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tinkwest
12-28-2007, 01:10 PM
After canceling a visit earlier in the month, I went up to DLR yesterday (12/27) to finally see Disneyland in 2007 holiday mode. DD & her friends had been wanting to visit also, and although we knew it would be crowded, this is when they have their school break, so off we went. DH came along also so that the girls could take off to do their own thing and I wouldn't be left alone.

It was obviously going to be crowded, but the CM at the tram station mentioned that we were lucky to be there on the 27th rather than the 26th when practically every member of the Rose Bowl participating football teams, bands, and their families descended on DLR.

Job One was to get a locker, then our group split up and we wouldn't see the girls again until it was time to go home.

We secured a FASTPASS for Space Mountain (at 10am we were scheduled to return btwn 3:30 & 4:30) after battling the horrible bottleneck that is a constant problem at the entrance of Tomorrowland. We passed on Star Tours & Buzz since their lines were from 45 minutes to over an hour. We checked out Nemo's line but it was a 2 1/2 hour wait and DH, who had never ridden it, decided he could wait for another time. We checked several times throughout the day and never saw it shorter than 75 minutes.

We headed off to it's a small world, knowing that it's popularity during the holidays increases at nighttime after the exterior lights come on. It was an easy 30 minute wait and I enjoyed the ride as usual.

We got in line for the DRR at Toontown - a surprisingly short line - and prepared for our "grand circle tour". It ended up taking an entire hour to go complete circle then back to Main Street Station. First there was someone needing medical attention which delayed the train's departure, then there was an unscheduled stop between Main Street & New Orleans Square while we waited for a red light to change green, then an unscheduled stop along the Rivers of America while a 4th train was being put on to the tracks. Luckily we were in a kick back & relax kind of mood, so delays were no big deal to us.

There were cool breezes all day and we were ready to go inside somewhere warm. We left Disneyland and headed to Storytellers Cafe for Cobb Salads (DH's favorite meal at DLR, followed by a close second - the fried chicken at Plaza Inn). We were told the wait would be 45 minutes, but I don't think we even waited 10. We spent a good deal of time relaxing, eating our huge salads with delicious bread, and drinking our hot tea.

We used the GCH/DCA entrance and walked off our meal by strolling through the DCA grounds. We only visited one attraction at this park on this visit - our favorite - the Cove Bar. Found a sunny spot at the bar and sipped Bloody Marys while doing some people watching and marveling at the variety of drinks the bartenders were serving up.

When we returned to Disneyland the Christmas Fantasy Parade (were you participating this year Nerdeus?) was just ending and we were able to see Santa before once again making our way down Main Street. It was time to use our Space Mountain tickets and this time as we pushed & shoved our way through Tomorrowland we noticed that ride wait times had gone down considerably. We had a great time and were able to experience something new when the ride came to a stop. We had just excited "space" and were stuck in the reentry tunnel. The ride lights were eventually turned off and the regular lights were turned on. It was not much of a wait until two CMs came and manually pushed our rocket out of the tunnel and back out to the boarding/unboarding area.

As the sun was going down the park seemed to be emptying quite a bit. Or maybe guests were all relocating to grab spots for Fantasmic! and Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks. We attended the final Billy Hill showing of the day and we took the final ride of the day on the Mark Twain. We stood in 20 minute lines (half the time they had been earlier in the day) for Big Thunder Mountain - the goat was gone! - and Holiday Haunted Mansion - we love this version!

Throughout the evening we snacked on popcorn, churros, and hot cocoa. We did some shopping. We caught one of the iasw light shows and took in the beauty of the Castle at night. We had considered staying for the fireworks & snow and even had a decent spot for viewing, but we were all cold & tired. So, our group met up at the lockers and headed on out, enjoying some of the overhead fireworks as we rode the tram and made our way to the car at the parking structure.

Although we had an enjoyable day, I will have to make sure that next year I go earlier in the month (or even in November) to enjoy the holiday splendor without quite so many other visitors.

Melanie
12-29-2007, 04:19 AM
Sounds like a nice holiday visit, complete with the chill in the air. :freeze:

Yours is the first account I've heard of getting stuck on Space Mt. at Disneyland. Interesting!

Thanks for reporting, Linda! :thumbsup:

NotaGeek
12-29-2007, 02:07 PM
Thanks for the report ... I hope to hang at the parks with you in 2008! It's been TOO long!

ChipnDaleGal
12-31-2007, 12:40 PM
Linda, that sounded just perfect! You sure made the most of your one day visit and it sounded like fun from beginning to end. Thanks for sharing it with us. :mickey: