UPDATED! They've Been Some Long Ones! Nov. 9-23, 2008 PLUS 2006, 2007 & now WDW 2009!

[mariezp]

Continued....

As it turns out she was inquiring into whether or not we could ride the Lilly Belle but wouldn't you know it they were doing some sort of inspection at the current time. She did get us seats on the train... just no ride on the Lilly Belle.

We took the train around to Toontown Station. There she talked to us about the changes coming to Small World and other things in the area.

Then we made our way to Fantasyland where she talked about the different rides and the castle.

We cut through Snow White’s Grotto.

 

[mariezp]

Continued....

Next we headed in front of the castle where we were treated to stepping into the wedding garden. Just as we got there, Lani pointed out the dream Squad over to the side of the castle so we ran over and got a pair of dream ears. She gave us a little more info about the castle, weddings and the garden.

[/IMG]

Doggon it! I wish this picture had not come out so dark!

When we went to leave the gate fell off it's hinges. We has a good laugh about how DH had tried to break the gate!

Next we passed through Frontierland where she shared more tidbits and talked about the Golden Horseshoe.

I wonder where else besides Disneyland can you find a fully Christmas decorated popcorn cart? Aaah, the little details!

We back tracked towards Adventureland where the guys grabbed us a Dole whip just before we went into the Tiki Room.

After the show we were asked to remain seated. Lani and a couple of the CMs who worked in the Tiki Room shared some details with us and we got to meet Ophelia, one of the flowers from the show. I think the Tiki Room was our favorite part of the tour!

From there we headed back down Main Street. Lani stopped in front of the train station and thanked us. We thanked her and she said goodbye just after she led us into the seating area in the tour gardens where our lunch was waiting for us.

I didn’t want to give away too many details so as not to spoil anyone’s upcoming tour but you can get an idea of just what ground is covered during the tour. I can tell you that it was a great tour. Even DH said it was the best tour we have ever taken. DD was a little fidgety in the beginning but she kept up well and did not create any disturbances. The lunch menu was the only thing that we found disappointing and that was solely because it was very limited. There was no good choice for DD and unless you love sandwiches you are just out of luck. The fruit was very good.

 

[mariezp]

Continued…..

After our lunch, I wanted to do a few things in the park before we went back to our room for our break so, following Lani’s suggestion, we walked over and watched the First 50 Years of Magic show. They have some very interesting displays in the lobby if you love Disneyland enough to enjoy the history. So if you have never been, go. The show is actually pretty good too. We had the entire theatre to ourselves.

Look who we saw just outside!

Then we headed for the Market House. The guys sat down to play a game of checkers. They had to use coins because idiots keep stealing the game pieces. (must make self note to bring our own chess pieces)

I decided since we were already there that I would grab myself my second white hot chocolate, which turned out to be much better than my first one. I also got a piece of pumpkin fudge to try. (no likey likey!) I pondered in my mind where the closest restroom was… DH says there is one right out that door but he was wrong, or I didn’t find it. I ended up walking all the way down by Plaza Inn. DD had stayed with DH and DS so what does she do just as soon as I return? She decides she has to go so we race off, because she always waits until the last minute, in the direction of the restrooms behind the bank to see if they are any closer, which they were. We were able to confirm that the potties there are self flushers.

Having gotten that all taken care of and now out of steam, we hopped on the Omnibus for a ride to the castle so we didn’t have to walk all the way down Main Street AGAIN!

We headed through a half empty Fantasyland and rode the Carousel and then took a quick ride on Dumbo.

 

[mariezp]

Continued…..

I was getting another headache again so we grabbed the Omnibus again, this time on the upper level, and headed back to exit the park.

I have not got the hang of taking photos of us from arms length. I love DD's face in the second one... she's like "How many times do we have to take the SAME picture?" It took me several tries!

There are some really good views from the upper level!

We stopped at one of Photopass photographers to have a picture taken in front of the tree. She tried to be creative but the sun was in our eyes and this was the best she came up with.

Spotted a few characters on our way out.

Can you believe not a soul in front of the Mickey floral.

 

[mariezp]

Continued…..

I tried to nap off the headache without much success because DD does not seem to understand the theory of being quiet. I finally drifted off and when I woke up we headed back to the park around 5:15. We headed into Tomorrowland. DH took DD on Buzz.

DS and I attempted to ride Star Tours which I had not ridden in 2 years. Last year when we were about to board there was a medical emergency. This year we did have better luck. We did board and only had to move to another room after a mechanical malfunction. The poor woman in the flight prep film really needs to get a new hairdo! She's been wearing this one for how long now?

When we exited the ride, we met back up with DH and DD and decided to ride Nemo which ended up being a whole 10 minute wait. We met back up with DS who had skipped Nemo because he had had a sudden craving for popcorn. We wandered over by Small World and they were allowing rides even though they were not officially opened. It was about a 20 minute wait.

Did not notice any new Disney characters but there were a few new things which we thought were tastefully done and fit right in with the original theme. Everything looked nice and fresh and we loved the new smells! When we exited into the gift shop they had the 2 cutest window displays.

We rode the train over to the “Adventureland Station” according to the CM who must have been having a memory lapse while doing his spiel. Actually, we disembarked at the NOS station where we headed for Pirates. On the way through NOS I spotted Tony Baxter. He had apparently just grabbed a bread bowl and was making his way back to wherever Disney executives go to get out of the crowd. I said "Hello, Mr. Baxter" and he responded "Hello" and we both kept walking. I was content with that but it would be really cool to sit down and talk Disneyland with him someday. Maybe next time.

DD and I continued on our way and walked straight into Pirates and boarded our boat which had only 4 other people on it. When we got through we had planned to meet up with DH and DS so I could ride Splash with DS but we had lost track of time and the park was about to close so we jumped in line for HM to get in one more ride for the night. We stopped by the Market House on the way out so DH could grab a cup of coffee… and a gingerbread cookie. DH is so funny. He watched a program on tv the other day about obesity. He has been bragging about cutting back on his churro consumption ever since but I haven’t seen it affect his gingerbread consumption. They are very good!

As we headed in for the night the boys discussed their plan for the next day which was to ride every ride in the park. We’ll see how that goes.

 

[Sherry E]

Hi SherryE! We did hear the buggy sounds when we were heading through Heimlich's queue line. It was dark and sounded just like being outside our house when all the crickets and frogs are making noises. I have never heard the bear snoring in Critter Country though.

Oh, Lady Bug Boogie was not sooo bad. It is akin to the Teacups only much bumpier so If we are going to bother going on a cup of whirling dizziness I would much rather it be the Teacups.

If I lived 5 minutes from Disneyland I would probably be there more than 2 times a month. I suppose you could get burned out but it would take a very long time! I agree I can imagine all kinds of ways I could stay occupied even if it was just sitting on a bench all day enjoying the beauty of the park.

There are bug sounds in A Bug's Land coming from behind random bushes too, not just in Heimlich's queue. Sometimes there are rustling noises and sometimes chewing or sneezing. It's a cute little effect.

I had not been on the Teacups in about 8 years prior to this trip 2 weeks ago, but used to ride them every trip. In the past, I used to be able to handle riding in them, even with people spinning at a medium pace - not the full throttle whirling dizziness, however . As long as it was not a group of strong men spinning (which was a nightmare), I was fine. Women could never spin as well as they thought they could so I knew I was safe! But, we noticed when we rode the Teacups during our MM option that they were much faster than they had been in the old days, even with the mildest of spinning action. We had to stop spinning them and just let them run their natural course! I was saying, "When did they speed these up and not tell us?" So I will have to rethink the Teacups in the future!

My friend Jackie - who has an AP but lives about 20 minutes from DLR - said to Shawn (who lives, as I said, 5 minutes down the street from DLR and hears the fireworks loud and clear every night) on the recent trip, "If I lived where you live, I would probably be at Disneyland all the time, just for a couple of hours here and there every weekend. You should get an Annual Pass, now that they have the monthly payment option." Shawn was silent, but kind of nodded in half-hearted agreement. Maybe the reality of actually paying for her own ticket (in monthly installments) left her speechless and she didn't know how to reply! Not to mention the fact that she is not as used to doing things by herself, like I am, and so the prospect of going to DLR alone probably sounds too weird to her!!!

 

[whgrn]

Wow, GREAT update!! That tour sounds awesome. I may have to look into when we get to DL someday.

Your pictures are great!

 

[Sherry E]

As usual, I am enjoying all the pictures and the continuing adventures on the TR. Thank you for taking a picture of merchandise just for me! Actually, I appreciate seeing it now because I didn't buy anything while at DLR two weeks ago nor did I even really look in as many shops as I had planned. The ones I did look in, I made sure not to linger too long because that is when I get into trouble! So basically I missed seeing a lot of what DLR had this holiday season and it is much safe for me to see it in someone's nice photo!!!

You took a picture of the cute little Santa spinning the popcorn inside the popcorn cart. Did you happen to notice that somewhere in New Orleans Square, in one of the popcorn wagons, there is an Oogie Boogie (the green blob from Nightmare Before Christmas) spinning the popcorn? I almost missed him, but sharp-eyed Shawn pointed him out! Then again, she is also the one who noticed the ridiculously hard to see Hidden Mickey in the GCH grandfather clock face, so I like having her along because she notices things that many people miss!!!

I must see that 50 Years of Magic next time I go. I love those little displays inside that you took pictures of. That was one of the things I wanted to do if there was enough, and I probably would have done it if I had had one more day in DLR, but never made it happen!

I could look at endless pictures of IASW holiday. The exterior at night is just breathtaking! The colors are so vibrant and festive, and the pictures of inside the ride remind me of the fresh peppermint and pine scents piped into that ride!!!

 

[whgrn]

OK,you DLR experts. Where should we stay when we go? I tend to prefer fancier places (we LOVED the Beach Club at WDW), but I'm also just fine in a Hampton Inn. I guess the main priorities are location, location, location! We'd want to be walking distance from the entrance so we don't have to waste time on travel and parking. Is that possible?

There are 3 of us, me and 2 kids (DD would be 14, DS 12.5, so they can NOT share a bed!) I can share a King with DD if need be, and DS can do a rollaway or a pullout sofabed.

Any suggestions? I've not ventured out there, so I'm totally unfamiliar. Thanks!

 

[Sherry E]

OK,you DLR experts. Where should we stay when we go? I tend to prefer fancier places (we LOVED the Beach Club at WDW), but I'm also just fine in a Hampton Inn. I guess the main priorities are location, location, location! We'd want to be walking distance from the entrance so we don't have to waste time on travel and parking. Is that possible?

There are 3 of us, me and 2 kids (DD would be 14, DS 12.5, so they can NOT share a bed!) I can share a King with DD if need be, and DS can do a rollaway or a pullout sofabed.

Any suggestions? I've not ventured out there, so I'm totally unfamiliar. Thanks!

The Grand Californian Hotel is the most elegant of the three DLR hotels and also has a GREAT location, definitely within walking distance. It is gorgeous - huge, spacious lobby, dim lighting, dark wood, comfy sofas, a piano player, a fireplace - it is great. It is the closest of the three DLR hotels, and it also has its own handy dandy entrance into California Adventure. You can get a room with two beds, or one bed and two bunkbeds.

Paradise Pier is the cheapest of the three, and is nice, but not fancy. It has a cute beachy/ocean/surf theme and pastel coloring in the rooms. It is clean and shiny and new looking. Plenty of space in the rooms for up to five people (two beds and a daybed in most rooms).

Disneyland Hotel is the original, and it has a beautiful waterfall, koi fish pond, mini-Jungle Cruise remote control boats and the ever popular Goofy's Kitchen (my favorite DLR restaurant with characters). Plenty of room for three in each room. It is very much the most 'Disney-fied' of the three hotels (GCH being the least Disney-fied of all of them). But GCH is your best bet for elegant and within walking distance.

I like all three of them for different reasons, but you can't beat GCH for location. However, MANY folks on DISboards swear by the off-property, non-Disney hotels such as HoJo's, Candy Cane Inn, etc. And many of those hotels are also very close to the entrance, too (just coming from a different direction than the DLR hotels are facing).

Anyway, I am sorry to hijack your thread, Marie!

 

[whgrn]

Thanks Sherry! I'll check them all out.

 

[Pikester]

Still here and enjoying!

 

[mariezp]

Hi Sherry! I had a feeling I might see you again! Thanks for being there for me and reading along on my novel!

Yep, those Teacups are not too easy for us females to spin. However, funny how it is that if you try NOT to spin they still get spinning at a pretty good clip!

Your friend Shawn.... I am just not too sure about her! Imagine what some of us wouldn't do to be able to live that close to DL! I do suppose you are right though... if she is just not the type of person to enjoy doing things on her own then I suppose the park just might not seem so appealing. ME.... I love having my family with me and would feel strange at first BUT I would overcome that REALLY fast! I would love to have time at the park by myself to just soak it all up!

You sound like me! Avoid those stores and save that money! I trying to get it all done it one trip if at all possible. Also, I despise using up perfectly good time that could be spent inside the park. I was a bad girl and didn't bring anyone home a souvineer. I didn't even remember to send postcards!

I did actually see Oogie Boogie the popcorn man! Are you kidding? As many times as we rode HM and bought popcorn in the area! I may even have a photo of him buried somewhere in all my photos. This was the first time I ever saw the Santa one.

I would have stayed even longer looking at the displays inside of the 50 years of Magic Lobby but the doors opened for the show about 3 minutes after we walked in the door. It's one of those places that you always plan to spend more time in but end up forgetting about until it's too late.

We love Small World too. Even the repetitive song! Please tell me the smells were something new this year because in all our times of riding I don't remember ever having caught those scents before.

Sherry don't you ever worry about "hijacking" my thread! As a matter of fact, if someone has a question you better help me out and give them an answer! I need all the help I can get... and so do they. Besides that, you give really good responses since I have never stayed in any of the Disney properties.

whgrn, I am soooo glad you are enjoying my report! Even better that you're getting even more interested in Disneyland.

I can recommend the Anaheim Desert Inn IF you prefer large rooms, proximity to the park and reasonable rates over luxury. We have stayed with them on all 8 of our trips and they have met our needs just fine. We're pretty easy to please because we never plan on spending lots of time in our room. However, it may be that Sherry has some better recommendations for some of the more upscale accommodations. If you decide not to stay at a Disney resort, I do know that Hojos comes highly recommended around the Disboard as being one of the nicer places on Harbor and for offering reasonable rates.

Hi Pikester! Thanks for dropping by!

 

[DL55]

I don't know if I can continue to read this TR. The pictures are great, I want to go now! The tour is now on my list of things to do next visit! Love the picture of the rope drop!

 

[D&DDisney]

Still here following along. Loving your pics!!!

 

[Sherry E]

By the way, almost forgot to say, the peppermint smell has been in IASW Holiday since I first went on that version of the ride, which was December 2000. (I can't recall when IASW Holiday debuted, but I think it was right around then.) However, it was very faint in 2000 and it was faint again in 2007, when I returned to the ride. It was the sort of peppermint smell where, if you were having any kind of sinus problems at all or turned your head for a split second, you would miss it. In fact, a couple of people in our group couldn't smell the peppermint at all. I did notice 2 weeks ago when I was at DLR, the smells in IASW Holiday are much stronger now. The peppermint can't be missed by anyone, and they have added in that pine scent or whatever it is as well as one other aroma that my friend insisted was gingerbread, but I wasn't convinced. It didn't quite smell like gingerbread but it was something! Anyway, I think everything but the peppermint is new, and the peppermint has been enhanced, definitely!

 

[travelmel]

I took a pics of holiday merchandise just for you Sherry! Of course, it's a little late now!

I love that pic hanging on the wall of the HM with the "NBC" themed frame!

Finally, we made it INTO the park for our first time today at 6:00pm! We went straight to Pirates for a 2 minute wait.

What an awesome pic of the BB! You should post it on the Disneyland pic of the day (if you haven't already)

 

[travelmel]

Then we went into the theatre and she gave us some background information on some of the movies that were playing. DD liked watching the old movies.

I think this would be a major highlight for me. When I was a kid we used to go quite often and I loved having the luxury of spending time hanging out here and just taking in the movies and the ambiance of Main Street. What a fun tour!

P.S. I loved the little Mickey Skipper you put on your pic of the Jungle Cruise!

 

[mariezp]

Come on now DL55! You can't quit on me now! I only have a few more days to go! Be brave. And who knows maybe it will spur you right into action and get you there even sooner! The tour was definitely fun.

D&DDisney, glad you're still with us. Pssst.... I've almost got another day ready to post.

Sherry E I knew if it the smells had ever been there before that they must have been much fainter. We had 2 other years in the time period that you mention that we might have been there while SW had it's Christmas overlay. We did think the smell was gingerbread. Guess it could have been sugar cookie or something akin to something edible.

travelmel, you just know how to tell a girl the sweetest things! Really! When I started adding photos I first thought maybe I shouldn't add so many but then I know how much I love seeing ALL of everyone's pictures. So I decided to add TONS, some just for the ones of us who hang around all the time and can never get enough and some to spark a new love for the newcomers... to let them know that there is more to enjoy at DL than just rides and attractions. There have still been some pics that I debated posting because they were a little dark or maybe a little fuzzy BUT your admiration for that one BB picture has made it all worth it! See there... sometimes someone else sees something worth appreciating even if I might miss it!

DD wanted to go back and spend some more time in the theater but we just never got around to it. Shame on me! So it is on the top of my to-do-list next year since she enjoyed it so much. You should go to!

I really enjoyed the little characters I could add from DD's little camera! AND the software was easy enough that even I could figure out how to use it!

 

[DL55]

I was joking. I couldn't stop until your trip is finished. Have to see how it ends. Just thinking...it will be 4 years since I've been to DLR...DH has been asking where we should go for a short vacation..