Katherine's 10th Birthday Trip for Dapper Day and Club 33!!

Tour around the world complete at 1:38, we stopped for a few quick pics at the Christmas Treat in front of Elias & Co. before making our way to Disneyland

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A quick stop for one last pic of the castle and we headed towards the North East part of Fantasyland

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Katherine's hair is awesome here.

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I swear I've never noticed these two before.

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Katherine's FAVORITE.

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We braved the queue for Teacups

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Any did the shooting this time... its really odd.. she LITERALLY went to a 4-year Fine Art school and majored IN PHOTOGRAPHY but seldom shoots unless she's doing pictures for the Christmas cards.

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I was just focused on spinning as hard as I could..

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Katherine is obsessed with paper lanterns now..

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Love the control booth..

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Katherine REALLY loves being an only child at Disneyland..

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It was time for one last sled down the mighty Matterhorn.

But what is that I see?

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Let's take a closer look...why it's Harold!!

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I love this part of the attraction. The Alphorn, the original Skyway buckets and cable, the camp cookware, lanterns, ski poles, torn open original bobsleds and homage to the Wells Expedition with the snowshoes, crate, and climbing gear. This scene inside the Matterhorn is a lasting tribute to Frank Wells, former Chief Operating Officer for the Walt Disney Company. Wells was an avid mountain climber and skier, who had climbed most of the world's tallest peaks. Tragically, Wells died in a helicopter crash while on a ski trip in Nevada. Frank G. Wells has also been honored with a Disneyland Window on Main Street. I'll have to look for that window one of these days.

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Harold looking as good as ever.

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Our icy expedition completed with a splash. We started to head towards Adventureland but were distracted at the hub. There was the Fire Engine with NOBODY on it. We decided to take a ride on the Fire Engine as it was one we've never done before. We took it down to the square and back up.

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Any did the shooting this time... its really odd.. she LITERALLY went to a 4-year Fine Art school and majored IN PHOTOGRAPHY but seldom shoots unless she's doing pictures for the Christmas cards.

More Amy shots! More Amy shots!

Photography is fun, if you have the creativity and eye for it! I rarely remember to take my camera out of the bag, unfortunately.
 
What would be our last attraction of the trip? I wonder...

Why it would be Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room (and Dole Whip).

I've never noticed this guy before..

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I just LOVE the theming of the Tiki Room waiting area. So great and interactive..

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Here we have Hina Kaluua: This Hawaiian mistress of rain, from Hilo, Hawai`i, keeps it in the family – her daughter, Hina, is the mother of the trickster, Maui.

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And Pele: This Hawaiian fire goddess lives in the Kilauea volcano and likes to torment her neighbor

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Of course one can't forget Tangaroa-ru: Also known as Mapui-Kaufanga in Maori tales, she is goddess of the east winds, which bring rain.

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And of lastly for this trip at least...Tangaroa: The father of all gods and goddesses, he took the form of a tree (a tree that no one ever did see).

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Amy was enjoying her whip..

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Katherine elected for a caramel apple from one of the Main Street confectionaries.

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I need to make this sign.

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Inside the long house there many sights to behold..

The drummer:

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The magical fountain..

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The singing flowers..

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And the magical birds..

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Katherine in all her hoodied glory..

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More Amy shots! More Amy shots!

Photography is fun, if you have the creativity and eye for it! I rarely remember to take my camera out of the bag, unfortunately.

I currently own two full-frame camera bodies. Maybe I shouldn't sell the extra one. Alas, she isn't going to cart one around and take pics.
 
With heavy heart, we left the Tiki Room at 3:15. It was time to go. We would take our time leaving the park though and getting back to the hotel to grab the bags and load up. A trip through World of Disney for those precious few last souvenirs was in order..

This is always the saddest part of our trip. Sitting in the vehicle ready to pull out of the Grand..

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I made it linger a LITTLE while longer as I pulled over to the convention center to get the navigation sorted. Amy took the time to snap a couple pics.. wish she had dialed the exposure down a bit..

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Katherine not wanting it to be over... I felt similar.

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Man the engineering and wood work is BEAUTIFUL. I really, really, REALLY love the Grand.

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We finally pulled out of the Grand's parking lot at 4:13 and hit the road.

Katherine had some homework to catch up on, so to it she took while she still had decent light

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Amy and Katherine took to decimating the sourdough Mickey head we had procured before leaving DCA. By 4:57, his ear and the left side of his face had been consumed.

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The Traffic was pretty bad today, especially on the 91. We made OK-ish time with me driving and pulled into the Flying J safely back in Arizona at 9:11 Arizona Time (we were now on an hour time difference with CA). It took 18 minutes to get the vehicle fueled and everybody restroom breaked and a bite to eat from the Wendy's.

She sure can drink some fuel down.. Not bad for 425 miles I guess. The big beast got 14.75MPG in California which I guess isn't bad given the congestion which is a fair amount of CA.

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We finally rolled into the driveway at 11:24 and proceeded to unload... it's a School night after all.
 
OK... last post of the Trip Report... man this one was a doozie with The Art of the Craft tour mini-TR in the middle of it. Been so fun reliving it all...

And some random phone pics from the trip in no particular order which were found after I put the TR largely together...

Katherine chilling on her bed. Rare treat because we ALWAYS had bunk beds at the Grand when traveling with the kids.

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Katherine and I after we just got into the park.

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Family selfie in Pirates queue.

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Girl Power on Dumbo.

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Katherine LOVING the carpet pattern (ick)

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A few shots from 33..

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Amy trying out the holding power of the mouse she picked up at Sephora as she prepped for Dapper Day hair-do. There's just something about Amy..

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Some Dapper Day family shots at the DCA entrance from the Grand.

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Dappered up Splash..

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I feel like I bullseye my shots too much vs. implementing the rule of thirds in my compositions. I also shoot wide open 99% of the time. I should really stop down here/there to increase background clarity, but I'm bokeh-biased (I wonder if that's a condition). I also white balance a bit more vividly/warmly than most probably prefer, but what suits my eye. All things I'm aware of, yet continue to not remedy.

I need to learn more about photography. Someday, when I don't have 5 kids under 11... Mine do turn out better when I have enough presence of mind to white balance and at least use the rule of thirds, but it doesn't happen so often because I'm just lucky to get the shot!


The camera you have with you is better than the one you don't have with you because it was too heavy/bulky/expensive to take.


Yes! We have dragged our DSLR (just a nicer entry-level Canon) to the parks fairly often, but some pictures are so much better than no pictures! And I love video. We takes lots of video for me to edit through later.


If you don't want to hear how TOT was VASTLY superior to GOTG stop reading now because this installment will be about how crazily AWESOMELY themed the TOT queue and gift shop were.


I can't say that I will miss the creepy factor of the Twilight Zone,(and my girls hated that part and would only ride once) but I will super miss the Hollywood Tower theming. It really did fit in beautifully and was just so classy and awesome. This was my husband's favorite ride, and he has been very grumpy about it changing. I'm so glad we visited last November and that he got to ride it several times before it happened!


Loaded up with ice-cream, I washed out the Kitchen sink and we headed over to Soarin’ to use our fast passes. Let me say, I'm not a fan of Soarin' Over the World. BRING BACK SOARIN' OVER CALIFORNIA!!!! The CGI is completely unnecessary to good storytelling and quite frankly, the new version just doesn't have the charm, mystique, and greatness of the previous one. Two thumbs down on this one Disney... not quite as bad as GOTG, but it’s still a letdown compared to the previous iteration.


I like the new one, but the CGI is annoying, and I definitely miss Soarin’ Over California! I hope they bring it back at some point. Sometimes I just have to watch it on Youtube…


I’m glad you guys had such a great trip! I really hate when it’s time to leave too. It’s the worst feeling! I think I missed that you are from Arizona. What area?
 
I need to learn more about photography. Someday, when I don't have 5 kids under 11... Mine do turn out better when I have enough presence of mind to white balance and at least use the rule of thirds, but it doesn't happen so often because I'm just lucky to get the shot!
I'm with you there. Unless I'm on my own, I'm seldom able to really spend any time exercising my photography. Kids change everything.



Yes! We have dragged our DSLR (just a nicer entry-level Canon) to the parks fairly often, but some pictures are so much better than no pictures! And I love video. We takes lots of video for me to edit through later.
I've been bringing the DSLR to the parks since 2010 I think. I don't foresee ever not doing it.



I can't say that I will miss the creepy factor of the Twilight Zone,(and my girls hated that part and would only ride once) but I will super miss the Hollywood Tower theming. It really did fit in beautifully and was just so classy and awesome. This was my husband's favorite ride, and he has been very grumpy about it changing. I'm so glad we visited last November and that he got to ride it several times before it happened!
The story freaked out Katherine so bad one time she refused to ride it. Even the outdoor queue was amazing. I love it and will hold a grudge on it's demise for the rest of my life.


I like the new one, but the CGI is annoying, and I definitely miss Soarin’ Over California! I hope they bring it back at some point. Sometimes I just have to watch it on Youtube…
The CGI is a crutch in my opinion. Good storytelling doesn't need gimmicks.

I’m glad you guys had such a great trip! I really hate when it’s time to leave too. It’s the worst feeling! I think I missed that you are from Arizona. What area?
Yeah, sad, but we can always plan the next trip! We are in downtown Phoenix. I have a couple houses in a historic district which was built out in the 1920s.
 
I'm with you there. Unless I'm on my own, I'm seldom able to really spend any time exercising my photography. Kids change everything.

I've been bringing the DSLR to the parks since 2010 I think. I don't foresee ever not doing it.

The story freaked out Katherine so bad one time she refused to ride it. Even the outdoor queue was amazing. I love it and will hold a grudge on it's demise for the rest of my life.

The CGI is a crutch in my opinion. Good storytelling doesn't need gimmicks.

Yeah, sad, but we can always plan the next trip! We are in downtown Phoenix. I have a couple houses in a historic district which was built out in the 1920s.

I was happy that at least we could go see it in WDW, but it sounds like they're changing that one too. :-(

My husband loves the downtown historic area! He thinks old houses are the best. We live in an older part of Mesa, but we're still just renting. (Yay student loans and lots of kids, haha) I don't think we'll end up moving too far from here though, because my husband just signed a lease on chiropractic office. I do love that we live closer to Disney than I did when I was a kid, (a 6-ish hour drive instead of a 8-9-ish hour drive!) and that all our family lives in the state, but the heat and I are not friends! I am very excited for my kid-free day at Disney in October! I haven't been without kids since 2009. It will be a fun change.
 
I was happy that at least we could go see it in WDW, but it sounds like they're changing that one too. :-(
First I've heard of this. What are they doing?

My husband loves the downtown historic area! He thinks old houses are the best. We live in an older part of Mesa, but we're still just renting. (Yay student loans and lots of kids, haha) I don't think we'll end up moving too far from here though, because my husband just signed a lease on chiropractic office.
I think Chandler has some historic districts as well. May want to look into that. The price for the homes has gone crazy.[/quote]

I do love that we live closer to Disney than I did when I was a kid, (a 6-ish hour drive instead of a 8-9-ish hour drive!) and that all our family lives in the state, but the heat and I are not friends!
I hear you on the relatively short drive and not enjoying the past few months temps. Wish we had a pool again.

I am very excited for my kid-free day at Disney in October! I haven't been without kids since 2009. It will be a fun change.
Those kind of trips are always fun. I remember our first (and last) one of the sort in 2014.

When I get the house projects more squared away I'll probably do a Disney party this winter/spring. There's a lot of us here in the Valley who I've met over the years. I'll keep you guys in mind as well.
 
First I've heard of this. What are they doing?

I think Chandler has some historic districts as well. May want to look into that. The price for the homes has gone crazy.

I hear you on the relatively short drive and not enjoying the past few months temps. Wish we had a pool again.

Those kind of trips are always fun. I remember our first (and last) one of the sort in 2014.

When I get the house projects more squared away I'll probably do a Disney party this winter/spring. There's a lot of us here in the Valley who I've met over the years. I'll keep you guys in mind as well.

Ha. It was on a youtube thing, and I can't find anything to substantiate it! Hopefully it's just a rumor, though the other things seemed like real announcements. But I can't find it in my history. Maybe it was just a bad dream. We need to stop watching Disney stuff on Youtube late at night, apparently... Hopefully it will still be there when we are hoping to visit WDW in a few years! I feel silly now...

Yes, the housing market is crazy lately! And rent is even crazier! Thankfully we have awesome rent, and we try to return the favor by taking good care of our place, since our landlady lives several hours away and can't easily keep an eye on things. I'm hoping it will have settled just a little by the time we're ready to buy. With 5 kids, I feel like we need at least a 4-bedroom, or something with some excellent flex space. I guess we'll see. Getting into his own office has been a priority, since he was working out of someone else's for the last 4 years.

We're always up for a Disney party. Or a DIsney anything. I am so excited for the winter. I don't see anything over 100º in the next 10 days, so I'm pretty happy about that, too. When are you guys planning your next trip?
 
Ha. It was on a youtube thing, and I can't find anything to substantiate it! Hopefully it's just a rumor, though the other things seemed like real announcements. But I can't find it in my history. Maybe it was just a bad dream. We need to stop watching Disney stuff on Youtube late at night, apparently... Hopefully it will still be there when we are hoping to visit WDW in a few years! I feel silly now...
Whew...A trip to WDW is on our radar. Maybe 2019, but we were going to do Aulani that year. Who knows. We'll only go if we are doing it for like 10 days so that's going to be a whopper of a trip with airfare.

Yes, the housing market is crazy lately! And rent is even crazier! Thankfully we have awesome rent, and we try to return the favor by taking good care of our place, since our landlady lives several hours away and can't easily keep an eye on things. I'm hoping it will have settled just a little by the time we're ready to buy. With 5 kids, I feel like we need at least a 4-bedroom, or something with some excellent flex space. I guess we'll see. Getting into his own office has been a priority, since he was working out of someone else's for the last 4 years.
We haven't raised rent in a while, and we are renting to a family friend (and Disneyland co-vacationer) but I'm getting to the point that rent NEEDS to go up. I shutter to think what a family of 7 would need housing-wise. Even a family of 5 is a world of compromise.

We're always up for a Disney party. Or a DIsney anything. I am so excited for the winter. I don't see anything over 100º in the next 10 days, so I'm pretty happy about that, too. When are you guys planning your next trip?
Will keep you in mind. Our little Disney community here in the valley is a great one. I especially like Kelly and Sean's birthday parties.. She goes crazy with the theming. We are going for Dapper Day in November. 5 days. Going to be great. All the Dining reservations (except for C33) are in and cabana is reserved. The trip is pretty well planned except when to do the Dapper Day meet with the rest of the Micechat/Disers.
 
Whew...A trip to WDW is on our radar. Maybe 2019, but we were going to do Aulani that year. Who knows. We'll only go if we are doing it for like 10 days so that's going to be a whopper of a trip with airfare.


We haven't raised rent in a while, and we are renting to a family friend (and Disneyland co-vacationer) but I'm getting to the point that rent NEEDS to go up. I shutter to think what a family of 7 would need housing-wise. Even a family of 5 is a world of compromise.


Will keep you in mind. Our little Disney community here in the valley is a great one. I especially like Kelly and Sean's birthday parties.. She goes crazy with the theming. We are going for Dapper Day in November. 5 days. Going to be great. All the Dining reservations (except for C33) are in and cabana is reserved. The trip is pretty well planned except when to do the Dapper Day meet with the rest of the Micechat/Disers.

Yeah, to do WDW well you really need more than a week, but taking the kids sounds overly expensive/intimidating with the level of planning needed, so I'd like to just go with my husband. I've only been once, and I was 15, and we only had 2.5 days to spend in the parks (it was a national competition in high school) so I'm looking forward to checking it out again. But a little later, when finances are more stable and kids are older (and therefore easier to leave).

It really is crazy to have so many kids. I thought we were done (and had our hands full!) at 4, but #5 was a big surprise. Of course we're super happy to have her, but some days I feel like I might go completely crazy... And of course everything is so much more expensive with a large family. But I'm one of five too, and my family always prioritized so we could have fun Disney vacations and have all the things we needed, if not everything we wanted. :) But housing-wise, yeah... we're in a 3-bedroom townhouse (about 1700 sq ft) and it's definitely more cramped than when we moved into it with "only" 3 kids several years ago. :)

Sounds like an awesome trip! I look forward to your report! I'm super excited about my little one-day trip, even though Halloween isn't my favorite time of year. (I'm much more of a Christmas person.) I love fall decor and pumpkins though, and it's Disney, so I'm covered!
 
Wayyyy off topic, but do you guys do the Halloween parties at Disneyland? I just read one of your past TRs during MHP and the costumes were awesome! Reminded me of us - it's go big or go home, right? :laughing: We're going this year and can't wait!
 
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Wayyyy off topic, but do you guys do the Halloween parties at Disneyland? I just read one of your past TRs during MHP and the costumes were awesome! Reminded me of us - it's go big or go home, right? :laughing: We're going this year and can't wait!

We have, but we haven't been going in October since 2015. We are discussing doing it next year again though. It was fun when we used to do it. I think we did 3 or 4 total. There's NOTHING I consider Off Topic in my threads... They are mine... we can take it wherever it goes..
 
Sounds like an awesome trip! I look forward to your report! I'm super excited about my little one-day trip, even though Halloween isn't my favorite time of year. (I'm much more of a Christmas person.) I love fall decor and pumpkins though, and it's Disney, so I'm covered!

It should be pretty good. I'm debating the Grand Circle Tour. We already have Dapper Day to contend with, a 6-hour cabana rental at the DLH, Blue Bayou/F!, SH55 res, HOPEFULLY a C33 res, a Micechat/Disboards meet-up, getting together with some Disney Friends we haven't seen in a bit. Going to be JAMB PACKED full of excitement... AND... I have my new camera to play with...
 
It should be pretty good. I'm debating the Grand Circle Tour. We already have Dapper Day to contend with, a 6-hour cabana rental at the DLH, Blue Bayou/F!, SH55 res, HOPEFULLY a C33 res, a Micechat/Disboards meet-up, getting together with some Disney Friends we haven't seen in a bit. Going to be JAMB PACKED full of excitement... AND... I have my new camera to play with...

I LOVE your dapper day outfits. Do you have yours for this fall already? I'd love to see some pics of what you're planning. Just assuming you're going to this fall dapper day. DH and I are doing our first dapper day Nov. and don't know if theyre up to the Dapper Day standard.
 
I LOVE your dapper day outfits. Do you have yours for this fall already? I'd love to see some pics of what you're planning. Just assuming you're going to this fall dapper day. DH and I are doing our first dapper day Nov. and don't know if theyre up to the Dapper Day standard.

We are still getting them together. We'll be there 11/2-11/6. I posted some teasers in the Dapper Day thread I started over on the general discussion page. Look forward to seeing you if I can arrange a meet-up.
 

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