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

[deejdigsdis]

2012 seems so far away. We'll have to lurk on other trip reports to get our fix. Good thing Bret is there now and Sherry has her holiday trip all planned.

Now if only my winter break plans would ever come together....we don't have DH school schedule for 2011/2012 yet. Don't want to book DVC points and not have the hubby able to join us. I'm worried that Mickey won't be a part of our Christmas Holiday this year (and not just because Santa would have to buy gifts for Grumpy and Donald then) That part does get easier when the kids are of a certain age...

GREAT report!! I'd still carry the AP and pull it out once and a while to remember the magic.

TK

Funny we both mentioned Bret. Oh Bret...we're ready for your TR to begin...

I hope you make it back for the holiday trip. In the meantime we have your cruise TR to look forward to. I've never read one of those before.

 

[tksbaskets]

Funny we both mentioned Bret. Oh Bret...we're ready for your TR to begin...

I hope you make it back for the holiday trip. In the meantime we have your cruise TR to look forward to. I've never read one of those before.

We got our cruise documents in the mail today!!! I'll do my best to entertain after we return

 

[skiingfast]

Seeing some of the photos you posted on the main board for certain topics took me back. But here I am still 2 weeks older. Darn it.

2012 will come quickly don't worry.

 

[Sherry E]

Okay, I lost some momentum in commenting but I was still reading along. I have to remember what I was going to say.

Buddy's comments and questions are so amusing - he sounds like a little character!

Those flowers at the Partners statue are my favorites of all the ones you have shown us so far. I LOVE those! Just something about the shape of them and the color scheme is really appealing to me beyond my usual admiration of pretty flowers. They really stand out.

I can't tell what's on that tree in Tomorrowland. It's got to be some sort of fruit, vegetable or herb...but it really just looks like a tree with red flowers!

I was chuckling at your idea to anonymously send photos to your sister! Very stalker-ish!

Those chocolate-covered strawberries look good. I think I actually prefer white chocolate-covered strawberries, and I think they are sold somewhere in the parks but I can't recall where (they are not as common as the regular chocolate ones). My only problem is the price. It's sooo expensive for one strawberry. I'm all for the 'Well, when you're in Disneyland be prepared to splurge and pay for things you wouldn't normally pay that much money for' philosophy - like a pineapple spear or a strawberry - because it's all part of the whole experience, and things do seem to taste better in DLR. But many of the snacks are so costly for their size, and the strawberries are one of them. Considering that you can get berries on sale (a bunch of them in a 16 oz. package) at the grocery store for sometimes as low as $.89, it's hard to justify spending so much on one berry in DLR, even though they are big and dipped in chocolate. I would probably still do it because it's there, but that's a hard price to get past!

Yay for the Springtime Sewing Machine Display!! Despite the glare in the photo (that happens to all of from time to time), it's interesting to see the different color scheme and how it changes through the year. That's definitely one area where they pay attention to detail at DLR - because it would be so easy to just leave a sort of all-purpose color in the window all year, but they definitely change it for the seasons.

Hot Chocolate of Death I think that would be very bad - worse than my Peppermint Cone of Death situation - because you'd risk getting scalding hot liquid all over you. Good thing that didn't happen! I sort of think I may try a peppermint cone of death again in the future - well, I will definitely eat one, but I may try to photograph the cone again in a less wobbly environment! Then again, maybe I will just eat it and call it a day. If they only had benches right outside of Gibson Girl, I could plop right down and take the photo immediately. But on that particular day it was 80 - 90 degrees or whatever and the ice cream would have been soup by the time I found a bench to sit on just to get a photo.

I'm glad to see my "zoom 'n' bounce" has caught on!! I'm affecting the DIS lingo! But that's really what it is! The POTC boats don't leisurely sail on up to the dock. They zoom you ahead and bounce you around for a few seconds.

Now the worst situation is when you stand up after zoomin' 'n' bouncin' and have the dreaded SBS. Remember what that is? Soggy Butt Syndrome! I actually think my friend Shawn might be hesitant to get on POTC again in the future - even though she loves it - because of that last SBS incident we experienced in December. She was not happy - even though I couldn't stop laughing at the whole situation. That was the worst! Of all the times we have gone on POTC, that was the worst in terms of water on the seat when we sit down. It was already there before we sat - and it was like a true, standing puddle of water, not just some drops. I don't know what happened before we got in, but I know the people in the row we got didn't alert us to the fact that it was super wet.

You mentioned your camera and the nighttime shots. I'm sure my camera is not all that much different from yours in overall operations - mine is the 880 model so it's probably more confusing but not any better! I think that most P&S cameras could take better nighttime photos - not as great as the SLR photos, but better - if we all knew exactly how to manipulate the features to get the maximum result. But the manuals that come with these cameras - sometimes there are 3 or 4 books to read just for a tiny P&S - are too daunting and convoluted, so I usually end up just tinkering with things on the buttons and dials on the back of the camera and figuring out the basics myself.

I have not fully explored the different 'scene modes' on the camera to get the best sunsets and night shots and SNOW! Sometimes a sunset photo may look better using the simple 'turn off the flash' routine and nothing more (I've tried that). Sometimes it may look better actually leaving the flash ON (tried that too). And then sometimes it's beneficial to go into the Scene modes and play around. Who has time for all that? And who has the patience for all that in the middle of DLR?

Also, you have much more patience than I do because you will actually edit lots of photos in Picasa. If I am doing a TR, I rarely bother editing any of the photos because it slows me down from getting the TR done. So most of the photos I showed from the December Peppermint Cone of Death TR are the original images, as they were shot. BUT, when I re-post some photos in other threads (Halloween & Christmas) on the DIS at a later time, I sometimes (not always) edit the images in Photobucket at that point to make them a bit clearer (using the Auto Correct). So a photo of a tree may look darker in my TR, and then that same photo may look brighter and clearer in another thread down the road.

I think all the Quest ideas are fun. I hope we all never stop doing Quests or coming up with new ideas of ones we want to pursue. First of all, it's always interesting to come up with Quests in the first place. But it's also a new way to 'see' DLR that maybe has not been seen before. We all see the same common sights in DLR when we go - and frankly, anyone can get Castle photos from different angles, even though some may be better than others. Doing the Quests allows us to actually notice things we have not necessarily paid much attention to in the past, share them with other people, and really appreciate the detail and creativity that Disney puts into their themes. It's a way to show folks that there is more to DLR than just Mickey Mouse and overpriced strawberries!!

 

[deejdigsdis]

We got our cruise documents in the mail today!!! I'll do my best to entertain after we return

For some reason I was thinking your cruise was months down the road. This is very exciting! It's coming up so soon. Can't wait to read all about it.

Seeing some of the photos you posted on the main board for certain topics took me back. But here I am still 2 weeks older. Darn it.

2012 will come quickly don't worry.

Thanks. I figure if I can make it through a 13 year drought, then I can certainly handle a year and a half.

Okay, I lost some momentum in commenting but I was still reading along. I have to remember what I was going to say.

Buddy's comments and questions are so amusing - he sounds like a little character!

Those flowers at the Partners statue are my favorites of all the ones you have shown us so far. I LOVE those! Just something about the shape of them and the color scheme is really appealing to me beyond my usual admiration of pretty flowers. They really stand out.

They were so pretty. Pictures just don't do them justice. A hundred times better in real life. They are my favorite flowers that I've seen by the Partners statue, I think. And I LOVED the pink tulips that were there in March (that I saw in pictures).

I can't tell what's on that tree in Tomorrowland. It's got to be some sort of fruit, vegetable or herb...but it really just looks like a tree with red flowers!

It really looked like red pepper skin that had been carved by a person that was into food presentation, with a flower coming out of the skin. Very interesting!

I was chuckling at your idea to anonymously send photos to your sister! Very stalker-ish!

Those chocolate-covered strawberries look good. I think I actually prefer white chocolate-covered strawberries, and I think they are sold somewhere in the parks but I can't recall where (they are not as common as the regular chocolate ones). My only problem is the price. It's sooo expensive for one strawberry. I'm all for the 'Well, when you're in Disneyland be prepared to splurge and pay for things you wouldn't normally pay that much money for' philosophy - like a pineapple spear or a strawberry - because it's all part of the whole experience, and things do seem to taste better in DLR. But many of the snacks are so costly for their size, and the strawberries are one of them. Considering that you can get berries on sale (a bunch of them in a 16 oz. package) at the grocery store for sometimes as low as $.89, it's hard to justify spending so much on one berry in DLR, even though they are big and dipped in chocolate. I would probably still do it because it's there, but that's a hard price to get past!

I totally agree. I can get past a lot of the high prices at Disneyland, but the strawberries...they are priced above and beyond "normal" high prices. D was very generous to share them.

Yay for the Springtime Sewing Machine Display!! Despite the glare in the photo (that happens to all of from time to time), it's interesting to see the different color scheme and how it changes through the year. That's definitely one area where they pay attention to detail at DLR - because it would be so easy to just leave a sort of all-purpose color in the window all year, but they definitely change it for the seasons.

Hot Chocolate of Death I think that would be very bad - worse than my Peppermint Cone of Death situation - because you'd risk getting scalding hot liquid all over you. Good thing that didn't happen! I sort of think I may try a peppermint cone of death again in the future - well, I will definitely eat one, but I may try to photograph the cone again in a less wobbly environment! Then again, maybe I will just eat it and call it a day. If they only had benches right outside of Gibson Girl, I could plop right down and take the photo immediately. But on that particular day it was 80 - 90 degrees or whatever and the ice cream would have been soup by the time I found a bench to sit on just to get a photo.

I'm glad to see my "zoom 'n' bounce" has caught on!! I'm affecting the DIS lingo! But that's really what it is! The POTC boats don't leisurely sail on up to the dock. They zoom you ahead and bounce you around for a few seconds.

Now the worst situation is when you stand up after zoomin' 'n' bouncin' and have the dreaded SBS. Remember what that is? Soggy Butt Syndrome! I actually think my friend Shawn might be hesitant to get on POTC again in the future - even though she loves it - because of that last SBS incident we experienced in December. She was not happy - even though I couldn't stop laughing at the whole situation. That was the worst! Of all the times we have gone on POTC, that was the worst in terms of water on the seat when we sit down. It was already there before we sat - and it was like a true, standing puddle of water, not just some drops. I don't know what happened before we got in, but I know the people in the row we got didn't alert us to the fact that it was super wet.

I definitely remember SBS! I thought of Shawn a few times as I stepped into the boat, before I sat down. I've seen a few drips on the seat but that's it. There's definitely more potential to get wet on POTC these days, compared to decades past.

You mentioned your camera and the nighttime shots. I'm sure my camera is not all that much different from yours in overall operations - mine is the 880 model so it's probably more confusing but not any better! I think that most P&S cameras could take better nighttime photos - not as great as the SLR photos, but better - if we all knew exactly how to manipulate the features to get the maximum result. But the manuals that come with these cameras - sometimes there are 3 or 4 books to read just for a tiny P&S - are too daunting and convoluted, so I usually end up just tinkering with things on the buttons and dials on the back of the camera and figuring out the basics myself.

I have not fully explored the different 'scene modes' on the camera to get the best sunsets and night shots and SNOW! Sometimes a sunset photo may look better using the simple 'turn off the flash' routine and nothing more (I've tried that). Sometimes it may look better actually leaving the flash ON (tried that too). And then sometimes it's beneficial to go into the Scene modes and play around. Who has time for all that? And who has the patience for all that in the middle of DLR?

I keep saying one of these days I will actually read the manual and figure out how to work the camera, but that is yet to happen.

Also, you have much more patience than I do because you will actually edit lots of photos in Picasa. If I am doing a TR, I rarely bother editing any of the photos because it slows me down from getting the TR done. So most of the photos I showed from the December Peppermint Cone of Death TR are the original images, as they were shot. BUT, when I re-post some photos in other threads (Halloween & Christmas) on the DIS at a later time, I sometimes (not always) edit the images in Photobucket at that point to make them a bit clearer (using the Auto Correct). So a photo of a tree may look darker in my TR, and then that same photo may look brighter and clearer in another thread down the road.

I think all the Quest ideas are fun. I hope we all never stop doing Quests or coming up with new ideas of ones we want to pursue. First of all, it's always interesting to come up with Quests in the first place. But it's also a new way to 'see' DLR that maybe has not been seen before. We all see the same common sights in DLR when we go - and frankly, anyone can get Castle photos from different angles, even though some may be better than others. Doing the Quests allows us to actually notice things we have not necessarily paid much attention to in the past, share them with other people, and really appreciate the detail and creativity that Disney puts into their themes. It's a way to show folks that there is more to DLR than just Mickey Mouse and overpriced strawberries!!

Have you given any thought to your next Quest?

 

[mvf-m11c]

A little late to your TR, but I did caught up to it. That must have been very neat to see that Tom Bergeron was there at DL and shooting for AFV. That would have been neat if you got to talk to him at the rope off area.

It always suck when a ride is down when you are heading on over there. Good thing that you walked on Indy with the FP.

I'm sorry to hear about the people behind you when you were watching RDCT that night. I always hate people when they talk during the fireworks since I am videotaping it. But they do have the right to talk and I wish they would be polite to others when they watch the fireworks. I really like your last firework pic since you can see it shows a hidden mickey on it.

You got to do all your rides later that night and I am glad that you got on them.

Great TR and can't wait to hear your adventures in 2012. But just like you said, time will go by quickly and you will be in DL shortly.

 

[smile4stamps]

I'm finished reading! But So Sad that your trip report is complete! I want MORE!!!



I loved your trip report. I felt like I was there with you! I really am sad it is complete. When is the next one?

Sorry I don't remember what I was going to comment on as I read it on my iphone when I was minus my laptop...

 

[deejdigsdis]

A little late to your TR, but I did caught up to it. That must have been very neat to see that Tom Bergeron was there at DL and shooting for AFV. That would have been neat if you got to talk to him at the rope off area.

It always suck when a ride is down when you are heading on over there. Good thing that you walked on Indy with the FP.

I'm sorry to hear about the people behind you when you were watching RDCT that night. I always hate people when they talk during the fireworks since I am videotaping it. But they do have the right to talk and I wish they would be polite to others when they watch the fireworks. I really like your last firework pic since you can see it shows a hidden mickey on it.

You got to do all your rides later that night and I am glad that you got on them.

Great TR and can't wait to hear your adventures in 2012. But just like you said, time will go by quickly and you will be in DL shortly.

Thanks for reading along Bret. Yes, it was neat to see Tom Bergeron. He seemed very nice from what I could tell.

The people behind us for RDCT were sure annoying, but you are right...they did have a right to talk. Too bad they didn't exercise their right to use good manners.

I'm looking forward to reporting back on our 2012 trip. It just seems so far away at this point. I'm sure you have many more trips in store between now and then, so I'll just enjoy your TRs until then.

I'm finished reading! But So Sad that your trip report is complete! I want MORE!!!



I loved your trip report. I felt like I was there with you! I really am sad it is complete. When is the next one?

Sorry I don't remember what I was going to comment on as I read it on my iphone when I was minus my laptop...

Thank you for reading and chiming in Paula! I'm sad it is over too. It always feels like I'm saying goodbye to Disneyland all over again when I finish up a TR. I don't have any definite dates set as of yet for the next trip. 2012 is all I know! Good thing I have your TR to read in the meantime. Won't be long now!

OK, I told Sherri (TheColtonsMom) that I would post this picture if I remembered. Well, I just remembered...but I don't remember why I said I was going to post it. Something about posing with the characters in the old days, I guess? When they used to meander all over the park without a handler.

Circa 1976. This is me (on the left) and my sister D (on the right) and 2 of our brothers (wearing the Brady Bunch pants). I have no idea who the red-and-white-Mickey-Ears-wearing guy is that sidled up behind my brother just in time for the picture. Pluto sure has aged well, hasn't he? He looks better now than he did 35 years ago! (And can you imagine what a pain it would be to take little girls to the restroom all day long wearing what D and I are wearing? Yikes!)

 

[tksbaskets]

Love the pic of you at DL!

 

[stitch34]

loved your trip report!!
Your pictures are awesome!
What kind of camera do you use?

 

[deejdigsdis]

loved your trip report!!
Your pictures are awesome!
What kind of camera do you use?

Thanks for reading! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Thank you for the compliments on the pictures. I use a Canon Power Shot SD 780 IS point and shoot. We picked it up before our Nov. 2009 trip for $200. I also use Picasa to edit my pictures. (I always have to give a shout-out to Picasa! You can download the program for free.) Here are a few pre- and post-editing pics so you can see that Picasa can make a difference. Sometimes big, sometimes small...

Flower along a walkway in NOS before edit:

...and after edit:

Golden Horseshoe before:

...and after...

Pooh Corner treats before:

...and after...

My son's feet by the Golden Spike before:

...and after...

So all this picture revisiting is putting me in a mood to go back to Disneyland! My sister D actually has a trip coming up -- single digits! -- so I'm excited to hear some live updates. I won't be joining her this time. She is taking a co-worker who has never been to Disneyland, so that will be fun. Also...I think it's high time that I pull out the fudge that I bought at Candy Palace way back on April 27th scared1 and indulge while enjoying her updates. It's dangerously close to the expiration date. But hey...at least I won't be eating it right off of Main Street like another sister I know!

 

[CB Jamboree]

That was an amazing TR deejdigsdis! Could it have anything to do with the fact that I was in the last three TR's you posted This is my first official post! I hope to get my first TR going soon!

 

[deejdigsdis]

That was an amazing TR deejdigsdis! Could it have anything to do with the fact that I was in the last three TR's you posted This is my first official post! I hope to get my first TR going soon!

Who ARE you and what have you done with my longtime lurker of a sister?!?

Funny...when I saw the screen name "CB Jamboree" my first thought was "Oh...I guess that name has already been taken...there goes one of D's possibilities..." and my second thought was "That sounds a little creepy...who was there during all 3 of my last trips???" It reminded me of a Psych episode I watched the other night. (Did you ever watch it again?) Shawn (the "psychic guy") realized (remembered) that the bad guy they were looking for was in 3 or so different places that day at the same time as him. A restaurant, a hotel, the police station. So I was picturing some other random DL guest having been there during the last 3 times we went, and they saw us each time but didn't say anything. Like maybe I was "animaling out" to them on the Jungle Cruise from the Indiana Jones exit one trip, then during another trip we sat next to them in Carnation Cafe, then for our 3rd bumping-into-each-other unknowingly...maybe we ended up in the same Pirates boat or something. Make sense?

In any case...welcome aboard! You know I will be there for the debut TR!

-deej

 

[skiingfast]

I like the spike in gold for sure.

Enjoy that fudge.

 

[goofycathy]

Just finished reading your trip report and realized we were there at the exact same time, scoured all your pics looking for us, lol.

We were the family from Oregon that got to open the Park on Monday the 25th!

Hope you had a great trip like we did, but by the looks of your TR you certainly did!

 

[deejdigsdis]

I like the spike in gold for sure.

Enjoy that fudge.

Thank you... I did enjoy it. So much for my plan to wait and eat it while my sister was feeding me live DLR reports...

Just finished reading your trip report and realized we were there at the exact same time, scoured all your pics looking for us, lol.

We were the family from Oregon that got to open the Park on Monday the 25th!

Hope you had a great trip like we did, but by the looks of your TR you certainly did!

Wow! That is so cool! What were you doing when you were chosen? Were you first in line at the turnstiles? That is so fun. I hope someone got a picture for you. We were back too far in line that day, so we wouldn't have seen you.

I see you are going back very soon! Hope you have another great trip.

 

[deejdigsdis]

I took an unexpected trip with my husband...arriving Monday Nov. 21st and leaving around noon Wednesday Nov. 23rd. I'm hoping to get going on an official TR next week sometime, but in the meantime...here are a few pictures of a Christmas-ified Disneyland!

 

[kaoden39]

Oh my gosh!! How beautiful!!

 

[CB Jamboree]

Hello sister!! I was so happy to see those Christmas pics! I love the black and white with the poinsettias, so pretty! Can't wait for your TR

 

[tksbaskets]

Hello sister!! I was so happy to see those Christmas pics! I love the black and white with the poinsettias, so pretty! Can't wait for your TR

Well said CB Jamboree. While the pictures were loading up I was thinking 'LAMP POSTS!'

I look forward to the trip report!

TK