Day 4-Monday, Monday, so good to us...
Day 4 and the family hasn't decided to 'strike back' yet!
(I just read back over Day 3 and realized what I am hungry for, for dinner tonight is the shrimp louie in a bread bowl from Pacific Wharf Cafe...well, that's not about to happen, darn it!) Speaking of which, here's my Mickey bread:
On this morning we got up early and met Grandma and Grandpa for breakfast. They both ended up with a bit of a stomach bug this morrning and weren't feeling their best-they were sure they had picked something up on the trip and I wouldn't be surprised, just thinking about the railings...yuck.
We got them some pepto and sent them on their way to the airport to head home and prepare for Christmas. My goal was for them to have a good time and to take everything they said with a grain of salt. Grandma has this certain...tendency...to see the glass as half empty. I tried to let it just roll off my back as she made comments during the trip. I know they were worn out and ready to go home but I also know they were glad to have come with us, and so, for me, I'll remember being the "four generations" on the Holiday Tour and re-living my first trip to Disneyland with the grandparents who brought me there-there's no way my family could have gone if they hadn't done that for us 20 years ago. Not wanting to miss anything even though they had decided to go home before the rest of us, we would receive multiple phone calls in the next 24 hours from Grandma wanting to check in and share the magic. That, and the fact that Grandpa never did skip any of the fun and stay at the hotel to read, lets me know they did have a good time, and they are glad they came.
So, we were off to Disneyland again on this Monday morning. We had a plan. We had done most of the big rides already, so felt okay about heading straight to Nemo. Dad decided to sit it out, and DH finds it claustrophobic, so they took their time and got seats at the Tomorrowland Terrace. DH then went to grab FP for Space Mountain. This had been such an odyssey, getting DH onto Space Mountain. I don't LOVE it and consider it a must-do but I do like it. When I met DH he was kind of a ride wimp and found Big Thunder too thrilling for him...there were several times we were all set to go on it and he'd change his mind at the last minute, causing some, ahem, hurt feelings and interesting discussions at the ride entrance.
He has lost so much weight this past year and feels more confident and adventurous in general, he'd done his homework and watched YouTube videos of Space, asked me tons of questions about it, and even checked with his doctor that it was okay. He was geared up and ready and had eaten a light breakfast purposely. So, the four of us (brother, H, Mom, and I) rode Nemo with only about a 20 minute wait which was fine. I still think it's a bit long and like the Nemo attraction at WDW better (love those clam-mobiles) but it's fun and I'm glad they are using the subs instead of paving over them. Right near the end my brother tickled H on her back and she jumped up. Not knowing her seat would flip up behind her, she went to sit back down and scraped her back, hard, on the corner of it, OUCH!
So, there were some tears and dear brother felt like a real jerk, I must say, but we recovered to tour again.
By this time it was just about time to go see Tinkerbell in Pixie Hollow. I was fearful of the lines for this and taking the touring time out to do it, but this was all about H and Tink is her absolute favorite character. She had, oh, I think about 5 Tink pins various family members had bought her at this point. (The great thing about her, and what makes everyone want to shower her with gifts and love, is that she never, ever asks for anything. Not ONCE! We would say, is there anything here you like and she'd point something out, but I was amazed! I'd come into every shop and turn to DH and say, ooh, there's a Christmas idea for me, or, I must have that...but nope, H never said anything like that once. Which of course resulted in her having pins-a LOT of pins bought for her! My brother did mention to me at one point that with the cost of the pins we'd bought, I could have quite the nice diamond necklace. Hmm..never thought about it that way, and don't think I want to!) The Pixie Hollow wait time was estimated to be about 40 minutes and it definitely took closer to an hour by the time we were done but the theming in there was really cute, and Tinkerbell is fun to watch as she interacts with the guests. The little girl ahead of us asked if she could see inside her house and without missing a beat, Tink piped up in top speed, with a story about how she'd been mixing up pumpkin muffins and her mouse friend got distracted by something and tripped her and before she knew it there was muffin batter all over the place and what a mess it was so no, she couldn't possibly let any guests in today. Very cute. She loved H's Tinkerbell autograph book and all her pins, too. We also met Terrance, who I don't know, but I'm not as in the loop as I think I'd like to be!
While we waited, DH went to get Haunted Mansion FP for all of us, and then we trooped over to Tomorrowland for our ride on Space Mountain.
Mom and my brother said never again-they were sooo dizzy coming out of it. In the picture, DH looks like he's going to vomit promptly but he says he liked it. His exact words were 'what a rush! I can feel my adrenaline!' So he'll do it with me again in the future. H and I, no surprise, loved it. I do get a little freaked out on it though-I have extremely long hair-down to my backside-and was wearing it loose...being in the dark and whipping around makes me nervous...just how close ARE those tracks? So in the picture I'm clutching my hair to make sure it doesn't tangle on anything. Silly, yes, but the idea of it catching on something...yikes!
H and the gang were ready for a little rest and a snack at that point so they met Dad at a table nearby and then planned to go see Honey I Shrunk the Audience. That had been on my list of 'optional' things to do today, but I wanted Dad to be able to do SOMETHING before lunch, so that seemed like a good idea. H had asked if we could do GRR again and since I knew we wouldn't get to a couple of her other favorites, like Peter Pan and the Matterhorn I wanted to at least give her that. So, I skipped breaktime (I also don't care for HISTA so it was no skin off my nose) and hopped over to DCA for those. All was fine until I got to the last FP which just kept popping out a slip saying the ticket had to be used for park entry before getting a FP. Right. I knew that. We had all entered the park together that morning, so huh? I asked the CM and he said it had been happening a lot that day. He said I'd have to leave the park and come back in, using the ticket. Thankfully it wasn't a child's ticket because I may have had trouble with that, and I was able to run over to the exit by GCH and get it all straightened out. We figured out it was my dad's ticket because he hadn't used his for a Space FP like the rest of us had. Not quite sure how that happened but it turned out okay.
I made my way back to DL then, and decided I had time to run up to Splash Mountain to get FP, since it was another of H's favorites. Thought about taking the train because the crowds were INTENSE, but figured since I was alone it was just as easy for me to weave and dodge through. My feet were getting a bit sore at this point but hey, it was all for those I loved.
We had plans then to meet at the Blue Bayou, where we had reservations for 11:50. With 6 I knew we probably wouldn't get waterside and I was trying to convince myself I was okay with that.
I got there first and checked in, the CM said we couldn't be seated until we were all there. No problem, I figured they'd be there soon since I'd left them 45 minutes before and all they were going to do was have a quick snack and watch HISTA. Apparently, they must have taken a longer break than I'd anticipated, and just missed a show starting because the minutes kept ticking and the CM kept asking if the rest of my party was on the way. I sent texts to fellow iPhone convert, dear brother, but didn't hear back, and DH wasn't answering his phone. Finally, they showed up, but not mom and Dad. They had decided to take the train to miss the crowds. It was so crowded they were doing the queue for Pirates where it loops around on the main walkways up towards HM, my brother had to pick H up and lift her over the chains as they tried to get through/around to New Orleans square. Finally, I told the CM that I knew what my mom and dad would order, so perhaps we could be seated and they would meet us inside. They were able to do that, and I ordered the jambalaya and gumbo for Dad (he had it last December and loved it), my brother had the same, H had the steak on the children's menu (and most of my brother's gumbo-he had tried to order a cup for her too but we found out they won't sell it by the cup...probably to keep people from coming in and ordering nothing but a cup of gumbo but I still thought it was a little strange), Mom had the crab cakes and salad, DH and I split the Montecristo-he had the salad and I had the gumbo and we went ahead and did the split plate charge so we could each have our own sides-LOVE those Blue Bayou potatoes!!!! Mom and Dad finally showed up as the gumbo/salads were served. When they finally got off the train they got caught up in the chaos around HM/the train station/the Pirates queue and had trouble just getting to the restaurant. We were all glad to sit and rest in the twinkling light of the bayou for a while. The food was delicious, no complaints from us. A great way to celebrate a great, and long anticipated trip. I told H I had wanted to go to DL with her since the day she was born.
"H, show me your pirate face!"
After lunch we decided to use our HM FPs. I looked at them and realized that we had one 'dummy' FP that must have been from when DH got one with my dad's ticket, but he hadn't looked at them and didn't realize it. I was willing to sit out since I'd done the ride already, but we decided to just try it and see what happens-we were truly entitled to a FP at that time, not trying to scam anyone or anything, the DL equipment had malfunctioned, not us. It ended up being fine, the CM was so busy she didn't hardly even look at them. H enjoyed riding this with her dad and being 'in the know' about what was coming. After this, it was time to use those Splash Mountain FP. Today it was not 80 degrees, and it was much more overcast than Saturday had been, so most of us chose to use ponchoes. DH rode in front and took the brunt of the splashes on the mountain this time which was very chivalrous of him, I thought. Then we split up. H had been talking all weekend about the sewers in ToonTown. Her sister, who had gone in May with her dad (not my brother) kept telling her how when you stepped on the sewers you heard someone in them and she was dying to hear them. If that's the little girl's Disney dream I guess we'd better grant it, huh? Mom and Dad planned to ride the train to Main Street and go to DCA, meeting us by GRR. So, the four of us headed to ToonTown. My brother ended up just picking up H and putting her on his shoulders, we were scared of her getting lost in the throngs of people. I'm not sure H realized how much we missed in ToonTown, it was so crowded I don't think she knew there were actual rides there. We walked past and pointed out Donald's boat, Goofy's house, Mickey's and Minnie's (so thankful we had been able to get their autographs the day before at DCA!) abodes, and then, the highlight for her, the sewers! She found the ones that 'talked' and was thrilled. She played around in the post office area and with some of the doors and things for a few minutes and then we started to make our way out, along with thousands upon thousands of our closest friends. For some reason I decided this was the prime moment to get a picture of me and H in front of the castle. Um, yeah. Castle? I think it's there somewhere...behind the people! I realized it was H's last time in DL itself on this trip and would have liked to have stopped to shop, done a few more things, being in the heavy crowds was really wearing us all out. We decided just to hop over to DCA for GRR.
When we got there we were surprised not to see Mom and Dad waiting for us. It had been almost an hour by now since we'd parted at the Blue Bayou. We thought that maybe Dad was too exhausted and had gone back to the hotel, maybe Mom had gone with him? We couldn't reach them on their cells (anyone else ever notice spotty cell service at DLR? It wasn't just that we weren't hearing our phones, because at one point we tested it out, calling each other on purpose and they wouldn't ring at all), and of course, Mom had our ponchoes. We looked around for them, waited a bit, and then decided, well, let's go for it. Yes, we'll be cold, but it's our last ride and we can go back to the hotel and get dry. H and I really wanted to do it so the boys didn't want to be less tough than we were willing to be! We got in the FP line and a few minutes later, just before we were going to go down the stairs to board our raft, saw Mom and Dad arrive at the entrance. They couldn't believe we'd beaten them there. I guess they had to wait quite a while for the train-once they made it into the right line for the train. They'd ended up waiting in what turned out to be the line for HM for quite a while without realizing it. Whoops!
DH, H, and my brother just stayed where they were in the line and let people go past them, while I met mom and dad and gave them their FP and waited with them while we caught up to the rest of the family. Sure, we could have gone ahead and joined everyone else but honestly? I hate it when people do that and it was less than 5 minutes anyway. We were so glad to have our ponchoes (or, in H's case, her pup tent!) and enjoyed this ride just as much as we had the day before. I just wish it was longer, it seems to end too soon! DH and I really felt that way about Kali River in WDW, which is even shorter than GRR.
Exhilarated from our rafting adventure we departed for Home Sweet Embassy Suites and again enjoyed hot tubbing and swimming. The wind had really kicked up by now, there were little waves in the pool and people's flip flops were blowing around the pool deck. Uh-oh, our last chance for fireworks. Somehow though, the idea of going back, with all those other people made me tired just thinking about it. We decided to leave that plan up in the air.
We all relaxed in our rooms for a bit and then met at the Manager's Reception/Happy Hour in the atrium. I haven't mentioned it yet, but there were nice holiday touches in this area-several Christmas trees in the lobby, a GIANT (4 or so feet tall) gingerbread house set up with holiday decorations, and the lion that sits atop the rocky mountain in the middle of the atrium had a Santa hat on. Very festive!
We took advantage of the free drinks (they have free soda and cherry syrup available so I made H and myself some Shirley Temples) and snacks (a chex mix type of snack and some popcorn) while others took advantage of the adult beverages available, and we split a couple slices of pizza. (You have to purchase the pizza but it's inexpensive and you could make a meal this way if your family is light eaters.) Dh was, of course, working out, but he joined us in a while. We had not made reservations for dinner for this night, planning to play it by ear. We thought that DH and I would go back around 7, stake out a spot on MS to watch the fireworks and 'snow' and they'd meet us around 8:30 for the 9:25 fireworks. As the evening went on though, the wind seemed to be getting worse and I did not relish the thought of sitting on a curb for 2 1/2 hours for diddly squat. Also, no decision seemed to be getting made about dinner. Mom encouraged me and DH to 'go eat' somewhere...but it was our last night and I wanted to stay with the group. I think we were all tired at this point and started to disintegrate a bit at this point.
Dad and my brother took advantage of the manager's generosity with the drinks and were feeling rather peppy shall we say, but the others of us were fading fast.
We moved to the restaurant area of the atrium then, which was woefully slow and understaffed. The waiter told us there were only two of them working the restaurant and bar because it was the hotel's holiday party that night and they were down to a barebones staff so everyone else could be at the party. We ordered our food-club sandwiches, appetizer platters, cheeseburger, some alfredo pasta and a turkey focaccia sandwich...DH's fries never did arrive, but it was okay because again, there was more than enough food to go around. At one point I turned to H and said, "What do you think? It's kind of windy and I don't know if they will have the fireworks tonight. Maybe we just save that for our next trip?" She looked at me and said, "THANK YOU!" So, she was just as tired as everyone else but would never have said so or given one word of complaint...quite the girl. I KNOW I complained about being tired but she never did. Amazing.
We finished our dinner and it was nearly 9pm by that time anyway, and H and my brother were leaving on a flight in the morning, they wanted to go ahead and get packed up. They didn't know it at the time but they were both coming down with a bit of a stomach bug, too. They'd both be up feeling feverish and then getting the chills and felt queasy but that was the worst of it for them, thankfully.
Exhausted and with PLENTY of purchases to figure out how to re-pack without checking any of the souveneirs in the bag that was not getting carried on it took a while to get organized.
So, it was certainly not the beautiful finale evening at Disney I had planned for us....how would I go about things differently? Hmmm...1)go at a less crowded time for sure! 2)PLAN for an early evening on our last night maybe (at least if it's 3 nights or longer) so as not to feel disappointed when that's all we want to do, anyway.
Coming up-See ya Real Soon...
was too much for them, so we're all in. After an early morning flight it will be nice to end the day with a sit down dinner, even though I expect some chaos and we will of course, have to move around to get to the buffet.
I've always told him we'd go for our anniversary someday and I think this year is it. I want to wear the Minnie "bride" ears 
and have our anniversary meal at the Blue Bayou. In fact, we volunteered for Give a Day Get a Day yesterday to get our free ticket. We're thinking we'll drive down from Seattle, spend 2 or 3 days in the parks and drive back along the CA coast which neither of us have ever done.
In her defense, she said she couldn't hear when she had it on! I picked out a pair of blue infant Mickey ears and had them embroidered for my best friend who had had her first baby 1 week before. Too cute! He's swimming in them now but it won't be long until he grows into them.
We enjoyed some eggs, fruit, and french toast, dropped our luggage, and met up with the fam at the shuttle stop. The ART stop at the Embassy has benches to sit on which is nice, the Marriott Anaheim Suites does not.
