Every December, Disneyland hosts the Candlelight Procession -- a special celebration of The Christmas Story in song and light. Ever since I heard of this tradition, I've wanted to attend. I had an expiring certificate good for a round trip ticket on Reno Air. While I had hoped to use the certificate earlier in the year for the Cal-WSU football road trip, I couldn't because Reno Air stopped flying to Spokane. I had also hoped to use it for trips either on Thanksgiving weekend or the weekend before Christmas, but couldn't because of blacked out travel days. Fortunately, the weekend of the Candlelight Procession was not blacked out, so I decided to use my certificate and attend.
I arranged to take the first flight from San Francisco to Orange County on the 13th. As I was waiting for my flight to board, I watched the dawn unfold through the window at the gate. The colors were vibrant and made me think more of a sunset then a sunrise. As I was enjoying the sunrise, the gate agent started boarding my flight. Since this wasn't Southwest, I had my reserved seat, so I didn't board. Ten minutes before departure, the agent announced "Final boarding call". I turned my head to him and said "If I board now, does this mean you're going to leave early?" He said "No." I said, "Ok, I'll board in a couple of minutes" I snapped a photo of the sunrise through the glass and boarded the plane.
I walked along the aisle to my seat -- 14F. I almost missed my seat as I was counting the rows. When I reached row 14, I found out that it was row 15; Did I miscount? No, it turned out that there was no row 13 on the aircraft. Is Reno Air superstitious, or is this something common on all MD-90 aircraft?
The flight down was uneventful. Because I was on the right hand side of the aircraft, I had a nice view of the Pacific Ocean. After an hour, I was on the ground at John Wayne Airport and waiting for The Airport Bus to take me to the Disneyland hotel. The bus ride allowed me to see some of the changes to the park area. We drove past the new parking lot on the old Disney Vacation Campground (the tollbooths are in place too) and pulled into the hotel driveway. This revealed that the old Airport Bus transit center, which was between the Disneyland and Disneyland Pacific Hotels, no longer existed. I asked the driver where I should catch the bus back to the airport, and he said "Right here." I thanked him and then walked to the Monorail, which was conveniently waiting for me to board.
My first stop was the lockers, since I had a weekend's worth of clothes (it was too early to check in to my hotel), and then it was off to have some fun. My first stop was at the coffee stand at the hub for some hot chocolate in a souvenir mug and a muffin. As I purchased my cheap breakfast, the Ariel storytelling started at the Plaza Gardens. I had caught the storytelling before and thought it was ok; Besides, what else was I going to do while I had my breakfast. I was glad I caught this one...the woman playing Ariel was soooo much better than the one I had seen during Thanksgiving. The one I saw during Thanksgiving sounded like a Valley Girl...ugh!
After Ariel's story, and a quick spin on the Mad Tea Party, it was time for the Classic Princess Storytelling at Tinkerbell's toyshop. Before the story began, I ran into RJ (or crimsonv), another Disneyland fan from the Bay Area and a member of the ba-add mailing list. He said that he figured I would be there since I had written enough about the storytelling.
The storytelling began with Chey leading everyone in the Storyteller's Oath (no I can't remember it). It seemed to be a run-of-the-mill storytelling as Cinderella told her story with Chey play all of the other parts until The Mad Hatter suddenly snuck in and interrupted the story. This added a breath of fresh air, as the storytellers didn't seem to have all of their heart into it. He asked if he could help tell the story, and then volunteered to play the parts of the evil stepsisters Drusilla and Anastasia (no, they didn't do any jokes about the competing movie) and the evil step mother. It was wonderful and my hat goes off to the Mad Hatter for enhancing the story.
After the story we wandered around Fantasyland, and caught another character surprise. Goofy, dressed up as Santa Claus, was on a Storybookland canal boat. The kids in the boat looked quite happy, and then goofy gave everyone an extra laugh by pulling out some guest control flashlights and waving them around. We didn't stick around to see the reaction when the boat came back, because it was almost noon.
Even though it was Saturday, our next stop was the hub. Bruce Bergman had suggested that folks interested in attending Candlelight on Saturday meet at noon. While Bruce didn't show up (it turned out that he had posted that he couldn't make it), fellow ba-adders Linda Levy and Robert Jordan did. (In other words, this was a ba-add meet.) Linda gave each of us a sticker saying "Walt Sent Me" and then we went off to grab something to eat.
Following lunch, it was time for the Hunchback of Notre Dame Festival of Fools. On my way to the festival, I stopped at Fortune Red to see what advice he had for me.
'Tis a steady course ye've charted, matey, and ye sails with a fair wind and a friendly sea. I sees dubloons, pieces o' eight and plenty o' good plum duff in your future. Ye likes a bit o' fun, ye does, and ye takes yer fling like a jolly Pirate o' the Caribbean. Aye, but 'tis a rovin' eye ye has and a proper charmer o' the opposite sex. Keep a weather eye open, matey, there may be squalls ahead. Mark well me words: As ye brew, so shall ye drink.
After that advice, I ended up watching both of the afternoon Festival shows and got involved in some teasing that was taking place amongst several of the a.d.ders in attendance. The first show was plagued with sound problems -- one of the microphones was left on and you could hear some back stage chatter. We cracked up when we heard "It isn't my fault!" During the second show, the smoke for the "burning of Paris" scene remained in the theatre and clouded up some of the action.
Our next stop was Town Square, where John Collin had saved several seats for all of us -- Robert, Glenn, Cindy, John Frost, Ammy, and others. While we were waiting, one of those "it's a small world" moments occurred. No, folks didn't break out and start singing the song. Instead, I noticed a couple sitting on the bench next to our spot -- the man was wearing a Cal sweatshirt. After the customary "Go Bears" greeting, I found out that he was a member of the Go Bears mailing list, which I help administer. We ended up chatting about the Bears, and Disney, and some other things, and I ended up with a seat on the bench.
The Candlelight procession itself was heartwarming. To set the scene, risers were set up alongside Main Street station and the hill that it sits on. At the base of the stairs leading to the station, was a stage. Situated on the portion of Main Street between the station and Town Square, was the orchestra.
The program commenced with Christmas carols; some sung by the Dickens Carolers, others sung by a soloist, others rung out by a bell chorale, and finally some played by the orchestra itself. The Disney Chorus then formed a "living Christmas tree". Each member was dressed in green and holding a candle shaped light. Then the Disney Herald trumpeters played from the roof of the Main Street station to announce the start of the procession (and I got goose bumps). The procession itself, made up 6,000 members of various choirs, marched down Main Street from Sleeping Beauty Castle. The sound system blared out a pipe organ playing traditional carols which the procession members sang along with as they marched with their candle shaped lights. When the procession reached Town Square, the members split off and filled in the spots on the risers.
After the procession had completed its march, the narrator, Joseph Campanella (who has done quite a bit of voice-over work), proceeded to tell the story of the birth of Christ using excerpts from the gospel. In between readings, the choir would sing and the musicians would play. I kept thinking of the end of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" when Linus answers Charlie Brown's question "Isn't their anyone who can tell me what Christmas is all about?"
While this was a solemn moment, it was not without its light points:
I'm glad I was able to witness this event. Rumor has it that next year it will take place in the Fantasyland theatre (something similar is already done at Walt Disney World). This move has both good points and bad. On the good side, more people will be able to witness the show and everyone will be more comfortable. On the bad side, the magical setting of Town Square would not be used.
Since we had caught the first procession, we had enough time to dash to the final performance of the Festival of Fools. For me, the highlight was before the start of the performance. While the audience is waiting for the show to begin, cast members introduce and explain several lines which the audience should yell out. At one point, the villain, Claude Frollo, says "I hate the gypsy vermin with every bone in my body.", to which the audience boos, gives Bronx cheers, etc. Kaz (another ba-adder) decided to help the CMs introduce this line. We were all impressed as she stood up in front of our section and uttered the line. After the CMs gave her the Bronx cheer, she game them a raspberry in return. I was quite amused.
Following Hunch, we had dinner at the Pasta, er-um, Plaza Pavilion. I opted for the Sicilian pepper and sausage tomato sauce on penne pasta; it was delicious. Following dinner, it was time for Fantasmic (Mickey won again!), Rod's Finale, the Snow White coin toss (my coin didn't touch metal, does this mean my wish will come true?), and the post park dining at the Katella Denny's.
I spent the night at the Magic Carpet Motel on Katella. With the closing of the Katella entrance to the Disneyland parking lot, I had wondered if I was going to have to walk to the Disneyland Hotel to get to the park. It turns out that there is still a pedestrian entrance along Katella. Eventually this entrance will lead to a walkway to the new tram and shuttle area off of Harbor, but currently when you enter, you cross the traffic lanes and then stray from the walkway to cross the parking lot. As I crossed the lot, I noticed snow capped mountains in the distance and laughed as I contrasted that with the Matterhorn and it's painted top in the foreground.
The morning was very relaxed as I was not in a hurry to do anything. My first stop was the Penny Arcade to see what Esmeralda's prophecy for me was:
You have been living every day, eating, drinking, sleeping, a little work, and a little leisure, day in and day out, month in and month out, year in and year out. Where do you expect it will all end? You have never adopted any plan without shortly afterward discarding it. Because your plans do not immediately mature, instead of striving to succeed with them, you let them go and live on and on, with no thought to the future whatsoever. Start right now, plan out your future and work for it. Work, economize, save, and you will win great success.
One of your lucky numbers is 8.
Drop another coin in slot and I will tell you more.
This gave me the chills. I didn't really want to hear more, so I went over to the coffee wagon for a quick breakfast before the Storytelling. After Snow White told her story at 11, I walked through Sleeping Beauty Castle, and then went to the hub where a bunch of a.d.ders had gathered. The surprises for me were meeting CapnDisney and seeing Tony with Adrienne. Ok, you wouldn't think that was a surprise, except that it was not Adrienne Vincent, but Adrienne Krock and her husband Kevin. Adrienne then noticed that Scott and Moira were there with their son Justin. Adrienne picked up Justin and showered him with attention. It was a sweet moment.
We all ended up going to Casa Mexicana. There were welcomed by its friendly new manager, Sue, who recognized a few of the a.d.ders and directed us to appropriate lines. I opted for the two tamales special and the pumpkin cheesecake dessert. Everything was quite good. Casa Mexicana used to serve very bland food; I'm pleased to see that their quality is improving. In addition, Sue came around and asked for comments about our meal. When Glenn commented about the hot sauce, she brought over a different hot sauce, and he was quite happy. I wish that the managers of other Disneyland restaurants would follow the example that Sue is setting.
The large group of a.d.ders broke up into smaller groups. Dodie managed to find us as a few of us went over to Tom Sawyer island with Tony. Because Tony is disabled, we were told that we had to stay on the lower part of the island (by a cast member who we later found out was a lurker on a.d.d). The portions of TSI that are wheelchair accessible include Fort Wilderness, the graveyard, and the area around the "String Bean Tree". The Cider Mill and the caves are not wheelchair accessible. During part of the exploration, Glenn pointed out one of the best hidden Mickeys in the park. To see it, go to the top of the Treehouse on the island, and look at the top of the chimney of the cider mill. During another part of exploration, we found out that the hanging pulleys at the old Natures Wonderland section actually hold up water filters for the Rivers of America. Someone was cleaning them out; Eeyew!
We then returned to the Rivers of America to watch the Hunchback of Notre Dame Festival of Fools. I decided this time to attempt a Hunch-a-thon for the day. It was fun to catch all four performances (yeah, I know, a real Hunch-a-thon would have been to see five in one day) and really understand the differences between the performers. Once again though, the highlight was a moment with the Guest Control cast members. During the warm-up for the second show, a little girl ran to the stairs for the center stage. The guest control CMs quickly converged on her, and then started giving her attention. One of them Michelle, was particularly attentive and gets my CM "gold star" for the trip. The moment was one that just made people go "awwww"; I captured it with a few photos.
Other fun things took during the "Hunch break" (which is between the second and third shows). First, I bumped into Sue Kruse, whom I had been trying to give five dollars (for a friend's Guest of Honor badge) for three months. It was great to see her again after such a long time. Second, Dodie wanted to check out it's a small world holiday since she had been away from the park for some time. Amazingly I didn't go nuts on the ride after riding it so many times before during Thanksgiving.
After the last two Hunchback shows, some folks went off to the Plaza Inn for dinner while Adrienne K, Dodie, and I opted for a light meal of chowder from the Royal Street Veranda. While we were in line, we had our chance to do a good deed. Another guest in line was looking for an ATM. We mentioned the Paymaster area just inside the Frontierland gate but also mentioned the Disney Dollar trick -- If you do not use Wells Fargo, you'll get dinged for using the ATM. Another way to get cash is to use your credit card to purchase Disney Dollars and then cash the Disney Dollars in for real money. We were able to answer several other questions too.
After dinner (which we took with us over to Rod's), the second candlelight procession started. For a while the organ music cut out, so we got to hear the choir sing. I actually preferred it with just the singing. After that, it was time to ride the monorail (always fun at night). We opted for the round trip... the last time I had done that was back in July with a bunch of a.d.ders. This time only Dodie was up for the trip. At the Disneyland hotel, we were able to sit in the tail cone and had a nice chat with a CM. She was a part timer (she said that she was a teacher during the week) who was going around giving people breaks. She told us a little about the cast member Christmas party which took place the week before.
We returned to Rod's, where we encountered Adrienne Vincent along with Tony and the Krocks. (They had all returned from watching the procession) After the late night jungle cruise (with Jacob and the long build-up to the backside of water), Rod's finale, and the Snow White coin toss (this time I made a much better wish, and once again, the coin didn't touch metal; I really hope it means that it will come true), it was time to leave the park. You might be wondering, gee, all that time in the park...didn't you ride anything? Well, that's what the next day was for.
Mondays during a school week are great days to visit the park. My day started off with a surprise...the Katella pedestrian gate was closed, so I had to walk to the Disneyland Hotel to catch the tram. As I was walking I noticed that they were starting to remove the electrical transmission line towers from the center of the Disneyland parking lot. At the time they were just starting, so I never got to see any of them get cut into pieces and carted away, but it was something unexpected.
My next surprise was while I was on Main Street. I heard someone say "Yoda"? I turned around to see Scott, Moira, and Justin. I didn't expect to encounter any other a.d.ders in the park. We chatted for a bit and then after looking through some peepholes through the Tomorrowland walls, went our separate ways.
Surprise number three was at Storybookland. On Saturday, I saw Goofy board one of the boats. This time I watched Goofy, Donald, Pluto, and Minnie emerge from behind the rock and board successive boats. The kids on each boat couldn't contain their excitement.
Surprise number four was at the classic princess storytelling. Ever since July, I had noticed that each princess told her own story while prior to that, I had heard other fairy tales. I was pleasantly surprised to catch Belle tell the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Once again, she and her assistant did a wonderful job.
The final surprise came near the end of the day. Before that though, I had spent the day getting in all of my rides and shopping (the best thing I had bought were it's a small world holiday cards). That wasn't my original plan. A friend of mine had given me a Disneyland scavenger hunt and said "Maybe this will keep you entertained." I'll have to save the scavenger hunt for another trip I guess, but that doesn't mean I ignored her advice completely...she had also told me that the best time to ride Storybookland was just after sunset. I have to agree. You get the benefit of seeing everything lit up for the evening, yet there is also enough light to see other details which you would miss at night.
Soon it was getting near time for me to return to the Disneyland hotel to catch the bus to get me to the airport. After making another wish at Snow White's Grotto (again, it didn't hit metal, so we'll have to see what happens) and then satisfying my Fantasia ice cream fix, I made my way toward the Monorail station, when I noticed that the Astro-Orbiter was testing. While there wasn't enough light to photograph it, it was cool to watch. The rockets, which resemble the old Rocket Jet cars, spin around clockwise, while the planets in the center spin counter clockwise. Some of the rockets had riders in them; I was envious.
The Monorail got me back to the hotel with more than enough time to walk to the front desk area to catch the bus. For some reason, the bus driver brought along a video tape of Hans Christian Andersen (with Danny Kaye). It was fun to sing along with Danny during the ride. I didn't even mind the sound being too loud, since that drowned out my singing along.
Actually there was still one more surprise that day. When I checked in for my flight, I was surprised to be asked "aisle or window" I already had a reserved seat; Why would they ask? The agent replied "The flight is very empty tonight...we're upgrading you to First Class." How empty was the flight? Well, they didn't even fill the first class cabin on the MD-90. I know that you can't really appreciate First Class for an hour long flight, and because I was driving afterwards, I didn't get to take advantage of the free drinks, but it was still nice to sit in that big comfortable seat after being on my feet all day.
Thanks for this one go to: