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[gemma2806]

Sorry about the delay people in getting the rest of my report finished but with Christmas and new year it's been very busy! I'll try and get all of my report finished before the end of next week!

[gemma2806]

Day 5


Given the drop in crowds we had a more leisurely get up. Woke up at 7:30am and headed to breakfast for 9am. It was Pluto and Goofy at breakfast today. Pluto seemed more excited than normal and for a first he actually picked Jack up and carried him around upside down for a bit. This got some laughs from us and Jack however it got some gasps of disbelief from other guests!


We went to the Disneyland Park again today and as soon as we arrived we met Duffy. He is lovely and so I had to have a cuddle. We only had a 5 min wait to meet him then we went on Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast which also had a 5 min wait. We decided to do Star Tours as Jack really liked this. There was only a 5 min wait but when we took our seats we were then told the ride had broken down and so we had to queue again at another door whilst they started the simulator. We then had to go through all the run-up to the ride again but finally we got underway. Poor Dan had to wait for us while all this happened as he didn't want to ride but at least he had the sense to wait in the arcade at the exit so he wasn't in the cold. We then walked round the back of Discoveryland and went a tour of the Nautilus. It's ok to do once but for some reason Jack wanted to do this again which I suppose was good as he didn't like this attraction at all the first time he came last year. Dan didn't go round twice though so I walked back through with Jack. We then went on Orbitron which made a change as we had never got round to doing this before. Dan sat this one out as well as he knew it would be a squeeze and not easy to get in and out of with his back. I went on it with Jack as it was a walk-on. It was much faster than Dumbo and I liked the fact it was tilted at a 45 degree angle!


We then ride Buzz Lightyear again as this was a walk-on. We gave Autopia a miss as although everywhere else seemed to have no queues this still seemed to have a long queue. We have never done this ride but I'm hoping we're not missing out on much!  By this time it was getting closer to our lunch reservation in the Disneyland Hotel and as we had never been inside the hotel before we decided to leave early so we could have a look round. We left the park on the left hand side and headed through the revolving doors into the Disneyland Hotel. It really is beautiful inside and Jack was offered a free badge and balloon from a man near the front desks. There was a live band performing from a balcony area and they were being filmed. We went to the next floor and walked past the Castle Club lifts, I would love to stay here, and past the lovely looking shop. We got to the lounge area in front of the restaurants, they even had a giant advent calendar here. We then checked the menu for the buffet for Inventions and found the prices to be higher than we had originally anticipated. Although I have always wanted to eat here, Dan was not impressed by the price especially as this did not include characters and so after a lot of persuasion on his part we agreed to not eat here and use the extra money on souvenirs. We left and decided to have a quiet lunch at Annette's Diner instead.


Annette's was quiet and we had a booth downstairs by the windows. We decided to have a meal each as we were quite hungry. Jack had his current favourite meal of chicken nuggets, chips and ketchup. Dan had a mega burger which amazingly he ate all of it and I had a rock 'n' roll burger which was lovely. We also both had the cherry coke which is just the best soft drink ever! I also had a brownie and ice cream for pudding because I was greedy!


After lunch we headed back to Disneyland Park and Jack fell asleep so we decided to go to City Hall and go on the guided tour of the park but we literally missed it by 5 mins. Gutted! The Concierge at the desk were exceptionally helpful and tried to get the tour guide to wait where he was so we could join the tour but as the only people on the tout were a couple, the tour guide had planned the tour around what the couple wanted and so we were unable to join it. Instead we walked down Liberty Arcade and into the castle. We looked around Merlin L'Enchanteur as I wanted to find a different Stitch present for my sister's Christmas present.


Eventually Jack woke up and we decided to ride on Pirates of the Caribbean as this was a walk-on. We then walked through Adventureland and round to Frontierland. We decided to queue to meet Santa as the queue looked relatively small despite the 2 hour wait posted. We ended up queuing for nearly an hour but the time seemed to fly by. It was a lovely meet and greet set-up and Santa was lovely and spent lots of time talking to Jack and having photos taken. We then went to see Goofy in his workshop for more photos. As we left it was drizzling quite heavily and so although Jack wanted to play on Pocahontas playground, they had closed it. We decided to go on Big a Thunder Mountain as there was no wait and because unlike last year Jack seemed to really want to go on it. We therefore decided to go on and miraculously Jack didn't change his mind as we were about to board the ride. All 3 of us went on the same carriage so we were nice and snug which meant no being jostled around. Jack absolutely loved this ride and even lifted his arms up on the drops. The funniest moment though was when we got to the peak at which point Jack said, "That's an amazing view!". We bought the ride photo of this as his face was priceless! We then went on Phantom Manor which is another contender for Jack's favourite ride.


We then walked round to Main Street and got some cookies from the Cookie Kitchen as they are gorgeous! We also had dinner from Casey's Corner. It is expensive for what it is but as we had already had a big lunch at Annette's we just got one hotdog and one chicken nuggets to share between us. We then did some window shopping along Liberty Arcade and then we stood on Main Street to watch the Tree Lighting Ceremony. Jack missed this before as he was asleep but we decided to watch it from further back so we could see the garlands in the view as well as I knew from this forum that they also lit up in time to the music. After this we went back to the hotel and decided not to stay and watch Disney Dreams (big mistake for me!) as we had a long day tomorrow. We spent the evening in the hotel lounge and then went up to bed.

[gemma2806]

Day 6


We wanted to do all of our favourite rides today as it was our last full day.


We got up at 6:30am and headed to breakfast just before 8am. It was pretty much the same characters as on the other days but we also saw Donald Duck.


We went from breakfast to the Disneyland Park and straight to Discoveryland where we rode Star Tours again as there was a 5 min wait. For some reason I felt queasy when I came off the ride this time but I think it was because we did it so early in the morning and it was the first ride of the day! We walked onto Buzz Lightyear again and got the best score yet 1,701.000!! We then walked round to Fantasyland and rode the Tea Cups which was also a walk-on. Dan came on this time as he was having a good day with his back. We then went on the Carousel as this was also a walk-on. Dan came on this one as well and got on the horse with relative ease. We also rode Pinocchio and Snow White as they were also walk-on attractions and we had a mine car to ourselves. We then rode Peter Pan's Flight as this was a 5 min wait.


We then went round to Adventureland and rode Pirates of the Caribbean as again this was a walk-on. We also walked round the Aladdin attraction again as this was empty. After walking round to Frontierland, Jack said he wanted to do Big Thunder Mountain again as he loved it so much. Unfortunately for us the FP machines weren't working as they believed the queues weren't big enough to out the machines on. The wait time stated 15 mins but I cold tell there was no way it was a 15 min wait. Still Jack was adamant we had to do it so 40 mins later we eventually got to ride!


We had lunch booked at Walt's and headed over there. The restaurant was nice and quiet and we got a window seat in the Discoveryland Room. We only have the Fantasyland and Adventureland rooms to go before we've eaten in them all! Dan had a seafood starter which looked lovely and he really enjoyed it, he didn't want a main course. Jack had a set menu which he enjoyed apart from the dessert which was awful. It was an apple crumble but it seemed like the chef had accidentally tipped a whole pot of cinnamon over it! I had the Walt's Gourmet Burger and Waffle Fries. The oil clearly needed changing and the burger was awful. The bread was soggy and fell apart, the burger was raw in the middle and burnt in the outside. I had the chocolate fondant pudding which was wonderful. It appeared ours wasn't the only disappointment of the day as the table next to us returned their steak twice and it was still undercooked, they actually had the chef come to the table to apologise! We have always loved the food here and so this was a big disappointment but I'm hoping it was a one off as I would still love to go back! Needless to say after this lunch I started to feel even more queasy! We watched the Christmas Cavalcade from the window before leaving.


We then left the park and headed over to the Studios. We arrived in time to see the Stars 'n' Cars Parade and we got a brilliant spot where we could see everything clearly. Needless to say Jack had fallen asleep again! We walked to Toy Story Playland and I queued for a minute if that in the single rider lane for the Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop. Dan wasn't bothered by this and Jack was asleep. It was just as good as I remembered last time and you get a good view over the Ratatouille construction site if you're sitting in the right place. It's amazing how much this has come on since September 2012! We then walked back to the Flying Carpets ride and Jack woke up so we did this ride as it wan a walk-on. We then back-tracked to Slinky Dog where it was another walk-on so we did this. I had to stop at this point for by Rex for a sit down as my head was starting to hurt and I felt seriously sick after lunch. After a 15 min break the feeling of nausea seemed to pass a bit. Then Jack spotted Crush's Coaster and asked if he was big enough to go on this which he was (just!) and despite the time in the afternoon there was only a 15 MIN WAIT!!!! We honestly didn't think he would enjoy this but as we had been unable to go on it last holiday because he was too small and the waits were too long we decided to give it a whirl. We got to the loading platform and he still wanted to do it so Jack sat next to his dad in the front and I sat by myself facing the back. I love this coaster and actually had my eyes open on it this time! I could hear Jack making excitable noises and saying "mine, mine, mine", so I knew he was enjoying it! However on the way round I literally felt something pop in the side of my head and I left the ride feeling terribly sick and with a killer migraine. We sat down for a good 20 mins but the pain just wouldn't subside so I asked Dan if we could go back to the hotel.


We left the park and went back to the room. I took some tablets but felt that I needed to sleep so Dan and Jack went to the pastry buffet at the Golden Forest Lounge for 4pm whilst I had a sleep. I slept till just after 5pm and Dan and Jack came back from the buffet. My head still felt terrible and I wasn't hungry. Dan and Jack had filled up on the pastry buffet so after this and lunch they decided they weren't hungry so we all skipped dinner. I didn't feel up to going back out again so Dan took Jack back to the park for the evening. I stayed in the hotel room and packed for our return trip tomorrow. Dan took Jack to Phantom Manor and they rode this in the dark (can't believe I missed this!). They then went to ride Pirates of the Caribbean but found a 55 min wait so didn't bother. They used the Hotel FP  and rode Peter Pan's Flight. Apparently they then ran into problems as Dan is not as familiar with the park as I am and they closed lots of paths to get ready for Disney Dreams! Dan was aiming to see the Tree Lighting Ceremony for the last time (can't believe I missed this!) but by the time he eventually found a route to where he wanted to go, it had already finished! They then wet to get a spot for Disney Dreams and found a place 5 mins before it started. They stood in front of the fountain outside Plaza Gardens Restaurant and apparently had a clear line of view with no-one stood in front. They saw all the projections and fireworks etc. To say I was gutted to miss this evening is a complete understatement!!


They came back to the room and as I felt a bit better we all went to the Golden Forest Lounge where I drank a ton of pop and tea just in case my migraine was caused by dehydration! I felt fairly spaced out but still managed to do all my last minute shopping in the hotel boutique! We then had an early night as I felt the more sleep I got the better!

[gemma2806]

Day 7


Woke up this morning with that awful feeling you get when you know it's your last day!


We got up at 8am and called the Golden Forest Desk to get our luggage collected from our room. We went to breakfast for 9am and said by to the room before leaving our luggage.


The Golden Forest Breakfast Room was very busy today but having been at the weekend before I kind of expected this. We didn't see any characters this morning but I think it's because we just missed them. We went to the Golden Forest Desk and checked out. We were told the bell hop had collected our luggage and we could pick it up when we wished.


We then took a leisurely stroll round the lake and did some last minute shopping at World of Disney which was relatively empty. We then decided to visit the Studios first but we had to queue to get in so we knew it was going to be busy! We rode Flying Carpets which had a 15 min wait and as Cars had opened again after a refurbishment and Jack wanted to do this! we conceded and waited 25 mins for this. The only other ride we wanted to do was Slinky Dog but seeing as it had a 45 min wait we decided to pass! We then said our usual goodbyes and left the Studios.


We went to the Disneyland Park and decided to work anti-clockwise in the hope of beating the queues, no chance! We went to ride Buzz but it had an 85 min wait! Given that all the rides all week had been about 5 min wait or a walk-on we simply couldn't justify waiting in long queues. We went to do "it's a small world" but the queue was over an hour wait! (I have never seen this ride so busy even in the Summer holidays). We queued and rode Les Pays de Contes Des Fees which said a 15 min wait but was about 35 min wait! Casey Jnr was another pass as this was a 45 min queue. We walked past Alice's Curious Labyrinth and they were queuing to get in! It was a one in, one out system (this I've never seen before!).  Peter Pan's Flight was a 90 min wait so again no go. We gave up on Fantasyland and tried Adventureland. Pirates of the Caribbean was a 70 min wait so we walked through to Frontierland. Phantom Manor was a 60 min wait and Big Thunder Mountain was a 75 min wait and a 30 min wait for the FP queue!


We decided to abandon the park altogether as you couldn't even get in anywhere to eat! This was really disappointing as it was our last day and I had forfeited the rides last night due to being ill. We went to eat in the Disney Village but there were queues everywhere for the restaurants, it was ridiculous! In the end we queued for about 20 mins at the take-away window in the New York Deli. We had a very reasonably priced set meal for 3 people and the food was actually quite nice. The fries were really chunky and I found somewhere other than the Cable Car Bake Shop that does the amazing cheesecake with coulis! There was nowhere to sit though so we walked round to the lakeside of the hotel and sat by the lake eating lunch.


We sat in the bar for a bit before getting our luggage from the Golden Forest Desk. The bell hop even took the luggage to the VEA stop for us to save us carrying it! We caught the shuttle at 3:30pm and fortunately it was empty so no worries about being delayed getting to the airport. The driver actually took us on a different route back which seemed more direct and took less time. It took us about 30 mins if that compared to the usual 45 min trip minimum it usually takes.


We got checked in without any problems and then had a snack before heading through security to the departure lounge. Our flight took off on time at 6:45pm. The flight was full which was a big difference to the outbound journey. We arrived on time at 7:05pm and got through customs as quick as possible but several flights had landed at once causing us delays. We then got the taxi home.


We had a wonderful holiday despite our various ailments! I think we picked a perfect time to go with the Christmas Season being in full swing, the lack of crowds throughout the main part of the week and the fact that it was cold but predominantly sunny and dry.


DLP has become our home away from home and we love it here but sadly unless we win the lottery we won't be coming back till the 25th Anniversary, partly because I want to save up and stay in the Disneyland Hotel and partly because I've started saving for an EPIC 28 day trip to Florida. As I don't know when these holidays will come into fruition all I can say at the moment is au revoir till next time!!

[bad-pink-tink]

Loved reading your trip report 

[pialykke]

Loved reading your trip report, makes me so excited to go in March - but yes, unless we win the lottery as well, we won't be coming back 'till the 25th either - so will be very sad the day we go home...! Already dreading it actually.......!

[Iancot]

Wow great report looks like you you had a fab time.

[seony141010]

Hi
Your report is brilliant.  We don't go till dec 1st, our little boy will be just 4. I think I will be taking a buggy in case of sleeps.

Thanks

[Gemma W]

Thanks for the fab Trip report! We go next week so was great to read your little tips. We are also hoping to go at the end of Nov beginning of Dec as a one off to see the Christmas decs so was great to hear about that too! I hope the park is as quiet when we go! xx

[gemma2806]

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to read through my trip report!

Seony141010 - I think you'll definitely need the buggy! My son started to walk when he was 10 months and was good at walking distances from about 2 but Disney is just too much walking even for him so we have always taken his buggy. Even if he didn't use it as much as he did it still proves useful for storing other things on such as shopping and bags etc! Have a wonderful trip!

Gemma W - I spoke to another forum member before I went who said that she goes pretty much every year at the same time and she has always known it to be quiet this time of year. It was a definite bonus the parks being so quiet! I hadn't been when it was so quiet since Sept 2002 and it was brilliant! It was lovely for my partner and son to experience a quiet time there so they could really take in everything about DLP. Have a wonderful trip!