Lots of Completed Trip Reports....Nov 2009 - April 2014

[TheColtonsMom]

I hope you got your brownies and ice cream for dessert. You can't go wrong with brownies. Yum!



So glad you're getting an AP Sherri! I see you've been bitten by the Disneyland bug after being away for a while, just like me. I don't know how I went 13 years. Didn't you have a 5 year drought? Anyway, I actually thought of Colton while we were there. I was thinking about how much he enjoyed Splash Mountain and how I wished it were up and running so Buddy could have a do-over. I was sure he would like it. He's only ridden it once. He was 3. DS9 (at the time) was in front, then 3-year-old Buddy, then my husband, then I was in back with a teary then-6-year-old DS. (When he heard his brother mention a 50 foot drop he got scared.) Anyway, I had told my husband to wrap his arms around Buddy before the big drop...and he forgot! So Buddy slid forward. He was too scared too ride again -- I don't blame him. But I figured it's been a year and a half and he was ready. Too bad it was still down.

It was actually 8 years and I am with you on "how did I ever survive that long without it?" Those days in December were a holiday honestly my husband & son now treasure like I always have treasured my DL memories. How is it possible they survived so long into their lives without it?

Colton had never been and Brant had been deprived in his 2 previous trips really. He rode nothing NOTHING that involved a boat due to his mothers fear (Not IASW not PP not the Storybook Canal boats not the submarines etc) he did not ride the Haunted Mansion, He did not ride any coaster type ride either. Honestly the things he remembers doing are Dumbo and the train and they spent most of the day in Fantasyland and he was a 12 year old boy no wonder DL didn't spark his interest on that trip. Our next trip was to take Kari our Tim Burton loving tomboy to see the NBC overlay on the HM we must have ridden that a dozen times in a one day trip and the roller coasters of course..So after that trip for him it was still "just an amusement park"

The December trip changed all that for him...he gets it. Not a day goes by that some mention of DL isn't initiated by him...Disneyland is his friend on Facebook and he is just as involved in planning our year of adventure as I am. He went so far as to find out what it would cost to renew our vows (behind my back) in October aboard the Columbia while we were in the park dressed like pirates. (It was WAY too big for our budget but yet another sign that Disney is now part of his soul too. Unless there is a disaster of some sort I do not see another 8 year stretch without DL ever in our future together again.

The APs just happened when we were trying to figure our next DL vacation (on the way home from this one) we were up in the air Both boys wanted to come back to see ST2, We all love Halloween so wouldn't TOT in DL be amazing? What about the opening of Carsland? and on it went until we just gave in and APs here we come.

Now on to commenting on your TR

You have really started to get creative with pics within your rules. Absolutely love the shadow of Buddy with his ears! Thought it would be my pic highlight for this episode until I saw the one of him staring out over the Land Love this one even more! I am so sorry he missed Splash! this time bit hopefully his time will come soon (a 2012 Carsland visit is in the plans right?) I so hope he enjoys BTMRR as much as Colton did!
If you recall we also "worked our way up" to Space and Colton loved it...although we had no way of knowing this as he was screaming at the top of his lungs and I did not know if he was terrified or excited until the end. I hope Buddy's ride is just as wonderful for him!

Oh and I cannot resist snapping that pic of the plaque above the tunnel either no matter how many pics of it I already have or will have it is the last picture before the happy tears start streaming down my face!

 

[mvf-m11c]

I am enjoying your TR Deej. All of your pics are very good and can't wait to read more.

 

[Sherry E]

Woo hoo! Off to a rockin' start so far!

(Well, let me be honest - initially, as I began to read the TR and saw the types of photos you had taken, my first words to myself were, "Wow! This is going to be a winning Trip Report!" And I was going to post that here. And then, suddenly and disturbingly, I could hear the voice of Charlie Sheen in my head, saying "WINNING!" with that wicked, smarmy sneer he channels so well.... and that was enough to get me to change my use of the word 'winning' to 'rockin,' as I don't think Charlie has put his stamp on that one yet.)

This will probably not make sense to anyone, but you know how sometimes when we make repeated trips to DLR, we might come back with a fabulous collection of photos (or at least...really, really great ones) from one trip, while photos from another one of our trips may yield only so-so photos? I think that happens to ALL of us. It's hard to hit it out of the park every time. The collective body of work may be interesting and there may be some gems from each trip, but some of our TR's produce better photos than others and it has a lot to do with our moods, crowds, what was going on in the parks that day, as well as our equipment?

Well, that said, I usually enjoy your photos and amusing narratives anyway. I am always excited to start reading a new deejdigsdis masterpiece and admire the lovely, bright, colorful shots. But this time, so far I have enjoyed every picture immensely! It seems like you got on a roll with the interesting photos early on in the trip!

This is going to sound odd, but I was impressed with the photos you took as soon as I saw the exterior Mimi's picture! For some reason, I really like the Mimi's shot - maybe it's the lighting or the composition or whatever - so I knew that this was going to be an awesome pictorial/TR. If Mimi's could look exciting to me, I knew that only good things would lie ahead in DLR!! And then the brownie shot...and the bougainvilleas (there are quite a few pink bougainvillea trees/shrubs in my neighborhood, so I can appreciate them!)...and the "change me to sepia" picture!! Love the Buddy shot too!

Really, all of them are winners! (Uh oh, I am hearing "WINNING! in my head again...)

I also laughed at your comment about how you're not the type of mom to make 4 different meals to pacify the different tastes of your family. As long as no one is malnourished, nothin' wrong with waiting to eat until breakfast!!

I know the heartbreak of letting an AP expire. And I know the heartbreak of having years go by in between DLR trips and then wanting to make up for it by going to DLR a bunch of times before another big gap of time sets in. But there is a certain bittersweet closure to the AP expiring, as you said. At least you know you made good use of it while you had it.

Now...I can't wait to see the sewing machine photos with the stupid glare in the window! I hate window glares messing up my photos and I can sooooo relate to that quandary.

 

[kaoden39]

What a great start to your trip report. I really like your pictures and the picture of you sons back on the train is wonderful.

Oh and I did get my brownies and ice cream last night.

 

[deejdigsdis]

Hi Deej! What a huge mass of humanity that morning. I love the pictures of Buddy with his mouse ears on. The last one is just precious

Those red flowers are stunning! Your Saloon picture did should sepia! I always love your pictures.

Anxious to hear if Buddy rode SM....

TK

Hello my friend! Those rope drop pics can be a bit deceiving. I thought we were in for a horribly crowded day, but it ended up being OK. Maybe just because I was expecting a lot worse. So glad you've joined me once again.

What a timeless picture!!

Okay... So I just read your ENTIRE Trip Report from your first trip to the current one. It took me about a day and a half to read it! There were some things I was going to comment on but now I don't remember!

Your TR's are awesome! Thanks for sharing and I can't wait to read more!

Thank you for joining in! Wow, that was quite a feat going back through the other trips. Thanks for the compliments. There's more to come so stick around.

It was actually 8 years and I am with you on "how did I ever survive that long without it?" Those days in December were a holiday honestly my husband & son now treasure like I always have treasured my DL memories. How is it possible they survived so long into their lives without it?

Colton had never been and Brant had been deprived in his 2 previous trips really. He rode nothing NOTHING that involved a boat due to his mothers fear (Not IASW not PP not the Storybook Canal boats not the submarines etc) he did not ride the Haunted Mansion, He did not ride any coaster type ride either. Honestly the things he remembers doing are Dumbo and the train and they spent most of the day in Fantasyland and he was a 12 year old boy no wonder DL didn't spark his interest on that trip. Our next trip was to take Kari our Tim Burton loving tomboy to see the NBC overlay on the HM we must have ridden that a dozen times in a one day trip and the roller coasters of course..So after that trip for him it was still "just an amusement park"

The December trip changed all that for him...he gets it. Not a day goes by that some mention of DL isn't initiated by him...Disneyland is his friend on Facebook and he is just as involved in planning our year of adventure as I am. He went so far as to find out what it would cost to renew our vows (behind my back) in October aboard the Columbia while we were in the park dressed like pirates. (It was WAY too big for our budget but yet another sign that Disney is now part of his soul too. Unless there is a disaster of some sort I do not see another 8 year stretch without DL ever in our future together again.

The APs just happened when we were trying to figure our next DL vacation (on the way home from this one) we were up in the air Both boys wanted to come back to see ST2, We all love Halloween so wouldn't TOT in DL be amazing? What about the opening of Carsland? and on it went until we just gave in and APs here we come.

Now on to commenting on your TR

You have really started to get creative with pics within your rules. Absolutely love the shadow of Buddy with his ears! Thought it would be my pic highlight for this episode until I saw the one of him staring out over the Land Love this one even more! I am so sorry he missed Splash! this time bit hopefully his time will come soon (a 2012 Carsland visit is in the plans right?) I so hope he enjoys BTMRR as much as Colton did!
If you recall we also "worked our way up" to Space and Colton loved it...although we had no way of knowing this as he was screaming at the top of his lungs and I did not know if he was terrified or excited until the end. I hope Buddy's ride is just as wonderful for him!

Oh and I cannot resist snapping that pic of the plaque above the tunnel either no matter how many pics of it I already have or will have it is the last picture before the happy tears start streaming down my face!

Sounds like a keeper, that Brant. Yeah, if I was a 12 year old boy just sticking to Dumbo...I'm not sure I'd ever want to go back. That's interesting about his mom's fear of boats. Did she have some kind of traumatizing experience once?

Yes, I'm branching out a bit more in showing my kids without really showing my kids. In case there is anyone new out there reading that is wondering what Sherri is referring to when she mentions "pics within my rules"... my husband has been running an adult s** offender treatment program in a prison for 1 1/2 years now. Before that he spent a number of years running programs/doing therapy for teenage s** offenders. Being exposed to that environment has certainly taken its toll, and has led to us being more protective of our online family privacy. I would like to be a little more "out there" myself (not so mysterious) but I respect my husband's stance on this. Sometimes I wonder how different our parenting style would be if he didn't do this for a living. Yep, we're paranoid. But I also know we are less naive. I constantly get the "Wow, I would never have thought about that..." from other moms when they ask me why we do things the way we do. My answer is "I probably wouldn't either if my husband didn't so this for a living."

OK. I'm getting waaaaaaaayyyyyy off topic. Back to happier thoughts and Disneyland! Colton screaming at the top of his lungs on Space reminds me of Buddy doing the same on Autopia. But I could see his face and I knew he was having fun. A CM thought otherwise, though, and came out with a flashlight in search of the source of the blood-curdling screams!

And yes, you are right. A trip in 2012 is in the works. I would like to go at Halloweentime. I think my kids would love that. This will be a big family trip, though, so it depends on whether or not my brother is willing to take his kids out of school for a week. If he isn't, then it will probably be in August.

I am enjoying your TR Deej. All of your pics are very good and can't wait to read more.

Hi there Bret! Glad to see you are on board. Any trips in your near future?

Woo hoo! Off to a rockin' start so far!

(Well, let me be honest - initially, as I began to read the TR and saw the types of photos you had taken, my first words to myself were, "Wow! This is going to be a winning Trip Report!" And I was going to post that here. And then, suddenly and disturbingly, I could hear the voice of Charlie Sheen in my head, saying "WINNING!" with that wicked, smarmy sneer he channels so well.... and that was enough to get me to change my use of the word 'winning' to 'rockin,' as I don't think Charlie has put his stamp on that one yet.)

This will probably not make sense to anyone, but you know how sometimes when we make repeated trips to DLR, we might come back with a fabulous collection of photos (or at least...really, really great ones) from one trip, while photos from another one of our trips may yield only so-so photos? I think that happens to ALL of us. It's hard to hit it out of the park every time. The collective body of work may be interesting and there may be some gems from each trip, but some of our TR's produce better photos than others and it has a lot to do with our moods, crowds, what was going on in the parks that day, as well as our equipment?

Well, that said, I usually enjoy your photos and amusing narratives anyway. I am always excited to start reading a new deejdigsdis masterpiece and admire the lovely, bright, colorful shots. But this time, so far I have enjoyed every picture immensely! It seems like you got on a roll with the interesting photos early on in the trip!

This is going to sound odd, but I was impressed with the photos you took as soon as I saw the exterior Mimi's picture! For some reason, I really like the Mimi's shot - maybe it's the lighting or the composition or whatever - so I knew that this was going to be an awesome pictorial/TR. If Mimi's could look exciting to me, I knew that only good things would lie ahead in DLR!! And then the brownie shot...and the bougainvilleas (there are quite a few pink bougainvillea trees/shrubs in my neighborhood, so I can appreciate them!)...and the "change me to sepia" picture!! Love the Buddy shot too!

Really, all of them are winners! (Uh oh, I am hearing "WINNING! in my head again...)

I also laughed at your comment about how you're not the type of mom to make 4 different meals to pacify the different tastes of your family. As long as no one is malnourished, nothin' wrong with waiting to eat until breakfast!!

I know the heartbreak of letting an AP expire. And I know the heartbreak of having years go by in between DLR trips and then wanting to make up for it by going to DLR a bunch of times before another big gap of time sets in. But there is a certain bittersweet closure to the AP expiring, as you said. At least you know you made good use of it while you had it.

Now...I can't wait to see the sewing machine photos with the stupid glare in the window! I hate window glares messing up my photos and I can sooooo relate to that quandary.

LOL about Charlie Sheen! He just disgusts me. I was glad to see he didn't get any mention in the Aladdin show this time. Rockin' is a lot more fun to say than "Winning" anyway.

That is so funny that you should mention the photo thing! Most of my photos this trip are of Buddy having fun at Disneyland. I did get other shots, but I didn't focus on those as much. I felt like I had a lot of really blurry photos this time around, and wasn't really planning on doing a TR. It feels like I just barely finished my January one, and I didn't feel like I had a lot to add this time around. I was sure people would be sick of me and thinking "Not again...just let the AP expire already!" But then I thought about how I go back to my TRs to get details that I have forgotten (even though I was sure I absolutely would remember) as I put my kids' scrapbooks together. I didn't want to have a really detailed account from my January trip with Chief, and then have a really scaled-down account from my April trip with Buddy. So that was why I decided to do a TR this time. To help me fill in the gaps when I get the pictures/stories/quotes/anecdotes added to a scrapbook. And then there's my middle child who will have none of this since he didn't want to go. I was asking him today when he'd want to go to DL with me (knowing that it wouldn't be anytime soon -- may my AP Rest In Peace...). He said "I don't know. Not for a few years." Interesting.

Ugh. The sewing machine photos. I'll just apologize for those right now.

What a great start to your trip report. I really like your pictures and the picture of you sons back on the train is wonderful.

Oh and I did get my brownies and ice cream last night.

Thank you! I really like that picture too. When I first saw it I wished I had centered it more, maybe stood right behind him. But then I realized that if I had done that, I wouldn't be able to see his little fingers wrapped around the side of the train. That's part of what I love about it.

Glad to hear you got your ice cream and brownies.

Well, the next installment will be up sometime tomorrow. I was going to get more done tonight, but I got caught up in the news of Osama Bin Laden.

 

[kaoden39]

I also think that if the picture had been more centered it wouldn't have the same draw for me. It looks more natural and magical to me this way.

 

[TheColtonsMom]

The more I look at this picture the more I love it (will probably try to re create it and never hit the note you did)

The little tilt of his Mickey ears, the tiny fingers on the railing, the milling crowd, the guy with the tripod snapping a picture memory... This picture has many layers. As someone else said it is timeless it could have been taken at many points in Disneyland history. I also love that you made it B&W as so many of the layers stand out better that way. Forget the scrapbook print this one it shoud be in a frame on a desk or hanging on the wall (well ok you could scrapbook it too). You should Absolutely add this one to the pic of the day thread,

NoOne ever knew what my MILs fear of boats was about, there was no trauma she or her family could point to.

Well our last AP trip is planned for late summer/or fall 2012 so you never know we might end up in DL at the same time to see Carsland for the first time. How does your husband feel about meeting DISers? I would think he would be hesitant about people you meet online. Do you guys wear LGMHs?

 

[deejdigsdis]

I also think that if the picture had been more centered it wouldn't have the same draw for me. It looks more natural and magical to me this way.

I agree. I noticed that you are very good at thinking of just the right words to describe something. "Natural" and that magical Disneylandness describe it perfectly.

The more I look at this picture the more I love it (will probably try to re create it and never hit the note you did)

The little tilt of his Mickey ears, the tiny fingers on the railing, the milling crowd, the guy with the tripod snapping a picture memory... This picture has many layers. As someone else said it is timeless it could have been taken at many points in Disneyland history. I also love that you made it B&W as so many of the layers stand out better that way. Forget the scrapbook print this one it shoud be in a frame on a desk or hanging on the wall (well ok you could scrapbook it too). You should Absolutely add this one to the pic of the day thread,

NoOne ever knew what my MILs fear of boats was about, there was no trauma she or her family could point to.

Well our last AP trip is planned for late summer/or fall 2012 so you never know we might end up in DL at the same time to see Carsland for the first time. How does your husband feel about meeting DISers? I would think he would be hesitant about people you meet online. Do you guys wear LGMHs?

You know, when I took that picture I thought nothing of it. We had just boarded the train and I told him if he turned around he could see all the people coming into Disneyland. I just snapped it quickly before we pulled away. It definitely turned out to be one of my favorites from this trip. I am on the lookout for where I can put an enlargement. B&W definitely lends to the timeless factor.

I would love to meet you if our paths crossed next year. You are right, my husband would think that would be strange. His sister has met up with a lot of people that she met online over the years. (Not through the DIS -- but through scrapbooking forums.) She has been known to drive several states away with her family just to go stay with people she's never met. My husband just thinks it's so odd. Actually, "crazy" is a better word. I had been hoping Sherry's friend's plans would change to put her near DL a bit earlier. I would have loved to meet Sherry, but now I see it looks like there are no plans. That is just too bad.

Off to get another update up!

 

[deejdigsdis]

We made our way around the entire park by train. I always think it's sad to see a major ride down. I'm talking about Splash Mountain in particular. Critter Country just looked so lonely and bare. I was really sorry to miss Splash again this trip.

After getting off the train at the Main Street Station, we decided to walk down Main Street and then head left. I just realized that this is what we were doing at EXACTLY this moment a week ago today. {sigh} The plan was to pick up Indy FPs, then go down to Pooh and work our way back. We grabbed Indy FPs but I wasn't positive if Buddy was tall enough to ride. According to my measurements at home he was barely tall enough, so I thought it could go either way once an Indy CM laid eyes on him.

Took a few pictures by the Rivers of America on our way to Critter Country.

I had really been hoping to ride this ship. I can't even remember the last time I did that. AT LEAST 15 years ago. But it wasn't meant to be this trip. Same with the canoes. I haven't done those in at least 15 years either. Buddy hasn't ridden the Mark Twain before (it was in the midst of the Tiana's Showboat Jubilee during his other trip 1 1/2 years ago). I didn't realize it wouldn't be running while we were there. And so much for running around and exploring the island. No rafts either.

Enough dwelling on what we couldn't do! Isn't this flower beautiful?

Finally we made it over to Pooh. Walk-on, of course. I thought it was a good way to start out Buddy's trip. It is a ride he remembers fondly. (Mostly because of the gassy sound you hear as you pass by the big heffalump. Which I finally heard this time around. He's been talking about hearing that noise again for the past year and a half!)

When we got off Pooh we popped inside Pooh's Corner to see what we might want to get for a treat later on -- after lunch at Hungry Bear. (Couldn't wait to try my first ever Fried Green Tomato Sandwich!)

Buddy has been dying to have a Tigger Tail since his last trip. But...the version he knows no longer exists. I wondered if he'd still want one.

We might have gone on Pooh again. (Just a side note about that shrugging shoulders emoticon... Buddy saw that in someone else's post and thought it looked funny. He said, "It looks like they are telling a lie to somebody that they don't know where something is, but they really do.")

Up next...The Haunted Mansion. WHAT?!? The hearse is still missing! It was gone in January. I fully expected it to be back, but it wasn't. It just looks so bare without it.

We walked right into the Mansion. I expected Buddy to sidle up a bit closer to me, given the darkness, but he was just fine. This would be his first time to see the REAL Haunted Mansion. He couldn't wait to see the Hitchhiking Ghosts!

I used to be in search of lights/light fixtures...now I don't think about them as much. I wonder why. This might be my only one from this trip. It's found at the Haunted Mansion exit.

Well, motherhood calls. Be back later...

 

[tksbaskets]

When you are done your motherhooding moment I'm curious where you got a fried green tomato sandwich and how it was. Also, was Buddy tall enough for Indy???

 

[TheColtonsMom]

When you are done your motherhooding moment I'm curious where you got a fried green tomato sandwich and how it was. Also, was Buddy tall enough for Indy???

I can answer that! It is on the new Hungry Bear Menu along with Sweet Potato Fries and lots of other yummy things like a lemon cupcake with a tiny chocolate bee on top! I have been living through other DISers descriptions of this new stuff since I won't get to try it till October..and so far all reviews have been good! I can't wait to hear deej's take on it either though!

 

[mvf-m11c]

Hi there Bret! Glad to see you are on board. Any trips in your near future?

Definitely, I always enjoy reading your TR and your pictures. I got another trip on Memorial Day Weekend. I just finished the pre-trip plan for that weekend.

 

[kaoden39]

I love that rose. I think that the colors are just amazing. I am a fond of beautiful flowers.

 

[deejdigsdis]

When you are done your motherhooding moment I'm curious where you got a fried green tomato sandwich and how it was. Also, was Buddy tall enough for Indy???

Yes, like Sherri said, I got the Fried Green Tomato Sandwich at Hungry Bear. Have you ever eaten there? The sandwich? SO GOOD. What I found IN my sandwich. Not good. Nothing disgusting...but . Pictures to come later.

I can answer that! It is on the new Hungry Bear Menu along with Sweet Potato Fries and lots of other yummy things like a lemon cupcake with a tiny chocolate bee on top! I have been living through other DISers descriptions of this new stuff since I won't get to try it till October..and so far all reviews have been good! I can't wait to hear deej's take on it either though!

Mmmmm! Minus the thing that could have done some damage had I bitten down just so.

Definitely, I always enjoy reading your TR and your pictures. I got another trip on Memorial Day Weekend. I just finished the pre-trip plan for that weekend.

Oh good! It seems like you always have a trip to look forward to. That means I always have new pictures to look forward to.

I love that rose. I think that the colors are just amazing. I am a fond of beautiful flowers.

I could seriously spend all day walking around Disneyland and looking at all the flowers. I can't imagine Buddy going for that, though.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Oh good! It seems like you always have a trip to look forward to. That means I always have new pictures to look forward to.

Every trip to DL is something I always looking forward too. I always forget bout the real world and enter the world of fantasy when I enter DL. The last trip in April, I didn't take too many pictures. This time, I will be taking more pics on this trip and I need a challenge of what to take while I am out there instead of the Soundsational parade & possibly ST2 queue.

 

[deejdigsdis]

Every trip to DL is something I always looking forward too. I always forget bout the real world and enter the world of fantasy when I enter DL. The last trip in April, I didn't take too many pictures. This time, I will be taking more pics on this trip and I need a challenge of what to take while I am out there instead of the Soundsational parade & possibly ST2 queue.

I agree. It's so nice to leave all your worries at the gate and just enjoy. I'm looking forward to seeing your new pictures!

 

[deejdigsdis]

So we had just gotten off The Haunted Mansion. I think I forgot to mention Buddy's reaction to the Hitchhiking Ghosts. I've always liked to guess which one I'll get, so I thought that would be fun for him to do as well. I can't remember who he guessed, but he was right. Just a little something extra to make his first time seeing the Hitchhiking Ghosts more fun. (I was going to say "memorable" but I realized it couldn't have been too memorable if I've already forgotten which one it was and it's only been a week! I guess I could go ask Buddy... OK. He remembers. It was "the long beard one" -- so I guess it WAS memorable to him.)

Off to Pirates of the Caribbean we go...

The left side was open and the right side was closed, but just as we walked in they opened up the right side. Great timing to bypass the line that was forming! Our wait was less than 5 minutes.

Loved the ride, as always. I just love when you hop in your boat and sail off. It's so quiet and peaceful. That first drop is one of my favorite parts of the ride. I just don't get tired of this ride. My sister loves it too, although this particular time she dozed off. When she told me that I was shocked. It's still morning...who does that? (Which is funny because I may have had my own dozing-off-on-POTC moment later in the trip...)

Up next...we grabbed our 2nd set of BTMRR FPs, and then used the first set. Our wait was less than 5 minutes.

Waiting for our train to come in.

Here it comes!

Now, the last time Buddy rode this -- or I should say the ONLY other time Buddy rode this -- he was sitting in the middle between me and his brother. He had a straight face the entire time. When the ride was over I asked him if he liked it. He said, "No. It's too fast." Or something like that. I felt 1 1/2 years time was plenty to prepare him to really enjoy it this time. And I was right. He had the biggest smile on his face the whole time. When the ride was over he said, "This is mine favorite ride so far!" (Yes, he says "mine" when he should say "my". I should probably correct him at some point, but he just sounds so cute.) So BTMRR was a big hit...thankfully!

Flowers at BTMRR exit.

We decided to do one more ride before lunch. The Jungle Cruise. This was one of our longer waits of the trip at 13 minutes. We did the "walk up the stairs -- walk down the stairs" part of the queue, which I don't remember ever doing before. For some reason I always snap away during this ride. Most of my pics don't turn out, so I don't know why I keep doing it. Now that I think about it, I guess THAT'S why I keep doing it. Because they never turn out and I hope that maybe *this time* they will. I did get more post-worthy shots this time around, I think.

I took this picture so I'd have something to contribute to the ABC's of Disneyland Photo Thread when we get to "Z" again.

We had a GREAT guide. Very into it, just the way I like it.

The FRONT side of water.

I tried so hard to get a pic of this lantern while it wasn't swinging all around!

And finally the BACK side of water.

We made it back to civilization (with all of our heads still intact ) and then headed over to Hungry Bear for lunch.

 

[smile4stamps]

So glad he liked BTMRR! It's a wonderful ride!!

I also try to take pics of Jungle Cruise and end up with lots of blurry mess!
To me a good tour guide on the JC is key! I always feel like it was a waste of time if the Guide is no good!

 

[TheColtonsMom]

Darian was our JC guide on our first ever nighttime JC at Christmas...he was very enthusiastic and the best guide we had the whole trip!

Colton loved the idea of guessing his ghost when he rides the original HM for the first time...however he won't be doing that until February 2012.

Glad he liked BTMRR this time around...as you know it was in Colton's top 2.

 

[tksbaskets]

I just love your trip reports! Have I said that before? So glad Buddy liked BTMM.

I was relieved to finally see some lamp shots. I was wondering if some stranger had hijacked your trip report!

Great flower shots as always.

Waiting for more....perhaps after a POC nap?