Birthday Trip Report - December 10 - 13, 2009

[mvf-m11c]

My DA and I went on my birthday trip to Disneyland on December 10-13, 2009. Ever since I love Disneyland so much, I have been going with my DA to Disneyland in December for the last few years. This birthday trip is special out of all the other trips to Disneyland in December.

We headed to Disneyland from Sacramento. It took about 7 Hours for us to get to Anaheim. It took even longer for me to get to Anaheim because of the bad weather at the grapevine on I-5, but we got there safely from the grapevine.When we got to Anaheim, the weather was really nice, just a few clouds but it was a perfect night to go into the park. We got to Disneyland around 4pm.

We stayed at the Best Western Park Place & Inn Suites, just across the walkway on Harbor Blvd. We stayed in the Double Bedroom instead of the 2 queen suites of king suites with the sofa. It was decent room then the suites with the sofa at the BWPPI.

We entered DLP around 5pm that night and it was so quiet. I have never seen the park so empty in December. When we checked all the rides around the park, they were not even that long, the longest line that I have seen all day was at 25 min for PP. The other rides like IASWH was at 15 min, HMH was at 5 min, INDY 15 min, SM at 20 min. I just walked on IASWH and HMH just like that in just about half an hour.

We went over to get a spot for F! at the 9pm show, it was so empty for the 1st show that I got a good spot right next to the ROA walkway 1 hour prior to the show. I have never seen F! that empty for the 1st show before, until it was time for the show. While we were waiting for the show, we got dinner at the Royal Street Veranda for Steak Gumbo.

After the show, Believe...In Holiday Magic Fireworks was great.

We went on more rides after the fireworks, it was just walk on the rides any time we want and it was no longer that 20 min. It's been awhile since I seen the park so empty in December.

View of Disneyland walkway to Mickey's Toontown on the DL railroad.

We went back to the hotel at closing time. It was fun to do most of the rides during that day.

Pictures will be put up later.

 

[mvf-m11c]

December 11, 2009

It is my birthday and I was excited to go to the park that day. We had our continental breakfast at our hotel. When we finished, we head over to the park exactly at 8am when it opened. Most of the park is not as busy as I expected since it is the last Friday for the Southern AP to come into the park on that day during this month. We did most of the rides during the first few hours. Just PP had the longest line around 30 min in the morning, while all the other rides were just 10 min wait.

We head over to Cafe Orleans for lunch around 11:30 and got to watch Tiana's Showboat Jubilee! right outside from Cafe Orleans. It was exciting to see the Mark Twain all dressed up for the show. I had the Pommes Frites and Monte Cristo, while my DA had the Three-Cheese Monte Cristo for lunch.

After lunch, we did a couple of different rides until we head over to the Tour booth for our 1pm Holiday Tour. It was so exciting for the both of us since this will our first time to do a tour in Disneyland. Our CM guide was a nice young lady name Cassie. We had around 13 people in our group and we were in the third group at 1pm. During the first part of the trip, our CM talked about the decorations and the history of the holiday season on Main Street. We got to have free samples at the Candy store on Main Street, some of us got chocolate fudge, i picked the pumpkin. When we head over to the Reindeer Round-up, our CM was teaching all of us to say Merry Christmas in different country languages. We got to see the Holiday turkey and the reindeers. After that we head over to NOS and went on the HMH with all the other groups. It was so exciting to see the HMH especially during the dining area in HMH, it had a spinning gingerbread carousel with the jack and zero and different ghost on it. After we got off the HMH, we head over to NOS Railroad Station and got on the train to Mickey Toontown Station. We got to ride on C.K. Holliday with the Holiday 5 car set along with the Lilly Belle. When we got off the train, our group went over to IASWH. Our tour group got to get onto one boat, our guide went along with us for the ride and talked about the different holiday cultures from other countries. It was great to see all the decorations inside IASWH. When we got off, we head over to Mickey's Toontown to get our holiday souvenir cup and a gingerbread man. Then we head over to our premium seating for the Christmas Fantasy Parade right across from IASWH. We were in the second row, but we were close to the gates when the parade comes out. It was exciting to see the parade, especially with Pooh and Tigger riding in their sleds. It was kind of funny to see Eeyore pulling his sled. It was the same as the last years parade with the additions of Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore. When the parade was over, we said thank you to Cassie for being a great tour guide.

After the tour, we went back to our hotel to rest. When we got back to our hotel it started to rain a little bit not much. I was lucky to do the 1st tour instead of doing the later tour.

Around 6pm, we head over to DTD and had dinner at the ESPN Zone. We got to sit in the sports lounge with the big LCD screen and got to see different sports games. I had the Angus Top Sirloin Steak and my DA had the Sauteed Salmon for dinner.

When we finished dinner, we head back to DLP and we got front row view of sleeping beauty castle for Believe...In Holiday Magic Fireworks. When it was about time for the show, it started to rain, and most of the people got out their umbrellas or wearing their ponchos. At least the DLR showed the fireworks that night. After the fireworks, we were in the park to do some more other rides while later during that night, it started to pour and we left the park and headed back to the hotel for our next day at DL.

 

[tksbaskets]

Thanks you for your trip report. Very fun!

 

[mvf-m11c]

The next day, on December 12, 2009 Saturday morning, it was just sprinkling most of the day. It was one of the bad days to be there in the park, but it was kind of better to have a day with barely any people at the park.

We had our continental breakfast at our hotel and got to the park when it opened around 8am. It was so dead, it was like a ghost town out there during a rainy day. We got on most of the good rides immediately in the morning and the longest wait time was SM around 5 min. We did FNSV, Matterhorn, BLAB, IASWH again, HMH, and rode around the DLR on board the Fred Gurley with the Holiday 2 car set (aka the cattle cars). Some of the rides at DL were closed due to the rain like Teacups most of the day.

The whole day was cloudy and was sprinkling or pouring all day.

Then we head over to DCA. We head straight over to TSMM and it was not as long as I expected especially on a rainy day. It was just around 15 min wait just to get on TSMM. I have never expected to be that short of a line. Then we head over to ride Soarin about 5 minute wait, TOT 10 minute wait, and went over to watch Aladdin the Musical for the last time for us.

Around noon, we head over back to Disneyland and had lunch at Tomorrowland Terrace. I always go there and have lunch or dinner ever since I was a little kid that has been going to Disneyland. I had the bacon cheeseburger and my DA had ordered the vegetarian burger. It was kind of weird when I ordered my meal, I had to wait over 10 minutes for my vegetarian burger so I just had to get the grilled chicken burger instead and they didn't charge the extra money on the grilled, so I was pleased about that.

After lunch we head back over to main street and got to ride on the C.K. Holliday. It was excited to get to ride in the tender car. The engineers were so kind and told us a lot the DL railroad and there service on the engines and cars. It was great to ride in the tender, but I was also hoping to ride in the Lilly Belle, but due to the weather, we weren't able to ride in the car.

The rain just kept sprinkling and pouring all day, and they announce the parades for both shows were not showing. It was kind of disappointing of not seeing the parades, but I was lucky to see the parade on Friday during the Holiday tour.

When we went back to the room to get a nice rest before we went back to the park, but it just kept raining and raining all day.

At 5pm, I knew that the 2nd parade was canceled due to rain and most likely Fantasmic! won't show due to the rain, so we head back over to the ESPN Zone to watch more sports game. And we got to get a table with our own LCD television to watch any game we want. My DA and I are Sacramento Kings fans and got to watch the game. We both had appetizers, I got Classic chicken tenders and cheese fries, while my DA got Asian wing.

When we finished around 9pm, we head over to DL and we were hoping that they will show the fireworks, but due to high winds, they didn't show it plus rain. When we went over to the ROA, the Columbia and Mark Twain were in the docks. I knew when F! is not running, they put the Columbia in the side docks while the Mark Twain is right next to the docks.

We did POTC, Indy and Jungle Cruise during that night and they were not that long to get on. Just Indy was around 15 min to get on. Most of the other rides did not have long lines.

We decided to head back over to the hotel and was hoping it won't rain on our last day at Disneyland on Sunday.

 

[mvf-m11c]

The next day on December 13, 2009 on Sunday. The weather was way more better than the last day on Saturday. It was a little bit cloudy, but it was not sprinkling in the morning.

We had our continental breakfast at the hotel and we checked out of the BWPPI hotel and head over to the Mickey's Parking Lot.

It was not that heavy to park the car so we just got there immediately on the bottom part of the parking lot.

Before we head over to Disneyland, we head over to the GCH and had breakfast at the Storyteller's Cafe. My DA and I had the Farmer's Market Buffet and it was just so good and got to see some different Disney characters.

After we left Storyteller's Cafe, we head over to the DL park around 8:30. It was not that crowded especially during a rainy day the other day but was a little bit busier than Saturday.

We had to wait around 20 minutes just to get on PP, and we head over to Storybook Land Canal, the Christmas decorations on the little mini houses were so adorable to look at. We head over to IASWH again for the third time on our trip. But I like the decorations so much that I insisted on seeing it and taking pictures of the ride. It was a walk on that ride. Then we head to get on the DL railroad and got on board C.K. Holliday with the Holiday 5 car set with the Lilly Belle.

Then we head over to DCA and got to ride TSMM. It was a short line so we got on just like that. Then we had lunch at the Pacific Wharf Cafe. I had the Monterey clam chowder and my DA had the Santa Rosa corn chowder. After we finished our lunch, we decided it was time to head back to Sacramento.

We got to the parking lot and head off on I-5 back home to Sacramento.

The trip was great and had so many bumps the whole weekend. But its always great to go to DL anytime.

The great part of the trip was the part when the parks were so dead on all the days I have gone. It is kind of weird not to see the park at capacity especially on Friday when it is the last Friday for the Southern AP holders. I thought they would be there even on a partially rainy day. But it was great to have no crowds at the park and just get on any ride the whole entire time. At least my DA got to see Fantasmic! and Murphy on Thursday. She was waiting to see the dragon since June when it was suppose to make its debut during Summer Nightastic. She was happy to get to see Murphy and was amazed by the dragon.

The bad part was the rainy days on Saturday and late Friday night. Even though I got to see the Christmas Fantasy Parade and Believe Fireworks on Friday, but it was kind of bummer not to see it on Saturday. I was hoping to see the back part of IASWH during the fireworks, but it is okay. I was carrying my umbrella or poncho in my backpack the entire trip just to make sure it didn't rain and had to use both of them. It was fine to walk during a empty park and would hope not to go through it again in the future.

Next will be the Walt Disney Resort during Spring break. Can't wait to go back to Florida.

 

[tksbaskets]

WOW two days worth of posts in one evening. Thanks! Are the Storybook Land Canal boats worth going with older kids? I've never been on them.

Enjoying your report
TK

 

[mvf-m11c]

WOW two days worth of posts in one evening. Thanks! Are the Storybook Land Canal boats worth going with older kids? I've never been on them.

Enjoying your report
TK

It is during the Holiday part when they decorated the mini models of the animated movies. For example like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs cottage, they had Christmas wreath on the door, green pin garland on the house, Christmas tree. It is very colorful when the Christmas decorations are on the mini models. They also did Three Little Pigs houses, Mr. Toad house, Pinocchio house and village, Cinderella village.

I have seen older kids and couples riding the ride. I rode the ride with my DA and I, it was spectacular.

 

[Eeee-va]

Great trip report! I thought Saturday was busier than Wednesday, Thursday, and even Friday, but I did belatedly realize that that just MIGHT be because we happened to be in the same places the MousePlanet scavenger hunt was at least three times, LOL...they seemed to be half the park in the morning. By 9 or 10 PM the park appeared to be dead.

I'm glad you had such a great trip! We actually never saw the parade (I didn't realize that my friend wanted to see it as much as she did, so we didn't make it a high priority, unfortunately).

Though we saw Tiana's show three times, so if you put those together that's practically a parade.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Great trip report! I thought Saturday was busier than Wednesday, Thursday, and even Friday, but I did belatedly realize that that just MIGHT be because we happened to be in the same places the MousePlanet scavenger hunt was at least three times, LOL...they seemed to be half the park in the morning. By 9 or 10 PM the park appeared to be dead.

On Thursday, the park was not as busy as I expected. My DM went to the park on Wednesday and Thursday and got to do all the rides on those two days.

But Friday, I thought it would be busy because it is the last day for the SoCal AP to visit the park on Friday. But it looks like the weather came into play for the locals.

Saturday was just raining all day and I saw a lot of people for the Mouseplanet Reindeer Games. It was interesting to see all those people going around the parks to hunt down and finding there clues.

After 9 was just dead.