A Once in Lifetime Adventure in Walt's Wonderful World-lots of pics-COMPLETE

[Disneygrl36]

Strolling away from our wonderful farewell dinner we took in the sights of Hollywood Backlot all lit up for the evening.

We decided to go explore Bugs Land because I had seen some really cool pictures of Tower of Terror at night from there on the Disneyland picture of the day thread-shameless plug for one of my favorite threads on the DIS.

Along the way we ran into some bugs.
One that scared me

One that made us laugh

And one that made Eric channel Walt Disney's eyebrow lifting

We saw some huge Christmas decorations along with the T o T shot I wanted to get.

And alot of cute lights.

We knew we had to come back in the daylight to see this area more clearly.
Next we decided to head over to Paradise Pier.

We rode California Screamin' woo hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then got in a relatively short line for Toy Story Mania-aka Pixar crack which is what one of our tour mates called it since it is addictive & so much fun.
Us in line-this queue had some great posters to look at.

WOW what a fun game. I stink at Buzz, but I was ahead for about 1/2 this game until we got the ring toss. I think I wound up with 69,000 & Eric got 93,000. This is something I could do over & over, it is that much fun.
By then, we had done most everything we wanted to do for now at California Adventure, so we headed over to Disneyland so we could go watch the fireworks with our group. What a primo spot they got us with nice benches to sit on & everything. We enjoyed chatting about our day with the others, but alas the fireworks were cancelled. BOO!!!!! But the girls had a suprise for us. Earlier in the week, a couple of people asked them if they could get us a candy cane from the confectionery on Main Street. Apparently they are made just a couple of days during the holiday season & are a big deal. They said they would try, but didn't think they would be able to. Well, lo & behold they were able to get one per family & they gave them to us then, but then wound up taking them back for us to the hotel to give to us in the morning at breakfast so we could ride rides without them getting crushed. I forgot to take a picture of it, but this candy cane was about 15 or 16 inches long & was huge. Good job girls We ate ours after we got home.

So, since no fireworks were happening, we decided to go hit some rides. We walked through the beautiful castle again headed for Fantasyland.

We were headed for a very Wild ride that we miss at WDW.

Mr Toad & Mr I'm Cold

This is an example of why I like Disneylands queue lines better than WDW's. Notice the frog lamp on the podium. There are just little details everywhere.

So after our ride to nowhere in particular that landed us in someplace very warm & I mean literally warm (we wouldn't have minded a longer visit since it was chilly), we decided to go get in line for Small World since we hadn't done this yet.

Continued in next post.........

 

[Disneygrl36]

It is just so beautiful all lit up for Christmas & they do a little show on the facade that is really cool.

Then then clock chimes these little guys come out to entertain you.

Something was going on because we ended up waiting in line much longer than we thought we would be....I think it broke down.

But we finally got to ride & I just love the holiday overlay here & hearing the dolls sing Christmas carols too!!!!

Santa is watching.

My mermaid shot was blurry, but they were singing Jingle Shells which cracked me up. This was just sooooo cute & a neat way to jazz up Small World & let you see it in a different & fun way!!!!

By the time we finished up our ride on the happiest cruise that ever sailed it was getting to be around 11:30 so we grabbed some hot cocoa to warm our cold bones & headed for home. It had been a wonderful day & we couldn't believe that our Adventures by Disney was almost over.....we were really glad we got to stay after breakfast in the morning & then had another extra day to play.

Turndown service

Up next....bye ABD & Walkin' in Walt's footsteps

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry. I am glad you came out of lurkdom to say hello. I am sooo glad that people are enjoying my trippie so much. I am a pretty detail oriented person so it's nice to know I am not boring you guys or giving you too much info.
Funny thing about pictures. I just used my old Kodak Easyshare. I loved my old one so much that I bought a newer one with a better zoom etc. I took it on a few trips & the pictures looked perfect on the view screen but when I uploaded them there were all these fuzzy pictures......so I am not happy with it. So, when this trip came up, I decided to take the old reliable because I would have gotten really upset if I got home & my pictures were fuzzy. I have also learned that alot of times things come out better without the flash. Most of my GCH pictures were taken without the flash.
Thanks for all the kind words

Oh I love lots of detail and descriptions (and besides, details are key for other folks who maybe have never been to DLR and want to really know what to expect!) and I love lots of pictures. So it's never too much for me! Aside from your TR being a great tool to help new DLR visitors plan their trips, it is also helpful for those of us seasoned DLR visitors to see certain little details we may have missed for whatever reason. I always find that no matter how many times any of us have been to DLR, there are always little hidden things that we miss because of time limitations or heavy crowds or just not paying attention. So we can always find those little details in other people's pictures that we didn't see when we were there, and we know to catch them on the NEXT trip!!!

Really? You got better pictures in the GCH without using a flash? That seems like it would be impossible because of the low light in there. Then again, I got better pictures in the GCH lobby on this past trip (just about 2 weeks ago) than I did in December 2007, and I am not sure why unless they changed their lighting a bit?? I did use a flash though. I was jumping around with all kinds of cameras, but nothing 'professional,' just to see what would come out best. I used an old, decrepit 35 mm (which ended up dying at DLR in the rain), a digital disposable, a cell phone camera, a black and white camera, a disposable digital video - I was all over the place, experimenting to see what worked. I have always felt that you can get really great pictures with almost any kind of camera and you don't have to have a really high-end professional camera (though we all want them ). It is really the photographer's eye and the subject and composition that make the photo, and that can be good on any camera.

Well, it's funny that your original Easy Share ended up being better for you than the newer model (I guess that falls under the 'if it ain't broke...' category!), but it seems to have really worked for you based on these photos! Which model of Easy Share was the original one and which was the bad one? I want to know in case I ever get and Easy Share so I can avoid the bad one!!!

 

[Aburns8]

Hey Melanie,

I didn't get the guide's e-mail addresses, I wished I would. Brian and I are getting our drawings framed right now!

 

[kmab00]

So sad this report is almost over! You did such a great job...your trip sounds amazing!!!!

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

Those are fantastic! What a talented woman! Wow! So awesome!

I always wondered what was in that dang empty building in DCA, now I know!!

 

[Disneygrl36]

Oh I love lots of detail and descriptions (and besides, details are key for other folks who maybe have never been to DLR and want to really know what to expect!) and I love lots of pictures. So it's never too much for me! Aside from your TR being a great tool to help new DLR visitors plan their trips, it is also helpful for those of us seasoned DLR visitors to see certain little details we may have missed for whatever reason. I always find that no matter how many times any of us have been to DLR, there are always little hidden things that we miss because of time limitations or heavy crowds or just not paying attention. So we can always find those little details in other people's pictures that we didn't see when we were there, and we know to catch them on the NEXT trip!!!

Really? You got better pictures in the GCH without using a flash? That seems like it would be impossible because of the low light in there. Then again, I got better pictures in the GCH lobby on this past trip (just about 2 weeks ago) than I did in December 2007, and I am not sure why unless they changed their lighting a bit?? I did use a flash though. I was jumping around with all kinds of cameras, but nothing 'professional,' just to see what would come out best. I used an old, decrepit 35 mm (which ended up dying at DLR in the rain), a digital disposable, a cell phone camera, a black and white camera, a disposable digital video - I was all over the place, experimenting to see what worked. I have always felt that you can get really great pictures with almost any kind of camera and you don't have to have a really high-end professional camera (though we all want them ). It is really the photographer's eye and the subject and composition that make the photo, and that can be good on any camera.

Well, it's funny that your original Easy Share ended up being better for you than the newer model (I guess that falls under the 'if it ain't broke...' category!), but it seems to have really worked for you based on these photos! Which model of Easy Share was the original one and which was the bad one? I want to know in case I ever get and Easy Share so I can avoid the bad one!!!

Thanks again for the kind words & I know what you mean as when I read people's WDW reports (since I have been there tons of times) I am always finding new things to look for.
My old camera is a Kodak Easyshare CX7530. The newer one is a Kodak Easyshare Z712IS. I hate not using the bigger, newer one, but really the older one is "Old Reliable".

Hey Melanie,

I didn't get the guide's e-mail addresses, I wished I would. Brian and I are getting our drawings framed right now!

Hey Andrea!!!! Why didn't any of us think to ask for their email? When you get your drawings back send me or post a picture.

So sad this report is almost over! You did such a great job...your trip sounds amazing!!!!

We still have Sunday & Monday to go!!!! Thanks it was amazing.

Those are fantastic! What a talented woman! Wow! So awesome!

I always wondered what was in that dang empty building in DCA, now I know!!

She is sooooo talented. I wish I could draw like that. Glad I could answer a question you had always been wondering.

Pictures uploading for the next installment now.

 

[Jennifer48]

Just let me know where and when!

*mental note* Oh and Carrie, I went to the book store last night and there were NO Destination Weddings magazines! I was so upset. I'll have to try another one soon!

Mel, I wish the IASM at WDW was that beautifully lit up at night! I'm so glad you have 2 more days to write. I don't want this report to end!

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks again for the kind words & I know what you mean as when I read people's WDW reports (since I have been there tons of times) I am always finding new things to look for.
My old camera is a Kodak Easyshare CX7530. The newer one is a Kodak Easyshare Z712IS. I hate not using the bigger, newer one, but really the older one is "Old Reliable".

Thanks for the info! I have been looking at so many pictures on DISboards and jotting down the model numbers and brands of cameras used when I can get the info because it was time for me to replace the 35 mm camera I had. I actually like using 35mm cameras for a few reasons, but I want to get a good, reliable, fairly inexpensive point and shoot digital camera just to play with and practice on and get used to so I can get back in the swing of taking pictures, and then eventually upgrade to one of the Nikon DSLR models. So I made the notation of which Easyshare you used and whcih one to avoid!!

Thanks for taking the time to upload all of your pictures and labor over this TR for us. I think we all know what a painstaking, lengthy process it can be to upload a lot of pictures (especially on a slow computer) and post them, one by one! I think we all really appreciate the great results of your time spent! I just ordered my second Photopass CD (which has 300 pictures on it) and the PP CD I got in October (with only 112 pictures on it) took SOOOOOOO long to load to Photobucket. I thought it would never end. So I know that this new CD I am expecting will probably be an all-day uploading event, but I want to add the pictures to my existing Trip Report or else I won't feel complete!!!

 

[Disneygrl36]

Breakfast this morning was at your leisure in Storyteller's Cafe. We didn't have to be at Disneyland by 9:15 for the tour, so we slept in a bit before heading down. We stopped by the desk on the way to sign our new registration card & to get our new keys.

Breakfast was good here & it was nice to be able to say our final goodbyes to all of our new friends & our guides.

After our breakfast, we headed over to Disneyland. We picked up our tickets for the tour at Guest Services & then went inside. We checked in at the tour desk & then had a few minutes to just hang out & wait.

These 2 were hilarious & I spent several minutes just watching them.

They had a whole group of 20 somethings just hanging out around them & they even followed them when they left to go to another location. Which made me wonder-did they know them or were they stalking Alice & the Mad Hatter?

So when it was time for the tour, we were given head sets to wear so we could hear the guide. Our guide was named Robert & he was really great. There was only one other couple on the tour-so maybe Sunday mornings is a good time to take this tour.
First stop was the dedication plaque. Robert had us close our eyes & imagine we were at Disneyland on opening day. He played Walt's dedication speech for us-he had all kinds of stuff that he could play for us as we were walking around. It was pretty cool. We talked about forced perspective & how the castle looks very far away when looking at it from the train station-like a destination that really pulls you along. But if you are at the castle & hub & look back you see that the train station looks closer so at the end of your day it seems you don't have as far to walk. He also told us about storybook reality which was a term I hadn't heard before-meaning that the way we see things at Disneyland are the way reality should be. He discussed Walt's apartment over the firestation & how Walt loved to get the fire truck out & drive it around early in the mornings.

Next we walked to the Partners statue. Robert told us that the sculptor intended Walt's outstretched arm & hand to mean "Mickey, look what we've built." Really cool.

Then we went to Adventureland & met our skipper for the Jungle Cruise. He had just gotten engaged & was all excited telling Robert about it. We had a very punny cruise around the jungle & it was fun as always.

We stopped in Frontierland to see a window for Fess Parker. I am not sure if this is unique to Disneyland but I don't remember seeing windows in other places besides Main Street at WDW. It seems fitting to put his here.

He also talked about Walt & Lillian's anniversary party at the Golden Horseshoe. Can you believe comedian Wally Boag did over 50,000 shows there. It is listed in the Guiness Book of World Records as the longest running stage show ever.

We then headed to New Orleans Square.

We talked about the fact that Pirates was the last attraction that Walt actually saw being worked on & that the Haunted Mansion was the first attraction opened after Walt died.

We found the door to Club 33 here.

So Robert left us there & kept talking to us via headset. He told us that even a special knock could not get you in Club 33 but that we could try it. So Eric tried knocking.....nothing. I tried to do the Mickey Mouse club march as a knock & he was cracking up saying "Who is doing Jingle Bells?" Anyway, after all that silliness he finally opened the door & let us into the lobby.

It is very dark & richly done with a "lift" that Walt found in a hotel in France that he tried to buy but they wouldn't sell it to him. So instead he sent Imagineers over to sketch & copy it so he could use it at Club 33.

This Club was intended to be a place Walt could entertain people, but sadly he never got to use it. It is members only but if you know someone that knows someone they can get you a reservation. The list to become a member is currently closed-I found this out by asking the lady that came down during our tour that works at the podium.

She said that once you get on the list it takes about 10 years then to get a place.
Beautiful details in here.

This bust was used in the filming of Mary Poppins & there is also a table upstairs used in that film as well as a phone booth from the Happiest Millionaire. Robert says no one has been able to find the bust in the movie, but that is the story that is told.

Proof that we were actually there.

There was great artwork on the walls-one of the Mark Twain & one of the Royal Street Bachelors group that Walt hired himself in New Orleans. There is one original member still with the group named Ernie. Coincidentally, when we came out of Club 33 they were playing there in the square. Robert said Ernie was the gentleman playing the guitar.

We then talked just a bit about the now Dream Suite that was supposed to be Walt & Roy's apartment to entertain people. Of course, when Walt died the project was put on hold. Years later it was made into the Disney Gallery & then the Dream Suite.

We then rode the train to Toontown.

Did you know that the train station across the tracks in New Orleans Square was actually the old Frontierland train station?

It is based on a set built for the movie So Dear to my Heart. The actual set was given to Ward Kimball to use for his backyard train & then when Walt decided to build Disneyland, he wanted to use the same thing, but couldn't really ask for it back from Ward since it was installed in his yard, so they recreated it.

Once in Fantasyland, we discussed Small World being built for the World's Fair & how those projects were so great for Disneyland because it allowed the Imagineers to experiment & find new technologies while having other companies pay for it. Then, after the fair, the projects made their way back to Disneyland!!!! We also found out that Disneyland has the largest Navy fleet of submarines in the world!!!! Fantasyland was Walt's favorite land because it was filled with imagination. Here we discussed how the front of the castle was actually supposed to be the back & how Herb Ryman turned it around on the model. Walt liked it better that way so it stayed that way.

Then, we headed back to Adventureland where we visited the Tiki Room which was supposed to be a restaurant in the original concept. The more they thought about this they were afraid that the show would distract people & they would stay too long so it became just a show.

We stayed put after the show & Robert brought out an original flower animatronic for us to see up close.

It is very delicate & has to be handled with care hence the gloves. All the birds & flowers are individually done & unique. The birds have a mechanism that even puffs out their chests to make it appear they are breathing. For the time, this was a major accomplishment & the Tiki room still holds a lot of charm.

We headed back down Main Street as our tour was coming to an end. We stopped at this special window-which is the only one on Main Street here that references Walt. It was done for Disneyland's 50th as a tribute to all the cast members & to the man that started it all.

We went into the 50th Anniversary exhibit & talked about a few of the things on display there & then back out to Town Square.
We paused & Robert talked about Walt's vision & purpose for the park & left us with the thought that Walt really did for us was to make a place where we could all escape from the realities of everyday life. It is a real gift. He then played Walt's favorite song "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins as we walked to lunch. A very touching way to end the tour.

We had picked out our lunch when we checked in. I had a tuna sandwich with fruit & we had 2 yummy chocolate chip cookies. Robert sat with us & chatted some more as we ate. We talked about upcoming projects & he told us to check out the Blue Sky gallery at California Adventure. He also brought out the old 1963 National Geographic magazine that had a whole section about Walt in it & showed us pictures of the apartment. I had to bite my tongue not to say, we were just in there a few days ago. I have since found this magazine on ebay & bought it so we would have that. It was part of DH's Christmas present that went with what I did with his lamp pin.

I was really glad we did this tour even though I knew alot of the information presented. It was nice to really walk in Walt's footsteps & the audio clips that Robert added to his presentation really were a great way to make you feel immersed in Walt's World.
This is the special pin we go for taking the tour.

Up next.........Playing on the Pier & meeting a Dis friend

 

[Disneygrl36]

*mental note* Oh and Carrie, I went to the book store last night and there were NO Destination Weddings magazines! I was so upset. I'll have to try another one soon!

Mel, I wish the IASM at WDW was that beautifully lit up at night! I'm so glad you have 2 more days to write. I don't want this report to end!

Me too!!!!!! WDW lacks the charm & beauty in Fantasyland that Disneyland has. I don't want it to end either just like I didn't want the trip to end.

Thanks for the info! I have been looking at so many pictures on DISboards and jotting down the model numbers and brands of cameras used when I can get the info because it was time for me to replace the 35 mm camera I had. I actually like using 35mm cameras for a few reasons, but I want to get a good, reliable, fairly inexpensive point and shoot digital camera just to play with and practice on and get used to so I can get back in the swing of taking pictures, and then eventually upgrade to one of the Nikon DSLR models. So I made the notation of which Easyshare you used and whcih one to avoid!!

Thanks for taking the time to upload all of your pictures and labor over this TR for us. I think we all know what a painstaking, lengthy process it can be to upload a lot of pictures (especially on a slow computer) and post them, one by one! I think we all really appreciate the great results of your time spent! I just ordered my second Photopass CD (which has 300 pictures on it) and the PP CD I got in October (with only 112 pictures on it) took SOOOOOOO long to load to Photobucket. I thought it would never end. So I know that this new CD I am expecting will probably be an all-day uploading event, but I want to add the pictures to my existing Trip Report or else I won't feel complete!!!

It does take a long time to do, but it's worth it to me. It helps me relive the trip & like I said before then I can print it out & read it whenever I am feeling lonely for Disneyland. Thanks for all the nice words. I have really enjoyed doing this. I will have to check out your trippie!

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

so is that club 33 now a referal by members only club? i wonder how else you can get in there

 

[Sherry E]

It does take a long time to do, but it's worth it to me. It helps me relive the trip & like I said before then I can print it out & read it whenever I am feeling lonely for Disneyland. Thanks for all the nice words. I have really enjoyed doing this. I will have to check out your trippie!

Printing out the TR's is a good idea. Eventually all the TR's will disappear into the ether on DISboards so a hard copy is good to have! I may not only print out mine, but I may print out some of the other DIS'ers' TR's as well!!

My TR is not even close to being the comprehensive epic masterpiece that yours is in any way, shape or form (and not even close to Mariezp's great TR extravaganza, which is a fantastic TR too!), but yes, do check it out when you can! Mine is just an okay TR, but I did put some older DLR pictures (1990's and before) in there from past DLR trips , and I plan to continue to do that, which is fun for me. I find that I love reading people's TR's, super-short or super-long, pictures or no pictures. But I love looking at all photos, professional quality or total amateur level, even if we ALL take pictures of the many of the same things over and over! I don't know if you feel the same way, but for some reason it never gets old to me being able to look at everyone's different versions of the ginormous Main Street Christmas tree or the Partners statue or any other common photo spot in DLR! I also like looking at who the people are who have gone on the trip to DLR because I like to see who really looks like they are having a blast and who looks like they want to go home!! I like looking at the posed shots and also just random crowd shots. I love it all! And it does help to relive my own trips to DLR in my mind when I read other TR's, as well as helps to plan for my own future trips by learning from other people's experiences!!

 

[lurkyloo]

One itsy bitsy correction to your tour guide's story - Disneyland was said by Walt to have the eighth largest submarine fleet in the world, not the largest.

And while I'm being a snob....

so is that club 33 now a referal by members only club? i wonder how else you can get in there

I put my name on the waiting list for Club 33 about 7 years ago and was told the wait was 10 years. Well, about 3 weeks ago, my name came up and I was invited to join! Unfortunately, there is no way right now that we can afford the $14,000 you need for the initiation fee and your first year's dues. It made me so sad to have to turn down the invite.

Membership doesn't require referral by a member, and that wouldn't get you in any faster. They go by the waiting list. Everyone keeps saying it is closed right now, but I would bet that with the downturn in the economy, more spots start opening up soon.

 

[jenny105]

I just found this thread and read your whole TR up to this point. I would love to do this ABD tour one day! I've never been to DL, which would be a treat itself, but to get to see everything behind the scenes....wow! And my DBF would absolutely LOVE getting a tour of the Disney & Jim Henson Studios. He's a real movie buff and wants to be a director so this would be sort of like a dream come true for him. I hope one day I get to do this!

 

[SoonerGirl]

I can print it out & read it whenever I am feeling lonely for Disneyland.

Printing out your report is a wonderful idea, years later you won't remember all the little details, but you'll have them right there at your fingertips in your report! I printed mine out and I've already gone back and read it! Just make sure you have PLENTY of paper and printer ink on hand when you get started - I think I used an entire ream of paper, and your report is longer than mine! I didn't print mine using the "printable" version available because that makes all the smilies just words and it took away some from the report I thought. I did shut off the signatures though while I printed it, that saved some space and ink!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Melanie! I'm finally all caught up again. You have done an awesome job of sharing DL and your adventure with all of us!

I loved your final dinner - so cool to have the private drawings, and I can tell you became quite attached to your guides.

IASW was broke, huh? Those darn Daisies were probably there! Your trip was so magical - I can't wait to read more of your own adventures!

 

[travelmel]

One itsy bitsy correction to your tour guide's story - Disneyland was said by Walt to have the eighth largest submarine fleet in the world, not the largest.

And while I'm being a snob....



I put my name on the waiting list for Club 33 about 7 years ago and was told the wait was 10 years. Well, about 3 weeks ago, my name came up and I was invited to join! Unfortunately, there is no way right now that we can afford the $14,000 you need for the initiation fee and your first year's dues. It made me so sad to have to turn down the invite.

Membership doesn't require referral by a member, and that wouldn't get you in any faster. They go by the waiting list. Everyone keeps saying it is closed right now, but I would bet that with the downturn in the economy, more spots start opening up soon.

WOW... I'll have you know this is the closest I have ever been to anybody who had anything to do with Club 33.

 

[hack2112]

So, I'm going to pop in for a sec and explain the Studio 12 story.

So originally you were going to have the farewell dinner at the Vineyard, but they had accidentally booked the room we were going to be in that night, so instead, they decided on opening up Studio 12 to us for the night.

Once we got there, we all stated how we felt it was the perfect end to the trip, because you really felt backstage, so we requested that Studio 12 should be made the permanent end dinner location, and as you can see, they obliged.

Also, Stacia is amazing. She did Figment for me, and she even knew how to do Sam the Eagle for Quinn. She is also a treasure trove of information, and her only rule is that you be there to talk to her when she draws your character.

Also, Max Ackerman Technique. Just saying...

 

[CangriChika]

I'm officially jealous about you going on the Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour && going into club 33... i wish I had known about that, i totally would have stayed an extra day or two to take some tours and see some last sights

and how exactly can you PM on this?
because I wanted to message you something but I don't know how to on here...
(pardon the n00b haha)