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

[DizNee Luver]

It was great seeing you again Sherry!!! Even though things got hectic and I checked in without you and Liza (I still feel horrible about that) I think we would have attempted the CP (after talking with you about it) if I didn't almost have a panic attack our first day there. The crowds on Main St once they rope off the walkways are just too much for me and I can't believe how many people would step over the strollers (while the girls were in them). The weather got cold and damp after you left (good timing on your part) so that played into our decisions on what to do and not do.

I would have loved to have seen it.....but I knew with our family that this would not be the year to try it.

We had a wonderful week and got to do quite a bit, so I'm pleased!!

Mike got a couple shots of Gwen with one of her boys on the Mator's Junkyard Jamboree and one really good one I'll be sharing on my TR. We later saw the whole family (Gwen & Gavin with the boys) exiting Pirates. (no pic) I'll tell you........the exit of POTC is a great place to catch celebrities.....in Feb. we saw Adam Sandler coming off....unfortunately I couldn't get my camera out quick enough........lol

We'll be heading home tomorrow but thought I'd peak in to see if you had started posting your pics.........and you had!!!!!

[Chereya]

I was able to quickly scroll through the pics just now but wanted to pop on to say that I'll be away to Hawaii for the holidays (and a wedding!) so I'll be gone for a few weeks! Loved, loved the pic of the Castle adorned with beautiful lights! Glad you had a great trip, Sherry!! I'll catch up and read through it all when I get back!

[Sherry E]

Originally Posted by tksbaskets

I'm stuck! You can't shake me

I love the photos, am craving peppermint ice cream again, and the photos I found extra nice: You playing with your B&W feature on your camera and Just horsin' around. Yes that one shot of the yellow flowers screams Holiday time!

Thank you for sticking around, TK!

I know you have your big WDW holiday extravaganza coming up super fast and will be MIA from this TR for a while, so I wanted to at least get a sneak preview up now, before you leave.

Ahh...so you like the horse pic and the B&W one, eh? Interesting. Very interesting, indeed. See, that's one of the reasons why I didn't want to specify which photos I am partial to this time around (at least, not so early on - maybe I will say which ones are my favorites at the end) - I like to hear what other people like or what catches their attention, without being swayed by what I say I like. I don't know that I would have guessed that you'd like the B&W pic or the horse pic!

Yes, I love that the yellow flower pic is just sooooo holiday-esque! I saw that field of flowers in Critter Country and thought, "Well, they could have at least put in red flowers instead of yellow ones. Yellow doesn't say 'Christmas' at all!"

Did you happen to notice that the Tomorrowland pic, the IASWH pic and the Winter Castle pic are all narrower than the other pics? I have absolutely no clue how that happened!

I did not edit one single photo - all of those photos I posted are exactly as they looked in the camera. They have not been cropped or post-processed at all, and I uploaded them to the same proportions on Photobucket that all the others were loaded - and yet, somehow there is a group of them from that particular night that somehow got 'thinner.' How did that happen? Why are they narrow like that? And why did the same thing not happen to all of my photos, but instead only happened to certain ones? This is very weird.

Originally Posted by DizNee Luver

It was great seeing you again Sherry!!! Even though things got hectic and I checked in without you and Liza (I still feel horrible about that) I think we would have attempted the CP (after talking with you about it) if I didn't almost have a panic attack our first day there. The crowds on Main St once they rope off the walkways are just too much for me and I can't believe how many people would step over the strollers (while the girls were in them). The weather got cold and damp after you left (good timing on your part) so that played into our decisions on what to do and not do.

I would have loved to have seen it.....but I knew with our family that this would not be the year to try it.

We had a wonderful week and got to do quite a bit, so I'm pleased!!

Mike got a couple shots of Gwen with one of her boys on the Mator's Junkyard Jamboree and one really good one I'll be sharing on my TR. We later saw the whole family (Gwen & Gavin with the boys) exiting Pirates. (no pic) I'll tell you........the exit of POTC is a great place to catch celebrities.....in Feb. we saw Adam Sandler coming off....unfortunately I couldn't get my camera out quick enough........lol

We'll be heading home tomorrow but thought I'd peak in to see if you had started posting your pics.........and you had!!!!!

Hi, Laurie!

It was great to see you again too. If I had been able to stay one more day, it would have been nice to actually hang out in the parks a bit with you and do some rides together. I really didn't have much of a chance to chat with Mike or the kids, either.

I realized after I left that I didn't properly thank you for treating me to Surf's Up (which was unnecessary, but I really appreciate it). THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! For some reason, it seemed to be hectic from the second Liza and I sat down at the table and I couldn't get a moment to think clearly. We hadn't been there for more than a few seconds (and my camera was not ready) before a character came along. And then it seemed to just be a whirlwind of activity after that. So by the time we all went our separate ways I was already in the mindset of having to get back to the room to grab my things and make sure I hadn't forgotten to pack anything.

Well, if the CP moves to a different location next year (like an indoor theater) it will probably be better for those who felt the crowds were too much. Maybe that will be better for you (although I don't know how easy or difficult it will be to get seats in that kind of scenario). However, it will be a different vibe because the Town Square location is what made it extra special, I think. Being outdoors in the cool air with the candlelight and music, in front of the train station, seemed to enhance the whole thing.

I did end up getting a cold - which I am in the middle of right now - but at least it waited until I got home to hit me, and didn't get me while I was at DLR. I noticed an inordinate number of people coughing and sneezing and blowing their noses all over DLR - did you notice that too? I knew it would be a miracle if I didn't end up getting sick, and sure enough, I did. I hope that you and the family are able to stay well and avoid any bouts of illness!

Originally Posted by Chereya

I was able to quickly scroll through the pics just now but wanted to pop on to say that I'll be away to Hawaii for the holidays (and a wedding!) so I'll be gone for a few weeks! Loved, loved the pic of the Castle adorned with beautiful lights! Glad you had a great trip, Sherry!! I'll catch up and read through it all when I get back!

Hi, Chereya!

Thank you!

First of all, how wonderful that you'll be in Hawaii for the holidays! What a wonderful place to spend Christmas/New Year's! Have a great, great time.

I'm so glad you like the Castle picture! One of my main goals on this trip was to stick around in DL long enough to get nighttime Castle pics and nighttime IASWH pics. I'd gotten them before, a few years ago, but they were not good and I didn't have time to practice and make them better. I was bound and determined to get better night shots of those two locations this year, and I wasn't going to walk away from the Castle and from IASWH without getting at least a few pics that I was moderately satisfied with!

Now, as to why the Castle and IASWH pics mysteriously turned out narrower than all the other pics...I am stumped. I have no clue how that happened, or if it is something that can even be fixed in the camera!

[kaoden39]

The yellow flowers are a California Christmas. I needed to see them today. We are 41 degrees and raining here. Brr.

[rentayenta]

I love the tree at the PPH too.

And I love waking up to Photopalooza.

I'm so so glad you had an amazing trip.

[mvf-m11c]

Originally Posted by Sherry E

Thank you, Bret!

It was a pretty good trip. It started off a bit rocky but I was determined to not let myself get down about it, and so I tried to make the most of it in the time I had (though I needed more time).

Yes, I got my peppermint ice cream! It's amazing how Gibson Girl's lines have gotten much shorter compared to what they used to be - I wonder if that's because of Ghirardelli in DCA?

I've been very lucky with the upgrades at the PPH!

I hope that Disney doesn't make the CP part of a paid party next year. I can understand fireworks and the parade being part of a party, but I don't think a religious show such as the CP really fits in with a party. Despite the extra crowds, it really wasn't that bad around Town Square. I know people will complain, but it was manageable. Still, I have a hunch that DLR may try to move the CP to one of its theaters - which is too bad, because it's quite beautiful in Town Square.

You did quite a lot during your trip with the two CP which was great. It was good to hear that you were in high spirit during your trip.

When I was in line for Gibson Girl's for the peppermint ice cream and the queue was not that long at night which was kind of surprisingly. I believe the line was half full when I got the ice cream. Half of the people are over at DCA for CL so Ghirardelli's is a great addition so Gibson won't be that busy.

I am hoping for the same thing that the CP won't be part of a paid party for next year. The CP at EPCOT during the Holiday season is part of the regular admission and also you can get a dining package to get a better spot to watch it, but as you said that it shouldn't be part of the party while EPCOT is part of the admission. As you said that the CP at TS is always busy during that one weekend, but with it every night it is just going to cause so much traffic. I was also going to ask you about the rumors of the CP possibly be moving to the Hyperion Theater? I haven't been on too much to read the rumors but I was going to ask you if you heard anything about that. It won't be the same if they move it to the theater while it should still be at MS TS.


Great pictures from your pre updates to your PTR. The one's that I like the most was the sunset while you were in the PPH room. I also like that you have tried one touch colors with your pictures.

Can't wait to read more of your updates.

[Sherry E]

I'm writing to you live, from Congestion Central! That's right. I am at that oh-so-fun stage of a cold where my head is completely clogged up and I feel like I am suffocating. And then there is the oh-so-attractive chapped red face, which is charming...

Zicam spray has always worked wonders for my horrible congestion, but when it wears off I am back to feeling like I am suffocating again. I don't like to keep using that spray. And yet, I need to be able to breathe! Breathing is good!

Originally Posted by kaoden39

The yellow flowers are a California Christmas. I needed to see them today. We are 41 degrees and raining here. Brr.

Michele -

Yellow flowers and blue sky definitely say "California Christmas."

Speaking of holidays and flowers - interestingly, the floral Mickey at the entrance to DL was totally lackluster last week. I think it may have been slightly more holiday-ish back in November, but last week it looked really bare. It seems as though Disney may have skimped on floral Mickey this year - or maybe all the recent rain had an effect.

Originally Posted by rentayenta

I love the tree at the PPH too.

And I love waking up to Photopalooza.

I'm so so glad you had an amazing trip.

Jenny -

Thank you! There were a couple of 'down' moments here and there, and there are several things that I did not do on this trip that I would normally do or would have wanted to do...but I am mainly focusing on the positive aspects of the trip. It was mostly a good trip!

I never get tired of the PPH tree - the colors are so pretty!

Originally Posted by mvf-m11c

You did quite a lot during your trip with the two CP which was great. It was good to hear that you were in high spirit during your trip.

When I was in line for Gibson Girl's for the peppermint ice cream and the queue was not that long at night which was kind of surprisingly. I believe the line was half full when I got the ice cream. Half of the people are over at DCA for CL so Ghirardelli's is a great addition so Gibson won't be that busy.

I am hoping for the same thing that the CP won't be part of a paid party for next year. The CP at EPCOT during the Holiday season is part of the regular admission and also you can get a dining package to get a better spot to watch it, but as you said that it shouldn't be part of the party while EPCOT is part of the admission. As you said that the CP at TS is always busy during that one weekend, but with it every night it is just going to cause so much traffic. I was also going to ask you about the rumors of the CP possibly be moving to the Hyperion Theater? I haven't been on too much to read the rumors but I was going to ask you if you heard anything about that. It won't be the same if they move it to the theater while it should still be at MS TS.


Great pictures from your pre updates to your PTR. The one's that I like the most was the sunset while you were in the PPH room. I also like that you have tried one touch colors with your pictures.

Can't wait to read more of your updates.

Bret -

Thank you!

Yes, I also heard the rumors of the CP moving to the Hyperion. I think that has been a rumor for a couple of years - even before the billion dollar makeover of DCA was finished - but it became a more believable rumor this year.

My sense of it is that Disney wanted to give the park guests more chances to be able to see the CP in its original home - Town Square - this year, before moving it to another venue...or before adding it to a paid party. I think that one or the other of those things will happen (adding the CP to a party is less likely than changing the venue). So they held the ceremony on 20 nights to get everyone interested in it before switching things up next year.

This is similar to what happened with Halloween Screams fireworks, as you will recall - they held it every single night of the entire Halloween season, for all guests to see, in 2009. They built up interest in it and got people talking about it. They held it every night to give everyone one chance to see it for free, before making it a party exclusive in 2010.

Having seen the CP in Town Square, I can tell that moving it to a theater will change the whole vibe of it. It will still be a lovely ceremony, but I think the historical Town Square spot really added to the mood and feeling of it.

If Ghirardelli actually sold some holiday ice cream treats, they might have an edge on Gibson Girl. But Gibson Girl has the actual peppermint ice cream, so I keep going back!

I know that my camera has a one touch color feature in it somewhere - I remember seeing it in the manual at one point - but I haven't used it. One touch color is when you make a photo all black and white except for one color (like red), isn't it? For example, you will do a one touch color photo showing only the blue in the photo, or only the red, but the rest will be black and white. I haven't done that.

I'll leave the one touch color to you and deej! You both use it so well! I mainly just wanted to know where my simple black and white feature was in the camera, and where the sepia feature was! There are certain things in Frontierland and Critter Country that look like they should be in black and white or sepia!

Sometimes I will switch scene modes too (not always), and use the foliage feature or the sunset/sunrise feature. Sometimes I don't feel like using them and won't bother with it, but other times I do.

[ddwlms]

Originally Posted by Sherry E

DebraDi -

Of course I remember you! You're introducing yourself as though I'd forgotten who you are! I've just been waiting for you to come back!

I know you told me long ago that you prefer lurking and only speaking up here and there, but because you were silent for sooooo long (like through my whole "Aunt Betty..." trip report), I wasn't sure if you were still there! You stuck around while I was posting my Christmas countdown photos here last year, and you popped into the Christmas Superthread a few times. I also remember that you commented right after I got back from last year's December trip, when I posted a quick update that mentioned that I ended up crying on a bench in DCA.

Welcome back! Thank you for the kind words. I really appreciate it. I know that a lot of people lurk and linger silently, but it is nice to hear from folks every now and then that they are actually enjoying the TR's.

You remember me. But of course! You have the mind for picking up and remembering details, which greatly comes in handy for writing extensive trip reports. I wish I had such skills. I live in the same small community that my husband and I both graduated from high school in, (probably about the same time as you) and when we run into people, I have learned to just put a nice smile on my face and be friendly. Walk away and ask “Who the heck is that?” DH then proceeds to give me details about said person from back in the day trying to trigger some semblance of memory.

Yes, I was there thru the whole Aunt Betty trip report. Thru out the story, I thought I was mortified by “M”, and then you got to the end, and I was beyond mortified, seriously shocked. I kept waiting for some little clue as to why she behaved in such a fashion. I never even came close to anticipating the end of the story wherein the tears came into place. Even though you had tried to give us fair warning, the immature behavior was beyond a reasonable person’s comprehension. –I have since drawn the conclusion that she is secretly resentful of your place in history regarding Brett Michaels. --True, I know little and may be completely off base, but that is the only thing that makes a shred of sense, so that’s my theory. (I’m an accountant, I should probably not try to psycho analyze people )

I too loved the horse picture. I even went back to it and asked myself why did I love it, and decided, I really don’t know, just know that I do. Maybe it is the unique angle. I also loved the gingerbread house from the Storytellers. Those lights on the roof are so adorable, and the stone columns are so cute.

[Sherry E]

Originally Posted by ddwlms

You remember me. But of course! You have the mind for picking up and remembering details, which greatly comes in handy for writing extensive trip reports. I wish I had such skills. I live in the same small community that my husband and I both graduated from high school in, (probably about the same time as you) and when we run into people, I have learned to just put a nice smile on my face and be friendly. Walk away and ask Who the heck is that? DH then proceeds to give me details about said person from back in the day trying to trigger some semblance of memory.

Yes, I was there thru the whole Aunt Betty trip report. Thru out the story, I thought I was mortified by M, and then you got to the end, and I was beyond mortified, seriously shocked. I kept waiting for some little clue as to why she behaved in such a fashion. I never even came close to anticipating the end of the story wherein the tears came into place. Even though you had tried to give us fair warning, the immature behavior was beyond a reasonable persons comprehension. I have since drawn the conclusion that she is secretly resentful of your place in history regarding Brett Michaels. --True, I know little and may be completely off base, but that is the only thing that makes a shred of sense, so thats my theory. (Im an accountant, I should probably not try to psycho analyze people )

I too loved the horse picture. I even went back to it and asked myself why did I love it, and decided, I really dont know, just know that I do. Maybe it is the unique angle. I also loved the gingerbread house from the Storytellers. Those lights on the roof are so adorable, and the stone columns are so cute.

DebraDi -

I remember you telling me a while back about your DH's good memory for names and faces and such, and how he'd have to fill you in on who certain people were! Your memory may not be like that, but I bet you have some other amazing skill that puts everyone else to shame. (Since you're an accountant, you probably have super-fast and complex math skills!)

Yes, that Aunt Betty trip of December 2011 was something, wasn't it? I would say that your conclusions about "M" are not far off base in some roundabout ways, except for that I knew her way before we met Bret & the gang, and she was doing 'questionable' things even when we were 13 or 14 that made me think she resented me. (Then again, I was not a model kid or a model friend when I was that age either, so I am sure that I was largely to blame.)

The thing is, when kids do stupid things to their 'friends' at 13 or 14 you just chalk it up to youth and immaturity. We all grow up and mature, and we learn to treat people with courtesy and respect. However, in "M's" case, I think that some of whatever started in our youth carried over to adulthood. That, and I think she just doesn't respect or value certain people, while she treats others (even people she barely knows) like they are her best pals. It's a very odd thing. I wish it weren't like that, because underneath all of whatever her stuff is she can be a fun person to hang out with in places like Disneyland, but we're way past the point of being able to do that now. Too much has changed (or not changed, as the case may be) over the years.

Anyway - sooo...you're another fan of the horse photo (like tksbaskets is), huh? Interesting. Very, very interesting! It may be an assumption that I posted that horse photo in the 'highlight reel' because it was/is a favorite of mine, but that is not necessarily true. In fact, I'm not sure if I like the horse photo or not, to be honest! I mainly posted it because it was different. It's not something I usually take a photo of when at DLR.

This is the tally so far:


- You and TK like the horse photo.

- TK likes the B&W photo of the bridge.

- Bret likes the sunset photo (I think it may have been a sunrise, but I am losing track of which photos I took at which times!) taken from the PPH room.

- I guess that Michele liked the yellow "California Christmas" flower photo.



No one else has mentioned a favorite.

ANYWAY...I am past the suffocation stage of my cold, and have settled into the fun coughing stage (which is usually the last stage of the cold for me) - oh joy! Things seem to be staying on course for a normal illness and not morphing into a horrible 2-1/2 month-long mutant thing.

But, I've got my Robitussin and my Mucinex handy, and I want to start rockin' this Trip Report! I don't know how much actual writing or narrative will be necessary - there were a few amusing things that happened here and there, but I think I can mainly stick to posting photos. I want to try to crank out a few installments at a time to get things rolling. So, expect to see anywhere from 2 - 5 installments going up all at once.

Notice that I changed the name of the report - it's a working title. You all know how I am. You know I will pick a title for a TR and then change it mid-way through if something else hits me.

So, for right now, the new TR title is "Candlelight & Cannonballs! Aunt Betty's Do-Over Trip."

I reserve the right to change the title later on, though! As much as I wanted to use PHXscuba's "Nightmare Before Christmas" suggestion (mainly for my previous TR), it surely didn't fit with this current holiday TR.

[bumbershoot]

Originally Posted by Sherry E

2. I had a major celebrity sighting in DCA yesterday - Gwen Stefani and her super-hot husband, Gavin!! They were just a few feet away from me. This was the first A-List celebrity I've ever seen at DLR (I've seen B-List and below). Gwen walks with a strut, and was rockin' the red lips and gray pants/black tank top;

Of course she walks with a strut. And now I have Sheena Easton in my head... (I can hear the young'uns saying "huh?")


Man, what celebrities weren't in the park in the last week or two? Gwen etc, Sandra & Melissa, Ms Klum, the Albas....did Disney do some big day-after-day scheduling in the above-POTC-suite or something?

[tksbaskets]

Hi Sherry,
I caught the new title right away! Love it! Intrigued by the cannonball part....you keep us hanging.

I'm glad to hear your getting better from your illness. I know just what stage you are in. Been there many time. "I feel much better"....cough cough cough... comes on at times when it's not convienient to hack up a lung either.

Can't wait for another installment....

[PHXscuba]

Well, I liked your sunrise/set photos from your room, and the Matterhorn one. I am fascinated by the play of light.

And I am REALLY glad you don't have to use my "Nightmare Before Christmas" TR title idea, because that would mean very bad things ...

Interested to see how the cannonballs figure in; I think I've got the candlelight part figured out.

PHXscuba

[Sherry E]

Originally Posted by bumbershoot

Of course she walks with a strut. And now I have Sheena Easton in my head... (I can hear the young'uns saying "huh?")


Man, what celebrities weren't in the park in the last week or two? Gwen etc, Sandra & Melissa, Ms Klum, the Albas....did Disney do some big day-after-day scheduling in the above-POTC-suite or something?

Molly -

Well, I'm certainly not a young'un and I remember Sheena Easton! There were a few incarnations of Sheena Easton. There was the original "My baby takes the morning train" Sheena, with the short hair and spandex pants.

Then there was the "Strut" and "Sugar Walls" Sheena who grew out her hair a bit and was hanging out with Prince too much (remember they did that crazy "U Got the Look" video?).

Then there was also the Sheena who did a duet with Kenny Rogers - a cover of a Bob Seger song ("We've Got Tonight" or whatever it was called).

It's funny to see a big rock star like Gwen in the parks. While on the one hand she was dressed casually (gray pants and a black tank top), she definitely had a "look." She probably felt she was dressed down, but there was a definite style to the outfit. It's not like she looked frumpy just because she was wearing flat shoes instead of heels.

What surprised me was how skinny Gwen is! Her arms were bony. And she was shorter than I expected. I know we all hear about the camera adding weight to someone and that is sooo true. It's not that Gwen ever looked like a 'big' person on camera. She always appeared to be slender. But I just didn't realize how slender!

I didn't know that Sandra & Melissa (Sandra who? Bullock? Bernhard? And Melissa who? Etheridge? Gilbert? D'Arabian?), Heidi Klum and Jessica Alba were in the parks last week! I saw a lot of people that I recognized "from somewhere" - I knew that they were all probably TV actors whose names escaped me. But the only instantly recognizable ones I saw were Gwen and Gavin.

If the Melissa that you're talking about is Etheridge, I wonder if she was there on the Lou Diamond Phillips CP nights. She has a connection to Lou through her former partner (and his former wife), Julie! Julie left Lou for Melissa, but I think that Julie had at least one child with Lou before that happened. And then Julie/Melissa went on to have kids together (via David Crosby).

Originally Posted by tksbaskets

Hi Sherry,
I caught the new title right away! Love it! Intrigued by the cannonball part....you keep us hanging.

I'm glad to hear your getting better from your illness. I know just what stage you are in. Been there many time. "I feel much better"....cough cough cough... comes on at times when it's not convienient to hack up a lung either.

Can't wait for another installment....

TK -

The coughing is no fun, but if the illness follows a pattern with which I am familiar (sore throat, congestion and then coughing) then I know it will go away. It's when weird things that I don't expect begin to happen that I don't know when I will get better. So far, this seems to be a run of the mill cold - nothing too bizarre or out of control.

The Cannonballs will make eventually sense and then you'll probably think to yourself, "Oh, that's right!"

Originally Posted by PHXscuba

Well, I liked your sunrise/set photos from your room, and the Matterhorn one. I am fascinated by the play of light.

And I am REALLY glad you don't have to use my "Nightmare Before Christmas" TR title idea, because that would mean very bad things ...

Interested to see how the cannonballs figure in; I think I've got the candlelight part figured out.

PHXscuba

PHX -

Another vote for the sunrise/set photos. And the first vote for the Matterhorn one (that's the one with the other peaks in it, right?). Very interesting, indeed!

The Cannonballs won't be hard to figure out. They were part of my plan!

I'm about to post the first TR installment. I wanted to get one down (with the main intro part) and then hopefully be able to crank out a few at a time with mostly photos from here on out.

[Sherry E]

(I’ll start you off with this first post, and then will try to do multiple entries at a time for the future posts, just to speed things along…)

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

(Sun., 12/9/12 – Wed., 12/12/12)



Day 1 - Sunday, December 9, 2012 - Part 1

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
Our troubles will be out of sight…






(^^^ I figured I’d start out with the same Christmas song I began and ended my December 2011 TR with! It seems to be appropriate…)


Seeing as I basically just finished my last two holiday Trip Reports/photo reports (from December 2011 and November 2012) within the last couple of months, I won’t bore you with another extensive historical introduction (full of my Disneyland background and credentials!) to this one. The Pre-Trip Report/Intro segments that I did for my “Aunt Betty’s Weepy, Wacky, Wonderful Christmas Trip to Disneyland” pretty much tell the story that I want to tell in regards to how much I love the holidays and exactly why these annual holiday trips to Disneyland mean so much to me. If you read those 3 installments, you will understand everything. You will also understand where the “Aunt Betty” title came from – it’s basically a label that a bossy PhotoPass photographer assigned to me in a hectic moment.

And, if you followed along through the whole “Aunt Betty…” adventure (translation: debacle), you will know that things didn’t go so well. Ending up in tears on a bench in any Disney park is not how one should spend one’s treasured holiday season celebration – and one’s only holiday activity for the year.

So I was seriously in need of a redo. I needed to have another chance at enjoying Christmas, without any annoying friend drama or delays. I needed to be able to get back to doing what I really wanted to do at Disneyland Resort – take pictures! Rather, I like to wander around aimlessly and soak in the atmosphere, taking pictures of various things as I go. (That’s another thing I explained in my Pre-TR sections to “Aunt Betty…” – how much I love to take photos, even just in daily life as I stroll the neighborhood in which I live. It’s cathartic and meditative for me, while still stimulating the creative part of my brain.)

However…some of my Christmas trips are shorter than others. To be honest, given the way things were going for me this year, I did not think I’d be at DLR for more than one day in 2012. It was through some sheer Christmas magic (that is the best way to describe it) that I was able to actually book a hotel stay – 3 nights at the Paradise Pier Hotel, from 12/9 – 12/12. I’ve stayed at all of the Disneyland Resort hotels in the past – and they all have their pros and cons, I feel – but the Paradise Pier has served me well on many trips. Plus, in December their lobby features my favorite of the 3 hotels’ Christmas trees. So, back to the PPH I would go, to embark on my do-over holiday trip. I had certain things in mind that I wanted to accomplish. But…did I succeed in my goals?






Let me tell you up front what you will not see in this particular Trip Report that you have seen in previous TR’s I’ve done:

1. You will not see any photos from Goofy’s Kitchen this time around. Sadly, this 20-year Goofy’s Kitchen fan/veteran did not get to eat at her favorite Disneyland Resort restaurant on this holiday trip (and she really missed it, to be honest). I could have gone there by myself – heck, I do most things by myself – but character meals are one thing that I think should be enjoyed with other people if at all possible. I just couldn’t bring myself to eat there solo. But, alas, a multi-day trip to DLR is just not the same without a meal at Goofy’s Kitchen, so I felt the loss;

2. You will not see any PhotoPass pictures. Normally I have PhotoPass pictures taken on every holiday trip (not counting the one-day visit I had on 11/12/12). I will even pose for solo photos if I have at least some wacky photos with friends to add to the CD too. On this particular trip, it didn’t appear that there would be any PhotoPass pictures with friends (sad, but true), and so I opted to not pose for solo pictures. I didn’t want a whole PhotoPass CD of just me. Again, this made me sad (just like not eating at Goofy’s made me sad), because it’s something I do on every holiday visit and because there are many new, interesting PhotoPass spots in Cars Land and on Buena Vista Street, but I didn’t do it;

3. You will not see any photos of the Jingle Jangle Jamboree (formerly called Santa’s Reindeer Round-Up) – simply because I didn’t have enough time to get back there on this trip, and because I took quite a few photos in that location on my November 12, 2012 day trip;

4. You will not see very many photos from Cars Land or Buena Vista Street – primarily because I got so many holiday pictures from those two areas in November (including some cool dusk pictures). I realized that not too much had changed in either land in one month’s time, so I didn’t feel the need to take the same photos over and over again;

5. You will not see too much in the way of holiday window display photos – I took a lot of those photos in December 2010 and again in December 2011. Not a lot had changed in the windows this year, so I mostly skipped them;

6. You will not see any photos or hear tales of the yummy spaghetti at Storytellers Café…because I never went there to eat it. I could have eaten there – I had at least a couple of chances to eat there – but I ended up choosing ‘meatballs’ over spaghetti!; and

7. You will not see photos of any of my Orange County friends (who are usual staples on my Disney holiday trips). Two of them showed up but they couldn’t stay too long, and I was tired so I wasn’t in much of a photo-taking mood by the time they got there.








Now let me tell you what I wanted to do on this trip – and had planned to do – but did not have time to do (and thus, no photos):

1. I did not have time to enjoy the Grand Californian Hotel lobby atmosphere, complete with Dickens Carolers and holiday merriment;

2. I did not get to see the tree lighting on Buena Vista Street;

3. I did not get to catch the snowfall on Main Street – and this could have been my last chance to do that, seeing as there is a possibility the snow will become part of a paid party in 2013;

4. I did not make it back to the ice rink in Downtown Disney to see if the “Christmas Village” had become more ‘village-y’ since I was there in November;

5. I did not explore the Disneyland Hotel to take photos of the Christmas decorations (because the decorations were different in December 2010, when I last fully explored them);

6. I did not visit Santa in any of his 5 photo spots; and

7. I only went on 3 rides over the course of the entire trip (that tells you how much I actually enjoy taking photos!).




Oh, and here is an honorable mention of another thing that did NOT happen! I did not see the Twilight Zone lady again! This is the lady (a total stranger) that I had random encounters with in December 2010 and December 2011 (during two totally different weeks). I thought I might see her for a third year in a row, but our paths never crossed.






So, you may wonder, what DID I do? What DID I take photos of? What WILL you see/read about in this Trip Report? Here is an overview:

1. You will see many photos from New Orleans Square. I took some photos of the gorgeous Mardi Gras masks back in 2010, but I skipped over many of them (for some reason or another). Actually, I think that Disney added in some masks and moved some of them around since 2010 because there appeared to be many more than what I ever recalled seeing 2 holiday seasons ago. Also, I knew I could take much better (less one-dimensional) photos than what I took in December 2010. So I revisited the masks – all of them – and delighted in the wonderful details, colors, themes and personalities each mask possessed;

2. You will see Candlelight Processional photos! I had never seen the CP prior to this trip, and I liked it so much I saw it twice!;

3. I munched on gingerbread cookies from the Market House, a Peppermint Bark Dazzler from Haagen Dazs, peppermint ice cream in a sprinkle-covered cone from Gibson Girl, peppermint bark from Ghirardelli and several sandwiches from Earl of Sandwich. You will hear about and see photos of all of those!;

4. You will see more photos of the Paradise Pier Hotel Christmas tree – because I just love it so much!;

5. You will see a few photos from Surf’s Up with Mickey and Friends – it was my first time trying it, and I’m glad I tried it (though I still miss Goofy’s Kitchen). This is where fellow DIS’er Liza/funatdisney joined me and we met up with Laurie/DizNee Luver and her family;

6. You will see the back side of Gwen Stefani’s husband, Gavin Rossdale, in DCA (I didn’t have the nerve to take photos of him when he was turned towards me because I was afraid he would catch me), and a distant shot of Gwen as she led the pack across the Esplanade to DL;

7. You will see nighttime pictures of the Winter Castle and It’s a Small World Holiday – which is hardly a rare thing in anyone’s holiday trip reports, but for me it is. I hadn’t attempted any kind of nighttime Winter Castle shot since November of 2010, and I think that 2007 or 2008 may have been my last attempt at getting nighttime IASWH photos (which were horrible). As was the case with the Mardi Gras masks in NOS, I knew I could do better and get much better photos this time around than what I got in the past; and

8. You will see what I decided to buy with a gift card I received on Day 2 of my trip!



And there will be some surprises along the way, too! I can’t reveal everything here right now, can I?





Just because there were so many things I did not take photos of or get to on this trip, I will refer you to my 3 most recent Disneyland holiday reports for a collective, full array of photos of all corners of the parks and hotels during the season (and there are also holiday Trip Reports from 2008, 2009 & November 2010 in this same thread, but the links for those can be found on Page 1/Post #1):

“The Evil Chair & The Peppermint Cone of Death – A 2010 Christmas Tale - Sun., December 12 - Wed., December 15, 2010” (begins on Page 83/Post #1244; ends on Page 110/Post #1641)


"Aunt Betty's Weepy, Wacky, Wonderful Christmas Trip to Disneyland - Sun., December 4 - Thurs., December 8, 2011" (begins on Page 189/Post #2825; ends on Page 213/Post #3181)


CHRISTMAS PHOTOS OF CARS LAND & BUENA VISTA ST. – Mon., 11/12/12 (begins on Page 222/Post #3328; ends on Page 231/Post #3464)




So let’s get started!





On the morning of Sunday, December 9, 2012, I felt as though I was walking through quicksand. I was slugging along. I was as slow as molasses. (How many more terms for ‘moving slowly’ can I come up with? Lol.) Basically, I hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before due to a loud holiday party being held by my neighbors in the building next door. They were partying until the wee hours, and even my trusty ear plugs couldn’t drown out the sound.

I’m not one of those Scrooge-like people who is going to rain on someone’s holiday fun. I love the holidays. I adore Christmas time. I like hearing and seeing other folks enjoying all that the season has to offer too. I was not going to be the one to complain and ruin their fun. They don’t often have parties, after all. They don’t usually prevent me from sleeping. I just wish they hadn’t decided to deck the halls so loudly right before my Disneyland do-over trip!

Because of my lack of golden slumber, it was hard for me to get my engine revved up. All the coffee in the world was not going to help.

Haphazardly I tossed various pieces of clothing and toiletries into my 2 bags and got ready to go.

I had arranged for Sav-On Shuttle (the same service I used when I went to Catalina Island for the day in July 2012, and when I went to Disneyland in November of this year) to pick me up at 5:15 a.m., so that I would walk into the Paradise Pier Hotel lobby at just before 6:00 a.m. I explained in my “Aunt Betty…” report from December 2011 how much I love being at DLR in the crisp early morning hours, before anyone else has really started their day. There is something magical about the chill of a December morning, just before sunrise. I find it to be invigorating. If anything could wake me out of my sleepy stupor, it would be the cool holiday air hitting my cheeks…right?

What I hadn’t planned on was Sav-On Shuttle showing up to get me at 4:45 a.m. I should have expected it, though, as they have been early in the past. Just in case you have never heard of Sav-On Shuttle and might be interested in using them in the future, keep in mind that they tend to be on the early side. They usually run about 30 minutes ahead of the time you give them and they will wait for you if you are not ready. Personally, I would prefer an earlier arrival over a later one…but when we’re talking about the wee hours of the morning, that extra half hour makes a huge difference! It’s not quite the same as showing up early in the middle of the day. When the sun hasn’t even yet risen, you need every extra minute you can get! Showing up 30 minutes early at that time of the morning may as well have been showing up 2 hours early. Well, not quite, but it seemed like it!

So I was not quite ready. I was ready enough to where it only took a couple of extra minutes to throw the rest of my things together, turn off any lights in the apartment and make sure everything else was off, locked or closed. But my hair was still wet from the shower and my face was not ‘done’ at all – meaning no moisturizer, no lip gloss, nothing. I would need to take care of that when I got to the hotel.

John – my driver for the morning – is the owner of Sav-On Shuttle. He is also the one who picked me up in July for my Catalina day trip. Both he and the other driver I had in November (Johnnie) are delightful people – friendly, talkative, efficient, and just overall good guys. They treat their customers well, but they are largely a no-frills operation. John used to focus most of his advertising towards the people who visit Catalina Island (I first learned of Sav-On Shuttle in the 2012 Catalina Island Visitors Guide), but now he has turned it more towards the Disneyland customer base to capitalize on all of the guests and travelers who don’t wish to use Super Shuttle or Karmel Shuttle. They can easily get several Disneyland Resort pick-ups and drop-offs in a single day.

Unlike my Super Shuttle driver from December 2011, Sav-On Shuttle’s drivers take the freeway route that makes the most sense from where I live. They don’t go in a roundabout way via the 605 freeway like the Super Shuttle person did. They get on the 10 freeway heading East, and then get on the 5 freeway heading South, straight to Disneyland Drive. This route is really the most direct – and the fastest – at the particular time of the morning I go to DLR. If we were talking about going to Disneyland on a Monday morning at 7:30 or 8:00 a.m., it would be a different story. But on a Sunday morning before 6:00 a.m., the 10 to the 5 is the most logical! There is no one on the freeway at that time.

It wasn’t long at all – maybe 35 or 40 minutes – before we were pulling up in the loading area in front of the Paradise Pier Hotel’s entrance.

I paid John (cash, which I think he prefers over credit cards, if possible) and wished him a happy holiday season. He unloaded my two bags and drove away.



I turned towards the lobby doors and instantly smiled. I caught sight of The Tree. My Tree. My favorite of all the Disney hotel Christmas trees. This is the tree that makes me want to run around the lobby like an uninhibited toddler, singing and dancing and skipping along. I love being greeted by this tree in the morning when I leave the hotel, and again when I return for the evening.

There it was…in all of its warm, glowing, blue-green-ish splendor…just waiting for me!

But we’ll get back to the tree in a minute.


I dragged my luggage through the doors and placed it by the chairs to the left of the front desk. I searched around for my wallet and reservation information and marched up to the queue to be checked in. Even though I arrived well before 6:00 a.m., there was actually someone else checking in then too! And here I thought I would be the only one! The nerve of that other guest, infringing on my time! Lol.

The lobby was empty other than us, though.

A nice Cast Member (whose name I think was Hayley) took care of my pre-check in details. Since I was completely and totally paid up well in advance (what a liberating, wonderful feeling!), I did not have to leave a phone deposit or put a credit card on file!

I was given my check-in brochures and Keys to the Magic and instructed that if a room should happen to open up earlier than planned, someone from the hotel would let me know – but I’d have to come back to the front desk to trade in my room keys for different keys.

This was new to me. In the past, if my room had been available earlier than planned, I never had to go back to the desk to swap keys. That was exactly what I wanted to avoid – having to return to the front desk at a time when a lot of people were in line, waiting to check in.

But, oh well… It was a very minor inconvenience.

I noticed that the CM did not give me any kind of folder this year, to hold my Welcome materials. Last year I got the special “Welcome Home” packet reserved for DVC members (and I’m not a DVC member). In the past I had always been given the bright pink folder with the picture of Goofy on it. This year, no folder. So I had to bunch up my brochures and what not and stash them in one of my bags.

I took this photo on the last day of my trip, but only because I neglected to take it when I checked in - and it makes much more sense at this point in the story!

I hauled my suitcase and smaller bag over to the Bell desk and deposited them there for safe keeping. I tipped the Bell guy and swiftly focused my attention on the star of the show…The Tree!

Hello, gorgeous!











Santa’s Schedule…





Santa’s chair…












Just beautiful!











The presents by the tree have changed in the last couple of years. They used to be smaller and made of different material (see my “Evil Chair…” TR for photos of the old presents). They also had different designs, bows and colors. Maybe they were getting ruined or something, because now we have these new ones (which may have been there last year but I could have overlooked them in all of the trip mayhem).

Hayley (the CM) said that these presents are better for photos because people can sit on them to pose, whereas the old ones were not ‘sit-able’! Lol. I think that the colors of these sit-able presents are actually more complementary to the PPH tree than the former presents were…






I pried myself away from My Favorite Tree and headed out into the quiet morning…














Yep…it’s dark out there on Disneyland Drive…






There’s California Adventure, in the distance…

I finally established that I had to stop the photo-taking for a moment to fix my face. Soon the cover of darkness would be lifted and people would actually be able to see me in the light of day.

I could have easily ducked into a Paradise Pier bathroom – or even the bathroom at the Grand Californian – to put on my make-up so I looked halfway human, but I wanted to sit outside. So I picked a bench that was positioned directly outside of the PCH Grill, around a corner. I had enough light to do what I needed to do, and there was holiday music coming from overhead speakers for me to listen to.

By now you should know that I love a photo of an empty path! (I’ve included similar photos in the last TR or two.)

I hastily slathered on some sunscreen, powder, blush, etc., and in what seemed to be seconds, the sun appeared and a new day was upon me…

Anyone who has stayed at the Paradise Pier probably knows the “short cut” from the PPH to the Grand Californian Hotel. It’s just a quick jaunt across Disneyland drive to the other side of the street…










Voila! In a matter of a few minutes you exit the surf and sun theme and cheery colors of the Paradise Pier to enter the elegantly rustic, dimly lit world of the Grand Californian Hotel…








The GCH’s presents by the tree have remained the same! They are not sit-able presents, like the ones at the PPH! Lol!

Up next, in Part 2 of Day 1…more fun at the GCH and beyond….

[tksbaskets]

You're off to a great start! I'll have you know I don't multitask when I'm reading your TR. They are too full of fun

Love the picture of the shortcut across the street through the GCH. Many good memories there.

That PP tree is stunning! You captured it well

Looking forward to more