TR w/4000+ Pics/Disney on Ice w/184 Pics!!

Yeah.. I guess I cheated. :blush: :laughing:

But I finished the rest of it today, and man, I am impressed with how many pictures you took! :rotfl: That's so great! I also really like the scrapbook page you made with everyone by the California Adventure letters. I usually just get a picture by the 'R' since my name is Rachel, but maybe next time I should try doing all of them.

I think I"m gonna get white frames & paint each one to match the letter & then play with how I arrange them on the wall......but this will take time & money....something I'm always short of.....lol
 
Hi Laurie,
Great trip report! I just finished and really loved all your pictures. Thanks for sharing them with us. We are going back in October for Halloween and will be staying at HOJO's again. I'm always interested to hear other peoples experiences with them as we've stayed there 4 times now and we really love them. I'm making a PS for Carnation Cafe just because of your pictures, I've never tried it and I'm thinking about adding Storytellers Cafe too.

I have a question about WOC for you. I have a 4 year old son, it's just he and I and we'll be doing WOC for the first time. Ariels doesn't appeal to me so I'm thinking of doing the picnic package. My concern is being able to find a spot to see the show without obstructions or people being in the way. I'm not able to hold my son up. Do you think the viewing area for the dining package offers unobstructed viewing that it would be worth doing Ariels even if someone wasn't thrilled with the food choices? And how long did you all wait, from time you lined up before be let to Paradise Park in until the show began? My son doesn't do well with waiting at all.

Thanks again and your family is just beautiful!
 
Hi Laurie,
Great trip report! I just finished and really loved all your pictures. Thanks for sharing them with us. We are going back in October for Halloween and will be staying at HOJO's again. I'm always interested to hear other peoples experiences with them as we've stayed there 4 times now and we really love them. I'm making a PS for Carnation Cafe just because of your pictures, I've never tried it and I'm thinking about adding Storytellers Cafe too.

I have a question about WOC for you. I have a 4 year old son, it's just he and I and we'll be doing WOC for the first time. Ariels doesn't appeal to me so I'm thinking of doing the picnic package. My concern is being able to find a spot to see the show without obstructions or people being in the way. I'm not able to hold my son up. Do you think the viewing area for the dining package offers unobstructed viewing that it would be worth doing Ariels even if someone wasn't thrilled with the food choices? And how long did you all wait, from time you lined up before be let to Paradise Park in until the show began? My son doesn't do well with waiting at all.

Thanks again and your family is just beautiful!

I don't think you'll be disappointed with Carnation Cafe.....it was a very good meal!! We enjoyed the Storyteller's.....it was fun seeing the different characters.

As for World of Color......I don't think there are any areas that would be unobstructed unless you were on the railings. With everyone standing, you will have taller people that will block your son's view. On the main Disneyland DIS, there is a new "Superthread" on World of Color with suggestions on good places to watch the show (including the different areas available with the picnics). Since we only did this the one time, I can't really advise on this. I know the reason we got the railing is because the CM was trying to help us out when we had inquired about the wheel chair area since the twins had GAC's. We told her that we would take our chances in the dining area, but then she let us in when they let the wheelchair people go in.....so we got in before the masses were let in.....otherwise we wouldn't have been lucky enough to be on the railing. The people are lining up as soon as they start roping off the area......so you could possibly be standing in line as early as 6pm. I do know that the dining area is not as crowded as some of the other areas......and being at the back might not be a bad idea.....you wouldn't have to get right on top of everyone, but hang further to the back & then maybe the view wouldn't be bad....but again....I'm guessing. I would find that thread & ask questions.....some of the people have gone multiple times & tried all the different sections & they would be in the know!!!
Good luck.......I hope you find something that will work out for you.....it truly is a wonderful show & worth the effort in going!!!!

Thanx for reading the report.....I'm glad you found some things helpful!!!! :flower3:
 


Home sick from work today, and read your whole report in one sitting. Thank you for all the time and work that you put into this wonderful story and into sharing your pictures with all of us. Those that have never done a trip report have no idea how many hours you put into telling us about your adventures.

Being a huge planner myself, I cannot imagine all the planning it took to put this trip together for your family. Don't you often wonder if the family understands and appreciates all the thought and planning involved?

Thank you again, I enjoyed your trip. :goodvibes
 
Thank you very much for the kind words!! I'm glad people are still reading it!! :rotfl: I think my family understands the planning involved......and are super happy they're not the ones doing it!! :rotfl2: It was a wonderful trip & one that will probably never be repeated with all 7 of our kids.....so something I'll remember forever.
 
Hi! :wave2:
I just wanted to pop in and say thank you so much for all the work and effort you have put into your trip report! I am at home recovering from surgery and I must say reading your thread over the last couple of days has been a highlight!
We are off for our family holiday of a life time in 61 sleeps!!!:thumbsup2 I have had some complications with my op and am still in the healing process. There has been a shadow over our trip as I had abdominal surgery which needs to get better before we embark on a 13 hour flight!!! I was getting a little concerned however, your trip report has re installed my excitement and anticipation once more! A self confessed Disney nut ( Minnie is just my idol!!! ) this trip means the world to myself and my family. ( we have just 3 unlike your 10!!! ) With all you have done on your trip, I can see all my time and effort planning ours will be worth it and I am once again looking forward to walking into main street.............
I have devoured all the food porn and have taken my self off to the land through you! We will be doing all of the same charcter meals and dining at the same spots as you guys did! You have answered soooooo many of the questions I had in regards to soooo many things and all from your posts! We won't be doing the BBB however as DD is 13 and I don't think hubby has enough hair for a mowhawk!!!!:lmao:
We will be there for Christmas as we are arriving early December and I get to have my 43rd Birthday and celebrate by having breakfast with Minnie on the 23rd!!! Can't wait as the whole reason for going at this time of the year was so we could see the park done over for the holidays and it just happens that I get my Birthday in too!:woohoo:

So, thanks from the bottom of my heart for giving this Aussie her Disney spirit a lift! Can't wait to sink my teeth into one of those Monte Christos!!!
Cheers
Sue::MinnieMo
P.S. I may need some tips on doing the TR. We are going to be in the US for a whole month ( with 3 whole weeks at the Ho Jo ) so as you can imagine there will be loads of pics! I am very much like you and love to capture the smallest details that go other wise unnoticed! I have a new camera with a fabulous 12x zoom and can't wait to use it! I am planning on doing the very detailed TR too! So, feel free to let me in on any tips to make the job easier!
 


Hi! :wave2:
I just wanted to pop in and say thank you so much for all the work and effort you have put into your trip report! I am at home recovering from surgery and I must say reading your thread over the last couple of days has been a highlight!
We are off for our family holiday of a life time in 61 sleeps!!!:thumbsup2 I have had some complications with my op and am still in the healing process. There has been a shadow over our trip as I had abdominal surgery which needs to get better before we embark on a 13 hour flight!!! I was getting a little concerned however, your trip report has re installed my excitement and anticipation once more! A self confessed Disney nut ( Minnie is just my idol!!! ) this trip means the world to myself and my family. ( we have just 3 unlike your 10!!! ) With all you have done on your trip, I can see all my time and effort planning ours will be worth it and I am once again looking forward to walking into main street.............
I have devoured all the food porn and have taken my self off to the land through you! We will be doing all of the same charcter meals and dining at the same spots as you guys did! You have answered soooooo many of the questions I had in regards to soooo many things and all from your posts! We won't be doing the BBB however as DD is 13 and I don't think hubby has enough hair for a mowhawk!!!!:lmao:
We will be there for Christmas as we are arriving early December and I get to have my 43rd Birthday and celebrate by having breakfast with Minnie on the 23rd!!! Can't wait as the whole reason for going at this time of the year was so we could see the park done over for the holidays and it just happens that I get my Birthday in too!:woohoo:

So, thanks from the bottom of my heart for giving this Aussie her Disney spirit a lift! Can't wait to sink my teeth into one of those Monte Christos!!!
Cheers
Sue::MinnieMo
P.S. I may need some tips on doing the TR. We are going to be in the US for a whole month ( with 3 whole weeks at the Ho Jo ) so as you can imagine there will be loads of pics! I am very much like you and love to capture the smallest details that go other wise unnoticed! I have a new camera with a fabulous 12x zoom and can't wait to use it! I am planning on doing the very detailed TR too! So, feel free to let me in on any tips to make the job easier!

Welcome Sue.....first off let me say that I hope you are healing & no complications will get between you & your trip!! Get better quick!! :hug:

I'm glad you were able to find things in my report to get you excited for your trip!!! I have never been during the holidays & am soooooo jealous you'll be there for the Christmas festivities. Just seeing the park all decorated up would be enough for me....wouldn't have to see a show, eat or get on a ride & I'd be in heaven!!!
Spending your birthday as well will be so much fun!! Make sure you get your birthday button (you can get it a City Hall or most of the sit down restaurants & a number of the shops also have them). Everyone will be wishing you a happy birthday!
Love doing the character meals!! It's a great way to get a good meal but see the characters without waiting in long lines with no guarantees that they'll still be there when you finally get to the front of the line. Minnie's usually has a number of characters. We found going around 9:30 is just perfect because you have characters that are getting ready to go & new ones coming on.....at least that's been our experience. Last year we saw 14 different characters!!!
Have you stayed at the HoJo before?? This was our first time & we couldn't have been happier! They are so nice & the rooms weren't crowded like a lot of other motel rooms. The swim areas are really nice & the kids waterpark is a blast! The walk really isn't bad. I think it took us 8 minutes to walk it. I suggest crossing the street at the motel & walking along side Disneyland. Sometimes the monorail goes almost overhead & you can hear disney sounds & music. The other side of the street gets kinda crowded at times.

Now as for your trip report.....I'd start it now as a pre-trip report. You are going to be here for a very long time & seeing your plans & maybe getting suggestions will help in your planning. I make notes for everything!! An uber-planner. I had a huge notebook with all the important info in it. For your trip, I'd keep a journal. Daily I would write down what we did, where we ate, special moments, funny things, things that didn't work, etc. That way, when I started going thru my pictures on my return home.....I was able to go through each day in my report with ease. You have to make yourself set aside a few minutes each day to do so......you'll think oh I can catch it up tomorrow....but you'll find days start meshing into one big jumble & then you forget stuff you really wanted to share.

I look forward to seeing your journey & what else you have planned for your month long adventure!!! If you start a report, let me know if I don't see it first!

Continued healing & sending Disney *+*+*+Magic*+*+*+* your way!! :wizard:
 
I'm brand new to the boards (okay, I've been browsing for months) but finally getting around to doing my first post in quite a while, and just wanted to say thank you for such an enjoyable TR and allowing all of us to go on the journey with you and your wonderful family. popcorn:: I absolutely loved the food porn pics (it's 3 AM Idaho time and I'm really wanting some of that fabulous food NOW!) and I really enjoyed the variety of pics you collected along the way. Tyler's self-pics were a kick (he's so good at keeping everything centered--when I try that something's always off center!), and I really appreciated the unity of your family in sharing the responsibilities of making sure everyone had a great time. Another poster commented on it as well, but its just awesome to see a family that actually cooperates with each other! I haven't been to DL since 2004 but looking forward to returning "home" in 2011, and this trip report was just enough to get me anxious to work toward making it a reality. Thanks again for the adventure!
 
I'm brand new to the boards (okay, I've been browsing for months) but finally getting around to doing my first post in quite a while, and just wanted to say thank you for such an enjoyable TR and allowing all of us to go on the journey with you and your wonderful family. popcorn:: I absolutely loved the food porn pics (it's 3 AM Idaho time and I'm really wanting some of that fabulous food NOW!) and I really enjoyed the variety of pics you collected along the way. Tyler's self-pics were a kick (he's so good at keeping everything centered--when I try that something's always off center!), and I really appreciated the unity of your family in sharing the responsibilities of making sure everyone had a great time. Another poster commented on it as well, but its just awesome to see a family that actually cooperates with each other! I haven't been to DL since 2004 but looking forward to returning "home" in 2011, and this trip report was just enough to get me anxious to work toward making it a reality. Thanks again for the adventure!

Welcome to the DIS!!!!! I'm honored I got your 3rd post!! :worship:

That food porn can be killer....especially when you're hungry!!:rotfl:

I'm glad you enjoyed the report & thank you for your nice compliments! :flower3: I really am blessed with a great family......that's the only reason a trip like this could have happened & been memorable!!

You'll be amazed at all the changes since your last trip.....especially with California Adventure.......you'll have lots of new things to see & do!! I hope your trip is as *+*+*Magical*+*+* as ours was!!!! :wizard:
 
I entered a picture of my kids from last Halloween to the Disney Family Halloween Photo Contest......please vote for the picture at this link!!!

http://family.go.com/family-costume-contest/kooky-crazy-category/parlay---35765/

This is the picture I entered!!

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I thought I'd share some of my new Disney Halloween decorations!!! I love to decorate for the holidays......yard & inside my home. Not as easy to decorate inside since the twins will zone in on something & never leave it alone......but we manage.....lol

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I also woke up this morning to find that some spiders helped me decorate overnight. I put up these little ghosts yesterday afternoon & woke to find this thru-out the entire tree!!! Thanx little spiders for the help!!!

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:cool1: Going to Disney on Ice, "Let's Celebrate" tonight!! :cool1:

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I'll be sure to share our pics from the show!!
 
So Mike & I took Anthony & Addy to see the Disney on Ice, "Let's Celebrate" show on Thursday. We went last year, but the name of that show is lost somewhere in my mind....... I absolutely love going. I've always loved watching ice skating but add in Disney characters I'm all for it!! This show couldn't have been more perfect, I'm a huge fan of the holidays....decorating year round.....so when I read this show was about celebrating the different holidays from America as well as a few from around the world.....I knew I had to go. Since we went last year, I received a pre-sale offer to get tickets for $11 each......I couldn't resist!! Last year we paid thru the nose for the VIP seats (but since that was our first time.....I really wanted the best seats)......so I didn't see why we needed to pay that much this year. The show was held in Portland at the Rose Garden. Here is a pic of the set-up:

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Here is the view from our seats.....not too bad...wish we could have been to the right side of the photo as this is the "center" but we still had a great view!!

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Here's Addy, Mike & Anthony as we waited for the show to begin:

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Now I will say....the ticket prices were awesome....but the souvenirs & snacks were ridiculous!!! The spinny lights (you all know what I'm talking about).....were $22 each!! The snow cone with light up cups started at $15 each, the popcorn bucket was $15 & the cotton candy was $12. We stuck with a couple of the spinny lights & one cotton candy....yikes!

The show begins with Luminaire from Beauty & the Beast coming out to ask us to "Be Our Guest":

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Belle comes out:

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More & more characters come out to join in (we're told there were 50 characters in all in this show). In the opening (in these pics) included:
Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum, White Rabbit, Dopey, Snow White, Pinocchio, Geppeto, Blue Fairy, Aladdin, Jasmine, Cinderella, Prince Charming, Tinkerbell, Peter Pan, Pluto, Goofy, Daisy Duck, Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Belle, Ariel, Prince Eric, Alice, & Mad Hatter:

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I also saw Baloo & Mowgli.....just wasn't able to get a pic of them!

This concluded the Opening Act.
 

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