pambaca
04-18-2007, 12:17 PM
DISNEYLAND TRIP REPORT
NOVEMBER, 2006
Cast of Characters:
Pam, 36, Disneyland Veteran and lover of all things Disney, 16th trip to Disneyland
Jaden, 12, Pam’s nephew, Disneyland Veteran and fellow lover of all things Disney, 7th trip to Disneyland
Rob 50, Pam’s patient husband, Infrequent Visitor, 4th trip to DL
Hallie 5, Pam’s daughter, 3rd Trip to Disneyland
Time: November 15 through November 19, 2006
Accommodations: On Property, Grand Californian.
Well, here we go again—Pam and Jaden’s annual Christmas trip to Disneyland. Once again, the trip was a huge success! For starters, Pam and Jaden weren’t the only ones on this trip—Rob, Pam’s patient husband and Hallie, Pam’s beautiful daughter also tagged along on the annual pilgrimage to The Mouse. Hallie has wanted to tag along for quite some time, but her height kept her from joining Jaden and I. With just Jaden and me, it would be a logistical nightmare with attractions she wasn’t tall enough to ride. I know, I know—we don’t have to go on those rides. Well, for annual visitors like us, if you don’t go on the E-tickets, what’s the point? With her growth spurt and Rob’s desire to see her really enjoy Disneyland, Jaden and I found ourselves most definitely accompanied.
We also took this trip at the very beginning of the Christmas season. We have traveled during the middle and end of the Christmas season, so this was something different. At the risk of spilling what is apparently the best kept secret of DLR, it was a wonderful time to go. All the decorations are up or are put up shortly, the crowds are low and the weather is wonderful. I imagine we will plan our trip at this same time every year.
We also started the trip off on a terrific note by booking our trip with Anne and Tim Larison, travel agents extraordinaire. I said in my last trip report I would not book a trip without Anne and Tim and I intended to make good on that statement. As always, they provided me with top notch service, took time to answer all my questions and made paying for the trip a breeze. (I paid for it in installments!) The only difference in our travel plans was that Jaden was not included in the original travel package. We originally booked the trip with Rob, Hallie and I because Dannette, Jaden’s mom and my sister, was adamant that Jaden would not go. (I honestly am at a loss to explain why she says this every year. She has been saying this for 4 years now and, as all of you know, there are 4 trips reports here.) When Dannette started to cave in, (Usually right around Labor Day—again.) I asked Anne how much adding Jaden would be and the price tag was over $900. Gulp! So, I started haunting the airline websites and found our same flight for $300. Add a park hopper into that and I just saved over $400. We had no problems with Jaden accompanying us and we were admitted as a group of four everywhere we went, despite Jaden not having all the ticket media we had. We didn’t even notice until we were in line for Peter Pan during Early Entry that Jaden’s ticket didn’t include early entry.
WEDNESDAY, November 15, 2006 & TUESDAY, November 14, 2006
We again started the trip in Albuquerque, NM, flying out the Albuquerque International Sunport. We again stayed at the Wyndham on their park and fly rate. (You stay the night before you fly out and you can leave your vehicle parked for free for up to two weeks.) We paid $109 for the package after some finagling on my part due to an internet error. We were scheduled to fly out at 7:30 Wednesday morning. We left Trinidad at around 4:00 pm after everyone was off work and home from school. We stopped for a quick dinner in Las Vegas, NM and got into Albuquerque around 8:00 after driving through horrible wind. We spent some time packing our carry-on gels and liquids according to TSA regulations and then just relaxed. We took the airport shuttle to the airport and arrived about 90 minutes early for our flight and the airport was fairly busy. We made it through check in OK, but there are times you need a person, not just a computer screen. Security screening was a huge, long line but we made it through more quickly than I thought we would and we had about 20 minutes to spare before we boarded. Security screening, as you might expect, had changed drastically since last year. We flew into DIA, grabbed breakfast and proceeded on to LAX without any problems. The flight from Albuquerque to LAX was cheaper than flying into Orange County and the hassles were not that much greater. It took us longer to get our SuperShuttle and they circle LAX 3 times before proceeding to your destination, but the trip was quicker than I thought.
We arrived at the Grand Californian around 2 in the afternoon and the first thing we noticed was that LA was HOT, not warm, HOT. The weather was in the mid to high 70’s all week. Guess I should have packed those shorts! Walking into the Grand Californian was a wonderful experience. The hotel, the grounds, the lobby are just beautiful. You feel an immediate calm in the richness of the place. We loved it. The room with bunk beds we requested was not ready yet, so I made an executive decision to get a standard room with two double beds that was ready immediately. They had a refrigerator brought up to us and they gave us a semi upgrade on the view. We had a Downtown Disney view, but it was “obstructed” since it was right above World of Disney. Even though the room had to be the longest walk in the hotel, we loved the room and the view. It is definitely top notch. There could have been more space, but the hotel and amenities made up for it, not the mention the proximity and convenience. In almost all respects, the Grand Californian was all I expected it to be and more.
We started the fun off in traditional fashion by lunching at the Rainforest Café. The restaurant was busy and the service was a bit slow, but overall, it was good food and a lot of fun. We then headed into the park via Downtown Disney since the Monorail was down. We stopped to get our lanyards and pins and we also stopped to take a picture with the Honda CRV. To our amazement, there were no lines to get in and it immediately became apparent that we would be having a good day as far as the crowds go. The walk under the tunnel, the stroll down Main Street—Jaden and I were home again. Rob and Jaden had decided that Buzz Lightyear should be our first stop, so we headed there and literally walked on the ride. We all loved that ride and rode it several times over the next three days. Hallie loved it and so did Rob. Hallie stopped to buy and Buzz/Zurg hat, which she wore everywhere the next three days. We rode Buzz three times in rapid succession and then headed to Star Tours with a 10 minute wait. We enjoyed the ride, but I was surprised that Hallie, who rode Star Tours two years ago, did not enjoy it. I figured she would enjoy it more given her love of Star Wars, just like me, but she didn’t enjoy the sudden drops and jerks. Oh, well. After that, Jaden and I headed to Space Mountain, which Rob and Hallie adamantly refused to ride. Space was another 10 minute wait and we got back on as soon as we got off. We then headed to New Orleans Square.
We took the train the New Orleans Square and headed to Pirates. Jaden and I just couldn’t wait any longer to see the changes. We hopped on with only about a 5 minute wait. I thought the new changes really added to the ride. The new music after the second drop and the movie theme music during the bombing of the fort really added to the drama of the entire storyline. The addition of Davy Jones and Jack’s last scene were great, needless to say. I had originally thought messing with a classic E ticket like Pirates was a bad idea, but the changes only made a good thing better. We immediately hopped right back on and then headed for the Mansion. We walked right up to the porch and immediately onto the ride. The stretching room was not even full when the ride began. To be honest, I was kind of disappointed in the Mansion. I guess I am so used to seeing over the top for the past 3 years that this year just seemed pale. For one, the Mansion was not entirely decorated or lit when we rode, though this was corrected later. The scarols were not up in the queue. The only decoration in the walkway was the scarecrow. The inside didn’t have the webs over the busts and the walkway to the Doom Buggies was not decorated at all. There was nothing really new to see and the storyline with the Bride was not incorporated at all, which I didn’t expect since I didn’t see how the two would mix together. The gingerbread house was spectacular, but that seemed to be the only new detail. Maybe I have seen this too much, but every year there was something that caught your eye. This year seemed tired and I was disappointed. Not terribly disappointed, of course, as we turned around and got right back on.
From there, we headed over to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Hallie just loved that ride. We headed off Pooh and headed back to Pirates. After Pirates, the kids did a little shopping in Pieces of Eight and then we headed back through Adventureland. We decided to take a ride on the Jungle Cruise and then we headed to the Tiki Room. We took a few minutes to rest while we waited and we snacked on fresh pineapple, Dole Whip and Dole Float. Oh, they were good! We headed into the Tiki Room and Hallie loved the show. I think Rob did, too. We headed out of Adventureland to Main Street and stopped to buy Hallie a light spinner and light necklace. Our plan was to head to Small World, ride and then wait for the fireworks. We made a quick bathroom stop and then headed for Small World. However, Fantasyland was already closed when we passed and so was Small World. So, we decided to just sit and wait. As it had been 4 hours and I had yet to eat a frozen chocolate covered banana, I just had to have one. Jaden OD’d on Churros and Hallie decided to eat an ice cream sandwich, a frozen banana and she conned some churro off of Jaden.
The fireworks are always something special to me. I guess fireworks have always been one of my favorite things. This time, however, was extra special. To have Rob, Hallie and Jaden all there with me—well, all was right with the world at that moment and I could have lived in it forever. Hallie couldn’t squeal enough and I heard several “Wow’s” out of Rob. Jaden and I just smiled at each other and gave each other our traditional exchange “Merry Christmas, Jaden. Merry Christmas, Nan”. It was an absolutely magical moment and I will treasure it forever.
After that we headed back down along the Matterhorn and down Main Street. It was a little crowded considering the park was closing, but nothing compared to what Jaden and I have seen. We headed back to GC and it was a very pleasant, short walk back. Our beds had been turned down and chocolates left, with GC robes left on the bed. We were just enthralled by that. We watched people leaving from the balcony and enjoyed the lights of Downtown Disney. We were all debating finding food, but no one could seem to make a decision. Hallie and I were out on the balcony and when we turned around, the boys were asleep. So, we headed to Downtown Disney, jammies, slippers and hair rollers intact. It was a surprise I didn’t just go in my GC robe. We grabbed some pizza slices at Naples and headed back to the balcony where we shared the best pizza we had ever eaten. We then headed to bed since we had a somewhat early morning. The next day was our early entry, but Disneyland didn’t open until 10 am, so it was not terribly early. That was good since we were all tired. The beds were great and were some of the softest I have ever had in a hotel. We fell asleep with smiles on our faces.
THURSDAY, November 16, 2006
The next day was our early entry and we, unfortunately, got a late start. It started when I tried to change our reservations for Goofy’s Kitchen. I could not get a reservation for Sunday morning. I tried everything I could think of. Disney Dining kept insisting that I could not have a reservation, but I could walk-in—and wait for 2 hours. Uh, no. If you have walk-ins, you can reserve me a table. After 20 minutes, we found someone who could get me a reservation. The lesson here—I try very hard to be a good “guest” and not ask of Disneyland what it cannot give. I understand before I go what is feasible and what is not. I don’t try to be unreasonable, but I am also not afraid to ask to be accommodated when it is possible and someone is just being difficult. I am infinitely respectful of cast members, their roles and their limitations, but I expect a cast member to do their best to make my stay as pleasant as they can. If they can accommodate bad guests who are unreasonable, they can accommodate a good guest and I am not afraid to talk to anyone to accomplish that.
We finally made it over to Disneyland right as the gates were opening, all of us in matching shirts. We immediately headed to Fantasyland and Jaden informed his shocked Uncle Robert that no, we do NOT stop and eat. Grab a Coke and a banana and let’s, as we say, queue it up! We immediately got in line for Peter Pan, which we all loved and then headed over to Dumbo. Thus begins Hallie’s love affair with Dumbo. We rode 3 times in rapid succession, which I realized is simply not done most days. Having our fill of Walt’s most famous pachyderm, we headed over the Snow White and Pinocchio. We also headed over the teacups and took a spin there. We noticed the line for Alice was very long by this time and decided to head to Small World instead. Bad decision—we never made it back to Alice. We took a ride on Small World and then decided to head over to Buzz Lightyear. Everyone needed their Buzz fix. We rode about 3 times in rapid succession. What a wonderful day in the park. We then decided to head over New Orleans Square since we had 11:30 reservations at the Blue Bayou. Jaden and I had just enough time to squeeze in Indiana Jones and Splash Mountain. We headed to Splash first. Hallie and Rob chickened out in the queue and Jaden and I headed to the Laughing Place on our own. The line was less than 5 minutes, so we rode twice. We then headed over to Indiana Jones since we hadn’t been on it and we had been in Disneyland over 24 hours. We talked Hallie into it all through the queue, but she was very scared. The cast members were great, telling her how fun the ride was. She would be OK for a while, but would then get scared again. She did get on, but I don’t think she enjoyed it much. Jaden and I headed back on again and then we all headed to the Blue Bayou, which calmed everyone down.
Lunch at the Blue Bayou was very good, probably the best meal we had. Rob ordered ribs and Jaden ordered the adult prime rib. Both were excellent and the consensus was that the food was well worth the price. I ordered the Monte Cristo and that is always worth the price. The wedge salads were very good and I was especially impressed that Hallie got a plate of carrots and celery with ranch dressing to dip when we got our salads. We devoured the sourdough bread, of course. The chicken nuggets went over well with Hallie and I just loved the fact that I got to keep my menu. It was a great souvenir. We were all so stuffed that we decided to forego dessert. The price was pretty much what I expected. It wasn’t cheap, but it was worth it. We left the Blue Bayou and headed onto to Pirates, another tradition. We shopped around a bit and then headed for Tomorrowland.
Jaden and I recognized immediately that today was a special day as far as crowds go and we were determined to make it count. We had to go on Buzz again. Pam was the winner—yet again. “She is the champion, my friend” (Insert Queen here) We then headed over to Space and Jaden and I rode three times in succession. I will just say that the third time was the charm and our Disney luck held true once again. After this, Jaden and I were eager to head over to DCA and get on Soarin’ and Monsters, Inc. We headed over to DCA, stopping to take a couple of pictures in front of the tree first. We headed to Monsters, Inc and Hallie just loved it. We rode several times and then headed to Soarin’. Surprisingly, the line for Soarin’ was still sort of long and DCA was closing soon. We rode Soarin’ only once since DCA was closed when we got off the ride and then headed to get dinner at the Taste Pilot’s Grill. Everyone wanted to see the fireworks again, but from in front of the Castle, so we headed back. Rob and Hallie were going to stake spots out while Jaden and I did some riding. Rob and Hallie found spots right in front about 2 rows from the rope. Jaden and I headed to Big Thunder and rode it once since the line was about 35 minutes. A side note on Big Thunder, we happened to be the last people in a second line as the CM’s were moving to only one line. Thus, the cast member waited most of our wait time right behind us. I casually asked if Big Thunder was running well today and she smiled and assured me it was. She asked if knew what happened and I replied I did. I said I considered it almost a fluke and she agreed. She indicated that now only the most seasoned CM’s were able to work Big Thunder and the CM’s working there considered it a privilege. She indicated the CM’s took their jobs very seriously and felt personally responsible for each guest’s enjoyment and safety. She told me it was probably the safest ride in the park. It made me smile. Walt would be proud. We then headed to the Mansion and it seemed better lit with more pumpkins than the night before. We then decided to head back to Rob and Hallie. The fireworks were wonderful from in front of the Castle and I am especially glad Disney kept the technique of showing images on Small World and the Castle. After this, we headed back to the GC, as everyone was tired and we had a very early morning the next day with our upcoming Toontown Madness on Friday.
FRIDAY, November 17, 2006
The next morning we had our Toontown Madness vouchers to use and Jaden and I had to do some fast talking to get Rob and Hallie to forego breakfast for a while--again. Toontown Madness was fun and it was nice that Toontown was not crowded. I did some quick shopping and Hallie got to meet a number of characters, a theme throughout the day. We rode Roger Rabbit while we were there and then we headed off to find food. On the way, we rode the Storybookland Canal Boats as it had no line. We also took another ride on Dumbo. We then walked over to the Riverbelle Terrace via Big Thunder Trail and I still could not see Claus! Jaden and I finally got to eat our Mickey pancakes. Actually, breakfast was really good and it set the stage for the most hilarious moment of the trip. I had a shoulder pack/bag I carried during the trip and I set it under the table at the Riverbelle Terrace. There must have been some spilled milk under our table in the cracks of the ground that soured and it got on the strap of my bag. As I put the bag on, the milk got on my shirt and I smelled like sour milk. Ever the prepared mom, I pulled a Shout wipe out of my bag as we entered Tarzan’s Treehouse and I asked Rob to wipe off the back of my shirt. I don’t know what the man was thinking, but he proceeded to wipe my shirt with a force that could have broken skin. That stung my back, (Think of how you feel when someone unexpectedly hits you on the back.) and it startled me right around the first room of the Treehouse, where Sabor is. Well, when I jumped from the sting, I didn’t notice the single step leading from that room across the bridge, I stumbled and then Sabor growls at me and I almost fall across the bridge. I panic because it feels like I’m going to fall out of the treehouse and I throw my hands up to steady myself and the bag I was carrying from Toontown went up and over the railing, landing in the tree. Hallie’s autograph book went tumbling down to the ground. I was upset and out of sorts and became more so when Rob, Hallie and Jaden burst out laughing and practically rolled out of the Treehouse themselves with laughter. (Rumor has it, according to those three, that I jumped when Sabor growled and threw my hands in the air, throwing the bag over the side, ready to run. This, however, cannot be confirmed and should not be relied upon.) Nonetheless, we now had to retrieve our belongings. Jaden, Hallie and I headed down and found help, along with Hallie’s book on a trash can. Someone must have thought it was raining autograph books from above. Rob stayed with the stuff. A wonderful woman named Gladys came to our rescue with a big grabber thingie designed just for this type of problem. In no time we all our stuff back and a couple of goodies, thanks to Gladys. Hallie received a set of Tinkerbell pins, one to keep for herself and another to give to a friend, which she promptly handed to Jaden. Jaden scored two free churros for himself and Hallie. Gladys is just wonderful and we appreciated her help immensely.
OK—crisis averted, we set out to have more fun. We all headed back to Pirates for another ride and then we headed back to the Mansion. After that, Jaden and I headed back on Splash for a couple of more rides. After this, we decided to head over to DCA and see Aladdin. We stopped for another ride on Monsters Inc. and then caught the first Aladdin show. I then headed to Tower of Terror—alone. I had absolutely no takers on going on Tower, even Jaden said no. While I was on Tower, Rob, Hallie and Jaden met several characters in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot. After I met them, we visited with still more characters. Hallie actually filled two books this trip. We rode Monsters, Inc. again and then caught a Playhouse Disney show. After this, we headed back to the GC, via DCA. We headed to White Water Snacks and grabbed pizza, salad, fruit and other goodies and had a late lunch. We then headed back up to the room for some rest. There was also a message from the front desk. A package was there for us. When I went down, the CM who got us those hard fought for reservations at Goofy’s Kitchen had autographed pictures for us all. Thanks, Lisa! All of us ended up sleeping, a new experience for Jaden and I who are Disneyland commandos.
After our break, we headed back to Disneyland for Fantasmic. The plan was to see the Christmas Fantasy parade, as this was the first day and then head to Fantasmic. We would eat while waiting and Rob and Hallie would again stake out seats while Jaden and I headed out to ride. I don’t care how many times I see the Christmas Fantasy parade. I love it and so did everyone else. Hallie didn’t know what to smile at next and Rob went through two roles of film. After this, we immediately headed for the Rivers of America where crowds were already gathering. We found a place and spread out. Hallie and Jaden wanted churros, so they had churros for dinner. Rob wanted bread bowl chowder, so Jaden and I got that for him. I wanted a corn dog, so I headed back to Main Street. I found my corn dog, bought Hallie a balloon and headed back to eat. Jaden and I got in a ride on Splash and a ride on the Mansion and then headed back since it was getting really crowded. Fantasmic was terrific, as always. We headed back to Buzz Lightyear so that Hallie could have one more ride before she went home. The plan was for Jaden and I to stay until midnight and Rob and Hallie to head back to bed. When we got to Buzz, it was down and Hallie was bitterly disappointed. She and Rob headed back, but she was not happy. Jaden and I decided to head back so that she would feel better, since it was just about 90 minutes that we had left. We couldn’t have fun if we knew she was upset. We all headed back and I stopped at World of Disney for major shopping. I didn’t get back to the room until well after 1 am. Everyone else headed to bed. We had one last day ahead of us.
SATURDAY, November 18, 2006
For this last day, my goal was to really take time to enjoy the park, the season and my family. We had been on a whirlwind for the past 3 days given the lack of crowds and I figured today would be a perfect day to calm down while everyone else was hurrying around. We started the day with Breakfast with Minnie at the Plaza Inn. Hallie and I had really been looking forward to this. We made it into the park right at opening and made our way to the Plaza Inn where they were waiting for us. We were seated in an absolutely beautiful location, the sunroom overlooking Main Street, Christmas tree right next to us. It was wonderful. Breakfast was really good and there is a good variety to choose from. We saw several characters and they really took time to interact with all of us. Hallie just loved it. We finally left and headed to Buzz Lightyear first to make up for the night before. We rode Buzz twice and then decided to head toward Toontown and Small World.
On the way to Toontown, we stopped in Fantasyland to ride Dumbo again. The wait was not too bad. We also rode Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, but passed again on Alice due to the long line. We then headed to Mickey’s House. We had decided to forego pictures with Mickey on Friday to get to DCA, so we had to go back and meet the Big Cheese himself. We walked right in and took some time for Hallie to explore Mickey’s house, but we didn’t linger. We headed right back to get in line and we waited about 15-20 minutes. We took our pictures and headed back to Small World, which already had a line. We were on in about 10 minutes and we swore the boat we were in was going to split apart. I think we might have been right because when I stood up the back of my jeans were wet. Go figure. We shopped for a bit in the store and then decided to catch the Disneyland Railroad to New Orleans Square. As we were waiting for the train, we saw the Fantasyland Theatre, which was being used for the Princess Fantasy Faire. It was absolutely packed. Apparently you are herded into the side of theatre where you are eventually let in to take part in the activities there. I was kind of glad Hallie didn’t want to do that. I asked her several times and each time was a solid no. We also had a bit of treat while we were waiting for the train. A train came through the station and stopped very briefly. At the end of the train was the Lilly Belle. It stopped right in front of us and we had a good look inside. Rob and Hallie wondered why Jaden and I were so excited. There was a family inside, sitting around like they had no idea what was going on. I figured it was one of those “Year of a Million Dreams” winners. By the way, Lilly Belle family, if you’re reading this—under no circumstances, no matter what the cast members tell you, you DO NOT LOUNGE with your feet on the furniture in the Lilly Belle or LAY ON THE SEATS!!! Have some respect!
I guess I will use this as my commentary section on the Year of a Million Dreams promotion. We saw several winners throughout the park. We saw the ultimate FastPass being handed out and it was being distributed to several people in addition to the winner if you asked quickly enough. It was also being distributed on a day where FastPass was not needed. I didn’t notice one Ultimate FastPass on Friday or Saturday. For regulars like Jaden and I, you start feeling like you’re entitled to something special. We are there every year, we know the ins and outs, we need a little bit more Magic, something extra special to happen. You see people, like Lilly Belle family, who obviously have no clue how special that experience was, disrespecting the experience to boot, and you start to feel a little resentful it isn’t you and that it was somehow wasted on people who didn’t grasp its meaning or how special it was. It seems the promotion creates wonderful memories for some and leaves others sort of resentful and forgotten. Actually, I’ll amend that—a wonderful memory isn’t created for someone who has no clue what they’ve won. Take Lilly Belle family for instance. For people who understand the history of Disneyland, the Railroad, Walt, etc.,--that ride is priceless. For someone who doesn’t have a clue, it means nothing. There is no way to determine how much each experience means to each person and thus, they all kind of falls short. A Disney promotion should make everyone feel good and included, not leave someone feeling left out.
Ok, off the soapbox. We took the train on a Grand Circle and then got off in Tomorrowland to see if we could ride Autopia. Autopia, however, had a huge line. Hallie was bitterly disappointed that we weren’t going to wait in the heat and was starting to melt down a bit. The park was very crowded now and the heat was on the edge of uncomfortable. I had promised Rob in the line for Mr. Toad that I would, somehow, get him back to the room so that he could see at least part of the Ohio State-Michigan football game and I figured this would be a good time to take a break. We headed back down Main Street and through Downtown Disney to the GC.
We watched the football game in the room, watched people at Downtown Disney and ate pizza. All of us also caught cat naps while we were at it. After our break, we decided to head back to DCA and Jaden and I were gearing up for Disneyland until closing. We went back down to DCA and Jaden and I rode Grizzly River Run twice while Rob and Hallie shopped. I was dry on the first time, but soaked on the second ride, so I just headed right back up the room, changed my jeans and that was it. We then saw It’s Tough to be a Bug and MuppetVision 3D. We also stopped and talked with Claus, who was so cool with his Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses. Hallie also wanted another ride on Monsters, Inc, so we did that as well. After that, we headed to Disneyland so that we could wait for Autopia in cooler temperatures. We then headed to Autopia and Hallie got to drive. She just loved that. At this point, she and her dad decided to head back to Downtown Disney to Build A Bear and Jaden and I would stay until closing.
Jaden and I came up a plan. We started at Space Mountain and then headed back to Adventureland where we queued it up for Indy, which had a huge line. We waited right around the 45 minute wait time and then got on the ride. We were through the Chamber of Destiny and had just passed Indy telling us to head the other way, when the ride broke down. It was strange to be in there with the lights on and nothing but gray walls around you. It took a good 20 minutes for the ride to start again and I was hoping to be evac-ed out. The ride started again and as we came back to the station, they offered all of us another ride which we all eagerly took. After this, Jaden and I headed to Pirates. After Pirates, I headed to the Blue Bayou to pick up three sugar treasure chests with chocolates in them. I had not gotten them earlier and they would follow us around the park the rest of the night, as we had to “guard the chests”. We headed to Splash from there, right as Fantasmic started. As a result, we were able to get two rides in. After that we headed back to the Mansion for our final visit with Jack Skellington. We tried to get a Jack plush doll from an ODV cart, but it was closed. We then headed to Big Thunder Railroad and got a ride in there. We then tried to find Jack at Le Bat En Rouge and a couple of other places, but had no luck. After that, we decided to finish up with Space Mountain. Once we finished Space, we had about 5 minutes left, so we headed down Main Street to look for a Jack Skellington plush doll, which we couldn’t find. We then headed to World of Disney and still couldn’t find Jack. By this time, it was after 1 am and Jaden and I simply collapsed into chairs around the Christmas tree at the GC. We stayed there for a good 15 minutes just smiling and looking at the tree. It was a wonderful trip and, as usual, it ended much too soon.
SUNDAY, November 19, 2006
The morning brought those hard fought reservations at Goofy’s Kitchen. We took a leisurely stroll through a nearly deserted Downtown Disney and I always love getting to the Disneyland Hotel. It has such a completely different feel from the GC. We waited about 10 minutes and then were seated. We saw several characters and enjoyed breakfast. We browsed in the gift shop for a while and then walked back. We were all pretty much packed. I had pushed everyone to pack before we headed back into the parks the afternoon before, so we were ready. We headed back to the airport and got through check-in and security much more quickly than I imagined we would. Before we knew it, we were back in New Mexico and heading back home.
FINAL THOUGHTS
First final thought is that the week before the Christmas season officially starts is a wonderful time to go. The crowds are light, but the decorations and spirit are heavy. Can’t ask for more than that. The two days we had with no crowds were just great.
Still mad that I missed Alice. I somehow always miss Alice and then spend time in the trip report lamenting about that. Next year—Alice, first thing! Still missed the Reindeer Round-Up. It’s hours are shorter than the parks and we just didn’t find the time. According to Jaden and Hallie, I am just too old. So sorry, gang!
Grand Californian is just amazing. It really enhances the experience in every way—the hotel, the amenities, the service, the proximity. It will be hard to stay anywhere else now.
Having Rob and Hallie with Jaden and I made the trip so much more special. I, no doubt, have a new Disneyland buddy in my daughter and Mom’s heart sings to know that she loves Disneyland as much as I do. I imagine it will be Hallie, Jaden and I exploring our favorite place for many years to come. However, when I mentioned going November, 2007 and didn’t mention taking Rob, I heard this trite little, “You’re not going to leave me out, are you?” I guess there is pixie dust after all. No, Rob, we won’t leave you out.
Pam Baca
NOVEMBER, 2006
Cast of Characters:
Pam, 36, Disneyland Veteran and lover of all things Disney, 16th trip to Disneyland
Jaden, 12, Pam’s nephew, Disneyland Veteran and fellow lover of all things Disney, 7th trip to Disneyland
Rob 50, Pam’s patient husband, Infrequent Visitor, 4th trip to DL
Hallie 5, Pam’s daughter, 3rd Trip to Disneyland
Time: November 15 through November 19, 2006
Accommodations: On Property, Grand Californian.
Well, here we go again—Pam and Jaden’s annual Christmas trip to Disneyland. Once again, the trip was a huge success! For starters, Pam and Jaden weren’t the only ones on this trip—Rob, Pam’s patient husband and Hallie, Pam’s beautiful daughter also tagged along on the annual pilgrimage to The Mouse. Hallie has wanted to tag along for quite some time, but her height kept her from joining Jaden and I. With just Jaden and me, it would be a logistical nightmare with attractions she wasn’t tall enough to ride. I know, I know—we don’t have to go on those rides. Well, for annual visitors like us, if you don’t go on the E-tickets, what’s the point? With her growth spurt and Rob’s desire to see her really enjoy Disneyland, Jaden and I found ourselves most definitely accompanied.
We also took this trip at the very beginning of the Christmas season. We have traveled during the middle and end of the Christmas season, so this was something different. At the risk of spilling what is apparently the best kept secret of DLR, it was a wonderful time to go. All the decorations are up or are put up shortly, the crowds are low and the weather is wonderful. I imagine we will plan our trip at this same time every year.
We also started the trip off on a terrific note by booking our trip with Anne and Tim Larison, travel agents extraordinaire. I said in my last trip report I would not book a trip without Anne and Tim and I intended to make good on that statement. As always, they provided me with top notch service, took time to answer all my questions and made paying for the trip a breeze. (I paid for it in installments!) The only difference in our travel plans was that Jaden was not included in the original travel package. We originally booked the trip with Rob, Hallie and I because Dannette, Jaden’s mom and my sister, was adamant that Jaden would not go. (I honestly am at a loss to explain why she says this every year. She has been saying this for 4 years now and, as all of you know, there are 4 trips reports here.) When Dannette started to cave in, (Usually right around Labor Day—again.) I asked Anne how much adding Jaden would be and the price tag was over $900. Gulp! So, I started haunting the airline websites and found our same flight for $300. Add a park hopper into that and I just saved over $400. We had no problems with Jaden accompanying us and we were admitted as a group of four everywhere we went, despite Jaden not having all the ticket media we had. We didn’t even notice until we were in line for Peter Pan during Early Entry that Jaden’s ticket didn’t include early entry.
WEDNESDAY, November 15, 2006 & TUESDAY, November 14, 2006
We again started the trip in Albuquerque, NM, flying out the Albuquerque International Sunport. We again stayed at the Wyndham on their park and fly rate. (You stay the night before you fly out and you can leave your vehicle parked for free for up to two weeks.) We paid $109 for the package after some finagling on my part due to an internet error. We were scheduled to fly out at 7:30 Wednesday morning. We left Trinidad at around 4:00 pm after everyone was off work and home from school. We stopped for a quick dinner in Las Vegas, NM and got into Albuquerque around 8:00 after driving through horrible wind. We spent some time packing our carry-on gels and liquids according to TSA regulations and then just relaxed. We took the airport shuttle to the airport and arrived about 90 minutes early for our flight and the airport was fairly busy. We made it through check in OK, but there are times you need a person, not just a computer screen. Security screening was a huge, long line but we made it through more quickly than I thought we would and we had about 20 minutes to spare before we boarded. Security screening, as you might expect, had changed drastically since last year. We flew into DIA, grabbed breakfast and proceeded on to LAX without any problems. The flight from Albuquerque to LAX was cheaper than flying into Orange County and the hassles were not that much greater. It took us longer to get our SuperShuttle and they circle LAX 3 times before proceeding to your destination, but the trip was quicker than I thought.
We arrived at the Grand Californian around 2 in the afternoon and the first thing we noticed was that LA was HOT, not warm, HOT. The weather was in the mid to high 70’s all week. Guess I should have packed those shorts! Walking into the Grand Californian was a wonderful experience. The hotel, the grounds, the lobby are just beautiful. You feel an immediate calm in the richness of the place. We loved it. The room with bunk beds we requested was not ready yet, so I made an executive decision to get a standard room with two double beds that was ready immediately. They had a refrigerator brought up to us and they gave us a semi upgrade on the view. We had a Downtown Disney view, but it was “obstructed” since it was right above World of Disney. Even though the room had to be the longest walk in the hotel, we loved the room and the view. It is definitely top notch. There could have been more space, but the hotel and amenities made up for it, not the mention the proximity and convenience. In almost all respects, the Grand Californian was all I expected it to be and more.
We started the fun off in traditional fashion by lunching at the Rainforest Café. The restaurant was busy and the service was a bit slow, but overall, it was good food and a lot of fun. We then headed into the park via Downtown Disney since the Monorail was down. We stopped to get our lanyards and pins and we also stopped to take a picture with the Honda CRV. To our amazement, there were no lines to get in and it immediately became apparent that we would be having a good day as far as the crowds go. The walk under the tunnel, the stroll down Main Street—Jaden and I were home again. Rob and Jaden had decided that Buzz Lightyear should be our first stop, so we headed there and literally walked on the ride. We all loved that ride and rode it several times over the next three days. Hallie loved it and so did Rob. Hallie stopped to buy and Buzz/Zurg hat, which she wore everywhere the next three days. We rode Buzz three times in rapid succession and then headed to Star Tours with a 10 minute wait. We enjoyed the ride, but I was surprised that Hallie, who rode Star Tours two years ago, did not enjoy it. I figured she would enjoy it more given her love of Star Wars, just like me, but she didn’t enjoy the sudden drops and jerks. Oh, well. After that, Jaden and I headed to Space Mountain, which Rob and Hallie adamantly refused to ride. Space was another 10 minute wait and we got back on as soon as we got off. We then headed to New Orleans Square.
We took the train the New Orleans Square and headed to Pirates. Jaden and I just couldn’t wait any longer to see the changes. We hopped on with only about a 5 minute wait. I thought the new changes really added to the ride. The new music after the second drop and the movie theme music during the bombing of the fort really added to the drama of the entire storyline. The addition of Davy Jones and Jack’s last scene were great, needless to say. I had originally thought messing with a classic E ticket like Pirates was a bad idea, but the changes only made a good thing better. We immediately hopped right back on and then headed for the Mansion. We walked right up to the porch and immediately onto the ride. The stretching room was not even full when the ride began. To be honest, I was kind of disappointed in the Mansion. I guess I am so used to seeing over the top for the past 3 years that this year just seemed pale. For one, the Mansion was not entirely decorated or lit when we rode, though this was corrected later. The scarols were not up in the queue. The only decoration in the walkway was the scarecrow. The inside didn’t have the webs over the busts and the walkway to the Doom Buggies was not decorated at all. There was nothing really new to see and the storyline with the Bride was not incorporated at all, which I didn’t expect since I didn’t see how the two would mix together. The gingerbread house was spectacular, but that seemed to be the only new detail. Maybe I have seen this too much, but every year there was something that caught your eye. This year seemed tired and I was disappointed. Not terribly disappointed, of course, as we turned around and got right back on.
From there, we headed over to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Hallie just loved that ride. We headed off Pooh and headed back to Pirates. After Pirates, the kids did a little shopping in Pieces of Eight and then we headed back through Adventureland. We decided to take a ride on the Jungle Cruise and then we headed to the Tiki Room. We took a few minutes to rest while we waited and we snacked on fresh pineapple, Dole Whip and Dole Float. Oh, they were good! We headed into the Tiki Room and Hallie loved the show. I think Rob did, too. We headed out of Adventureland to Main Street and stopped to buy Hallie a light spinner and light necklace. Our plan was to head to Small World, ride and then wait for the fireworks. We made a quick bathroom stop and then headed for Small World. However, Fantasyland was already closed when we passed and so was Small World. So, we decided to just sit and wait. As it had been 4 hours and I had yet to eat a frozen chocolate covered banana, I just had to have one. Jaden OD’d on Churros and Hallie decided to eat an ice cream sandwich, a frozen banana and she conned some churro off of Jaden.
The fireworks are always something special to me. I guess fireworks have always been one of my favorite things. This time, however, was extra special. To have Rob, Hallie and Jaden all there with me—well, all was right with the world at that moment and I could have lived in it forever. Hallie couldn’t squeal enough and I heard several “Wow’s” out of Rob. Jaden and I just smiled at each other and gave each other our traditional exchange “Merry Christmas, Jaden. Merry Christmas, Nan”. It was an absolutely magical moment and I will treasure it forever.
After that we headed back down along the Matterhorn and down Main Street. It was a little crowded considering the park was closing, but nothing compared to what Jaden and I have seen. We headed back to GC and it was a very pleasant, short walk back. Our beds had been turned down and chocolates left, with GC robes left on the bed. We were just enthralled by that. We watched people leaving from the balcony and enjoyed the lights of Downtown Disney. We were all debating finding food, but no one could seem to make a decision. Hallie and I were out on the balcony and when we turned around, the boys were asleep. So, we headed to Downtown Disney, jammies, slippers and hair rollers intact. It was a surprise I didn’t just go in my GC robe. We grabbed some pizza slices at Naples and headed back to the balcony where we shared the best pizza we had ever eaten. We then headed to bed since we had a somewhat early morning. The next day was our early entry, but Disneyland didn’t open until 10 am, so it was not terribly early. That was good since we were all tired. The beds were great and were some of the softest I have ever had in a hotel. We fell asleep with smiles on our faces.
THURSDAY, November 16, 2006
The next day was our early entry and we, unfortunately, got a late start. It started when I tried to change our reservations for Goofy’s Kitchen. I could not get a reservation for Sunday morning. I tried everything I could think of. Disney Dining kept insisting that I could not have a reservation, but I could walk-in—and wait for 2 hours. Uh, no. If you have walk-ins, you can reserve me a table. After 20 minutes, we found someone who could get me a reservation. The lesson here—I try very hard to be a good “guest” and not ask of Disneyland what it cannot give. I understand before I go what is feasible and what is not. I don’t try to be unreasonable, but I am also not afraid to ask to be accommodated when it is possible and someone is just being difficult. I am infinitely respectful of cast members, their roles and their limitations, but I expect a cast member to do their best to make my stay as pleasant as they can. If they can accommodate bad guests who are unreasonable, they can accommodate a good guest and I am not afraid to talk to anyone to accomplish that.
We finally made it over to Disneyland right as the gates were opening, all of us in matching shirts. We immediately headed to Fantasyland and Jaden informed his shocked Uncle Robert that no, we do NOT stop and eat. Grab a Coke and a banana and let’s, as we say, queue it up! We immediately got in line for Peter Pan, which we all loved and then headed over to Dumbo. Thus begins Hallie’s love affair with Dumbo. We rode 3 times in rapid succession, which I realized is simply not done most days. Having our fill of Walt’s most famous pachyderm, we headed over the Snow White and Pinocchio. We also headed over the teacups and took a spin there. We noticed the line for Alice was very long by this time and decided to head to Small World instead. Bad decision—we never made it back to Alice. We took a ride on Small World and then decided to head over to Buzz Lightyear. Everyone needed their Buzz fix. We rode about 3 times in rapid succession. What a wonderful day in the park. We then decided to head over New Orleans Square since we had 11:30 reservations at the Blue Bayou. Jaden and I had just enough time to squeeze in Indiana Jones and Splash Mountain. We headed to Splash first. Hallie and Rob chickened out in the queue and Jaden and I headed to the Laughing Place on our own. The line was less than 5 minutes, so we rode twice. We then headed over to Indiana Jones since we hadn’t been on it and we had been in Disneyland over 24 hours. We talked Hallie into it all through the queue, but she was very scared. The cast members were great, telling her how fun the ride was. She would be OK for a while, but would then get scared again. She did get on, but I don’t think she enjoyed it much. Jaden and I headed back on again and then we all headed to the Blue Bayou, which calmed everyone down.
Lunch at the Blue Bayou was very good, probably the best meal we had. Rob ordered ribs and Jaden ordered the adult prime rib. Both were excellent and the consensus was that the food was well worth the price. I ordered the Monte Cristo and that is always worth the price. The wedge salads were very good and I was especially impressed that Hallie got a plate of carrots and celery with ranch dressing to dip when we got our salads. We devoured the sourdough bread, of course. The chicken nuggets went over well with Hallie and I just loved the fact that I got to keep my menu. It was a great souvenir. We were all so stuffed that we decided to forego dessert. The price was pretty much what I expected. It wasn’t cheap, but it was worth it. We left the Blue Bayou and headed onto to Pirates, another tradition. We shopped around a bit and then headed for Tomorrowland.
Jaden and I recognized immediately that today was a special day as far as crowds go and we were determined to make it count. We had to go on Buzz again. Pam was the winner—yet again. “She is the champion, my friend” (Insert Queen here) We then headed over to Space and Jaden and I rode three times in succession. I will just say that the third time was the charm and our Disney luck held true once again. After this, Jaden and I were eager to head over to DCA and get on Soarin’ and Monsters, Inc. We headed over to DCA, stopping to take a couple of pictures in front of the tree first. We headed to Monsters, Inc and Hallie just loved it. We rode several times and then headed to Soarin’. Surprisingly, the line for Soarin’ was still sort of long and DCA was closing soon. We rode Soarin’ only once since DCA was closed when we got off the ride and then headed to get dinner at the Taste Pilot’s Grill. Everyone wanted to see the fireworks again, but from in front of the Castle, so we headed back. Rob and Hallie were going to stake spots out while Jaden and I did some riding. Rob and Hallie found spots right in front about 2 rows from the rope. Jaden and I headed to Big Thunder and rode it once since the line was about 35 minutes. A side note on Big Thunder, we happened to be the last people in a second line as the CM’s were moving to only one line. Thus, the cast member waited most of our wait time right behind us. I casually asked if Big Thunder was running well today and she smiled and assured me it was. She asked if knew what happened and I replied I did. I said I considered it almost a fluke and she agreed. She indicated that now only the most seasoned CM’s were able to work Big Thunder and the CM’s working there considered it a privilege. She indicated the CM’s took their jobs very seriously and felt personally responsible for each guest’s enjoyment and safety. She told me it was probably the safest ride in the park. It made me smile. Walt would be proud. We then headed to the Mansion and it seemed better lit with more pumpkins than the night before. We then decided to head back to Rob and Hallie. The fireworks were wonderful from in front of the Castle and I am especially glad Disney kept the technique of showing images on Small World and the Castle. After this, we headed back to the GC, as everyone was tired and we had a very early morning the next day with our upcoming Toontown Madness on Friday.
FRIDAY, November 17, 2006
The next morning we had our Toontown Madness vouchers to use and Jaden and I had to do some fast talking to get Rob and Hallie to forego breakfast for a while--again. Toontown Madness was fun and it was nice that Toontown was not crowded. I did some quick shopping and Hallie got to meet a number of characters, a theme throughout the day. We rode Roger Rabbit while we were there and then we headed off to find food. On the way, we rode the Storybookland Canal Boats as it had no line. We also took another ride on Dumbo. We then walked over to the Riverbelle Terrace via Big Thunder Trail and I still could not see Claus! Jaden and I finally got to eat our Mickey pancakes. Actually, breakfast was really good and it set the stage for the most hilarious moment of the trip. I had a shoulder pack/bag I carried during the trip and I set it under the table at the Riverbelle Terrace. There must have been some spilled milk under our table in the cracks of the ground that soured and it got on the strap of my bag. As I put the bag on, the milk got on my shirt and I smelled like sour milk. Ever the prepared mom, I pulled a Shout wipe out of my bag as we entered Tarzan’s Treehouse and I asked Rob to wipe off the back of my shirt. I don’t know what the man was thinking, but he proceeded to wipe my shirt with a force that could have broken skin. That stung my back, (Think of how you feel when someone unexpectedly hits you on the back.) and it startled me right around the first room of the Treehouse, where Sabor is. Well, when I jumped from the sting, I didn’t notice the single step leading from that room across the bridge, I stumbled and then Sabor growls at me and I almost fall across the bridge. I panic because it feels like I’m going to fall out of the treehouse and I throw my hands up to steady myself and the bag I was carrying from Toontown went up and over the railing, landing in the tree. Hallie’s autograph book went tumbling down to the ground. I was upset and out of sorts and became more so when Rob, Hallie and Jaden burst out laughing and practically rolled out of the Treehouse themselves with laughter. (Rumor has it, according to those three, that I jumped when Sabor growled and threw my hands in the air, throwing the bag over the side, ready to run. This, however, cannot be confirmed and should not be relied upon.) Nonetheless, we now had to retrieve our belongings. Jaden, Hallie and I headed down and found help, along with Hallie’s book on a trash can. Someone must have thought it was raining autograph books from above. Rob stayed with the stuff. A wonderful woman named Gladys came to our rescue with a big grabber thingie designed just for this type of problem. In no time we all our stuff back and a couple of goodies, thanks to Gladys. Hallie received a set of Tinkerbell pins, one to keep for herself and another to give to a friend, which she promptly handed to Jaden. Jaden scored two free churros for himself and Hallie. Gladys is just wonderful and we appreciated her help immensely.
OK—crisis averted, we set out to have more fun. We all headed back to Pirates for another ride and then we headed back to the Mansion. After that, Jaden and I headed back on Splash for a couple of more rides. After this, we decided to head over to DCA and see Aladdin. We stopped for another ride on Monsters Inc. and then caught the first Aladdin show. I then headed to Tower of Terror—alone. I had absolutely no takers on going on Tower, even Jaden said no. While I was on Tower, Rob, Hallie and Jaden met several characters in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot. After I met them, we visited with still more characters. Hallie actually filled two books this trip. We rode Monsters, Inc. again and then caught a Playhouse Disney show. After this, we headed back to the GC, via DCA. We headed to White Water Snacks and grabbed pizza, salad, fruit and other goodies and had a late lunch. We then headed back up to the room for some rest. There was also a message from the front desk. A package was there for us. When I went down, the CM who got us those hard fought for reservations at Goofy’s Kitchen had autographed pictures for us all. Thanks, Lisa! All of us ended up sleeping, a new experience for Jaden and I who are Disneyland commandos.
After our break, we headed back to Disneyland for Fantasmic. The plan was to see the Christmas Fantasy parade, as this was the first day and then head to Fantasmic. We would eat while waiting and Rob and Hallie would again stake out seats while Jaden and I headed out to ride. I don’t care how many times I see the Christmas Fantasy parade. I love it and so did everyone else. Hallie didn’t know what to smile at next and Rob went through two roles of film. After this, we immediately headed for the Rivers of America where crowds were already gathering. We found a place and spread out. Hallie and Jaden wanted churros, so they had churros for dinner. Rob wanted bread bowl chowder, so Jaden and I got that for him. I wanted a corn dog, so I headed back to Main Street. I found my corn dog, bought Hallie a balloon and headed back to eat. Jaden and I got in a ride on Splash and a ride on the Mansion and then headed back since it was getting really crowded. Fantasmic was terrific, as always. We headed back to Buzz Lightyear so that Hallie could have one more ride before she went home. The plan was for Jaden and I to stay until midnight and Rob and Hallie to head back to bed. When we got to Buzz, it was down and Hallie was bitterly disappointed. She and Rob headed back, but she was not happy. Jaden and I decided to head back so that she would feel better, since it was just about 90 minutes that we had left. We couldn’t have fun if we knew she was upset. We all headed back and I stopped at World of Disney for major shopping. I didn’t get back to the room until well after 1 am. Everyone else headed to bed. We had one last day ahead of us.
SATURDAY, November 18, 2006
For this last day, my goal was to really take time to enjoy the park, the season and my family. We had been on a whirlwind for the past 3 days given the lack of crowds and I figured today would be a perfect day to calm down while everyone else was hurrying around. We started the day with Breakfast with Minnie at the Plaza Inn. Hallie and I had really been looking forward to this. We made it into the park right at opening and made our way to the Plaza Inn where they were waiting for us. We were seated in an absolutely beautiful location, the sunroom overlooking Main Street, Christmas tree right next to us. It was wonderful. Breakfast was really good and there is a good variety to choose from. We saw several characters and they really took time to interact with all of us. Hallie just loved it. We finally left and headed to Buzz Lightyear first to make up for the night before. We rode Buzz twice and then decided to head toward Toontown and Small World.
On the way to Toontown, we stopped in Fantasyland to ride Dumbo again. The wait was not too bad. We also rode Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, but passed again on Alice due to the long line. We then headed to Mickey’s House. We had decided to forego pictures with Mickey on Friday to get to DCA, so we had to go back and meet the Big Cheese himself. We walked right in and took some time for Hallie to explore Mickey’s house, but we didn’t linger. We headed right back to get in line and we waited about 15-20 minutes. We took our pictures and headed back to Small World, which already had a line. We were on in about 10 minutes and we swore the boat we were in was going to split apart. I think we might have been right because when I stood up the back of my jeans were wet. Go figure. We shopped for a bit in the store and then decided to catch the Disneyland Railroad to New Orleans Square. As we were waiting for the train, we saw the Fantasyland Theatre, which was being used for the Princess Fantasy Faire. It was absolutely packed. Apparently you are herded into the side of theatre where you are eventually let in to take part in the activities there. I was kind of glad Hallie didn’t want to do that. I asked her several times and each time was a solid no. We also had a bit of treat while we were waiting for the train. A train came through the station and stopped very briefly. At the end of the train was the Lilly Belle. It stopped right in front of us and we had a good look inside. Rob and Hallie wondered why Jaden and I were so excited. There was a family inside, sitting around like they had no idea what was going on. I figured it was one of those “Year of a Million Dreams” winners. By the way, Lilly Belle family, if you’re reading this—under no circumstances, no matter what the cast members tell you, you DO NOT LOUNGE with your feet on the furniture in the Lilly Belle or LAY ON THE SEATS!!! Have some respect!
I guess I will use this as my commentary section on the Year of a Million Dreams promotion. We saw several winners throughout the park. We saw the ultimate FastPass being handed out and it was being distributed to several people in addition to the winner if you asked quickly enough. It was also being distributed on a day where FastPass was not needed. I didn’t notice one Ultimate FastPass on Friday or Saturday. For regulars like Jaden and I, you start feeling like you’re entitled to something special. We are there every year, we know the ins and outs, we need a little bit more Magic, something extra special to happen. You see people, like Lilly Belle family, who obviously have no clue how special that experience was, disrespecting the experience to boot, and you start to feel a little resentful it isn’t you and that it was somehow wasted on people who didn’t grasp its meaning or how special it was. It seems the promotion creates wonderful memories for some and leaves others sort of resentful and forgotten. Actually, I’ll amend that—a wonderful memory isn’t created for someone who has no clue what they’ve won. Take Lilly Belle family for instance. For people who understand the history of Disneyland, the Railroad, Walt, etc.,--that ride is priceless. For someone who doesn’t have a clue, it means nothing. There is no way to determine how much each experience means to each person and thus, they all kind of falls short. A Disney promotion should make everyone feel good and included, not leave someone feeling left out.
Ok, off the soapbox. We took the train on a Grand Circle and then got off in Tomorrowland to see if we could ride Autopia. Autopia, however, had a huge line. Hallie was bitterly disappointed that we weren’t going to wait in the heat and was starting to melt down a bit. The park was very crowded now and the heat was on the edge of uncomfortable. I had promised Rob in the line for Mr. Toad that I would, somehow, get him back to the room so that he could see at least part of the Ohio State-Michigan football game and I figured this would be a good time to take a break. We headed back down Main Street and through Downtown Disney to the GC.
We watched the football game in the room, watched people at Downtown Disney and ate pizza. All of us also caught cat naps while we were at it. After our break, we decided to head back to DCA and Jaden and I were gearing up for Disneyland until closing. We went back down to DCA and Jaden and I rode Grizzly River Run twice while Rob and Hallie shopped. I was dry on the first time, but soaked on the second ride, so I just headed right back up the room, changed my jeans and that was it. We then saw It’s Tough to be a Bug and MuppetVision 3D. We also stopped and talked with Claus, who was so cool with his Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses. Hallie also wanted another ride on Monsters, Inc, so we did that as well. After that, we headed to Disneyland so that we could wait for Autopia in cooler temperatures. We then headed to Autopia and Hallie got to drive. She just loved that. At this point, she and her dad decided to head back to Downtown Disney to Build A Bear and Jaden and I would stay until closing.
Jaden and I came up a plan. We started at Space Mountain and then headed back to Adventureland where we queued it up for Indy, which had a huge line. We waited right around the 45 minute wait time and then got on the ride. We were through the Chamber of Destiny and had just passed Indy telling us to head the other way, when the ride broke down. It was strange to be in there with the lights on and nothing but gray walls around you. It took a good 20 minutes for the ride to start again and I was hoping to be evac-ed out. The ride started again and as we came back to the station, they offered all of us another ride which we all eagerly took. After this, Jaden and I headed to Pirates. After Pirates, I headed to the Blue Bayou to pick up three sugar treasure chests with chocolates in them. I had not gotten them earlier and they would follow us around the park the rest of the night, as we had to “guard the chests”. We headed to Splash from there, right as Fantasmic started. As a result, we were able to get two rides in. After that we headed back to the Mansion for our final visit with Jack Skellington. We tried to get a Jack plush doll from an ODV cart, but it was closed. We then headed to Big Thunder Railroad and got a ride in there. We then tried to find Jack at Le Bat En Rouge and a couple of other places, but had no luck. After that, we decided to finish up with Space Mountain. Once we finished Space, we had about 5 minutes left, so we headed down Main Street to look for a Jack Skellington plush doll, which we couldn’t find. We then headed to World of Disney and still couldn’t find Jack. By this time, it was after 1 am and Jaden and I simply collapsed into chairs around the Christmas tree at the GC. We stayed there for a good 15 minutes just smiling and looking at the tree. It was a wonderful trip and, as usual, it ended much too soon.
SUNDAY, November 19, 2006
The morning brought those hard fought reservations at Goofy’s Kitchen. We took a leisurely stroll through a nearly deserted Downtown Disney and I always love getting to the Disneyland Hotel. It has such a completely different feel from the GC. We waited about 10 minutes and then were seated. We saw several characters and enjoyed breakfast. We browsed in the gift shop for a while and then walked back. We were all pretty much packed. I had pushed everyone to pack before we headed back into the parks the afternoon before, so we were ready. We headed back to the airport and got through check-in and security much more quickly than I imagined we would. Before we knew it, we were back in New Mexico and heading back home.
FINAL THOUGHTS
First final thought is that the week before the Christmas season officially starts is a wonderful time to go. The crowds are light, but the decorations and spirit are heavy. Can’t ask for more than that. The two days we had with no crowds were just great.
Still mad that I missed Alice. I somehow always miss Alice and then spend time in the trip report lamenting about that. Next year—Alice, first thing! Still missed the Reindeer Round-Up. It’s hours are shorter than the parks and we just didn’t find the time. According to Jaden and Hallie, I am just too old. So sorry, gang!
Grand Californian is just amazing. It really enhances the experience in every way—the hotel, the amenities, the service, the proximity. It will be hard to stay anywhere else now.
Having Rob and Hallie with Jaden and I made the trip so much more special. I, no doubt, have a new Disneyland buddy in my daughter and Mom’s heart sings to know that she loves Disneyland as much as I do. I imagine it will be Hallie, Jaden and I exploring our favorite place for many years to come. However, when I mentioned going November, 2007 and didn’t mention taking Rob, I heard this trite little, “You’re not going to leave me out, are you?” I guess there is pixie dust after all. No, Rob, we won’t leave you out.
Pam Baca