Seven Weeks And Counting Down

We just had our first rain of the season here in California's central valley. A most welcome rain indeed as we remain mired in a statewide drought. Down in Disneyland, they are currently decked out in their Halloween best, a sea of orange bunting and pumpkins, pumpkins, everywhere. And many days over the past few weeks it has been hotter than the blazes.

But my mind is slowly turning to Christmas at Disneyland because in just seven short weeks, I will gaze at the park's giant Christmas tree, be amazed by the exquisitely lit it's a small world facade, see it snow on Main St., and actually see a parade highlighted by an appearance by Santa Claus.

Yes, I have to admit, the time has come to start to at least begin thinking of preparing for a trip to Disneyland. It starts Monday with a trip to my doctor to ask for a prescription for a nagging arthritis condition that leads to pain and stiffness in my hands and knees. Now one wants to be at Disneyland and deal with pain when a simple pill could help. 

I need shop for a new pair of lightweight walking shoes. I just bought a couple of pairs of shoes but they feel far too heavy for all that walking so I'm looking for something lighter in weight.

I need to get all my photo gear in order. You know, cameras, memory cards, chargers, and a power strip for all the chargers because outlets are in short supply in hotel rooms. Remember when it was just a cameral and film? Of course, besides just camera stuff, there's a laptop and cell phones. Electronics are complicated and you certainly don't want to forget anything.

The details often seem daunting with the perfect trip planning (if there is such a thing) but they can also be quite fun.....

Holidays At The Disneyland Resort Dates Now Set

Disneyland's Winter Castle - A Disney Parks Blog Photo

Disney Parks Blog confirmed this week that the official Christmas Holiday Season at the Disneyland Resort will run from November 13 - January 6. Perfect! Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I are scheduled to hit the resort  for our holiday trip November 15.

No big changes for the holidays, A Christmas Fantasy Parade, Believe In Holiday Magic fireworks, and the rest of the usual suspects make their return and that's just fine. The one holiday spectacle I could pass on would be Work of Color - Winter Dreams which returns from last year. At this point in time, I've pretty much seen enough of Olaf. I've been "Frozened" to death.

The Haunted Mansion Prepares For The Holidays

So here we are at August 25th and the stores on Disneyland's Main St. are already stocked to the rafters with Halloween merchandise. The offical Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort is set to begin September 12th.  With that in mind, today is the day The Haunted Mansion shuts down and begins it's holiday transformation.

 

But forget Halloween - to me anyway, the holiday transformation of The Haunted Mansion is the first sign of Christmas in Disneyland. When the Mansion returns to service in 3 weeks, we will get our first glimpse of "Sandy Claus" and the Christmas landscape of the park. Which only means I am one more step forward to that November trip.

 

The dog days of summer are coming to an end. Halloween is here for those that enjoy that time of year. For me, it all means we are one step closer to the real holidays and when Disneyland really comes to life.

Thinking Beyond The Dog Days Of August

A few weeks ago, frustrated beyond belief with Windows 8, Mrs. DisneylandTraveler bought me a Mac for my birthday. Now comes the part where I need to transfer all the photos on my PC to my new Mac. And here in August, in the midst of the dog days of summer, I came across these small world photos from our trip last December and think about seeing it again this upcoming November. Even now, in the sweltering heat of summer, this is a sight of welcome relief and represents a hope and a dream.

Happy New Year 2014 - Disney Style

Can't add anything to the vintage Disneyland brochure picture above except Happy New Year and a wish that yours is a happy, joyful, and memorable year.

Disneyland Christmas Fireworks Show Kind Of Fizzled

(Internet Photo Source)

We had our fried chicken dinner at the Plaza Inn Restaurant on Main Street on Saturday night, the night we arrived. We finished our dinner a little before 9:00 pm. Hey.....the fireworks start at 9:30 and the crowd was just beginning to gather around at the hub in front of the castle. So even though we were tired after a long day of traveling, and an appointment with a mattress and pillow was in my future, Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I decided to wait for the fireworks. And so the wait began.

Thirty minutes isn't a long wait by Disneyland standards but when you are dog tired, it's long enough. And promptly at 9:30, the Believe.....In Holiday Magic fireworks display began. I know of two who were glad the fireworks only lasted 10 minutes - my left foot and my right foot. Other than that, I thought the holiday fireworks display was a bit of a disappointment. I remember back in 2005, the Disneyland fireworks shows came in at a whopping 20 minutes. Ever since then, they seemed to have scaled it back to about a 10 minute show. Granted, fireworks are hugely expensive and the one way Disney can add to their bottom line is to cut back on displays such as fireworks.

As for the snow on Main Street - well I'm not too sure about Main Street itself, but for those of us gathered at the hub, we looked up and saw the "snow" blowing out of the machines. The substance then dissipated for the most part before it came anywhere close to the ground or the people for that matter. Again, less of a magical moment than previous years.

In the end, instead of triumph, the fireworks kind of fizzled for me. I was glad to be heading back to the hotel room warmly greeted by a mattress and a pillow.

A Very Merry Disney Christmas

Merry Christmas 2013 from us at the Disneyland Traveler Blog. Sorry - haven't posted much lately but this Christmas stuff has you on the run for sure. More postings coming soon.

Jingle Cruise Didn't Exactly Jingle All The Way

Jingle Cruise False Advertising

For the 6 days we were at the Disneyland Resort, the lines never wavered a bit for the renamed and re-themed Jungle Cruise now known for the holiday season as the Jingle Cruise. The lines were always long, often longer than the neighboring epic Indiana Jones Adventure attraction. The lines were typically in the 30 - 60 minute range for a ride when outside of the Christmas season is usually no more than a 15 minute wait.

But to say the ride was re-themed on the scale of the Haunted Mansion or it's a small world would be a very large stretch. A few Christmas decorations were added to the queue line (with the lines so long I saw parts of the queue line I hadn't seen in years, especially on the upper level), some Santa hats were added to the ride characters that are encountered, and the legendary Jungle Cruise skippers added some holiday shtick to their comical narration. In the end it adds up to very little and certainly didn't equal that wait time it took to get on the ride.

The whole idea of the Jingle Cruise, while a good idea, seemed rush and half hatched. It could have been thought out better and delivered more. I must confess I went on the ride during the day when maybe the after dark cruise would have been preferable but I'm sure the lines would have been even longer. In the end, it was still the same Jungle Cruise ride everyone knows with a couple of Christmas twists along the way. The Jingle Cruise just wasn't a very big deal unfortunately.

More things the Disneyland Traveler will ponder when he returns from this Disneyland trip.

• Saw Billy Hill and the Hillbillies yesterday. Will see them again before we leave as the clock is ticking before Disneyland executive chowder heads send them to.... (probably Knotts Berry Farm).
• Long wait for the "Jingle Cruise". Was it worth it? (no)
• Finally saw the "running of the goats" - real cute. Cross off bucket list.
• World of Color Christmas show - it helps to know Olaf and see Frozen first.
• The Disneyland Traveler's experience with lunch at the Carthay Circle Restaurant.
• It took 3+ days of being here before setting foot in DCA. For me, that's about right.
• Still looking for that perfect souvenir or two.
• And still continuing to lose at both Buzz and Toy Story Mania to Mrs. DLT.

A "Wouldn't It Be Great?" Candlelight Processional

Wouldn't it be great if Kurt Russell did his narration of the Candlelight Processional on Sunday night as his Captain Ron character?

My Last December Day in Disneyland - !!@$# It's Cold Here!

I remember it like it was yesterday, the last day I walked out of Disneyland on a December night. It was December 15. 2008. By the time we left it was pouring down rain, the wind was howling, and cast members outnumbered guests by about 2 to 1. All night time festivities were cancelled and the park was shut down 2 hours ahead of the scheduled closing time. And it was freezing cold. We left for our Northern California home the next morning by an altnernate route because the "grapevine" was closed due to snow.

This is a cautionary tale for those who say Disneyland is great place to go in the rain. Well friends, there is rain, and then there is RAIN. And if it is raining hard enough in Disneyland, it is not much fun at all. Many rides systematically shut down. Breakdowns become common. The small world boats had about 4 inches of standing water in the bottom.

Yep, Disneyland in the rain can keep the crowds down. It can also keep the fun out if it rains hard enough.

A Disneyland Traveler Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from The Disneyland Traveler and Mrs. DisneylandTraveler. Sorry, but the ultimate animation for Thanksgiving belongs to Charles M. Schultz and his Peanuts gang. 

The countdown is now officially on - 10 days until we leave for Disneyland.

Going to be tough, we are leaving this little guy behind.

The Disneyland Candy Cane Curmudgeon

Here's an entry from The Disneyland Traveler's "I Don't Get It" catalog. I don't get the endless fascination with the hand made Disneyland candy canes. People line up for hours to spend 15 bucks on one of these things and even at that, you are only allowed a certain number. It's a Candy Cane for goodness sake - sugar, oil, maybe some stabilizer, and essence of peppermint. I think that's about it for ingredients. Now I understand that these are made by old world professional candy makers and their craft approaches an art form but we are still talking about a Candy Cane here. Disney raises the stakes by making the candy canes available only about 20 days during the Christmas season split between the DL and DCA candy shops so the demand is heightened even more.

Still it's a Candy Cane. We used to put candy canes on our home Christmas trees as a kid. When the tree got tossed out on New Years Day, so did the candy canes. Back at work,when the company I work for actually cared about Christmas spirit, the company vice president would dress as Santa Claus on one day during the Christmas season and walk around handing out candy canes to all the workers. Silly, but still a nice Christmas tradition. That was back in the day when it was thought celebrating Christmas wasn't counter-productive (I guess). One year, V.P. Santa gave out pure white candy canes. That was the beginning of the end as the running joke became the company got so cheap with Christmas, they didn't even want to pay for stripes on their free passed out candy canes. As for company Christmas parties, forget it. Haven't seen one of those in years.

Anyway, I'll be in Disneyland two weeks from today and nowhere near a Candy Cane. Now peppermint flavored Ghirardelli chocolate? That's a different delicious story altogether.

Wishing for Disneyland's Own Festival of Lights

Several months ago, I was a contributing writer to a very nice Disney website called Disney Dose which covers activities in both Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts. That was back when I had more time (B.F. - before father-in-law came to live with us). I barely have time for this site now, but I keep it going to keep me sometimes smiling in a world that is sometimes lacking in heart. 

Anyway, one of the things I was writing about in Disney Dose was comparing the attractions in WDW and Disneyland. They are becoming more similar all the time but because there is so much more space in WDW, the scale of the place is incomparable. Two of the things I mentioned that I wish Disneyland had that WDW does have, is the ride Expedition Everest - a themed coaster of epic proportions. I also wish Disneyland had something approaching EPCOT's World Showcase where other cultures could be grandly displayed and celebrated.

Well, as the Christmas season is upon us, I sure wish Disneyland had something approaching Disney Hollywood's Studios Osborne Festival of Lights where the sheer power of small electrical light bulbs is put on display in powerful, miraculous ways. It is a spectacle and the Disneyland Castle Lighting and the it's a small world facade can't even remotely compare with what WDW does.

Someday I hope that changes. A lot that goes on in the Disney California Adventure Hollywood Backlot / Hollywoodland area is a waste. Think of that massive time waster ElecTRONica they put back there a few years ago. Think about taking nonsense like that, with its massive lighting structures and projection screens out, then covering the backlots with Christmas lights. That would pack people in of all ages, not just the Glowfest, ElecTRONica, Mad T Party kids which only seems to serve a a flimsy facade to serve elaborate overpriced alcoholic beverages.

Jennings Osborne passed away a year or two ago. Get on the internet or Wikipedia and read about this remarkable man who left a lasting Disneyland legacy mostly as a gift.

And Just Like That The Dec Disneyland Trip Takes a 180

So the plans were put in place, the reservations were made, and Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I had our December Disneyland trip ready to head into high gear. EXCEPT. My sister and her husband kind of wanted to go and down deep, I think we really wanted them to go with us. So now our quiet trip for two has turned into a Christmas Festivus for the four of us. Looking forward to it actually as we discussed plans today.. As I said before, two people make Disney memories. Four people create Disney stories that will last for years and years,

The Accidental Christmas Fantasy Parade

I'm sure I have written about this topic before in this blog but now with 653 published posts, even I don't remember what I have written and too lazy to actually go and find out. My blog, my choices on what to write, for better or worse. Which brings us to one of Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and mine biggest little surprises in all our years going to Disneyland. Make no mistake, Disneyland surprises can be real gems and last for years to come.

Typically, we will leave for Disneyland early on a Sunday morning from our suburban Sacramento based location.  Once on the road, we are not people who tend to doddle when it comes to going to Disneyland. A quick stop at a McDonalds (preferably one with a gas station attached) along with one other gas stop before going over the grapevine and we dead stopped in L.A. traffic before you know it. I try to maintain a safe driving speed but even I glance down at the dashboard once in awhile and see that 95 mph number. "Oh S***, I gotta slow down". 

So we usually end up in Disneyland at our hotel between 1 and 2 o'clock, usually after about a 6 and a half hour trip. So someone out there is asking "why don't you guys just fly like normal people?" Well it goes like this. We usually stay a week at a time. We bring a lot of stuff and not just clothes. We bring oscillating fans, coffee makers, snacks, laundry detergent,fabric softener,assorted electronic devices, an extension cord and power strip, our own soaps and shampoos, paper towels....the list is endless. We have an SUV. We just load up the back and hope that our hotel parking spot is right in front of the front door of our room. Goodness knows I don't want to drag this crap up a flight of stairs. The other thing is rather packing her clothes, Mrs DLT rather lay them flat in the back of the SUV on hangers. No wrinkles I guess. Kind of like Seifeld episode.

If we can get into our room before check in time (usually about 50 -50) we can unpack in about an hour and head over to the park and be in the front gates by 3:00. And it just so happened in that in December 2008, quite by accident, we walked right into the start of the Christmas Fantasy Parade. Now admittedly, Mrs. DLT and I are not really Disneyland Parade people. Mrs. DLT is a Disneyland Shopper and I'm pretty much a Disneyland bench sitter. But on this particular day in December (probably around the 10th), we hit the timing of this parade exactly perfect. The found ample unobstructed views from the train station as the parade joyfully marched right on by us. It couldn't have been a more delightful surprise.

And did I mention the temperature was abut 75 degrees? So the parade went by and we were enraptured by the Christmas Fantasy Parade to the point that the sometimes questionable brain trust at Disney ever tried to remove this parade (and there has been that rumor for years, I'd be the first to sign the protest petition. (Apparently, they replaced the cute teddy bear with commercially disastrous Duffy the bear - that's bad enough).

So this was about 20 minutes of a joyful surprise and we just entered the main gates. There are other tales to tell of this December trip including REAL snow but I'll hold on to that for awhile. If you get a chance to see a Christmas Fantasy Parade which officially starts next weekend - DO IT!. It's a Christmas joy.

After the parade, we made it over to the Carnation Cafe and had a bowl of loaded baked potato soup. Is there a better way to begin a trip to Disneyland. When we leave for Disneyland in a couple of weeks, we are aiming for the exact same experience. Fingers crossed.....

Time To Throw Out The Pumpkins

Now This is More Like It

I have to admit that trips to Disneyland in September and October have soured me on pumpkins a bit. I'm definitely at odds with the color orange which oddly enough was my favorite color when I was a kid. But during Disneyland's Halloween season there are pumpkins of all sorts everywhere you turn. I'm sick of 'em. Pumpkins is one of those things where a little bit goes a long way.

But this is the transitional week in Disneyland, the week that the pumpkins are either put away or thrown out. And up come the Christmas decorations. By the end of this week a 60 ft decorated Christmas tree will replace the clever but garish Mickey Mouse pumpkin head in the Main Street plaza. At last, a holiday that can warm my heart and make me feel good.

Which brings me to the announcement of a couple of weeks ago that Disneyland (and even Disney World) will be adding Christmas theming to the venerable Jungle Cruise ride and giving it the holiday name of the "Jingle Cruise". In both Disneyland and Disney World the changes made the ride will not constitute a ride closure (like Disneyland's Haunted Mansion and small world overlays). Basically, lights and decorations are added to the queue area and the skippers are given a Christmas shtick to recite rather than the same tired old Jungle Cruse jokes. Simple enough and from what I hear, there are still people out there complaining about the changes.

There's a select few that believe that no Disneyland ride or attraction should be altered from the way it was conceived and since the Jungle Cruise was conceived by Walt Disney himself (based on his fondness for the classic film The African Queen), to alter the ride in any way is something akin to sacrilege. Well, it's time to get off your high horse.

Here's the deal. I've been looking at pumpkins in a sea of orange for two months for a made up holiday which isn't a holiday at all. Anything that Disneyland can do to bring Christmas spirit to the "happiest place on earth" then count me in - no matter how early it is. 

I Got My Annual Halloween Rock - Now On To The Disney Christmas Season

Happy Halloween from the Disneyland Traveler and Mrs. Disneyland Traveler.  Now let us move on to what is far more important on the Disneyland Calendar of Events - the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays.

Trick or Treat - Disneyland Style

Assorted family members at Mickey's Halloween Party 2013

Well, last night was the first Mickey's Halloween Party of the year, the special admission event Disneyland holds on Tuesdays and Fridays until Halloween (including Halloween itself). Let's take a roll call. A co-worker from a neighboring cubicle - she was there with her daughter and two grandsons - check. My sister was there with her husband - check. My sister's daughter with her two boys were there - check. Another niece was there with her 3 kids - check. I think that makes around a dozen people that I know having fun at Disneyland last night (at 50 something bucks a head). Who wasn't at Mickey's Halloween Party? That would be me, sitting here, getting pictures and text messages sent back to my phone.

But that's OK. I've said over and over again, I am not a Halloween person. I find Disneyland holding high priced separate admission events rather repulsive given the high prices they already charge for regular park admission. So while I'm sure they had fun (and are still having fun this morning as I write this) I'm good with missing out on the party.

My sister said the Halloween Party was different and kind of fun but wouldn't do it again. Other than the park being less crowded than usual since all the non-event guests were kicked out of the park by 7:00 pm, the Halloween Party was all about kids dressing up in costumes and having most of the fun. I don't think she thought it was worth the extra money. The kids on the other hand thought it was great. Of course....they're not paying.

Limited Time Friday the 13th Magic? Not Quite

So my friend texted me either last Friday evening or Saturday morning asking me if I knew if Disneyland published attendance figures. It was an odd question but I told him they do not publish any kind of attendance figures at all but a busy day usually puts between 40,000 and 70,000 people in Disneyland itself from what I've read. And then I read about last Friday evening at Disneyling in this morning's MiceChat Dateline Disneyland update (Link). Now my friend's odd question made complete sense.

I do not follow Limited Time Magic events at all. I had no interest in them from the beginning and even less interest in them now. I think they are silly promotions for the most part just meant to mostly get annual passholders back into the park again and again with something "new" with Limited Time Magic. By not following Limited Time Magic, I had no idea there was a special Friday the 13th LTM event to kick off the Halloween season. People came, and came, and came and soon packed Disneyland on a Friday night, in many cases overwhelming cast members, causing long lines, creating grid locked conditions, and leading to shortages in food and merchandise the event was promoting. And my friend was in the middle of it and apparently not really enjoying the chaos.

If I would have known, if I would have followed LTM events, I probably could have warned him. I did warn him that Friday the 13th would be crowded with local annual passholders,but the addition of LTM dance parties put the crowd over the top and sucked the fun right out of the place unless dealing with that kind of mess is your kind of fun. 

Limited Time Magic - I hate it.