Nothing to See Here...

[Sherry E]

Day 3 – December 14, 2010 – Part Fifteen​

Of course, on my way to ToonTown, I took the time to revisit the wreaths and the surrounding area of It’s a Small World Holiday, which I had only gotten a couple of photos of two days earlier when Shawn and I did the Magic Morning hour. For some reason, in all my years of going on this ride (and I remember first riding this version of it back in 2000), I’ve gotten very few photos of the area around IASWH or even around regular ol’ non-holiday IASW, for that matter.

I wanted to remedy that this time and get alllll of the wreaths. Again, you never know when sneaky Disney is going to suddenly remove bits of their holiday décor (we’ve already seen little things here and there disappear). I could end up at DLR again later this year – in December – saying to myself, “What happened to all the wreaths?” I already told you guys somewhere earlier in this TR that, as far I know, I didn’t see any Mickey-shaped lamppost/signpost wreaths like in the past. I saw the ones hanging over Main Street, but I didn’t see the ones that are usually on the posts back in ToonTown (which used to be on Main Street). I have no clue where those wreaths have disappeared to, but I didn’t see them. They used to be very prominent.

Next stop – ToonTown (at last!)!!! Finally, my long-delayed chance to thoroughly get in and explore ToonTown’s holiday offerings (which was abruptly aborted in December 2008 when my ancient camera died!).

 

[funatdisney]

Really I am just being ridiculous. I cannot believe how sad it has made me and I keep telling myself to get over it...after all, we have been many times and are so lucky to go so often. Some people save for years and have much worse things happen to cancel it. Look at all the pitfalls that have been put in your way. We can break it up into two different trips; we can make a day trip to DL. So this is just stupid that it is affecting me this way. I feel like I am being the most spoiled brat ever. But I think it is the circumstances and the knowledge that we won't be back for a while after this Spring.

Ok Pity Party OVER!!!! But thanks, everyone, for indulging me...it feels good to just get it out.

Guess that wasn't so short, huh?

amamax2, it is great that you can put things into perspective, but when it comes to a Disneyland enthusiast and a canceled trip (for whatever the reason) to DLR, it can really wreck your day. You certainly have folks here that completely understand how you are feeling. Happy to be a sounding board for a fellow Disneyland admirer.

 

[kaoden39]

I love watching Bert and Mary. They always put a smile on my face. I can understand the surly CMs, I think I might be surly if I was a crown control CM.

 

[TheColtonsMom]

(By the way, do you agree that the 3 DLH towers' trees are the least interesting trees of the 3 hotels' main trees? I don't know what it is - they are just kind of lackluster compared to the GCH and the PPH, I think.)

I agree...you could find trees as nice in someones living room or a local storefront. I was disappointed in these too. My favorite tree was PPH those blue and green lights are beautiful in person! Like you I wish they photographed better. We have been searching after christmas sales for single color lights as I think next years home tree should be the blue & green light scheme. We found blue but not green.

But...I do also have to agree that the Santa photo spot is gorgeous - my favorite of all three! And I do wish I had made it there. I can see why they rope it off in between, but it is a shame as it is so pretty and perfect for those holiday photos. Too bad they can't just have a CM "keep an eye on it" during the times Santa is not there so people could take pictures.

For those that are local and can pop by the DLR the week after Christmas when Santa has gone for the season (I really think he should come back until the DL "holidays" are over so kids can say thank yous) the place he occupied is still there and we did get a couple of pics of Colton in that chair while waiting for Goofy's. Wish there had been a Photopass photographer there to snap a family pic though. I was obviously not the only one who wanted a pic or two there, as we did wait in line to take these photos.

AmamaX2 sorry about your trip don't you hate when clients "mess up" family plans? Because we own our own business this happens to us too. We have to work when the work is there. Our Christmas trip was pretty "safe" as this was our slow season but the October trip scares me a bit as it is near the busy summer season and we will schedule around our trip any small thing that comes up but if something big comes up it may be Colton & I going without Dad or cancelling it all together if we don't have enough staff to cover without me too.

Sherry I thouroughly enjoyed the Mary & Bert pics. I have had encounters with them throughout my life and they are always fun. I wish we had seen them this last trip as even though this is not a traditional "boy" movie it has been one of Colton's favorites since he was very small.

Also anybody who can answer this...in the first pic of the soldiers there are some sculpted trees in the background on the right. Does anyone know what these are "sculpted" into? The shapes are odd. Everyone in line with us when we rode IASWH on our recent trip was trying to figure it out. Also there is a series of bushes to the right of IASWH that are sculpted into a sea serpent which Colton loved! It was much too crowded for us to get pics of it and I kind of figured I would find a few on the boards that I might ask someone to "borrow" for Coltons vacation shadow box for his room, NOT ONE PIC of these can I find anywhere. Have you or anyone ever gotten a shot of this that you know of?

All said and done since our pics this trip were focused on family instead of surroundings much of the time, thanks for giving me a spot to stop by when I need to immerse myself in the the "place" again. Your pictures can always surround me with atmosphere when I need a pick me up or to put me in the right frame of mind before writing another episode on my trip report. Thanks for fighting photobucket every pic is worth it to me and I'm sure many others on the DIS.

 

[amamax2]

amamax2, it is great that you can put things into perspective, but when it comes to a Disneyland enthusiast and a canceled trip (for whatever the reason) to DLR, it can really wreck your day. You certainly have folks here that completely understand how you are feeling. Happy to be a sounding board for a fellow Disneyland admirer.

Thanks Liza!!!

Sherry:

Those pictures with Mary and Bert are just so special!!! It is those kinds of Disney touches that just make a trip there so amazing - both because they are often spontaneous but also because they are lifetime memory making. Just thinking about if I had a little girl that loved Mary Poppins and was at the age to believe that was really her, and she got to dance with her is bringing tears to my eyes...it's so much better than "just" getting a picture with her.

Maybe it is just me, but I'm not sure I am digging those IASW wreaths. I like the concept, but I don't really like the result somehow. Maybe it is the underlying wreath.....I adore the NOS ones - I would have that up year-round just as decor - but these ones, meh.

I do like the rest of the decor there - still can't believe that we couldn't even get close enough to see the toy soldiers and sleigh and white trees - I had no idea that was there. And I can''t wait to see Toon Town - again an area I didn't get to - I just plum forgot! We never go to Toon Town, so it just wasn't even in my mind.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Sherry - Very nice photos of Mary and Bert in Fantasyland.

I'm sorry to hear about your cancel trip amamax2. Hope everything goes well for u when u go back to the DLR.

 

[PHXscuba]

I like the wreaths near IASWH for the same reason I like the NOS wreaths -- each one is different. While I might not display them at my house, they perfectly represent the Mary Blair-style of Small World art. I wish I had gotten a better look at them while I was there, but Sherry's photos are perfect.

And Sherry, I love the idea for Topiary Quest ... I've always liked topiaries. Although if I had to ride the regular IASW over and over to get the pictures, I might give up!

Great TR!

PHXscuba

 

[TheColtonsMom]

Colton just arrived home from school and I showed him your Mary & Bert pics. He was floored that you saw the band too. He said If we had seen that on our trip it would have "Wacko Cool" I think that is good

We continued into your IASW pics and he is now wandering the house playing and singing IASWAA.

 

[Sherry E]

Day 3 – December 14, 2010 – Part Sixteen​

Now, on my way to ToonTown, I couldn’t help but notice that this sign was not decorated.

I have no clue when they stopped putting garland around it for the holidays – and I know this sign was covered up for a bit because they (DLR) were doing something to it – but in the old days, it used to have some sort of holiday touch. So this is yet another area where – even if it’s just a small blip on the radar that is DLR during the holidays – they’ve removed the holiday accents. (Also, over on Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, because that ride was closed for such a long time, there was no Roger in a Santa suit up above the entrance – which was something I missed seeing.)

There are little areas here and there – all around DLR - where I notice the holiday décor has been removed or scaled way back, made to be ‘less’ than what it was – or in the case of New Orleans Square, where some quite visible changes were made – and I don’t know if it’s a creative decision, an executive decision or a decision which is financially-based. Any way you slice it, I don’t like the scaled-back approach. For me, I like thorough, all-encompassing décor, everywhere I go! I remember one of our DIS’ers said (perhaps on the Christmas Superthread) that she noticed the décor in Critter Country had been scaled back considerably from what it used to be, so I know I’m not the only one who is noticing the overall decoration downsizing.

It’s quite possible that many people wouldn’t even notice these subtle changes. Then again, it’s quite possible that many people wouldn’t be walking up to each Christmas tree and examining the ornaments to get good close-ups!! It’s quite possible that many people wouldn’t be taking photos of the details in the window displays or at the Round-Up. It’s quite possible that 2010 was the first DLR holiday trip for many people, and so they won’t notice if a Mickey wreath is missing here or there, or if the ToonTown sign is not decorated. But, for those of us who notice such things, it’s a bit sad to see things vanish that used to be there in previous years.

Now because I like exaggerated colors and shapes (such as in Downtown Disney and in A Bug’s Land), you can imagine that I enjoy ToonTown for that same reason - exaggerated colors and shapes. Also, the attention to detail and the various ‘gags’ around TT are abundant. I remember when ToonTown opened in 1993. It was a very big deal to be getting an all new land in Disneyland. Sort of like having a brand new baby and bringing it into an established family with older children, I would guess.

At first, my friends and I were not sure what to think of ToonTown. It is clearly slanted towards kids – small kids at that – but any Disney enthusiast who loves those famous details and hidden gems should love ToonTown, because it is chock full of them. You literally have to read every sign, look down at the manhole covers, look at the mailboxes, study the facades, look in the windows, examine every shape or photo, etc. It’s almost too much to take in. I think many people just kind of glance at ToonTown – or they take a peek and see how very crowded it is in there – and they don’t bother. They head the other direction. True, if you are a ‘details aficionado’ it is best to visit ToonTown during a time when crowds are lower, because it can test your patience and you might not be able to see much of anything with 50 million tiny tots scampering in front of you at every turn. But if you do take the time to go there – and if you are a fan of the hidden gems and details – you will most likely be pleased that you did.

I decided that I was not going to focus on all of the regular, year-round ToonTown jokes and gems on this day, however. That could literally take up an entire afternoon for me if I really got into it. And seeing that I still had to hit New Orleans Square, I mainly just wanted to catch the specific holiday details in ToonTown. If you all recall, I had attempted to do this back in December 2008. I had an old 35mm camera – on its last legs – and I was by myself for a few hours. I got into ToonTown and it began to rain as I was taking photos of Mickey’s Christmas tree. And the camera died. And then it was time to go home. The photos never came out. Then in 2009, I was only in DL for a (highly crowded) day, and there was no time to get back to ToonTown…or to get into New Orleans Square, for that matter.

So this day – Day 3 – was the day I was going to conquer ToonTown and New Orleans Square’s holiday details as best I could.

The thing I really appreciate about the ToonTown holiday decorations is that there are little accents in the wreaths or garlands which are specific to that particular façade. For example, I’m not sure if you can tell, but the Fire Department décor includes ornaments with Dalmatian spots on them.

And even the doorknobs are worth looking at…Hmmm…do I hear a Doorknob Quest coming up?

And notice that the Gym’s wreath has various athletic accessories or equipment:

I think this building is called the Powerhouse, if I recall correctly:

And you can see little letters and things in the Post Office wreath:

It was super hard to get any good, full-length, front-facing photos of the main ToonTown Christmas tree because there were tons of people gathered around to have their own pictures taken by it. So I had to get behind the tree or to the side of it and capture the odd angles here and there!

More ToonTown coming up…

 

[TheColtonsMom]

We spent lots of time in Toon Town but I guess I was too wrapped up in Colton to see the little things like the dalmation spotted balls.. Thanks for showing me what we missed.

 

[kaoden39]

Visually ToonTown is my favorite land. There is so much to see and alas I missed it last visit. It is something that I plan on correcting when I go next.

 

[Sherry E]

Day 3 – December 14, 2010 – Part Seventeen​

The ToonTown tree is another tree I really love in DLR. I love the bright primary colors and oversized ornaments. It’s a perfect tree for that land.

Yay! It’s Winter Sweater Goofy! (By the way, I think Goofy is the character I saw more than any other character on this DLR trip. I saw him when he was walking somewhere on Main Street. I saw him at Goofy’s Kitchen, of course. Shawn and I saw him signing autographs and posing for photos on Main Street in the evening. I saw him standing around in the lobby of the DLH, all by himself. And now here he was, at his house in ToonTown. Goofy gets around! I hope he’s making the big bucks!)

I tried the amamax2 trick of quickly snapping a photo in between people running up to the character for pictures!!

Mickey’s own personal Christmas tree:

This is the only entry I have for Popcorn-Turning Dude Quest so far…that will be a future Quest, though it’s been rattling around in my mind for a couple of years after seeing mariezp’s photos a while back.

I guess Chip & Dale don’t celebrate the holiday season? I didn’t even see a trace of a decoration on their treehouse…unless I missed something.

More ToonTown coming up…

 

[Sherry E]

Day 3 – December 14, 2010 – Part Eighteen​

And Minnie’s own personal Christmas tree, all Minnie-fied:

Miss Mouse herself…

This mailbox was another subject I had a very hard time getting a photo of, because there were always, always people around it. There was a woman leaning on it for a while, as I stood there with my camera trained on the mailbox, waiting for her to move. No matter which angle I approached it from, there were people in my shot. It was a very busy time of day, I suppose. When I finally got a people-free photo of the mailbox, then the strollers in the background ruined everything.

Mickey’s mailbox, on the other hand, was not as difficult.

Trash Can alert!!

Random crowd shot:

In the Gag Factory:

Next up…we say goodbye to ToonTown for this trip…and we head on down to the Big Easy!

 

[bumbershoot]

I love the imagery of the "may your holidays be bright" display stand in that string of photos, and as I saw on a t-shirt in a previous post of yours. Want one!

I definitely know that I barely saw anything, it seems in retrospect, at WDW, but from looking at your pix I almost think DLR has MORE holiday merchandise than WDW did, and WDW had some cool holiday merchandise!


Specific things in specific decorations...you caught the daisies in Daisy's Diner's decorations.

Does the other side of that punching bag advertise a dentist? Because there's a tooth hanging off of it! Would make sense as a funny thing, to have a dentist and a boxing ring together....

 

[Sherry E]

I love the imagery of the "may your holidays be bright" display stand in that string of photos, and as I saw on a t-shirt in a previous post of yours. Want one!

I definitely know that I barely saw anything, it seems in retrospect, at WDW, but from looking at your pix I almost think DLR has MORE holiday merchandise than WDW did, and WDW had some cool holiday merchandise!


Specific things in specific decorations...you caught the daisies in Daisy's Diner's decorations.

Does the other side of that punching bag advertise a dentist? Because there's a tooth hanging off of it! Would make sense as a funny thing, to have a dentist and a boxing ring together....

Good observation, Molly! I don't think I remember if I looked at the other side of the punching bag. Given the overall 'inside joke' nature of ToonTown, I would bet that there is a dentist advertisement on the other side of the gym sign....just for convenience, after all! Too funny!

Yes, I was hoping someone would notice the daisies in Daisy's sign! I didn't want to continue pointing out the things in the wreaths and decor in hopes that everyone would pick up on them.

I also like the May Your Holidays Be Bright shirt/design. I've never seen it before 2010, so I'm not sure if it was sold in the past or not. I assume it lights up at night. I saw all kinds of other interesting light-up shirts that made quite an impression in the dark, but I never saw that particular one lit up.

Really? You think DLR may have had more holiday merchandise? Or is it just that everything is more smooshed together and concentrated in DLR (as opposed to the vast 'spread out-ness' of WDW) so it seems like more stuff? If anything I would think that WDW had 50 times the items that DLR has.

As far as overall uniqueness of the merchandise, I would guess that the Epcot holiday items are quite exquisite - at least, that's what I would hope for them to be! And the Animal Kingdom holiday stuff should be quite interesting. If it's not then I'm disappointed!

 

[amamax2]

We spent lots of time in Toon Town but I guess I was too wrapped up in Colton to see the little things like the dalmation spotted balls.. Thanks for showing me what we missed.

Ditto! I love all those well-thought out details - thanks for capturing them and showing us! We haven't spent time in ToonTown since the kids were little (and then, like Sherri, we were pretty wrapped up in seeing our kids enjoy things), but my DH really wants to do Roger Rabbit (it was closed last time we tried), so I will be on the look out for the "usual" details on our next trip.

 

[Sherry E]

Day 3 – December 14, 2010 – Part Nineteen​

Well, it’s not quite Winter Sweater Pluto as much as it is Winter Hat Pluto!

It was time to finally make my way to New Orleans Square, via Fantasyland.


The CM at this location seemed amused when I told her about Tree Quest…and yet, she was strangely encouraging!

Finally we arrive in New Orleans Square…

More from New Orleans Square…next!

 

[Sherry E]

Day 3 – December 14, 2010 – Part Twenty​

 

[Sherry E]

Day 3 – December 14, 2010 – Part Twenty-One​

What I find interesting is that New Orleans Square has a place in a Disney park - and I think it’s awesome that it does. It’s definitely one of the prettiest areas of the whole resort, and it’s all ours (meaning it’s exclusive to DLR). Walt Disney fell in love with the architecture and the overall beauty of the French Quarter and the balconies of New Orleans, and New Orleans Square was born.

But…when you think about it, if you know anyone who lives in New Orleans who can give you the scoop on what it’s really like during, say, Mardi Gras - or even on a random weekend night any time of the year - New Orleans is very much a place that can be, um….quite un-Disney-like, if you catch my drift. I’ve heard all the sordid tales of decadent things that go on in the streets of New Orleans – and on the balconies (that look just like what’s in Disneyland) – and it’s associated with being an adult playground, that’s for sure! I think the crime rate is quite high in New Orleans as well! Of course, Hollywood has its sleazy elements, too, and Disney is paying tribute to it in DCA, so I guess there is a consistency there!! Both NOS and the Hollywood area of DCA have received the sanitized Disney treatment and become totally G-rated!! I love how that works!

I love that each ornament has Mickey on it in some way – but in different styles and designs!

This Jack-Sally-Maleficent thing was another situation in which I just could not get a photo without people in it! I waited my turn while other folks took their photos. But every single time someone would move out of the way and I lifted the camera to frame the shot, someone else would just rudely jump in. A couple of times someone spoke up to stop their wayward child or friend from getting in my shot, but it was usually not fast enough. Or by the time they moved out of the way, someone else had moved in. I’ve never seen such obnoxious people. It’s almost like they need a character handler for this inanimate object, just to keep the line organized!! No one seems to be able to follow simple ‘wait in line’ procedures. It becomes a free-for-all.

When last I saw Jack-Sally-Maleficent, they literally had what looked like an entire family climbing up on them, around them, behind them and every which way but loose to get a photo. (Remember the sign I loved back at the Disneyland Hotel - “Please Do Not Climb On Mickey”? They should have a “Please Do Not Climb On Jack, Sally & Friends” sign here!)

This was about the most people-free photo I could get, and there are still feet in the shot! It’s a really tough feat to accomplish if there are any people in New Orleans Square at all.

I think I got exasperated at that point and just decided to move on from NOS. I probably could have fired off another series of photos of more details, but the people were irritating me. So I felt content enough with the photos I had gotten on this trip and decided to leave the South and head West.




Coming up in the next few installments…. Day 3 finally winds down, sadly, as I make a very brief stop in Frontierland, visit a few more fine feathered friends, eat my first solo table service meal at DLR (yum!) and pop into World of Disney for a look-see.

Then, the final day of this journey begins….as my wonderful, long overdue Christmas adventure comes to an end!

 

[bumbershoot]

Computer's acting up again and I can't copy/paste, but...about what you said about NOS and Hollywood being g-rated versions...yes! I remember first going to NOS, and the times I've been there in the morning (like when Cafe Orleans had breakfast and I ate outside in the chilly December air)...I would think "this is like New Orleans, without the smell of vomit"... I love & adore the experiences I've had in NO (solo, short visits, nowhere near Mardi Gras, once right before xmas), and still that's what came to mind. Also, without the cockroaches, good riddance to both things!


I love the ornament that looks like a bunch of grapes hanging from a balcony. LOVE it.


By the way, I'm getting guilty b/c you're so far along in your report, AND it's distracting me!