From Christmas To New Year's Eve....at the Resort

[Pisces]

INTRODUCTION:
Dec 23-Jan 1 (One person)
Five nights at the Grand Californian (Dec 23-Dec28)
Four nights at Park Place (Dec28-Jan 1).
8-day Park Hopper ($199.00) Purchased at the GCH Front Desk.


SATURDAY DECEMBER 23, 2006:

Soarin (first ride of the day, before DCA even opened)
Storytellers Dinner Buffet
Storybookland Canal Boats
Fireworks

Comments: I basically spent the morning wandering around waiting for my room at the Grand Californian. I didn't feel like doing rides, with the exception of Storybookland Boats because the Park had seemed to clear out that night. (The crowds looked very large in the morning and afternoon, though). I spent a lot of time in the GCH Conference Center admiring the trees. That's a nice out-of-the-way place to sit when waiting for your room. That, and did some laundry. Once I got the room, I had to do ironing, and set up the Christmas Tree.




SUNDAY DECEMBER 24, 2006:

Plaza Inn Breakfast with Minnie and Friends
Christmas Fantasy Parade (5:30pm for Christmas Eve)
It's A Small World
Fireworks (7:30pm for Christmas Eve)
Takeout Pizza and Lasagna from Napoli (10:00 pm Christmas Eve Dinner)

Comments: Plaza Inn Breakfast has fallen off a bit from last year, but it made a charming way to spend the morning of Christmas Eve. The day was all down-hill after that, at least for a time.

I didn't like my room at GCH. (My own fault, though, for checking in on a Saturday!) So I spent much of that afternoon packing up and preparing to move to a different one they offered me, which was very nice of them. I wasn't helped any by the surprise fire-drill at about 3, GCH decided to stage.

Not till about 5:00 pm, could I finally, finally, finally relax. Everything in place, and ready to celebrate my Holiday with no more worries. That is until about 24 hours later when I started to come down with a cold!
Still, from about 5:00 pm (Dec 24) till 5:00 pm (Dec 25) it was total magic.

You couldn't ask for a better Christmas! Nothing like riding Small World on Christmas Eve, and the Carolers put on a Christmas Eve show in the lobby of the GCH...right up till 1:00 am....with everyone coming out of their rooms, and hanging over the sides of the balconys (like one of those stacked/multi-level Italian arias) and joining in. Surreal, solemn, and total magic!



MONDAY DECEMBER 25, 2006:

Peter Pan (twice EE)
Mr. Toads (twice EE)
Snow White (twice EE)
Alice
Space Mountain
PCH Grill Buffet (10:30 am Christmas Breakfast)
Nap
Christmas Parade
Electrical Parade
Fireworks
Takeout Pizza from Napoli

Comments: The first part of the day was great. It really was magical waking up to EE on Christmas Day. The weather was perfect. I could swear they turned up the Mainstreet Loop. The crowd gasped when we saw the Snowglobe (for the first time) while making our way to Peter Pan. It wasn't about till 4:00 or 5 pm when I felt like I was coming down with some sort of cold or virus.

It didn't seem to harm my appetite though.




TUESDAY DECEMBER 26, 2006

Mr. Toad (twice EE)
Peter Pan (twice EE)
Alice (twice EE)
Snow White
Pinoccio
Casey Jr.
Goofys Kitchen Dinner
Electrical Parade
Fireworks
Pirates
Big Thunder
Haunted Mansion
Splash Moutain (Last ride of the day!)

Comments: This was the day I probably got the most rides in, of the whole trip. Under normal circumstances, I tire easily, and on this day, I felt like I had a cold on top of that. Nevertheless, I got some riding done. It was very easy to go from the Electrical Parade, right over to view the Fireworks as long as you content yourself with a spot underneath the tree, at the foot of Main Street. I didn't think they were all that crowded for the day after Christmas. Christmas Day was more crowded than the day after, I felt.




WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 27, 2006

Goofy's Kitchen Dinner

Comments: I was fighting off a cold, so I thought I'd better sit this day out. This was the day when it was raining in the morning, and then those heavy winds in the afternoon. It was fun just looking out my GCH balcony and enjoying my tree, especially since it was my last night at GCH. Who says you don't spend time in the room? Anyway, with 5 nights at GCH, and 4 nights at Park Place, I was trying to stretch an 8-day Parkhopper, and not have to upgrade to an Annual Pass.




THURSDAY DECEMBER 28, 2006

Peter Pan (twice?)
Mr. Toad
Casey Jr.
Captain Kid's Pancake Breakfast (Free)
Maliboomer
Christmas Fantasy Parade
Storytellers Buffet Dinner (7:30 pm)
Electrical Parade
Fireworks
Haunted Mansion
Indian Jones (twice)

Comments: This was a very depressing day. I would be checking out of the Grand Californian, and moving to Park Place. That's quite a come-down. I tried to soothe things with a ride on Maliboomer----to sort of whoosh my troubles away. Hard to be depressed after watching the Christmas Fantasy Parade, plus, I had dinner at Storytellers, that night, to try to fool myself into thinking I was still at the Grand Californian. I would have done more riding, but the Park was at its most crowded. Even DCA. The most crowded I've ever seen DCA.


FRIDAY DECEMBER 29, 2006

Storytellers Buffet Dinner

Comments: I really stretched an 8-day Parkhopper over 10 days in the Resort. The Annual Pass just isn't for me. I decided to go home on this day. It seemed strange to do that, but I had end-of-the-year things to take care of. It's nice living relatively close by (90 minutes away) to be able to make a quick trip back home. Convienent. Weird, but convenient.




SATURDAY DECEMBER 30, 2006

Innoventions
PCH Grill Breakfast Buffet
South Coast Plaza
Electrical Parade
Fireworks
Plaza Inn (Fried Chicken 10:00 pm?)
Tiki Room
Matterhorn
Small World

Comments: Remind me never to take Harbor Blvd. to South Coast Plaza. Better to take the 5 to the 55 to the 405. Harbor Blvd takes forever. It was a nice little detour, though. I can't remember if I saw the Christmas Parade or not, though. I don't think I got back in time. I didn't think the Park was as crowded as on the 28th. The day before NYE is always like the calm before the storm. They were busy enough, though. I would have liked a second Matterhorn, but the line was long.





SUNDAY DECEMBER 31, 2006

Cafe Orleans (11:30am-1:00pm)
Blue Bayou (1:00-2:30pm)
Tom Sawyer Island (nap, 3-5pm)
Midnight Fantasy In The Sky (5pm-12 mid, front of Sleeping Beauty)
Rancho Del Zocolo (enchilada plate at 1:00 am)
Splash Mountain (1:30 am?)

Comments: I really have nothing to say, other than .....never again. I spent my last NYE in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. I would like to stay at one of the resort Hotels for NYE, but I won't camp out, or even be in the Parks, at the stroke of Midnight ever again.




MONDAY JANUARY 1, 2007

Art of the Craft Tour
Tower of Terror
Whitewater Snacks
Sunwheel
Soarin
Christmas Fantasy Parade (back to 5:30 pm weekdays)
Roger Rabbit
Electrical Parade
Plaza Inn Fried Chicken
French Market Fried Chicken
Tiki Room (Twice)

Comments: They cancelled the fireworks because of "winds at the higher altitude" which I doubt was true. Earlier, I had a great Sunwheel ride, right when the sun was actually setting (See my pics). I finally got to spend time at Toontown at night!


CONCLUSION:

I was never on a schedule. Whatever attractions I could get to, when I felt like getting to them, and if there were no lines...I did. If not....then I missed out. I don't like to force it, and given I wasn't feeling well, I did whatever was convienent and available, at the time. Even for Early Entry: I never set the alarm. If I happened to be awake for Early Entry, ---which I always was, then I shuffled on over. I never forced anything, and never put myself on any type of plan or timeschedule!

And, that goes for NYE. I really had no plan in mind. It's a vacation, I had 8-days in the Parks, so I saw no reason to put any obligations or burdens on myself.

I planned nothing in advance for NYE. I simply tried to get into the Park before 12 noon, which I did, and then I kind of gravitated over to NOS to see what was doing in terms of food. (On NYE ----experience has taught me, better to get food all taken care of early, and at least get that out of the way before it gets crazy!) Both Cafe Orleans and BB took me as a single-diner/walk-up on the spur of the moment. And that was great, as it killed about 3 hours and got me out of the crowds. I couldn't have reserved tables because both Cafe Orleans and BB were booked booked booked long before, for NYE, even when I checked after arriving on the 23rd.

The trip as a whole......I'd have really wished for another Matterhorn ride, but the line never went down the whole 8-days I was there.
Also, I never got to go on Grizzly, as there never seemed to be time, and when there was....I wasn't in the mood to get wet. I'll make it a point to do that one next year.

The Sunwheel was absolute magic---with the setting sun on Jan 1; and the Christmas Eve Small World was also magic. --Those two I'll never forget!

[PirateChick]

Sounds as if you had a good time on your trip even though you started getting sick in the middle of it, bummer.

[anaheimgirl79]

ya if you ever have to change hotels on a vacation save the nicer one for the end.

[Berd]

ya if you ever have to change hotels on a vacation save the nicer one for the end.

That's exactly what I was going to suggest.

Sounds like a nice vacation for you in spite of not feeling well. Thanks for sharing.