TR- A 5 Day 5th Birthday Celebration- Day 3 is now finished

[Yakety76]

Bob and I headed back into the parks. We headed over to DCA first to ride Screamin in the dark. That was something we had never done before and we enjoyed it. We also rode ToT. Bob was a little bummed that I had already ridden it with Mom early this week. He wanted to go with me my first time. I really, REALLY like that ride. Which is funny because I didn’t think I would like it at all. We used Fastpasses for both of these and didn’t have a wait at all. We also stopped to take a lot of Photopass pictures. However, most of them are blurry. Kind of bummed about that one.

Next we headed to DL. The line wasn’t too bad to get in, but we did have a little bit of a scare. My hand had been stamped when we left DL early this morning. I didn’t get a hand stamp at DCA when we left. Well, the guy checking stamps said he couldn’t see my stamp and didn’t want to let me in. I pointed out where I could see the stamp and he said he would let me slide. Lesson learned. Get your hand stamped each time you leave. No matter what.

Bob and I didn’t have a lot that we wanted to accomplish tonight, so we just kind of wandered around.
We went to the art gallery that had recently opened. It used to be a bank and they kept many of the bank items as décor. It is a really neat shop. We then wandered through some of the other shops. We didn’t buy anything because we didn’t want to carry the packages around with us.

We ended up walking back by the Golden Horseshoe where I noticed a pretzel vendor. I had always wanted to eat a Mickey head pretzel, so we picked up one of those and some cheese. We found a bench and relaxed.

After our snack we used our Fastpasses to ride Indy. I wasn’t really wanting to ride anymore rides, so we decided to eat some more. We went to Carnation Café and were able to get seated right away. We ordered coffee and beignets. It was fun to just relax and be together and not be rushing to and fro.

After we finished our treat, we decided to stake out a spot for Fantasmic! It was right around 8:00 by this time. The crowds were horrible. We decided to use the light tower trick- which is no big secret anymore. The CMs were telling anyone who would listen to stand behind the light tower. We were able to get a spot right against the rail and were soon joined by some families. I put my head down and rested while we waited for the show. While I was resting, the crowds swarmed around us. They were packed about 5 people deep behind us. About five or ten minutes before the show was to start a mom comes through the crowd behind us and asks those of us by the rail if her son can stand there with us. No one said anything and so she pushed him into place. The kid standing by Bob turned around and accidently hit the kid, who then fell into Bob. There just wasn’t enough room for him to be there. I told the mom this and she went off on me. The other people who had been waiting with us had a large stroller that was taking a lot of space and she said we should move it. I tried to politely explain that we had all been waiting for an hour. She couldn’t come in last minute and expect a good spot. The other moms thanked me, but I would really have rather not have had to defend my place that I had been saving for an hour.
Fantasmic! starts and I am loving it. It is really amazing. There is a part where the view of Mickey is obstructed by the light post, though. It is where he shoots the fire, so I really wanted to see it. I put my head on Bob’s shoulder so I could get a better view. I didn’t move my body- just my head. The lady behind me taps me on my shoulder and asks me to move my head. Are you kidding me??!! I start to say something and decide to take the high road. I move my head away from my husband’s shoulder and back into its proper viewing place.

I loved Fantasmic! and would gladly see it again. However, I would either stake out a sitting spot (like Bob and my parents did our first night) or pay for the reserved seating. I was amazed at how people could arrive last minute and then be upset that they couldn’t see. I totally get wanting to let your child see the show- that is why I told my parents and Bob exactly how early they needed to stake out their spot on Sunday. Anyway, I loved the show.
After watching Fantasmic!, we waited for the crowds to clear and then made our way back to HOJO. I was done with battling the crowds and just wanted to sleep.

We stopped for some pictures by the tree.

Tomorrow is our last day in the park. Stay tuned for how our trip ends.

 

[Sherry E]

I am so sorry about your camera disappearing at DLR (even though you had back-up photos from other sources). That would have bummed me out for the entire trip! I have always loved taking photos from an early age and they mean a lot to me because they are more than just images on paper. They are memories. They literally capture moments in time that, later on in life, will bring a smile to someone's face during a difficult time in life, or they will jog someone's memory of what happened on a particular trip, or they can be used for all sorts of homemade projects like collages or photo books. Anyone I have ever made photo gifts for has loved them. There is something so special about sharing photos with people you love and just laughing and remembering. (Right now, I have a whole bunch of Friends on Facebook who are clamoring for me to post some old photos but I have to get my scanner to cooperate!) The camera itself could be replaced, but you may have had a particular shot where Riley was doing an unusual thing or Kaleb had an extra cute grin (cuter than normal - he is pretty adorable!!), and to think that some stranger walked off with those memories and didn't AT LEAST turn in the memory card to Lost and Found (even if they wanted to keep the camera) is just a shame.

Like you, I have also discovered that the Mickey gingerbread men are a weakness of mine too, and last year was my first taste of them. They are hefty cookies, soft and chewy and delicious. I had a craving for them again this year, so I am corssing my fingers I will be able to get back there to eat some. I think they may actually be sold year-round at some places in DLR, but I feel like I need to eat them during the holidays!

Great picture in front ot the Haunted Mansion Holiday - with virtually NO people! That is one of the most uncluttered photos I have seen in front of that ride. I love it! Perfect timing you guys had - to get there before the masses piled into the line. Now if ony I could get a nice, uncluttered shot like that in front of It's A Small World Holiday at night (next to impossible because of the crowds), life would be peachy!

We had great luck using the early line-up for TSMM last year, like you did on this trip. There was almost no one in the actual TSMM line by the time we walked up to it, and there were tons of people in line when we got off the ride. I would definitely go that route again because I LOVE that ride. I am so awful at scoring on Buzz Lightyear, but I see great improvement in my scores on TSMM!

Oh, and fantastic photos with Sulley and of you and Bob in front of the Christmas tree!!

 

[letthembelittle]

You two are super cute! I wish we would have taken more pictures of just us while we were there, guess we will try to in April. We watched Fantasmic that night, too (but it was the second show not the first one like you guys)!

 

[Yakety76]

B]SherryE[/B], Your points about the missing camera are exactly why it was so hard to lose it. Thanks for understanding . I have scrapbooks for the kids filled with all the fun things we do- including our trips to Disney. I love that they will be able to look back at these and know what kinds of things we did when they were little, even if they cannot remember everything. I take a lot of pictures of the kids, so I always get some really great pictures. I am not a good photographer by any means, but I do get lucky a lot. I also went into this trip specifically taking pictures to include in my trip report. I had a lot of food porn and the little details that we all like to look at in other's reports so much. I wish I had followed the advice of other DISers and downloaded my pictures to Bob's laptop each night, but I didn't. All I can do now is be thankful that my dad and Bob both had their cameras and took as many pictures as they did.


The gingerbread Mickeys are sooo good and I am not even a real fan of gingerbread. I would love to have some right now!!

Disneyland was pretty dead at 8:00 that morning, but it filled up quickly. I do like the picture in front of the HMH, though. It is fun to get those kind of pictures!! It is especially memorable for us since Riley and Kaleb are going through such a Nightmare Before Christmas phase.

It is amazing how quickly the TSMM line grows, but after this year I now know why. That is the best ride. I still do really like Buzz, though. You just need to start going on those rides with kids and then your score looks fabulous.
Thanks for reading along! I haven't seen an update on your TR. Have you planned a date to go?

 

[Yakety76]

Letthembelittle, You were smart to wait for the second show. That had been our plan, but I pooped out. The lack of sleep was starting to get to me. I am still really glad I got to see it, though.
I love having the pictures of Bob and I from Disney. It is the only times we get pictures of just the two of us and I really do like doing it.

 

[Yakety76]

This is not a real update, but it is still fun. We took the kids and my parents to the Princess and the Frog movie yesterday. We used the free children's admission coupons we got from being in the park in November.

We all LOVED this movie. It was Kaleb's first time in a movie theater and he sat through the whole movie There were some scary parts, but my kids didn't really understand them enough to be scared. It actually might be scarier for older kids who are able to get some of the references.

The music was fabulous. We have been listening to the soundtrack non-stop since we got home from the theater. It really makes me want to watch the Tiana's Jubilee parade again. Youtube here I come.

We didn't ever time it right to do the meet and greet with Tiana, but Bob did get to meet her in her frog form.

 

[travelmel]

And that is the end of day 1. It was a very long day, but we had a great time. We had been worried about the Christmas parade filming, but the crowds were not bad at all.

I am so late to this party! I can't remember everything I wanted to say about the first few entries in this TR BUT I will say... while your daughter is really cute and so very and princess perfect (though I know that is not her only desire) YOUR SON IS SO STINKING CUTE! OME His smile just lights my heart up, I kid you not. SO CUTE. He's always hugging her and smiling that big smile! SO CUTE! I just wanna eat him up! LOL

Ok, somebody needs another baby (me). My two girls are getting TOO OLD. I love 'em, oh yes and I'm glad all those diapers and all that crying stuff is over...well, some of it is just starting actually, but anyway... yea, I want another baby! But I want a boy. There are no guarantee's though! Oh well, I can't take that sort of risk. I'll just live vicariously through cute pics of strangers children at Disney. Thank you for that.

We absolutely loved the Redwood Creek area. The kids (and I) had a great time climbing along the netting and exploring everything. It is a great place to bring the kids to let them run around. I thought it was more for older kids because of the height requirements, but that isn't the case. Anybody who likes to run and climb will enjoy it.

Love that area.. I'm glad you had time to explore it

It is really hard to find young girls’ shirts that aren’t princess at Disney. She really wants a Sally shirt. Right now she makes do with wearing a women’s XS Sally shirt as a nightgown.

And I bet it's cute, too!

It was fun to see new decorations up every morning. We didn't get to see the park in full holiday mode, but we did see quite a bit. The castle wasn't lit up with the holiday lights at night. I do think the Christmas tree was though.

We did check with Lost and Found- quite a few times. We also filled out the form they have. They told us that things are usually turned in, but ours never showed up. The crowd on Veteran's Day was very young. I haven't seen that many sorority and fraternity shirts since I was in college. Anyway, I think that maybe whoever found it didn't think about how much the pictures would mean to us. I could care less about the camera. I just want my pictures.

To find out about the school closures I did a search for Anaheim schools and then went on each school districts website to view their calendar. I am sure there is an easier way, but that is what I did.

SO SAD! I totally understand. That just stinks. You sure managed to have some magnificent shots just from Photopass and extraneous (family) sources. You're lucky with that!

Anyway, your pic of you and your DH under the tree was amazing. You guys look like kids in a candy store. Also, the pics of Sully and of course the Jedi training pic with tink in the corner was AWESOME! You totally rocked this trip.

Again I really enjoy your families TR's and I'm glad you had another great time

I am so sorry about your camera disappearing at DLR (even though you had back-up photos from other sources). That would have bummed me out for the entire trip! I have always loved taking photos from an early age and they mean a lot to me because they are more than just images on paper. They are memories. They literally capture moments in time that, later on in life, will bring a smile to someone's face during a difficult time in life, or they will jog someone's memory of what happened on a particular trip, or they can be used for all sorts of homemade projects like collages or photo books. Anyone I have ever made photo gifts for has loved them. There is something so special about sharing photos with people you love and just laughing and remembering. (Right now, I have a whole bunch of Friends on Facebook who are clamoring for me to post some old photos but I have to get my scanner to cooperate!) The camera itself could be replaced, but you may have had a particular shot where Riley was doing an unusual thing or Kaleb had an extra cute grin (cuter than normal - he is pretty adorable!!), and to think that some stranger walked off with those memories and didn't AT LEAST turn in the memory card to Lost and Found (even if they wanted to keep the camera) is just a shame.

Good point Sherry... I wonder if a person should actually mark their memory card somehow... maybe too boy scout?