Nothing to See Here...

[tksbaskets]

Hi Sherry,
I caught the new title right away! Love it! Intrigued by the cannonball part....you keep us hanging.

I'm glad to hear your getting better from your illness. I know just what stage you are in. Been there many time. "I feel much better"....cough cough cough... comes on at times when it's not convienient to hack up a lung either.

Can't wait for another installment....

 

[PHXscuba]

Well, I liked your sunrise/set photos from your room, and the Matterhorn one. I am fascinated by the play of light.

And I am REALLY glad you don't have to use my "Nightmare Before Christmas" TR title idea, because that would mean very bad things ...

Interested to see how the cannonballs figure in; I think I've got the candlelight part figured out.

PHXscuba

 

[Sherry E]

Of course she walks with a strut. And now I have Sheena Easton in my head... (I can hear the young'uns saying "huh?")


Man, what celebrities weren't in the park in the last week or two? Gwen etc, Sandra & Melissa, Ms Klum, the Albas....did Disney do some big day-after-day scheduling in the above-POTC-suite or something?

Molly -

Well, I'm certainly not a young'un and I remember Sheena Easton! There were a few incarnations of Sheena Easton. There was the original "My baby takes the morning train" Sheena, with the short hair and spandex pants.

Then there was the "Strut" and "Sugar Walls" Sheena who grew out her hair a bit and was hanging out with Prince too much (remember they did that crazy "U Got the Look" video?).

Then there was also the Sheena who did a duet with Kenny Rogers - a cover of a Bob Seger song ("We've Got Tonight" or whatever it was called).

It's funny to see a big rock star like Gwen in the parks. While on the one hand she was dressed casually (gray pants and a black tank top), she definitely had a "look." She probably felt she was dressed down, but there was a definite style to the outfit. It's not like she looked frumpy just because she was wearing flat shoes instead of heels.

What surprised me was how skinny Gwen is! Her arms were bony. And she was shorter than I expected. I know we all hear about the camera adding weight to someone and that is sooo true. It's not that Gwen ever looked like a 'big' person on camera. She always appeared to be slender. But I just didn't realize how slender!

I didn't know that Sandra & Melissa (Sandra who? Bullock? Bernhard? And Melissa who? Etheridge? Gilbert? D'Arabian?), Heidi Klum and Jessica Alba were in the parks last week! I saw a lot of people that I recognized "from somewhere" - I knew that they were all probably TV actors whose names escaped me. But the only instantly recognizable ones I saw were Gwen and Gavin.

If the Melissa that you're talking about is Etheridge, I wonder if she was there on the Lou Diamond Phillips CP nights. She has a connection to Lou through her former partner (and his former wife), Julie! Julie left Lou for Melissa, but I think that Julie had at least one child with Lou before that happened. And then Julie/Melissa went on to have kids together (via David Crosby).

Hi Sherry,
I caught the new title right away! Love it! Intrigued by the cannonball part....you keep us hanging.

I'm glad to hear your getting better from your illness. I know just what stage you are in. Been there many time. "I feel much better"....cough cough cough... comes on at times when it's not convienient to hack up a lung either.

Can't wait for another installment....

TK -

The coughing is no fun, but if the illness follows a pattern with which I am familiar (sore throat, congestion and then coughing) then I know it will go away. It's when weird things that I don't expect begin to happen that I don't know when I will get better. So far, this seems to be a run of the mill cold - nothing too bizarre or out of control.

The Cannonballs will make eventually sense and then you'll probably think to yourself, "Oh, that's right!"

Well, I liked your sunrise/set photos from your room, and the Matterhorn one. I am fascinated by the play of light.

And I am REALLY glad you don't have to use my "Nightmare Before Christmas" TR title idea, because that would mean very bad things ...

Interested to see how the cannonballs figure in; I think I've got the candlelight part figured out.

PHXscuba

PHX -

Another vote for the sunrise/set photos. And the first vote for the Matterhorn one (that's the one with the other peaks in it, right?). Very interesting, indeed!

The Cannonballs won't be hard to figure out. They were part of my plan!

I'm about to post the first TR installment. I wanted to get one down (with the main intro part) and then hopefully be able to crank out a few at a time with mostly photos from here on out.

 

[Sherry E]

(I’ll start you off with this first post, and then will try to do multiple entries at a time for the future posts, just to speed things along…)

Candlelight and Cannonballs! Aunt Betty’s Do-Over Christmas Trip

(Sun., 12/9/12 – Wed., 12/12/12)



Day 1 - Sunday, December 9, 2012 - Part 1​

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
Our troubles will be out of sight…






(^^^ I figured I’d start out with the same Christmas song I began and ended my December 2011 TR with! It seems to be appropriate…)


Seeing as I basically just finished my last two holiday Trip Reports/photo reports (from December 2011 and November 2012) within the last couple of months, I won’t bore you with another extensive historical introduction (full of my Disneyland background and credentials!) to this one. The Pre-Trip Report/Intro segments that I did for my “Aunt Betty’s Weepy, Wacky, Wonderful Christmas Trip to Disneyland” pretty much tell the story that I want to tell in regards to how much I love the holidays and exactly why these annual holiday trips to Disneyland mean so much to me. If you read those 3 installments, you will understand everything. You will also understand where the “Aunt Betty” title came from – it’s basically a label that a bossy PhotoPass photographer assigned to me in a hectic moment.

And, if you followed along through the whole “Aunt Betty…” adventure (translation: debacle), you will know that things didn’t go so well. Ending up in tears on a bench in any Disney park is not how one should spend one’s treasured holiday season celebration – and one’s only holiday activity for the year.

So I was seriously in need of a redo. I needed to have another chance at enjoying Christmas, without any annoying friend drama or delays. I needed to be able to get back to doing what I really wanted to do at Disneyland Resort – take pictures! Rather, I like to wander around aimlessly and soak in the atmosphere, taking pictures of various things as I go. (That’s another thing I explained in my Pre-TR sections to “Aunt Betty…” – how much I love to take photos, even just in daily life as I stroll the neighborhood in which I live. It’s cathartic and meditative for me, while still stimulating the creative part of my brain.)

However…some of my Christmas trips are shorter than others. To be honest, given the way things were going for me this year, I did not think I’d be at DLR for more than one day in 2012. It was through some sheer Christmas magic (that is the best way to describe it) that I was able to actually book a hotel stay – 3 nights at the Paradise Pier Hotel, from 12/9 – 12/12. I’ve stayed at all of the Disneyland Resort hotels in the past – and they all have their pros and cons, I feel – but the Paradise Pier has served me well on many trips. Plus, in December their lobby features my favorite of the 3 hotels’ Christmas trees. So, back to the PPH I would go, to embark on my do-over holiday trip. I had certain things in mind that I wanted to accomplish. But…did I succeed in my goals?






Let me tell you up front what you will not see in this particular Trip Report that you have seen in previous TR’s I’ve done:

1. You will not see any photos from Goofy’s Kitchen this time around. Sadly, this 20-year Goofy’s Kitchen fan/veteran did not get to eat at her favorite Disneyland Resort restaurant on this holiday trip (and she really missed it, to be honest). I could have gone there by myself – heck, I do most things by myself – but character meals are one thing that I think should be enjoyed with other people if at all possible. I just couldn’t bring myself to eat there solo. But, alas, a multi-day trip to DLR is just not the same without a meal at Goofy’s Kitchen, so I felt the loss;

2. You will not see any PhotoPass pictures. Normally I have PhotoPass pictures taken on every holiday trip (not counting the one-day visit I had on 11/12/12). I will even pose for solo photos if I have at least some wacky photos with friends to add to the CD too. On this particular trip, it didn’t appear that there would be any PhotoPass pictures with friends (sad, but true), and so I opted to not pose for solo pictures. I didn’t want a whole PhotoPass CD of just me. Again, this made me sad (just like not eating at Goofy’s made me sad), because it’s something I do on every holiday visit and because there are many new, interesting PhotoPass spots in Cars Land and on Buena Vista Street, but I didn’t do it;

3. You will not see any photos of the Jingle Jangle Jamboree (formerly called Santa’s Reindeer Round-Up) – simply because I didn’t have enough time to get back there on this trip, and because I took quite a few photos in that location on my November 12, 2012 day trip;

4. You will not see very many photos from Cars Land or Buena Vista Street – primarily because I got so many holiday pictures from those two areas in November (including some cool dusk pictures). I realized that not too much had changed in either land in one month’s time, so I didn’t feel the need to take the same photos over and over again;

5. You will not see too much in the way of holiday window display photos – I took a lot of those photos in December 2010 and again in December 2011. Not a lot had changed in the windows this year, so I mostly skipped them;

6. You will not see any photos or hear tales of the yummy spaghetti at Storytellers Café…because I never went there to eat it. I could have eaten there – I had at least a couple of chances to eat there – but I ended up choosing ‘meatballs’ over spaghetti!; and

7. You will not see photos of any of my Orange County friends (who are usual staples on my Disney holiday trips). Two of them showed up but they couldn’t stay too long, and I was tired so I wasn’t in much of a photo-taking mood by the time they got there.








Now let me tell you what I wanted to do on this trip – and had planned to do – but did not have time to do (and thus, no photos):

1. I did not have time to enjoy the Grand Californian Hotel lobby atmosphere, complete with Dickens Carolers and holiday merriment;

2. I did not get to see the tree lighting on Buena Vista Street;

3. I did not get to catch the snowfall on Main Street – and this could have been my last chance to do that, seeing as there is a possibility the snow will become part of a paid party in 2013;

4. I did not make it back to the ice rink in Downtown Disney to see if the “Christmas Village” had become more ‘village-y’ since I was there in November;

5. I did not explore the Disneyland Hotel to take photos of the Christmas decorations (because the decorations were different in December 2010, when I last fully explored them);

6. I did not visit Santa in any of his 5 photo spots; and

7. I only went on 3 rides over the course of the entire trip (that tells you how much I actually enjoy taking photos!).




Oh, and here is an honorable mention of another thing that did NOT happen! I did not see the Twilight Zone lady again! This is the lady (a total stranger) that I had random encounters with in December 2010 and December 2011 (during two totally different weeks). I thought I might see her for a third year in a row, but our paths never crossed.






So, you may wonder, what DID I do? What DID I take photos of? What WILL you see/read about in this Trip Report? Here is an overview:

1. You will see many photos from New Orleans Square. I took some photos of the gorgeous Mardi Gras masks back in 2010, but I skipped over many of them (for some reason or another). Actually, I think that Disney added in some masks and moved some of them around since 2010 because there appeared to be many more than what I ever recalled seeing 2 holiday seasons ago. Also, I knew I could take much better (less one-dimensional) photos than what I took in December 2010. So I revisited the masks – all of them – and delighted in the wonderful details, colors, themes and personalities each mask possessed;

2. You will see Candlelight Processional photos! I had never seen the CP prior to this trip, and I liked it so much I saw it twice!;

3. I munched on gingerbread cookies from the Market House, a Peppermint Bark Dazzler from Haagen Dazs, peppermint ice cream in a sprinkle-covered cone from Gibson Girl, peppermint bark from Ghirardelli and several sandwiches from Earl of Sandwich. You will hear about and see photos of all of those!;

4. You will see more photos of the Paradise Pier Hotel Christmas tree – because I just love it so much!;

5. You will see a few photos from Surf’s Up with Mickey and Friends – it was my first time trying it, and I’m glad I tried it (though I still miss Goofy’s Kitchen). This is where fellow DIS’er Liza/funatdisney joined me and we met up with Laurie/DizNee Luver and her family;

6. You will see the back side of Gwen Stefani’s husband, Gavin Rossdale, in DCA (I didn’t have the nerve to take photos of him when he was turned towards me because I was afraid he would catch me), and a distant shot of Gwen as she led the pack across the Esplanade to DL;

7. You will see nighttime pictures of the Winter Castle and It’s a Small World Holiday – which is hardly a rare thing in anyone’s holiday trip reports, but for me it is. I hadn’t attempted any kind of nighttime Winter Castle shot since November of 2010, and I think that 2007 or 2008 may have been my last attempt at getting nighttime IASWH photos (which were horrible). As was the case with the Mardi Gras masks in NOS, I knew I could do better and get much better photos this time around than what I got in the past; and

8. You will see what I decided to buy with a gift card I received on Day 2 of my trip!



And there will be some surprises along the way, too! I can’t reveal everything here right now, can I?





Just because there were so many things I did not take photos of or get to on this trip, I will refer you to my 3 most recent Disneyland holiday reports for a collective, full array of photos of all corners of the parks and hotels during the season (and there are also holiday Trip Reports from 2008, 2009 & November 2010 in this same thread, but the links for those can be found on Page 1/Post #1):

“The Evil Chair & The Peppermint Cone of Death – A 2010 Christmas Tale - Sun., December 12 - Wed., December 15, 2010” (begins on Page 83/Post #1244; ends on Page 110/Post #1641)


"Aunt Betty's Weepy, Wacky, Wonderful Christmas Trip to Disneyland - Sun., December 4 - Thurs., December 8, 2011" (begins on Page 189/Post #2825; ends on Page 213/Post #3181)


CHRISTMAS PHOTOS OF CARS LAND & BUENA VISTA ST. – Mon., 11/12/12 (begins on Page 222/Post #3328; ends on Page 231/Post #3464)




So let’s get started!





On the morning of Sunday, December 9, 2012, I felt as though I was walking through quicksand. I was slugging along. I was as slow as molasses. (How many more terms for ‘moving slowly’ can I come up with? Lol.) Basically, I hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before due to a loud holiday party being held by my neighbors in the building next door. They were partying until the wee hours, and even my trusty ear plugs couldn’t drown out the sound.

I’m not one of those Scrooge-like people who is going to rain on someone’s holiday fun. I love the holidays. I adore Christmas time. I like hearing and seeing other folks enjoying all that the season has to offer too. I was not going to be the one to complain and ruin their fun. They don’t often have parties, after all. They don’t usually prevent me from sleeping. I just wish they hadn’t decided to deck the halls so loudly right before my Disneyland do-over trip!

Because of my lack of golden slumber, it was hard for me to get my engine revved up. All the coffee in the world was not going to help.

Haphazardly I tossed various pieces of clothing and toiletries into my 2 bags and got ready to go.

I had arranged for Sav-On Shuttle (the same service I used when I went to Catalina Island for the day in July 2012, and when I went to Disneyland in November of this year) to pick me up at 5:15 a.m., so that I would walk into the Paradise Pier Hotel lobby at just before 6:00 a.m. I explained in my “Aunt Betty…” report from December 2011 how much I love being at DLR in the crisp early morning hours, before anyone else has really started their day. There is something magical about the chill of a December morning, just before sunrise. I find it to be invigorating. If anything could wake me out of my sleepy stupor, it would be the cool holiday air hitting my cheeks…right?

What I hadn’t planned on was Sav-On Shuttle showing up to get me at 4:45 a.m. I should have expected it, though, as they have been early in the past. Just in case you have never heard of Sav-On Shuttle and might be interested in using them in the future, keep in mind that they tend to be on the early side. They usually run about 30 minutes ahead of the time you give them and they will wait for you if you are not ready. Personally, I would prefer an earlier arrival over a later one…but when we’re talking about the wee hours of the morning, that extra half hour makes a huge difference! It’s not quite the same as showing up early in the middle of the day. When the sun hasn’t even yet risen, you need every extra minute you can get! Showing up 30 minutes early at that time of the morning may as well have been showing up 2 hours early. Well, not quite, but it seemed like it!

So I was not quite ready. I was ready enough to where it only took a couple of extra minutes to throw the rest of my things together, turn off any lights in the apartment and make sure everything else was off, locked or closed. But my hair was still wet from the shower and my face was not ‘done’ at all – meaning no moisturizer, no lip gloss, nothing. I would need to take care of that when I got to the hotel.

John – my driver for the morning – is the owner of Sav-On Shuttle. He is also the one who picked me up in July for my Catalina day trip. Both he and the other driver I had in November (Johnnie) are delightful people – friendly, talkative, efficient, and just overall good guys. They treat their customers well, but they are largely a no-frills operation. John used to focus most of his advertising towards the people who visit Catalina Island (I first learned of Sav-On Shuttle in the 2012 Catalina Island Visitors Guide), but now he has turned it more towards the Disneyland customer base to capitalize on all of the guests and travelers who don’t wish to use Super Shuttle or Karmel Shuttle. They can easily get several Disneyland Resort pick-ups and drop-offs in a single day.

Unlike my Super Shuttle driver from December 2011, Sav-On Shuttle’s drivers take the freeway route that makes the most sense from where I live. They don’t go in a roundabout way via the 605 freeway like the Super Shuttle person did. They get on the 10 freeway heading East, and then get on the 5 freeway heading South, straight to Disneyland Drive. This route is really the most direct – and the fastest – at the particular time of the morning I go to DLR. If we were talking about going to Disneyland on a Monday morning at 7:30 or 8:00 a.m., it would be a different story. But on a Sunday morning before 6:00 a.m., the 10 to the 5 is the most logical! There is no one on the freeway at that time.

It wasn’t long at all – maybe 35 or 40 minutes – before we were pulling up in the loading area in front of the Paradise Pier Hotel’s entrance.

I paid John (cash, which I think he prefers over credit cards, if possible) and wished him a happy holiday season. He unloaded my two bags and drove away.



I turned towards the lobby doors and instantly smiled. I caught sight of The Tree. My Tree. My favorite of all the Disney hotel Christmas trees. This is the tree that makes me want to run around the lobby like an uninhibited toddler, singing and dancing and skipping along. I love being greeted by this tree in the morning when I leave the hotel, and again when I return for the evening.

There it was…in all of its warm, glowing, blue-green-ish splendor…just waiting for me!

But we’ll get back to the tree in a minute.


I dragged my luggage through the doors and placed it by the chairs to the left of the front desk. I searched around for my wallet and reservation information and marched up to the queue to be checked in. Even though I arrived well before 6:00 a.m., there was actually someone else checking in then too! And here I thought I would be the only one! The nerve of that other guest, infringing on my time! Lol.

The lobby was empty other than us, though.

A nice Cast Member (whose name I think was Hayley) took care of my pre-check in details. Since I was completely and totally paid up well in advance (what a liberating, wonderful feeling!), I did not have to leave a phone deposit or put a credit card on file!

I was given my check-in brochures and Keys to the Magic and instructed that if a room should happen to open up earlier than planned, someone from the hotel would let me know – but I’d have to come back to the front desk to trade in my room keys for different keys.

This was new to me. In the past, if my room had been available earlier than planned, I never had to go back to the desk to swap keys. That was exactly what I wanted to avoid – having to return to the front desk at a time when a lot of people were in line, waiting to check in.

But, oh well… It was a very minor inconvenience.

I noticed that the CM did not give me any kind of folder this year, to hold my Welcome materials. Last year I got the special “Welcome Home” packet reserved for DVC members (and I’m not a DVC member). In the past I had always been given the bright pink folder with the picture of Goofy on it. This year, no folder. So I had to bunch up my brochures and what not and stash them in one of my bags.

I took this photo on the last day of my trip, but only because I neglected to take it when I checked in - and it makes much more sense at this point in the story!

​

I hauled my suitcase and smaller bag over to the Bell desk and deposited them there for safe keeping. I tipped the Bell guy and swiftly focused my attention on the star of the show…The Tree!

Hello, gorgeous!

Santa’s Schedule…

Santa’s chair…

Just beautiful!

The presents by the tree have changed in the last couple of years. They used to be smaller and made of different material (see my “Evil Chair…” TR for photos of the old presents). They also had different designs, bows and colors. Maybe they were getting ruined or something, because now we have these new ones (which may have been there last year but I could have overlooked them in all of the trip mayhem).

Hayley (the CM) said that these presents are better for photos because people can sit on them to pose, whereas the old ones were not ‘sit-able’! Lol. I think that the colors of these sit-able presents are actually more complementary to the PPH tree than the former presents were…

I pried myself away from My Favorite Tree and headed out into the quiet morning…

Yep…it’s dark out there on Disneyland Drive…

There’s California Adventure, in the distance…

I finally established that I had to stop the photo-taking for a moment to fix my face. Soon the cover of darkness would be lifted and people would actually be able to see me in the light of day.

I could have easily ducked into a Paradise Pier bathroom – or even the bathroom at the Grand Californian – to put on my make-up so I looked halfway human, but I wanted to sit outside. So I picked a bench that was positioned directly outside of the PCH Grill, around a corner. I had enough light to do what I needed to do, and there was holiday music coming from overhead speakers for me to listen to.

By now you should know that I love a photo of an empty path! (I’ve included similar photos in the last TR or two.)

I hastily slathered on some sunscreen, powder, blush, etc., and in what seemed to be seconds, the sun appeared and a new day was upon me…

Anyone who has stayed at the Paradise Pier probably knows the “short cut” from the PPH to the Grand Californian Hotel. It’s just a quick jaunt across Disneyland drive to the other side of the street…

Voila! In a matter of a few minutes you exit the surf and sun theme and cheery colors of the Paradise Pier to enter the elegantly rustic, dimly lit world of the Grand Californian Hotel…

The GCH’s presents by the tree have remained the same! They are not sit-able presents, like the ones at the PPH! Lol!

Up next, in Part 2 of Day 1…more fun at the GCH and beyond….

 

[tksbaskets]

You're off to a great start! I'll have you know I don't multitask when I'm reading your TR. They are too full of fun

Love the picture of the shortcut across the street through the GCH. Many good memories there.

That PP tree is stunning! You captured it well

Looking forward to more

 

[PHXscuba]

(I screwed up the coding for the quote )

3. I munched on gingerbread cookies from the Market House, a Peppermint Bark Dazzler from Haagen Dazs, peppermint ice cream in a sprinkle-covered cone from Gibson Girl, peppermint bark from Ghirardelli and several sandwiches from Earl of Sandwich. You will hear about and see photos of all of those!;

Yes!! Food first (can you use your pull with the DIS to get us a drooling smiley? I would use it!

5. You will see a few photos from Surf’s Up with Mickey and Friends – it was my first time trying it, and I’m glad I tried it (though I still miss Goofy’s Kitchen). This is where fellow DIS’er Liza/funatdisney joined me and we met up with Laurie/DizNee Luver and her family;

Good! I am considering Surf's Up for DS7's birthday and I'd love to hear your take on it.

Anyone who has stayed at the Paradise Pier probably knows the “short cut” from the PPH to the Grand Californian Hotel. It’s just a quick jaunt across Disneyland drive to the other side of the street…

Thanks for the visual ... I have read descriptions of this but it's nice to see where I will be going from the PPH into the parks.

The GCH’s presents by the tree have remained the same! They are not sit-able presents, like the ones at the PPH! Lol!

Ummmm.... I guess I am in big trouble because I sat on those (picture is even in my PTR recently )

*****

Wow, only your first TR post and I have already learned something ... and I have a lot to look forward to. Don't leave us in suspense until October again!!!

PHXscuba

 

[mvf-m11c]

A very nice start to your day during your December trip to the DLR.

Nice pictures of the Christmas tree at PPH. Your pictures of the Christmas tree at PPH is getting better and better every year. It is very colorful and had a lot of different decorations. The colors matches the theme of the hotel.

The GCH Christmas tree is great like always every year.

Great update Sherry.

 

[Sherry E]

I'm going to have four TR installments to post (Parts 2, 3, 4 & 5) - back to back - after I reply to the last few comments here! I just have to open them up and be sure I am posting them in the correct order (in other words, I don't want to accidentally post Part 4 before Part 2 or something.

I told you all that I was going to try to crank several installments out at a time, to try to speed this TR along! With any luck, maybe I can even finish it before the year ends.

You're off to a great start! I'll have you know I don't multitask when I'm reading your TR. They are too full of fun

Love the picture of the shortcut across the street through the GCH. Many good memories there.

That PP tree is stunning! You captured it well

Looking forward to more

Thank you, TK!

I was trying to get at least several installments posted before you head to WDW, which is coming right up! So you will get 4 more installments coming up after this post!

(I screwed up the coding for the quote )

Yes!! Food first (can you use your pull with the DIS to get us a drooling smiley? I would use it!


Good! I am considering Surf's Up for DS7's birthday and I'd love to hear your take on it.

Thanks for the visual ... I have read descriptions of this but it's nice to see where I will be going from the PPH into the parks.

Ummmm.... I guess I am in big trouble because I sat on those (picture is even in my PTR recently )

Wow, only your first TR post and I have already learned something ... and I have a lot to look forward to. Don't leave us in suspense until October again!!!

PHXscuba

PHX -

I could have sworn I saw a drooling smiley somewhere not long ago. Maybe it wasn't here, but I think that one exists out there in cyberspace.

I'll get more into what I thought of Surf's Up later in the TR, of course (from a newbie-without-a-child's perspective), but I think your DS7 would really enjoy it.

For me, personally, I would still prefer to stick with Goofy's Kitchen. I've just been eating there way, way too long - it is permanently etched into my Disneyland trip repertoire. It's a tradition for me. But I'd also like to try Surf's Up once more down the road.

However, for kids I think Surf's Up seems to be a great choice because the characters are really interactive, fun and playful. The food selection at the buffet is not anywhere near as vast as what Goofy's Kitchen offers, but if having a wide variety of options is not your main priority then I think you should definitely try Surf's Up. It mostly gets rave reviews - I've only seen a few not-so-great reviews. And some folks who used to be Goofy's Kitchen fans have moved Surf's Up to the top of the list, above Goofy's. So it's worth a try for your family, especially since you'll be staying at the hotel!

The short cut is really easy. I don't know that it necessarily cuts the walking time down all that much from what it would be if you followed the signs on the PPH property to get to the parks, but I think it's a better, more direct, less circuitous walk to cross the street and go through the GCH, then head to DCA or to Downtown Disney. Plus, it's just nice to 'have to' walk through the Grand Californian Hotel every day. Even if I am not staying at the GCH, I love walking through the lobby during my stays.

I'm sure a lot of other folks try to sit on the presents by the GCH tree too! Maybe the GCH hasn't had any presents get ruined or damaged or anything, and hasn't need to replace them with sturdier models thus far! The PPH presents used to be made of the same sort of material as the ones under the GCH tree, but they were not really tall enough for sitting, and little kids seemed to want to grab at them. So I guess the PPH decided that the new versions of the presents work better for all concerned. Kids won't try to steal them and they are easy to sit on.

You'll get 4 more TR installments coming up after I post these replies!

A very nice start to your day during your December trip to the DLR.

Nice pictures of the Christmas tree at PPH. Your pictures of the Christmas tree at PPH is getting better and better every year. It is very colorful and had a lot of different decorations. The colors matches the theme of the hotel.

The GCH Christmas tree is great like always every year.

Great update Sherry.

Thank you, Bret!

And thank you for taking the time to comment/post here. I know you've got two different TR's going on at the same time, from November at DLR and from October at WDW, and it takes a lot of time and effort to put those together. Sometimes there is no time left to do anything else on the DIS, like comment on other people's TR's. So I appreciate it!

You know, it's interesting that you mentioned the PPH tree pictures getting better. I noticed that the tree looked a little better in my pictures this year than in previous years. I'm not sure why, though. I don't think I did anything different. The lighting in the PPH lobby seems to be the same. But the blue lights seem to be standing out more in the pictures this year than they did last year.

Maybe some of the bulbs were replaced and they look more colorful? Maybe it had something to do with the fact that it was still kind of dark outside and wasn't daylight yet? I don't know. But I don't think it had anything to do with me! The tree looks better in the pictures and it probably has something to do with the actual lights.

 

[Sherry E]

Here is the first installment for today!

Candlelight and Cannonballs! Aunt Betty's Do-Over Christmas Trip

(Sun., 12/9/12 Wed., 12/12/12)



Day 1 - Sunday, December 9, 2012 - Part 2​

Rocking around the Christmas tree,
Have a happy holiday
Everyone dancing merrily
In the new old-fashioned way.






When last I left you in this TR I had arrived safely at the Paradise Pier Hotel before sunrise on Sunday, December 9, 2012 (after a quick ride on the freeway and no sleep the night before), and gone through the pre-check-in process. I stopped to admire the beautiful PPH Christmas tree and then made my way across the street to the Grand Californian Hotel to admire its tree too.



While the Paradise Pier Hotel and the Grand Californian Hotel have two totally different themes and styles, each hotel's towering tree is perfect in its setting and context. The PPH tree may be brighter and more colorful, but the GCH tree is elegant and understated.

I always seem to get at least one of these types of photos every year - a close-up of the lantern ornaments on the GCH tree.

That shot above ^^^ is a bit trickier than it looks to get (anyone who has taken photos of any tree's ornaments knows what I mean, but the GCH tree is a special case). Because the whole area in the GCH lobby is so dimly lit, you don't want to use a flash to wash it out and remove the whole moody vibe of it - but the dimness makes photo-taking a little harder. And because you might have to zoom in on the tree's ornaments to get the details, the potential for a blurry image is much greater. The idea is to try to catch the glow of the little yellow lights without turning them into fuzzy blobs! Lol. You want to capture the essence of the tree, and the kind of subdued beauty of it, as it is - without enhancement.

The above photo was actually my second attempt at it on that morning, because the first image turned out a bit blurry. The second one was an improvement! Generally, if I have taken a picture that came out too blurry, IF I have the time I will stand there (or wherever I am) and keep taking photos until I get one that is not as blurry. I don't always have the time to do that, but usually I will keep trying and trying until I get that one photo right...or at least better!

It's a present-palooza!

Santa's chair (he used to have a different chair at the GCH several years back, as I recall)

I decided to zoom in and try it again!

By the way - for anyone who has a Facebook account, close-up photos of ornaments or vivid holiday patterns make good Timeline cover pictures!

I left the Grand Californian Hotel lobby and headed to Storytellers Café - not to eat, but to specifically inspect this year's freshly made gingerbread house!

And there it was!

The first thing I noticed - or did not notice, as the case may be - was the aroma. In 2011 (on December 4th) the smell of the fresh gingerbread filled the air and wafted all around Storytellers Café's entrance. It must have literally just come out of the pastry chef's kitchen in the immediate days prior.

However, the 2012 version of the gingerbread house (on December 9th) didn't seem to have an aroma at all. It was fun to look at, but I was wondering how long it had been sitting around before it went on display at the restaurant. (For all I know, maybe it had been made 6 months in advance.)

As I was closely examining the craftsmanship of this culinary holiday masterpiece, the hostess saw me and asked if I wanted to get in a picture next to/with the house. I was wearing a big, bulky windbreaker-type jacket and didn't feel photo-ready, but I'm a good sport for pictures so I took her up on her offer.

But I look awkward, like my hands are tied behind my back! Lol!

Interestingly, from afar I think I like the look of the December 2011 gingerbread house better. It looks a bit cleaner and neater.

To refresh your memory, this was the Storytellers gingerbread house from December 2011

However, the 2012 model had so many more adorable mini-figures and little candy touches to it. So I think I like the details of the latest house better than the 2011 house.

I mean, just look at the details and artistry! Amazing!

Look at how cute this little guy is! He was sitting on the snow-covered roof! The 2011 house didn't have all of these cute little figures - not as many, anyway

I love the flowers (red and white) off to the right side

Which house do you all like better - the 2011 version or the 2012 version?






The Storytellers Café hostess tipped me off to the fact that White Water Snacks had its own gingerbread house this year! I wonder if there was one last year or in 2010 and I overlooked it!?!

Needless to say, that was all I needed to hear and I high-tailed it over to WWS!

The WWS tree - I love the ornaments that fit the theme (they didn't appear to have changed much since I took a couple of pictures of this tree back in 2010)

The White Water Snacks gingerbread house was more of a mini-gingerbread neighborhood and not just a house!

Seriously, this was soooooo cute! Look at the little Santa down at the bottom! Look at the Santa on the roof! Look at the little snowman and the gingerbread man!

Up next, in Part 3 of Day 1 - more gingerbread fun at White Water Snacks and other photo-taking excitement!!

 

[Sherry E]

Here is the second installment for today…

Candlelight and Cannonballs! Aunt Betty’s Do-Over Christmas Trip

(Sun., 12/9/12 – Wed., 12/12/12)



Day 1 - Sunday, December 9, 2012 - Part 3​

Frosty the snowman
Is a fairy tale, they say;
He was made of snow,
But the children know
How he came to life one day…






In the previous installment of this TR I attempted to perfect my Grand Californian Hotel Christmas tree close-up ornament photos, and I visited the two gingerbread houses on the GCH property – the larger house at Storytellers Café and the mini-gingerbread neighborhood at White Water Snacks…

Back at White Water Snacks, I continued to admire the gingerbread artistry…look at the adorable little reindeer dudes around the tree!

Here is Santa on the roof of one of the little houses…

And here is Santa on the roof of the other little house…

Bye bye for this year, White Water Snacks!

I decided to take advantage of my Extra Magic Hour (or Early Entry…or Magic Morning…or whatever it is called now), which was in California Adventure. This was a Sunday, which used to be a Magic Morning day for Disneyland. Gone are the days when the ‘S’ days of the week allow early entry to Disneyland for hotel guests. Now I can’t keep track of which days are assigned to which parks!

I used the special GCH entrance to get to DCA. Apparently a lot of other people had the same idea…

By the time you get through the turnstiles you have wasted a good portion of your Extra Magic Hour…

I don’t know why I chose this to be the first in-park photo that I took for this trip, but this sign amuses me for some reason. I don’t know why they don’t change it during the holidays to “Reindeer Crossing”…

I love the oars in the wreath!

And this sign amuses me too…

So does this one…

Now…here is an example of a ‘do-over picture’ to fit in with my ‘do-over trip.’ If you recall, in December 2011 – shortly before encountering Twilight Zone Lady for the second year in a row – I took this photo:

As you can see, I accidentally got my thumb (or finger) in the photo – which usually does not happen to me – and then I took a do-over picture a minute or two later. The trouble was, I deleted what I thought was the picture with the thumb in it from my camera, only to find out later that I actually deleted the do-over photo that I took right after it! Lol.

So this is the 2012 do-over version, sans thumb! I just had to try it again!

And then I also took this one last year…

Here is the 2012 version…

Okay, is it my imagination or is the color of the Eureka building a lot brighter this year than it was in 2011? It has been painted or spruced up!



Anyway, time to move on…

Where would I go next?

Up next, in Part 4 of Day 1… I mosey around Paradise Pier on a crowd-free morning!

 

[Sherry E]

Here is the third installment for today!!!

Candlelight and Cannonballs! Aunt Betty’s Do-Over Christmas Trip

(Sun., 12/9/12 – Wed., 12/12/12)



Day 1 - Sunday, December 9, 2012 - Part 4​

Santa’s gone surfing, even on Christmas Day.
(Surfin’ Santa, surfin’ Santa)
He’s cruisin’ with his buddies, got his board in the back of his sleigh.
(Surfin’ Santa, surfin’ Santa)
Surf’s Up Santa! It’s time to hit some radical waves!






In the last segment of this TR I continued to admire the fine craftsmanship of the cute gingerbread house at White Water Snacks, and then I took advantage of what was left of my Extra Magic Hour in California Adventure.

I wandered through the Paradise Pier area of DCA. It was nice to get a closer look at some of the details in the area without swarms of people rushing past me…

A very nice Cast Member who was working the Little Mermaid ride approached me and asked if I wanted my picture taken. Just as in the case of the nice hostess who asked me the same thing in Storytellers Café, I didn’t feel photo-ready (I was too tired and sluggish, I think, and I had that darn bulky windbreaker-ish jacket on). But I agreed because it was nice of her to offer. I guess it’s good to have some sort of proof that I was actually there!

I chatted with that particular Cast Member for a while (mainly about gingerbread houses around DCA, Cars Land and the Candlelight Processional) – no one was really going on the Little Mermaid ride at that point, so she was free - and then continued on my photographic journey.

The former Santa photo spot on Paradise Pier is now just a character photo spot – but none of the characters were there yet…

I love the sea/nautical-themed ornaments in these wreaths and garland…

Oh Christmas tree!

Up next, in Part 5 of Day 1, I continue my photo spree in California Adventure…

 

[Sherry E]

Here is the FOURTH installment for today!!! Woo hoo!

Candlelight and Cannonballs! Aunt Betty’s Do-Over Christmas Trip

(Sun., 12/9/12 – Wed., 12/12/12)



Day 1 - Sunday, December 9, 2012 - Part 5​

Dashing through the snow, in a one-horse open sleigh
Over the fields we go, laughing all the way;
Bells on bob-tail ring, making spirits bright
What fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight!






In the last segment of this TR I roamed around Paradise Pier in California Adventure. That’s it. No more, no less! Lol.

And up they go…up, up, up…

And upside down they go!

This was about as close as I got to the Toy Story Midway Mania ride on the entire trip…

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Whoosh again!

Hello, Fun Wheel of Terror!

Whoosh!

Hello, Pacific Wharf!

I had a craving for something, and it was calling my name. Who doesn’t love a free sample of peppermint bark?

Interesting flowers…

Hello, duckies!

Apparently I then walked over to Cars Land, although I really don’t remember doing that! Lol. I already got photos of these things on November 12th. I’m not sure why I took these photos again.

Oh, I see! I went into Cars Land to get the Radiator Winter sign (with the snow) – because it had either not gone up yet when I was there on 11/12/12, or I somehow missed seeing it.

I saw many people walking around both DL and DCA that looked familiar during my trip – like they had been on TV at some point but were not hugely famous. This blonde lady was one of them, though you can’t see her face in this shot. I knew I’d seen her somewhere.

And I strolled around Buena Vista Street a bit.

Up next, in Part 6 of Day 1…I check on the status of my hotel room and spend a bit more time on Buena Vista Street before moving on…

 

[bumbershoot]

I didn't know that Sandra & Melissa (Sandra who? Bullock? Bernhard? And Melissa who? Etheridge? Gilbert? D'Arabian?), Heidi Klum and Jessica Alba were in the parks last week! I saw a lot of people that I recognized "from somewhere" - I knew that they were all probably TV actors whose names escaped m

Sorry for the confusion. Wait, other people don't study TMZ like they are being quizzed on it?

Sandra Bullock and her son, and Melissa McCarthy from Bridesmaids were there, together, last week or the week before. Apparently they are buddies. I'd like to hang out with them...they are probably hilarious together.

Heidi, her kids, and her new boyfriend were there before jetting off to some island, and Jessica A and her kids were pictured there as well, though not *with* Ms Klum as far as I could tell.




And yes, the mind-blowing, eye-boggling YELLORANGE (combo word for a combo color) Grizzly building has definitely been repainted.


I big huge puffy heart LOVE the picture of the PPH tree through the doors! It's sooooooo pretty! Yay!



PHXscuba, the important thing when going from PPH to the Grand is to completely ignore the signage PPH has for getting to the parks. Go out the *front* doors.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Great start and wonderful pics!! I look at your pictures and go.....why didn't we take close ups on the gingerbread house or get pics of some of the wreaths in DCA. We were hit and miss on decorations there. We hit the biggies (Buena Vista St, Pier tree, BugsLand and CarsLand.....but kinda missed all the other ones. Oh well........I will just have to enjoy yours!

 

[Sherry E]

Sorry for the confusion. Wait, other people don't study TMZ like they are being quizzed on it?

Sandra Bullock and her son, and Melissa McCarthy from Bridesmaids were there, together, last week or the week before. Apparently they are buddies. I'd like to hang out with them...they are probably hilarious together.

Heidi, her kids, and her new boyfriend were there before jetting off to some island, and Jessica A and her kids were pictured there as well, though not *with* Ms Klum as far as I could tell.

And yes, the mind-blowing, eye-boggling YELLORANGE (combo word for a combo color) Grizzly building has definitely been repainted.


I big huge puffy heart LOVE the picture of the PPH tree through the doors! It's sooooooo pretty! Yay!



PHXscuba, the important thing when going from PPH to the Grand is to completely ignore the signage PPH has for getting to the parks. Go out the *front* doors.

Molly -

Yes - very true (your advice to PHX). The signage on the PPH property to direct guests to the parks is useless, really. It's too roundabout of a way to go to the parks.

I love seeing the PPH tree through the doors before entering the lobby - that is an effect we don't get at the GCH. You have to actually go into the GCH to see the tree. Same thing with the DLH (even though the DLH's trees are pretty underwhelming, comparatively).

Anyway, in that picture I was somehow trying to capture that exciting feeling of getting the first glimpse of the tree from the loading area in front of the PPH. That's how I really first personally 'noticed' how pretty the tree was - when my friend Shawn and I pulled up in front of the PPH two years ago and caught sight of the tree from the car. I didn't stay at the PPH in 2009, and IF I recall correctly I think the PPH tree was not quite AS pretty in 2008 as it became in later years, though I could be mistaken. So the 2010 sighting was really what stuck out in my mind.

However, I do remember that you took some photos of the PPH tree maybe back in 2008 or so (maybe before then) and commented in your TR on how nice it was. So maybe it WAS this gorgeous all along?!

"YELLORANGE" is the perfect word for it! At least I know I'm not losing my marbles in thinking that the color looks totally different from what it was just a year ago! I suppose it was repainted and spruced up with the completion of the "re-imagining" (a.k.a. billion dollar makeover) of DCA this year?

I had no clue that Sandra and Melissa were friends. (Did you know that Melissa is the cousin of Jenny McCarthy?) The funny thing is that I DO watch TMZ Live - the 1-hour show that basically reports on all the breaking entertainment news (Lindsay Lohan's latest legal woes, etc.) - but I never go on the TMZ site, and I don't even really watch the 30-minute TMZ show that focuses on celebrity sightings around town...which is probably where I could have learned about Sandra and Melissa, Heidi and Jessica being at Disneyland!

I only wish that Bradley Cooper would decide to visit Disneyland on one of these days when I'm there! He doesn't have kids, though, so he'd probably be on a date if he were there.

Great start and wonderful pics!! I look at your pictures and go.....why didn't we take close ups on the gingerbread house or get pics of some of the wreaths in DCA. We were hit and miss on decorations there. We hit the biggies (Buena Vista St, Pier tree, BugsLand and CarsLand.....but kinda missed all the other ones. Oh well........I will just have to enjoy yours!

Laurie -

Thank you!

You know, I think I've come to the conclusion that no matter how much time we have at DLR, we will never have time to get pictures of everything we would want to get. The way things flow during the course of trips, we do what we can but then other things get our attention and we change direction. Marie (Mariezp) usually goes to DLR with her family every year for two whole weeks, and still they probably miss out on certain pictures or certain activities!

At least you got a lot of PhotoPass pictures! I got none at all - it wasn't worth it to me to just get a whole CD of photos of myself - so I will enjoy yours! There are some great new PhotoPass spots on BVS and in CL, and I know you must have taken advantage of them (hopefully)!

If I had not gone to DLR in November for that one day and cranked out the holiday pictures of Cars Land, Buena Vista Street and the Jingle Jangle Jamboree, I would have had to work those 3 things into this recent December trip...which would have meant that I'd have to eliminate something else from this recent trip because there would not have been enough time to get to it. I really needed that extra day that I got in November.

Also, I'm sure that my TR readers don't necessarily want to see photos of all the same things every single year, so I suppose it's good if I skip some things and focus on different areas every once in a while.

I think I was asking you this on the previous page, but did you notice that there seemed to be a lot of sick people all over DLR (at the hotels, too)? Everywhere I went I heard lots of coughing, sneezing and nose-blowing. I was only there for 3 nights and 3-1/4 days and I still got a cold from it (just a basic one, though - nothing horrible).

You were at DLR - either in the parks or around the hotels - for a full 7-night week. Did your whole family come home healthy or did anyone get sick?

 

[DizNee Luver]

I guess I didn't pay attention to all the sniffling, since that's the normal sound around my house this time of year......lol We all made it home healthy!! Anthony got sick our first night at the PPH and then on our last night....but I think it wasn't illness but excitement that caused it.

 

[tksbaskets]

What a treat to sign on and see MULTIPLE installments this evening

Where to start - LOVE the first photo close up of the GCH tree. It is a tough venue to get a picture. I love the glowing lamp and the little lights are just great.

I like the 2012 gingerbread - perhaps because you highlighted all the details. I don't recall WWS having a gingerbread neighborhood or house last year. Those tiny Santas and the reindeer are just too great!

I like that the castmembers took your picture. How else would I have seen your great black Mickey shirt?

The GRR building is a different color than last year. I don't care for the nautical curtains at the PP former-Santa spot. I guess it screams 'Duffy' to me and I haven't embraced him...

You only saw TSMM from afar?? GASP I always laugh when I see MFWOD. I rely on Bret for pictures from there.

It looks like you are having a fine morning strolling and snapping photographs. Heaven

You've got me humming the carols you've highlighted and wanting more! You're firing me up for our trip. We leave in two days. That calls for one of these

I fear I will be doing a version of your Tasmanian Devil packing....

 

[bumbershoot]

I think I did know that about Melissa, but I had forgotten. It's funny, when I think about it, they have similar styles of humor, but I like it from Melissa better. I have nothing against Jenny whatsoever, and liked the sitcom she was on, but still, I like Melissa a bit more.

I read the TMZ site but can't bring myself to watch the show or their live stuff on the site. But wow their site takes some serious computing resources! Slows the computer down big time.



Love all those flower-in-front-of-things pictures. Pretty pretty pretty!

And you definitely captured the excitement of arriving at PPH.

Oh, also, your gingerbread house pictures inspired E and I to get to work making OUR gingerbread house! This year we bought the kit from Trader Joes and it went together very simply and quickly, unlike the Wilton ones. It's already done (with safe candy substituted this year so we can, if we want to, eat it without worrying about anything but calories!), and I have YOU to thank for it!

 

[mvf-m11c]

A nice day where you enter the GCH and get to see the giant Christmas tree in the Lobby where you got a lot of different pictures of the tree.

Nice pictures of the Gingerbread house at Storyteller's Cafe and White Water Snacks. The details of the Gingerbread house were just decorated with the figures and the lights.

Nice that you went to DCA during EMH and get a head start during your day. It did look busy at the GCH entrance to DCA.

Great pictures from DCA that morning and it was nice that the CM right by the LM ride was able to take a picture of you.

Very nice update at DCA.

 

[Sherry E]

Well, the world is apparently ending today but I'm not prepared. So here I am, in my TR!

I guess I didn't pay attention to all the sniffling, since that's the normal sound around my house this time of year......lol We all made it home healthy!! Anthony got sick our first night at the PPH and then on our last night....but I think it wasn't illness but excitement that caused it.

Laurie -

I suppose that's very, very true for you! Considering all of the kids you have and how active you have had to be as their mome, you have probably seen your fair share of illness pass through the house over the years! Even though you (yourself) do get sick from time to time, you have probably built up somewhat of an immunity to a lot of things.

I think that living alone and not going outside and dealing with people on a daily basis works against me because my system doesn't build up its defenses against average, everyday viruses and things. I don't want to become the Girl in the Plastic Bubble!

I remember reading an update you posted about Anthony being sick on the first night - but he got sick on the last night too? Poor thing. At least he wasn't sick in the middle of the trip! Better to be sick on the first/last days, I think.

What a treat to sign on and see MULTIPLE installments this evening

Where to start - LOVE the first photo close up of the GCH tree. It is a tough venue to get a picture. I love the glowing lamp and the little lights are just great.

I like the 2012 gingerbread - perhaps because you highlighted all the details. I don't recall WWS having a gingerbread neighborhood or house last year. Those tiny Santas and the reindeer are just too great!

I like that the castmembers took your picture. How else would I have seen your great black Mickey shirt?

The GRR building is a different color than last year. I don't care for the nautical curtains at the PP former-Santa spot. I guess it screams 'Duffy' to me and I haven't embraced him...

You only saw TSMM from afar?? GASP I always laugh when I see MFWOD. I rely on Bret for pictures from there.

It looks like you are having a fine morning strolling and snapping photographs. Heaven

You've got me humming the carols you've highlighted and wanting more! You're firing me up for our trip. We leave in two days. That calls for one of these

I fear I will be doing a version of your Tasmanian Devil packing....

TK -

Thank you so much! I was really trying for a halfway decent shot of the close-up GCH tree ornaments because I felt I could do better than my previous attempts.

It's funny you mentioned the black t-shirt! You will hear more about black Mickey t-shirts (and you know how I love me a black Mickey tee!) at the end of this TR. They don't quite make 'em like they used to - I will say that much for now.

If you don't recall seeing a gingerbread house or neighborhood in White Water Snacks on your DLR holiday trip last season, then maybe they had either retired it for the season by that time or they just didn't have one at all. I didn't go into WWS in 2011 at all, and in 2010 I went in only to take pictures of the tree, which was in the front of the restaurant (as you know). The gingerbread neighborhood this year was not visible from the entrance of WWS. I couldn't see it until I went inside and towards the back, so if they had one in 2010 I could have easily missed it.

Speaking of gingerbread-y things, I thought I'd heard that the Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe (a.k.a. Starbucks) on Buena Vista Street was going to have a gingerbread house this year, but anytime I went in to try to look for it there were tons of people in the queue and I couldn't see a thing. So if there was a gingerbread house in there, I totally missed it.

Also, I did not go into Carthay Circle to see their "Snow White's Cottage" gingerbread house, though I heard about how wonderful it was. I didn't have a reservation there so I wasn't going to barge in to look at the house!

I never went on TSMM for the entire trip and I missed it terribly, just as I missed Goofy's Kitchen. I never went on POTC, either. TSMM and POTC are 2 of my favorite rides. I didn't go on the Little Mermaid ride either and there was no one in line (the novelty of that new ride wore off quickly, didn't it?)! I only went on 3 rides for the entire trip.

I was having a fine morning on my first day, strolling and taking photos, but believe it or not I was not really in my 'photo groove' just yet. I was not fully in The Zone. I was soooo tired - and also bummed out because my friend Shawn was not coming to see me for the day - that all I wanted to do was take a nap! So, I didn't really get my photo groove back until Day 2, even though it may seem like I was doing okay! Day 2 was when I stayed in The Zone! You'll see when you get back from WDW and get caught up - I got in The Zone!

I will even have an amusing anecdote for you to read when you return - about sharing a table with total strangers. It's a simple story - nothing too elaborate - but it was one of those amusingly awkward moments that I love to tell in my TR's!

I have taken photos with Duffy (last year; not this year), but I am still not 100% on the Duffy bandwagon either. He's cute enough, but he still seems like an outsider to me!



I hope you have a wonderful time at WDW. Supposedly they do have the gingerbread cookies with mouse ears now (at the very least they have them at Goofy's Candy Co., but probably other places too), so I hope you're able to find them.

By the way, I'm going to be switching us ("us" being those of us in the Christmas Superthread) to a new thread in the next day or two, as we are just about at our 250-page limit. I'm also going to be revamping the first page and reorganizing/re-categorizing the information I already have in the thread (as well as updating, of course), though this will be done over time and not all at once. I was hoping to stretch the current Superthread just far enough to make it through the very end of the 2012 holiday season before switching to a new one - because that makes sense, so we don't have a big disruption in the thread in the middle of people planning their trips and discussing the current season - but I don't think I will be able to stretch it for another two weeks (and 2 days), or even just 4 more days to Christmas. We're so close to the end of the season, though. It would be perfect timing if we could just keep the current thread going until Jan. 6 and then close it, starting fresh for 2013.

In any case, when you get back from your WDW adventure, be sure to subscribe to the new Christmas/Holiday Superthread! The Theme Week Countdown of 2013 is going to be a lot of fun because there is so much new material, and there are so many new participants to join in the countdown! I'm even planning to start the countdown earlier than I would normally start it - maybe instead of the last Monday in August I can start it in the middle of the month, or early in August.

I think I did know that about Melissa, but I had forgotten. It's funny, when I think about it, they have similar styles of humor, but I like it from Melissa better. I have nothing against Jenny whatsoever, and liked the sitcom she was on, but still, I like Melissa a bit more.

I read the TMZ site but can't bring myself to watch the show or their live stuff on the site. But wow their site takes some serious computing resources! Slows the computer down big time.

Love all those flower-in-front-of-things pictures. Pretty pretty pretty!

And you definitely captured the excitement of arriving at PPH.

Oh, also, your gingerbread house pictures inspired E and I to get to work making OUR gingerbread house! This year we bought the kit from Trader Joes and it went together very simply and quickly, unlike the Wilton ones. It's already done (with safe candy substituted this year so we can, if we want to, eat it without worrying about anything but calories!), and I have YOU to thank for it!

Molly -

I know what you mean. Jenny and Melissa have similar styles of humor, but I find that there is something slightly annoying about it coming from Jenny, in a way. I think it almost seems too forced. It's largely about making stupid facial expressions and acting really over-the-top (maybe Jenny and Jim Carrey didn't work out as a couple because their humor was too much alike?). I kind of like Jenny better when she is just being a regular person with a witty personality, and not pushing it so much (trying to be outrageous).

Melissa's humor seems more natural and much less forced.

Than you for warning me about the TMZ site - there is no way this prehistoric computer could handle it. It would freeze up on the spot. I shall not go on there!

Oooh! I'd love to see a picture of the gingerbread house that you and E made (since I feel partially responsible for it!). I love gingerbread houses. I am not good at making them, but I love seeing them as decorations. I didn't know that Trader Joe's sold kits! There is a new TJ's that opened up in my area (across the street from Whole Foods, basically) and I have yet to go into it.

Then again, there is also a Dylan's Candy Bar that opened up at Farmers Market this year, and a Sprinkles Cupcakes that opened up at The Grove (See's Candies is coming in 2013!) last month - and I have successfully avoided both of those new places as well, which is a good thing!

I chuckled at the "flower-in-front-of-things pictures" description, because it is so basic, and yet so fitting!

I must confess that - although I was not going to reveal which pictures are my favorites just yet - the "flower-in-front-of-things" photos are something that I have been fine tuning and practicing for quite a while now, so I am very glad that someone (you) mentioned them and noticed them!

I've taken a lot of flower pictures in my neighborhood over the years, but have only begun to try to master the whole depth of field aspect this year. I like to practice with flower photos because flowers are colorful subjects, and they often sway in the breeze which can be tricky when you want to get a clear shot. Some flower photos are hits and some are misses. It's not so easy to really perfect the depth of field with a point and shoot because there is only so much you can do with a point and shoot, but to give any photos (of flowers or otherwise) more dimension and personality it is a helpful thing to try to do. With a DSLR you can have more control over your photos by adjusting settings.



So, just to kind of stray from the December-TR-in-progress for a moment and indulge in some "Totally Amateur Photography 101" stuff, I will say that I have had some success and failure with practicing the "flower-in-front-of-things pictures."

This picture from Disneyland, October 2011, was pretty successful as far as dimension, although I could have picked a much better backdrop for these flowers to be "in front of"!

This photo from Catalina Island, July 2012, was perfect in terms of what I wanted to accomplish - good dimension and decent depth; the background is exactly what I was going for, with the iconic Casino peeking through in the distance; the swaying, wispy flowers kind of mimicked and blended in with the swaying, wispy palm trees:

This one (from my neighborhood - taken in May of 2012) is perfect for what I wanted - good depth and rich color:

And this one from my holiday DLR trip just last week is actually pretty good in terms of the depth/dimension, and the contrast of the red against the pale blue of the fountain, the yellow and the green of the trees is interesting:

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On the flip side, these flower efforts below were not as successful - sure, they are all very pretty, but as you can see there is no dimension or depth.

May 2012 - my neighborhood:

La Brea Tar Pits/LACMA (in March or April of 2012, if I recall correctly):

This one from the December 2012 DLR trip has very little dimension:

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So forgive my wandering off of the beaten path there, but when Molly mentioned the "flower-in-front-of-things" photos, I was glad she noticed - because they are actually quite a bit more complex to pull off (successfully) than they may appear to be, and quite a bit of thought can go into them!

In case anyone thinks that the folks with the DSLR cameras are the only ones taking good photos or trying to take really good photos, please know that there are many of us out there on the DIS, with regular old point & shoots, who are trying to do the same thing - and sometimes we pull it off! I have seen tons of amazing P&S pictures from my DIS friends and from others (whose Trip Reports I have peeked in on)!

Of course, you can't beat the DSLR cameras for fireworks (like Bret's fantastic shots) and crisp, clear night scenes, so my hat's off to Bret, KCmike, I'm mikey and the other DSLR users out there for giving us so many of those wonderful shots too!

A nice day where you enter the GCH and get to see the giant Christmas tree in the Lobby where you got a lot of different pictures of the tree.

Nice pictures of the Gingerbread house at Storyteller's Cafe and White Water Snacks. The details of the Gingerbread house were just decorated with the figures and the lights.

Nice that you went to DCA during EMH and get a head start during your day. It did look busy at the GCH entrance to DCA.

Great pictures from DCA that morning and it was nice that the CM right by the LM ride was able to take a picture of you.

Very nice update at DCA.

Thank you, Bret!

The Little Mermaid queue looked so empty!

I wish I had been able to get a better look inside Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe to check for a gingerbread house. I think they had one - just not sure where.

It was a pretty good day on Day 1 even though I was so tired and wanted a nap.

The GCH entrance to DCA was very crowded - by the time you get into the park you have wasted time in the EMH.