Congratulations Mickeybell! And thankyou Sherry for such a fun and informative thread! I've really enjoyed seeing everyone's pictures and realised there's a lot I've missed out on, it's inspired me to slow down and really explore rather than rush from ride to ride- the best part of travelling solo is I can do this without annoying anyone with my constant stopping to take pictures!
To everyone leaving soon, have a wonderful, wonderful holiday! It's the 12th here already so only a short wait for those already there for holiday season to start in the parks!
Luisa --
You're welcome -- and thank you so much for participating!
I know it can be tricky with the time difference, so I really appreciate all of your contributions.
I was planning to pop in here again later to go back and reply to some posts that have come in since last night, but I saw your comment about traveling solo and I wanted to say something on that subject before it slips my mind!
Up until maybe 2008 or so, it would have never even occurred to me to spend any solo time at DLR. And that is a very strange thing, as I have taken full multi-night solo trips to Catalina Island before, as well as long solo day trips there. I even spent a lot of solo time wandering the Strip in Las Vegas (in the daytime, of course) way back when I accompanied a friend there many, many years ago.
For some reason, I only associated DLR trips with spending time with others. Now that is a wondrous thing (especially during the holidays) if you have a group of people you can hang out with, get along with, and everyone's schedules jibe so you can all go at the same time, etc. Over the years, though (and anyone who used to read my trip reports knows of this), it began to get more difficult to get other people on board with the plans, to the point where it was just bumming me out or ruining my fun.
So at some point I had to 'switch gears,' essentially, and go into Solo Mode. I had to change my way of looking at DLR trips and realize that I could have a whole world of fun by myself. Often times I wander around my own neighborhood with a camera in hand, so I thought -- why not do that at
Disneyland? I have always loved taking photos -- ever since I was little -- but, as you said, Luisa, when you're with people you feel like you're annoying them by stopping to snap away. If I am going to spend time with old friends and that's what they're there for, I'd rather spend time with them, laughing and being silly, and not have to stop every few minutes.
If I am solo and have no one to see, I can wander endlessly. I can stop whenever and wherever I want to stop. I can catch all the little nuances and details that make DLR so special. Most importantly, I can rack up a large number of photos for trip reports and Theme Week Countdowns!
I started with a few golden hours of solo time in December 2008. It felt a bit odd at first. I even got my first solo PhotoPass pictures, which was even stranger.
I didn't have more solo DLR time again until 2010. At that point it was a good 2+ full days of solo time, and I took more photos at DLR than I'd ever taken in the past on those days. It was liberating! I didn't have to worry about holding everyone up when I stopped to take pictures of merchandise or scenery. I could roam around at my leisure. I ordered room service. I even embarked on solo dining at Storytellers Cafe. Dining solo in any location will never feel 100% comfortable to me, for some reason (and I've done it a lot, in different places) -- I think that meals are best shared with good company -- but every other part of my solo time was wonderful!
I had another good chunk of solo time last year -- I'd say that 75% of the December 2012 trip was solo and I did a whole holiday day trip solo in November -- and again, that yielded many, many photos.
Don't get me wrong -- I love seeing friends when it is not so much of a hassle to get people together, but as time marches on I find that I am beginning to love my solo trips/time even more!
It is a totally different way to enjoy Disneyland that I never thought I would embrace, but it allows me to kind of 'get in the zone' and take pictures to my heart's content as well as really get in there and look at everything closely! Also, I almost always end up getting in a chat with nice co-visitors.
I still prefer dining and riding rides with companions. Otherwise, I can easily spend days on end by myself, just wandering and exploring and channeling my inner shutterbug!
Definitely something special, maybe a Christmas ornament. Whatever we get I will take a picture and post it here!!! 
