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

[Sherry E]

I did not try the candy cane cotton candy. I'm not really a fan of cotton candy (other than liking the way it looks), so even the 'candy cane' theme wouldn't tempt me to eat it. I had my fill of pepperminty goodness with the YUMMY ice cream at Gibson Girl and the free samples of Ghirardelli peppermint bark!

Okay, when did Disney Destinations start sending out these "Your Story" booklets to guests who are booked at the hotels? In all my years of staying onsite, I've never received one of these "Your Story" books! On the front cover, there is a picture of the "Toy Story" cast and it says "The E----- Party Getaway." It's got my reservation number and arrival date for the PPH on the inside cover, and then the whole rest of the book is about what I can do, eat, experience at the Disneyland Resort, as well as a page for special events during my trip (holiday-related things). This really seems to me like a book they'd send out to a guest coming in from out of state or out of country, so I guess they really are treating it as more of a vacation destination now!

Speaking of the hotels - Bret, I don't know if you're still out there (because I know you're getting ready to head to DLR tomorrow), but in your TR you mentioned the rumor of Santa being at the GCH when you arrive. Remember, I just asked the guy at the PPH about the hotels' decorations this past Monday. He said the GCH always gets decorated first, before the other 2 hotels, but he said they usually do not put up their tree until the day after Thanksgiving, with the other 2 hotels to follow. All 3 of the hotels should be decorated by the Monday after Thanksgiving at the latest, and possibly before.

I have read people's comments that have very clearly stated that when they stayed at the GCH, the tree did not go up until the day after Thanksgiving, while another one or two people said that the tree went up on the weekend before Thanksgiving. IF both of these reports were accurate, then it sounds like the decorators must switch things up here and there from year to year. Then again, someone on the DIS also said that the PPH tree was up last year on opening day of the season, but the PPH guy I talked to a few days ago said the tree is never up that early. Obviously someone is incorrect somewhere along the line! They can't all be right!

I don't think Santa would be at the GCH without the tree being there - he sits in front of the tree for PhotoPass photos. But whether or not this will be an 'early' decorating season for the GCH is yet to be determined. The guy at the PPH didn't seem to think the GCH would be decorated quite so early. I guess the decorating team would have to make the extra effort to get the hotels done early.

Also, Bret, I don't know for sure that there will not be a tree in DTD this year. It may not have been up so early in the season. There was also no holiday music playing in DTD yet, and I know they will fix that! They always play holiday music. They may put up a tree in DTD, but it would have to go somewhere other than where it usually goes, because the ice rink is blocking the spot. And it may not be as big of a tree. The ice rink has a few little trees around it. So, we'll see. Maybe there will be a tree in DTD by the time you get there. Maybe there will be an actual Christmas village by the time you arrive too! I saw no village other than the two chalets renting skates and head gear!





All right, let's see... I've read everyone's replies and comments - thank you all so much for following along and for the kind words; thank you to my longtime DIS-friends; and thank you to those folks who are basically new to this thread (luvslikepi, Kelly, Velvetia). Welcome aboard! I'm glad everyone has enjoyed the photos thus far. In the interest of time, I'm not going to go back and reply to the posts right now - I have a lot of ground to cover from this one-day trip on 11-12-12, as well as a longer, multi-day trip and stay at the PPH coming up in about 2-1/2 weeks.

I started out by giving teasers, and everything was out of sequence. We will get back to the holiday photos in a bit. I want to go back to the beginning of the day, when I first arrived and was walking around the property, waiting for California Adventure to open so I could storm Buena Vista Street. I feel better and more organized when I go in sequence! Lol.

I had the driver drop me off at the Paradise Pier Hotel, specifically so I could check on whether or not the tree was there.

A Paradise Pier Hotel light fixture!





See? No tree in the PPH lobby!











I then strolled over to the Grand Californian and saw no tree in its lobby, either. But it was a quiet morning, and no one seemed to be up and about. So I just wandered around, aimlessly.


This is a peaceful little spot on the GCH grounds - almost like a little clearing right out of a Thomas Kinkade painting!








Might as well get a flower picture or two (since it was right there in front of me)...










I was searching for hidden Mickeys in the rock work, but found none!







Not a creature was stirring...not even a mouse...







These GCH trees look so much better at night, when they sparkle! In the daytime, they're not all that impressive!




















A window display just before reaching Downtown Disney from the GCH...









And still, not a soul could be found...





Onward to Downtown Disney...

















How often is it that you see Marceline's Confectionery totally empty of people?

More from Downtown Disney coming up!

[kaoden39]

The peace and quiet looks amazing!

[mvf-m11c]

Hi Sherry

I am all packed ready to leave first thing in the morning with my DA and a 7 hour trip to SoCal. I did say that it was a rumor from a friend that Santa might make an appearance at the GCH. Until I see it for myself this weekend. But it is highly unlikely that the rumor is true. We did talk about this in the past that the DLR hotels will be decorated after Thanksgiving.

I will report the rumors on Sunday when I leave that day if the GCH will be decorated that weekend.

Looks like I have a lot of scavenging hunt to do this weekend with everything going on during the Holiday season with CL & BVS. Now with the Christmas Village and possible tree at DTD. It was disappointing to hear that there was no Christmas music playing at DTD while you were there. Maybe they will have it up and running by than.

Very nice random pictures of PPH, GCH, & DTD.

[Sherry E]

Continuing on in Downtown Disney (11-12-12)...

Could this picture have any more reflection in it? Geez... It was impossible to get a reflection-free shot! But the strawberries look delicious!








On to Vault 28. Wait! What is that I see? Do you see it too?






Do you see it yet?






How about now? Now you see it, don't you?





















D Street is a very odd store, with very odd - slightly dark; slightly twisted - window displays!

More from Downtown Disney (11-12-12) in the next post...

[Chereya]

Oh sigh...! My next trip is booked for April '13 but all of your lovely pics makes me wish I was headed there in the next month!! Don't know if I'll ever get a chance to take the kids during a non-busy/non-budget-breaking holiday time but a girl can dream!!

Thanks for putting your pics up so quickly, Sherry! As always, you're very appreciated!!

[PlutoRocks]

I can't believe I haven't been able to post all week! (Stupid work )

Your pictures are AMAZING!!! Thank you so much for posting them. I love the snowman car - he is adorable. I've only flipped through the pictures but I am off work all next week so you can bet I'll be looking much more thoroughly then.

I agree with everyone's sentiments - thank you for posting the pictures so quickly - your photography skills are amazing. It is nice to be able to get a little Disney parks holiday magic even though I can't actually be there.

Thanks Sherry!

[luvslikepi]

Originally Posted by Sherry E

How often is it that you see Marceline's Confectionery totally empty of people?

I absolutely love that you include merchandise pictures in your TR's. This thread is getting me so excited for DisBaby's first trip.

[Sherry E]

Chereya -

I had no choice but to start putting the photos up quickly! If I didn't, then I'd run into 'holiday TR gridlock,' with the pictures from this 11-12-12 day trip running into the pics and report from my upcoming DLR holiday do-over trip (which begins in 16 days!). I want to be finished with this report before that trip begins!

Fortunately, this past Monday's excursion was not eventful enough to necessitate a lot of actual writing and storytelling. I got quite a bit accomplished, but there's not too much to actually spend time writing about. Sometimes my TR's are very involved (like the famous "Aunt Betty" epic) and require narrative along with the photos - or to make up for a lack of photos. Other times I can get away with just simply posting pictures...a photo report. That last TR I did was a complete fluke in terms of how long it took to complete. My usual TR's - photo reports or otherwise - never take nearly as long! Anyway, as always, thank you for continuing to follow along!



Dawn -

Thank you for the very kind compliment and for continuing to stick with me here, in the post-Aunt Betty wake!

I loved the snow car too! It was a very popular PhotoPass spot, so it was very hard to get a good clean shot of it without people in the way. The pictures I was able to get were snapped quickly in between people!

I can definitely see that Cars Land - and probably Buena Vista Street too - is somewhere that I need to go during the Extra Magic Hour (or whatever it is called these days). I guess my EMH's for California Adventure during my upcoming trip will be Monday & Wednesday, while my EMH's for Disneyland will be Sunday and Tuesday. The last couple of onsite stays I've had, I've either skipped the extra hour entirely or I only used it for one day. For Cars Land, though, because it's so new and so thoroughly decorated, I think having an hour of less crowded photo-taking time will be worthwhile.




luvslikepi -

I will absolutely post merchandise pictures in my TR's! If I have time when I'm in the parks and I see merchandise that catches my eye, I will definitely take pictures of it and post them in my TR!

I know that souvenirs/collectibles are a big part of many folks' trips to the parks, and they want to see what kinds of things are available (especially for the holiday season) in case they need to factor them into the budget! The only reason I posted some merchandise photos in the Christmas Superthread first (a couple of days ago), before posting them here, is because I know that a lot of people in that thread are preparing to head to DLR very soon - maybe sooner than when my Trip Report is finished - and they need to get a sense of what the treats and souvenirs are like this year so they know what to look for/what not to miss during their trips! If they see a particular knick-knack that they like, they know they have to make a point of finding it and buying it on their trip, whereas, otherwise, they may have overlooked it!

Thank you for following along! Your baby's first trip should be incredible!

[kaoden39]

I love the picture of the melted Vinylmations window display. That is such a really cool sight. What can I say? I am odd.

[Sherry E]

Michele - Those Vinylmation displays are definitely 'different' - and kind of not what you would expect on a Disney property, in a Disney-owned store - but I think they're interesting to look at. The whole window display was really involved and wacky. I only captured a few areas of it. There were all kinds of bizarre things happening in that display!

Okay, let's get back to Downtown Disney - as I awaited the opening of California Adventure this past Monday, 11-12-12 - and the strangeness that is the D Street window displays....

It was time to leave D Street and continue on through Downtown Disney (which, as you can imagine, was quiet)...







I like being able to roam around and really get a good look at things, without hundreds of people getting in my way. When I actually have time to look around, I find interesting shapes and colors and designs - in other words, more photo opportunities!








This was my first in-person look at the Lego Store since it was redone...

















This Lego Belle looks stumpy, and like she's a child! She doesn't look like an adult!




It is amazing what folks can do with Legos, isn't it?











The new Earl of Sandwich restaurant, which became very crowded later on in the day.







I am determined to get my hands on one of their meatball sandwiches in a couple of weeks. I love me a meatball sandwich! I need to have one the those "Cannonballs"!







See what I mean about finding interesting shapes and out-of-the-ordinary things to take photos of? When I am left to wander the mean streets of Disneyland Resort by myself, and I am not caught in mobs of people, who knows what I will come up with?

More from Downtown Disney and the new Ice Rink in the next post!

[Sherry E]

Continuing on in Downtown Disney...


Even though I was looking forward to seeing this new ice rink in person, it was strange to not see a giant Christmas tree in Downtown Disney (because the rink is basically in its spot). That tree - or some kind of Christmas tree - has been a fixture of DTD's holiday seasons for years and years. I remember a Christmas tree there as far back as 2001.

I am hoping that, perhaps, just as the 3 DLR hotels were not yet decorated when I was there 4 days ago, maybe Downtown Disney was also not yet in full holiday mode. Perhaps DTD will get a tree (though I'm not sure where it could go at this point) around the time the 3 hotels get decorated. There was also no holiday music playing in DTD - and that's one of my favorite things to enjoy during the holidays, as the mix of songs can include Sheryl Crow to U2 to Bing Crosby. I know that even if they don't have a tree, they have to have holiday music. It was probably just too early in November for holiday music and trees!

The ice rink...












Fake snow...not even particles that could be interpreted as snow. It was some kind of material made to look like snow.













Is this supposed to be the "Christmas village"? Hmmm... I mean, I didn't expect anything elaborate or genuinely authentic - like straight out of a Dickens novel - but I expected something more festive than this, I suppose.
















I spotted some feline friends crossing the road to get to the ice rink.













The kitties were clawing at and eating the fake snow! Ugh!










Yep. This was some Christmas village, all right...










Some great props to enhance that Christmas village atmosphere!

Coming up in the next post - I finish my stroll through Downtown Disney and finally set foot in a holiday-infused Buena Vista Street!!! What were my thoughts about the BVS decor/atmosphere? Was it too much holiday? Was it not enough holiday? Was it just right? Was it on par with Main Street's holiday decorations/mood? Tune in and find out!

[kaoden39]

Who has time to ice skate when they are at Disneyland?

[rentayenta]

All that fake snow is going to end up as one big kitty litter box.

Sherry, your pictures are making me miss Disneyland so so much. I'd love to back during the holidays. I'm thinking about taking the kids next August and giving them the trip for Christmas. Too far out you think?

Please keep the pictures coming. This is the best thing for what ails me.

[mariezp]

Sherry, I've been reading along a little but skipping through the pictures so I can keep some surprises for our trip. (BTW, we leave in the morning! ) Just wanted to let you know that I am so glad you did get to make it to the park AND back home safely. Can't wait to get back to get a better look at all your photos and finish reading the details of your trip. Well.... okay, maybe I can wait a little and enjoy the time we will be having in the park but it will be nice to have something to look forward to when I get back home. See you in a couple weeks!

[Sherry E]

As the Hallmark Christmas movie marathon runs in the background, rain lightly falls outside my window and the DVR is set to remind me that "Love Actually" airs in just a short while, I am in a holiday state of mind!

I will continue on in Downtown Disney - Monday, November 12, 2012...

I left the kitties and the overwhelming excitement of the ice rink and (cough) "Christmas village" to turn around and head back towards California Adventure.










I was waiting for a big, dramatic burst of flames to rise from this torch at the Rainforest Cafe, but every time it happened the flame fizzled out before I could snap a picture!









Hidden in the foliage around RFC, a flower opportunity presented itself...







I love Build-A-Bear because it fully embraces the Rankin-Bass clay puppet classics during the holiday season...









And I love Haagen-Dazs because it embraces peppermint bark during the holiday season !!

Let's face it - you just know I will be getting one of those babies at Haagen-Dazs on the upcoming December 2-5 trip!!

In fact, I can envision a whole evening set aside for myself - curled up on a bench somewhere with my Cannonball meatball sandwich from Earl of Sandwich and a frozen peppermint concoction from Haagen-Dazs, as holiday music fills the air and Christmas lights twinkle in the night...and then I will stumble into the wonderful Grand Californian Hotel lobby with a full stomach and fight for a spot in one of the lobby's comfortable chairs, as the Dickens carolers perform by the tree. Then I will munch slowly on the ear of a gingerbread cookie and soak in the atmosphere as I hum along to "Deck the Halls" and watch Santa flirt with ladies... THAT SOUNDS HEAVENLY TO ME!!! It brings a smile to my face just thinking about it - I must make it happen!

Okay, enough drooling over images of holiday merriment dancing around in my head. The guy in Haagen-Dazs looked at me a bit strangely as I stepped inside the door to take a picture of this very Autumn-esque wreath! I couldn't help it - I loved it! It just screams "Fall," doesn't it?










In the World of Disney window... I love these little trees. I keep meaning to get one but it's never been the right time, money-wise.

It was odd to see that some of the shops in Downtown Disney were decorated - such as World of Disney and Marceline's - but that Downtown Disney itself was so lacking. Not a single hanging poinsettia basket to be found anywhere!

If we look at DTD as just an outdoor mall or shopping center, independent of the parks and hotels, then every shopping center and outdoor mall needs a tree and some holiday decorations! Oh well - again, maybe it was too early in the month. Perhaps DTD is a little more 'done up' by now, or it will be by the time I get there in a couple of weeks.

And onward to the gates of California Adventure, where I quickly established that there were more people waiting to get into that park than there were waiting to get into Disneyland! It's so interesting how the balance of the crowds has shifted since the billion dollar makeover of DCA was completed!















And finally - cue the angels singing and the harps playing - I feasted my eyes on a holiday decorated Buena Vista Street! The moment I had been waiting for!

Now, as many of you know from reading my other TR's in this thread, I am all about Christmas and Christmas decorations - too much is never enough for me. I like to feel immersed in the season. More importantly, I like the decorations to be themed and to fit in with their respective settings.

I had high hopes for Buena Vista Street and its vintage holiday embellishments, window displays, music, etc. Did Buena Vista Street deliver the goods and meet my expectations?

Here's what I will say (for anyone hanging on the edge of their seat, waiting for my review!)... I think that Buena Vista Street's decor is very fitting for its theme and period. In other words, the decorations may seem simple, minimalist and rather un-extravagant (is that even a word?) to some, but when you take into consideration that this is supposed to be a 1930's-ish moment in time, everything fits within that context. You wouldn't expect to see elaborate light displays (like the ones you see on today's houses and buildings) back in 1930's Los Angeles.

Also, the other thing to mention is the overall ambiance of Buena Vista Street, apart from just the adornments on lampposts or whatever. As soon as you set foot on BVS, vintage holiday music catches your ear and you quickly find yourself tapping your toes to "Frosty the Snowman" or "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," done retro-style. The music really sets the tone for the whole BVS holiday experience.

The window displays are lovely and interesting to look at. The Christmas tree is regal and beautiful. The decorations under the tree are in keeping with that whole retro toy theme.

So I would say, on a whole, if you take the music, the decorations, the window displays, the tree, etc. as a complete package, Buena Vista Street packs the appropriate holiday punch.

However, if you are looking for that same 'Wow" factor and the same impact that Main Street has on you when you enter Disneyland - especially at night, during the holidays - it won't be the same. I think that Main Street makes more of a holiday impression (at night it's just gorgeous), but BVS is still getting its sea legs, as it were, so it still has time to find its own "wow" factor.

Also, the Buena Vista Street entrance is 100 times more subdued than the former, splashy Golden Gate Bridge entrance was.

Keep in mind, too, this was my first foray onto Buena Vista Street since the pesky construction walls came down. The last time I saw it was in June, during the Cars Land preview, and so it took some getting used to for me. It's interesting how those walls really threw off my perception of where everything was located. Because we had to enter BVS in a certain roundabout way back in June - and couldn't just walk straight into it - I felt disoriented when entering DCA this past Monday. I was thinking that everything seemed to have been moved around from when I was last there! Lol. Everything seemed closer together than I had realized it was - and that went for Cars Land, too. Cars Land has 2 entrances, and one of them seemed much closer to A Bug's Land than I had ever realized!

What can I say? I'm old. I get confused easily.

As silly as this may sound, I think that a month may make some difference to me in the level of Christmasy-ness on Buena Vista Street. While all of the decorations were up and in full force, my mind had a hard time reconciling the fact that it was already the holiday season on November 12th (not that I mind), with the sun beating down on me. It didn't feel like holiday weather after about 11:00 a.m. In December, even if it is a warm day it still feels less harsh and more Christmasy!

I would love for Buena Vista Street to get a light 'snowfall' like the one on Main Street, but the thing is - again, we are talking about 1930's Los Angeles. It doesn't snow in Los Angeles (I know this because I have lived here for over 4 decades), so while snow would be wonderful to accentuate the Christmas-ness of it all, it would not work with the theme. It wouldn't make any sense. Not that things have to necessarily make sense at DLR, but you know what I mean...



Coming Up - more merriment on Buena Vista Street!