The Haircut that became a surprise DL birthday trip (Nov 7-11 2008) - Final day added

[hulamom]

Hi Everybody! Bear with me... it's my first trip report.

The subtitle here can be: "Or How to lie to your Kids for 5 months and have it become a good thing."

Dates: November 7-11 2008

Cast:
Me - the original Disney fanatic. Technical writer by day, obsessive trip planner by nights and weekends.

DH - okay with Disney, but prefers vacations with less crowds, more nature. Hates rides that "drop" him. Engineering project manager by day, photographer by hobby.

DD11 - my pre-teen double, comes with the good and the bad. Loves roller coasters - the faster and scarier the better, aka my coaster buddy. Middle school student by day, hula dancer by afternoons and weekends.

DS6 - the birthday boy who turned 6 last Thursday. Loves all things Star Wars, Spiderman, and pirates. Starting to love roller coasters now that he's over 40 inches. Kindergarten kid by day, master Gameboy/DS player by night.

Here we are last spring break, hiking 1/2 down the Grand Canyon:
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/213-TripToAZ.jpg

So, back in June when we got the kids' school calendar, I noticed that school would be out for 2 days (Monday and Tuesday) on Veteran's Day weekend. I've been secretly wanting to head back to Disneyland for a while. The last trip there was 3 years ago for DS's 3rd birthday. We were at WDW 2 summers ago, but were there mainly for a hula competition in which DD competed (her group won 1st place!). We only had 3 days to cover the parks and really felt rushed. Anyhow, I grew up going to DL, so for me, that's where the magic is. I checked the rates for those dates, and DH agreed to it! Since that weekend was immediately before DS's birthday, we decided to make it a birthday trip that the entire family could enjoy.

We also decided to make it a surprise for the kids. Not sure exactly how that would play out. It was certainly tough keeping it from them. There were a couple times that either I or DH nearly slipped, but we kept the secret, swearing all who knew to complete secrecy.

The Plan

We wanted to get the kids out early from school, so we could start our drive from the bay area down south early enough to avoid the bay area traffic, but late enough to miss the bulk of the LA traffic, and yet still arrive not too late. The agreed upon time to depart was 2pm. The plan, was that I would pick up the kids at 1:30, saying that they had haircut appointments. I had to make it something innocuous enough so that a) they wouldn't be suspicious, b) they wouldn't care if they didn't go, and c) something that they wouldn't mind (as opposed to telling them they were going to get flu shots). We'd head home, find dad, jump in the car and "SURPRISE!" Joy and happiness all around, everybody loving dear mom and promising to be on their best behavior the rest of their lives.

What Actually Happened

I picked up the kids on schedule as planned. I told them we were going to head home to clean up, as we were a little ahead of schedule for the haircut appointment. When we got home, we noticed that Dad was home too. He decided to work from home that day. Since their haircut is in Los Gatos, we asked if he wanted to come along and then afterwards, we'd walk around downtown Los Gatos which is really nice. He agreed, and I asked if he could drive because I was really tired. We went into the garage where the 4Runner was parked and got inside. DD noticed that the DVD player was set up and asked why it was there. DH said that we aren't actually going to get a haircut and had other plans.

Huh? WhatchootalkingboutDad?

I asked where is the one place you'd want to go?

Australia!

Okay, where is the other place you'd want to go? Something like the happiest place on earth?

Disneyland?

Yes!! We're going to Disneyland!!!

DD: OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG. This went on, I think through much of the drive until Kettleman City, where her mantra changed to "It stinks! Who farted?"

DS had a much different reaction. He actually started crying. Saying, "No! We're *not* going to Disneyland! I want to get a haircut!!

Huh? He'd rather get a haircut instead of going to Disneyland? This was unexpected.

Apparently, DS didn't quite enjoy the surprise aspect. He kept saying that we "tricked" him and "fooled" him. DH and I kept trying to tell him that it was a happy surprise, not at all like a trick. We wanted to make it a special surprise. Finally, around Gilroy, he came to accept that he wasn't actually getting a haircut and decided that going to Disneyland was a good thing.

Note to self: DS would rather be mentally prepared for big life events in the future.

So the drive was mostly uneventful. We got through the Pacheco Pass with no traffic.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/001-Disneyland2008.jpg

Stopped a couple times for bio breaks. Stopped in Santa Clarita for dinner at a Coco's which was entirely forgetful. I "chatted" via email on my Blackberry with Nancy (YellowMickeyPonchos) for some of our drive and we arranged to meet the next day for lunch at DL. After dinner, the drive on the 5 was not bad. A couple of slow spots in the usual places, but all in all, pretty easy.

We arrived at the entrance to the Disneyland Hotel around 9pm. Not bad timing, with some nice mileage out of DH. Check in was smooth. No upgrade was available, due to a full hotel. Mickey Mouse left an autographed photo for DS's birthday!

Our room was on the 4th floor of the Wonder Tower overlooking the lovely parking lot. The room was fine and clean. The kids were a little disappointed in the view, but heck, the amount of time we would actually spend in the room, added to the fact that I got the great "postcard" rate, meant it was just fine.

Around 10:30, it was time to calm those hyper kids who had been stuck in a car way too long, and who had no idea when they woke up that morning they'd wake up the next day in the happiest place on earth.

I'll post my report in the parks with pictures, as soon as DH edits them (picky picky). But, here we are in front of the castle:
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/24-DisneyPress.jpg

Next... Jonas Brothers, Birthday Buttons, 1st meetings, family reunions, and kisses from Goofy... all in one day!

Mahalo for putting up with my ramblings!

-- Hulamom (aka Doreen)

[KimD]

I'm in!

Very nice looking family you've got there!

What a great start. I have to say though that this:

[FONT="Arial"]

I asked where is the one place you'd want to go?

Australia!

Okay, where is the other place you'd want to go? Something like the happiest place on earth?

Disneyland?

Yes!! We're going to Disneyland!!!

DD: OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG. This went on, I think through much of the drive until Kettleman City, where her mantra changed to "It stinks! Who farted?"

FONT]

:lmao: Australia!

Oh and we call that little lovely place "Smellyville" in our car! It's bad when not even rolling up all the windows and putting the recirc air on will help. That is about the WORST part of the drive (well unless you hit traffic as you as SOON as you come off the grapevine that lasts longer than it took you to actually get TO the grapevine all the while children are chanting "But I thought you said we were almost THERE?!?!")...not that I'm bitter or anything ;) ).

Great job so far, looking forward to reading more!

Kim

[stich626]

I'd take a surprise trip to DL over a haircut any day! lol

[merrrydeath]

I live in Los Gatos! It's sometimes so weird to me to see people out in the wide internet world who are from the same small area as I am.

Loving the start of your report. I wish my parents had surprised me like this when I was 11 or 6.

[blue donkey]

australia...:rotfl:

you can take me to get a haircut anytime.

[prettyprincessbelle]

:rotfl: You are too funny!!

I can't wait for more!!!

[hulamom]

Thanks to everybody for your great replies! DH promised to get his pictures uploaded today, so I can continue with the rest of my TR!


:lmao: Australia!

Yeah, that was too funny! Though we do keep talking about going there. DH and I were there about 1.5 years before DD was born. Fell in love with it that we named her after one of their cities. And no, it isn't Melborne. :-)


Oh and we call that little lovely place "Smellyville" in our car! It's bad when not even rolling up all the windows and putting the recirc air on will help. That is about the WORST part of the drive (well unless you hit traffic as you as SOON as you come off the grapevine that lasts longer than it took you to actually get TO the grapevine all the while children are chanting "But I thought you said we were almost THERE?!?!")...not that I'm bitter or anything ;) ).

Great job so far, looking forward to reading more!

Kim

Oh yeah, we had the windows rolled up and the vent on recirc and you could still smell it. Our answer, BTW, to the "who farted" question was to point to all those cows outside. Nobody light a match anywhere nearby!

I live in Los Gatos! It's sometimes so weird to me to see people out in the wide internet world who are from the same small area as I am.

Loving the start of your report. I wish my parents had surprised me like this when I was 11 or 6.

Hi neighbor!! Yes, I agree, it is funny to "meet" somebody who lives nearby.

australia...:rotfl:

you can take me to get a haircut anytime.

Haha! Funny thing is, the kids actually do need haircuts. I made appointments for Thursday, and have told them that this time they actually *are* going for haircuts. Hope they aren't too disspointed in the truth this time. Maybe cupcakes in downtown Los Gatos will help! Mmmm...

-- Hulamom

[bumbershoot]

And that, my friends, is the reason why, even though my mom and her second husband did a wildly successful surprise trip for us when we were around 10 and 8, I just can't think about doing surprise trips! I feel so bad for you guys in the car dealing with that, LOL. Better in the car, though, than if we did it and DS complained while on the plane! :rotfl:

So did you stop at great clips or supercuts to get DS a haircut? :upsidedow


I love the premise of the surprise by the way, I think it's great, I just know that I could never make something like that work out.


Can't wait to hear the rest!!! I'm originally from Almaden, by the way...

[Krissy Marissy]

Great TR so far! Your son sounds adorable! :) Cant wait to read more and see pics!

[Hound 109]

We'd head home, find dad, jump in the car and "SURPRISE!" Joy and happiness all around, everybody loving dear mom and promising to be on their best behavior the rest of their lives.


:lmao: (cracked me up.....my kind of sacastic humor :thumbsup2 )




I asked where is the one place you'd want to go?

Australia!

Okay, where is the other place you'd want to go? Something like the happiest place on earth?

Disneyland?


:rotfl: Thats exactly what my DS would have said......& good for you that you didn't skip a beat. :cool2:


Great report.....looking forward to the next installment. popcorn::

[hulamom]

Saturday, Nov 8th.

Disneyland's official opening was 8am this day, and it was also an early entry morning, which meant that it would be open at 7am for those qualifying for the early entry. Nobody seemed particulary jazzed about getting up that early, so my best bet was to just get up as early as we could today. Since it was also the Christmas parade and special taping day, I was expecting large crowds. I figured I'd use the morning to grab as many fastpasses as I could and just see what we could do... not really expecting to be able to do much.

After getting everybody up... always a challenge each morning, a morning at Disneyland is no different... and a glorious breakfast of cold cereal and coffee from the DLH lobby... we started walking toward the gates via Downtown Disney. Nancy called while we were walking and excitedly mentions that the Jonas Brothers are there taping a performance in front of the castle. I relate this info to DD, who rolls her eyes and declares that she does not like them... and besides, they need haircuts. I'm not sure if I, at her age, would have quite passed up the chance to see Shaun Cassidy perform at Disneyland, but I digress...

We entered the gates and proceeded to City Hall to get DS a birthday button. DD was anxious for some rides, so I told DH that I would take DD over to Thunder Mtn for fastpasses and meet them there. On the way, we see the crowd gathering by the castle and notice 3 brunettes bouncing around. I point, and DD again rolls her eyes. Roller coasters rule over teenage pop sensations, I suppose.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/010-Disneyland2008.jpg

FPs for Thunder gathered and the wait time is nothing, so when DH and DS (with fresh birthday button and a call from Goofy) arrive, we hop onto the ride. Pocketing FP #1 for later in the day.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/dorsydthunder.jpg

After Thunder, we head toward Pirates and get in line. DS chickens out at the entrance, so he and I go wait at the exit while a very friendly CM tries to convince him that it's not scary in the least. She even offers to take him into the back to watch the ride. Wow, hey sweetie, that's quite a treat! No deal, and he's not going to let some pretty pirate sweet talk him into, what he believes, is impending doom. Our Thunder FP time is up, so I grabbed FPs #2 for Splash.

Same deal goes for Haunted Mansion, except this time I get to ride with DS. Actually, with the Nightmare Before Christmas add ons, it actually makes it less scary... and you can smell gingerbread in the ballroom!
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/023-Disneyland2008.jpg

Now we're afraid this is the way it's going to go for DS. But he agrees to ride Jungle Cruise. We have a great boat operator. Unfortunately, DS is a no go for Splash. That's okay... I'm not big into water rides, mostly because I don't want to walk around wet. DH and DD go, while DS and I climb Tarzan's treehouse and head over to Tomorrowland.

On our way to Tomorrowland, we notice more music near the castle. This time, the familiar tune of "Feliz Navidad" plays and I see that it's Jose Feliciano. Must be Jr., as this Jose is much younger than I remember.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/041-Disneyland2008.jpg

Once in tomorrowland, I gathered FP #3 for the day for Buzz Lightyear. As we wait for DH and DD to catch up, we notice that the Jedi Training Academy is about to start. By now, I'm realizing that DS is not up for participating today, so we hang out in the back to watch. He's having a great time watching.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/042-Disneyland2008.jpg

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Once DH and DD catch up after Splash, we all head toward Star Tours. Now this was a ride that DS was really looking forward to, and he had a great time. Next, time for Buzz with our FPs. After Buzz, I had arranged to meet Nancy (YellowMickeyPonchos) and her family for lunch at Pizza Port (the kids and DH call it Pizza Planet). Nancy calls and says that they're running behind, so we grabbed our lunch and a table. One note about the food... yes, they have pizza... but they have incredible salads too. DH is vegetarian and I've just hit my Weight Watchers goal, so it's nice to find food that we can all enjoy. We wanted one of the salads, but without the blue cheese, and without the chicken... and the kind person behind the counter whipped us up a couple fresh salads which were great. Of course, it's still vacation, and I'm walking a lot, so this also calls for a GC-cubed... aka, Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie! Mmm!

Nancy and her family catch up with us. It was great to meet them!
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/061-Disneyland2008.jpg

While everybody is finishing up lunch, I head to Space Mtn and grab FP #4. DS wants to go to Toontown, so after lunch we meet Mickey at his house.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/084-Disneyland2008.jpg

Minnie wasn't in, but we still invaded...er visited her house. The toontown rollercoaster was next, and was over in under a minute! Roger Rabbit was after that, and that ended up being the longest line for the day (35 minutes).

Of course, DL wouldn't be complete without the Teacups or Dumbo.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/102-Disneyland2008.jpg

DH and I do the kid switch for the Matterhorn (DD gets to ride twice!) as DS doesn't want to ride. On our way to use our Space Mtn FPs, I grabbed some FPs for Autopia (FP #5).

We were quite pleasantly surprised that not only did DS go on Space Mtn, but that he absoltutely loved it. That's probably my favorite DL ride! Next, our FP time for Autopia hadn't quite come up, but the line was so short we just went on it anyhow.

Next, another run on Thunder with our FPs from the morning.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/167-Disneyland2008.jpg

We had PS reservations for Goofy's Kitchen at 6:00, so we decided to head back to the hotel to clean up and grab some sweatshirts before dinner. We were also meeting BIL, SIL, and my niece for dinner at Goofy's for a birthday celebration. They're local LA folk, so they just drove to meet us for dinner. Goofy's, of course, was lots of fun for the kids. They had balloons and birthday bags set up at our table, along with a special cupcake for DS. I was telling myelf that I was being so good with food... I had a nice salad, some veggies, and chicken. But then the dessert bar beckoned. Oh, just a little taste of this and this and this and this... I think the dessert bar alone I blew my entire allotment of WW points for the day. Oh well.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/183-Disneyland2008.jpg

Goofy blew me a kiss... I love Goofy!
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/193-Disneyland2008.jpg

After a great dinner, we bid farewell to our family and headed back to DL for the evening. We hit Main street about 30 minutes before the fireworks began and made the decision to just sit and wait.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/229-Disneyland2008.jpg

We met a really nice family from Seattle who shared some glow sticks with our kids. We've never seen the fireworks from the main street vantage (usually we're near the rivers just after Fantasmic). Let me just say, it was completely magical. Seeing the effects from the castle and hearing the music nearly brought tears to my eyes. DS was sitting on my shoulders, and during the time when Tinkerbell was "flying" and the fireworks were going, he yells "Watch out Tinkerbell!" Classic.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/234-Disneyland2008.jpg

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/251-Disneyland2008.jpg

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/297-Disneyland2008.jpg

After the fireworks, we rode Thunder Mtn and Autopia. We decided to take the new Monorail back to the DLH and turn in for the night.

Not bad for our first day, especially thinking we wouldn't get much done.

Tomorrow: working the morning at DCA, Screaming Towers, and park hopping to the max.

[KimD]

Great chapter! You have an adorable family and I love the action ride shots...they look really cool!

My DD would have just FREAKED if we walked in to seeing the Jonas Brothers performing in front of the castle. We went to the Hannah Montana Best of Both World Tour at the HP Pavilion and my hearing still hasn't recovered.

Glad to see you got so much done. Looking forward to reading more!

[momto2nenas]

Great report so far and your teacup photo is AMAZING! Do you have a fisheye lens? I've never seen a picture of the teacups at that angle, I love it!

[blue donkey]

I concur. Those photos were just fab! Inspires me to try some.

[hulamom]

Great report so far and your teacup photo is AMAZING! Do you have a fisheye lens? I've never seen a picture of the teacups at that angle, I love it!

Thanks! Yes, it is a fisheye lens and DH *loves* to play around with it. We have lots of neat pics that I can post within this TR. He has fun taking "self" and "entire family" pics with that lens while holding the camera himself because that lens captures so much.

It's also fun to play around with some really closeup face shots. Makes the face really distorted and funny. The kids love it.

-- Hulamom

[hulamom]

Sunday, November 9th - Park Hopping Bats

Today was our "sleep in day" so we decided to make it to the DCA opening which was 10am. Using Hydroguy's and other tips, we entered DCA through the GC entrance (since we were staying at the DLH) around 9:30am. While everybody waited by the ropes to be lead to TSMM, I ran to see if the FP machine for Soarin' was open. Yes it was! Grabbed FP #1 for the day and ran to meet the gang near the front of the rope. Around 9:50 a CM lead us very slowly and orderly to TSMM, meandering through it seemed the entire TSMM line.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/screaming.jpg

We stopped in front of the 3D glasses distribution and heard an announcement that there were "technical difficulties" and we'd begin boarding soon. Not wanting to give up our spot (we were the 3rd party in line) we waited for only about 10 minutes. It was worth it! It was very fun and interactive!

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/318-Disneyland2008.jpg

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/319-Disneyland2008.jpg

Next, DD and I headed over to CA Screaming. She's never ridden it before, but loves coasters (the faster the better). DH hates drops -- he didn't even want to do the kid switch -- so he and DS went on the carousel. It was maybe a 10 minute wait. DS was pretty nervous in line... I could tell by the way she was nervously chatting very quickly. Here we are right at take off:

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/327-Disneyland2008.jpg

After the ride, DD announced that was now her favorite ride. :-)

Our Soarin' FP time was up, so while everybody walked over there, I high-tailed it over to gather FPs for ToT, and met them in front of Soarin'. That's another favorite for us.

The Grizzly line was only about 5 minutes (it was a little windy and cool that day). Since I'm not a water ride fan and was a little chilly, I opted to hold the bags and wait on the bridge to take pictures once they were soaked.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/345-Disneyland2008.jpg

Then DD and I headed to ToT with our FPs while DH and DS went to Crush and to meet Tourist Minnie.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/347-Disneyland2008.jpg

Again, she was a little nervous. I mentioned that she'll go screaming down her mountain bike with DH a hill that's nearly 90 degrees (and she flipped over her handle bars and lived to brag about it too) but was scared of a little ride. That's it... give her a challenge... So after, DD announced that was her favorite ride. What about CA Screaming? Oh yeah, well she has 2 faves. After we finished, I couldn't reach DH on his phone and figured they were still in Crush. I realized that I had grabbed 4 FPs, leaving us with 2 more. Knowing that DH would rather do anything than ToT and DS would be too scared, I asked DD if she wanted to ride ToT again or give our FPs to somebody else. Stupid question, mom. :-) Another ride, that's my warrior princess!
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/355-Disneyland2008.jpg

After meeting up with DH and DS we try to find lunch. Both options in the Pacific Wharf area had long lines. We decide to grab lunch somewhere in DTD . We had sandwiches at La Brea and headed to DL after getting sweatshirts from the hotel (as it was getting chillier).

This day was also the official "Bats Day" or Goth Day. We saw some people dressed up at DCA, but it was much more at DL. Some pretty elaborate outfits! What was funny was that I saw one guy in full leather "matrix" style and white makeup, but with mouse ears. While this was the most crowded of our days, the crowds were not rowdy, nor were they disrespectful. In fact, we saw plenty of goth families... "baby goths!" as DD said.

We rode the Rocket ride... senior moment... can't remember the actual name, but it's this one:
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/rockets.jpg

...and grabbed FPs for Thunder. We also convinced DD to ride Haunted Mansion and Pirates since he wouldn't ride it the day before. The HM line was our longest in our trip... probably about 50 minutes.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/382-Disneyland2008.jpg

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/395-Disneyland2008.jpg

DD didn't mind the ride, but really didn't like the elevator ride because people were screaming. He did really like Pirates, which was nice considering we were going to have a pirate-themed birthday party for him the next week.

We tried to ride Big Thunder with our FPs, but the ride was down. A CM told us it was a "lost and found" issue, which meant that somebody's hat or keys or glasses flew out during the ride. Indy was also down. The kids each wanted to go back to DCA (DD wanted Screaming and DS wanted Toy Story), so off for another park hop.

Interesting thing about line waiting estimates... they're sometimes off. DD and I headed for CA Screaming, while DH and DD went for TSMM. The Screaming line said a 35 minute wait, while TSMM said 50. Our line was more like 10 minutes and when we got out, I called DH who was still in line, so DD and I jumped in with them. Yeah, I know... but the people in back of them didn't seem to mind.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/438-Disneyland2008.jpg

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Another park hop? You betcha. DH wanted to take some night shots before heading back to DL:
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/444-Disneyland2008.jpg

Back to DL for dinner at Rancho del Zocalo. I had the chicken tacos, DH had a veggie burrito, and the kids had the bean and cheese burrito minus the beans. Well, they said they didn't make quesadillas, which is what the kids wanted, so we improvised and got them cheese wraps, so to speak. Way too much food but it was okay.

After dinner settled a bit, we rode Big Thunder with our FPs and headed to Main Street for something sweet. Eveybody wanted ice cream, so it was off to the ice cream parlor. If I was going to blow more WW points, I wanted one of those pumpkin muffins that I was craving. So, I headed next door to the bakery for that. We didn't take pictures of food, but here is one of me with my muffin!
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/456-Disneyland2008.jpg

We decided to call it a night since we wanted to wake up early for our last day at the parks.

Tomorrow:
The family meltdown that almost ruined the trip

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

Fabulous report! Good photo of us, too!!!!

[visitingapril09]

You mean I have to wait to find out about the melt down...........:P

[DisneySuiteFreak]

I'm realy enjoying your TR. I like your DH photos a lot too. Question: Did he use a tripod for the long exposure night shots like Rocket Rods?

[blue donkey]

Oh no, a meltdown? :sad2:

but gotta say again, those fisheye shots are so fun! :lovestruc the tr.

[hulamom]

I'm realy enjoying your TR. I like your DH photos a lot too. Question: Did he use a tripod for the long exposure night shots like Rocket Rods?

Thanks! DH does use a tripod for most night and time exposure pics. But for DL, he didn't want to have to carry one around with him. So, instead, he would prop up the camera on top of something or usually hold it against the side of a wall or lamp post.

The indoor ride shots are more challenging for him as you can't keep still with the ride moving (like for POTC). So those are a little more blurry or grainy. However, during the HM ride, it kept stopping, so he was able to take a lot more pictures inside.

-- Hulamom

[hulamom]

Monday, November 10th (The Meltdown)

While today was an early start, we had a more relaxed day to just do the things we missed the first 2 days and repeat the favorites. Despite trying to get everybody out and at the gates at opening (8am), we ended up heading out the door around the time of opening. Oh well, better late than cranky (that will happen much later).
Here's our fabulous parking lot view from the DLH:
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/467-Disneyland2008.jpg

Since this morning was not an early entry morning and we hadn't gone on Nemo yet, we decided to hop onto the Monorail into Tomorrowland to try to get a semi-short (aka, not horrendously long) line for Nemo. Our result was a 30 minute wait. Not bad. Not great, but not bad considering. While the rest of the ohana waited, I skipped over to Indy for FPs. Indy had been down for much of our 1st 2 days so we wanted to try to catch it on our last. Luck would have it, FPs were being distributed for 9:30am. I skipped merrily back to the Nemo line where everybody was about 1/3 of the way through. The ride was fun, but I don't think worth waiting longer than we waited. The similar ride at WDW was better, IMHO.

After Nemo, it was just about 9:30, so I ran over to Space Mtn and grabbed FPs for later that morning. Then it was on to Indy. DH and I did the kid swap thing, so DD got to ride twice in a row. 3 years ago, DD was able to ride Indy, but it really scared the socks off of her. This time, she loved it. I still have to close my eyes at the part where the arrows fly past. During that time DS walked on the treehouse with DH and sat and had a snack with me.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/485-Disneyland2008.jpg

One thing to note here is that we only used 2 of our 4 FPs. When DD and I went on first (and DH grabbed a kid switch pass) we turned in 2 of our FPs. Then, when DH and DD went on with their kid switch pass, the CM only asked for the switch pass. Thus, saving us 2 FPs for later. It wasn't intentional, and just happened that way.

Admission time: despite growing up in California and visiting DL more times than I can count on my fingers, I have never been to the Tiki Room. Yes, we know the song by heart, but we've never been there (DH hasn't either). So, here was our chance. Yes, it was completely cheesy to watch animatronic birds and flowers sing and dance, but it was a complete hoot! I sang along ("Oh god, Mom's singing again!"). DH thought there would be hula dancing... no dear, that's the luau show at WDW. DD recognized one of the songs ("Hawaiian War Chant") to which she hula dances.

Next, we decided to test some theories. We wanted to go on Soarin' again one last time. So, while DH took the kids onto Autopia I ran over to DCA. Theory #1: that I could get FPs for all of us (I held everybody's park tickets) even though I was the only one to enter DCA. Since our tickets were activated already at DL, that theory worked (thanks Hydroguy!). Theory #2: that the FPs between DCA and DL were disconnected. Since our FP time for Space Mtn. hadn't come up, but I was able to get FPs for Soarin' (thanks again Hydroguy!). Success! I just love this sort of thing... I'm such a geek! Back to DL (I'm getting serious mileage out of my running shoes). Everybody was still in line for Autopia, so I went in through the exit (no, I'm not going to cut!) and stood on the bridge so I could take pictures of them as they return with their cars. This pic that DH took was much more interesting than my above the car pics:
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/518-Disneyland2008.jpg

After all that running, I was getting hungry for lunch. DS wanted to watch the Jedi Training Academy again (but still not wanting to participate) so we found a table at the Tommorland Terrace. DH wasn't quite hungry yet, so I got food for myself and the kids. I got a salad with chicken, and half-way through my salad I saw that there was a giant bug sitting (well, more like squished) on one of the lettuce leaves. Ew. Okay, I lost my appetite. I brought the salad back, and showed the CM. He offered to replace it. Since I wasn't hungry any more, and DH hadn't eaten yet, I asked for one without chicken (DH is vegetarian).

At some point during the Jedi show, I ran to get FPs for Big Thunder Mtn. (another favorite we all wanted to do again).

After that "less than appetizing" lunch, we headed to ride Space Mtn. My favorite ride, and DS declared it was now his favorite ride. Pretty good for a 6 year old! Next was Peter Pan, another favorite, though the line was slow (about 40 minutes).

After Peter Pan, we had a little fun run-in with Captain Hook.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/02-DisneyPress.jpg

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/06-DisneyPress.jpg

But the kids' won that battle and we headed over to Winnie the Pooh. Before heading to DCA, I asked if anybody wanted FPs for something later that evening. Space Mtn. was the winner, so I grabbed FPs. The time was 10:30, which meant no more FPs for us -- but I still had Soarin' and Big Thunder FPs in my pocket so we were still ahead.

Before entering DCA, we had to stop and pose at the Big O.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/556-Disneyland2008.jpg

Soarin' over CA was fun as always and this time we got to ride on the front/top row.

Next, DH wanted to try the Monsters Inc. ride: Mike and Scully to the Rescue. For some reason, DS was adamant about *not* riding it. Not wanting to cause stress, I stayed back with him. We found Wall-E's cardboard cutout and he posed for a few pictures.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/568-Disneyland2008.jpg

After DH and DD were finished riding Mike & Scully, DS wanted to go to Playhouse Disney, which DS adamantly did *not* want to see. Just can't please everybody today, it seemed. So since she and I had missed Crush the other day, I took her over there only to find that we just missed it and the next show wouldn't be for another 30 minutes. She didn't want to wait, so we found DH and DS back in line at Playhouse Disney. I have a wonderful picture of her expression in Playhouse Disney, but she'd completely disown me if she found out I posted that.

As we were walking out of Playhouse Disney, we ran into the family of one of DS's friends. It's always so funny when you see somebody you know at Disneyland. Anyhow, the boys had fun running around a bit.

It was getting close to dinner and we wanted to go back to the hotel to change into warmer clothes, so after changing we decided to try the PCH Grill. It was practically empty when we got there (it was 5:30). But that meant that the nice waitress spent lots of time talking with us. DS got to make his own pizza which he loved. I had a chicken sandwich that was okay and DH had pasta. He said that pasta was overcooked.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/587-Disneyland2008.jpg

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/588-Disneyland2008.jpg

After dinner we headed back to DL to ride Big Thunder (with our FPs from earlier) and Pirates. That's when I realized we still had FPs for Indy, so we were able to do that again as well (again, only needing 2 to do a kid switch pass).

Next, things got ugly.

DS had been waiting patiently while first me and DD rode on Indy, then DH and DD rode. We promised him ice cream afterwards, not realizing how close it was to the fireworks. DD was starting to whine about wanting to go on the Mattherhorn one last time (this was our last evening), but we said after ice cream. We headed down Main St. and seeing that the ice cream parlor was really crowded, we went to the Carnation place across the street. DS wanted an ice cream sandwich or bar, so DH stood in line. When he got to the front, they were out of sandwiches and bars. DS, who can be rather stubborn, insisted on that and wouldn't take plain ice cream. So, I tried to find him some along Main St., but as the fireworks were about to start, the carts were either out or closed and the parlor's line looked to be an hour long. I went back to the family, by this time, *my* ice cream was melting. DS said he'd take a scoop of ice cream, but now the Carnation window had closed. Major tears. He wouldn't take my ice cream. By now, DH is upset and threatening to leave the park. DD starts crying because she wants to ride on the Matterhorn. DS is bawling because he wants ice cream and he does *not* want to ride the Matterhorn, and people are starting to look at us.

So, we grab all our ice cream (mine's more like milkshake at this point and frankly I have no appetite) and we head toward Tomorrowland. I finally found a cart that was selling ice cream bars and profusely thank the CM that she saved my son's evening. She smiles and says "That's why we're Disneyland!". But by now the fireworks have started and we're sitting a the Tomorrowland terrace watching an fairly obstructed view of the fireworks. DS is eating his bar and DD is still going on about the Mattherhorn. That's is when my un-proud moment as a parent occurs. I became one of those parents who yells at her kids at Disneyland. And I made DS cry more while eating his ice cream. "Just beautiful" DH said. I shed my own tears, looked at the semi-obscured fireworks and decided to try to turn it around so we didn't end our DLR experience on that note.

I grabbed DS into a big hug and told him I was sorry and asked if his ice cream was good. Thank goodness for the mood turnarounds of 6 year olds, but he gave me a big smile. Then I told DD and DH to go ahead to the Matterhorn that I'd stay back with DS. After they left, DS said he wanted to go on Buzz, so we went and he got his highest score. Then we ended our evening all together riding Space Mountain. I still feel guilty about it all, but at least we turned it around and made things happy again.

We headed out through Main Street, saying farewell to DL for now.

Next, hula dancing with Lilo, finding Mickey, and the long drive home.

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Thanks! DH does use a tripod for most night and time exposure pics. But for DL, he didn't want to have to carry one around with him. So, instead, he would prop up the camera on top of something or usually hold it against the side of a wall or lamp post.

The indoor ride shots are more challenging for him as you can't keep still with the ride moving (like for POTC). So those are a little more blurry or grainy. However, during the HM ride, it kept stopping, so he was able to take a lot more pictures inside.

-- Hulamom

Cool! I was going to say that pumpkin patch picture in HM came out really nice! :cheer2: I tried to get a few shots of those but it's difficult when the ride is moving. I really like his fisheye lens shots as well. Normally I don't care for them (like when used for landscape type shots I'd rather see the landscape how it's supposed to look) but it worked very well for those self & family ride shots that he used them on. It helped to capture more of him, the family and the ride all at the same time. I'd never seen a fisheye lens used in that context. Kudos to him for thinking of it! Okay back to the TR...;)

[Yakety76]

I am so glad your night turned out all right. It is hard when the kids start getting overly tired and have just had it. Don't be too hard on yourself. It sounds like you were able to turn it all around and end the night on a positive note.

Great pictures of your kids battling Hook!!

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Monday, November 10th (The Meltdown)
So, we grab all our ice cream (mine's more like milkshake at this point and frankly I have no appetite) and we head toward Tomorrowland. I finally found a cart that was selling ice cream bars and profusely thank the CM that she saved my son's evening. She smiles and says "That's why we're Disneyland!". But by now the fireworks have started and we're sitting a the Tomorrowland terrace watching an fairly obstructed view of the fireworks. DS is eating his bar and DD is still going on about the Mattherhorn. That's is when my un-proud moment as a parent occurs. I became one of those parents who yells at her kids at Disneyland. And I made DS cry more while eating his ice cream. "Just beautiful" DH said. I shed my own tears, looked at the semi-obscured fireworks and decided to try to turn it around so we didn't end our DLR experience on that note.

I grabbed DS into a big hug and told him I was sorry and asked if his ice cream was good. Thank goodness for the mood turnarounds of 6 year olds, but he gave me a big smile. Then I told DD and DH to go ahead to the Matterhorn that I'd stay back with DS. After they left, DS said he wanted to go on Buzz, so we went and he got his highest score. Then we ended our evening all together riding Space Mountain. I still feel guilty about it all, but at least we turned it around and made things happy again.
We headed out through Main Street, saying farewell to DL for now.
Next, hula dancing with Lilo, finding Mickey, and the long drive home.

Don't beat yourself up over it. Between my DS and DH (who is not as big a Disney fan as we are -- I know; I don't get it either :confused3). We've had a few near meltdown moments and my DS was a young tween and Dh was a grown adult!:scared1: Sometimes I wondered who was melting down more DH or Ds????:scared: But in the end we always come back missing the park and DL experience and try, try again! I Love your TR, love the pics and your honesty. Also, I was wondering what all this talk about WW is about. You look perfectly in shape and awesome! You sure don't look like you need to lose weight at all. I do, however. Got any WW tips for me? Need to lose about 50lbs. Thanks for any info on how you did it.

[hulamom]

Cool! I was going to say that pumpkin patch picture in HM came out really nice! :cheer2: I tried to get a few shots of those but it's difficult when the ride is moving. I really like his fisheye lens shots as well. Normally I don't care for them (like when used for landscape type shots I'd rather see the landscape how it's supposed to look) but it worked very well for those self & family ride shots that he used them on. It helped to capture more of him, the family and the ride all at the same time. I'd never seen a fisheye lens used in that context. Kudos to him for thinking of it! Okay back to the TR...;)

I read your comments to DH who was really happy to hear them and asked me to thank you!

I agree that sometimes using the fisheye lens for landscape shots makes it look too distorted when you just want to see how it actually looks.

-- Hulamom

[hulamom]

Don't beat yourself up over it. Between my DS and DH (who is not as big a Disney fan as we are -- I know; I don't get it either :confused3). We've had a few near meltdown moments and my DS was a young tween and Dh was a grown adult!:scared1: Sometimes I wondered who was melting down more DH or Ds????:scared: But in the end we always come back missing the park and DL experience and try, try again! I Love your TR, love the pics and your honesty. Also, I was wondering what all this talk about WW is about. You look perfectly in shape and awesome! You sure don't look like you need to lose weight at all. I do, however. Got any WW tips for me? Need to lose about 50lbs. Thanks for any info on how you did it.

Again, thanks for the compliments! Actually, I hit my WW goal weight about 7 weeks ago and am now a proud lifetime member! I lost 30 lbs total. It was a slow process... it took me about 2 years total (with a slight break when I was in between jobs). I don't have any magic, but do have to say that WW was the only thing to really work for me. I basically stayed on track with those points (having those online etools helped). I like WW because you can eat anything and don't need to prepare special foods just for yourself. I know other programs have worked well for other people, but for me, WW worked.

You can go online or join a meeting (I do WW meetings at work) to find out if it's for you.

But at DL, I basically didn't count points. Heck, I was on vacation and was going to enjoy myself! We ate breakfast in our room and I stuck with healthy choices as much as possible, but I definitely indulged. All that walking and FP collecting helped!

Now if I can just stay away from that pumpkin pie, and stuffing, and mashed potatoes tomorrow...

-- Hulamom

[hulamom]

Time to head home - Tuesday, November 11

After so much planning and waiting, our trip was just about over. Why do those things that we love just fly by so fast? Alas, all good things must come to an end...

Before checking out that morning, we had breakfast at Lilo & Stitch's at the PPH.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/612-Disneyland2008.jpg

The food was okay, but I don't think anybody ate enough to justify that price. I did love the smoothie and the banana french toast. DD got another birthday cupcake and singing waiters.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/614-Disneyland2008.jpg

The highlight for DD was when Lilo lead some hula lessons. Actually, a CM lead the lessons while everybody followed. At first, DD didn't want to join. She made me join too, if she was going to. Sure, I'll embarrass myself!
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/624-Disneyland2008.jpg

When we were up there, I pointed to DD and told the CM that DD was a hula dancer. She shot me one of those "Mom, you're embarrassing me!" looks. But, afterwards, the CM and Lilo asked DD for lessons to make sure they were doing it correctly. DD actually told the CM that a few of the hand motions he used were incorrect, and they were so gracious about it and thanked her. She then gave a little demo of her own, to their encouragement.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/627-Disneyland2008.jpg

As we were back in the room, packing up to check out, DS announced that he never got Mickey Mouse's autograph. What? We saw Mickey at his house and took pictures with him (and Mickey even left an autographed photo for him at checkin). But that was *before* he got his autograph book and he still wanted Mickey (since, as DS said, he's the boss of Disneyland). He said that we'll just have to go back to Disneyland. Um, no we can't. We don't have any more days left on our tickets, and besides we have to drive home.

As I was checking out at the front desk, I asked if there was any place where we might find Mickey outside of the parks. The front desk CM suggested Goofy's Kitchen, so I took DS there to see. At Goofy's, we were sadly informed that Mickey wasn't there. *BUT*, the CM told me with a glint in her eye, that she thinks Mickey was taking a nap back behind the restaurant and she could see if he wouldn't mind waking up for a minute to sign his book. DS seemed okay with that, but asked if he could come out and say hi. Quick thinking, she said that he was still in his pajamas and wouldn't want to come out like that. DS accepted that. While she was off getting Mickey's autograph, another CM chatted with DS asking himi questions, which I thought was so sweet. The first CM came back with his book, complete with Mickey's autograph, which pleased DS completely. I thanked the CM profusely and asked her to please thank Mickey for waking up for us.

Nice that one of our final memories of DLR included a little bit of magic in only the way Disney can.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x283/dkasson/Disneyland1108/27-DisneyPress.jpg

We got the car packed and headed to Downtown Disney for some shopping at the World of Disney store. Finally, we were off for the long drive up north!

Thanks to those who have stuck around to read my ramblings!

-- Doreen (aka Hulamom)

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Thanks for a great trip report! And thank your hubby once again for the awesome photos! I love a TR w/ lots of photos!:cheer2:

[kjh73]

Hi..I just have a question...for the birthday cupcakes and bags...did you have to call ahead or just did you just request when you arrrived at the restaurant? I enjoyed reading your trip report!!

[hulamom]

Hi..I just have a question...for the birthday cupcakes and bags...did you have to call ahead or just did you just request when you arrrived at the restaurant? I enjoyed reading your trip report!!

Hi,
I had them add in the cupcake and party bags when I made the PS reservation with Goofy's Kitchen.

-- Hulamom

[kjh73]

Thanks!!