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

[DLR29]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

and joined the others in the Peter Pan line (which was pretty long due to MM). We only waited about 25 minutes, which is not that bad. All 13 of us rode and it turned out to be DC5's favorite ride of the day.

From left to right: DB, DC10, DC9 (you can barely see him)

Next up was Dumbo. I was expecting a huge line, but we got on in 2 rides (it would have been 1, but we had 10 people riding). My parents and grandpa chose not to ride.

I guess I took a lot of pictures of Dumbo

I rode with DC5, who loved the ride, but wanted to stay on the ground the entire time. When the elephant went up at the end, he didn't like it. But DC3 was bouncing up and down in his elephant and loved being up high.

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

DB, DC9 (in the middle i think), and Dgrandma with her head turned

Ok, so in order to please DC5, who was a little upset that his younger brother GREATLY enjoyed the carousel, we went to Toontown to meet Mickey.

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

Me and DC5, who I have to add has the BEST facial expression. He really liked meeting Mickey and seeing his house. I just look like a Disney nerd with my lanyard, LGMH and "honorary citizen" button. I also look like I'm molesting Mickey's leg. Hmmmm

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

Both of my little cousins loved looking around Mickey's house.

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

 

[DLR29]

Nope Apparently we were like 20 people too late. Oh well. Here's a funny pic of DC10, DC9, and DB in Mickey's car

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

Waterfall by Donald's Boat

Dishwasher in Minnie's House

DC3 LOVED the roller coaster. After, his parents asked him if he liked "slow" or "fast" rides. "FAST!" was his immediate reaction. We all rode Roger Rabbit because it had a very short wait. Most of us enjoyed it, except for the younger ones, who were a bit intimidated. DC12 and DC9:

DG&G

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

So then I had to take a picture of me and DC9, however DC12 decided to be a creeper and be in the picture too.

The little mini-parade went off at 10:00 (or 10:30 i don't remember)

Topiary

Santa hat

Some shots from inside (i took a lot of IASWH pics too)

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

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

 

[DLR29]

DM, DD, DB, and DC12, 10, 9 all went to ride Space with the FPs, while the rest of us (DG&G, DA&U, DC5, DC3, and me) rode Autopia, or "the car ride"

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

DG&G at the end of the ride

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

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

 

[bumbershoot]

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

 

[Daisybelle]

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

 

[Echie]

Awesome! I LOVE all the great photos!

 

[fairykin]

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

 

[DLR29]

Ok, where did I leave off on? Lunchtime.

Afternoon
So after the 4 of us rode Space, we walked over to Frontierland and joined the rest of the crew who had already bought like 8 meals of chicken nuggets at the Stage Door Cafe

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

A shot from the queue

DA&U, DC5, DC3

The first SIGN of danger!

The Indian elephant bathing pool

The 2nd most dangerous animal in the jungle, or maybe this is his mother.

Ooh look! A sleeping zebra!

Everybody loved the ride and we had a pretty good skipper who told some jokes that even I had never heard before. We ventured into NOS which was beautifully decorated for Christmas

Next up was PotC, and we weren't sure how DC5 was going to handle it, especially the drops in the dark.

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

We hopped in Pooh's line

We took up 2 bee hives, so here's a pic of the first bee hive with 9 out of our 13 members.

It was a cold and blustery day in the Hundred Acre Wood

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

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

 

[DLR29]

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

Me and DC10 got the front row. DC9 and DB got the 2nd, DD and DC12 got the 3rd

Then behind that, was DA&U with DC3 and then DM with Dgrandpa

Going down the first drop

Here's some new theming on the drop with the goat that I quickly got a picture of

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

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

 

[travelmel]

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

that is too cute.

Subbing for another great TR by the DLR master!

 

[travelmel]

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

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

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

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

 

[DLR29]

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

 

[DLR29]

Ok, FINALLY the end of my 1 day adventure. So I left off where we were watching the parade. Here are some shots I took: Massive teady bear

Santa!

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

After BLAB, we had a nice din din at Redd Rockett's Pizza Port.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blurry, but I think it looks kinda cool:

This is my best picture of it:

And one final picture of the big tree:

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

 

[BillyFan]

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

 

[Disney owl]

love your photos

 

[DLR29]

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

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

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

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

Awesome! I LOVE all the great photos!

Thanks Echie!

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

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

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

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

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

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

love your photos

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

 

[DLR29]

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

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

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

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

Tickets: 2 day tickets most likely.

Dates: Tentatively 12/22-12/23

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

 

[DLR29]

Another update for our upcoming trip.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[deejdigsdis]

Hooray! I enjoy your Trip Reports. Have fun!

 

[PoohBearFriends]

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