Candlelight & Cannonballs! (MANY MARDI GRAS MASK PICS!) Dec. 2012- Start Pg.235/#3524

[tksbaskets]

Good morning Sherry,
I wondered how the cold turkey dinner sandwich would be....looks like the Haagen Daazs Dazzler wasn't! And pricey too.


I am really surprised that the floral Mickey outside of DL is so...plain...I've never seen it so unadorned.

Looks like you have another nice day to explore!

[Sherry E]

Originally Posted by tksbaskets

Good morning Sherry,
I wondered how the cold turkey dinner sandwich would be....looks like the Haagen Daazs Dazzler wasn't! And pricey too.


I am really surprised that the floral Mickey outside of DL is so...plain...I've never seen it so unadorned.

Looks like you have another nice day to explore!

TK -

My favorite breakfast so far (out of Days 1, 2 and 3 of my trip) was the peppermint ice cream in the holiday cone on Day 2...well, that is, other than the fact that I was made to feel uncomfortable sitting at my own table!

I wonder if the taste of the stuffing in the Holiday sandwich would have been less prominent if it had been warm. Strangely, it kind of obliterated the taste of the cranberry sauce altogether, and turkey is kind of bland to begin with. I think that because the mini-fridge got the sandwich soooo cold it made a difference, as opposed to if it had just been slightly chilled.

The Peppermint Bark Dazzler...well, it didn't dazzle me, as I explained! I wouldn't have minded paying that crazy $7.42 (and I am still not certain that I got the AP discount because the cashier didn't give me the right receipt to show me that it was reflected) if the ice cream had been actual peppermint ice cream, and if the taste of the bark had been less 'sharp' against the blank canvas of the white ice cream (as I mentioned in the last installment).

But when you consider that the Peppermint Bark Dazzler cost more than a full Cannonballs! sandwich (with an AP discount) at Earl of Sandwich...something seems lopsided!

Can you believe that pitiful floral Mickey? Isn't it sad? It got me wondering if it had been that way in November when I was at DLR for the day, and maybe I just didn't pay attention to it. Disney never lets the floral Mickey get quite so anemic-looking. I wonder what happened to it. Maybe the existing flowers got ruined. Maybe they ran out of cash in the horticulture/landscaping budget. Who knows? But it was sad!

There will not be as many pictures from Day 3 so it won't take as long to get through. I don't know if anyone noticed, but Day 2 was the day that yielded the most TR installments out of all of my trip reports! I don't think I have ever gotten up to "Part 15" in any previous individual TR day. Day 2 got up to 15 segments! I'd have to double check my "Evil Chair..." report from December 2010 to be sure, but I don't think I have reached 15 segments for a single day in a multi-day trip. Day 3 will not reach that number, but I took some pictures here and there.

[tksbaskets]

Looking forward to more of day 3!

[cristyhas3]

Your TR is wonderful! I really enjoy your attention to detail.

How does one get a free upgrade to a park view room?

Can't wait to read what happens next!

[Sherry E]

Originally Posted by tksbaskets

Looking forward to more of day 3!

TK -

I've got 2 TR installments coming up right after I post this reply, and then I am working on another one which I will hopefully have up within another hour or two. I am trying to crank them out as fast as I can, without skipping over anything that was noteworthy along the way. In looking at the remaining photos I have yet to post, I saw some that I had totally forgotten about! I literally looked at them and said to myself, "I don't remember taking those at all!" It's weird how that happens when you take a lot of pictures.

Originally Posted by cristyhas3

Your TR is wonderful! I really enjoy your attention to detail.

How does one get a free upgrade to a park view room?

Can't wait to read what happens next!

Hi, Cristy!

Welcome! It's good to see you here! I'm glad you jumped in before I end up closing the thread at the 250-page mark.

First of all - thank you so much for the kind words! I think I've probably been "detail-oriented" since I was a kid, and it has its drawbacks a lot of the time - but it can come in handy when I need it to as well (like for trip reports and photos!).

Now, as for the upgrades at the PPH...I've clearly been very lucky in that department and I'm not sure why. For the last 3 consecutive holiday season trips I have made to DLR, I have been given a free park view upgrade.

BUT, I would say that for maybe the last 2 years or so I have been hearing of quite a few people getting free room upgrades to park view at the PPH - and some of them have even been upgraded to Concierge if they had more people in their group. I think a couple of families were even upgraded to suites for free! (I've never gotten a suite or concierge.)

One thing I noticed is that my park view rooms in 2010 and 2011 (on higher floors) were 'kept up' a little bit better. They seemed a little crisper, a little fresher - and each night someone would bring chocolates to the room when they asked if I wanted turn down service. There were also chocolates left in the room after the room was cleaned.

However, this past park view room that I just had last month (on a lower floor) seemed ever-so-slightly less kept up and less tidy. I can't explain it - you probably wouldn't notice if you just glanced from a distance, as the differences were very minor. But I could see a couple of spots in the 6th floor room that looked a little more 'worn' than in the upper floor rooms. Also, no one left any chocolates for me in this room! Interesting!

I would like to think that my free upgrades had something to do with the fact that I arrived to do the pre-check in at the front desk really, really early in the morning. And, in truth, that might have been a factor in it but the PPH people will never admit to it.

I think that showing up for pre-check in (when you get all the paperwork out of the way) as early as you possibly can manage it cannot hurt your chances of getting an upgrade. Also, I noticed that when I called the PPH to check on the status of my room mid-morning (thinking I had missed their call), that seemed to prompt them to "move things around" (in their own words) to get me into a room much faster than they would have. If I hadn't checked on the status of my room and had just waited until 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. to check in, I might have just ended up with a standard view. They said that they had put me on some kind of "list" to notify me if a room opened up earlier than expected. So be sure to let the front desk person know that you want to be notified if a room is ready early.

Also, I think it doesn't hurt if you are celebrating something - a birthday for one of your kids, an anniversary, a reunion, the very first trip to Disneyland, anything. If you make a reservation on the phone the agent will usually ask if you are celebrating anything. That's when they make a note of it in your online records, and it will appear to the Cast Member at the front desk when you check in and they pull up your account in their system.

Okay, I've got 2 trip report installments coming right up, back to back!

[Sherry E]

Here is the FIRST installment for today!!! I am zippin’ along!

Candlelight and Cannonballs! Aunt Betty’s Do-Over Christmas Trip

(Sun., 12/9/12 – Wed., 12/12/12)



Day 3 - Tuesday, December 11, 2012 – Part 2

Just hear those sleigh bells jingle-ing
Ring ting tingle-ing too
Come on, it's lovely weather
For a sleigh ride together with you






In the last TR installment, Day 3 began with another wonderful sunrise blanketing the sky outside my Paradise Pier Hotel window. For breakfast I ate an Earl of Sandwich Holiday sandwich (turkey, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce) that I had stored in the mini-refrigerator the night before, and discovered that it was a bit too cold for my liking. I stopped for a lackluster “Peppermint Bark Dazzler” at Haagen Dazs and met a sweet little boy with a Buzz Lightyear toy in World of Disney. Finally, I headed into Disneyland and was aghast to see the sickly floral Mickey that usually packs such a vibrant punch of color during the holidays (and, really, all year long).

Part of the Candlelight Ceremony/Processional set-up…














I wish I could say that this snowman-esque topiary was only out for the holiday season, but if I recall correctly, it is there in Town Square all the time. I’m pretty sure I saw it in June, when I was at DLR for the Cars Land/Buena Vista Street preview. Of course, the poinsettias at the base of it are holiday additions but the topiary itself seems to be a regular staple of the Town Square décor. I feel like it needs a carrot, a scarf and a top hat, though…
















Winter Sweater Mickey and Winter Pluto were walking over to their posts to pose for photos! I think Pluto should have a sweater too!

I love this picture below! This CM had such a warm, friendly smile! After I took the photo I walked up to him to show him that it came out nicely.

I said, holding up my camera to him, “See? That’s a great picture!”

He replied, “It is great – because luckily you can’t see my face at all!”

I said, “Oh, that’s a terrible thing to say! It’s such a nice face!”

He grinned and thanked me for the compliment.

(That’s me – spreading cheer to everyone I meet around DLR, whether they are fellow guests or Cast Members! Lol.)

Gigantic tree…









The ornaments on this tree were actually a little bit different this year. Some of them had been swapped out for others – it’s a subtle thing that a lot of people won’t notice, but those of us who tend to get close-up ornament photos notice!















I don’t ever recall seeing musical instruments on the Main Street tree in the past…that’s new to me!










I went into the Emporium to look around a bit – I was still trying to assess all of the merchandise to decide where my $50 gift card from DVC would be spent. I loved these Santa Yodas!










I don’t think I had ever paid attention to this ornate light fixture in the past – normally I don’t hone in the light fixtures like deejdigsdis and Bret/mvf-m11c do (they are interesting, but not at the top of my list), but this one was appealing to me because of the decorative wings on it…











I thought that these ears were interesting…








I love this Jack Skellington Mickey…









Look at how cute these holiday Vinylmations are!













Main Street has such an especially charming, ‘small town-ish’ vibe during the holiday season!













I’ve gotten a photo exactly like this in the past – but here is another one! (I still wish that the Mickey-shaped wreaths were on the lampposts and not just suspended over Main Street.)










The new home of Starbucks!

Up next, in Part 3 of Day 3 – I spend a little more time in Disneyland before heading across the Esplanade to see the Buena Vista Street Bell Ringers!

[Sherry E]

Here is the SECOND installment for today!!!

Candlelight and Cannonballs! Aunt Betty’s Do-Over Christmas Trip

(Sun., 12/9/12 – Wed., 12/12/12)



Day 3 - Tuesday, December 11, 2012 – Part 3

Hark! how the bells
Sweet silver bells
All seem to say,
"Throw cares away."
Christmas is here
Bringing good cheer
To young and old
Meek and the bold

Ding, dong, ding, dong
That is their song
With joyful ring
All caroling
One seems to hear
Words of good cheer
From ev'rywhere
Filling the air






In the last TR installment, I meandered and moseyed along Main Street, chatting with a friendly Cast Member and stopping to take photos here and there. I also checked out some of the merchandise in the Emporium to store in my memory for later use of my $50 Disney gift card..

More from Main Street…

I didn’t spend a whole lot of time on the Main Street window displays this time around because I’ve gotten extensive, detailed photos of them on past trips and the displays really don’t change all that much from year to year. There is no sense in my taking pictures of virtually the same displays every year when I am trying to come up with ‘new material’ – but I do like to look at some of them to see if there are any minor changes.

So, of course, I had to stop at the infamous Sewing Machine Display as a wink and a wave to deejdigsdis (who has vanished from this TR and from the DIS). The stupid reflection in the window was annoying – sometimes it is worse than other times…


















This is one of my favorite window displays – even if I don’t take photos of it every year, I like to see it because it’s so festive. I took this same exact photo in 2010!









Merry Kiss Miss! Cute!












I got an almost identical shot of this candy/gingerbread house back in 2010 too!









I noticed that this particular part of the display was not as fun and festive this season – the decorators didn’t put as many things in it; they didn’t ‘dress’ it enough. I guess when they cut back on floral Mickey they also cut back on the window decorations! That’s Disney for you – they add in a bunch of wonderful things, but they take other things away they may just be little things that disappear here and there, but they are gone!

















To be honest with you, I even saw a couple of horses that did not have their butts decorated this season. If you’ve ever paid attention to the Main Street horses in the past, you will know that their butts/tails are adorned with seasonal bows and things for both the Halloween and holiday seasons. But I saw some horse butts without decorations. When the horses start losing their butt décor you know that Disney is really cutting back the enhancement budget!











I have not ridden on this in decades, but I should do it again for nostalgic purposes!











He was walking towards Main Street…

At that point I decided that I wanted to come back to Disneyland later in the afternoon – because I wasn’t yet sure if I was going to try to see the Candlelight Ceremony/Processional for a second time, but I wanted to be back in the park close to the start of the first show so I could figure it out.

I turned around and headed over to California Adventure, which I had pretty much neglected since my arrival day. I wasn’t sure if I was going to go to Cars Land and take pictures of whatever I may have overlooked on my November day trip, or maybe try to see the gingerbread house in Carthay Circle if the staff would allow me in, or maybe explore some shops on Buena Vista Street. I thought that I might even look around Hollywood and get some pictures there that I had been planning to get for the last few years (I have always ignored Hollywood during previous photo sprees but there were specific things I wanted to take pictures of).

Oh – and I planned on getting another peppermint bark sample at Ghirardelli too, which I didn’t do at all on Day 2! A girl’s gotta have her priorities, after all. (But notice that I said I “planned” on getting one…)





Almost as soon as I walked through the turnstiles of California Adventure I saw the Buena Vista Street Bell Ringers taking their spot to perform for the crowds. I had somehow managed to miss them on my day trip in November so I was pleased to see that they were about to begin their set.

I can’t recall which song they started with but, at some point or another, the Bell Ringers performed “Jingle Bells” – I think it would have been a crime for the Bell Ringers NOT to perform “Jingle Bells”!









I love the authentic period-specific clothing, hats, hairdos and shoes!

Up next, in Part 4 of Day 3 – my attention quickly shifts from the Buena Vista Street Bell Ringers to a bona fide rock star and her handsome hubby! I guess you could say that this was, ‘no doubt,’ my biggest celebrity sighting at Disneyland Resort thus far! Lol.

And then, I find myself back in Disneyland for more aimless roaming and photo-taking!

[tksbaskets]

Your Mainstreet USA pictures brought a big smile to my face. I loved them all.

I think the bell ringers at DCA are great. Can't wait to see BVS in person. I'm glad I have the next best thing - YOU showing me!

I'm on pins and needles for the celebrity sighting!!

[cristyhas3]

Originally Posted by Sherry E

So, of course, I had to stop at the infamous Sewing Machine Display as a wink and a wave to deejdigsdis (who has vanished from this TR and from the DIS). The stupid reflection in the window was annoying – sometimes it is worse than other times…

This is one of my favorite window displays – even if I don’t take photos of it every year, I like to see it because it’s so festive. I took this same exact photo in 2010!

I would LOVE to see this display. Where is it? Is it up during the rest of the year?

[rentayenta]

I love the big tree on Main Street! It's so gorgeous.

The Jack Mickey is darling as re the holiday vinylmations. Joshua collects them. He has a shelf on his wall where he displays them. He'd love those.

Merry Kiss Miss gave me a great idea for next year's holiday neighbor gift. I need to copy that picture and bookmark it.

Your photos have inspired me. Our next trip, while far away, will be in Dec 2014. I need some Disneyland Christmas. This year won't work or it won't work as soon as I need it to. A trip would be last minute if it happens in 2013. Do I dare say 712 days until Disneyland?

[Sherry E]

Originally Posted by tksbaskets

Your Mainstreet USA pictures brought a big smile to my face. I loved them all.

I think the bell ringers at DCA are great. Can't wait to see BVS in person. I'm glad I have the next best thing - YOU showing me!

I'm on pins and needles for the celebrity sighting!!

Thank you, TK!

The Bell Ringers are particularly fitting for the holiday season, I think. And they are so good at staying in character, too (which some people seem to appreciate and some don't). The same goes for Molly the Messenger - she has her whole 'in character' lingo and speech, and some of the guests totally don't seem to get it. It's all part of the theme, people. It's all part of the theme.

One more post for tonight is coming up after I post this reply!

Originally Posted by cristyhas3

I would LOVE to see this display. Where is it? Is it up during the rest of the year?

Cristy -

The sewing machine display is there year-round, and its color scheme changes with the seasons, so during Halloween Time it has the appropriate orange touches and that sort of thing.

The Santa thing is taken down until November.

Most of the displays have certain pieces that are kept up all year (like maybe a white shelf or something like that), but the decorations, colors and props that are used are replaced for the seasons.

Alongside the Market house on Main Street there is an area with a bunch of tables. That little side area has a few interesting window displays (like the sewing machine, and the window where that Santa sign would be). Also, near the Disney Showcase store on Main Street are some fun displays. The Candy Palace and Gibson Girl Ice Cream usually have some fun treat-oriented displays.

Originally Posted by rentayenta

I love the big tree on Main Street! It's so gorgeous.

The Jack Mickey is darling as re the holiday vinylmations. Joshua collects them. He has a shelf on his wall where he displays them. He'd love those.

Merry Kiss Miss gave me a great idea for next year's holiday neighbor gift. I need to copy that picture and bookmark it.

Your photos have inspired me. Our next trip, while far away, will be in Dec 2014. I need some Disneyland Christmas. This year won't work or it won't work as soon as I need it to. A trip would be last minute if it happens in 2013. Do I dare say 712 days until Disneyland?

Welcome back, Jenny!

I wondered where you had disappeared to! Were you out there during the New Orleans Square Mask-a-Palooza photos (for a good dose of Disneyland Christmas and Disneyland Mardi Gras)? I hope you didn't miss that! There seemed to be more masks than ever before. I think I set the bar high for myself with that little photo project, but I saw it through!

I thought that Merry Kiss Miss was so cute!

Well, you know, December 2014 sounds very far away in calendar days, but at the rate time seems to be racing by...it could appear to get here faster than you think! It's far, but it will be here before you know it!

Okay, I've got my 'celebrity sighting TR post' coming right up and that will be it for tonight. I'll be back with more tomorrow!

[Sherry E]

Here is the THIRD installment for today!!!

Candlelight and Cannonballs! Aunt Betty’s Do-Over Christmas Trip

(Sun., 12/9/12 – Wed., 12/12/12)



Day 3 - Tuesday, December 11, 2012 – Part 4

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring
Snowing and blowing up bushels of fun
Now the jingle hop has begun…






In the last TR installment, I left Disneyland in search of the peppermint bark samples and interesting photo opportunities that could be found in California Adventure, only to stumble upon the very merry Buena Vista Street Bell Ringers entertaining a small crowd with Yuletide songs.

The Bell Ringers continued to jingle out some tunes for us…

At that moment I turned and walked over to a flower bed or bench or something like that, to check the time on my phone. I don’t wear a watch so my only source of checking time is my phone. I had to turn on the phone and wait for it to start before I could see the time display. I didn’t want to be rude and check the time right in front of the Bell Ringers (they were watching the audience), making it look as though I was bored, which is why I walked away.

I silently debated on what I was going to do next as I just kind of took in the surroundings.

I looked up and saw a man with long hair, in a white shirt. Having spent a fair amount of time around long-haired guys in bands back in the ‘80s, I think I am programmed to automatically take notice if I see a male with long hair – maybe because I think it could be someone I know, someone I knew, or someone I know OF.

This man was sort of walking in my general direction from somewhere on Buena Vista Street. He paused to let a boy in a blue shirt catch up to him. I caught sight of the man’s handsome face and said to myself, “He’s really hot!”

But wait! I recognized him! He was not someone that I knew - but he was someone I sure knew OF!

It was Gavin Rossdale, lead singer of the rock band Bush (they were very big in the ‘90s, with hit songs such as “Glycerine” and “Machinehead”). Gavin was/is kind of an ‘alternative rock version’ of the late Michael Hutchence of INXS (who I loved), with the same sort of mop of tousled hair and smoldering charisma…which is probably why I’ve always liked him.

While I would love to post the picture of Gavin Rossdale from the cover of Rolling Stone magazine a long time ago, I think the below photo that I found on the Internet (which looks to be a publicity photo taken at a charity event) is more DIS-appropriate…

Gavin married Gwen Stefani – an even bigger rock star than he is – a long time ago, and they have two very hip, attractive children. Gwen and Gavin met when No Doubt was touring with/opening for Bush back in the ‘90s. They dated. They broke up. They got back together. They got married. Most people who are fans of really cool rock couples think that Gwen and Gavin are perfect together – perfectly matched; age appropriate; equally beautiful; both in the music business, etc.

G&G have been spotted at Disneyland a lot over the years. In fact, I remember seeing a press photo of them sitting in a teacup taken by (I think) a Disneyland photographer.

But, more recently, there have been rumors that Gwen and Gavin’s marriage is on the rocks. No one wants it to be true because they are so perfect together and, of course, because they have two kids. Whether or not they are having problems is anyone’s guess but if they are, they still seem to do things as a family with their kids.




I couldn’t help but stare at Gavin. If anyone remembers, I saw Holly Madison (a regular Disneyland visitor) and Zach Galifianakis (of “The Hangover” movies) at DLR in December 2011 – Holly was in Disneyland, and Zach I spotted at the Grand Californian. However, seeing Gavin was more interesting to me, personally, than either Holly or Zach had been!

Fortunately I had my giant sunglasses on, so I could be reasonably low-key while watching Gavin.

It’s funny – living where I live I have seen a lot of celebrities out and about, doing daily things, and some of them have been big names (Nicolas Cage, Lisa Marie Presley, Val Kilmer, Tyra Banks, Drew Barrymore, Kid Rock, Renee Zellweger, Meg Ryan, etc., etc.). But I have never been anywhere where someone I was personally a fan of just happened to show up. So now I was in a position where someone I actually liked was just a few feet away from me and it was hard not to stare! Lol.

I think you just never expect to see famous people in the middle of a place like Disneyland, so it catches you off guard when it happens! I’m not the sort of girl who is going to go up and ask for an autograph or bother a celebrity when they are with people. I’m not even going to ask for a picture – unless I see other people taking pictures first, in which case I may do it. I think that they want to enjoy their day like everyone else, and if they stop to humor one fan then they will most likely be stopping to humor many fans. I don’t want to contribute to that.

I think I was so wrapped up in creepily watching Gavin from afar that I didn’t even realize who he was with at first! He walked right past me, towards Oswald’s, and I quickly snapped this covert photo…

That’s Gavin in the white shirt…

Gavin and the boy in the blue shirt (who was Gavin’s & Gwen’s son, Kingston) stood sort of between Oswald’s and where the Bell Ringers were still performing. I began to snap out of my fog and I muttered to myself, “I wonder where Gwen is. Maybe he brought his son without her…”

Seemingly out of nowhere, a nanny-ish person appeared with a stroller and stood near Gavin and Kingston. I think that the child in the stroller was their other son, Zuma.

And then, there she was! Gwen Stefani – rock star extraordinaire – emerged from doors that said “First Aid,” which were tucked sort of in back of Oswald’s. She went straight to the stroller and bent down to do something. I couldn’t see what she did – maybe she got a Band-Aid or something?

She walked – or, should I say, she strutted very purposefully, as any super cool rocker chick should do – back inside the building for some reason. Gwen was wearing gray pants, a cap of some kind, a black tank top, flat shoes, sunglasses – and her lips were crimson red, as I would expect from her (she is a cosmetics spokesperson, after all)! I observed that she was skinny – which does not quite come across on camera – and her arms were bony, which also does not come across. She was much shorter than I expected her to be – mainly because she is always wearing really high heels onstage.

I later realized that Gwen had passed by me too when I first spied Gavin, but she was way ahead of Gavin which is why I didn’t realize who it was. Take a look at this photo again…

There she is!

While Gwen was inside the First Aid building for the second time, Gavin brought Kingston over to a trash can near me and was helping him throw something away. They resumed standing out in front of Oswald’s, with Gavin tossing the occasional glance to the Bell Ringers. Gavin was literally just standing there, talking to no one, for what seemed like a while. IF I were ever going to approach him and say that I was a fan…THAT would have been the time. No one else was approaching him. No one else even seemed to notice Gwen when she was outside. She is a major rock star and I was looking around, searching for some sign of recognition in anyone’s face.

I have heard in the past that Gavin is actually pretty friendly and talkative, while Gwen is supposedly a little more aloof and standoffish. So if I had determined that IF I was going to walk up to either of them, he would have been the one.

But…I couldn’t do it. I even had a clear shot where I could have zoomed in and gotten a good photo of Gavin from the front, and I chickened out – because he looked right at me! I had begun to lift the camera to get a photo…and he casually just turned in my direction and stared…

…And so I quickly took a picture of a wreath, so as not to look too suspicious! Lol.

(Never mind the fact that his sultry stare would have probably made my knees a little weak if I hadn’t shifted focus …)

Nice wreath…








And yet another ‘I’m trying to look like I’m not staring at Gavin’ picture…








How many shots of this same wreath can I get while trying to look like I’m not staring at Gavin? Lol.

Finally, Gwen reappeared. She walked over to Gavin to say something, and then began walking towards the Bell Ringers. For a split second I seriously thought she was going to perform with them! Lol. Wouldn’t that have been great – if a huge rock star just joined in on the Bell Ringers’ set out of the blue?

Instead, Gwen motioned to a man I hadn’t seen earlier – an older, fatherly man with a second stroller who had just materialized out of nowhere?? – to signal him, and he, Gwen, the nanny, Gavin and the kids all marched to the California Adventure exit, Disneyland-bound. Gwen was leading the charge across the Esplanade like a tour guide. She definitely appeared to be the one calling the shots, while Gavin was following along in the back.

After they cleared out I noticed a police guy (wearing shorts and a t-shirt that said “Police”) with a dog standing near the Bell Ringers. I hadn’t seen him earlier either, but he appeared out of the mist. I suppose he had been there to be sure that Gwen and company were not bothered.

Bye bye, Gavin! (If you look very, very closely, up ahead of Gavin you can see the older man with the stroller…and Gwen in the shadows, walking through the turnstile!)…

After my A-list celebrity couple sighting I got on Facebook and posted about it – only to see a status update from Laurie/DizNee Luver that said she had also seen Gwen in DCA! Lol. Laurie and her husband Mike saw Gwen and Kingston riding Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree in Cars Land – Mike got an EXCELLENT shot of Gwen on the ride, which Laurie posted in her TR…it’s a perfect close-up.

How funny and coincidental that Laurie and I would both see Gwen in DCA, in two totally different locations? One difference is that she just saw Gwen at first, while I spotted Gavin before I spotted anyone else. I saw him before I even realized that Gwen was with him! Lol. Laurie said that Gavin was not with Gwen at the MJJ ride.


(What is also interesting to note is that Laurie later saw Gwen again, but she was with the whole group coming out of the Pirates of the Caribbean exit, and with all kinds of security guys. Those security guys had not been there with them when I saw them in DCA, nor when Laurie saw them in DCA. Somehow the security joined them in Disneyland – I wonder if Gwen had started to get recognized and bothered?)





I stayed in DCA for quite a while longer. I went into Elias & Company and Trolley Treats briefly (trying to look for more possible gift card purchases).

I even watched some of the DLR survey takers at work at the DCA entrance, trying to see if they were targeting a certain demographic (like young teenagers, middle-aged women, elderly men, etc.). I have often suspected that the Disney survey folks have a certain demographic to fill on most days, and that’s why they single out specific folks and not others. Sometimes they seem to zero in on Hispanic females. Sometimes they zero in on Caucasian men. This time I noticed that they were most definitely approaching Asian men who were not with children. That must have been the demographic they needed to fill on that day.


I had wasted so much time standing around and basically doing nothing in DCA that I abandoned my plan to get a Ghirardelli peppermint bark sample and take photos in Hollywood.

I decided to go back to Disneyland and continue my pictures.

Haunted Mansion Holiday – I didn’t get on the ride at that point, but I took some photos!



























Jack Skellington & Sally were out for a meet…









Ahhh…New Orleans Square…It seems like only yesterday I was photographing Mardi Gras masks. Wait! It WAS only yesterday! Well, I came back!











What can I say? I guess I like close-up pictures of creepy mask faces and moon-headed dudes!












Notice his crescent moon-shaped head –which is a reference to the “Crescent City,” which is one of the nicknames for New Orleans. Again, gotta love those fantastic details!

Up next, in Part 5 of Day 3 – More photo fun in Disneyland!

[tksbaskets]

Sweet that you sighted Gwen and her man. I think he is mighty fine walking away too. I would have stared at the wreath for some time as well. Good plan

You've had a full day already. Looking forward to more

[Sherry E]

Originally Posted by tksbaskets

Sweet that you sighted Gwen and her man. I think he is mighty fine walking away too. I would have stared at the wreath for some time as well. Good plan

You've had a full day already. Looking forward to more

TK -

I seemed to have a full day just standing around DCA, observing people (the survey takers too, because I was really curious about that)!

You know, someone asked me how Gwen and Gavin seemed together in person, and if it appeared that there was any tension or disconnect between them (because the person didn't want the rumors of marital trouble to be true). As you can see in the two different photos I managed to get of them above, Gwen is walking way ahead of Gavin in both cases. In the first one she is leading the pack to Oswald's. In the second, she is going through the turnstiles and Gavin is nowhere near her.

I didn't think much of any of it at first. I'm not married and I don't have kids, but I just kind of assumed that when you've been married for a long time and you go somewhere such as Disneyland with a group of people, you probably end up walking ahead of or behind your spouse. I just assumed that married couples don't walk side by side, chatting, if they are in scenarios such as that.

I could be wrong. All of you folks out there who have been married for a while and have kids can tell me - when you are at DLR or anywhere with a lot of activity, do you march way ahead of your spouse or do you walk with him/her?

For the record, when Gwen was going in and out of the First Aid doors I didn't see a whole lot of interaction between her and Gavin - just a brief exchange. But, as Liza/funatdisney later said, "They probably just didn't need to say anything," which makes a lot of sense. When you're used to each other you don't need to talk all the time.

So I don't know if the 'body language' meant that G&G are having trouble and just kind of going through the motions or if they, as Liza said, just didn't need to talk to each other (or walk close together).

Again, not being married or having kids I only have assumptions about how couples interact after being together for a long time but I could be way off base!

Whatever the case, I hope that G&G stay together!

[mvf-m11c]

You did quite a lot of updates to your TR after I was busy all weekend at an Anime Convention in Sacramento. I do have a lot to cover during these updates.

Very nice pictures from the CP that Monday. Glad that you had a great time at the CP.

The Sleeping Beauty Castle at night are very nice. I see that you took some pictures of the castle with the trees in the pictures. It does make it very interesting to see the castle with the lights in a different direction than just seeing it without anything in front of it.

Very nice update from that night.

I still have to read your next day so I will come back to it later.