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Thread: Madasahatter Xmas Trip with Merry!

  1. #1

    Madasahatter Xmas Trip with Merry!

    Who: Madasahatter and Merry
    When: Thursday and Friday Dec. 9 and 10
    Where: Red Lion Inn

    My sis (tracemountain) is very excited to see my trip report and I have been so busy with cards and Xmas shows etc. So I had better get this off before heading home for Xmas.

    I flew in from SF to LAX on a BRAND NEW VirginAmerica plane. Very smoothe flight. I use to take the DISNEYLAND SHUTTLE all the time but I never seem to see it. Did they move it? So I took a SUPER SHUTTLE and was the third to be dropped off. I traveled very light but still wanted to get rid of my bag. My friend MERRY was teaching all day in So. California and she got the room. She was to meet me at 7pm and DL was open until 9pm. The room was ready so I got to put everything away and headed straight for DL!!!

    Now there was much communication between the two of us and there were many things that we wanted to together and many things Merry won't do so I had a plan for both days.

    I got into the parks around 11 and wanted to check out the Candy Cane Making if I didn't miss it. BINGO! A magic trip to start. THey were an hour into the process meaning they were just starting all the cool stuff. The dying of red and green and white and the pulling and twisting and bending. So cool and all the people watching were fun and the Candy Makers were waving. I got lots of pics on my phone and chatted with the CM in charge of the candy department. He was fun, efficient and informative. The magic was watching the process and I was delighted to find out they make extra Candy Canes so I bought one. No it wasn't made THAT DAY but it was the EXACT SAME CANDY CANE. He was starting to wrap it in bubble wrap and I said no way.....I want to walk around Disneyland with my CANDY CANE!

    So the last trip I took was with a bunch of 20somethings and I didn't get to slow down ever or see all the music. So that was the agenda for the day! I had a reservation at CARNATION CAFE which is the only way to go in D-land. Make reservations. I will wait in line for TSMM but not food. It was perfectly fine and the waiter was cool.

    So, I spent most of the day drinking in the parks and walking up and down Main St. and riding all the cars and admiring the XMAS TREES. I rode SPLASH and TOT as Miss Merry hates those two rides. I saw GREAT MOMENTS with MR. LINCOLN and he was in fine form. Very patriotic. I watched the DAPPER DANS at COKE CORNER do a XMAS SET and saw the MINER 49ers do a set. The MINERS were awesome and did the best SLEIGH RIDE I have ever seen/heard. Great fun. I saw the FLAG CEREMONY. I also rode the HM Holiday. Those were the only four attractions I did!

    Then I headed to the GC and NAPA ROSE for my CHEESE PLATE. The two blue cheeses were to die for. I have the slip somewhere but you will have to take my word for it! I had some great wine with the help of the bartender JUDITH who always recognizes me and I had a port to finish. So I was feeling very holiday giddy!

    BACK TO D-land for the XMAS parade. Merry did NOT want to watch that. She is a vocal professor and now I know why. THe parade was SO CUTE and the floats were awesome! THe TOY MAKING float at the end was amazing. I love the SKATING SNOW FLAKES and the SNOW MEN are so cute. GREAT SANTA too. But that song! It must play at least 10 times. How about a XMAS medley??? Give me it's a small world any day over that. There is nothing particularly wrong with the song but TEN TIMES is 9 times too much.

    I met MERRY right after the fireworks. She was walking in and saw them but we decided NOT to do that Mobile Phone thing until it was over. Good call. She was exhausted from her day and I was very tired so we decided to ride itsasmallworld HOLIDAY and then head to the hotel for a good night sleep and early morning. That is the cutest XMAS RIDE ever!!!! The attention to detail is AMAZING. I love ALICE IN WONDERLAND'S Card Tree. SO very cute.

    FRIDAY MORNING.....

    Got into the park at opening. WE went straight to FL and did PETER PAN and DUMBO and TEA CUPS and ALICE....( I don't care for the re-do of the outside part. It just isn't the same but I understand that they HAD to change it. I hope they come up with something more permanent and less janky. We will see) Then we did SM and CAPTAIN EO.....I loved the nostalgia aspect of CAPTAIN EO. The CM there did an AWESOME job of getting the crowd all excited and we did MICHAEL JACKSON "EEEEE HEEEEE" back and forth. WONDERFUL! We told she made our day. I don't think I need to see CAPTAIN EO again and hope something new is done with that space over the next few years.

    We rushed over to DCA to get on TSMM and it was down. So we rode the FUN WHEEL to look over the work being done on CARS LAND etc. AMAZING. They had just started putting the facade on RADIATOR SPRINGS....very cool. Then Merry decided to go to DL to see the DL BAND with MICKEY because one of her students was playing the part of Mickey. She knew my heart was set on the MARIACHI DIVAS over at PACIFIC WHARF. So I went over to see them. They were FIVE with a bass player, guitar and THREE VIOLINS that did a trio of singing. AWESOME. They walk from table to table while people are dining and I felt like a stalker. They got used to me following them though. Wish they had a stage area like the MINER 49ers. They are AMAZING MUSICIANS and should not be missed.

    Then I rushed over to DL to do BILLY HILL at 12:15. It was packed but Merry and I got a table. Whew. Then Merry noticed that on our receipts there was 20 percent off merchandise on Main St. until 12:30 pm and I wanted some MM FLANNEL PJs. SO I rushed over to Main St. and bought them. They are MENS PJ's designed for women. Strange. THey button on the other side which is bizarre but oh well. They had them on a MAN MANNEQUIN in DCA so I thought they were for dudes. I bought them anyway. I also got some XMAS gifties here and there.

    THen we proceeded to CAFE ORLEANS for lunch reservations. They had just had a kitchen fire and were closed for an hour! They apologized profusely but we assured them that a fire is a big deal and not to worry. Things happen. We were too hungry to make a later reservation and had dinner reservations and needed to eat so we went to UVA BAR in Downtown Disney and had a Burger and Brew and Merry had an appetizer and salad. We were very happy and it was nice to get out of the crowds for a while. After riding a few more rides we went back to the hotel for a nap. Lovely.

    Went back to DL for a ride on the Matterhorn at night with the lights. I suggested taking the train and we got off at TOON TOWN station. WRONG! The parade was ending and the crowds were way too nutso so Merry suggested we get on IASW again and finding that line was near impossible. We had to listen to that song again which drove us both mad (me madder of course.....) Enjoyed IASW just as much the second time....maybe more. SO MUCH TO SEE and so DARN FESTIVE .....Then over to DCA to ride SCREAMIN'....

    Merry loves WOC so we had dinner reservations at the TRATTORIA (is that the name?) They hadn't told me it was a pre-fixe or rather I didn't really pay much attention when I reserved it. They were quite late with our reservation but the service was VERY fast. We both had the HALIBUT and it was a wonderful lighter choice for dinner. We had a nice bottle of CHENIN BLANC/VIOGNIER. The desserts were pretty darn good.

    So we rushed over to TSMM and got to ride that before WOC. A very long wait. I saw SO MANY cars go through with empty seats so I really wonder why the SINGLE RIDER LINE was taken away. I think it is boring not to compete with someone even if that someone is a stranger. I hope they put that back. I got a high score! And I love the new additions of TOY STORY 3 characters.

    Then we watched WOC. This was my second time. I liked it much better. THey had more effects and more jets working. I still think F! is more fun with all the live actors and has a much better build. I said this before but WOC is just SONG. SONG. SONG. SONG. and the montages don't really build.

    THe TRON promo afterward was AWESOME! We totally dug it. Merry was exhausted and headed back to the room and I decided to go to DL and walk around in the dark and enjoy the CASTLE and take some pics. A perfect way to say good-bye to DLAND. Merry XMas(and any other holiday you all celebrate) and Happy New year to everyone on Mouse Planet


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  3. #2

    Thanks Madasahatter...next year I'm going! So glad you and Merry had a fabulous and festive time-Ho Ho Ho!!!!

    Last edited by Tracemountain; 12-23-2010 at 10:10 AM.

  4. #3
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    Loved this trip report, too, Hatter! And ahahaha, I read your comment about how you only rode 4 rides (or something like that) on your first day in the park, but I take umbrage with that! You ALSO rode the cars on Main Street!!! I count those as rides because I love them so much! So I am giving you more credit on your first day for those.

    Have a question for you: at the Trattoria, is it a sit-down meal, or a boxed meal during WOC? Did you have a table, and were you able to stay there the whole time during the show?

    Happy 2011 to you.


  5. #4

    It is a fine dining thing in the upstairs part. I am not even sure what they are calling it. You cannot even see the show from there. YOu have a PRIX FIXE menu so you choose a salad course, a main course and you get a dessert sampler platter. Then you get your ticket for WOC and then you walk over and see the show. The meal was quite good. I was impressed. The dessert were a little ambitious and could have been simpler but the rest was top drawer.


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