It's a Great Big Beautiful California - A 2015/2016 Holiday TR- COMPLETED

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And no, it's not to get in the crazy long line for Peter Pan. Nope, we're going to ride the original Mr. Toad.

I think the wait was listed at either 40 or 45 minutes when we got in line. Considering the carousel was something like a 35 minute wait, this seemed like the best plan. Plus, I'm the only one in our family who had ever ridden WDW's Mr. Toad before it was removed. While I think the wait time was accurate, it is an old school line that winds around in a very small space with very little going on. So, aside from joking about where Mr. Toad goes in this ride (no particular place...ahem), I just took pics of whatever I could to pass the time.

Like crowds and Dumbo...

Ride sign...

Light...

Trying to survive boredom...the struggle is real. LOL

Looking off to the tea cups and Monstro.

We're finally getting closer at this point...

Skies looking like they're starting to clear...

Inching closer...

Pic of the carousel as we wait...

These are also really good examples of what they mean when they tell you DL is smaller and there's not as much space between things. We have only moved through a very small area and look at all we can see from this spot.

Can also see Snow White...

Still inching closer...

All of the Disneyland attractions have these signs. I'm guessing it's some kind of CA law and it's a compliance matter to post this, but I have seen blogs where people have gone to City Hall in the park to see an attraction certificate.

We are FINALLY inside...

 

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Blurry...but you can kind of make out the flames on the right of the nowhere in particular that we'll be heading...

Thankfully, the line doesn't pull that bait and switch and snake you around inside. Once you're in, there's very little waiting before riding. I don't think DH cared for it, but the kids were amused.

Once we're out, I check the app and it looks like BTMRR recently opened and the wait was 'only' about 45 minutes. Hey, in these crowds...45 min is nothing. So, we walk briskly towards that area and I attempt to take pics on the way.

And we're there in no time...but now we have to try and find the start of the line.

We considered fast passes, but the return time was just too late...so we got in line and I started taking pics...

All of this was while looking into Rancho del Zocalo, but now we're getting into the actual queue area...

As we're in the early phases of the queue, I spot something I wasn't sure that we'd get to see while at DL.

Some of you may know that Disneyland has a population of cats that's allowed to live there as sort of a natural pest control method for the park. There are quite a few cats in the park, but since we've been back, I've found a number of pics of this particular cat - ALWAYS in the BTMRR area and per the Cats of Disneyland group on Instagram, she's been named Becky. And it's funny because everyone was going nuts taking pics of this cat since it's a treat to spot one of the cats of Disneyland.

So, we keep making our way through the queue...

(In case you were wondering what the official acronym is...the BTMRR on this clock kind of seals it)

A little late, but they finally have a CM out there with a line sign. Sadly, they need these in A LOT of areas of the park.

Looks like we're getting there...but not even close...

So, more pics from the line...

 

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As we looped back around, I was also loving the way the sun and shadows were catching the steam on the Columbia...

Ultimately, the listed wait time was about right...which in these crowds, really wasn't that bad. And it's time to ride...

I tried taking a few pics while on BTMRR...

(that's DH in front of me)

And just like that, we're done and waving good bye to BTMRR.

The only thing that really sets this apart from the WDW version is the dynamite scene. Beyond that...it's pretty much an even playing field; however, I give an edge to the one at WDW because of the views of Cinderella Castle from their BTMRR.

So, it's time to start walking and dealing with crowds again...

We still had around an hour and half until our dinner reservations at Blue Bayou, but DH had done something to his ankle and I was really concerned that we'd be too tired to watch Disneyland Forever at 9:30 and the 10:45 Paint the Night if we didn't get some rest. So, we found a table down along the water at the Hungry Bear and just relaxed. It was getting dark and we were in a covered area that was already a bit cooler, so I also had everyone layer up a bit while we were down there. I only took one pic as we relaxed because we mainly just took turns closing our eyes.

I was also kind of frustrated because DH started asking why we weren't going to see Fantasmic. MONTHS and MONTHS ago I had asked him about this. I told him we could shift Blue Bayou to our third night and do the package, but he said he had no desire to see it back then. We are not fans of the WDW version, but I did tell him that DL's is supposed to be amazing and loved by many who share our feelings about WDW's. Nope...didn't want to see it. So, I didn't book it. But now here we are and he's got an idea of where it all goes down and how cool it looked like it could be just based on the Rivers of America area and he was now having second thoughts. I told him not tonight, but maybe on Wednesday if we have the energy. And then I closed my eyes and tried to forget all about it!


Coming up...NOLA in CA, Blue Bayou Blues, and Claiming the Curb

 

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Dec 28th continued...

We had a 6:30pm reservation at Blue Bayou and it was getting close to 6pm. With DH's ankle still giving him issues, we decided to head there a little bit early so he could take a slower pace. Along the way, we saw HMH at night.

We get into the New Olreans Square area and it's nicely lit and festive feeling...

As we're standing there deciding what to do before checking in...I realize I'm next to a very special doorway.

Earlier in the day, we had seen an older woman (possibly mid to late 70s) being escorted by a DL guide from this area and she was clutching something bearing Club 33 logos. I'm guessing she had just dined there, but this would be the closest we're going to get.

We decide it's just too early to check into Blue Bayou...

We decide to pop into Crystal D'Orleans...

I know it's crazy, but while I think this kind of stuff is pretty, I have no desire to buy. Maybe if they made them into little purses like a Judith Leiber minaudiere, I might be more tempted.

We then went into the shop with all of the Pirates of the Caribbean goodies.

It's about 6:15, so I go over to Blue Bayou to check in...

I had overheard them telling people in front of me that they were not taking any walk ups and that due to volumes, they weren't letting people wait for water seats. So, I just checked in without any fanfare or requests. I was still feeling drained, so I decided to sit inside and wait with the buzzer while DH and the girls wandered off. I took a few pics in the waiting area...

 

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I peaked outside and saw DH and the girls observing a caricature being done across the way...

The buzzer goes off, I call out to them to come in and we're shown to our table.

OK, I know they said they weren't taking requests for waterfront tables (which may not have been totally true since I'd later hear someone passing saying it was worth the wait), but our table was about as far from the water as possible. We were literally on the last row of tables right by the doors leading in from the waiting area. It was also very chilly in there, which may or may not have had something to do with table location. We kept feeling a breeze coming from the entry to the waiting area, but I imagine it would have been chilly over near the water since I know from videos that you can see the load area for PotC from up there and that does have some outdoor exposure as well.

I'll tell ya right now that none of my pics really turned out, but for what it's worth, this is what I captured of Blue Bayou...

I think this may have been the best one I took...

I did actually take some video in there just to illustrate how dark it is. I'll share it, but I'm annoying myself just listening to me. I mean, how many times do I say the word Bayou???

We sat for a while, but eventually they took our drink order. We waited a while longer for bread.

The sourdough rolls were rock hard, but the other bread (supposedly sweet potato biscuits) was very tasty and wouldn't cause you to chip a tooth.

We had the hardest time ordering...a problem I expected. This was one of those meals that I had to do just to say we did it. I know some people say it's amazing while many others say it's the most overrated restaurant in all of Disney. I had perused the menu options on Allears several times before travel and never really saw anything that jumped out at me...so I knew it would be a game time decision. I was also a bit bothered that it didn't have appetizer options and that so little of the menu actually had traditonal NOLA food. Like I said, I knew this going in and I know they keep things more basic in the parks, but things like etouffee, red beans and rice, and crawfish au gratin are mainstream enough to me to be served in a park and mild enough to appeal to many people. But hey...what do I know?

The kid starter was a veggie crudite with ranch...

DH and I each had a cup of gumbo...

The gumbo at least had decent flavor. Not the best I've ever had, but nobody burned the roux either, so it had a nice richness to it.

For entrees, DH had the salmon...

Sammie had spaghetti with chicken breast meat...

Kendall had macaroni...

And I had the lamb...

No, I didn't have a mint julep because I don't see the point if there's no alcohol. It's just not a fave of mine, but the alcohol at least helps cut the sweetness in a traditional one.

All in all, I think my food was the best of the group, but nothing was amazing nor did I have anything that would inspire me to make a return trip to Blue Bayou. I still think people should try it once since the atmosphere is cool, even if you're seated under the balcony section like we were. Plus, when it comes to iconic things like this...best to say you did it and form your own opinions. We also had some people seated near us, which made our seating issues an even bigger problem. I can handle being cold, but we had a family of 8 seated (split) in front of us and next to us. The parents sat at the table in front of us with an infant and preschool age daugther, and then the rest of their kids (4 boys) were at the table next to us. The kids really weren't awful or anything, but there was a lot of back and forth which sometimes made me feel like we were the table in the way. You know when you hear something like "mom, he's not sharing this" and you have already heard your own kids have their moments of "she's not giving me the crayons" to just not want to be in the middle of it with someone else's kids. If they weren't seated there halfway through our meal, I would have asked to swap tables with the parents so they could just be side by side. Ultimately, the meal felt a bit rushed, but I guess that helped us out some with relief from being family in the middle. In fact, it would help us out a lot more than just getting us out of an uncomfortable seating situation.

Finding a spot to watch Paint the Night and also see Disneyland Forever was our next big goal. Yes, it was only 7:30 at this point and fireworks weren't for another 2 hours and the second showing of Paint the Night wasn't for another 3.25 hours, but Paint the Night is drawing crowds hours and hours in advance. I was warned before this trip that people are staking out spots for the parade 3-5 hours ahead and that we'd likely miss out on curb space or standing room if we didn't do the same. We make our way back to Main Street and it's looking CROWDED!!!

I start going into a panic because everywhere I look on Main Street is already taken. I'm starting to get a bit worked up because I really hoped 3 hours in advance would be enough time to snag a curb spot for the second parade. Sure, there are other areas to watch it, but I also wanted to see the projections and inflatables on Main Street during Disneyland Forever and we wanted an easy exit after Paint the Night concluded. So, we walked towards the park entrance and spotted a few areas that were still unclaimed. I remember pulling out the blanket as I power walked to the spot. Yeah...I was told a blanket was a must (reasonable size). I spread out Sammie's turquoise Ariel throw blanket along the stretch of curb, take a seat, and look up at the clock and wonder how we're going to pass the time.

 

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A few side notes before ending tonight's post.

1. It crossed my mind that I failed to share my issues on the AstroBlasters. No, I'm really not ashamed of my poor performance, but there was a reason behind some of it. We were in a constant spinning state for the first 3/4 of the ride. I remember thinking, "Wow, they make it really challenging at DL." No, Kendall was positioned in a way that was keeping us in a constant spin. By the time I shifted her and regained control of the vehicle, the ride was close to over. When you consider that, I think I did pretty well!

2. There were a handful of pics I knew I took on my phone that were lost somewhere in the shuffle. I just got a new phone and kind of forgot about them, but for whatever reason, they uploaded after my cellular service cut off from my old phone.

- I can tell from the pants that this is our DTD day. The girls were showing off their Vans.

- I think this was the same day and I think both pics were taken before we left Manhattan Beach. I'm pretty sure they were just showing off that they're Disney from head to toe (minus their pants).

- And this one should be obvious...in the movies before the start of Star Wars.

There were a few others, but I think these were the only ones worth sharing.

3. I wanted to thank @ajrwdwgirl for reminding me about the scents. I completely forgot about the smell of gingerbread as you went through the ballroom. When she mentioned it and the gingerbread house of cards, it all clicked for me, but I know I was focused so much on Zero that I think I blocked it from memory. I really like Zero and I was just a teensie bit distracted!

Finally, while it's a bit shaky, I wanted to share this pic from my dad. They were staying at the Swan at WDW the last few nights (Swan and Dolphin offer excellent FL resident rates). This was part of the view from their room.


Coming up...pics to pass the time, RUDENESS!!!, protecting our place, autographs for Minnie, Disneyland Forever and Paint the Night

 

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Dec 28th continued...

So, we're now sitting on the curb on main street and while we have a good deal of time before anything is scheduled to take place, I am beyond happy. You see, before this trip, we made a list of must do's. We ranked them and resorted them and such. And while we accomplished quite a bit for a day with such high crowds, one of my biggest MUSTS was seeing Paint the Night. I'll be honest, aside from seeing the projections and inflatables, I really didn't care that much about seeing Disneyland Forever....but PTN...I knew it was going to be big for me. Sure, Sammie and I LOVE Owl City's "When Can I See You Again" and have been known to dance and sing to it at the end of Wreck it Ralph + it's no secret that I'm an MSEP fan and there are clear tributes to it in PTN. Still, I remember watching live streaming video of the parade premiering at the 24-hour event back in May...a sleepover even going on in our house...and I was in tears watching this parade. I'd watch the vidoes on YouTube countless times after that and hope that the in person energy was even somewhere close to opening night crowds. So, needless to say...I'm giddy.

I did have to suppress some of that giddy glee and play defense. I don't like to be ugly in the parks, but I've seen too many stories of people trying to bump others out of their curb spots for PTN that I was on alert but also wanted to let people in to the free space around us. First a family came up, asked if they could squeeze in behind us but wa hoping I'd be OK if their son squashed in between me and the group to my left. Sure. They seemed nice enough and I'm always more receptive if it's a child. A group of four girls came in to claim the little bit of space left to our right. They positioned themselves 2 on the curb and 2 behind. This was also not their first time and they did a lot of my spot defending for me. Every time DH and the girls got up (bathroom breaks mainly), they spread out enough to help block the empty areas of my blanket. Thankfully, most times I could easily just tell the people trying to jump into our space that my husband just took our kids to the restroom and that those spots were taken.

So, while I'm sitting there...I do what I usually do and take pictures of the nearby decor...

I always like to try and spread the magic before parades and fireworks, if possible. So, one of the girls' gifts was a pack of 100 glow sticks. I sat them down on the curb and had them make a bunch to hand out. And this was them as they started trying to spread the magic.

The only problem...they don't really know how to do it. I demonstrated a few times ... approaching people with kids and asking if they'd like some glow bracelets...and just wishing them a Merry Christmas. When I did it, it went over so well. But Kendall...she wanted to change it up and she told people she was "selling free glow bracelets." I kept tell her she's not selling anything...that you just ask people if they want one. She seemed to be grabbing the attention of a CM, and not in the good way, so I just shut it down. We did give several to the little boy sitting next to us. Hey- we tried!

Around this time, I got up and left DH and the girls on the blanket. I wanted to just move a bit and maybe take some pics.

As you can tell, I was standing in the middle of main street. Things had cleared out quite a bit in this area...enough for vendors with glow goodies and balloons to stake out spots in the middle of the street. So, when I went out there, I waited for an opening in "traffic" and picked a spot for pics in the center that was wide open. It's no different than anyone else taking pics of the castle from main street...and I was at least mindful of not stopping right in front of anyone or anything like that. Well, after I had been standing out there for a few minutes, I had turned to face the tree and was happily observing and taking pics in the center when someone dug their fingers into my left butt cheek and shoved me out of the way along with elbowing me. The strange thing is that it all happened kind of slowly. And as soon as I could turn, I see that it's an older woman on her scooter who decided I was in her way and did this. I do usually keep my cool at Disney, but this was no accident and I certainly did not jump out in front of her. So, I instinctively yelled "YOU BI%&H!!!!" She did nothing in response and I shouldn't have said it, but I got the attention of a man who was crossing the street right in front of her. I apologized to him, but I was shocked...still am. I try to give people in scooters a lot of room and I know it's not easy if you have to tour the park that way. But I certainly don't think that gives anyone the right to grab me, elbow me and shove me. I was only about 5-7 feet back from the nearest cart selling glow stuff in the middle of the street, so I guess she thought it was better to push me than the cart? Sorry...don't always like sharing the ugly moments, but it was so deliberate and shocked me so much that I thought I needed share. I also think when you read the next few parts, it makes it clear that while ugly things can happen, there is still so much good going on around you that there's no reason something like this has to ruin your experience.

I sat down, now feeling very unmagical, and was wondering if it was all worth it. It was about this point, a man came by - just another park guest - holding his made with the magic paint brush. Sammie and Kendall had out their wands and he was just so happy to come by and change the colors on their wands. The girls haven't mastered doing it, so I got to change his paintbrush. I don't think he spoke English, which added to the magic. I hate sounding cheesy, but awesome stuff like this transcends language barriers. It also made me start to forget about the rude woman.

Just after this, a small cluster of CMs came by and wanted to talk to us, although one girl in the group did all of the talking. I think she said she's normally a photopass photographer, but tonight she had the task of taking Minnie's autograph book around the park. She asked the girls to sign Minnie's book with whatever they liked...

She also wondered if Elsa was my fave after seeing my pants...well, until I uncovered the leg that had some yellow in the pattern. Nope, these are not Frozen pants. I'm a Donald Duck girl!

She stayed to talk to us for a while about any number of things. She was defintely one of the CMs who stood out during this trip. In fact, (jumping ahead a tad) she came by to say good bye to us after fireworks. She had some other stuff she had to do outside of the park, but she and her fellow CMs just wanted to thank us and told us we were their fave guests of the day. We know they see tons of people and while I'm sure they had several faves, it definitely gives you that amazing Disney feeling when you interact with CMs who truly love what they do.

And finally, it's almost time for Disneyland Forever...

"The voice" comes on and we know it's almost go time. I already was concerned that this spot would be better for PTN vs. fireworks, but there was nothing I could do. And in those last couple of minutes before the start of fireworks, people crowded in all around us. Now, I know it's the norm for fireworks...it's not our first time seeing Disney fireworks. Still, something about the height at which they set them off in DL in correlation with th size of the castle would make it very hard for the kids to see a lot. Sammie didn't mind so much and was OK with the the higher ones she could see as well as the projections and such, but Kendall was really bothered. I tried repositioning her a little farther into the street, but everyone around was just too tall. She's too heavy to pick up, so that wasn't an option. I ended up having her stand on the curb so she was elevated a bit, but she was ticked off. I still took a lot of pics, but not in love with any of them...but I'll share some.

 

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So, let's talk about this...

Inflatables and projections...these are cool...VERY COOL! The buildings on WDW's MSUSA are taller and the inflatables might not be a good option, but the projections would totally work if WDW wanted something like this. And they could even do what DL does and have projections in different areas so that maybe people will want to try watching from BOG or something like that. That being said...the Nemo and Little Mermaid portions are the coolest for these effects IMO.

Fireworks themselves...pretty, but again...I think there's some truth to DL not being able to use the same kinds as WDW due to Anaheim ordinances. I will say the coolest part is in the Lion King section. If you haven't seen it...the fireworks in question (at the start of this portion) are similar to the fan pattern you see at the end of Wishes Go the Distance section....BUT in DL Forever, it's done to that very beginning portion of Circle of Life. In both cases, they are to symbolize the sun....but with DL forever...you also have projections going with the sunrise on main street. It's cool...very cool. But beyond that, they were fireworks.

Things that fly...in WDW, there's Tink who basically ziplines from the castle. In DL, they also have Tink, but the way it's structured...she looks more like she's flying around the castle. This particular show also has Nemo come out and fly in a similar way.

Other special touches...During the Frozen Let it Go portion it snows. Yes, it's that snoap stuff, but for whatever reason...it really got me choked up. We've already established that I'm not a Frozen super fan (even though I don't hate it), but something about the snow, and the song and the moment...and I was in tears.

Music...OK, I'm about to combo music geek out and go diva on you all at once. For those that don't know, in addition to working and being a mom and a crazy Disney lady...I sing. I started college as a voice performance major and even sang with our city's symphony for several years. So, music is REALLY important. Unlike Wishes, which gets me 5 or 6 times before the finale, this DF's music doesn't do this for me. I hoped it would be different in person, but nope. The only part that had a chance was the end...in fact, that finald chord. When I first saw DL forever during the 24 hour livestream, I thought maybe it was just bad audio due to all of the people watching...but it felt like that last chord was missing the high notes. When I saw better videos go up on YouTube, I thought I might hear something better...but if the high notes are there...they are really faint. Now, they also used this music to debut the changes being made to Soarin' during D23. There are live performers on stages and when they get to the end of the music...high notes...loud and clear. And it produced chills and tears all at once. So, I'm pretty sure the DL Forever soundtrack has them too, but they just failed to amplify them during sound editing. I've attached vids of both and hopefully you can hear what I mean and see how big of a difference it could make, at least for some like me. Not saying the highest tones should drown out the others, but they should be clearly audible.

D23 Soarin'

Disneyland Forever

(you can also see the mouse ear fireworks I photographed the previous night launch at the beginning of the video + you'll hear the kiss goodnight music they play after the fireworks at the end)

OK- I'll step down from my musical soap box. Please don't get me wrong...it's a nice show, but I felt like it could be so much more.

One last thing...the sparkly blue lights they use on the castle on and off during the fireworks are so pretty. I just wish they utilized them a bit more at night...like the dreamlights in WDW.

We did like how they kept the spotlights after the fireworks...

The ladies sitting next to us warned us to sit down as soon as the fireworks ended or people might try and step in onto our blanket. Kendall was standing in one of the spots so we were partially good and I kept one foot on the curb for my spot at all times, but I recall Sammie and DH having to reclaim their spots. It was nothing ugly...just wound up sitting on someone's feet who was standing on their part of our blanket. It's a small blanket...we were squashed hip to hip...so it's not like they can claim we were taking up too much space. Oh well. What's funny...the family who asked earlier to have their son sit next to me decide to skip Paint the Night. They were really sweet and funny too...Minnie loving people. They thanked us before going and we'd even see them a couple of times over the next couple of days.

So, we still have about an hour until PTN, and we're clearly going a bit crazy from living in curb land...

I know I took this pic because they were starting to prep everyone for PTN, but I have no idea what I was actually photographing.

They had a few CMs going up and down mainstreet with a PTN sign in case we wanted to take pics with it...they had other CMs prepping everyone that in x # of minutes, they'd be telling everyone on the curb to sit and stay seated + that anyone in the rope behind those right on the curb must stand and stay standing. It's also a MUCH narrower space than you get on MSUSA in WDW, so if you weren't in curb row 1 or standing row 2, that was it. No PTN in this area for you.

OK...so I'm now getting really excited, but I'm wondering if it's going to be as amazing in person. I mean, part of the greatness of the livestreaming events and videos I'd seen was that those were opening night crowds. Of course people are pumped on opening night, but months later? I remember in 2010, back when MSEP had returned to MK, and while opening night crowds in the YouTube vids sounded so pumped, when we saw it in December...the crowd was more like, yeah...it's a parade. And then it happened...

The CM came back and gave us instructions to sit or stand based on our location, and then he started getting the crowd pumped up. There was some chanting and clapping and then all of a sudden...he stopped...turned towards the huge Disneyland Christmas tree...gestured to the tree...and all of the lights went out! And the street erupted in cheers! And of course, the intro to PTN started!!!!!!!

Now, I'm going to share my pics...and there are a lot...some pretty decent IMO, but in case you haven't seen this parade...it's worth seeing the video. I adore MSEP and was wondering how I'd really feel about PTN in person since it definitely pays tribute to it in spots...from the synth voice to start and bits of Baroque Hoedown blended in to the score.

In the beginning of the video below, they pan across the street and you can see the clock that's been showing up in all of my pics...just to give you some perspective on where I'm sitting. The only other big difference is that the 2nd parade runs in the other direction. As I was told, PTN 'lives' down by IASW, so the first parade comes from that direction and then the second parade starts from the main street area and heads back to IASW. So, the parade was going in the other direction for us.

I can tell you, as soon as the synth voice comes on...I'm getting choked up...as soon as I can hear "When Can I See you Again" starting - the tears are streaming down my face...and as soon as the singing starts I realize Sammie is singing and sort of dancing in her spot and we start singing and dancing along together. No more tears! And it's cool becasue everyone on both sides of the street seems to be having similar reactions. It's like everyone was in awe, but also wanting to dance and cheer and sing at the same time. I guess this is why people on the curb are told to stay seated. LOL What's also nice, that you should be able to tell from the video, is that it's timed so you don't have very much lag time from when your section of the route goes dark/music starts to when the parade is in your area. MSEP has some painfully long lags before it gets to you, but this...it was just like the video...I looked up and the fiber fairies and Tink were approaching just as the vocals started. I'm going to give some notes with some pics, but I'll hold the rest of my comments until the end of my pics.

 

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I was really interested in seeing how Mack's lighting was done...

Of course, he'd be past us when they did my favorite effect...

I didn't see anyone crossing, but the break between Mack and King Triton is supposedly the one time they'll let you cross the street. Don't quote me on it!

I LOVE these!!!

My best pic of Nemo and Marlin...sad

 

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And this would be my best pic of Jessie's crew...

The part I wanted to see more in person than anything else...

None of my Olaf pics were good...

And it was pretty much trouble taking pics for the rest of the parade...

See...this is bad...but you can hopefully tell how cool it is in person...

 

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At least Donald turned out reasonably decent...

Minnie not so much...

Mickey's portion of the parade was the hardest thing to photograph. Heck...I just want them to slow it down so I can see how it works!

These were seriously some of the best...

Although, this botched one is pretty cool!

I really wasn't ready for it to be over...I didn't want it to end (as the song says)! I really hope everyone gets a chance to see this parade. Words cannot begin to describe how amazing Paint the Night is in person. Let's be clear that I never liked Spectro, but even my beloved MSEP looks like an antiquated relic next to PTN. The energy of the crowd and cast members is also a huge part. I don't know if it's because Sammie and I were singing (Kendall gets really shy about this and just watched), but we had at least 4 or 5 of the performers in the parade approach us. DH disagrees, but I swear several were changing Sammie's wand color. I mean, you can see that several units have wands...so I think I'm right on this one. I know for certain we had CMs from the CARS dancing unit, the second group of fairies, at least one of the pinwheels, and even Lumiere came over to us. I was actually a bit nervous with how close he was, but it was cool because he was able to lean down a bit towards us. I know people are already wondering if WDW will get PTN for the 50th. I don't know, but if they don't, I have to hope that they get something on this level. SPECTACULAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Worth every bit of the wait and hassle in holding our place on the curb. And I still maintain my long held belief that it's all a bit more magical when you see it on main street, just with the sheer number of lights that go out.

So, the parade is over and I'm energized and sad all at once. I want to run down to IASW and try and see it from the beginning again, but it's time to leave. I mean...it is LATE! It's now after 11pm PT.

DH wanted to grab a soda on the way out...so I end the night with a pic of lights...

We were at least right near the front of the park and there were still plenty of people in there locked in place watching the parade, so there was no major walk to get out and no crowds to fight. We got back to the room and I think everyone was asleep in minutes!




Coming up...A Mainly DCA Day for Dec 29th

 

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December 29th

Today's plan...DCA. We'd be getting in at 8am, but we weren't planning on getting there quite as early since DCA sees lower crowds than Disneyland. And by not as early...we were planning to get to bag check between 7:30 and 7:45am. This morning was rough since this is the first time we were out late the previous night. Still, it's a heck of a lot easier to wake everyone up for a day at Disney vs. a day at school or work.

As you can tell by the light, it's still pretty early when we start making our way to DCA.

In no time, we are on Disney property and making our way to bag check...

They had multiple bag checks open, so the line wasn't bad.

None of the lines were particularly long, but that's because they were letting people in ahead of the park officially opening. It took us a few more minutes because they hadn't gotten my picture the day before, but that didn't take long.

Of course, we took a little bit longer because they didn't get to take my picture the previous morning, but we were on our way in right after that. My number 1 objective at park opening was to get fast passes for Radiator Springs Racers, but it would be eaasier if it was just me. I left DH and the girls up front in hopes that Oswald would come out early, took a quick pic of the car below, and handed off my camera to DH. So, now all I have is my camera phone and I join the crowds behind the rope at Carthay Circle that would be "running" for RSR FPs.

Still, the view was pretty nice in my waiting spot.

Considering I've seen worse waiting at the DHS rope for the TSMM run (pre FP+), this didn't look too bad.

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I tried taking a couple of pics of the DCA tree before rope drop, but the light isn't the greatest.

The CMs manning the rope called out some instructions on where to go for what...and then the rope dropped...and the line became a bit more structured.

I noticed that most of us just formed into a line, but a number of people rode the outer edge and essentially cut off everyone by creating their own "special people" merge just as the line takes the left bend towards the actual FP machines. My real concern here was getting a FP time that conflicted with our breakfast reservation at Storytellers Cafe. I had a 10:45am breakfast reservation booked, to serve more like an early lunch...so we needed to work around that.

The FP line moved quickly, but I was watching the app and watching the FP times bumping closer and closer to being a concern. I wound up with a 10:15am start to our FP window. It would be cutting it close to ride and get to breakfast, but we were going to do our best to make this work.

I was heading back towards the front of the park when I saw CMs handing out FPs to the first showing of Aladdin. Tempting since the show was ending to be replaced by some Frozen thing and what I'd seen on YouTube was not only visually awesome, but the Genie was hysterical. Unfortunately, this time was in direct conflict with our breakfast, so I declined the FP.

As I'm nearing the front of the park, my phone rings and it's DH. He and the kids are in line for Soarin' and he said all of the CMs in line have told him to get me to run to meet them there. Ummm...OK? Here I am griping about people cutting the FP line and he wants me to be "one of those people" and go cutting through the entire Soarin' line? But I can hear the CM in the background telling him to tell me what to do and I'll be honest, we saw A LOT of space saving in standby lines for FP runners the previous day. So, I head to Soarin'.

I go up the first ramp inside the building and excuse myself so I can meet my husband, but he's not there. Yet the CM up there knew and kept waving me forward to the down ramp in the next section of the line. The CM at the bottom of that ramp had me use the empty area to the left side fo the left line to joint DH and the kids right up at the front. The CM said something like "glad you made it" and sent us down to the loading lines for us to watch the pre-flight video and get on the ride. I felt really awkward about all of this, but if the CMs are telling you to do it...well...it still felt odd, but OK in a way too. Please don't judge!

So, Soarin' was Soarin'...except everything you've heard about DCA's is true. The film is definitely in much better shape and the scents are more distinctive. And did I mention...we were in row 1...so no dangling feet. The only problem...it made me miss Epcot and WDW. When we got to the end of the film, I kind of wanted it to be MK and not DL. Hard to explain, but when I see it in Epcot...it always kind of feels like we're saying hi to DL at the end and since we were at DLR...I kind of wanted to say hi to MK at the end. Oh, and I was kind of imagining that I would walk outside and it would be Epcot. Yeah...I was missing Epcot. Still, it's a great ride and I guess because I'm a WDW person, I can't wait to see the new video (I know a lot of DL people are not happy about the change).

So, we leave Soarin' and head off to explore...

It was also at this time that I checked and saw no Oswald pics. I knew there was a possibility he wouldn't be there. Apparently, the CM told DH that sometimes he's out right at park opening and sometimes it's not until lunch time. Oh well.

More walking...

We see the entrance to Radiator Springs...

Standby for RSR is already like 70 min, so we keep walking.

 

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Yeah...we decide to head into Paradise Pier.

I see one ride we're definitely going to ride...

And one that had us all on the fence...

We head to California Screamin' first, because we know that's a must for all of us...even though DH hates roller coasters and the kids have never been on anything more intense. And yes, as a person who was drooling over what I could see when we passed Knotts...I know Disney's most intense coasters are more tame compared to those and what you'd find at a Cedar Fair or Six Flags park. One day, I will make it to Cedar Point! Not sure what I'll do besides go to the park...but I've wanted to ride Milennium Force since it came out in 2000. No loops or anything...just a simple out and back with a 300' drop at an 80 degree angle of descent. Sweet!

It said 20 minutes, but it was more like 10-15.

I actually teared up a bit while in line. See, both kids were measured (although, I think they were only looking for Sammie) and while they both measured up to the 48" requirement, it got me thinking about Disney trips. We've been taking the girls to WDW since Dec of 2010. On that first trip, neither were tall enough to ride any of the 40" rides (age 2 and 4 at the time) and Sammie was even too short to ride the Barnstormer...and now here they are...getting ready to go on their first 48" ride that also goes upside down. MILESTONE!

So, everyone LOVED IT! If crowds weren't going to be an issue and there weren't other things we wanted to see and try...I probably would have gotten in line again. While RNR at DHS has the advantage with theme, I think California Screamin' is a much better ride. It's only a 108' drop at a 50 degree angle, but it's a drop...and on coasters...I love a drop. And now that I know the kids loved it...it means I'm going to have some riding buddies!

You know I can't resist taking some pics of lights in the area...

And we wave good-bye to California Screamin'...

And say hello to the carousel and such while everyone leaves me behind to use the restrooms.

(oh look- there's a whale...second one we've seen this trip if you count Monstro from the previous day in DL- LOL)

And after a minor fiasco with Sammie leaving her cinch-pack back by the carousel, we're off and walking...

You probably noticed bits and pieces of the signage for TSMM back there. The line was about a 45 min wait, which isn't awful, but we've never LOOOOVED and had to ride this ride. I could hear and see Mr. Potato Head and that was enough for me.

Still walking...

I think it's crystal clear what we're approaching, so I ask everyone the ever-important question...Swinging or Non Swinging?

 

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The answer was a big fat neither. It's too bad because I was hoping they'd go for non-swinging since it seemed like a great spot to take pictures.I mean, unlike being up high at WDW where you just look to see the other parks and resorts, etc. - at DL you have the mountains in the distance which really adds to the views. So, we keep walking.

So, this was what got the next vote to try...

I really thought they'd ask for Jumpin' Jellyfish...but no.

I was actually relieved that they didn't ask to ride the swings. I have this old fear stemming from riding the ones at Great Adventue in NJ. Nothing bad ever happened on them...just someone planted a really ugly idea in my head of what it would be like if your swing had a catastrophic failure.

So, to the Golden Zephyr we went and lots of pictures I took...

And we're on the ride...

Nice view up here even though we're not too far off the ground...

 

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OK...probably more pictures than the average person posts of the Golden Zephyr.



Coming up...exploring Radiator Springs, finding the fastest path, and our trip to Monument Valley (and possibly heading to Storytellers if I've got time).

 

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December 29th continued...

We decide to start walking towards Radiator Springs...

Those of you have been to DCA know this was not the quickest way to get there, but it's the best way if you've never been and want to enter with this view...

So, we head in and take a look around...

It's just a little bit sunny...

I know some would call this a mistake, but with a TS ressie fast approaching and me not being in love with the idea of anything on the menu, we skipped food in Carsland.

And with Luigi's Flying Tires having closed down, RSR was really the only thing we wanted to ride. But we did see a few of the more notable vehicles...

Ultimately, I just wanted to see the details.

I'm sure everyone has their preferences, but the holiday decorations in this part of DCA are some of the best in all of DLR.

And naturally, they throw in some hidden Mickey's...

And we're walking some more...

This pic still makes me sad. So, we got the kids this camera and I don't know if it's user error or if I broke it, but our videos kept overwriting...and I wouldn't find this out until Jan 3rd. So, anything the kids shot on their new camera was lost. DH suggested it may be the size of the card I put in it...i.e. not enough storage. I haven't gotten around to try and figuring it out yet.

DH started getting antsy about making it to breakfast on time. There was really nothing we wanted to do at this point, so we decided to test/time what we thought would be the fastest route from Radiator Springs to the Grand Californian. The GC has a private entrance that feeds into DCA over by Grizzly River Run and while it's supposed to be for GC resort guests, the CMs told us we were eligible to use it if we had a table service meal booked at one of the GC's restaurants. So, we head out of Carsland and make our way to the GC.

 

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It was kind of funny...I went over to this one area thinking it might be the entrance, even though it didn't exactly look like one. Everyone got a good laugh. And then we found the real thing.

I don't remember exactly how long it took, but the walk wasn't too bad and it seemed like we should be able to make it in time if the RSR FP line didn't lag too much. So, we now start heading back...

And we've made it back...

We have close to 10 minutes until our FP window opens...so the plan was to hang back. Still, we didn't want to get stuck in a slow moving line, so I went up to a CM just to find out how long the FP line was running. It was going to be close, but still sounded doable. The CM had asked why, so I did mention having a breakfast reservation. I went back to wait with DH since there really wasn't anything else we'd do in that time. About a minute later, the CM I had just spoken to came by and asked what time our FPs were for. I showed her the FPs, she signed them and told us to go get in line. I can't say I've ever had a CM sign a FP, but I wasn't complaining.

So, make our way through the line, taking pics of details along the way, and keep hoping we won't hit any major back ups.

 

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I had to take a pic of all of the birds roosting up there. I wonder how often they have to clean up all of the bird droppings.

And we're still in line. It actually was moving fairly quickly, but there are just so many details that it's hard to not try and take them all in.

We're now just about at the front of the line...

We load into our car and we're off (even though the girls are a bit bummed that we didn't get the blue car they'd wanted)...

If you've never been on RSR or seen it on YouTube, the first part of the ride is just a nice leisurely drive.

You then head inside, they prep you for your race while driving through various scenes...

And then you take off and race the car next to you. It only goes about 40 mph (compared to Test Track's 60mph speed), but the turns and camelback humps that give you some nice air time make it a lot of fun. The racing aspect also adds a nice touch...especially since our car won.

It's time to leave and get back to the GC. I remember it being about 10:27am, so we didn't have any time to waste.

 

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I figured I'd already taken so many pics of the walk the first time we made it, that I didn't take much of anything until we got closer to the GC.

There were no problems going through the GC entrance...and we have arrived!

Coming up...the wait, a breakfast with character, and how to spend our afternoon

 

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December 29th continued...

Before getting into Storytellers...I wanted to comment that sometimes I have the nasty habit of calling Ornament Valley as Monument Valley. I may have even done this in my TR and not even realized it. So, if I have...I do know the difference, but as you can see from all of my other typos, I'm kind of flying through typing this. With 8-10 hour work days and softball 4-5 days a week for the kids...sometimes my TR typing suffers.

OK...so, back to the story. We arrive at Storytellers maybe about 5 minutes early and check in. We were given a buzzer and told to wait. As I was walking off, I just happen to spot a large party with a custom cake...

I know, just all kinds of shameless...taking pics of random people's cake.

I want to say that it was a good 10-15 minute wait to be seated, so I did what I always do...

(literally stopping to smell the roses)

Even the kids had resorted to playing rock paper scissors during the wait.

I was starving at this point and was starting to pray to the buzzer to buzz. While a watched pot may never boil, the watched buzzer buzzed!

DH and Sams went up to the buffet, so I had some time to take some pics.

I was initially really excited about this meal. I'd heard that characters could vary, that there could sometimes be quite a few and that we might get a chance to see some of DHs faves like Brer Fox and Brer Bear. It must have been some time in November that I'd heard that like Goofy's Kitchen, they were making it a specific set of characters for this meal...Chip, Dale, Meeko, Kenai and Koda. A few weeks before we traveled, I heard that Koda was removed from the meal and it was just the other 4 noted characters. On one hand, we've never met Kenai and Meeko, but on the other...this would mean we saw Chip and Dale at all three character meals. I scanned the dining area while we waited for the chef and pretty much confirmed this to be true based on the characters I could see making the rounds.

While we were waiting and DH and Sams were up at the buffet, we were visited by Dale.

He was at least a very silly Dale and quite happy to find out that he's my favorite 'munk.'

After this, we were visited my a manager...very sharply dressed in a nice suit. I've never had a manager go table to table at a Disney restaurant without some kind of provocation. Ex. when we were at Cali Grill in 2014, the manager came by to make sure I really authorized the early drop off of the cake. This was just him going to every table making sure all was good. I was really impressed to have this level of attention at a character meal. He also assured me that the chef would be out to visit us very soon. Our server even checked on us several times in this span to double check if the chef had been out yet.

The chef did finally come out and no need to tour the buffet this time. Turns out everything I thought would be an issue was. So, now we're just waiting on DH and Sammie.

...and we're still waiting...

DH and Sammie at least have really good timing since they came back right when Chip was paying us a visit.

Kendall and I now go up to the buffet. There are some things that are bittersweet milestones...but not having to fix a plate for your child isn't one of them. She clearly knew what to avoid and knew what she wanted. So, I just got to carry my own plate and pick food for me. The only thing that struck me as odd were the bagels. For one, they were not near the whole bagel schmear staion. Secondly, they were mini bagels. Now, I really didn't need a full sized bagel, but I had all of this smoked salmon to try and cram onto this itty bitty bagel. First World Problems!

Oh, and the Mickey waffles at Storytellers...equally as divine as the ones at Plaza Inn. While not as fun as Mickey shaped waffles, I need that batter so I can have some of these bad boys at home!