We Moved to Disneyland!! Now What ? Stories from New DLR Locals - Updated 1/15

[tayalltheway]

Chapter 134
It’s Getting Hot, Hot, HOT​

 

[PrincessInOz]

I'm going to miss the Court of Angels. I made sure I took a quick visit back there on the last trip. Next time I go, it's not going to be accessible to the general public anymore.

 

[Luisa]

It's such a shame about the Court of Angels- it was always such a lovely spot to relax and recharge. I can sympathise with the extreme heat, Melbournes just had four days in a row over 106 and with no aircon at all in my house going to work each day was a welcome relief!

 

[tayalltheway]

I'm going to miss the Court of Angels. I made sure I took a quick visit back there on the last trip. Next time I go, it's not going to be accessible to the general public anymore.

Glad you got to go back to CoA one last time. I'm definitely going to miss it, and I think it'll actually be worse to know it's still there but inaccessible to those of us who can't shell out the cash for a Club 33 membership...

It's such a shame about the Court of Angels- it was always such a lovely spot to relax and recharge. I can sympathise with the extreme heat, Melbournes just had four days in a row over 106 and with no aircon at all in my house going to work each day was a welcome relief!

Ugh, I HATE extreme heat so much! I can't imagine going through those temperatures without any sort of A/C Hopefully your temps have cooled down recently!

 

[tayalltheway]

Chapter 135
So Long, Farewell​

 

[PrincessInOz]

Love the pics you got of the CoA. They'll be a wonderful snapshot to look at in future years.


Congrats on you 8.5 year anniversary.....and let me be (potentially) the first to wish you a happy 9th anniversary!! By my accounting we must only be about 6 weeks away or so from that date.


I wonder what you'll be planning to do on that date.

 

[Cheshirecatty]

Taylor, I had to chuckle at your "Why are kids allowed at Disneyland?" question!

I'll admit to wondering this myself, and then squashing the thought to smithereens immediately afterward!

 

[Sherry E]

It's fun to see little signs of the coming seasons appearing around DLR, isn't it? I love the window displays and the in-store displays for both Halloween Time and the holidays. One of my favorite things to do is to look at the displays and see how or if they change from year to year.

Those displays are interesting in that they're really colorful and whimsical, and they effectively support/enhance/complement the Halloween and Christmas themes, and yet a lot of people overlook them.

There is one "sewing machine display" in a window on Main Street that has been around for years, and it became sort of a running joke among a few DIS'ers in trip reports for a while. The various thread colors and fabric colors in this display would change for each season or major holiday, adopting spring-ish hues, or patriotic colors, oranges and blacks, then reds and greens. It became a 'thing' to check the sewing machine window display and see which mode it happened to be in at that moment. After the holidays I think it switches into Valentine's Day mode, so that might be where it is right now! (A lot of the red Christmas knick-knacks can be re-purposed and used for Valentine's Day!)

Speaking of displays... I totally agree with you about the Halloween tram display being difficult to photograph because the tram moves pretty fast. I have not been able to get a photo of any part of the display (neither the ghosts nor the characters) as of yet. First of all, it helps a lot if you know that the display is coming up and on which side it can best be seen, so you can sit on that side of the tram without any obstructions. And it's also crucial to have the camera ready to go and poised to snap.

I know the display is there, and I know where it will be, and I still have not been able to successfully get a photo of it over the years! So I can imagine how difficult it would be for people who don't know that display is coming up on the tram route!

Also -- and I am reserving most of my "Halloween Time decor commentary" until you've completed all of your Halloween Time installments and holiday season installments -- I will add that it frustrates me that such a cute display is essentially held hostage to the tram path, and only those who take the tram or can view the display from Mickey & Friends will see it. People who do not park in that structure and who do not take the tram will miss it completely. I would guess that a lot of people don't even know that there is a Halloween Time display on the tram route every year! Couldn't it be relocated to a more visible, easier-to-photograph spot...like somewhere in California Adventure, where the Halloween decor is minimal?

I hate that kind of heat as well, and I applaud you and Tracy for braving some of it to head to DLR. As magical as DLR is, it can be brutal in the heat as the sun bounces off the pavement. The Animation Academy/building and the lobby of the Grand Californian Hotel become the highlights of the trip!

 

[tdashgirl]

Oh, those Tink fountains are a hidden gem! So pretty. I'll have to look out for them next visit

 

[tayalltheway]

Love the pics you got of the CoA. They'll be a wonderful snapshot to look at in future years.

Congrats on you 8.5 year anniversary.....and let me be (potentially) the first to wish you a happy 9th anniversary!! By my accounting we must only be about 6 weeks away or so from that date.

I wonder what you'll be planning to do on that date.

We were very glad to get in one last photo shoot at the CoA (actually we even made it in one more time a couple days later as well since they delayed the closing a bit). I already miss it, though!

Thanks for the anniversary wishes, and you are definitely the first person to wish us a happy anniversary for this year No idea what we'll end up doing to celebrate, but I'm sure we'll think of something fun

Taylor, I had to chuckle at your "Why are kids allowed at Disneyland?" question!

I'll admit to wondering this myself, and then squashing the thought to smithereens immediately afterward!

I find myself saying that a LITTLE too often Oh well, I'm pretty sure the kids aren't going anywhere.

It's fun to see little signs of the coming seasons appearing around DLR, isn't it? I love the window displays and the in-store displays for both Halloween Time and the holidays. One of my favorite things to do is to look at the displays and see how or if they change from year to year.

Those displays are interesting in that they're really colorful and whimsical, and they effectively support/enhance/complement the Halloween and Christmas themes, and yet a lot of people overlook them.

There is one "sewing machine display" in a window on Main Street that has been around for years, and it became sort of a running joke among a few DIS'ers in trip reports for a while. The various thread colors and fabric colors in this display would change for each season or major holiday, adopting spring-ish hues, or patriotic colors, oranges and blacks, then reds and greens. It became a 'thing' to check the sewing machine window display and see which mode it happened to be in at that moment. After the holidays I think it switches into Valentine's Day mode, so that might be where it is right now! (A lot of the red Christmas knick-knacks can be re-purposed and used for Valentine's Day!)

Speaking of displays... I totally agree with you about the Halloween tram display being difficult to photograph because the tram moves pretty fast. I have not been able to get a photo of any part of the display (neither the ghosts nor the characters) as of yet. First of all, it helps a lot if you know that the display is coming up and on which side it can best be seen, so you can sit on that side of the tram without any obstructions. And it's also crucial to have the camera ready to go and poised to snap.

I know the display is there, and I know where it will be, and I still have not been able to successfully get a photo of it over the years! So I can imagine how difficult it would be for people who don't know that display is coming up on the tram route!

Also -- and I am reserving most of my "Halloween Time decor commentary" until you've completed all of your Halloween Time installments and holiday season installments -- I will add that it frustrates me that such a cute display is essentially held hostage to the tram path, and only those who take the tram or can view the display from Mickey & Friends will see it. People who do not park in that structure and who do not take the tram will miss it completely. I would guess that a lot of people don't even know that there is a Halloween Time display on the tram route every year! Couldn't it be relocated to a more visible, easier-to-photograph spot...like somewhere in California Adventure, where the Halloween decor is minimal?

I hate that kind of heat as well, and I applaud you and Tracy for braving some of it to head to DLR. As magical as DLR is, it can be brutal in the heat as the sun bounces off the pavement. The Animation Academy/building and the lobby of the Grand Californian Hotel become the highlights of the trip!

I absolutely agree that it's so much fun to see the beginning signs of the next holiday season starting to show up. It builds up so much anticipation!

Now I know that I need to try to find that sewing machine. Sounds like a very fun little detail!

I'm of two minds when it comes to the Halloween tram decorations. On the one hand, I agree because when we were here for vacation in 2011 we had no reason to ride the tram and had no idea we were missing any sort of decorations. But on the flip side, I really enjoyed having it there throughout the Halloween season, welcoming us to the parks and getting us excited for the whole Halloween Time celebration. I'll even admit that once the Halloween decorations were gone, we were sad that they didn't replace them with some sort of Christmas theme in the same location. So while I agree that I wish it were easier to photograph and appreciate, I still really liked it.

Ugh, it makes me uncomfortable just remembering that awful heat! I'm really not looking forward to those few weeks coming around again this year, and I don't know if we'll be able to muster the resolve to head to DLR at all now that we know just how awful it is on those days in the 90s and 100s.

Oh, those Tink fountains are a hidden gem! So pretty. I'll have to look out for them next visit

You should absolutely watch for the fountains! I'm not sure if it happens more than once a night or what the schedule is like, but I'd definitely recommend asking a cast member in that area to see if they have any idea.

 

[tayalltheway]

Chapter 136
Limited Time Darkness​

 

[PrincessInOz]

Congrats on that excellent TSM score. That's an interesting costume Donald is wearing. I hope someone knows what it is.

Love the tiara Tracy is showcasing.

 

[tdashgirl]

Crazy how the halloween stuff clashes with that intense heat. Like those people over in Frontierland -- they look like they are about to pass out surrounded by all that Fall-lovely-ness! For the past few years we've gone down to DL for our school district's fall break (1st week of October) and it's almost always been HOT HOT HOT.

 

[tlenzendorf]

My 15 year old and I asked that exact same questions about kids at DL this weekend haha. We had a great time. What fabulous weather. Looked for you when I remembered. It's really easy to be self absorbed when you have a short trip. I also found out that I don't like the parade at DL, they really box you in to whatever side of the park you were on before it started!

 

[scrpbookr]

Your World of Color pics turned out so well! Love them! Thanks for continuing to share your adventures with us. I always look forward to seeing and reading about your So Cal and Disney adventures!

 

[Cheshirecatty]

We love, love , love the Fall decor by the entrance to Frontierland(thanks for posting pics), and back by Big Thunder Ranch!

 

[tayalltheway]

Congrats on that excellent TSM score. That's an interesting costume Donald is wearing. I hope someone knows what it is.

Love the tiara Tracy is showcasing.

Thanks! And I know, I'm still curious about Donald's outfit...

Tracy didn't end up with that particular tiara, but she did end up buying one a few months later.

Crazy how the halloween stuff clashes with that intense heat. Like those people over in Frontierland -- they look like they are about to pass out surrounded by all that Fall-lovely-ness! For the past few years we've gone down to DL for our school district's fall break (1st week of October) and it's almost always been HOT HOT HOT.

It definitely felt out of place for it to be SO hot with all those Halloween decorations. Those temperatures seem to turn everyone into walking zombies! I don't remember the temperatures in the first week of Oct this year. I think I've blocked out as much of the heat from my memory as possible

My 15 year old and I asked that exact same questions about kids at DL this weekend haha. We had a great time. What fabulous weather. Looked for you when I remembered. It's really easy to be self absorbed when you have a short trip. I also found out that I don't like the parade at DL, they really box you in to whatever side of the park you were on before it started!

We ask ourselves that question far too often I'm glad to hear you had such a great trip!! I don't even think we were in the parks for you to miss because Tracy was in Mexico for work and I was in CO. Maybe next time!

I DEFINITELY agree with you about the parade. It's really a shame they can't figure out a better way to deal with the crowds because the parade itself doesn't bother me but I hate what it does to the park traffic...

Your World of Color pics turned out so well! Love them! Thanks for continuing to share your adventures with us. I always look forward to seeing and reading about your So Cal and Disney adventures!

Glad you liked them! I was happy they left the fountains on for a little while after the show because I feel like I can never get good pictures when it's actually in progress.

Thanks so much for reading! I'm glad we can share our SoCal adventures with you

We love, love , love the Fall decor by the entrance to Frontierland(thanks for posting pics), and back by Big Thunder Ranch!

Agreed! I think Frontierland has some of my favorite area decorations. It just feels like Halloween fits really well in that whole area

 

[tayalltheway]

Chapter 137
Travel Woes​

 

[PrincessInOz]

Looks like a great evening at DL and a cool beach day at Huntington.

I'm not liking the sound of where your next update is heading to as I think I remember that weekend. I suspect that, in the 'wash-up', you might have been better off staying in town and DisMeeting with us.

 

[franandaj]

I need to make this quick as the "Twilight Zone" is about to hit.

I got so far behind, I've been on a whirlwind to catch up. I couldn't help but love your comment about "Why do they let kids in Disneyland?"

I do remember, what it to come. You should have turned around and gone back home. You could have had a fun DISmeet with PIO, myself and Bret and avoided all that flooding and stuff!

I hate to tell you this, but get used to September. That heat was actually nothing unusual. I kept trying to remember if we had awful heat last year and I think that while it was excruciatingly hot, it wasn't "record hot". I DO remember one year when I had to go to the Fairfax District for some reason and the temperature hit 119 while I was there. THAT was awful. What we had last year was just regular hot weather.

I was at DL on the Wednesday after Labor Day and it was Hot, Hot, Hot but we still went on a ton of rides. We got some pictures on the stairs of the Cour of Angels back in August since I heard about it closing as well. Sad, but I guess that's what they call "progress".

Hopefully we can meet up sometime next week. Text me if you're out there Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. We arrive Wednesday after and are staying at the VGC until Friday, but we'll be around the parks on Friday. Not sure how late, but at least for a while.

I'm glad I finally got caught up. Things have been hectic for me lately! Love hearing about your exploits, we just don't get out there often enough!