Belle Ella
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2007
- Messages
- 13,501
Yay. That sounds awesome, Michele!
Just seconds away from posting the start of day 2!
BE's Never Ending TR -- That kind of ... Ended? Or did it?
- Thread starter Belle Ella
- Start date
Yay. That sounds awesome, Michele!
Just seconds away from posting the start of day 2!
Belle Ella
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2007
- Messages
- 13,501
Day 2 was going to be the first of my 2 solo and shorter Disney days. The problem with my 'weekend' being during the week when it came to visiting Jason was the fact that he has to work during the week. Alright, alright, somebody might have 'taken a day off' on Monday but he did have to go back to work on Tuesday which left me to fend for myself during the daytime until he got off. My original plan was to attempt to make it in time to enjoy one last Magic Morning before becoming a first time AP holder, and I had pre-purchased a 3-day Park Hopper for this very reason. Well, let's just say by the time I woke up and even felt like doing anything close to getting ready to get going in the morning this just wasn't going to happen. Oh well, at least I had the option! But I did get up eventually. After breakfast (another morning of delicious Pop Tarts and orange juice) we both got ready and said goodbye. I definitely think I got the better deal! Disneyland beats going to work any day of the week. But hey, considering he's had Disney days while I've had to work ... let's just say we're even now. 
But I did have every intention of leaving early so we would have time together after he got off work.
I had four goals for myself for the day, and they were as follows:
I suppose I could also add 'not getting lost' to the list, but I just didn't feel like including it. I've always been somewhat directionally challenged and this would be my first time driving to DLR for the day and using the parking garage on my own. I was a little worried I would get lost. But then I remembered I have a GPS. That thing has been a lifesaver for me and I had no trouble at all getting myself to the Mickey & Friends parking structure. I was actually excited to park on the Daisy Level and instead of using that card they give you to keep track of where I parked I decided to take a photo instead. I like Daisy Duck. Too bad I didn't keep the photo, lol. I got there pretty close to general opening and unlike the previous day when we hopped right on to the trams I had to wait, and wait, and wait as 3 trams filled up before I was able to get on. It was a shame because I was one tiny little person and I could have easily fit on one before then because there was room for one person every now and again but I don't like pushing my way through people like that. I had to remind myself: I will soon be an AP holder, there's no need to be in any kind of a hurry. The good thing was they had the trams lined up one right after another so it wasn't really that long before I was on board and all ready to go.
The lines were nice and short at the turnstiles and before long I was walking down Main Street with a quick stop to get a locker! I had no idea that they had re-done the lockers on Main Street and now you get to pick your own code. I'm pretty glad about that seeing as I could never remember them before. But the buttons for pushing them on the locker don't always register very well, I noticed. After texting Meredith to let her know I was there and find a time to meet up my next stop was the AP Processing Center at the Plaza Pavilion to upgrade my PH to something I never thought I would be able to call my own, an AP! I even made the call to go all out for the Premium AP so I would never have to worry about blackout dates and the free parking as well. It will still pay for itself considering how much use I plan to get out of it over the next 12 months. It's just a shame that we Northern California residents can't do the payment plan option as well as Southern California residents. But that was why I saved up money beforehand. Smart thinking, Jazz! Smart thinking. I guess I picked the best time to go in and upgrade. There was no line and I was able to just walk right in. It was hard not to skip over the the counter so we could get started. Who am I kidding. I totally skipped. The actual process of upgrading went smoothly. The CM didn't ask that many questions, just which AP I was upgrading to, what day I activated my PH and where I went first, Disneyland or DCA. They were all very simple questions to answer and I didn't mind at all. I was getting an AP for crying out lout. She could have had a list of questions and I wouldn't have cared. The next thing I knew I was getting my photo taken and she was handing over my brand spanking new AP!!
I snapped this pictures on my way out ...
The first thing I did was text Jason to let him know I officially had it in my hands and then I was just dying to go use it already. I was very tempted to simply walk back out of the Park and then back in just so I could use it for the first time, but I settled for using it to get a FP as soon as I could. What ride I would grab an FP first was a pretty easy decision. I just had to get one for BTMRR! I have become addicted to that ride. In fact, I think it has officially eclipsed my love for Indy which I did not think would be possible. Kudos to Jason for getting me to actually get on. So off to Frontierland I went!
There it is!!
Along the way I stopped to enjoy some appropriately themed Christmas decorations that I absolutely adore!
In the meantime I had heard back from Meredith and she and her family were in Toontown after they finished a tour of Fantasyland so I told her to let me know where she was headed afterward and we'd try and meet up. As for me? Why, I was heading to see my still-beloved Indy! I went ahead and stood in stand-by again although today I could definitely take advantage of the single rider line. But the posted wait was only 10 minutes so I figured why not. And it only ended up being about 9 minutes (I entered the queue at 10:20a and got in the vehicle at 10:29a), and I got to drive again! It's safe to say the white was actually shorter than that seeing as I stopped on occasion to try and get a photo, letting people pass me by, but that's just a technicality.
On my way out of IJ I noticed I had a text from merrrydeath who was over at Santa's Reindeer Round Up so I went off on my way to go say hello! I took a couple of photos before I spotted her and her mom and then after that we just had to decide what to do. I had met her before when we went to a Rocky Horror showing back in October so it was fun to see her again and her mom was very nice!
We ended up walking back to NOS where we first went on POTC. I completely remember the very end of the ride where I was telling Meredith how I never noticed that pirate shot water from his gun until the day before when once again, I was directly in the line of fire! Go figure, right? After hat we took the back way (towards the bathrooms) while heading over to HM to grab FP's and then just walk on anyway. We even stopped to take a couple of photos at the Court of Angels before heading over to HMH. I'm kind of sad they are using the Court of Angels as another little shop area. It's such a wonderful place for photos. Why can;t they either keep using it as a photo spot for Tiana, or at the very least have a PhotoPass opportunity over there. It's gorgeous. At least the ornament racks didn't get in the way of a couple of photos.
... to be continued ...
But I did have every intention of leaving early so we would have time together after he got off work.I had four goals for myself for the day, and they were as follows:
1. Upgrade my PH to a PAP.
2. Take my DSLR and get as many decoration photos as I could.
3. Meet up with fellow DIS'er merrrydeath who was there with her mom.
4. Get an outfit for Duffy. I wasn't going to bring him with me for a day with nothing to wear!
2. Take my DSLR and get as many decoration photos as I could.
3. Meet up with fellow DIS'er merrrydeath who was there with her mom.
4. Get an outfit for Duffy. I wasn't going to bring him with me for a day with nothing to wear!
I suppose I could also add 'not getting lost' to the list, but I just didn't feel like including it. I've always been somewhat directionally challenged and this would be my first time driving to DLR for the day and using the parking garage on my own. I was a little worried I would get lost. But then I remembered I have a GPS. That thing has been a lifesaver for me and I had no trouble at all getting myself to the Mickey & Friends parking structure. I was actually excited to park on the Daisy Level and instead of using that card they give you to keep track of where I parked I decided to take a photo instead. I like Daisy Duck. Too bad I didn't keep the photo, lol. I got there pretty close to general opening and unlike the previous day when we hopped right on to the trams I had to wait, and wait, and wait as 3 trams filled up before I was able to get on. It was a shame because I was one tiny little person and I could have easily fit on one before then because there was room for one person every now and again but I don't like pushing my way through people like that. I had to remind myself: I will soon be an AP holder, there's no need to be in any kind of a hurry. The good thing was they had the trams lined up one right after another so it wasn't really that long before I was on board and all ready to go.
The lines were nice and short at the turnstiles and before long I was walking down Main Street with a quick stop to get a locker! I had no idea that they had re-done the lockers on Main Street and now you get to pick your own code. I'm pretty glad about that seeing as I could never remember them before. But the buttons for pushing them on the locker don't always register very well, I noticed. After texting Meredith to let her know I was there and find a time to meet up my next stop was the AP Processing Center at the Plaza Pavilion to upgrade my PH to something I never thought I would be able to call my own, an AP! I even made the call to go all out for the Premium AP so I would never have to worry about blackout dates and the free parking as well. It will still pay for itself considering how much use I plan to get out of it over the next 12 months. It's just a shame that we Northern California residents can't do the payment plan option as well as Southern California residents. But that was why I saved up money beforehand. Smart thinking, Jazz! Smart thinking. I guess I picked the best time to go in and upgrade. There was no line and I was able to just walk right in. It was hard not to skip over the the counter so we could get started. Who am I kidding. I totally skipped. The actual process of upgrading went smoothly. The CM didn't ask that many questions, just which AP I was upgrading to, what day I activated my PH and where I went first, Disneyland or DCA. They were all very simple questions to answer and I didn't mind at all. I was getting an AP for crying out lout. She could have had a list of questions and I wouldn't have cared. The next thing I knew I was getting my photo taken and she was handing over my brand spanking new AP!!
I snapped this pictures on my way out ...
The first thing I did was text Jason to let him know I officially had it in my hands and then I was just dying to go use it already. I was very tempted to simply walk back out of the Park and then back in just so I could use it for the first time, but I settled for using it to get a FP as soon as I could. What ride I would grab an FP first was a pretty easy decision. I just had to get one for BTMRR! I have become addicted to that ride. In fact, I think it has officially eclipsed my love for Indy which I did not think would be possible. Kudos to Jason for getting me to actually get on. So off to Frontierland I went!
There it is!!
Along the way I stopped to enjoy some appropriately themed Christmas decorations that I absolutely adore!
In the meantime I had heard back from Meredith and she and her family were in Toontown after they finished a tour of Fantasyland so I told her to let me know where she was headed afterward and we'd try and meet up. As for me? Why, I was heading to see my still-beloved Indy! I went ahead and stood in stand-by again although today I could definitely take advantage of the single rider line. But the posted wait was only 10 minutes so I figured why not. And it only ended up being about 9 minutes (I entered the queue at 10:20a and got in the vehicle at 10:29a), and I got to drive again! It's safe to say the white was actually shorter than that seeing as I stopped on occasion to try and get a photo, letting people pass me by, but that's just a technicality.
On my way out of IJ I noticed I had a text from merrrydeath who was over at Santa's Reindeer Round Up so I went off on my way to go say hello! I took a couple of photos before I spotted her and her mom and then after that we just had to decide what to do. I had met her before when we went to a Rocky Horror showing back in October so it was fun to see her again and her mom was very nice!
We ended up walking back to NOS where we first went on POTC. I completely remember the very end of the ride where I was telling Meredith how I never noticed that pirate shot water from his gun until the day before when once again, I was directly in the line of fire! Go figure, right? After hat we took the back way (towards the bathrooms) while heading over to HM to grab FP's and then just walk on anyway. We even stopped to take a couple of photos at the Court of Angels before heading over to HMH. I'm kind of sad they are using the Court of Angels as another little shop area. It's such a wonderful place for photos. Why can;t they either keep using it as a photo spot for Tiana, or at the very least have a PhotoPass opportunity over there. It's gorgeous. At least the ornament racks didn't get in the way of a couple of photos.
... to be continued ...
Belle Ella
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2007
- Messages
- 13,501
What I loved the most should be in my next updated But I love that it wasn't just generic wreaths everywhere, but that each one tied in with the land it was found in!
But I love that it wasn't just generic wreaths everywhere, but that each one tied in with the land it was found in!
Belle Ella
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2007
- Messages
- 13,501
By the time the three of us exited from HMH Meredith and her mom were going to head off and get lunch. I was very tempted to join them when they asked, but I really wanted to get in some of that picture taking that I told myself I was going to do and the more I put it off the the less likely I knew I would be to get anything at all. So, we parted ways with plans to meet up again sometime before they had the Holiday tour and I had to leave for the day. We thought it would be cool to do a PhotoPass photo together, although at that point we had not decided where.
So I was back on my own at this point and since I was already in NOS I figured there was no better place for me to start photographing the decorations. It's hard for me to say I love the decorations in one area more than another, but the decorations in NOS are definitely up at the top of my list if I absolutely had to rank them. I just love the color schemes and the use of the masks. The whole area just seems to sparkle to me!
Just gorgeous!!
I couldn't go too long in between rides, however, and after that I had to go check out BTMRR where I got the very last row all to my lonesome. I still stand by my belief that the very last row in the very last car (15) is the slowest of them all, but some CM's seem to disagree with me, lol. Either way, I still love this ride! And you know what happened this day that didn't happen the previous day when I was there with Jason? The waterfall was working!! It just reinforced my idea that they probably turn the water off on the colder days, but it's possible that it was just not working. I had to text Jason to let him know what he was missing out on, lol.
After BTMRR I went back to take some photos of the reindeer at Reindeer Round Up since I didn't get any before when I went to meet up with Meredith. This wasn't the first time I had seen Reindeer, but it's still not something that you see every day. And they are just too cute! There was even an extra little reindeer friend, only he wasn't a reindeer at all!
it's pluto!
... to be continued ...
So I was back on my own at this point and since I was already in NOS I figured there was no better place for me to start photographing the decorations. It's hard for me to say I love the decorations in one area more than another, but the decorations in NOS are definitely up at the top of my list if I absolutely had to rank them. I just love the color schemes and the use of the masks. The whole area just seems to sparkle to me!
Just gorgeous!!
I couldn't go too long in between rides, however, and after that I had to go check out BTMRR where I got the very last row all to my lonesome. I still stand by my belief that the very last row in the very last car (15) is the slowest of them all, but some CM's seem to disagree with me, lol. Either way, I still love this ride! And you know what happened this day that didn't happen the previous day when I was there with Jason? The waterfall was working!! It just reinforced my idea that they probably turn the water off on the colder days, but it's possible that it was just not working. I had to text Jason to let him know what he was missing out on, lol.
After BTMRR I went back to take some photos of the reindeer at Reindeer Round Up since I didn't get any before when I went to meet up with Meredith. This wasn't the first time I had seen Reindeer, but it's still not something that you see every day. And they are just too cute! There was even an extra little reindeer friend, only he wasn't a reindeer at all!
it's pluto!
... to be continued ...
kaoden39
<font color=peach>Prayers and pixie dust from your
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2006
- Messages
- 31,538
Hehehehe!! I love that picture of you and reindeer Pluto. I must admit I stole all of your pictures of the masks and posted them on tumblr. I had to share them with some WDW fans that have never seen DLR and NOS.
Belle Ella
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2007
- Messages
- 13,501
I can always count on Michele to be reading!! 
No worries, so long as you let me know. I absolutely love those masks and I wish I had photographed them all, but I didn't. But hey, I'm going back so I can remedy that. And with a new lens as well!! NOS is just gorgeous -- anytime of the year!
No worries, so long as you let me know. I absolutely love those masks and I wish I had photographed them all, but I didn't. But hey, I'm going back so I can remedy that. And with a new lens as well!! NOS is just gorgeous -- anytime of the year!
DizNee Luver
Luver of all things Disney!
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2009
- Messages
- 10,605
Beautiful pictures as always!! Reading your report & seeing the pictures makes me crave the holidays at Disneyland even more so.......heavy sigh. I'll just have to live thru these TR's to fill that need for now.
What kind of lens are you getting? I actually rented a lens to teat drive it for my trip and fell in love with it. Hard.
Belle Ella
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2007
- Messages
- 13,501
Thank you Laurie! Do you have any idea if/when you'll be able to get in a Holiday fix of your own? Some day, some day!
What kind of lens are you getting? I actually rented a lens to teat drive it for my trip and fell in love with it. Hard.
I'm getting a Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 for Christmas and I am so excited about it. I've borrowed someone's in the past and I am just dying for one of my own. I'm so excited to have it in time for my New Year's trip. I'll really have an excuse to go crazy with photos, just 'testing it out'!
Belle Ella
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2007
- Messages
- 13,501
THAT is the exact lens that I rented. I luuuuuuurved it. I'm looking into buying it now too.
Awesome to hear you loved it!! I am just giddy knowing I'm actually going to get it. I haven't gotten a new lens in a very long time but I really want to branch out from the kit lens it came with. It's served me well but there's only so much you can do with it, you know?
The kit lens is nice but I totally get it. And I found that especially at DL where so much that I wanted to photograph was dim at best, having that nice wide aperture really made for dream shooting.
I'm currently working a deal with the place I rented it through to purchase it - they said they'd give me credit for renting it toward the purchase price.
Belle Ella
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2007
- Messages
- 13,501
The kit lens is nice but I totally get it. And I found that especially at DL where so much that I wanted to photograph was dim at best, having that nice wide aperture really made for dream shooting.
I'm currently working a deal with the place I rented it through to purchase it - they said they'd give me credit for renting it toward the purchase price.
I would sure hope they would do that! Otherwise it would be like paying for it twice, lol. But it's a perfect lens for Disneyland. I had totally forgot about the lens for a bit and looking at your photos and Laura's as well completely reminded me that I wanted a new lens. So I will be prepared for Disneyland this time!
Belle Ella
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2007
- Messages
- 13,501
Belle Ella
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2007
- Messages
- 13,501
kaoden39
<font color=peach>Prayers and pixie dust from your
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2006
- Messages
- 31,538
DizNee Luver
Luver of all things Disney!
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2009
- Messages
- 10,605
Mike says the next time we plan a trip, it will be during the holidays.......so whenever that is.......lol
-
Meet H.E.R.B.I.E. From 'The Fantastic Four' for a Limited Time at Disneyland
-
New Walt Disney World Bites & Sips for World Princess Week
-
7 Reasons to Visit Disney World During the Holiday Season
-
Disney Legend Miley Cyrus Teases the Return of Hannah Montana
-
Things We Swore We'd Never Do at Disney, Until We Did
-
Construction Begins On NEW Disney Cruise Ship With Steel Cutting Ceremony
-
EPCOT's New Test Track Soundtrack Now Streaming
Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE
