California, Here We Come! DLR, Hollywood, and San Diego *OCTOBER 15-23, 2011*

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

Have just caught up with your TR and loving reading about your trip! You got through so much in your MM, can't wait to read more!

Thank you! I was pretty happy with all that we were able to get done. I am glad we used our MM on the first day before we were all too tired to want to get up early!

Great update! It got me so excited because we love Magic Morning.
And the pictures of you on the Teacups! That is exactly what I look like while riding. I can do almost any roller coaster, but those darn Teacups get me every time....

Thanks! We really enjoyed MM. I was hoping there would be less people there since MM isn't typically held on a Monday, but we still were able to accomplish everything that we wanted to.

I could ride roller coasters all day and not have a problem! I have found that the older I get the more trouble I have with the spinning. I think this was my last spin on the Teacups!

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

Looking forward to the next update.

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

Looking forward to the next update.

Coming up!

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

At 9 Stu grabbed a FP at Space Mountain and hurried over to where we were waiting at Buzz Lightyear.

Following our spin on Buzz we decided to take Sandy on a ride she had been anxiously awaiting. On the way Erin noticed that there wasn't a line to meet the Fairies. When we walked in the CM was quick to tell us that Tink wasn't there, but Rosetta and Vidia were there. At this point Ava was starting to get concerned that Vidia was going to be mad that Tink was on her shirt. She decided to share her concerns with Rosetta.

In this next picture you can see Ava showing Rosetta her offending shirt.

In the next two pictures you can see that Erin is tickled at the idea of Vidia being upset with Ava. You gotta love a big sister!

Rosetta assured Ava that Vidia wouldn't be too upset.

Ava wasn't sure that Rosetta was telling the truth, so she was slow to approach Vidia. Erin went ahead to explain the situation to Vidia.

Ava still wasn't sure that she was off the hook with Vidia, so she decided that she should cover up Tink with her autograph book.

Vidia decided that she would let it pass this time, but if her and Ava were to ever meet again that maybe she should rethink her choices in shirts!

It was finally time to take Sandy on her much anticipated ride....

I have to say that we all really enjoyed this ride. I love how they have the Disney characters through-out the ride. It ended up being one of Sandy's favorite rides. The same cannot be said for our next choice!

On our way to Splash Mountain we grabbed a FP for Big Thunder Mt. The whole way to Splash Sandy was trying to find ways out of riding, but we weren't letting her get out of it. She even tried to use Ava as an excuse by saying she would stay with her if she was too short. Well, Ava wasn't about to have anyone say she was too small for something-even Grandma Sandy!

I will say that Sandy hated that ride, but I am so happy that she went on it with all of us!

Next up we made our way to the Jungle Cruise. This was a good ride to calm Sandy's nerves after her adventure on Splash.

After our cruise we grabbed a FP at Indiana Jones on our way to Space Mt. We used our FPs that Stu had collected earlier to ride on Space Mt. I was excited that the height requirement was only 40", so Ava would be able to join us. Stu, Erin, and I absolutely loved this ride, but I don't know that there would be any way we would get Ava or Sandy back on this ride again!

Erin and Ava decided that they needed to check this out.

At this point it was about 11:30, so we decided to start making our way to the Golden Horseshoe.

Up next: Billy Hill

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Oh, that's too bad Sandy didn't care for Splash. But at least she gave it a try!

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

All caught up/

 

[Dizzy4DL]

Wonderful update!

 

[dismagiclover]

It looks like Pixie Hollow at Disneyland is so cute! I love that it is outside.

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

Oh, that's too bad Sandy didn't care for Splash. But at least she gave it a try!

Sandy had told the kids before we left that she would be willing to ride anything that they did. We were just holding her to it! Of course she ended up being the only one of us that got wet. It is funny how it always seems to be the person that doesn't want to get wet ends up being the one that does.

All caught up/

Wonderful update!

Thanks!

It looks like Pixie Hollow at Disneyland is so cute! I love that it is outside.

Pixie Hollow was nice. Being outside with the sun streaming in was really neat. It was even better without a line! When we went by Pixie Hollow on Wednesday Tink was there and it sure made a difference in the length of that line!

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

After a very productive morning we decided that it was time for a break. We made our way over to the Golden Horseshoe at 11:30. Billy Hill and the Hillbilles would be doing their first show of the day 12:15. We thought we would grab a bite to eat while we waited for the show to begin. This ended up working out really well. Sandy and Erin ended up getting their meals at the Golden Horseshoe. Stu and Ava decided that they wanted burgers, so Stu ran over to the Village Haus. I ended up going across the way to Rancho del Zocalo for enchiladas and tres leches cupcakes for everyone to share. During this time I also ran to the Haunted Masion for FPs. Everyone was pretty happy after filling up their bellies!

Just as we finished up eating the show began. I wasn't sure if the girls would enjoy the performance, but they ended up having a great time. We all decided it was a definite .

After a very enjoyable show we decided to go see what the wait time was for the Nemo submarines. We decided that we didn't want to wait the 45 minutes at that point, so we decided at the last minute to catch the Captain EO movie. This was not part of our plan at all-but Erin absolutely loved it!

We decided it was time for Erin, Stu, and I to ride Indiana Jones while Sandy and Ava spent a little time shopping. The queue for Indy was something else. Every time I thought we were at the ride car, we still had farther to go!

It was now time to make our way to the Haunted Mansion. Even with our FP we probably waited 20 minutes, but it was worth it. While we were waiting a man in the regular line lost it. He wanted out of the line NOW because the wait was posted at 40 minutes and it had been 45. He was probably 5 minutes away from being inside, but he just went off on the CM and ended up leaving. His loss.

After riding Winnie the Pooh and using our FP for Big Thunder Mt. it was 3:00. We decided to start making our way towards the parade route to select a viewing spot for Mickey's Soundsational Parade!

Up next: Mickey's Soundsational Parade

 

[Dizzy4DL]

Oh my gosh! I can't believe people flip out like that in line. Those are the people you talk to that dislike Disney parks.
They visit during busy times and expect perfection.

On the same note, I kind of get a kick out of people that say "Why do they get to go first"? when you breeze by in the FP lines.

 

[tessieg]

Thanks for the updates!!!

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

Loved it!!

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

Oh my gosh! I can't believe people flip out like that in line. Those are the people you talk to that dislike Disney parks.
They visit during busy times and expect perfection.

On the same note, I kind of get a kick out of people that say "Why do they get to go first"? when you breeze by in the FP lines.

The guy flipping out was quite entertaining. It made my time in line go faster since I was kept busy listening to him.

I also get a kick out of the people that don't understand the FP line and it is amazing how many people that is.

Thanks for the updates!!!

You are very welcome!

Loved it!!

Thanks!

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

When the hours were first released for Disneyland, Mickey's Soundsational Parade was listed to begin at 7. A couple of weeks before our trip it was changed to 4. At first I thought this would be too early for us to wrap up our rides for the day, but it ended up working out perfectly!

We found a place across from the Matterhorn. This ended up being a great spot for us. The first perk was that we were near a bathroom! With the Matterhorn being across the way there wasn't anyone sitting across from us. Because of that the characters focused on our side of the street.

While we were waiting we decided that we should have a snack. For us that meant it was time for a Mickey bar. I don't know how much actually got in Ava's mouth!

Thankfully she cleans up well.

Before long the parade started to make its way towards us! The drummers were a fun way to start things.

First up was Minnie, Mickey, and pals. For whatever reason, every picture I took of Mickey he had his eyes closed!

Next up was the Aladdin float. We were able to see the Genie, Abu, and Aladdin. The dancers costumes were just beautiful.

The next float carried one of our favorite characters-Ariel! Again the costumes were just amazing. Ariel is positioned on the top on a rotating seat. Unfortunately her rotation didn't allow us the best view of her.

Up next: Mickey's Soundsational Parade continued

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

Next up was the Three Caballeros. I again had a difficult time getting a picture of Donald with him being on top of the drum. In all of my trips I don't think I have ever gotten a good picture of Donald!

The next float was my personal favorite! It was Rapunzel's tower and featured Rapunzel, Snow White, Aurora, Belle, and Cinderella. It was absolutely lovely.

The next section was a mix of characters. It included monkey dancers, Terk, Simba, and stilt walkers.

Up next: Mickey's Soundsational Parade continued

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

The next group came a long ways for the parade-Neverland! We had a great a moment during this section. Peter Pan came up to Ava and started playing with her! He wanted her to give him five, but would pull away at the last second. It was adorable, but Captain Hook wasn't impressed. I wish I got a better picture of him, but the shadows made taking pictures tough.

To round out the parade we were treated to Mary Poppins! Mary Poppins has always been a favorite of Stuart's, so he was happy to see her make an appearance.

Overall we really enjoyed Mickey's Soundsational Parade. As Sandy put it-it was delightful. I still catch Ava singing the theme song from time to time. The parade ended at the perfect time for us to catch the next item on our must-do list.

Up next: Flag Retreat Ceremony

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

The Parade was awesome!!

 

[Dizzy4DL]

Wonderful parade pictures!

You had the perfect spot for the parade. I wish we could use it to the same effect, but the Matterhorn will be down while we're there and it probably won't be the same set-up.

 

[SnowWhite09]

I'm really enjoying your trip report - cant wait to read more!