Club 33 (No, Not that Club 33)-A Trip Report -1/21 Bonus! (Club 34)

[Eight]

Confession: I kind of wanted to leave the title at just "Club 33" and see how many people would come read the first post only to be sorely disappointed to find out that I was not really going to Club 33, but I decided that false titles were probably not the best way to introduce myself to the DIS. ;)

Anyway.

Right now, I like to imagine you're wondering, "Club 33? If it's not THE Club 33, then what is this Eight person talking about?"

Well, obviously it's the club for people who are getting ready for their 33rd visit to Disneyland.

Confession: I just made this Club 33 up about five minutes ago.

Yes, I've gone 32 times before this, and I'm still as excited as ever to be planning a trip. And I should probably mention that by planning, I mean that I've been thinking about going a lot.

Confession: As of today, I have absolutely nothing booked or actually planned.

But all that's about to change! At least I hope it is. This is kind of the whole reason for starting a PTR. I like to think that if I start writing my plans down, I'll be more motivated to actually follow up on them, thus I'll actually get a trip planned. Ingenious, right? I think so.

Right now, I like to imagine you're wondering, "Who is this Eight person anyway?"

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is not actually Eight, as you may have guessed, but Rachel, and I'm 21, and maybe, kind of, sort of, just a little bit obsessed with Disneyland. I mean, it's not like I've been there 32 times or anything.
...
Oh wait. :rolleyes:

Confession: I have, on more than one occasion, said that my AP was the greatest thing I ever owned. (alas, it expired in June.. :sad1:)

Right now, I like to imagine you're wondering, "So why is this Eight person, er, this Rachel, taking a 33rd trip to Disneyland anyway? Isn't 32 times enough?"

(although actually, you're probably not wondering that as I suspect if you're here on the DIS, you understand that 32 times, while definitely a decent amount, is not enough.)

But there is a reason I'm planning this trip.

And to make this all dramatic and such, that reason will just have to wait until I next update. But I'm leave you with one last confession.

Confession: The only reason I'm not revealing the reason yet is so that I actually have something to update about next time. :rolleyes:

Links!

Pre-Trip Report

1/11 - You just read it (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=37469616&postcount=1)
2/11 - The sort of anticlimactic reason I'm going (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=37526819&postcount=7)
3/11 - A really small update with really big news (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=37621569&postcount=8)
4/11 - The PLANS (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=37680885&postcount=12)
5/11 - More introductions that are really just an excuse to post pictures (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=37720469&postcount=15)
6/11 - Actual plans for actual food: Part 1 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=37745320&postcount=20)
7/11 - Actual plans for actual food: Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=37749885&postcount=21)
8/11 - Mini updates (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=37832259&postcount=22)
9/11 - Old photos! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38012534&postcount=28)
10/11 - Going to Disneyland! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38037162&postcount=29)
11/11 - Back home (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38087975&postcount=30)

Trip Report

1 - Getting There (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38116922&postcount=31)
2 - The Hotel, the Room, and Wait, Where is Everyone? (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38134601&postcount=34)
3 - Still Can't Find Everyone (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38171882&postcount=37)
4 - Short Lines and Fireworks (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38262995&postcount=43)
5 - The Most Repetitive Post Ever (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38467872&postcount=54)
6 - More Adventures in California Adventure and More Photos of Me Than Necessary (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38903862&postcount=57)
7 - Part 1: Slightly Irrelevant Pictures of Tiana's Showboat Jubilee (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38916466&postcount=61)
7 - Part 2: Bootstrapper Groupies and Apparently I Really Like Alcohol (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38916472&postcount=62)
7 - Part 3: I May Have Committed a Disney Sin (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38916485&postcount=63)
8 - World of Anxiety (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38937427&postcount=64)
9 - In Which My Mom Scares a Small Child (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=39082018&postcount=73)
10 - The Part Where Nothing Really Exciting Happens (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=39374811#post39374811)
11 - Magical and World of Color in One Night (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=39410489&postcount=77)
12 - THE END (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=39471096&postcount=78)

Bonus!

Club 34 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=39636893&postcount=81)

[DizNee Luver]

popcorn:: Got my attention.....hopefully you'll update before we leave Saturday....otherwise I will probably get a ways behind before we get back from Disneyland!! :banana:

I don't see anything wrong with 32 times.....I would be at that number if I could swing it!! I would live in Disneyland if I could!! We even tried to move our family down there but didn't have any luck with jobs....so maybe in the future we'll be able to do so....then we can go all the time!! :cool1:

Here on the DIS....we all L:love:VE Disney!!!!

Oh & WELCOME!!

[SurfinTX]

Confession: The only reason I'm not revealing the reason yet is so that I actually have something to update about next time. :rolleyes:

That intro cought my attention as well. No dates or anything yet?
Well, it can't be all that long since you have been 32 times! :rotfl:

[sierranevada]

Okay - I'll bite and subscribe!!!

:welcome:

[deejdigsdis]

Ooohhh...this sounds good. popcorn::

[Eight]

Woah, this is exciting, I have readers! :goodvibes
Welcome!

popcorn:: Got my attention.....hopefully you'll update before we leave Saturday....otherwise I will probably get a ways behind before we get back from Disneyland!! :banana:

I don't see anything wrong with 32 times.....I would be at that number if I could swing it!! I would live in Disneyland if I could!! We even tried to move our family down there but didn't have any luck with jobs....so maybe in the future we'll be able to do so....then we can go all the time!! :cool1:

Here on the DIS....we all L:love:VE Disney!!!!

Oh & WELCOME!!

You're going to Disneyland on Saturday? How exciting! I hope you have a great trip! :goodvibes

I lived in Los Angeles for a while, that's the only reason I'm at 32. I'd try to go at least once or twice a month, it was pretty great. :thumbsup2

That intro cought my attention as well. No dates or anything yet?
Well, it can't be all that long since you have been 32 times! :rotfl:

Nope, no dates. I know generally when I want to go (there's a two week period, and I want to go for about three days sometime within those two weeks), but I just really need to actually book something. :confused3

Okay - I'll bite and subscribe!!!

:welcome:

Thanks! And :welcome: to my PTR! :)

Ooohhh...this sounds good. popcorn::

Glad to have you reading. :goodvibes

[Eight]

When I last left off, I made an attempt to be dramatic, and not yet reveal the reason for this trip. I suppose I've kept you in suspense long enough, so here it is, the big reason why I'm planning this trip.

World of Color.

Yeah, that's pretty much it. I know, not that exciting. :rolleyes:

You know, if you had asked me a few months ago whether or not I was excited for World of Color, I would probably would have said to you, "It's just a fountain show. I mean, really?"

My experience with fountain shows pretty much consists of seeing the fountain show outside of the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas that was synced to My Heart Will Go On. I don't want to say it was unimpressive, but a fountain show synced to My Heart Will Go On? I mean, really? ;)

So only having that experience to go off of, I must admit that I was pretty unexcited for World of Color.

Until the promo pics started coming out.

I love anything bright and colorful. And guess what those promo pictures were? Oh yes, they were incredibly bright and colorful. I was enthralled. The idea that a fountain show could be more than jets of water swaying back and forth to My Heart Will Go On entered my head. Which was immediately followed by the thought that I needed to get myself to Disneyland as soon as possible.

Clearly, those promo pics did exactly what they were intended to do. Good job Disney Marketing! :thumbsup2

I began trying to plan this trip in my head, but much to my dismay, I was pretty sure there was no way I could swing it.

However, one night, as I was talking to my mom about how much I wanted to go back to Disneyland to see World of Color, she brought up something I had totally forgotten about, something that would change everything.
(and by everything, I mean just this trip, but I have to make it sound exciting, you know? ;) )

"You know, you still have an airline voucher for a flight, and you could use that to go to Disneyland."

:thumbsup2

[Eight]

I've got some big, exciting news.

And by big and exciting, I mean that this trip is booked! Yes! :goodvibes

I have dates, a room, an plane ticket, and a parkhopper pass. Pretty awesome, considering that a little over a week ago, this trip was still just an idea.

I'm away this weekend, so I don't have time to write up the details right now, but expect a bigger update when I get back. Like, where I'll be staying, who I'm going with, when I'm going, and most importantly, what sort of World of Color picnic meal I'm going to get. Exciting stuff, guys. Trust me.

[SurfinTX]

Well a flight voucher that you forgot about can certainly be a boon! I'm going to DL for the first time only because my work is picking up my airfare as well as part of the lodging.

I'll stay tuned for the details. :thumbsup2

[tinksdreamwishes]

:thumbsup2:banana::yay::cheer2:pixiedust::drive::j umping2::tinker::ccat:

[Eight]

Well a flight voucher that you forgot about can certainly be a boon! I'm going to DL for the first time only because my work is picking up my airfare as well as part of the lodging.

I'll stay tuned for the details. :thumbsup2

Nice! Your first trip to Disneyland? That'll be exciting! :goodvibes

:thumbsup2:banana::yay::cheer2:pixiedust::drive::j umping2::tinker::ccat:

That pretty much sums up my feelings for the past few days. ;)


I'm working on finishing up an entry that has all the exciting details. Hopefully I'll have it up later today.

[Eight]

Confession: Despite the fact that I've been talking about this trip since June, I'm not really the one who planned this trip.

Yeah, it was my mom.

See, while I may talk incessantly about a trip, I'm never the one who actually books anything. It's all my mom. She's like my own personal travel agent.

She is also, as it turns out, going to be my travel partner on this trip. Originally, I really wanted to go with a friend, but after asking around, it seemed that everyone had either work or school or some other reason they couldn't go. I was disappointed, but I can't really complain. I travel well with my mom, and while she may not get excited about going to Disneyland like I do, she more or less understands how my love for it. Not to mention, she doesn't make fun of me if I get excited over seeing Stitch, or if I get teary eyed watching the fireworks, or if I know some little minute detail about a ride, or if I explain the historical significance of having the processional before Tiana's Showboat Jubilee.

Not that I would ever do any of those things, I'm just saying IF I did. You know. It's rhetorical. :rolleyes1

Anyway.

It was actually her who started bugging me about getting this trip booked, not the other way around as you might think.

"If you really want to go to Disneyland, you need to plan it."

And by planning, she meant that I first really needed to decide what dates I wanted to go. Since, you know, you can't really book anything without those. And I while I had an idea of when I wanted to go, it was still sort of vague, like, "oh, I want to go sometime in August. Or maybe September. And during a week. Wait, I don't know.."

Despite my vagueness and my chronic indecisiveness, it was surprisingly easy to pick dates. Once my mom forced me to really think about when I wanted to go, it probably only took about two minutes to pick the dates.

Here's what I chose.

August 31 - September 3.

Since I had originally planned on staying off site within walking distance, I was then surprised when my mom suggest looking at the prices for the Disneyland Hotel and the Grand Californian. I was not about to argue. We put in the dates and waited for the page to load.

"Huh, that's not too bad."

"No, that's probably the price for just one night."

"Maybe you're right. Click on 'continue', and see if it gives the total price."

Another page loaded.

"Wait, you mean that first number was the total price? That's pretty good."

"At that price, let's stay the at the Grand Californian."

Wait, wait, what? Was my mom really suggesting the Grand Californian?

"Let's book it!" I was not about to let a good thing slip by.

"We're not booking anything today. I'm going to call AAA and see if they can get a better price."

Well, I tried.

Anyway, to condense the following few days into a sentence, multiple phone calls were made between my mom and AAA to get the best deal, but eventually we ended up booking the room online.

Yes, the room at the Grand Californian. :thumbsup2


(I'm excited, as by the next time I update, I should have 10 posts, thus allowing pictures. Which is good, as I'm one of those people who likes pictures as large chunks of text can get a bit boring after a while. :rolleyes:)

[deejdigsdis]

Sounds great...can't wait to see some pics! :thumbsup2

[Eight]

Sounds great...can't wait to see some pics! :thumbsup2

This is my tenth post, so pictures will be coming soon! I'll probably go overboard and post a visual history of my trips to Disneyland or something.. :rolleyes:
Not really, but I'm really tempted to go find pictures from when I was a kid. Wonder where they are..

[Eight]

Alright, I thought I'd try to do some better introductions.

(Okay, it's really just an excuse to flex my new power to post a few pictures.)

This is me.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Club%2033%20PTR/Episode%205/twentyyearsago.jpg

Well, it's me about twenty years ago.

That's me on my first trip to Disneyland with my late aunt. I don't remember anything about the trip, but I like to think it started my love of Disneyland.

And since I posted a picture of me on my first trip, I think it's only appropriate to post a picture of me on my last trip, which was last May.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Club%2033%20PTR/Episode%205/IMG_3535-1.jpg

As you can see, I was pretty excited to see Captain EO for the first time. You can tell by the fact that I have jazz hands.
(for the record, I thought it was amazing. It was so ridiculous, ALIENS! MICHEAL JACKSON! SINGING! DANCING! RANDOM SEAT BOUNCING! How could I not love it?)

Let's see, you know I'm twentyone, that I love Disney, and what else can I tell you about myself that is sort of relevant, somewhat interesting, and not so long?

...

Um.

I guess I'm a pretty boring person. I like collecting Vinylmation (I'm hoping that Park Series 5 will be released by the time I go. I really want the Stitch one!), I'm a bit of a musical theatre geek (I love that they have songs from musicals on the Main Street music loop. Granted, I'm not quite as familiar with the older, classic musicals as I am with more contemporary ones, so I only recognize a few songs [although I know there's more] but I always point them out when I hear them), I was going to college, but now I'm taking a break (I was going to college in Los Angeles, which is the reason I was able to go to Disneyland so much the past year. Almost half of my 32 trips were taken in the past year.), and okay, this is getting long (I have a tendency to ramble if left unattended).

So, yes, that's me, more or less. I'm sure you'll get to know more about me as this PTR goes along, and once I do my actual trip report.

I don't know what to tell you about my mom. She knows I'm writing this, but I'm not sure she really wants to be included, other than being mentioned.

She's pretty awesome. Like I said, she's the whole reason this trip is really happening, and the reason most of my trips to anywhere have happened. She's not as big of a Disney fan as I am, but I know she enjoys herself, even if she claims she's been too many times.

And where is my dad in all this? He'll be at home taking care of our dog.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Club%2033%20PTR/Episode%205/2568.jpg http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Club%2033%20PTR/Episode%205/hipstamatic01.jpg
(Yes, I needed an excuse to post pictures of my dog. :rolleyes: Her name is Dumott, and if you can tell me what musical that's from, I'll be impressed.)

Anyway, my dad is not really a Disney fan at all. He gets motion sick, so he won't go on most of the rides, and so I suspect most of his memories of Disneyland are of sitting outside, reading a book, waiting for my mom and I while we're on a ride. I have to give him credit though, when it turned out that none of my friends would be able to come, he volunteered to go with me.

"But you hate going on rides, and you'd just be waiting for me the whole time."

"I know, but I'd go anyway. Besides, wasn't it a show you wanted to see?"

So, yes, I have a pretty awesome dad too, even if he doesn't like Disney too much.

Alright, I think that just about covers introductions.

Coming up next: I actually made actual plans for food? This is not normal.

[Belle Ella]

Signing up ;)

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Club%2033%20PTR/Episode%205/2568.jpg http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Club%2033%20PTR/Episode%205/hipstamatic01.jpg
(Yes, I needed an excuse to post pictures of my dog. :rolleyes: Her name is Dumott, and if you can tell me what musical that's from, I'll be impressed.

And the only thing that comes to mind is Rent (Angel Dumott Schunard ;))

[Eight]

Signing up ;)

And the only thing that comes to mind is Rent (Angel Dumott Schunard ;))

Welcome! :goodvibes

Okay, I'm definitely impressed! :thumbsup2 I haven't met many people who have gotten that.

[Belle Ella]

Welcome! :goodvibes

Okay, I'm definitely impressed! :thumbsup2 I haven't met many people who have gotten that.

Never got to see it in person, but enjoyed the movie, and have the songs on my iPod (both from Broadway and from the movie) that I listen to frequently ;)

[Eight]

Never got to see it in person, but enjoyed the movie, and have the songs on my iPod (both from Broadway and from the movie) that I listen to frequently ;)

Cool. :goodvibes Have you seen the filmed stage version?

[Eight]

(since for whatever reason, I was in a very rambling mood this morning when I wrote this , so I've divided it up in to two parts. I'll probably post the second part later today, provided I have time.)

I have done something completely out of character.

I actually made dining reservations at Disneyland.

I think this has only happened once before. It was 2005, the first time I stayed at the Grand Californian, and also the first time I think my family bothered to make a dining reservation. Don't quote me on that, as it's entirely possible we made one or two when I was kid, but I think the fact that I can only remember doing that once is a sign that it's not exactly common.

We had dinner one night at the Blue Bayou, and I thought it was the greatest thing ever as we got a table right on the waterfront, and I spent the whole dinner trying to get a good photo of the boats passing by our table. I pretty much failed due my lack of knowledge of my dad's DSLR, although even know, with my greater knowledge of cameras, I'm still not sure I could have taken a good picture. I tried bringing my (old) Canon 20D on rides a while ago, and I'm pretty sure the pictures I took with a point and shoot turned out better. Tell me your secrets, ride photographers!

Ahem.

Here's just one of the many photos I took that night.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Club%2033%20PTR/Episode%206/Picture036.jpg
[i]Oh, look! An empty boat! Must be haunted by ghost pirates!
(yeah, back in the day, I thought this was a pretty cool photo. :rolleyes:)

Anyway.

True, we have made dining reservations the past two times we've gone to Disney World, but it just never seems to occur to me to make dining reservations at Disneyland. I suspect this is because most of the recent trips have been short, and I'm not a big food person. Which is not to say I don't enjoy food or eating, but it always seems like such a waste of time when I could be watching shows or riding rides or doing fun stuff that isn't eating!

I mean, it takes like an hour. Or more. Do you know what I could get done in a hour? A lot.
(er, I guess that would really depend on crowd size, but I think it's much more dramatic if I say "a lot". It really drives my point home.)

Here's a true story for you. I went to Disneyland with my friend and her family for five days last summer, and my friend and I ate counter service the whole trip, with the exception of the two times we went to the Denny's on Harbor Boulevard. Granted, I was getting pretty sick of Redd Rockett's Pizza Port's Count Down Chicken Fusilli by the end of the trip, but we spent that time we could have been on eating on better stuff. Like sitting along the Rivers of America for five hours to guarantee we had front row seating for Fantasmic! You can't tell me that eating at sit down restaurant would be been more fun or productive or anything. Plus, we got paid $20 to watch some guy's blanket while he went and got dinner with his family. I think I spent my half on Vinylmation.

So, I think the point of my long spiel there was to point out how weird it is then, that I actually made dining reservations on this trip. Yes, reservations, plural. As if it wasn't out of character enough for me to make just one, I went all out and made three.

Once again, it's mostly thanks to my mom that we're doing this.

[Eight]

Part Two:

I was kind of feeling down about life and other things a few nights ago, so my mom suggested we take a look at planning some stuff to do when we're at Disneyland.

I'm going to make an analogy here, because I'm pretty good at them, and was a little upset when they took them off the SAT. Because I probably would have aced them. I mean, I still did pretty well, but anyway.

Rachel : Disneyland :: Dumott : Car ride

Let me explain. My dog, Dumott, absolutely loves going on car rides, so whenever you say the word "car ride" to her, she perks up. Her ears go up, her tail starts wagging, and she starts doing this little wiggly dance or as much of a dance as a dog can do. It's pretty cute.

I'm the same way when you say the word Disneyland, except my ears don't have that sort of mobility, I have no tail, and I don't dance as I would embarrass myself. But I'm pretty sure what's going on in our brains is pretty similar.

"Car ride? I get to go on a car ride? YES! LIFE IS AWESOME!"

"Disneyland? I get to go to Disneyland? YES! LIFE IS AWESOME!"

So despite the fact that I had been feeling kind of depressed, I cheered up some when my mom suggested planning stuff for Disneyland.

And once again, it was my mom who suggested making a dining reservation, because as she said "We never do that".

Which you now know is true because I spent like a page explaining that.

We looked over the menus of all the restaurants in the parks, the hotels, and Downtown Disney.

And somehow, we decided we should do a breakfast, which also totally out of character because I really, really hate getting up before 9. Though I'm willing to do it at Disneyland/Disney World.

We thought the breakfast at Storyteller's Cafe sounded the best, because banana stuffed french toast? I am so there. Plus, it's at the Grand Californian, so we wouldn't have to go too far.

But then I saw the link for character dining on the Disneyland website. And even though I'm twentyone, and probably should have outgrown this by now, I love seeing characters. And getting my picture with them. And even though I knew I would already be seeing characters at Storyteller's Cafe, I could not resist clicking the link. I'm just cool like that. :cool:

And then I clicked the link for PCH Grill, and the picture with Stitch handing a card to a little girl came up, and I was sold. I love Stitch. He's one my favorite characters, well actually, he's probably my absolute favorite. So how I could I resist the allure of a character breakfast where I could probably see Stitch? Besides, according to the Disneyland dining website, it said "Join the lively Chip 'n Dale Critter Breakfast for an unforgettable experience filled with music and lots of interactive fun featuring some of your favorite woodland friends." What does that even mean? Who are my favorite woodland friends? Besides Chip 'n Dale. Who I'm not a big fan of anyway.

You can see the dilemma here. Storyteller's Cafe had the better sounding breakfast, but PCH Grill had Stitch. What is a person to do?

The answer?

Book both of them. Why not? We never do this kind of stuff, so why not go all out? Why not do two character breakfasts even though I'm twentyone? Why not?

We also decided on having dinner at Cafe Orleans. I would have liked to have eaten at Blue Bayou, simply for the ambiance, but there's really nothing there that sounds like something I would eat. I'm kind of a picky eater. Even Cafe Orleans is a bit iffy, I think I'll probably just end up having a salad and their fries. Although now I'm debating whether or not I should change that reservation to Storyteller's Cafe for dinner, as their four cheese ravioli sounds really good. We'll see.

So here's what our dining schedule looks like.

Tuesday at 6:30 - Dinner at Cafe Orleans
Wednesday at 9 - Breakfast at PCH Grill
Thursday at 9:30 - Breakfast at Storyteller's Cafe

And so not to leave this completely picture-less, here's a photo taken from our room the last time we stayed at the Grand Californian. I don't think we'll get a good of view this time, but I can dream.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Club%2033%20PTR/Episode%206/Picture014.jpg

[Eight]

To be honest, there's not too much to update about. So here are a few mini updates.

-We reserved our picnic meals, although that was a rather annoying ordeal that took several days and involved much swearing at my computer. I won't go in to it. My mom is getting the American and I'm getting the European.

-Then there was the fact that we wanted to do the Premium Viewing for Fantasmic! only to call and find out that it won't be playing when we're there. Whoops. :headache: My mom and I both swear we saw it on the entertainment calendar on the Thursday we're there, but I guess we were both just hallucinating. Or more likely, looking at the wrong day. I'm crossing my fingers that they extend it, because didn't they do that last year?

-I was pretty excited to get the mail one day, and find something from Disney. It was the vacation planning DVD. I haven't watched it though, as I'm pretty sure it wouldn't tell me anything I don't already know. :snooty:

-I was sorting through old photographs last week, and I found several from Disneyland trips when I was a kid, which made me excited. Here's one of them.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Club%2033%20PTR/Episode%207/retrorachel006.jpg

There are two things I would like to mention about this photo.

1) My mom is still able to spin the teacups faster than anyone I know
2) I still always try and get a yellow teacup

-I went to the bookstore and concluded that there really wasn't any Disneyland books I didn't already have. I did, however, buy a mini notebook to keep in my bag so I can take notes for my trip report.

And I think that's all I have to say. I'm actually leaving for another trip on Tuesday, so I probably won't be updating when I'm gone, and when I get back, it'll only be a week until I leave! I'm excited. :goodvibes

[DizNee Luver]

Loving all the little updates & old pics!!

You picked 3 good meals!! Loved both of those character meals.....and age doesn't mean a thing at Disneyland. Also Cafe Orleans is one of my favorites.....soooooo good!!

Your doggy is so cute!!

Keep the old pics coming.....absolutely love seeing the changes Disneyland has made over the years!

[Eight]

Loving all the little updates & old pics!!

You picked 3 good meals!! Loved both of those character meals.....and age doesn't mean a thing at Disneyland. Also Cafe Orleans is one of my favorites.....soooooo good!!

Your doggy is so cute!!

Keep the old pics coming.....absolutely love seeing the changes Disneyland has made over the years!

Oh good, I'm glad to hear I picked good meals. :) Like I said, I've never really done dining at Disneyland, so I'm excited!

Thanks! :goodvibes She's a pretty sweet little dog.

I have some more old pictures coming up. I absolutely love old photos, especially seeing what people were wearing 15 years ago! :laughing:

[Eight]

Man, it's been almost two weeks since I last logged on.

My family along with some friends of ours went to Maui for a week, which was so nice. I had a really great time. I can't resist sharing a few photos while I type up the next update, so hopefully you'll enjoy them. :)

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Maui/maui01.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Maui/maui02.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Maui/maui03.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Maui/maui07.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Maui/maui04.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Maui/maui05.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Maui/maui06.jpg

Coming up next: I'm leaving in 3 days? Wait, what?!

[deejdigsdis]

GREAT PICTURES! Love the beautiful sun.

[Eight]

GREAT PICTURES! Love the beautiful sun.

Thanks! :) The sunsets were so gorgeous. It's been pretty disappointing to come back to Seattle where it's been pretty grey the past few days. :sad2:

[Eight]

I have a big confession to make.

Despite the fact that I leave in two days, I don't feel excited at all.

What's up with that? I was so excited before, but lately, it's been a little like, "eh, I'm looking forward to going, but I'm not exactly excited.." I'm almost certain that once I land at LAX, if not as soon as I get on the airplane, I'll be completely thrilled, but until then...

Well, until then, here's some old photos. :)

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Club%2033%20PTR/Episode%209/retrorachel007.jpg

This is from my second trip to Disneyland at age 3. As you can see, just like I always wanted the yellow teacup, I also always wanted the yellow Dumbo.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Club%2033%20PTR/Episode%209/retrorachel008.jpg

I'm not sure where this one was taken. I know it has to be Disneyland, but I don't know where this cutout was. Anyone know?

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Club%2033%20PTR/Episode%209/retrorachel006.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Club%2033%20PTR/Episode%209/retrorachel009.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Club%2033%20PTR/Episode%209/retrorachel010.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Club%2033%20PTR/Episode%209/retrorachel011.jpg

Haven't seen the Beast out in Disneyland in quite some time. You can still see him at Disney World, right?

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Club%2033%20PTR/Episode%209/retrorachel005.jpg

From my third trip at age 4. I'm the one making the Home Alone face. I love this photo, because I think it still really represents who I am. You know, that weird girl who makes silly poses, while everyone else pretends not to know her. ;)

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Club%2033%20PTR/Episode%209/retrorachel004.jpg

Also from that trip. I look a little scared of Mickey Mouse. I remember not being too fond of the characters as a kid.


If I have time later today or tomorrow, I'd like to write a list of all the things I want to make sure I do.

[Eight]

In about three hours, I'll be on a plane to California! :goodvibes

Now I'm getting excited.

But first I have to go finish all the last minute packing stuff.

Take care!

[Eight]

Alas, I am back home. :sad2:

And exhausted.

It was a really, really great trip though. I had a wonderful time. Granted, there were a few not so great moments, but luckily, the good far outweighed the bad.

I tried to take lots of notes and pictures so I could remember it all for the trip report. I think I took around 800 pictures, though a lot of those are blurry firework and ride photos. But I think I got some pretty decent ones too.

I'm really looking forward to writing this trip report, I just hope I can remember everything!

[Eight]

Alright, let's get this trip report started!

At first, I thought I should make some sort of disclaimer, as if to apologize for this being my first trip report and maybe it won't be any good and etc. But hey, if this is terrible, it's terrible. It's an experiment, and the great (or not so great, depending on how you look at it) part about experiments is that you never know what the end result will be. So I'll do my best, and hopefully we'll end up with a good end result. Or not so good.But there's only one way to find out.

Er, so much for not having a disclaimer. Sorry about that.

Um, anyway.

Let's start, shall we?

I began my journey at 6:00 AM on the morning of August 31st. It was a grey, overcast Seattle morning, and I was happy to know that I would soon be in warm California sunshine.

Well, I was as happy as one can be at 6 AM in the morning. So maybe I wasn't that happy. More like mildly pleased.

I don't remember much about this morning, except that I took these pictures of my Vinylmation collection. I planned on trading my duplicates, and I wanted to have a reference to make sure I didn't trade for any I already had. This ended up being a really great idea.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%201/IMG_4134.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%201/IMG_4135.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%201/IMG_4136.jpg

Soon we were on the road to the airport at about 8:15. We had allowed extra time for traffic, but luckily we didn't encounter much. If this were some book you were reading for a school class and I was the teacher, I would tell you to make note of that fact, as this theme would come up again. Oooh, foreshadowing.

Not much to say about the airport. Check in went quickly, though security was rather slow. I remember I was a little annoyed because just when I was about to put my bags through the x-ray machine, not one, not two, but three pilots got in front of me. I told my mom I would have been okay with two pilots cutting, but three was pushing it. Hey, I've got places I need to go too, man!

Maybe not as important as flying the plane, but still pretty important. Didn't they know I was going to Disneyland? Hm. Apparently not.

Anyway, we got through security, bought some bagels for lunch on the flight, and headed to our gate. We figured we'd timed it perfectly, so that when we got there, they'd be almost ready to board and we wouldn't have to wait too long.

Of course, we all know happens when you figure you time things perfectly.

We arrived at our gate, only to discover that there was no plane there. Hm. Weren't we supposed to board in like two minutes?

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%201/IMG_4137.jpg

So we waited. And waited. And I went over and took some pictures of this cool sculpture thing they have in that terminal. I've always loved it, and I rarely get to see it since I'm rarely flying airlines that fly out of this end of the terminal.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%201/IMG_4139.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%201/IMG_4140.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%201/IMG_4141.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%201/IMG_4142.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%201/IMG_4143.jpg

And then we waited some more.

Okay, we really didn't wait all that long. Maybe 20 or 30 extra minutes? Not as bad as some delays I've had, like the time I was stuck at LAX for eight hours. That was killer.

Eventually our plane arrived, and we watched them load the baggage as we waited to board. I felt bad for some random people, as their bags were left on top of the luggage car in the rain. Hope they were waterproof!

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%201/IMG_4145.jpg

The flight was pretty uneventful, although there were a ton of noisy little kids around us, and I'm sure you know how fun that is. The good part was that we were flying Virgin, which I love because they have those TVs in the back of the seats. I actually hate flying, so they're a pretty good distraction for me. And the other good part was that we landed not much later than we would have if that plane hadn't be late due to strong tailwinds.

I wish I had had my camera when we flew in to Los Angeles. I could see the Getty and the Hollywood sign.

And the smog.

Oh man, it was pretty smoggy.

It was rather bittersweet flying in though. I went to school down there last year, and I'm taking a break right now for a variety of reasons. So it felt pretty weird flying to this place where I used to live, knowing I wasn't coming back. I'm pretty sure we flew over my school, though I was on the wrong side to see it, and I'm slightly grateful I didn't see it, as I think it would have made it harder. I hadn't told any of my college friends that I was coming down, though I really debated it. In the earlier stages of planning, I had thought about inviting one of them to come or trying to visit them on Friday. In the end, I decided that as much as I wanted to see them, it would have made my decision of not coming back this semester more difficult.

We landed, got our baggage, and took the shuttle bus the Advantage to get a car. I was excited to see that our licsence plate was 6HUN###. I immediately starting singing I'll Make a Man Out of You, and named the car Shan Yu. After making a quick stop at Trader Joe's to get some bottled water and snacks for the room, we were on our way to Disneyland!

The traffic was a little heavy in places, but definitely not too bad for LA, as we made it in pretty good time.

Soon signs for Disneyland started popping up, and I grabbed the camera.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%201/IMG_4146.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%201/IMG_4147.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%201/IMG_4148.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%201/IMG_4149.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%201/IMG_4151.jpg

We made it!

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%201/IMG_4152.jpg

I love the balloons they have in front of the parking garage.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%201/IMG_4154.jpg

And I love the palm trees.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%201/IMG_4156.jpg

And I really love this sign!


Coming up next: Wait, did something happen? Where is everyone?

[Belle Ella]

You're off to a great start if you ask me. Then again, I don't know how a TR could go wrong when photos are inlcuded. I can't remember if I asked you this before, but what kind of camera did you use on your trip?
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%201/IMG_4140.jpg
That's pretty cool to see all of the things it's made out of (especially Mickey Mouse)! Although I'm still scared of the cymbal monkey guy. Seeing TS3 gave my nightmares, I wont lie.

[Eight]

You're off to a great start if you ask me. Then again, I don't know how a TR could go wrong when photos are inlcuded. I can't remember if I asked you this before, but what kind of camera did you use on your trip?

That's pretty cool to see all of the things it's made out of (especially Mickey Mouse)! Although I'm still scared of the cymbal monkey guy. Seeing TS3 gave my nightmares, I wont lie.

Thanks. :goodvibes I love trip reports with pictures, so I tried to take a lot. I only brought my Canon PowerShot G9, which I really like. It does pretty well for a point and shoot. I thought about bringing my Canon 50D, but I'm glad I didn't, because I was in the parks all day, and just carrying my tiny backpack hurts my shoulders after a while. Although staying at the Grand Californian, it would have been really easy to drop off, but maybe next time.

The cymbal monkey is pretty creepy, and I think the flash makes him look even worse. The sculpture used to move back and forth and all the parts would move (including the cymbal monkey clapping his cymbals!) but I haven't seen it do that in a long time.

[Eight]

Ah yes, we had arrived at the Grand Californian.

I had mentally prepared myself for crowds at Disneyland, but I was still a bit shocked at how many cars were pulled up in front of the hotel. I didn't get a picture, but I think there were three lanes, with several cars in each lane. My excitement at arriving suddenly turned to fear. If all these people were checking in, then surely the parks must be jammed. I mean, I was sure there were going to be crowds, but something about all these people in front of the hotel had me worried that it might be even more crowded than I had anticipated.

Upon stepping in to the hotel, my mood changed once again. There is something so wonderful about walking in to your hotel to check in on your first day of vacation. For me, it feels as though I've finally arrived, and there's so much potential to be had! I had two full days ahead of me, and who knows what could happen during those two days! It's such an exciting feeling.

Not much to be said about check in. It was pretty standard, but as I wrote down in my trip notebook, everyone was so friendly. I had definitely arrived at Disney.

Although, I must say, can we please stop with this whole "Disney's best kept secret" nonsense? My mom and I have to joke about it every time, it's not a secret if you keep advertising it everywhere!

Anyway.

While my mom went to park the car, I took some pictures of the lobby. I must admit I had a rather hard time getting decent pictures. I blame it on the lighting. ;)

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%202/IMG_4158.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%202/IMG_4159.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%202/IMG_4160.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%202/IMG_4161.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%202/IMG_4162.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%202/IMG_4163.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%202/IMG_4167.jpg


We then headed up to our room which was on the 6th floor. Our room was at the end of the hall, and we were told we would have a view of the courtyard, but it really was more a view of the roof.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%202/IMG_4168.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%202/IMG_4178.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%202/IMG_4180.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%202/IMG_4169.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%202/IMG_4170.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%202/IMG_4184.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%202/IMG_4173.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%202/IMG_4175.jpg

But you could see the monorail if it passed through!

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%202/IMG_4176.jpg

The crazy part about our balcony was that you could very easily climb on to the roof from it.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%202/IMG_4177.jpg

See? Weird, right? My mom and I both thought that was really strange. What if you had children prone to climbing and exploring? Luckily we had no children prone to climbing and exploring, but I don't know, it seems like it could be dangerous.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%202/IMG_4181.jpg

I lined up all the Vinylmation duplicates I had brought to trade.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%202/IMG_4185.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%202/IMG_4189.jpg

And here's my trusty park bag. I bought it when I went last summer for five days, and I love it. It's the perfect size for me, I can fit a sweatshirt, my camera, my wallet, my phone with plenty of room to spare. And of course, I have some Vinylmation Jr. attached to a zipper, as well as my Honorary Citizen of Disneyland button. I'll admit it, I love that button.

We didn't stay in the room too long, I'm sure I don't have to explain why.

We headed down to the entrance to California Adventure, where I had the most thorough security inspection of my bag I've ever had. Normally they just shine the flashlight in, and call it good, but this woman asked me to move items around and looked under my sweatshirt. It seemed in general that security around California Adventure was heightened. I feel like I saw more security people at California Adventure than normal. Later I saw what I assume were bomb sniffing dogs around Paradise Pier and on my hotel floor one time when we were coming back to the room. That was a bit weird. I didn't notice anything like that at Disneyland though, so I wonder if it had anything to do with World of Color? Just thought that was interesting. But let's change subjects since thinking that there even needs to be security at Disneyland is kind of a mood killer.

Once we were in the park, we went to the left, toward Soarin', as we planned on getting Fast Passes. As we rounded the corner, we noticed something that seemed a little bit off.

Where was everyone?

[where's_my_prince]

subscribing!!!:yay: :yay: fellow vinylmation lover!!:yay::yay:

[Eight]

subscribing!!!:yay: :yay: fellow vinylmation lover!!:yay::yay:

Yay, welcome!! :goodvibes You can expect more Vinylmation pictures, because of course, I had to take a photo every time I got one. I'm a little addicted... :rotfl: It's nice to meet someone who else who loves them too. Do you have a favorite one?

Also, would it be safe to guess you're also a Princess and the Frog fan? ;)

[Eight]

Alright, another chapter! Just ordered my Photopass CD today, and I made a calendar using the photos from this trip, plus some old ones. I'm excited for those to arrive, and you can be sure I'll be sharing them when they do.

So where were we?

Ah, yes.

Where was everyone?

The area around Soarin' was empty. It seems like this area never feels as crowded as, say, Adventureland, but this was a little weird. There was no queue outside, in fact, the sign said the line was only 5 minutes. I've seen 10 minute waits before, yes, but never 5.

Of course we got in line. We walked straight in to the building, and let me just say, I have been in Fast Pass lines for Soarin' longer than the line I was in right then.

Although, I'm pretty sure we ended up waiting more than 5 minutes. You know how Soarin' is, it takes forever, even with a Fast Pass. You have to wait in the first line, then you have to wait in the next one before you get to your terminal, then you have to wait for the video to start in your terminal...

I'm pretty sure we waited, I don't know, 5 whole extra minutes. ;)

Anyway, as we were waiting in the second queue area, I was trying to figure out where we'd be seated. Guessing by the number of people in front of us, I figured we either be in the last row of the side section, not so great, or the front row of the center section, fantastic.

Guess what.

We got front row center!

I was thrilled. I think I've only ridden in this row once before, and my mom had never (and this is one of her favorite rides), so we were both excited. I think I was way more excited than my mom, but then, that's normally how it is. I get so excited about the littlest things at Disneyland.

Side Story: I used to refuse to go on Soarin' for the longest time. Not because I have a fear of heights or anything like that, I just thought it wasn't thrilling enough. Which is kind of funny, because it's not exactly like any rides at Disneyland are really thrilling compared to some of the roller coasters I've ridden. Then I was listening to music on my iPod one day, and I fell in love with the soundtrack. So I suggested we go on it a couple of years ago, and my mom was like "who are you, and what have you done with my daughter?" And ever since then, I've like it. I'm not really sure what the point of this story was except that Disney music is amazing and can influence me way too easily?

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Disney music? I really, really do. In fact, I'm listening to my Disney playlist right now. It just makes me feel so happy.

Anyway, enough talking, let's see some pictures!

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%203/IMG_4191.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%203/IMG_4192.jpg

As you can probably tell from this picture, after Soarin' we headed over to the Backlot, and it was pretty empty.

My mom and I kept looking at each other and asking "did something happen in the world that we don't know about, and that's why there's no one here?"

Because we were expecting crowds. Big crowds. And this? This was not a big crowd. I could walk around without dodging strollers and small children. So you know, pretty uncrowded.

Our first stop was Off the Page, since that's probably my favorite store at Disneyland. I'm not sure what we did there, all my notes say is "Off the Page". So we went and looked around? Probably. That would make sense.

Next was Muppet Vision 3D, which for the longest time I used to insist on viewing every time we came, but then I guess I got tired of it or something, because I hadn't seen it in probably two years.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%203/IMG_4194.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%203/IMG_4195.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%203/IMG_4196.jpg

I found the key!

I love the Muppets, I really do, but I kind of wish they would update this movie. It's cute, but it's getting a bit old. Plus, Waldo annoys me. A lot. And Animal is not in it at all! What's up with that? So sad.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%203/IMG_4199.jpg

I wanted to go on Monsters, Inc next but alas, it was closed.

I really liked these posters that were on the wall blocking off the entrance to Aladdin and Tower of Terror.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%203/IMG_4200.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%203/IMG_4201.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%203/IMG_4202.jpg

According to my notes, we went to Off the Page again. Yes, again. This was just the beginning of the many stops I would make there. I told you I loved it. Though I'm not totally sure why we went back a mere 20 minutes later, but okay. I'm sticking with my notes. I do know I did a blind Vinylmation trade, and got this Urban 4.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%203/IMG_4206.jpg

As you can see, he's pretty beat up, which I didn't notice at the time (this photo was taken later). Eh, what can you do? Luckily, I didn't get any more beat up ones in the trades I would make later.

Wait.

Now I remember why we went to Off the Page again. It was because we were waiting for the next showing of Turtle Talk with Crush. Aha. Now it all makes sense, right? Kind of.

This was the first time I'd seen Turtle Talk with Crush in, I don't know, forever! I think I've only seen it once, maybe twice before, and I honestly don't remember when that was. I think it might have been 7 or 8 years ago. I just never feel like waiting for the next show, as the waiting area is usually crowded with a ton of little kids. Yeeah.. I'll be honest, little kids make me nervous. That doesn't sound mean, does it? I mean, I'm fine with them most of the time, but I can't stand it when they start yelling or crying or doing the loud things that little kids tend to do. It kind of freaks me out.

But anyway.

Turtle Talk with Crush was soo cute! Why hadn't I done this sooner? I loved the interaction with the audience, cause I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff, but the animation, and the voice, and everything was just so cool! It was hilarious, because near the beginning of the show, Crush was talking about how fast turtles could swim, and when it came to the part where he let the kids ask questions, not one, but two kids asked how fast he could swim. :rotfl: Very funny.

We decided then we'd head back to the room to put on long pants, and then go over the Disneyland. If you remember (which I don't expect you to ;) ) we had a reservation at Cafe Orleans at 6:30.

Well, we got distracted.

We passed by Storyteller's Cafe on our way back to the room, and "let's just look at the menu" turned in to "wow, that looks really good" which turned in to "hey, it's pretty uncrowded", which then turned in to "why don't we see if we can eat here instead?"

It was around 5:30, I believe, and the place was empty. You see the theme here? We were able to get a table with no problem.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%203/IMG_4208.jpg

See? Empty.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%203/IMG_4211.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%203/IMG_4216.jpg

The service was great, and our food arrived very quickly. Sorry, I don't do food porn, so I don't have pictures of the food, but I think I have a picture of something even better.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%203/IMG_4212.jpg

Oh yes, the Magical Star Cocktail. It was pretty amazing, mainly because it came with a glow cube in the drink that changed colors. I was so entertained by that. Seriously. I still have it. The drink itself was good too. It was my favorite type of alcoholic drink, you know, the kind that doesn't actually taste like it has alcohol in it.

Here's a video of the drink changing colors, so you can see how truly awesome it was.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%203/th_MVI_4213.jpg (http://s1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%203/?action=view&current=MVI_4213.mp4)

The food was delicious too. I had the ravioli, while my mom has the chicken quesadillas and the corn chowder, I believe.

My conclusion of Storyteller's Cafe: Why in the world have we not eaten here before?

Seriously, it was probably one of the best meals I've had at Disneyland.

With our stomachs full, we went back to our room to change and go to Disneyland. For real, this time.

Coming up next: Short lines and fireworks

(Hope I'm not dragging this out too much. I just have a tendency to ramble, and focus on unimportant details.. )

[SurfinTX]

I love how you flew out of the dreary weather and into sunny California. :goodvibes

Looks like a great start to the trip!

<Edit> Argh! You ninja posted on me!

Wow! You're right! The place seems really deserted considering. School is starting up and the locals are pretty busy I guess.

I have one of those light cubes from Ohana right next to me. Still going after 3 months. :thumbsup1

and don't worry about rambling. It's the small details that make a memorable trip report I think. :)

[Eight]

I love how you flew out of the dreary weather and into sunny California. :goodvibes

Looks like a great start to the trip!

It was definitely a welcome change in weather. :) No matter how much I fly, I always think it's weird that I can start in one place and in a matter of hours, end up somewhere else in the world miles away. And it's even weirder when the weather's completely different.

[BecomingObsessed]

More trip report, please! I'm wildly entertained by your writing style :)

[Eight]

<Edit> Argh! You ninja posted on me!

Wow! You're right! The place seems really deserted considering. School is starting up and the locals are pretty busy I guess.

I have one of those light cubes from Ohana right next to me. Still going after 3 months. :thumbsup1

and don't worry about rambling. It's the small details that make a memorable trip report I think. :)

Oh yes, I'm pretty stealth like that. :laughing:

It seemed like most people we talked to thought it was due to schools starting, but I also know there were schools that still hadn't started yet. But hey, can't complain!

3 months? Wow! I was kind of worried about the battery dying after, I don't know, 15 minutes. I have no clue what I'll use it for, but I'm gonna keep that little thing till it's dead.

I think you're right. Without little details, it'd probably just be like "I went on Splash Mountain. Then I went to Tomorrowland and got fast passes for Space Mountain. And then..." Might get pretty boring, pretty fast.

[Eight]

More trip report, please! I'm wildly entertained by your writing style :)

Welcome and thanks for reading! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. :goodvibes I was going to update this afternoon, but then I got distracted and went shopping... :rolleyes1 But hopefully I'll have something by tonight or tomorrow.

[Eight]

Alright! I’ve had an oddly busy week, but I finally have some free time to catch up on this adventure.

When we last left off, my mom and I had just finished dinner at Storyteller’s Café which was DELICIOUS (yes, so delicious it deserves all caps) and I got a glowing ice cube which amused far more than a glowing ice cube should amuse a 21 year old. But I never said I was very mature… :rolleyes1

Next stop, Disneyland!

I love, love, love walking in to the main plaza area between Disneyland and California Adventure. I love how the music changes from the pop music of Downtown Disney to classic Disney favorites. It always feels so exciting.

And that feeling you get when you walk on to Main Street for the first time? I don’t even know how to begin to describe it. I don’t know if this makes sense, but I feel like I can truly be myself. At Disneyland, I feel like “me”. I’ve struggled with feeling comfortable with myself my whole, and at Disneyland, it’s like I don’t have to hide who I am. I can just be myself, and it’s okay.

Have I mentioned I love Disneyland lately?

Um, anyway, I’ll try not to be so soppy from now on.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%204/IMG_4221.jpg

We walked to the times board, and the longest line was Peter Pan with 25 minutes. Can’t beat that.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%204/IMG_4222.jpg

I decided that since this was one of the shortest wait times I’ve seen for the subs, we’d go on that first. I hadn’t been on them since 2007, and every time I go to Disneyland, I’m like, “I should really go on the subs again.” I’ll walk over there with the full intention of getting in line, and then I see the long line, and yeah, it never happens.

But hey, 15 minutes? I can do that.

Although we had to make quick stop to get Space Mountain fast passes first. Very important.

So we waited, and soon enough, we boarded a submarine to journey on an underwater adventure.

Okay, I have to confess something here. I just realized last week, when I read something about it, that there’s a show building for the submarines. Which, of course, makes total sense now, but I’m kind of embarrassed that I didn’t know this sooner. I mean, you would think, I would notice that the subs go in this building, but I don’t know. I always assumed it was for a brief part of the ride. Needless to say, I felt really stupid after reading that.

As for the ride itself, I like it. I don’t love it, but I really enjoy it. I do love how they do the projections, I think that’s so cool. But not so cool that I would wait more than 15 minutes for it.

By the time we got off the ride, our fast passes were ready to be used. Space Mountain is my favorite ride at Disneyland, so it’s essential I ride it at least once.

Oh, side story! When I went to Disneyland in June of 2009 with my friend, we rode Space Mountain 7 times. Which is pretty great, but it gets better. 5 out of those 7 times, we got the front row, and we never even asked for it. It was awesome. Of course, since then, I think I’ve gone it at least 10 or 15 times, and I’ve only gotten the front row once. I think all my front row good luck got used up on that one trip.

After taking an exhilarating journey through space, we decided to get spots for Magical. I think it was around 8:30, and we were able to get spots in, I don’t know what to call it, the part right in front of the castle but back against the fence that goes around the Partners statue area, ever so slightly to the left of center. Fantastic spots, really. This is a horrible picture, but it gives you an idea of where we were.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%204/IMG_4227.jpg

My mom, being the wonderful mom that she is, let me go over to Frontierland while she held our spots. What was in Frontierland? Vinylmation, of course!

I had said I was going just to look, but I could not resist the call of blind boxes any longer. I caved and bought one Muppets and one Urban 4. Here’s what I got (the picture was taken the next day).

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%204/IMG_4313.jpg

While I was over there, my mom called and asked me to buy a towel, which I thought was really weird, until she explained she wanted it to sit on.

Word of advice, there are no towels in Frontierland. At least none that I could find.

So I had to take venture over to Adventureland, where I found a Jack Skellington towel, which was perfect since I love the Nightmare Before Christmas, but admittedly, I was puzzled by why there was the Jack Skellington towel in Adventureland. It just doesn’t seem to fit in the theme, you know? Maybe I’m over thinking it… Yeah, that’s probably it. But I’m not complaining, because I was thinking I might have to walk all the way to Critter Country and get a Splash Mountain towel or something.

Anyway, towel in hand, I returned, and we sat on our towel and waited for about 30 or 40 minutes for Magical to start.

Magical is one of those things that I initially didn’t like, but grew on me. I first saw it on the June 2009 trip I mentioned, and the first night, I didn’t watch but I could hear it, and I hated it. The second night, still didn’t watch it, but the music was a little less annoying to me. Finally, the last night, my friend and I decided to watch it, and I loved it. It’s the Dumbo puppet, guys. I love that thing. It’s so cute and fantastic and amazing.

I have to admit, as much as I love Magical now, I still think it’s a little random. It’s like, hey, let’s take some less popular Disney movies, add in a crying princess or two, and call it Magical! But I do love the music at the beginning and end, and the Dumbo puppet, so it all evens out.

Random Fact because I’m a Broadway Geek: You know the main female singer in Magical? That’s Eden Espinosa, who’s played Elphaba in Wicked, Maureen in Rent, and Brooklyn in BKLYN (which yes, wasn’t the best musical, but I saw it, so I’m going to through it in there). I’m a Broadway geek, so I think it’s cool... :rolleyes1

Okay, question. In the section where we were sitting, everyone sat down for the fireworks. Is that typical? I thought everyone would stand up once it started, but everyone stayed sitting. It was nice, since I’m short, and it was easier to see that way, but I was surprised.

Yes, I know, I’ve talked enough. Pictures!

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%204/IMG_4235.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%204/IMG_4238.jpg

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http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%204/IMG_4285.jpg

After Magical, we walked over to Indiana Jones, and walked on. I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned it or not, but this is my mom’s favorite ride.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%204/IMG_4311.jpg

Even Adventureland, which is normally gridlocked, was empty!

We were about to head back to room, since I wanted to go to bed somewhat early since I’d be getting up earlier than normal for breakfast at PCH Grill, but I got distracted by Jungle Cruise, another ride I haven’t been on in years. Our skipper was alright, not the best, not the worst, slightly above average, I’d say.

We were tempted to stay a little longer since it was so empty and the lines we so short, but we had gotten up early by our standards, and as I mentioned, we were going to have another early morning the next day. With the full intention of going straight to our room, we left Disneyland.

And got distracted by D-Street.

I wanted to trade some Vinylmation, but alas, they had stopped for the night. We ended up talking to a very nice cast member for quite some time about World of Color, and the best way to see it.

After that, we went to our room. For real this time.

[Eight]

Bonus Chapter!

Today, my Photopass CD as well as the calendar I ordered arrived. I was really pleased with how the calendar turned out, so I thought I'd share it. :) I used images from past trips to Disneyland as well as Disney World.

The colors are slightly off in these images, sorry about that.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Calendar/IMG_5065.jpg
The front. I'm slightly disappointed Walt's head is cut off in the Disneyland photo, but it's my fault, I should have used a different photo.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Calendar/IMG_5066.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Calendar/IMG_5067.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Calendar/IMG_5068.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Calendar/IMG_5069.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Calendar/IMG_5070.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Calendar/IMG_5071.jpg
If you're wondering about this one, it's a picture of a little poster at Animal Kingdom near Expedition Everest, and I really love it.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Calendar/IMG_5072.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Calendar/IMG_5073.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Calendar/IMG_5074.jpg

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http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Calendar/IMG_5076.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/Calendar/IMG_5077.jpg

(can you guess which photos are from this past trip? ;) )

[BecomingObsessed]

I love that picture of you and your mom in the yellow teacup. I think it's SO sweet! I hope my girls will grow up to love Disneyland and remember our fun times there together :goodvibes

Your calendar is great! Honestly, I thought you had meant to cut Walt's head off on the cover. Like it was more of an artistic shot meant to mainly showcase the castle. As soon as I saw it, my first thought was seriously "Oh, that's a great angle!" I was surprised to read it was a mistake! Where did you order it from? I have a lot to learn about Disney! :goodvibes

[Eight]

I love that picture of you and your mom in the yellow teacup. I think it's SO sweet! I hope my girls will grow up to love Disneyland and remember our fun times there together :goodvibes

Your calendar is great! Honestly, I thought you had meant to cut Walt's head off on the cover. Like it was more of an artistic shot meant to mainly showcase the castle. As soon as I saw it, my first thought was seriously "Oh, that's a great angle!" I was surprised to read it was a mistake! Where did you order it from? I have a lot to learn about Disney! :goodvibes

Thanks! :goodvibes It's one my favorites, mainly because, I think I might have mentioned this before but I STILL try and get a yellow teacup. It's tradition at this point. :laughing: I bet your daughters will have good memories of Disneyland, I think it's hard not to! Do you mind if I ask how old they are?

I ordered it from the Disney PhotoPass website (www.disneyphotopass.com). There are three different calendar themes (Mickey & Friends, Vintage, and Trendy [I chose the Trendy theme]) and you can use your PhotoPass photos, as well as upload your own photos to use. There are also other gift items you can make, like mugs, mouse pads, magnets, etc.

[magichusky]

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%204/IMG_4266.jpg


What a fabulous collection of fireworks pics! The one quoted above is my very favorite. I'm also loving your TR so far and can't wait for more updates! popcorn:: I also really like the GC photos and Storybook Cafe descriptions. Since I live so close by, I've never stayed at any of the Disney hotels or eaten at any of the nice restaurants. I may have to try the Storybook at some point!

-Lauren

[Eight]

What a fabulous collection of fireworks pics! The one quoted above is my very favorite. I'm also loving your TR so far and can't wait for more updates! popcorn:: I also really like the GC photos and Storybook Cafe descriptions. Since I live so close by, I've never stayed at any of the Disney hotels or eaten at any of the nice restaurants. I may have to try the Storybook at some point!

-Lauren

Thank you! I'm glad to have you reading. :goodvibes You should seriously try Storyteller's. I know I probably sound like I'm raving about it at this point, but it was really good! Hopefully I haven't overhyped it at this point... :laughing:

[BecomingObsessed]

You did mention your love of the yellow teacup (and the yellow Dumbo!). I think it's terribly sweet that they hold such a sentimental place in your heart! My girls are little - 3 years and 18 months right now. They both had their first trip last September :goodvibes The first of what I hope to be many! I was never a Disney fanatic when I was little, but it's never too late to change my ways, right?? We are headed back this year in December. My youngest was REALLY little last year, so I'm excited to see her reaction to the rides and characters this time around.

We will definitely be making a calendar upon our return!! Thank you so much for the info on how to get one. I appreciate you taking time to educate me on the ways of the 'Land :goodvibes

[Eight]

You did mention your love of the yellow teacup (and the yellow Dumbo!). I think it's terribly sweet that they hold such a sentimental place in your heart! My girls are little - 3 years and 18 months right now. They both had their first trip last September :goodvibes The first of what I hope to be many! I was never a Disney fanatic when I was little, but it's never too late to change my ways, right?? We are headed back this year in December. My youngest was REALLY little last year, so I'm excited to see her reaction to the rides and characters this time around.

We will definitely be making a calendar upon our return!! Thank you so much for the info on how to get one. I appreciate you taking time to educate me on the ways of the 'Land :goodvibes

So I did mention that... I have such a terrible memory. :blush: Aw, that's a fun age to take them to Disneyland! And you're right, it's never to late to become a Disney fan. :goodvibes That's awesome that you're going in December! It's so pretty around the holidays. Do you think you'll do a PTR or a TR?

No problem. :) If you ever have any questions, feel free to ask. I don't know everything, but I'll help if I can.

[Eight]

I am sorry to report that I won't have another update until next week at the earliest. Which I feel kind of bad about, because when I started this thing, I had planned on trying to update every few days. Obviously, that didn't happen. :headache:

But I'm excited because the reason I won't be able to update is that I'm taking a very, very, very spur of the moment trip to NYC tomorrow! I'm very grateful for the opportunity. My dad and I are going, and I plan on seeing American Idiot, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, and Promises, Promises. Also plan on going to the Broadway Flea Market, provided it doesn't rain, so I'm crossing my fingers for sunny weather!

I might bring my laptop, so I might be able to reply to threads and stuff, but no updates.

Take care, and I'll see you all soon!

[BecomingObsessed]

Your NY adventure sounds like a lot of fun! I know you'll have a great time and I look forward to reading the rest of your trip when you have time for it :goodvibes

I don't think I'll do a PTR. With little ones, you go with the flow! I know we'll use Ridemax to try and cut down wait times (little girls = little patience!) and we will have lunch at Ariel's Grotto so we can meet the princesses. Everything else is up in the air! I will come home with eleventybajillion photos and lots of rambling though, I'm sure :thumbsup2

[Eight]

I have returned. Actually, I returned about a week ago, but I've been busy with job interviews and going over to eastern Washington and umm... other stuff. Really busy with that other stuff. :rolleyes: Nah, I've just been lazy. Can you believe it's been a month since I got home, and I've only finished the first day? Kind of sad... I'm a slow writer. But I'm working on an update right now, so that will hopefully be up today or tomorrow.

Your NY adventure sounds like a lot of fun! I know you'll have a great time and I look forward to reading the rest of your trip when you have time for it :goodvibes

I don't think I'll do a PTR. With little ones, you go with the flow! I know we'll use Ridemax to try and cut down wait times (little girls = little patience!) and we will have lunch at Ariel's Grotto so we can meet the princesses. Everything else is up in the air! I will come home with eleventybajillion photos and lots of rambling though, I'm sure :thumbsup2

Oh man, I had a great time. It was super fun! :)

I've never been to Ariel's Grotto, but it sounds like it would be great for two little girls. :goodvibes I'll be on the look out though, for your elevetybajillion photos (wonder how many memory cards you'll need..? ;) ) and ramblings when you get back.

[Eight]

I must admit that I'm starting to lose the little details of the trip. I guess that's what happens when you take shoddy notes and then take a month to write just the first day. Oh well. We'll just have to make do with what we have.

The next day, we had to wake up early at 7:45 for our breakfast at PCH Grill. That may not seem early to some of you out there, but it's early for me, seeing as at the time, I was not in school nor did I have a job. So I was used to waking up at 9 or 10 at the earliest. But hey, it's Disneyland. Got to make the most of your time there, even if it means getting up when you'd really rather be sleeping.

This is kind of pathetic, I actually had to look back at my PTR to see what time our reservation was. See what I mean about shoddy note taking? It was at 9. Oh, my memory is going...

Anyway.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%205/IMG_4338.jpg

We got there, and guess what. There was hardly anyone there. Anyone here surprised? No? Good. It was seriously a third full, maybe, maybe almost half full. Pretty darn empty.

I took a picture with Mickey in his lifeguard gear, which I love. Should probably mention now that I loved the theming of the restaurant in general. I had just been to Maui the week before, and had gone surfing, so I was all in to whole surfing theme of the restaurant. Very fun.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%205/IMG_4314.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%205/IMG_4328.jpg

All I really remember about the food was that I had some chocolate banana french toast, and it was amazing. And I think I had an omelette too, but it couldn't compete with the chocolate banana french toast, because really, eggs versus chocolate and bananas and buttery bread? Yeah, there's no contest.

Of course, I had to take some breaks to pose with the characters.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%205/IMG_4315.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%205/IMG_4316.jpg

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http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%205/IMG_4334.jpg

One of my favorite moments was when we asked Goofy where Max was, and he pantomimed someone playing a video game controller. "Ah, video games?" Goofy nodded and shrugged. What can you do about kids and those video games?

Overall, I really enjoyed this meal. The characters were great, and the food was pretty good as well.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%205/IMG_4331.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%205/IMG_4336.jpg

I believe this was in the hotel lobby.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%205/IMG_4337.jpg

And I believe this was in a cafe area or some food area or something? See, my memory is really going..

After that, we went back to the room to change shoes. Or at least that's what I wrote. I have no clue what shoes I was wearing at breakfast that I needed to change, because I'm pretty certain I only brought one pair of shoes, but hey, I'll go with it.

Headed down to D-Street, yes, again, because I wanted to trade, but they weren't doing any trading then. But I ended up buying some Vinylmation anyway.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%205/IMG_4344.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%205/IMG_4347.jpg

Went back to the room yet again, and I'm honestly not sure why. I think I was dropping stuff off, but man, this feels really repetitive, doesn't it?

Moving on.

Oh, wait, it gets even more repetitive. We went to DCA, and guess which store I made a beeline to?

Guess.

Come on.

Off the Page.

Of course, where else would I be going? It was only like my third time there... ;)

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%205/IMG_4350.jpg

I ran in to an old friend, as you can see.

Then it was time to pick up our World of Color picnic meals. We actually arrived about 15 minutes early, so I walked over the viewing area to scope things out.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%205/IMG_4352.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%205/IMG_4354.jpg

I was so charmed by the bags our meals came in, I had to take a picture. Aren't they amazing? But then, I love anything bright and colorful...

Alright, you'll never believe what we did next. This is going to be a shocker.

We

went

back

to

the

room.

Again.

Seriously? I'm looking back at this and wondering what in the world we were doing. I know this time it was because we wanted to drop our meals off in the fridge so we could eat them later, but man, really? This is getting way too predictable. I have to stop. (okay, I'm really just stopping because I'm tired and lazy, but let's pretend it's because I'm getting tired of writing the same thing over and over. I swear, I'm never going to finish this at this rate...)

Coming up next: More adventures in California Adventure.

[BecomingObsessed]

Miss Eight, can you talk to me about vinylmation? I don't understand it, really. Does it stem from a cartoon or is it just another marketing ploy by Disney to get folks to spend money? The little figures are CUTE,CUTE, CUTE, don't get me wrong! I'm just wondering about the origin and if you know why they came about. How many figures do you have? Who do you trade with when you're in the park? I want to find a little keychain or a figurine to put on my computer at work. Which store carries the biggest variety?

I'm happy you made it home safely! You sure travel a lot! I'm mildly (more than mildly) jealous of all your fun adventures!

Also, can you give a review on your WOC picnic? I'm torn on ordering one.. I can't decide if I should drag the gorillas to see the show or not. I do NOT want to have to go stand in line an hour ahead of time even with the fastpass. My little on is super feisty. She'll bite someone (read: ME! Good thing she's cute! :goodvibes )

[Eight]

Miss Eight, can you talk to me about vinylmation? I don't understand it, really. Does it stem from a cartoon or is it just another marketing ploy by Disney to get folks to spend money? The little figures are CUTE,CUTE, CUTE, don't get me wrong! I'm just wondering about the origin and if you know why they came about. How many figures do you have? Who do you trade with when you're in the park? I want to find a little keychain or a figurine to put on my computer at work. Which store carries the biggest variety?

I'm happy you made it home safely! You sure travel a lot! I'm mildly (more than mildly) jealous of all your fun adventures!

Also, can you give a review on your WOC picnic? I'm torn on ordering one.. I can't decide if I should drag the gorillas to see the show or not. I do NOT want to have to go stand in line an hour ahead of time even with the fastpass. My little on is super feisty. She'll bite someone (read: ME! Good thing she's cute! :goodvibes )

Alright, Vinylmation 101. ;)

So, to answer your first question, I guess you could consider it a very clever marketing ploy to get more money, but I think it goes beyond that. Have you ever heard of the term Designer Toys? I believe the term originated in the 90s, not totally sure about that, but generally Designer Toys are collectable figures (though there's also Designer Plush) that have been designed by artists. One example of a popular Designer Toy is the Dunny by Kid Robot. I used to collect those and that's what got me in to Vinylmation, as they're very similar. Vinyl is a very popular materiel used in Designer Toys, so the name Vinylmation comes from a combination of the words vinyl and animation.

Vinylmation was introduced in late 2008, though I first saw them when I went to Disney World in February 2009. Park #1 was the first series created, and it featured 12 different Vinylmations. Now there are a ton of different series, including Toy Story, Muppets, Urban, Nightmare Before Christmas, etc.

Each series consists of 12 different designs, with one of those designs being called a chaser. A case of Vinylmation contains 24 different boxes, and each cases holds two of each design, except for the chaser which there is only one of and three of one regular design to round out the 24. I have the worst luck with chasers, I've bought more blind boxes than I care to admit, and I've only ever pulled one chaser.

There are two different types of series, blind boxed and window boxed. A blind box means that you don't know which Vinylmation you're getting. The Vinylmation is a foil bag inside the box, so you can't peek or anything (All the Park and Urban series are blind boxed, along with others like the Muppets and Toy Story). A window box means you can see which one you're getting. (Like the Animal Kingdom ones I posted in episode 5). Once you've opened a blind box, you can't return it at all. Window box series don't have chasers since you know what you're getting. I personally like buying blind box because I think it's fun that you don't know what you're going to get, but it's not great if there is one you're really looking for.

There also a couple different ways to trade. Several stores (I can think of Greetings from California, Off the Page, the store at the exit of Tower of Terror, and the pin Shop in Frontierland off the top of my head) have clear display cases that contain three 3" Vinylmation figures, and all you have to do is tell someone who is working that you'd like to trade. Some stores (the Tower of Terror store, Off the Page, the Frontierland pin shop at certain times, and D-Street) also have these big cases of 24 Vinylmation figures, but you can't see what you're getting. You have to pick a number, and you trade for whatever Vinylmation was in the spot you chose. I think the general rule for both is that you can only do that once a day at each store (but if you go and there's different people working..).

As for keychains, they are Vinylmation Jr. You can see the one I got next to the Dr. Bunsen Vinylmation as a comparison of how much smaller they are (Vinylmation are 3", though there are also 9" ones. They're window boxed and usually come associated with a 3" series though not always). There are two different Vinylmation Jr. series, one with random designs and one with Disney character designs. The one I posted a picture of is the Minnie one from Vinylmation Jr. #2 (the one with Disney character designs).

As for biggest selection, I would go to D-Street in Downtown Disney. Generally they have the most.

And I think that covers a lot of it, though not everything. That ended up being pretty long, but I hope it covers your questions. :) And if something I said doesn't make sense or raises more questions, feel free to ask. I love talking about Vinylmation (as you can see from the near essay I just posted), so I don't mind at all. A good website to see all of the series is Vinylmation.net (http://www.vinylnation.net/released.html), so you have an idea of what's out there.

I've been pretty lucky to travel a lot lately. I love traveling, and I'm so grateful for the opportunities I've had lately.

I'll send you a PM, alright? I have a lot of opinions on the whole WOC thing, and how to see it, but I don't want to post all of it on this thread quite yet since I haven't gotten to that part of TR yet. I'm kind of particular that way... :rolleyes1

[Eight]

So, okay. I'm back. I will make no excuses for not writing, I just didn't write.

But you're all excited to see that I'm back, right? Right?

I suspect that these next updates may be even more lacking in detail, but that might be a good thing considering how long it normally takes to write an update solely because I'm trying to cram in all the little details. We'll see what happens.

Now where did I last leave off?

Ah, yes, the room. We went back to the room, for what, the third time? I don't even know. We dropped our World of Color picnics off in the room, and headed back to California Adventure.

One of the security guys recognized me. "Hey, you're back!" Yes, I am back. Again. Because this was the day we took full advantage of having a room nearby.

We took our first Photopass picture on the bridge to Paradise Pier. While my mom knows I'm writing this, and has no problems with that, I'm not entirely sure how she feels about me posting pictures of her. So as much as I'd like to include photos with her, I think I'll have to skip that until I talk to her about it. But you now all know what I look like, and I think you know what the bridge to Paradise Pier looks like, so picture me standing with my mom (I guess you'll just have to make up what she looks like) in front of California Screamin' and Mickey's Fun Wheel, and you'll get the idea.

We then stopped so I could get a picture with Mickey in front of this World of Color sign.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%206/IMG_4358.jpg

Our first ride of the day was going to be California Screamin', but alas, it was down. As was Toy Story Mania, since it was being refurbed. I'll admit we had to take the following picture more than once to get my sad face just right.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%206/sadface.jpg

And then we took these because as you've probably noticed by now, I love photo opps. And being silly. And jumping photos are always fun.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%206/IMG_4362.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%206/IMG_4363.jpg

Since we couldn't play fake midway games, we decided the next best thing would be to play real midway games.

We first played the game where you squirt the water at a target.

My mom won.

Next was the game where you roll the balls into little holes to make your horse race.

My mom won again.

But I was close! Really.

As I could not take the agony of defeat any longer (or maybe it was because those are the only two midway games we like), we walked over to see if Screamin' (what is with these ride names with apostrophes? Soarin'? Screamin'? Whose idea was this?) was open. It was! It had just opened up, so we able to get straight to the stair part of the queue.

I've been on some of the tallest and fastest roller coasters in the world, but I do still love Screamin'. It's so smooth, and I love the acceleration at the beginning. It's a great coaster.

We couldn't really think of anything else we had an extreme desire to do at California Adventure, so we walked over to Disneyland.

But not before taking full advantage of the Photopass photographer at the entrance of California Adventure!

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%206/Photo0011.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%206/Photo0012.jpg

And the giant letters.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%206/IMG_4365.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%206/IMG_4366.jpg

I have a photo just like this that I took when I went in June 2009.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%206/IMG_2409.jpg

See? I wasn't intentionally trying to recreate that photo, I just only have so many cheesy poses that I do, and I recycle them. I'm cool. :cool:

Also, because I'm obsessed with pointing out how uncrowded it is, notice the difference in how many people there are behind me in the June 2009 photo and the September 2010 photo.

Oooh, more photos of emptiness. These were taken around noon.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%206/IMG_4367.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%206/IMG_4368.jpg

As you might have been able to guess, our first order of business was to take more pictures.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%206/IMG_4369.jpg

And then with Pinocchio and Geppetto.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%206/IMG_4372.jpg

While I was waiting in line for that photo, my mom wen to City Hall to ask if Peter Pan would be out at all today. You see, I've never seen Peter Pan at Disneyland, only at Disney World. Unfortunately, my mom was informed that he was in Neverland today fighting pirates. Man, how many pirates can there be in Neverland?

One of Main Street cars pulled up right in front of us, so we decided that we were much too lazy to walk up Main Street, and instead would take a ride.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%206/IMG_4373.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%206/IMG_4374.jpg

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http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%206/IMG_4377.jpg

Sadly, I did not get a photo of the car.

I had to stop for an obligatory shot in front of the castle. Hey, I hadn't taken one this trip.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%206/Photo0025.jpg

And I made a few other Photopass stops, but I'll spare you those.

I was getting hungry by this point, so our next destination was the Golden Horseshoe.

I was just done eating when something caught my eye in New Orleans Square that I had to run over and see.

Any guesses of what that might be?

[reyasmommy]

Just found your TR, and Love it.

Now I just have to remember what I wanted to comment on .... Hmmmm?!?!

1. I absolutely LOVE Disney Music as well. One of my all time favorite cd's is Disney's Instrumental Impressions. I also remember listening to The Lulluby CD every night over and over and over when my daughter was a baby. I was married at WDW so of course most of my songs were all Disney related.

2. I agree that Muppet Vison needs a HUGE update. I remember 15 years ago thinking it was the coolest thing ever, but now it's just "okay" at best.

3. I loved the breakfast at PPH. When we went we practically had the whole restaurant to ourselves. The interaction with the characters was pretty priceless. We didn't get to see Mickey or Daisy though. Guess we'll have to made another visit on our trip in June.

4. So glad that California Screamin' opened for ya. I would have cried if both that and TSM were down.

5. The crowds are amazing..... You're so lucky. :)

Look forward to more.

[magichusky]

Excellent- you've returned w/ an update! That's super awesome that you went to NYC- I've never been there and am extremely curious. I also thought that pic of you in midair inside the Toy Story box was really quite radical! I would never be able to assume such a position, even for an instant! :cool1:

[Eight]

Just found your TR, and Love it.

Now I just have to remember what I wanted to comment on .... Hmmmm?!?!

1. I absolutely LOVE Disney Music as well. One of my all time favorite cd's is Disney's Instrumental Impressions. I also remember listening to The Lulluby CD every night over and over and over when my daughter was a baby. I was married at WDW so of course most of my songs were all Disney related.

2. I agree that Muppet Vison needs a HUGE update. I remember 15 years ago thinking it was the coolest thing ever, but now it's just "okay" at best.

3. I loved the breakfast at PPH. When we went we practically had the whole restaurant to ourselves. The interaction with the characters was pretty priceless. We didn't get to see Mickey or Daisy though. Guess we'll have to made another visit on our trip in June.

4. So glad that California Screamin' opened for ya. I would have cried if both that and TSM were down.

5. The crowds are amazing..... You're so lucky. :)

Look forward to more.

I've never heard of Disney Instrumental Impressions, but I do have one that's called Just the Music that's pretty good. You got married at WDW? That's awesome! :goodvibes I always say if I ever get married, it's probably going to be at Disneyland or Disney World.
You didn't get to see Mickey at the breakfast? That's disappointing.
But now I'm craving some of that chocolate banana french toast... :)
We were really lucky with crowds. I know I keep bringing it up, but it's because my mom and I talked about it so much.
"Can you believe there's no crowds?"
"No. Take another picture because this is crazy."
We probably had that conversation about 20 times in three days.

Excellent- you've returned w/ an update! That's super awesome that you went to NYC- I've never been there and am extremely curious. I also thought that pic of you in midair inside the Toy Story box was really quite radical! I would never be able to assume such a position, even for an instant! :cool1:

NYC is probably one of my favorite places in the world. I love going there. You should go if you get the chance, it's great. :)
Do you mean to tell me you never try jumping pictures? They're so much fun!

[Eight]

Another update so soon? Well, soon by my standards.

Let's just say I have a bit of a reason to finish this trip report. And that's all I feel comfortable saying for now since nothing is booked yet. ;) Oooh...

I'm sure you were all on the edge of your seats trying to figure out what I saw that was so important in New Orleans Square.

It was Tiana!

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4390.jpg

I've never been a big fan of the princesses, but I loved the Princess and the Frog. And I LOVED Tiana's Showboat Jubilee. I know it's long gone, but I still have a bit of an obsession with that show. For those of you who aren't sure what Tiana's Showboat Jubilee was, it was a show they did on the Mark Twain with Tiana, Naveen, Louis, and Dr. Facillier, along with backup singers and dancers, singing songs from the movie. It was fantastic! And I wish they still had it. A lot. Since I'll probably never have a chance to share these pictures with you for any other reason, I'm going to put them in right here.

Tiana's Showboat Jubilee picture spam!!

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/tn1.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/n1.jpg

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http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/t1.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/d2.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/f1.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/fn1.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/fn2.jpg

Sorry about that. I just loved that show so much.

Let's move along, because I could spend all day reminiscing about this show. So here are some pictures from September of places you could have seen Tiana's Showboat Jubilee.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4391.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4392.jpg

Okay, moving along for real this time.

Since we were in New Orleans Square, the only logical thing to do next was to go on Pirates, of course! There was no line, and we immediately boarded our boat.

I tried to take pictures, and failed miserably.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4407.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4422.jpg

This is actually the best picture I've taken of Jack, but as you can see, that's not saying much.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4424.jpg

Next I had to stop in my favorite spot in all of Disneyland, Court Des Anges.

As we walked in, we saw the Bootstrappers coming down the stairs. One of them motioned for me to come over.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4427.jpg

And then he proceeded to strangle me.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4428.jpg

(it was very difficult to make a scared face, as I was trying so hard not to laugh)
(this is quite possibly one of my favorite pictures taken of me at Disneyland)

I think you'll understand why I had to take this next photo?

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4432.jpg

Continued next post... (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38916472&postcount=62)

[Eight]

After all the photo opps, we were walking over to Big Thunder, when we saw that the Bootstrappers were performing. I had never watched them before, so we took the time to watch their performance. It was well worth it, very funny and enjoyable. The only bad part were the groupies. There were several middle aged women who obviously were big fans and must watch them quite frequently as they knew all the words to songs. And were singing along to all the songs. I don't mind people mouthing the words or cheering a lot as they were, but the fact that they were actually singing along was pretty distracting.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4434.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4437.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4442.jpg

It was a bit embarrassing, at one point they were naming their favorite drinks, and then one of them came up to me and asked my favorite drink. I stared at him like a deer in headlights, my mind went blank, and there was a long pause.

Until I said (rather loudly), "alcohol!"

Smooth, Rachel. Real smooth. I don't even know what I was thinking.

Anyway.

Our next adventure would take us on the wildest ride in the wilderness! I hate to say this, but Big Thunder Mountain is not quite as exciting as it was when I was a little kid. At this point, it's not a must ride for me, but my mom loves it, so I'll go on it for her. As long as the line is short. But as I'm sure you can guess, it was!

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4448.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4451.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4452.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4453.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4457.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4458.jpg

Next up was a visit to Fantasyland. Normally I skip this because you know, lots of little kids, but since the crowds were so light, we decided to stop.

But first! A photo opp. Bet you didn't see that coming.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4460.jpg

Unfortunately, I was unable to pull it out.

Our first ride, and only ride, in Fantasyland was the carousel.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4476.jpg

This was my very pretty horse.

I don't know, maybe there were long lines in Fantasyland, since according to my notes, we then we straight to Tomorrowland.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4479.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4480.jpg

Ooh, random filler images.

Continued next post... (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38916485&postcount=63)

[Eight]

Of course, we had to get fast passes for Space Mountain, and then....

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4481.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4492.jpg

Yeah, go to the last page on the first post, now go back to this picture..
I just had to.

I'll just repeat what I said on the first page about Captain EO, since I felt the same way the second time around.


(for the record, I thought it was amazing. It was so ridiculous, ALIENS! MICHEAL JACKSON! SINGING! DANCING! RANDOM SEAT BOUNCING! How could I not love it?)


Seriously, how could I not love it?

I'm not sure if we then used our fast passes for Space Mountain, or just waited in the stand-by line, but either way, we rode it. And it was awesome, because Space Mountain is always awesome. Except for the last time we would ride it on this trip. But I'll get to that later.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4494.jpg

Empty Space Mountain queue!

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4496.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4500.jpg

I look real cool. (oh and yeah, I guess you can see my mom in that photo. I still haven't talked to her, but I figured this was so small and blurry..)

I have something to confess now. I think I committed a Disney sin. You see, we decided to take the Monorail to Downtown Disney, and okay, I admit it. I kind of, sort of, not really, maybe cut in front of the family walking in front of us in the queue. They were walking so incredibly slow, the monorail had just pulled in to the station, and dang it, I wanted to get on that monorail! So I politely said, "excuse me" and walked past them. I don't know, is that cutting? They didn't call me out on it, but I did feel pretty bad.

Perhaps it was karma, but we didn't make that monorail.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4501.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4504.jpg

I think I must have taken these from the monorail station while waiting.

But the next one pulled up shortly, and we were able to ride in the very back car with a family of four. It was pretty cool back there. I had never ridden back there before.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4508.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4507.jpg

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http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4514.jpg

The family of four had a little girl who was probably, I'm really not sure, maybe 6 or 7, and she was really interested in my camera. She told me I should take a picture of my mom's arm, because as she said, "that's cool." I don't even know. So I did, but I will not share that photo as it's a bit of an unflattering photo of my mom's arm. But I was terribly amused by the whole thing.

She then asked if she could take a picture, so I let her, although her mom was terrified that she would drop my camera and break it. Luckily she didn't, and here's the photo that she took.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4516.jpg

Thanks, 6 or 7 year old little girl! :)

Before going back to our room and resting, we made a quick stop at D-Street where they were finally doing trading.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4517.jpg

It was deserted. I just viewed this image full size, and I can only spot one person. Can you find him? Hint: He's wearing a white shirt. It's like Where's Waldo.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4520.jpg

Then it was back to our room to rest up for our big night of World of Color, or as I would later rename it, World of Anxiety!

[Eight]

So, the big news I'd like to announce first is I'll be going to Disney World next January! I'm super excited to say the least. I've started a pre-trip report, which you can find here (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2595746).

And here's the chapter we've all been waiting for, the World of Color chapter! Okay, maybe we haven't all been waiting for it, but it's kind of important since this was the whole reason this trip was planned. Would it live up to my expectations? There's only one way to find out! ;)

We went back to our room to eat the picnic meals that we had picked up earlier. I don't have any pictures of them, but they were pretty good. My mom had the American with fried chicken, and I had the European and I have no recollection of that had besides cheese and the tiramisu. The only problem was that the fridge in the room was very cold, and nearly froze the fresh mozzarella in mine. I still ate it. :rolleyes1 I had some of my mom's chicken and I really liked it, and I also loved the tiramisu that came with mine. Overall, I would recommend them, especially if you want to make sure you get a viewing pass. Err.. I would recommend them if they're still doing that. I have no clue, actually. I haven't really been following the latest World of Color news.

Around 6, we went back to California Adventure. Another example of shoddy notetaking, I don't remember what time they allowed you to line up for World of Color, I think it may have been around 7:30? We knew we had some time before that, so guess where we went.

Yes, Off the Page. Again.

We then watched about the first ten minutes of the Glow Fest show.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%208/IMG_4521.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%208/IMG_4525.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%208/IMG_4526.jpg

I have to say, I was not impressed by the ten minutes I saw. It was odd, I didn't really get the point of it. There was a guy in a ball rolling around, and then some dancers..? Maybe if I had stayed longer, it would have gotten better, but I was already getting nervous about getting a good spot for World of Color, so I suggested we go over to Paradise Pier to find out when and where we could wait.

One thing that you should know about me is that I'm the sort of person who's obsessed with getting the best spot for everything. For example, I'll go to unpopular movies that have been out for two weeks 20 - 30 minutes early just to make sure I get a good seat. I've waited 5 hours for Fantasmic! just so I could have a front row view. When I'm waiting for something that doesn't have assigned seating, I tend to feel very anxious until I'm actually in my spot.

Another thing that makes me anxious is not knowing how things will work. A major problem we encountered in asking CMs about World of Color was that they all had conflicting information regarding how queuing for World of Color would work. So I was getting very frustrating trying to figure out what time I should be there and what I should expect.

So between the anxiety about getting a good spot and the anxiety about not knowing how I was even going to get this good spot, well, you can probably guess I was more than a bit stressed and anxious.

When we got to Paradise Pier, we were able to talk to a very nice CM who patiently explained what would happen. This would turn out to be the most accurate information we were given, although at the time it just seemed like more conflicting advice. We decided we'd hang around in the area for a while.

We sat on a bench for a while, until my mom suggested I walk over to Tower of Terror to see if they had any Vinylmation to trade. I figured I had enough time, so I went over there, and if I recall correctly, my mom went back to our room. Why she went back to our room, I have no clue, but I remember her going back for some reason.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%208/IMG_4527.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%208/IMG_4528.jpg

We met back up, and waited on the bench some more. This is what my notes have to say about this:

Waited waited waited
ANXIOUS!

Yes, the anxious is in all caps and underlined in my notebook. I was really starting not to like this World of Color.

Finally they started putting up these barricades that we were supposed to line up behind. We were near the front, but it was awful. Being surrounded by people in a crowd also makes me anxious, so yeah, this was really not fun for me. I don't remember how long we waited there, but it seemed liked forever. At one point a CM came over and made us take an oath that when they opened the barricades so we could get to our spots on the pier, we would not push or shove.

A lot of good that did.

I think it must have been around 8 or so when they finally opened the barricades a bit to let people in to the pier. No one remembered that oath we had just taken, and I was nearly knocked over by the woman behind me. The CMs actually had to close the barricades and stop people from coming through. The second time they opened them, we were able to get through with minimal shoving. Ugh. It was terrible.

The good part? We were able to get a pretty decent spot. Not quite the best, as there was a pole off to the right that blocked some, but I was happy with it. We were in blue section, in the very front part of the pier, so we pulled out our ponchos since there was a sign saying we might get wet in this section.

Our view.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%208/IMG_4530.jpg

I was bored, so I took some pictures while I waited.

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Then the pre-show started. The puppets were so cool!

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http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%208/IMG_4563.jpg

Finally, finally, World of Color started!

I loved it. I'm not entirely sure it was worth all the anxiety it had caused, but I thought it was amazingly well done. From my view point, I did miss some of the images on the water screens, but it wasn't too bad as I didn't really like those anyway. Even on the ones I could see well, I thought some of the scenes were a little unclear, especially when there was a lot going on. I was amazed by how bright the fountains were, and how they did all the lighting. I saw all the promo pics, but I have to admit, I was skeptical that the fountains would really be that bright and colorful in real life. They were though! I probably would have been entertained just watching the jets of water shoot up and do the color changes.

I didn't take any pictures during the show since I didn't want to be distracted by my camera the first time I saw it. I was able to take some after, and I think they turned out okay.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%208/IMG_4566.jpg

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After one ride on Tower of Terror, and getting some delicious beignets, we decided that it was time to get to bed since we had early (by our standards) breakfast at Storyteller's Cafe.

Unfortunately, when we arrived back at our room, we discovered the toilet wasn't working. :rolleyes: Thankfully, they sent someone up to fix it pretty fast, but still, not the kind of thing you want to deal with at 11:30 at night when you really just want to go to bed.

And with that, I have finally completed the first day! It only took, what, two months? Just one more to go! Plus some pictures from the last morning, as I didn't take notes on what we did that morning. I think was too depressed to be leaving to take proper notes. :sad2:

[BecomingObsessed]

YAY!! More trip report!! I'm so happy to see you're back and writing about the rest of your adventure :goodvibes

Your WOC tale terrifies me! If someone pushed one of my girls, we'd be having a throwdown which would only lead to more congestion and no one wants that. I've decided to just forego it for our December trip. I know it's going to be wildly busy and I've read some other reviews that it can be a little scary for the littles.

I love all your silly photos :) I can't wait to see more from day 2! I'm also excited (for you!) to read you're going to WDW! I've always wanted to go! It's part of my five year plan. The girls have to be big enough to at least sorta remember it first :) I'm going to read your PTR now!

[Eight]

YAY!! More trip report!! I'm so happy to see you're back and writing about the rest of your adventure :goodvibes

Your WOC tale terrifies me! If someone pushed one of my girls, we'd be having a throwdown which would only lead to more congestion and no one wants that. I've decided to just forego it for our December trip. I know it's going to be wildly busy and I've read some other reviews that it can be a little scary for the littles.

I love all your silly photos :) I can't wait to see more from day 2! I'm also excited (for you!) to read you're going to WDW! I've always wanted to go! It's part of my five year plan. The girls have to be big enough to at least sorta remember it first :) I'm going to read your PTR now!

And I'm happy to have you reading it! :) I figured if I was going to be taking another trip, I had a responsibility to finish this first.

You're not going to go to World of Color? That's too bad, but I can totally understand why you would skip it. It's a great show, but like I said, I really don't know if it was worth all the stress. I'm not sure I know when in December your trip is, but we're halfway through November so in my mind, you must be getting close! That's exciting! :goodvibes

I think if I ever have kids, I'd wait until they were older to bring them to Disney World too. Partly so they can remember more of it, and partly because I tend to take longer trips to Disney World, and man, it gets tiring! For me, if I'm not completely exhausted by the end of a trip to Disney World, I haven't done it right. :laughing:

[reyasmommy]

Great update, and Night pictures. You do have a pretty nice camera, mine doesn't take the best night pictures, but yours sure does.

You've made me a little nervous about seeing WORLD OF COLOR now. Being in a situation like that with all those people pushing and shoving is scary, especially when you have young kids with you. It's amazing how rude people can become. It's especially disapointing when your at the happiest place on earth.

Looking forward to more. :)

[Eight]

Great update, and Night pictures. You do have a pretty nice camera, mine doesn't take the best night pictures, but yours sure does.

You've made me a little nervous about seeing WORLD OF COLOR now. Being in a situation like that with all those people pushing and shoving is scary, especially when you have young kids with you. It's amazing how rude people can become. It's especially disapointing when your at the happiest place on earth.

Looking forward to more. :)

I'm sorry about making you nervous. You're going next June, right? Maybe by then they'll have figured out a better system. Or if not, I think knowing to expect that, well, it's hard to say it helps since there's still people pushing and shoving, but I don't know. I didn't read too many posts about World of Color before I went, because I didn't want to be spoiled, but in retrospect, it may have made it less stressful. :confused3

[BecomingObsessed]

I think by next June, it won't be as crowded because it won't be so new still? I'm hoping not. It must calm down SOME time because I want to see it at some point. Just not during super crazy holiday season!

Miss Eight, I'm not allowed to mention the exact dates that we're going to Disney because my hubby is a worry wart. We are going soon though! :goodvibes I started counting at 115 days out and now I only have three rows of dates left to X out on my countdown calendar :goodvibes I can't wait to surprise my 3 year old. She is going to FREAK OUT and I'm going to love every minute of it. I'm batting around different ideas about how to tell her. Nothing is in the lead yet though.

I agree with reyasmommy about your camera. Your night pictures were pretty! What kind of camera do you have? I have a DSLR that I'm thinking of taking, but it's bulky. I might make my hubby carry it :rolleyes1

[Eight]

I think by next June, it won't be as crowded because it won't be so new still? I'm hoping not. It must calm down SOME time because I want to see it at some point. Just not during super crazy holiday season!

Miss Eight, I'm not allowed to mention the exact dates that we're going to Disney because my hubby is a worry wart. We are going soon though! :goodvibes I started counting at 115 days out and now I only have three rows of dates left to X out on my countdown calendar :goodvibes I can't wait to surprise my 3 year old. She is going to FREAK OUT and I'm going to love every minute of it. I'm batting around different ideas about how to tell her. Nothing is in the lead yet though.

I agree with reyasmommy about your camera. Your night pictures were pretty! What kind of camera do you have? I have a DSLR that I'm thinking of taking, but it's bulky. I might make my hubby carry it :rolleyes1

I suspect it'll still be pretty busy next June, since it's only a year old, but I really hope they'll have figured out a more efficient way of getting people in to viewing area.

Then you are getting close! Disneyland during the holiday season is great. :) That's so awesome that you're surprising your 3 year old. I bet she'll be very excited! :goodvibes

My mom did something like that when I was four. It was her birthday, and that morning, she told me we were going to go to Disneyland for her birthday. I didn't believe her at all! :laughing: Of course, once it was clear that we really were going, I was thrilled.

I have a Canon PowerShot G9. I guess I'd say it's a point and shoot camera that is a bit nicer and allows you to do more with settings than your average point and shoot. They don't make G9s anymore though, they now make G11s and G12s.

[magichusky]

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%207/IMG_4428.jpg

:rotfl2::rotfl::lmao::laughing::rotfl2:

OMG how very funny! What a terrific surprise!! Those guys are crazy! Maybe the groupies singing along w/ them were their wives or something- if not, then that is exceedingly strange. Haha. I LOVED all of your other pics, too!

I totally agree w/ you about the WOC queueing fiasco. I HATE that entire system they cooked up. I don't know how else you could do it, but they need to make some changes. It's impossible to get a good viewing location for that darn show unless you exert a tremendous amount of energy and spend an equally tremendous amount of time waiting and scheming. :sad2:

What excitement about WDW in January!!!! :banana: I shall head on over to your PTR ASAP. I'm hoping to do a PTR over Thanksgiving break, although I'm already quite close to departure, PTR wise at least (:banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:)- but better late than never I guess!

[Eight]

:rotfl2::rotfl::lmao::laughing::rotfl2:

OMG how very funny! What a terrific surprise!! Those guys are crazy! Maybe the groupies singing along w/ them were their wives or something- if not, then that is exceedingly strange. Haha. I LOVED all of your other pics, too!

I totally agree w/ you about the WOC queueing fiasco. I HATE that entire system they cooked up. I don't know how else you could do it, but they need to make some changes. It's impossible to get a good viewing location for that darn show unless you exert a tremendous amount of energy and spend an equally tremendous amount of time waiting and scheming. :sad2:

What excitement about WDW in January!!!! :banana: I shall head on over to your PTR ASAP. I'm hoping to do a PTR over Thanksgiving break, although I'm already quite close to departure, PTR wise at least (:banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:)- but better late than never I guess!

I'm glad you like the picture. :laughing: Somehow I don't think they were their wives though... It was just strange.

That's the problem, it's a horrible system, but how else could they do it? :confused: I mean, I guess they could make it like Fantasmic! and you would just have to get a spot as early as possible, but that's not a great system either.

I'm so excited! :woohoo: And yes, you should go check out my PTR and see if you can guess where I'm staying. ;) I realize Thanksgiving break is pretty much over at this point, but do a PTR anyway! :thumbsup2 I like reading about other people's plans. Are you going to do a TR for this WDW trip? I'm kind of jealous you're going during the holidays, I think it would be fun to see all the decorations.


I should go work on my next update now...

[Eight]

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I really have to finish this TR up! I estimate I have about three more updates after this one. Hopefully I can churn them out.

After the World of Color stress, we decided to sleep in. We originally had plans to go to Storyteller's Cafe for breakfast, but we rescheduled that for the next day.

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When we finally got up, our first park was Disneyland. We asked again if Peter Pan would be out, but he was still fighting pirates! What a busy guy.

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My mom really wanted to watch the footage of Disneyland's opening that was playing in the Main Street theatre. I was slightly reluctant, why couldn't we go ride Space Mountain or something? But I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love old photos of Disneyland, so I'm not sure why I didn't want to go in at first, but I'm so glad we did. It's amazing how Disneyland has evolved.

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The ticket lady kind of freaked me out though...

We watched most of the movie clips, then headed over to Indiana Jones. There was only a ten minute line!

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After narrowly escaping danger, it was time for something a little calmer, like the train. We planned on riding it all the way around, but we got off in Toon Town since it was delayed due to technical difficulties.

Since we were so close to Fantasyland, I had to stop and take a ride on the teacups. I got a yellow one, of course.

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Suddenly I realized I was late for a very important date. What this date was and how I realized this without wearing a watch is still unknown.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%209/IMG_4657.jpg

Or maybe it was my date to meet the Fairy Godmother, Suzy, and Perla? I'd never seen them out before, so I had to get a picture. They had really great interactions with the kids in front of me. It was very cute to watch.

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My mom had mentioned she really wanted to see the Aladdin show on this trip, so we looked at the time schedule and saw that there was show starting shortly. So we raced over to California Adventure to get in line.

I have a pouch that you can wear around your neck to carry your passes and fast passes in it that I got at Tokyo Disneyland. I don't have a picture of it, but it has Stitch in front of the Tower of Terror and Shiriku Utundu. The story behind the Tower or Terror is different at Tokyo DisneySea. If you're curious, you can read about that version on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twilight_Zone_Tower_of_Terror#Tokyo_DisneySea_ Version). Essentially, Shiriki Utundu is this cursed idol, and the reason your elevator drops. On the back of the pouch, Stitch is being cursed (it looks like he's being electrocuted, for lack of a better word. You can see his bones) by Shiriki Utundu.

I bring this up because this little girl in front of us in line was fascinated by the pouch. She kept staring at it. Finally she asked in a very small voice, "is Stitch scared?" So we started talking to her, and asked her if she had been on the Tower of Terror here. She hadn't as she was too scared. We asked her about her favorite rides and such, and then at some point, my mom showed her the back where Stitch is being cursed. It freaked the little girl out. I was like, "great mom. Now she'll never go on the Tower of Terror because she'll think she's going to get electrocuted like that. Nice going."

We finally got inside, and we were seated in the second to last row in the very front middle section. Great seats. Once again, we encountered people who thought it was totally appropriate to sing and talk throughout the show. Seriously?

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See? Great view!

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That elephant is my favorite thing.

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I love this show. I'm a little sad that the Toy Story show is taking its place, but hopefully that will be just as good.

[magichusky]

OMG you had really nice seats for Aladdin! Your pics are like a million times better than mine! I of course waltzed in at the last second and was practically in the last row of the topmost section. That was a different Aladdin from the one I saw (my Aladdin had a T-shirt tan!). :rotfl: And I'm so jealous about your encounter w/ the fairy godmother- I almost never see characters wandering around DL.

[Eight]

OMG you had really nice seats for Aladdin! Your pics are like a million times better than mine! I of course waltzed in at the last second and was practically in the last row of the topmost section. That was a different Aladdin from the one I saw (my Aladdin had a T-shirt tan!). :rotfl: And I'm so jealous about your encounter w/ the fairy godmother- I almost never see characters wandering around DL.

Aladdin with a t-shirt tan? :rotfl: I am laughing at that mental image.
We saw a lot of characters wandering around this trip, or at least it seemed like it. Except Peter Pan. We never saw Peter Pan, and of course, that's who I really wanted to see. :guilty:

[Eight]

Here's to hoping you all had a wonderful holiday season, and to a fabulous new year!

It's been a while, I know, I'm bad at this.

Anyway.

After we watched the Aladdin show, it was time for lunch! We walked up to Ariel's Grotto, but as I expected, we would have to wait an incredibly long time to get a table.

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So Pizza Oom Mow Mow it was! And I believe that's not there any more, am I right? Too bad. I mean, it's not like the food was the greatest or anything, but the surfing theme was fun.

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Then it was off to ride the Silly Symphony Swings for the first time. Err, first time as the Silly Symphony Swings. I rode it when it was the Orange Stinger, although not in many years. Can't say I really miss that big old orange.

We wanted to go on the Maliboomer one last time before it closed, but it was closed when we walked by. Too bad. Can't say I'll really miss that either, though it was fun...

Making our way around Paradise Pier, our next stop was Mickey's Fun Wheel. We took the swinging side, of course.

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A look down at the World of Color fountains.

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We had two other people in our car. If I remember correctly, they were from Australia. We had a nice time talking with them. The ride seemed so short though! I thought it went around more than once, but I guess I had remembered incorrectly.

Screamin' would have been our next ride, had it not gone down for technical difficulties as soon as we got in line.

Leaving Paradise Pier we saw the Toy Story Army Men.

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We followed them for a bit to the Hollywood Backlot where we literally walked on to Monsters Inc. I know I've said we've walked on to other rides, but this was the first time where we were the only people in the queue and the cars in front of us, as well as behind us, were completely empty. It was a little eerie.

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When we got out we noticed that Drawn to the Magic was starting soon. I had never seen this show, so we decided to watch. I thought it was pretty cute, but that's gone now too, isn't it?

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I really wanted to see Turtle Talk with Crush again, so that was our next stop. I even got to ask Crush a question! I asked if he had any advice for beginning surfers. He gave me some pretty good advice, like only taking a wave you feel comfortable with, and followed with a story about how he met Shelly, his "turtledove" while surfing. Once again, the show was very cute, though it seemed shorter than it had the first time we saw it this trip.

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Since we had done everything we wanted to do at California Adventure, we went to Disneyland. We wanted to ride Splash Mountain since it was hot, but everyone else had the same idea because it had the longest line in the park at 35 minutes. I refused to wait that long, so we got some Fast Passes for Space Mountain, took some Photopass pictures, and bought a Muppet blind box Vinylmation. At this point, between trading and buying, I was only missing Sweetums and the Kermit chaser from the Muppets series, so I was really hoping to pull either one of those.

By this point, I was getting very hungry, so we headed to Downtown Disney for lunch. First we stopped at Napoli, but it was too warm in the restaurant and we wanted air conditioning since it was still pretty hot out. Then we stopped at Jazz Express, but decided not to eat there since we have to eat outside. Finally, we walked down to Rainforest Cafe, and it was just right. We were able to sit in the bar without a wait and there was air conditioning.

I opened the Muppet Vinylmation I had bought, and I pulled Sweetums! I was pretty excited since all I need was the Kermit chaser. (Follow up: I stopped buying the Muppet series after that since the odds of pulling a chaser were not in my favor. But for Christmas, my mom bought Kermit online for me. :) )

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Our dinner was pretty good, though the best meal was still Storyteller's Cafe.

Alright, I'm going to leave it here. Take care!

Up next: Wishes AND World of Color in one night? Can it be done?

[Eight]

After dinner, we went back to our room to put on long pants since it was cooling down quite quickly.

We had been debating whether or not we wanted to see World of Color again. I wanted to see it again I had no desire to go through the whole ordeal of just getting a spot again. Of course, I didn't even know if we could still get passes for a spot at this point in the evening. So we headed to Paradise Pier to scope things out.

Once again, there more misinformation regarding World of Color and how things were being done. One CM told us that there were no passes left while another told us there were some left, and one gave us a good piece of advice that would come in to play later that night. We figured it was worth it to at least see if there were any passes left, so we went and checked.

There were none left. Oh well. Off to Disneyland then!

It was much, much more crowded that night than it had been the past two days. I don't have any pictures, but it appeared that the luck we had had with crowds was over.

The first ride of the evening was Space Mountain since we had picked up Fast Passes earlier.

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If you're wondering what I'm doing in the picture, I was plugging my ears because the two girls behind us screamed the entire time. And not like, "oh, I'm having so much fun on this wild roller coaster" type screaming, this was like "I'm going to make the most obnoxiously high, shrill scream I can because I can" type screaming. :rolleyes: It was a more than a little annoying.

I'll let the next picture tell you what happened next.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%2011/IMG_4854.jpg

Yeah, I got an AP! :goodvibes: My mom and I both figured I'd be back at Disneyland within the next year, so why not? I haven't used it yet, but I'm sure I will. Maybe I should try and plan a birthday trip...? Hm...

We staked out a spot at the end of Main Street and watched Magical. I don't have any pictures as I was pretty far back.

There wasn't much left in Disneyland we wanted to do since the lines were all fairly long (or at least long compared to what they had been. We had been so spoiled by the low crowds.), so we debated some more whether or not we should try and see World of Color at 10:15. Finally we decided we should at least go and at least look to see if there were any spots. If there was a spot, great, and if not, well, we had just seen it the night before.

So, I said that one cast member gave a good piece of advice, right? He had told us that we should check up on the bridge near Ariel's Grotto since there was a section where you could view it without a pass. I was expecting that spot to be fully taken, but when we arrived around 10, there were only a few people there.

Looks like we'd be watching World of Color again. :yay:

This was our view.

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Pretty good, yeah? It was way better than the view we had the previous night. Not to mention we only had to wait 15 minutes for the show.

And I took a ton during the show. Most of them didn't turn out though.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%2011/IMG_4874.jpg

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I love all the colors! It's so pretty!

Having seen both Magical and World of Color, it was time to call it a night.

A really good night. :goodvibes

[Eight]

Well, it's time to say good bye to this trip report. We have reached the last chapter. And it's probably going to be a pretty boring chapter, since I didn't take any notes on what we did that morning, so it's mostly going to be just pictures.

I'm oddly sad to be ending this. It's been fun reliving the trip through this. But I'm pretty sure this won't be my last trip to Disneyland or my last trip report (shameless plug: look for my WDW trip report coming next February!).

Anyway.

That morning, we got up, packed, and went to breakfast at Storyteller's Cafe. It was pretty, and way more crowded than the breakfast at Paradise Pier had been. It was pretty good, but I think I liked the Surf's Up breakfast better.

Apparently we left through California Adventure, but the only thing we did was stop for some photos.

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When we entered Disneyland, there were several characters out in the entrance.

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Not entirely sure what Cruella is doing in that picture, but I had to get a picture of her since she's one of my mom's favorite characters.

We didn't ride anything, we just walked around and took pictures.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/TR%20Part%2012/IMG_4993.jpg

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And... yeah. That's pretty much it. I told you it would be boring. Eventually we had to go back to our hotel room, check out, and drive back to airport. I was kind of sad. It had been such a great trip after all.

THE END

Thanks for reading! I've enjoyed all your comments and company and such, I always get so excited when I see someone has posted. :laughing:

Oh yeah, there's a possibility I'll be going to Disneyland this coming weekend. I'm going to LA to visit some friends, but I have some free time, and I'm debating whether or not I should go to Disneyland. I'd love to, just not entirely sure how I'd get there since no one wants to come with me. But I'm sure I could find a way to make it work. It might just be my first solo visit or something. We'll see.

Take care and thank you again for reading! :goodvibes: :hug:

[magichusky]

So sad that this TR is over! I didn't know about that "secret" Ariel's Grotto passless viewing location for WOC- that sounds so much better than doing the whole pass thing and waiting for hours! And dude, you should've PMed me about your potential DL excursion- we could've had a crazy DISmeet! However a 3-day weekend is a very dangerous time to venture into DL!

[Eight]

So sad that this TR is over! I didn't know about that "secret" Ariel's Grotto passless viewing location for WOC- that sounds so much better than doing the whole pass thing and waiting for hours! And dude, you should've PMed me about your potential DL excursion- we could've had a crazy DISmeet! However a 3-day weekend is a very dangerous time to venture into DL!

You know, it wasn't as dangerous as I thought it would be. But next time, yes, I'll PM you. :)

[Eight]

So I ended up going to Disneyland last Sunday. It was very last minute, I decided that I would be going Saturday evening. I'm not going to do a full trip report, but I thought I'd share some of my thoughts.

Transportation: Unfortunately, I couldn't find anyone who wanted to go to Disneyland. I called for estimates on town cars, but if I remember correctly, they were around $115 for one way (I was in Los Angeles). I looked for a shuttle, but for those, you had to closer or at LAX. Finally I found that Starline Tours would pick you up from your hotel and take you for $124. Price included transportation there and back, plus a one day one park ticket, which I didn't need since I have an annual pass. Still, it was cheaper than hiring a car, so I decided it was worth it.

I was picked up from my hotel at 8:00 am. Kind of early for me, but that's how it was scheduled. We stopped and picked up some people from other hotels in the area, and I thought we would be on our way to Disneyland. Not so. I was really confused because I know how to get to Disneyland from LA, and we were definitely not going in the right direction. In fact, we were headed toward Hollywood.

So that's the catch. They pick you up from your hotel, but then they take you to their office in Hollywood where you pay, get your ticket, and board a different bus to get to Disneyland. I think it's a little misleading as it doesn't mention that on the Disneyland tour page online. Granted, it's entirely possible it says that somewhere on their webpage, but I didn't notice anything about it, nor did they mention that when I called to book the tour. It's not a huge deal, but I wish they were more clear about it.

The bus left around 9:20, I think, and we got down there about 10:10.

Crowds: Not as bad as I had thought. I mean, yes, it was pretty crowded, but I was there from 10 to 7, and it wasn't so bad I felt like I wanted to leave, which has happened before. The lines were pretty long for everything though, 30 to 45+ minutes for everything big.

Canoes: I had never done the canoes before, so on Sunday, I was like, "why not?" And I loved it! I didn't really know what to expect, other than you were paddling a canoe, but it was really, really fun. Who knew? Our canoe guide was pretty funny, and it was a good way to cool down since I had a little girl in front of me who kept splashing me. Definitely going to do this next time I'm there and it's open.

Storyteller's Cafe: That morning I made a reservation for dinner at 5, since I had enjoyed it so much last time I was there. And I have to admit, I was a little let down. Maybe I had built it up too much. Despite the fact that the restaurant was pretty empty, they were still making people wait 10+ minutes to get a table. I'm not sure what that was all about. The ravioli was good, but a little blander than what I remembered.

ElecTRONica: Wasn't sure what to expect with this, but I kind of liked it. Or at least what little I saw of it. I didn't have much time, since I had to catch the bus back at 7, so I just kind of wandered around the Hollywood Backlot. If I had had more time, and someone else with me, I think it would have been fun to take some pictures back there as there were some cool lighting effects.

Characters: I ended up taking quite a few pictures with characters, since the lines for them were shorter than the lines for rides. If you remember from my TR, I had wanted to see Peter Pan and he was never there. I finally saw him last Sunday, which was kind of cool. Also saw the Evil Queen from Snow White who I've never seen out before. As well as quite a few princesses out in Fantasyland with some short lines, which I found surprising.

Overall, I had a really good day at Disneyland. It was my first time by myself, and I was a bit worried I would get bored or tired, but that wasn't a problem at all. In fact, it was kind of nice going by myself. I would definitely do it again.