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Thread: E Family's Winter Escape- 12/1/13 through 12/7/13

  1. #1

    E Family's Winter Escape- 12/1/13 through 12/7/13

    Travel Dates: December 1st through 7th 2013
    Travel Method: Our Car
    Resort: Embassy Suites, Frontera St.
    Accommodations: 2 Queen bed suite
    Ages in group: 39, 35, 11, 8
    Experience: Frequent, Rookies
    Cast of Characters: Hubby and I, Son and Daughter

    So, this is my first trip report, so please forgive me if the format is off. We originally planned to make this trip in 2012, but due to financial reasons we had to postpone. Our kids have never seen the resort at Christmas time, so we have waited all year for this trip. The last time we visited was March 2011, almost three years ago. Our daughter, who is eight, doesn't really remember the parks, so we are very excited to see her reaction. She is also tall enough to ride all the rides she cares to this time. Hopefully, she will be brave enough to try some of the E-tickets rides. Our son wants to go on everything, which is concerning because his dad and I don't like Tower, or Screamin'.

    Hotel reservations are made, itinerary is made, now we just wait.

    Tentative Itinerary:
    Sunday (12/1): Make the drive from the SJ Valley, check into hotel, get to bed early
    Monday (12/2): First day at DLR
    Tuesday (12/3): Dinner reservations at Rain Forest Cafe
    Wednesday (12/4): Watch Anaheim Ballet in DTD
    Thursday (12/5): DLR
    Friday (12/6): Last DLR Day, Tickets for Fantasmic Premium Seating
    Saturday (12/7): Make the drive home

    Only 13 days to go!


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  3. #2

    sounds fun! cant wait to read more! cant wait to hear about your fantasmic seating

    The mosted wasted of days, is the one without laughter-E E Cummings

  4. #3
    Self-Proclaimed Disney Queen! Pammer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Sacramento, CA

    Maybe your daughter will be brave enough to ride Tower & Screamin' with your son? Have a great time!

    Pam
    DL trips: too many to remember actual dates, but they began in the 60s!
    WDW trips: 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2021



  5. #4

    Before I start my trip report, I should give you a little background on us. I come from a family of Disneyland diehards. As kids, my parents would pack us into the car at 3 am to get to Disneyland by 10am opening, and then spend the whole day in the park. Open to close was our routine. My husband had never been to Disneyland when I met him, and he wasn’t really a theme park person. It’s taken two kids and fifteen years to convince him it’s a wonderful way to spend a vacation. He’d rather be in the woods. Our trips are not done at break-neck speed. This is the first time in my children’s lives that we have stayed in the parks late enough to see Fantasmic, World of Color, or the fireworks. We were still only there by park opening one day, and were always gone several hours before park closing. All that being said, here we go.
    12/1 Day One
    We left home at 8:30 am. According to Google, the trip should have taken less than six hours. It took eight. “Holiday” traffic was terrible. I5 was a parking lot in the middle of nowhere, for no apparent reason. We stopped at a Denny’s in Castaic for lunch and made it to our hotel by 4:30pm. The staff was wonderful. When we checked in, they informed us that we were their guests of the day. We had special snacks in our room, were given free Wi-Fi for the duration of our trip, and they had placed us in a room where we could watch the Disneyland fireworks in that night.
    We have stayed in this Embassy Suites twice before, once in 2006, and again in 2008. We chose this hotel again because we enjoy having a separate living room and bedroom. We enjoy the full cooked to order breakfast every morning, the indoor pool, and the free parking. The staff was wonderful, yet again this stay. All the amenities were there, however the hotel itself has declined in the last few years. Both of the elevators at the front of the hotel were broken our entire stay. Not only did that mean the every hotel guest staying during a very busy holiday week had to use the two elevators in the back of the hotel, but our room was at the very front. The room had water damage around two of its three sinks. The bathroom ceiling had the beginning signs of mold. Not huge problems, but this is not a cheap hotel. For what we paid, I expect the property to be maintained. Another nit-picky problem was the AC, or lack thereof. There was a sign in our room that said the AC would be turned on if the outside temp was over 70. The heat would be turned on if it was under 50 outside. If it was in-between, we were out of luck. We could, however, ask for a space heater or fan for our room. I know hotels are trying to be more eco-friendly, but I didn’t like this solution. I don’t believe will be returning to this property in the future. I would not suggest it to anyone.
    Okay, complaining done.
    After checking in and getting settled, be ran to the grocery store, picked up snacks, drinks and some dinner, and headed back to our room. We watched the fireworks, ate in our room, took the kids swimming, showered and were in bed by 9:30 pm.
    Tomorrow, day 2……into Disneyland!


  6. #5
    Registered User DisneyGator's Avatar
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    Aug 2010
    Location
    Modesto (Waterford), California

    And.......

    Working for Disney. No, no. Working (in a Modesto office) for (the money to take a trip to) Disney (World/Land)

    WDW Trips: June 2002, Feb 2004, Dec 2006, Dec 2008, Jan 2010, Feb 2011, Dec 2012
    Disneyland Trips: Feb 2006, Nov 2013, Nov 2014, Feb, March, June 2015 (x2), Nov 2015

  7. #6

    I am so glad I kept good notes during our trip. Between all the stuff we did while we were there, and the craziness happening at home now (getting ready for the holidays!) everything runs together.
    12/2 Day 2
    Into Disneyland!
    We were up at 6:30, got dressed and headed down for breakfast. This is truly one of my favorite things about Embassy Suites. The breakfast options are so much better than at a lot of other hotels. There were made to order omelets, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and a seemingly endless selection of breads, muffins and pastries. Not to mention cold and hot cereals, fresh fruit, yogurt and many drink options. Every morning we had a different combination of stuff, for 6 different breakfast experiences.
    We were in the car and off to the parks by 8 am. We had not preordered our tickets, so we had to buy them at the gate. I know we could have saved money, and/or gotten extra perks if we had preordered. I am slightly ashamed that we waited. However, we were not 100% sure this trip was going to happen (for various reasons) and I needed to be able to cancel everything last minute and not be out any money. So, we made it over to the ticket booth to purchase our five day park hopper tickets. We were helped by a wonderful lady named Nancy, who treated us as first time visitors, and explained how everything at the DLR worked. It was kind of fun.
    By 9:20 we were strolling down Main Street USA. It was so wonderful to be back. We absolutely loved seeing the park all decorated for Christmas. Last time we were there at Christmas our son (who is now almost 12) was only 9 months old, so our kids had never seen it. They were so excited.
    I really expected the park to be busier coming off Thanksgiving weekend. It really wasn’t bad. I had downloaded an app for my phone that gave us updates on ride lines, and that was a savior. We took advantage of the low crowds and got as much done as we could that first day. We rode Snow White, Peter Pan, Mr. Toad, Pinocchio, checked out the New Fantasyland, rode the Tea Cups (which broke about 1 minute in), Alice in Wonderland all by 11:30. After a snack brought in by us, we rode It’s a Small World, before catching the new show, Mickey and the Magic Map. It was wonderful. We sat in the front row, by the kids’ choice. I think it would have been better farther away. The map is on a very large digital screen, and I think we would have seen the effect better from higher up. That being said, the interaction with the actors was really cool. My kids loved it, and so did I. My husband is not a big musical person, but watches with us, for us. After the show we headed to Autopia, then to lunch.
    We had lunch at Redd’s Pizza Port. Not my favorite place to eat, but it was one of the closest. My husband and I each had a slice of the holiday pizza (cheese, turkey and cranberries) and our kids had pepperoni. We also got a large Mediterranean salad to share. Again, not the best, but it was enough for lunch.
    After we ate we rode Buzz Lightyear, Star Tours, Finding Nemo, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Haunted Mansion. As an afternoon snack we enjoyed churros. They are still our favorite Disneyland snack. After making Indiana Jones our last ride of the day we headed out of the park for the day, around 6:30 pm. We picked up a pizza on our way back to the hotel for dinner.
    Once back in our room we got into comfy clothes and settled in for pizza and TV. We lucked out and caught a Charlie Brown Christmas on TV, just as it was starting. It was a nice end to the evening. We were into bed by 9 pm.
    Tomorrow, our first look at the all new DCA !


  8. #7

    12/3 Day 3
    We slept in a little more than planned and barely made it downstairs in time for breakfast. On the way to DLR we stopped by Subway, and picked up some sandwiches for lunch. We finally made it to the resort by 10:30.

    First we made a quick stop into Disneyland. Our son had wanted to ride the Matterhorn the night before, but none of us were up to the 45 minute wait. We had tried the single rider line, but for some reason it wasn’t open. Though the line was already nearly 40 minutes long, the single rider line was open, and the wait was less than 10 minutes. My daughter wasn’t ready for this won yet, so she and I waited on a bench making plans for the rest of the day in DCA. After just a few minutes, we heard an announcement that the Matterhorn was not working and they would be clearing the line. I was kind of worried when the guys didn’t come out right away, that maybe they got stuck on it. They hadn’t though, and had gotten to ride before it went down. Yeah! Now off to DCA.

    Let me first say, the “new” park is beautiful. I was not a big fan of DCA when it first opened. I felt it lacked the magic of DL and was really missing the characters themselves. All problems solved for me! I love the new gate. Buena Vista Street really feels like a street. We saw Goofy right off the bat, all dressed up in his 1920’s Christmas finest. I loved Oswald’s gas station. My kids have really taken to this “new” character, and could have spent half the day looking at everything they could buy. I think my favorite thing was the window displays in Elias & Co. They were all done up for Christmas, but were very appropriate to the time of the street. The paper animated characters were a nice contrast to the very three dimensional windows of Main Street USA. Between all the wonderful stores, Disney characters, carolers, trolley cars, and trees (something so obviously missing at the original opening); the new Buena Vista Street was just the perfect introduction to Walt’s California Adventure.
    Radiator Springs Racers was down all day this day, so we weren’t in a big hurry to get to Cars Land. The kids insisted on started in a Bugs Land. We rode everything in there, and while our kids are getting a little old for these rides, they still enjoyed them. My husband and I couldn’t help but remember this land with fond memories of much smaller little ones. Heimlick’s Chew Chew Train loses something when you’re not riding with a three year old. On our way out of Bugs Land we caught a showing of It’s Tough to be a Bug. We hadn’t seen this show on our last few visits, so the kids were taken off guard by some of the special effects. I think this one is great, but a little too intense for little ones. This time our kids were the perfect age and thought it was great.

    Next we were off to Radiator Springs. I have to admit that it was probably the anticipation of this land alone that talked my husband into this DLR trip, and he was not disappointed. The attention to detail was amazing. I have to admit, I was blown away too. Even though the park was fairly busy, the lines weren’t too bad. Only ten to twenty minutes long. We rode Mater’s and Luigi. Luigi was fun, but all the tires were grouped together and you could only move a few feet before hitting someone and stopping. I guess that was the point, but we could have gotten up a lot more speed if everyone had spread out a little more. Still, there was a smile on everyone’s face when we got off. Mater’s was a blast! That little tractor whips you around a lot faster than it looks. I couldn’t help but giggle loudly every time we whipped around. So much fun.
    By then it was time for lunch, so we headed for the picnic area just outside park gates. Now, we had never used them before, but I had seen the signs. It was kind of a challenge to find the entrance. You have to exit the Esplanade area, and follow the tall hedges almost all the way around. Once you’re in there though, you’re in a quiet, secluded spot. It was a nice break from the crowds.

    I would like to take a moment to pick a sore spot about our touring app. The crowd forecast for our visit was level 1 on Monday thru Thursday, and a 7 on Friday. Being there all five days, we think it was closer to level 5 to 7 all week. Monday had the shortest lines, but not by much. Friday really didn’t seem any worse. I don’t know if once they set the forecast, they do not update it, but they should. Okay, picking over.

    After lunch it was back into DCA, and over to Soarin’ for a fast pass. It was around 3 pm and our return time was for 4:15 to 5:15. Before our return window was up, we were able to squeeze in the Little Mermaid, Golden Zephyr, Goofy’s Sky School and Toy Story. The line for Toy Story was horrible (45 min.), but seemed to be for our entire trip. They seriously need to figure out a FP for that one. We barely made it back to Soarin’ in time, but we did. This was our daughter’s first time riding, and it’s now one of her favorites. I loved that this time we were actually at the resort at Christmas time, the same time of year depicted in the DL in Soarin’. It made just a little more magical, and was a very fitting end to our theme park day.

    This was the night we had reservations for Rain Forest Caf. Our kids had always wanted to eat there, so I made reservations a couple of months in advance. We got to eat upstairs near the elephants. The kids enjoyed the atmosphere, and the food was pretty good. My husband wasn’t sure it was worth the price, but really it wasn’t much more than anywhere else in the resort. I think it was more the loud noise that bothered him than the prices. It’s not a quiet place, but it was fun.

    We finished dinner and were at the trams back to the parking garage right before 8pm. Along with everyone else. Both parks closed at 8 that night. Thankfully both sides were loading trams, but it still took us nearly an hour to get on one. We were getting a little worried that we wouldn’t. Trams were supposed to run for one hour after park opening, but when we pulled away at 8:50, there were still hundreds of people waiting. Will they really shut the trams down, and leave all those people to walk back to their cars? That is a really long walk.

    We were so beat once we got back to our hotel; we drug ourselves down to the hot tub for a good soak before climbing into bed at 10:30.

    Tomorrow our kids spend all the money they spent a year saving.


  9. #8

    12/3 Day 3
    We slept in a little more than planned and barely made it downstairs in time for breakfast. On the way to DLR we stopped by Subway, and picked up some sandwiches for lunch. We finally made it to the resort by 10:30.

    First we made a quick stop into Disneyland. Our son had wanted to ride the Matterhorn the night before, but none of us were up to the 45 minute wait. We had tried the single rider line, but for some reason it wasnt open. Though the line was already nearly 40 minutes long, the single rider line was open, and the wait was less than 10 minutes. My daughter wasnt ready for this won yet, so she and I waited on a bench making plans for the rest of the day in DCA. After just a few minutes, we heard an announcement that the Matterhorn was not working and they would be clearing the line. I was kind of worried when the guys didnt come out right away, that maybe they got stuck on it. They hadnt though, and had gotten to ride before it went down. Yeah! Now off to DCA.

    Let me first say, the new park is beautiful. I was not a big fan of DCA when it first opened. I felt it lacked the magic of DL and was really missing the characters themselves. All problems solved for me! I love the new gate. Buena Vista Street really feels like a street. We saw Goofy right off the bat, all dressed up in his 1920s Christmas finest. I loved Oswalds gas station. My kids have really taken to this new character, and could have spent half the day looking at everything they could buy. I think my favorite thing was the window displays in Elias & Co. They were all done up for Christmas, but were very appropriate to the time of the street. The paper animated characters were a nice contrast to the very three dimensional windows of Main Street USA. Between all the wonderful stores, Disney characters, carolers, trolley cars, and trees (something so obviously missing at the original opening); the new Buena Vista Street was just the perfect introduction to Walts California Adventure.
    Radiator Springs Racers was down all day this day, so we werent in a big hurry to get to Cars Land. The kids insisted on started in a Bugs Land. We rode everything in there, and while our kids are getting a little old for these rides, they still enjoyed them. My husband and I couldnt help but remember this land with fond memories of much smaller little ones. Heimlicks Chew Chew Train loses something when youre not riding with a three year old. On our way out of Bugs Land we caught a showing of Its Tough to be a Bug. We hadnt seen this show on our last few visits, so the kids were taken off guard by some of the special effects. I think this one is great, but a little too intense for little ones. This time our kids were the perfect age and thought it was great.

    Next we were off to Radiator Springs. I have to admit that it was probably the anticipation of this land alone that talked my husband into this DLR trip, and he was not disappointed. The attention to detail was amazing. I have to admit, I was blown away too. Even though the park was fairly busy, the lines werent too bad. Only ten to twenty minutes long. We rode Maters and Luigi. Luigi was fun, but all the tires were grouped together and you could only move a few feet before hitting someone and stopping. I guess that was the point, but we could have gotten up a lot more speed if everyone had spread out a little more. Still, there was a smile on everyones face when we got off. Maters was a blast! That little tractor whips you around a lot faster than it looks. I couldnt help but giggle loudly every time we whipped around. So much fun.
    By then it was time for lunch, so we headed for the picnic area just outside park gates. Now, we had never used them before, but I had seen the signs. It was kind of a challenge to find the entrance. You have to exit the Esplanade area, and follow the tall hedges almost all the way around. Once youre in there though, youre in a quiet, secluded spot. It was a nice break from the crowds.

    I would like to take a moment to pick a sore spot about our touring app. The crowd forecast for our visit was level 1 on Monday thru Thursday, and a 7 on Friday. Being there all five days, we think it was closer to level 5 to 7 all week. Monday had the shortest lines, but not by much. Friday really didnt seem any worse. I dont know if once they set the forecast, they do not update it, but they should. Okay, picking over.

    After lunch it was back into DCA, and over to Soarin for a fast pass. It was around 3 pm and our return time was for 4:15 to 5:15. Before our return window was up, we were able to squeeze in the Little Mermaid, Golden Zephyr, Goofys Sky School and Toy Story. The line for Toy Story was horrible (45 min.), but seemed to be for our entire trip. They seriously need to figure out a FP for that one. We barely made it back to Soarin in time, but we did. This was our daughters first time riding, and its now one of her favorites. I loved that this time we were actually at the resort at Christmas time, the same time of year depicted in the DL in Soarin. It made just a little more magical, and was a very fitting end to our theme park day.

    This was the night we had reservations for Rain Forest Caf. Our kids had always wanted to eat there, so I made reservations a couple of months in advance. We got to eat upstairs near the elephants. The kids enjoyed the atmosphere, and the food was pretty good. My husband wasnt sure it was worth the price, but really it wasnt much more than anywhere else in the resort. I think it was more the loud noise that bothered him than the prices. Its not a quiet place, but it was fun.

    We finished dinner and were at the trams back to the parking garage right before 8pm. Along with everyone else. Both parks closed at 8 that night. Thankfully both sides were loading trams, but it still took us nearly an hour to get on one. We were getting a little worried that we wouldnt. Trams were supposed to run for one hour after park opening, but when we pulled away at 8:50, there were still hundreds of people waiting. Will they really shut the trams down, and leave all those people to walk back to their cars? That is a really long walk.

    We were so beat once we got back to our hotel; we drug ourselves down to the hot tub for a good soak before climbing into bed at 10:30.

    Tomorrow our kids spend all the money they spent a year saving.


  10. #9
    Self-Proclaimed Disney Queen! Pammer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Sacramento, CA
    Quote Originally Posted by Alice2marie View Post
    I would like to take a moment to pick a sore spot about our touring app. The crowd forecast for our visit was level 1 on Monday thru Thursday, and a 7 on Friday. Being there all five days, we think it was closer to level 5 to 7 all week. Monday had the shortest lines, but not by much. Friday really didn’t seem any worse. I don’t know if once they set the forecast, they do not update it, but they should. Okay, picking over.
    YES!!! We specifically picked these same dates because of that app/website (which is usually a much better source) saying that Mon-Thurs was a '1'; even our motel manager said that it is usually a slow week and I was very disappointed at how busy the parks were.
    Pam
    DL trips: too many to remember actual dates, but they began in the 60s!
    WDW trips: 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2021



  11. #10
    Self-Proclaimed Disney Queen! Pammer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Sacramento, CA

    Duplicate post.

    Pam
    DL trips: too many to remember actual dates, but they began in the 60s!
    WDW trips: 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2021



  12. #11

    12/4 Day 4

    Wednesday, we were up at 7:30. Down to breakfast, showers, stopped to get gas and we were in the parks by 10:30.

    Already, FPs for Radiator Springs were gone, so we stood in the stand by line. It was 80 minutes, but time went by a little more quickly than you would expect since we had never been through the line before. I have to say that my husband and I were blown away by all the attention to detail. All the weathering and rust. Water stains to make it look like spouts have been leaking forever. Stains on the roof of the garage to make it look like a leaky roof. It was really cool. Its worth noting that the single rider line was only 20 minutes long, but our daughter was too nervous to ride this one on her own. Maybe next time. The ride itself was just amazing. You cant possible see everything the first time through. We definitely look forward to riding again.

    We got off of RSR just in time to catch a showing of Aladdin. Always a must, and as we were already on our third day in the parks and getting a little worn out, it was a nice break. We also snuck in a showing of Muppets and a ride on Monsters Inc. before heading to Taste Pilots Grill for lunch. This was our first time eating here, and I have to say one of my new favorites. I know, they arent anything super special, and serve the say hamburgers that are served all over the resort. However, the condiment bar sets them apart. You can order the cheese burger (which is probably the least expensive meal served in DLR) and turn it into something kind of special. There were your normal ketchup, mustard, mayo, onions, lettuce and such, but there were also green chilies, jalapenos, ranch dressing, bbq sauce and more. It was filling and fun to make our own burgers. We will definitely return.

    After lunch our son talked (more like guilted) Dad into a ride on Grizzly River Rapids, despite the low temps. Then the kids proved yet again that they have way more energy than us adults, they ran through the Redwood Creek Challenge.

    Next we headed over to DL for Indiana FPs. We tried to see Tiki room while we waited, but it broke down. So, after we split a Dole Whip (the best creation ever, next to the churro), we headed over to Pirates. The line looked longer than it was, its amazing how fast they keep it moving. Then it was time for our Indiana FPs. Our ride was interrupted just past the big snake. The lights came on and all the effects stopped. After a few minutes, an employee came to check on us. He asked if any of us had any problem climbing stairs if we had to be evacuated. No one did, and we were told to sit tight. After about 10 min, the ride started moving again, but with the lights still on and no effects. A minute later, everything was back to normal operations. It was really cool to see everything all lit up, and I think it helped my daughter to see how the magic was made, but it does take a lot away from the ride. Our whole car was thrilled when we were asked if we wanted to go through the ride again. After a sight hiccup with a seatbelt safety that almost kept us from leaving the loading area, we were off again. That ride is so much fun.

    After Indiana Jones we left the park for the day and headed to DTD. Our kids had been saving their money for over a year to go to Build a Bear and Ridez. My husband and I split up, and headed off with our chosen child. I, naturally, went with our daughter to Build a Bear, where she very carefully chose a mouse, Hello Kitty Jammies, slippers ad a robe. After adding up everything very carefully, using coupons, and in store specials she came out of there for less than $50. We met up with the guys where our son had added all sorts of extras and blown through nearly $100 of his hard earned money. Both kids were happy, and on that note we headed down to the trams.

    At this point of the trip, we started realizing eating 3 large meals a day was unnecessary, so we stopped by 7-11 for some snacks. A box of pizza rolls, some apples and a couple of snack bags of chips were more than enough. We ate our makeshift dinner, took showers, and crawled into bed at 10:30.


  13. #12

    12/5 Day 5
    So, we had all loved RSR so much on Wednesday, that we had a brilliant idea to try to get two rides in on Thursday. It was a nice try I guess, but made for a very long day.

    We got up at 6 am, our earliest morning yet. After breakfast, we made it to the Mickey and Friends garage by 8:07am, and headed straight for DCA. Once inside we had to wait at the end of Buena Vista Street for the rope drop. Already our plans were foiled, as the line for the RSR fast pass was over an hour long. We decided to head straight for the ride itself and see how the FP line was after. At rope drop, it seemed like everyone at the entire park headed to the same place, RSR. We walked into a line that was over an hour long. After the ride we headed over to check out the FP line. It was still very long, and they only had 45 minutes of FPs to hand out. Oh, well. Twice was better than not at all.

    My daughter and I headed over to pick up our FPs for that nights' World of Color, while the guys headed over for a bonus ride on Goofys Sky School. We met up at the Phineas and Ferb sing a long show, and after another ride on the Golden Zephyr, we headed over to DL.

    We all waited in the stand by line for the Matterhorn, only 35 minutes. It seemed a lot longer, because we were all getting worn out. The ride was fun, but bumpier than I remember. My daughter said she enjoyed it, but said she wouldnt go on it again. Too bad, it was her favorite ride on our last trip, but that was before they changed the cars. Now, instead of sitting in my lap, she had to sit alone, and I think that was what changed it for her. Before leaving Fantasyland, we had pretzels (a churro instead for Mom), rode Dumbo (when did that ride get so high?) and the Carousel. Then we headed over to Tom Sawyers Island, I mean Pirates Lair. We should have hit this the first day of our trip, because my husband and I had a really hard time keeping up with the kids. Seriously, where do they get the energy? After chasing them all over the island, it was time to spend some time in Critter Country.

    The guys headed over to Splash Mountain (no wait) while us girls headed to the much tamer Winnie the Pooh. I like Pooh, but grew up with Country Bear Jamboree. I miss the bears. I miss the 15+ minute shows you got to sit through with heat/ac. Again, oh, well. For lunch we ate at the Hungry Bear. They had the same burger as Taste Pilots, but without the condiment bar. The kids had burgers, Hubby had his with the chili, and I had the turkey and provolone sandwich. Not great, but not bad. It was also a nice break.

    After lunch we headed over to the Tiki Room, but made a slight detour to Tarzans Tree House. Yet another attraction I would recommend on the first day of a trip. While the parents wheezed up the countless steps and tried to enjoy the breathtaking (literally) views, the kids dragged up through at break neck speed. I dont think they saw anything inside the attraction. They just wanted to laugh at us old folks. Once down at the bottom, it was back on track to Tiki Room.
    Still a favorite of mine, though its technology is no longer new, I think it survives because of the passion that Walt put behind this attraction. As a child, I dont remember the courtyard. Did it always have a story of the Gods in it? Our kids walked around the courtyard as the story moved along, and met up with us before we went inside. The show is exactly like I remember it, and it was wonderful. For some reason, it is this attraction that stands out the most in my childhood memories. Perhaps it was the magic, the music, or the fact that my dad always sat in a back corner and took a nap. Who knows?

    After Tiki Room, we headed to Main Street to catch the Holiday Parade. In my opinion, this parade is always better if you can catch it in the evening, once it gets dark. The lights add a lot. Thats just my opinion, though. Our kids were able to get seats on the ground a little in front of us, so they had a much better view than we did. A few obnoxious teens squeezed in around us and stood right in front of me and my husband. We were taller than them, so it didnt bother us too much, until they pulled out their cameras and stuck them up over their heads for the entire parade. So annoying. At least the kids got to see. They had never seen this parade and enjoyed it very much. My husband thinks they should add some more verses to the song. I think it was grating on his nerves a bit.

    Once the parade was over and Main Street thinned out a bit we made our way back over to DCA for World of Color check in. Once in the park, we realized we were a little early, so we made our way over to the Fiddler, Fifer, and Practical Caf. The hubby and the kids enjoyed beverages from Starbucks, while I indulged in a scoop of Mint Chip from Clarabelles next door. After a nice little break we headed up to Ariels Grotto where the blue group of World of Color was gathering. The wait wasnt too bad, and boy was it worth it. This was the holiday version Disney put together, but the only version weve seen. It was wonderful. Olaf was so much fun. It was mostly clips from the new Frozen movie, and a really cute Toy Story does the Nutcracker segment, but there were a few other clips in there too. Those are just the parts that stood out to us. At this point of the trip, we had not seen Frozen, but afterwards the kids were very excited to see it. Suppose Disney planned that? After a long day, we shuffled back to our car, back to 7-11 for a few munchies and fell into bed at 11pm.

    Tomorrow, Friday, our last Disney day, and Fantasmic reservations


  14. #13

    Sorry about the duplicate post for Day 3. My computer glitched, and I haven't figured out how to remove it.


  15. #14
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Beautiful Orange County, CA

    Loving your trip report, especially the personal comments. Can't wait to read about Fantasmic.


  16. #15

    12/6 Day 6
    We were up at 7 this morning, but after breakfasts and showers, we decided none of us were in a hurry to get to the parks. We knew it would be a late night; we had tickets for reserved seating at the 9pm showing of Fantasmic. Plus we had done all the musts on our list. So, I found a theatre a little ways away from Disney that had $6 matinee prices, and went to see Frozen. After the World of Color show the night before, we were all really looking forward to it, and it did not disappoint. It was a wonderful movie. I even saw my husband getting a little teary eyed at the end. Getting away from the crowds of the parks was nice too. There were only 6 other people in the movie theatre.

    After the movie, we headed towards Disney, but stopped for a late lunch at a Carls Jr. outside the parks. We arrived at the Mickey and Friends garage at 4pm.

    First we headed to World of Disney for some last minute souvenir shopping. Then we dashed into DCA for one last ride on Maters. The kids wanted one last walk down DTD, and our daughter wanted to spend some more of her hard earned allowance at Build a Bear. At 7pm we entered Disneyland via the Monorail. I had completely forgotten that you could enter the park that way, and it saved us a long walk back to the gate (we were at the Lego store anyway) and a long line to get in.

    Once inside the park, we headed to Fantasmic to check in. Check in was at 8pm. We got there a few minutes early, but still were not the first to arrive. By the time we got checked in, it was 8:30 and time to be seated. The desserts were for the most part yummy. The kids enjoyed the grapes and cheese, but most of the desserts themselves were a little rich for them. We paid the kids price for our daughter, since she is only eight, and I thought she would have gotten a kids dessert box, but it was the same as ours. Along with several individually wrapped cheeses, green grapes and water crackers, there was a small strawberry cheesecake, a dark chocolate brownie bite, a large raspberry filled frosted sugar cookie, a flan type dessert in a little cup, and two truffle like things that we all spit out. The kids did enjoy the hot chocolate, which came in handy to stay warm. It was under 50 degrees that night. On the upside that meant we might actually have heat when we got back to the hotel!

    Fantasmic was really cool, and it was so nice to be able to sit in a chair and enjoy the show up a lot closer than I have in the past. Our favorite part was the fire breathing dragon. The last time I saw the show (2004?), that was not in it. The show was over around 9:30, and we allowed to stay in our seats for the holiday fireworks. I was really glad, because I dont know how anyone could have gotten from Fantasmic (near the Haunted Mansion) to Main Street through those crowds in time. It was a good show, but probably better from Main Street. I think the Castle actually lends itself to the show. My only peeve was two of the people seated in front of us, decided to stand through the fireworks, and my kids had trouble seeing the fireworks being set off near IASW. We all paid the same price; we should all get the same show. Oh, well. It wasnt worth making a seen. At the end of the holiday fireworks, it snows on Main Street. I was a little bummed we would miss that. What a surprise when it began snowing on us! That was really special, and I am so glad they added that.

    After the fireworks, we split up so the boys could ride Matterhorn one last time, and us girls could check out Snow Whites Wishing Well all lit up at night. We girls had to wait a little while. The area had to be closed down for the fireworks, and we were told that the fire marshal had not cleared it yet to be reopened. Once it did open, it was worth the wait. It was so pretty, and our daughter loved it. We got a few pictures and went to meet the guys. They took a little bit longer than us, but not much (they hit the single rider line). My husband had sat in the very front of the car, and had been hit by a wave of water at the end. He was dripping wet and cold. So on that cue, we headed out of the park for the last time. By the time we got back to the room (still no heat!!!) and made it into bed, it was 11:45.


  17. #16

    12/7 Day 7

    Well, it was time for our adventure to come to an end. And not a minute too soon, either. We woke up at 8am to a cold and wet morning. The first thing I did was check to see if the roads would be open for our drive home, and everything still was. We kept our fingers crossed, and headed down to breakfast.
    Everyone helped get the packing done, and we were out of there by 11. Down in the lobby, one of the girls at reception took our picture in front of their Christmas tree. Looking back at that photo, boy do we look like we've been to Disney for a week. I think I can speak for all of us when I say; we had a blast, made some great memories, tried new things, and were ready to go home. As we loaded our car for the long trip home, the skies opened and the rain came pouring day. I felt like I was back on Winnie the Pooh, and hoped we would not float away. I am so glad we were not in the parks. I know the rain can sometimes drive out the crowds, but that was too much rain for me.

    I took this time to check the roads once more. "I5 closed at the Grapevine, use alternate route." Boo. That meant our 5 hour drive home, would now be an 8. It was a beautiful drive up 101 though, a little windy and cold, but clear and sunny. I tell you though; I don't think any of us have been so happy to sleep in our own beds in a really long time. Oh, and for the use of the heater!

    All in all it was a great trip. Of course there are always things I would change. I don't think we will be coming back at Christmas. It was beautiful, and I can't imagine there is anywhere more magical to spend the holidays, but we had to take our kids out of school for this trip. I really didn't like doing that, even though their teachers worked with us and sent work to do. There are other times of year we can go without having to pull them out of school. They get a fall break in October, so maybe next time Halloween! I was really disappointed that the crowds were what they were. We managed, but it would have been nice to catch the park at a calmer time. I think my husband would have enjoyed it more. He's not a fan of busy places, and I see a lot of camping in our future to make up for this.
    I also don't think we will do the 5 day tickets again. They are a great value, but for us, it was too much Disney. Please, don't tell my parents I said that! We just aren't die hard, open to closers. This trip wore us out. Us being the old folks, not the kids. They could go all month. Not that they wanted to, just that they could. We will be finding a new hotel next trip too, unless I here that they have handled all their maintenance issues. All of the hotel staff was wonderful, so if we knew that elevators worked, mattresses had been replaced, and control over the heat and air had been relinquished back over the hotel guest, we would be willing to give them another chance. If not, there are plenty of hotels to choose from in the area.

    We will be doing World of Color again. Now that we have seen the holiday version, I would love to see the original one. Or whatever new version they have by the time we get to go again. We might see Fantasmic again, but I don't know that we would pay for the reserve seating again. While my husband and I enjoyed it, the kids were not impressed. They prefer World of Color over Fantasmic, and it was a lot of money. I thought it was worth it just for the use of the chair, but Hubby didn't agree.

    I can't wait to see Radiator Springs again, and maybe next time the lines for RSR won't be so long. Yeah, who am I kidding? That ride is awesome, the lines are not going to be any better until Disney adds another new land, or opens that elusive third park (a girl can dream, right?). I do think all the work they did on improving DCA has worked, and for me, it now has almost as much magic as DL.

    I hope you all enjoyed reading this trip report, as much as I enjoyed writing it. Sorry it took so long to get it all posted. Going on vacation during the holiday season is not recommended, unless all Christmas shopping and baking and decorating is done before you leave. No one gave me this piece of advice, and I have been playing catch up since we got back.

    Thanks for reading!


  18. #17

    Thank you so much. What a wonderful trip report.
    Ellen


  19. #18

    Thanks for this trip report. I really enjoyed it! I'm sorry your hotel wasn't perfect. But it sounds like you all had a great time. I loved hearing about the kids spending their allowance money they had saved. I remember those days. So much to buy!! It was fun to read your adventure and I hope you got all of your Christmas shopping done without too much trouble.

    Now, bring me that horizon...drink up me hearties yo ho!
    Always planning another visit to Disney...

  20. #19
    Registered User DisneyGator's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Modesto (Waterford), California

    So glad I read all of this. I definitely won't be going to Embassy Suites on our next trip. And we almost did the Fantasmic! Dessert package - I'm glad we didn't. In fact, we skipped it altogether to see the Winter World of Color on it's first night. Sounds like I made the right choice. You guys take it at a much slower pace than we did. We like to jump from ride to ride as fast as we can. Maybe we can enjoy it more if we stay that extra day .

    Working for Disney. No, no. Working (in a Modesto office) for (the money to take a trip to) Disney (World/Land)

    WDW Trips: June 2002, Feb 2004, Dec 2006, Dec 2008, Jan 2010, Feb 2011, Dec 2012
    Disneyland Trips: Feb 2006, Nov 2013, Nov 2014, Feb, March, June 2015 (x2), Nov 2015

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