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That afternoon, we also ran into Dave, Ursula, and the Nurmis as we were headed from Critter Country (to check out the exterior of the forthcoming Pooh attraction) to the Blue Bayou. It was nice to meet Ursula, another Laughing Place poster whose messages I have been seeing for a long time.
At the Bayou, we had another great lunch, as always. We actually did a walk-in, as I had been told there were no lunch reservations (unless I
wanted 3:45, which was too late) when I called the dining number in the morning. We probably spent more time waiting at the podium for the cast member to be available to ask about availability than it actually took us to wait for a table! (It probably helps that it was just the two of us.)
After lunch, we did some shopping in Adventureland and then rode Indy. While waiting in the queue, I noticed some goths ahead of us, one of whom was sporting a lot of Nightmare Before Christmas gear. I quietly mentioned to my husband that it's interesting how NBC crosses so many different demographics and that, this year, it was nice to see that Disneyland is now keeping up with demand for NBC/HMH merchandise compared to last year. (Last year, it was a couple of days before the cart outside the attraction was restocked with the sweatshirt I wanted.)
By now, it was time to head over to Fantasia Gardens for the Laughing Place meet. I caught up with some old friends like LuLu and Kim, as well as met some faces that were new to me, such as MissCandice (whose birthday was belatedly being celebrated), HawaiianShirtGuy, Dzneygirl, and many others. After a while, some of the group split off, while those that remained headed to Small World Holiday where we filled an entire boat, after joining up with two other LP'ers who had missed the meet earlier. (Hmmm. It appears I can get Keith to ride with a group, but, on my own, it appears my ride limit per trip for Small World is one. ) After our ride, more of the group split
off. A CM had approached us about being in the Parade of the Stars as guest performers, though no one was in agreement as to whether to do it or not. Eventually, some did and some didn't. (We didn't.)
When those that wanted to be in the parade took off on the bus, we decided to visit World of Disney in the meantime. We got somewhat distracted between our shopping, seeing Kim again, and being hungry so that we weren't back at Disneyland in time to take pictures of the LP'ers in the parade. Somehow, we also ended up running late for "Believe in Holiday Magic," too, though we saw some of it from the Monorail back to the park. I made Keith promise that, next year, we will see the whole thing at least once.
Monday, November 18
The parks were much less populated today, making everything a walk on. Our first stop was Haunted Mansion Holiday, for which I was properly attired in my new HMH t-shirt. (Three times this day, I would get compliments on this shirt, so I'm clearly not the only one attracted to the bright colors and design. : ))
On our way back out, we stopped by the outdoor vending cart. All this time, I have had the movie on videocassette but not the soundtrack so we purchased this as well as a glowing Jack necklace and some new postcards for my collection. (I should note here that the new HMH holiday score was beginning to grow on me. Keith especially likes the "La la la" part that the deranged flowers sing. )
Keith asked what I wanted to do next and I said I wanted to do HMH again. (After all, I did it six times on my trip a year ago. ) While waiting, I had opened the package containing my necklace and put it on so that it lit up. While it's not much to see in the daytime, inside the Mansion, it glowed brightly. I made sure I got my fill of HMH before bidding Jack adieu for another year. (This year, that made four ridethroughs. (g))
Before heading across the esplanade to DCA, we visited some of the Main Street Shops. I'm now on the hunt for a Main Street Electrical Parade CD I only recently found out about that has not only the parade music, an orchestral version is included. I thought that it was unlikely that 20th Century Music Company carried it, but it was still worthwhile to stop by. I was able to find out that it's actually a recording made for Walt Disney World, not Disneyland, so I guess I'll be checking at WDW on my January trip.
Once in DCA, we of course had to stop by Soarin', my favorite DCA attraction. We had some first time riders in the group, which always adds to the fun. (You can tell they're new to the attraction by their questions about how high you're actually lifted up and then their oohhs and ahhs once they're actually riding it. : ))
We also visited Flik's Fun Fair for the first time. I found the four leaf clover and we rode Heimlich's Chew Chew Train and the Tuck and Roll buggies. (Unlike traditional bumper cars, Tuck and Roll is powered through the floor and a CM said it's safe to walk on because it's only nine volts!) The themeing of this area is quite cute.
After our visit to Flik's, it was time to consider heading out, especially since I wanted to visit the Character Warehouse before we left town.
It was another November Disneyland trip that has me ready for the holidays. : ) The Disneyland Resort is always special, but the holiday decorations and overlays makes it all the more magical. Like the past two years, I'm sure I'll be back again next year to revisit my old holiday favorites and to see what's new in store, too.
Part One, Part Two
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