danimaroo
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2011
Aaaaand just like that, I'm back with another trip report! Ain't no party like a TR party 'cause a TR party don't stop...
No seriously, I'm not joking. I've been writing trip reports with no break for over a year now. They really do not stop around here! I apologize that it's taken me so long to post this one, but writing two trip reports, which I did last year, at the same time is just WAY too much work.
So, I decided to start this one as soon as my WDW one was completely written and done. Plus, I'd assume for those of you who read my last WDW TR, it's kind of tough to keep up with 2 TRs, so I thought by spacing things out, that would be a bit helpful.
For those who don't know me, I'm Dani! This is my 5th trip report here on the DISboards, and 2nd Disneyland trip report. If you'd like to become more familiar with me or are interested in any of my previous trip reports, you can read them all here:
Touring the Tower of Terror and other Ghoulish Delights! Sept 13 TR - My September 2013 WDW TR
"I'M JUST SHOWBOATIN' AROUND THE WORLD! & getting pooped on." Jan 13 TR! - My January 2013 WDW TR
The Wettest, Merriest, and Happiest Birthday/First Visit Nov/Dec. 2012 TR! - My first DLR TR, November 2012
"Norway? More like No Way!" Seattle Goobers' Jan 2012 TR! - My first WDW TR, January 2012
For everyone who has read my TRs before/is coming over from my newly-ended WDW TR, you guys are the best... and I'm SO glad to have you on-board for another trip report!
Intros
So like I said above, I'm Dani.
I'm obviously a huge Disney nerd, and if I'm not in a Disney park, I'm usually either trying to find a way to plan and plot another Disney trip, or actively planning one. I have been to Disney World 6 times, twice as a kid, 4 times as an adult (including our honeymoon, which was what really sucked me back in), and now have been to Disneyland twice.
Disney Parks are my happy place. I can let go of reality for a bit (you know, working on revenue spreadsheets is not nearly as fun as visiting a Disney park) and just be happy with my wonderful husband, Matt (and we'll get to him shortly, I promise).
When I'm not having fun in a Disney park, you can find me trading Vinylmation online, writing trip reports, attempting to take decent photos (I try to improve with every trip!), playing video games, snuggling/making up songs about my amazing but constantly-farting dogs Milo and Anya, and laughing my face off with Matt.
Okay, I've mentioned him twice now, so I guess that's kind of my cue to introduce him to those of you who don't know him.
This is Matt... and he likes Churros.
Matt is my wonderfully amazing Disney-loving husband. He grew up in a VERY Disney-centric family. He has been to Disney World no less than 25 times now, Disneyland 4 times, and absolutely LOVES Disney Parks. He especially loves the Haunted Mansion... to the point that he actually has a tattoo of the WDW Haunted Mansion attraction poster.
What can I say? My husband rules.
I've mentioned it before, but he's the one who reminded me of how amazing Disney World is and totally ignited my obsession with the parks. He is the funniest, kindest, and smartest person I know. He has a heart of gold and makes me laugh every single day. Let's be honest, I'm a fan of the guy... and could go on forever.
Plus, he is adorable and has a beard.
We have been together for over 10 years, and married for over 3. I can't really picture going to Disney without Matt by my side. Being there with him is honestly half the fun!
If you want to know more about us, I'd suggest checking out my previous TR introductions, as they're pretty detailed and all that jazz.
Okay, now that you know who we are, let's get into the specifics of this trip!
When: November 12th - November 17th
Where: I'll get into this a bit more in my TR, and my title may have given it away... but we stayed in a Studio Villa at the Villas at the Grand Californian for 4 nights!
Why: We loved being in Disneyland during the previous holiday season, so we wanted to go back again! There's nothing like seeing Disneyland decorated for Christmas.
OH! This trip report will have a TON of photos. Sometimes, multiple photos of things. Why? I like taking tons of photos on our trips, and I like posting them. So hopefully you're okay with that.
And for anyone who is curious as to what camera/lenses I used during our trip, I had my Nikon D5100, and used my Sigma 10-20mm lens for the wide-angle shots, and my Nikon 35mm f/1.8 prime lens for everything else. This was my first Disney trip using the wide-angle lens and I LOVED it. It's a fantastic lens to have in the parks, though admittedly, takes time to learn. And all other random photos of somewhat meh quality were taken on my Samsung Galaxy S4.
The other thing I want to preface this trip report with is that I am going to be writing this ENTIRELY based on both Matt and my own memories and the photos that I have... and my tweets! I live-tweeted a lot during our trip, so tweets are going to be key in remembering as much as possible. So, you may be wondering... why the heck am I doing this trip this trip report with no notes?
I am notorious for taking pretty detailed notes about our days when we're in Disney, and I did just that while on this trip. Except, when I updated my iPad (which is what I used for note-taking) to iOS 7, I lost ALL OF MY NOTES. I spent hours looking every where I possibly could and trying to recover them, but they are long gone. Mega bummer, sure, but like Tim Gunn says on Project Runway, MAKE IT WORK! And that's just what we're going to do with this TR.
So grab a cup of cocoa, gather around the fire, because you're in for a fun-filled GRAND adventure, full of Christmas cheer (and maybe a little TOO MUCH of one particular song) and plenty of fun!
Continued in next post
No seriously, I'm not joking. I've been writing trip reports with no break for over a year now. They really do not stop around here! I apologize that it's taken me so long to post this one, but writing two trip reports, which I did last year, at the same time is just WAY too much work.
So, I decided to start this one as soon as my WDW one was completely written and done. Plus, I'd assume for those of you who read my last WDW TR, it's kind of tough to keep up with 2 TRs, so I thought by spacing things out, that would be a bit helpful.
For those who don't know me, I'm Dani! This is my 5th trip report here on the DISboards, and 2nd Disneyland trip report. If you'd like to become more familiar with me or are interested in any of my previous trip reports, you can read them all here:
Touring the Tower of Terror and other Ghoulish Delights! Sept 13 TR - My September 2013 WDW TR
"I'M JUST SHOWBOATIN' AROUND THE WORLD! & getting pooped on." Jan 13 TR! - My January 2013 WDW TR
The Wettest, Merriest, and Happiest Birthday/First Visit Nov/Dec. 2012 TR! - My first DLR TR, November 2012
"Norway? More like No Way!" Seattle Goobers' Jan 2012 TR! - My first WDW TR, January 2012
For everyone who has read my TRs before/is coming over from my newly-ended WDW TR, you guys are the best... and I'm SO glad to have you on-board for another trip report!
Intros
So like I said above, I'm Dani.
I'm obviously a huge Disney nerd, and if I'm not in a Disney park, I'm usually either trying to find a way to plan and plot another Disney trip, or actively planning one. I have been to Disney World 6 times, twice as a kid, 4 times as an adult (including our honeymoon, which was what really sucked me back in), and now have been to Disneyland twice.
Disney Parks are my happy place. I can let go of reality for a bit (you know, working on revenue spreadsheets is not nearly as fun as visiting a Disney park) and just be happy with my wonderful husband, Matt (and we'll get to him shortly, I promise).
When I'm not having fun in a Disney park, you can find me trading Vinylmation online, writing trip reports, attempting to take decent photos (I try to improve with every trip!), playing video games, snuggling/making up songs about my amazing but constantly-farting dogs Milo and Anya, and laughing my face off with Matt.
Okay, I've mentioned him twice now, so I guess that's kind of my cue to introduce him to those of you who don't know him.
This is Matt... and he likes Churros.
Matt is my wonderfully amazing Disney-loving husband. He grew up in a VERY Disney-centric family. He has been to Disney World no less than 25 times now, Disneyland 4 times, and absolutely LOVES Disney Parks. He especially loves the Haunted Mansion... to the point that he actually has a tattoo of the WDW Haunted Mansion attraction poster.
What can I say? My husband rules.
I've mentioned it before, but he's the one who reminded me of how amazing Disney World is and totally ignited my obsession with the parks. He is the funniest, kindest, and smartest person I know. He has a heart of gold and makes me laugh every single day. Let's be honest, I'm a fan of the guy... and could go on forever.
Plus, he is adorable and has a beard.
We have been together for over 10 years, and married for over 3. I can't really picture going to Disney without Matt by my side. Being there with him is honestly half the fun!
If you want to know more about us, I'd suggest checking out my previous TR introductions, as they're pretty detailed and all that jazz.
Okay, now that you know who we are, let's get into the specifics of this trip!
When: November 12th - November 17th
Where: I'll get into this a bit more in my TR, and my title may have given it away... but we stayed in a Studio Villa at the Villas at the Grand Californian for 4 nights!
Why: We loved being in Disneyland during the previous holiday season, so we wanted to go back again! There's nothing like seeing Disneyland decorated for Christmas.
OH! This trip report will have a TON of photos. Sometimes, multiple photos of things. Why? I like taking tons of photos on our trips, and I like posting them. So hopefully you're okay with that.
And for anyone who is curious as to what camera/lenses I used during our trip, I had my Nikon D5100, and used my Sigma 10-20mm lens for the wide-angle shots, and my Nikon 35mm f/1.8 prime lens for everything else. This was my first Disney trip using the wide-angle lens and I LOVED it. It's a fantastic lens to have in the parks, though admittedly, takes time to learn. And all other random photos of somewhat meh quality were taken on my Samsung Galaxy S4.
The other thing I want to preface this trip report with is that I am going to be writing this ENTIRELY based on both Matt and my own memories and the photos that I have... and my tweets! I live-tweeted a lot during our trip, so tweets are going to be key in remembering as much as possible. So, you may be wondering... why the heck am I doing this trip this trip report with no notes?
I am notorious for taking pretty detailed notes about our days when we're in Disney, and I did just that while on this trip. Except, when I updated my iPad (which is what I used for note-taking) to iOS 7, I lost ALL OF MY NOTES. I spent hours looking every where I possibly could and trying to recover them, but they are long gone. Mega bummer, sure, but like Tim Gunn says on Project Runway, MAKE IT WORK! And that's just what we're going to do with this TR.
So grab a cup of cocoa, gather around the fire, because you're in for a fun-filled GRAND adventure, full of Christmas cheer (and maybe a little TOO MUCH of one particular song) and plenty of fun!
Continued in next post
Can't wait to hear about Disneyland. I'm determined that same day I will make it out to the west coast to see Disneyland, because if it wasn't for Disneyland, there'd probably be no Disney World. Plus Disneyland and I share a birthday 
