We Defected to the West! DLR 2013

[jenseib]

More awesome ride shots!!!!
But I can't beleive you rode death trap after deathtrap next!

 

[YodasMom]

I would have put my camera and equipment in a locker with my last will & testament! Just kidding, well not really!

Awesome shots! And, very gutsy!

 

[momof2n2]

You. Are. Crazy!
I've never even considered taking photos on a roller coaster!

And where do you get off riding a ride six times in a row? Don't know know you should be happy with just six rides a day?

I can't believe it was 37 degrees. That blows my mind. Crazy stuff. I could probably handle it, but I link amusement parks and hot weather in my mind.

Love Katie's expressions. And your ornament selfie is beautiful!

 

[clsteve]

Wow - the CS take-off looks awesome!

And, is it just me or does it look like the only bag of goodies Santa was carrying the night before was a purple Chivas Regal bag...........

 

[mom2rtk]

WOW! I can't believe y'all got to ride CS 6x in a row! Such fun! And I truly in awe of your pics while riding.

You mention being in WDW during 2010 & experiencing that cold. We were there that Dec as well. It was DS's first trip. We used to always go to WDW in Dec & I have NEVER been so cold there as I was that year. Our last night was downright miserable.

I have to agree that that is one grumpy looking Santa. He definitely was NOT feeling the Christmas spirit that day. But, at least his elf looked happy!

At least California doesn't have the humidity factor. I'm convinced the humidity in FL makes the cold a lot worse. WDW 2010 really is the stuff legends are made of. I need to make a t-shirt for our next December WDW trip saying "I survived December 2010 in WDW".

We're really hoping for a little warmer weather this year at DLR.

Catching up!

Great pictures of CS. 6 times? WOW!

I think we would have gone a couple more times, but my ears were frozen and kept bumping the sides of the seats. That was just all I could take. Oddly enough we both got off that time and instead of saying "Wanna go again?" we both said "I think I'm done" about the same time. Yeah, it was cold, but how often can you do a headliner like that so many times in a row? I think I'll throw in a couple stocking caps on our next trip, just in case. We had to take our Mickey hats off to keep from losing them. A stocking cap would have definitely helped!

It's nice that is the highlight of the trip and good memories with you and your daughter.

That sounds like a good idea of going to WDW for a day in order to ride the Mine Train at the MK.

More great shots during CS and at DCA.

Thanks Bret! I told my husband that if we're going to Florida next summer, I at least have to be able to commit 60 days out. I just won't visit there any more without the full 60 days notice (so I can reserve the FPs we want).

It's almost time for my cameo appearance in Janet's TR! (This was the first of 3 times that I saw Janet during the course of my own December trip, but this was the only 'planned' occasion.)


And what a treat it was to get to run into you 3 times!

Let me reinforce (for the readers) what Janet said about the cold weather. Anyone who has read my previous TRs or Superthreads knows that I am no fan of heat/summer/sun and usually cannot wait for something resembling cooler air. I especially hate to be hot and miserable at DLR.

So I was absolutely thrilled that it was "cold" by SoCal's standards in December last year, but there is no denying that I had to bundle up. I dragged out the winter scarves, the mittens, the bulky jackets, the sweaters, etc. I loved the weather, but I was still going to bundle up. It was brisk for a couple of days, to put it mildly.


I commend you for being true to your word an embracing the cold over the heat! I, on the other hand, hate the heat but did not embrace the cold so willingly! Maybe it's because I knew this was supposed to be my break from the blowing snow back home. Oh, and the snow I knew I was going to have to scrape off my car at the airport!

Also, later that same night -- Sun., December 8th -- I was planted in the sea of people in Town Square to watch Kurt Russell narrate the Candlelight Ceremony, and my hands/ears/nose were freezing (it was supposed to have been about 29 degrees, I think). I had to put on my mittens, and my camera kept trying to slip out of my hands because I couldn't get a firm grip. As long as I am prepared for weather and can make myself more comfortable, I don't mind it, but I didn't want my camera to hit the ground so I had to put it away!

I will absolutely confirm that it was indeed a sea of humanity. Oy. I fully intended to completely avoid Main Street that night, but ended up with a first hand experience. More on that later........

Janet -- All of the on-ride photos you took are amazing (though somewhat stomach-churning!).

LOL. I was trying to capture the essence of the ride. And I never thought I'd thank someone for calling my photos "stomach-churning" but I'm about to...... thank you!

Seeing your photos of an almost-empty Paradise Pier brings me right back to being at DLR for the holidays. I can feel the cold air on my cheek and envision it now. I love walking around DCA on those early entry mornings in December -- and I was also wandering around DCA at that time, but I guess I was in the Grizzly Peak area and then on the Little Mermaid ride before heading over to Buena Vista Street to meet you and the other ladies!

It really was a great time to be on Paradise Pier! And yeah, I'd do it again. Even if I knew it was going to be that cold. I've become a lot more tolerant of bad weather on a Disney trip. I fact, I think my tolerance for bad weather at Disney has gone up at exactly the same pace the crowd levels in the parks have grown! Truth is, I value low crowds more than perfect weather.

That Elias & Co. Santa does not appear to be the jolliest of Santas, that's for sure. There are much jollier Santas in other areas of DLR. The one at the PPH and the one at the GCH seem to be particularly fun and lively.

I actually think the Santa looks like he's sick. I don't remember at this point what his demeanor was, but these photos were moments after the line opened that day. How can anyone look that unhappy that early in the morning otherwise?

At some point -- and I may have to PM you about this at a later time -- I want to find out if you have a stream/album of just your stunning Sanibel photos on Flickr. I want to show them to my Sanibel/Captiva-loving friend (she happily remembers the Bubble Room, and she loves it!) and she really wants to see the photos, but I know that she won't have time to go through an actual TR.

No problem. I actually have photos on Flickr divided into albums. Here's the one from that trip.



Bret -- I think that if the ugly plastic trees had been in Toontown from the very beginning (years ago, when Toontown first got holiday decorations) I could deal with them better. The fact that they replaced the better trees is what gets to me, and makes them so much worse!

You know Sherry, I would have totally just accepted the ugly plastic trees in Toontown if I hadn't seen all the pictures of gorgeous trees from years gone by in last year's Christmas thread!

 

[mom2rtk]

I see. I didn't pay really attention to the Christmas trees in Mickey's Toontown during the years I have been going to DL during the holiday seasons since I pay attention to the other parts of the decorations. It is a shame that they use the plastic trees instead of the nice one's like they have used a few years ago. It can be sad when the DLR is cutting back on decorations in certain lands and putting it into other parts.

I dislike the ugly plastic trees, but I think that if they had been part of Toontown's décor back in, say, 2001 or so, I would have just accepted them as fitting Toontown's 'cartoonish' style. The problem is that we now have something to compare the ugly trees with in our minds, because we know that there were better trees in Toontown just a few short years ago. Disney downgraded the Toontown trees and removed the trees that were perfectly colorful and fun, and that's hard to ignore!

Yes, it's always interesting to see what is cut back in the decorations every year, or what is added in. Last year, while there were some things missing, Disney also did a good job at adding in other decorations to areas where they might not have been before (such as in Hollywood Land, and the array of sea-themed accents on and around the PPH tree). So, as long as Disney keeps adding things into the mix, it lessens the impact of removing decorations from other areas.

I guess I should be relieved the ugly plastic trees are my baseline since this was my first Christmas trip.

I really should wait and go after you this year Sherry. You have such an eye for detail. It would be awesome to have your analysis of this year's decorations before going so I know what to watch for! Do you have dates set yet?

I must have forgotten about them over the years if they have been there that long. You are right about that we have to accept them since it does have that cartoon style and fits at Mickey's Toontown. It is just hard to forget about those nice trees at Toontown until they were replaced with the plastic trees the last couple of years.

I am also curious what changes will happen this year especially with NOS. It was nice that the DLR added holiday decorations to Hollywood Land last year and made it more colorful especially with Santa and his Reindeers at the end of Hollywood Land.

That's right! Lots of change in NOS this year. It will definitely be interesting to see what they do with the decorations. I wasn't wowed by the giant mask. Is it bad that I'm hoping that's on the list of changes?

And I agree about the Santa's sleigh and reindeer in Hollywood Land. I thought it was charming and I loved it!

More awesome ride shots!!!!
But I can't beleive you rode death trap after deathtrap next!

You did see my photos of all the bodies falling from the skies, right?

I will say that the Silly Swings weren't as "kiddyish" as I expected. There is definitely a thrill factor being up that high with so little between you and the ground below. But see, unlike you, I tell myself I would have heard about it by now if they had bodies flying through the air before!

Before we left the area, we intended to do Goofy's Sky School but it was closed. After your TR though and the discussion of that ride, I'm glad we missed it.

I would have put my camera and equipment in a locker with my last will & testament! Just kidding, well not really!

Awesome shots! And, very gutsy!

LOL! As I told Jen above. I just tell myself "They haven't lost one yet" and go for it. And as for the camera....... I just put it around my neck and hold on tight. This was the first inversion I've tried with the camera out though. It's an interesting experiment in centrifugal force.

You. Are. Crazy!
I've never even considered taking photos on a roller coaster!

And where do you get off riding a ride six times in a row? Don't know know you should be happy with just six rides a day?

I can't believe it was 37 degrees. That blows my mind. Crazy stuff. I could probably handle it, but I link amusement parks and hot weather in my mind.

Love Katie's expressions. And your ornament selfie is beautiful!

I think I have definitely been outed as a "super-user". If you notice later that the photos have all been deleted, I hope you all understand I'm just trying to bury the evidence of my selfish super-user ways!

We have made the majority of our Disney trips in December. Thankfully I now link Disney with sweatshirt weather!

Wow - the CS take-off looks awesome!

And, is it just me or does it look like the only bag of goodies Santa was carrying the night before was a purple Chivas Regal bag...........

OK, so I was assuming Santa was ill. It WAS early on a Sunday morning. I should have considered that maybe he had a late Saturday night!

 

[Sherry E]

Janet --

Thank you so much for posting that link to your Sanibel/Captiva album/photos. I just emailed it to my friend, and I know she will be thrilled. She just loooooves Sanibel and has made it a tradition, so I think this will make her very happy!

Of course, as I looked through the pages of the album I was again reminded of how stunningly beautiful and awesome those photos are. They are really breathtaking.

You asked about potential dates for a holiday trip. What I always plan to do, or try to do, is to get to DLR on -- or right after -- the official start date of the holiday season in November, specifically because I want to bring back reports and details of what to expect, what is new, what is different, etc.

Since I lead the charge to the holidays in the Superthread all year long, I want to be able to bring back info from my "exploratory/fact-finding missions" to DLR (info about treats, about merchandise, about disappearing decorations and giant gold masks suddenly appearing over NOS, etc.), before most people have begun their own holiday trips.

And then I do the "real" holiday trip in December.

So, if all goes according to plan (the operative phrase), I will hopefully embark on another exploratory mission on or immediately after the official November start date and come back with observations and details later that day.

Then again, apparently I missed seeing the holiday character standees on top of the train station last year, so who knows what else I may have missed?

 

[tdashgirl]

Stumbled upon your trip report and you are bringing back so many good memories of DL during the holidays! That is truly my favorite time there. It's just so beautiful and magical.

I agree with you about the no/very little humidity going a long way to making extreme temps (cold or hot) at DL very bearable. We're heading to WDW for the 1st time in a couple of months and I admit I'm nervous about the humidity! I've been to Chicago and Arkansas during the summer and ....

Your photos on Screamin' are amazing

 

[mom2rtk]

Janet --

Thank you so much for posting that link to your Sanibel/Captiva album/photos. I just emailed it to my friend, and I know she will be thrilled. She just loooooves Sanibel and has made it a tradition, so I think this will make her very happy!

Of course, as I looked through the pages of the album I was again reminded of how stunningly beautiful and awesome those photos are. They are really breathtaking.

You asked about potential dates for a holiday trip. What I always plan to do, or try to do, is to get to DLR on -- or right after -- the official start date of the holiday season in November, specifically because I want to bring back reports and details of what to expect, what is new, what is different, etc.

Since I lead the charge to the holidays in the Superthread all year long, I want to be able to bring back info from my "exploratory/fact-finding missions" to DLR (info about treats, about merchandise, about disappearing decorations and giant gold masks suddenly appearing over NOS, etc.), before most people have begun their own holiday trips.

And then I do the "real" holiday trip in December.

So, if all goes according to plan (the operative phrase), I will hopefully embark on another exploratory mission on or immediately after the official November start date and come back with observations and details later that day.

Then again, apparently I missed seeing the holiday character standees on top of the train station last year, so who knows what else I may have missed?

Don't feel bad Sherry. I missed those characters on the train station too. Katie had to point them out. So glad to hear you're hoping to do an early recon mission! It will get me through the homestretch.

And thanks for the kind words on the Sanibel photos. Honestly though, it's hard to take a bad photo there. There's just so much to work with.

Stumbled upon your trip report and you are bringing back so many good memories of DL during the holidays! That is truly my favorite time there. It's just so beautiful and magical.

I agree with you about the no/very little humidity going a long way to making extreme temps (cold or hot) at DL very bearable. We're heading to WDW for the 1st time in a couple of months and I admit I'm nervous about the humidity! I've been to Chicago and Arkansas during the summer and ....

Your photos on Screamin' are amazing

Thanks Tania and So glad you found us!

It will still be pretty warm in WDW in late September/early October. But sometimes the break in the heat comes a little early. We did that same week there 5 years ago. It was still really hot most days, but we got one evening at MNSSHP that wasn't as bad, and one day that it was actually cool (ish). We live in Missouri so are quite experienced at dealing with humidity. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm just a heat wimp.

Thanks for the kind words on the ride photos. I do love taking photos on rides!

 

[tdashgirl]

It will still be pretty warm in WDW in late September/early October. But sometimes the break in the heat comes a little early. We did that same week there 5 years ago. It was still really hot most days, but we got one evening at MNSSHP that wasn't as bad, and one day that it was actually cool (ish). We live in Missouri so are quite experienced at dealing with humidity. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm just a heat wimp.

Thanks! I'm hoping it won't be too bad in those early Fall days. I don't even know how WDW summer visitors deal! Of course I understand for a lot of people, summer is their only option. About 4 years ago, my DD10's school district switched to calendar where they get a break approx. every 9 weeks and we start very early in August -- so we get a Fall Break. It's a great time to vacation! We've gone to DL for the past couple of years and decided it's time to mix it up with WDW

 

[larryz]

So with fastpass plus rolling out at WDW in 2013, it seemed like the ideal time to make our move.

I hear ya. Although I tried to keep an open mind, you know how I feel about FP+. So I just pulled the trigger on a 4-day visit with 3-day tix for 1st of October for my son and I -- as Dana, the Disney Travel rep put it, 2 guys having fun at Disneyland...

Any tips? It's been 23 years since I've been to DLR.

ETA: AWESOME TR thread! Garnered some tips from you and other readers. Now I don't have to take my T2i -- you've done all the photo work for me.

 

[mom2rtk]

I hear ya. Although I tried to keep an open mind, you know how I feel about FP+. So I just pulled the trigger on a 4-day visit with 3-day tix for 1st of October for my son and I -- as Dana, the Disney Travel rep put it, 2 guys having fun at Disneyland...

Any tips? It's been 23 years since I've been to DLR.

ETA: AWESOME TR thread! Garnered some tips from you and other readers. Now I don't have to take my T2i -- you've done all the photo work for me.

Hi Larry! I'm so glad you found us, and so glad you're defecting to the west with us!

How old is your son? After 23 years, it's going to be like discovering it for the first time all over again. You are in for such a treat. And every time you pull a legacy FP, you're going to feel like you have triumphed over evil! OK, maybe not. But if you pull 2 FPs for a headliner you might feel that way!

First tip is to not worry when it starts getting close to your trip and you haven't made a bunch of dining and FP reservations! That took some getting used to for us. Now it's actually starting to come in really handy since my daughter's school schedule is so busy and it's harder for us to commit too far ahead.

Second tip is to spring for the hoppers and treat the 2 parks as one. It's so easy and quick to go back and forth that we don't sweat trying to stay in one park per day. And this from a person who never buys hoppers at WDW.

Let us know what questions you have. And thanks for the kind words on the photos. My T2i definitely got a good workout at DLR.

 

[missangelalexis]

You guys certainly are CS troopers!! Love all the ride photos!

Love Mickey's outfit! And Santa does look a little grumpy haha

 

[Sydnerella]

So enjoying the photos of CS - amazing as usual! That inversion is crazy - killer work!!! Cannot imagine riding a headliner so many times in a row-awesome! And glad you acknowledge your infraction as a super user too.... . These pics make me more eager for a DLR trip for sure. But hard to ignore the pull of WDW and grandparents who winter nearby.

 

[DISNEYaddict4evr]

LOVE the collection of ride photos

Also, I can not believe you did not ride the moving capsules!! It is scary yes.. but OH SO much fun

 

[rndmr2]

WOW! Crazy that you went on California Screamin' 6 times! I'd be lucky if I could do it once, let alone 6! I didn't realize it had a loop, that is the only thing that would scare me off. Great pics of the parks from it though.

I like that Mickey that you saw, that's a cute costume.

That Santa does look a little cranky.

 

[ishbit92]

Loving this trip report so far!

I had no idea about Pearl Factory in DTD. I've now made it a goal to order a pearl cage before I go & buy a pearl! What a neat tradition

 

[ktlm]

Ran across your trip report and remembered how much I wanted to see all the photos from your December trip! They did not disappoint- absolutely amazing! Katie looks so grown up- such a beautiful girl! You are a bad influence because those photos and your trip report are making me think there is a DL Holiday season trip in our future next year! I've been wanting to do one for a while as we've never seen DL that time of year, but your pictures sent me over the edge. Ought to do it this year, but we have been to DL this year already and I caved and decided to try WDW one more time.

 

[mom2rtk]

So enjoying the photos of CS - amazing as usual! That inversion is crazy - killer work!!! Cannot imagine riding a headliner so many times in a row-awesome! And glad you acknowledge your infraction as a super user too.... . These pics make me more eager for a DLR trip for sure. But hard to ignore the pull of WDW and grandparents who winter nearby.

Thanks so much! Sometimes you have to make lemons out of lemonade. Ever since we had such a great time at a freezing cold night at MVMCP back in 2010, I've come to appreciate the crowd-thinning properties of cold weather at Disney!

I hope you can get to DLR sometime soon. I can see it would be hard to ignor the benefits of grandparents wintering in FL. I think you should make WDW your winter home and DLR your summer home!

LOVE the collection of ride photos

Also, I can not believe you did not ride the moving capsules!! It is scary yes.. but OH SO much fun

LOL, there's NO WAY you were getting me in one of those moving capsules. It's funny because I'll do a wide variety of thrill rides, but you are NOT getting me in one of those moving capsules!

WOW! Crazy that you went on California Screamin' 6 times! I'd be lucky if I could do it once, let alone 6! I didn't realize it had a loop, that is the only thing that would scare me off. Great pics of the parks from it though.

I like that Mickey that you saw, that's a cute costume.

That Santa does look a little cranky.

CS really is very similar to RnR, but of course on CS you can see the inversion coming. So that anticipation does add some extra thrill. And of course I loved that it was out in daylight so I could play with my camera.

I still think it's funny that Katie and I both cried uncle at the same time after 6 trips through. I want warmer weather on our next trip, but if it's cold again, we'll be ready to take advantage of those early morning low crowds!

Loving this trip report so far!

I had no idea about Pearl Factory in DTD. I've now made it a goal to order a pearl cage before I go & buy a pearl! What a neat tradition

Thanks! You also reminded me to go online and hunt down a new pearl cage for this trip. Better start breaking it to Katie that it's my turn!

Ran across your trip report and remembered how much I wanted to see all the photos from your December trip! They did not disappoint- absolutely amazing! Katie looks so grown up- such a beautiful girl! You are a bad influence because those photos and your trip report are making me think there is a DL Holiday season trip in our future next year! I've been wanting to do one for a while as we've never seen DL that time of year, but your pictures sent me over the edge. Ought to do it this year, but we have been to DL this year already and I caved and decided to try WDW one more time.

So nice to see you here!

Thanks for the kind words. Katie really is growing up so fast. I really notice it when I look at these photos. It's hard to believe those were 8 months ago already. She starts 8th grade next week. A year from now she'll be getting ready for high school.

I think we'll be back to WDW next year, but you definitely should see DLR at Christmas at least once. 2015 for the 60th anniversary would just be perfect!

 

[MEK]

Wow - props to you for taking those pictures on CS AND for riding it 6 times in a row! The ride looks like a blast and I just love all the pictures. There are some amazing view pictures in your update!

EMH at 7am? Sweet!