PHXscuba's Club 33 Christmas

[PHXscuba]

Lucky you ... this TR installment will be mostly photos and less of my yammering.

After visiting with the Pumpkin King himself, it was time to get in line for the Haunted Mansion Holiday. I wasn't excited about getting in what looked like another long line, but I also knew the line would most likely only get worse as the day wore on and locals came to the park that Friday evening.

I took lots of photos of the outside ...

I covet this ribbon!

I surreptitiously got a picture of this guy's T-shirt in line. Too funny!

Smiling selfie with our lovely grays! Next, my attempts to be artistic ...

I didn't try to take any pictures inside, both because my camera just isn't set up for it, and I wanted to enjoy the ride. The new stretching room projections are pretty cool, and the gingerbread house is incredible (and still had that strong gingerbread smell).

The two long lines -- the Jack Skellington meet and the HMH -- had left us in a bind. Our Indiana Jones FPs were still valid, but if we used them (even with FP, IJ takes a long time), we would almost certainly miss the show of Mickey and the Magical map that we wanted to attend on the other end of the park.

So what did we choose? Could we have it all in the happiest place on earth? Stay tuned ...

 

[Lynne G]

Thanks for the pictures. We did not see any fall decor since the HH was closed off when we went. I will get to a park in the fall someday. It will be the first time we will get to see Christmas holiday decor. I am looking forward to it. The crowds, not so much.

 

[PHXscuba]

Thanks for the pictures. We did not see any fall decor since the HH was closed off when we went. I will get to a park in the fall someday. It will be the first time we will get to see Christmas holiday decor. I am looking forward to it. The crowds, not so much.

Fall is one of my favorite seasons and Disneyland definitely does it right. Since I was in WDW in October 2 years ago, I think I can safely compare them and say that Disneyland does it much better than the Magic Kingdom if you like fall/Halloween. I haven't attended either party to compare them.

Disneyland's decorations were very inspiring for me -- I totally covet that black and white ribbon from the HMH. I am trying to upgrade my Halloween/fall decor and get rid of some of the plasticky Halloween stuff from the past. Shhhh! The kids haven't noticed a few things missing. Another project came in a little under budget so I've given myself permission to add a couple nicer things.

The crowds are definitely a downside to the extra stuff Disney adds during holidays. I really have to restrain my do-it-all tendencies and focus on a few must-dos each trip. You'll have to wait and see whether I got to the ones I put on the September bucket list (incentive to keep reading!)

PHXscuba

 

[PHXscuba]

More trip report!!

Here's the cliffhanger I left you with: We have an Indiana Jones FP and can make it back to the ride before it expires (darn expiring FPs). But the time to wait/ride IJ would never allow us to make the Mickey and the Magical Map show.

So what did we do? We split the difference!! We returned to the FP distribution and got FP for a slightly later time, comfortably after the Map show would be over. Since we weren't going to use our now-active FPs, we gave them away to two girls entering the FP distribution area, asking them if they wanted to ride right away. They were very happy! The CM manning the area saw us give the FPs away and thanked us for being nice. No problem, I said, we got another set to use later. He was insistent that we had gone above and beyond and gave us an "any ride FP" to use anytime that day! It's always nice to get a little pixie dust!

Next we had to go the treehouse to get my favorite photo!

It is appropriate that I share this lovely picture today because it is my mother's birthday!! This was the one photo I wanted most from this trip with her.

Since we had just a little time before heading over to the show, we wandered through the treehouse. Obviously I come every trip, but my mother hadn't been in years, maybe even before it became Tarzan's.

There are some great views from the top.

After that, we went to get our Dole Whips!! There were about 10 people in line outside, so I parked my mom in line and used my Super Special Secret DIS Knowledge to go inside the Tiki Room waiting area, where there was one guy getting Dole Whips. We shared an I-know-this-is-the-secret-place smile and I texted my mom to join me.

No photos of the Dole ice cream (which was delicious, btw), because we ate and walked our way back to the Fantasyland Theater. We arrived about 10 minutes before showtime and secured perfect seats in the middle, most of the way back.

While waiting, I looked at the Times Guide because I wanted to go the Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree next. Unfortunately, when I looked closely, it had just closed at 2:00!! Only on that day. I was mad at myself for not checking the time more closely earlier, because I had missed my only chance. I don't know why they closed early but I'm thinking special event.

Even though I was disappointed about missing the Halloween carnival, I really enjoyed the Mickey and the Magical Map show. I am a big live-show person (we have tickets to see Lion King when it comes through Phoenix next month) and I can't resist musicals. The singing and dancing were good and it kept the audience engaged. The live trumpet is a nice touch and the streamers at the end were like the "fireworks" of the show. I gave some of mine to the kids sitting next to me and draped a set around my neck.

So now we retraced our steps to Adventureland to ride Indiana Jones. It wasn't a must-do, but it is another favorite and I couldn't pass it up if it was easily done. Awesome as always.

While in the IJ line, there was a mother and teenage daughter in front of us and we struck up a conversation. I complimented the mother's scarf -- it was black with white scroll patterns that made subtle Hidden Mickeys. She had just bought it in the Bazaar across the walkway!! After the ride I made a beeline over to the shop and hunted it down. $22 and my favorite color combo. With Mickeys. I should have bought it on the spot. Much to my annoyance, I left and never made it back to the store. If I go back in December it's definitely on my list!!

By this time it was 3:30 and time to find some food and a spot for the parade. We got in line for the Red Wagon corn dogs and I dashed over to get a FP for Star Tours -- gotta try for Naboo again -- while we waited. Equipped with two enormous corn dogs and apples, we found a spot nearly curbside in the Hub and dug in.

I was trying to get an "artistic" shot of my corn dog and the Matterhorn, but the focus kept getting screwy. My mother saw what I was doing and told me I should be taking a picture of the monstrous pork shank (or turkey leg) the man in front of us was gnawing on. Ewwww ...

I turned my attention to prettier "artistic" photos and found a nice orange Mickey balloon waving in front of the decorated storefronts.

That is a nice image to end on. I bet you can guess what my next set of photos will be!


PHXscuba

 

[Lynne G]

Thanks for all the photos. I love all the things to do in both parks. We never saw Minnie in the trolley, but we did ride it. The conductor was funny.

Waiting to see what else.

We are getting ready for our holiday trip. While we aren't doing WDW, we are going to dinner at kona one night, as we like the food there, and then we can see not park Disney decor. 2 months to go.

 

[PHXscuba]

Thanks for all the photos. I love all the things to do in both parks. We never saw Minnie in the trolley, but we did ride it. The conductor was funny.

Waiting to see what else.

We are getting ready for our holiday trip. While we aren't doing WDW, we are going to dinner at kona one night, as we like the food there, and then we can see not park Disney decor. 2 months to go.

Lynne --

We rode the trolley in March and I agree that the conductors are great! We had to wait while they timed the two trolleys right, and so they were playing Disney trivia games with the passengers. I love seeing CMs excited about their jobs!

I can't believe you could get that close to WDW and not go to a park! That would be hard for me. But I'd love to be there someday at Christmastime and see all of the holiday stuff, and I know the hotels are a big part of that. Remind me -- are you going to other theme parks while you're there? I think my kids will want to fit in Universal next time we go to Orlando.

PHXscuba

 

[Lynne G]

It won't be too hard, as we are planning on WDW in the late summer next year.

Since we have Platinum SW passes, we are doing the Busch parks. DC, SWO, Aquadica and BGT. I got a great rate on the Residence Inn, so that will be our home for the holidays.

We love USO, and I have an annual pass, but we may eat in CW one night, and save the parks for the late summer trip, as the new HP land should be open by then.

We want a more relaxing vacation, as I am sure we will have crowds and traffic during the holidays.

My kids love fast rides, so our late summer will be at USO, but will include WDW, as I bribed the teen with a stay at the Beach Club.

 

[PHXscuba]

It won't be too hard, as we are planning on WDW in the late summer next year.

Since we have Platinum SW passes, we are doing the Busch parks. DC, SWO, Aquadica and BGT. I got a great rate on the Residence Inn, so that will be our home for the holidays.

We love USO, and I have an annual pass, but we may eat in CW one night, and save the parks for the late summer trip, as the new HP land should be open by then.

We want a more relaxing vacation, as I am sure we will have crowds and traffic during the holidays.

My kids love fast rides, so our late summer will be at USO, but will include WDW, as I bribed the teen with a stay at the Beach Club.

I think if I was there around the holidays I would definitely want to do more relaxing. It's great when you're able to go often enough that it's an option.

PHXscuba

 

[PHXscuba]

At the rate I'm going, this Halloween-time trip report is going to take until Christmas!! It was a busy weekend, so I'd better get a move on!


The parade!!

I like parades and shows -- musical, spectacle, etc. My family -- DH mostly -- will only "stop" for fireworks, shows, parades and the like if I specifically ask. So I was looking forward to see the parade -- and sitting down for awhile!

As a former band kid, I thought these drummers were the perfect way to open the parade. They had such enthusiasm and genuinely looked like they were having fun, kind of a "Can you believe they pay us to do this?!" glee.

The gloomy skies didn't make for great photos, but I bet the dancers prefer not parading in the blazing sun.

I know they're pinatas, but I still think they look ridiculous. I wonder what the "pecking order" is for dancers -- do you get first dibs by seniority? Do you commit to a certain dance and then hope the costume isn't too goofy? Do they cross-train to get a break? These are the kind of things that run through my loopy brain ...

Having the Matterhorn as a backdrop made some photos look especially cool.

I'm glad I got to see the whole parade after only catching the last bit in March. I think it's great and energetic. I don't love that they basically shut down big chunks of the park over an hour in advance (we had thought about riding Storybookland Canal Boats an hour before the parade but they were already shut down and the area being roped off). I hate getting caught on the wrong side of the parade (a little foreshadowing for later)


A spin around the galaxy, and the park, and the briar patch

After the parade we were in the perfect place to easily use our FPs for Star Tours ride #2.

My mother was having some problems with using my camera, especially when it was loud. One major way you can tell when my camera actually snaps a photo is the electronic "shutter" you hear -- a feature I love about my procession of Canons. Mom's hearing is pretty good, but certain frequencies (and electronics to be honest) give her trouble. She'd think she took my photo, then I'd look and discover she didn't hold the shutter down long enough to snap. So a few selfies of me.

No Naboo this time again!! It was nice for my mother to see the differing storylines and how it was almost a completely different ride than our first time that morning.

My mother hadn't been to Innoventions, so we wandered over there. We had just missed the Asimo show, so we just looked at the Iron man stuff.

A few minutes there and a walk around the House of the "future downstairs was enough for us. It is truly an underused corner of the park that I really, really, really hope they do something major with, like the Star Wars rumors I keep hearing.

We thought we'd use our "any ride FPs" at Splash Mountain before it got too cold -- it was already after 5 p.m. We hopped on the train to circle the park.

The backside of pumpkins! ​

We got to Splash Mountain and walked through the FP line ... all the way to the merge point near the ride. There was no one in the standby line at that point either, so there was no reason to use the special FPs.

Honestly, I held my breath the entire time we were on the ride. It was late enough and cool enough that I really didn't want either of us to get sloshed. Thankfully it worked and we both emerged no more than sprinkled.

We did, however, get backed up a few places. We were stuck so long at the bottom of the final lift hill (and getting whiplash every 30 seconds from the next log to hit) that I finally pulled out my camera to get a possum portrait.

Splash Mountain lets off too close to Pooh Corner to not go in. I found a Jack Skellington trading pin for my Halloween lanyard, then got us a Tigger Tail to split.

We ate the Tigger Tail in the very short line for Winnie the Pooh -- the ride, not the character. Although I would have stood in line with my mother to meet Eeyore, her favorite character.

I will leave you with a conundrum before my next installment:

They're ducks. Why do they need a canoe? ​

PHXscuba

 

[PHXscuba]

Some "Random Dis-ness" for the day ...

First, I really liked Toy Story of Terror. Very cute. I love seeing the familiar characters' universe expanded as we learn more about them. Great to see Jessie be the hero too. It will stay on my DVR for a while.

I won! I won! An artist/Disney fan whose blog I follow was doing a giveaway and this picture (above) was one of the prizes! I consider myself blessed but not particularly lucky, so I was floored to see I won out of 800-plus entries. The print is going on my computer desk with some of my other Mickey stuff.

A sad note: Number of people in this house dressing up for Halloween: Six. Number dressing up as Disney characters: Zero, maybe one depending on how you count.

DH: Willie from Duck Dynasty -- he and his brother doing it together -- DH's beard fits
Me: Witch-y. I have a cute Halloween T-shirt and a cute fascinator-style mini witch hat. Some years I dress up more than others.
DS17: Darth Vader. I don't think it counts as "Disney"
DD14: Greek goddess Athena. She didn't like the toga I borrowed so she is making her own. Hoo boy.
DD11: Angel
DS8: Ninja

I looked back at last Halloween and none of the kids was Disney either?! I'd love to do family costumes but the kids would veto it. Maybe if we ever go to Disneyland's Halloween party.

I'm interested to see what they do with the "Jingle Cruise" if I go in December. I don't mind twists to the usual rides, especially if they aren't permanent and seem in the "spirit" of things. I desperately need to get my act together on all that.

PHXscuba

 

[Lynne G]

Thanks for the pictures and info.

Yep, sadly, no Disney costumes in our house either. DD is a cute maid, with bright lime green stockings. Blue and lime green check short short dress.

Cannot believe Halloween is Thursday. So fast.

My. DM is in your town this week end. She is attending her great neice's wedding. She said the weather is in the 80s. So jealous. 39 this morning.

 

[PHXscuba]

Thanks for the pictures and info.

Yep, sadly, no Disney costumes in our house either. DD is a cute maid, with bright lime green stockings. Blue and lime green check short short dress.

Cannot believe Halloween is Thursday. So fast.

My. DM is in your town this week end. She is attending her great neice's wedding. She said the weather is in the 80s. So jealous. 39 this morning.

The weather is warm and I'm sure for someone from somewhere cold the weather is great. But it really doesn't feel much like "fall" or "Halloween" when it's been 90 for the last week and I'm wearing flip-flops everywhere!

Yes, Halloween is almost here and gone. I can tell because the stores are trying to subtly slide their fall stuff out and put the Christmas front and center.

PHXscuba

 

[kaoden39]

I am the only one in the house with anything Disney related to wear. I have a pair of Ursula Minnie Mouse ears that I had to order from the Disney store.

 

[PHXscuba]

Homestretch, people. I really want this finished up by Halloween, before the spirit of the season disappears and everyone (possibly including me) is wanting Christmas. The good news is that I think I can finish the day up in 2 installments, plus one post-trip wrap-up.

So no one took on the ducks question? Is anyone except Lynne still reading along?

After we rode Pooh, hit a bathroom, and pondered the ducks, we knew it was time to work our way over to DCA in time to see Radiator Springs lit up and use our FPs for RSR. Bad DISer -- I got us totally caught in the snarl from the 6:30 parade. It had just started on Main Street when we got there. A CM by the flagpole got a group of us through between floats or we would have been stuck there a lot longer.

We got into DCA (hop #3?) and headed for Radiator Springs. The whole "lighting time" is one of those unanswerable Disneyland mysteries -- it's not posted anywhere. The closest answer I found online was "5 minutes past sunset," which I had looked up was about 6:50 that day.

Problem was, there was never any sun TO set that day. It was just turning a darker shade of gray. I started asking CMs in Radiator Springs if they knew what time the lights would go on. Here's what I got:

(asked around 6:50 p.m.)
CM #1: I don't know, about 7:40
CM #2: 7:30, I think
CM #3: In 15 or 20 minutes?

So we had a dilemma -- kill up to 50 minutes waiting around for lights, or what? My impatience won out and we got in line for Luigi's Flying Tires, which my mother had enjoyed in March.

The line wasn't long and we quickly got to the outdoor portion. Less than 5 minutes after we entered the queue, the whole town lit up. Pretty much right around the time the 'Net said it would. DIS 1, Me 0. I wish I wouldn't have been so impatient. I wish the CMs wouldn't have given me bad information. I wish Disney would post the info somewhere in Radiator Springs, like maybe weekly in the window at Flo's. I know most people don't wait around for it, but I was disappointed I missed it.

I swallowed my frustration and we had fun on Luigi's. We picked a tire away from the others and got it up to good speed with some judicious leaning. We were having entirely too much fun for a couple of grown women -- see what Disneyland does to us?! One little boy lost his birthday-ears hat and we watched it blow around the ride the whole time. Amazingly it didn't get smooshed and they retrieved it at ride's end.

We got in line with our RSR FPs. Standby wait was posted at 95 minutes and looked it. The FP line was still pretty long (the single-rider was even longer). I took out my camera and started to play with the settings to get some cool night pictures. Although I had fiddled with the settings the week before and thought I knew how to switch them, I couldn't figure it out on the spot. Grumpy PHX. So I apologize that these last few posts have distinctly few photos.

It was all worth the hassle because the ride was gorgeous at night. I can't think of a single fast outdoor Disney ride I don't enjoy more at night -- the feeling of air rushing by is heightened by the darkness.

We had no plans to buy the ride photo, but I burst out laughing when I saw it -- my mother's face (back row middle) completely covered by the arms of the enthusiastic Japanese tourists in the front row.

We left Radiator Springs (now beautifully lit) and trekked back out of DCA. The lines to get back into DL had grown with locals on a Friday night and were about 20 people deep, which gave me a chance to take MORE PUMPKIN PICTURES!

We both thought Pluto looked weird in the dark.​

We got to the riverfront and the Fantasmic sitting-down area in front of the rope was just full. We got right behind the rope where I knew it would be the first row standing. It seemed a perfect spot, so I plunked my mother down and left her my sweatshirt to hold a spot. I told her to not let anyone take it.

I headed to the Harbour Gallery because I heard they had pumpkin cheesecake! On my way, I took one spooky shot of the Haunted Mansion.

The line for Harbour Gallery was super-long. I should have expected it, in front of the Haunted Mansion and so close to Fantasmic. The cheesecake is not on the menu, and I was reluctant to stand in a long line to find out they didn't have it when I got to the front. So I asserted myself a bit and asked if I could squeeze in just to ask 1 question. Some nice people let me and YES! they had the cheesecake.

So I waited, and waited, and waited. My poor feet were really starting to ache. I texted my Mom that it would be awhile and texted DH what we were up to. I caught up on my trip notes and on Facebook. People left the window with amazing-looking baked potatoes. I finally got to the front (after almost 30 minutes) and ordered my cheesecake!

What they gave me looked decidedly underwhelming. The little plastic container was smaller than a hockey puck and cost $5.19. Even for Disney that seems pricey. While waiting for the cheesecake I spied the zombie gingerbread cookies that Sherry had eaten on the Limited Time Magic day a week earlier. I gently squeezed one and it still seemed soft so I made a spot decision to buy one to fill out our snack.

If you know how big the gingerbread cookies are, you can see how small the cheesecake is. I shot this on top of a trashcan while walking back (I speculated my mother would think I had lost it taking pictures of my food).

I had to go way out and around to get back to my mother as Parade Control had shifted to one-way traffic by then -- i.e. go all the way to the treehouse before doubling back to the riverfront. Thankfully I found my Mom and my spot intact. We gobbled down the cheesecake, which was really good -- I just wish it had been double the portion. We also pulled apart and ate our poor gingerbread cookie. Most delicious zombie ever -- soft and flavorful. I seriously want both snacks right now.

I think that's a good place to break -- tummies full and waiting for a classic Disneyland show. Stay tuned for the rest of our evening in the next installment!

PHXscuba

 

[Lynne G]

Yeah, that lighting area thing. I knew from the Dis, that it happened, but we too had very unhelpful CMs. We ended up eating at Flo's when the lights went on, so we did not see any ceremony or anything. I did like riding all the rides in that area at night.

The most fun we had on the tires was when we were riding them and the DL fireworks were happening. We kept moving our tire to catch sight of the high fireworks. It was fun to see them appear as being so close.

Never had cheesecake or cookies from the parks. We are ice cream and chocolate people. Kids really liked the ice cream cone cones. Even a single or regular was huge. As a birthday treat, my DD picked a chocolate and peanut butter square from the Trolly Treats. That square was expensive, very very rich, and was delicious. We nibbled on it for hours.

Thanks for continuing. I really like to see the pictures. Your DM is such a good sport.

And yes, even though your October is really warm, my DM was happy to be in the warmth. It has been below normal and cool this past week, with a very strong wind. Really feels like fall is here. I like the trees with all their gold, orange, brown and green leaves. Other than the cool temps, I love the fall.

Finally, even in the east, yes, our stores are eagerly pushing Christmas now. Heck, even Thanksgiving things are pretty much gone from our stores too. I have to wait until at least Halloween is over before I get any Christmas spirit.

 

[PHXscuba]

Yeah, that lighting area thing. I knew from the Dis, that it happened, but we too had very unhelpful CMs. We ended up eating at Flo's when the lights went on, so we did not see any ceremony or anything. I did like riding all the rides in that area at night.

The most fun we had on the tires was when we were riding them and the DL fireworks were happening. We kept moving our tire to catch sight of the high fireworks. It was fun to see them appear as being so close.

Never had cheesecake or cookies from the parks. We are ice cream and chocolate people. Kids really liked the ice cream cone cones. Even a single or regular was huge. As a birthday treat, my DD picked a chocolate and peanut butter square from the Trolly Treats. That square was expensive, very very rich, and was delicious. We nibbled on it for hours.

Thanks for continuing. I really like to see the pictures. Your DM is such a good sport.

And yes, even though your October is really warm, my DM was happy to be in the warmth. It has been below normal and cool this past week, with a very strong wind. Really feels like fall is here. I like the trees with all their gold, orange, brown and green leaves. Other than the cool temps, I love the fall.

Finally, even in the east, yes, our stores are eagerly pushing Christmas now. Heck, even Thanksgiving things are pretty much gone from our stores too. I have to wait until at least Halloween is over before I get any Christmas spirit.

I love the ice cream and chocolate too!! I told myself that since I get some bonus days this year with my AP that I would branch out and try a few new or seasonal things. So many sweets, so little time!

I am the only one in the house with anything Disney related to wear. I have a pair of Ursula Minnie Mouse ears that I had to order from the Disney store.

I love little hats and ears! This year I bought a cute mini witch hat that sits on a headband and sort of goes with my Halloween shirt. I should have bought a Disney one but the lil' hat was an impulse buy and only $3. I'm not sure there's anything for $3 at Disneyland these days, even soda!

Why do my posts always lead back to food?

PHXscuba

 

[kaoden39]

I love the ice cream and chocolate too!! I told myself that since I get some bonus days this year with my AP that I would branch out and try a few new or seasonal things. So many sweets, so little time!



I love little hats and ears! This year I bought a cute mini witch hat that sits on a headband and sort of goes with my Halloween shirt. I should have bought a Disney one but the lil' hat was an impulse buy and only $3. I'm not sure there's anything for $3 at Disneyland these days, even soda!

Why do my posts always lead back to food?

PHXscuba

No I would almost bet that postcards are the only thing that are under $3. But, face it Disney is our drug.

 

[PHXscuba]

How have I managed to stretch this one day to EIGHT trip installments? I am very, very wordy. And this post is typical -- I think you're gonna get one photo with the last few things we did.

We had just finished our miniature cheesecake and vanquished our zombie cookie when the announcement came that we all had to stand up behind the rope and everyone in front had to sit. Two immediate problems -- I had barely been sitting down for 5 minutes after standing in that long Harbour Gallery line and all the walking. My poor feet and back. Second, the people just in front of us (in front of the rope) did NOT want to sit down despite being told by a CM. I didn't mind that their stroller was still up since they were in the back of the sitting area, but they were blocking us and a shorter family next to us. They finally sat down, grumpily. They tell you all along it's a sitting area -- I was dying to sit!

Then right at show time two large men came cutting through the sitting-down area to join their party (and picked the worst possible path to cut through). One of them stumbled and fell on a woman in front of us. He hit her head and I could tell from sneaking glances that she was in some distress, enough so that they were talking to a CM afterward. You can imagine what I thought of those latecomers.

Then Fantasmic started and I was transported into the epic tale of good and evil. I really like the show and seeing the use of multi-media -- live characters, water screens, the dragon, puppets, a whole pirate ship. There's just so much to look at. I was disappointed that the eels are not there right now.

My mother was glad she had finally seen it but liked World of Color much better. She is a fan of beauty, not conflict, so it didn't surprise me. I still like both.

My plan at that point was to sit down (my aching feet were dying from the standing at that point) and see as much of the fireworks from there as we could. I knew it would be a zoo in the Hub. The Fantasmic seating area thinned out considerably. We should've stayed there but when the fireworks started my mother started edging toward the fireworks, hoping for a better view, and despite my major reservations, I let her lead me.

About the time we hit a mass of people we realized two things: One, we had a worse view from where we were with more trees in the way. Two: we were now in a one-way, don't-stop-here area and were pretty much forced out through Adventureland. We wormed our way into the Hub and snuck into the back of a roped-off area with about a 60 percent view. My mother saw enough to whet her appetite if she wants to come back and see the whole show, and I got to see a good portion of my favorite Disney fireworks. So not a total loss despite the confusion and my FEET!

After the fireworks it was general chaos. We still held a use-anywhere FP that was starting to look not as useful -- I found out we couldn't use it for the special holiday overlays, so no Space Mountain or Haunted Mansion. We'd already done Indiana Jones and I certainly wasn't chancing Splash Mountain at that late hour. With no interest in Autopia, I talked my mother into one more spin around the galaxy on Star Tours, hoping to finally see the watery world of Naboo.

Or not. We saw at least one new scene, but no Naboo. The only water was my sad tears. Oh well, guess I'll have to go back to Disneyland again!

We decided to do one more thing before leaving. Luckily for my feet, it was located between us and the exit and involved a large amount of sitting. We went in to see Great Adventures with Mr. Lincoln. We got there a few minutes early and watched most of the little show with Steve Martin and Donald that they made for Disneyland's 50th anniversary.

If I ever saw the Lincoln show as a child I do not recall it. I'm certain it wouldn't have been a big priority to a teen let loose on her own. I enjoyed the show but was struggling to stay awake by that point -- it was almost 11 and I had been up before 6 a.m. My mother will likely not let me live down that early start.

So we made it to the parking trams and only waited through two sets of trams. The tram driver was much peppier than I was and had us playing a rollercoaster game where we all raised our arms and said "Wheeee!" ... but in a whisper voice to avoid waking any sleeping children.

Our drive home was totally uneventful, just the way I hoped.

Stay tuned in a couple days, when I review my original "bucket list" for the trip and check off what I accomplished ... and see what's on deck next.

PHXscuba

 

[PHXscuba]

Well, it shouldn't be a fall trip report without wishing everyone a Happy Halloween!

PHXscuba

 

[Lynne G]

Happy Halloween! Hope you and the family had a great time trick or treating.

I hate latecomers. The first time we watched WOC, some large adults pushed my DD then 8 so hard against the brick wall, she couldn't move. I was so angry, I finally put her in front of me, resting on my knees. It was not fun.


Thank you for the update. We enjoy seeing the parks decorated and reading what you did.