Annual December Family DLR Trips (08, 09, 10, 11 IN PROGRESS)-We do it big

[DLR29]

EDIT: 4 trips in a row calls for a table of contents.

-2008 trip: pg. 1-2
-2009 trip: bottom of pg. 2-4
-2010 trip: pg. 5
-2011 trip: Begins middle of pg. 5

Hi everybody welcome to my photo TR. I went to DL on December 23rd, 2008 with 12 other family members. To follow the TR, first we need to establish the cast of characters so you don't get all confused:

-Me
-DD (dad)
-DM (mom)
-DB (brother)
-DG&G (grandma and grandpa from so cal)
-DC12,10,9 (cousins age 12, 10, and 9 from so. cal)
-DA&U (aunt and uncle from oregon)
-DC5, 3 (cousins age 5 and 3 from oregon)

We split up sometimes and it might get confusing, so if you get lost with the people and acronyms, just refer back to this. :goodvibes

Morning
Ok, to start off, this was the first time to DL for DC5 and DC3 and the first time in 10 years for DA&U. We were very excited to all go as a huge family, but I was concerned about how much we would get done. I insisted that everybody be ready to leave by 7AM and I believe we left about 7:05 or something. Not a bad start. We arrived at the parking garage and parked the cars (3 total for the 13 of us) in the Chip & Dale lot. For those not familiar with the structure, this was the bottom level, which meant we only needed to walk a little bit to the trams.

We boarded the tram and headed for the gates. My DA&U were amazed by the huge parking structure because the last time that they were there, they parked in the current location of DCA. So DTD and the long tram ride were all new to them. My DGrandpa and I got in the ticket line (it was only 5 minutes tops) and bought 3 kid tickets, 9 adult tickets, and my SPECIAL blackout day ticket. (yes, i'm special) ;) After doing that we entered the park at about 8:15.

Even though it was a MM day, we went directly to Fantasyland. But before that, I sped ahead and got Space FPs. You do not know how annoying it is to get a ton of FPs until you've actually done it. :rotfl: On the way, I passed the giant Christmas tree. A little blurry, sorry
http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/41275/2706233890101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

I saw Guy Fieri from the Food Network and he was shooting some segment for a new Christmas series apparently (you can kinda see the camera equipment in the pic). Pretty cool, but I was not going to waste any time. I knew that it would be crowded so I sped over to the Space FP machines and got 10 I think because the little ones weren't gonna ride. Then I went through the very beautiful winter castle
http://inlinethumb25.webshots.com/41880/2760032870101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

and joined the others in the Peter Pan line (which was pretty long due to MM). We only waited about 25 minutes, which is not that bad. All 13 of us rode and it turned out to be DC5's favorite ride of the day. :yay:
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From left to right: DB, DC10, DC9 (you can barely see him)
http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/11240/2716179220101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Next up was Dumbo. I was expecting a huge line, but we got on in 2 rides (it would have been 1, but we had 10 people riding). My parents and grandpa chose not to ride.
http://inlinethumb18.webshots.com/5585/2827296020101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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I guess I took a lot of pictures of Dumbo :confused:
http://inlinethumb35.webshots.com/7970/2241903010101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

I rode with DC5, who loved the ride, but wanted to stay on the ground the entire time. When the elephant went up at the end, he didn't like it. But DC3 was bouncing up and down in his elephant and loved being up high. :rotfl2:
http://inlinethumb24.webshots.com/8215/2277685940101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Following the flying elephant, DC3 saw the carousel and just HAD to go ride it. We walked right on (same 10 as Dumbo), but when we went to go put DC5 on the ride, he got scared because the horsies were "too high". By the way, he's VERY sensitive to heights. So me and him exited the ride and watched his little brother, parents, cousins, and grandma ride. This is DC3, DU&A.
http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/40891/2088920590101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

DB, DC9 (in the middle i think), and Dgrandma with her head turned
http://inlinethumb30.webshots.com/42205/2125140490101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Ok, so in order to please DC5, who was a little upset that his younger brother GREATLY enjoyed the carousel, we went to Toontown to meet Mickey.
http://inlinethumb31.webshots.com/40734/2671555030101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

DC12, 10, and 9 had never been to Toontown in all of their visits to DL. We joined the line for Mickey's house and saw that they were giving out Dream FPs at the end!!! So DM, DB, and DC12, 10, 9 all sped ahead in hopes of getting the passes, while everybody else followed a little slower. My 3 cousins and brother:
http://inlinethumb49.webshots.com/8048/2121915530101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Me and DC5, who I have to add has the BEST facial expression. He really liked meeting Mickey and seeing his house. :wizard: I just look like a Disney nerd with my lanyard, LGMH and "honorary citizen" button. I also look like I'm molesting Mickey's leg. Hmmmm :laughing:
http://inlinethumb38.webshots.com/32741/2160711010101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Here's a couple shots from Mickey's House, since I had not been in since I was a little kid
http://inlinethumb35.webshots.com/39906/2886595270101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Both of my little cousins loved looking around Mickey's house.
http://inlinethumb27.webshots.com/10714/2522012900101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

So we exit the house and Dream FPs????

[DLR29]

Nope :headache: Apparently we were like 20 people too late. Oh well. Here's a funny pic of DC10, DC9, and DB in Mickey's car
http://inlinethumb08.webshots.com/44807/2120141190101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Next, DC3 was eyeing Gadget's Go Coaster and wanted to ride. 7 people rode (DC3, DA&U, DC12,10,9, DB) while DC5 and I toured the other Toontown houses and the others waited. DC5 was too scared of the roller coaster, but he loved going through Donald's Boat, Goofy's House (well looking in it at least), and Minnie's House. Our grandma joined us for Minnie's House. Some pics from Toontown. Mickey and Minnie's houses. I love the sky and how it fits in with the picture
http://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/23816/2398267640101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Waterfall by Donald's Boat
http://inlinethumb59.webshots.com/41082/2671803910101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Dishwasher in Minnie's House
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DC3 LOVED the roller coaster. After, his parents asked him if he liked "slow" or "fast" rides. "FAST!" was his immediate reaction. :scared1: We all rode Roger Rabbit because it had a very short wait. Most of us enjoyed it, except for the younger ones, who were a bit intimidated. DC12 and DC9:
http://inlinethumb24.webshots.com/41815/2288858220101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

DG&G
http://inlinethumb40.webshots.com/22823/2175207300101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Up next on the list was IASWH. It was exciting riding the ride after suffering through 2 visits with it being closed. All 13 of us filled an entire boat, which was fun. This is one of my favorite pictures. Everybody except for me and DC9 (although DC3 is blocked a little)
http://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/42440/2518875790101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

So then I had to take a picture of me and DC9, however DC12 decided to be a creeper and be in the picture too. :lmao:
http://inlinethumb25.webshots.com/41816/2702752370101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

The little mini-parade went off at 10:00 (or 10:30 i don't remember)
http://inlinethumb40.webshots.com/15207/2997218180101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Topiary
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Santa hat
http://inlinethumb17.webshots.com/25296/2175534310101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Some shots from inside (i took a lot of IASWH pics too)
http://inlinethumb55.webshots.com/15926/2840639500101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb23.webshots.com/41494/2186011900101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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So far, we had been experiencing very short lines, and we hoped that it would continue. The next thing on our agenda, was Buzz, but before that, I sped over to Adventureland and picked up Indy FPs for later. At Buzz, we defeated Zurg and I scored a ton of points because we got stopped for a long time. It was the first time that I got level 5. I was so proud, that I took a picture of my score. :goodvibes
http://inlinethumb08.webshots.com/41735/2456243040101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

It was the first time for DA&U and they both liked it a lot. Continuing on with our day, the 13 of us decided to split up for the first time.

[DLR29]

DM, DD, DB, and DC12, 10, 9 all went to ride Space with the FPs, while the rest of us (DG&G, DA&U, DC5, DC3, and me) rode Autopia, or "the car ride" ;)
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DC5 had a blast (until after the ride when he scraped his hands on the steps, started crying and said that he would never come back to DL ever :lmao: )
http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/42822/2635773290101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

DG&G at the end of the ride
http://inlinethumb47.webshots.com/20462/2723799420101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

After Autopia, DA&U, Dgrandpa, and I rode Space with FPs, while the other 9 started heading to the Stage Door Cafe for lunch. DC3 wasn't too happy that his mom was riding Space and leaving him (FOREVER), but apparently once he saw the "big boat" on the RoA, he shut up. :rotfl: On Space, we got on with about a 10 min wait. DA&U were big fans of FP, which they had never used before. They also really enjoyed the updated Space Mountain.

That was a very long morning already (I had to separate it into 3 posts because of the many pictures) and the Afternoon and Evening sections will be coming soon. :santa:

[bumbershoot]

Sounds like fun so far! I'm loving the 3 and 5 year olds. :)

[Daisybelle]

Another excellent trip report to enjoy! My daughter used to be a nervous nelly at amusement parks when she was younger. She wouldn't even go on a slide at a park because it was so high to her. :scared1: She grew out of it though! She'll go on anything now. She screams loudly, but she enjoys herself! :lovestruc

[Echie]

Awesome! I LOVE all the great photos!

[fairykin]

aaahhhhhhhhhh... i love trips that have multi generations in it... :goodvibes
Thanks for sharing the super great pictures and i'm so glad that you all had a Magical Disney trip!

[DLR29]

Ok, where did I leave off on? Lunchtime.

Afternoon
So after the 4 of us rode Space, we walked over to Frontierland and joined the rest of the crew who had already bought like 8 meals of chicken nuggets at the Stage Door Cafe
http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/41401/2714802860101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

While everyone was finishing up, my mom went and grabbed BTMRR FPs for later. Then we all went to Adventureland to ride the "Jungle ride" aka JC. Earlier in the day DC5 was pleading to ride it, but I created a great story. See, tigers are his favorite animal, so I said in the morning that the tigers aren't out on the jungle ride yet and that we need to wait in order to see them! Great technique. ;) So as soon as the tigers "came out" we went on the jungle ride. Oh the things that a 5 year old believes.
http://inlinethumb39.webshots.com/15398/2391128770101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

A shot from the queue
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DA&U, DC5, DC3
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:eek: The first SIGN of danger!
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The Indian elephant bathing pool
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The 2nd most dangerous animal in the jungle, or maybe this is his mother.
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Ooh look! A sleeping zebra!
http://inlinethumb10.webshots.com/6537/2886623070101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Everybody loved the ride and we had a pretty good skipper who told some jokes that even I had never heard before. We ventured into NOS which was beautifully decorated for Christmas
http://inlinethumb63.webshots.com/40894/2104359320101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Next up was PotC, and we weren't sure how DC5 was going to handle it, especially the drops in the dark.
http://inlinethumb62.webshots.com/13117/2875414440101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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DA&U loved the 05 additions of Captain Jack Sparrow, but DC5 was slightly intimidated by the ride. Everybody else had a grand time though. pirate: In order to please DC5 and give him a more enjoyable experience we kept walking to Critter Country. Being huge Pooh fans (they are always telling me about the movie "Winnie-the-Pooh's Great Adventure"), the younger cousins were very excited for the Pooh ride. On the way though we got HMH FPs for later. The line was 45 minutes long and the FPs were for 50 minutes later. So no brainer, of course we were gonna take the FPs and do something else instead of waiting in a long line. DUH?:confused3

We hopped in Pooh's line
http://inlinethumb32.webshots.com/33887/2501285110101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

We took up 2 bee hives, so here's a pic of the first bee hive with 9 out of our 13 members.
http://inlinethumb22.webshots.com/22357/2491449400101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

It was a cold and blustery day in the Hundred Acre Wood
http://inlinethumb47.webshots.com/42542/2955388290101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

The little ones loved Winnie-the-Pooh and so DC5 got in line to meet Pooh over in Critter Country; however, Pooh was going on his break, but as he was leaving he gave a hug to all of the kids in line, which DC5 was very happy about. :) An afternoon snack was next which consisted of 8 churros for the 13 of us.
http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/40/2484000660101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Yummmmmmmmmm. Then it was time to use our HMH FPs and 9 of us rode. The little ones, my aunt, and my grandma decided not to. But the rest of us breezed by a huge line and boarded the elevator almost immediately.
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[DLR29]

After visiting Jack Skellington, we decided to ride BTMRR with FPs before the 3:30 parade. Since DC3 loved Gadget's earlier and said that he wanted to ride "fast rides", we showed him the ride (the little part on the path to big thunder ranch and Fantasyland) and he automatically said YES! (although he barely made the height requirement) However, his older brother DC5 is terrified of heights and fast speeds, so he and grandma sat this one out. He was a little upset that everyone was leaving him, especially his younger brother. Big Thunder Mountain
http://inlinethumb31.webshots.com/41758/2197752500101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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Me and DC10 got the front row. DC9 and DB got the 2nd, DD and DC12 got the 3rd
http://inlinethumb44.webshots.com/41835/2808136780101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Then behind that, was DA&U with DC3 and then DM with Dgrandpa
http://inlinethumb42.webshots.com/9129/2894062920101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Going down the first drop
http://inlinethumb20.webshots.com/42067/2313857850101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Here's some new theming on the drop with the goat that I quickly got a picture of
http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/38342/2485724960101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

At the end, DC3 LOVED the ride. He's a little thrill seeker :cool1: Then we split three ways. DA&U, DC5, DC3, and DG&G rode the Mark Twain Riverboat. I ran and tried to get Space FPs (they were for late) but instead got BLAB FPs. And everybody else got seats for the parade. They weren't great spots (like third row back by the castle churro cart), but they were decent.

On the next update, Parade pics followed by dinner and the evening at DL! Happy New Year everyone!!!! pixiedust:

[travelmel]

Here's a couple shots from Mickey's House, since I had not been in since I was a little kid


that is too cute.

Subbing for another great TR by the DLR master!

[travelmel]

DC5 had a blast (until after the ride when he scraped his hands on the steps, started crying and said that he would never come back to DL ever :lmao: )


:headache: Poor guy! I was also injured on "the car ride!"

Great technique. ;) So as soon as the tigers "came out" we went on the jungle ride. Oh the things that a 5 year old believes.


Nice work!! That's the work of a pro right there ;)

[DLR29]

Sorry everyone for the delays but I'm going to try and finish this up this upcoming weekend because FINALS are coming... next week :scared1: and I know I won't have any time next week, so I'll try and find 30 min of free time in a few days to wrap up my DL day. :thumbsup2

[DLR29]

Ok, FINALLY the end of my 1 day adventure. So I left off where we were watching the parade. Here are some shots I took: Massive teady bear
http://inlinethumb49.webshots.com/41584/2991994590101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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Santa! :santa:
http://inlinethumb32.webshots.com/44063/2776077610101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

So after the parade we tried to get on the Monorail for a round trip, but it broke down and it had a really long line. So instead, we rode the train from Tomorrowland round-trip. DC5 and DC3 loved the part with the dinosaurs. Returning to Tomorrowland, we rode BLAB with the FPs that I got before the parade.
http://inlinethumb21.webshots.com/43924/2769433460101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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After BLAB, we had a nice din din at Redd Rockett's Pizza Port.
http://inlinethumb23.webshots.com/36310/2254634540101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

I shared a salad and pasta with my mom, while the little ones had pizza. Most of the tables were packed, but we managed to find a few to put together. After dinner, we braved the FNSV line. It was during the 6:00 parade, so we hoped that the line had died down from what looked to be 60-75 min earlier in the day. Fortunately it did. We waited in line for about 45 min, but while in line they were shortening it even more. Here's a shot of the lagoon at night:
http://inlinethumb46.webshots.com/25837/2527300610101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Everybody loved the ride, except DC5 got scared during the volcano eruption and the anglar (sp?) fish. He did say that he liked it afterwards. :cutie: It was also the first time on it for my other cousins and my grandparents who all liked it as well. NEMO!

So now, we all split up. DA&U, DC5, and DC3 went to ride Peter Pan (although it was closed in anticipation for the fireworks, so they rode Dumbo instead). Then they rode the Monorail round-trip and then shopped and left during or right after the fireworks.

The 9 others of us, we all went to Indy and used some of the FPs from earlier in the day, although my grandparents chose not to ride. It was the first time that my brother had opened his eyes during the whole ride (because he didn't want to look like a chicken in front of the younger cousins ;) ) but he liked it. :cool1: And it is my favorite ride, so of course I loved it too!!!

After almost getting eaten by a snake/steamrolled by a boulder, DC10, 9, and 8 along with our grandparents left for the night. So it was just my family and we tried to ride BTMRR, but it was closed, so we opted for a night Matterhorn ride. Seeing Harold and dodging icy caverns is so much better at night. Then we went back to BTMRR where it was open and we just walked pretty much right on for a great night ride. This one too is just spectacular at night.

We still had a few Indy FPs that we didn't use, so we hopped over to Adventureland to ride it again, which (OF COURSE) was a blast. :eek: So all of this time was basically stalling because I just HAD to see Sleeping Beauty's Castle Walkthrough, but it was closed for the fireworks. So the fireworks started and we ducked into a little shop at the end of Main Street where I grabbed a pretzel and cheese. YUMMY! After the fireworks we were one of the first ones inside the castle. Let's just say, it was very well done. I don't want to spoil anything, but I truly enjoyed it a lot! I'll end with a few attempted nighttime pics of the wonderfully decorated castle:
http://inlinethumb57.webshots.com/41528/2304121660101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Blurry, but I think it looks kinda cool:
http://inlinethumb14.webshots.com/36749/2361105540101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

This is my best picture of it:
http://inlinethumb64.webshots.com/43967/2453276470101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

And one final picture of the big tree:
http://inlinethumb22.webshots.com/41813/2470859120101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

So thanks everyone for reading (even though I wasn't that good at updating it quickly). Overall I had such a fun day, especailly seeing my little cousins see DL through "first timer" eyes. It was a blast. I also loved Sleeping Beauty Castle, and everyone should go see it! Ok, this is DLR29, signing off! :wizard:

[BillyFan]

I just found your TR, and it was great! When you were first asking for strategies for your one-day trip, I was worried you wouldn't get much done, since it is such a busy time and you had such a big group. But it sounds like you had a great day!!!!! Of course, I would expect nothing less from a master DLR planner like yourself.:worship:

[Disney owl]

love your photos

[DLR29]

Sounds like fun so far! I'm loving the 3 and 5 year olds. :)

The two little ones loved the trip. They still talk about that day.

Another excellent trip report to enjoy! My daughter used to be a nervous nelly at amusement parks when she was younger. She wouldn't even go on a slide at a park because it was so high to her. :scared1: She grew out of it though! She'll go on anything now. She screams loudly, but she enjoys herself! :lovestruc

Yeah, hopefully DC5 will outgrow this. My brother wouldn't ride Matterhorn until this past October and he's 12, so we'll just have to wait.

Awesome! I LOVE all the great photos!

Thanks Echie! :goodvibes

aaahhhhhhhhhh... i love trips that have multi generations in it... :goodvibes
Thanks for sharing the super great pictures and i'm so glad that you all had a Magical Disney trip!

We all did have a magical trip. And the 3 generations just made the trip much more enjoyable.

:headache: Poor guy! I was also injured on "the car ride!"

I think he totally forgot about it after he saw the "big white boat". Oh the joyous mood swings of little kids. :sad: -> :rotfl2:

I just found your TR, and it was great! When you were first asking for strategies for your one-day trip, I was worried you wouldn't get much done, since it is such a busy time and you had such a big group. But it sounds like you had a great day!!!!! Of course, I would expect nothing less from a master DLR planner like yourself.:worship:

I'm still in shock about how much we were able to do and how everybody had such a great time.

love your photos

That's very nice of you, Disney owl. :thumbsup2 Hopefully some day you can make it over to the land from all the way from the U.K.

[DLR29]

Okay so why am I reviving this TR from the dead??? Time to start planning for another one! However, this one is going to be much more fun.

Last year: 13 people, 14 hours, 1 DL day.

This year: 14 (maybe 18) people, 28 hours, 2 DLR days! (or at least that's what we're planning)

Our basic plans are:
Accommodations: Worldmark Anaheim on Katella. A far walking distance so we'll probably be using ART.

Tickets: 2 day tickets most likely.

Dates: Tentatively 12/22-12/23

Since last year was my DAunt & uncle's first trip in a long time, we really only did DL. But this year we're hoping to introduce them to the wonders of DCA. Should be lots of fun. And of course, I'll have lots of pictures to report back here along with a thorough review of the trip. I'm excited. :yay::yay:

[DLR29]

Another update for our upcoming trip.

The guest list for this trip is the following:
-Me, my brother, my mom, my dad (4, running total)
-My 2 grandparents (6)
-My 3 cousins who live in So Cal (9)
-My Aunt, Uncle, and 2 cousins who live in OR (13)

Then my uncle is a "maybe" (like on evite or facebook, you can check the maybe box).

Also going at the same time as us are:
-My brother's 3 friends and 2 of their fathers, bringing the total to 18, maybe 19. They won't be with us at all times, but we'll probably meet up with them for some rides and meals.

The dates and hotel are set. I'm almost positive that everyone will be going for 2 days. There was some talk over Thanksgiving that my cousins from So. Cal would be only going for 1, but we're working on that.

One thing that our family really wants to do is go eat at Fire and Ice at the Anaheim Gardenwalk. We've eaten at the F&I in Boston and Lake Tahoe and we LOVED it. For those who don't know what it is, it's like your average Mongolian Grill but supersized and with almost any kind of food that you want, not just asian noodles. Scrumptious.

So, here's the tentative plan (we're approaching 2 weeks here):

We're driving down to my grandparent's house on Monday 21st.

Tuesday 12/22:
-Leave grandparent's house AEAP (as early as possible) with all 13 (14?) family members
-Arrive in Anaheim. The two car drivers will drop the other 11 (12?) people off and then go park at Worldmark Anaheim.
-The majority of people will get in line and enter the park. The car drivers will have to sacrifice a ride or two and meet everyone else in the park.
-I'm thinking Toontown in the morning because we won't be getting there by park opening, and also we don't have MM, so Fantasyland will already have lines.
-Then hop over to DCA for a bit
-Check in to Worldmark in the late afternoon, have dinner at CPK? Fire and Ice? Somewhere in Gardenwalk.
-Head back to the park for the evening
-Fantasmic?
-Come back and sleep

Wednesday 12/23:
-Get to the park very early and head to Fantasyland first
-Be flexible.
-See Christmas Fantasy parade?
-Hop and see Pixar Play Parade?
-Go have dinner somewhere?
-Return to see Electric Light Parade? (too many parades maybe. Maybe we'll see one of them on Tuesday)
-Stay in parks until whenever (everyone will be on their own at this point)
-Drive back to grandparent's house very late.

[deejdigsdis]

Hooray! I enjoy your Trip Reports. Have fun!

[PoohBearFriends]

You did an amazing amount of things in one day. Can't wait to see what your group accomplishes in 2. Is DC5 ready to do bigger rides this year?

[DLR29]

Hooray! I enjoy your Trip Reports. Have fun!

Thanks for reading! What a surprise I found to have a couple readers! :)

You did an amazing amount of things in one day. Can't wait to see what your group accomplishes in 2. Is DC5 ready to do bigger rides this year?

I sure hope he is. Maybe we'll at least convince him to ride King Arthur's Carousel this time! :lmao: We're also hoping to drag him....I mean encourage him onto Big Thunder because it's a train. He also, apparently, like IMAX movies, so we're crossing our fingers for Soarin. You never know.

Now DC3 (now DC4) will be going on everything that he is tall enough for (pretty much everything except Indy, Screamin and Maliboomer), which will be exciting. He'll have a blast on Space, Splash, Matterhorn, etc. :banana:

[DLR29]

Right...so JUST when you think you have everything planned perfectly....

My mom got an email from my grandpa saying that my cousins who live in So Cal will only be joining us for 1 day, no more questions/trying to get them to come, end of story. Fantastic!..... (oops, hahaha funny side note, when I went to type "Fantastic" I accidentally typed "Fantasmic" :lmao: )

Anyway, I'm not sure then if my grandparents will stay both days either. This also makes planning a sure heck of a lot harder when 1/2 of the party has 1 day tickets and the other half has 2 day tickets.

This probably means that we won't be park hopping at all (omg I know :eek: ) on the first day, which means we'll try and see as much of DCA as we can on the second.

This means Pixar Play Parade AND Electric Light Parade on the second day. So Christmas Fantasy on the first day and maybe Fantasmic (hehe). Oh goodness gracious. Only 2 more weeks until I'm at the Happiest Place on Earth! :cool1::cool1:

[DLR29]

Ok, some things got a little clearer. Here are our finalized plans:

Monday 12/21:
-Drive from here to Anaheim. We got a room for another night at Worldmark for just our family, so we're driving straight to Worldmark on the first night instead of spending the night at my grandparent's house.
-This extra night will also allow us to buy everyone's ART passes early
-Dinner with my brother's friends perhaps? Fire and Ice?? ;)

Tuesday 12/22:
-Grandparents, cousins, aunt/uncle and cousins will all drive down (about a 45 min drive) and meet us at Worldmark. Everyone will store their stuff in our room and we'll take ART over to the parks.
-All 13 of us will tour the parks all day. We are getting our cousins 1 day park hoppers, which makes planning much easier. Everyone else will be getting 2 day park hoppers. Actually, they came in the mail the other day. :yay: So we'll be park hopping a little. I'm excited because, other than my family, the rest of our party hasn't really set foot in DCA a lot (my aunt/uncle and younger cousins have never been in there), which will be a fun, new experience for them.
-Sometime in the afternoon we will leave to go check-in to the other rooms for my grandparents/aunt uncle younger cousins.
-Eat dinner as a large family at Gardenwalk somewhere
-My grandpa and maybe my mom will drive my older cousins back to their house sometime after dinner.
-Head back to the parks for Electric Parade/Fantasmic maybe
-The 10 of us will head back to Worldmark to sleep (actually the younger cousins, grandma, and my aunt might head out before Fantasmic)

Wednesday 12/23:
-So now it's my family, aunt/uncle and younger cousins, and grandparents
-Get up early for Fantasyland. If some people want to sleep in, great...but I know I'm gonna be up early with my younger cousins riding Peter Pan! :cool1:
-Tour the parks all day. Focus more on the younger cousins like Flik's Fun Fair, Pixar Play Parade, Fantasyland, Cars meet and greet (they are going to LOVE this)
-Leave for grandparent's house sometime at night after fireworks.


I'm sooper excited!!! AND...we're doing our SINGLE DIGIT DANCE today!!!!
:cool1::cool1::dance3: :banana::yay::yay::banana: :dance3::cool1::cool1:

[DLR29]

Yay! School's out for winter break! Now it's only 3 days until DLR!!!!

[DLR29]

LIVE UPDATE:

I'm here at Worldmark! Going to the Gardenwalk for dinner and then the rooftop jacuzzi for the fireworks.

[DLR29]

Phew....

Just got to grandma's house last night after 2 long days at DLR! I slept for a solid 11 hours last night cause I was so tired. I have to wait until we get to our house to upload pics, so wait a little---I have like 300, so it'll be good. AND I figured out how to shoot better nighttime/indoor shots with my camera, so I've got some new cool shots.

The two days 12/22 and 12/23 were actually much more crowded than I thought they would be. Both So. Cal APs were blocked out, but not deluxe, so I thought crowds would be down. Nope. Indy's line got up to 135 min at one point. Space was about 70-80 for most of the time and overflow queues were used at MANY attractions (JC, Indy, IASWH, HMH, PotC, Peter Pan, etc.). But even with such long lines I think the longest line we waited in was 25 min or so for Screamin and TSMM.

Full report when I get back!

[deejdigsdis]

Yoo hoo...ready and waiting...popcorn::

[DLR29]

Yoo hoo...ready and waiting...popcorn::

Thanks for stopping in! I'm heading home in about a half hour. The first part of my report should be up by tonight! :thumbsup2

[DLR29]

Ok, back home and all the pics are uploaded. I'm starting to type the first morning of our trip. I want to start on the 3rd page (for a long introduction/start of the TR it's easier), so I'm gonna start with our first night on this page and start our park adventures on the next one. :thumbsup2

[DLR29]

Alright, so time to start another Photo TR. If you read my TR from last year’s trip then the characters are similar, but ages changed so here’s a new list of characters:

-Me
-DB (brother)
-DM (mom)
-DD (dad)
-DG&G (Grandma and Grandpa)
-DA&U (Aunt and Uncle from OR)
-DC6, 4 (cousins from OR)
-DC13, 11, 10 (cousins from So Cal)
-DB’s friends and friend’s parents (total of 5, 3 of his friends/2 parents)

Ok so let’s start on Monday, December 21st. Me and my family drove from our house to Anaheim and checked into a 2 bedroom condo/timeshare thing at Worldmark Anaheim.
http://inlinethumb39.webshots.com/43558/2203423440101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Here’s a pic from the lobby:
http://inlinethumb19.webshots.com/43474/2100007970101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Really nice place, but it’s a little far from the parks. We used ART (along with the rest of the hotel) but since everybody on our route seemed to come from Worldmark, we asked and they said that a shuttle for just Worldmark would be coming in the future. Good to know.

Here’s the living room area of our 2 bedroom place:
http://inlinethumb13.webshots.com/43084/2431566880101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

And the view of the pool from our room:
http://inlinethumb18.webshots.com/28049/2616746600101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

So it’s just our family the first night. Cousins from Oregon and the cousins from So Cal are both staying at my grandparent’s house for the night and they were gonna meet us at the parks the next day. But, Worldmark Anaheim is located, very conveniently, next to the relatively new Anaheim Gardenwalk.
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My brother’s friends were staying at HoJo and going to the parks on the same dates as us, so we met his 3 friends and 2 of their dads at Fire and Ice at the AGW
http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/45753/2878318310101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

For those of you who don’t know what Fire and Ice is, it’s incredible! It’s kinda like a Mongolian Grill where you put the stuff you want in a bowl and then they cook it on a big grill. But here you can get pastas, burgers, seafood, noodles, basically whatever you want. And it’s all you can eat for like $18. We’ve eaten at the ones in Boston and Lake Tahoe, so we already knew what to expect. It was delicious! Here’s a shot of the grill they use
http://inlinethumb31.webshots.com/7582/2094044390101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

After dinner we walked to the Cold Stone at the Park Vue Inn. :thumbsup2 Mmmmm ice cream. And then we trudged all the way back to Worldmark where the roof level has a designated fireworks viewing area. Way cool! Then we parted ways with my brother’s friends and we headed off to bed.

[DLR29]

Just a quick character list again:
-Me
-DB (brother)
-DM (mom)
-DD (dad)
-DG&G (Grandma and Grandpa)
-DA&U (Aunt and Uncle from OR)
-DC6, 4 (cousins from OR)
-DC13, 11, 10 (cousins from So Cal)
-DB’s friends and friend’s parents (total of 5, 3 of his friends/2 parents)

Morning of Tuesday, December 22, 2009:
Rise and shine! We got up early and got ready for a long day. We got a call from grandparents at around 7:45 saying that they were outside our place. They parked the cars, we got everything together and stood in line for the ART shuttle. We got picked up and, being the last stop on the line, we went directly to the parks. After getting off, walking through security, and entering the park, it was about 8:30-8:45. I grabbed all 13 tickets and got Space FPs. The ride already had an hour long line and FPs were for 11:00ish. :eek: It was then that I realized that it was going to be a VERY crowded 2 days.

I met everyone else at BLAB and we all rode together.
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Hidden Mickey
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I rode with grandpa
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ZURG!
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After that, we all headed to Toontown because it had just opened at 9.
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Me, DA&U, and DC6 and 4 went to go see Mickey in his house, while the other 8 went to ride Roger Rabbit. The line was only a couple families long thankfully. Although we didn’t go into Minnie’s house this year, she was out meeting people.
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Some shots from Mickey’s house.
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Mickey has a busy morning
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Pluto’s bed
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DC6 watching some TV in Mickey’s House :happytv:
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The washroom
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We all met up at Gadget’s Go Coaster. DC4 loved it last year, but DC6 didn’t want to go on anything fast last year. Well…same thing this year (for now ;) ) so all of us kids except DC6 rode the coaster.
http://inlinethumb28.webshots.com/45083/2726880540101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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[DLR29]

Exiting the ride, we decided to hop as it was reaching 10:00AM. The long trek from Toontown to TSMM awaited us. To make it a little easier on the feet, we all hopped on the Omnibus and took it down Main Street. Me and DC11
http://inlinethumb34.webshots.com/26465/2194718840101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Group shot of everyone except me and my parents (who were on the bottom level of the bus)
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Disneyland flag at half mast for Roy
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We made it to DCA eventually—even before rope drop. My grandparents and my DA&U, DC6/4 had not been to DCA ever. My DC13, 11, 10 had been, but not in a while. I ran and got Soarin FPs for everyone and met people by rope by the Sunshine Plaza. I thought it would be quicker to get to TSMM than around GRR, but I was sadly mistaken when some of the construction walls rerouted us around the wharf, and we were way behind the crowd from the other direction. Oh well, we still only waited about 25-30 min for the ride. Nobody except my family had ridden it before, and everybody had a blast. It was an instant favorite for almost everyone in our party.
http://inlinethumb32.webshots.com/44959/2703170410101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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DB and DC13, 11, 10
http://inlinethumb06.webshots.com/46277/2139085210101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

DC6 (the little ones are huge fans of the movie, so they loved the ride naturally)
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DC6 and DU
http://inlinethumb52.webshots.com/45619/2657356200101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Inside the ride. I love this shot. :3dglasses
http://inlinethumb64.webshots.com/4095/2379690330101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

When we exited, the line was already back on the bridge. Good thing we got there early. Up next was Screamin. The 2 younger ones and the grandparents rode King Triton’s twice. The rest of us only waited about 25 min for the ride. We also saw DB’s friends while we were in line. DC11 was freaking himself out. He had already ridden it before, but I guess he didn’t like it. He was almost crying as he strapped into the ride because he was scared of the launch. After the ride? He loved it. Of course… :rolleyes:
http://inlinethumb55.webshots.com/25334/2548176560101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

The line was long and they were only running one side, but it moved very quickly.
http://inlinethumb57.webshots.com/43064/2126276310101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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Ok that’s where I’ll leave off for now. That was a lot of stuff for the first 2 ½ hours of our trip. Next up: An afternoon at the most crowded place on Earth! :crowded:

[deejdigsdis]

Hooray! It's here at last!

Anyway, you got some great never-before-seen (by me) shots. Well done! Hearing about those crowds makes me cringe. We were quite spoiled when we went the week before Thanksgiving.

Glad your DC11 ended up liking Screamin'. It reminded me of my DS9 at the time last month when we were all strapped in, ready to go, and he said, "Mom...I changed my mind. I don't want to ride this one." Yeah, it was a little late to do anything about it. ;) And of course he wanted to get right back on when it was over!

And thanks for including the picture of the flag honoring Roy. What a great picture to have!

[DLR29]

Afternoon of Tuesday, December 22, 2009: (have to split it up into 3 posts)

After Screamin, I ran and got ToT FPs. I met everyone at Soarin where we used the FPs from earlier. We were unsure of how DC6 was going to like it (remember from the last trip, he was the one who wouldn't ride King Arthur's Carousel because it went too high) because of his fear of heights. We told him it was just like watching a movie.
http://inlinethumb35.webshots.com/41954/2837966250101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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Strapping in
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After the ride, he ended up loving it! :banana: My grandpa really liked it too! Another favorite of all of us. :wizard: Since the younger two are HUGE (well mostly DC4, but DC6 too), HUGE Cars fans, they just could not resist meeting Mater and Lightning McQueen right there next to Soarin.
http://inlinethumb50.webshots.com/43441/2090003530101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Hungry, we stopped for lunch at Taste Pilots. We pulled tables and chairs around to fit all 13 of us.
http://inlinethumb63.webshots.com/2430/2570675320101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb37.webshots.com/43876/2679670140101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Now we needed to let our stomachs settle a bit before ToT so off we headed to Turtle Talk and the Animation Building. We got there just as a show was beginning, so we had some time to kill before the next show.
http://inlinethumb18.webshots.com/45777/2811285420101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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We checked out the Toy Story Zoetrope. I still love it however many times I've seen it. It's so cool! Then it was time to talk with Crush. It was crowded but we got really good seats because we were one of the first ones in the theater.
http://inlinethumb48.webshots.com/45679/2816568440101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

During the show, they called on DC11 to say something to Crush. Here's how the conversation went:
Crush: Can you swim [DC11]?
DC11: Yes
Crush: Can you swim fast?
DC11: Yes
Crush: Can you swim really fast?
DC11: Faster than you!

:lmao::lmao: There was a chorus of "ohhhhhhh"'s in the theater. Crush had a hilarious blank stare on his face. Then he proceeded to swim around the entire world in a second to prove DC11 wrong. :rotfl2: A really funny, unforgettable moment. We also played hide-and-seek with Crush later and Crush called out DC11 for peeking. Good times.

[DLR29]

Then DB, our older cousins, DU and I rode ToT with FPs (so we only used 6/13). Everyone had a great time, especially DU who had never ridden it before.
http://inlinethumb34.webshots.com/36449/2608231180101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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The others were exploring the downstairs of the Animation Building. We met up and decided to hop. :yay: Upon entering DL, I ran and got BTMRR FPs for later. Then we all rode Space Mountain with FPs except Grandma and DC6 (they rode Autopia instead). DC4 LOVED the ride so much. It's now his favorite ride at DLR! :woohoo: Of course, everybody else loved the ride too.
Actually, I had never EVER seen the line as long as it was when we rode. I've waited in a 60 min line for Space, but this was at least 90+ min. Yay for FP (we got on in 15)!
http://inlinethumb29.webshots.com/14172/2599610070101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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Since there were 11 of us riding, we took up a whole rocket. But we said whoever sits alone gets the front. That would be DC11.
http://inlinethumb05.webshots.com/20676/2231012550101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

DB and DC10 with DM and others in the background.
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DC6 and Grandma
http://inlinethumb13.webshots.com/42764/2078851220101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Up next was a ride that all of us could do together--Jungle Cruise. This was the ride that DC6 was most excited about because he's all about animals. The line wasn't too bad, but Indy's line next door was taking up the overflow space on top of JC! Yikes. Anyway, we got a good skipper. She told lots of jokes that I've heard before, but at the end she was talking about a cannibal cafe and all of these jokes that were brand new to me! I love the JC!
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Backside of water
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[DLR29]

The next ride on our list was Pirates. The little ones last year didn't like it, so they sat out with their parents, while the rest of us rode. They went up in Tarzan's Treehouse. Anyway, the line was about 20 min. While in line, a parade of colorful people came by along with Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen. It was pretty entertaining. Never got to actually see the Jubillee because it was SO crowded by the Rivers of America, but it looked really well done.
http://inlinethumb18.webshots.com/42705/2665298190101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Pirates
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http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/45608/2371509040101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

As it was approaching late afternoon, we hopped on one last ride before dinner: BTMRR. We tried to convince DC6 to ride, but he still refused. He and Grandma went on the Mark Twain and explored Frontierland. The rest of us had a blast (especially DC4) on the Wildest Ride in the Wilderness!
http://inlinethumb03.webshots.com/44994/2145818450101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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We then were leaving for dinner. I grabbed HMH FPs on the way out. We also had to check into another room for DA&U and DG&G, who were spending the night at Worldmark with us.

Even though it was crowded, during the late morning/afternoon, we used 4 sets of FPs (Soarin-skipped a 40 min wait, ToT-skipped 30+, Space-skipped 90+, BTMRR-skipped 45+), which helps a ton, AND we rode some high capacity rides too (PotC, JC).

Up next: Dinner for 18 and 2 nighttime spectaculars! :thumbsup2

[DLR29]

Evening of Tuesday, December 22, 2009:
ART dropped us off at Worldmark. Since everyone had stored their stuff in our room, we went up to the room, changed, and got ready for dinner/the evening. We also checked into the other room. So DA&U with the younger ones were going to take over the 2bdrm that my family had had the previous night, and our family/DG&G were going to take the "Presidential Suite" (we had no idea what that meant until later). So after transferring all of our stuff to our new room, we realized how amazing this "Presidential Suite" really is. 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, a huge kitchen area and 2 dining rooms, all complete with an amazing view of the parks. :eek: Here are a couple pictures of the place. The entrance.
http://inlinethumb34.webshots.com/2977/2133833950101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

The living room/kitchen/dining room
http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/134/2505382300101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

ONE of the nice bedrooms
http://inlinethumb40.webshots.com/31527/2133406720101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

We were like :eek:! Too bad we only had this suite for 1 night. I think I could actually get lost in that place. It was definitely bigger than our house. So even though we would have loved to have stayed in that room for the rest of the night....wait, who am I kidding, there was still DISNEYLAND! We went downstairs and met everyone for dinner at CPK. And by everyone, I mean all 18 people. For such a large party though, they were very quick to get the pizzas out. Here's one big shot of everybody.
http://inlinethumb24.webshots.com/31191/2835945810101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

We had reservations at 6 and we were on ART again by 7:30. We returned to DCA. Since we had only used 6 ToT FPs earlier, we decided to use the rest now. It was the same people as last time (me, DB, DC13, 11, 10), but instead of DU, DA rode with us. She also had a blast, as did the rest of us.
http://inlinethumb50.webshots.com/32625/2746603480101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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Library
http://inlinethumb34.webshots.com/42401/2694061640101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Meanwhile, the rest of our party was staking out seats for the Electrical Parade. It was supposed to start at 8:45, but tonight was special and it was starting at 9, which they didn't advertise at all. They also extended the park hours until 10 because of crowds. One CM's explanation for the delayed parade time was that there were so many people at DL waiting for the fireworks that if the parade ended right before 9:25, there would be entirely too many people over at DL, causing some fire hazard. But, it was so windy that the fireworks were cancelled that night anyway. Well, we sat right by Sunshine Plaza, front row.
http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/45945/2451843950101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Then the parade began. I hadn't seen it in a few years, so I was excited. The music for this is so great! I have lots of parade shots.
http://inlinethumb27.webshots.com/33562/2813489850101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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http://inlinethumb42.webshots.com/44969/2098411210101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

I really like this picture
http://inlinethumb49.webshots.com/42608/2721315240101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb42.webshots.com/44137/2693085140101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

[DLR29]

After the parade, the little ones were getting tired. They went back to Worldmark for the night along with DA&U and grandma. Grandpa and DD drove DC13, 11, 10 home. So that left me, DB, and DM. We all are basically in love with TSMM, and since the park hours had been extended, we went down to the pier to check out the line. As we were walking down, they were testing some mist screens for WoC. Very cool
http://inlinethumb25.webshots.com/46040/2935767570101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/19270/2279843770101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

The pier at night
http://inlinethumb01.webshots.com/44288/2492004010101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb14.webshots.com/32141/2825765080101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Here was the line at 9:40. :goodvibes
http://inlinethumb35.webshots.com/44130/2497311780101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

We got on in 10 min. 10! It was fantastic! :yay: Then we booked over to DL for the 10:30 Fantasmic! DB's friends had seats on the ground, so he joined them. But DM and I tried the Light Tower Trick. It worked amazingly! But my mom was unsure that it would work. We had great views of the show (one of my all time favorites). And it was the first time seeing the dragon for us. WOW! What a cool dragon! So huge and it's movements are so lifelike. Love it! They even had Princess Tiana in the finale on the Mark Twain.

After Fantasmic, the three of us ended the day with a ride on HMH with FPs.
http://inlinethumb24.webshots.com/21783/2471806730101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Then we left, concluding the first day. Overall, we rode about 15 attractions, saw DEP and Fantasmic, used 6 sets of FP and were in the parks for about 13 hours total.

Up Next: Baby steps for DC6 ;)

[deejdigsdis]

Whoa! Get a load of that Presidential Suite! How fun.

I especially like the Electrical Parade shots. I have good memories of that parade on Main Street from decades gone by. ;)

[DLR29]

Whoa! Get a load of that Presidential Suite! How fun.

I especially like the Electrical Parade shots. I have good memories of that parade on Main Street from decades gone by. ;)

Yes, the Presidential suite was a nice surprise. I hope you're following with all of the characters. Thanks for reading again! :goodvibes I've been trying to post the next morning, but TWICE (ugh) I accidentally clicked wrong buttons and it's erased everything that I've typed (stupid me for not saving it on a word doc). But this time I'm going to get it right.

Morning of Wednesday December 23, 2009:
We woke up in the suite to this view
http://inlinethumb06.webshots.com/8005/2375455540101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb21.webshots.com/42388/2453369550101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

DG&G are early risers, so they were ready to go early. DB and I stuffed down a couple of muffins and were also ready. DM and DD were a little slower, plus they were going to make sure everything was packed and ready to go, so they were going to meet us later. DG&G, DB and I met up with DA&U and DC6, 4 down at the ART stop. It came relatively quickly and we were on our way to the parks. We entered the park at exactly 8:00AM, but there were already a lot of people in the park. I ran and got Indy FPs (since I didn't have DM or DD's tickets, I could only get 8).
http://inlinethumb63.webshots.com/44990/2026569390101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Then I met the rest of the party at Peter Pan. It was a grand total of 7 min after 8 and Peter Pan's line was already almost full! :eek: But fortunately, it they were running really quickly so the wait was only about 20 min. Classic favorite of everybody.
http://inlinethumb35.webshots.com/15906/2790076860101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/39264/2062693630101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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Hook
http://inlinethumb25.webshots.com/45272/2591347320101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Then we headed over to Dumbo on our tour around Fantasyland. Surprisingly, we only had to wait one round before boarding. I guess everyone was over at Peter Pan (although we did see a long line for Dumbo later). If you read my report last year, you'll remember that DC6 loved the ride but would not go any higher than ground level. This year he loved it even more because we went up high! Amazing what a year can do.
http://inlinethumb19.webshots.com/2514/2477422770101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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POV
http://inlinethumb31.webshots.com/43038/2359519350101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

View of Fantasyland from the top of Dumbo
http://inlinethumb21.webshots.com/45908/2103485830101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

[DLR29]

DM and DD had just entered and met us at Nemo. I ran and got Space FPs really quickly (since I had gotten one of the first Indy FPs, I could get another set quickly) at about 8:45. Since DGrandma can't handle the underwater aspect of Nemo, DG&G went and rode Matterhorn while the rest of us (8 of us) rode FNSV. It was only a 20 min wait! Score!:woohoo: Some parts scared DC6, but he liked it overall.
http://inlinethumb34.webshots.com/14625/2821716620101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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DC4 was dying to go on a fast ride now, so we took him on the Matterhorn. Since DG&G had just ridden and DC6 didn't want to ride, they (along with DD) went to go ride Alice. So DM, DB, DC4, DA&U and I rode Matterhorn. They were running both lines along both sides of the mountain. The TL side had a wait time that was easily twice as long as the FL side, so DUH! :confused3 we rode the FL side.
http://inlinethumb21.webshots.com/12436/2439628660101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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You can't see DA but she's with DU (TN hat) in the front, then DM and DB and DC4 is riding with me.
http://inlinethumb46.webshots.com/20077/2113045970101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Splashdown
http://inlinethumb16.webshots.com/23439/2760146360101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

[DLR29]

Now we all wanted to ride something together, all 10 of us, so we chose Casey Jr. They were only running 1 train, and they were very slow in the loading process. Even so, we only waited about 20 min.
http://inlinethumb63.webshots.com/8638/2963886170101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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DM, DC6, DB and DD in the "wild animals" cage. ;)
http://inlinethumb44.webshots.com/45547/2976501040101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Some Storybookland shots
http://inlinethumb25.webshots.com/43096/2570313210101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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Our final ride for Fantasyland in the morning was IASWH. The line was pretty long (they were about to use the overflow), but went by really quickly. I'm a little bummed we didn't get to see the exterior up close at night. Oh well.
http://inlinethumb02.webshots.com/257/2105178800101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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DM and DD in the back. DB, DC6 and DGrandma in front of them
http://inlinethumb61.webshots.com/9084/2433856590101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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http://inlinethumb26.webshots.com/28249/2499319720101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

A shot of the line. It was longer than pictured.
http://inlinethumb52.webshots.com/22451/2757423440101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

[DLR29]

DG&G were tired and decided that they had had enough. We also had to check out of the rooms before 12. DG&G, DM, DD, and DU went back to Worldmark to move all the stuff into the cars (but we left the cars there for the day), and DG&G left for their house. Meanwhile, DA, DB, DC6, DC4 and I decided to hop to DCA.

Since I knew DC4 would love to ride another roller coaster, I volunteered to go run to Mulholland Madness and get FPs for later. I got 3: for DA, DC4 and DB because I know DC6 wouldn't want to ride. After running to the Pier, I met them at A Bug's Land
http://inlinethumb51.webshots.com/41458/2172204140101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

We went through Flik's Fun Fair, counter-clockwise, and rode each of the rides. DC6 and DC4 have seen the movie so they recognized the characters. It's been a solid 5 years since I've ridden any of those rides, so it was fun to check out that section of the park.
http://inlinethumb46.webshots.com/45165/2572579170101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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First stop: Heimlich's Chew Chew Train. We waited 0 min. A literal walk on. DC6 and DC4 were cracking up at Heimlich burping and eating.
http://inlinethumb39.webshots.com/45606/2801123230101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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Next ride: Tuck and Roll's Drive 'em Buggies. I remember riding these back when I was younger and even back then I thought they were lame. But DC6 and DC4 had never ridden bumper cars, so it was a good starter for them. DC6 loved "getting" (bumping) his mom and brother.
http://inlinethumb62.webshots.com/32765/2397520820101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

DC6 and me
http://inlinethumb05.webshots.com/45380/2389458970101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

DB.
http://inlinethumb14.webshots.com/2445/2640429730101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

3rd ride: Francis' Ladybug Boogie. I had never ridden this before. It was actually kinda fun. DC4 was giggling through the whole thing.
http://inlinethumb03.webshots.com/8322/2390992510101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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Last stop in FFF: Flik's Flyers. At the local "amusement park" by DA&U, they have a balloon ride, so DC6 and DC4 were excited about this one. Of course, they loved it.
http://inlinethumb03.webshots.com/43138/2293291470101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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Shot of one of the highly themed lamps
http://inlinethumb01.webshots.com/44608/2878096970101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Now one last shot from FFF. It's one of my favorites, so I made it a little bigger.
http://i764.photobucket.com/albums/xx288/stephenalim/284.jpg

Phew...lots of pictures.

Next up: A roller coaster for DC6?? Naaaah.....well... :rolleyes:

[onelilspark]

I love all the pictures in your report :)

[PoohBearFriends]

Great Trip report. You guys got on a lot of rides for having such a large group to coordinate. Especially with all the different age groups. You are inspiring me for our multi-age trip coming soon.

[DLR29]

I love all the pictures in your report :)

Thanks. I really like taking pictures. And I finally figured out how to get nighttime shots on my camera. It's not the best camera, but I do pretty good with what I have.

Great Trip report. You guys got on a lot of rides for having such a large group to coordinate. Especially with all the different age groups. You are inspiring me for our multi-age trip coming soon.

I think the key idea for multi-generation trips is to do a mix of different rides/attractions for each "generation". I wish you luck in your upcoming trip! I'll be looking for a TR! ;)

[DLR29]

Afternoon of Wednesday, December 23, 2009:

First of all a little side note. I love being a high school senior. Today in english class we did nothing so I wrote the rest of the report up. :rotfl2: All I need to do is add the pictures.

After riding all of the FFF rides, we strolled down construction wall lane. DA, DC4, and DB rode MM with the FP from earlier, while DC6 and I rode Jumpin Jellyfish with a 10 min wait.
http://inlinethumb64.webshots.com/36351/2555138000101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb40.webshots.com/45607/2066387690101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

While waiting in line for JJ, DC6 turns to me and says, "That roller coaster over there doesn't look too scary" (pointing to MM). :love: I was in shock! I asked him if he wanted to try it and he agreed! (but later) Just before we boarded JJ, the other 3 were done with the ride already, so I threw the tickets to DB and told him to grab some MM FPs for later. We rode JJ (major accomplisment for the kid who didn't like heights a year before) and he loved it. Plus we were facing the side of MM so he got to see that running too. Here's a shot from up there.
http://inlinethumb13.webshots.com/17548/2806109730101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

DD, DM and DU had gotten back into the park by now and we met them down at the wharf for lunch. I had never eaten down there before, and the new Chinese place sounded good. DB and DA went up to the Bountiful Valley Farm to get chicken for the younger ones, while the rest of us got food from the Lucky Fortune Cookery.
http://inlinethumb28.webshots.com/8667/2964555710101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

It's a little on the pricey side, but it's a decent amount of food and the quality is not too bad. Much better than the "Chinese food" we got 2 years ago at WDW :crazy2:. After lunch we walked back to MM.
http://inlinethumb31.webshots.com/45726/2779562180101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb59.webshots.com/21882/2009611350101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

We used our FPs and boarded in exactly 3 min (we had one of those red cards to keep track of wait times). DC6 sat next to his dad, so I sat next to DC4. Up at the top, both DCs were giggling around the sharp turns, having a blast! When we got to the first steep drop, though, I looked back at DC6 who had an expression of shock on his face. DC4 of course was loving every second of it. I was concerned that DC6 was freaked out. As we got to the final brakes and station he said that he liked it and wanted to go again! :woohoo: What a huge step even from the previous day when he refused to ride Gadget. We were all thrilled to hear him say that he enjoyed the ride, and now we were devising ways of getting him on BTMRR later.

But before leaving DCA, we had to ride Monster's. We had passed by the prvious day but we told the younger ones "tomorrow" because the line was much too long and the older cousins weren't as interested. Monster's was fun as usual. The little ones loved recognizing Randall and Mike Wazowski.
http://inlinethumb55.webshots.com/43574/2212173330101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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Festive Roz
http://inlinethumb17.webshots.com/36240/2385201470101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

We left DCA and hopped to DL. All of the fab 5, with their Christmas attire, were out by the flagpole. We had to stop and get a picture with Donald Duck. Adorable!
http://inlinethumb12.webshots.com/17163/2941250730101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

We also stopped in the Emporium to take advantage of the special sale with a receipt from a counter service place, ending at 3PM. Inside the Emporium:
http://inlinethumb44.webshots.com/41323/2826519530101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb32.webshots.com/42719/2858982360101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

[DLR29]

Now for the real test for DC6. We had 8 FP for BTMRR so off we went to Frontierland.
http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/1120/2512333290101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

BTMRR
http://inlinethumb39.webshots.com/11110/2758198480101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

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http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/46011/2376343810101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb49.webshots.com/45168/2367177280101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

With FP we skipped a 45min line. I've never seen the line for BTMRR so long. We get on the ride and by the 2nd chain lift DC6 was having a ball! The only thing that he didn't like was the couple parts of loud noises (1st and 3rd chains) because he's very very sensitive to loud noises. But at the end of the ride, he got off and the first thing that he said (rather enthusiastically) was, "That was fun! Can we go on it again?" :yay: Since BTMRR FPs usually have a short time before they're valid, I grabbed another set immediately after exiting.

We had to go ride Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh for the younger ones, so we strolled over to Critter Country. Only waited about 10 min for the ride. On a side note: While we were over there, we noticed that the Splash line was posted as 60 min, and it looked like an accurate approximation. However, the FP return window was only for 45 min later! There was no reason to stand in that line. Unfortunately, other members in our party thought that it was too cold to ride. Oh well. Anyway, back to Pooh...While in line we were still elated about how DC6 tried, and enjoyed, BTMRR. Now the plan was to get him on Space. ;) How about some pics of Pooh?
http://inlinethumb64.webshots.com/575/2554715830101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb15.webshots.com/15246/2733974440101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb62.webshots.com/45821/2952642290101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb50.webshots.com/37425/2608146800101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Then we FINALLY got around to using those Indy FPs from earlier that morning. We had 8 to use, but DC4 was too short and they would have been scared out of their minds. They went to go sit down for a little bit and eat Mickey Mouse ice cream bars. :mickeybar So it was me, DB, DM and DD who rode Indy first, skipping a VERY long line outside (90+, using the upstairs JC overflow queue :eek: ). Unfortunately, right before we got to the projector room in line, all of the lights went on (instead of flickering), so I knew instantly that the ride had broken down. We also couldn't call DA&U because we were underground (not so good cell phone coverage down in the temple ;) ). Fortunately, it was only a small mechanical error that was fixed in about 15-20 min. Unfortunately, that meant one side of the loading station was closed. But we still only waited about 35 min in total with FP, including the ride breakdown; longest wait of the trip. We had a really great ride through the temple. It is my favorite ride after all.
http://inlinethumb62.webshots.com/21821/2083001810101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb29.webshots.com/45788/2545512980101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb44.webshots.com/45099/2054301760101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Upon exiting, we could see that the line inside had REALLY backed up because of the breakdown. So we knew that using the other 4 Indy FPs immediately would not be the best move. We finally met up with DA&U in the chaos of Adventureland. They understood that we were trapped in line because of the breakdown. Already our 2nd set of BTMRR FPs were good so we breezed by the line yet again to have another fun ride without waiting a lot.
http://inlinethumb08.webshots.com/45191/2462913900101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb29.webshots.com/44508/2963481980101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb25.webshots.com/45464/2009293350101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

OH NO! We're going into a tunnel!
http://inlinethumb45.webshots.com/12076/2293471690101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Thinking that DA&U would want to ride HMH, I grabbed FPs for that too, making the total # of FP sets for the day, 7. I ran to rejoin everybody as they were walking towards Space. DC6 said he was going to ride!


However... as we approached the ride, it was closed. :headache:

We'll leave it there for now. I'm not even heeding the advice of my tag. Yup, I'm leaving everybody on a cliffhanger. :rotfl2:

Next up: The final evening at DLR and a new favorite ride is ridden for someone.

[deejdigsdis]

Yay for DC6! That gives me hope for my little guy that just turned 7. He did ride Indy (with his head down...said he was tired and needed to rest - ;)) and BTMRR, but he wouldn't go on the Matterhorn and I didn't even suggest Space Mountain to him.

So weird about the Splash Standby/FP Return line. I don't get standing in line in that situation. When we went in Nov. the Standby was 20 min. and the FP Return was 25 min. And I thought that was weird. We got our FPs, rode Pooh, ate Tigger Tails, and then rode Splash. Strange.

[hurleysweety]

Great report so far! Seems like you really have your FP collecting down! I'm impressed! Love the Indy dark shots too, very real.

Side note...I haven't been with a big group for awhile, but my favorite part was always the response to the infamous question by the CM, "How many in your party?" One trip in 2004, my shocking answer was "17" for a ride on splash, space, indy, and BTMRR. Yes, I wish I had my camera. It was priceless. :lmao:

[DLR29]

Yay for DC6! That gives me hope for my little guy that just turned 7. He did ride Indy (with his head down...said he was tired and needed to rest - ;)) and BTMRR, but he wouldn't go on the Matterhorn and I didn't even suggest Space Mountain to him.

So weird about the Splash Standby/FP Return line. I don't get standing in line in that situation. When we went in Nov. the Standby was 20 min. and the FP Return was 25 min. And I thought that was weird. We got our FPs, rode Pooh, ate Tigger Tails, and then rode Splash. Strange.

I think if he liked BTMRR he would really enjoy Space, unless the dark thing scares him. And as for the FP thing, I've seen it on HMH and BTMRR before too! It's like "hello people?" Oh well, more FP for me! :yay:

Great report so far! Seems like you really have your FP collecting down! I'm impressed! Love the Indy dark shots too, very real.

Side note...I haven't been with a big group for awhile, but my favorite part was always the response to the infamous question by the CM, "How many in your party?" One trip in 2004, my shocking answer was "17" for a ride on splash, space, indy, and BTMRR. Yes, I wish I had my camera. It was priceless. :lmao:

Going in a large group is lots of fun and it really is fun when they ask how many to seat! I'm glad you like the report (although I've been slow with updates)

[DLR29]

Late Afternoon/Evening of Wednesday, December 23, 2009:

Ok for the last leg of our trip :(

So I left off where DC6 was all excited about going on Space, but when we got there it was broken down. Well after finding out that news, the CM at the ride said that they were just about to open up again! :banana::banana: It opened up and we used FPs from the morning. Even though the ride had been closed, the standby line was still 60+ min. The most exciting thing was that DC6 was riding! We (especially his younger brother) kept telling him that you "travel to space". He kept asking "Well, how do they get you back?" :lmao:

We boarded and set off through Space. Seeing as it's dark in there, we couldn't tell DC6's reaction until afterwards.....


HE LOVED IT! :woohoo: It is now his favorite ride! Very exciting. Everybody, including himself, was so proud of him. DC4 even said "[DC6] like roller coasters now!"---adorable. Oh, how about some Space pics:
http://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/44552/2719765410101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb59.webshots.com/43194/2780860530101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb16.webshots.com/43663/2404894660101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb61.webshots.com/43388/2084503200101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Next we took a round trip on the DLRR starting from the TL station which had no line.
http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/2811/2204502190101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb50.webshots.com/42033/2652341880101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

DCs especially loved the dinosaur parts as they are huge fans of dinos (especially DC6). As we passed IASWH on our trip, I got a couple shots of the exterior from the train.
http://inlinethumb29.webshots.com/14812/2584455690101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb47.webshots.com/20654/2789214420101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

It was also the quarter hour so the little parade was going on.
http://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/45832/2083858300101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb25.webshots.com/45976/2627217620101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

We got off back at TL and chose to grab some brub at Redd Rockett's. The line wasn't actually that long and finding a big table wasn't that difficult either.
http://inlinethumb47.webshots.com/46574/2252674080101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

After dinner DA&U, DB and I returned to Indy, hoping that the line inside had diminished since we last left the ride. DM and DD took the little ones to "The Buzz Lightyear ride". Fortunately with the othe 4 Indy FPs, we only ended up waiting 15 min (didn't break down this time). Everybody loved it. I don't think DA&U rode this last year when we went.
http://inlinethumb56.webshots.com/3447/2574182820101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb31.webshots.com/29470/2092615720101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

[DLR29]

DC6 and DC4 were dying to go on the monorail when we met up with them. It was so crazy in Tomorrowland because the 6:30 parade had just ended and there were people everywhere. We finally got to the monorail and boarded within a couple min.
http://inlinethumb44.webshots.com/44267/2820567300101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

DC6, DC4 and DA
http://inlinethumb55.webshots.com/44022/2274459990101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb46.webshots.com/28589/2667371020101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Here are some shots of FNSV from the monorail's station
http://inlinethumb23.webshots.com/39062/2274216630101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

This one's cool with the water
http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/42976/2440848980101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

The little ones got a kick out of riding fast and through the dark. Returning to TL, it was time to use those HMH FPs. Since DC6 and DC4 would be scared, DM ("Auntie") offered to take them to ride KAC and Casey Jr. Fine with them. They were also going to go through the castle walkthrough but it had already closed for the fireworks. Anyway, DA&U, DD, DB and I rode HMH with FP. Unfortunately at the bottom of the elevator there was a huge line. We couldn't even get out of the stretching room for about 5 min. Eventually we boarded our doom buggies and rode.
http://inlinethumb04.webshots.com/44291/2465375190101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb51.webshots.com/16370/2554451400101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/42920/2582655580101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb48.webshots.com/44271/2513547980101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

We all reconvened and decided on 1 last ride. One last time on TSMM or "The Toy Story ride". We walked all the way back there to wait only 20 min for the ride. It must have been about 8:45 or so because the DEP was about to start. It was afun last ride because we are all big fans of Toy Story!!
http://inlinethumb28.webshots.com/45083/2922665790101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/20294/2235862730101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

We finished up with a really great view of hte fireworks from just under the Golden Gate Bridge. It was the perfect end to a wonderful trip. We took the ART back to our cars at Worldmark and drove back to DG&G's house where we all crashed. :faint:

That's the end of the report report. But I still have about 50 or so "general" pictures from both DL and DCA that I'll be posting later, along with a general trip summary (how many rides, FPs used, etc.). Thanks for reading and I hope you follow along for our upcoming WDW trip which will include my family as well as DC13, DC10 and DC9 (some familiar characters). :thumbsup2

[deejdigsdis]

Thanks for the report! Still looking forward to more pics and hearing your summary. :goodvibes

[DLR29]

Wow, it's already been a week. Sorry for the late update. Here are some pictures of DL.
http://inlinethumb54.webshots.com/14837/2849861380101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb14.webshots.com/22861/2101152290101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb30.webshots.com/43485/2479751540101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb61.webshots.com/45244/2867615380101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/43643/2602528120101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb21.webshots.com/44564/2256940070101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb55.webshots.com/41142/2915082580101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb31.webshots.com/43870/2163029900101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb37.webshots.com/45220/2708018790101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb22.webshots.com/43477/2304264700101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/44360/2315600700101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb10.webshots.com/43401/2743375280101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb36.webshots.com/44259/2519042290101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

[DLR29]

http://inlinethumb61.webshots.com/45436/2399527720101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb54.webshots.com/42613/2521018500101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb61.webshots.com/3900/2800001500101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb14.webshots.com/42189/2347091210101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/32096/2316022400101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb06.webshots.com/45125/2635416630101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/43560/2731060540101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/45243/2076651250101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb19.webshots.com/43794/2115087550101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

And finally one of my favorite shots
http://i764.photobucket.com/albums/xx288/stephenalim/340.jpg

[DLR29]

DCA picture update:

http://inlinethumb56.webshots.com/43063/2483630650101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb34.webshots.com/46625/2768871460101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb28.webshots.com/43675/2548377740101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb31.webshots.com/43358/2627073420101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb12.webshots.com/46219/2391929770101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Some WoC Testing
http://inlinethumb25.webshots.com/46040/2935767570101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/19270/2279843770101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb01.webshots.com/44288/2492004010101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb27.webshots.com/44250/2686581350101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb49.webshots.com/27248/2853063900101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb03.webshots.com/46402/2848449440101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Some new Paradise Pier construction shots
http://inlinethumb64.webshots.com/44351/2067446230101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb48.webshots.com/45679/2085099720101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb27.webshots.com/45146/2574038160101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/44008/2474574900101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/45702/2678473040101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb25.webshots.com/45208/2897981660101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

[onelilspark]

I know this is a silly question...but what kind of ride is Monsters Inc??

I love your DCs and their roller coaster quest. I remember when I was little at Hershey Park my Dad dragged me on the "Super Duper Looper!" Everytime I'm back I remember that coaster being my "first!" :rotfl:

[DLR29]

I know this is a silly question...but what kind of ride is Monsters Inc??

I love your DCs and their roller coaster quest. I remember when I was little at Hershey Park my Dad dragged me on the "Super Duper Looper!" Everytime I'm back I remember that coaster being my "first!" :rotfl:

It's a slow moving dark ride like the Fantasyland rides, but it has some really cool special effects. :thumbsup2

Wow! No way would we ever get DC6 to go on a looping roller coaster as his first. Wait a couple of years and then they'll be on California Screamin all day! :yay:

[DLR29]

Bump to get to the top of the next page

[DLR29]

We're going back!!! So I thought I would revive this.

But this time, we're doing it POST-Christmas = much more crowded! :scared1:

So the plans are to go to DLR on the 29th (this Wednesday) and for only 1 day this year (although we will be park hopping). The cast of characters will be the exact same as in previous years. However, if you read last year's TR you would know that DC7(now) is all into the big rides now, which doesn't bode well for DGrandma as much, but we'll see.

Thankfully (?) Wednesday is the only day that has predicted showers, so that will hopefully deter some people away, but even still I'm expecting massive crowds.

Me, DB, DM and DD will be staying at the Hilton (got a free night for being a Hilton Honors member) on the 28th. DA&U along with DC7 and DC5 will be staying at the HOJO that night. DG&G will be picking up the other DCs around 6:30 and meeting us in line. The plan is to get in line between 7 and 7:15 (so early!).

DC7 really wants to do Matterhorn and Pirates this time. According to him, "Last time I thought the pirates were shooting at me, but this time I will know that it's just pretend." :lovestruc DC5 wants to do everything but especially Buzz. DA measured him the other day at about 47", which would mean that he is 1" short of being able to ride Screamin, so we'll see how that goes.

Anyway, I think we'll be seeing World of Color and other than that just trying to get in as many rides as possible. Stay tuned for a report and pics! :santa:

[DLR29]

Another updated character list:
-Me (18)
-DB (14)
-DM (Mom)
-DD (Dad)
-DA&U (Aunt and Uncle)
-DC7 (Cousin)
-DC5
-DG&G (Grandma and Grandpa)
-DC14
-DC12
-DC11
(If you read my WDW report, DC14, DC12 and DC11 are the same cousins)

[DLR29]

At the Hojos right now! Going to bed early because we hope to be in line at the gates around 7AM!

[DLR29]

Alright. Back at home. I don't start school for another week so I'll do this little trip report thing now. Got the character list done, so let's just dive right in...

We visited DLR on 12/29/10.

Morning:

Expecting HUGE crowds (the 4 days before this DL had sold out), we arrived at the security tables a little after 7. My family (me, DB, DM, DD) and DA&U/DC7 and DC5 had stayed at the HoJo the night before so we were at the east security lines. The other cousins stayed at DG&Gs house the previous night and they drove to the parks, parked in the Mickey and Friends lot and were on the west security lines.

They didn't actually open the security lines until around 7:40ish. Oh and by the way, it was raining pretty hard at this point...a good thing for the crowds but there were still plenty of people there that early. We rushed to the front of one of the ticket lines and got undercover (barely) from the rain. We met up with the other half of our party and they let us into the park about 10 min after. We were allowed down Main Street but stopped at the end by a rope. Here's how rainy it was.
http://inlinethumb03.webshots.com/16770/2102946230101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Crowd shot (from the front of the rope)
http://inlinethumb59.webshots.com/23482/2279139040101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Group shot (almost...a few cut off and a couple not in there but still). Yup, pretty wet!
http://inlinethumb59.webshots.com/23482/2279139040101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

So they dropped the rope at 8 and I ran to get 13 Space FPs while the rest of my family ran to Peter Pan. I decided just to skip that ride because I knew I couldn't catch up to them after getting so many FPs, plus I have an AP and I'm going in a few weeks anyway so I didn't feel obligated to ride everything. I met everyone at the Matterhorn around 8:10 so they had a pretty short line for Peter Pan. Oddly, when I went to get FPs, 2 of the tickets said that they hadn't been used for admission that day when I know they had been. One small problem that we'd have to deal with later. Oh well...on my way to the Matterhorn.
http://inlinethumb61.webshots.com/43772/2724477230101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

If you read last year's report you'd know that DC7 (then DC6) became more of a thrill seeker by the end of the trip! :yay: This trip he REALLY wanted to ride the Matterhorn because last trip he missed out on it and his brother (DC5) rode it last time. In order to get a ride in with a short wait, I knew we had to get there early. The line was super short, but then again...it was POURING still! Riding the Matterhorn in the rain = a different experience. Coming in and out of the caves you are basically dodging waterfalls left and right! :rotfl: That's DC7 and DU in the front, random people behind them.
http://inlinethumb61.webshots.com/43772/2724477230101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

DD and DM in the back, DA and DC5 in front of them.
http://inlinethumb44.webshots.com/18283/2769470120101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

We just needed to get out of the rain, so we headed for IASWH. Walked on, filled a whole boat and set sail for the happiest cruise around the world! It was nice to just dry off for a sec. Some IASWH pics:
http://inlinethumb35.webshots.com/4706/2471469640101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/44264/2117386230101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/1376/2164659440101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb23.webshots.com/45846/2464022380101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb57.webshots.com/48184/2917090300101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb15.webshots.com/24014/2638496730101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/33224/2744848590101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb10.webshots.com/42761/2654816900101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Unfortunately when we got out of the ride it was still raining! Next on our list was Buzz. DC5 was really looking forward to this one! After BLAB (4 rides in about an hour), I tried to figure out the ticket/admission/FP situation so we went to City Hall. They couldn't "reactivate" them but they gave us 2 "FP cards" that we used for FPs instead of the actual tickets. That was nice.

Ok now try to follow me here cause I'm gonna be doing a lot of running around. The rest of my family stayed at City Hall/Main Street area (under cover to stay dry) while I went to get Indy FPs for later. When I got to Indy the FP machines weren't working because they were wet from the rain...neither were HMH's...nor BTMRR's. So I ran over to Space to try and get a FP there but the ride had broken down but they were still giving out FP so the line was huge just to get a FP there. So I went back to see if Indy's FPs were up because it had started to let up a little...nope! I just grabbed BLAB FP because it was like the only FP that was actually possible to get.

That's a good start. Gotta go walk the dog now. I'll post more tomorrow.

[DLR29]

After the whole FP machine fiasco, the weather looked like it was clearing up, and the crowds were still low, so I had a decent outlook. We hopped, I ran and got Soarin and WoC FP (BLUE!) and when the rope dropped, we all headed over to TSMM. Despite having a big party with some slow walkers (the youngest and the oldest lol), we only had to wait about 20 min for the ride. Here are some pics:
DC14 and DC11
http://inlinethumb11.webshots.com/19146/2780882110101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

DG&G
http://inlinethumb13.webshots.com/43212/2155879130101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

DU
http://inlinethumb06.webshots.com/47941/2484135450101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

After the ride we were starting to dry...but that was short lived. We measured DC5 and he was JUST tall enough to ride Screamin! :scared1: The little thrill seeker wanted to ride it really badly, and his brother reluctantly agreed to ride also. The rain had just started again but we stood in line for Screamin for about 15-20 min. DG&G, DM and DM didn't ride and went to find cover at the shop by Ariel's Grotto/Duffy. When we got up to the platform, DC7 decided that he didn't want to ride. Oh well.

Anyway, we see the people coming off of the ride DRENCHED! We board and head off into the rain on the ride. From the launch to the brakes, the rain pelted us like little needles pricking our face! None of us could keep our eyes open, and I had never had a Screamin ride like that one before. Needless to say, we were all soaked and our faces tingled after the ride, but we were all laughing and DC5 loved it! :eek: You can tell from the water, how it was raining
http://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/38024/2316418460101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

We met up with the others in the store. By this time, it was really coming down hard. I ran from Paradise Pier to ToT to get FP and met everyone over at the Animation building. Since the next Turtle Talk wasn't for another 20-30 min, we hopped on over to Monster's Inc. for a quick, dry ride.
http://inlinethumb40.webshots.com/47655/2218717740101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb57.webshots.com/28088/2886426770101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

Then we trekked back to the Animation building and caught the 10:30 Turtle Talk show. The little kids loved it but there weren't that many original lines/jokes that I hadn't heard before. Since it was raining, there were many characters inside the Animation building. DC7 got a pic with both Pluto and Woody.
http://inlinethumb56.webshots.com/6135/2674813770101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb45.webshots.com/44268/2308162670101957511S500x500Q85.jpg

It was time to use our ToT FP, but not everyone wanted to ride. We only used 7 FP (Me, DB, DC14, 12, 11, DU, and DM) so I pocketed the other 6 for later. Since the ride is inside, the line was a little long and we were glad that we had FP.
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By now, it was getting to be lunch time, so we all met up again and went over to Taste Pilot's grill. Even though it was peak lunch hours there was no wait to order (although ordering 13 meals still takes a while). While they were ordering, I went over to DL to see if the FP machines were working again...still nope. They weren't gonna use the FP machines for Indy/HMH/BTMRR for the rest of the day. Fortunately, Indy only had a 30 min wait, HMH-10 and BTMRR-10!!! This is in the middle of the day people! :scared1::woohoo: The rain clearly kept the crowds away today. And, finally, by this time the sun came out and there was no more rain for the rest of the day! Granted, our clothes were still dripping, but at least the sun felt nice and we started to dry off. I returned to DCA, ate lunch, and we started the afternoon with good weather and a good outlook for the rest of the day! :thumbsup2

[DLR29]

After lunch, it was super bright and sunny outside! :thumbsup2 We rode Soarin with FPs from earlier although DGrandma didn't want to so she and DGrandpa sat out. We requested to sit in the top middle row. With 11 people riding, we took up the entire row!

We left DCA and hopped. When we entered DL, the lines were still very low for many rides! :banana: We literally walked onto Jungle Cruise!
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Continuing around the park, Indy was next on our list. With no FP, the whole inside part of the line was being used. Even still...we waited 30 minutes in total! (the line moved so quickly) And everyone in our party rode! I rode next to DGrandma and she was hootin' and hollerin' through the whole ride! :rotfl: The little DCs loved it too!
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Next was Pirates. Two trips ago DC7 rode PotC and was a little scared but he assured us that this time he would know that it was all pretend. Everybody had a fun pirate adventure.
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Little DCs had never rode HMH in the previous two trips, so that was another priority. Fortunately, there was NO line and we just walked into the mansion.
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Older DCs liked the classic Hidden Mickey in the plates during the Ballroom scene. On our WDW trip we introduced them to the concept of Hidden Mickeys and ever since, they've been asking where they are in each of the rides.
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Exiting HMH we went around the Rivers of America, heading to BTMRR.
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Since they weren't using FP here either, the line moved very quickly for BTMRR and although a bit lengthy, the wait was a manageable 20 min tops. Here's DC14 and DB in the front with DM and DD behind them.
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Quite a bit of a difference from the rain we had earlier in the morning.
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We crossed the hub and rode Space with our FPs from the beginning of the day. The line was 65 min. Not terrible for Christmas week but I'd take a FP over that on any day! DG&G sat this out because DGrandma is scarred for life from this ride from when DU (dad of older DCs) took her on it a long time ago and told her that he would tell her which way to lean at each turn but told her the wrong direction every time...or so the story goes! :rotfl2:

Leave off here for now.

[DLR29]

Alright, let's finish this up. After Space we rode BLAB again with FP. With some time to spare before dinner, we trekked over to Fantasyland and rode Pinocchio. Even though the ride can be a little intimidating for some young kids, youngest DCs had seen the movie so they weren't scared.
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Then we rode Mr. Toad and, although DCs haven't seen "Wind in the Willows", everybody enjoyed it! As we walked to dinner at Rancho del Zocal, we first stopped and walked through the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough. DG&G really liked it because they said they hadn't been in there since they were kids. We went the side route from Fantasyland to Frontierland and grabbed dinner at Rancho. No line...it was really empty!

DGrandma was getting exhausted so DG&G left after dinner. I asked DGrandma what her favorite part of the day was. She just enjoyed having a fun time with everyone together. At the restaurant they had space heaters that we were all standing near to try and keep warm. Then we set off for DCA with a quick stop at the Candy Parlor and for DB and I to get a pic by the tree.
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And DC7 and DC5
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By the time we all hopped and walked over to Paradise Park, they had already let people into the viewing area. With Blue FP, I wanted to try the bridge. Fortunately we found space along the bridge rail for all 11 of us. DC12 and I went and got churros mmmmmm. The show started at 8. The view was really good but occasionally we got misted on. Everyone loved the show! Nobody but me and DM had seen it. DD really appreciated all of the little details.
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Our view
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After the show
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Oh and the TRONcore was STILL amazing, the second time seeing it, although you get a better view of that part from the regular standing area. As everyone was heading out of the park, we took a slight detour and checked out ElecTRONica.
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Frisbee golf with the discs from the film
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The atmosphere is really cool although we didn't get to see the laser bending man, which I hear is cool. We went into Flynn's Arcade and played a couple of games with our free tokens from the ToT FP machines earlier that day.
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The TRON game in the arcade was very cool too. It did some simulation of revealing the entrance to the office, if you've seen the movie.
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Speaking of ToT FP, we still had 6 from before so DB, DC14, 12, 11, DU and I rode it again, although this time the FP line was still a little lengthy. When we got off of the ride, ElecTRONica was basically a ghost town..a little eerie.

We asked DC7 what he wanted to do 1 mroe time. He said matterhorn so we hopped 1 more time and rode the Matterhorn Tomorrowland side (not in the rain this time!) with a very short wait.
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Knowing that we only had a little bit more time, we went over to BTMRR because it usually has a short line in the evenings of even the busiest days. Sure enough, we were in line and off the ride in 10 min! As the 10:30 F! was playing, we went over to Indy for our final ride, waiting a mere 15 min. By the time we exited, the F! crowds had already left and we called it a day and left the park.

We had a fantastic day overall. Very glad that the rain kept the crowds away. So in 1 day, we got 24 rides done with 4 FP in approx. 15 hours of fun! :cool1::cool1:

Stay tuned next year for another TR! :woohoo:

[DLR29]

Just got the ok from DMom today that we will have our 4th annual December Family DLR Trip on 12/21/11! :woohoo:

Time to start planning! :goodvibes

[deejdigsdis]

Just got the ok from DMom today that we will have our 4th annual December Family DLR Trip on 12/21/11! :woohoo:

Time to start planning! :goodvibes

Looking forward to hearing about it! Seems like it's been a while since we've had a TR from you... popcorn::

[DLR29]

Looking forward to hearing about it! Seems like it's been a while since we've had a TR from you... popcorn::

Thanks for stopping by again! I haven't done an official big TR in a while because now that I go to USC I go to DLR about once a month so I do little "Trip observations" which are like mini TRs. I've been meaning to compile them all into one thread.