Rose early and managed to get another early breakfast again on Day 3. Id decided to tackle the Studios Park initially with a view to going back into the main park for another look at the Xmas parade, plus several rides on things Id missed or wanted another look at. 
I stepped outside the back of the hotel to take a look at the weather. AHHH! It was raining!
Id always been so fortunate on previous visits that the rain had never so much as threatened to fall but now it was absolutely tipping down. My walk round Lake Disney postponed, I headed back to the front of Sequoia to find the bus. It was still pouring as I dived in to the railway station to purchase a bottle of water its cheaper than in the parks and as I made my way towards the Studios Park I was hugely disappointed that it did not seem keep to abate. Still, I thought, at least most of the Studios attractions were under cover so I wasnt too worried although I was concerned that Fantillusion would not go off as it was the one reason Id booked the holiday for that particular time.
Arriving at the park gates I found Pluto and Minnie.
Pluto was obviously determined to raise the spirits of soggy folk. I fumbled in my bag for my ticket [which again did not work] raised my head and found a large black nose inches from my own. Pluto refused to let me through the park gates without a peck on the nose and a cuddle. The girl at the turnstile found it hugely amusing when I remarked that it reminded me of home and my own dog who is always very forceful when she wants a bit of fuss.
The main gates into the park werent open but I was able to have a look around Studio One and the shops in there. Then when I heard the countdown and saw that the gates were open I made my way in.
I am always vaguely disappointed with the Studios Park. I dont find it half so interesting as the Main Park next door. I found it even less interesting on this visit as so much of it seemed to be hidden behind hoardings or was under construction. I knew Tower of Terror was being built and stopped by to have a look. Its MASSIVE! I cant imagine what kind of a ride is going to be going on in there but it looked daunting. I then made my way to a favourite attraction of mine the Art of Animation and enjoyed watching the multi-lingual screening of clips of some of Disneys best films. You dont need a translation for most of these believe me. Then we moved next door for Mushu and a cast member to take you through the stages of creating a Disney Character. Here you have headsets to give you a translation of what the French speaking Cast member is telling you however I do find that the headsets dont cut out the noise of the original soundtrack in the background. Its very distracting although I always make my way to this one first for some reason.
Coming out of the Art of Animation I decided to give Armageddon a try. Id never done this one before either so it was all new to me. Its not a ride as such but I enjoyed it hugely and went back later for a second go. It was quite amusing the second time, watching folks leap back in amazement when it all kicks off inside. Coming out of here I headed for Animagique which is a show Ive enjoyed hugely on previous visits. I must confess I was feeling well let down by the Studios Park and I dont think I was particularly alone in that. People seemed at a loss to know what to do. So much was either closed or behind hoardings it was quite forlorn. I didnt bother to go to my favourite ride The Studio Tram Tour as Id heard that it was closed and when I craned my neck to have a look in that direction I couldnt see anything moving. It wasnt until the next day going home that I learned that it had been running all the time and I could have gone on it anyway. Waaaah.
Having taken a second ride on Armageddon I decided that an early lunch was called for whilst I decided where to go next. I popped in to Restaurant En Coulisse in Studio One and had a very acceptable meal there. As I was having my lunch the Streetmosphere performers turned up so I had a little dinner table entertainment, followed by a small band playing a selection from the Sound of Music for some reason. It was all very entertaining. That being said I decided to give up on the Studios Park and return to the main park for the rest of the day.
Well, it turned out to be a good move. The Main Park was absolutely HEAVING but they had taken down the hoardings that had got in the way of the photos the day before. I could now see the gorgeous Christmas tree and decorations around the Central Plaza. Beautiful!
I decided to start where Id left off the day before. I headed to Discovery land which Id avoided previously. I tend to stick to the other three lands in the main because theres more of interest to me personally than in Discovery land. That being said, I made a bee line for Nautilus which Ive always enjoyed on previous occasions. Like a lot of the other rides and attractions it is nicely themed so I did enjoy it.
I gave Space Mountain a wide berth. Id love to give it a try but my arthritis would hate it besides, any ride that generates that many terrified screams should be treated with a little caution!
I looked at both Star Tours and Honey I Shrunk the Audience but the queues were miles back, even for the fastpasses. [Memo to self put those two on the list for the next visit] So I wandered to Its a Small World, expecting it to be the same story there. There was a bit of a queue but nothing in comparison with the rides in Discovery land, so I rode that one again then strolled back towards Adventureland. PoTC called again and although there was a bit of a queue for this one, I decided to give it another whirl. Happily the queue moved pretty swiftly even though a wait of 20 minutes was posted. I was thrilled to get a front seat in the boat until I realised that Id get a birds eye view of the two plummets! AhHH!!. Still, I really enjoyed the ride again and was even more chuffed when I emerged from the ride to see Capt Jack swaggering by unfortunately too fast for me to get my camera in his direction for which my sister a real Capt Jack fan has yet to forgive me.
I made my way back through Adventureland and ended up on the Paddle steamer again for a lovely restful trip around the lake. This time I didnt struggle my way up the stairs as Ive always done previously. I didnt think my exhausted little legs would make it and to be honest the view was as good on the ground floor as its ever been from on high.
Looking at my watch I was shocked to see that it was just after three and as I made my way back towards Main St I was even more shocked to see folk already staking out spots for the parade. I decided it would be good policy to join them and as it turned out it was a sound move. As the time for the parade drew nearer, manners seemed to become something of an optional extra. A nice French lady stood next to me, her toddler on the kerb no problem at all until a very rude man and his two teenage daughters tried to take up posts in front of us. Cast members asked them to move and they attempted to push right in front of us both. With only about a six inch square of pavement to stand on and very unsteady legs I went flying, knocked this poor woman for six and nearly started a domino effect topple from one end of Main St to the other. Fortunately she had seen what caused me to fall and was most gracious even though she had nearly gone over herself.
This set the tone for the whole parade unfortunately. It didnt matter which foot I stood on or what I did I either risked kicking the little one on the kerb or cracking the taller teenage daughter of the bulldozer next to me. I still managed to get one or two nice shots although Id promised myself I wouldnt go mad with the photos as it was the second time Id seen the parade. Still, it was spectacular again and caused great excitement when the final float an additional one to the previous day included Santa and real reindeer.
Once the parade had gone by and Id had a restorative cup of hot chocolate it was time to hit the shops at long last. Id been very good I thought restraining my shopping gene until this late in the day. I plunged into the Storybook Store and bought several CDs that Id had my eye on along with the new DVD. Then back into the Liberty Arcade in pursuit of a gift for my mother who was reportedly having some problems with her feathered houseguest. Theres a little shop just inside Liberty that sells all kinds of little blown glass bits and pieces and I found a lovely little rose in a tiny vase which I thought she would like.
I wandered back down Liberty intent on watching the Enchanted Fairy Tale Ceremony but after a couple of minutes I realised that I was in the wrong place and hurried up Main St to the Central Plaza where everyone else was foregathering. Unfortunately on this occasion I didnt get a good vantage point. One problem of being a short person is that unless there is tiered seating or standing facilities I cant see a thing. As soon as Mickey and Minnie appeared everyone in front of me immediately raised their camcorders and cameras which made it even harder. Still, its probably exactly what I would have done in their place so I shouldnt grumble! The ceremony was hugely entertaining and particularly lovely when the lights of the castle and the lights all down Main Street turned on. It was quite breathtaking and I know I wasnt the only one standing there with my mouth hanging open. We were all stunned and you could barely hear the tail end of the Enchanted Fairytale Ceremony for the click of cameras going off, my own included.
It was about 5:45 by now and my legs were finally protesting that I hadnt taken the number of rest stops Id promised myself at the start of the holiday so I popped into Caseys Corner for yet another hot chocolate and a sit down to watch folks go by. To my horror after about 15 minutes I realised folk were already taking up their positions for Fantillusion so I had little option but to join them. I was determined I wasnt going to miss this parade as it was the reason I had chosen to come on this particular date.
There were some very ugly scenes I have to say. People were pushing in, shoving folk over in their haste to get a good view, regardless of the fact that some of us had been standing there for nearly an hour. The British family next to me were hugely embarrassing.
Several people tried to stand in the roadway in front of us and were told to move along, particularly as a member of this party was in a wheelchair. I could heartily agree with them on that but when one of their party started coming out with all kinds of Xenophobic abuse I really became embarrassed and hoped that no one would think that I was actually with these people. However I wasnt the only one fed up with the whole thing. Two French women came up with a young lad at about 10 to Parade and decided to stand directly in front of us. I politely asked them as best I could to move on but they simply ignored me, a cast member told them they couldnt stand there and should move along but even they were ignored. Then a brave French soul to my left remonstrated furiously with them because they were also blocking his view. My French wasnt quite good enough to keep up with everything but he did tell them that they were very rude to stand in front of people who had already been waiting nearly an hour. This also made little impact until another French woman seemed to tell them they were letting the side down and pointed them to another space across the road. Eventually the disapproval of all and sundry seemed to finally get through to them and they marched haughtily across the road, once more barging through the crowd and blocking someone elses view. They were obviously more passive than those of us on the other side of the road because there they stood for the entire parade.
What can I say about Fantillusion? It was glorious. I had heard the music before and had read a bit about what it entailed but Id no idea how they were planning to change Jafar into a cobra. Im not going to give the game away for those who havent seen it yet but I was surprised at how simple and effective this was. The light displays were fabulous and the drama of the whole thing made all the earlier unpleasantness pale into insignificance. The colours were fantastic and I wouldnt have missed it for the world.
By the time Minnies firework float appeared I was totally exhausted and hadnt a scrap of energy left but I joined the crowd trailing after it until it disappeared out of sight. I must confess I felt a bit tearful overtired my mother would say but it was more because this could be my last visit to DLRP and I may not get the chance to have that much fun again. Rheumatoid Arthritis is a progressive disease and mine unfortunately is progressing rather more rapidly than it should. I had already become aware that my physical resources had diminished far more rapidly than on my previous two visits. Still, you never know, a lot can happen in two years!
Anyway, hobbling like a 90 year old I joined a queue to buy a hotdog and another hot drink but just as I received my food they announced that the park was closing and began shepherding the stragglers towards the park gate. So I joined the flow of weary folk and tired kids heading out, hot dog and drink in hand. I havent told my mother this because she would cringe with shame, but there I sat outside the five star [?] Disneyland Hotel, eating a hot dog perched on one of their nice flower beds.
I decided a little more shopping was next on the agenda and tottered towards the village. It was at this point that I realised that something was missing from the village, or rather several things. Where were the towers with the 1950s dancers? The plinths were there but the towers and the strings of lights overhead were missing. How on earth had I not noticed they were gone when I walked through previously? Also I noticed that the Village stage was absent which was a disappointment as Id hoped some form of entertainment would be on but there was no sign of the stage. When did that disappear?
Anyway, I battled my way around the shops, dodging pushchairs and low flying backpacks as I went. [I really wish I was taller then at least I would miss the backpacks if not the pushchairs]. I got in the shopping that I wanted and then found a perch to sit on in the village to do a bit more people watching. However it was becoming absolutely freezing and I decided that it was finally time to admit defeat and head back to the hotel and the packing. I picked up a couple of bits in the hotel shop which I hadnt felt inclined to carry all the way from the Village then made my way back to the room. And would you believe it, for the first time I found the Lodge without taking a wrong turning!
I stepped outside the back of the hotel to take a look at the weather. AHHH! It was raining!
Id always been so fortunate on previous visits that the rain had never so much as threatened to fall but now it was absolutely tipping down. My walk round Lake Disney postponed, I headed back to the front of Sequoia to find the bus. It was still pouring as I dived in to the railway station to purchase a bottle of water its cheaper than in the parks and as I made my way towards the Studios Park I was hugely disappointed that it did not seem keep to abate. Still, I thought, at least most of the Studios attractions were under cover so I wasnt too worried although I was concerned that Fantillusion would not go off as it was the one reason Id booked the holiday for that particular time. Arriving at the park gates I found Pluto and Minnie.
Pluto was obviously determined to raise the spirits of soggy folk. I fumbled in my bag for my ticket [which again did not work] raised my head and found a large black nose inches from my own. Pluto refused to let me through the park gates without a peck on the nose and a cuddle. The girl at the turnstile found it hugely amusing when I remarked that it reminded me of home and my own dog who is always very forceful when she wants a bit of fuss. The main gates into the park werent open but I was able to have a look around Studio One and the shops in there. Then when I heard the countdown and saw that the gates were open I made my way in.
I am always vaguely disappointed with the Studios Park. I dont find it half so interesting as the Main Park next door. I found it even less interesting on this visit as so much of it seemed to be hidden behind hoardings or was under construction. I knew Tower of Terror was being built and stopped by to have a look. Its MASSIVE! I cant imagine what kind of a ride is going to be going on in there but it looked daunting. I then made my way to a favourite attraction of mine the Art of Animation and enjoyed watching the multi-lingual screening of clips of some of Disneys best films. You dont need a translation for most of these believe me. Then we moved next door for Mushu and a cast member to take you through the stages of creating a Disney Character. Here you have headsets to give you a translation of what the French speaking Cast member is telling you however I do find that the headsets dont cut out the noise of the original soundtrack in the background. Its very distracting although I always make my way to this one first for some reason.
Coming out of the Art of Animation I decided to give Armageddon a try. Id never done this one before either so it was all new to me. Its not a ride as such but I enjoyed it hugely and went back later for a second go. It was quite amusing the second time, watching folks leap back in amazement when it all kicks off inside. Coming out of here I headed for Animagique which is a show Ive enjoyed hugely on previous visits. I must confess I was feeling well let down by the Studios Park and I dont think I was particularly alone in that. People seemed at a loss to know what to do. So much was either closed or behind hoardings it was quite forlorn. I didnt bother to go to my favourite ride The Studio Tram Tour as Id heard that it was closed and when I craned my neck to have a look in that direction I couldnt see anything moving. It wasnt until the next day going home that I learned that it had been running all the time and I could have gone on it anyway. Waaaah.
Having taken a second ride on Armageddon I decided that an early lunch was called for whilst I decided where to go next. I popped in to Restaurant En Coulisse in Studio One and had a very acceptable meal there. As I was having my lunch the Streetmosphere performers turned up so I had a little dinner table entertainment, followed by a small band playing a selection from the Sound of Music for some reason. It was all very entertaining. That being said I decided to give up on the Studios Park and return to the main park for the rest of the day.
Well, it turned out to be a good move. The Main Park was absolutely HEAVING but they had taken down the hoardings that had got in the way of the photos the day before. I could now see the gorgeous Christmas tree and decorations around the Central Plaza. Beautiful!
I decided to start where Id left off the day before. I headed to Discovery land which Id avoided previously. I tend to stick to the other three lands in the main because theres more of interest to me personally than in Discovery land. That being said, I made a bee line for Nautilus which Ive always enjoyed on previous occasions. Like a lot of the other rides and attractions it is nicely themed so I did enjoy it.
I gave Space Mountain a wide berth. Id love to give it a try but my arthritis would hate it besides, any ride that generates that many terrified screams should be treated with a little caution!
I looked at both Star Tours and Honey I Shrunk the Audience but the queues were miles back, even for the fastpasses. [Memo to self put those two on the list for the next visit] So I wandered to Its a Small World, expecting it to be the same story there. There was a bit of a queue but nothing in comparison with the rides in Discovery land, so I rode that one again then strolled back towards Adventureland. PoTC called again and although there was a bit of a queue for this one, I decided to give it another whirl. Happily the queue moved pretty swiftly even though a wait of 20 minutes was posted. I was thrilled to get a front seat in the boat until I realised that Id get a birds eye view of the two plummets! AhHH!!. Still, I really enjoyed the ride again and was even more chuffed when I emerged from the ride to see Capt Jack swaggering by unfortunately too fast for me to get my camera in his direction for which my sister a real Capt Jack fan has yet to forgive me.
I made my way back through Adventureland and ended up on the Paddle steamer again for a lovely restful trip around the lake. This time I didnt struggle my way up the stairs as Ive always done previously. I didnt think my exhausted little legs would make it and to be honest the view was as good on the ground floor as its ever been from on high.
Looking at my watch I was shocked to see that it was just after three and as I made my way back towards Main St I was even more shocked to see folk already staking out spots for the parade. I decided it would be good policy to join them and as it turned out it was a sound move. As the time for the parade drew nearer, manners seemed to become something of an optional extra. A nice French lady stood next to me, her toddler on the kerb no problem at all until a very rude man and his two teenage daughters tried to take up posts in front of us. Cast members asked them to move and they attempted to push right in front of us both. With only about a six inch square of pavement to stand on and very unsteady legs I went flying, knocked this poor woman for six and nearly started a domino effect topple from one end of Main St to the other. Fortunately she had seen what caused me to fall and was most gracious even though she had nearly gone over herself.
This set the tone for the whole parade unfortunately. It didnt matter which foot I stood on or what I did I either risked kicking the little one on the kerb or cracking the taller teenage daughter of the bulldozer next to me. I still managed to get one or two nice shots although Id promised myself I wouldnt go mad with the photos as it was the second time Id seen the parade. Still, it was spectacular again and caused great excitement when the final float an additional one to the previous day included Santa and real reindeer.
Once the parade had gone by and Id had a restorative cup of hot chocolate it was time to hit the shops at long last. Id been very good I thought restraining my shopping gene until this late in the day. I plunged into the Storybook Store and bought several CDs that Id had my eye on along with the new DVD. Then back into the Liberty Arcade in pursuit of a gift for my mother who was reportedly having some problems with her feathered houseguest. Theres a little shop just inside Liberty that sells all kinds of little blown glass bits and pieces and I found a lovely little rose in a tiny vase which I thought she would like.
I wandered back down Liberty intent on watching the Enchanted Fairy Tale Ceremony but after a couple of minutes I realised that I was in the wrong place and hurried up Main St to the Central Plaza where everyone else was foregathering. Unfortunately on this occasion I didnt get a good vantage point. One problem of being a short person is that unless there is tiered seating or standing facilities I cant see a thing. As soon as Mickey and Minnie appeared everyone in front of me immediately raised their camcorders and cameras which made it even harder. Still, its probably exactly what I would have done in their place so I shouldnt grumble! The ceremony was hugely entertaining and particularly lovely when the lights of the castle and the lights all down Main Street turned on. It was quite breathtaking and I know I wasnt the only one standing there with my mouth hanging open. We were all stunned and you could barely hear the tail end of the Enchanted Fairytale Ceremony for the click of cameras going off, my own included.
It was about 5:45 by now and my legs were finally protesting that I hadnt taken the number of rest stops Id promised myself at the start of the holiday so I popped into Caseys Corner for yet another hot chocolate and a sit down to watch folks go by. To my horror after about 15 minutes I realised folk were already taking up their positions for Fantillusion so I had little option but to join them. I was determined I wasnt going to miss this parade as it was the reason I had chosen to come on this particular date.
There were some very ugly scenes I have to say. People were pushing in, shoving folk over in their haste to get a good view, regardless of the fact that some of us had been standing there for nearly an hour. The British family next to me were hugely embarrassing.
Several people tried to stand in the roadway in front of us and were told to move along, particularly as a member of this party was in a wheelchair. I could heartily agree with them on that but when one of their party started coming out with all kinds of Xenophobic abuse I really became embarrassed and hoped that no one would think that I was actually with these people. However I wasnt the only one fed up with the whole thing. Two French women came up with a young lad at about 10 to Parade and decided to stand directly in front of us. I politely asked them as best I could to move on but they simply ignored me, a cast member told them they couldnt stand there and should move along but even they were ignored. Then a brave French soul to my left remonstrated furiously with them because they were also blocking his view. My French wasnt quite good enough to keep up with everything but he did tell them that they were very rude to stand in front of people who had already been waiting nearly an hour. This also made little impact until another French woman seemed to tell them they were letting the side down and pointed them to another space across the road. Eventually the disapproval of all and sundry seemed to finally get through to them and they marched haughtily across the road, once more barging through the crowd and blocking someone elses view. They were obviously more passive than those of us on the other side of the road because there they stood for the entire parade.
What can I say about Fantillusion? It was glorious. I had heard the music before and had read a bit about what it entailed but Id no idea how they were planning to change Jafar into a cobra. Im not going to give the game away for those who havent seen it yet but I was surprised at how simple and effective this was. The light displays were fabulous and the drama of the whole thing made all the earlier unpleasantness pale into insignificance. The colours were fantastic and I wouldnt have missed it for the world.
By the time Minnies firework float appeared I was totally exhausted and hadnt a scrap of energy left but I joined the crowd trailing after it until it disappeared out of sight. I must confess I felt a bit tearful overtired my mother would say but it was more because this could be my last visit to DLRP and I may not get the chance to have that much fun again. Rheumatoid Arthritis is a progressive disease and mine unfortunately is progressing rather more rapidly than it should. I had already become aware that my physical resources had diminished far more rapidly than on my previous two visits. Still, you never know, a lot can happen in two years!
Anyway, hobbling like a 90 year old I joined a queue to buy a hotdog and another hot drink but just as I received my food they announced that the park was closing and began shepherding the stragglers towards the park gate. So I joined the flow of weary folk and tired kids heading out, hot dog and drink in hand. I havent told my mother this because she would cringe with shame, but there I sat outside the five star [?] Disneyland Hotel, eating a hot dog perched on one of their nice flower beds.
I decided a little more shopping was next on the agenda and tottered towards the village. It was at this point that I realised that something was missing from the village, or rather several things. Where were the towers with the 1950s dancers? The plinths were there but the towers and the strings of lights overhead were missing. How on earth had I not noticed they were gone when I walked through previously? Also I noticed that the Village stage was absent which was a disappointment as Id hoped some form of entertainment would be on but there was no sign of the stage. When did that disappear?
Anyway, I battled my way around the shops, dodging pushchairs and low flying backpacks as I went. [I really wish I was taller then at least I would miss the backpacks if not the pushchairs]. I got in the shopping that I wanted and then found a perch to sit on in the village to do a bit more people watching. However it was becoming absolutely freezing and I decided that it was finally time to admit defeat and head back to the hotel and the packing. I picked up a couple of bits in the hotel shop which I hadnt felt inclined to carry all the way from the Village then made my way back to the room. And would you believe it, for the first time I found the Lodge without taking a wrong turning!
although I am so sorry you experienced such terrible behaviour at the parades. 
~ have a look 
