The Wettest, Merriest, and Happiest Birthday/First Visit Nov/Dec 2012 TR! 2/13 FINAL!

[Susannajean]

I never really stick with trip reports but I'm most definately in for this one! Can't wait for your next update!

 

[MissPrice]

Yay!! I'm here, a little late but made it! OMG, the Haunted Mansion looks amazing. I had no idea they changed everything like that. And the Gingerbread! It must be fun for locals to see then new one each year. Sleeping Beauty's castle is so beautiful. Can't wait to hear about your Splash experience. -Amanda

 

[tksbaskets]

I'm a little late to the party too but glad I finally made it! GREAT TR you've got going.

I should have taken notes about what I wanted to comment on. I must admit a couple of times I literally LOL at your amusing prose.

CUTEST COUPLE SHOT EVER in front of the train station! The close up one. I love your beautiful golden tickets...I've dreamed of having one myself... I did have an AP once...

Oh, we bought into DVC in 2006 and that is indeed the only reason we were able to enjoy 3 vacations staying at the GCH. DVC is one major purchase we've never regretted.

You've been on two of my favorite DL rides so far. Looking forward to more and seeing if you enjoyed your Holiday Tour.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

OMG, you are making me want to go to DL during Christmas just to see HM!!! That looks amazing and HM is one of my all-time-favorite rides!! Looks like you did really well catching those low light shots with the new camera! Gotta love that prime lens!

 

[Nermel9]

It's so weird to think you can just stay across the street from Disneyland! If I ever go there, I might look into the hotel you stayed in, since there's no way I'll be staying in one of the actual Disney hotels!

Ahhh I want a golden ticket! I hope to have one someday! It's so weird that they check ID's when you go in, you know, if they just got those finger scanners, that might eliminate the need to do that, no?

Main Street looks absolutely beautiful! The castle is small, but so gorgeous! I really think I'd be overwhelmed going into the park where it all began, I'd probably have some kind of breakdown...I mean, when I walked into New Fantasyland I was almost having a panic attack, so I can only imagine how I'd be in Disneyland!

Pirates sounds awesome, but OMG! Haunted Mansion Holiday! I absolutely LOVE NBC, and from what I saw of your pictures, it looks so ridiculous!!! (I kind of scrolled through them quickly, because I want to be surprised when I see it in person, but my curiosity got the better of me, so I had to look at some! ) I just cannot believe they redo that whole attraction like that every year!

Can't wait to read more!!

 

[danimaroo]

Oh I can't wait for your next update!

I must tell you, you have described how it feels to the ride the Mansion just perfectly. It is my all time favourite both decorated by Jack and the original. To read how happy you were seeing it for the first time made me smile

I can't wait to have the same feelings when I experience WDW for the first time! I will have a few of those on the next trip as we are visiting Hong Kong and Tokyo on the way over!!!

And golden tickets............way to go

Well you won't have to wait much longer!! I'll be posting the next update in a few minutes!

I'm glad I've captured that feeling of riding the Haunted Mansion Holiday!! It was seriously so unreal to me, it just blew my expectations right out of the water, and I was really expecting a lot! I just absolutely loved every second of it.

You are going to love WDW, I swear. But oh my gosh, that is SO COOL that you are visiting BOTH HK and Tokyo!! I'm so jealous; I was just reading about the new Mystic Manor they're building in HK and it looks SO awesome. Hopefully it'll be open when you're there!

Golden tickets are the best! I still can't believe we have them!

Bizarroland... I know exactly what you mean though! The whole park has a familiar feel to it, but then things aren't exactly where you expect them to be. It feel so disconcerting! After going to DL twice in a row though, I found it a little strange when we finally went back to WDW again. I caught myself taking the wrong way to Space Mountain or looking for Star Tours in Tomorrowland.

The New Orleans Square decorations look amazing! I really like how they decorate the whole park. WDW does a great job with their trees and decorating Main Street, but in the rest of the park, you wouldn't even know it was Christmas.

That is crazy how wet you got on Pirates!! I really enjoyed their version better compared to WDW's as well. You got some great photos in there! Did they add the mermaids there like they did in WDW?

LOVE the Haunted Mansion Holiday photos! I have never even seen NBC, but it looks like they really go all out when it comes to that overlay. I didn't realize everything would be changed either! Great photos there as well. I guess if we ever go to DL for the holidays, I'll need to make sure I watch the movie first!

Haha that's like the only way I could explain it! Matt told me it would feel just... OFF, if that makes sense. It really did feel like I was in a dream or something. I'm very interested to see how things are when we go to WDW since it's within a month and a half of our DL trip. I'm sure I'll be a little thrown off by Star Tours not being RIGHT there on the corner, across from Buzz Lightyear.

New Orleans Square was AWESOME. The decorations were fantastic and I just loved the theming/that area so much! They do a fantastic job with the decorations in DL, seriously.

I couldn't believe how wet we got! It was pretty hilarious though because it just totally surprising to both of us! DL's version was really fantastic, though I will say it was missing one BIG important thing... the wonderful sulfuric scent of DISNEY WATER! Hahaha.

Matt actually pointed it out while we were on it, and there is no Disney water scent. Ohhh gotta love that Florida water! Hahaha. Oh, and no mermaids! I can't wait to see those in January!!

The overlay is seriously impressive. I mean, I'd suggest seeing the movie for sure if you're going to go when the overlay is up! You would absolutely love it!

HAHAHA. It's funny that you say 'bizarroland' because the other day my dad said something about something being 'bizarroland' (I forget why) and I was like, "What? Tomorrowland?" Disney brain.

I know what you mean though. I mean, obviously I've never been to DL but I totally understand what you're saying about Main Street being familiar, yet not.

THE CASTLE IS SO BEAUTIFUL. I love the different colored bricks. Omg, it's gorgeous. I really hope I'll be seeing that in person someday.

LOVE the pin you got. AHHH AND A DISNEY DUCK! They know when yall are coming. I bet they do.

New Orleans Square is stinking GORGEOUS. Wow. I bet that would be my favorite 'land' because it's so completely different than anything in Magic Kingdom. And this Pirates version sounds really cool!

Oh no... a traumatic experience? That just doesn't sound good.

Hahaha, it totally felt like we were in a dream, no lie! And that's so funny you thought he said Tomorrowland; I would so do the same thing!!

I'm telling you, it was such a trip though. Like walking down Main Street and not seeing Crystal Palace on your left, and like, walking towards Tomorrowland and having STAR TOURS be right there?! Just felt so weird!

Ya know, while it really is small, it's also beautiful. And oh my gosh, wait til I get to the inside part of things... It was awesome.

I loved that pin, too! I thought it was a perfect way to remember our trip in our pin collection.

Disney ducks are truly the best, and it's nice to know that they're on both coasts!

Yeah, honestly, New Orleans Square was probably my personal favorite. The whole area was just beautiful and so different... it just had such neat little side street areas, too!

Unfortunately, a traumatic experience indeed. I think I finally got to a point where I could laugh about it, Matt on the other hand...

I think I described Disneyland pretty much the same the first time I was there

I get absolutely soaked on the WDW version of Pirates! Every time. Without fail. It's ridiculous.

I've never seen Nightmare Before Christmas ( can we still be friends??) I'm not sure I would like the Haunted Mansion all changed. It's my favorite ride! I mentioned to my Mom that WDW's Mansion is better because it's longer and she looked at me like I had 2 heads because I noticed the differences. I'm glad I'm not the only one

Hahaha, that's so funny. It really is like that though!!

So it's funny, I don't get that wet on WDW's version... MAYBE if the cannon goes off at the wrong time, then I'll get a little wet, but nothing compared to DL's version!

Hahahaha, okay, you REALLY need to watch NBC! And yes, we can still be friends.. I guess.

Honestly, this ride was amazing... and Haunted Mansion is one of my - and IS Matt's - absolute favorite... Again, this is why it makes sense to do the overlay in DL but not WDW. So many tourists know they'll be back to see the normal HM, that it's nice to have the overlay. I love that they do it for Halloween/the holidays, it's really really neat.

And you definitely are not the only one! Hahaha. Matt is a huge huge fan (at some point he's getting a HM-related tattoo), so it's definitely noticed on our front!

I'm really enjoying your trip report. I love super detailed ones like yours. You and Matt seem like such a fun and happy couple!

Awesome, thank you! I'm so glad you're here and you enjoy the detailed reports... because mine tend to be that way, haha. They are a TON of work, but I really love writing it because it's a great way to continue my trip and remember every little moment, you know?

And aw, thank you so much! We really are each other's best friend, so we just have an absolute blast in Disney together!

I'm here!!!! I love Matt's Gir shirt from your intro's!!

You got the golden tickets!!! Those are so cool-looking!!!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh the NBC overlay of HM looks AWESOME!!!! I really wish they did that in WDW, but I understand why they don't, I know, but STILL.

YAYAY! Glad you are here, of course!

Hahaha, Matt's shirt is pretty amazing! He used to be a big fan of Invader Zim!! I love that you totally caught that, too!

The Golden Tickets really are awesome and all fancy! It's so fun to go into my wallet and see it sitting there...

OMG, the NBC overlay, seriously, cannot say it enough. AMAZING. I know a lot of people who wish they'd do it in WDW, but I think it would end up causing an uproar from tourists who only get to go to WDW once in their lives. I mean, that's my suspicion as to why they don't do it. But gosh, it really is such an awesome thing to see!

I love this thread!!! Thanks for posting! I can't wait to go back there in Feb! I am a WDW addict but there is something special about Disneyland that keeps me going back.

Aww, super happy to hear you're enjoying it!! Disneyland really is a special place that I do adore, and I very much look forward to going back again!!

Thanks again for commenting and I'm so happy you're here!

I am LOVING reading this!! We are going on our first Disney trip ever to DL for Christmas so the pics are really helping me get a feel for stuff!!!

YAY! So happy you're enjoying this!

OMG, that is so exciting you guys are going to DL for Christmas! You are going to absolutely LOVELOVELOVE it. They do such a fantastic job with the decorations and just EVERYTHING in general! I'm seriously excited FOR you over here.

Glad you're here and that my photos are helping!!

 

[danimaroo]

Just checkin' in!! Lovin' this report!

Awesome, so glad you're here!!

I'm loving your TR! I went to DLR at Christmas time in 1997. I have very few pictures. This is making me want to go today!

Oh awesome, I'm glad you're loving my TR! Always makes me so happy when people enjoy my TR.

Oh man, DL at Christmas time was just spectacular! Such a beautiful place to be at my favorite time of year!

I never really stick with trip reports but I'm most definately in for this one! Can't wait for your next update!

Wow, that's an awesome compliment! I hope you decide to continue to stick around with mine! Update is coming soon, I promise!

Yay!! I'm here, a little late but made it! OMG, the Haunted Mansion looks amazing. I had no idea they changed everything like that. And the Gingerbread! It must be fun for locals to see then new one each year. Sleeping Beauty's castle is so beautiful. Can't wait to hear about your Splash experience. -Amanda

Awesome, so happy you're here... and hey, better late than never! It's never too late to join in on the fun, I swear.

Yeah, isn't it so awesome?! I'd heard about it years ago from Matt because he's a huge fan and we've always wanted to see it... so finally getting to see it in person was such a huge moment for him.

The Gingerbread house was so cool! And I love how they change it every year! The smell was so good, too.

Oh man, the Splash experience... not the highlight of our trip, I must say.

I'm a little late to the party too but glad I finally made it! GREAT TR you've got going.

I should have taken notes about what I wanted to comment on. I must admit a couple of times I literally LOL at your amusing prose.

CUTEST COUPLE SHOT EVER in front of the train station! The close up one. I love your beautiful golden tickets...I've dreamed of having one myself... I did have an AP once...

Oh, we bought into DVC in 2006 and that is indeed the only reason we were able to enjoy 3 vacations staying at the GCH. DVC is one major purchase we've never regretted.

You've been on two of my favorite DL rides so far. Looking forward to more and seeing if you enjoyed your Holiday Tour.

Hey, like I always say, it's never too late! I join in on a lot of TRs a little late just because then I've got extra reading material and can settle on in. But thank you and I'm so glad you're here!

Hahaha, I swear, some of the silliest stuff happens on our trips, and I love laughing, so I'm glad I made you laugh, too!

It's funny, I loved that shot, too! I was actually really happy with how it turned out! I think Matt actually ended up using it as a new Facebook profile photo, haha.

Oh those Golden Tickets... it won't be a normal thing for us, so I'm enjoying every second of it while I can!

DVC is absolutely fabulous! Matt's family have been members since 92 I think? That's why he's been to WDW 23 times! Fortunately we have been able to use their points for the past few years and I have to say, it's definitely making us want to buy at some point... especially because of how much we ADORE Beach Club Villas. I would love to stay at the VGC at some point!

So funny because I feel like I have so much to cover even though we were only there for such a short period of time! We really got so much done, haha.

OMG, you are making me want to go to DL during Christmas just to see HM!!! That looks amazing and HM is one of my all-time-favorite rides!! Looks like you did really well catching those low light shots with the new camera! Gotta love that prime lens!

I'm telling you, Karen, you should TOTALLY do it at some point! It is SO amazing! I just never dreamed it would look that cool.

And yes, the prime lens was great on some of those rides! I also had a lot come out wonky and probably more noise than I'd like, but it all worked out!

It's so weird to think you can just stay across the street from Disneyland! If I ever go there, I might look into the hotel you stayed in, since there's no way I'll be staying in one of the actual Disney hotels!

Ahhh I want a golden ticket! I hope to have one someday! It's so weird that they check ID's when you go in, you know, if they just got those finger scanners, that might eliminate the need to do that, no?

Main Street looks absolutely beautiful! The castle is small, but so gorgeous! I really think I'd be overwhelmed going into the park where it all began, I'd probably have some kind of breakdown...I mean, when I walked into New Fantasyland I was almost having a panic attack, so I can only imagine how I'd be in Disneyland!

Pirates sounds awesome, but OMG! Haunted Mansion Holiday! I absolutely LOVE NBC, and from what I saw of your pictures, it looks so ridiculous!!! (I kind of scrolled through them quickly, because I want to be surprised when I see it in person, but my curiosity got the better of me, so I had to look at some! ) I just cannot believe they redo that whole attraction like that every year!

Can't wait to read more!!

Yeah, it really is super weird to be able to stay across the way from the park. I have to say, you should definitely look into where we stayed. It was a great location and the price was awesome! We paid 109/night, though I think if during a less crazy time of year, you can get a room for even cheaper. I think the only way we could stay at a Disney hotel is using DVC points for the Grand Californian. I can't believe how expensive it is to stay at the Disney hotels!!

I hope you get one, too! It's such a neat thing to have, I must say.And yes, it was kind of a pain to have to do the whole ID check, because it made the lines way longer/not move very fast. I feel like I heard rumors of the finger scanners happening, but who knows!

No seriously, I almost had a meltdown. There were a few times where Matt would be like, "How are you liking it Dani? You're kind of quiet!" and I'd just respond with, "I think I'm in a sensory-overload right now." because of just how overwhelming it all was.. a GOOD overwhelming, but still just mind-blowing, I guess! I'm probably going to have a simliar reaction to New Fantasyland next month, seriously!

Pirates was very awesome, and yes, HM Holiday was just.. WOWWWW. I know, I'm glad I left a little warning because I realized some people might not want to see spoilers... I'll have another update that will have a few more photos from it, so I'll make sure to warn when I'm posting those photos, I promise!

It's impressive the amount of work you know that must go into that overlay. Unbelievable!

 

[danimaroo]

Chapter Five: "I am NEVER going on Splash Mountain again!"
Day 1: November 29th, 2012

I'm going to preface this with a warning that there is a lack of photos for some of this update.. or well, a somewhat lack anyway... You'll understand why here shortly...

After our fun trip with Jack and friends, we decided since we were so close, we’d make a trip on over to one of my absolute favorite attractions in Disney World, SPLASH MOUNTAIN!!

We knew we needed to go on it multiple times to make up for the fact that it will be closed during our WDW trip in January, plus we were both excited to see what it’d be like sitting behind one another vs. next to each other!

Fortunately, there was only a 10 minute wait, so we strolled on in through the queue.

It actually didn't end up having a wait at all, so we found ourselves walking right on to the ride!

I mean, look at this face, he was excited about riding Splash!

Little did he know what was about to happen...

As we approached, the CM asked us how many of were in our party. I told him 2, and he responded, “Okay, rows 1 and 2.”

Matt looked at me and I told him I’d take the front, because Matt does NOT enjoy the front of Splash Mountain, both due the huge drop and the whole getting wet thing… but then soon I realized this whole us sitting in rows 1 and 2 might not be a good idea.

Obviously, Matt and I are not tiny people, and it dawned on me that maybe we shouldn’t be in the very front so we wouldn't get crazy wet.

I mean, we'd sat in the front in Disney World quite a few times and we'd gotten wet, but we had no idea how wet you might get on Disneyland's version..

I turned and asked the CM if we could just not sit in the front and instead maybe the back, but he was kind of flustered, with more people loading onto our log into the other seats..

At this point, Matt could tell the CM was annoyed and just said it’d be fine... and then turned and got into the very front of the log.

I hopped in behind him, asking him why he’d gotten in the front, and he just shrugged saying it was because the CM was so flustered and we basically had to get in...

I knew we were probably going to get wet, but tried my best to just prepare myself for it.

We got to the first drop, and as we went down and I could see the water moving in front of us, I thought, “Okay, this won’t be so bad!”

Then... I saw it.

I saw the 8 FOOT TSUNAMI of a wave roll up onto the rock to our right, and suddenly it was coming towards our log.

Okay, I’m not even joking, it was like a scene from a movie, all in slow motion, and I’m fairly certain I had a really terrified look on my face.

So yes, this 8 foot wave came crashing down on us, as I looked on in frozen horror.

It hit me first on the head, then my t-shirt, then my entire lap, last hitting both of my sneakers.

This wave didn’t just hit the right side of our log where it came from, it literally hit every single part of our log possible, soaking Matt and I right down to our underwear.

I screamed, Matt screamed in horror, and we were both panicking. Why? Because there was now a solid 3 inches of water IN OUR LOG.

The people behind us definitely got wet, but nothing to the point that we were.

I could see Matt bending down and trying to feel our backpack, which is a North Face bag and for the mostpart water-proof.

He turned and yelled to me that it was soaking wet and sitting in the 3 inches of water.



I honestly couldn’t even tell you guys what was happening to Brer Rabbit on that ride, because it was a complete blur.

I was so panicked that my brand new camera and expensive lens were completely forever-ruined, as were our iPhones, that I nearly started to cry.

I tried to enjoy some of the scenes of the ride... though I had near PTSD every time we got to a drop, in fear of another 8-foot tsunami hitting our log.

I mean, I was starting to get worried our log would be completely sunken with all of the water from each drop!

Before I knew it, we were going under the vultures and up the final hill, and at that point I was praying to little baby Jesus not to let us get hit hard with water so we didn't sink to the bottom...

Um, this part I remember very vividly because HOLY COW that drop was way more terrifying than WDW’s drop!

I don’t know if we had more speed because we’re in the shape of a mini torpedo by sitting tandem vs. next to each other, but I screamed my little face off.

As we hit the bottom, we were splashed... a lot... but nothing like that first tsunami that hit us.

On that note, in Disneyland, I don't think it should be called Splash Mountain, it should be re-named Tsunami Mountain.

We finally got to the loading/unloading area, and I looked at the people waiting to get on as they stared at our log in disbelief/horror.

We got out of our log, and we basically RAN out of the way to make sure our stuff in the bag had not been damaged.

The bottom of the bag was really wet, but thank HEAVENS we had our ponchos on the bottom of the bag, so my camera was okay, along with our iPhones, which we'd put in the bag as well.

However, as we both stood there literally dripping wet to the side of everyone, people walked past us laughing and staring, and even one guy said something like “Got a little wet there, didn’t you?!”

I tried to laugh but I could see how upset Matt was and to be honest with you, I wasn’t too happy either.

My shoes were completely waterlogged, my shorts and underwear and socks and everything else was soaked, our bag was soaked, and we both knew we would have to walk back to our room to change because there was truly no way we could keep going.

So yes, we unfortunately didn’t have the best experience on Splash Mountain and it left us traumatized.

Lesson learned, do not ever put two heavier people in the front of the log on Splash Mountain in Disneyland.

Disney World is NOTHING compared to Disneyland in the amount of water I experienced sitting in the front, and as some of you guys remember from my last TR, we were seated in the front of Splash more than once (much to Matt's dismay).

The only way I would probably go on Splash again in Disneyland is if I had a bag of dry clothes with me, I was wearing sandals, and it was a really hot day out.

Anyway, I’m pretty sure you could HEAR my feet squishing in the pool of water in my sneakers, as we miserably trudged out of Critter Country, trying to figure out what to do.

As soaking wet as we both were, at this point we were also both STARVING. We hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, outside of the chocolate croissant we split while waiting for our room, and it was actually starting to get late.

So we stopped at a popcorn cart to share a popcorn, before deciding that the train would be our best bet in getting us to the front of the park and thus closer to our room.

Thankfully a train showed up just as we got to the platform, and we hopped on, sitting behind a few women.

I'm not going to lie, I was a bit embarrassed as I sat down on the train and watched drops of water from my shorts drip below. Thankfully those seats are benches and so us sitting on them in the dark, no one could see the water dripping.

You can see here in this photo a little bit how wet Matt was... more photos to come though..

We ate our popcorn, consoling ourselves over our mishap. Honestly though, that popcorn was helping our mood just because it was FOOD and also, it was Disney popcorn in an awesome Haunted Mansion Holiday souvenir bucket!

Plus, we were on the train and this train has the coolest dioramas EVER.

DINOSAURS BASICALLY RULE FOREVER!

At this point, it was getting dark our and honestly really cold, so I’m fairly certain I was shivering while we rode along.

I have to say though, the neat dioramas lived up to the hype; I mean, they were SO neat.

As cold and wet as I was, I was actually enjoying this moment with Matt next to me, as we watched dinosaurs attack each other.

Makes total sense, right?

Anyway, we rode the train all the way to the front of the park and hopped off (and I felt kind of guilty for whoever had to sit where we'd been sitting, haha)... then promptly headed out back to our room.

While this walk back was pretty miserable as I was panicking over whether or not you could see my underwear through my soaking wet khaki shorts (Matt said you couldn’t but for all I know the whole park had seen my underwear), it wasn’t the worst walk we experienced during our trip, ha. DUN DUN DUN!

When we finally got back to our room, I made Matt let me take photos of him soaking wet, along with me, so I could show you guys how soaked we got.

Oh but don't worry, just a small portion of Matt's back somehow didn't get wet, hahaha.

These photos don’t even really do it justice… and I was mega bummed out because the second pair of sneakers I brought with me were my blue Chucks.

Chucks are comfy and all, but aren’t really made for a TON of walking. I threw them on, though, as I knew they’d be fine for the evening, but I was a bit worried about our next day since we had plans to hit the parks HARD.

Anyway, we finally got changed and dried off very quickly, then headed back to the park MUCH happier and much drier.

Next, we see Disneyland all lit up at night! And we have our first moment of the trip where we are BOTH truly found speechless.

Continued in the next post​

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

You seriously should consider not going on Splash anymore, you guys ALWAYS have mishaps! Weren't you stuck for an hour last time?!?!? It's like you are Splash-Mountain-cursed!!! OMG, I'm trying not to laugh, I really am, I'm sure it was a bummer at the time, but I KNOW at some point you will laugh about it and it will be that funny memory of the tsunami on DL's Splash Mountain. We laugh now about our hellish 21 hour drive back in January where I had a huge meltdown and the car wouldn't go over 35 mph b/c it was breaking down in the middle of the night!

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

I too am none to fond of Splash myself as I am a larger person and I sat in the front on our 2010 trip AND it had been raining all day......well, you can imagine the rest! I always now have a spair pare of walking shoes just in case. We did do splash again just recently in October, and much to my surprise, we didn't get wet at all......go figure! We even got the photo!!!

As always loved the update!

Ok, I am going to find your WDW trip reports too! That should keep me satisfied until your next DL update!!!

 

[onelilspark]

When we did Splash...we had to go back to the room to change too. I was SOAKED!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

WOW you guys got soaked!!! Tsunami Mountain sounds like a much more appropriate name, I agree!

 

[khertz]

That happened to me on our trip to WDW last year when I sat in the front seat on Splash! I got completely drenched, and it was all from that first little drop when the water sloshed up onto the rocks and slammed back down on me. I have NEVER gotten that wet on Splash before or since!! I don't mind getting a little wet, but being drenched to your undies is just not fun. I don't think you missed much by not paying full attention to the DL version...it is weird and creepy compared to WDW's in my opinion.

 

[wiscbugs]

My son and I got drenched in the front on Splash in August too. I like the Splash at WDW much better...its longer plus you don't get so wet. Maybe some mist or spinkles but nothing like the waves over the side at DL.

 

[GatorMommy2007]

I agree with the others--you guys are "cursed" when it comes to Splash! LOL maybe it's good that you won't have the temptation to experience it again in January!

On another note, how do you wear tennis shoes all day in the parks? My feet can't breathe in them all day! When you go to WDW, do you wear tennis shoes the entire time?

 

[stacy~**]

I am enjoying your TR!

I have to say you have me nervous about SM at DL! I hate getting wet and it wasn't until after several WDW trips that I finally caved and risked the wet factor. I am thinking this will have to be our end of the night ride (what we usually do at WDW...just in case).

 

[marDgreen88]

Yikes. That's basically all I can say. Yeah, being soaked down to your undies just isn't ideal. That is what happened to me on Kali River Rapids! Hopefully yall will be able to laugh about it someday... maybe you can ride in the back? I just hate to read negative feelings about Splash Mountain.

I have to ask because I have no idea. What's with the dinos on the train? I'm actually clueless as to what that's about hah.

 

[danimaroo]

You seriously should consider not going on Splash anymore, you guys ALWAYS have mishaps! Weren't you stuck for an hour last time?!?!? It's like you are Splash-Mountain-cursed!!! OMG, I'm trying not to laugh, I really am, I'm sure it was a bummer at the time, but I KNOW at some point you will laugh about it and it will be that funny memory of the tsunami on DL's Splash Mountain. We laugh now about our hellish 21 hour drive back in January where I had a huge meltdown and the car wouldn't go over 35 mph b/c it was breaking down in the middle of the night!

Hahaha, I know! It's kind of ridiculous the luck we have with it... That being said, I still absolutely adore it in Disney World. I mean, it seriously breaks my heart that it'll be down for refurb in January when we're there.

OMG, I was laughing about the incident THAT night, so don't even feel guilty about laughing because it was a SIGHT to see! Matt has gotten at least to the smiling point, but he's still not happy about it, hahaha. That's why I dedicated an entire post to the ridiculousness of that incident. We just notorious for this kind of thing I guess! Makes for a funny story later though.

I too am none to fond of Splash myself as I am a larger person and I sat in the front on our 2010 trip AND it had been raining all day......well, you can imagine the rest! I always now have a spair pare of walking shoes just in case. We did do splash again just recently in October, and much to my surprise, we didn't get wet at all......go figure! We even got the photo!!!

As always loved the update!

Ok, I am going to find your WDW trip reports too! That should keep me satisfied until your next DL update!!!

Haha well I really do adore WDW's version of Splash Mountain! I much prefer sitting next to Matt vs. behind him, and it helps the log be less of a narrow torpedo and I think re-distributes the weight a bit better so the drops are not NEARLY as awful.

The other thing is WDW's version is a bit longer and has more scenes that make the story on the ride make more sense. I felt like DL's was missing too many scenes and it just didn't make as much sense. On the other hand, my judgment on that might be off because I wasn't paying as much attention as I normally do, hahaha.

Hope you enjoy my WDW TR!!

When we did Splash...we had to go back to the room to change too. I was SOAKED!

Hahaha, I'm glad we're not the only ones! I just couldn't believe how wet we were. I guess because I'd never gotten that soaked on Splash in Disney World, I thought it'd be the same in Disneyland! NOPE! Not even close.

WOW you guys got soaked!!! Tsunami Mountain sounds like a much more appropriate name, I agree!

Hahaha yes, we really did. It should be Tsunami Mountain, or Torpedo Mountain maybe, because the speed you get on those logs is intense!

That happened to me on our trip to WDW last year when I sat in the front seat on Splash! I got completely drenched, and it was all from that first little drop when the water sloshed up onto the rocks and slammed back down on me. I have NEVER gotten that wet on Splash before or since!! I don't mind getting a little wet, but being drenched to your undies is just not fun. I don't think you missed much by not paying full attention to the DL version...it is weird and creepy compared to WDW's in my opinion.

Oh man, really?! I'm kind of surprised because we rode Splash in WDW 10 times last trip and not once did I ever get soaked like this. I think it had to do with the fact that in January they tend to drop the water a bit, so maybe I was just expecting the same for DL... But yeah, getting that wet is just not fun at all, unless you have clothes to change into!

I'm glad you noticed that, too! I thought maybe because I wasn't really paying a ton of attention that I was just missing scenes and thought the story made no sense... but nope, it really was just a creepy trip in that mountain.

My son and I got drenched in the front on Splash in August too. I like the Splash at WDW much better...its longer plus you don't get so wet. Maybe some mist or spinkles but nothing like the waves over the side at DL.

Okay, glad you totally know what I'm talking about! And yes, Splash in WDW is a lot better, I have to say. Like you said, it's longer and actually makes a bit more sense! And no massive tsunami waves hitting you like that one. I mean, I think we got a mini wave a few times during our last trip in WDW, that hit part of my right side, but nothing to the degree of what we were hit by in DL!

I agree with the others--you guys are "cursed" when it comes to Splash! LOL maybe it's good that you won't have the temptation to experience it again in January!

On another note, how do you wear tennis shoes all day in the parks? My feet can't breathe in them all day! When you go to WDW, do you wear tennis shoes the entire time?

Hahaha, we really just had bad luck with it a few times! Though to be fair we rode it 10 times during our WDW trip last January, so I guess 8/10 times of having a mostly successful ride isn't too bad!

I really do love it in WDW so I'm still pretty sad about it being down in January, curse and all. That shows you my true dedication and love for that ride though!

Ya know, I've never had any issues with wearing sneakers all day! I like them because they provide the support my ankles need and tend to give me less blisters. I mean, I still get a LOT of blisters... if I could get away with wearing just sandals I would but I know my feet would start to hurt after awhile. What do you usually wear in the parks?

My biggest thing is needing something that will keep me going on those longer days in the parks.

I am enjoying your TR!

I have to say you have me nervous about SM at DL! I hate getting wet and it wasn't until after several WDW trips that I finally caved and risked the wet factor. I am thinking this will have to be our end of the night ride (what we usually do at WDW...just in case).

Awesome, so glad you're enjoying it!!

Haha, I'm sorry I just made you nervous about Splash in DL! I would suggest it's definitely a ride to do at the end of the night! Who knows, maybe you won't get soaked like we did. I think the real culprit was just having both of us in the front and when we hit the water in that first drop, the wave was just ridiculous coming off the rock.

Either that or go into the park with an extra set of clothes.

Yikes. That's basically all I can say. Yeah, being soaked down to your undies just isn't ideal. That is what happened to me on Kali River Rapids! Hopefully yall will be able to laugh about it someday... maybe you can ride in the back? I just hate to read negative feelings about Splash Mountain.

I have to ask because I have no idea. What's with the dinos on the train? I'm actually clueless as to what that's about hah.

Haha, I know! I actually thought of you when you rode Kali. And see, I think it's totally fine if you go into it prepared with clothing to change into and ya know, the weather being super hot. But I just had no idea we were going to get Kali River Rapids-level of soaked, since in WDW we never got that wet on Splash Mountain while we were there!

I'm most definitely laughing at it, I was that night! Matt, maybe not as much, but he's getting there.

You know how much I adore Splash Mountain, but between the ridiculous amounts of water we were hit by, and also the fact that it is not as long as WDW's Splash (and it's missing scenes so it makes it kind of creepy/scary/not make much sense)... it just wasn't as fun as what we were used to. That and I think I enjoy having someone next to me in the log.

The dinosaurs! So in Disneyland, you actually sit on the train on benches facing towards the park at all times (vs. in Disney World facing forward).. The cool thing is, they have these huge "dioramas" that you go through and they're these crazy scenes with dinosaurs! I believe they are actually taken from one of Walt Disney's 1964 New York World's Fair attraction. Kind of random but also really neat to see because they've been there for so long, you know?

 

[luulu1999]

My son just asked me yesterday if there were going to be dinosaurs at disneyland and after reading your trip report I said yep there sure will be lol

 

[MissPrice]

Oh Man, I'm sorry your Splash experience was so traumatic I saw the pictures on Instagram but had no idea you got sooo wet! The drop does looks a bit more dramatic than the one in Disney World.

Those Dino-dioramas are so cool. SO does the train go through a tunnel or something to get to them??

Looking forward to the next update -Amanda