Nothing to See Here...

[mvf-m11c]

Hi, Bret!

Let me wish you a belated Merry Christmas and an early Happy New Year! I hope you had a good holiday yesterday with your family.

Thank you for the kind words and compliments. I was very pleased to get a room upgrade to park view for a third year in a row. I wasn't really hitting my photo stride/groove on Day 1, but I was trying to get some sort of pictures just so the earlier part of the day wasn't a waste.

Day 2 is coming up (in fact, I was just working on the first installment of Day 2 when I saw the alert pop up that you had posted here), and I think I did much better with the pictures on Day 2. But, maybe I'm the only one who will think that! I felt that I got a few good ones - or, at least, pictures that met my personal goals of what I wanted to achieve on this trip.

You know, to be honest, I'm not sure if DCA sold peppermint ice cream at all in the previous years. Maybe they did and I just wasn't aware of it? I could be wrong, but I always thought it was only sold in Disneyland. Now that they have a brand new ice cream shop, I guess they decided to sell it in DCA too.

BUT, when I went into Clarabelle's on November 12 I am pretty sure that I did not see a sign that mentioned peppermint ice cream. So this makes me wonder if, perhaps, the peppermint ice cream did not get to Clarabelle's until a bit later in the holiday season? Maybe they were not selling it there in November? As you mentioned, you didn't go in there on your trip so you wouldn't have seen a sign, and I never checked the old ice cream place in DCA (pre-makeover) to see what they had.

In any case, now we know that peppermint ice cream is likely to be sold at both Gibson Girl in DL and in Clarabelle's in DCA.

Let me just say, too, that I am very glad I ate the peppermint ice cream at DLR this year - because my local grocery stores and pharmacies (and I have now checked at least 4 places in my area) have only been selling the Dreyer's half-fat "Slow Churned" peppermint ice cream this year. They have not been selling "the good stuff" that Dreyer's makes, like what is sold at DLR. I don't know if this is what is going to happen every year at my stores from now on, but it is getting to the point where I may only be able to eat the 'real' peppermint ice cream when I am at Disneyland! The Slow Churned stuff is just not as good - it tastes more like toothpaste than ice cream!

You should try Earl of Sandwich on your next trip, and let me know what you think of it. Just be sure to check your sandwich before leaving the property, because they may make mistakes (as they did on my friend's sandwich and on one of my sandwiches the next night)!

I was just writing a bit more about Earl of Sandwich in the Day 2, Part 1 TR installment I am currently putting together for today, and explaining how it is a good value for Disneyland Resort (compared to the prices and the value of the food you get inside the parks) but it is more expensive than, say, Subway sandwiches.

Thank you Sherry. Hope you had a great Christmas yesterday and a Happy New Year.

It's amazing that you are able to get a room upgrade for the third year in a row at the PPH. I understand that it was a long first day and you are still able to get photos of the room inch by inch which was really amazing.

Just saw and read your last update to your trip report on day 2. I did comment about your sunrise photo as one of my favorite of all your pictures that you have showed on your pre-trip report. It will be a long time when I stay on property again at the DLR. If I do, it will most likely be at the GCH since my DA enjoyed staying at that hotel more than the other two hotels. Good to hear that you were feeling great on day 2 during your trip. Nice pictures of leaving the PPH and over to DL MS to take pictures of the CP as well as the flowers around the stage area. Your recent updates to your trip report have been great and inspiring. Great update on your 2nd day during your December trip.

Same here. I don't know if DCA served the peppermint ice cream at the former Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream shop at the California Zephyr. I mostly don't go for ice cream at the parks which I only get the Dole Whip at DL. At least both parks now serve the peppermint ice cream during the Holiday season at both parks.

I wasn't able to go to Clarabelle's during my trip and see if there was the peppermint ice cream sign which they were selling it. They might have sold it during my trip.

Glad to hear that you were able to have the peppermint ice cream at DL this year. It was also fun to have the peppermint ice cream during my trip after you have been saying that I should try it after all these years. I will have it next year when I go back in November or December. Maybe they will have the peppermint ice cream next year at your grocery stores.

I was about to try the restaurant during my last month trip but on Saturday my DA and I had leftovers from the ESPN Zone that Friday night that we didn't want to eat at any restaurants that day. I will remember to mention that to my group that we should eat at Earl of Sandwich.

Oh yeah, I was going to tell you about my upcoming trip to DL next month. We made a reservation at Goofy's Kitchen on Sunday the 13th for breakfast. If I did mention this to you awhile ago, my aunt BF daughter wanting to meet a lot of Disney characters and the perfect character breakfast to have it is at K which is your favorite character breakfast.

 

[Sherry E]

Thank you Sherry. Hope you had a great Christmas yesterday and a Happy New Year.

It's amazing that you are able to get a room upgrade for the third year in a row at the PPH. I understand that it was a long first day and you are still able to get photos of the room inch by inch which was really amazing.

Just saw and read your last update to your trip report on day 2. I did comment about your sunrise photo as one of my favorite of all your pictures that you have showed on your pre-trip report. It will be a long time when I stay on property again at the DLR. If I do, it will most likely be at the GCH since my DA enjoyed staying at that hotel more than the other two hotels. Good to hear that you were feeling great on day 2 during your trip. Nice pictures of leaving the PPH and over to DL MS to take pictures of the CP as well as the flowers around the stage area. Your recent updates to your trip report have been great and inspiring. Great update on your 2nd day during your December trip.

Same here. I don't know if DCA served the peppermint ice cream at the former Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream shop at the California Zephyr. I mostly don't go for ice cream at the parks which I only get the Dole Whip at DL. At least both parks now serve the peppermint ice cream during the Holiday season at both parks.

I wasn't able to go to Clarabelle's during my trip and see if there was the peppermint ice cream sign which they were selling it. They might have sold it during my trip.

Glad to hear that you were able to have the peppermint ice cream at DL this year. It was also fun to have the peppermint ice cream during my trip after you have been saying that I should try it after all these years. I will have it next year when I go back in November or December. Maybe they will have the peppermint ice cream next year at your grocery stores.

I was about to try the restaurant during my last month trip but on Saturday my DA and I had leftovers from the ESPN Zone that Friday night that we didn't want to eat at any restaurants that day. I will remember to mention that to my group that we should eat at Earl of Sandwich.

Oh yeah, I was going to tell you about my upcoming trip to DL next month. We made a reservation at Goofy's Kitchen on Sunday the 13th for breakfast. If I did mention this to you awhile ago, my aunt BF daughter wanting to meet a lot of Disney characters and the perfect character breakfast to have it is at K which is your favorite character breakfast.

Bret -

Thank you again for the kind words and compliments. I got lucky with those sunrises too! (There is another sunrise or two coming up in future installments.) There have been times when I've stayed at a Disney hotel (even the GCH) in the past and the sunrise wasn't quite as dramatic. As you know, sometimes they are really striking, and sometimes they just aren't. If it's kind of a weak/pale sunrise or sunset to begin with, then using the "vivid" or "sunrise/sunset" setting on the camera won't help it out too much. It kind of has to start out by being a good sunrise or sunset, and then any additional settings will only enhance it.

I think I also got very lucky with the PPH tree pictures this time around - as you mentioned a while back, they looked better than in previous years. I'm not sure if that was because the bulbs on the light strands had been changed, or if somehow I just managed to get better pictures. I really don't know what happened with that! But you're right - I noticed it too. You can definitely see more of the tree's blue-greenish glow (which is what it looks like in person) in these recent photos I took than in my previous ones.

Wow! So you decided to go with Goofy's Kitchen after all? I definitely remember when you were trying to decide which character meal to do on your upcoming trip. Your DA might like a 'quiet' meal like the Storytellers Cafe Critter Breakfast, and the characters seem to have a lot of fun at Surf's Up - but at the end of the day, Goofy's has the largest selection of food. Everyone should be able to find something to eat because there are so many choices in the buffet. So I think that the combination of the variety of food with the characters is a good blend. It's a good mix. Yes, there are not as many characters at Goofy's as there are at Minnie & Friends, but there are characters and there is a big buffet! Plus, Goofy's usually has a couple of Princesses mixed in with the other classic characters. I hope that Goofy's is a success for you!

I don't know if you ever eat at Subway, but a foot long sandwich at Subway is less expensive than a smaller-sized sandwich at Earl of Sandwich (just for comparison's sake). Earl's sandwiches are not foot-longs, but they are decent sizes. However, you can use your AP to get a 10% discount (it's only 10% because this is not a Disney-owned restaurant) on the food at Earl of Sandwich. So if you were just to buy a sandwich at Earl alone - no sides, no drinks, no dessert - the sandwich would be under $7.00 with the AP discount, and about $7.53 or so without a discount.

I will be posting more about Earl of Sandwich in upcoming installments, because I went there two more times during my trip, but I think that overall it is a good addition to DLR. The prices are reasonable. You don't have to get sides or drinks if you don't want them. The sandwiches are more substantial than a lot of what you would get (for more money) inside DL or DCA. And the food is pretty good for "fast food." Plus, the sandwiches are tightly wrapped in foil and put in a carry out bag when you order, so it is very easy to take back to your hotel room. And if your hotel happens to have a microwave, you should be able to heat them up (though not in the foil, of course!). Just check those sandwiches to be sure they are what you ordered, as they tend to make mistakes!

If Clarabelle's was selling the peppermint stick ice cream on 11/12, I think that they had not put the sign up yet so maybe nobody knew. Otherwise, they must have started selling it as the season carried on.

To be honest, when I walked into Clarabelle's and Trolley Treats (both in November and December), they were both pretty empty. All of the crowds seemed to be gathered over in the Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe (in fact, it was so crowded that I couldn't even see the gingerbread house that is supposedly there for the holidays). The lines were soooo long for FFPC, and I don't think that will change because people love that it's a Starbucks. This means that the Market House on MS will soon have ridiculous lines too, which is unfortunate.

But it was odd that no one seemed to really be paying attention to Trolley Treats or Clarabelle's either time I walked in to check them out. I'm sure they must be crowded now, though, in the crazy post-Christmas/pre-New Year's week.

I almost forgot to mention - I thought of you when I was walking around NOS, taking mask pictures! I had gotten only some mask pictures back in 2010, but I apparently skipped over a lot of them. I don't know if I just didn't see them or what happened? Also, I think that Disney added in even more masks around NOS since I last took those photos two years ago (I didn't pay too much attention to them in 2011), or they relocated them to areas which were more visible. I wanted to go back and do a better job with the pictures - I knew I could get all of the masks this time, and get much better photos than my previous attempts.

But as I was looking at every single mask, I was thinking, "Bret would probably know - were these masks here last year? Was this mask here last year?" I know that you - unlike a lot of other folks - will actually pay attention to what is new, what is missing, what has been moved, what has changed, etc.

 

[PlutoRocks]

Hey Sherry!

Sorry i have been MIA. I haven't forgotten about you and I was thinking about you during your trips. The past month and a half have been a whirlwind of craziness. Work was a nightmare getting things done...my mom was in the hospital and still needs surgery but coming up with that money will be a miracle so...stress, stress, stress...then one of my sisters puppy dogs got sick and passed away 5 days before Christmas...factor in traveling and all for both holidays and before you know it a month and a half have passed ...sheesh!!!

I'm slowly making my way through your report and loving every minute of it and the pictures are as always beautiful!! Thank you for taking so much time and care into taking them.

I loved the gingerbread house pictures. My sister teaches math and when she teaches geometry she does a gingerbread house project where the kids design and build/decorate their own houses. They can get quite creative

Glad you had a good time (at least as far as I've read) on your trip. I'm going back to read some more

 

[DizNee Luver]

I'm glad you told me about the Santa Mickey Nutcracker....we found it at the shop across from the Emporium in all their holiday stuff. Derek purchased it for me!!!

 

[PHXscuba]

I asked the Cast Member on the other end of the line if it would be pointless for me to come in, or if it would be okay for me to do so. She double-checked with another Cast Member in the office to be sure that the postcard I mentioned was legitimate (she hadn’t heard of it, but the other person she asked was aware of it), and then came back to tell me that it would be fine for me to come in.
...
Annmarie explained the basics about DVC and how the points system works, and I must admit – for a family, couple or even for a solo person like I am – that it is tempting. I can totally see why so many people are buying into it. Heck, if I were in the financial position to do so right now, I would be buying into it at the lowest point level. It is something that definitely pays off after a couple of trips.

Disney Vacation Club is really for people who LOVE Disney. If you are in a situation where you know for a fact that you will be visiting Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort or other Disney Resorts at least twice a year, for at least a night or two, DVC is well worth it for the monthly price you pay.

As we walked out and said our goodbyes, Annmarie was asking me what I was doing for work at my former (long-term) job. I told her, and she suggested that I try to work ‘there’ – or for Disney in general.

Annmarie said, “Why not? You have a great smile and a good disposition and demeanor, and you love Disney.”

Anyway, it was nice to know that another Disney employee felt that I would be a good Disney employee too!

It was really perceptive of the DVC girl to notice that you would make a great Disney employee, even if you aren't one right now. Someday, right? I think simply because you are a moderator, it's good for you to know about DVC because it does come up as people plan for Disneyland.

I have done two DVC phone tours (for gift cards) after they sent me postcards. I would love to buy in, but the number of points I would need to go every year or two are high because we need to sleep 6, which puts us into a 2-bedroom unit almost everywhere. Buying that at GCH is $$$$$$$.

Bring on the peppermint!

PHXscuba

 

[Sherry E]

Hey Sherry!

Sorry i have been MIA. I haven't forgotten about you and I was thinking about you during your trips. The past month and a half have been a whirlwind of craziness. Work was a nightmare getting things done...my mom was in the hospital and still needs surgery but coming up with that money will be a miracle so...stress, stress, stress...then one of my sisters puppy dogs got sick and passed away 5 days before Christmas...factor in traveling and all for both holidays and before you know it a month and a half have passed ...sheesh!!!

I'm slowly making my way through your report and loving every minute of it and the pictures are as always beautiful!! Thank you for taking so much time and care into taking them.

I loved the gingerbread house pictures. My sister teaches math and when she teaches geometry she does a gingerbread house project where the kids design and build/decorate their own houses. They can get quite creative

Glad you had a good time (at least as far as I've read) on your trip. I'm going back to read some more

Hi, Dawn!

Welcome back! I really appreciate that you took the time to come back here and check in, with so much going on. Thank you for the very kind words and compliments. I have a lot more of this TR to do, so stay tuned!

I'm so sorry to hear about all the stress that's been happening with your family in the last couple of months. I'm sure your sister was heartbroken about her dog - pets are family members and loyal companions. Is this the sister who loves Christmas and listens to Christmas music year-round?

I hope your mom is okay.

I can imagine how creative some of the gingerbread houses get these days, coming from the minds of kids like the ones your sister teaches! Gingerbread 'houses' seem to take on many forms these days. A lot of them are not even really houses anymore, but I guess we can still call them houses like we call a CD an "album."

I like that Disneyland Resort is now doing several different gingerbread houses or creations: there is the gingerbread Mater at Flo's in Cars Land; there is the gingerbread Cozy Cone model at the Cozy Cone in Cars Land; there is a gingerbread version of Snow White's cottage in Carthay Circle on Buena Vista Street (which I did not get a photo of); and supposedly there is a gingerbread house at the Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe on Buena Vista Street (but if there is, I didn't see it because there were so many people blocking the counter). And then you have the gingerbread houses at Storytellers Cafe and at White Water Snacks at the Grand Californian Hotel - it's a regular gingerbread-palooza!

Yes, I had a mostly good trip this time around - despite being dumped by yet another friend and totally missing out on Goofy's Kitchen, I just made myself get out there and do things I wanted to do. As usual, I didn't have time for it all though. It is a good thing I did that Cars Land holiday day trip in November and got a lot of photos, because I wouldn't have had any extra time for that on this December trip!

I'm glad you told me about the Santa Mickey Nutcracker....we found it at the shop across from the Emporium in all their holiday stuff. Derek purchased it for me!!!

Laurie -

That's the Showcase store, where I saw them. That's the one place that the Santa Mickey nutcrackers had not yet sold out when I was looking around (although I wonder if, by now, they have sold out?). I was surprised they still had any in at that point, since they sold out at the China Closet and at Acorn at the GCH.

I'm glad you got one of the Santa nutcrackers. Liza ended up getting one too - after we left you we stopped in Disneyland before heading home and she picked one up in the Showcase shop!

It was really perceptive of the DVC girl to notice that you would make a great Disney employee, even if you aren't one right now. Someday, right? I think simply because you are a moderator, it's good for you to know about DVC because it does come up as people plan for Disneyland.

I have done two DVC phone tours (for gift cards) after they sent me postcards. I would love to buy in, but the number of points I would need to go every year or two are high because we need to sleep 6, which puts us into a 2-bedroom unit almost everywhere. Buying that at GCH is $$$$$$$.

Bring on the peppermint!

PHXscuba

PHX -

I'm not getting any younger, so if I decide to make a stab at working for Disney at any point it will have to be in the next 2-3 years or so. But as I mentioned, I think my specific strong suit would be Disneyland-related jobs...something to do with Disneyland, but in an office...as opposed to just general Disney jobs. I am trying to stick with what my actual strengths and areas of expertise are, after all!

Yes! I was thinking the same thing! I thought to myself, "Well, it can't hurt to sit in on this presentation for DVC because so many people on the DIS discuss it or ask about it." I thought it would be beneficial to learn more about it for that reason, as well as for my own personal reference.

Yep - because of the number of people in your group you would have to buy a higher point level (lots more $$$), but at least if you got a GCH Villa, you would probably only need one Villa and not two. And you could also use points to stay at the PPH or the DLH. But it's not cheap. It was kind of reasonable when Annmarie broke it down for me and explained what I would need to get if I were buying in as a solo traveler. It didn't sound all that outrageous given the number of times I would want to go over a two- or three-year period. But I can't buy in now, sadly.

The peppermint is coming in the next installment - and that is when I had my awkward table-sharing experience with strangers! See, when I bought the cookies the day before and sat down, I was alone at my table. But not so when I bought the ice cream. Not so at all!

 

[mvf-m11c]

Bret -

Thank you again for the kind words and compliments. I got lucky with those sunrises too! (There is another sunrise or two coming up in future installments.) There have been times when I've stayed at a Disney hotel (even the GCH) in the past and the sunrise wasn't quite as dramatic. As you know, sometimes they are really striking, and sometimes they just aren't. If it's kind of a weak/pale sunrise or sunset to begin with, then using the "vivid" or "sunrise/sunset" setting on the camera won't help it out too much. It kind of has to start out by being a good sunrise or sunset, and then any additional settings will only enhance it.

I think I also got very lucky with the PPH tree pictures this time around - as you mentioned a while back, they looked better than in previous years. I'm not sure if that was because the bulbs on the light strands had been changed, or if somehow I just managed to get better pictures. I really don't know what happened with that! But you're right - I noticed it too. You can definitely see more of the tree's blue-greenish glow (which is what it looks like in person) in these recent photos I took than in my previous ones.

Wow! So you decided to go with Goofy's Kitchen after all? I definitely remember when you were trying to decide which character meal to do on your upcoming trip. Your DA might like a 'quiet' meal like the Storytellers Cafe Critter Breakfast, and the characters seem to have a lot of fun at Surf's Up - but at the end of the day, Goofy's has the largest selection of food. Everyone should be able to find something to eat because there are so many choices in the buffet. So I think that the combination of the variety of food with the characters is a good blend. It's a good mix. Yes, there are not as many characters at Goofy's as there are at Minnie & Friends, but there are characters and there is a big buffet! Plus, Goofy's usually has a couple of Princesses mixed in with the other classic characters. I hope that Goofy's is a success for you!

I don't know if you ever eat at Subway, but a foot long sandwich at Subway is less expensive than a smaller-sized sandwich at Earl of Sandwich (just for comparison's sake). Earl's sandwiches are not foot-longs, but they are decent sizes. However, you can use your AP to get a 10% discount (it's only 10% because this is not a Disney-owned restaurant) on the food at Earl of Sandwich. So if you were just to buy a sandwich at Earl alone - no sides, no drinks, no dessert - the sandwich would be under $7.00 with the AP discount, and about $7.53 or so without a discount.

I will be posting more about Earl of Sandwich in upcoming installments, because I went there two more times during my trip, but I think that overall it is a good addition to DLR. The prices are reasonable. You don't have to get sides or drinks if you don't want them. The sandwiches are more substantial than a lot of what you would get (for more money) inside DL or DCA. And the food is pretty good for "fast food." Plus, the sandwiches are tightly wrapped in foil and put in a carry out bag when you order, so it is very easy to take back to your hotel room. And if your hotel happens to have a microwave, you should be able to heat them up (though not in the foil, of course!). Just check those sandwiches to be sure they are what you ordered, as they tend to make mistakes!

If Clarabelle's was selling the peppermint stick ice cream on 11/12, I think that they had not put the sign up yet so maybe nobody knew. Otherwise, they must have started selling it as the season carried on.

To be honest, when I walked into Clarabelle's and Trolley Treats (both in November and December), they were both pretty empty. All of the crowds seemed to be gathered over in the Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe (in fact, it was so crowded that I couldn't even see the gingerbread house that is supposedly there for the holidays). The lines were soooo long for FFPC, and I don't think that will change because people love that it's a Starbucks. This means that the Market House on MS will soon have ridiculous lines too, which is unfortunate.

But it was odd that no one seemed to really be paying attention to Trolley Treats or Clarabelle's either time I walked in to check them out. I'm sure they must be crowded now, though, in the crazy post-Christmas/pre-New Year's week.

I almost forgot to mention - I thought of you when I was walking around NOS, taking mask pictures! I had gotten only some mask pictures back in 2010, but I apparently skipped over a lot of them. I don't know if I just didn't see them or what happened? Also, I think that Disney added in even more masks around NOS since I last took those photos two years ago (I didn't pay too much attention to them in 2011), or they relocated them to areas which were more visible. I wanted to go back and do a better job with the pictures - I knew I could get all of the masks this time, and get much better photos than my previous attempts.

But as I was looking at every single mask, I was thinking, "Bret would probably know - were these masks here last year? Was this mask here last year?" I know that you - unlike a lot of other folks - will actually pay attention to what is new, what is missing, what has been moved, what has changed, etc.

I will be looking forward to the next update with the sunrise pictures. Mostly I never experience the sunrise at the DLR since I am staying at the Best Western hotels during my trips. At least you had good sunset pictures during your recent stay at PPH.

I did say awhile back about the Christmas tree at PPH looks very nice this year than in the past. The pictures of the tree this year turned out really well with those bright colors.

We decided to have breakfast at GK during our upcoming trip in January. I was leaning towards the Plaza Inn for Minnie's Character breakfast at the park but my DA didn't like the selection of food at the Plaza In than at GK. I did mention Storyteller's Cafe, Surf's Up and Ariel's Grotto as the other choices, just like the Plaza Inn, GK offers more different variety of food to eat than at the others. I was also thinking of AG since DD2 (which will be her first time to visit DL) wanted to meet Cinderella and the best character restaurant was AG that would have her. But the food selection was not that good so it made our decision easy with GK. When I read your past TR at GK, I had to go back to GK one day and have a character breakfast. Even though I did character breakfast at the Plaza Inn, it would be great to have a young child to experience with them. I will be looking forward to eating at GK and you made it an easy choice with your experience at GK.

I eat at Subway a lot in town since I am eating healthy foods. I looked at the prices at Earl of Sandwich and they are really expensive. Ever since Earl of Sandwich opened at DTD, I have heard great reviews about it and I wanted to try it one day. It only depends on my group that they want to eat at Earl of Sandwich since they don't want to walk a lot at the resort. We are going to eat at GK during our trip since it is a good place to have a character breakfast. We'll just wait and see if we eat there or not. I did mention that to them but they aren't that interested that much. It nice to hear that there is a discount at Earl of Sandwich since the DL AP website doesn't show the AP discount.

When Earl of Sandwich opened, I would assume that the menu at allears.net is updated and as of now it is not even updated. At least you got a picture of the menu so I can see what they have to offer. There is a microwave at the BW hotels so it is nice to have a microwave. The DLR hotels should have at least a microwave in the rooms. Thank you for the info Sherry.

That was very odd to hear that Clarabelle's and Trolley Treats were empty during your trip.

NOS the last couple of years have added masks during the Holiday season which did make sense to match the theme of Mardi Gras. As you know that I do miss the string of Christmas lights over NOS alley right by the Blue Bayou and Club 33. Even though they did add string of lights over NOS the last couple of years after one year they took it down that one year in 2009. At least they have some that are over the alley's but they aren't the same like in the past. Glad that you had the opportunity to go to NOS this year and get to see NOS Holiday decorations. I will be looking forward to your pictures of NOS.

I did see some masks that were up from last year at NOS and some of them were moved to new locations while some were there from last year. This year, I didn't get close up views of the masks like last year since I was concentrating all my time at CL & BVS decorations.

 

[Sherry E]

I will be looking forward to the next update with the sunrise pictures. Mostly I never experience the sunrise at the DLR since I am staying at the Best Western hotels during my trips. At least you had good sunset pictures during your recent stay at PPH.

I did say awhile back about the Christmas tree at PPH looks very nice this year than in the past. The pictures of the tree this year turned out really well with those bright colors.

We decided to have breakfast at GK during our upcoming trip in January. I was leaning towards the Plaza Inn for Minnie's Character breakfast at the park but my DA didn't like the selection of food at the Plaza In than at GK. I did mention Storyteller's Cafe, Surf's Up and Ariel's Grotto as the other choices, just like the Plaza Inn, GK offers more different variety of food to eat than at the others. I was also thinking of AG since DD2 (which will be her first time to visit DL) wanted to meet Cinderella and the best character restaurant was AG that would have her. But the food selection was not that good so it made our decision easy with GK. When I read your past TR at GK, I had to go back to GK one day and have a character breakfast. Even though I did character breakfast at the Plaza Inn, it would be great to have a young child to experience with them. I will be looking forward to eating at GK and you made it an easy choice with your experience at GK.

I eat at Subway a lot in town since I am eating healthy foods. I looked at the prices at Earl of Sandwich and they are really expensive. Ever since Earl of Sandwich opened at DTD, I have heard great reviews about it and I wanted to try it one day. It only depends on my group that they want to eat at Earl of Sandwich since they don't want to walk a lot at the resort. We are going to eat at GK during our trip since it is a good place to have a character breakfast. We'll just wait and see if we eat there or not. I did mention that to them but they aren't that interested that much. It nice to hear that there is a discount at Earl of Sandwich since the DL AP website doesn't show the AP discount.

When Earl of Sandwich opened, I would assume that the menu at allears.net is updated and as of now it is not even updated. At least you got a picture of the menu so I can see what they have to offer. There is a microwave at the BW hotels so it is nice to have a microwave. The DLR hotels should have at least a microwave in the rooms. Thank you for the info Sherry.

That was very odd to hear that Clarabelle's and Trolley Treats were empty during your trip.

NOS the last couple of years have added masks during the Holiday season which did make sense to match the theme of Mardi Gras. As you know that I do miss the string of Christmas lights over NOS alley right by the Blue Bayou and Club 33. Even though they did add string of lights over NOS the last couple of years after one year they took it down that one year in 2009. At least they have some that are over the alley's but they aren't the same like in the past. Glad that you had the opportunity to go to NOS this year and get to see NOS Holiday decorations. I will be looking forward to your pictures of NOS.

I did see some masks that were up from last year at NOS and some of them were moved to new locations while some were there from last year. This year, I didn't get close up views of the masks like last year since I was concentrating all my time at CL & BVS decorations.

Bret -

I hope that Goofy's Kitchen works out for your group. I think I am fine with it because I am so used to it. Others may feel differently. At least you can get a 15% discount there, so that helps!


Earl of Sandwich is a little bit more expensive than Subway and the sandwiches are not as large as Subway's, but Earl is still a really good deal for anything on a Disney property and they are pretty tasty sandwiches! The meatball sandwich is good, and my friends said that the Mediterranean Chicken wrap and the Chicken Chipotle sandwich were really good. I also tried the holiday sandwich (which Liza mentioned in her recent TR), but I will save my opinion on that for later!

Yes, be sure to get your 10% AP discount at Earl - I think my friend forgot to use her AP there. It's not a Disney-owned restaurant, which is why it's only 10% off, but it's better than nothing.

At least Earl of Sandwich is close to ESPN Zone (which you and your DA are used to going to), so your family can easily walk over to Earl and see the menu.

Okay, so I am not losing my mind - some of those masks in New Orleans Square were added in since 2010. I knew I couldn't have overlooked all of the ones I found on this recent trip. I may have skipped over some of them 2 years ago, but I wouldn't have skipped that many.

NOS will never look right to me without that light canopy from several years ago. As you said, at least they put some lights overhead now but they are not as bright as the old light canopy.

I'm about to post another TR installment, and the first of the mask photos will appear.

 

[Sherry E]

Here is the first installment for today, and hopefully it is not the last installment for today!

To those of you who can only pop in here every few days or so, be sure to glance at the posts that have come in since you were last here as I’ve shown detailed photos of my Paradise Pier Hotel room, explained in detail about my first Earl of Sandwich experience, shown pictures of delicious gingerbread cookies with mouse ears, explained my meeting with the DVC people and stumbled upon possibly the most beautiful flower arrangement ever in Disneyland!

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

(Sun., 12/9/12 – Wed., 12/12/12)



Day 2 - Monday, December 10, 2012 - Part 2​

City sidewalks, busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style
In the air
There's a feeling
Of Christmas
Children laughing
People passing
Meeting smile after smile
And on ev'ry street corner you'll hear






In the last segment of this TR, I arose in the morning to find a beautiful sunrise washing over most of California Adventure outside my Paradise Pier Hotel room window; I met with a lovely Cast Member at the Disney Vacation Club office and received a $50 Disney gift card and a tote bag for my time; I stopped in at the Walt Disney Travel Club office in Downtown Disney and picked up some travel books, which didn’t seem to go over well with the CM behind the desk; and I headed to Disneyland, where I found a gorgeous flower arrangement at the front of the Candlelight Ceremony (Processional) stage.




I continued to examine the flowers at the CP stage up close, trying to be sure they were real. The nice couple whose photo I took believed they were real flowers, and we saw a bee or two buzzing around them which would seem to support that belief! Lol.

I guess that it must have looked strange to passersby to see a few people looking so closely at a flower arrangement. Then again, if you recall, I am the one who was eliciting confused expressions and quizzical comments from fellow guests back in 2010 as I climbed under and around people to get to window displays and paused to take photos of plants and secret Christmas trees. So, basically, I am no stranger to people thinking I’ve lost my mind when I take pictures. Lol!

Soon there was a very small group of people gathered ‘round to inspect the flowers too!

I finally tore myself away from the CP flowers and made my way to another type of plant in Town Square. (This was the same sort of poinsettia basket that was in Downtown Disney last year, but this year I didn’t see any poinsettia baskets in DTD at all.)

An almost-empty Main Street! I have noticed more and more over the years that Mondays are not too crowded in December at DLR. Tuesdays are more crowded.

At that point I decided to give into the craving for Peppermint Stick ice cream (which I adore), since Gibson Girl Ice Cream was just a few feet away. I have ordered it in the peppermint candy-encrusted cone before, and I have ordered it in the cone covered in red and green sprinkles. This time I decided to get the red and green sprinkled cone.

I didn’t get any photos inside of Gibson Girl, but it was not crowded. I didn’t find it to be crowded in November either (which was another Monday). Compared to what the lines in Gibson Girl used to look like, this was astonishing. It could be that Mondays are just great days to get ice cream during the holidays, or it could be that since the makeover of California Adventure was completed more people are getting their ice cream over there (though I didn’t really see anyone in Clarabelle’s on Buena Vista Street).

Whatever the case, it was only a minute or two before the sweet peppermint-y delight was in my hands.

Those of you who read my “The Evil Chair and the Peppermint Cone of Death” TR from December 2010 know that I can tend to be a bit clumsy and calamitous with an ice cream cone and a camera. I established that I would try to get pictures once again, but I would have to be seated to do it. I was not going to repeat my ‘trash can trick’ from 2010 because no good would come of it!

So I made my way to “my” table by the Market House – the one at which I sit when I eat goodies. This is where I sat on the previous day (Day 1) with my gingerbread cookies. This was where I sat in November when I ate my ice cream. This was where I sat in December 2011 when I munched on cookies and drank coffee. This is where I sit if I need to check messages on my phone. This same table is usually available for me when I need it, and I like sitting there because it is tucked way in the back so if I am messy with my food I can kind of inconspicuously wipe my face or my lap or whatever, without an audience.

So yummy!

As you can see, my ice cream was beginning to melt. In fact, it was melting rapidly although it was not tremendously warm outside (and you know that if I am saying it was not tremendously warm – being as much of an anti-heat person as I am – it was not tremendously warm. It was comfortable).

I realized that I would probably have to begin scarfing down the ice cream or risk it melting all over my hands and clothes. I hadn’t planned on eating it quite that fast, but I was going to have to do it because it was dribbling down my hands at a rapid pace.

Out of nowhere an older lady – a very nice lady – approached me and asked if the other chairs at my table were going to be used. I said no, she could have them.

I suppose I was expecting that this lady was going to take the chairs from my table and bring them to her own table. She did not do that.

Maybe I had misunderstood what the lady was asking, or maybe I hadn’t heard her clearly. Well, color me surprised when the lady plopped down at my table and joined me! Lol.

I – quite literally – had peppermint ice cream on my face and hands, and in my mouth, and was trying to eat in peace with some semblance of dignity and orderliness. Now I was in the presence of a stranger.

Well, I am not averse to interacting with strangers at Disneyland – I do it on practically every trip. I just wish that it hadn’t been when I was scarfing down the melting ice cream.

Maybe she is going to just sit for a minute to rest and then leave, I thought.

Wrong. A young person – maybe a teenager, but I didn’t turn around to see – walked up to the table and was standing behind me, chatting back and forth with the lady at my table about something or other. I was in between them. The teen left.

Not long after that a man and woman – who I assume were a couple – ‘joined’ us at the table. They took the empty seats that the first lady had ‘reserved’ for them. I am pretty sure that one of them was the child of the lady, but I couldn’t tell which one.

Right off the bat I got ‘vibes’ from the woman in the couple. She was not happy about something. She seemed to be shooting me looks as if to say, “Why are you at OUR table?” At least, that’s how I felt. She seemed to be a bit curt with the older lady – who was either her mom or her mother-in-law, I am guessing – and was talking in a tone that suggested she was annoyed that the lady chose to sit at a table with a stranger!

The man in the group, however, was friendly and was trying to make conversation since we were all suddenly sharing a table together.

We sat in uncomfortable silence for a minute and I continued to try to finish my ice cream as it dripped down my hands and on to my pants. The man commented that it may have been better to get a cup. The last thing I wanted to do was talk or expose my sloppy eating to strangers, but it was too awkward to sit there quietly.

The older lady tried to chat, asking me if I have ever tried a Dole Whip (which is what she was eating). I said yes, but I like actual pineapple better than the Whip. Then the conversation segued into where we all lived and where we were all staying on our DLR visits.

The younger lady (closer to my age) continued to sit silently, as though she was stifling what she really wanted to say. And the man continued to crack an occasional joke to break the ice. I continued to try to finish my ice cream.

I have never been so happy to be done with a peppermint ice cream cone as I was at that moment! Lol.

Don’t get me wrong – the lady who originally approached me was very nice and friendly. I’m sure they were all friendly. It’s just that we were all in this awkward situation in which I wanted to eat in peace and (I think) the daughter or daughter-in-law couldn’t figure out who this strange woman was at THEIR table, and made it known with her body language.

I wolfed down the last bit of cone, hastily rubbed my hands on some napkins and said, “Well, I’m off to find a restroom to wash my sticky hands!” The older lady instructed me where to find a bathroom (I didn’t ask, and I knew where to find one).

The man laughed. I bid farewell to my table buddies and wished them all a happy holiday/merry Christmas. The older lady and the man said goodbye. The younger woman said nothing. I can only imagine what she must have said after I was out of earshot.

I could not get away from there fast enough! Lol. I high-tailed it away from MY table and found a bench to sit on so I could check my face for peppermint residue.

Animatronic duck alert for PHXscuba!

I just love that the drivers of the Main Street vehicles honk out the holiday tunes as they go down the street. You can almost always expect that one of them will be honking out the familiar “Jingle Bells” cadence, while the more daring drivers will occasionally try “Deck the Halls” or “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”

Flowers that lean more towards a Valentine’s Day color scheme than a Christmas one…

Mariezp is the first DIS’er I know of to take photos of the popcorn machine dudes, several years ago. As is the case with mostly everything else in Disney parks, the popcorn dudes are themed according to their locations…

Random pretty flower photo…

After pondering for a moment the various things I wanted to accomplish on this DLR trip, I knew what my next destination would be.

And it would be New Orleans Square.

New Orleans Square is one of the best places in Disneyland to begin with, but during the holidays it is so much more so. Disneyland decorates NOS with beads and feathers and whimsical jesters here and there.

The real stars of the show, however, are the masks. Anyone who has visited New Orleans Square during the Christmas season knows about The Musical Instrument Masks. These Mardi Gras-inspired masks (usually anchored on trumpets or other instruments) adorn assorted lampposts on the outskirts of NOS and well as in the back alleys, and they are a sight to behold. The masks are mystical, colorful, intriguing, mysterious and individually themed. When you study the masks up close, you begin to notice that they all seem to have their own personalities.

Two years ago I took photos of only some of the masks, and they were not particularly great photos at that. I think I missed seeing some of the masks on that trip, for some reason, and I also think that Disney has added in more masks to NOS’ décor since then.

So this time I made it my own personal goal to see every single mask on every lamppost – each side of each lamppost is slightly different too – and take photos. Plus, I knew I could take better pictures of these masks now than what I took two years ago. I really wanted to hone in on the details, colors and themes of each mask. It was my mission.

For example, here is a garden variety picture that I took of a mask in NOS on this trip…this is more like the kind of photo I would have taken a couple of years ago.

And here are better, more detailed, shots…still not exactly what I wanted, but a bit better…

This was just the tip of the Mardi Gras iceberg, as my Mask-a-Palooza would continue. I was determined to get even better pictures – would I succeed or flounder miserably?



Up next, in Part 3 of Day 2…masks, masks and more masks!

 

[mvf-m11c]

Bret -

I hope that Goofy's Kitchen works out for your group. I think I am fine with it because I am so used to it. Others may feel differently. At least you can get a 15% discount there, so that helps!


Earl of Sandwich is a little bit more expensive than Subway and the sandwiches are not as large as Subway's, but Earl is still a really good deal for anything on a Disney property and they are pretty tasty sandwiches! The meatball sandwich is good, and my friends said that the Mediterranean Chicken wrap and the Chicken Chipotle sandwich were really good. I also tried the holiday sandwich (which Liza mentioned in her recent TR), but I will save my opinion on that for later!

Yes, be sure to get your 10% AP discount at Earl - I think my friend forgot to use her AP there. It's not a Disney-owned restaurant, which is why it's only 10% off, but it's better than nothing.

At least Earl of Sandwich is close to ESPN Zone (which you and your DA are used to going to), so your family can easily walk over to Earl and see the menu.

Okay, so I am not losing my mind - some of those masks in New Orleans Square were added in since 2010. I knew I couldn't have overlooked all of the ones I found on this recent trip. I may have skipped over some of them 2 years ago, but I wouldn't have skipped that many.

NOS will never look right to me without that light canopy from several years ago. As you said, at least they put some lights overhead now but they are not as bright as the old light canopy.

I'm about to post another TR installment, and the first of the mask photos will appear.

Thank you Sherry. Good thing that the DL restaurants have these AP discounts while WDW have a few selected places that have the AP without the Tables in Wonderland card. You have the option of paying $100 just to get the Tables in Wonderland card for the sit down which is crazy.

That is nice to hear about the food at Earl of Sandwich. For that price and size, the food must be really good.

I know that Earl of Sandwich is not owned by the Disney Company and is an independent company that is renting space at DTD. I was wondering why the DL AP website hasn't been updated with the new restaurant. I always thought that Disney would update everything that is new to the resort. At least they have the 10% discount so the AP holders can save some money.

My DA that goes with me to DL a lot is not coming with me for this upcoming trip. It is my dad sister who came with me and my DB to WDW in October/November. I did mention her in my WDW trip report which is taking awhile to complete. I know that they don't like sports so we won't be eating at the ESPN Zone during this trip.

I looked at my pictures from my 2010 trip and there were masks on the light poles at NOS. I didn't get blow up pictures of them but I know that there were some in 2010. There weren't that many masks up at NOS during that year while in some areas had them. There were barely any masks up until last year where they added a lot of masks in NOS.

Here is a picture from 2010 and you can barely see it that there were some masks on the light poles.

NOS during the Holiday season hasn't been the same since they took the light canopy down and replaced it with string of lights which doesn't make it more Holiday.


Great pictures of the flowers around Main Street Town Square and the Hub.

Interesting to hear that you got your ice cream early that day during your trip. I thought that you would get it at night since it is fun to have ice cream at night than during the day.

Nice pictures of the masks at NOS. I will be looking forward to your pictures of the Holiday decorations at NOS.

 

[Sherry E]

Thank you Sherry. Good thing that the DL restaurants have these AP discounts while WDW have a few selected places that have the AP without the Tables in Wonderland card. You have the option of paying $100 just to get the Tables in Wonderland card for the sit down which is crazy.

That is nice to hear about the food at Earl of Sandwich. For that price and size, the food must be really good.

I know that Earl of Sandwich is not owned by the Disney Company and is an independent company that is renting space at DTD. I was wondering why the DL AP website hasn't been updated with the new restaurant. I always thought that Disney would update everything that is new to the resort. At least they have the 10% discount so the AP holders can save some money.

My DA that goes with me to DL a lot is not coming with me for this upcoming trip. It is my dad sister who came with me and my DB to WDW in October/November. I did mention her in my WDW trip report which is taking awhile to complete. I know that they don't like sports so we won't be eating at the ESPN Zone during this trip.

I looked at my pictures from my 2010 trip and there were masks on the light poles at NOS. I didn't get blow up pictures of them but I know that there were some in 2010. There weren't that many masks up at NOS during that year while in some areas had them. There were barely any masks up until last year where they added a lot of masks in NOS.

Here is a picture from 2010 and you can barely see it that there were some masks on the light poles.

NOS during the Holiday season hasn't been the same since they took the light canopy down and replaced it with string of lights which doesn't make it more Holiday.


Great pictures of the flowers around Main Street Town Square and the Hub.

Interesting to hear that you got your ice cream early that day during your trip. I thought that you would get it at night since it is fun to have ice cream at night than during the day.

Nice pictures of the masks at NOS. I will be looking forward to your pictures of the Holiday decorations at NOS.

Thank you, Bret!

I'm about to post another 3 installments. I was on a roll, but I had to stop because stupid Photobucket was acting up (I give my theory on why it is acting up in the third installment of the three posts I am about to put up) and because I have to do some other things. I hope to be able to get back to the TR tonight and at least finish up with NOS, if nothing else!

They have definitely added in some extra NOS masks since 2010. These masks may have been there in 2011 and I just didn't see them because I didn't look for them last year. But there has been a definite increase in masks between 2010 and now. I know I skipped over some masks when I was taking pictures of them in 2010, but I didn't skip that many. Maybe when they took away the light canopy they spent more of the decorating budget on masks! I just hope that they don't take the masks away too!

Really? You can't get too many dining discounts with the AP at WDW? I didn't know that! I've heard of Tables in Wonderland, but I don't think I ever realized that the AP discounts were minimal.

The merchandise discounts are going to be taken away from our DLR AP's soon, aren't they (or am I wrong on that?)? I know that the 20% merchandise discount for PAP holders is going away, but aren't they going to remove all merchandise discounts eventually too? That is just crazy - charging as much as they do for Premium or Premier AP's, only to not be able to get merchandise discounts! They cannot possibly keep raising the AP prices as much as they have been each year. No one will be able to buy them at all. Maybe Disney figures that if they only raise the price $10 or $20 each year, they have to remove one of the perks - discounts on merchandise.

Oh, I see - I got your aunts mixed up! I forgot that it is a different one going with you next month.

I hadn't checked the AP site to see if they have updated their discount list and mentioned Earl of Sandwich, but I definitely got a 10% discount. Do they list Haagen Dazs on there, because you can get a 10% discount there as well. Maybe they just don't list all of the places, for whatever reason.

 

[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 2 - Monday, December 10, 2012 - Part 3​

You'll see
A dixieland Santa Claus
Leading the band
To a good old Creole beat
And golly what a spirit
You can only hear it
Down on Basin Street…






In my last TR post, I had an uncomfortable peppermint ice cream break as I shared a table with three strangers, and I headed down to New Orleans Square to begin Mask-a-Palooza!





Before I get back to New Orleans Square, let me give the price breakdown of that peppermint ice cream cone (shown in the previous TR installment/Day 2-Part 2) that I bought at Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor, as I neglected to do that at the time I explained my awkward table situation:

Two scoops ice cream in a holiday sprinkle cone - $5.49
Tax - $.43

TOTAL = $5.92​

(Remember, Gibson Girl does not take the Annual Pass for discounts.)




By the way, while I’m on the subject – what would you all have done in that same table situation? Would you have stayed at the table even though you felt uncomfortable, or would you have gotten up right away and let the other people have the table to themselves – even though your ice cream was dripping down your hands – and tried to find some other place to sit (which may not have been possible)?







Back to the Big Easy!

As I mentioned previously, I was determined to get better mask photos than what I got in 2010. I had apparently skipped over a lot of the wonderful, dramatic, moody Mardi Gras masks when I was taking photos of them in 2010, but I also think that the Enhancement team added in even more masks since 2010 and possibly moved them to more visible locations (which Bret/mvf-m11c seems to agree with). I recall that Jessica/Belle Ella took a lot of mask pictures a couple of years back, but I still don’t think that there were quite as many masks as that point – or they were not all in exactly the same locations that they are now.

I showed you one musical, mystical mask so far, in the previous installment (the purple one) – that was the very first mask that caught my eye.





When I’m done posting all of the mask photos (which will not be for a while, so sit tight), I’d love to know which ones are your favorites!

A little musical entertainment as I hunted masks…

The second mask I saw was this one…the standard shot…

And a little more detailed…

And more masks…

The brilliant colors of this particular mask, splashed against the blue of the sky, were just awesome! Now I KNOW that this mask could not have been in NOS in 2010. I would not have passed this one by – the colors would have grabbed me right away!

Up next, in Part 4 of Day 2…masks, masks and more masks!

 

[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 2 - Monday, December 10, 2012 - Part 4​

Your cares will disappear
When you hear
Hallelujah old St. Nicholas is here
When it's Christmas time
In New Orleans.






In the last TR installment, I continued Mask-a-Palooza in New Orleans Square!

I just love the colors!

I feel like this jester mask was looking right at me in some pictures! Lol.

Up next, in Part 5 of Day 2…Mask-a-Palooza rages on!

 

[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 2 - Monday, December 10, 2012 - Part 5​

Magnolia trees at night
Sparkling bright
Fields of cotton look wintry white
When it's Christmas time
In New Orleans






In the last installment, I continued on with Mask-a-Palooza in New Orleans Square!

This is actually the other side of the jester mask lamppost – most of the masks had two sides, and sometimes the sides were not identical. Their differences may have been only slight, but there were differences to most of the double-sided masks. In most cases I was able to access both sides of the masks (with one or two exceptions, because they were just in a spot I couldn’t get to).

Also, often times the lighting and shading were totally different on the opposite side.

Notice that all of the masks have faux jewels hanging off of them as well…

I don’t remember taking this random flower picture in the middle of Mask-a-Palooza, but here it is!

This is very much like the mask photos I would have taken in 2010 – a very basic, run of the mill photo…

I briefly interrupted Mask-a-Palooza to walk around New Orleans Square. But don’t worry – we’re not done with the masks yet! There are more! It won’t be long before you see more!

See? I told you it wouldn’t be long before you saw more masks.

Now…I know what many of you many be thinking or wondering. You are probably wondering why I am posting several photos of each mask – why not just one or two shots of each, right? That is very understandable, and it would have been faster for me to do it that way.

Well, here is the thing…our Trip Reports are for us to report on what we did on our trips. What you do on your DLR trip will likely be very different from what I do on mine…but what I do on mine will often involve taking a lot of photos while I am enjoying golden solo time. That WAS the majority of this trip for me – trying to take good photos. Not going on rides. Not shopping. Not posing with characters. It was all about the photos. I may not be roaming around DLR with a DSLR camera (and given how klutzy I am I’m not sure it would be wise for me to do that anyway), but I take the whole thing very seriously – which is why I can never do this sort of thing when I am with people!

In the past (in previous TR’s) I have mentioned that photography is very cathartic for me, and oddly meditative in a way…while still helping me hone in on something with laser focus. I also mentioned earlier in this TR that I was bound and determined to get better photos of certain subjects than what I had gotten in the past. It’s all about improving over time, isn’t it?

So, by my posting all of these photos I am bringing you into my trip with me and into my mindset! This IS what I was doing – taking many shots of the same subjects to try to perfect the photos, or get the best ones I could. To do that, I needed to try multiple angles, multiple vantage points, different cropping/framing, zooming in or out, etc. Often times you have to go through many attempts before even coming up with one or two really good pictures, and that’s what I was doing. I was on a mission…a journey…an odyssey. I was intensely determined and could not be stopped!




BUT I will give you a break from the mask photos for the moment, as I must go do some other things today!! Also, Photobucket has been acting crazy on and off – I think it has to do with the large number of people loading and editing their Christmas photos, to be honest. A major holiday like Christmas will surely yield millions of photos loaded to Photobucket in the days following 12/25. So their site ends up acting glitchy and buggy!

Plus, I would bet that a lot of the angry Webshots customers (hello, Mariezp!), who have suddenly had to download alllllllllll of their photos back to their computers because Webshots is discontinuing its service, have defected over to Photobucket! This is likely causing some extra traffic on the site.





Up next, in Part 6 of Day 2…more ‘unmasking’ of the masks in New Orleans Square!

 

[Sherry E]

Here is the FOURTH and final post for today (Saturday) – I had already started this one earlier, so I figured I’d better get it finished before shutting the PC down for the night and going to sleep. Zzzzzzzzz. I hope that anyone who has been silently following along out there has enjoyed today’s installments!

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

(Sun., 12/9/12 – Wed., 12/12/12)



Day 2 - Monday, December 10, 2012 - Part 6​

See the blazing Yule before us.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Strike the harp and join the chorus.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Follow me in merry measure.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
While I tell of Yule-tide treasure.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la






In the last installment, I continued on with my Mardi Gras/Christmas mask adventure in New Orleans Square (and in case anyone didn’t know, these masks stay up from the holiday season through the Mardi Gras celebration in Disneyland, which usually ends in early March)!

More from New Orleans Square…Mask-a-Palooza continues!

A balcony mask!

This is one of my favorite masks (both this year and back in 2010)!

The New Orleans Square Christmas tree…

Up next, in Part 7 of Day 2…I linger a little longer in New Orleans Square…

 

[DizNee Luver]

Your pictures of the masks are GORGEOUS!!!!!!!

I love those masks!! I didn't take any pictures of them this time...not sure why either. I think I was more focused on the twins and how they were doing that I didn't pick up my camera like I normally would do. I love all the different angles on each one. You've really got a knack for picture taking!!

As for the ice cream~table sharing~rude younger gal, etc. I would have been so weirded out having them basically take over "my space"! I would have sat there until I was done.....but it wouldn't have come soon enough!! The younger gal.....yet another sad example of people having the sense of entitlement.......just annoys me to no end. She doesn't own the park, she doesn't own the ice cream parlor, she doesn't own the table or chairs.......so she can just get over herself and at least be polite!

Depending on my mood.....I either would have left quietly or would have made some snarky comment like "well now you can have MY entire table to yourself!" (and then think to myself .... you ungrateful witch!)

 

[mvf-m11c]

Thank you, Bret!

I'm about to post another 3 installments. I was on a roll, but I had to stop because stupid Photobucket was acting up (I give my theory on why it is acting up in the third installment of the three posts I am about to put up) and because I have to do some other things. I hope to be able to get back to the TR tonight and at least finish up with NOS, if nothing else!

They have definitely added in some extra NOS masks since 2010. These masks may have been there in 2011 and I just didn't see them because I didn't look for them last year. But there has been a definite increase in masks between 2010 and now. I know I skipped over some masks when I was taking pictures of them in 2010, but I didn't skip that many. Maybe when they took away the light canopy they spent more of the decorating budget on masks! I just hope that they don't take the masks away too!

Really? You can't get too many dining discounts with the AP at WDW? I didn't know that! I've heard of Tables in Wonderland, but I don't think I ever realized that the AP discounts were minimal.

The merchandise discounts are going to be taken away from our DLR AP's soon, aren't they (or am I wrong on that?)? I know that the 20% merchandise discount for PAP holders is going away, but aren't they going to remove all merchandise discounts eventually too? That is just crazy - charging as much as they do for Premium or Premier AP's, only to not be able to get merchandise discounts! They cannot possibly keep raising the AP prices as much as they have been each year. No one will be able to buy them at all. Maybe Disney figures that if they only raise the price $10 or $20 each year, they have to remove one of the perks - discounts on merchandise.

Oh, I see - I got your aunts mixed up! I forgot that it is a different one going with you next month.

I hadn't checked the AP site to see if they have updated their discount list and mentioned Earl of Sandwich, but I definitely got a 10% discount. Do they list Haagen Dazs on there, because you can get a 10% discount there as well. Maybe they just don't list all of the places, for whatever reason.

I just got in from my basketball game tonight and get to see your latest updates of the Holiday Masks at NOS. Awesome pictures of the masks during your time at NOS.

NOS barely had any masks before 2010 and the last two years they added more. We are hoping that Disney doesn't take the masks away just like they have done with the light canopy in 2010.

Yup. When I looked at the AP discounts for the restaurants they have only a few selected at each parks, resorts and DTD. They don't take the AP discount for the quick counter restaurants like we have at the DLR and only selected sit down restaurants. In order to get the discount for the sit down restaurants without the Tables in Wonderland card, you have to be there at a specific time to get the discount which is ridiculous. For paying so much money for an AP and don't get discounts at the quick counters and sit downs at WDW is disappointing where I do spend a lot of money on food at the quick counter restaurants. If you want discounts, you have to buy the TiW card for another $100 is crazy. That's why when I am at the DLR with my AP I am so glad that the DLR has a lot of AP discounts with the restaurants.

I have read that WDW and the DLR aren't renewing the AP discounts for the merchandise. So we are going back to the 10% discount unless Disney announced it shortly until we get to 2013 that they will have the merchandise discounts for the AP holders. This year just have been crazy with the AP price increase and now they are going to take away the discounts for the merchandise. They should have made this permanent with the AP merchandise discount since there are a lot of AP holders like me that will buy during our visits. When DL does the next price increase for the tickets and AP, we all hope that they won't increase it too dramatically where there is no way we will be paying that much for an AP. The PAP which was raised from $150 in June was ridiculous and it will be more ludicrous if they raised it just like this year.

My dad's sister is looking forward to going to the DLR since she hasn't been there since the 80s. So it has been a long time for her to be at the DLR and see all the new additions. My aunt, her BF and her DD2 is looking forward to this trip and seeing what is different back from the 80s. Good thing that IASWH will be up and running during our trip in a couple of weeks.

They do have Haagen-Dazs discount on the AP website. Also on the AP discount website, it shows most of the restaurants and stores that get the AP discount and Earl of Sandwich is still not updated yet.

 

[PHXscuba]

Loved the mask photos. I also like that blue and red one you were gaga over. .

I think they have gotten more elaborate since I saw them in 2010 -- and maybe swapped out a few. I took a picture of this one in 2010, but didn't see it in your pix.

Enjoying the TR despite my off-and-on commenting.

PHXscuba

 

[Sherry E]

Your pictures of the masks are GORGEOUS!!!!!!!

I love those masks!! I didn't take any pictures of them this time...not sure why either. I think I was more focused on the twins and how they were doing that I didn't pick up my camera like I normally would do. I love all the different angles on each one. You've really got a knack for picture taking!!

As for the ice cream~table sharing~rude younger gal, etc. I would have been so weirded out having them basically take over "my space"! I would have sat there until I was done.....but it wouldn't have come soon enough!! The younger gal.....yet another sad example of people having the sense of entitlement.......just annoys me to no end. She doesn't own the park, she doesn't own the ice cream parlor, she doesn't own the table or chairs.......so she can just get over herself and at least be polite!

Depending on my mood.....I either would have left quietly or would have made some snarky comment like "well now you can have MY entire table to yourself!" (and then think to myself .... you ungrateful witch!)

Laurie -

Thank you so much for the nice comments and kind words about the mask pictures. I appreciate it. I tried many shots of each one, just trying to get one or two pictures that I really liked. Even then, some of the ones that I thought were really good at first didn't turn out to be as good when I finally looked at them on Photobucket.

As I've said to you before, I'm always shocked and amazed that you're able to get anything else done when you have so much on your plate because I know you are very focused on the family and making sure they are having fun, that they are fed, comfortable, rested, happy, etc.! So, believe me, it shocks me when you have time to get any pictures at all, let alone a lot of them! Of course there will be occasions when you can only have time to take pictures of certain things and not others. Some years I think we all zero in on some things and then the next year we zero in on other things.

Okay, I'm soooooo relieved to know that I am not the only one who thinks the whole peppermint ice cream-table situation was weird! Yes, it did feel like they were taking over my space! Even though the original lady who asked about the chairs was very nice, I still didn't expect that I'd have 3 strangers at my table while I was trying to wipe ice cream off of my face, hands and pants and eat it quickly at the same time! I really thought they were going to take the chairs and bring them to another table.

And It's not like the seating was the kind of set-up like the benches at Earl of Sandwich, where you can share the general table with strangers but it doesn't feel like you are necessarily 'together' and forced to communicate. This was a regular table, so we were all facing each other in close proximity. I was kind of thinking that the younger woman was perhaps annoyed at the older lady (maybe she was her mom?) for sitting with a stranger. She may have even thought that the older lady was intruding upon my space - but whatever she thought, she was making me uncomfortable, like I should leave my own table.

You are correct - the end of my ice cream cone did not some soon enough! I darted out of there.

I just got in from my basketball game tonight and get to see your latest updates of the Holiday Masks at NOS. Awesome pictures of the masks during your time at NOS.

NOS barely had any masks before 2010 and the last two years they added more. We are hoping that Disney doesn't take the masks away just like they have done with the light canopy in 2010.

Yup. When I looked at the AP discounts for the restaurants they have only a few selected at each parks, resorts and DTD. They don't take the AP discount for the quick counter restaurants like we have at the DLR and only selected sit down restaurants. In order to get the discount for the sit down restaurants without the Tables in Wonderland card, you have to be there at a specific time to get the discount which is ridiculous. For paying so much money for an AP and don't get discounts at the quick counters and sit downs at WDW is disappointing where I do spend a lot of money on food at the quick counter restaurants. If you want discounts, you have to buy the TiW card for another $100 is crazy. That's why when I am at the DLR with my AP I am so glad that the DLR has a lot of AP discounts with the restaurants.

I have read that WDW and the DLR aren't renewing the AP discounts for the merchandise. So we are going back to the 10% discount unless Disney announced it shortly until we get to 2013 that they will have the merchandise discounts for the AP holders. This year just have been crazy with the AP price increase and now they are going to take away the discounts for the merchandise. They should have made this permanent with the AP merchandise discount since there are a lot of AP holders like me that will buy during our visits. When DL does the next price increase for the tickets and AP, we all hope that they won't increase it too dramatically where there is no way we will be paying that much for an AP. The PAP which was raised from $150 in June was ridiculous and it will be more ludicrous if they raised it just like this year.

My dad's sister is looking forward to going to the DLR since she hasn't been there since the 80s. So it has been a long time for her to be at the DLR and see all the new additions. My aunt, her BF and her DD2 is looking forward to this trip and seeing what is different back from the 80s. Good thing that IASWH will be up and running during our trip in a couple of weeks.

They do have Haagen-Dazs discount on the AP website. Also on the AP discount website, it shows most of the restaurants and stores that get the AP discount and Earl of Sandwich is still not updated yet.

Bret -

Thank you for the compliment, Bret. I appreciate it. I'm glad the mask pictures are going over well.

I wonder if Earl of Sandwich will stop taking the AP discount. Maybe that's why it hasn't been listed on the AP site yet - perhaps they are going to stop taking it.

I don't know about that Tables in Wonderland card for $100. That doesn't sound like it would work for every situation - only for some.

So, let me get this straight - if you want to use your AP at WDW for table service restaurants, you have to eat at certain times to get the discounts? You can't just go and eat at any old time of the day to be able to use it? And only some of the table service restaurants accept the AP discount? You can't use your AP on the counter service places at all? Interesting (but not in a good way)! That whole set-up almost makes DLR's AP a bargain!

When the DLR Premium AP went up $150 this year, my first thought was that Disney would do the biggest price increase then, right before Cars Land opened, and then do much smaller increases over the next couple of years. For example, they used to raise the DAP and PAP by maybe $30-$50 a year. The $150 increase on the PAP was massive, so I am guessing that the next couple of increases will be much smaller. They could have broken it up so that instead of $150 at once, it was $50 each year for the next couple of years. They wanted more money up front, to get back a little of what they spent on CL and BVS. I think that Disney would be absolutely out of their minds if they tried another $150 increase on the PAP this year.

Aside from the AP prices, Laurie/DizNee Luver and I have discussed how Disney has also gone crazy with their hotel prices. Yes, all of the onsite hotels are expensive, but in the case of the PPH they have gotten ahead of themselves. Laurie and I both love the PPH, whereas a lot of people had no interest in staying there for years.

Now that the PPH is starting to get many more bookings, the prices have gone way, way up per night. Even an AP doesn't get you anything more than a 10% discount now - all of the good AP discounts seem to be gone. But the problem is that even though the PPH is a nice place to stay, it is in no way worth what Disney is charging for it. The DLH and GCH are big properties with grounds to explore - they are more like real resort hotels. The PPH does not have that kind of property. It is much smaller and there isn't really much to it, so the prices that Disney charges for the PPH per night without discounts ($300+) are totally outrageous because it is not a $300 per night hotel!

I wonder what direction Disney will take (in terms of prices) with this whole "fiscal cliff" situation that we are dealing with in America. It is sounding like a lot of people may be taking big pay cuts and/or getting huge tax increases, and more jobs will be lost, etc. If this happens, I really think there will be a drop in attendance at DLR. I know that it may be cheaper to go there than it is to go other places for a weekend, but I think that if millions of Americans suddenly get hit with those cuts and increases, Disney parks will suffer for a while.

Loved the mask photos. I also like that blue and red one you were gaga over. .

I think they have gotten more elaborate since I saw them in 2010 -- and maybe swapped out a few. I took a picture of this one in 2010, but didn't see it in your pix.

Enjoying the TR despite my off-and-on commenting.

PHXscuba

Hi, PHX!

Thank you! I wasn't sure if anyone would like the mask pics, but I was going to take them and post them one way or the other!

Most of my people are on-and-off commenters and on/off visitors!

I'm down to basically the last 10 pages of this thread and then it will be time to close/lock it. Most of those pages are going to zoom by with the remainder of this current December TR. So now is the time for any friendly lurkers to come out of hiding, say hello and join in, because we are in the home stretch of this thread and I don't know if I will be doing another TR thread after this one! It's a lot of work, and it takes a lot of time, and I've been working on this thread for 4 years! It's taken a while to build it up. I don't think I have it in me to start another TR thread.

Yes, the whole array o' masks has gotten more elaborate in the last 2 years. They're much more striking than they were. I think I got pictures of maybe 7 or 8 masks in 2010, and I knew that I had skipped over a few...but not THAT many! I wouldn't have skipped all of those masks. Coincidentally, the one you posted the picture of above was one of the 7 or 8 that I got a picture of in 2010 too!

And even though I have not quite finished posting the mask photos yet (I'm almost done with them), I believe you are correct - the one you showed did not pop up in NOS during my Mask-a-Palooza! That one seems to have disappeared and been replaced by other mask friends!

I am just about to put up another TR installment...

 

[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 2 - Monday, December 10, 2012 - Part 7​

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play.
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.






In the last TR installment, I stumbled upon even more musical, mysterious Mardi Gras-influenced masks around New Orleans Square and admired the sparkly, lovely, blue-toned Christmas tree in the Court of Angels.




It seemed that every time I thought I had discovered all of the masks I would find yet another one! None of them were the same – they were all different. In fact, I am still a bit hard pressed to decide which ones were my favorites. Some masks I preferred because of the overall mix of colors, and sometimes I would appreciate a mask because of the type of mask that it was (such as the jester mask). I tended to like the ones that had one basic color scheme – like all red, all green, all white, all purple, etc. Those seemed to be the most striking to me. But they are all so beautiful and eye-catching that it’s hard to narrow down any true favorites.

Is it weird that I want to take all of the masks home with me and hang them on the walls? Lol. On second thought, it might be a little creepy to see all of those faces with vacant expressions and dead eyes staring at me on a daily basis. Lol.

Anyway, back to New Orleans Square and its own special Christmas decorations, Mardi Gras style!

The coloring and ornaments on the NOS tree are quite stunning…

Could it be? Why, yes, it could. It’s another mask!

It’s funny – I was taking pictures of this mask and another one nearby it. I was doing what I usually do – snapping multiple pictures at different angles just to try to determine what looked best. Another girl walked up to get some pictures of the mask too.

There was a man sitting on a bench, apparently watching us as we took pictures. At some point the man got up from his bench and came around to look at the mask. With a puzzled look on his face he mumbled, “Why is everyone taking pictures of this?” It’s as if he wanted to see for himself what it was to be sure he wasn’t missing out on anything exciting. Lol. He looked at the mask for about 3 seconds and then sat down, still appearing to be confused.

This kind of reaction from strangers is not unfamiliar to me. I have experienced the baffled expressions and comments in the past, as I took pictures of plants, of window displays, of Christmas trees, of sacks of grain and barrels, whatever. It’s usually men who don’t seem to ‘get it.’ I think they usually just wonder, “Who is this crazy woman taking pictures of inanimate objects?” Clearly they do not belong to this particular discussion board, because if they did they would ‘know’ that details are appreciated around here!

Back to the masks!

There are lots of jester-ish faces and figures hiding on balconies around New Orleans Square…

Up next, in Part 8 of Day 2, I continue exploring New Orleans Square – but Mask-a-Palooza is going to come to an end soon.