images of Ernest were going through my head.) DS was trying to wipe some of the greasy leftover mess from his face when the napkin decided to adhere itself to his lips. We were all laughing because as he was trying to remove the napkin from his lips it looked like he had a horrendous case of chapped lips and they were peeling right off. Guess you had to be there. Sadly, we are easily amused!

Our next stopped planned was to be Pirates but somewhere along our path we remembered that we had not had the opportunity to see the lovely Sally Mae of the Laughing Stock Company. So we stopped in at the Golden Horseshoe to see when their next performance would start. Unfortunately, they were not performing today, and we missed them our whole trip, but the Billie’s show was scheduled to start in 20 minutes so I convinced the guys to stay and watch because they had never seen them. We started upstairs but didn’t like the available view so we moved downstairs and got a pretty good seat not too close to the stage; just to be sure we were not chosen to be a participant. DS started glancing at the menu posted above the counter and decided he could go for a dessert so he hopped in the line and came back with a really yummy looking rootbeer float. When he sat it down on the table it started bubbling. DH and I were trying to tell him that he had better get started drinking but he didn’t think it would keep bubbling. Lo And behold, DH and I were right, as parents often are, and his float started bubbling right over the top like a volcano! Poor DS…. having just been attacked by a napkin and now a rootbeer float. It was about this time that I got really annoyed with myself because my memory card and the extra one I had carried were both full from BTR so I was unable to document either of these events (to save for blackmailing my son later) or be able to get any Billy Hill Pictures or any others until we went back to our room. (Luckily, DH did have the video camera so I have been able to watch the Billie show again since our trip.)

Meanwhile, after we had a really good laugh with DS the show started. It was their Christmas show and we loved it, especially the part where one of the brothers keeps coming out as the different ghosts from A Christmas Carol and eerily calls out Billlllleeeee, Billlllleeeee. This show really helped get us in the Christmas spirit and we have been laughing about it even still. DS was laughing so I consider their first show a big hit. DH even said he wanted to be sure and watch it again on our next trip.

From there we finally made our way over to Pirates for our umpteenth time. This time I decided to look for the Goofy hat, which I saw, and the animatronic with Walt’s face. I never could confirm the second one.

We decided to take a late break so we started heading out of the park. The first Christmas parade was in progress so as we neared Main Street it was really getting crowded. Of course, with no camera, I spotted a celebrity… Maynard. I called out to him and he stopped and began playing with DD’s Speedy Gonzales that she had been carrying with her. He was calling it a hamster which annoyed her but we still had her pose with him while DH grabbed a picture with the video camera.
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After that, to avoid the crowds, we slipped through the shops, which worked like a charm, and arrived out by the Firehouse in no time. Once through the arches, I requested that we get a family Picture taken in front of the Mickey floral. It was pretty sunny and after 14 days I am beginning to look pretty tired. Of course, one photo led to another...
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Then we headed back for a rest so we would have some renewed energy for some evening rides and our PS for Fantasmic. We stopped in at Cold Stone Creamery for an icy cold treat and a round of singing after we tipped them. This time our song was “We will, we will, serve you” sung to the tune of We will rock you…. Complete with music banged out on the counter. DS and I were impressed because we both like the Queen version.

DS and DD are both missing Jiu-Jitsu class so they started rolling around on one of the beds which was good….
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because DD’s loose tooth got knocked out!
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I say knocked out but it was so loose I imagine it only took a little bump. She didn’t cry anyway and was happy to be getting another chance to be able to catch the tooth fairy. She rigged up a little trap made out of cups to see if she could catch her but ALAS the tooth fairy was on to her and escaped again.

After our break, we headed back to the park around 6:30 and ran back into the parade crowd again. So we used the slip through the shops trick and were through the crowd in no time. Check in for our Fantasmic seating was at 8:00 but I planned to get there early to get the best seats. By the time we did make it through the parade hub-bub it was already about 10 after 7 so about the only thing we had time to ride was HM. We got off right at 7:30. We got in line for check in and there were already about a dozen people ahead of us so I didn’t think we would get front row but we did. We had about another 15-20 minutes before we could be seated so the boys joined us for yet another spin on…. You guessed it HM.
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When we were done we went and got seated for the show. They took our drink order and then served us our goodie box. This time there was nothing amazing dessert wise. I was very disappointed because there was no chocolate covered strawberry! The grapes, crackers and cheese were a nice alternative to having just a box full of sweets but I still wanted my strawberry! Anyway, the show started and I actually watched and did not take a single picture. It was enjoyable to just concentrate on the show this time. Last time we did the PS I barely remember the show because I was so caught up in taking pictures. About half way through the show DD spilled her Sprite on herself so I gave her my jacket. Thankfully I did not end up too cold cause no one else had a jacket with them to share. After the show we stayed in our seats and watched the fireworks. I know it is not the same as in front of the castle but I love having a seat and not fighting the crowd. Plus the fireworks do look really pretty over the water. Then it SNOWED on us. Aaaaaah. I agree, it was not quite as magical as on Main Street but I did get my snow fix so I am good until next year.

Since we had so many boxes of leftovers to carry we decided to go ahead and call it a night but, of course, as we passed by Pirates DD begged to ride just one more ride, so we did. After that we started making our way through the crowd. About ½ way up Main Street our desperate attempt to keep up with the guys turned into a challenge and then a RACE! So if anyone saw 4 lunatics weaving through the crowd as fast as they could it was probably us. We kept it up all the way across Harbor and back to the Desert Inn. We slowed up when we reached the elevator and then…. DH cheated! He announced, as he put the key in the door to our room, that it didn’t matter who was in the lead…. it was whoever made it in the room first! It was an amusing way to end our night, as well as work off a few calories. We ordered in more pizza and I sat to work making our to-do-list for our last day in the park tomorrow. :sad1:

[DL55]

Sounds like you had a fun day. I don't recall the Big Thunder Ranch. I have trouble getting DH to sit still for shows. Once he does he likes them. :rolleyes:
Tell DD if she catches the tooth fairy she won't get anymore tooth money. :scared1:

[travelmel]

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She was very beautiful and the more reserved of the two in her style. He, however, had on bright turquoise blue glasses, skin tight orange pants and a mid drift shirt. They both were wearing face paint. It did give us something to ponder while we were in line.


Love that pic of Autopia line! It really captures the look of it as I remembered it (riding at night).

That is funny about pondering those "folks" :lmao:

[travelmel]

He was a very nice man. I walked up holding a pen and paper (to ask for his autograph) and he could see I was shaking and said to me, now what have you got there? In the friendliest voice! He even drew me a little picture! And yes Walt's name is everywhere! They even have plaques all around the town saying Walt played here, Walt used to shop here, etc. You can even go (only outsie) to the house he lived in, they have a small museum with LOTS of stuff from his life, especially several hand written letters, but alas--no photos in there, darn it!

I will have to ask my Dh to help me but the photo on here. I have it on my cell phone, but I don't think I can transfer it from there to here!!

Hi there.. quick question...Where was this?

[travelmel]

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When we nearly reached Santa a CM named Amber approached us and wanted to be our buddy. I said “Ohhh? So now what does that mean?” She said “It’s not bad. I’m just gonna hang out here and talk to you and entertain you while Santa takes a 10 minute break.” I knew there had to be a catch.

You're so funny! Had to be a catch! :rotfl2: :santa:

I love the way you framed the BTMRR!

[travelmel]

Marie!

You're a great storyteller! I love the bits about the chaffed lips and the attack float :lmao: That's what makes a family trip fun and memorable. Goodtimes, indeed! You guys are so lucky to have had enough time to sit and decorate cookies and take in the ambiance of the park. We are always RUSH RUSH RUSH... luckily, we have alot of those "extra" type experiences that we find throughout the year in our own neck of the wood so I don't feel we're really missed too much but it would have been nice to have the time to smell those types of roses.

It's rapping up but it's been such a fun ride!

[mariezp]

DL55, Big Thunder Ranch is kinda tucked away between Big Thunder and Fantasyland. During Christmas they have all the fun stuff we did like cookie decorating, coloring, entertainment, and, of course, Santa. During the rest of the year they have sort of a petting area where little ones can see a few animals and go in to pet goats and sheep. I think they also have coloring pages inside the building but someone else would have to confirm that. I am not sure if they offer any entertainment but I am guessing they might during the summer months. It's a fun area for little ones. I know my DD loves it.

My DH and DS were both the same way as your DH. Never could get them to slow down long enough for a show and I think maybe they thought the show would be bad for their image or something. Sure Billie Hill is corny.... but it's supposed to be! I do know that they spent a lot of time laughing so it couldn't have been all bad.

I guess there are a lot of people who don't think they would enjoy many of the shows. Me, I think I enjoy the shows even more than the rides sometimes! I try to get a chance to see them all and have enjoyed everyone I have ever watched at DL.

travelmel, thanks for the kind comments! Coming from the trip report guru they really mean a lot to me!

Glad you liked some of my photos. I think the BTMRR pic with the moss hanging down is one of my favorites from the whole trip. What really ticks me off though was it could have been even better! One of the days that the sky was filled with smoke I sat down on the bench where I shot that picture and the sun was glowing red. It was the most beautiful image but I didn't have my camera, any memory card or something. So I got this shot when I went back to try to recreate it but it is nothing compared to what it could have looked like.

Also, glad you are liking some of my stories. Sometimes as I have been writing I am thinking maybe that's a little TMI but then I think about how much more I enjoy other folks reports when they share every little detail so that's how you guys end up with the full undisclosed days.

I do have to say that I think the days that we get to spend leisurely are the best! The morning we spent at Big Thunder Ranch is one of my favorite memories of our trip. So much so that I am thinking we have to wait to go next year at the same time even if we have to spend a little more because our APs will expire halfway through the trip. Oh well, don't they give you a little discount if you renew your APs before they expire?

Anyway, thanks again to everyone reading along!

I just finished up the last of the report so here it is for you......

[mariezp]

November 22, 2008

Our last day has finally arrived. Our plan for the day is to do everything on everyone’s last ride list without taking a break and just come back to our room whenever we get it all done. It wasn’t a huge list so I figured it wouldn’t be too late when we had gotten it all done. DD has been enjoying the Disney channel since we do not have it at home and the guys…. well, they never get going early so I didn’t even try to get a start very early this morning.

We decided to start at CA. Once we got inside the park we decided to get a photo made in front of the bridge just in case it is gone on our next trip. Personally, my family and I will miss it and the Beach Boys music.
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Next, we stood around for a few minutes trying to decide which direction to go. DD wanted to see Crush. I wanted to watch Drawn to the Magic since I had never seen it. So, we headed to Hollywood only to find that they did not start the shows until 12:00. So much for that plan.

DH had not used his free pass that he had gotten from the ride breakdowns the day before so we decided to head in the direction of TSMM to put them to use. Along the way the guys stopped for coffee so DD and I got some Photopass pictures taken. It was apparently one of those days for new learning experiences. Here's what I learned.
1.) NEVER get another picture taken that shows me sitting down... can you say "wide load"?... I mean I know it's back there but Lordy! :sad2:
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2.) Don’t have a picture taken while there is construction going on in the background…. Ummmm, notice the drained lagoon. Beauuuutiful, ain’t it? Kodak moment? Not.
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Soooooo, we start moving along again and then DS decides that he and I should ride Screamin since I still have managed to avoid, um I mean, not ridden it. But I got lucky again and the line was longer than he wanted to wait so we pressed onward to TSMM. We got there and the free passes paid off nicely. 5 Minutes! Oh yeah! I had fun but DD beat me! Aaah the humiliation! We love this new ride and it is definitely one of our new favorites in CA.
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Next, I volunteered to go on Grizzly Rapids since I’d only been on it once and DH enjoys every chance he can get to avoid getting drenched. We headed towards the Grizzly area and ran into a crowd which just happened to be surrounding a trash can. That’s right! We found Push! The guys went and grabbed a park bench because at first they thought I had lost my mind telling DD to go check out the trash receptacle. DD was thoroughly entranced and amazed. As often happens there were a couple obnoxious kids who just had to kick Push. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this interactive treat disappear someday because of the inability of parents and children to know how to behave. Our family thought Push was pretty cool and enjoyed the chance to watch him do his stuff.
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DS and I got in line for Grizzly with about a 20 minute wait. So far DS had come off of this ride nearly completely dry but finally his luck had run out. He was finally thoroughly soaked. I was pretty wet from the waist down and my hair was soaked from the overhead sprayers.
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Next, we planned to ride Soarin but the line was huge so we got a fastpass and headed over to see Crush. This show was great because they used some different material. I had never seen Dory before or the whale. Glad they change it up a bit. So, if you have never been and get a chance to go you might ask if Crush speaks whale and see if he brings Dory out. So I loved the show but DD was sad because she didn’t get to talk to Crush this time. I tried to console her and make her understand that sometimes there are other children who like to talk to Crush too.

At this point everyone was getting hungry so we decided to head over to DL and come back later for Soarin. Once inside DL we got some more pictures in front of the Christmas tree.
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Then we headed to Adventureland where I got in line at Bengal BBQ
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while DH went to grab a bowl of clam chowder and DS went to get another turkey leg. DS got through first and grabbed us a table in front of Riverbelle Terrace. I dropped off my Bengal skewers and went to grab DD’s chicken nuggets from the Stage Door Café and met back at the table. Nothing like a little food variety!

After our meal, DS and I headed over to ride Big Thunder while DH took DD to go feed the ducks. We planned to split up after that but DH had noticed the canoes were running so we stayed together and did that. Those canoes are a lot of work!
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Next we split up and DS and DH were planning to ride Splash but because the line was long they grabbed fastpasses instead and were going to head back to the room. So we all changed the plan again and decided to run over to CA to ride Soarin and make it back in time for DD and I to catch the Christmas parade. I snapped a few photos along the way out.
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[mariezp]

Continued...

We headed back over to Soarin to use our fastpasses but it was broke and was down to running only one section so even the fastpass line was unbelievably backed up almost as long as the regular line so the guys went ahead and went back to the room. DD and I decided we would stay and find something to do while they went and got rested up and planned to meet back up right before CA closed to ride Soarin one last time.

So, what to do? DD and I checked the schedule and had just enough time to get through Hollywood and take a seat just before the Drawn to the Magic show was about to start. The singers were talented and all had beautiful voices. There were 3 Disney characters in the show, Mickey, Cinderella and Woody. It was lively but for some reason I thought there would be more to it. Oh well, at least now I can say that I have watched it, satisfied my curiosity and cross it off my have-never-done-list.
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The girl sounded just like one of our Jungle Cruise skippers so I spent a lot of time wondering if she might do both.
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One of the guys looks just like the driver we call when we come to Anaheim.
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This little girl was so cute and so precious and SO SCARED! She ran off the stage crying right after he talked to her.
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Next, we went to watch Crush one more time so maybe DD would get to talk to him. The show was good again and DD still did not get to talk to him. Between listening to her fussing and having changed our minds countless number of times all day long I think the stress had finally caught up to me. DD had also been wearing me out wanting popcorn or a toy or wanting to go see Bolt or wanting to go get an ice cream. I was just about worn out and starting to get another headache. But onward we pressed… our last night in the park could not be wasted!

Next stop, the Animation Studio. This time we checked to see which character they would be drawing at the front podium. It was Pluto so we couldn’t pass that up! Mine looked like his jowls where ready for take off.
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Then we headed back over to DL. On the way, DD had made several more of her above mentioned “requests”, I assume thinking that she could wear me down. Well, she did not wear me down to the point of buying everything she could think of in the park but she did manage to wear down the last bit of energy I had. I gave up and the fun pretty much drained right out of me the rest of the night. I stopped and got her a Wall-e and Eva for getting her tooth out so she was happy but it was too late for me. I think I was the one who ended up having a meltdown. Still on we trudged….

We stopped in at the Tiki Room where I applied DH’s technique of sitting by the exit to make a quick escape. From there we took a last spin on Pirates. I had been planning to watch the Christmas parade but DD decided she didn’t want to so we trekked on to HM but the line was 30 minutes long so we decided not to wait. Apparently DD was getting tired and happy with her new toys. My head was splitting so I didn’t really care what we did anymore so she agreed to skip the rest of what we had on our list and meet the guys at CA for our last ride on Soarin.

We hopped on the train in NOS and I called to have the guys meet us at CA early. On the train we sat next to a girl who said they had learned that the Primeval wall was a huge mural. I asked where they had learned that and she said it was her mother’s birthday and they had picked them out at the train station to let them ride on the Lilly Belle. Whaaaa! 14 days in the park and I didn’t get to ride. Anyway, of course, when we got to Main Street the parade was going and DD changed her mind and wanted to stay and watch but DH and DS were already waiting on us by CA and I just wanted to get out of the park and get back to our room for some headache medicine. We just made it by a hair missing the end of the parade rush out the front of the gate and headed over to meet them by the C in the California letters.

While my brain was in pain at least I still managed to keep my humor. Just as we were walking up to our boys, there was a girl turning cartwheels right in front of them. So I am thinking to myself, at least they had entertainment. So a song pops in my head and I ply them with even more. I start singing “By the C… by the C… by the beautiful C… by the C… by the C… oh how happy we’ll be.” I know. Really, really sad.

So anyway, we get back into CA and get in our final ride on Soarin, which is a great ending because it is my favorite ride in CA.

When we get back to our room I call in a pizza order. Then I grab something for my headache and head over to Denney’s for something besides pizza for DD and myself. On the way, I stopped off in the lobby and printed out our boarding passes so I wouldn’t have to worry about that in the morning. I get my Denney’s order placed and I people watch while I am waiting. There was a family with a large bunch of kids and a grandmotherly woman on an AVC. She was trying to get it turned around and headed back out the door. She was having a hard time and was bumping everything in her path, even into the podium the hostess uses. When she finally got turned and headed in the right direction I told her that I didn’t think she was going to pass her driving test like that. (Looking back I could have really pissed the old lady off but thank God she was sweet and had a good sense of humor.) Anyway, she said she had done failed that a long time ago. Then I asked her how many ankles she had ran over today in the park. She said "Oh, a few, and there were probably some more I would have liked to have run over". I just laughed and said that I could imagine. She made it out the door and I tried to be funny with her daughter/daughter-in-law but she didn’t appear to have her humor with her. It could have been that she had 4 or 5 kids with her and she was just out of any more energy at the end of the day. Oh well, Grandma amused me.

When they called me to pick up my order I noticed a cute Pirate Chip and Dale behind the counter for the grandson and also decided to grab a Stitch for DD which I ended up saving for Christmas. So I got food and finished off my souvenir shopping right there in Denney’s!

When I got back to the room the Pizza had arrived so we sat down to eat and attempted to watch, I believe, the Dark Knight which is a Batman movie unlike any I have ever seen. Sure Batman used to do OOOFS! And POWS! But this movie was much more violent than any of us wanted to watch. They don’t make Batman like they used to. We ended up turning it off and went to sleep which was okay with me because I was plumb tuckered out.

[mariezp]

November 23, 2008

DD and I woke up about 8:00. She started watching her last round of the Disney channel shows. I studied the giant task of trying to fit everything back into our suitcase which was not going to be an easy task. So I began by piling EVERYTHING on the empty bed and started sorting. I should be ashamed but I ended up throwing out 4 chocolate chip cookies, a caramel apple that I had taken 2 bites from, a white chocolate covered apple which I had taken about 4 bites from, a half eaten snowwoman cookie, 3/4 of a gingerbread man cookie, 2 nearly full boxes of leftover goodies from Fantasmic and a pineapple slice. I thought all of those things had sounded so good but my sweet tooth burned out before I ate them all. Sad and such a waste, I know! I did manage to get the leftover half of $25 jelly beans packed up.

It took me ALL morning to get everything repacked, right up until our ride arrived. I ended up leaving quite a few groceries behind that I hope maybe the maids were able to put to use. Our driver, Sunday, who was also the same one who took us to Jiu-Jitsu class in Torrance, got us safely to John Wayne Airport. We got all checked in and I must say they have a very efficient staff. We did manage to hold up the line as we headed through the metal detectors. We are not very practiced at the art of removing metal items from our person and every other carry on item we tote. We did finally make it through security with our 2 bags per person carry ons.

After a brief stop to find our gate and check the schedule we headed to the Oasis restaurant and had lunch. They had a very yummy turkey, bacon and avocado sandwich but it was huge so DH helped me finish it off. Our plane boarded a little bit late. I let DD have the window seat. A woman sat down on the other side of me and immediately began wiping down everything with a disinfectant wipe. It struck me as kinda weird because as she sat next to me she was sniffing as if she had a cold for most of the trip. I’m thinking, Lady, can I borrow one of those wipes? She asked DD if she was going to be glad to get home and, of course, DD being from Texas says …. Yes, I miss my cow. Not a dog or a cat but her cow.
Anyway, the flight ended up being pleasant and uneventful. We watched Meet Dave during the flight which turned out to be a pretty cute show compared to what was showing on our first flight. We arrived about 20 minutes late and grabbed a shuttle back to our car. The driver’s name was Gloria and she was every bit the twin of Gloria from Madagascar. She was sassy and a hoot! It was good to be back in Texas where people go out of their way to be friendly!

We grabbed some Taco Bell to take home and headed back to a house that was freezing cold! DH had left the AC set low to dry out the moisture in the air while we were gone. Our kitty Prissy met us at the door and was sooo happy to see us she didn’t know who to follow around the house. Poor thing must have caught a cold because she was sneezing! We unpacked the car and everyone else sat down to watch Wall-E while I caught up on my e-mail and made a few phone calls. It was sure good to be home!

Awhile later DD started complaining about her ear hurting and it wouldn’t pop. We tried everything we could think of and that I could find online but it still didn’t work. I gave her some Tylenol Cold which seemed to help ease it enough for her to fall asleep at bedtime.

I woke up in the middle of the night not knowing where I was. The room looked so funny so I got up for a midnight run to the ladies room. When I got back to bed my mind would not go back to sleep because our Disneyland trip was still running through my brain. Just about the time I finally drifted back off to sleep the cat started squalling in the hallway and bumping the door while she tried to open it with her paw. Thankfully she gave up before she woke up the whole house.

Not long afterwards, I went ahead and got up to let her outside. She met me in the hallway as usual and tried to wrap herself around my legs. As I opened the door I glanced out and saw one of our other cats doing her usual thing of stalking birds at my feeder. Then I looked out across the pasture to check the cows. Both were okay and still no calf. Just before I turned to go back in one of them gently mooed at me. So vacation is nice but getting back home to our normal routine is very good too.

Our first day home was very busy… picking up the dog from the kennel, dropping off Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, picking up our accumulated mail, grocery shopping and Jiu-Jitsu classes. We just might get some rest tomorrow!

So looking back over our trip, yeah, 13 days may be too much. 10 days may be just about right for next year. DH started talking about missing it already and about maybe taking our oldest DD, SIL and GS next year. Right now I am thinking I am just glad to be home! (I am glad to be back home where the water doesn’t do weird things to my hair and the shower head doesn’t hit the top of my head!) Right now I am thinking I am worn out from traveling with other people and that next year just our family would be great. But then again, who knows what I will be thinking in another year though.

I am so very proud of DD this year for walking so much without complaining because we did not pamper her by taking a stroller this year! She said it was actually kinda cool to be big enough to walk. I did miss my cup holder. She made it just fine in her crocs and I in mine. The first few days everyone’s legs ached but after working through the pain we were all good. I don’t know if being on muscle relaxers made it a lot easier but my legs and feet did not hurt at all like they have in the past when I have had shin splints, and sciatic muscle pains. I even made it just fine without any form of support socks and totally blister free. We did also use the train as a form of shuttle to far ends of the park more than we have ever done before so maybe that helped out our poor tootsies.

Even with so many days I still missed a few things. After all my careful planning around the holiday festivities I did not watch the Christmas parade or even remember to take a night shot of the castle and it’s pretty lights. I did make it home with over 1000 worth of photos on my memory cards, 82 pics on DD’s camera, 36 pics from the fisheye camera and about a dozen stills from our video camera.

I’ve already started taking notes to help me do my planning for the next trip. When I was talking about bringing DD her own suitcase next year instead of sharing mine so we would have more space to bring home extras my very smart friend suggested that I pack like normal but put our bag in an even larger empty suitcase. That way we would have an entirely empty one so we wouldn’t have to lug so many carry ons. Isn’t she brilliant! And my second note to add… DH said next time bring more socks!


Well, I guess that's about all folks! Thanks for reading along!

[trodrigue]

I really enjoyed your entire report with all the pics. You are very lucky to have a hubby that seems to enjoy the parks as much as you do.

[DL55]

Enjoyed your report.:thumbsup2 I'll have to see Drawn to the Magic if I ever get back.
Your DD missed her cow. :rotfl2:

[whgrn]

Marie, I've so enjoyed reading your excellent report and getting to know your family! Makes me want to go to DL soooooo bad!

[Sherry E]

I think it's so sweet how Prissy was excited to see everybody when you all got home! Animals are so precious!

Well, a great Trip Report...I am sorry to see it end! I feel like we have all gone on the journey with you and your family. And you know how you say that next trip it will be just the family and nobody else? You MAY end up getting to the point somewhere down the road where it is just you and your DD and not the men! Or just YOU on a solo trip and not the rest of the family!!:lmao: But it sounds like you guys are a family that enjoys traveling together because everyone seems to get along well, which is not the case with every family! Some families are a train wreck if they just go out to eat together, let alone try to travel together, so I think that's great! I think you guys are lucky that you can tolerate each other on long trips (aside from the random snippy episodes that everyone has, as you said before)!!:goodvibes

[blackjackdelta]

I sat down and read your TR which I thought was very well done but I have a couple of questions:
How did you deal with the "no school" issue?
What fisheye cam did you use?
I do not know what the park hours were when you were there, but it seemed to be that you were always getting there after the park had opened. My guess would be that since you were there for a long time that getting their early was not an issue.

PS, Is your hubby a cop. Looks like he was wearing a tac vest and pants.

Jack

[Pikester]

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Well done!

[Disneygrl36]

Subbing here because my trippie is almost finished & I will be needing my Disneyland fix. I heard this might be a good place to get it.:thumbsup2

[mariezp]

trodrigue, thanks for staying with me through the whole trip report! Yes I am lucky that DH loves DL too. I am not sure he is quite as nutty about it as I am but he does humor me very well!

DL55, yep, she missed the cow! I suppose she "missed" it because we have not had them very long and at the time we were expecting our first calf.
Glad you enjoyed my looong report.

whgrn, I have enjoyed sharing with you and everyone else! Getting to know my family any better would probably result in most of my readers running and fleeing! :scared1:
Glad I could contribute to your desire to go see Disneyland. Now you just need to get to work on making it happen!

Sherry E, Prissy did really miss us but I didn't mention the dog. We have a German Shepherd, Tess, and when we picked her up from the kennel she went absolutely beserk! She heard us talking in the front office and practically drug the poor handler down the hallway. Then she turned into an absolute nut case whining and wetting on herself. Aaah, the love of a pet!

I was kinda sad to get through writing but also glad to finish the report so I can get back to reading up other people's reports and taking notes for next year.

I really would like for it to just be our little family of 4 next year. The only reason I am even considering taking anyone with us is because if we are going to take our DGS I am thinking we should try to do it before he starts kindergarten. He is 3 now but will turn 4 in August. If I knew for sure that my stepDD wouldn't mind taking him out of school for a week I wouldn't have anything to worry about but I am just not quite sure if she would think it a big deal if he missed a few days. They are a lot of fun because stepDD loves DL as much as I do and DSIL acts just like a big kid. Still, taking others tends to change how you do the park. So, I just have to keep thinking on it and make a decision.

So far we have alternated each year with going by ourselves and taking someone the next year. It makes it so easy to remember which year we did what and with who. I like it that way plus it lets me enjoy the park between years relatively stress free. Also, DS turned 18 this year so it just might not be that long before trips with the family to DL take a back seat to other things in his life. I'd like to make all the memories while I can of just our family. Does that make sense? I know it sounds silly but I would just like the majority of our trips to not center around other people traveling with us everytime. (Here's an example, DD seems to equate all the exciting things we did this year with Savannah. It's like the rest of us didn't even exist.) Anyway, that's just some of the thoughts that go through my feeble little mind.

It would be highly unlikely that it would every be just DD and myself. DH is such a control freak that he would never go for that. So as long as he's drawing breath if we are in the park, he will be too! Thankfully, we do enjoy our time together as a family. There are occasionally those I'd-like-to-clunk-them-in-the-head moments but for the most part we get along just fine. We spend a lot of time together so I guess we are just practiced at getting along.

blackjackdelta, I am glad you decided to join us!
We homeschool so the school issue is not a problem. We school during the summer when we would be stuck inside from the Texas heat anyway and then take our big breaks to travel during the fall. It is so nice to have a flexible calendar! (not to mention that you miss out on the summer crowds!)
The camera brand was Lomography. Picked it up on ebay since I didn't figure on using it a whole bunch. I had just seen a few other pictures and thought it would be fun to take some myself. Obviously, I need more practice!
Exactly! Sleeping in is one of my guys favorite part of our trip. During our trip the park opened at 10:00 most days during the week and 8:00 on weekends. Off season really works well for us because we don't have to feel like we have missed too much.
Nah, DH was actually wearing a photographer vest and cargo pants. He loves those pockets! (me I get lost in 2) He loves it so he can carry cameras, snuff, water, and anything else that comes to mind. He also keeps a small container with a lid so he doesn't have to spit in the park. Nasty old habit but at least he is thoughtful about the park.
P.S. Are you a cop? You look like you could be.

Pikester, thanks! Glad to have had you along for the ride!

Disneygrl36 Looks like my publicist has been doing a good job! I will have to pop over and see your report. You better get SherryE on board so she can do some advertising for you! :rotfl2:

[Sherry E]

Sherry E[/B], Prissy did really miss us but I didn't mention the dog. We have a German Shepherd, Tess, and when we picked her up from the kennel she went absolutely beserk! She heard us talking in the front office and practically drug the poor handler down the hallway. Then she turned into an absolute nut case whining and wetting on herself. Aaah, the love of a pet!

I was kinda sad to get through writing but also glad to finish the report so I can get back to reading up other people's reports and taking notes for next year.

I really would like for it to just be our little family of 4 next year. The only reason I am even considering taking anyone with us is because if we are going to take our DGS I am thinking we should try to do it before he starts kindergarten. He is 3 now but will turn 4 in August. If I knew for sure that my stepDD wouldn't mind taking him out of school for a week I wouldn't have anything to worry about but I am just not quite sure if she would think it a big deal if he missed a few days. They are a lot of fun because stepDD loves DL as much as I do and DSIL acts just like a big kid. Still, taking others tends to change how you do the park. So, I just have to keep thinking on it and make a decision.

So far we have alternated each year with going by ourselves and taking someone the next year. It makes it so easy to remember which year we did what and with who. I like it that way plus it lets me enjoy the park between years relatively stress free. Also, DS turned 18 this year so it just might not be that long before trips with the family to DL take a back seat to other things in his life. I'd like to make all the memories while I can of just our family. Does that make sense? I know it sounds silly but I would just like the majority of our trips to not center around other people traveling with us everytime. (Here's an example, DD seems to equate all the exciting things we did this year with Savannah. It's like the rest of us didn't even exist.) Anyway, that's just some of the thoughts that go through my feeble little mind.

It would be highly unlikely that it would every be just DD and myself. DH is such a control freak that he would never go for that. So as long as he's drawing breath if we are in the park, he will be too! Thankfully, we do enjoy our time together as a family. There are occasionally those I'd-like-to-clunk-them-in-the-head moments but for the most part we get along just fine. We spend a lot of time together so I guess we are just practiced at getting along.


Disneygrl36 Looks like my publicist has been doing a good job! I will have to pop over and see your report. You better get SherryE on board so she can do some advertising for you! :rotfl2:

Hee hee. I have been to Melanie's thread and hers is also an epic adventure like yours, Marie. It's great as well! I think you would like it. The really long reports like hers and yours are the ones that are good to read to help us all relive our own trips and see things we didn't spot before, as well as entice any DLR newbies to want to go. I like the Trip Reports to keep going. Like even after the trips are over, I don't mind it if people just keep posting random stuff in their TR threads because it keeps the thread alive and prevents it from disappearing into the depths of the archives. If it stays fairly active, then more people will discover the Trip Reports and get to see the great pictures and read about the trips. I can always find other DLR pictures from previous trips to post, so I have material to keep pulling from for a while to stick in my existing TR. So let's all keep our TR's alive!!

Marie, I know what you mean about wanting to cherish and treasure this family time and trips together (without other folks) while you can, especially since you all enjoy each other and don't midn being in each other's company!! You are right, your son is to the point where he will have other interests soon and so if you can squeeze in a few trips with him while he is still engaged in the fun, might as well do it. And it DOES complicate things when other people are on board for the trip and sometimes it boils down to weighing the pros and cons of going with other people and figuring out if the need to spend time with certain people outweighs the inconvenience it will bring!

[mariezp]

Okay Sherry you sold me! I have bookmarked both of Disneygrl36's trip reports so I can start reading them in the morning!

I am not trying to pat myself on the back but I do agree with what you are saying about the big trip reports and what they have to offer all sorts of Disney lovers. I know when I first started planning for our past trips I would peruse anything and everything Disneyland related and gather info. Heck, I still do and believe it or not I am still finding things all the time that make me say "I didn't know about that!"

And I think you do offer a good point about keeping the trip reports going to keep them available for information gathering rather than dying off in some far away archive, never to be seen again! Just checking the stats on my report.. it has had 3,383 views so far so that right there is clear proof that there are lots of people who are interested in what they can learn from other peoples experiences. Not to mention those of us who just need a good DL fix! So I'll do my part to keep my trip report alive!

I am glad someone understood why I like to travel with just my immediate family. When I was typing and I was trying to explain my position it seemed to sound selfish in a way but I'm really not trying to be selfish. I just want to cherish what is so dear to me and I would like my children to cherish our family time too because I know that only too soon our time together will not be like it is now. Gosh children grow up too soon!

[TheTXTaylors5]

:wave2: Hello Fellow Texan!

I am soooooooo glad I found your Trip Report. I finally booked our first DLR trip last week. Now, the anticipation and a million questions can begin. :hourglass

pixiedust: Jennifer

[Sukie]

:wave2: Well hello there mariezp. What a great Trip Report and with all those pictures.
You also have a family that seems to get along pretty well. This report made it seem so real, I felt like I was really there. Again thanks for sharing.:thumbsup2

[mariezp]

:wave2: Jennifer! How exciting! Your first trip to the park is gonna be so much fun!

I am glad you enjoyed my report and if you have any questions I would be more than happy to try to help.

You may have to swap me some tips for WDW! My DS has come up with the idea that we should check out Florida this year. Not so sure.... it looks scary!

:wave2: Sukie! So glad you decided to take a detour from the TK thread to check out my report. It was my pleasure sharing our trip and thank you for coming along with us! ;)

[Hound 109]

The food is okay but I think we all agreed that there are other places we would rather eat in the park so it’s off next year’s list to make room for something else. I had the ½ turkey sandwich and loaded baked potato soup. Both were fine but nothing really overly impressive.

Marie, give the Carnation Cafe another try for a late Breakfast (after MM). Several great choices to choose from (including Mickey Waffles for adults AND for kids). Every item we've had there is good at B'fast.

Fabulous pictures & report, Marie. :thumbsup2

[mariezp]

Hound, I may just have to do that! While I am not much of a big breakfast eater DH would probably love it. I will have to check out their menu and see if it looks worth giving them another chance.

Although :scratchin ... I don't mind taking something off of my must-do-list every now and then so I can add another choice. There are just too many possibilities to do them all in one trip.... even our LONG trip.

Glad you enjoyed reading along with me. Thanks!

[mariezp]

Okay Hound, I'm convinced! I took a quick peek at the Carnation Cafe breakfast menu and it looks like it should go over well for a late breakfast. DH would LOVE Oscar's Choice, I could go for a Sticky Bun and DS would really enjoy the Fruit Yogurt Granola Parfait. DD could have the Minnie’s Junior Scramble and would probably end up eating better than she would if we waited for lunch. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Sherry E]

Hound, I may just have to do that! While I am not much of a big breakfast eater DH would probably love it. I will have to check out their menu and see if it looks worth giving them another chance.

Although :scratchin ... I don't mind taking something off of my must-do-list every now and then so I can add another choice. There are just too many possibilities to do them all in one trip.... even our LONG trip.

Glad you enjoyed reading along with me. Thanks!

Marie, We usually have at least one meal at Carnation every trip (even going back as far as the '90s), so it has definitely been a favorite in the past, but like I said earlier in this thread (or was it my TR thread? I can't recall!!!:rotfl2: ), I have kind of burnt out on it now. I find their menu to be pretty limited with NOT a lot of choices, and that is especially true for breakfast, in my opinion. We usually eat there for lunch or dinner, and that is limited enough, but this last trip it was for breakfast. It was good, but not great. My friend thought so too. In fact, she said, "Well, now we know not to eat here for breakfast." I think it is worth it for you to try one time for breakfast and maybe you will love it - a lot of people (like Hound) do - but I think I may skip Carnation on my next trip and try something else. It was just starting to get a little old and a change of scenery wouldn't be a bad thing! I know I will go back there again in the future - in fact, we have even gone there before for dessert only - but a large part of why we like it is because it has a certain charm to it due to the location and atmosphere. It is not all about the food. I like restaurants with LOTS of choices and extensive menus, so I don't feel like I have to order the same thing every time. I want to feel like there are 20 things I could order that I would like and can change it up a bit. And Carnation just doesn't have that kind of variety.

P.S. We both ate Oscar's Choice. It was decent. Nothing to rave about for me!

[mariezp]

Wow Sherry it's been a few days since I checked in! I hope you didn't think I forgot about you! Thanks for your opinion on Carnation Cafe. Gives me more to ponder. I do agree with you that their menu is pretty limited especially if you aren't that crazy about sandwiches.

I am thinking after our dining experience this year and advice from some of you fellow Disers I will make some adjustments next year. I think I will go with Carnation Cafe for breakfast and Goofy's for dinner. Of course I do still have plenty of time to change my mind before then since I won't get to be back in the park until November again... Or possibly even December.

We did go 3 years ago for the Candlelight Processional during the first week of December. When we got back I vowed never to go again in December because when we got home Christmas flew by and I was so busy I didn't even get to enjoy it. However, after getting back this year and having to rush to do all the decorations, wrapping, etc. right after Thanksgiving my DH suggested that we just go to DL for Christmas so I wouldn't even have to bother with any of it. At first I was thinking "We can't be somewhere else for Christmas!" but the more I think about it the more I am liking the idea! I could totally skip decorating. And, I could budget a certain amount to take DD shopping with while we are there and probably save money and having to do all that wrapping. I could turn DS loose with his allowance and he could do his shopping online and have it waiting for him when we got home. All I would have to do is figure out how to get the extra toys back home. The only downside I can think of would be the crowds but it might very well be worth it! Besides CA is always an option if DL is crowded. Hmmmm....... planning, planning... always planning!

[Alice_Mushroom97]

wow looks like fun but it also looks so expenseive im going in april any tips for someone on a low budget

[Sherry E]

Wow Sherry it's been a few days since I checked in! I hope you didn't think I forgot about you! Thanks for your opinion on Carnation Cafe. Gives me more to ponder. I do agree with you that their menu is pretty limited especially if you aren't that crazy about sandwiches.

I am thinking after our dining experience this year and advice from some of you fellow Disers I will make some adjustments next year. I think I will go with Carnation Cafe for breakfast and Goofy's for dinner. Of course I do still have plenty of time to change my mind before then since I won't get to be back in the park until November again... Or possibly even December.

We did go 3 years ago for the Candlelight Processional during the first week of December. When we got back I vowed never to go again in December because when we got home Christmas flew by and I was so busy I didn't even get to enjoy it. However, after getting back this year and having to rush to do all the decorations, wrapping, etc. right after Thanksgiving my DH suggested that we just go to DL for Christmas so I wouldn't even have to bother with any of it. At first I was thinking "We can't be somewhere else for Christmas!" but the more I think about it the more I am liking the idea! I could totally skip decorating. And, I could budget a certain amount to take DD shopping with while we are there and probably save money and having to do all that wrapping. I could turn DS loose with his allowance and he could do his shopping online and have it waiting for him when we got home. All I would have to do is figure out how to get the extra toys back home. The only downside I can think of would be the crowds but it might very well be worth it! Besides CA is always an option if DL is crowded. Hmmmm....... planning, planning... always planning!


I figured you would get back over to the Trip Report side of things sooner or later! I think I even replied to you in my TR again, with more Shutterfly thoughts, but I can't recall now. Maybe I just thought I did!!!

Yes, I think it would be worth it for you to try Carnation again, for breakfast. We just weren't bowled over by the breakfast and prefer the lucnh or dinner, but most people who have eaten breakfast at Carnation seem to like it a lot, so you will likely enjoy it too. And if you don't, then you know not to go back. Now see, with Goofy's, I am such a die-hard Goofy's breakfast fan (for almost 17 years!!!) that I can't even imagine trying their dinner again, which I wasn't impressed with in the first place. But that was such a LONG time ago. Someone on another thread just posted a recent list of the food choices available at Goofy's for dinner these days, and I am thinking it is time for a return visit for dinner!! It looks like some good stuff! So you guys will probabaly really enjoy the dinner, expensive though it is!

I think your Christmas idea sounds great! Skip the decorating and the shopping and the wrapping and just go to Disneyland!! If you go in early December it probaly won't be too crowded yet (maybe you can work around the Candlelight Processional). I don't know for sure but with any luck I will make it back to DLR right around in early-mid December too, so maybe we will be able to meet and take a group Photopass picture together!!

[mariezp]

wow looks like fun but it also looks so expenseive im going in april any tips for someone on a low budget

:welcome: Alice_Mushroom97!
Well, it probably wasn't the least expensive trip we have ever taken but well worth it. We do save money by not staying on site which is fine with my bunch because we don't require anything fancy. Also, I have found that you can save quite a bit by booking your hotel as early as you know your dates. Same goes for airline tickets.

Another way to save money is to not eat every meal in the park. We usually dine in the park for lunch but grab something elsewhere for later. If you are really set on keeping a budget you can always prepare something in your room. Bring your own snacks and bring your own bottles of water. We always have groceries delivered. I can get a case of water for about $4. Whereas, in the park, a single bottle of water can cost you $2-$3.

Set a limit for souvenir spending and limit yourself to the number of times you go shopping so you are not tempted to exceed your budget.

Check around for ticket deals. Getawaytoday.com has some nice discounts. If you know you will be back to the park within a year consider purchasing an annual pass because they are an excellent deal.

I am sure there are tons of other suggestions. Just keep doing your research on the boards and you will be ready to go! :cheer2:


Hi Sherry! :wave2: The more I use Shutterfly the better I liked it. I finally got all my photos from the trip uploaded and then ordered a backup cd and prints. I almost fainted when I got my cart total! 1142 pics on the cd but I cut down to 757 prints to save a few bucks on the prints. I seriously doubt anyone else in the family will be interested in all my detail photos like pics of bathroom signs, flowers, light fixtures, etc. so they won't miss them. There was one minor problem that I ran across while doing my photos. It would not upload some of the pictures I had enhanced with DD's Disney software. I guess they had some sort of folter that picked up the Disney logo. Oh well, I am pretty sure I can find a way to print them off separately. This batch should satisfy me for awhile!
I was pleased by the discounts I found before I placed my order because I was able to get free shipping which saved me $34! And, I will get 10% back by going through my ebates account. A penny saved.... :thumbsup2

Guess we will see if DD is even interested in any characters by next year. She did say she wanted to go back to Ariel's...get this... cause she wants some more of the white chocolate seashells! Not the princesses or the food just the dessert. I am like there is no way I am going back there just for candy! So tell me..... ever seen any white chocolate shells at Goofy's? ;)

DH's Christmas idea was to go the week of Christmas specifically so he could get out of having to go to his family's gathering! :sad2: Believe me, I wouldn't mind either. I think he must have been adopted because he is nothing like most of his family.

Anyway, I am going to have to give the December idea more thought. We are really broke right now so everything looks sooooo gloomy! It would save us a little to go back in November before our APs expire. Still, Nov and Dec are a long way off so maybe some big CHANGES will take place to improve our finances. I probably would save money on my Christmas spending if I set a budget and didn't shop from 25 places. Plus it might be fun doing all our shopping just in Downtown Disney.
Another aspect is the fact that DS's birthday is on the 20th. It probably wouldn't be a big deal to him but he might not want to be at DL for his birthday.... hmm.... although he could take advantage of the birthday giveaways.

It would be fun to meet up with you if we went at the same time but I have to warn you that my DH would probably faint :faint: though because you look a lot like his ex-wife!

[travelmel]

Okay Sherry you sold me! I have bookmarked both of Disneygrl36's trip reports so I can start reading them in the morning!


I trust you were quite happy that you did this!! What an awesome TR she wrote, eh???

Marie,
I'm sorry I haven't been back to finish the TR (last day) I don't know where I've been! (Darn Twilight girls keeping me all jacked up!) But I will get right on it ASAP ... it gives me something to look forward to besides more :laundy:

Ha ha.. just kidding.. I Haven't had to fold clothes in 4 yrs. Love that DH of mine!!! - hey my heart smiley is MIA :confused3

Anyway.... talk soon, girl! I missed you!

[mariezp]

Hi Mel! :wave2: I've missed you too! I know how easy it is to get sidetracked but at least you remembered your priorities, right? :rotfl2: You're back on the boards and that's all that matters!

Yep, Disneygrl36's trip report was really great! Good to read while contemplating whether there will be a WDW trip in our future but my head is still spinning trying to keep up with all the different stuff to do at WDW.

That DH of yours must be a true one of a kind! If my DH did the laundry folding I imagine everything would just get a toss in a drawer. Heck, the minute I even asked him he would probably keel over from laughing so hard! The term household chore is NOT in his vocabulary.

[Hound 109]

While waiting we noticed that there are some pretty unusual people in the park. I think we found the most unique characters right their in line with us! Now I know some people find it necessary to make a state statement with the clothing they wear. I often have trouble trying to figure out just what it is they are trying to say! The couple in question were very “unique”. She was very beautiful and the more reserved of the two in her style. He, however, had on bright turquoise blue glasses, skin tight orange pants and a mid drift shirt. They both were wearing face paint. It did give us something to ponder while we were in line.

Marie, why didn't you say hi to Mrs. Hound & I ??

The "mid drift shirt" shows off my 6 pack abs.....doncha think?

:rotfl:


I love the report & all the great pictures. I'm trying to catch up (on page 8) & thanks for the great pics & descriptions of your tour. This is a great trip report....you guys really do a good job of seeing & enjoying all the little things that make DLR great. :thumbsup2

[mariezp]

Marie, why didn't you say hi to Mrs. Hound & I ??

The "mid drift shirt" shows off my 6 pack abs.....doncha think?

:rotfl:

Aaaah, so your are one of the trendsetter types! I knew there was something about that fellow that seemed very familiar! Next time I will be sure to say howdy.


I love the report & all the great pictures. I'm trying to catch up (on page 8) & thanks for the great pics & descriptions of your tour. This is a great trip report....you guys really do a good job of seeing & enjoying all the little things that make DLR great. :thumbsup2
Why thank you! I really appreciate each and everyone who has taken the time to read my report... and especially the ones who leave a nice comment. ::yes:: I do try to find something extra special for us to do each trip. Unfortunately, I am running out of new stuff to try! I hope in the not so far future they come up with some new offerings like maybe some new tours or shows BUT even if they don't I am positive we will still be able to find some ways to keep ourselves happy.

[mariezp]

I went back and found my old trip reports! They were much shorter than my November 2008. If anyone is interested, here they are:
Our 11 days at Disneyland! Sept. 3 - 13, 2007
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1588869%22]http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1588869

LONG better late than never trip report! Dec. 3-14, 2006
http://micechat.com/forums/disneyland-resort/48321-long-better-late-than-never-trip-report-dec-3-14-lots-photos-part-1-a.html

[mariezp]

I went back and tallied up my ride count. Here's what I came up with.

The big winner was, of course, Pirates!
(13) Pirates
(10) Haunted Mansion & Disneyland Railroad (finally learned to use it to save ourselves from walking so much)
(7) Jungle Cruise & Tiki Room (doesn't exactly a ride but we did it ALOT)
(6) Teacups (I CANNOT believe I rode this many times!)
(5) Alice, Dumbo, KT Carousel
(4) TSMM
(3) Storybookland, Peter Pan, Soarin
(2) Casey Jr, Monorail, KA Carousel, Toad, Nemo, Snow White, Grizzly RR, Monsters Inc, Buzz, Autopia, Pooh, Small World (was not opened for most of our trip or the count would have been higher)
(1) Indy, Heimlich, Lady Bug Boogie, Star Tours, Pinocchio, Roger Rabbit, Big Thunder, Canoes, Splash (only one I missed not doing more)

[travelmel]

dang, you got like 7 DL trips in there! LOL Good for you

[Sherry E]

Okay, Marie! Now that I have almost finished my massive task of scanning, uploading and posting old pictures over on my thread (I am 90% done - I got all the way to posting 2000 and 2001, and if I can just find my few little pictures from the '70s then I will be done with the old stuff and just post new things from here on out), I can get caught up on the various TR's I have subscribed to, like yours. I also replied to you over on my thread too! I am going to make time to read the two TR's you posted the links for! In fact, from what I can tell, it looks like your September 2007 trip to DLR ended just a couple of days before mine began. I was there in 2007 from 9/21- 9/23!!! A near miss!


Oh, and by the way, I never commented on the fact that you said I resemble your husband's ex-wife!! That is hilarious! So if you and I ever happen to be at DLR at the same time and want to meet up briefly, I won't take offense if I suddenly see your husband faint on the ground in front of me!!!:rotfl2: :rotfl2: But I know both you and I are unsure if we will make it to DLR this year at all, so perhaps we won't have to deal with that little fainting issue just yet. We will just make sure to meet up close to where the First Aid station is in City Hall!!!

[mariezp]

Yeah, travelmel, it is kinda like that! We like to make sure we get enough DL in to last us the whole year!

Hi again, Sherry! Good idea to meet up in front of the first aid! :rotfl2: I don't suppose he would really faint (She's pretty good as far as ex-wives go.) but he might have to do a double take!

[Sherry E]

Marie, I was just looking over your two older Trip Reports (you provided the links in an earlier post). I wish I could remember all the thoughts that popped to mind as I went through them - I should have jotted them down - but here are a few:

- Your daughter is so cute!!
- You got a lot of great pictures, especially character shots, including Ratatouille and Br'er Bear, which are not common these days.
- I loved the picture of you dancing with Goofy outside of (I think) the Lilo and Stitch breakfast, and the one of your son interacting with Minnie at the Minnie and Friends meal.
- You got a picture of yet another different popcorn-turner dude!
- I cannot believe I misssed the strawberry shortcake! It was probably still being sold at DLR when I went there in September 2007, but I just didn't know it - and now it is gone forever!
- The Jack Sparrow in one of the pictures looks like he is up to no good at all - you can see it in his eyes!!
- What happens in Aladdin's Oasis? I know it is a dinner show sort of like the Tahitian Terrace was, but what is the show like? Is it singing or what happens?
- I totally 100% agree with you about trying at least one new thing on every trip. Even if it is something that 5000 people have done but I have never done, it is still new to me! I try to work in at least one new thing on every trip, be it a new restaurant (though I really like sticking with the tried and true in the food area) or a ride I haven't been on, or a show I haven't seen yet, or taking pictures of things I hadn't thought of before, etc. First of all, there is just not enough time to do EVERYthing on my short trips, but also it helps to keep things fresh and interesting by integrating new things into each trip. So I will hit the Animation Academy one of these days, and I will eventually do the holiday tour!! It is always good to leave some territory unexplored to have something to look forward to for future trips.


If I can remember what other stuff I was going to ask or comment on, I will do it later! Anyway, great reports and pictures, as usual!!!:thumbsup2 :goodvibes

[mariezp]

I hope you enjoyed my older reports. It's always fun to share and hear what people think!



Your daughter is so cute!!
Thank you! We think she is pretty cute but we are pretty biased. :ssst: Don't tell the rest of the family but she is my very favorite Disneyland buddy!




You got a lot of great pictures, especially character shots, including Ratatouille and Br'er Bear, which are not common these days.
Over the years we have seen quite a few characters alright! I was very surprised and pleased to see Br'er Bear and Br'er Fox on that particular trip. As for Ratatouille, we just happened to be in the park shortly after his movie had made it's debut. Unfortunately, DD's interest in hunting down characters had waned last year. Who knows what she will like doing this year? She's not generally a princessie sort of girl and some of the characters tend to creep her out. (think Mad Hatter, The Incredibles or Captain Hook)




I loved the picture of you dancing with Goofy outside of (I think) the Lilo and Stitch breakfast, and the one of your son interacting with Minnie at the Minnie and Friends meal.
Oh that was so much fun! Actually, the picture was taken at the Disney Visa Meet n Greet when it was still in the lower level of Ariel's. When we went there was NO ONE else there so we got some special attention... which included the private dance with Goofy.
The other picture with my son and Minnie may be my very favorite photo we have ever gotten of him! He was such a good sport while she shoveled food in his mouth! Fun times.





You got a picture of yet another different popcorn-turner dude!
They are soooo cute! And something fun to keep an eye out for. Little details that are so Disney. Good old Santa is still my very favorite.




I cannot believe I misssed the strawberry shortcake! It was probably still being sold at DLR when I went there in September 2007, but I just didn't know it - and now it is gone forever!
Oh man! Don't tell me it's gone FOREVER! I didn't find any last time we were there but I was still holding out hope. It was so yummy and absolutely one of the best desserts offered for the few of us who would rather have something besides chocolate.




The Jack Sparrow in one of the pictures looks like he is up to no good at all - you can see it in his eyes!!
Yep, no good! He was very in character and IMHO the best looking Jack.




What happens in Aladdin's Oasis? I know it is a dinner show sort of like the Tahitian Terrace was, but what is the show like? Is it singing or what happens?
I believe it actually was held in the same space where the Tahitian Terrace used to be but it is not a dinner show. It was a little show which told the story of Aladdin. There was an area where the children sat right in front of the stage and they would select several kids per show to help them on stage. The audience was also encouraged to participate. After the show you could get autographs and photos with Aladdin and Jasmine. It was nothing on the grand scale of the show at CA but was a cute show. During the summer the Indy show took over the area for a brief run. Since that ended I do not think they are doing anything on the stage and I have not heard any definite plans for them to bring the Aladdin's Oasis show back. We will certainly miss it! My DD LOVED being up on stage.




I totally 100% agree with you about trying at least one new thing on every trip. Even if it is something that 5000 people have done but I have never done, it is still new to me! I try to work in at least one new thing on every trip, be it a new restaurant (though I really like sticking with the tried and true in the food area) or a ride I haven't been on, or a show I haven't seen yet, or taking pictures of things I hadn't thought of before, etc. First of all, there is just not enough time to do EVERYthing on my short trips, but also it helps to keep things fresh and interesting by integrating new things into each trip. So I will hit the Animation Academy one of these days, and I will eventually do the holiday tour!! It is always good to leave some territory unexplored to have something to look forward to for future trips.
We have really got to experience some extra fun stuff by going with the do something new or something special on every trip plan. But I do know if we were limited to only a few days we wouldn't have enough time. I hope you get a chance some day to take one of those LONG trips so you can get your fill of DL instead of always having to be rushed. We do also have some of the tried and true on our list. I do my best to strike the perfect balance so everyone in the family gets something great out of our trip.

Animation Academy :thumbsup2 Even with all our time, I still have not spent all the time I would like to in that building! Seems every time we go ends up being right before lunch! Then the guys call and off we rush to meet up with them... leaving the Animation Building behind in a cloud of dust! I do hope you get to make it in there!

As for the tours... admittedly they are not for everybody. However, I think anyone who loves DL as much as you do would love any of them! So far we have done the Christmas Tour, Discover Magic Tour and the Walk in Walt's Footstep tours. I would have done the VIP but the rates went up to $125 an hour :scared1: right before our 30 day booking period! Figures. Anyway, I hope they come up with some new tours soon! I am running out of ones to try!

[mariezp]

So, it's been a really long time since I have even looked at my 2 old trip reports. After I did a quick scan I realized that I only posted a few photos from both trips so... I am going back and going to share some more from my past trips that did not make it in the reports. Here goes...

From 2006

How many can you squeeze in Dumbo?
http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/43321/2501636000102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

Being silly on the carousel.
http://inlinethumb56.webshots.com/3575/2599613300102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

They were taping some commercial one day we were there.
http://inlinethumb50.webshots.com/43057/2671389920102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

I can only imagine what she is telling her!
http://inlinethumb44.webshots.com/30187/2155533370102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

Emma loves Toontown!
http://inlinethumb03.webshots.com/42114/2454179710102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb25.webshots.com/40920/2398228510102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb42.webshots.com/40681/2760975940102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/44473/2270364440102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb44.webshots.com/42027/2014045460102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb50.webshots.com/43377/2503445120102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb40.webshots.com/39463/2747014780102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

Christmas Parade shots
http://inlinethumb51.webshots.com/44402/2925575110102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/29561/2768080060102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb06.webshots.com/42757/2665854050102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb17.webshots.com/42576/2262489300102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

We made it right before all the really big lights showed up.
http://inlinethumb24.webshots.com/42967/2946981550102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

CA Christmas tree
http://inlinethumb35.webshots.com/43042/2064107420102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

Whitewater kitties!
http://inlinethumb57.webshots.com/44280/2124735710102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb27.webshots.com/45082/2784860450102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

Playhouse Disney
http://inlinethumb06.webshots.com/28741/2143002370102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb19.webshots.com/42642/2922665670102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb14.webshots.com/40845/2045602380102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

Gotta love those carousels!
http://inlinethumb56.webshots.com/44343/2610950310102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb47.webshots.com/44526/2403442140102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

Farewell letters!
http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/6214/2906330530102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

I'll try to post more from 2007 tomorrow!

[Sherry E]

You've been holding out on us, Marie! These pictures are great! That does look like an awfully tight squeeze in Dumbo, though. Your son looks like he almost has to turn his body a little sideways to fit.

Yes, please post more pictures!! If I can drag out the really ancient ones from my DLR trips when I was a 4-year-old little girl in 1972 and post them, which I did, you definitely need to dig into the 2007 well (or earlier!) and post away!! We need to see ALL the pictures you have!!:goodvibes

[mariezp]

Okay Sherry! You talked me into it! Well, actually I can't guarantee I'll get some of the way back when ones that need scanning done anytime soon but I can add some more that didn't make the 2007 trip report.

I'll start with a real doozie! Here's my DH acting like a nut with one of those stupid expensive light up toys while we were waiting for the Electrical Parade. Even though he looks like a goofball these photos are the ones I treasure most because I know they were having a good time.
http://inlinethumb23.webshots.com/26774/2862748600102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

ELP, my FAVORITE Disney parade! Unfortunately, I don't take very good pictures at night but you get the idea. (or maybe you just get dizzy?)
http://inlinethumb19.webshots.com/42386/2850040390102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb54.webshots.com/42037/2377508560102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb48.webshots.com/26863/2704295650102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb29.webshots.com/45148/2187139820102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb63.webshots.com/21246/2393326520102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb11.webshots.com/42762/2647395840102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/35321/2722633830102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb39.webshots.com/44518/2048255920102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

We make big plans to go to Disneyland and my DD would be perfectly happy spending all our days at the Big Thunder Ranch petting zoo. :sad2:
http://inlinethumb45.webshots.com/12396/2000217660102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

Hitch-hiking Heffabee
http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/44294/2112572990102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

DD found Jingles
http://inlinethumb20.webshots.com/42451/2599413850102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb16.webshots.com/44303/2860618680102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

It is always so sunny in Toontown!
http://inlinethumb01.webshots.com/17664/2641390980102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

Pausing for some rest at Minnie's house
http://inlinethumb50.webshots.com/40241/2249671930102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

Next up.... Mickey's house
http://inlinethumb30.webshots.com/44509/2240600110102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb24.webshots.com/44887/2790366630102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb31.webshots.com/44126/2737555930102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb34.webshots.com/21217/2194898150102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

I think I wore her smile out!
http://inlinethumb21.webshots.com/12756/2783981060102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb55.webshots.com/44726/2788401200102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb62.webshots.com/44413/2271976850102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb45.webshots.com/45100/2744400920102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb48.webshots.com/39663/2329586530102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

Darn! Wouldn't you know it! Duty calls so that's all I have time for right now....BUT.... I'll be back with more hopefully tomorrow.

[mariezp]

Alrighty.... here's a start on the rest for 2007. Gotta warn you... there are A LOT so it may take me several more sessions!

Proof that we did actually ride tender on the train. DD looks like she thinks the ride is going to be scary but she was actually trying to lean back as far as she could so they could get a picture of us. It's not very often that I have a better smile in a picture than she does.
http://inlinethumb49.webshots.com/40944/2542201690102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb23.webshots.com/5078/2756710420102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb16.webshots.com/18255/2860301640102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

DD does her impersonation of a Tiki God.
http://inlinethumb61.webshots.com/6076/2762835250102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb55.webshots.com/43062/2646217480102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/6472/2101020840102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb04.webshots.com/8579/2182319320102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

I love these guys and their roving eyes!
http://inlinethumb57.webshots.com/43256/2524329620102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

The Lilo and Stitch character meal was fun for the kid. I enjoyed the different selections from the buffet and the fact that it wasn't nearly as crowded as some of the other character meals. There was a lot of great character interaction going on here!
http://inlinethumb54.webshots.com/44021/2518532510102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb28.webshots.com/43291/2448482400102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/43323/2227501650102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb57.webshots.com/43576/2285961010102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb42.webshots.com/41769/2103968830102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/43336/2139083050102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

Off to the wilds!
http://inlinethumb32.webshots.com/5023/2943785070102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb43.webshots.com/41194/2755663320102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb48.webshots.com/36463/2901668410102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

Oh look! On our trip Trader Sam was the one who lost his head!!! I am such a good photographer to catch that one on film!
http://inlinethumb64.webshots.com/45119/2462745510102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

Meanwhile.... back at the treehouse
http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/27880/2857747280102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb28.webshots.com/44699/2305636260102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/41960/2606708840102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb03.webshots.com/18882/2085000740102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb11.webshots.com/41866/2375401410102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

One really short parade!
http://inlinethumb03.webshots.com/41474/2473773480102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb57.webshots.com/41464/2740327350102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

[mariezp]

We really miss the Aladdin Oasis show. :sad1:

http://inlinethumb17.webshots.com/43152/2836570050102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb30.webshots.com/42909/2369549360102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb17.webshots.com/42640/2821389670102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb10.webshots.com/29129/2175236090102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb08.webshots.com/44359/2383590470102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb50.webshots.com/45169/2629372560102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

Of course, then there's the BIG production! (and crappy photos)
http://inlinethumb22.webshots.com/43861/2922075260102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb22.webshots.com/27477/2847169670102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb39.webshots.com/44710/2578313350102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb21.webshots.com/44436/2107060960102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb27.webshots.com/41306/2373749030102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

And we really miss the Nestle Cookie Making! :sad:

http://inlinethumb64.webshots.com/43967/2018142290102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb63.webshots.com/44414/2310267950102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb30.webshots.com/41629/2627992430102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb63.webshots.com/43262/2239732000102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb06.webshots.com/42053/2941378580102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb11.webshots.com/43722/2091385610102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

Fantasmic
http://inlinethumb55.webshots.com/44598/2765070050102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb20.webshots.com/41491/2216226190102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb21.webshots.com/27348/2951686690102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb12.webshots.com/38219/2824332280102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

[travelmel]

Great new pics, Marie ZP! I love the little purple Marie -kitty shirt your DD is wearing. :lovestruc

I'm trying to decide of my DD's are ready to move on to Magic Mt or if they'll enjoy another Disneyland trip with their ole mums. They very obviously loved the last trip and I know they're going this summer with my cousin... we'll see.

[mariezp]

Thanks travelmel! I'm glad you enjoyed the pics... and DD's shirt.

Tough decision. If it were me I think I'd pretend I hadn't thought about Magic Mt and go to Disneyland instead! In my little mind you can't even compare the two but I guess you are right... teen age kids probably might get more of a kick out of having more thrill rides, which Magic Mt certainly has in abundance. Good luck on that!

Gonna see if I can load up some more photos.....

[mariezp]

Okay.... here's another round.

Toon Town

http://inlinethumb27.webshots.com/18650/2668294620102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb11.webshots.com/30602/2304884730102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb36.webshots.com/41379/2606041940102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb40.webshots.com/40039/2873211430102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb04.webshots.com/43395/2985383460102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb22.webshots.com/41301/2000175480102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

Roger Rabbit
http://inlinethumb57.webshots.com/43832/2028565860102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb11.webshots.com/43658/2609794890102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb46.webshots.com/45037/2323406890102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

Small World. This trip I decided to take pictures outside instead of inside.
http://inlinethumb35.webshots.com/43426/2875559550102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb61.webshots.com/41788/2705069820102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb17.webshots.com/28560/2362903810102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb12.webshots.com/43275/2422282540102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/44091/2934355910102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/44424/2084761150102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb48.webshots.com/43631/2751368630102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb15.webshots.com/44366/2030324410102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb55.webshots.com/44406/2823270670102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb39.webshots.com/40742/2307305830102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb61.webshots.com/44220/2256760000102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb18.webshots.com/43665/2655163990102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb06.webshots.com/32389/2261177850102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

Pinocchio
http://inlinethumb32.webshots.com/44319/2462201960102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb37.webshots.com/31588/2364781880102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb34.webshots.com/43809/2803149510102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

[mariezp]

Even more......

Random stuff
http://inlinethumb44.webshots.com/44715/2147783220102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb15.webshots.com/44238/2182808360102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb49.webshots.com/43312/2925966390102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb56.webshots.com/43127/2791515480102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb03.webshots.com/23170/2870057310102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/44550/2110200350102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb12.webshots.com/18827/2877739120102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb40.webshots.com/43047/2497220180102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/44345/2490909340102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb55.webshots.com/16054/2955637180102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/43451/2212024880102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb21.webshots.com/20052/2774861560102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/7144/2207591670102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb43.webshots.com/44330/2849228460102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb23.webshots.com/43286/2477240210102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb26.webshots.com/41497/2061943930102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb49.webshots.com/16432/2166712820102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb51.webshots.com/42866/2370881790102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb08.webshots.com/40967/2687756480102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb01.webshots.com/42368/2765133080102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb36.webshots.com/43363/2691409320102182720S600x600Q85.jpg


http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/18208/2896874810102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb23.webshots.com/28502/2633884090102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb31.webshots.com/41374/2026638120102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

[mariezp]

still more.....

Discover Magic Tour
http://inlinethumb23.webshots.com/43158/2315074820102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb36.webshots.com/43299/2709130680102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb45.webshots.com/9324/2529774490102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb20.webshots.com/44051/2353799700102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb15.webshots.com/41230/2747954420102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb17.webshots.com/44368/2977072750102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

A few more random
http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/44648/2471664140102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb11.webshots.com/41930/2131707410102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb54.webshots.com/43573/2212549570102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb40.webshots.com/40999/2823894100102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb61.webshots.com/44348/2819257490102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

A couple flower.... and bug shots
http://inlinethumb26.webshots.com/43481/2843166990102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/44000/2479051200102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

One from the World of Disney
http://inlinethumb39.webshots.com/41446/2335929960102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

[mariezp]

And the last batch from 2007.

Animation Building
http://inlinethumb19.webshots.com/44306/2230694930102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb57.webshots.com/21304/2904816560102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/41448/2487213700102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb31.webshots.com/42910/2700454860102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb53.webshots.com/41588/2472365710102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb17.webshots.com/42768/2547955110102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb53.webshots.com/37556/2137308270102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/27193/2690976620102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

Bugs Land
http://inlinethumb13.webshots.com/44492/2742318910102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb53.webshots.com/29108/2082336680102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb44.webshots.com/43883/2358714540102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb61.webshots.com/43324/2193033510102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb11.webshots.com/41546/2818488030102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/30470/2168486120102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb31.webshots.com/45086/2941725800102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb31.webshots.com/44318/2228355050102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

Block Party Bash
http://inlinethumb35.webshots.com/28642/2725005080102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb17.webshots.com/45136/2043975320102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb15.webshots.com/20686/2904800590102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb54.webshots.com/42677/2246791540102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb15.webshots.com/44046/2306782160102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb57.webshots.com/42296/2171990700102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

[pmama]

Hello, I'm joining in on this fun TR a little late. I've read the first couple pages and can't wait to set aside time to read more.:thumbsup2 I do have a question. I saw the pictures of the musical chairs game at Plaza Inn. You said they usually play it at 2:30. Is it only at 2:30 or do they do it at other times? Is it usually the same characters or does it change. That looks like a lot of fun! My mother especially would love it if Alice was there as that is her favorite character.

[mariezp]

:yay: pmama :yay: I am so glad you decided to drop by! I LOVE to share our trip with anybody willing to listen... or in this case read.

Musical chairs is great! My DD loved it and I had so much fun watching too. Yep, as far as I know it's always been at 2:30. I know it makes it hard to catch if you take a mid day break. We did that faithfully for years when my DD had to have a nap. This year we had such a crazy schedule traveling with others that we took our breaks some days and some days we got to the park so late we didn't get a break. That's why this is the first year we have ever gotten to play musical chairs.

As far as I know Alice and Mad Hatter are always there. Of our multiple days to join in, Peter was there one day too. I think on occasion I have heard of other characters dropping in but Alice and Hatter are the regulars running the show.... and the piano player, of course. So grab mom and enjoy the fun!

OOOH! How fun! Your DD gets to have her birthday in Disneyland! Is she excited? I hope ya'll have a blast!

[DizNee Luver]

Well it took me a few days to get thru the entire TR, but it was well worth it. With the descriptions & pics, I felt as if I were there. Loved all of it!!! It was a long trip.....we've never done more than 5 days, but are doing 6 1/2 this time (9 days :cool1: ).
Definately some stuff we're going to check out that we've missed before, but your pics intriqued us & are going to look into them. (animation building we've gone into & looked around a bit, but didn't realize there was way more in there to do!)
Hopefully I can get some great pics on our trip to share with everyone.

NICE JOB!! :worship:

[mariezp]

Yep, my report was certainly not a quick sit down read! Glad you found the time to read along with me even if it had to span more than one day. And, thank you for the wonderful compliments! It was my pleasure to share our experiences.

I hope you enjoy your extra time at the park. It is so wonderful to be able to relax and not have to tour the park at hyper speed.

I headed over and took a look at your pre-trip report and can't wait to see your photos and read your trip report when you get back.

[Sherry E]

Happy birthday, Marie!!!!:cheer2::banana::cool1::dance3::yay:
:woohoo::flower3:pixiedust::cake::jumping1::ccat:
:dumbo::sulley::donald::hmghost::mickeyjum:goofy:
:stitch::simba::maleficen:bday:party:
:dancer:(<< isn't this dancing guy creepy and strange?):rockband:

I wanted to wish you a very happy birthday - you are one of the nicest, sweetest people on the DIS (with a great sense of humor), and you deserve a wonderful day!

I also wanted to bump this fantastic TR of yours to give new readers a chance to discover it and old readers a chance to revisit it! In fact, you know I was following along from the beginning, but I had forgotten about the pictures you posted on this last page! These are great (love the ones in the Animation Building). I love all the shots of the topiaries, because it reminds me that there are more of them around FL to be discovered aside from just the obvious ones on the IASW ride. I think I wil try to make it a mission to get as many Topiary pictures as possible next time I go - for some reason I keep overlooking them!

Make sure you bump this TR thread and let everyone know when the WDW Trip Report has begun (have you started a Pre-TR on the WDW section of the board?), as I am sure many of your loyal followers and fans of the wonderful DLR TR you did will also want to join in for the retelling of the journey to WDW too! (I want to see all the great pictures you will be taking with the Canon SD880 - which will probably be much better than my attempts with the same device!)

[mariezp]

Thank you for my happy birthday wishes, Sherry. You are so sweet and full of praise and compliments! You have even resurrected my trip report! I am glad you went back and enjoyed some of the pics you did not catch the first time. I hope some others out there find something they enjoy as well.

I have to return the favor and let you know that you have also been one of my favorites to follow along with on your trip report. Honestly, you have been one of my remaining lifelines to the DL side of the board while I am planning our first trip to WDW. There is just so much to read and absorb that I don't have enough time to keep up with both so I have been mainly on the WDW side of things. There will be a lot of new things to catch up on when I finally get back to planning the next DL trip! I haven't even thought of starting a pre-trip report although it just might be fun. Not exactly sure where the time for that would come from but surely I have progressed enough to let up a little on the research and start sharing some of my planning. I'll have to see if I can do anything about that.

Can't start this weekend because we are heading to Corpus Christi as a sort of quick birthday trip. Good news about that is that my new camera arrived in time for me to take it and try it out. We will have an 8 hour drive so I should have some time on my hands to peruse the manual but I still cannot guarantee that my pictures will come out any better than yours will. Give me a manual and I might as well be reading Chinese! And even if some of it makes sense and sinks into my brain I will be apt to forget what I have read next time I decide to use the camera again. (you see my new avatar... she and I are so much alike!) I did take a few quick shots of my DD and thought the results were pretty impressive. Nice, clear sharp shots. What do you think?
http://inlinethumb48.webshots.com/18095/2892758150102182720S600x600Q85.jpg

[Sherry E]

The picture is very clear! (She is going to have so much fun at WDW, isn't she? I think Animal Kingdom and Epcot will be big hits with your family, because they are the parks which are most UNLIKE anything at DLR!)

I don't have the patience or time to sit and read the 3 manuals that came with my SD880. I suppose I will take the one manual wiht me next time I am at DLR, so I will have it for reference if I need it. I KNOW I could get better pictures by getting accustomed to the settings and practicing with them, but I just cannot sit and read all that and expect to remember it!! I wanted to know how to zoom in and zoom out, how to view photos in the camera, how to load them to the computer, how to delete them from the memory card if need be, and how to use the self-timer. And frankly, after using the self-timer, I don't remember how to use it now without reading the manual again!!

Have fun in Corpus Christi!! And have a wonderful birthday!:goodvibes

P.S. Thank you for the nice comments about me and for following along on my (much less exciting) DLR adventures - or should I say, after the birthday debacle, NON-DLR adventures!!! I will continue to post as my Halloweentime and/or Christmastime plans unfold!

[Yakety76]

Wow!! Great pictures and report. Thanks for sharing. It looks like you all had a fabulous time.

[mariezp]

Hey Sherry! I am a little slow at getting back to respond but you know.... better late than never. Birthday trip went by fast and we had a great time. I did get to try out the new camera some. I imagine if I read the manuals too more I would get some even better shots. The outdoors shots were excellent. Indoors I am apparently going to have to learn what settings work best. The majority of my picture taking took place while we were driving since that is how the majority of the weekend was spent so the camera was not really used in the best of situations. Oh well, when December comes I will put it to every imaginable test possible! Then we will know for sure how great a camera it really is.
I recently read a trip report where someone lost their brand new camera so I think I will be taking my old one... just in case. I would hate to lose every picture I took and then not have any camera for the remainder of the trip. That would really stink!
I am really ready for our big trip to get here! Of course, who isn't right? (have you made any planning progress?) I've been thinking I really should get to work on a pre-trip report but if I don't get started soon it will be time for us to leave. Time is starting to go by pretty fast. So now, I just have to come up with a way to find the time. I think maybe I have enough info gathered that maybe I can start relaxing a little. If I can maybe stop reading the plethora of trip reports alone I could probably manage to get to work on my own. Something to think about....

P.S. You are certainly welcome! Can't wait to see some more posting on your thread too! I will get back to your PM soon. Just gotta have more than a few minutes to sit down and write a decent reply.


Yakety76, thank you for dropping by! I am so ashamed for not getting back to thank you sooner. We did have a great time and it was a pleasure to share it with everyone. Looks like we are skipping out on Disneyland this year but I have high hopes we will make it back in 2010 so we can see what we have missed.
Ooooh, I glanced at your reports. You have a beautiful family! So have you got another trip on the horizon? I saw where you mentioned going to WDW someday. We will be heading there in December for our first trip. I am hoping it is just as magical as Disneyland.

[mariezp]

Just in case anyone is interested I started my pre-trip report! Feel free to drop by and say hi or offer any great advice you have for someone taking their first trip to WDW. We will be there December 2-16, 2009. :cheer2:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2254103

[Sherry E]

I subscribed to the WDW Pre-TR! I need to follow along with the adventures because I hope to one day make my own 'first trip' to WDW too, and I need to hear how it all goes from another newbie's perspective!! I am so excited for you all that you are going there during the holiday season! Since that is my absolute favorite time at DLR, I know it would be my favorite at WDW as well. I am so excited for you that you get to see Epcot and Animal Kingdom (those are the ones I would make a beeline to if I were there)!:cool1:

I just can't believe your WDW trip is only about 3-1/2 months away! Wow! Time will fly by in the blink of an eye! Look at how fast the last 3 months have flown by. With any luck, HOPEFULLY I will have made a couple more small trips (maybe not the weekend extravaganzas I am used to) to DLR by the time you get to WDW, or perhaps my DLR Christmas trip will be overlapping your WDW trip, so we will both have news to report when we get back.:banana:

[mariezp]

I hope you are able to get in a quick trip before December and I wish I was there to go with you!

Overlapping trips in December would be great! Only problem there is that you will probably be through with yours way before I am and it will slow me up reading yours when I should be posting. :rotfl:

[Sherry E]

Hey Sherry! I am a little slow at getting back to respond but you know.... better late than never. Birthday trip went by fast and we had a great time. I did get to try out the new camera some. I imagine if I read the manuals too more I would get some even better shots. The outdoors shots were excellent. Indoors I am apparently going to have to learn what settings work best. The majority of my picture taking took place while we were driving since that is how the majority of the weekend was spent so the camera was not really used in the best of situations. Oh well, when December comes I will put it to every imaginable test possible! Then we will know for sure how great a camera it really is.
I recently read a trip report where someone lost their brand new camera so I think I will be taking my old one... just in case. I would hate to lose every picture I took and then not have any camera for the remainder of the trip. That would really stink!
I am really ready for our big trip to get here! Of course, who isn't right? (have you made any planning progress?) I've been thinking I really should get to work on a pre-trip report but if I don't get started soon it will be time for us to leave. Time is starting to go by pretty fast. So now, I just have to come up with a way to find the time. I think maybe I have enough info gathered that maybe I can start relaxing a little. If I can maybe stop reading the plethora of trip reports alone I could probably manage to get to work on my own. Something to think about....

P.S. You are certainly welcome! Can't wait to see some more posting on your thread too! I will get back to your PM soon. Just gotta have more than a few minutes to sit down and write a decent reply.

I thought of you yesterday, Marie, because I was fiddling with that darn Canon. See, my friend who lives in New York sent me 3 Disney-New York City pins from the World of Disney store in NYC. I was trying to take pictures of them to show a couple of other people, and I have to say, I cannot get used to this camera yet. I used my old 35 mm Canon for ages and ages, and the only digital I had was a sort of really cheap point and shoot model that came out years and years ago (I don't even remember the brand). This Canon that you and I both have (and also Merrrydeath has) was not the most expensive point and shoot available, but it is not the cheapest either. So I thought it would be a step up from the Canon 35 mm I had gotten so used to using. I think I just cannot get the hang of this camera. I was taking pictures of the pins, and because it was indoors, the flash was going off. So there was a glare from the flash showing on one of the pins. I decided to try to take a picture without a flash. I thought I could figure out how to turn off the flash without consulting the manual but I was wrong. So I got out the manual and read the instructions on how to turn off the flash, and I thought I was doing the right thing but it just didn't seem to be working. Also, no matter how still I held my hands, some of the pictures would come out looking vaguely blurry. Plus, you are supposed to just have to press the shutter once half-way down to focus and then once all the way down to snap the photo, but for some reason I keep needing to press the shutter down more than twice, and that gets to be a pain after a while.

So I don't know. I suppose there are settings I could tinker with on there that could, perhaps, make things less blurry or whatever. But I am still baffled as to why it is not simple to turn off the flash. I even looked under Flash Settings, and there are two options. I selected Off for both of those, but it still did not seem to turn the flash off! I have to at least be able to turn the flash off! Some folks turn the flash off and use the night setting to be able to take on-ride pictures, but it seems light years away for me to figure out how to do that!!:lmao:

I can imagine that my indoor and nightime DLR pictures will be all askew (whenever I get there again) unless I can figure out what I am doing wrong. The thing is, with point and shoots, they are supposed to be easy. You are supposed to be able to just point and shoot - like the 35 mm I had, which was super easy. Once they start getting too complicated, they may as well be the DSLR models!!!

[mariezp]

I hope when you thought of me I did not pop in right between a few unpleasant expletives! I gotta say that me discussing camera's with you is pretty much like the blind leading the blind!
I certainly feel for you. I know the camera frustration cause I have been there and done that too. I guess the only thing that has helped me out is that it operates fairly similar to the last one I had. I do know that I was having trouble navigating with the new Canon on something, that I cannot even remember now, and had trouble finding how to do it. I don't think I ever did. As for the shutter... I don't think I ever just hold the button half way down. I just hold it down forever until I hear the thing click! I noticed there is a setting in there somewhere you can pick if you are wanting continuous shooting. Maybe that's what you need? I have learned that if you turn the flash off that if you change modes or a setting you will have to go back and turn the flash back off every time you make a new change. (found that out on a few dark rides last year... OOPS!) Any chance that is why yours kept flashing? You will get it! It will just take a little more practice. Nothing like an upcoming trip to motivate your determination as the day gets nearer!

I do agree that maybe some of my images in our trip were not as WOW as I had hoped for but I attribute most of that to the operator and the fact that I was snapping a lot from the back seat while we were driving. I am going to take so many pictures in WDW that some of them are bound to come out okay! And taking the old Panasonic as a backup too just in case I give up trying to figure things out myself. Lord help us both!

[jnjusoioa]

Hi There, I just went through your report, I must say, I am really bad at reading them but love the photos and really enjoyed yours, you have some great shots. I have a really weird question and forgive me if you answered this and I just totally missed it. In your photos with those characters in the background and stuff, how do you do that?? Is that like a special effect?? I am just really curious because it is really neat. Thank you ahead of time.:goodvibes

[mariezp]

jnjusoioa, I am so glad you enjoyed the photos! There were enough of those to keep anyone from wanting to finish reading, weren't there? No short quick read here! :laughing: I have to confess that my favorite part of trip reports is the picture part too so no offense taken... just glad you stopped by.

Certainly not a weird question and I don't mind in the least sharing any info I might have. The pictures with the characters imposed on them came from a software that came with a little Disney Camera that I had gotten for my DD to take on the trip. There is also a setting on the camera that allows you to put characters directly on the photo as you take it. The camera is called a Disney Pix Max. It only takes 3.0 mega pixels photos so they are not nearly as good as my "grown up" camera but she was happy just to have her own camera. It actually ended up being a life saver when I loaned my camera out to DS's friend. That's when we ended up doing musical chairs for the first time so I would have hated to miss that photo opportunity. Anyway, the software I think was even more fun than the camera...well, at least for me. It allows you to make frames and add quite an assortment of characters. At the time I got the camera they were retail about $79.00 but I found mine on ebay for less although I do not remember how much less, seems like around $40.

[jnjusoioa]

jnjusoioa, I am so glad you enjoyed the photos! There were enough of those to keep anyone from wanting to finish reading, weren't there? No short quick read here! :laughing: I have to confess that my favorite part of trip reports is the picture part too so no offense taken... just glad you stopped by.

Certainly not a weird question and I don't mind in the least sharing any info I might have. The pictures with the characters imposed on them came from a software that came with a little Disney Camera that I had gotten for my DD to take on the trip. There is also a setting on the camera that allows you to put characters directly on the photo as you take it. The camera is called a Disney Pix Max. It only takes 3.0 mega pixels photos so they are not nearly as good as my "grown up" camera but she was happy just to have her own camera. It actually ended up being a life saver when I loaned my camera out to DS's friend. That's when we ended up doing musical chairs for the first time so I would have hated to miss that photo opportunity. Anyway, the software I think was even more fun than the camera...well, at least for me. It allows you to make frames and add quite an assortment of characters. At the time I got the camera they were retail about $79.00 but I found mine on ebay for less although I do not remember how much less, seems like around $40.

Hi There, Thank You So Very Much for getting back to me, I was so curious about that, I went to ebay and see they have several different ones, one with a Pirate theme, one with a Giselle theme, do you know which one you got, I want to be sure and purchase the same one as you, I think those photos are just so cool, that is so neat that you can just put it on a setting and have characters show up, that will be fun!!!!! :goodvibes

[mariezp]

The one we have is silver with stars. I do not see a model number on it anywhere. I am sending you a PM which might just help you find one.

[mariezp]

Howdy, fellow Disneyland lovers! Lordy, how I have missed this side of the board!!!!! Well, I am back and eager to start planning my next trip to Disneyland.... hopefully in the fall of 2010.

I have been MIA over here for a good part of a year now while planning our most recent trip. We just returned last month from our first ever trip to WDW. Let me tell you there is so much information to gather it is almost overwhelming! Anyway, following a suggestion made by Sherry E I am going to post a link here for my trip report. Sherry suggested that it might be of interest to those of you over on this side of the board who are DL lovers but who are considering a trip to the other Disney park. So here's hoping some of you come on over and visit.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2362766

[QueenDoOver]

Hi Marie!
I am off to read. We are working on planning our first family Disney World Trip. I have been by myself 3 times, so I know how darn big that place is. Looking forward to hearing about your trip. Tracey

[mariezp]

Yay! I am so glad that posting a link here was of some interest to someone! Welcome, QueenDoOver! There is a lot more planning involved for WDW... at least there was for me. Hopefully, your previous solo trips will help you get a head start. When are you going and how far in to your planning are you?

I am assuming since you are on the DL board that you have been there as well? How many times? I am looking forward to returning there as soon as possible.

[Sherry E]

Yay! You took my suggestion!:banana: Yes, I think it is very good to have the link to the WDW TR here in this TR - not only to help folks who are planning trips to WDW for the first time but also because lots of folks became familiar with you from your last DLR trip, or many others already knew you from the DLR side of town and may just think that you disappeared. So anyone who followed along on your DLR adventures can see what you have been up to over in WDW!

Hopefully Molly (Bumbershoot) will see this thread and jump aboard your WDW TR too, as she begins the early, early, early planning for WDW. (Plus, she is just a hoot to have in any TR thread because of her keen observations and humor!!)

[mariezp]

Yep, Sherry, I know a good idea when I hear one! It will be nice to see if anyone else trickles over there. I am sure getting a slow start! I may have to go beg Bumbershoot to come on over and lure some of her followers with her! I've read some of her posts and she is a hoot!