Before I reply to everyone's very kind posts, I have an update on my upcoming DLR holiday trip (meaning my annual multi-night stay to celebrate the holidays; this past day trip on 11-12-12 was a fluke)!
First of all, yesterday I called DLR to ask some questions about hotel-related things like parking fees, phone deposits, and something else that I'm forgetting. I mentioned to the CM on the phone that I was waiting on an e-mail from Disney Destinations to tell me whether or not I was selected for a seat at the Kurt Russell-narrated Candlelight Processional.
The very helpful CM suddenly patched in yet another CM who had the inside scoop on when the hotly anticipated Candlelight Processional e-mail was going out. This special 'mystery CM' with the scoop said that the e-mail would be going out in exactly 6 minutes - which was 3 p.m. PST. It would be a mass e-mailing - everyone would receive their e-mail at the same time, whether they were rejected or selected. I have to admit - I liked the excitement of knowing exactly when the e-mail was going to arrive! That was fun!
The CM with the scoop was absolutely correct! I sat there in front of this computer for the next few minutes after hanging up, and at exactly 3 p.m. the e-mail came through with the big CP news.
I was not selected for a seat.
I wanted one measly seat, and I chose all 3 Kurt Russell nights, and all 6 time slots over the 3 nights, and still I was not picked. I can't say I was shocked by this, but I was disappointed (although it might rain on one or two of Kurt's nights, so I wonder what will happen to the CP).
Learning of my CP rejection, I called DLR back and...switched my dates! I am now arriving one week later than scheduled. I will now be at the PPH from 12/9 - 12/12 instead of 12/2 - 12/5.
Yes, there was still availability at the PPH (in the Standard Room category) this close to 12/9!
This leads me to believe that Lou Diamond Phillips is not a hugely popular CP narrator choice, which is too bad because he is a talented actor and he seems to be a quite capable, adept fellow at many things (did anyone see him on "I'm a Celebrity! Get Me Out of Here" or the "Rachael vs. Guy" celebrity cooking show on Food Network this past Winter? Lou won both of those shows or came in at second place, if I recall correctly). Plus, he seems like a nice, pleasant fellow.
The CM on the phone who switched my PPH dates told me that Kurt Russell and Dick Van Dyke are definitely the huge draws for the CP. She said that Lou, as well as Patricia Heaton and Marcia Gay Harden, are not big draws.
Anyway, to be honest, there are various reasons why I was not prepared to go to DLR in 5 days, on my originally booked 12/2 date. Buying myself some extra time in the form of one week helps somewhat.
So, this means that my trip will overlap with the first few days of Laurie/DizNee Luver's trip - and she is staying at the PPH as well (though she is there for much longer than I will be there)! I will not be shocked if I run into her (and her family) in the elevator...or crossing the street from the GCH to the PPH and vice versa...or around our favorite Paradise Pier Hotel Christmas tree!
Can't you just picture it? I can see it now...I'll come down the elevator in the morning and stand on one side of the gorgeous, glowing blue-green tree, taking close-up ornament photos - only to spot Laurie on the other side of the tree, also taking close-up ornament photos!
I plan to be with my usual Orange County pals on 12/9, and then I will be free to roam wildly around DLR, camera in hand, for the next few days! It looks as if it could rain on at least one day while I'm there. I am not looking forward to that because it inhibits my photo sprees, but I will just adjust my schedule so that I take a lot of indoor photos on the rainy day!
I need to make myself stay in Disneyland at night for a while, to try to get at least a couple of halfway decent after-dark shots. I have been meaning to get some better Winter Castle night shots for a while, but last year I was sick and did not want to stay out in the cold so I missed another chance.
Next year it is possible that the Winter Castle's icicle lights and the snow on Main Street could become a paid party exclusive, so I need to experience these things and get some better night pictures while I still can!
Bret -
I am so glad you tried and enjoyed the peppermint stick ice cream! At least you were able to check that off of the list of things to try during the holiday season!
Between your photos and Bret's photos, I am literally freaking out I want to go to Disneyland next Christmas so badly. Thank you so much for sharing them. I know it's a lot of work but they bring such a huge smile to my face and give me at least a little piece of Disneyland magic when I can't be there.
Thank you for the kind words,
Jenny! I really appreciate that you are still here!
Next year's holiday season at DLR could be very different if a party is announced and certain things become party exclusives (snow, parade, fireworks, Winter Castle lighting), but I hope that you get to go! If for no other reason, you must go just to see Cars Land and Buena Vista Street!
It's not so much that I mind putting in any kind of work on doing reports - whether it involves a lot of writing or just photos only. It's the fact that my computer is horrible and freezes up constantly, which delays (and sometimes deletes) the work I put in. If I didn't have these technical problems, I could breeze through a lot of these things and do a lot more with my other threads as well! The technical issues are so daunting and draining that they prevent many things from getting accomplished.
But...I still forge ahead! So I value and appreciate all people who stick with me through it all!
Another great update by the way. I thought they turned out good. I thought the candy cane pudding was mellowed out by the cool whip and tasted rather good. Tonight we are going to try the gingerbread. I hope it is as good.
Thank you,
Michele!
You know, I remember making that "Pudding in a Cloud" that Jello had the recipe for on the back of some of the pudding boxes (this is when I was a kid or young teen, I think). All the "recipe" involved was putting a bed (or a "cloud") of Cool Whip on the bottom and all around the sides of a bowl/dish, completely covering it, and then putting the pudding on top of it. It was so simple, and yet it seemed so luscious and decadent! And you could do all the different versions of it - we tried lemon pudding and butterscotch too, as well as the typical chocolate.
I have not eaten Pudding in a Cloud in decades, but I would bet that the candy cane version would be delicious!
But...seeing how my Ralphs has not come through with any of the 'real' peppermint ice cream this year, they probably don't carry the candy cane pudding either.
Sherry,
I think your pictures of Cars Land at dusk are beautiful. Thanks for sharing them.
And thanks for ALL of the pictures. I have not been replying often, but am here, and am watching all of your posts. As always I love the picture updates.
I hope you are feeling a bit better my friend. I wish there was some magic trick I could give you to take away your pain, but alas, I don't know magic. I just know what you know. You have your good days and bad days, and right now you are in a bad week. I hope and pray it gets better and back to the good days soon.
Thank you for the kind words,
Carolwoodpr!
The pain I currently have is certainly not the worst of the pain I have ever felt, thankfully, but it's inconvenient and bothersome. It's actually one of the many reasons why I wanted to delay my PPH arrival by one week. The idea of lifting a heavy suitcase and a heavy smaller bag to and from a vehicle when my back/hip are already hurting didn't seem like a good idea. I could end up making everything worse by the time I got to DLR and not being able to move! Having an extra week could make a tiny difference, I hope.
Me too!!! Sherry, I am loving all of your pics!
Thank you,
Chereya! I'm glad you're still here!
OOO! Another pretty dusk shot of that same angle I liked before. I can't wait to see Carsland at night. Is it too OCD that admit I have already Googled sunset times for March when I will be there?
PHXscuba
Thanks,
PHX!
Again, it was another accidental good picture, I guess, which arose from my trying to crop out the millions of people milling about in the foreground. It would be a much, much, much better photo if there were no people in that spot by Stanley.
Also, even though I knew I wanted to be in Cars Land at night, I hadn't really planned on being there at dusk. I hadn't timed it that way. (This is also kind of what happened in December 2010, when I managed to get some decent dusk pictures on Main Street.) I just kind of ended up there as the sun was going down and fortunately realized (before it was too late) that I had a very narrow window of time in which to attempt to get some pictures with the fading blue sky as a backdrop. The red rocks in Cars Land provide a very dramatic landscape and subject.
Okay...yes, it might be a little OCD or 'over-plannish' to already be Googling sunset times for March!
But, hey, if you don't actually think about wanting to be in a certain spot at sunset for a specific reason, the moment could pass you by. So, it's better to be safe than sorry, I think!
I seriously adore all of your photos! I know you say you don't have a fancy camera, but I can't see myself capturing such amazing pics with my regular ol' camera so props to you! I really love all the dusk photos, the lighting on the range is just spectacular isn't it?
Welcome,
Riniel!
Thank you so much for joining in and for your
very kind words. I really appreciate it.
I have a very basic little point & shoot. Nothing fancy at all. If I come out with anything good here and there, I am surprised...and yet, I do
try to get some decent stuff. Sometimes I go more for quantity - trying to get as many pictures as I can in a short time frame, like if I need to report back to the DIS about a certain thing. Sometimes I really try to go for quality - finding unusual angles or perspectives; interesting colors or patterns and things like that.
If I come up with anything good now and then, picture-wise - and there are many that are clunkers, believe me! - the key is that I really, really, really
love taking photos, and I take photos of random everyday things (like flowers or things at the local museum or shopping center) to kind of practice and experiment. I wrote about my love of taking pictures and how it is cathartic for me in one of the installments to my "
Aunt Betty..." TR (link is below in my signature).
I will randomly walk around my neighborhood, taking pictures and looking for interesting details in even the most mundane things, to try to get a feel for what looks good in a picture and what does not look good. I am very detailed to begin with, so I have a built-in eye for detail. I think I have a semi-decent eye for photos, which is a good place to start. It's a building block. That's really most of what it takes to get good pictures - a good eye for subjects and creativity. The ideas for photos come from our minds and imaginations. The actual equipment helps us execute those ideas.
I don't have the best equipment to execute my ideas -
but I know that there are people who run out and buy expensive DSLR cameras, thinking that their photos will suddenly be glorious, only to discover that they don't really have the eye for subjects or the inspiration for photo ideas. So
anyone can take really fabulous, interesting pictures with point & shoot cameras - and I have seen many, many great P&S pictures from DIS'ers on this board - if they have the eye and the imagination!
I am certain you could do it too!
), and have continued ever since! I took over 700 photos in that one day at DLR. I don't have too, too much more to go - maybe another 8 or 10 posts of photos - but I have to get them in this TR before I leave for the next DLR holiday trip.
WOO HOO 
