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

[Sherry E]

Here is the FIRST 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 7

Angels we have heard on high,
Singing sweetly through the night,
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their brave delight.






In the last TR installment I continued my photo-taking in Disneyland and ended up browsing some shops on Main Street.

More from the China Closet on Main Street…










Department 56 collectibles. Now that is one store that I was sad to see leave Downtown Disney. Department 56 was a great fit for DTD but they’ve been gone for a while.

People complain about Christmas merchandise coming out in October, or even in late September. My reasoning for it is that Christmas is a major, major holiday (the biggest of the entire year) so it makes sense to me that we see holiday things appear well in advance. People have gifts to buy, parties to plan for, decorating to do, etc. I’ve seen Halloween stuff pop up in August. Does that make much sense? Not really – it’s still summer - but because Halloween is becoming a bigger event that people plan and prepare for, I’ll deal with that. Plus, I love Halloween too so I don’t mind seeing traces of it pop up early.

But here is Duffy in his Valentine’s Day garb in the Disney Showcase store – on December 11th!! Valentine’s Day is not as major of a holiday as Christmas is, and it has taken back seat to Halloween as well, so does it really warrant merchandise hitting the shelves more than 2 months ahead of time? I don’t think so!

An in-store display (this display changes with the seasons)…











The Showcase store was the only place that still had some of the elusive Santa Mickey nutcrackers in stock. Both the China Closet and the gift shop in the Grand Californian had sold out of them.

I don’t really know where the time went. Compared to the previous day – Day 2 – I felt like I got virtually nothing accomplished. I kind of hit a ‘block’ in that I knew there were 150 things I should or could do while I still had time at DLR, but for one reason or another I didn’t feel like beginning most of them.

Does that ever happen to you? You kind of hit a point where you know you should finish doing all of those little things on your to-do list, but for whatever reason none of them seem appealing or feasible at that moment. It’s sort of the same thing as being so hungry that you get to a point where nothing sounds good to eat.

You see, this was the point – the third day in – at which, if I were going to be staying at DLR for another few nights, I probably would have taken the rest of the day and maybe even the next day to just hang out at the hotel and enjoy myself, and then reentered the parks a couple of days later with a second wind. I think I needed a bit of a break from the parks so that I could get inspired all over again to go back into DL or DCA and find interesting things to take photos of. There are a million things out there to take photos of, but if I hit that ‘block’ I can’t come up with any fresh ideas. That’s where a break from the parks comes in handy.

However, I didn’t have time to take a break. I would be checking out of the Paradise Pier the next day – Day 4 – and going home, and this was going to be my last night. It’s not good to hit a lull on your last night, when you know you have much more to accomplish.

I know I looked in a couple of other shops on Main Street and killed some time, but I can’t recall which shops I went into. That was the other thing – I kept asking myself if I wanted to use the $50 gift card from DVC right then, in the park, so I could tote whatever I bought back to my hotel room and pack it up or use it on my last day, right before going home.

At some point my brain just turned to mush. I was getting tired just thinking about what I should be doing or where I should be going and I couldn’t think anymore.

I sat down in a spot near City Hall that was close to where I had walked up and gotten my nifty Candlelight Ceremony/Processional seat the night before. I figured I’d hang out there for a while and try to decide what I was going to do, all the while keeping an eagle eye on the CP area to see if mobs of people suddenly swarmed into the roped sections to wait.

A couple of very nice ladies sat next to me, and they were eyeing the Candlelight Processional seating set-up as well. They were an unusual case in that at least one of them had an AP but had never heard of the CP before 2012. I began explaining what the CP was, who the narrators had been and were going to be, and how I got my seat on the previous night. I told them that I was certain if they waited around, they’d be able to get seats too because it was the same narrator again that night – Lou Diamond Phillips – and I couldn’t imagine that he would attract too many more people than he did on the previous night. They were both really big fans and lovers of Christmas in general, and they felt that they would enjoy the show if the seats were as easy to get as I explained they had been. (Of course, I was crossing my fingers and hoping I hadn’t led them astray and that they would be able to get seats!)

The two ladies and I talked for quite a while. I guess that somewhere along the way I must have unknowingly decided that I was going to see the Candlelight Ceremony/Processional one more time, as I didn’t know if this would be my last chance to see it for free, and quite so easily in the Town Square setting. I wasn’t sure if the CP would become part of a Christmas party in 2013 or possibly become a dinner package only-type of event. I wasn’t sure if the CP would relocate to DCA. Depending on what happens this upcoming holiday season, I may not be seeing the CP again.

Without ever really saying to myself “I guess I’ll watch Candlelight again,” just through the course of talking to the two nice ladies and encouraging them to wait for seats, I talked myself into seeing it one more time!

I also decided that I would complete my evening with one more stop at Earl of Sandwich on the way back to the Paradise Pier Hotel room. So I would end up spending the rest of my night – or my Day 3 – the same way I had spent the evening of Day 2….with Candlelight and Cannonballs! (See how I cleverly wove the title of this TR into the story?)



The two ladies – whose names I neglected to get, just as I neglected to get the names of the people I sat with on the previous night – and I walked to the exact same spot where I had stood the night before. Within a few minutes there were other people walking up to the same spot – younger people, older folks who came out only for this event, ladies in glitter and capes, etc. Again, just as it was on Monday night, everyone was in good spirits and happy to be there. No one was grumbling about the crowds or anything. Everyone was just happy to have a shot at seeing the CP when we all thought it would be so difficult in light of losing the AP lottery.

I observed that there were more seats being filled by the guests with actual wristbands, so, again, this backs up my realization that Tuesdays are a bit more crowded than Mondays in December.

But, in just a matter of maybe 10 minutes or so we were being escorted to seats. The CM asked me how many were in my party and I said “3,” to include the ladies with whom I’d been chatting. Even though I knew they would have been seated anyway, I wasn’t sure if the Cast Members would seat them in a section further back and possibly put me closer to the stage because I was only one person and it would probably be easy to find one empty seat to fill in the first few rows. So I wanted us all to end up with seats in the same place – I thought it was fair – which is why I said “3.” They thanked me for including them.

This time I was not 4th row center, but on the right-hand side of the seating area – maybe in row 6 or so. The seats were still good, but just from a different vantage point. I think the seat that I had on Day 2 was a little better, but this Day 3 seat was not bad at all. There were rows and rows of seats behind us that would eventually need to be filled, and some of those seats seemed quite far back. I was glad to not be in one of those back rows.

And the Candlelight Ceremony/Processional proceeded as usual…












LDP returns!

Up next, in Part 8 of Day 3 – the Candlelight Ceremony wraps up!

[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 8

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Everywhere you go;
There's a tree in the Grand Hotel, one in the park as well,
The sturdy kind that doesn't mind the snow.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas;
Soon the bells will start,
And the thing that will make them ring is the carol that you sing
Right within your heart.






In the last TR installment, after looking in some shops on Main Street I found myself chatting with a couple of people near the Candlelight Processional/Ceremony area, and talked myself into another night of Candlelight and Cannonballs!

The lights dimmed. LDP was chillin’ at the podium and mouthing the words to the songs as the choirs sang…




























LDP was laughing when he mentioned that his wife and baby daughter were in the audience, but the daughter was asleep (as usual) during daddy’s performance.

Lou Diamond Phillips wrapped up the Ceremony in pretty much the say way he had on the previous evening. He mentioned the troops, the death of his friend Jenni Rivera, being kind to each other year-round, etc. And when he was walking off the stage down a short flight of steps, he tripped! Lol. He didn’t fall, but I saw him stumble over a step or two. I couldn’t help but giggle, as that’s probably what would have happened to me if I had walked down the steps!


I already gave my full review of the CP, my explanation about how I got seats and my thoughts on the CP possibly relocating to DCA this year, in my recap of it in Day 2 of this trip. So I won’t repeat myself except to say that it was just as lovely and wonderful the second time as it was the first time! The nice ladies I was chatting with also really loved it, so I felt good about sort of giving them that extra little ‘nudge’ to see it – because they had kind of been on the fence until I began explaining about it and explaining how easy it was to get a seat.

I was cold at this point – I was wearing a t-shirt and didn’t have a jacket with me, and the temperature had dropped quite a bit. I knew I wanted to head back to my Paradise Pier Hotel room with a meatball sandwich and start the slow, sad process of trying to repack my suitcase.

I knew that Laurie/DizNee Luver and Carrie/Escape2Disney were meeting at Trader Sam’s in the Disneyland Hotel at 9 p.m., and they’d asked me to join them. I would have probably done it if not for the fact that I knew I had to at least begin packing and try to get to sleep early that night. If I were not checking out the next day, it would not have been a problem to meet. But I just couldn’t do it.

So, back to Earl of Sandwich I went! The third visit to Earl on this trip!

This is the Bob-Dylan-meets-Axl-Rose of Downtown Disney…









The smell of Caramel Corn fills the air in Downtown Disney…














This is the Simon and Garfunkel of Downtown Disney (that reference may go over the heads of those of you out there who were not born during the Jurassic Period)…









Earl of Sandwich – my destination!

I ordered another Cannonballs! sandwich. When I got my order I told the girl behind the counter that they hadn’t put any mozzarella cheese on my sandwich the night before, and that they had given my friend a Mediterranean chicken wrap instead of a Chinese chicken wrap two nights earlier. I was met with a blank stare.

I said, “Well, I just wanted to let you know about these two things because you guys haven’t been here too long, and if mistakes were made on two of the nights I came in I can only imagine that mistakes have been made on other people’s orders too. Maybe you all can keep a close eye on whoever is preparing the orders.”

She replied, “Oh…I’m sorry about that,” and didn’t look all that concerned.

I took my Cannonballs! sandwich back to my room, chowed down, rested a bit and threw some things in a suitcase, with the rest of it left for the following morning. Day 3 had not been quite as productive as Day 2, but I needed to get to sleep anyway! I had to get up early the following morning.


(POST-TRIP UPDATE ON EARL OF SANDWICH: Since the girl behind the counter at Earl seemed kind of disinterested in what I was telling her about the mistakes that were being made, I sent an e-mail to Earl on their website quite a while after I got back home. I explained about the mistake they made on my order and my friend’s order. I told them that we both ate our sandwiches anyway but that I just wanted to let them know while the Anaheim location was still new so they could nip the problems in the bud before they continued.

To my utter shock, Earl of Sandwich mailed me some cards for FREE sandwiches! I was not expecting that at all – I told them very clearly that we ate the sandwiches in spite of the mistakes, but they wanted to make up for it!

So Earl of Sandwich is not only a pretty decent value at Disneyland Resort, and the food is pretty good, but they make up for their goofs! The employees in the actual restaurant may not care, but the management or whoever reads the e-mails does! Earl has scored big points with me because they did not have to send me those free cards at all, and I never would have thought that they would!)


Up next, in the one and only installment of Day 4 – another dramatic sunrise greets me. Then I meet up with fellow DIS’ers at Surf’s Up with Mickey. AND…the big reveal! I will show you what I bought with my $50 gift card from DVC (but it shouldn’t be too much of a shock!)!!!

After that one installment for Day 4, I will do a wrap-up post.

So we only have two more posts to go after this one and then we’re DONE!!

[rentayenta]

Good for Earl's for still giving good customer service.

Love the nutcracker Mickey's.

I think Lou Diamond is handsome.

[Sherry E]

Originally Posted by rentayenta

Good for Earl's for still giving good customer service.

Love the nutcracker Mickey's.

I think Lou Diamond is handsome.

Jenny -

Lou is a nice looking man, for sure. He has held up pretty well. Of course he is older and it shows a bit, but he hasn't completely 'lost it.' He seems to have kept himself together. He appears to have a pretty upbeat attitude and disposition, which counts for a lot. We never hear crazy stories of Lou getting in drunken bar fights or getting arrested for drugs or whatever. He never even spoke negatively (that I know of) of his ex-wife, who left him for Melissa Etheridge oh-so-many years ago. He seems to be a decent, level-headed guy.

Plus, when LDP takes on these reality show challenges, i.e., "I'm a Celebrity - Get Me Out of Here" and "Rachael vs. Guy," he throws himself into them and wins! So he is clearly quite a capable, adept fellow at many things - it's surprising that he never became more famous than he did.

I adore the entire set of nutcracker Mickeys - the white soldiers and the sorcerers and the Santas - all of them. If I had the money I would have bought the set!

Yes, I was very impressed with Earl of Sandwich for sending those cards. That IS good customer service (even if it took place after the trip). I neither asked for nor expected any compensation. In fact, I complimented them and told them in the e-mail that they were a great addition to DTD in Anaheim, and that I would definitely be back to eat there.

My thinking was that, in a setting such as Disneyland Resort, while there will be a lot of people who sit down and eat at the restaurant, there will also be a lot of people who - like I did - take their sandwiches in the handy takeout bag back to their hotel rooms. And no one wants to get all the way back to their hotel rooms to discover that their order is botched up. So I figured that while Earl is still new in DTD Anaheim (they only just opened in early/mid-November), they can catch these mistakes and make sure the employees are doing a good job before they get too far along.

You just know that if there were two fairly substantial mistakes made in 2 out of my 3 visits to Earl on this past trip, they must have been making mistakes on other folks' orders as well.

[tksbaskets]

Two installments. This deserves a

I'm glad you decided to join the two other gals for the CP. What a great way to cap off your evening on day 3. That and a Cannonball!

I really appreciate good customer service. I'm sure EOS appreciated your feedback too.

Can't wait to hear what the DVC gift card was used for.

[mvf-m11c]

Finally able to catch up after being away for awhile.

Great pictures from that morning at the parks including the pictures of Sleeping Beauty Castle.

All the Holiday merchandise are very interesting and unique during the Holiday season which we have never seen in the past. They do sometimes reused Holiday merchandise from the past and it is nice to see some of the merchandise from last year where we could re-buy them.

A different angle from the CP that night than the other day but it was nice to hear that you had a great time at the CP with Lou Diamond Phillips as the narrator.

Very nice updates.

I still have a lot to do until my trip to DL in a couple of days.

[Sherry E]

Originally Posted by tksbaskets

Two installments. This deserves a

I'm glad you decided to join the two other gals for the CP. What a great way to cap off your evening on day 3. That and a Cannonball!

I really appreciate good customer service. I'm sure EOS appreciated your feedback too.

Can't wait to hear what the DVC gift card was used for.

TK -

The two ladies (whose names I should have gotten but didn't) were very nice. I'm so glad we did get seats! I would have felt like a fool if I had been going on about how easily I scored a CP seat on the previous night, only to not get any seats on this night!

I mainly just wanted to be sure that the ladies and I got the same seats. I had a feeling that if I told the CM I just needed one seat they might bring me up closer (to fill a random empty chair) and the other ladies with whom I had been chatting the entire time would end up a few rows back. I wouldn't have felt good about that, so just to level the playing field and make sure we all got the same seats I told the CM that the 3 of us were together.

Also, I should mention that there was a kind older gentleman (with his wife, I assume) who was brought up to that same 'standing area' by a CM and told to wait for a seat because he didn't have a wristband. He knew that I had been there longer than he was there (I wasn't there long, though), and when the CM's started letting all of us they were going to bring him in first, but he made sure to let them know that I was there first and to make sure I got a seat before he did.

So it was all good, and everyone was being courteous and considerate, I thought.

I think the service in the actual Earl of Sandwich restaurant could have probably used some work (some of the people taking orders were great, but others - like the one who didn't seem all that concerned when I told her about the mistakes - were not so great; and they obviously have to be sure that whoever is preparing the sandwiches gets the orders correct!), but the way they handled my e-mail after the fact went above and beyond what was necessary.

So I think the behind-the-scenes at EoS folks provided excellent customer service, and they probably did appreciate the feedback, as you said, TK - especially because the Anaheim/DTD location is so new. They need to know what is going on at this new location while it is still getting 'settled.' If there are mistakes being made early on they can catch them, find out who is making them, and make sure that he/she starts doing a better job.

I don't think you will be too surprised at the revelation of what I bought with my Disney gift card, but I will leave you in suspense until my Day 4 installment! Muahahahahahaha!

Originally Posted by mvf-m11c

Finally able to catch up after being away for awhile.

Great pictures from that morning at the parks including the pictures of Sleeping Beauty Castle.

All the Holiday merchandise are very interesting and unique during the Holiday season which we have never seen in the past. They do sometimes reused Holiday merchandise from the past and it is nice to see some of the merchandise from last year where we could re-buy them.

A different angle from the CP that night than the other day but it was nice to hear that you had a great time at the CP with Lou Diamond Phillips as the narrator.

Very nice updates.

I still have a lot to do until my trip to DL in a couple of days.

Bret -

Thank you!

Disney is very sneaky with their holiday merchandise. They will put out certain things in one season - like a whole collection of 6 gingerbread cookie-themed items, for example (magnets, ornaments, snowglobes, etc.) - and then the following year/season they will bring back maybe only 3 out of the 6 pieces that sold the previous year...but not the entire set.

Or, they may sell something for a couple of years and then retire it altogether.

Or...they may sell certain things for several years (like the Toy Story-themed ornaments, with Rex wearing Mickey ears, and the Little Green Men putting on the sorcerer's hat, etc.), so it seems like you can get them any time.

The nutcracker Mickeys - the entire set of them - were brand new in 2012. The Santa Mickey nutcracker was an unexpected hot item and it was flying off the shelves. So I am guessing that for the holiday 2013 season, they will bring back Santa Mickey and order a whole bunch of them so they don't run out - BUT they will probably discontinue/retire one or two of the other nutcrackers in the set. Maybe they will replace those that they discontinue with brand new nutcrackers, or maybe they won't.

As the Cast Members always tell the customers, if you see something you like it's best to get it while you are there at DLR because you just never know if it will return the next year!

It was a different angle for the CP. I'm glad I at least got to see it twice, for free, in the Town Square setting - while being able to sit down. This year, who knows what will happen with the CP? It won't be the same vibe if it moves to the Hyperion, and I don't think I'd buy a dinner package for it.

Have fun on your trip!

[PHXscuba]

I'm seen Lou Diamond Phillips as a supporting character in a few cable TV shows in the last few years and I agree that he has held up well. He might not be a "popular" narrator but it sounds like he loves Christmas and the experience.

Can't wait to see what you bought with your gift card!

PHXscuba

[kaoden39]

Rule number one don't get the flu because when you do you don't go online. When you don't go online you don't read the threads that you normally do. While you are not moving along they are and then you have to catch up.....again. So, now I shall.

I finally think I figured out about the trees in Toontown. They have a cartoon look to them and that is what Toontown is.

I am sure the Nutcracker will be back next year because they didn't offer them for clearance on the Disney Store website.

Maybe the guards are afraid of screwing up? I bet Disney isn't really kind to anyone that jeopardizes their paycheck.

Maybe we take the sign for granted?

I love that flower arrangement!

Maybe the younger lady was just one of those grumpy people that don't get the magic.

I think they were overwhelmed because the decorating was more wide spread this year?

Wow!! You got a great seat!! Jay did right by you!!

I love the castle and the partners after dark. I think that the pictures are beautiful. It is not a look that you usually see.

Ah Small World with its Las Vegas lights. That is what it reminds me of. And I love it!! It just manages to give it more of a gingerbread sort of look to it.

That turkey sandwich looks wonderful! I love cranberry sauce on a turkey sandwich with mayo and salt and pepper. Yummy!

Love the sunrise pictures! To me sunrise is such a beautiful time of day.

The net on the lampshade is a nice touch.

$7.42? For that? Seriously? That is highway robbery.

Sounds like his mama was a worrier.

I am devastated. I love the Market House. It is one of my favorite stops. The party line phone and the pot belly stove. Now it is Starbucks. Boo.

Oh wow I love the idea of the bell ringers.

The wig on Sally is a really good wig.

When we were there in February I thought the bridge railing by Snow White's Grotto and wishing well was really in need of some love. The paint was chipping and looked pretty awful.

I am amazed at how different the castle looks from day to night.

I love the Nutcracker displays. That is a fun look for sure.

Good for Earl of Sandwiches. I think that they have the right idea. A happy customer is the best advertisement there is.

So.....what did you get? Nosy old woman wants to know!!

[Sherry E]

Originally Posted by PHXscuba

I'm seen Lou Diamond Phillips as a supporting character in a few cable TV shows in the last few years and I agree that he has held up well. He might not be a "popular" narrator but it sounds like he loves Christmas and the experience.

Can't wait to see what you bought with your gift card!

PHXscuba

PHX -

I remember you telling me before that you'd seen LDP on some cable shows. Every so often I will see him pop up in something, like some cheesy horror film or something. (There was some hokey movie about a red river or sharks in the river or some kind of nonsense.)

I think that now that LDP has done the narration at Disneyland and people saw him do it, they'd be more likely to want to see him narrate again. I have to imagine that he would have been a more popular narrator choice than, say, Patricia Heaton.

I don't think the revelation of what I bought with the $50 gift card will be too thrilling or shocking. I wish I could say that I bought something totally frivolous, just for the fun of it. But I always think along more utilitarian lines than that - I feel like I have to get some practical use out of anything I spend money on, and I think I'd feel guilty if I just bought a knick knack for the sake of buying a knick knack. There were sooooooo many things I would have wanted to buy, but I had to look at it as what I would get the most use out of.

Originally Posted by kaoden39

Rule number one don't get the flu because when you do you don't go online. When you don't go online you don't read the threads that you normally do. While you are not moving along they are and then you have to catch up.....again. So, now I shall.

I hope you're feeling better. I keep hearing on the news about what a bad flu season this is going to be. I know what you mean, though - it's hard to get caught up on threads when you fall behind for any reason - especially if the threads have advanced quite a bit since you last checked in! Fortunately, I only have two more TR posts to go (Day 4 and the Wrap-Up, which I think you may find interesting), so there won't be a whole lot to catch up on! I appreciate that you took the time to get caught up!


I finally think I figured out about the trees in Toontown. They have a cartoon look to them and that is what Toontown is.

Yes - that's exactly what it is. The trees (which were shipped over to DLR from WDW when their Toon Town closed down) are supposed to look like cartoon trees in a cartoon land full of Toons. And truthfully, as much as I complain about these ugly trees, if they had been part of Toon Town's decor from the beginning - way back when Toon Town first began getting holiday decorations in the '90s or whenever it was - I would be used to them and I would totally expect them. I would accept them as part of the TT decor. It's only because we had the other, better trees over the years before these cartoon trees moved in that I am particularly averse to them. I got used to those other trees, and they were so much more colorful, whimsical and fun.

I noticed that no one was really posing for photos with the cartoon trees in Toon Town, whereas in the past people were always posing next to the "good trees." So I suspect there are quite a few of us who don't like them.

I am sure the Nutcracker will be back next year because they didn't offer them for clearance on the Disney Store website.

Yes - I definitely think that at least some of those Nutcrackers will be back this coming holiday season because I don't think Disney anticipated that they'd be as popular (especially Santa Mickey), and they will want the chance to sell them again. I think it is possible that they could take one or two of them out of the collection and replace them with new ones, but I think that most of them will be back at least for November/December 2013.

Maybe the guards are afraid of screwing up? I bet Disney isn't really kind to anyone that jeopardizes their paycheck.

The security guards who check our bags? Probably so. Some of them are a little overly cautious!

Maybe we take the sign for granted?

I think I definitely took it for granted. As I've mentioned, I've seen pictures of it in deejdigsdis' reports and in other reports, but I never took the time to get even one photo of it until this last trip. Then I got to thinking that if something were to happen and I wasn't able to get back to DLR for a long, long, long time, I'd want to have as many reminders of what it looks like to enter Disneyland as possible - and that sign is part of the entrance!

I love that flower arrangement!

The red-green-white arrangement at the Candlelight Processional stage? It was gorgeous! And I wouldn't have seen how gorgeous it was unless I went right up to it to look closely. From afar in the daytime you can't really tell, and at night it is impossible to tell.

Maybe the younger lady was just one of those grumpy people that don't get the magic.

I think so too. Plus, I think she was just annoyed at the older lady (probably her mom or mother-in-law) for sitting with a stranger (me).

I think they were overwhelmed because the decorating was more wide spread this year?

You mean, in regards to the pitiful floral Mickey at the entrance to DL? That has to be it. They've never let that floral Mickey look so blah during the holidays before - not that I'm aware of, anyway. They absolutely did have to decorate more areas of DCA; they had to set up the whole Jingle Jangle Jamboree area; they had to have the CP for 20 nights at DL; they had that ice rink and "Christmas village" to set up in DTD - I'm sure a lot of the holiday budget went to more things than it has in many years and there probably wasn't enough time, manpower or holiday decoration funds to cover every aspect.

I will say this - I would much rather that Disney cuts back on the floral Mickey at the entrance and cuts back on things that we wouldn't really miss instead of cutting back on the themed decorations in any of the lands like New Orleans Square, Toon Town, A Bug's Land, Main Street, Frontierland, etc.

Wow!! You got a great seat!! Jay did right by you!!

I got very lucky with my seats both nights, but especially on that first night. Whoever Jay was, he did a good job!

I love the castle and the partners after dark. I think that the pictures are beautiful. It is not a look that you usually see.

Thank you, Michele. I didn't like them because the lighting was too dark and I just didn't want to take the time to fool with it at that point when I had other things to do. But I'm glad you liked them!

Ah Small World with its Las Vegas lights. That is what it reminds me of. And I love it!! It just manages to give it more of a gingerbread sort of look to it.

You know, now that you mention it I can see how the 'Vegas' association could be made! Those lights are so bright - and this past season they seemed more vibrant than ever. But it's not 'Vegas' in a bad, cheesy way. IASWH absolutely comes alive at night with all of those lights. It's like IASWH has a split personality - there is the safe, calm, quiet personality in the daytime, and the wild, fun, vivacious personality after dark!

That turkey sandwich looks wonderful! I love cranberry sauce on a turkey sandwich with mayo and salt and pepper. Yummy!

It was a pretty good sandwich - I think I just have to be sure to eat it when it is fresh and warm to get the full effect, rather than trying to eat it cold. Of course, the PPH doesn't have microwaves in the rooms, which would have helped some.

Love the sunrise pictures! To me sunrise is such a beautiful time of day.

Yes, agreed. I just love sunrises and sunsets, and the different shades they take on from day to day. I have one more dramatic sunrise coming up on Day 4 - and these pictures will look a tad different than the previous 2 days of sunrises because there were clouds moving in, which gave the pictures a whole different look.

The net on the lampshade is a nice touch.

It was a nice touch - and I am not sure that I ever noticed that net in the past. If not for the fact that I saw the newspapers sitting there on the desk/table, I'm not sure I would have paid attention to the lampshade. It sounds like such a simple, silly thing for me to be impressed by the detail on a lampshade, but I appreciate it because it's all part of Disney's fantastic commitment to detail in their themes.

$7.42? For that? Seriously? That is highway robbery.

I thought I was the only one who thought that $7.42 was a crazy price for that Dazzler at Haagen-Dazs! Those of us who read the grocery store circulars, use coupons and hunt for bargains, trying to get the most bang/value for our buck - and those of us who comparison shop to get the lowest prices on items we buy all the time - will understand that $7.42 for that Peppermint Bark Dazzler is a CRAZY price when you consider the fact that you can get a whole carton of Dreyer's ice cream for less than $7.42 - and often times you can get 2 full cartons for less than $7.00! Madness! My Cannonballs! sandwich cost less than that Dazzler!

Sounds like his mama was a worrier.

Okay, this ^^ comment I was lost on! Without going back through my posts to see what you might have been commenting on, I wasn't sure whose mama was a worrier.

I am devastated. I love the Market House. It is one of my favorite stops. The party line phone and the pot belly stove. Now it is Starbucks. Boo.

The lady who was intently snapping photos of the Market House (while I was buying cookies on Day 1) was taking photos of that stove and of all the details around the store because she was worried that some of the decor would be lost when Starbucks moves in.

I've seen some folks comment that the Main Street Bakery in WDW did not suffer with Starbucks moving in and that it was no big deal, but I don't think that our DL Market House would be able to stay exactly as is. I'm sure that some of the layout of the Market House would have to change a bit to accommodate Starbucks things, seating, etc. Also, the CM's who worked at the Market House in December told me that they didn't think the AP discount would be accepted anymore - or it wouldn't be as good of a discount - and they were not sure that we'd still be able to come in and get free refills on coffee during the day.

So, some things will inevitably change a bit. And I know that everyone is always saying that they are in need of decent coffee inside the parks because they hate the existing coffee but, truthfully, I am a coffee drinker and I would still rather have the Market House stay exactly as it is forever over having a Starbucks in Disneyland.

Oh wow I love the idea of the bell ringers.

The Bell Ringers were very lively and fun!

The wig on Sally is a really good wig.

Okay, I got lost again. Sally? What am I forgetting? I'm old!

When we were there in February I thought the bridge railing by Snow White's Grotto and wishing well was really in need of some love. The paint was chipping and looked pretty awful.

I think that whole area needs some care. It's such a charming little spot but it needs to be spruced up. The water and sun have kind of taken their toll on the little statuettes too.

I am amazed at how different the castle looks from day to night.

Agreed. In the daytime, I don't particularly care for the way the snow looks on the Castle. It looks kind of cheap. And the icicle lights are completely boring. Again, just like with IASWH, at night the Castle comes alive and that glow it has from the icicles is just magnificent - up close and from afar. It has two personalities too - plain, quiet, calm Castle and vibrant, exciting, fun Castle!

I love the Nutcracker displays. That is a fun look for sure.

Yes, they were a lot of fun.

Good for Earl of Sandwiches. I think that they have the right idea. A happy customer is the best advertisement there is.

I was very impressed with EoS for sending me the free sandwich cards. I know that they must have made mistakes on other folks' orders too - they are a new location and are still getting their bearings, I suppose. But I wonder if anyone else took the time to write in and complain. It didn't appear that the people in the restaurant were too concerned so if anyone complained to them they might have been met with blank stares.

So.....what did you get? Nosy old woman wants to know!!

That (rather anti-climactic, non-surprising) revelation of what I got with the $50 gift card will come in the Day 4 installment! I don't think anyone else will find it all that exciting - but it was a perfect choice for me.

Michele -

I added all of my answers in red above (like I did last time!). Most of your replies I could figure out without seeing the original post you were responding to, but a couple of them I wasn't sure about!

[kaoden39]

The mama I was talking about was the one with the Buzz Lightyear boy. I understand worrying about your child approaching someone. Not all people react well to kids.

You had a picture of Jack and Sally and I noticed just how nice Sally's wig was. I think I am still not quite lucid.

Sherry, I hope I was able to clarify.

[Sherry E]

Originally Posted by kaoden39

The mama I was talking about was the one with the Buzz Lightyear boy. I understand worrying about your child approaching someone. Not all people react well to kids.

You had a picture of Jack and Sally and I noticed just how nice Sally's wig was. I think I am still not quite lucid.

Sherry, I hope I was able to clarify.

Michele -

Yes, you clarified it perfectly! Now it makes sense. At first I was thinking, "Whose mama?" But now that I know you were talking about the little boy with the Buzz Lightyear toy, it all falls into place.

Yes, the mom (or whoever she was) was probably not comfortable with him approaching strangers because, as you said, not all people react well to kids (or they could just be plain creepy adults - one never knows). He could have approached the wrong person and been shooed away or snapped at.

Also, I assume that just being a mom you'd want to keep your eye on your little one in a gigantic store like World of Disney and not let him/her get out of your sight. It's easy to lose adults in that store, so I can't imagine how easy it could be to lose a child - the kids see all that fun stuff all over the store and could go running off at a moment's notice!


Ahhh yes, Sally! Again, now it makes sense! I forgot that I posted that picture of Sally and Jack from the back, as they were greeting guests.

[kaoden39]

I once had a daughter walk off on me in a store and I never knew she was gone. That is until I heard her screaming in a very hysterical manner. Poor thing. I found her quickly after that. Scary moment.

[Sherry E]

Originally Posted by kaoden39

I once had a daughter walk off on me in a store and I never knew she was gone. That is until I heard her screaming in a very hysterical manner. Poor thing. I found her quickly after that. Scary moment.

Michele -

Thank goodness you heard her screaming and could locate her quickly!

It's a very scary thing, being a parent. I'm not even a parent and I can see that! Kids get so easily excited by things they see (especially at DLR) and they want to go explore. Kids are also so innocent, and some of them are very outgoing - they may just want to go up to strangers and say hello, totally unaware of how crazy the world is. I think I would be a nervous wreck if I were a parent, trying to bring my child into big stores and places where there are many people and many places to roam (like shopping malls and such).

I'm working on the last 2 installments of the TR - the Day 4 installment and the Wrap-Up. One good thing (I guess) is that this thread will probably not reach the exact 250-page point by the time I am done with this specific TR. So, even though there won't be enough pages left in the thread to do another trip report (not that I have another DLR trip planned), there will be enough 'room' left if I have any sudden updates on new trips. I can at least post and say if/when then there is a new trip in the works or if there is anything noteworthy to mention - which may not be until much later this year, but at least I can post it here if there is anything to announce.

[Sherry E]

I am just about to post Day 4 of the December 2012 trip (and the Wrap-Up/Final Thoughts will come in the next couple of days). I am test-posting right now because when I tried to post earlier something was acting askew!