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I thought I post a report about our New Year's eve at Disneyland and Disney's california adventure.
Howard works at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim (or Anaheim Arean whichever you want to call it). This is wear the mighty ducks play.
From Christmas to New Year's day they had the Disney on ice playing. He had to work the 1:00 show so he didn't get done until 3:30 pm. I
had to work that day also. Howard usually stays home with our 3 year old daughter, and works evenings. My mom picked Howard and Lindsay
up and took him to work, and took Lindsay home with her to watch her. I got of work a little early at 2:30 and went home and got our
stuff together to go to Disneyland. At lunchtime it had rained, so I packed up all the rain gear also. I went and picked Lindsay up at my
mom's and then we picked Howard up at the pond at 3:30 and went Disneyland. We got there before 4:00. We parked in the parkings
structure. When we got to the tram station there were signs saying the tram would not be running from 12:00 am until 1:45 am.
We rode the tram to Disneyland and went inside. We walked to Small world, and got fast passes for 5:15. waited around for 5 minutes to
see the Small world lighting. They make and announcement and then turn on all the lights on small world. Since they lights are going
to be taken down after this weekend I though it would be neat to watch them turn the lights on. We then went and bought some new
years pins, and a cute Mickey that sings Auld Lang Syne and his hat lights up with 2002. Then we got dinner and it was time to go on
Small world. I don't think we'll make it back Disneyland before Sunday so I wanted to make sure to get this one in as the holiday
stuff will be taken down after this weekend. After the ride, we went over and got our free New Year's Eve hats and blowers. By this point
I was tired of pushing the stroller through the incredibly thick crowds. We decided we'd head over to DCA for a little while.
The Christmas parade started as we were walking up mainstreet, so we watched it while walking to the exit. They were having touble moving
people along, and it took quite a bit to get the stroller all the way up mainstreet. At one point Howard and Lindsay were about 20 people in front of me, and there was a huge group of teenagers holding hands
that decided they would jump in front of my stroller. I yelled at them and told them I too was trying to get through the crowd and my
party was way ahead of me. I gues they figured I was out for blood because they said sorry, and stepped back. I then managed to hit a
wheelchair with the stroller wheel. Her wheelchair was not locked, so the lady started to go down the small hill into the sea of people
watching the parade, so I had to put her back and apolgised for giving knocking her.
We finally got out of Disneyland. We went to DCA and got the hats and blowers there (they had different ones). Then Lindsay made a
LuminAria card. For those of you who don't know what luminaria is, is a fireworks show (mostly low fireworks) that disney put together
in 90 days to draw attendance for christmas to DCA. Kids can draw cards, and they scan them in, then pick 60 cards per show to show on
these giant screens. We had been meaning to let Lindsay do this. She had fun coloring (although it's mostly scribbling I'm sure they
won't pick her card). We then signed a form saying they could use her artwork in a future show. They put the picture in a drawer
(where the scanner was) and then the child pushes a button. An elaborate animatronic sceen moves while it scans the picture in, and
the CM gives you your picture back when it's finished. DCA has a map thing for kids where you go around collecting stickers. We asked for
a LuminAria sticker for Lindsay to wear. Since the show is over in a few days and they're trying to get rid of the stickers they handed us
a stack of 35 stickers.
Then we watched the Electrical parade and left DCA to go back to Disneyland. There was no way I was taking the stroller back into
Disneyland it was just too crowded. We decided it probably would rain, so we'd just take the stroller back to the car and carry
Lindsay on our shoulders. It was now 8:00 and the fireworks were at 9:20. Howard took Lindsay back into DL to ride the train to New
Orleans square where we were going to watch the fireworks and see the snow. Since this is the last week of the snow I wanted to make sure
Lindsay would get to see it once last time, and didn't know if we'd make it back from the car in time to see the snow. I hopped the tram
to the parking structure, put the stroller in the car, moved the car closer to the elevator, and hopped the tram back to DL, round trip
took about 45 minutes. I then took the train to New Orleans Square. When I found Howard Lindsay had fallen asleep (how with all the noise
from the band I'm not sure but she did). Since she was asleep we decided we'd get in line for Haunted mansion to ride it one more time
before they put that one back to normal also. it was a 65 minute line, with no more fast passes being given out. It was now 9:00. As
soon as the fireworks started Lindsay woke up, so Howard took her to see the snow. Well we barely moved for the whole fireworks show, but
as soon as the snow started we moved from going around a water fountain, to inside the mansion gates (still a line outside, but
harder to get to) I saw Howard and told him to go through the fast pass enterance to get to me. By now it's 9:30 and we've moved
through over half of the line. Then since everyone with FP had waited until after the fireworks to get in line FP was filled with
people. We did not move for an hour. At 10:45 we finally got on the ride.
Then we walked over to Small world for the count down. Since it wasn't as packed as last time, we decided to get something to eat,
and come back. At 10 minutes to midnight they shut down all the rides. we went back to the countdown, saw the mickey rise above the
matterhorn that said 2002, and watched the fireworks. I then ran to the matterhorn line and we go on in about 10 mintues (when we got off
the ride the line was 2 hours long) we then rode dumbo (15 minute wait) and the carousel. Then we decided to leave.
DCA is over were the old parking lot used to be. They built a huge parking structure over next to the DL hotel. Disney has 3 more
smaller parking lots, but AP holders can only park in the parking structre. You can walk to the structure but the normal way is to go
through Downtown Disney past the hotel thorugh the parking lot and into the structure. It takes a good 15 to 20 mintues walking fast
(and 30 minutes is more like it). So basicaly going on the tram is the way to go. Disney decided that even with every tram running the
lines would be too long. Espceially since DCA closed at 1 with DL closing at 3. So from midnight until 1:45 they stopped tram service
and had to you walk the tram route. which only took 10 minutes or so. I commend Disney for doing this. I heard one CM explaining to
someone that if they hadn't stopped the trams they estimated the wait for a tram would have been 5 hours with many people getting hurt due
to pushing and shoving. I believe this estimate as we one time had to wait 1 1/2 hours for a tram and it wasn't at a hight exit time.
(not right after fireworks or closing).
So in 10 hours we went to 2 parks; rode Small world, tea cups, train, Haunted mansion, Matterhorn, Dumbo, and the Carousel; saw the
Christmas Parade, and the electrical parade; saw the Believe in Holiday magic fireworks and snow, and the New Years fireworks. Not
bad for the amount of people there.
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