Eeee-va
Happiest robot on Earth
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2009
- Messages
- 2,579
Just got back from Disneyland Resort a couple days ago...took this long to regroup! Any questions?
My highlights and observations:
We started the trip at the Red Lion Hotel, which was very modern-looking inside. Service was good and it was a nice place. The walk was a LITTLE far but doable. I would definitely stay there again; it was great for the price.
Friday night at Disneyland (11/25) - semi-crowded, but not awful by any means. Got in pretty late and hung out in DL for a bit (OK, I took a ridiculous number of pictures), then saw the fireworks. Highlight was being in front of a little girl who took the liberty of singing the words to "Silent Night," which I loved...it was no Candlelight Processional but it will do.
Then hopped over to DCA to see World of Color from the wrong side, which was fun...it sure is deserted and dark on the far side of Paradise Pier
I like it!
Saturday (11/26) - Mom and I did a Magic Morning in Fantasyland and had fun. She rented an ECV from Deckert's (I think it was $135 for the 5 days). She actually never used an ECV entrance, as she can walk (she has fibromyalgia and knee and hip pain, but it helps her to walk some). But the ECV allowed her to stay in the parks and do a lot more than she could have otherwise. Around maybe 10 AM she said something along the lines of "If I hadn't had the ECV, by now I'd be tired and in pain." Oh, and I got my Mickey gingerbread!!!!
Rode the Little Mermaid ride--VERY cute and I'm in LOVE with the building. Also rode the Golden Zephyr for a minute until the wind alarm went off and shut it down. (The ride felt a little wilder than usual!) We had lunch at the Blue Bayou which was nice and peaceful.
Waits were pretty summer-like by 1, but it wasn't awful. Mom had to go back to the room...I hung out a little longer, then took the Toy Story lot tram back toward the room at the Red Lion. It was a little bit of a walk through the parking lot but not awful....I didn't want to do it at night, though.
We went back to the parks and saw Laserman (so cool) and then the 9:15 World of Color. Mom had her ECV since she can't stand for an hour and can't sit on the ground anyway...we used it to get space on the bridge. From looking at the area at the 9:15 show on Friday, I'd figured it wouldn't be crowded...and it really wasn't, but right where we are was where people decided they should hang out, including a woman who for some reason felt the need to stand between 0 and 2 inches away from me, so I was pressed up against the rail. I looked back and there was room for everyone who was on the bridge... Anyway, it was good to see it from a good section, but I kind of like it from around the bay where you don't need a Fastpass, because it's just you and the show. After the show I doubled back to Disneyland and rode Star Tours, which was pretty cool. (My mom rode it later and was like, "Is that it?")
Sunday (11/27) we changed hotels to the Paradise Pier (which IMO was not notably nicer than the Red Lion, aside from the air conditioning unit and the toiletries). With the ECV, changing rooms was a bit of a pain, but we managed.
We started the day at the Gospel Brunch at House of Blues, which was pretty neat.
Food was fine; desserts weren't great; show was nice, but the people next to us left in the middle (I'm not sure if they just didn't like Gospel or if they had somewhere to be, or if my singing bothered them...). I was surprised at how friendly the servers were--more than most Disneyland CMs! By the time we got to the parks it was getting pretty close to 2 PM, but wait times were actually better than Saturday. After some time in the park and a trip on the Columbia we headed back to the room. The carolers were in the Paradise Pier lobby, singing the Chipmunks' Christmas song. LOL We rested, and then I headed back to the parks.
I LOVE Paradise Pier at night. Riding the Golden Zephyr I could almost imagine I was back in the 1910s or 1920s.
Then I doubled back to Disneyland...got some more gingerbread in Critter Country. The clerk asked if I wanted some milk to go with my cookie. I instantly said "no", as I always do during a sales pitch, then realized I did want milk after all, since I was having gingerbread for dinner. I hustled back toward Big Thunder Mountain in an attempt to ride it during fireworks...and...I just made it! We were going up the very last hill on the ride, I think it was, when the finale hit. It was amazing and I highly recommend it! Stay to the right and you can watch the fireworks from the loading platform too. I also saw the Magic, the Memories and You show--pretty cool.
The park seemed full of real Disney fans, maybe annual passholders. The lines weren't bad. I got a Space Mountain Fastpass at 9:59 PM, for 10:35 PM. I could not believe it! (I could have gotten another FP at 10:35 as well.) I rode it a time or two and rode Star Tours and saw Captain EO for the last ride of the night, then hung around the castle area and took pictures for a long time.
Monday (11/28) the park opened at 9 and so did the meet and greets for characters. So you could go through Pixie Hollow and PFF with little wait! But Pixie Hollow just had Tinkerbell (and I think she was a new one!) and there were just Cinderella and Snow White in PFF. I rode a few things and then stumbled across Jack and Sally so got in line to meet them. They were delightful! Sally said I looked like a Tinkerbug and needed to be careful not to get squished. Jack gingerly held up my tiny Duffy and Shellie May and said they were very dead and asked what I did with them. They really made an effort to interact with everyone, not just get a picture and shoo you along. I also finally got to try the fried green tomato sandwich (good but way too much food!).
After a day in the parks, I was going to stay in DL but it closed at 8 so did DCA, with an 8:15 World of Color and I realized I hadn't been on TSMM yet! So I hopped over, rode The Little Mermaid, and got in line for Toy Story a few minutes before park close. Came out of the ride just in time to catch World of Color from the wrong side. The lights around Paradise Bay were coming off and on at intervals, which is not normal.
The show itself stopped shortly after the stampede scene and did not come back up fortunately, I've seen it enough, I just found it interesting to see the mist screens going with nothing happening. I felt bad for the guests who needed to see it, though.
I hung back a while in case the mob of people in the viewing area was angry, and to see the beautiful atmosphere, then got supper from Whitewater Snacks and brought it back to Mom!
Tuesday (11/29) I did an on-site Magic Morning did Star Tours twice. The first time, I saw nothing new, but the second time I wished really really hard and caught BOTH segments I hadn't seen! 5 rides, I believe it was, and I caught everything. Then I did Space Mountain twice, then started wandering. The park already felt crowded near 10 AM, though I'm sure it wasn't that bad. I played around for a while and then Mom and I went to the Cafe Orleans delicious! Then we went on PotC and Haunted Mansion, did a little shopping, and then had to head back.
Great trip though...though I shouldn't be spending the money, I'm really wishing I would've upgraded to an annual pass so I could go back again soon.
My highlights and observations:
We started the trip at the Red Lion Hotel, which was very modern-looking inside. Service was good and it was a nice place. The walk was a LITTLE far but doable. I would definitely stay there again; it was great for the price.
Friday night at Disneyland (11/25) - semi-crowded, but not awful by any means. Got in pretty late and hung out in DL for a bit (OK, I took a ridiculous number of pictures), then saw the fireworks. Highlight was being in front of a little girl who took the liberty of singing the words to "Silent Night," which I loved...it was no Candlelight Processional but it will do.
Then hopped over to DCA to see World of Color from the wrong side, which was fun...it sure is deserted and dark on the far side of Paradise Pier
I like it!Saturday (11/26) - Mom and I did a Magic Morning in Fantasyland and had fun. She rented an ECV from Deckert's (I think it was $135 for the 5 days). She actually never used an ECV entrance, as she can walk (she has fibromyalgia and knee and hip pain, but it helps her to walk some). But the ECV allowed her to stay in the parks and do a lot more than she could have otherwise. Around maybe 10 AM she said something along the lines of "If I hadn't had the ECV, by now I'd be tired and in pain." Oh, and I got my Mickey gingerbread!!!!
Rode the Little Mermaid ride--VERY cute and I'm in LOVE with the building. Also rode the Golden Zephyr for a minute until the wind alarm went off and shut it down. (The ride felt a little wilder than usual!) We had lunch at the Blue Bayou which was nice and peaceful.
Waits were pretty summer-like by 1, but it wasn't awful. Mom had to go back to the room...I hung out a little longer, then took the Toy Story lot tram back toward the room at the Red Lion. It was a little bit of a walk through the parking lot but not awful....I didn't want to do it at night, though.
We went back to the parks and saw Laserman (so cool) and then the 9:15 World of Color. Mom had her ECV since she can't stand for an hour and can't sit on the ground anyway...we used it to get space on the bridge. From looking at the area at the 9:15 show on Friday, I'd figured it wouldn't be crowded...and it really wasn't, but right where we are was where people decided they should hang out, including a woman who for some reason felt the need to stand between 0 and 2 inches away from me, so I was pressed up against the rail. I looked back and there was room for everyone who was on the bridge... Anyway, it was good to see it from a good section, but I kind of like it from around the bay where you don't need a Fastpass, because it's just you and the show. After the show I doubled back to Disneyland and rode Star Tours, which was pretty cool. (My mom rode it later and was like, "Is that it?")
Sunday (11/27) we changed hotels to the Paradise Pier (which IMO was not notably nicer than the Red Lion, aside from the air conditioning unit and the toiletries). With the ECV, changing rooms was a bit of a pain, but we managed.
We started the day at the Gospel Brunch at House of Blues, which was pretty neat.
Food was fine; desserts weren't great; show was nice, but the people next to us left in the middle (I'm not sure if they just didn't like Gospel or if they had somewhere to be, or if my singing bothered them...). I was surprised at how friendly the servers were--more than most Disneyland CMs! By the time we got to the parks it was getting pretty close to 2 PM, but wait times were actually better than Saturday. After some time in the park and a trip on the Columbia we headed back to the room. The carolers were in the Paradise Pier lobby, singing the Chipmunks' Christmas song. LOL We rested, and then I headed back to the parks.
I LOVE Paradise Pier at night. Riding the Golden Zephyr I could almost imagine I was back in the 1910s or 1920s.
Then I doubled back to Disneyland...got some more gingerbread in Critter Country. The clerk asked if I wanted some milk to go with my cookie. I instantly said "no", as I always do during a sales pitch, then realized I did want milk after all, since I was having gingerbread for dinner.
I hustled back toward Big Thunder Mountain in an attempt to ride it during fireworks...and...I just made it! We were going up the very last hill on the ride, I think it was, when the finale hit. It was amazing and I highly recommend it! Stay to the right and you can watch the fireworks from the loading platform too. I also saw the Magic, the Memories and You show--pretty cool.
The park seemed full of real Disney fans, maybe annual passholders. The lines weren't bad. I got a Space Mountain Fastpass at 9:59 PM, for 10:35 PM. I could not believe it! (I could have gotten another FP at 10:35 as well.) I rode it a time or two and rode Star Tours and saw Captain EO for the last ride of the night, then hung around the castle area and took pictures for a long time.
Monday (11/28) the park opened at 9 and so did the meet and greets for characters. So you could go through Pixie Hollow and PFF with little wait! But Pixie Hollow just had Tinkerbell (and I think she was a new one!) and there were just Cinderella and Snow White in PFF. I rode a few things and then stumbled across Jack and Sally so got in line to meet them. They were delightful! Sally said I looked like a Tinkerbug and needed to be careful not to get squished. Jack gingerly held up my tiny Duffy and Shellie May and said they were very dead and asked what I did with them. They really made an effort to interact with everyone, not just get a picture and shoo you along. I also finally got to try the fried green tomato sandwich (good but way too much food!).
After a day in the parks, I was going to stay in DL but it closed at 8 so did DCA, with an 8:15 World of Color and I realized I hadn't been on TSMM yet! So I hopped over, rode The Little Mermaid, and got in line for Toy Story a few minutes before park close. Came out of the ride just in time to catch World of Color from the wrong side. The lights around Paradise Bay were coming off and on at intervals, which is not normal.
The show itself stopped shortly after the stampede scene and did not come back up fortunately, I've seen it enough, I just found it interesting to see the mist screens going with nothing happening. I felt bad for the guests who needed to see it, though.
I hung back a while in case the mob of people in the viewing area was angry, and to see the beautiful atmosphere, then got supper from Whitewater Snacks and brought it back to Mom!
Tuesday (11/29) I did an on-site Magic Morning did Star Tours twice. The first time, I saw nothing new, but the second time I wished really really hard and caught BOTH segments I hadn't seen! 5 rides, I believe it was, and I caught everything. Then I did Space Mountain twice, then started wandering. The park already felt crowded near 10 AM, though I'm sure it wasn't that bad. I played around for a while and then Mom and I went to the Cafe Orleans delicious! Then we went on PotC and Haunted Mansion, did a little shopping, and then had to head back.
Great trip though...though I shouldn't be spending the money, I'm really wishing I would've upgraded to an annual pass so I could go back again soon.
The other was World of Color which was VERY useful. If you see it and it's fall or winter or even spring, I'd make sure you bring a blanket or coat for your mom. Mine had her coat and she got VERY cold just sitting there for probably 90 minutes all-told. She could have stood to warm up but she was afraid of what people would think. 
so I skipped it this time. It really was a great trip though...I don't think the days AFTER Thanksgiving are anything to be scared of. 
