Nothing to See Here...

[kaoden39]

Meh who cares if you annoy other people? Honestly? Do you think they care?

 

[tdashgirl]

Anyway, I'm glad to know that you got many of the same shots - great minds think alike!! I wonder if you were on the same side of the boat that I always end up on (the right-hand side)?

Did you get caught in that torrential downpour over the weekend at DLR? I thought of you because you probably got more 'sitting in the GCH lobby and enjoying the atmosphere' time than I got - which was none!! But a rainy day is a great day to do that!

We rode it 3 or 4 times I think - I ended up on different sides both times

I agree with you on the rain. I like the atmosphere at DLR more than running from ride to ride. So that weather was such a bummer for me! You can't control the weather though, so I was determined to make the best of it. We got rain gear on and muddled through it. We had a blast, but just a different kind of blast, you know? It was nice to show up at night and go on pretty much any ride, a max wait of 20 minutes for the headliner rides. But - no parade No fireworks No chance to see Fantasmic Very few characters out and no bands/outdoor entertainment And we didn't hit up Reindeer Roundup once - it was just too unpleasant to be uncovered for long So that's my bummer experience.

But - here's my awesome story that I know you will appreciate. We met up with some friends for the 4pm-something show of Aladdin in DCA. It was STORMING. Pouring wind blowing miserableness. Alladin was awesome as usual, love that the genie's jokes are different everytime. It was so awful when we got out of the theater that we decided to head to the GCH lobby. Grabbed seats by the fire and had hot cocoa, wine and great conversation with our friends and strangers alike. Then an entertainer named Kim came over and led us all in a Christmas singalong by the fire. He gently teased the teenagers in our party about their phones/texting, had our little ones performing Rudolph - it was just AWESOME. Warm fuzzies all around!!!! I turned to DH and we just marveled how that was one of the those "only at Disney" moments - you just don't get that anywhere else

 

[Sherry E]

Ooooooh! I am excited! There's a Rankin-Bass marathon on ABC Family today!!! Well, they periodically break from the clay puppets to show things like "Flintstones Christmas," but it's basically all about the clay puppets today!! Yay!!

My client just showed up to deliver his Christmas gift to me. He said that Barnes & Noble in The Grove is still having some phone trouble, though not as dire as mine, it sounds like. Some of their phone numbers are working, but not all of them. They have their calls being forwarded to a Borders Books phone number, though! My client also said that his client who lives in Santa Monica (about 15-20 minutes away from me) is without phone service, too!! Wow. AT&T must be in bad shape. I don't know what happened but it sounds like it's a disaster because you know they are getting besieged with calls.

I will be surprise Sherry that you don't take advantage of MM on Tuesday. I know that some people that do stay on-site can't do MM first thing in the morning since some people are not early birds. Than some people like me who like to enjoy a nice empty park first thing in the morning.

Just like you Sherry, when I got back from WDW I am starting to miss DL more than WDW. I would like to go back to DL to see the Holiday decorations but this is the worst time to go and I have never been there during the month of January during the off-season. I thought it would be nice to go to DL when it is not crowded.

Bret - Let's just say that whoever it was who said it's a good idea to take advantage of the MM early in your trip, even if you have multiple MM's - was it Jazz who said it? Can't recall? - is spot on!! That's a very good tip. I am an early riser, so the actual waking up at an early hour is not a problem for me. But I encountered other problems along the way...but I must not jump ahead! We're still on Day 1!! Still, though, you're right - that nice, empty park cannot be beat. You can see so much of the park when there aren't thousands of people in the way.

I bet you will run into really low crowds during your January trip. I think that IASWH may even still be running through January, while they remove the rest of the holiday stuff everywhere else. So you may even get to see that again.

Meh who cares if you annoy other people? Honestly? Do you think they care?

Michele - No. I don't think anyone cares if we are being silly and goofy at DLR. I don't even think we're that annoying. As long as we don't get in anyone's way and bother them, and as long as we are having fun, that's all that counts! I see way more annoying people at DLR than us!!

We rode it 3 or 4 times I think - I ended up on different sides both times

I agree with you on the rain. I like the atmosphere at DLR more than running from ride to ride. So that weather was such a bummer for me! You can't control the weather though, so I was determined to make the best of it. We got rain gear on and muddled through it. We had a blast, but just a different kind of blast, you know? It was nice to show up at night and go on pretty much any ride, a max wait of 20 minutes for the headliner rides. But - no parade No fireworks No chance to see Fantasmic Very few characters out and no bands/outdoor entertainment And we didn't hit up Reindeer Roundup once - it was just too unpleasant to be uncovered for long So that's my bummer experience.

But - here's my awesome story that I know you will appreciate. We met up with some friends for the 4pm-something show of Aladdin in DCA. It was STORMING. Pouring wind blowing miserableness. Alladin was awesome as usual, love that the genie's jokes are different everytime. It was so awful when we got out of the theater that we decided to head to the GCH lobby. Grabbed seats by the fire and had hot cocoa, wine and great conversation with our friends and strangers alike. Then an entertainer named Kim came over and led us all in a Christmas singalong by the fire. He gently teased the teenagers in our party about their phones/texting, had our little ones performing Rudolph - it was just AWESOME. Warm fuzzies all around!!!! I turned to DH and we just marveled how that was one of the those "only at Disney" moments - you just don't get that anywhere else

tdash - I know what you mean. I would be really bummed if it monsooned on my head for my entire trip - or most of it - but if I was already at DLR when it started and had no chance to cancel the trip beforehand, I would just have to adjust my plans and find other things to do. I would have to reset my whole way of thinking and figure out other activities I could do while there that would keep me dry.

I've read about people getting on IASWH and sitting in a lot of water during the storms of the last week. That does not sound fun. In fact, I was posting on Facebook while I was at DLR that my friend and I had "SBS" - Soggy Butt Syndrome - because we sat in lots of water on POTC. Shawn was not happy! So I know that sitting in all that rain water on IASWH would not be to her liking at all! But the good thing is that, even though the massive rain would put a damper on certain appreciation of details and photo-taking, there are quite a few things to do indoors. Sure, it won't be the same as cramming in 30 rides in a day or whatever, but it's all about reconfiguring the plans!

Oh wow - I just got the warm fuzzies when reading your GCH story!! I definitely appreciate it! See, that's exactly the sort of thing we are talking about in the Christmas threads when we tell people that the GCH is a fun thing to do to enjoy the atmosphere and holiday festivities. Well, maybe I yap about it more than I should and more than anyone else does - to the point where soon there won't be any place to sit in the GCH because too many other people are enjoying the atmosphere too! I must learn to keep my big mouth shut and not tell so many people to go sit in the GCH lobby!!

But what you described is precisely the sort of GCH lobby/hearth experience that can be had there. Even though I love the other hotels - I loved my PPH stay - there is a certain 'something' like what happened in your family's case that can only be experienced at the GCH, I feel. You might get other kinds of Disney moments in the DLH or the PPH, but not like that one.

And that's what I have witnessed, too - families sitting by the fire, listening to the guitarist. People singing. People chatting with the pianist and making requests. People lounging on the sofas or on the carpet with drinks in hand while the carolers perform. Friends and strangers chatting amongst each other. Families laughing and smiling as they try to get the perfect photo by the GCH tree. Santa joking with the adult females who pose with him and asking them not to tell Mrs. Claus. It's just pleasant. It's a nice break from the madness of fighting the crowds to get on this ride or that ride, or trying to claw your way through the mobs waiting for the parade to get to ToonTown. It's a nice, mellow, relaxed and yet charming way to really have a good holiday experience!

And it makes me so mad that I skipped my 'GCH sitting time' on this last trip! I certainly walked back and forth through the GCH repeatedly, but I cannot believe I didn't allow myself time to do one of my favorite things!!! Shame on me! I should be banned from the GCH Sitting Club!

 

[kaoden39]

Oy haven't we all seen terribly annoying people? I thought you meant that it might annoy other people and I was thinking too bad if it did. But, I was packaging it nicely or I thought. I'm sorry if you thought I meant you were annoying. I think it looks like you have fun.

 

[Sherry E]

Oy haven't we all seen terribly annoying people? I thought you meant that it might annoy other people and I was thinking too bad if it did. But, I was packaging it nicely or I thought. I'm sorry if you thought I meant you were annoying. I think it looks like you have fun.

Oh, I knew what you meant!! We generally keep to ourselves and don't bother anyone, but even if we were annoying, I wouldn't feel bad because of all the other annoying people I have seen running around DLR! Oy is right!

Speaking of annoying, I had forgotten how tedious and frustrating it can be to edit PhotoPass photos! Normally I wouldn't even be dealing with my PhotoPass photos until well after my TR was done and all of my own photos had been posted. But some of these PhotoPass pictures were taken in November, and I am including the December ones on the same CD, so I have a limited window of time in which I can edit them before I have to order something. Then, on top of that, PhotoPass is offering a $15 discount on the CD if you order by Sunday, 12/26...which means I have from now until Sunday to edit the photos and order the CD using the $15 discount. Otherwise, I have to pay full price. I didn't get as many photos this time as I sometimes do, so I really want that discount if I can get it!!

So I am trying to multitask, which I am inherently not good at doing. Some folks can multitask with ease. Not me. I need to focus on one thing at a time in order to do it well. But I have no choice due to time constraints! I have to do a little PhotoPass editing, come here and do a little TR writing and photo-posting, go back and pick my photos for the free Snapfish calendar, clean up around the house a little.... It's turning out to be a very busy day!

 

[kaoden39]

Oh I am glad that you didn't misunderstand. I thought maybe you had misunderstood me.

The photopass pictures are tough because they do have that expiration time. I wish you luck on that.

 

[TheColtonsMom]

So I am trying to multitask, which I am inherently not good at doing. Some folks can multitask with ease. Not me. I need to focus on one thing at a time in order to do it well. But I have no choice due to time constraints! I have to do a little PhotoPass editing, come here and do a little TR writing and photo-posting, go back and pick my photos for the free Snapfish calendar, clean up around the house a little.... It's turning out to be a very busy day!

And don't forget with all that to do the Rankin/Bass specials are today on too!
I know they keep distracting me.

 

[tdashgirl]

And that's what I have witnessed, too - families sitting by the fire, listening to the guitarist. People singing. People chatting with the pianist and making requests. People lounging on the sofas or on the carpet with drinks in hand while the carolers perform. Friends and strangers chatting amongst each other. Families laughing and smiling as they try to get the perfect photo by the GCH tree. Santa joking with the adult females who pose with him and asking them not to tell Mrs. Claus. It's just pleasant. It's a nice break from the madness of fighting the crowds to get on this ride or that ride, or trying to claw your way through the mobs waiting for the parade to get to ToonTown. It's a nice, mellow, relaxed and yet charming way to really have a good holiday experience!

LOVE this description! Captures the GCH lobby perfectly.

 

[Sherry E]

Okay, I don't have the patience to deal with PhotoPass right now, for some reason. I feel the need to get back to my Trip Report!! So...

Day 1 - December 12, 2010 - Part Six​

When last we left my TR, Shawn and I had done the MM at DL, finished a filling meal at Goofy's Kitchen, stopped in DTD so I could take a picture of a big, pink, feathered Christmas tree and were now en route to California Adventure...with the intention of heading to Toy Story Midway Mania before the masses got to it.

But first, we stopped to have some final photos taken in front of the Golden Gate Bridge, done up holiday-style. RIP, Golden Gate Bridge (after January 4th, that is).

Our PhotoPass photographer was really nice. We chatted for a bit about the upcoming plans for DCA and how different it would look. When we were saying goodbye to her, I said, "Happy holidays."

That's when a snarky guy who was waiting his turn for the Golden Gate Bridge shot defiantly muttered, "Merry Christmas!" I guess he is one of those people who resents the term "Happy Holidays" and feels that we should all be saying "Merry Christmas." The thing is, even though I may celebrate Christmas and you may celebrate Christmas, that does not mean that everyone else around us does too, and they may not appreciate the Christmas reference...so I usually do not force it on anyone.

And, correct me if I am wrong but the "holiday season," as we all know it, extends from Thanksgiving through New Year's, right? So, by that rule, is it incorrect or inappropriate to say "Happy holidays"? I think not. Happy Holidays can encompass all the holidays rolled into one! It's an all-purpose greeting!

I hate when people try to get overly preachy about what to say for the holidays. If you say "Merry Christmas," someone will resent that you didn't say "Happy Holidays" (or, worse yet, "Season's Greetings"). If you say "Happy Holidays," then someone will emerge from the shadows and tell you that it should be "Merry Christmas," like that guy waiting for his GGB photo!

You can't please everyone all the time, I guess.


At this point it was very, very hot (almost 90 degrees), and the line for TSMM had grown quickly in the time we were posing in front of the Bridge. It was stretching out past the carousel and beyond. But it looked like it was moving kind of quickly, sort of, and let's face it - it was not going to get any shorter during the day. It was now or never.

It's odd how closing a ride for over a month will have people flocking to it as if it is brand new when it reopens. Nothing was really different about it. The 'new' game in the ride hardly seemed new. Prior to closing TSMM in late August for the refurbishment, the line had 'dwindled' (ha ha!!) down to a measly 30 or 40 minutes. When it reopened in mid-October, people were reporting lines of one hour or more!

But - and I don't say this about many rides, nor does Shawn - it is a ride that is worth standing in line for. I know many people disagree and feel that TSMM is highly overrated, but for us, it brings great joy to ride it!! Yes, Shawn always beats me by a longshot. Yes, my forearm is always aching after the ride is over. Yes, the line is hideously long. But it is entertaining enough that we love riding it. Shawn doesn't have a lot of patience for long lines. She will only get in a long line if it is moving fast (like on Pirates) or if the ride is worth it. You will not, for example, find us waiting in a 45-minute line to ride Mr. Toad or Pinocchio. But we will get in a 45-minute line for Toy Story!


So, predictably, this was the outcome (even though I am more accurate than Shawn is - ha ha!):

Yes, I lost to Shawn, as always. The only person I can seem to beat is Jackie, and she was not there on this trip. Oh, and I also beat a single rider once - that was fun. This was not my best score ever, thankfully. I have had better scores than this, but seeing that I had been away from this ride for 12 months, I did better than I expected to. Never mind the fact that my arm was burning after the ride ended!!

I should also point out that at least I can see progress in my scores on TSMM, when I ride it several times in one trip. That is FAR from the case on Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, however. I don't know why I continue to ride BLAB, as my scores keep getting lower. I think it is a conspiracy by the Evil Zurg to keep me from getting a higher score. I like BLAB, but I just cannot master the hand-eye coordination necessary to hit those targets!!


I think a lot of people pass right by this area on their way out of TSMM and never look at it:

Just in case you forgot where we were....

Now I am in the mindset that I have to look everywhere - at every surface, in every corner - when I am at DLR, just to see if there are any hidden gems or details to be found. You really have to look up, sideways, around, under, behind and down:

We decided to head to Blue Sky Cellar to look at the various plans and models of what's to come at DCA.


But, on the way, we noticed this guy:

Shawn had to be briefed as to who Duffy is, but I suspect she was not alone, as there is actually a sign or two in the area that tells you the back story of Duffy. I imagine that many people are wandering by, saying, "Who the [heck] is that?" You wouldn't find that same back story for, say, Pooh or Tigger! Duffy needs to be introduced to the public and let them get acquainted with him.

I pointed out Duffy's feet and face so Shawn could see the familiar outline of the Mouse we all know and love. She nodded. "Oh, okay."

I think Duffy met with Shawn's approval. I mean, I don't think she will be joining any Duffy fan clubs any time soon - her heart still belongs to Baloo and Piglet - but she is willing to accept a new face and get in a photo.

She even wore this on her backpack the rest of the day:

We arrived at Blue Sky Cellar, and saw the model of what the Little Mermaid ride & ride vehicles will look like:

And what the street cars in DCA will look like:

Duffy is a bear who gets around:

The man who started it all:

I was looking at the carpet for Hidden Mickeys, but really all I found were hidden grapes!

I really think that, much like the Animation Building, the Blue Sky Cellar is a nice little gem in DCA. It’s a nice place to go in and rest, and take a look at all the exciting plans for that park. You can even watch a little short film about the changes to come. And, in typical Disney fashion, they put enough cute things and interesting details in there to keep people interested (it would be boring if you were just looking at blueprints, for example).



We decided to make our way over to Soarin’. Shawn still has trouble keeping her eyes open on that ride. If I haven’t been on it in a while, I have to squint a bit at certain parts, but, really, I have gotten used to it and I find it to be quite exhilarating. I thoroughly enjoy it, and I think I will be kind of sad when they change the film to Soarin’ Over the World. I can see it now…we’ll probably be soarin’ over the Eiffel Tower…the Taj Mahal…Big Ben….the Empire State Building…the Rain Forest…a volcano somewhere…. The possibilities will be endless. But I really like the California footage.

I didn’t get any photos while waiting for Soarin’. It was too hot in the queue outside and by the time we got inside, I wasn’t thinking about photos. It was way too hot to be December!!


After Soarin,’ we went straight to Monsters, Inc. I was sad to not see the usual Christmas decorations in the Hollywood Backlot area. DCA is not up to the level of DL in terms of decorations to begin with, so to remove decorations from one of the few areas in DCA that had some cool stuff was a mistake, in my opinion. I know people disagree with me, but I could not care less about ElecTRONica, and I would rather see the Christmas garland bells and candy canes in the Backlot, as well as the wreaths held by the Elephants at the entrance.

Roz singled me out when she saw I was taking her photo, and in that gravelly Roz voice, she croaked, “Hey, you…the girl in the front row…if I knew I was gonna have my picture taken, I’d have done my hair!”

Having finished TSMM, Blue Sky Cellar, Soarin’ and Monsters, Inc., we could have either gone into the Animation Building at that point, perhaps waited for the next Aladdin showing, walked over to A Bug’s Land or gone back to the hotel for a break. I know it seems like it would be too early for a break, but a lot of time had passed, for some reason. Also, keep in mind that we had gotten a very early start and were tired, and we had already done several rides in DL in the morning. Lines were starting to get tremendously long everywhere. Plus, it was very, very hot.

So…we opted for a hotel break. I kind of wanted to continue on and do a few more things in either park, but at the same time, my leg was starting to hurt. The pain was slowly beginning to creep up on me. I felt it was a signal that it was time to rest.

And remember – this pain in my leg is all directly related to the untreated disc problem in my back, which has plagued me since 1995 and gotten worse in the last 5 years. I have to deal with some sort of pain every day, but sometimes it is quite mild and manageable, while other times it is debilitating. Sometimes it can be aggravated by simply standing in one place for too long (like at the sink, doing dishes, or at the stove, cooking). In those cases, if I keep walking it will usually get better. Sometimes it is aggravated by moving, and in those cases walking is the worst thing to do. Sometimes sitting is a big problem. So when the ol’ leg starts to act up, I know it’s time to do something to lessen the pain. I figured a rest at the PPH would be what the doctor ordered, and Shawn could rest for a while too.


Off to the PPH we went….

I just love this tree and the beautiful blue-green lights. It’s so pretty! And notice who is sitting atop the tree? Happy Mr. Sun, the unofficial mascot of the PPH, in my opinion:

It was nice to relax and get out of the sun. And it was even better to listen to the serenade of screams from Mickey’s Wheel of Death!



Next up…back to Disneyland, as I hobble, limp and drag my way through the Merriest Place on Earth.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Bret - Let's just say that whoever it was who said it's a good idea to take advantage of the MM early in your trip, even if you have multiple MM's - was it Jazz who said it? Can't recall? - is spot on!! That's a very good tip. I am an early riser, so the actual waking up at an early hour is not a problem for me. But I encountered other problems along the way...but I must not jump ahead! We're still on Day 1!! Still, though, you're right - that nice, empty park cannot be beat. You can see so much of the park when there aren't thousands of people in the way.

I bet you will run into really low crowds during your January trip. I think that IASWH may even still be running through January, while they remove the rest of the holiday stuff everywhere else. So you may even get to see that again.

I believe it was Jazz who said that, but I can't remember who said it on the threads. I am a person who does not like to stay at the park very late at night (like around 11 to midnight). Than I can go first thing in the morning since most of the guests won't show up until around 11am to noon. It is so nice to be in a park when you can take so many pictures without any people in the background.

When I look at touringplans.com for that weekend, it is low crowds that week and it should be enjoyable. I just checked the current refurbishments and attraction closures on mouseplanet and saw that IASW will be closed during my visit. It said that it will be closed from Jan 18-27.

I'm about to read part six of your TR.

 

[bumbershoot]

I said, "Happy holidays."

That's when a snarky guy who was waiting his turn for the Golden Gate Bridge shot defiantly muttered, "Merry Christmas!" I guess he is one of those people who resents the term "Happy Holidays" and feels that we should all be saying "Merry Christmas."

Yay for you!

I am one who says HH, because I doubt that most would appreciate "good yule" or "have a fabulous solstice!" And I HATE that some people think that HH is ONLY for those trying to be PC. Nope, it's to be *inclusive*. Saying just the one phrase is exclusive, but so many different groups of people have something to celebrate during this time period that I think it's nicer to be INclusive....

 

[Sherry E]

Day 1 - December 12, 2010 - Part Seven​

Freshly rested at the PPH and ready to finish up the last few rides that were important to us (meaning that these are the ones that we don’t miss under most circumstances, but there are certainly other rides we like in DLR that we will go on from time to time if the lines are not horrendous), we headed back into Disneyland.

And….my leg would not stop hurting. I thought it would simmer down some after resting in the PPH room, but it just kicked right in again as soon as I set foot on Main Street.


It took every ounce of Disney-loving spirit in me to smile through these pictures despite the fact that I was in so much pain and it felt like someone was sawing my leg off:

I had to muster up the stamina and strength and do what I tell other people to do when they are in pain for some reason or other and still have to walk – “Push through the pain!” Now if this pain had been at a ‘10’ on the 1 – 10 pain scale that doctors show you – and it has been that way before - I wouldn’t have been able to move. At all. Anywhere. But I was at about a 7, so I could get going a little…even though every step felt like a knife slicing me from my waist down to my calf.


You can tell I was in pain because my photo-taking decreased rapidly. We made our way to POTC, and I didn’t take a single photo of anything – not the queue, not the ride itself, nothing. The line for POTC was really long, and even though logically I knew it moved fast, it seemed like it would be an eternity of suffering for me.

When we got in the POTC boat, Shawn mentioned that the seat was wet. Well, we have certainly sat down on seats that had been splashed a little after one of the drops, so it was nothing new. I felt a little dampness, but not like what Shawn was describing. To hear her complaints, you’d have thought she plopped right down in the Mississippi River. I started laughing because her comments were funny. As we sailed past the Blue Bayou, Shawn was grumbling under her breath about having a wet butt. I couldn’t stop giggling.

And then, all of a sudden, whoosh! Down the first drop we go. As soon as the boat settled at the bottom of the hill, what seemed like a wave of water suddenly crept underneath us…and through our pants. I actually don’t think it was water that splashed in the boat after the drop. I think it was the same water that was already in the seat – it’s just that Shawn was sitting in the bulk of the puddle at first, and when we headed downward, the puddle jostled around and hit me.

Hence, SBS – Soggy Butt Syndrome. The thing is, Pirates is a long ride, as you know. So when you are sitting in water, it is certain that by the end of this long ride you will be soaked through. And that’s what happened! What could we do? It’s not like we could stand up in the boat and avoid getting soaked. We just had to sit there and accept our fate.

I was still laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. But Shawn’s demeanor changed drastically after this. She did not find the humor in having a totally soaked backside. And when I say soaked, I mean the water was dripping down our legs, under our pants, and into our socks when we finally got off the boat. She was not amused by the SBS.


We noticed that the line for Haunted Mansion Holiday was horrible, so we got Fast Passes and then made our way over to Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters.

It was in the BLAB line that I came to the conclusion that I could never have the patience to be a parent. I don’t know how some parents do it. I love kids, but when they are not being charming and enchanting, I don’t know anyone copes.

There was a family behind us. First of all, the dad in the group didn’t believe that the BLAB line actually began where it began, so his wife had to convince him otherwise. And then one of the sons in the group kept complaining about how the line was “so loooooooong.” He didn’t just say it once. He said it repeatedly. At that point, I was surprised that the family didn’t just get out of the line to pacify Junior. Poor kid was probably tired, but we didn’t need to keep hearing about how long the line was. We know it’s long. Welcome to Disneyland.

I tell ya…I don’t know how parents do it. I have seen some major meltdowns from kids in the middle of Disneyland, and the poor mom or dad has to try to calm them down and not draw all kinds of attention to themselves in the process. I feel for them.


I don’t think I have ever noticed these Saturn-shaped light fixtures in the BLAB queue before – gotta love the details!! Deejdigsdis, did you get this one?:

And, predictably, this was the outcome (I told you, I am horrible at BLAB as a game – my score only gets worse over time!):

Since we still had a while before our Fast Pass window came up for Haunted Mansion Holiday, we decided to take a nighttime Jungle Cruise. No photos of this. There was no line – it was so empty that we – and the people right behind us – didn’t even think it was running!

Jazz made the observation in her TR that Jungle Cruise is better at night for several reasons, and she is right! Not only does everything look more interesting in the dark on that ride, but I would imagine that, for those one or two folks who have never been on it to know what happens, the dark might provide an element of ‘suspense.’ I also found the skipper’s humor to be a lot funnier than I find the daytime skippers’ jokes to be. Sometimes, I can barely listen to them because the jokes are SO bad and un-funny. Every now and then, you will get a skipper who can tell a joke and deliver a line with the proper comedic timing. And that’s what we got!

From there, we went on the Pooh ride, although I have no photographic proof of this so you will just have to take my word for it. Oh, and there was no line at all, even though it was tremendously crowded in the park.

Remember the good ol’ days, when the Pooh ride was still new, and the line was ridiculously long? It’s hard to conjure up that visual in my mind and then reconcile it with the non-line I see today. Not that I’m unhappy about the lack of a line for Pooh. I guess it just surprises me because it’s such a cute ride and the other ‘kids’ rides’ are very popular. The dark rides in Fantasyland still have long lines. I’m not sure what it is about Pooh and his friends that has gotten ‘old’ for people.

Then again, now that I think of it, the Monsters, Inc. ride had no line at all, either. And I think that’s a really cute ride, too! I used to attribute Monsters, Inc.’s short lines to its location, and the fact that a lot of folks may not even realize it’s there because of where it is situated in the park. It’s kind of tucked away in DCA, and not right in the line of fire. I bet lots of folks don’t go back to that area to ride it. It looks like there is nothing much back there, so they don’t even bother, whereas the Paradise Pier area looks like it has lots of stuff happening so people are attracted to it.

If Monsters, Inc. were located in Disneyland instead of DCA, and in a more visible spot, I wonder if it would have huge lines? And if the Pooh ride were located in Fantasyland instead of Critter Country, would it have huge lines? Something to ponder….



Well, after seeing Pirates, Little Green Men, Heffalumps and killer piranha, we still had some time to kill in DL before heading over to HMH.



I poked my head in New Orleans Square:

Yes, NOS is still pretty but it’s just not what it was with the light canopy. That light canopy added so much to the whole look of NOS. Even Shawn noticed that it was missing and that the whole ‘illumination’ aspect of NOS was gone. There was a certain elegant and decadent look to the strands of dangling lights handing overhead. It was really eye-catching.

After Haunted Mansion (and I still did not smell much in the way of gingerbread during the ballroom scene, nor did Shawn), we headed to Main Street.

Somewhere along the line, Shawn lost a $20 bill in DL. It’s funny because, when the day started and I found my quarter, Shawn made some sort of comment about how it was a sign that it would be a good day. Who knew that, hours later, she would lose money somewhere in Disneyland?

Between the soggy butt and the lost $20, I think Shawn was ready to call it a night soon. She wanted to come back to the PPH to see how much of World of Color we would actually be able to view, but I think she was done with the park for the day. And my leg was still bothering me, so I wasn’t opposed to heading back to the PPH either. I may have even wanted to head back sooner than Shawn did! I did suggest waiting for the snow on Main Street, but Shawn wasn’t having any of that, so we skipped it.

Random crowd shot on Main Street:

Winter Sweater Patrol Goofy was signing autographs:

And…we caught the carolers in the hallway of the GCH while taking the short cut back to the PPH – but this was a different set of carolers from the ones we saw by the GCH tree when we passed through there earlier in the day – this hallway group was the same group I saw on my local morning news today:

They were leading the guests in a ‘sing-off’ of “Deck the Halls.” They divided them into 2 groups. One group would have to sing the “fa la la la la…la la la la” part, and then the second group would have to sing their “fa la la’s” as well. The point was to see who was the loudest group.

The funny thing was that Shawn had just said something about sitting in the lobby to see if we could catch the carolers. But when we stumbled upon this group in the hallway, she blew past them and kept on walking!!! LOL! She did not stop to sing a single note. Not a “fa” nor a “la.” Maybe they had to actually be by the tree for her to give them the time of day!!

So I snapped this shot as we sped past them, turning around every so often to see if I could tell which group was winning the sing-off!!

I must admit that the setting by the GCH tree is much, much better to enjoy the entertainment. It is much nicer to sit in a comfy chair and watch the performers than it is to stand there and do it after a long, tiring day. But maybe the GCH folks figure that it is a big hotel and they need carolers on the scene, covering every angle. They have to entertain the cranky guests who are exhausted and taking the short cut as well as the ones who are relaxing by the tree, I suppose!!



So we made it back to the Paradise Pier in one piece and watched the end of “Amazing Race,” as well as waited for World of Color to begin. We could see the water and the colors in WoC quite well, of course, and we could even hear the music, but we couldn’t see the projections on the water screens. So we could tell when the “Little Mermaid” sequence came up because we saw what looked like the underwater effect and a blue color, and we could hear “Part of Your World.” But we couldn’t actually see the images.

Shawn left at 10 p.m. and drove home. She didn’t get the day off work the following day (Monday), and she needed to get home and go to sleep. She lives just a few minutes away. In a way, I was sad to see her go, because knowing how “interesting” she can be, I never know if I will see her again in another 10 months (for Halloween Time), 12 months (for the holidays) or 24 months!! She did mention that she was thinking of getting an Annual Pass. And she even said that we should book a hotel room NOW for next December and have it all paid off by that time. She said she would split the cost with me. …Which would be great, but…honestly, as much as I’d like to get excited at the thought of her being interested in going to DLR again next December, I have learned my lesson and I know all too well that I cannot count on her ‘mood’ to stay the same. I’ve heard it before. What she said on December 12 may not be what she says on February 12 or June 12. I just cannot rely on her still wanting to go – I wish I could.

While I was sad to see Shawn go, I was also exhausted and in pain – pain from the leg problem and the regular, overall, ‘I’ve-been-walking-around-Disneyland-all-day’ pain. Eh…nothing that some pills, a good night’s sleep and a hot shower in the morning couldn’t fix.

I also decided that I was not going to push myself to get up super early in the morning, even though I felt like I should get up at the crack of dawn. It’s not that I can’t wake up early, but given the terrible pain I was in - I didn’t want to push it. So I was going to see how I felt the next morning, and if it seemed like I needed more rest, I would take it. Heck, it was my vacation! I didn’t have anyone to answer to and I could do what I wanted, on my own schedule!!

I was also mildly excited to take on the next day – the first of my 2 solo days – to see what I could drum up picture-wise.

But I needed to get some rest. I took a whole lotta Motrin (probably more than any human should take), got ready for bed, crawled under the covers and passed out, praying that I would not be in pain the next day. Zzzzzzzzzzzzz……….

And I must say – having the room all to myself made for a much better sleep because there was no one to wake me up, and I didn’t wake anyone else up. I turned out the lights and could still hear the screams from the Wheel of Death…but that’s not a bad sound to fall asleep to!




Next up, Day 2 (at long last) - Let the Quests BEGIN!!!! My first ever entirely solo day at DLR will include the breakfast of champions, many, many photos, getting all up in the Round-Up, a molten pie, and this view:

(^^Not a bad way to wake up, I’d say!!)

What photos shall I take when left to my own devices? Tune in and see!!

 

[Belle Ella]

Jazz made the observation in her TR that Jungle Cruise is better at night for several reasons, and she is right! Not only does everything look more interesting in the dark on that ride, but I would imagine that, for those one or two folks who have never been on it to know what happens, the dark might provide an element of ‘suspense.’ I also found the skipper’s humor to be a lot funnier than I find the daytime skippers’ jokes to be. Sometimes, I can barely listen to them because the jokes are SO bad and un-funny. Every now and then, you will get a skipper who can tell a joke and deliver a line with the proper comedic timing. And that’s what we got!

I'm so glad you got to enjoy the JC at night! I haven't been let down once after it gets dark.

I haven't had much time to do real commenting Sherry, but I am still here, reading and loving every minute!

 

[Sherry E]

I'm so glad you got to enjoy the JC at night! I haven't been let down once after it gets dark.

I haven't had much time to do real commenting Sherry, but I am still here, reading and loving every minute!

Yay! You're still here! I think I've been on JC at night in the past here and there, but it was prominent on my mind this time because you had just commented on it and I made a mental note.

I was asking Bret earlier if you were the one who had mentioned that it's better to do a Magic Morning at the beginning of one's trip rather than later on. Was that you or were you just agreeing with whomever it was who came up with that tip? Or did you not comment on that one way or the other and I am just losing my mind? I seem to recall your comments on that. In any case, I agree! I think everyone has more oomph in them to do the MM early on in a trip than a few days in.

 

[kaoden39]

Hi there!! Salutations!! And Happy Holidays!! I have always said Happy Holidays. I think of it as a way of covering the whole season. There are so many holidays over these months that it is inclusive as Molly said.

I am truly enjoying your trip report. I am sorry about the pain, I know how pain can make a trip kind of unbearable.

 

[TheColtonsMom]

I'm so glad you got to enjoy the JC at night! I haven't been let down once after it gets dark.

I haven't had much time to do real commenting Sherry, but I am still here, reading and loving every minute!

Ever since Jazz mentioned it this has been on my LIST. Glad to hear you liked it too. Just can't decide if Colton's first Jungle Cruise should be day or night? Any opinions from the two of you that have done it at night?

 

[Sherry E]

Thank you, Michele! I'm glad you're still with me! And thank you, too, Bret, Molly and Tania, for following along. Jazz comes and goes!!

I have a hunch that a few of my other readers (amamax2, deejdigsdis, funatdisney, mariezp) are celebrating the holiday today, and I know Sherri is now at Disneyland, so I am torn as to whether or not to continue with the TR today. On the one hand I think that I should do it, while I am in the mood to do it. As anyone who has done a long TR knows, sometimes you just have those days where you don't even feel like looking at your TR, let alone adding to it. I feel like I am good for another few installments before I burn out. And the thing is, if I don't keep adding to the TR now, the more time that passes, my memory will fade on certain details (like I won't recall where I got certain photos).

But it's going to be a long one. I was just looking at my Photobucket account and I realized that I teased the "breakfast of champions," a molten pie and the Round-Up as coming up in the next installment, when, in actuality, the next installment won't have any of those things! I lied. I'm not even sure if the installment after the next one will have those things yet - that's how many photos I took! I had forgotten that I took as many photos as I did before even getting into Disneyland on Day 2.

I am still pulling photos from album #1 on Photobucket, but I have 6 more albums to go after I am done with #1!! (Yes, I had to create 7 Photobucket albums for only 4 days in DLR, with most of the photos being taken over the first 3 days!! Can you imagine how many Photobucket albums I would have if I had stayed 2+ weeks, as Mariezp recently did? I would probably crash the whole Photobucket system!)

So I'm thinking that now that the 'Shawn portion' of my TR is over with, there will be fewer narratives for everyone to have to read through, and more straight photo-posting. Most of the amusing anecdotes (i.e., Soggy Butt Syndrome, getting lost in Downtown L.A., crawling under another person's vehicle to retrieve a prized hair clip, etc.) involved her. And I've already told you all about the fiasco with the PPH and my PayPal card after I returned home.

And, really, when you think about it, there won't be much to say in most cases from here on out other than, "I walked around and took tons of photos." Unless there is something specific I have to explain or expand upon, I will probably just start posting a wave of photos. There is one thing from Day 2 that I will have to explain, which will be coming up, but it won't be in the next couple of installments. There might be a few more explanations here and there, but I think most of the chatter from me will be reduced considerably and more photos will take its place.





One thing I will explain now is that I realized, after the fact, that because there were CM parties in DL on Day 2 and Day 3 of my DLR trip, on those days I must have felt compelled to stay inside Disneyland and try to get as many photos as I could, because I knew the park would be closing at 6 p.m. I had to hit the Round-Up. I had to go to ToonTown. I had to go to New Orleans Square. I had to spend some time right around IASWH. Between all those photo tasks in Disneyland and my exploration of all 3 DLR hotels, there was no time left!

This directly impacted my visits to DCA. And that's really unfortunate because I had purposely planned to spend more time in DCA on this trip and try to find whatever traces of the holidays I could scrounge up, in the midst of all the construction. And yet, I was unconsciously feeling pressured to stay inside DL to catch whatever I wanted to catch on camera, thus limiting my time to go into DCA.

Only on my last day - Day 4 - did I even begin to take photos in DCA. And I barely got any. But Liza (funatdisney) was kindly coming to meet me and take me home that day, so my photo-taking pretty much stopped at that point. Oh I know she would not have minded if I decided to take tons of photos while she was there. That's not the issue. Shawn wouldn't mind if I did that either. It's just that I, personally, cannot focus or concentrate on taking photos of 'details' around DLR when I have another person with me - it doesn't matter who the person is. I just cannot do it. I can't get on a 'roll' unless I am by myself. I can't go at my own pace - fast or slow - and stop whenever and wherever I want to stop to snap some shots, without having to make anyone else stop along with me.

Also, I was pretty exhausted by Day 4 - which I knew I would be. The only way I could have really gotten into DCA and taken tons of photos would have been if I still had the hotel room to rest in mid-day, and could kind of leisurely go at my own pace in DCA.

I tell you - it all boils down to the fact that I think I needed at least another full day of solo time. Probably even two more full days. Another full day for DCA pictures, and then a final day to catch any odds and ends that I missed on the previous days!




So...I hope everyone is having a wonderful day today, celebrating however you celebrate with your loved ones (or by yourself). I have a few things to take care of 'round here, and I will be back with some pictures for ya from Day 2!!

 

[Belle Ella]

Merry Christmas Sherry!!

Yay! You're still here! I think I've been on JC at night in the past here and there, but it was prominent on my mind this time because you had just commented on it and I made a mental note.

I was asking Bret earlier if you were the one who had mentioned that it's better to do a Magic Morning at the beginning of one's trip rather than later on. Was that you or were you just agreeing with whomever it was who came up with that tip? Or did you not comment on that one way or the other and I am just losing my mind? I seem to recall your comments on that. In any case, I agree! I think everyone has more oomph in them to do the MM early on in a trip than a few days in.

I'm not too easy to get rid of, lol

Um, I'm not sure if it was me. My MM strategy is to always go on a Saturday if it's available whether it's your first day or last day. It's usually the earliest opening time with a MM so I feel like there are less people there than a Sunday, Tuesday or Thursday and because it's a weekend it's usually more crowded after opening so it helps me feel like I got a lot done on that day. If that makes any sense. It I'm not there on a Saturday I prefer to use it the first day so that I don't accidentally sleep in on my last day and miss it altogether.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Um, I'm not sure if it was me. My MM strategy is to always go on a Saturday if it's available whether it's your first day or last day. It's usually the earliest opening time with a MM so I feel like there are less people there than a Sunday, Tuesday or Thursday and because it's a weekend it's usually more crowded after opening so it helps me feel like I got a lot done on that day. If that makes any sense. It I'm not there on a Saturday I prefer to use it the first day so that I don't accidentally sleep in on my last day and miss it altogether.

Like you said Jazz if you only have one MM, I would choose the weekends since the park regular hours start at 8am and I would definitely go in the park at 7am if I have a MM. But if you are staying on-site, the extra hour does make a big difference if you want to go on specific rides. I thought that we should do MM for the first day in the morning since we will be tired later during the trip.

 

[deejdigsdis]

Merry Christmas Sherry!

I see I have a lot of catching up to do. It will have to wait, though. I just turned the computer on specifically to pop in here and wish you a Merry Christmas and to tell you that my husband gave me "The Year Without A Santa Claus" for Christmas! Guess he figured that if I'm going to have to pay a $2 late fee to the library we might as well own it to keep that unnecessary fee from happening again.

OK, off to pop a ham in the oven...