PHXscuba's Club 33 Christmas

[Sherry E]

I'm glad you enjoyed Club 33, PHX! You got a lot of really wonderful photos (as did Laurie and Ty).

I feel I made the right choices of who to invite to join me at Club 33 -- everyone fit the criteria I set forth in my mind, and I figured I was picking people who would really appreciate it...and you did! Both you and Laurie sent me very nice "thank you PMs" for including/inviting you, and that meant a lot. (And I also extended many, many thanks to the Club 33 member who made the offer to me, on behalf of everyone.)

I purposely chose to go during the holiday season because of how much I love that time of year at DLR. We could have gone a wee bit earlier in the year, but I knew that I would not be missing my favorite season at DLR and it seemed a likely choice to plan a special meal during that time as well.

So imagine my excitement (though I suppressed it) over seeing all of the Christmas trees around the restaurant! It seemed like everywhere I looked there were trees of some kind...didn't it seem that way? Bonus! Club 33 and Christmas trees too!

I totally agree about the Coke -- I was expecting that it would be a lot more expensive than it was -- and it wasn't! I have had more expensive Cokes than that elsewhere in the parks, and without refills. We got refills at Club 33 so it was a better value!

Oh, that reminds me... I don't know if it will happen at all, but there is some talk of maybe some of the Club employees ending up at counter service places in the parks! Again, I have no way of knowing if that will happen, but it has been tossed around. Can you imagine going from Club 33 to a counter service place? I want them to stay busy and working, but I hope that doesn't happen because it would almost be an insult!

 

[PHXscuba]

Oh, I'm glad you got a picture of the main dining room....since it was closed off when we were finally done. I didn't even get a peak inside!

I totally agree....getting to go at Christmas time just made it even more special!!

I sure hope Louis will be able to go back after the refurb (that is, if he can hold on that long in a temporary location....) I'm sure any where he gets put....other than Napa Rose would be a significant pay/tip cut.

I didn't feel like I got that many pictures total but I did get a good sampling of everything. You're welcome to any of mine if you want to PM me your e-mail address for them.

I'm glad you enjoyed Club 33, PHX! You got a lot of really wonderful photos (as did Laurie and Ty).

I feel I made the right choices of who to invite to join me at Club 33 -- everyone fit the criteria I set forth in my mind, and I figured I was picking people who would really appreciate it...and you did! Both you and Laurie sent me very nice "thank you PMs" for including/inviting you, and that meant a lot. (And I also extended many, many thanks to the Club 33 member who made the offer to me, on behalf of everyone.)

I purposely chose to go during the holiday season because of how much I love that time of year at DLR. We could have gone a wee bit earlier in the year, but I knew that I would not be missing my favorite season at DLR and it seemed a likely choice to plan a special meal during that time as well.

So imagine my excitement (though I suppressed it) over seeing all of the Christmas trees around the restaurant! It seemed like everywhere I looked there were trees of some kind...didn't it seem that way? Bonus! Club 33 and Christmas trees too!

I totally agree about the Coke -- I was expecting that it would be a lot more expensive than it was -- and it wasn't! I have had more expensive Cokes than that elsewhere in the parks, and without refills. We got refills at Club 33 so it was a better value!

Oh, that reminds me... I don't know if it will happen at all, but there is some talk of maybe some of the Club employees ending up at counter service places in the parks! Again, I have no way of knowing if that will happen, but it has been tossed around. Can you imagine going from Club 33 to a counter service place? I want them to stay busy and working, but I hope that doesn't happen because it would almost be an insult!

I totally agree with both Laurie and Sherry that I'm concerned about the staff. I'm sure the other high-end restaurants are already pretty well staffed to absorb that many quality servers. While the closing of Club 33 for 6 months (?) is an inconvenience in NOS for scaffolding and a temporary loss of privileges of the club members, it is the workers' livelihood. I hope Disneyland is doing whatever possible to cushion that blow for dedicated employees.

Disneyland, Club 33 and Christmas were a perfect combo! Unfortunately, I am forever spoiled for other combinations lacking one of these ingredients!

Sherry, I am grateful that you sent our huge thanks to the Club member who gave us the opportunity to go. It's like having a fairy godmother/godfather of our own!

PHXscuba

 

[Sherry E]

I didn't feel like I got that many pictures total but I did get a good sampling of everything. You're welcome to any of mine if you want to PM me your e-mail address for them.


I totally agree with both Laurie and Sherry that I'm concerned about the staff. I'm sure the other high-end restaurants are already pretty well staffed to absorb that many quality servers. While the closing of Club 33 for 6 months (?) is an inconvenience in NOS for scaffolding and a temporary loss of privileges of the club members, it is the workers' livelihood. I hope Disneyland is doing whatever possible to cushion that blow for dedicated employees.

Disneyland, Club 33 and Christmas were a perfect combo! Unfortunately, I am forever spoiled for other combinations lacking one of these ingredients!

Sherry, I am grateful that you sent our huge thanks to the Club member who gave us the opportunity to go. It's like having a fairy godmother/godfather of our own!

PHXscuba

I think it will be a big decline in pay if any of the Club 33 employees have to suddenly work at, for example, White Water Snacks or something (that's not where I heard they might be going, but it would be the same sort of counter service place). And 6 months is a long time to sustain that kind of drop in income. It would be income, but nowhere near what they are accustomed to getting (with tips and all).

If the Club workers at least got placed in table service restaurants they would have a chance to get tips, albeit not the kinds of tips they get at Club 33. But to put them in counter service places is quite a drastic change, if it happens.

I would imagine (or hope) that some of them will be able to hang in there and wait for the Club to reopen, but others will probably not be able to deal with that much of a drop in income for that long of a stretch and will have to find other full-time work.

I know what you mean -- it's easy to be spoiled by certain circumstances at DLR. I already knew that I couldn't miss DLR for the holidays years ago -- even if I have to skip a hotel and just go for one day, or stay offsite at some point -- but now that the overall holiday season seems to be getting bigger and better, I don't know how any other trip could compare! (My only issue is that the Winter Castle was less sparkly/glowy this year. It doesn't look as icicle-ish as it did last year. Somehow or another the lights on it changed.)

Oh yes, believe me, I definitely heaped many thanks on the person who extended me the offer to dine at Club 33 -- when I first received the offer, and both before and after the meal. I said that all of my invitees were thrilled to be there and that we had a wonderful time! Said Club 33 member was very pleased and happy to know that we all had a great time, and agreed that Louis is a fabulous server/employee!

In fact, Louis was just about to show us the main dining room (this was after you left) -- he was about to lead us there but we got delayed somehow for a minute or two, and just as I started to march forward to the dining room the doors were closed by another staff member! We were so close to seeing it, but we just missed it! Drat! I am glad, however, that we got to sit in the Trophy Room for the whole meal. I think that was better than if we had been seated in the main dining room, just because we could really soak it all in and look around at the things hanging on the wall and in the cases before the room is torn down.




I'm really looking forward to seeing your other photos and reading about whatever you and your mom did before and after Club 33! All I know is what you posted in Laurie's TR about being in DCA later that evening, but I think there is a lot of ground yet to be covered! And where did your mom go while we were at Club 33?

 

[PHXscuba]

I'm really looking forward to seeing your other photos and reading about whatever you and your mom did before and after Club 33! All I know is what you posted in Laurie's TR about being in DCA later that evening, but I think there is a lot of ground yet to be covered! And where did your mom go while we were at Club 33?

My mother wandered around. I think she ate something -- since we'd only had stuff from Marceline's for a lunch/snack. I know she went on Winnie the Pooh (she loves those characters) and got a Tigger Tail -- she saved me a bite that I was soooo full to try to eat. She rode Haunted Mansion. I know she ended up in Innoventions watching the Asimo demonstration when I called her. She'd pretty independent.

I am starting to work on my photos from the beginning of the trip and hope to get something up today. I did the bills this morning and we are still hoping to make it to the dog park this afternoon with Shadow and the little kids. DH wanted to teach DS17 how to change his oil, which is (of course) turning into a multiple-trip-to-the-store odyssey. And my father-in-law just sliced a chunk off the top of a finger so DH is going to go stitch him up!!! I think FIL the woodworker is glad he has a DDS son!

PHXscuba

 

[Sherry E]

My mother wandered around. I think she ate something -- since we'd only had stuff from Marceline's for a lunch/snack. I know she went on Winnie the Pooh (she loves those characters) and got a Tigger Tail -- she saved me a bite that I was soooo full to try to eat. She rode Haunted Mansion. I know she ended up in Innoventions watching the Asimo demonstration when I called her. She'd pretty independent.

I am starting to work on my photos from the beginning of the trip and hope to get something up today. I did the bills this morning and we are still hoping to make it to the dog park this afternoon with Shadow and the little kids. DH wanted to teach DS17 how to change his oil, which is (of course) turning into a multiple-trip-to-the-store odyssey. And my father-in-law just sliced a chunk off the top of a finger so DH is going to go stitch him up!!! I think FIL the woodworker is glad he has a DDS son!

PHXscuba

Yikes (about the finger)! Yes, I'd say that a DDS is a good one to have around when one needs some fast stitches!

It definitely sounds like your mom is a very independent DLR visitor, and she can find things to entertain herself for hours! That's great, since she has an AP. She doesn't even have to wait for you to come to SoCal -- she can just mosey over there at any old random time.

I was chuckling at the "...which is (of course) turning into a multiple-trip-to-the-store odyssey" in reference to the oil-changing lessons. You don't have to go to the store with DH and DS17 each time, do you? Are they holding everyone up from getting to the dog park?

How was your New Year's Eve? Did you ring in the new year or do anything festive? Does anyone past the age of 25 actually stay up until midnight anymore? I always think that I might, or I intend to, and then I conk out hours earlier. It seems like staying up until midnight is the thing to do when you're very young, or when you're at a specific New Year's Eve event (party, theme park or public place), but otherwise...I don't necessarily need to see Ryan Seacrest count down to midnight.

 

[PHXscuba]

Yikes (about the finger)! Yes, I'd say that a DDS is a good one to have around when one needs some fast stitches!

It definitely sounds like your mom is a very independent DLR visitor, and she can find things to entertain herself for hours! That's great, since she has an AP. She doesn't even have to wait for you to come to SoCal -- she can just mosey over there at any old random time.

I was chuckling at the "...which is (of course) turning into a multiple-trip-to-the-store odyssey" in reference to the oil-changing lessons. You don't have to go to the store with DH and DS17 each time, do you? Are they holding everyone up from getting to the dog park?

How was your New Year's Eve? Did you ring in the new year or do anything festive? Does anyone past the age of 25 actually stay up until midnight anymore? I always think that I might, or I intend to, and then I conk out hours earlier. It seems like staying up until midnight is the thing to do when you're very young, or when you're at a specific New Year's Eve event (party, theme park or public place), but otherwise...I don't necessarily need to see Ryan Seacrest count down to midnight.

Thankfully I didn't have to go to the store with them! I was at home doing the business bills and end-of-quarter planning, so I locked myself in my office and tried to get everyone to pretend I wasn't there, ha ha right!

Luckily the dog park is close so it's not a major outing, just something DH hasn't done with us in awhile.

We are at that stage where our teens are gone for New Year's Eve and we have to stay in with the little ones!! DS17 and DD14 went to a New Year's dance/party at church (DS was on the planning committee) and we let the younger ones get some candy and watch a movie and "stay up" til 10. Then DH and I watched a movie. We are so painfully hip. I stayed up til midnight simply because the fireworks would have kept me from falling asleep anyways, and DH stayed up til the kids came in.

I'm uploading photos right now!

PHXscuba

 

[PHXscuba]

A Club 33 Christmas, part 4

Let's rewind, back to the beginning of my trip. Apologies that I really didn't take notes this time; I wasn't sure how much of a TR I was going to write.

I got to the Phoenix airport in plenty of time to get through the long security line and then got some lunch. This was my view out the window at the gate:

Phoenix has its own parking-to-terminal monorail! It was just finished last spring and I always think of Disney when I see it.

They said our flight was delayed half an hour, then started asking for possible volunteers to give up their seat. For waiting an extra 2 hours, they would have given me $225 in credits. I put my name on the list, figuring I'd get another meal and a book/magazine and still come out far ahead. I just needed to be in CA that night. But they didn't end up needing to bump anyone.

I ended up with some highly entertaining seatmates. Two guys who had been to Phoenix on a golf trip and were trying to stretch their vacation to the very last second back to Long Beach. They were already a little sauced when they got on and ordered another round of beer. Luckily they were happy drunks. I made polite small talk and basically tuned them out the rest of the time. (With my noisy household I'm good at it) I did overhear them talking about the missing third member of their party, who was apparently too drunk to make it through the security check.

We made it to Long Beach without incident and my parents drove me back to their house. We made "breakfast for dinner" and I ate far too many crepes with Nutella. Then I helped my mother solve a few shipping problems -- she had ordered 2 sets of the same Legos for my nephew and I walked her through the Amazon return process. Plus some other gifts she was trying to sort out what she had and didn't have there. She is an overindulgent Grandma to her 9 grandkids.

I stayed up talking with my Dad and finally turned in. When I woke up the next morning, this is what the thermometer on my parents' patio looked like:

Yikes! I knew it would be cold and had brought clothes to that effect. I don't mind it being cold if I am properly prepared. And it definitely seems more Christmas-y with a good nip in the air!

We headed up to Disneyland in good time and parked without incident. We got caught at the security lines, got an esplanade locker for the bigger coats, and finally entered DCA soon after opening. Since we weren't rushing to rope-drop a ride, I was uncharacteristically unstressed about not being there right at opening. Just the first sign of a different kind of Disney day. My mother wanted to be double-sure that we got a FP for the winter World of Color, so we headed to the FP machines first. Then we decided to check out Carsland before it got too busy.

The lighting was not great that early for getting a good look at the decor. We were often shading our eyes or turning around to get a better look. I think if I did this again I would wait until a little later for fewer shadows. Hard to photograph too.

You don't see a lot of purple Christmas decorations, so I thought these at Ramon's were worth shooting. DD14's favorite color is purple.

See all the long shadows? Mater rumbled through on his way to meet and greet. I like how he talks to people even when he's on the move.​

I had decided the one ride I really wanted to do in DCA was Tower of Terror. I didn't ride it in September, and only once in March because DS8 highly dislikes it.

After ToT we wandered down Hollywood Blvd. and looked at the decorations and the big tree. I had been wanting hot cocoa but not before we rode Tower of Terror (interesting mental image there). We asked the fruit vendor people where the nearest place to get it was.

We ended up getting it at Schmoozies. The sign only said cocoa, but they asked us if we wanted peppermint cocoa! Of course I said yes!! There was no line, compared with what we saw when we passed the Starbucks!

My original bucket list had Grizzly River Run on it but I knew I wouldn't do it if the day was cold. Turns out I couldn't have even if I had wanted to, as the flume was empty and drained. I can't imagine staffing it all day would have been worthwhile for the 5 hardy souls who might ride it as a dare. Someday I will ride GRR!!

My mother had just wandered around DCA a few weeks earlier, and I wanted to spend most of the day with original Disneyland and its decorations, so we headed out of DCA and across the esplanade.

To be continued, hopefully all in the right order from here on out!

PHXscuba

 

[PHXscuba]

I interrupt this Trip Report with something awesome -- I found some more photos of me as a kid at Disneyland!!

The backstory: A while back DH made an offhand comment to my mother about wanting to digitize some of her old pictures so I could have them. (Longtime readers will know that my DH is a camera guy and scanned all of his/mine/our old photos some years back.)

So my mother shows up for Christmas with her 4-inch thick photo album for us to pick what we wanted. DH got the wild idea to photograph every photo in the book ... all 700 of them. This is everything my mother has of her family -- she's an only child and was orphaned by age 12. She wants to eventually do more with the photos than keep them trapped in a yellowing album, but it's a Herculean undertaking that I will probably have to help her with captioning them in editing software and create a usable photo book.

Last night DH and I were finishing out the 2013 digital folders and transferring them to iPads, and I looked through the hundreds of my mother's photos he took. Remember how when you only had a roll of 24 you divvied up the photos (or maybe had double prints)? So each of us kids and my parents have different pictures of the same event?

I'm pretty sure this was taken just before or after my avatar picture, but I'd never seen it before. Were we playing ring-around-the-rosy?

Based on the clothing and ages, I think this was taken the same day as my favorite childhood treehouse photo (see page 10 of this TR for the photos and explanation).​

Seeing those old photos pricked something in my long-term memory ... I was pretty sure my sister had posted old Disneyland photos back when she took her boys to Disneyland several years ago. I combed through her blog from that time period and found a few more photos.

Probably taken near the Pig picture above since both are right outside It's A Small World. I wore those red Vans tennis shoes everywhere that era -- they turn up in a lot of photos. I am wearing black Vans while typing this.

Who the heck is this character?? That's me peeking around him with little sister and my little brother in the stroller. My older half-sister is wearing the lovely nautical shirt. My sister said the photo was dated July 1978.

The backside of characters -- not sure who this is either. It's 1981, so several years after The Rescuers came out in theaters. Would Miss Bianca still be a character in the parks? Is it an elephant with a hat?

So many new mysteries, and more evidence that I was an adorable child, no?

PHXscuba

 

[PHXscuba]

A Club 33 Christmas, part 5

You left me on the esplanade, heading from DCA into Disneyland on a brisk winter morning with a steaming cup of peppermint cocoa in hand. It was truly a beautiful day, as is any day I get to spend in the park! I was excited to see the Christmas decorations.

I handed off my camera to one of the Photopass guys and told him I wanted him to get low and shoot upwards with my mother and I in the foreground so we'd get more of the tree. I find that if I have a shot in mind and give the Photopass people some idea of what I want, they do better. Otherwise I think we would have gotten the stock shot with us, some green, and about 3 ornaments looming large over us.

The Disneyland Band was walking in as we took our photos, so we stopped for a quick listen and picture. I should also point out that despite the CandleLight Processional taking place the previous evening, the only signs of it in Town Square were two massive covered light towers on the sides. They must have Mary Poppins to help with tidying up.

We wandered around down Main Street, taking in the decorations and stopping to peek into the Candy Palace window, where they were making toffee. I wonder how many times a day they have to clean the Candy Palace window exterior with all of the noses pressed up against it? Or tongues licking it.

I liked this angle of the castle with the shiny banners

That's actually the same photo, cropped two ways. I am big on cropping, especially at Disneyland when there seems to be something intruding on your photo -- an awning, a person, etc.

I should point out that my usual MO on entering the park is to race for a FastPass and then an E-ticket ride. The ONLY FastPass I pulled all day was for the World of Color, and that almost shouldn't count because it's more like an admission ticket.

We went through the castle into Fantasyland and walked by Olaf on the "Frozen" meet-and-greet rooftop, but he was sleeping in that morning. I had heard a rumor that the Storybookland Canal Boats might have reopened. Alas, they were still closed. But it was on our way to It's A Small World Holiday.

The line was about 25 minutes, but it also allowed us to see the cute little procession of dolls on the quarter hour. Some things never (and never should) change.

I didn't really shoot any on-ride photos because I was trying to take it all in. There is just so much to see on both the macro and micro levels. I love how the usual IASW song gets folded into the carols. We both agreed that we wanted to come back later and ride it again to take more in. Our boat did back up near the exit so I took a shot of the postcards.

We wanted to take the monorail over to the hotels to look around and do some shopping in Downtown Disney. These next two were taken from the monorail platform.

It had been windy on and off all morning, and the wind gusts were in full force when we got to the Disneyland Hotel. I don't think this picture captures how much it was blowing other than the palm tree in the upper right. I think the pool was closed but the lifeguards were in there doing maintenance. Or maybe pulling out a tourist from Minnesota who insisted it was "summer weather."

I thought the gingerbread castle in the lobby was just OK, but I really wanted to sit in one of the cute teacup chairs. One that initially looked unoccupied had a sleeping teenager curled up in it, and people had put their stuff all over another! I finally found an empty one with the bonus of a silvery tree behind me! Of course it turned out blurry.

I wanted to take an "artistic shot" of us in the ball that I've seen others do. I remembered to hold the camera down so you could sort of see our faces. I like how it turned out.

We left the Disneyland Hotel and walked through Downtown Disney, stopping at Marceline's. MMMMMMMM ... I love that place, and there was no one in there when we arrived so I could (figuratively) slobber all over the display cases and look at the treats without anyone in the way.

We decided to take our treats to the GCH lobby to eat them. I figured it would be warm and so pretty while we relaxed. I really wanted to take it at an easier pace and soak in the details. I had one of the little Mickey-ear brownies, mint flavored of course. The ears were Thin Mints and the hard shell of the cap was offset by the soft brownie inside. It appeared small but was very rich. I remember my mother got toffee and I had a bit of it too. Neither survived long enough to be photographed.

The tree is very pretty but I agree with Sherry that they have changed something with the lights, probably in the switch over to LEDs.

After we finished our goodies and warmed up, we left the GCH and went to World of Disney. I was on the hunt for the scarf I hadn't bought on my September trip, and I wanted to get a little something for my kids. We wandered around for awhile before finding the one rack of scarves tucked on the backside of a pillar. My scarf was still there!! I bought it and a bouquet of rice-krispy Mickey heads for my kids. I also saw a puzzle of a map of Disneyland (only $10!) and my Mommy bought it for me for Christmas.

We went back through security (which involved my mother pulling her fanny pack out from under 3 layers of clothes) and stored our purchases in the esplanade locker. I traded my hoodie sweatshirt for the nicer blazer I planned to wear to Club 33 and added the new scarf. I kept my big leather jacket with me.

So we've made a full round trip, and I'm going to leave you on the esplanade again as we prepare to re-enter Disneyland!

PHXscuba

 

[Sherry E]

Oh yes, it was windy that day! The reindeer out in front of the GCH, by the guard station, took a tumble because of that wind! It was a brisk autumn morning! It may have felt wintry, but it wasn't winter yet!

I have one or two of those Castle angle shots with the shiny banners (not from 2013, but from some other year) to the right, but I think they looked a tad less shiny in mine (probably weather worn!). They are shinier in your picture. I like the angle too.

Yes, the GCH tree was absolutely different. Not totally different, but there were things that had changed. I stare closely at that tree every year. When I was hovering around it to get my shot of it with the fireplace and cozy chair in the background (this was on my first day -- 12/8), I noticed first that some of the ornaments were different than they had been in the previous years. But more than anything I observed that the lights were brighter. I don't know if this is the correct way to describe it but the lights seemed whiter and less golden. In the past the lights on the tree have been more of a gold-ish color, or they have given off a gold-ish glow, which lent itself well to the dim lighting of the GCH lobby. In 2013 the lights were brighter all over the tree.

Speaking of the GCH lobby...remember I told you that Kurt Russell was in the lobby shortly after 11:00 a.m. on that same day? In fact, he was probably there when you were there, but you didn't see him. Well, I had thought that he was perhaps just coming down from his room at the GCH and waiting in the lobby for his car to be brought out front. It turns out that he was actually eating breakfast at Minnie & Friends -- yes, Minnie & Friends in the middle of Disneyland! -- prior to that, when DIS'er ashnjam saw him and met him, before making his way back to the GCH!

I said to ashnjam that I was very surprised to hear that Kurt Russell would be eating at a busy character meal in Disneyland, at the peak time when tons of other people are there. That seems either extremely 'down-to-earth' and 'I'm going to act like a real person and not a celebrity' of Kurt, or it sounds like there were kids involved who wanted to meet Minnie! I would have expected a famous person to eat a quiet breakfast maybe at Steakhouse 55. Or if he had to go the character meal route I would have expected the Critter Breakfast because it is in the GCH. Ashnjam said that Kurt was with two women, so who knows? But I just found that incredibly interesting that Kurt wasn't trying to hide from "the people" and that he was collecting trays and utensils at Plaza Inn with everyone else!

Now about that (faux) gingerbread Castle in the DLH lobby... First, did you smell the (piped in from some unknown location) quasi-gingerbread aroma wafting around it?

Here's the thing with the Castle in the DLH -- it's not the best thing ever because it's not real gingerbread, but the DLH needed something a bit extra to say "It's the holiday season!" The DLH's trees in the Fantasy Tower are pretty, but rather ordinary compared to some of the other trees around Disneyland Resort. They can't have a towering tree like the GCH tree or the PPH tree, so they compensate by putting two matching trees in each tower. Of course, the trees in the Adventure Tower and Frontier Tower were more interesting because of the themed ornaments. So I think the faux gingerbread Castle was brought in to compensate for an overall lack of holiday whimsy. There used to be a Mickey with a Santa hat out in front of the DLH but that was removed a couple of years ago.

Also, I have a strong hunch that the DLH was given a holiday spruce-up because of a tour. My daily phone calls from the PPH (to tell me of the next-day activities around the Resort) mentioned something called "The Merriest Hotel on Earth." I think it was a short, free tour of the Disneyland Hotel. I could be wrong, but I think that's what it was. That would explain the sudden appearance of the gingerbread Castle and the new, cute little color-changing lights out in front of the DLH...as well as the fun decor in Trader Sam's, the tree at Goofy's Kitchen, the tree in Tangaroa Terrace, etc. All together, those elements make up for the lack of a giant tree, and they give the DLH some "holiday character," so to speak, and would provide enough talking points and material for a brief tour!

It's been a very fun round of pictures in the last few installments!

That one mystery character -- the white one with its backside to the camera in the older DL picture -- looks familiar, and I'm certain I saw her/him at Disneyland back in those days too, but I don't have pictures to prove it. It could very likely be a Rescuers character, or maybe one of Cinderella's mice or something... some sort of temporary, transitional character in the pantheon of Disneyland characters (like Marsupilami, back in the early/mid-90s).

 

[PHXscuba]

Here's the thing with the Castle in the DLH -- it's not the best thing ever because it's not real gingerbread, but the DLH needed something a bit extra to say "It's the holiday season!" The DLH's trees in the Fantasy Tower are pretty, but rather ordinary compared to some of the other trees around Disneyland Resort. They can't have a towering tree like the GCH tree or the PPH tree, so they compensate by putting two matching trees in each tower. Of course, the trees in the Adventure Tower and Frontier Tower were more interesting because of the themed ornaments. So I think the faux gingerbread Castle was brought in to compensate for an overall lack of holiday whimsy. There used to be a Mickey with a Santa hat out in front of the DLH but that was removed a couple of years ago.

Also, I have a strong hunch that the DLH was given a holiday spruce-up because of a tour. My daily phone calls from the PPH (to tell me of the next-day activities around the Resort) mentioned something called "The Merriest Hotel on Earth." I think it was a short, free tour of the Disneyland Hotel. I could be wrong, but I think that's what it was. That would explain the sudden appearance of the gingerbread Castle and the new, cute little color-changing lights out in front of the DLH...as well as the fun decor in Trader Sam's, the tree at Goofy's Kitchen, the tree in Tangaroa Terrace, etc. All together, those elements make up for the lack of a giant tree, and they give the DLH some "holiday character," so to speak, and would provide enough talking points and material for a brief tour!

It's been a very fun round of pictures in the last few installments!

That one mystery character -- the white one with its backside to the camera in the older DL picture -- looks familiar, and I'm certain I saw her/him at Disneyland back in those days too, but I don't have pictures to prove it. It could very likely be a Rescuers character, or maybe one of Cinderella's mice or something... some sort of temporary, transitional character in the pantheon of Disneyland characters (like Marsupilami, back in the early/mid-90s).

I didn't dislike the castle in the DLH lobby; it just didn't do anything for me. I didn't smell the gingerbread either. I agree the DLH has a disadvantage without having a grand lobby like the other 2 onsite hotels. I am glad that they are adding new things to the parks and hotels to update, replace, and keep it interesting.

Wouldn't it be awesome to have a REAL big gingerbread castle like they have gingerbread decorations at some of the hotels in WDW? I know they sell gingerbread and other things with the gingerbread setups there. If I were a local, I'd go to see that for sure!

Now that I have those old character photos, I am super-curious to figure out who they are! Anyone have any ideas how I can find out?

PHXscubs

 

[Sherry E]

You should post the pictures of the mystery character(s) in the Disneyland Nostalgia thread (or some variation on that name -- it's a photo thread somewhere in the Disneyland Community forum, and it has many pictures going as far back as the '60s or earlier, to the '80s and '90s). Maybe someone will know the answer.

It would be nice if one of the 3 DLR hotels could house a large gingerbread cottage/gift shop like the one in the Grand Floridian. I'm not sure where they could put it, but it would be fun at the Disneyland Hotel. And then I would like to see the smaller, edible, elaborately themed displays made of marzipan, gingerbread, icing, candy, etc., at the PPH and the GCH, like the ones at many of the WDW hotels. They've got some great displays at those hotels from what I've seen in photos and in TV specials.

But, in the meantime, at least there is a gingerbread house in Storytellers Cafe (which usually smells amazing when it first gets set up in the restaurant) and a smaller house in White Water Snacks. And at least the mini-holiday Cozy Cone gingerbread model is back in place in the Cozy Cone office, complete with a tiny cone Christmas tree. The gingerbread Mater that was on display in Flo's in 2012 was not there in 2013, and Carthay Circle did not have a gingerbread creation in 2013, as it did in 2012.

 

[Lynne G]

I am so late for the party. We had a great holiday vacation. I was pretty good at avoiding crowds, and loved the extra shows and decor. I would do it again, but it may be some time. We like very warm weather. It was mostly in the 70's. And us great northerners swam in 62 degree weather. The water was warm, it was getting out that was the trick.

Love your old pictures. I have them at WDW when I was young. WDW is so much bigger than when I was young.

Enjoying seeing DL at Christmas. Thanks for this Trip Report.

Happy New Year!

 

[PHXscuba]

I am so late for the party. We had a great holiday vacation. I was pretty good at avoiding crowds, and loved the extra shows and decor. I would do it again, but it may be some time. We like very warm weather. It was mostly in the 70's. And us great northerners swam in 62 degree weather. The water was warm, it was getting out that was the trick.

Love your old pictures. I have them at WDW when I was young. WDW is so much bigger than when I was young.

Enjoying seeing DL at Christmas. Thanks for this Trip Report.

Happy New Year!

Come one, come all!! The TR is an anytime experience. I hope it warms up the freezing Midwesterners.

PHXscuba

 

[PHXscuba]

A Club 33 Christmas, part 6

We re-entered Disneyland proper and decided the Jingle Cruise was first on our list. I knew the line would be long and prepared myself -- my usual plan is never to get in line for the Jungle Cruise if the line goes upstairs.

And holy cow did the line go and go upstairs. I don't know how they do it, but Disney packs more switchbacks into a space than anyone. Just about the time I thought we'd be heading back down, there would be another loop. As long as the line was, there were still a few places they weren't using!

We finally reached our boat after about 35 minutes. I didn't get any good photos on the ride, but I did catch one of a skipper in his holiday hat. Only some of the skippers were wearing them.

This was Mon. Dec. 9 and I know I saw on-ride photos from Saturday that were different, so I suspect we were among the first to see the Bengal tiger holding the skipper's hat in his mouth (which I thought was awesome). And I think that was the same time they put in the Christmas stuff in the camp-trashing scene. The holiday jokes were OK -- there just weren't many of them. The skippers may need more time to think up some better jokes for next year.

My overall opinion -- it has potential. I think Disney over-hyped it a bit for what it really was. I don't think the level of detail has high re-ride potential compared to the HMH and IASWH overlays, where there is so much detail you have to ride multiple times. I'd wait 15-20 minutes for it, but I don't think it was worth the 35 I waited. If they do it again next winter, I bet lines will be shorter if locals have a "seen it" attitude.

After that I finally made it back to the Jingle Jangle Jamboree, after missing it in September when it closed down early. It was nicely decorated, but I didn't find much to do. The Hillbillies were scheduled to perform a bit later but we couldn't stay that long. Only one character -- Mickey -- was out and he had a long line. My mother looked over the food they had but said none of it looked good. She decided the great smell was coming from the Big Thunder BBQ next door!

I think we weren't there at a great time to see characters or entertainment. I'd go again during a holiday time, but maybe pay closer attention to the entertainment schedule.

From here we brisk-walked to New Orleans Square where I was to meet up with the other DISers for our Club 33 lunch. I did NOT want to be late for that!!

I already covered Club 33 in 3 posts earlier, but if you are joining in progress and missed it, the posts start on page 38, here.

After 3 filling (and dream-fulfilling) hours in Club 33, I rolled out of there and called my mother to meet up with her. She was watching the Asimo demonstration in Innoventions. If she had told me where she was I would have come to her, but she came and met me in front of the River Belle Terrace. We wanted to go back and ride IASW again and hopefully see the projection show, but we got caught in the parade traffic! We made it to the east side of the Small World Mall but could go no farther. Although Mom had seen the parade in November and I had on the Holiday Tour in 2010, we shrugged and decided to watch it anyways and then hopefully make a dash for IASWH afterward.

My pictures are not great -- we were on that elevated terrace so we could see all right, but too many heads and lighting problems. Because of the wind, the skating snowflakes weren't wearing their giant flakes, so they looked a little odd.

This one came out well. It still amazes me that they are wearing real ice skates, on a moving float, in fur costumes.

After Santa we positioned ourselves as best we could and made our move. We got into the Small World line before it got too enormous and I had a chance to take a few pictures while we waited ... after adjusting my settings for night. Hurrah that it worked this time!

PHX the red-nosed reindeer, I think!

This moose has a backstory. I've photographed him before (DD14 likes him) but not with all of the lights. I must have taken 20 photos of him trying to see more of him and not so many lights in the background. It's very hard with the way he is positioned. This was the best I got after all the tries.

We had asked several CMs (many of whom I now believe were Parade Control and not Small World) when they would be doing the short projection show on the facade. Much like the lights in Carsland, no one had a good answer. We were about 10 people from the loading point and I had given up on the quarter-hour show at 6:16 when everything went dark. I knew what was happening so we squished to one side and started letting people go in front of us.

The show is short but super cool. I never got to see the previous projection show from a couple years ago, but the technology really excites me for what they could use it for. Seeing the beautiful light on the facade and then to have that little show interspersed every 15 minutes is perfect. I could have stayed back there all night taking pictures and enjoying the mood.

I took a ton of pictures inside the ride this time, so I will leave you on the Small World dock, waiting for our boat to arrive!

PHXscuba

 

[PHXscuba]

Random Disness around here:

I do some freelance writing for a Disney-centered blog and they sent me to cover the Disney on Ice show in Phoenix on Wednesday night. I took DD11, DS8, my sister, and my niece and nephew.

I had our better camera with me (and settings adjusted). I had read some other show reviews and was prepared with camera ready to capture THIS:

I am really proud that I caught this shot -- the lighting is so bad and everything moves so fast that shooting is difficult at best. It made my whole night when I saw it on my viewscreen. The rest of the show was pretty cool too. Little Mermaid is one of my favorite Disney movies, and my sister's is Beauty and the Beast, both of which were big parts of the show.

I am starting to go into Disneyland withdrawal. It's been a month since I got home, and my AP expires in about 8 weeks. It is highly, highly unlikely I will get to go before then. Too busy, money allocated other places, DH would probably have me committed. So I am grumpily resigned to waiting awhile to go again, probably 2015 by the looks of it.

But I still have a few photos left to share and a TR to finish, hopefully over the weekend. Bear with me!

PHXscuba

 

[PHXscuba]

A Club 33 Christmas, part 7

Lucky you, this is a photo-heavy, text-light installment. I already proclaimed my love for It's a Small World Holiday when I wrote about the first time I rode it earlier that day.

The little White Rabbit in here is too cute!

I know it's not very Christmas-y, but my daughter loves this goofy hippo, so I took a picture for her

My mother really liked these "seaweed" strands of lights

It's all about the details -- fish stockings hung for Santa!

This cheerful crocodile is one of my favorites!

I didn't even notice these wagon-wheel snowmen my first trip through that day. I can't believe I missed them -- they could have reached out and bonked me on the head!!

Hidden Mickey alert!​

After leaving Small World, we saw the little projection show again on our way out. I had hoped to walk through Fantasyland and the castle, but it was already blocked off pre-fireworks, so we had to go around past Alice and Wonderland and Pixie Hollow. It did give me a good view of the castle with few people.

We got around the fireworks crowd and headed down Main Street on our way to see World of Color. It was so festive. and bright. We stopped into the Candy Palace to try to find some peppermint bark, but no luck. They were completely out.

I said a sad goodbye to the park and once more, we walked across the esplanade to DCA.

I will have one more installment of night photos, mostly from Carsland, then a wrap-up and a "report" on my bucket list for the trip.

Have a great weekend to my few faithful readers!

PHXscuba

 

[Lynne G]

Woot! Like looking at all your pictures. Hope your week-end was good. Sunday was 45 degrees, and DD had a 1 and 1/2 hour outdoor soccer practice in the afternoon. I wish it was warmer.

Happy Monday! Had to scrap ice off my car this morning. I still rather be in DL when it's cool then the weather I'm having right now.

Waiting for the wrap up. Thanks!

 

[PHXscuba]

Woot! Like looking at all your pictures. Hope your week-end was good. Sunday was 45 degrees, and DD had a 1 and 1/2 hour outdoor soccer practice in the afternoon. I wish it was warmer.

Happy Monday! Had to scrap ice off my car this morning. I still rather be in DL when it's cool then the weather I'm having right now.

Waiting for the wrap up. Thanks!

Our weather is looking great all week -- 70s. Which is why all the snowbirds and tourists are here right now!

I just bought a clearance nicer coat -- I've been wanting one to replace a really old coat -- but now I'm wondering if I'll get to wear it at all this winter!

DL in "cold" weather is still miles better than most places, plus, you're in Disneyland!! And it's a good excuse to order hot cocoa!

PHXscuba

 

[PHXscuba]

A Club 33 Christmas, part 8

Ok, stay with me, this is the home stretch!

We retrieved the seat cushion my mother brought with her from our locker and entered DCA from the esplanade again. My goal was to see and photograph Carsland.

That area is so pretty at night, and the Christmas lights made it even better. (Isn't everything better with Christmas lights?) They had the snow-car set up outside. It was hard to get a good picture without standing in the Photopass line, so I settled for a couple of quick snaps.

We wandered our way down the street, seeing what the cars had thought up and found for holiday decorations.

A Christmas display for all nations, but mostly America

Philosophical question: If cars are decorating with tires, is that like us decorating with feet on the garland? I'd better not examine this too closely ...

My night shots are no way professional, but they are Lightyears ahead of my previous attempt.

I think this last one of the series is my favorite because I got the waterfall and a car going around the curve!

This is not a great shot, but it is the last one you will see of us, so it's going in!

By this point we were near Pacific Wharf and we both knew what we wanted: Ghirardelli hot chocolate to keep us warm while we waited for World of Color. Ghirardelli was crowded, but we got our peppermint bark sample and ordered two cocoas. The wait to get the cocoa was about 10-15 minutes, but it was inside and everyone around us seemed to be in a pretty good mood -- no one was griping about the wait or looking unpleasantly impatient.

Cocoas in hand, we wandered over to the WoC area. They had already been letting people in for a bit, but we found a spot near where we watched in March (the "fire hydrant spot" talked about on the DIS) right behind two women I knew we could see over/around. With some difficulty we plopped down on the ground without spilling any hot chocolate and I pulled out my phone to check email. DH called and gave the phone to DS17, who told me that he had gotten accepted to his second-choice college!! So we had a mini-celebration there while waiting. I apologized to the women but one said she was a high school teacher and totally understood.

Finally they announced that World of Color was starting and we stood to watch. They did the honor choir thing and I thought the faces looked a little hard to see, maybe because the tech they used to submit didn't blow up well? They started the show for real and got about 5 minutes in when suddenly ...

Nothing. They turned off the sound and fountains, and a voice came on the PA system saying that the show was canceled. In retrospect, it wasn't really surprising. It had been gusting on and off all day (but didn't seem too bad at showtime), and I had already subconsciously been thinking that the projections didn't seem as sharp for the entire show.

I am sure the show directors agonize whether to cancel it or put on a sub-par show -- make people upset or just let everyone watch, vaguely dissatisfied but not sure why, some of them really wet from blowing spray?

We decided to check Trolley Treats for peppermint bark before leaving, but no luck. I think the whole resort was sold out, because I would have remembered seeing it in Marceline's earlier in the day and we'd now checked both park candy shops. My mother bought a treat for my father and we made the trek back to the locker for our souvenirs and the remaining jackets. We could have gone back into DL for another half hour but it didn't seem worth it at that point.

The tram area was crowded but moving quickly (I bet the WoC people called the transportation people to tell them they would be getting slammed a half-hour early) and we got back to our car in good time. The ride home was uneventful and we filled my father in on the day.

I will be back in the next few days with the wrap-up and "bucket list" report. Thanks for reading along even though it's well past Christmas!

PHXscuba