So Exhausted: Anniversary for Halloweentime (PTR and TR)

[isisisme]

Our last day at the Park, we slept in. We were both getting to be pretty tired, but still having a great time. We got onto the park at 10:30 and had breakfast at the Plaza Inn. There were three ladies loving the characters.it was very funny. Some people were annoyed, but it was funny. Minnie was acting peeved that Eeyore was getting all their attention and at one point crossed her arms and was tapping her foot. But later she brought Eeyore back over to the ladies, and there was something about them being engaged! The food was decent as usual at Plaza Inn. The park was not very busy at all, and more like it used to be for Halloween several years ago. It was nice and peaceful and a good way to end the trip.
Today was our day to say good bye to the Park for a year. We watched the Disneyland band with Mickey and Friends in front of the Castle. Then we wandered over to NOS, or one of our favorite places to just relax at the Park. I got a picture taken with Jack and then we road the Mansion. We tried to get FP's for Indy, but it was closed, again. Then we went to Toon Town for the first and only time this trip and road Roger Rabbit. It was basically a walk on. We don’t really enjoy Toon Town too much since it gets really hot (can you tell I do not like heat?) and we do not have kids. Then we got popcorn (I needed a second bucket for a friend back home) and headed back to the room to rest.

We headed back in at 5pm. We road Indy, it was finally open. Many times during the trip it was down, but with that many people in the Park over the weekend, it was expected. We split a veggie gumbo from Royal Veranda, Mickey beignets and had mint juleps. We sat in the seating area of the French Market and watched the sunset and the lights on the Mansion come alive from our seats. We road the Mark Twain for it's last trip around the ROA. It was nice and romantic.
Then road Big Thunder and then the Mansion one last time, saying goodbye as we went. And then, we opted to ride Alice as our last ride just before the park closed at 8pm. DH also enjoys this ride at night. We got coffee and ice cream from Gibson Girl and sat in the seating area for Carnation Café and watched the people leave the Park. We finally left the park at 8:45pm.
We made it back to the room and began packing up our room. We always pack the night before so the morning is easy. We only leave out what we need for the morning. We were both exhausted and looking forward to getting home and seeing our cats (not not dealing with the broken garage door our pet sitter texted us about Saturday night before F!). As always, getting everything back into the suitcases (including our new items) is always a trick!
We checked out and waited at the ART stop for the Disney Express. It was incredibly windy and I was glad we were not going into the park with all the dirt flying around. Our flight home was delayed because of weather in other parts of the country,. But we made it home and started looking forward to our next trip!

 

[Sherry E]

I'm glad to see you back in the swing of the Halloween Trip Report! It had been a while since your post where you mentioned your cats needing attention!

It seems like it was so long ago now (I can't believe how quickly time is flying by) but, if I recall correctly, I think I am the one who moved this thread over to the TR section because it had turned into a full-fledged TR.

I was just telling someone the other day that before you know it, the next Halloween Time will be here. I have a feeling this year is going to zoom by.

It's funny - you mentioned packing the night before so the morning of check-out will be easy. I always start out with that plan - to want to pack the night before - but it never happens for me, especially if I have other people around me in the room. If I am alone I can probably get some packing done the night before. But when I have anyone else in the room I can't concentrate and it usually ends up getting done on the morning I leave...and then I feel rushed!

Are you still considering the possibility of a Christmas trip in the near future?

 

[Sherry E]

That's so odd - did this thread just get moved over to the TR section today?

When I investigated further (after my previous post) it appeared that it did get moved today, but I could have sworn I moved it quite a while back, when I saw that you were starting the Trip Report. I vividly remember seeing the thread and thinking it needed to be moved! How strange. Maybe it didn't 'take' when I did it due to all the technical glitches and server issues happening lately, and someone else moved it today. Or maybe my PC froze when I was trying to move it (a common occurrence) and it didn't work.

Ah well. Very odd, indeed.

In any case, I am still glad to see you back in the swing of things with the Halloween TR! I look forward to seeing some photos, even if you didn't take too many.

 

[isisisme]

I'm glad to see you back in the swing of the Halloween Trip Report! It had been a while since your post where you mentioned your cats needing attention!

It seems like it was so long ago now (I can't believe how quickly time is flying by) but, if I recall correctly, I think I am the one who moved this thread over to the TR section because it had turned into a full-fledged TR.

I was just telling someone the other day that before you know it, the next Halloween Time will be here. I have a feeling this year is going to zoom by.

It's funny - you mentioned packing the night before so the morning of check-out will be easy. I always start out with that plan - to want to pack the night before - but it never happens for me, especially if I have other people around me in the room. If I am alone I can probably get some packing done the night before. But when I have anyone else in the room I can't concentrate and it usually ends up getting done on the morning I leave...and then I feel rushed!

Are you still considering the possibility of a Christmas trip in the near future?

Yes, it took forever for me to et back to this. Right after we got back, work was crazy with all the back log of work. And then I got a nasty head cold that turned into bronchitis. I am just now over that after a month.I had made notes on my phone so I would not forget anything.


DH does not like to forget anything, so he is the reason I am actually able to pack the night before. Of course, if the park was open later, I am not sure how much we would be able to get done the night before.

We are not sure about Christmas time. Not that we don't want to go for Christmas time. But schedule wise, it can be hard. I can get Christmas week off this year, but I heard how busy it is. And we don't do very well in packed crowds. But, we have a tentative idea to got for Christmas for a short trip (maybe fly in the 23rd and be in the park 3 days) to just be there for Christmas with low expectations of doing more than being there. And then go back in Feb for my bday for another short trip. But, we are not sure yet.

 

[isisisme]

That's so odd - did this thread just get moved over to the TR section today?

When I investigated further (after my previous post) it appeared that it did get moved today, but I could have sworn I moved it quite a while back, when I saw that you were starting the Trip Report. I vividly remember seeing the thread and thinking it needed to be moved! How strange. Maybe it didn't 'take' when I did it due to all the technical glitches and server issues happening lately, and someone else moved it today. Or maybe my PC froze when I was trying to move it (a common occurrence) and it didn't work.

Ah well. Very odd, indeed.

In any case, I am still glad to see you back in the swing of things with the Halloween TR! I look forward to seeing some photos, even if you didn't take too many.

I honestly thought it was moved earlier too..but I might be wrong. That happens.

Tomorrow, I will be getting pictures off the camera hopefully. The camera died, but luckily the pictures should be ion an SD card. So, hopefully tomorrow or the next day pictures.

 

[Happy 2 B Me]

I am excited to see the pictures of your trip. I was exhausted reading your trip report-- lol-- can not imagine getting all done you and husband did on this trip. Glas the Anniversay trip was fun. Not sure I will be staying at that hotel any time soon. Thanks for the info.

 

[Sherry E]

You mentioned the head cold and bronchitis and being sick for a month! Eek! Being sick for that long - even if it had been a low grade thing and not bronchitis - really takes a toll on a body. The immune system can only fight off illness so much!

There is something crazy going around, illness-wise. Since last year (like early 2011) I have been hearing reports from different friends and/or DIS'ers who have caught things like seemingly basic colds and flus, which then morphed into bigger illnesses - in some cases, pneumonia; in other cases, bronchitis; a couple of people got bad ear infections; and in a couple of cases the doctors couldn't figure out what the people had other than to call it "a virus."

Whatever it is that people are catching these days seems to not be going away in a normal period of time. Everyone's illnesses are lasting much longer than they should, or they are going away and coming back in only a few days. I even caught a small cold while at DLR last month, and that seems to have turned into a sinus infection or something...which is still hanging on and annoying me a month later! I still don't feel well and I left DLR on December 8th!

I know what you mean about the Christmas week DLR crowds. I never miss a Christmas season at DLR - whether I go for a one day or several days - BUT I can't yet bring myself to go directly over the Christmas holiday. The closest I have come to it is going on the weekend immediately prior to Christmas for a few years in a row, and that has been very, very crowded at times (2009, for example - yikes!).

I want to be able to go to DLR during Christmas week or over the actual holiday at least once in my life - just to be able to have that experience of waking up on Disney property and being in DLR on Christmas Day, as well as seeing the characters in their cute pajamas on Christmas Eve when they come out on Main Street to do the "Christmas Eve goodnight" thing. But the crowds...I just can't take on that challenge yet.

I think that Cars Land and all the changes at DCA are a big question mark as well for 2012 - there's no way of knowing how all of it affect crowd levels for the whole year at DLR.

I think your tentative idea sounds good - to go for a few days in the days leading up to Christmas and have low expectations. That way, you won't be shocked or disappointed if you can't accomplish too much, but if you get more done than you expect to get done it will be a big bonus!

Anyway, I'm excited to see your Halloween Time photos! I'm already missing Halloween Time at DLR and am anxious for it to start again! I guess I still have 8 months to go for that to happen!

 

[isisisme]

As I said before, we did not get a lot of photos, and I camera was on the verge of dying. It has since died (but I have another one coming to replace it in the next couple of weeks. )

Sorry this is blurry. :/ It was a surprise when we went through the treat trail at BTRBBQ.

This is one of the lighting effects behind Big Thunder

And another lighting effect behind Big Thunder

And the Halloween Tree

 

[isisisme]

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z283/ladyisis13/Halloween%20trip%20to%20Disneyland
%202012/100_1378.jpg

Inside the Lilly Belle

 

[isisisme]

 

[isisisme]

I am excited to see the pictures of your trip. I was exhausted reading your trip report-- lol-- can not imagine getting all done you and husband did on this trip. Glas the Anniversay trip was fun. Not sure I will be staying at that hotel any time soon. Thanks for the info.

We will not be returning to the Camelot Inn. They did not make up our room twice, though we were gone most of the day, nor did the restock the coffee except for one day. It was disappointing.

 

[isisisme]

You mentioned the head cold and bronchitis and being sick for a month! Eek! Being sick for that long - even if it had been a low grade thing and not bronchitis - really takes a toll on a body. The immune system can only fight off illness so much!

There is something crazy going around, illness-wise. Since last year (like early 2011) I have been hearing reports from different friends and/or DIS'ers who have caught things like seemingly basic colds and flus, which then morphed into bigger illnesses - in some cases, pneumonia; in other cases, bronchitis; a couple of people got bad ear infections; and in a couple of cases the doctors couldn't figure out what the people had other than to call it "a virus."

I went to my doctor after I was coughing for 4 weeks to get checked out and he prescribed antibiotics and an inhaler. A week of that, and the cough is 99% gone. But I agree, a lot of people have been sick..or keep getting sick. At my work, I would say last week 1/2 the office was out ill at some point.

Whatever it is that people are catching these days seems to not be going away in a normal period of time. Everyone's illnesses are lasting much longer than they should, or they are going away and coming back in only a few days. I even caught a small cold while at DLR last month, and that seems to have turned into a sinus infection or something...which is still hanging on and annoying me a month later! I still don't feel well and I left DLR on December 8th!

Ugh! That is horrible! Have you gone to the doctor yet?

I know what you mean about the Christmas week DLR crowds. I never miss a Christmas season at DLR - whether I go for a one day or several days - BUT I can't yet bring myself to go directly over the Christmas holiday. The closest I have come to it is going on the weekend immediately prior to Christmas for a few years in a row, and that has been very, very crowded at times (2009, for example - yikes!).

I want to be able to go to DLR during Christmas week or over the actual holiday at least once in my life - just to be able to have that experience of waking up on Disney property and being in DLR on Christmas Day, as well as seeing the characters in their cute pajamas on Christmas Eve when they come out on Main Street to do the "Christmas Eve goodnight" thing. But the crowds...I just can't take on that challenge yet.

A few people have suggested I go earlier in the season, but I won't be able to get time off. DH hates crowds. It was rough on him the weekend before Halloween. I showed him some pics from Christmas week, but he thinks he still wants to go. we both want to see the characters in their pajamas. And to be in the Park on Christmas Day.

I think that Cars Land and all the changes at DCA are a big question mark as well for 2012 - there's no way of knowing how all of it affect crowd levels for the whole year at DLR.

I think your tentative idea sounds good - to go for a few days in the days leading up to Christmas and have low expectations. That way, you won't be shocked or disappointed if you can't accomplish too much, but if you get more done than you expect to get done it will be a big bonus!

That would be the idea. To go and enjoy the "vibe". Of course, I would see my lovely HMH. and then be able to see the HM in Feb. Though I have to admit, I would miss Halloween time

Anyway, I'm excited to see your Halloween Time photos! I'm already missing Halloween Time at DLR and am anxious for it to start again! I guess I still have 8 months to go for that to happen!

I have posted a few pictures. I have more to post later. And DH reminded me I have some pictures on my phone that I need to get on my laptop so I can post them.