A Naive Aussie's TR - Completed!

Continued...

Next up, we got lost in Alice’s Curious Labyrinth. This was a lot of fun, but it was a bit crowded – we didn’t even bother to go up in the queen’s castle because it was too hard to get up there through the crowd. I liked how it exited into the teacups area too, it was great theming!

188816_10151483690447272_1742020851_n.jpg


556670_10151483690442272_175687597_n.jpg


500_10151483690397272_341215318_n.jpg


575974_10151483690507272_503031021_n.jpg


157050_10151483690552272_1218564676_n.jpg


417659_10151483690677272_1724779407_n.jpg


577767_10151483690652272_871477958_n.jpg


For a comparison, these are some of the areas I took photos of the previous day when they were covered in snow.

75090_10151483690737272_334835428_n.jpg


549919_10151483690787272_60053718_n.jpg


We thought the line for IASW looked a little long, so we made our way around the side of Fantasyland, and came out at the castle and AP office. We passed Pizzeria Bella Notte, another restaurant which was closed while we were there.

544537_10151483690882272_1470492848_n.jpg


I really liked the Discoveryland theming with the shards of rock.

580637_10151483690892272_374432841_n.jpg


By the time we entered Discoveryland, it was nearly at the time where we could get another fastpass, and we planned to get one for Buzz. We thought about riding Space Mountain again, but the wait time was 20 minutes and we had to use our BTM fastpasses in the next half an hour. Instead we just took in the surroundings and I took a couple of photos.

542778_10151483690977272_914099540_n.jpg


556928_10151483690992272_554480632_n.jpg


487724_10151483691042272_54661053_n.jpg


Once we had our Buzz fastpasses, we hightailed it back to Frontierland for BTM. I made time for another photo of the beautiful castle on the way through.

734013_10151483691112272_195970561_n.jpg


Dad enjoyed his first taste of fastpass. He got a bit of a kick out of passing everyone in the regular line. They even had a mine train going just for fastpass passengers! He thought the ride was fun, but he wouldn’t bother going to too much trouble to ride it again – it didn’t have enough thrill factor for him. I have to admit it was a bit tame after Space Mountain, but I do enjoy the theming of BTM.

544277_10151483691202272_1209127516_n.jpg


556928_10151483691267272_2140297946_n.jpg


577181_10151483691347272_1220950224_n.jpg


734326_10151483691397272_1063609094_n.jpg


After BTM we were at a bit of a loose end, so I suggested we see if the dragon was available today. Turns out she was, and we entered her lair just as she was waking up!

559801_10151483691382272_245282599_n.jpg


We got a bit lost in there as it was so dark, and I wasn’t expecting there to be so many paths! We eventually found our way out, and ended up at the back of the castle. I thought then it might be fun to do Space Mountain again, and thought we’d go the back way through Fantasyland to Discoveryland.

576192_10151483691437272_1675661008_n.jpg


It turned out that they’d blocked off direct access from Fantasyland to Discoveryland, perhaps for parade preparations? Anyway, we were forced to go via the castle again. While we were passing, we thought this area (where I got the photo from) might be good to come back to and watch the parade.

598725_10151483691632272_30538022_n.jpg


We continued on to Discoveryland, and organised to meeting time and place for Mum, then went off to Space Mountain. It was just as much fun the second time around!

426422_10151483691592272_491621678_n.jpg


On the way back to meet Mum I took another couple of photos around the area.

297308_10151483691617272_1111949138_n.jpg


544633_10151483691687272_1994621211_n.jpg


Continued in next post...
 
Continued...

We met Mum and made our way back to our parade spot. There was still about half an hour until the parade, so I suggested it might be nice to go and get some hot beverages to have while we waited. Dad volunteered to mind the spot, so Mum and I went off to the ice-cream place which seemed to be the closest place to get hot beverages. Looking back, we should have just left when we saw the line, but we really didn’t think it would take that long to get through. 20 minutes later we were looking at our watches wondering if we should just ditch the coffees and get back to the spot, but we decided to wait it out, and ended up getting waffles too. When we finally emerged, it was a lot more crowded than when we’d gone in, and we rushed back to Dad. He told us off for taking so long and making him keep our spot. There was no time to have our coffees or waffles before the parade, so we had to hold them. In the meantime, there was a little kid who Dad let in front of us, and even held up so she could see over the fence when the parade came – he’s getting soft! Two other little kids squeezed themselves in rudely and knocked over Dad’s coffee. Their parents didn’t say a thing.

31918_10151483693622272_1572960200_n.jpg


5566_10151483693567272_1146016244_n.jpg


602077_10151483693562272_238220073_n.jpg


487759_10151483693732272_509650296_n.jpg


544247_10151483693782272_1518458271_n.jpg


487495_10151483693807272_1838458413_n.jpg


6577_10151483693867272_1799381045_n.jpg


1715_10151483693947272_1645196827_n.jpg


157029_10151483693992272_1248827473_n.jpg


556734_10151483694062272_170123334_n.jpg


581796_10151483694107272_583924658_n.jpg


734332_10151483694242272_259110751_n.jpg


481276_10151483694197272_1086095535_n.jpg


577308_10151483694282272_2036760426_n.jpg


75089_10151483694422272_847524432_n.jpg


576125_10151483694517272_1303866921_n.jpg


482784_10151483694492272_1968432013_n.jpg


426500_10151483694537272_1972005660_n.jpg


544547_10151483694617272_2043575879_n.jpg


487731_10151483694737272_958228408_n.jpg


734172_10151483694777272_1766472225_n.jpg


733785_10151483694862272_1022534946_n.jpg


556833_10151483694877272_46019381_n.jpg


Continued in next post...
 
Continued...

When the parade finished, it was almost time for our Buzz fastpass return, so we made our way back to Discoveryland. We had a look at one of the shops to fill in a few minutes.

580729_10151483698587272_422931585_n.jpg


480116_10151483698552272_1290716444_n.jpg


It was finally time for our fastpass return, so we went to join the line for Buzz. Mum was getting nervous, but I told her it was no worse than Phantom Manor, plus you get to shoot things! She enjoyed it in the end.

304309_10151483698562272_1021866711_n.jpg


578425_10151483700112272_318345247_n.jpg


581930_10151483700162272_310728377_n.jpg


While we were still in Discoveryland, we thought we may as well explore the Nautilus. As we entered, Mum freaked out and asked what this ride was like – we’d forgotten to explain to her that it was just a walk-through. The CM explained it to her and we continued on our way.

254406_10151483700137272_1934898635_n.jpg


188960_10151483700457272_2122273175_n.jpg


65500_10151483700352272_1773822814_n.jpg


188991_10151483700482272_712267352_n.jpg


576062_10151483700692272_935034024_n.jpg


208704_10151483700807272_958807206_n.jpg


487734_10151483700857272_824308804_n.jpg


Dad and I decided that we wanted to do Star Tours next, so we organised a meeting place and time with Mum again and set off. The wait time was 20 minutes, but they were looking for a group of 2 to fill a ship, so it was probably only 15 minutes in the end. This was the ride that made me feel the most sick for the whole week – I don’t do very well with simulators! It was fun though.

254589_10151483700902272_302016975_n.jpg


444_10151483700922272_1458350161_n.jpg


Since we hadn’t taken as long as we thought we would, Dad wanted to take the opportunity to get a coffee. I wanted to take some night time photos of the park, so we split up too, and would all meet when we it was time to meet up with Mum. I only had about 15 minutes, so just stuck with Discoveryland and Main Street.

486103_10151483701012272_486553092_n.jpg


417519_10151483701137272_1960282595_n.jpg


625577_10151483701182272_386946437_n.jpg


599041_10151483701187272_1905004274_n.jpg


602087_10151483701252272_1061097015_n.jpg


Continued in next post...
 
We all met as planned, and staked out a good spot for Dreams. We stood right behind one of the garden beds in the hub. It was a great spot as we were far away enough to get the full effect of the show, but no one could stand right in front of us. The people on the other side of the garden bed were far enough away not to bother us. However, we did wait for an hour to get this spot, and had all just about frozen solid by the time the show started lol! We all agreed that it was worth it though, Dreams is spectacular!

166773_10151483715482272_1864503202_n.jpg


486416_10151483715562272_1077473265_n.jpg


71988_10151483715492272_814905642_n.jpg


384001_10151483715712272_655795347_n.jpg


599037_10151483715682272_57930001_n.jpg


578632_10151483715662272_1211795484_n.jpg


417466_10151483715777272_1315866164_n.jpg


432_10151483715747272_746142699_n.jpg


487717_10151483715852272_885607301_n.jpg


576555_10151483715867272_1060292732_n.jpg


389778_10151483715997272_638861321_n.jpg


601970_10151483715972272_1633557319_n.jpg


467_10151483715952272_1483469017_n.jpg


67381_10151483716072272_2095917819_n.jpg


734352_10151483716152272_658433587_n.jpg


487815_10151483716127272_725075019_n.jpg


64749_10151483716187272_594653019_n.jpg


6547_10151483716222272_2013828515_n.jpg


311103_10151483716252272_1455765727_n.jpg


5391_10151483716317272_773462172_n.jpg


66664_10151483716382272_734506878_n.jpg


544346_10151483716427272_494959224_n.jpg


384082_10151483716452272_99026725_n.jpg


5789_10151483716487272_1217648456_n.jpg


71916_10151483716527272_584184720_n.jpg


After Dreams finished, we filed out with what seemed like most of France lol! And made our way to the bus stop. Turned out we needn’t have rushed, because the first bus back wasn’t until 9pm. We had to wait at the bus stop for about 20 minutes! But eventually it arrived and we all managed to fit on board. Most people got out at the Adagio apartments stop, so the last part of the journey was comfortable.

We went straight to our little Italian restaurant in the shopping centre for some dinner, knowing that as soon as we got to our room we’d collapse into heaps and not feel like going out again. Then we finally made it back to our room, and did collapse into heaps, knowing that we were planning to get to the park early the next day.

If you've stuck with me, congratulations! I applaud your patience and/or enthusiasm for DLP!
 


Another great update thanks! :cool1: Gosh some of the ride queues seemed long. I'm a total novice when it comes to DLP so why did you get annual passes? Are you planning to go back within a year? :confused3
 
Another great update thanks! :cool1: Gosh some of the ride queues seemed long. I'm a total novice when it comes to DLP so why did you get annual passes? Are you planning to go back within a year? :confused3

I wish :lmao:

The APs we got (we weren't there on any block-out days, so we could get the cheaper ones) actually worked out cheaper than 3 day tickets. Since we were there for 5 days - it was a no-brainer! Especially taking into the account the food and merchandise discounts, and perks like EMH.

I was very surprised by the crowds and wait times, as I had been under the impression that it was a quiet time of year to go, so not sure what happened there :confused3 It kind of threw me to be honest :scared1:
 
DLP

We were up relatively early this morning, to take advantage of what we could of EMH. The weather forecast described it as ‘dreary’, and we supposed that meant grey and cold with a fine mist in the air which made it damp. The first shuttle bus didn’t leave until 8:45am, and Dad had something against the idea of catching the train, even though one of the reasons I chose the hotel was because it was so close to the train station! Anyway, I’d heard that the park was practically deserted during EMH, so I thought we’d still get some benefit from turning up after it had started. We didn’t even have breakfast this morning, basically just got up and dressed and went down to the bus stop.

There was a bit of a crowd heading towards the park, and to me it seemed like basically everyone had access to EMH! I felt the same way in the US too. There was no line at the turnstiles, and we were in by about 9am. I headed straight for Peter Pan, hoping there was a reasonable line. The wait time there was 40 minutes. So then we checked out IASW – wasn’t operating. Next we tried Buzz, and that was 45 minutes. So we decided to go back to Peter Pan and just wait it out. Feeling a bit deflated that we hadn’t really achieved anything by getting in early, we joined the end of the line, which had probably increased by another 5 minutes by the time we got back.

I have always refused to wait more than half an hour for anything (and that goes for parades and shows as well), so this visit was a bit of an eye-opener. Unfortunately the fastpass machines for Peter Pan weren’t operational while we were there, so there wasn’t much choice but to just wait it out. Turned out that the time passed fairly quickly, and soon we were getting into our ship. Mum thought it was great!

374428_10151484268462272_353971411_n.jpg


486117_10151484268442272_966605654_n.jpg


576565_10151484268452272_1175546486_n.jpg


484350_10151484268562272_2097606834_n.jpg


The next part of the plan was to get to the Studios for opening and beat the line for Crush’s Coaster. By that time we were running late for that too, so we didn’t rush so much. I took the opportunity to check out the castle from the back. I liked how it had a Merlin-esque section (the brown wooden bit and the Archimedes statues).

188826_10151484268522272_1439702072_n.jpg


483692_10151484268622272_2065113506_n.jpg


This was the only time on the whole trip I saw any Main Street vehicles. Mum and I were pleased to see that the horse had a quarter sheet on to keep him warm. We thought he was very cute!

734464_10151484268642272_1244796266_n.jpg


We had decided that we might try to get to Walt’s for lunch today, so I thought we’d better drop by on our way out and make a booking. They had one spot left at 2pm, so we pounced on that one! We also stopped by DLH on the way out to enquire about their afternoon teas. We were told that they don’t do them anymore, but we were welcome to come and have afternoon tea at the café anytime. It was nice to see the inside of the hotel anyway.

578500_10151484268687272_657980206_n.jpg


537640_10151484268757272_281094846_n.jpg


482848_10151484268742272_245065663_n.jpg


So next it was off to the Studios. There was no line at the turnstiles, and after we struggled through Studio 1 (which is really an inefficient design for dealing with crowds!) we headed straight for Crush’s Coaster. Unfortunately it looked like we’d well and truly missed our opportunity as the wait time was already up to 85 minutes. Dad said if I wanted to do it, then we may as well do it anyway since it probably wouldn’t be any better the rest of the time we were there. We decided to go and have some breakfast first though, since we figured it wouldn’t get any worse.

We headed back to Studio 1 and got croissants and hot beverages all round!

74417_10151484268777272_1143790138_n.jpg


When we’d finished we organised a meeting time and place with Mum again, and Dad and I prepared ourselves for the long wait ahead. We thought we may as well pick up some fastpasses that would just about be ready to use by the time we were done, so visited TOT on the way through.

When we got back to Crush’s Coaster, the line had actually died down a little bit, so we were pleased we’d decided to have breakfast first. The queue was long and pretty boring. I could really tell that this was a budget park. And we wondered if they’d ever considered putting in some outdoor heating for the guests lining up lol! I had some guy behind me who had NO regard for personal space at all and kept running into me with his backpack. Fortunately though, once we got inside the line went very quickly as they were only letting in so many people at once.

313406_10151484268847272_1395757273_n.jpg


575990_10151484268867272_410206115_n.jpg


480104_10151484268882272_1683234908_n.jpg


482247_10151484269002272_649905196_n.jpg


482243_10151484269177272_1460168569_n.jpg


555051_10151484269152272_952661110_n.jpg


734263_10151484269197272_932781468_n.jpg


418917_10151484269342272_2042369160_n.jpg


313410_10151484269312272_36054897_n.jpg


We both decided that it was worth it in the end. The ride was great fun, and we both got a real surprise when the rollercoaster part started! It’s so hard to describe, we hadn’t really been able to figure out exactly what we were up for. It also helped that the wait time was actually under an hour, as opposed to the 85 minutes it had specified. We ran into Mum at the exit, who had done some shopping then come over to see if she could see us on the ride. Turns out she had, but we were too busy talking to notice here lol!

We decided that we had time for more hot beverages before using our TOT fastpasses, and headed to the nearest coffee van.

482720_10151484269332272_658870590_n.jpg


254913_10151484269442272_459789815_n.jpg


72318_10151484269457272_2112804635_n.jpg


We found some tables and chairs to use, and Mum opened the lolly stash she’d just bought. We ended up having some chewy lollies and chocolate coins to accompany our beverages.

Continued in next post...
 


Continued...

Then Dad and I headed to the tall ominous building. Mum just waited for us this time since we had fastpasses. We practically walked straight into the pre-show. This is a ride that absolutely terrifies me. To be honest, I’m not sure why I even put myself through going on it lol! But I can’t deny that it is fun in a very thrilling kind of way. As usual, I let out some very genuine screams, and held on for dear life! Dad enjoyed it, especially the way the CMs all got into character.

60430_10151484269492272_1789064419_n.jpg


164426_10151484269522272_282130158_n.jpg


Turns out Mum had decided to take a look in the shop while we were riding, so we saw her when we exited. We laughed at our photo, in which my eyes were firmly closed, then did a bit of shopping ourselves. Mum and Dad both bought scarves, and I bought a TNBC plush mini top hat for my friend. She loves both TNBC and mini top hats, so I thought I couldn’t go too wrong there, plus they were on special! I took a few more pics on the way out, and managed to stop shaking long enough to not make them blurry.

75076_10151484269607272_188418545_n.jpg


417675_10151484269612272_859160113_n.jpg


406383_10151484269642272_675625077_n.jpg


We wandered over to Rock N Roller Coaster with the idea of lining up if it wasn’t too long a wait, or perhaps getting fastpasses. As would be the theme for the trip, it was down with a technical error. We had about an hour until our lunch, so we thought we would just wander leisurely back to Disneyland and stop at what we liked on the way through. We looked at some more shops on the way out (I swear I hate shopping when it’s not Disney lol!), and I took some photos.

62394_10151484269722272_508391946_n.jpg


580452_10151484269727272_1540158883_n.jpg


601641_10151484269767272_1849448622_n.jpg


I couldn’t help stopping for a photo of this hippo ballerina on the way back through to Disneyland – so cute!

580503_10151484269892272_839156713_n.jpg


We still had time, so we went to have another close up look at the castle.

75076_10151484269802272_1851556102_n.jpg


Just as we were making our way back to Walt’s for our reservation, we saw the 20th anniversary character train coming. We waited outside until it had passed to wave and take photos.

208787_10151484269857272_1480126590_n.jpg


5474_10151484269867272_194579612_n.jpg


555009_10151484269977272_776378490_n.jpg


544238_10151484269962272_819394898_n.jpg


Then we went inside to check in. We were taken straight upstairs and seated next to a window overlooking the little laneway off Main Street. We all loved the atmosphere.

1745_10151484270002272_716431346_n.jpg


662_10151484270067272_1814183372_n.jpg


254471_10151484270097272_1599515812_n.jpg


I convinced Mum that we both needed to get light-up cocktails. Apparently it’s not as big in Europe as it is in the US. We ordered the drinks and they came with no light. When I mentioned it to the CM, she said she would bring the lights out later! She brought them out then and just gave them to us. When we put them in our cocktails she looked at us like we’d just grown 3 extra heads each lol!

544241_10151484272157272_1384959744_n.jpg


Mum and I both ordered the spice crusted fish for mains. It came on a bed of baby spinach leaves with maple glazed veggies. Those veggies sure were sweet! But the fish was very nice. Dad ordered a steak which he said was very nice as well.

31928_10151484271932272_359057443_n.jpg


The CM had wanted to take our order for desserts when she took our order for mains. We were a bit surprised and hadn’t really decided yet. Usually we wait to see if we have room after mains! But we bit the bullet and ordered dessert platters. Turns out I could fit it in (even though I probably didn’t need to…) and it was all very yummy!

486504_10151484272142272_1220014521_n.jpg


Our plan had been to head back to the hotel after lunch and hit the shops across the road. Mum was just dying to have a proper look! So once we’d finished our lovely lunches and desserts, we said goodbye to Disneyland for the day and headed back out towards the bus stop.

Mum got distracted on the way by the World of Disney store.

577871_10151484272332272_1750833549_n.jpg


537757_10151484272582272_270870676_n.jpg


580646_10151484272637272_1413970063_n.jpg


384142_10151484272592272_744304398_n.jpg


We really had to go then to get the next bus, so she said she would make it her mission to come back one day before we left and have a proper look.

When we got back to the hotel, I went and dropped our bags off up at the room while Mum and Dad went across to the train station to try and organise their tickets for their next destination. Turns out they didn’t have much luck there and would have to try at the DLP train station.

Once we all met up again we headed across the road to the shops. I was on the lookout for a pair of boots and some gloves, and didn’t really find what I was looking for. I did end up buying a pair of gloves at the sports store though, which took longer than any line at Disneyland lol! We found the outlet centre, which unfortunately was still pretty much out of our price range. Dad bailed at this stage and went back to the hotel for a Guiness.

522510_10151484272657272_386547739_n.jpg


Mum did eventually find a coat which was sufficiently marked down to actually be on the expensive side of normal pricing. She had been pretty set on getting a coat, so she bit the bullet and got that one. Not sure how much use she’ll get out of it in Perth, but she might be able to bring it to Melbourne when she visits me!

On the way back to the hotel we picked up a tray of macaroons, and some wine from the supermarket. We met Dad in the room and, since none of us was particularly hungry after our big lunch, we just snacked on chocolate, lollies, chips and macaroons for dinner.
 
Fantastic updates. I love the dragon in the castle and there are lots of areas at DLP that are different.

Someday.....I need to make a trip to the Continent again.

Thanks for sharing.
 
Fantastic updates. I love the dragon in the castle and there are lots of areas at DLP that are different.

Someday.....I need to make a trip to the Continent again.

Thanks for sharing.

Yes you do ::yes::

DLP was quite different, interesting and beautiful. Especially in the now :rotfl:

Great updates. Love your snow white photos of DLP. What time did it get dark?

Thanks Minniemum :goodvibes I was actually surprised by how late it stayed light. It seemed to start getting dark early, but the sun took a long time to actually disappear. It didn't get really dark until around 6:30pm.
 
DLP

We had decided that today would be the day we’d go and see some of the shows. Dad was especially keen on the car stunt show. We didn’t bother to get up at a specific time, just at our leisure, and got ready. We went across to Paul’s at the shopping centre for breakfast. The weather was grey and dreary again.

When we got to DLP, Mum and Dad needed to visit the train station first to organise their further travels. They went from one desk to another and finally ended up with the tickets they needed, so we continued on to the Studios.

I had planned a bit of a show schedule over breakfast, starting off with a showing of Cinemagique at about 11:30am. Having had a bit of a hold-up at the train station, we only just made it, and got seats on the side but in the middle rows. There was nothing wrong with the view from there. We all thought the show was great and very clever.

3529_10151487437912272_1785042191_n.jpg


After that we had a bit of a break in the schedule until the parade, and we had a choice of Rock N Roller Coaster or Armageddon to fill in the time. Although Dad and I would have loved to go on RNR, we chose Armageddon because it was something Mum could do too, and picked up fastpasses for RNR. We would later regret this decision lol! It seemed a bit disorganised and we weren’t quite sure what we were supposed to be doing or what it was really supposed to be. Still, it was nice to do something as a family.

392922_10151487437937272_956598426_n.jpg


544114_10151487437902272_2046234614_n.jpg


734610_10151487438037272_1533747017_n.jpg


When we came out of Armageddon, the plan was to watch the parade from that area, and then head into the car stunt show for the 2:15pm session. I took a photo of Rock N Roller Coaster while we were waiting for the parade.

487791_10151487438077272_1652208569_n.jpg


The parade came from the other direction to what we expected. At first we thought it was running late! But then we heard a few sounds coming from the other direction. We got front row positions about 15 minutes before the parade started.

205238_10151487438102272_1259469487_n.jpg


156064_10151487438127272_1161787352_n.jpg


599041_10151487438182272_700974343_n.jpg


576017_10151487438172272_503888512_n.jpg


600328_10151487438242272_713427757_n.jpg


542712_10151487438297272_1020034028_n.jpg


480625_10151487438422272_1329537325_n.jpg


72393_10151487438452272_1518298608_n.jpg


480495_10151487438442272_785036060_n.jpg


530544_10151487438687272_1106769099_n.jpg


72714_10151487438702272_2053818416_n.jpg


482737_10151487438737272_23730761_n.jpg


487542_10151487438797272_1864220650_n.jpg


Continued in next post...
 
Continued...

After the parade finished we (and what seemed like a few hundred other people with the same idea as us) moved swiftly towards the stunt show. We got seats towards the side but in the middle rows again. Being in the middle would have been better for this show, but the view wasn’t too bad from where we were sitting. Dad saw that the show went for 45 minutes, and I wondered if that would be too long to watch a bunch of cars driving around, but it went quite quickly in the end (although there did seem to be a lot of unnecessary chatter). I quickly realised that I would have to set my camera to sports mode! Still, the show was unpredictable and I didn’t manage to get many decent photos. Here’s a selection of them anyway.

First of all a lone motorcyclist came out to entertain us with some tricks.

393614_10151487440487272_1076082994_n.jpg


625524_10151487440467272_1720579019_n.jpg


374503_10151487440512272_1212950715_n.jpg


67009_10151487440542272_2418217_n.jpg


Then the cars came out to perform a bit of a chase scene.

8882_10151487440552272_1413110324_n.jpg


487854_10151487440607272_1945751800_n.jpg


480550_10151487440672272_1205040532_n.jpg


74452_10151487440657272_685798986_n.jpg


188987_10151487440762272_1463524063_n.jpg


After that there was a bit of a cameo appearance from Lightning McQueen and Mater.

544352_10151487440742272_1571474955_n.jpg


602206_10151487440747272_1168712637_n.jpg


Then some more car stunts.

295516_10151487440882272_996246790_n.jpg


599082_10151487440852272_672735215_n.jpg


Followed by another chase involving cars and motorbikes.

374503_10151487440842272_2000251187_n.jpg


426568_10151487440962272_243410915_n.jpg


555042_10151487440987272_363102186_n.jpg


599182_10151487440997272_1797851020_n.jpg


Then there was the audience participation (with the lady who had been picked out at the beginning of the show). I won’t give too much away here.

After that was the grand finale where they showed a film clip featuring some edited scenes that we’d just seen, all put together as part of a movie, finished with a surprise action scene at the end.

295509_10151487441062272_1374698501_n.jpg


486089_10151487441142272_1902106901_n.jpg


As I mentioned earlier, the 45 minutes went very quickly – I had no idea that was the end already and was not prepared with my camera lol! It had been an entertaining and informative show.

We all filed out towards the exit. The exit was behind the sets used for the show, which I thought was a bit cool. The entry had also featured what appeared to be a working garage where they were fixing some of the vehicles used in the show.

526710_10151487441097272_484124753_n.jpg


269378_10151487441137272_1710211076_n.jpg


According to my schedule, we would have time for a quick lunch, use our RNR fastpasses, then make it to the next showing of Animagique. That theory quickly went by the wayside when it took us 20 minutes to order food at Studio 1. It seemed to be the only CS place open in the Studios, and was very busy! We decided then that we would aim for a later showing of Animagique, which would give us plenty of time to do RNR.

Dad got a chicken burger for lunch, which he enjoyed. Mum and I shared some chicken nuggets and fries, which were actually very nice! We’d also bought a double Mickey cake and a brownie to share for dessert. Mum and I didn’t really like the light Mickey cake, but enjoyed the chocolate one. I was too full to have any brownie. We sat in the upstairs section which had a bit more room.

481278_10151487443777272_610421701_n.jpg


When we were finished, we arranged to meet Mum out the front of Animagique in time for the show, then Dad and I made our way to RNR. Unfortunately it was down with a technical problem again. We decided to take the opportunity to wander around the rest of the park.

Over near Crush’s Coaster I saw Goofy, and thought I would take advantage of the very short line. Dad rolled his eyes and reluctantly agreed to take photos.

582014_10151487443857272_1903016403_n.jpg


He was happy to pose with Luigi and Guido though.

72316_10151487443812272_1902680964_n.jpg


Continued in next post...
 
Continued...

We checked out Toy Story Land, which I liked a lot better than its HK counterpart. It seemed more orderly and well themed. I especially liked the stringed lights at the entrance.

45736_10151487443972272_91084461_n.jpg


484792_10151487443917272_1435730450_n.jpg


531752_10151487443957272_523291271_n.jpg


72734_10151487444147272_532196866_n.jpg


303126_10151487444137272_1773140557_n.jpg


When we were finished in Toy Story Land we walked back past the TOT. The gardens even looked ominous in winter with all the bare branches.

64154_10151487444172272_491469424_n.jpg


488083_10151487444252272_65745881_n.jpg


By then it was time to make our way around to Animagique, taking our time to take in all the details and of course, take some photos.

65495_10151487444572272_1572071838_n.jpg


374482_10151487444562272_1936953967_n.jpg


74398_10151487444532272_1100570675_n.jpg


We found Mum in front of the building as planned. She had taken the opportunity to do some more shopping. We were about 10 minutes early, but we decided we may as well go in and sit down in the warm. Next time I will remember that the Animagique song plays over and over again, punctuated with annoying noises, and maybe wait outside until the last minute lol! On the plus side, we got excellent seats right in the middle.

522532_10151487444742272_500937663_n.jpg


381188_10151487444627272_1961873897_n.jpg


The show was cute and happy. Everyone was bopping and clapping along to the songs. I was constantly expecting villains to take over at some point and for Mickey to have to rescue Donald, but it was just kept as a very light-hearted show with just song and dance numbers. We all enjoyed it anyway, even Dad, who had spent the first week of the trip telling me that he wasn’t keen on spending all our time watching people in costumes dance around. I did try to tell him that Disney put on a good show – think he believes me now.

That was really it for the shows, and we decided to spend some time checking out Disney Village, since Mum had been so desperate to go shopping there. On our way out we got some photos of the park entry.

269218_10151487444752272_796928541_n.jpg


166775_10151487444767272_2055927488_n.jpg


We decided to wander to the end of Disney Village and see what was there first, and do the shopping on the way back.

481340_10151487447217272_1342782516_n.jpg


483658_10151487447257272_221811411_n.jpg


734611_10151487447232272_1883897291_n.jpg


When we got to the end, we could see the hotels when we got to the end. Dad and I had talked about doing the ice-skating at the Hotel NY, so we decided to check it out while we were so close. When we got there though, we realised it wasn’t actually ice which was a bit disappointing. We can go roller-blading any time, so we decided not to bother with that one.

577165_10151487447377272_1283015800_n.jpg


555078_10151487447407272_591352934_n.jpg


Next stop, shopping! The first place we came to was a toy store, so we didn’t bother going in there. Next up was a clothes shop, so we raced in and started looking around. These were more dressy clothes than just t-shirts and stuff, and Mum and I both found a good variety of items to try on. The changing room was massive and Mum and I both fit easily, with plenty of room for manoeuvring! I tried on a few tops I liked, and thought I might get a couple. In the end though I went with a jacket which was quite expensive and a bit of a splurge, so I only allowed myself one top. Mum bought a couple of things too.

481074_10151487447432272_283176142_n.jpg


Before we went any further, Dad wondered what we were going to do for dinner. We were aiming to catch the bus back to the hotel before Disneyland closed, so he suggested it might be good to do dinner first, and then continue to shop until it was time to go. We didn’t feel like anything too big and meaty, like steaks or anything, so we ended up trying the Rainforest Café.

I haven’t been to one in the US before (although I had wanted to try it). I assume they all have a similar décor. This one had a big aquarium at the entrance.

393759_10151487447477272_1777502085_n.jpg


45209_10151487447497272_742433289_n.jpg


We were seated in a section off to the side, under what appeared to be a giant mushroom.

486581_10151487447567272_466981927_n.jpg


578024_10151487447522272_1328061094_n.jpg


733791_10151487447602272_1798229726_n.jpg


Mum and I weren’t that hungry, so we had one of the shared appetizers as a main meal. It had garlic bread, chicken wings, sweet potato fries, quesadillas, and fried camembert. It was nice just to nibble on. Dad had the chilli con carne, which was quite a big serving, but tasty apparently. I had a cocktail with my meal which was yummy! We were able to fit desserts in. Dad had a crème brulee, and Mum and I went with meringues with raspberry sorbet. They were very yummy and nice and light. I described it like eating sugary air lol! Unfortunately I didn’t take any food porn, but we all really enjoyed the whole experience.

By the time we’d finished dinner, we didn’t have that much time before the bus we were planning to catch. We had about 10 minutes to wander into a shop, so I chose the collectables type store and managed not to drool on anything. I was pretty tempted to take half the shop home with me, if only I could fit it in my suitcase lol!

Then it was time to go. It was a pleasant bus ride, not being so crowded since Disneyland hadn’t closed yet. When we got off we went straight up to our room and had a nice early night.
 
Another great day. Seems like you caught most shows there. Was that the first time you were eating at Rainforest Cafe?
 
Did you get another chance to ride RnR during your stay?

No unfortunately that was it for us - it was out of action every other time we thought we might :rolleyes2

ETA - sorry got confused, I'm currently doing the prep for the next day's TR :lmao: Spoiler alert... Yes, we did finally get a chance to ride it the next morning :thumbsup2
 
Hi!
Subbing in! We just started talking about going to DLP maybe in 2015, so I started to cheeck out the boards over here. I reconized you from PIO's TR!

I'll be back to read more later!
 
DLP

We were hoping that we might see a patch of sun again before we left DLP. Alas, it was not meant to be, and we woke up to another grey and dreary morning. Being our last day, we just got up and went directly to DLP. We stopped at Starbucks at Disney Village on the way through for light breakfasts and coffees.

The plan for the day was to do attractions we’d missed and re-do our favourites, so after breakfast we headed straight to the Studios to see if Rock N Roller Coaster was actually working. We were in luck! Not only was it working, the wait time was only 15 minutes! So after making arrangements to meet up with Mum afterwards, we hastily joined the line and finally experienced RNR!

269317_10151488872492272_1844569678_n.jpg


301499_10151488872432272_1512132054_n.jpg


527566_10151488872622272_1870623789_n.jpg


While we were in the Studios, we also wanted to re-do Crush’s Coaster, so made our way over there next. The wait was about an hour this time, and we were entertained in the first part of the line by watching the magic carpets.

555089_10151488872532272_962039730_n.jpg


Soon enough we were spinning around in the darkness again and loving it!

We found Mum and said our goodbyes to Walt Disney Studios. Next up, Disneyland. On the way we came across these plaques in the ground with information about the other Disney parks. I thought it would be fitting to have a photo with the Hong Kong one since that was my next destination!

487892_10151488872647272_1814319166_n.jpg


In Disneyland, our first stop was Indiana Jones. On the way I took a couple of detail photos.

45424_10151488872617272_1256740143_n.jpg


542663_10151488872732272_2052679934_n.jpg


598958_10151488872802272_847727670_n.jpg


We were thrilled to see a wait time of only 15 minutes! Mum was happy to browse in the nearby shop while we did the ride, so we got in line. The line was very well themed, and I even found a hidden Mickey!

69876_10151488872847272_457898932_n.jpg


65523_10151488872862272_575029723_n.jpg


481291_10151488872947272_1164629705_n.jpg


60427_10151488872982272_2101020120_n.jpg


555117_10151488873022272_667952635_n.jpg


734100_10151488873137272_972467598_n.jpg


253796_10151488873172272_1148874664_n.jpg


The ride was fun, but I was glad we hadn’t bothered to line for 45 minutes for it the other day. You couldn’t really see the loop from the queue, and it was a nice surprise for Dad.

Next we decided to see whether the Molly Brown was up and running yet. On our way we noticed that the wait time for BTM was only 15 minutes! Dad wasn’t that keen on doing it again though. Unfortunately Molly Brown was still under the weather. Mum was disappointed. To help make up for the disappointment, I asked Mum if she would like to have another go on Phantom Manor. She was up for it and the wait time was only 5 minutes, so we were off. Dad wasn’t a fan, but he came on with us anyway.

576107_10151488873217272_579377847_n.jpg


734339_10151488873257272_202404049_n.jpg


65580_10151488873317272_1132544782_n.jpg


575229_10151488873367272_194833060_n.jpg


The next plan was to head off to Fantasyland and ride IASW. Along the way we checked out the lines for Peter Pan and Pinocchio, and decided to skip both.

Continued in next post...
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!











Top