Our 3rd Annual Holiday Trip to DL in November - November 22nd - 25th, 2013 Post #3416

[Daisybelle]

I just wanted to tell you that I stumbled upon one of your youtube videos last week and it was FABULOUS. I was looking for one for the Magicial fireworks so I could hear the music for it and I recongized the user name from the Disboards. I wish I had your skill! Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

 

[PrincessInOz]

4 days? Enjoy your trip. Looking forward to the TR!

 

[ACDSNY]

Have a great time Brett. We're not heading into DL until sometime on Sunday, maybe we'll see you as we're wandering around.

 

[franandaj]

Have a fun time Bret! I hope that you enjoy your studios tour and get in some good DL park time.

 

[kmedina]

It is crazy how much the prices keep going up. Hopefully, they advertise the impending price change, so you can renew before it goes up or that it will not go up at all.

Thanks. I just bought the MNSSHP tickets now. I am so excited. Nice to see your trip is so close. I look forward to reading along. Have a good time.

 

[mvf-m11c]

I just wanted to tell you that I stumbled upon one of your youtube videos last week and it was FABULOUS. I was looking for one for the Magicial fireworks so I could hear the music for it and I recongized the user name from the Disboards. I wish I had your skill! Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

I'm glad that you were able to watch Magical fireworks that I have videotaped back in 2011. It was very interesting on that day when I videotaped Magical fireworks. On that night just before the fireworks was about to start, Darth Vader and two Stormtroopers were behind me at the Hub and that was during the Star Tours promotion back in 2011. It was also the opening week of Mickey's Soundsational Parade which was fun to watch. There was a lot going on that trip. Thank you and glad that you enjoyed the video that I taped. I will be going back to the DLR this weekend and I will be taping Magical on Friday or Saturday depending on the situation.

4 days? Enjoy your trip. Looking forward to the TR!

Now just less than 2 days or 1 day. Thank you PiO. I will do my best to do a live update and be able to do a trip report.

Have a great time Brett. We're not heading into DL until sometime on Sunday, maybe we'll see you as we're wandering around.

Thank you Angela. Have a great time during your trip and maybe I will be able to see you on Sunday. Just look for the Asian guy with the DCA hat and camera bag with the LGMH.

Have a fun time Bret! I hope that you enjoy your studios tour and get in some good DL park time.

Thank you Alison. We are hoping that the tour will go really well and I can't stop thinking about it. We will be there at the DLR on Friday afternoon and after reading what is going on, I am hoping to be able to see the "Disneyland Goes to the World's Fair" that will be playing at Stage 17 on Friday. If not, I am still happy to be back at the DLR after working like crazy these last few months.

It is crazy how much the prices keep going up. Hopefully, they advertise the impending price change, so you can renew before it goes up or that it will not go up at all.

Thanks. I just bought the MNSSHP tickets now. I am so excited. Nice to see your trip is so close. I look forward to reading along. Have a good time.

No kidding with all the price increase these last few years especially with the APs. I will likely renew my AP before it expires in mid June. I am still thinking of letting it expire and get a new one when I go back in August. But with a $20 discount on renewing my AP, I might renewed it.

Nice to hear that you have bought your MNSSHP tickets. Thank you Kim.


We are less than 2 days away till the trip and I am getting excited every minute. I still have to write up my PTR so stay tune for it.

 

[ACDSNY]

Thank you Angela. Have a great time during your trip and maybe I will be able to see you on Sunday. Just look for the Asian guy with the DCA hat and camera bag with the LGMH.

We'll keep an eye out for you, we probably won't get into the parks until the afternoon as we're staying in Carlsbad Sat night. I'll be with the tall gray haired guy in wranglers and cowboy boots.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Got here safely and it was a nice day yesterday. Just about to leave to Burbank for the tour this morning but here is a quick update from yesterday. My DA and I got to Anaheim around 4pm and we ate at the ESPN Zone as our favorite restaurant at the DLR. We watched a lot of NBA Playoff games yesterday. Even though it was hot during the afternoon, the nighttime was so great in the mid 60s. I went to the park last night and it was quite busy in early May. I was able to watch Magical fireworks last night and it was a little disappointment where Tink or Dumbo flew last night. It was not that windy and I was kind of surprised that they didn't fly during Magical. But it didn't stop me of having a great time watching Magical. I also got to have a Dole Float where I don't get that.

Here are some pics from yesterday with the new lens that I bought the Nikkor 18-105mm lens.

I will update you later today from the WDSaA.

 

[franandaj]

Nice pictures Bret! I hope you are enjoying the tour!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Great pictures Bret. That lens is working out well for you.

 

[disneykiwi]

such beautiful pictures Bret

 

[mvf-m11c]

Got back home safely and it was sad that we had to leave SoCal but it is time to head back to the real world. It will be a few days to upload all the pictures from the trip.

Nice pictures Bret! I hope you are enjoying the tour!

Thank you Alison. My DA and I enjoyed the tour. It will be a few days until I am able to upload all the pictures from my trip on my thread. You will really enjoy the pictures from the WDSaA.

Great pictures Bret. That lens is working out well for you.

Thank you PiO. The new lens worked out really well during the trip.

such beautiful pictures Bret

Thank you Toni.

 

[kmedina]

I never knew Dumbo flew during Magical. When did that start? I would be disappointed too. Glad you got to go into the park on your arrival day though.

 

[mvf-m11c]

I never knew Dumbo flew during Magical. When did that start? I would be disappointed too. Glad you got to go into the park on your arrival day though.

Hi Kim. Dumbo is part of "Magical" fireworks ever since the show debut in the summer of 2009. That is the highlight of the show where you see Dumbo fly in the sky. It was disappointing to not see Dumbo or Tinkerbell fly that night where it wasn't that windy where Magical was canceled on Saturday due to high winds. It didn't make any sense for not having Tink or Dumbo fly that night on the first night of Magical. But overall it was a great firework show to watch. It is not as good as Remember Dreams Come True where you might be able to see during your October trip.

Here is a pic of Dumbo from last years "Magical" fireworks which was a little blurry.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Here are some pictures from that Friday when my DA and I got to Anaheim that day. I don't have time to write up a trip report with my work but I will try to get as much in as I can with everything going on.

Here is a quick update of what happened during that day.

My DA and I got to Anaheim around 4pm after we left Sacramento at 7am. It took us quite awhile to get to SoCal due to stopping at my grandmothers house in Livingston and stopping at my dad's best friend house in LA. It took us another 1 1/2 hours of our time to stop at my dad's friend house since the traffic in LA was bad around 2pm to 3pm. So we didn't get to Anaheim around 4pm.

When we checked in at Best Western Anaheim Inn and dropped all of our stuff, we head on over to the ESPN Zone for dinner at 4:30pm. We went to the ESPN Zone early in order to watch the NBA Playoff games at the restaurant. We were in the restaurant for 2 1/2 hours to watch the basketball games. We could have stayed longer at the restaurant but I had to go to DL to watch Magical fireworks while my DA went back to the room to rest up.

We left the ESPN Zone around 7pm and I head on over to DL while my DA went back to the room. When I was about to pass the turnstile at DL, it was quite busy to get in around 7pm. There were a lot of people that were leaving and a lot of people entering DL. During this trip, I bought a Nikkor 18-105mm lens so I am able to get up close pictures as well as wide angle shots so I wouldn't have to change lens every time. I thought about this really hard for a while and glad that I got this lens for this trip since I wanted to try it our before my August trip during the D23 Expo.

I entered DL around 7:15pm and I head on over towards the Hub to get my spot for Magical. It was also the first day of Magical fireworks for the summertime. Mostly they have Magical in June but the last two years, they have started Magical in May which is really nice to have to start before the summertime.

While I was walking down MS, it was not as bad as I have thought when I walked down MS.

The Market House area windows were all sealed up as Starbucks is now taking over those buildings

When I got to the Hub and in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle, there was no one sitting on the curb sides so I decided to head on over to the new Fantasy Faire that replaced the former Carnation Plaza Gardens.

My first impression of the new Fantasyland Faire that it is very well decorated with a Medieval theme building with the Rapunzel tower in the center of the area. It is very nice but I still miss the former CPG as which is a part of the old Disneyland and now it is a nice meet and greet area for the little kids.

After looking around the New Fantasyland Faire, I head on back to the Hub and got my curb spot with 2 hours to go for Magical. For people that have followed my past trip reports that I am willing to wait 2 hours for any nighttime show with a great spot so I can videotape and take pictures. When I got the spot, I was planning on getting the firework trails pictures but I forgot my remote control to the DSLR so I had to use the video camera on the tripod while I had the DSLR in my hands.

It was 9:30pm and Magical started, I used the 18-105mm lens to take pictures of Magical and they turned out really well. Here are some pictures from Magical fireworks that night. It was a little disappointing that Dumbo and Tinkerbell didn't fly that night. But I still enjoy watching Magical during the summertime.

That's it for this post and I will have more pictures from Magical on May 3rd, 2013.

 

[franandaj]

I already miss Carnation Plaza. Our band used to play there and it was such a nice stage.

Now I miss the Disneyana shop as well. We dropped a lot of money in that place. I guess I'm glad we got to go back there a couple weeks ago and buy something. Now we can't. Boo hoo!

 

[kmedina]

I am not excited about the recent changes. Carnation Plaza is better than Fantasy Faire (even though I have not seen it in person), because I do not have a daughter. My opinion may change if I ever do. Although I do not mind an occasional frappucino, I am not a coffee fan. It disappoints me they are taking great places out at Dl and MK to install a Starbucks. The loss of the bakery at MK has me near tears. It was a great place to use snack credits.

I never saw Dumbo fly but hope I get to see it someday. I believe it was Tink when we were there last June, so I am guessing they change which character flies from time to time. The more I think about it, the more I am not sure. I will have to check our pictures when I resume the report. After staking out a spot for 2 hours, I would be bummed to miss either Tink or Dumbo too. That is the best part of watching from the front to me. If you're too far away or far off to the side, you cannot see it.

Glad you had your ESPN time again this trip. I miss the one that was here even though you taught me the one there has a different name. I will have to check it out someday. I like football, but I do not have to watch every game. Crap likes som sports, but does not watch too often either.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Nice pictures. Glad the lens worked out for you.

Fantasy Faire looks like it fits in with DL well. I didn't really spend a lot of time at Carnation Plaza, so I can't say if I'll miss it or not.

Looking forward to seeing more of this trip.

 

[mvf-m11c]

I already miss Carnation Plaza. Our band used to play there and it was such a nice stage.

Now I miss the Disneyana shop as well. We dropped a lot of money in that place. I guess I'm glad we got to go back there a couple weeks ago and buy something. Now we can't. Boo hoo!

It is sad to see the Carnation Plaza Gardens go for the Fantasyland Faire.

That was also disappointing to hear that the stores around the Market House and Disneyana are being converted to the Starbucks area. I don't care about Starbucks that much since I don't drink coffee and I don't like changes at DL just like the Fantasyland Faire where I wasn't that too excited. Even though I don't buy that much from the Disneyana store, I like to stop at the store to see all the different art work and figures when I walked at the park. At least I got to go inside the last time during my January trip.

I am not excited about the recent changes. Carnation Plaza is better than Fantasy Faire (even though I have not seen it in person), because I do not have a daughter. My opinion may change if I ever do. Although I do not mind an occasional frappucino, I am not a coffee fan. It disappoints me they are taking great places out at Dl and MK to install a Starbucks. The loss of the bakery at MK has me near tears. It was a great place to use snack credits.

I never saw Dumbo fly but hope I get to see it someday. I believe it was Tink when we were there last June, so I am guessing they change which character flies from time to time. The more I think about it, the more I am not sure. I will have to check our pictures when I resume the report. After staking out a spot for 2 hours, I would be bummed to miss either Tink or Dumbo too. That is the best part of watching from the front to me. If you're too far away or far off to the side, you cannot see it.

Glad you had your ESPN time again this trip. I miss the one that was here even though you taught me the one there has a different name. I will have to check it out someday. I like football, but I do not have to watch every game. Crap likes som sports, but does not watch too often either.

It is very disappointing that DL took out the CPG for the Fantasyland Faire. The FF will be a nice place for the young children to meet the princesses and see them on stage. I still don't think that it is a great place to have it right next to SB Castle. It would be nice if the area was behind the castle and not close to the front on the left hand side. With limited space, that is the best place to put it. The CPG has been there ever since DL opened and management should never have replaced it. Even though the FF looked very well themed and good for the young children, we'll just wait and see how popular it will get.

For Magical fireworks, Tinkerbell and Dumbo are part of the show. Tinkerbell flies twice during the show while Dumbo flies once. It was not that windy that night and I am still wondering from that day why they didn't have them fly that night. Waiting for 2 hours and now seeing them is disappoint but it would be even worse if you wait for 2 hours and all of a sudden the fireworks is canceled due to high winds. That would be even worse than not seeing them during the show. I was glad that I didn't see Magical on Saturday since it was canceled due to high winds. Fantasmic! was running that night which was a smart decision. Watching from the front of SB Castle shows all the great effects on the castle and see Tink and Dumbo fly. It is not the same when I watch the fireworks when I am at DCA, DTD, etc.

You can watch my video of Magical Fireworks at Disneyland 5/27/11

My DA and I have to stop at the ESPN Zone as our sit down restaurant when we go to the DLR. The food is good while watching sports games. The one at WDW is called the ESPN Club. The ESPN Club is way different from the one in Anaheim where they don't have a big area to watch the sports games. I like to watch football but when we tried to watch a football game on a Sunday, it was super busy where people waited for over an hour to get a table. From my experience, never go to the ESPN Zone on a football day or get there early for a spot and spend a lot of money of food and drinks. In order to keep your seat during a game and want to spend a lot of time in the area, you have to order at least $10 or more per hour just to keep your seat.

Nice pictures. Glad the lens worked out for you.

Fantasy Faire looks like it fits in with DL well. I didn't really spend a lot of time at Carnation Plaza, so I can't say if I'll miss it or not.

Looking forward to seeing more of this trip.

Thank you PiO. The new lens is working great. After seeing all those pictures, I need a extended lens so I won't have to change lens every time. For example a 18-300mm lens so I can get the extension without changing the 18-105mm lens to the 55-200mm lens. I should wait later on since I have got the 18-105mm lens which is very nice. I am about to upgrade my D5100 to the D5200 or D7100. It depends on how much I am willing to spend. I will tell you later on what I will do.

The FF is a nice addition to DL. I don't care about it a lot since I don't do character meet & greets.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Day 1 – May 3, 2013 Part 2​

More pictures from “Magical” fireworks on May 3rd, 2013.

This is the scene where Dumbo flies during Magical and never happened

I will have more pictures of Magical.