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

[deejdigsdis]

Deej - so much to comment on. I am still smiling thinking of you and J twirling and showing your teeth ala IASWH~

Your pics of Frontierland are STUNNING! I would have been disappointed had you not posted a few great lamppost pics. I can hardly see a lamp post at Disney and not think of you!

The AP was the cost-conscious decision to be sure Did you get to go over to the photopass dude/dudette and get your pic taken in front of the RR station? I was most jealous when I saw many do that on our trip.

(TR to start this week. You're setting the bar just right with the pace of yours )

I didn't need to get my picture taken for my AP. I thought I would have to, but they said they would use the picture I had taken back in April 2010.

Ha! Yes...that is the reason I am taking 2 months to do this TR. Far be it from me to set the bar too high by getting it done in 2 weeks.

Can't wait for your report!

 

[deejdigsdis]

After meandering around Frontierland, I think I headed to Indy to pick up a FP. Indy was down, so no FP distribution was happening. I moved along toward HMH to get a FP there instead. Along my way I snapped this picture:

I was SO hoping Pirates would open a day early. Sigh. It didn't happen. It was so strange not riding it this trip.

Continuing along to grab my HMH FP. They were just closing the gates to the Mansion when I walked up, so again...no FP available.

Hmmm. I decided I would try for Splash. I did get a FP, but after I thought about it, I wasn't sure I wanted to ride and risk getting soaked when I only had a few hours. Been there, done that when it comes to getting soaked on Splash right before heading to the airport. I would have been OK with it had the temps been warmer, but...we'll see.

A few pics from Splash Mountain vicinity:

Grrr...I'm so sad that I didn't get to eat at Hungry Bear this time. I love the Fried Green Tomato Sandwich and Zesty Slaw.

As I headed back toward Main Street I noticed that Haunted Mansion had just re-opened. I jumped in line and walked right in.

After one last tour through the Mansion I headed over to ride BTMR and grab another FP for that ride.

Apparently I was assigned to Row 5.

This picture makes me happy. It makes me feel like I will be boarding the runaway mine train any second!

A little view of the Mark Twain as I exited:

According to the pictures, I hopped right back in line and rode again. This time in row 7.

Yip Yip Yippee!!!!!!!!!!! (That's what we always yell while riding this!)

A Hidden Mickey off to the left:

And a picture of one of those "things" I always look for on this ride...

I like how you can see part of the Big Thunder Ranch sign in the background.

I was finally able to pick up that long awaited Indy FP after my 2nd ride on BTMR. But would I have time to use it???

 

[CB Jamboree]

LOL!! about the IASWH guy!! I love it! I gave mom a personal reenactment of him (moving arms and exposed teeth)! She and I are just catching up on your latest TR while sitting in the hospital room with dad. He should be getting discharged today but is feeling a bit sick to his stomach right now.
Where exactly did you purchase the chimichanga? I don't ever remember seeing them being sold, let alone at a cart. I'm sorry you were so disappointed in it. Mom was looking at J's turkey leg and said, "Gross! That looks like a caveman's club!"
I was surprised to see that you missed your fried green tomato sandwich at Hungry Bear. There is always next time.
This has been getting us excited for our family trip this October
Mom really liked all of the pretty pics taken in Frontierland. Can't wait to read the rest.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Very nice updates on your TR Deej.

You got to do a lot of rides that night and it was neat that you got to ride SM twice thanks to that lady when you were at the Flag Retreat. I always enjoy your one touch color pictures and I really like the red color pictures of IASWH that night.

 

[deejdigsdis]

LOL!! about the IASWH guy!! I love it! I gave mom a personal reenactment of him (moving arms and exposed teeth)! She and I are just catching up on your latest TR while sitting in the hospital room with dad. He should be getting discharged today but is feeling a bit sick to his stomach right now.
Where exactly did you purchase the chimichanga? I don't ever remember seeing them being sold, let alone at a cart. I'm sorry you were so disappointed in it. Mom was looking at J's turkey leg and said, "Gross! That looks like a caveman's club!"
I was surprised to see that you missed your fried green tomato sandwich at Hungry Bear. There is always next time.
This has been getting us excited for our family trip this October
Mom really liked all of the pretty pics taken in Frontierland. Can't wait to read the rest.

I got the chimichanga right by the Mark Twain dock. It was huge. Too bad it didn't taste good.

I'm not sure how I missed my Hungry Bear lunch. We already had our 2 lunches planned at the BBQ and C.C., but you'd think I'd make it over there before dusk...to try my luck at getting stabbed in the mouth with a broken toothpick, if nothing else.

Very nice updates on your TR Deej.

You got to do a lot of rides that night and it was neat that you got to ride SM twice thanks to that lady when you were at the Flag Retreat. I always enjoy your one touch color pictures and I really like the red color pictures of IASWH that night.

Thanks Bret. Those pictures are fun to do. Especially at Christmas time when there is so much red! I like the look of the red best. I've tried other colors and red just pops more, I guess.

 

[deejdigsdis]

I think today, January 23rd, would be a good day to finish this. I am at the 2 month post-trip mark today, so here we go...

OK, so I just finished up a couple of solo rides on BTMR. I decided to catch the Omnibus near the Hub and ride up Main Street to the train station. Some sights along the way:

My fondness for riding the Omnibus has grown over the past few visits, but it is especially fun to ride when the Christmas music is playing as you soak in all the Christmas decorations.

Looks like I arrived at Main Street station a little after 9:30.

My next stop was Blue Ribbon Bakery for my fave: Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffin and Hot Chocolate to be enjoyed on the Front Porch.

I thought the little gingerbread men decorations were so cute! (And not creepy like the marching gingerbread men with the flat backs that are in the parade...although I think it is so clever to give them flat backs. I just wouldn't want one of those chasing me in a dark alley!)

There's my bakery item of choice...down on the bottom. Yum! So moist and chocolatey.

And my ever-so-cute holiday mug...

Sad story. I drank my hot chocolate and then carried my mug around that last 2-ish hours. It seems like I had a bag to put it in, maybe? Anyway, my plan was to rinse it out when I had the chance. I am not sure what happened other than forgetting to do so. It got shoved in our carry on luggage while we were waiting for our shuttle to pick us up and take us to the airport. I remember thinking I would just rinse it out when we got back to my husband's parents' house later that day. Well, I completely forgot as we were in the throes of Thanksgiving and family time. Then when we got home, the busy-ness of life picked up with 3 boys' birthdays and Christmas stuff. We had been home for a couple of weeks and I STILL hadn't finished unpacking from our trip. It was kind of a "pull things out of the suitcase as you need them" type of deal. Well, I didn't NEED my holiday mug. In fact, I had completely forgotten about my holiday mug. Which was still sporting hot chocolate residue. From a few weeks earlier. So finally... I finished unpacking after being home for several weeks. I pulled out a plastic bag and my heart sank as I felt the mug through the bag. (OK, maybe my heart didn't sink. That's a little dramatic for a non-dramatic person.) But still...I did gasp as I remembered the state the mug was in when I put it in that bag. Dare I open it? Or just throw it away? Back and forth I went. I ended up deciding to open it. Because I knew I would always wonder the status if I didn't at least take a peek. Well......it was disgusting. 3 more emoticons worth. It was reminiscent of a Jr. High mold-related science project. I had never seen anything quite like it as this greenish-steamish-stuff escaped when I opened the lid. It was so weird. I quickly closed it, re-wrapped it and took it out to the trash. I opened the window to get some fresh air and contemplated writing some kind of note explaining what had happened in case breathing in that green steamy stuff resulted in...well, something not-so-good. But I decided not to. Ugh. So that is the tale of my ever-so-cute holiday mug that is no more.

Anyway, back to actually purchasing the muffin and mug o' hot chocolate. I was pleased to find that my spot on the Front Porch was vacant and waiting for me. Off I went. Views as I enjoyed my breakfast treat:

Something was amiss as I sat there. It wasn't nearly as magical as usual. Then it dawned on me that the Christmas music wasn't playing. There was NO music playing on Main Street at all. It was so odd. It almost felt as if I was sitting in Anywhere, U.S.A. I always knew the music added to that magical Main Street feeling, but I didn't realize until now -- when there was no music at all -- how big a part of the magic the music is for me. It was very disappointing, sitting there for 15-20 minutes in near silence. Regarding the typical sounds of Main Street, that is. Even the clip-clop of the horses and the occasional honk of the Main Street vehicles didn't have that same as they do when the music is playing in the background.

Eventually J arrived and met me on the Front Porch. I gave him the rest of my muffin. Apparently the music-less Main Street affected my appetite as well!

 

[Sherry E]

Fellow DIS'er Mariezp took a 2-week trip to DLR back in late October/early November (before your DLR trip), and she has not yet even begun her TR...so you are well ahead of the game if you look at it that way! I think a few of us are just kind of slugging along with our TR's this time around. We've all done a lot of TR's over time and there isn't the same kind of urgency to report as time wears on, I suppose.

I tried to sit on that darn front porch in December and, for some reason, whenever I want to sit there it seems to be full of people. It's never empty or nearly empty when I am there. The funny thing was that it was not a crowded day in DL. In fact, Gibson Girl was empty (which is rare). And still, people found their way to the front porch.

So the souvenir mug full of fungus or mold or whatever it was could not be salvaged at all? Or you just didn't want to even see what was growing inside it to be able to salvage it?

 

[deejdigsdis]

So after hanging out on the Front Porch for a bit, and letting our stomachs settle, we headed off for...another ride on BTMR! Time to use those Fast Passes I picked up earlier. What was this, my 3rd time that morning? Love it. So we hop in the FP line and make our way down the path, almost to the point where the FP line and Standby Line merge. All of a sudden we hear someone call out our names. We look up and are shocked to see a family we know from home! We happened to merge in line right next to them and ended up on the same train. So crazy! We were sitting a few rows in front of them, so I turned around and took their picture before I sat down. We chatted a bit after the ride and then went our separate ways.

When I told my sister about running into a family we know she asked if it bothered me, or upset me, or something like that. The reason being...when we were younger, and we'd go to Disneyland almost every summer with our family, we would talk about how horrible it would be to run into someone we know at OUR special place. We imagined that Disneyland existed only for us, and that everybody else was there as "extras" or something. A few weeks before my senior year of high school we had just gone through the turnstiles and were waiting for all the family to be ready to walk under the bridge. Someone called out my name. I turned around and it was a girl from my class back home. I admit...it gave me a not-so-good feeling. It meant that Disneyland was there for other people, too. Not just 3 days per year for us. Anyway, I told my sister that running into the family this time was just fine. No bad feelings. It was funny and shocking, considering how far away from home we were. I think that makes a total of 3 times that I've run into people from home now. A year ago we also saw a family that used to live around the corner from us.

So we parted ways with our friends. They headed toward NOS and we headed for our last ride. Not POTC. No traditional end to the trip this time. We picked a surprising choice. The Mark Twain. I really wanted to sit in those chairs on the bottom deck at the front of the boat. We got the spot I wanted and just relaxed as we sailed around, experiencing those sinking feelings of "It seems like we just got here. I'm not ready to go yet." Still a relaxing voyage nonetheless.

We didn't have much time left after our sail on the Mark Twain. J headed off to grab a couple of pretzels for himself while I made my way toward the Emporium. I wanted to use my 20% off coupon to buy a Christmas ornament. Surely they would have a great selection, there, right? Nope. I imagined they would have all kinds of ornaments, not just the few they had. I quickly chose an ornament and then went back to the Candy Palace for my usual fudge. I changed my mind at the last minute, though, and bought the package of rocky road instead. (Which, along with this TR, will also be finished today as well!)

J and I met back at Town Square. He ate his pretzels and I snapped pictures willy nilly, just as I always do when I am about to walk away for the last time.

Well, I should be able to wrap up in my next post, but that will have to be later today.

 

[deejdigsdis]

Fellow DIS'er Mariezp took a 2-week trip to DLR back in late October/early November (before your DLR trip), and she has not yet even begun her TR...so you are well ahead of the game if you look at it that way! I think a few of us are just kind of slugging along with our TR's this time around. We've all done a lot of TR's over time and there isn't the same kind of urgency to report as time wears on, I suppose.

I tried to sit on that darn front porch in December and, for some reason, whenever I want to sit there it seems to be full of people. It's never empty or nearly empty when I am there. The funny thing was that it was not a crowded day in DL. In fact, Gibson Girl was empty (which is rare). And still, people found their way to the front porch.

So the souvenir mug full of fungus or mold or whatever it was could not be salvaged at all? Or you just didn't want to even see what was growing inside it to be able to salvage it?

I don't know what it was with me this time around, trying to get this TR done. I suppose you are right...not feeling the same kind of urgency. It is starting to feel like I am taking the same pictures and saying the same things over and over. Reporting about moldy steam is a new thing, though! Honestly, it just kind of scared me to see that green steamy stuff pour out when I opened the lid. I could see that the cup itself was moldy as well, but it was the green moldy steam or whatever it was that did me in. It was the strangest thing to see. It just wasn't worth risking my life over. I didn't want to breathe it in and be found collapsed on the kitchen floor!

That's too bad about the Front Porch. I've been really lucky with that lately. I've spent a lot of time hanging out there.

OK, I'll be done with this later today, then I'll be all ready to settle down and follow along with you and TK and maybe Marie. I still need to check out Bret's TR "on the other side" as well. I read the first page long ago and need to get back over there.

 

[Sherry E]

I don't know what it was with me this time around, trying to get this TR done. I suppose you are right...not feeling the same kind of urgency. It is starting to feel like I am taking the same pictures and saying the same things over and over. Reporting about moldy steam is a new thing, though! Honestly, it just kind of scared me to see that green steamy stuff pour out when I opened the lid. I could see that the cup itself was moldy as well, but it was the green moldy steam or whatever it was that did me in. It was the strangest thing to see. It just wasn't worth risking my life over. I didn't want to breathe it in and be found collapsed on the kitchen floor!

That's too bad about the Front Porch. I've been really lucky with that lately. I've spent a lot of time hanging out there.

OK, I'll be done with this later today, then I'll be all ready to settle down and follow along with you and TK and maybe Marie. I still need to check out Bret's TR "on the other side" as well. I read the first page long ago and need to get back over there.

Oh, I soooo know what you mean about feeling like you're saying the same stuff and taking the same pictures over and over! I go through that same thing. I think, "Eh...is it really necessary for me to do a TR this time around? Do I have anything new or different to contribute? Do I really feel like doing one?"

And even if I have taken photos that are new to my TR or done something that is new to me at DLR, that doesn't mean that those photos and experiences have not been shared by a bunch of other people in their TR's! I could be sharing things that have already been seen by many people.

I was sick of my own TR last year when I had to get through the December 2010 report. I just wanted to be done with it.

The interesting thing is that it's not like any of us really go to DLR a lot. It's not like we have a new TR to post every month or whatever. We don't go to DLR very often. But I guess it seems like our trips are closer together than they actually are because each TR takes a while to write and post, so it seems like we are constantly writing TR's! I guess that's it.

Then it becomes a matter of trying to find that one 'different' thing to report about or take a photo of that hasn't been seen or heard of in 100 other TR's in the past (whether they are your own TR's or other folks' TR's), just so you don't feel like it is exactly the same TR again!

So even if it is a mold-encrusted, steam-spewing souvenir mug, at least that IS something I don't think anyone else has experienced. That is, indeed, a new thing! Work that moldy green steam angle!! And the pooping bubbles are new as well! AND, I think you have gotten a lot of pictures that are new to your TR this year - more stuff from Frontierland, for example.

Bret's WDW TR is really good - he's got a lot of good WDW holiday photos. It really lets me know how much I am missing by not being at WDW. I cannot even imagine what I would do if I had a week or two to play around in WDW during the Christmas season. It would likely be so overwhelming that I wouldn't know where to begin and end.

I haven't gotten anywhere on my TR so you're not missing much (though I should be posting the pics of the new Snapfish calendar soon).

As far as I can tell, Marie still has not begun her TR at all! So you're not missing anything there either!

I don't even think TK has started her DLR TR - unless I missed it?? Did I miss it?

Maybe we are all slacking off in the TR arena!!

 

[deejdigsdis]

So even if it is a mold-encrusted, steam-spewing souvenir mug, at least that IS something I don't think anyone else has experienced. That is, indeed, a new thing! Work that moldy green steam angle!! And the pooping bubbles are new as well! AND, I think you have gotten a lot of pictures that are new to your TR this year - more stuff from Frontierland, for example.

I can just see the tag now..."Workin' that moldy green steam angle!" Between that and the pooping bubbles...I did get a few laughs out of things.

I believe TK said she was going to start her TR this week. I haven't seen any signs of it yet, though.

 

[deejdigsdis]

Wow. Here we are. We've reached the end.

After taking some pictures willy-nilly style around Town Square, I went over by the Fire Station to listen to the Dapper Dans sing a couple of Christmas tunes.

They sang "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas" and "Silver Bells" -- while they played some bells. I loved it!

We needed to leave at noon. We were just minutes away from that.

A couple more last minute pictures:

I did take a couple of more pictures as we walked out, saying goodbye to Town Square, heading under the bridge, etc. But they were more people-y than what I was actually trying to capture, so I will just leave them out.

We walked back to Ramada Maingate and retrieved our bags. The guy at the front desk wouldn't accept a tip. We really enjoyed our stay here and would definitely stay here again. Such a great location as well.

J ate some pizza from the little pizza window by the office and read the newspaper while we waited for the shuttle to come whisk us back to the airport. I pulled out my must-have travel snack of peanut M&Ms and munched on them while jotting down a few notes about our final moments in Disneyland. Here was our last view:

Super Shuttle came on time and we got to the airport about an hour and a half before our flight. This was our first time to fly out of Long Beach. We loved it. We went to the little restaurant upstairs and shared a plate of chicken nachos before hopping on the plane and heading back to reality.

I leave you with one last picture of a sign at DLR. I really liked this sign ... so calm and peaceful.

Thanks for reading along and I'll meet you back here in the Fall!

 

[kaoden39]

Fall is a long way away....

 

[mvf-m11c]

Great Holiday TR Deej.

I'm sorry to hear about your Holiday mug. I still remember when I got my Holiday mug during the Holiday tour back in 2009 with my DA and it smelled like Hot chocolate. Even though we rinse it several times, it did smelled like Hot chocolate. My DA did get one of those Holiday mugs at the stands, but this time she asked for plastic cup so she didn't have to put the hot chocolate in the mug.

You got great photos from the Omnibus and at the front of the Mark Twain.

 

[tksbaskets]

I love your Willy Nilly pictures. Bummer about your holiday mug. As a preview of my TR (I know the suspense is building ) we did not get a cute holiday one on our holiday tour this year.

OK, riding on top of the Omnibus is now on my bucket list. Great perspective up there.

I think a ride on the Mark Twain (also have never done...do you all wonder what we do at DL?) was an excellent end to your trip with your sweetie.

I can just see the tag now..."Workin' that moldy green steam angle!" Between that and the pooping bubbles...I did get a few laughs out of things.

I believe TK said she was going to start her TR this week. I haven't seen any signs of it yet, though.

OK...the calendar in Michigan says it's only Monday. Lots of time left in the week. I uploaded my Photopass pics to my photoshop program today. Time to choose the best of the 800 pics I snapped for the TR.

I loved your TR Deej and am sad that it's over. I do have to commend you that you didn't eat the rest of your fudge until you finished your report.

 

[CB Jamboree]

What a wonderful way to end your day if not able to ride your regular POTC. The fall trees were just beautiful! That is a sad story about your holiday mug. There have been several occasions when I would bring hot chocolate to work in my mug and wait a day or so before I would get it rinsed out and washed. The smell was just so pungent!! I can't even imagine how three weeks would have smelled
I could feel your sadness as you were exiting the park. I just hate that feeling in the pit of your stomach walking out of the park on your last day.
Our October trip will be here before we know it! Thanks for the fun

 

[deejdigsdis]

Fall is a long way away....

You know, I think it's going to go pretty fast. When life gets busy, time just seems to fly by for me. I just hope we have enough time for DS6 to grow tall enough to ride Screamin'. He thinks that because he turned 6 last month that he will for sure be tall enough.

Great Holiday TR Deej.

I'm sorry to hear about your Holiday mug. I still remember when I got my Holiday mug during the Holiday tour back in 2009 with my DA and it smelled like Hot chocolate. Even though we rinse it several times, it did smelled like Hot chocolate. My DA did get one of those Holiday mugs at the stands, but this time she asked for plastic cup so she didn't have to put the hot chocolate in the mug.

You got great photos from the Omnibus and at the front of the Mark Twain.

Thanks for the compliments Bret. Also, that was smart of your aunt to get her drink in a separate cup. It doesn't seem like hot chocolate would leave a strong smell like that.

I love your Willy Nilly pictures. Bummer about your holiday mug. As a preview of my TR (I know the suspense is building ) we did not get a cute holiday one on our holiday tour this year.

OK, riding on top of the Omnibus is now on my bucket list. Great perspective up there.

I think a ride on the Mark Twain (also have never done...do you all wonder what we do at DL?) was an excellent end to your trip with your sweetie.

LOL! I'm sure you don't spend the ENTIRE time riding TSMM. I can't imagine the Omnibus being a big draw for Grumpy and Donald. You might have to make another solo trip and take it in then.

OK...the calendar in Michigan says it's only Monday. Lots of time left in the week. I uploaded my Photopass pics to my photoshop program today. Time to choose the best of the 800 pics I snapped for the TR.

I loved your TR Deej and am sad that it's over. I do have to commend you that you didn't eat the rest of your fudge until you finished your report.

Thanks for reading along once again TK. Thank goodness we have your TR on a roll now.

What a wonderful way to end your day if not able to ride your regular POTC. The fall trees were just beautiful! That is a sad story about your holiday mug. There have been several occasions when I would bring hot chocolate to work in my mug and wait a day or so before I would get it rinsed out and washed. The smell was just so pungent!! I can't even imagine how three weeks would have smelled
I could feel your sadness as you were exiting the park. I just hate that feeling in the pit of your stomach walking out of the park on your last day.
Our October trip will be here before we know it! Thanks for the fun

Like I said up above, I think the time will go by pretty fast. The kids talk about it a lot. The little guy asks often if Space Mountain can be our first ride. I need to keep reminding the kids that their cousins don't know yet, so they shouldn't say anything about it to them/around them.

OK...I remembered I was going to post some pics of my cute little Mickey Head sprinkles.

First, here is the ornament I bought. I really wanted something red, but the selection was slim. I was looking for something Mickey and Minnie-ish since it was just me and J this trip, but I couldn't find anything in the Emporium.

I love snowman ornaments. DS12 made this ornament for me for Christmas:

The carrot nose sticks out quite a bit, but you can't tell from this angle. I think he was trying to fashion it after the ornament I bought in 2010:

And finally...those almost-too-cute-to-actually-use sprinkles!

 

[kaoden39]

Love your snowman ornament.


I hope DS grows tall enough to be able to ride it. I know how tough it is when a child isn't tall enough. My middle child is petite and although the other two would be tall enough she wouldn't.

 

[tksbaskets]

Great ornament and cookie pictures. Now I'm hungry

 

[jwwi]

Loved your trip report. We are thinking of taking a trip to DL the weekend prior to Thanksgiving. I will have to check the Ramada out, I think we will spend most of our time in the parks, so would love a close, clean comfortable place to stay. I really enjoyed all your pictures of the holiday decorations. Thank you for taking the time to write the report.
I too bought a holiday mug when I was visiting WDW for our short November trip, two nights BLT. I just filled it today with coffee for my Mom, she loves to use it too. Sorry your mug was forgotten, and then disposed of, I'm sure it was the best thing to do...........