Eeee-va's Super-Fun Christmas Season Trip! Updated 5/23. Please write back! :)

[Eeee-va]

INDEX:
Cast of characters - this post
Part I - 12/9/09 - Blythe, Wait Board, Tiana's Showboat, Mark Twain (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34694718)
Part II - 12/9/09 - Cool Hat Story, Indy, Birthday Song, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, Bengal Barbecue, Snow on the Rivers of America, Tigger Tail (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34711567)
Part III - 12/9/09 - Fantasmic! Hojo! Oh, Murphy! Sparkles! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34800370)
Part IV - 12/10/09 - May's Adventures! (Winged Unicorn, Princess and the Frog Meet and Greet, other childish stuff :) ) (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=35292033)
Part V - 12/10/09 - Exploring previously uncharted parts of DCA and a delicious salad! (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=36532262)
Part VI - Mom's here! (Tiana's Showboat Jubilee, Cafe Orleans, Baked Goods, Indy's Secret Garage) (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=36737460#post36737460)
Part VII - 12/11/09 - As Magic a Morning as cheap AP-holders are gonna get... (Fantasyland and Toontown) (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=36737638)
Part VII - 12/11/09 - Here comes the rain (another secret; Downtown Disney) (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=36737642]Part VII - 12/11/09 - COOKIES! Main Street and DCA (lunch and a show...)[/URL]
For those of you keeping score:[/b]
[u]12/9/09: (2:30 PM - 11 PM)
Rides: 10
Shows: 3
Attractions: 1
Meal: 1
Snack: 1

12/10/09: (9:00 AM - 9:50 PM)
Rides: 13 (plus 2 for Miss D)
Shows: 1
Attractions: 2
Meal: 2
Snack: 1

12/11/09: (8:00 AM - 10:18 PM)
Rides: 12
Shows: 2
Sorry excuse for a show (castle lights): 1
Attractions: 5
Meal: 2
Snack: 1
Snacktivity: 1




Dear DISboards,

I know I haven't finished my last trip report, but I'm going to Disneyland again real soon and I'm super-excited. I hope you don't mind if I start a PTR?

My friend and I bought APs at the end of our trip in June so that we could do a Christmas trip. We're driving over on 12/9! Judging from this thread (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34358234&postcount=521) it sure looks like all of DISboards is going too, doesn't it? Do you think I'll see anyone there?

The weather forecast keeps hovering between cloudy and rain throughout the whole trip, with highs in the 60s...being from Arizona, I think that's awful cold. But I like to wear warm clothes, I'm still impressed by water falling from the sky (and lower crowds) and we're going to have a super-fun time whatever happens!

We're totally NOT going to use Ridemax--we know what gets busy early and last time we spent all our time trying to ride rides and stuff, which wasn't very cool.

I think if I revealed names my trip buddies would be super-mad, but here we are. We all went in June 2009 too!

http://juliestudio.com/icons/walleve.jpgEeee-va: That's me! I'm well into adulthood (maybe not mentally). I love things that sparkle but don't wear jewelry. My favorite ride is probably Space Mountain. The music is super-cool! Either that, or Pirates of the Caribbean. Pirates definitely has the best wait-to-ride ratio of awesome rides. I miss the Peoplemover, though. :( I hate drops so I'm terrified to go on Tower of Terror. :scared1: My number one thing to do this trip is actually to see Tiana's show, and maybe even get up the courage to meet her! (I am shy around strangers and characters both, and I haven't even seen her movie... :flower3: ) Second biggest goal is to finally see Murphy in Fantasmic!

http://juliestudio.com/icons/missd.jpgMiss D: That's my friend from college, who lives about 90 minutes away and is a week older than me. Her favorite color is purple. From how often she rides it, I think Indiana Jones may be her favorite ride, but I've never asked. (EDIT (can you edit a letter?)--I just asked her and she said "I don't know." :) ) I know she wants to see the same entertainment I want to see, but the one thing she'd mentioned to me that she wanted to do was the Aladdin show, which is super-cool! She's a real picky eater so I don't know if we'll eat at any sit-down restaurants...

http://juliestudio.com/icons/mom.jpgMom: She's totally not a frog and she's totally not a boy, but she likes the Muppets and used to be a reporter. She used to take my brother and I to Disneyland every Spring Break back in the 1990s, which was super-fun! We used to go to the parks from opening to closing, even when the parks were open late. I don't know how we did it, but I remember my feet hurting a lot more than they do when I go now! The humidity really gets to Mom--last time she spent a lot of time in the room :( --and Miss D and I really like to go quick in the parks, so it might be a challenge...I'm hoping that if she takes ART to the parks each day that will help her some?

We'll be staying at HoJo, which didn't wow me last time, but the prices were so cheap! We're not bothering with the Entertainment rate because the AP rate I booked is just a few dollars a night more and I'm still irked at Entertainment for messing up my order and being so mean to me last time. (Though to their credit, I got my refund for the books I mailed back to them, and it only took like 6 emails and about that many weeks...)

I still need to buy some warmer clothes and make a new LGMH since my last one got lost at the end of the trip. And I'm working on something Tiana-related, but I don't know...

Anyway, DISboards, I know this was a long letter but I'm just so excited! There will be so many things to do and the park will be so pretty! I wonder what kind of fabulous Christmas food I should eat? Write back soon.

With deepest esteem,
Your friend,
Eeee-va

[deejdigsdis]

Have fun! I am missing that Christmas-y atmosphere on Main Street so much!

[Eeee-va]

Dear Deejdigsdis,

Thank you for your kind words! Hopefully I'll have some pictures to help you live vicariously...in a week or two! :)

Dear DISboards,

Just one week before I get to go to Disneyland! Or the Disneyland Resort if you want to be all proper. Today I went to Ross and bought two pairs of pants. (In the fitting room area were some kids who were super-loud! It was really weird.) They actually had a couple Princess Tiana journals too--I thought Ross was mostly close-outs? I didn't see any typos on them or anything. :confused: I was tempted but decided not to, even though I'm already more or less in love with that movie (Tiana appears to be a wonderful character and I love the 1920s!). Anyway, now I have pants for every day of my trip, which will probably come in handy. I also got my hair cut, which I try to do at least annually. I was a few months behind that goal. I think it looks much nicer now...

The current weather forecast is a shower on Thursday, and rain on Friday and Saturday. But as long as I can see Tiana's show and Fantasmic, I'll personally be happy! I think we should TRY to see both of those things on Wednesday, but we'll see.

I hope you are doing well, DISboards! If you could only do one thing at Disneyland--er, the Disneyland Resort--what would you do?

With deepest affection,
Eeee-va

[Eeee-va]

Dear DISboards,

I'm just a few days away from visiting Disneyland! I'm so excited!

I have a doll who's super-excited to meet Princess Tiana. I even made her a dress. She's 9 years old so she is allowed to dress up at Disneyland. I worked on it Friday after work and then for 2 hours on Saturday, and I only used fabric and trims and stuff that I already had. Not bad, huh?

http://www.juliestudio.com/kirsten/etc/tiana.jpg

I keep forgetting to get my LGMH! I'd better hurry and pick some up! :(

How are you?

Love,
Eeee-va

[Eeee-va]

Dear DISboards,

Can you believe I forgot to get my LGMH AGAIN???????????? I hate packing; don't you? It's a good thing we're not flying. At least I can bring everything I can cram into my largest suitcase.

Love,
Eeee-va

[deejdigsdis]

Great job on the dress! Tiana will be impressed, I'm sure. :)

[hurleysweety]

Love your report so far! Have sooo much fun!

The Tiana doll looks wonderful, by the way! Great talent. :goodvibes

[Eeee-va]

Dear deejdigsdis and hurleysweety,

THANK YOU!

Dear DISboards,

The countdown is on; we leave sometime tomorrow! I still need to talk things over with my travel buddy Miss D, but that's fun. :) She'll be arriving in about 90 minutes from now.

I'm virtually packed (although as my dad noted, "virtual" technically means "not"--think of offers where something "virtually pays for itself," for instance! ;) ).

I still have do wash the sheets for the futon and some towels, and cleaning a bit more here would be helpful, but yeah, no. :) I didn't buy a tree for the room after another friend said it was silly :flower3:--well, and I'm lazy :). But I did buy a tiny Nativity set, even though it wasn't easy to find, LOL. I checked Home Depot (where I was picking up my LGMH :rolleyes1 ) and didn't see a single one. I checked Big Lots and they did have a $5 town (?) set that included a Nativity, but it the Nativity so homely that I think even Dollar Tree would flush to put it up. So I finally went to the 99(.99) Cent Only store next-door...yes, I DID buy a 99 cent Nativity sculpture; oh dear. :flower3: I did look them over and found one that I thought was fairly good looking. It was a little weird; they all had the same Mary and all appeared to have the same baby Jesus, but they had two different adult male figures. Half were bare-headed with short beards (and looked more like Joseph for me) and others had an older-looking man who seemed to me like a cross between a shepherd and a wise man. Interesting!

Anyway, I'd better buckle down and get to work, but instead I'm watching the Charlie Brown Christmas special. I hope you are having fun tonight!

With deepest affection,
Eeee-va

[Eeee-va]

Dear DISboards,

We're leaving in just a few hours! (Well, like 9, but still.) I'm so excited! Miss D is here and seemed OK with most of my plans, which include:

*Try to do as much outdoor entertainment as possible on Wednesday afternoon/evening, as we don't know how the weather will be on the days that follow
*See Fantasmic Wednesday night, if possible, instead of later (since Fantasmic is a higher priority than fireworks for both of us! :yay: and my mom isn't interested anyway, or at least not interested enough to wait for it in the cold/on the pavement)
*Try to do as many rides/etc. until maybe 11 AM, and then take things more leisurely
*Strongly consider spending "all day" at the parks on Friday and leave sometime after dark, as if it were a day when the parks close early (the reasoning being that locals are more likely to come after work, which means that the evenings might not be any less crowded than the afternoons, plus early on she had wanted to spend the whole day at DLR on the days when the park "closed early," which turns out to be none of them :flower3: ) Of course, IF we don't manage to see Fantasmic on Wednesday or Thursday that may not be an option...oh, Eeee-va, shut your mouth! :)
*Go visit the GCH lobby :)
*Maybe eat at a sit-down restaurant (as my mom likes those very much)
*Maybe eat breakfast in the park one day (as I haven't done that in years, unless you count some fairly bad fritters in NOS back in June :) )
*Mini-Meet in front of the castle on Saturday

Whew! Do you think we will get that all done?

Love,
Eeee-va

[Eeee-va]

Dear DISboards,

I put some info at http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2348094 as well. :)

Love,
Eeee-va

[Eeee-va]

Dear DISboards,

I am totally going to start my real trip report soon, honest.

Love,
Eeee-va

[Eeee-va]

Dear DISboards,

I'm finally starting my trip report! I'm going to have to limit my letters because if I put too many pictures in a letter, it will be expensive to mail. :(

I checked the weather reports again and again and they all said Wednesday, 12/9, would be clear, with rain likely from Thursday through Sunday! So I definitely wanted to get there early if possible and try to get the things that can be rained out, done.

Miss D and I planned to leave home no earlier than 8 (as that's when we'd be at work anyway). We left about 8:30, so yes, we managed! We were famished (and I think the car was, too) when we reached Blythe, so we stopped at Jack in the Box for breakfast/lunch. It was before 10:30 California time, so it was basically breakfast time for them...it was kind of lunchtime for us, but I was hungry for breakfast, so...
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Syr6FOYm8sI/AAAAAAAAJjE/Pk3eddsZNdM/s400/IMG_8983.JPG

No, it didn't come half-eaten. :) I liked the half-eaten picture, though.

We got to Hojo about 2 PM...our room wasn't ready yet, and they suggested we check all of our things, so we basically did. (We left two cases of water and my mom's Pepsi One in the car.) That took a while, but we still made it into the parks about 2:30 PM. We dropped our things off at the locker--it was in the 60s but with the sun out, it was too hot for a sweatshirt and/or trenchcoat.

The last time I went to Disneyland was June, and my jaw dropped now to see the wait times at 2:30 in the afternoon! 20 minutes for major rides!

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Syr6IQydfnI/AAAAAAAAJjM/o45hFcj1u3Y/s800/IMG_8984.JPG

I was THRILLED, figuring that Thursday was likely to be more of the same.

So first we got Fastpasses for Indy, and then we did Tarzan's Treehouse, since I'd wanted to go through last time but it wasn't open at night when Ridemax told us to. :flower3:

People were already queuing for Tiana's Showboat Jubilee. (About 2:33 PM)
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Syr6PWQngGI/AAAAAAAAJjU/TD54NcidfK0/s800/IMG_8988.JPG

We moseyed on over that way too. I thought the little Cinderella on Tom Sawyer's Island was too funny.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Syr-_nZmn6I/AAAAAAAAJjo/Jdr3oxyM0Rs/s800/IMG_8999.JPG

Then we decided to wait for the 2:45 PM Tiana's Showboat Jubilee, since we were in the area and it was one of my top priorities.

The Tiana parade just runs right through so quick! (about 2:47 PM)
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Syr_DtltfiI/AAAAAAAAJj0/x8eL9czVShQ/s800/IMG_9006.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Syr_FUAqBkI/AAAAAAAAJj4/JVFCWfT_zWo/s800/IMG_9009.JPG

But once they get on the boat it was a bit longer and a lot easier to photograph. (about 2:56 PM)
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Syr_M1QFrCI/AAAAAAAAJkE/hXW5jJV6bMc/s800/IMG_9032.JPG

I thought Prince Naveen was very cute with his ukulele. It's probably a good thing that I hadn't seen the movie when we went to Disneyland, because I now have a bit of a crush on him and I would've been horrifically shy, LOL.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Syr_Qgte5vI/AAAAAAAAJkM/2Nskim_H_3Y/s800/IMG_9035.JPG

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is another of those things we did not want to ride in the rain, so we did it too. (about 3:11 PM)
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Syr_dHD-N5I/AAAAAAAAJkg/uaW78qEuTwI/s400/IMG_9053.JPG

Then we went on the Mark Twain since we hadn't done that in June (about 3:23 PM). Miss D's keen eyes spotted this in the blocked off top level of the boat.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Syr_fk5QimI/AAAAAAAAJko/UymQ6wVcdck/s800/IMG_9056.JPG

I got a kick out of seeing Space Mountain from the Rivers of America.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Syr_lOYSUBI/AAAAAAAAJk4/0sIpDpSoTe0/s800/IMG_9067.JPG

Though this was my favorite spot on the ship that day--the machinery radiated warmth!
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/SysNfZ4K11I/AAAAAAAAJsg/uTnmbHb4tWI/s400/IMG_9069.JPG

And I think this envelope is going to burst if I keep putting in pictures. I'll write again soon!

Love,
Eeee-va

[kaoden39]

Eeee-va,

First off, I love your name. Wall-E is one of my favorite movies and certainly a wonderful love story. I hadn't been in the trip report section for a while so I missed the first part of the trip report. I am really enjoying it, and the dress you made for your doll is beautiful.

[tksbaskets]

OK, I'm officially hooked and waiting for another newsy letter!! :woohoo:

[Eeee-va]

Dear Kaoden39,

Thank you! I love WALL-E too (though I love them both, I am even more partial to EVE :) ). Yes, it's an awesome love story; one of my favorites! I think it's the best robot love story ever made. I didn't get a picture sadly, but I'll have a super-cute text update for you near the start of my next part of the report. Thank you for the kind words about the dress too!

Dear tksbaskets,

Thank you! I will try to update again tonight. If I'm super-lucky I might even get through Wednesday, but then, maybe not. :)

Love,
Eeee-va

[Eeee-va]

Dear DISboards,

So I got a little confused and missed something--we picked up a FP for Haunted Mansion Holiday along the way, I think a little before we got on the Mark Twain. (It wasn't really necessary, but that's all right. I just wish I would've saved it for my collection!)

But anyway, the IMPORTANT thing is that there was a fairly young girl with a white knitted/crocheted hat, with a very large black oval in the middle and two blue felt (?) ovals sewn onto the oval, like eyes.

Yes, someone made an EVE hat!!!!!! I really should've thought to ask for a picture, but when I let the two know that was the cutest thing I'd seen all day, they pretty much looked at me like I'd lost my mind, so asking for a photo (even if I promised to not show the girl's head) may not have been too wise anyway. But I loved it! I'll have to cajole someone into doing the knitting/crocheting for one so I can have one too. (There actually is a seller on Etsy who makes them, but this one was different, as the black part was crocheted/knitted in, I'm almost certain, and the eyes looked hand-sewn on.)

So the next thing we did after the Mark Twain was Indiana Jones. The line was fairly short with our FP (though in fairness I don't remember how many people we walked by...). (3:58 PM)
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Syr_1QtxhUI/AAAAAAAAJlE/PtBKY-9oss4/s400/IMG_9074.JPG

The ride itself was fun, as usual. I kept forgetting to ask Miss D if she noticed anything different (though honestly, I'm not sure the rat mist was working when we were there in June, and that was more noticeable to me than the new Indy Audio-Animatronic).

But I tucked my purse into the bag you're supposed to tuck everything into, and I realized as I was walking out of the queue that I'd LOST my LGMH! :( Luckily I brought two purses and made two LGMHs, but I didn't have one for the rest of the day.

Then we went on the Jungle Cruise. (4:10 PM) Our pilot was all right--there was a wait to actually get back into the dock, so he asked if it was anyone's birthday. First he sung a song that evidently is common at Disneyland, as I heard a couple other CMs sing it too, albeit to a different tune:

"This is your birthday song,
It isn't very long."

A bit of a pause and the boat didn't move, so he added,

"This is the second verse,
It's shorter than the"

I laughed so hard, and when I sung it for my brother yesterday, he totally explained why it was funny--something along the lines of, "As you're singing, I'm thinking, 'No it's not shorter than the first one!' And then it was!"

Next, I believe we retrieved our coats (4:39 PM)--it wasn't really cold but it was chilly enough that I definitely wanted my sweatshirt, and I just took the trenchcoat too. Miss D had a kind of short trenchcoat thing too.

OK, I'm a bit fuzzy but I THINK what happened was that we went to Tomorrowland for Space Mountain and the ride was down. So I THINK we didn't know what to do and wandered by and saw the last half of the Jedi Training Academy. (4:47 PM) It was pretty cute, but for some reason, even though Darth Maul was there, all the kids fought Darth Vader? It was really funny to see the evil Darth Vader not actually beat the crud out of these little kids, but wait patiently while they executed their moves. (Obviously if I had kids and they were in it, it would've been the best thing ever. :) )

Then I THINK we got a Space Mountain Fastpass when it came up again (I'm sure the wait for the ride wasn't terribly long, but we were already getting spoiled!).

Then, Miss D had wanted to see Honey I Shrunk the Audience during our trip. Although it was not a busy evening by any means, it seemed reasonable to do early on--after all, with the rumors of Captain EO coming, it seemed possible that it MIGHT have closed while we were there, even. (Which it didn't, but yeah.) (5:02 PM)
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/SysAGzM15dI/AAAAAAAAJlg/RvEbtZne3qs/s400/IMG_9085.JPG

Anyway, it really wasn't a horrible show or anything, but it started out SO slow. I'll bet Captain EO will be great in there, though! (Even if that story makes little sense, either.) Oh, it's fun to have an Annual Pass!

Then we did Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters. (5:26 PM) I had horrible luck this time (I think my gun sights tended to be bad, or maybe I was just tired :) ).

We hung out in Star Traders, waiting just a few minutes for our Fastpass window to open at 5:40 PM. We then picked up a "Just in Case" Space Mountain FP for later (per the time stamp we actually got it at 5:49, with a return time of 6:25), and then rode Space Mountain, which was totally awesome. Throughout the trip, that's the main ride that people have been actually CLAPPING at the end with fair consistency. :)

We were hungry and so Miss D wanted to go to the Village Haus, as she remembered having something good there years ago. (6:20 PM) The line was so crazy-slow! I couldn't bear to pay all that money for a hamburger or personal pizza, so I didn't want to eat there.* Instead she got a box for her meal and then we headed to Adventureland, for my standby favorite meal at Disneyland.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/SysAL92WQXI/AAAAAAAAJl4/Xq7-eIwqlcA/s800/IMG_9098.JPG

Banyan Beef Skewer and Tiger Tails from the Bengal Barbecue! (6:53 PM) It was also cheaper than a hamburger and fries. (Spicier too. :rolleyes1 )

We used our Haunted Mansion Holiday FPs, I'm sure; I recall it being just about walk-on (7:09 PM).

Then we did PotC (probably got on around 7:30 PM). Then it was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, in the dark. (7:52 PM) It DOES seem faster in the dark, and the lights are SO pretty as you rise up and catch glimpses of the Rivers of America and the lit tree in Frontierland. Delightful!

To try to get one of the last "must-dos" in Disneyland Park done, we headed over to It's a Small World Holiday. (8:12 PM) Unfortunately, the line was over 40 minutes (!)--someone nearby asked me if the ride was running again, so I reckon it was down for a while and that's why the line was so long.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/SysAlEZB8rI/AAAAAAAAJmM/xiWwaaCRB4c/s800/IMG_9134.JPG

That said, Fantasyland was awful busy at night most days we went. I think it was just a huge draw for families? The decor was very pretty, too.

We DID hang out to watch the facade show at the quarter of the hour, though. People clapped for it pretty consistently too, I suppose because it was unexpected.

Then we worked our way back around and saw the pretty swirls in the lake in Pixie Hollow. OK, no one but someone from Arizona would call that tiny body of water a lake. Leave me alone. :) (8:23 PM)
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/SysAt87eltI/AAAAAAAAJmQ/-MrfnrVamvs/s800/IMG_9138.JPG

Then, on to Star Tours! (8:26 PM) Does anyone else really really REALLY hope that Jar Jar Binks isn't in the next version of the ride? (Unless, of course, you get to run over him with a pod racer? :rolleyes1 Er, I officially apologize to anyone who loves Jar Jar Binks. :flower3: )

Restroom stop! (8:51 PM)
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/SysAwGFM5pI/AAAAAAAAJqo/dwyNhvIMJDY/s400/IMG_9148.JPG

We aimed to get back to the Rivers of America around 9:20 or 9:30, so we could watch fireworks there and get a good place for the 10:30 PM Fantasmic. So we had plenty of time to hop over to Critter Country and get an elusive Tigger Tail! (9:08 PM) The store was DEAD (unlike the Main Street Bakery)--I'll bet on many nights, it would be quicker to send a "runner" over to Critter Country to buy your cookies and then come back to Main Street, to be honest.

We saw Murphy from near the Haunted Mansion and then headed down to the terraced area. I think a lot of people were already standing there, to be honest, and definitely stood and just hung out for the snow.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/SysAyyob8KI/AAAAAAAAJmk/p1OM8oQLkaI/s800/IMG_9160.JPG

I was worried that with everyone standing there, we wouldn't get a good spot along the fence, but to be honest, we could've gotten there 10 minutes after fireworks and probably sat waterside in the seated area.

Here is my Tigger Tail!
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/SysAzzBZXDI/AAAAAAAAJmo/ynGyrAKP3so/s800/IMG_9162.JPG

To be honest, I wasn't wowed. It was really cute, but it actually wasn't sweet enough for me (!!!!!!). This is someone who had a Krispy Creme donut for the first time many years ago, in Las Vegas, and didn't think they were sweet enough, either. Next time, I think I'll just get something chocolate.

It was nice to eat two foods on a stick in one day though. :)

The view was lovely even as we waited, and the New Orleans Square Christmas loop may be my favorite in the parks. (I should know. We heard it more than once. :) )
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/SysA1OH-QFI/AAAAAAAAJmw/285c3M_N9OU/s800/IMG_9173.JPG

It was so peaceful! To our left was a group of people who I think were used to WDW. I told them that the dragon here would knock their socks off. I hope it did!

And I took a lot of Fantasmic pictures and some of them might actually be good, so I'd better send this letter.

Happy Disney Love to all of you,
Eeee-va

[tksbaskets]

I loved the comment about Jar-Jar. I'm with you on that one :goodvibes

Enjoying your trip report!
TK

[kaoden39]

Dear Eeee-va,

I so enjoy these postcards from your trip. Thanks so much for sending them.

[deejdigsdis]

That's funny that Tigger Tails aren't sweet enough for you. Just tonight my son was eating a sweetened popcorn treat that someone dropped off for us. He had just a little bit because "it's too sweet for me, just like Tigger Tails are too sweet for me." :)

[Eeee-va]

Dear kaoden39,

Thank you! :)

Dear Deejdigsdis,

Yes, I know, I think ALL my teeth are sweet teeth. :)

Dear DISboards,

I'm sorry I took so long to get back to you. Things got really busy! :(

As promised, though, yes, we finally saw Fantasmic! I was hoping to see Murphy (the new dragon) in June, but no good. A CM in the Grand Californian back in June had told my friend (who was staying there) that the dragon would be appearing during our trip but that CM was mistaken by a couple whole months. :(

But no matter!

Was this lighting new? We didn't remember the trees looking so bright in June.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/SysA2IhLjqI/AAAAAAAAJm0/_ZjUqgBsjks/s800/IMG_9176.JPG

Fantasmic started! I had my night settings and everything, but still had trouble getting good shots. Though part of it may have been the cold. I remembered the DISer who once posted that they camped out to get Fantasmic seats that were front and center on a cold night, only to laugh at how hilariously BAD the seats were when the mist screens came up and they were just getting soaked and frozen? Yeah, it wasn't quite that bad, but I think I was shivering a little bit, so even using the railing as a makeshift tripod for my camera, I don't think I did that great.

Am I the only one who gets teary-eyed with the princess floats?
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/SysBNZrUqzI/AAAAAAAAJnU/gT0jMMnR3b8/s400/IMG_9203.JPG

(Though I think it's worrisome that Mickey is imagining three Disney princesses as the fairest of them all, and not Minnie. :littleangel: )

Snow White is only "lit up" for a tiny part of her song, but she was by far the easiest to photograph!
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/SysBTVcMQPI/AAAAAAAAJnk/fJ5bcucM2pM/s800/IMG_9211.JPG

We waited with bated breath and FINALLY! YES!
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/SysBY3dIShI/AAAAAAAAJnw/0qQzLnZnZEs/s800/IMG_9220.JPG

She didn't quite breathe fire, though plenty of fire came up. I was in love with that dragon for spreading her sweet delicious warmth to all of us. I love Fantasmic on a cool night. (Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful...)

Honestly, I think she was probably in her most cautious/least impressive mode--but she was still pretty spectacular.

Mickey is downright tiny next to her! Do you see that little needle-looking thing to the lower left of the dragon? Yeah, that's his sword.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/SysBbdq7GyI/AAAAAAAAJn0/gWPN8X523dA/s800/IMG_9224.JPG

Do you think she likes being photographed? I do, since she always seems to be posing.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/SysBeCwqrAI/AAAAAAAAJn8/kxpFDR6EGg0/s800/IMG_9227.JPG

Even when she's working on dying, she's photogenic.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/SysBhG3xdHI/AAAAAAAAJoE/HG5HMtCVt78/s800/IMG_9228.JPG

I belatedly realized that the mist screens stayed up the whole time, with sparkles projected--that's right, Murphy the dragon didn't go down all the way, so they had to go to a Plan B to keep her hidden from view. I had read about her failing to go down back into the pit all the way, and was thrilled to see something go wrong. (I'd also thought the sparkles looked pretty in the videos and yes, they looked really nice!)

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/SysBqqiuH4I/AAAAAAAAJoY/0KPMng7b2yk/s800/IMG_9249.JPG

Anyway, I thought it was GREAT--I think it was nice of Murphy to behave as per her name (going wrong) during the show. :) Even one of the people from WDW next to us, who had no idea what Murphy was supposed to do (I think), saw Murphy behind the screen. It was still very good show though; I'll bet most people didn't know anything was wrong!

You would have thought that I would have WANTED the mist to go away quickly because it was awful cold, but no! It stayed in place well after the show ended.

(I actually had only subconsciously noticed that something else was wrong, but evidently Captain Hook didn't manage to swing out over the Columbia either; oh dear. Must have been a hard day for the performers and techs. But I suppose any Fantasmic you can walk away from is a good one! :) I thought it was a GREAT one!)

The park was closing at 11 PM, so we could've definitely rushed to Indy and done another ride. I don't remember if we had any Fastpasses or not but I don't think it would've mattered. But we wanted to get to the park at opening the next day and had not actually taken our things to our room yet. So we meandered through Frontierland to avoid the crowds (mission accomplished; Frontierland was deserted!). We were about at Coke Corner when they played the "Disneyland is closed" message. SNIFF.

Oh, Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree...

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/SysBt_Xe1vI/AAAAAAAAJsI/X-gy3AL5um4/s800/IMG_9251.JPG

After a nice invigorating walk, we arrived back at the Hojo.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/SzsA9KUng2I/AAAAAAAAKAY/ujV4dvyrx3M/s800/IMG_0162.JPG
It didn't magically turn to daytime (their customer service is great, but not THAT good). But I figured this would be a good place to talk about our room. I'm sorry I didn't take any photos of the room itself for all of you! :( But the website totally has videos and stuff.

We went to the front desk and they retrieved our bags for us and then rolled the cart to our room for us. The service was warm and attentive. Miss D and I felt a little special that they brought our bags to our room for us!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Szr-N7eq8xI/AAAAAAAAJ84/M6fHt5y03ak/s400/IMG_9858.JPG

It was a "Garden View" room, with a view of the monorail track!

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Szr-POt_7NI/AAAAAAAAJ9A/RgK6pjx1FvU/s400/IMG_9860.JPG

It has two "oversized double" beds. For two people (or one adult and two kids, or two adults who are used to sharing a bed and one extra adult or 1-2 kids), it's a great room. It has a little table with chairs next to one bed and with my 14' Ethernet cord (brought from home) I was able to plug my computer right in to get online and check the weather repeatedly. :)

For three adults who aren't used to sharing beds, I think it's a little difficult--the "oversized double" beds appear to be the same WIDTH as a double bed, but 6 inches LONGER. I'm not disputing that they're only 6 inches more narrow than a regular queen, but they sure felt small! There's a rollaway in the ginormous closet (!) and a nice balcony-thing, even on first-floor rooms. (No steps to get into our first-floor room, though.) If you use the rollaway it should be splendid for 3 adults, but you'd have to budget that in.

The room was mostly quiet, except we could technically hear some people through the walls--wasn't a big deal for me, at least. The heater was old-fashioned window-type unit like I hadn't seen since the early 1990s, and LOUD but I didn't mind, at least, because we only used it for maybe an hour the first night and then never turned it on again. :) The comforter was plenty to keep me all toasty warm--I get cold pretty easily but am used to sleeping with no heat on in a well-insulated apartment...

ANYWAY, I'm sorry for digressing, DISboards. :( So it was just me and Miss D that night, so plenty of room for both of us, and my little travel partner as well. :) But you'll get to see her tomorrow! (Or if you go back to Page 1 you could totally see her too.)

I can't believe what a magical day we had. We had only been in the park for like 8 hours and I already felt like we'd had a GREAT trip! I just knew the rest of our trip would be magical, and I was right!!!

Stay warm, DISboards!

Love,
Eeee-va

[TokyoDina]

wow your trip looks great so far! Haha I wouldn't call that little thing a lake and I'm from AZ. :)

I can't wait to go again. I think next year or maybe right before my DH leaves for training if I can con him into it. Right now we are planning for WDW. Which is a big trip but since we only live 6 hours from San Diego it's not really that hard of a trip to make to DL.

Can't wait to read more!!!

[Eeee-va]

Dear TokyoDina,

Thank you! Are you planning a trip to Disneyland yet? :)

Dear DISboards,

I'm sorry it's been so long! I haven't been super-busy...well, I guess more busy reading about Disneyland than remembering the good times. :)

So on Thursday morning, 12/10, we arrived before opening. Mom loved this picture.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3Q0gE_c0I/AAAAAAAAJtQ/dUueSrkff3M/s400/IMG_9253.JPG

I think this is the day when we were in line and there was totally a line open next to us, but no one would dare get in it--everyone seemed to be thinking that, since no one was in it, it wasn't a line. We weren't terribly far back in line, and I'm shy, so I did not want to go ask if it was really a line.

A little boy kept trying to get his mother to get in the non-line line but she wouldn't...finally he went up and asked the Cast Member and yes, the line that no one was in was really a line! (So we got in after their party, which didn't save us all that much time, granted.)

Though it was a Magic Morning day, getting in at opening wasn't too bad--crowds were low on Main Street, of course, and pretty low elsewhere.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3Q18QIpiI/AAAAAAAAKCQ/A8D63xMJ_MM/s400/IMG_9254.JPG

Except for Peter Pan's Flight, which we bypassed in favor of one of the few things we hadn't done on Wednesday that we needed to, which was...
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3Q4_15wOI/AAAAAAAAJtk/9q7PZ8RqP4k/s400/IMG_9257.JPG

Oh my! Look who stowed away with me today!
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3Q55RSj9I/AAAAAAAAKCY/7ygblRnraIo/s400/IMG_9259.JPG

I have a few American Girl dolls ( http://www.juliestudio.com/kirsten ) and I have a lot of fun with them. May is a "Just Like You" doll that I decided is from the 1920s, so she is very VERY excited about Princess Tiana! (As am I. :) ) We hadn't seen the movie yet but she still wanted to meet Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen, and I honstly thought it might be kind of awkward, but then got the idea to make her a dress like Princess Tiana has at Disneyland, which would make for better photos anyway.

I made the dress out of scrap fabric I had lying around. There are some Tiana dresses on Etsy now but I think this may have been the first handmade Princess Tiana dress for AGs.

ANYWAY, no one was at Small World Holiday, so we got a boat all to ourselves! I kind of edged back in the boat to let May sit down and we got a few pictures. (There basically weren't any people on the ride near us so I suppose I should've used a flash, but oh well.)

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3Q7PXZJFI/AAAAAAAAJts/89DMGd6SIIA/s400/IMG_9268.JPG

After that, we went on Pinocchio. The CM told us to say hi to Pinocchio for him. I wanted to come back to the CM and ask if his name was "Diddly Dee", since Pinocchio said "Hi, Diddly Dee." Do you think he would've found that funny?

Do you like Pinocchio's ride? I don't. It's so sad! When I went on it in June I'd forgotten all about the donkey scenes (those poor foolish little boys!). Plus I LOVE Coney Island and it looks like Pleasure Island was heavily inspired by it. Booo. :(

The only good thing is that I adore winged unicorns, so there's one happy thing in the ride. (Besides the pretty Blue Fairy.)
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3RIH9vvpI/AAAAAAAAJuU/r36Mq8ZWbgA/s400/IMG_9288.JPG

Snow White was deserted too.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3RMkLuyPI/AAAAAAAAJuY/B6tWHlcR8Vw/s400/IMG_9290.JPG

We doubled back and hung out to admire Snow White's Grotto for a bit (blast; should've gotten some pictures with my little Princess May!). Then we went to my favorite ride, Space Mountain. At 9:30 it was basically walk-on...sweet!
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3RPzcb7GI/AAAAAAAAKDo/Ebq7LbwTXBE/s400/IMG_9296.JPG

At that point Miss D wanted to go on the Astro Orbiter, as the wait was supposedly only 5-10 minutes. (I think 10 or even 15 was more accurate.) I'm honestly not a fan of the Astro Orbiter anytime, and certainly not when I have a little charge to take care of. (I wasn't so keen on taking her through Space Mountain either, except Space Mountain is TOTALLY AWESOME! so I had to!) Anyway, I decided not to go and after waiting bored for a minute I figured out what I could/should do!

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3RYPRVAzI/AAAAAAAAKEI/v5jnXCbeLb8/s400/IMG_9298.JPG
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3Rahmg7UI/AAAAAAAAJuw/TV8tWe5ZpkA/s400/IMG_9299.JPG
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/SyHv89_ZWMI/AAAAAAAAJgQ/4mwurkOAt9w/s400/IMG_9301.JPG

I did double back and caught Miss D trying to take pictures of herself on the Astro Orbiter as it was still being loaded, so I tried to do better for her. I took a ton of pictures, a few of which turned out OK, but most of which turned out more like this.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3Sr_zJmFI/AAAAAAAAJwU/9DlJ9q7IBv0/s400/IMG_9307.JPG

Then it was in the ballpark of 10 so we decided to go to the Princess and the Frog meet and greet!
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3RuPdi0yI/AAAAAAAAKEQ/RpfuG36kDlE/s400/IMG_9322.JPG

Frankly, I was still a little nervous, not having met a character since I think the late 1990s...I'm just not good with strangers and I'm not a good actress, so I figured I'd be awful at playing along with them too. I normally don't like getting my picture taken, either, but since I was sure I'd love Princess and the Frog (and I did!), I really wanted to get my picture taken with the characters, since I didn't know how long the meet and greet would be around anyway!

A friendly CM, who had beautiful red hair and was impressed by May's dress, assisted me with getting a picture.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3R0O98FAI/AAAAAAAAKEY/wMT4XixxPKI/s400/IMG_9327.JPG

We had a bit of a wait--Prince Naveen came out and explained that there was an accident in the kitchen with the chickens, and there were feathers EVERYWHERE, but Tiana would be down soon. Eventually she showed up and we waited a few minutes to meet her! But finally, we got some photos! (Miss D took the non-bordered ones, which was very nice of her.)

Naveen saw that there was a doll dressed like Tiana and jumped out of the picture, not wanting to get in the way.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/S10fqxnpH9I/AAAAAAAAKIk/b-toPZt0kl0/s400/Image0010.jpg

But then I told him that he should be in the picture too. He seemed more impressed by May's dress than Tiana was, to be honest. He was so charming!
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3QPOnXJRI/AAAAAAAAJt0/THSP_5Atpc8/s400/IMG_6038.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/S10fvAncT5I/AAAAAAAAKIo/v2ADjlGFw54/s400/Image0027.jpg

Then Tiana asked me in her drawl, "Do you want to be in the picture too?"

Actually, I had a whole 1920s-inspired outfit I was going to wear, but my shoes would have been HORRIBLE had it rained (and I feared my feet would get tired even though they were flats), plus it was cold. So I just wore my hat and my jacket (bought from Savers; I LOVE it!) and did my lipstick, which I thought would look OK in pictures. (And I looked fine 'til I took those the hat off and got some Photopass pictures but forgot about my pseudo-bee-sting-lips lipstick....sigh. :flower3: )

ANYWAY. Yes, yes, I did want to be in the picture too. :)
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3Qe-LBLjI/AAAAAAAAJtM/SXq9Y1pL_7k/s400/IMG_6050.JPG

Then the Photopass guy took a couple with all of us, including Miss D. Most of the Photopass pictures were really bad and I didn't know where to look so a lot of Miss D's pictures came out awful too, but it was a lot more fun than I had expected!

Then we all went to Indiana Jones...
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3R5NNoYHI/AAAAAAAAKFA/aqdBWeYHC4o/s400/IMG_9330.JPG

...and then May decided she was tired from such a long day. Well, it was probably before 11 AM, but I'm sure she'd stayed up all night because she was so excited, poor girl! So I booked her a tiny room on Main Street at the rate of $10 or so for the day. I let her have my jacket as a pillow/mattress and then Miss D and I headed out to DCA, which we hadn't yet visited this trip. (To be honest, though, at this point we had done I think ALL of the big things I had hoped to do, and we'd spent less than a full day in the parks!)

Oh dear; I think I'm running out of paper again. I'll catch up with you soon! Hope all of your Disney dreams are coming true!

Love,
Eeee-va

[tksbaskets]

Great installment! I can see the princess was most impressed with you AG :goodvibes Looking forward to more when you find more paper.

[Eeee-va]

Dear tksbaskets,

Sorry for the delay. Darned paper shortage. :laughing: But thank you!

Dear DISboards,

After we left our little companion in her hotel on Main Street at 11:19 AM, we got a homely photo by the Mickey flowers at the Disneyland entrance, then hopped like bunnies to DCA. (Arrival at Hollywood area around 11:30 AM)

I told you I was afraid to go on Tower of Terror, right? Do you think I was brave enough to do it at last?????

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3SyHOvPgI/AAAAAAAAKFg/XUo6SqLjgew/s512/IMG_9342.JPG

No, not really. :flower3: I went in with Miss D to enjoy the scenery, then I walked right through the queue and then at the seating area I told them I wasn't riding. The host looked puzzled to be honest, but I don't like drops! So he told me to wait and after Miss D went in they let me through a little door to the exit hallway, which was pretty cool. (11:39 AM)

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3SzbfVtTI/AAAAAAAAKFo/Q8hpAUy7Ez0/s512/IMG_9351.JPG

Then I got bored and moved onto the end of the exit area. This one is for Mom. :)
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3SJ6o0M2I/AAAAAAAAJvs/81XsQJShM3s/s640/IMG_9358.JPG

We came to the gift shop at 11:46 AM or so. Miss D hoped for a keychain for her collection, but no dice. :(

Then onto Monsters Inc.! (11:50 AM)
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Tcf_EMYc7MrsY4JtUPgSdTbd4z7eoHqf0jzje2pdvec?feat=d irectlink

Not too bad for a 2005 camera? (11:53 AM)
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3UcsFeolI/AAAAAAAAKF8/ZUP5-GhQoLo/s400/IMG_9363.JPG

Goodbye, Christmas Hollywood Backlot! (11:59 AM)
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3UeEcmsQI/AAAAAAAAJxI/VQglnKvZNQ4/s640/IMG_9369.JPG

Onto Soarin'. How much you want to bet this is the most photographed photo in there? (12:10 PM)
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3UfSRZH4I/AAAAAAAAKGI/5fhGWiF2jlw/s512/IMG_9371.JPG

I think we got FPs for Mulholland Madness, and then a DELICIOUS lunch at Pizza Oom Mow Mow (spelling?). I raved about that salad for about two days. I'm all about the value when you go out...a great fast food salad costs $5, while an OK fast food hamburger and fries is $2 or $3. So I'd rather pay $8 or $9 for a great Disneyland salad, than $8 or $9 for an OK Disneyland hamburger and fries. :) (12:43 PM)
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3UiHiCEwI/AAAAAAAAJxU/u57m0FfSivk/s640/IMG_9376.JPG

Riding Mulholland Madness after eating may not be the best idea (so many dips!) but we were OK. (We got in line around 1:11 PM and were off by 1:1 PM.)

Toy Story Midway Mania said 15 minutes wait (1:22 PM). http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3UlXCmJ0I/AAAAAAAAKGg/4jmjjjyIKrY/s512/IMG_9381.JPG

I got bored in line and reset my camera's time to the CORRECT time. Woo-hoo! :) Prize shot at 1:45 PM:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3Umhw9c9I/AAAAAAAAJxk/Csz_DEOOkGk/s640/IMG_9385.JPG

DARN MY ACCURACY! (I was the narrow loser with the impressive 95% accuracy, which means nothing. :rotfl: But I'm totally reading up on my strategies for next time. BE WARNED, Miss D!)

I think next was just a bathroom break. I took some pictures outside. I like the Giant Dipper in San Diego very much. (1:55 PM)
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3UpKDMuiI/AAAAAAAAJxs/8K4Cxx0RWb8/s640/IMG_9391.JPG

Then on to the Fun Wheel! In June they forced strangers to share a car (which was cool but just saying). Not so much in December. (something like 2:17 PM) To think this area will soon be the Little Mermaid ride!
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3UrnIxiNI/AAAAAAAAJx4/ppvahhmx5vg/s640/IMG_9399.JPG

Miss D bought a Mickey ice cream treat in "San Francisco" at 2:30 PM. We stood outside the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail (having failed to experience it when we were super-hot in June!) and waited for her to eat it. Then we went inside and explored. Given my fear of heights, I can't believe I walked across the whole network of, er, nets, above ground! :scared: Probably would've been horrible in the summer with more kids around though. :)

Ooooh, old posters!!! (2:49 PM)
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http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3UwUnhw8I/AAAAAAAAKG4/Ls0RslhGlAg/s512/IMG_9410.JPG

Then it was getting near time for MOM to meet us! Hooray! We went on over to Engine-Ears Toys (oooh, a train) and hung out and waited for her.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3UxoqsgqI/AAAAAAAAJyM/ZrRdQ85wtXY/s640/IMG_9413.JPG

And I think I am out of space for more. I'll write back soon!

Love,
Eeee-va

(P.S. Yes, I am working on this trip report because I try to finish my last one before I start a new one. :flower3: )

(P.P.S. But I'm still having fun.)

[wdwfan22]

I am enjoying your trip report very much. I love the behind the wall look at the future Little Mermaid ride. It doesn't look like they have done very much, does it. I would think there would be a building there by now. I would think the inside takes much longer than the outside would. :confused3

Looking forward to reading more!

[Eeee-va]

Dear wdwfan22,

Thank you! This trip report is super-old (December 2009!). They're currently putting the roof/etc. on the Little Mermaid building, though I don't recall all the walls being built? I would assume they're working on building the inside animatronics/etc. right now on an off-site location and will put them inside once the building is finished and decorated.

They are building a new "Luna Park" in Coney Island--they got the contract in February of this year and it's set to open Memorial Day weekend! :eek: It's no Disneyland of course, and the Wonder Wheel (the thing that DCA copied for the Fun Wheel :) ) and the red tower in the background (the one without any cars on it) and of course the Cyclone wooden roller coaster were already there. But that's about it, and considering that they're putting a 19-ride park together in like 3.5 months, it's pretty darned good. (Even if some of the rides are probably from their stock, as the owners are a ride company.) Anyway, things can go super-quick if you're willing to hire the workers and can have workers on-site 20+ hours a day!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pablo57/sets/72157623843291236/

Love,
Eeee-va

[Eeee-va]

Mom had flown in from home and took the shuttle to Hojo, and then took the ART from Hojo, so it all took quite a while, but I was happy to explore Engine-Ears Toys (even if it is a ghastly pun!). I think we eventually made our way to the Main Street Penny Arcade. But when Mom texted that she was at the gates and had bought her ticket, we exited and met her in the esplanade, then made our way into Disneyland! She was tired but given the fact that it was fairly likely to rain the next couple days, I strongly encouraged her to go see Tiana's Showboat Jubilee. So we did rather a forced march to what must have been the 4:15 (?) Princess and the Frog show. As my mom likes New Orleans and bright colors and gospel-style music and stuff I figured she'd like the show!

I love Naveen! I mean, ukuleles. :flower3:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3U27x9qZI/AAAAAAAAJyQ/4KjFcKD8tDM/s640/IMG_9422.JPG (4:27 PM)

Mom did like the show and I THINK she thought it was worth the forced march. At least, she SAID it was worth it, but even I know that's not necessarily the same thing...

Then we had no specific plans. Mom loved New Orleans Square all decorated for Christmas. And we decided to eat at Cafe Orleans! :cheer2: We went up to ask what the wait was, and they got us in, outdoors, immediately. After a minute the waitress came back and gave us all magnetic Princess and the Frog bookmarks. I was so excited!

(Mom had no use for hers, so now I have two. :flower3: )

Miss D and I weren't very hungry (remember that delicious salad :) ) plus we are cheap so we split a Monte Cristo. All three of us shared the Pomme Frites...well, Mom and I were pretty much going to split them, but to my SHOCK, Miss D liked them. I think I've told you she is a picky eater? So I couldn't believe she actually liked french fries with garlic and parsley and cheese. Of course, the delicious sauce was alllllll mine (and to a lesser extent, Mom's).

5:02 PM:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3VfXppS8I/AAAAAAAAJyo/Jk0CBDSMl3E/s640/IMG_9439.JPG

Guess who gave me the extra dipping sauce here? (5:03 PM)
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3VgidyDfI/AAAAAAAAJys/C18Hne_52ZE/s640/IMG_9440.JPG

I think it's a kind of berry puree? I don't actually care for most berries but it works here.

After a delicious meal, we left the Cafe Orleans. Mom didn't bring a camera but she found it so beautiful she asked to use mine. I'm pretty sure these pictures were hers (6:02 and 6:03 PM).

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3VjcVBAII/AAAAAAAAKHA/XzJEXnoBTCo/s512/IMG_9444.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3Vk-vN7mI/AAAAAAAAJy4/PhBz-QftuPM/s640/IMG_9449.JPG

Mom let me have 1/4 of her Monte Cristo too. Score! Did I tell you that one difference (well, for me at least) between the summer trip and this trip is that the heat makes me less hungry...so the cold made me ravenous! I had to eat a full lunch and dinner BOTH, with snacks! So that was more expensive than the summer trip. :flower3:

We went into the (now departed) Jewel of Orleans and Mom tried on some wicked expensive diamond earrings. The woman behind the counter was very friendly and personable, though in fairness I think Mom looked like someone who would have some interest in buying something there, despite the lack of funds. (I'm not into jewelry...though I do like history, so some of the stuff was fascinating!) We also went into the shops in New Orleans Square (they had some really cute Sally stuff, like a plushie where her arm was attached by Velcro so it could fall off (!) and perhaps surprisingly, a super-cute Jim Shore figurine).

Then we went on over to Haunted Mansion Holiday (close to walk-on; we were in the queue at 6:20 PM and in the graveyard on the ride at 6:31 PM. Not bad! Then we moseyed on over to Winnie the Pooh (6:37 PM). Looks like we took it easy for a while after that--we did some shopping; I think Mom was trying to find baby clothes? Then we ended up in the hat shop where the extrovert Mom started a conversation with someone with a lovely voice. She asked where they were from and the woman told her to guess, which told me instantly that they weren't British...maybe Australian? Mom guessed British and they said something like, "Everyone guesses that!" Anyway, they were in Disneyland to do a dance performance at the Carnation Gardens, is it? Mom promised she'd be there Friday.

We finally went back I guess to Pirates of the Caribbean at 7:16 PM. Er, this is Pirates, right?
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Then to Big Thunder Mountain at 7:43 PM.

My camera's not the best, but the Rivers of America are gorgeous at 7:57 PM in the winter!
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We ended up going to Main Street for some baked goods, which was not smart; we should have doubled back to Critter Country. The line was super-long! But I didn't spy any gingerbread in Critter Country and darn it, I wanted some! Didn't spy any gingerbread on Main Street either, though. :( (8:36 PM when I was close enough to even get a picture of the bakery case)
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So I got the only other thing that had "man" in its name, a snowman! (Wouldn't recommend it, by the way.) (8:46 PM)
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So we made our way over to Indy. I don't think we had any FPs? But we didn't need them, either. (We were walking straight on through the queue at 8:57 PM--little to no line--and on a car by 9:11--maybe a few minutes earlier...)

When we got into the car, though, one of the seat belts (I think Mom's?) just would not fasten, no matter how many times she put it in the right spot. So they had us get out of the car and opened up the top secret Indy garage, I guess! LOL. They put the car there and put us in a new one...

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3V5ukXUaI/AAAAAAAAJzg/7fByHhPcsro/s640/IMG_9475.JPG

...and put the broken one away.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Sy3XPKvBWHI/AAAAAAAAJzw/Hhb8bYDBnd4/s640/IMG_9478.JPG

Kinda cool!

Hm, I hadn't thought we went to any effort to catch the fireworks show, but maybe we did? (9:27 PM)
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So with the parks open until 11, we could have stayed a little longer and had our run of the park, I suppose, but there's something to be said for getting home at a decent hour and getting some rest for the next morning. So I retrieved my littlest travel buddy May from her room on Main Street, and we headed back to Hojo. (9:52 PM)

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Write back soon!

Love,
Eeee-va

[Eeee-va]

Friday morning, the parks opened at 8 AM. Since it was our only day to do a pseudo-Magic Morning (i.e. do Fantasyland without Magic Morning crowds already occupying it), Miss D and I made sure to get there by opening and play hard! For her part, Mom needed to sleep in.

How can you not love these crowds? (8:03 AM)
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Can you guess which ride we did first? (8:05 AM)
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Then we went to the Storybookland Canal Boats. They had some really cute Christmas decorations. (8:12 AM)
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The day was kind of bright/overcast, though, so my poor camera didn't deal with all the shots very well.

Ariel is great but why does she have a restaurant and a spot in Storybookland, with a ride coming, while Belle gets nothing? SIGH. (8:16 AM) (Well, OK, nothing except a prominent spot in Fantasmic!. Whatever. ;) )
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I believe we did Mr. Toad next but I only have an exit sign photo (8:21 AM).

Then the carousel! Reportedly some of the horses come from Coney Island! The one I picked, named Doubloon, was reportedly Lillian Disney's favorite. Of course, I've heard a lot of reports that aren't remotely true, so take that as you will. A very pretty horse though. (8:22 AM)
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Szr4NdhaxrI/AAAAAAAAKSI/vCOva_6mMNg/s512/IMG_9516.JPG

Crowds were still sparse (8:23 AM).
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Then we did the super-bumpy Matterhorn (8:28 AM). I hope the new cars fix that!

Then the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage said a 10 minute wait (8:37 AM) so we went ahead and did it.
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Then I'm almost positive we did Space Mountain (9:09 AM).

Then, as we'd already decided we probably wanted to buy our Photopass pictures, we decided to stop by Princess Fantasy Faire (dun dun dun). The CM said it was a 40 minute wait so we went ahead. We were in line no later than 9:33 AM. This is from 9:53 AM, right around the time I started getting bored. :) (Doesn't this seem just a touch violent for a princess meet and greet?)
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We met Princess Jasmine, Belle, and Ariel. Belle was particularly awesome; she asked where we were from and when Miss D said where she was from, Belle said that she and the Beast like to go to the mountain there (which she specifically named) to go hiking in the winter. But she doesn't wear her ballgown there; she wears her village dress. :rotfl: She was wonderful! Jasmine tried and Ariel was a touch indifferent but I hear that's common. :flower3: Miss D was a little disappointed not to meet her favorite, Aurora. Since I hadn't really wanted to wait in line for 40 minutes I was glad to meet Belle and Ariel though. :) We were out of there at or before 10:16 AM.

Then we hopped on in to Toontown. Might as well get more Photopass pictures! :) (10:20 AM)
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It was in effect a walk-on (or walk through at your own pace). In the film room, a couple were just hanging out and were told they could go in, but they said they were happy to watch the cartoons, LOL. I wonder if they know about the Main Street Cinema... We were out by 10:27.

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Then I had to do Gadget's Go-Coaster, which is mildly fun and is named after one of my favorite Disney characters. To my SHOCK they had painted a lot of formerly blue woodwork a dark RED! I wonder why. (10:29 AM)
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Szr4eZ6U-7I/AAAAAAAAKow/b25nLUDXip4/s512/IMG_9548.JPG

(FILE PHOTO FROM 2005:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/SQFhMy7aL3I/AAAAAAAADoo/mRYO1WByq7M/s640/IMG_0226.JPG )

Loaded at 10:32 AM. And STILL wishing they'd put something DARK behind the window in the overhead door. It's bad show to have white space there as if the door leads to nowhere instead of Gadget's fabulous, and compact, living space. :headache:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Szr4g2aFNFI/AAAAAAAAKo4/HC2F3ZpICMI/s512/IMG_9552.JPG

The Go-Coaster had gone down for rehab fairly recently. It was good that the frogs were working again. (10:33 AM)
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Random little girl would not get out of the way of my tree shot (not like I asked)...but you can perhaps see a sense of wonder from her posture, plus she gives a sense of scale. Yeah. :) (10:35 AM)
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Szr4jzuGFmI/AAAAAAAAKfM/A2rKZ6pUmzU/s512/IMG_9556.JPG

(I wonder what ever happened to the drooping Toontown tree they used to have though?)

Pretty sure we went into the Five and Dime, looked at merchandise and make your own ears, and pressed a couple dimes (!) into baby Disney characters.

5 minute standby on Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin...why not? (10:43 AM)
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And I am out of paper!!!! I'll write again soon.

Love,
Eeee-va

[Eeee-va]

We headed back to Main Street and got a super-cute photo with Mary Poppins and Bert. I'm not a huge fan of the film but my friend loves her so I thought a picture would be awesome (and it was--we waited for some people who pushed ahead of us and Mary and Bert rewarded our patience by making a "frame" for us with their umbrella and cane for the photo--too cute! I am officially a fan of Mary in particular. She said something like, "I've noticed that American parents whistle for their children. Do you understand why? In England, people whistle at their dogs...." :rotfl:

Then we sat down for a bit (I think we were hanging out since Mom would be coming at some point) and I saw...cookie decorating!!!!! A CM was just sitting there decorating her own and I went up and asked what kind they had. There was a snowman, a tree, and...could it be? YES! GINGERBREAD!!!! I don't remember; it was maybe $6? But totally worth it! The odd thing was that there weren't many children decorating; it was mostly young adults. :confused3 Though I guess if you have more than a couple kids, the cost of decoration gets prohibitive. (Though some places do sell unfrosted cookies--I spied some in Whitewater Snacks on Sunday--so if you really wanted a deal you could buy a couple unfrosted and make the kids share the frosting. There is plenty for two cookies.)

(11:22 AM)
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Miss D also got a cookie to decorate.
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My homely gingerbread woman, in a try so I can box her and take her home with me. Like she's going to make it that long... (11:33 AM)
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I gave Miss D some of my red frosting so she could put a trunk on her pretty tree. The candy cane sprinkles tasted like PEPPERMINT! (11:42 AM)
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Blurry wait board. Not bad for 11:49 AM!
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We did a little shopping and then Mom arrived. I have a picture of a locker receipt so I guess we did that! Then we went to Rancho del Zocalo for lunch. Mom's picture, I believe (12:49 PM):
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I got grilled vegetables instead of beans. They were all right, but carrots? Who puts grilled carrots in Mexican food? Who grills carrots to begin with?! (12:56 PM)
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You can see a receipt in that picture; they kept giving us 20% off merchandise receipts to be used within a certain time period at certain big stores. I bought the kissing Princess and the Frog plushies due to that coupon, LOL.

It was a little chilly but we were near enough to a heater that it felt nice outside.

We did not forget; we went to the dance performance at the Plaza Gardens, just like Mom promised! (1:35 PM) It was cute and Christmas-y (well, in the "happy holidays" Christmas way, not the "Oh yeah; God became flesh to live a perfect life and someday die for your sins" kind of way). The "cheeky" elves were amusing.
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This was the woman Mom had talked to the night before.
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Then we hopped on over to DCA (2:22 PM) and I'm almost certain we got Soarin' FPs. Then Mom was tired so we went on over to the Grand Californian lobby.

I like an understated look, don't you? :rotfl: (2:31 PM)
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While there, Mom called her relatives back East to see who their kids' favorite Disney character was. She got back answers like "Fievel". That was not going to happen. :flower3:

So I take weird pictures in bathrooms. Is that a crime? Well, sometimes I guess. But not the ones I take! :flower3: (2:39 PM)
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Well-rested, we then (judging by my photos at least) did the Bakery Tour, the Tortilla Factory tour, and then Blue Sky Cellar.
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This looks like an old seaside park, almost even like (gasp) old Coney Island! I know Orlando is getting something that looks more like it's from the movie but I don't think I could possibly be happier with the building we are getting here. (3:47 PM)
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Then another forced march back to Aladdin! We got there right around the posted showtime, but crowds were light and (to exhausted Mom's relief) got orchestra floor. We were near the back, but did not have to climb long flights of stairs. (Picture at 4:10 PM)
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I think this dress of Jasmine's is super-cute. (4:29 PM)
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By the time we got out, it was a touch wet! I reckon I was gratified to be able to use my umbrella as we made our way back to Disneyland.... (5:29 PM)
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I'll bet I'm out paper again. :( I'll write back as soon as I find another sheet!

Love,
Eeee-va

[Eeee-va]

We were in a hurry to see the "light show" they advertised at Sleeping Beauty Castle. In fact, we even missed out on doing Soarin' with Mom so we could see this "show". The castle lit up. Whee. Totally not even close to worth it! :( At least the castle was pretty and I don't THINK Mom missed going on Soarin' too much. I still felt bad, though, as this was her last night in the parks! :( (5:37 PM)
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Mom's camera needed batteries so she stopped at one of the kiosks in Fantasyland. The CM made a quip about not offering automobile services (AAA, get it?). Well, I thought it was cute. :) (5:53 PM)

Fantasyland decoration near It's a Small World.
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Then we went to see Small World Holiday. (in line at 5:56 PM; got on around 6:18 PM)

Wait...we don't dress like that in America!
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I'm starting to suspect some of the other countries represented might not be wearing everyday clothes either; hmmmmm...

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Then we took the train back to Main Street. We were hoping to see the Christmas parade but it didn't run because of rain; we never managed to see it. (I felt bad because I read here that they try to run the parades no matter what so I'd put it at a low priority, and I was very wrong. :( )

On to the Disney Gallery--does Jack Sparrow make it better? (7:00 PM)
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Any guesses on what that shining "D" art is in the corner?
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Mom was asking, and I said I didn't know...a nice CM came by and showed us it was a badge reader to open the nearby door! Pretty slick.

We hopped back on the train (which we'd been wanting to do since our last trip) at 7:18 PM and took it to Tomorrowland. I'd wanted to take the monorail, so we did! (7:47 PM) Unlike in June 2009, when we'd had to wait ages, we got on the first monorail that came in and weren't even crowded at all.
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Out at Downtown Disney. I thought it looked so pretty.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Szr6lP-x9FI/AAAAAAAAKHo/YQfMjnhfdWM/s512/IMG_9710.JPG

Gratuitous LEGO kitty.
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We also did something I'd wanted to do since I found out it existed...and this time there were plenty of pirate pieces! Yes, build your own LEGO people! The soldier on the left is Miss D's; the pirates are mine. :D (Too bad they had no swords. Though I think I have a LEGO sword somewhere...hmmm...)
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We ended up getting the most overpriced pizza of my life. I think drinks were like $3.50? So my mom and Miss D spent over $8 for a slice of pizza and a drink. I just got water so I didn't feel quite as gouged. I liked the pizza but thought there should just be more of it. (The waits for the restroom were crazy-long too!) (8:24 PM)
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I'm pretty sure I bought some DELICIOUS white peppermint fudge, but I took a picture of cupcakes instead. (8:47 PM)
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/dxu5oepYdgw/s640/IMG_9715.JPG

Hmph; May's Tiana dress is more accurate. The flower needs to be to one side. :) (9:01 PM)
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3DD-8hL_hp4/Szr6qc1mb6I/AAAAAAAAKpY/rG15_8azbuk/s512/IMG_9716.JPG

By the way, they DID run the fireworks that night; we saw them. I get the feeling now is actually when we made our LEGO people, but I'm not sure...

We took the monorail back and arrived in Tomorrowland around 10:18 PM. It was cold and rainy and Mom decided to go to the Tomorrowland station to take the train to Main Street and then ART to the hotel. Miss D and I decided to go ahead on back to the hotel ourselves. I'm sure Space Mountain still had lines, and besides, it's hard to push yourself to do everything when the park is uncrowded, when you've already done it all six months ago and will be coming back in another six months. :)

Talk to you soon!
Eeee-va

[tksbaskets]

GREAT updates. I'm glad you found more paper. :thumbsup2 Where is Carnation Gardens where you saw the little show? I didn't know that existed. I loved all your pictures.

Hope we get more soon! popcorn::

[Eeee-va]

Dear tksbaskets,

Thank you for reading!

OK, I think it's the Plaza Gardens Stage. If you're facing the castle, it's to the left...not terribly hard to find but not really standing out either.

http://www.visionsfantastic.com/visions/dlr/disneyland/ms/plazagardens.html

(Except I'm not sure they have food anymore.)

Love,
Eeee-va

[DisneyMomma81]

What a great report ~ great fotos, May is lovely, I'll have to show her to DD.

[OctoberDisney]

Hi Eeee-va!
Great trip report...thanks for sharing. We are going for similar dates in 2010 so I love reading about your trip.
One question...I don't think you mentioned where you did the cookie decorating? My kids will LOVE that so we'll have to look out for it. Do you remember where?
Thanks!!

[designhawk]

I'm curious, too. Please let us know!

[Littleprincess2010]

Just finished reading through your trip report and I LOVED IT!!! Great detail and your sense of humour made it a really easy read.

Christmas at DL looks absolutely amazing!!