2013 Dis Exclusive BackstageMagic Adventure 6/9 - 6/14/13

[Roryh22]

Safe travels, Rory! I envy your additional days off...

I did have to use up the rest of my vacation time but luckily the new yearly allowance starts in July

 

[disneykiwi]

Take care and have a good flight Rory.

Lisa, I could hear your laughter from here when I wrote the yanks lost!

we had magic morning at Disneyland park today, which was a total waste of time as the rides we wanted were down and the shops don't open until 8am

stayed most of the day, left at 4 as it was packed and very hot, really tired after long day so bed by 7pm, but typical as soon as lights go out I wide awake, but I don't dare disturb the grump today as she is disneyed out and sore feet, which for some reason I don't have that particular problem

now am getting silly so must sleep, we heading to the racers at carsland early tomorrow - what's the bet it's 101.

for those back at work - I'm sorry and hope u got thru the days ok.

 

[skier_pete]

Take care and have a good flight Rory.

Lisa, I could hear your laughter from here when I wrote the yanks lost!

we had magic morning at Disneyland park today, which was a total waste of time as the rides we wanted were down and the shops don't open until 8am

stayed most of the day, left at 4 as it was packed and very hot, really tired after long day so bed by 7pm, but typical as soon as lights go out I wide awake, but I don't dare disturb the grump today as she is disneyed out and sore feet, which for some reason I don't have that particular problem

now am getting silly so must sleep, we heading to the racers at carsland early tomorrow - what's the bet it's 101.

for those back at work - I'm sorry and hope u got thru the days ok.

Hard to believe you guys are still going at it!

Back to real life - but the pace doesn't seem to be any slower. Up at 6 AM and working around the house until 10 PM...Disney was a piece of cake compared to this.

Truth be told, while I had an awesome time with some wonderful people...I started to realize I miss Walt Disney World. Disneyland is nice and different, but Disney World feels to me like the one they got RIGHT. But, hey, less than 5 months until we go back.

 

[skier_pete]

Hey everyone...came across this new article about Peter Ellenshaw. I thought this relevant to those on our trip, and if you were there you will know why...

http://www.mouseplanet.com/10383/Celebrating_Disney_Legend_Peter_Ellenshaw

 

[Lee Disney]

Truth be told, while I had an awesome time with some wonderful people...I started to realize I miss Walt Disney World. Disneyland is nice and different, but Disney World feels to me like the one they got RIGHT. But, hey, less than 5 months until we go back.

Allthough I love my WDW, I'm thinking I liked DL a bit better. I'm not sure if it was because the parks were unfamiliar to me (only 2nd visit and the last one being 10 yrs ago), the coziness of it all or if it was history behind the parks. I can't wait to go back and even though John had a great time I'm thinking we Disney'd him out and it will take a long time before he's ready to go again. So I guess my next trip will be a girls trip. Whose in????

BTW Kevin, John ordered a corned beef sandwich at the farmers market and since I'm not a huge corned beef fan I said I'd just try a bite. Well...that bite ended up to be half the sandwich (John wasn't pleased LOL). It was so lean and tasty. Good suggestion! Thx! And thanks to Jeff to for hunting down the name of the corned beef place for us.

 

[ymxbfalcon]

we had magic morning at Disneyland park today, which was a total waste of time as the rides we wanted were down and the shops don't open until 8am

stayed most of the day, left at 4 as it was packed and very hot, really tired after long day so bed by 7pm, but typical as soon as lights go out I wide awake, but I don't dare disturb the grump today as she is disneyed out and sore feet, which for some reason I don't have that particular problem

now am getting silly so must sleep, we heading to the racers at carsland early tomorrow - what's the bet it's 101.

I'm rather jealous that the two of you are still there, Toni. Have lots of fun for the rest of us!

Truth be told, while I had an awesome time with some wonderful people...I started to realize I miss Walt Disney World. Disneyland is nice and different, but Disney World feels to me like the one they got RIGHT. But, hey, less than 5 months until we go back.

I know what you mean, Pete. It's been more than a year since I've been to Disney World and, unlike you, I have no current plans to return there. (I'm sure that won't last very long.) I think I said this in California, but I miss Epcot (and Animal Kingdom, for that matter).

 

[skier_pete]

Allthough I love my WDW, I'm thinking I liked DL a bit better. I'm not sure if it was because the parks were unfamiliar to me (only 2nd visit and the last one being 10 yrs ago), the coziness of it all or if it was history behind the parks.

See - coziness to me meant "crowded". I think we talked about it the last night we were at Trader Sam's, and while I noticed it last year when we went, it seemed worse this trip: both parks there feel the same to me. It's all kind of one big mush. And that's nice in a way because you can get around it all on foot, but Florida has 4 really distinct feeling parks. We had, what, 3.5 days @ DLR, and honestly I got to see and do everything I wanted to (again we had just been a year before). I go to Florida for 10 days, and I feel I didn't get to see anything.

I also was less than enamored with the Grand Californian. I loved the direct access to DCA and all, but the hotel was just sort of blah to me. The rooms were nice but nothing very special. I don't know if anyone got to go down to the pool area, but this was unimpressive as well. The pools were very small and crowded, and the slide was just about the worst I've seen at a Disney resort. Since we didn't use the spa or any other amenities I can't comment on those.

I know what you mean, Pete. It's been more than a year since I've been to Disney World and, unlike you, I have no current plans to return there. (I'm sure that won't last very long.) I think I said this in California, but I miss Epcot (and Animal Kingdom, for that matter).

Yup, agree. I'm an AK lover and like Epcot a lot (though it desparately needs some updating to future world) and also have come to really love Typhoon Lagoon. And DL was so crowded and cramped at times it made me really miss off-season MK. Especially every time we walked through Tomorrowland (and we took the Monorail from the hotel a few times so we did this quite a bit) it was driving me completely bonkers. They have that stupid abandoned Peoplemover/TTA track right in the middle of all the traffic creating this giant bottleneck towards the hub. Ugh!

I should shut up I'm sounding very whiny - I really had a very good time - but just as we were leaving, Ulana and I both said we probably don't need to come back here for a while - at least 5 years. We've been to WDW 7 times between 2006 and 2011 and have never once said that.

 

[OKW Lover]

I can't wait to go back and even though John had a great time I'm thinking we Disney'd him out and it will take a long time before he's ready to go again. So I guess my next trip will be a girls trip. Whose in????

BTW Kevin, John ordered a corned beef sandwich at the farmers market and since I'm not a huge corned beef fan I said I'd just try a bite. Well...that bite ended up to be half the sandwich (John wasn't pleased LOL). It was so lean and tasty. Good suggestion! Thx! And thanks to Jeff to for hunting down the name of the corned beef place for us.

Does it have to be an all girls trip Lisa?

Happy to dig up the name of that corned beef place for you. Actually it was Kevin that came to the rescue with the name.

Give us a call sometime Lisa. Love to hear some of the details of your trip.

 

[skier_pete]

We were there too! I called it "meat-flavored butter", in the best possible way.

 

[ymxbfalcon]

Allthough I love my WDW, I'm thinking I liked DL a bit better. I'm not sure if it was because the parks were unfamiliar to me (only 2nd visit and the last one being 10 yrs ago), the coziness of it all or if it was history behind the parks. I can't wait to go back and even though John had a great time I'm thinking we Disney'd him out and it will take a long time before he's ready to go again. So I guess my next trip will be a girls trip. Whose in????

I think if I lived as close to WDW as you do, I might feel that way too. I did really enjoy the feeling of "history" in Disneyland. The "Steamboat Willie" Mickey Mouse at the end of Fantasmic was a very nice touch; I actually bought my own black and white Mickey to take home with me. The fact that we got to see things like Walt's apartment and the Lilly Belle truly made this trip special in a way that it couldn't have been in Florida.

I still miss Epcot, though.

 

[Lee Disney]

Jeff, I can't wait to chat with you guys, so much to talk about. When will you be back in FL? And yes, your invited for our girls trip.

Pete, yes, the crowds were intense and I if I were to go to DL without Matt and Dean then I think I would see it differently (lesson learned...take Matt and Dean to Disney every time). I also learned never to go during a grad night since I think this added to the crowd levels. As far as grad night goes, I feared a lot of out of control teenagers and that didn't seem the case. Most teens i encountered seemed well behaved (but again this could be Matt and Dean sheltering us again).

The Grand Californian was ok but far from the WOW I expected. The rooms are tired and dark. I'm in no hurry to go back to the Grand Californian. I wish I had chosen Disneyland hotel for the last night. Live and learn. I felt the service at Loews was awesome. Someone was always available for whatever you needed. The rooms are in need of the updates they are working on, other than that no complaints.

And thanks Pete, now I'm drooling over the picture of the sandwich. LOL

Angie, I think that's true. I live near WDW and know it inside out. This was a completely new experience for me so it was so exciting.

 

[DarthVader92]

Howdy Folks!

I've been working hard this afternoon on my first video from our trip! That's right!

THE HAUNTED MANSION

It should be up on youtube tomorrow morning. Please feel free to friend, follow, and subscribe to me on facebook, twitter, and youtube to stay up to date on the video postings. P.S facebook is the only place I will be posting my pixs. I think I found about half of you all on Facebook, but for anyone else, follow these links:

facebook.com/matt.dobrovolsky
twitter.com/darthvader92
youtube.com/darthvader92

Again, HM should be up in the morning and get ready to laugh!

 

[OKW Lover]

Jeff, I can't wait to chat with you guys, so much to talk about. When will you be back in FL?

Not sure Lisa - depends on when we have to visit the design center. Possibly in early July.

 

[PumpkinPilot]

Hey everyone! Happy to be home, but still thinking about that amazing trip! Just wanted to let everyone know I will eventually be putting together a DVD of the trip using the pictures and video from both ABD and what I took - I do this mostly for myself, but if anyone would like a copy I would be happy to oblige.

However, don't expect this to happen quickly. I'll try to put it together in the next six months, but I am woefully behind in my editing and my free-time is super-limited.

I am hoping Matt will allow me to upload his video of the haunted mansion to add it as well, as I didn't have my videocamera out for that.

yes please Pete that would be awesome. So pleased Matt was able to shoot haunted mansion. One of those spontaneous moments that I wish I had the foresight to capture immediately after the event! Cant wait to see that again

 

[Michele&Jessica]

Just saw Matt's Haunted Mansion video. Great job Matt!

Me and Jessica did have a bad experience with the "grads". Our very last day at disney we had until 5pm to do everything we wanted to do before our ride to the airport. Jessica was going at top speed and I had to practically run to keep up with her. We wanted to see everything that is unique to disneyland.

And one of the things we wanted to do again was Pirates of the Carribean. Well we got on a boat filled with grads...boys and girls..from the "hood". I think the CM should have known better than to put us in the boat with them but he wanted to fill the last row. As soon as we were out of sight of the docking area, the grads starting throwing water on everyone in the boat. Then when we floated past the restaurant they shouted out curse words to the diners. After that they started standing up in boat and some were lying across others. They were loud, dirty language all the way and we could not even hear the ride itself. It was our last time to ride and they spoiled it. Throughout the ride they kept wanting to rock the boat. I don't believe the boat can actually tip over but they were trying to tip the boat and I thought the boat may go off track. I am from New York and work in a tough high school but I did feel afraid since me and Jess were the only regular people on boat. I was surprised this went on for about half the ride and Jessica said she heard an announcement to not stand up in boat. I was wondering if they had cameras watching the boats. I felt trapped and stuck with these grads. If I could have walked out of the boat I would have. I was just hoping they would not bother us. These grads were of such a bad element that I did not want to say anything at all even after we got off the ride in fear of retailiation. After the annoucement to stop standing in boat another boat came up behind us very close...bumper to bumper...and I felt safer since they were regular people and I did not feel outnumbered. Then the grads calmed down a bit.

 

[starwood]

Just saw Matt's Haunted Mansion video. Great job Matt!

Me and Jessica did have a bad experience with the "grads". Our very last day at disney we had until 5pm to do everything we wanted to do before our ride to the airport. Jessica was going at top speed and I had to practically run to keep up with her. We wanted to see everything that is unique to disneyland.

And one of the things we wanted to do again was Pirates of the Carribean. Well we got on a boat filled with grads...boys and girls..from the "hood". I think the CM should have known better than to put us in the boat with them but he wanted to fill the last row. As soon as we were out of sight of the docking area, the grads starting throwing water on everyone in the boat. Then when we floated past the restaurant they shouted out curse words to the diners. After that they started standing up in boat and some were lying across others. They were loud, dirty language all the way and we could not even hear the ride itself. It was our last time to ride and they spoiled it. Throughout the ride they kept wanting to rock the boat. I don't believe the boat can actually tip over but they were trying to tip the boat and I thought the boat may go off track. I am from New York and work in a tough high school but I did feel afraid since me and Jess were the only regular people on boat. I was surprised this went on for about half the ride and Jessica said she heard an announcement to not stand up in boat. I was wondering if they had cameras watching the boats. I felt trapped and stuck with these grads. If I could have walked out of the boat I would have. I was just hoping they would not bother us. These grads were of such a bad element that I did not want to say anything at all even after we got off the ride in fear of retailiation. After the annoucement to stop standing in boat another boat came up behind us very close...bumper to bumper...and I felt safer since they were regular people and I did not feel outnumbered. Then the grads calmed down a bit.

Omg that's awful. I hope you write a detailed letter to Disney. They have got to chane or eliminate grad nights.

 

[skier_pete]

Me and Jessica did have a bad experience with the "grads".

Yeesh! Sorry to hear about that. It's hard when you get trapped on a boat with a bunch of knuckleheads. I still would have said something when I got off the boat.

(They DO have cameras EVERYWHERE in DL and on the rides. Can't say I've heard of it happening on Pirates, but they CAN stop the ride and pull people out if they misbehave enough.)

 

[Disneygrl36]

Wow Michele what a horrible experience.

I agree with Nancy write a letter to Disneyland. That is unacceptable behavior & should have gotten them tossed from the park. They should have let you & Jess go again without a wait for all the craziness you put up with during that ride.

 

[Lee Disney]

Wow Michelle, that's terrible! I would have been terrified! What was the cast member thinking putting you in that boat? I agree with the others, contact Disney.

 

[Michele&Jessica]

I will eventually get around to mentioning it to Disney. I received an email from ABD for a survey and from Dreams too.