NO ONE KNOWS about this trip... The LAST OF DISNEYLAND x 3... updated 6/5!!

[LastLookAtTheCastle]

I don't have the best track record with my trip reports, but I'm going to see this one through because I'M NOT TELLING ANYONE ABOUT THIS TRIP AND I'M GONNA BUST IF I DON'T TELL SOMEONE.

Here's the situation... due to some running-late school construction, I got an email from our school system saying that my kids would be starting school AFTER Labor Day this year instead of our usual August 15th-ish time frame.

Hmmm.

Not starting until September 4? Really? What's a mom to do with those extra two weeks in the summer... when the... crowds... are dying down... and discounts... are being offered.

Oh, that's right. We're going to Disneyworld. A quick trip, but a complete and total surprise. I'm not telling them until the day we leave. Nope. It's going to be epic.

Here are the stars of my show...

Me... 41... Single mom and marketing wonk, AP holder and complete Disney fanatic. Between DL and WDW, I've been around 35 times in my life now, starting at this age...

I call this "you don't know what you're getting into here, kid."

to right about now...

DD... we'll call her Merida... who will be 12 on this trip, and going into 7th grade. She's brilliant, stubborn, a picky foodie, funny as all get out, a good head on her shoulders, and compassionate. Her favorite to-do's at WDW are the Mountain Trifecta, Pirates, and Coral Reef.

Merida at 2...

Merida in January 2012, on their last visit...

And then we have... Dash... who is 8. A math whiz, sports fanatic, animal lover, cuddler, XBOX devotee, and a human garbage disposal. He may still be at the kids' prices at WDW, but they aren't making money off of him. Buffets are my friends. He, too, is a Mountain Trifecta fan, teacups, Buzz, Splash Mt., and Toy Story.

About to destroy CP's breakfast in January 2012...

His first taste of Beverly, at age 3... giggle.

All in all, the three of us have a right good time together at the Happiest Place on Earth. Family must do's are CP breakfast, the Mountains, Soarin', and a hammock swing at the Poly.

Next up... plans...

 

[wiigirl]

Following along.

 

[LastLookAtTheCastle]

YAY! Thanks for following!

 

[LastLookAtTheCastle]

PLANS.

Oh, our favorite thing to do, isn't it? The planning. The delicious planning of each little piece of Disneyworld vacations.

This whole thing started with one little moment of "what if?"

As I said previously, the school system informed us that school will be starting later than usual. That was a week ago today, on March 8th. And that's when the Mouse invaded my thoughts. And kapow...

A SURPRISE TRIP. Er. Mah. Gerd. I've planned lots of trips, but never as a real surprise. I've tried several times to keep it until the night before, the day of, the moment of reveal we see online or on commercials but I haven't been able to keep it. I blow it. I freak out and start jumping up and down and I want to share and get them excited. But NOT THIS TIME. THIS is going to be a full out "hey kids, get in the car... we're going to Disneyworld" moment. I was going to be Ms.Cool. Ice queen. A GROWN UP. About DISNEYWORLD.



After that WDW kernel popped in my head, and a quick glance at touringplans.com, I said to myself... "Myself... if it's meant to be, there will be an ADR available for Be Our Guest for that timeframe." So I did a quick reservation search.

And there was. On August 27th. The best forecasted MK day. No. Way.

After grabbing that in about .23 seconds, I booked ASM for four nights seconds later, arriving on Saturday, August 24, departing on Wednesday, August 28. After summer AP discounts come out, I'll apply a discount to that puppy.

Here's the plan as it stands now:

Friday, August 23rd, around noon - "Hey kids, get in the car."
Drive as far as humanly possible (we are 10 hours door to door) and stay somewhere on the road.
Saturday, August 24th - Up stupid early, drive straight to Hollywood Studios. ADR already secured for 50s Prime Time for early dinner.
Sunday, August 25th - EPCOT
Monday, August 26th- Typhoon Lagoon
Tuesday, August 27th- MK... CP for breakfast booked, and the elusive yet symbolic BOG for an early dinner. DD is a Beauty and the Beast nut, and when I told her about the "grey stuff" she shrieked "IT'S DELICIOUS! DON'T BELIEVE ME ASK THE DISHES!" Can't wait for that.
Wednesday, August 28th- Full day drive back home. Boo.

Next up... favorite memories of each parks... with pictures! And maybe some of me with yarn ponytails at DL! Because every little girl had to wear yarn ponytails in the 1970s. It was the law.

 

[LastLookAtTheCastle]

MEMMMMMMORIES.... allaloneinthemooooonlight.

Sorry, tangent.

Just how long have I been going to Disney? My first visit was when I was 2.5, to Disneyland, which would have been 1974. My dad was stationed in CA, and we visited DL pretty frequently. I loved Donald and Peter Pan. I loved the Canal Boats and Small World. And I loved, loved, the pastel striped paper bags from the souvenir store.

Here are some photos of photos from REAL FILM PHOTOS.

Me and my grandma on Dumbo...

Me and dad on the outdoor teacups… before doors were installed… deathtraps, I tell you.

Meeting the Big Mouse, with yarn ponytails and all. In a metal stroller of certain death.

My mom and me next to the old Capt Hook’s Ship, and Skull Rock, may it rest in peace.

A few years later, with my favorite. Check out the red sneakers. Oh yeah. Fashion.

We moved east when I was 12, which severely cut our Disney vacationing. DL to a local is a day trip. So, my first WDW trip wasn’t until 1994, when I was a senior in college. Yes, I went about eight years without a Disney fix. It was an offsite, super cheap trip with my mom and brother. From that point until 2003, I was re-hooked, and I went about every other year.

Merida was born in 2001. And her first trip was in 2003. And since THAT point… I’ve averaged twice a year. 2007 was a high point, with five visits in one year, and three of them WITHOUT KIDS. I travel to the Orlando area for work at least twice a year, and am very lucky to get to the parks for a few days each visit. My kids average once a year with me as well, and I’ve done trips with each of them on their own too. Those trips were priceless. I was the only one bickering with them.

Next up… my kids’ favorite visits. Including several MNSSHPs.

And I’ll tell you the story of THIS face…

 

[beachphotog]

Subbing in and following along!

 

[angelabrezovsky]

Following!!

 

[LastLookAtTheCastle]

Wow! Thanks, followers! I don't have time for a full update today... just popping in to say...

OH why couldn't the new discount offer be through the end of August?

AUGH!

Hopefully, that means something better is coming for ME!

 

[kthshh]

Oh, how I wish that our school district would start after Labor Day.
I'm following along.

 

[momto3gr8boys]

Following along too! We will be there the same time. I can't wait to hear how the surprise goes!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[LastLookAtTheCastle]

Hello readers! My happy readers! I'm back with a quick BUT BIG NEWS update, some changes, and yes, I'll tell you about this face...

First... BIG NEWS. We have a newly invited party to our group in August. Grandma. My mom. You first saw her here:

She's a little older now. As am I. I was doing some number crunching, as we like to do, and I realized that Grandma, who has a military ID, could pretty much go to WDW for the price of her plane ticket and a Stars & Stripes pass. She's retired, and Merida and Dash are her only grandkids, and what better than to invite Grandma along anyway, eh?

Well she jumped at the chance. And offered to use her military discount to upgrade to POR. If you insist, Grandma.

Also, I've decided to take the full day on the 23rd off, and drive all the way there in one day. 10 hour drive. I can do that. Grandma will be arriving around 2, and ME it over to the resort, and we'll be there by dinner time.

And still, the KIDS DON'T KNOW.

One little change, and I know some of you will gasp in horror... I dropped our BOG reservation. NO. Seriously. I just think I'd rather do the lunch time thing there. That's what I did in February, and it was fine. And it will be less crowded when we're there in August, too. We won't get gray stuff, yes, BUT it's more flexible, and cheaper AND we can sit wherever we want to... the West Wing. Of course.

So, that poor little Dash face? Where was that taken? Haunted Mansion when I dragged the poor little two year old on there? Snow White's Scary Adventures???

Nope.

That was going into the tunnel before the Frontierland Station on the train. He looks darn petrified, doesn't he.

NEXT TIME... I PROMISE to tell you about our MNSSHPs. I've been three times, Grandma and Dash twice, and Merida once. Lots of stories there.

 

[LastLookAtTheCastle]

AND THANK YOU for following along, new readers! I appreciate it!

I just thought of some other stuff I'm going to cover in the future... The Most Expensive WDW Trip I've Ever Taken And Will Never Do Again...

AND...

Where I Am Going On April 22.

Stay tuned, intrepid readers!

 

[LastLookAtTheCastle]

OK, sorry for the big lag here, but it's been a busy couple of weeks... including something I did on April 22. Where oh where did I go on April 22?

Here's a tiny hint.


And I mean it's TINY. Itty bitty. Tiny little train station and tiny little train. In a tiny little world.

YES. I got to go to the LAND of Mouse. Not the world. THE LAND. I returned to the scene of the obsession's beginning. I was in LA for business, and staying in Costa Mesa. I decided to take the red-eye back after my trip was over, just so I could get...

SIX HOURS IN DISNEYLAND​

And here's my mini-trip report inside my pre-trip report.

The plaque going under the train tracks onto Main St.


Yes, there are differences. And yes, there are similarities. I last visited Disneyland when I was 16, long before California Adventure, and long before becoming a WDW pro. I had two very strange reactions - one, my brain was confused by the "MAN this looks JUST like the Magic Kingdom" along with "OK, that is something I remember from my childhood."

It was quite confusing and wonderful at the same time.

The famous light in the fire station... Walt's light...


It was a nice thing to see.

One big difference with the Land vs. the World is... the park doesn't open until 10am. 10am! Can you imagine the riots that would start at WDW if they didn't open MK until 10am? They start letting people in the turnstiles around 9:30am, and I did take my time going down Main St., peeking in here and there, and making sure to take mental notes where to visit later in the afternoon.

The rope drop is right at 10am, right on the Partners Statue line in the hub. So I did get this nice picture.


Yes. The castle really is that small. It's adorable, and child sized, and fantasylike. It is not towering and ginormous and amazing like the World. It's a pocket castle, and play land castle. It was just cute.

This was to my right... MATTERHORN! It TOWERS over the castle.


I had a distinct plan, and it was making sure I got on the rides that were both (1) not at WDW at all (Indy, Alice in Wonderland, Matterhorn, Mr. Toad, and even Snow White now, sniff) and (2) distinctly different (Pirates, Splash, Small World.) Unfortunately, both Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad where closed that day, which ruled out a Land of Mouse Mountain Trifecta, but there was still much to do. I had a plan, and a list, and six hours. And I had a MAP. I actually needed a MAP! I haven't used a map at WDW in years! But I didn't know where stuff was here! I was familiar, yet different and IN THE WRONG PLACE TO BOOT.

So where did I go when the rope dropped? Right through the castle into Fantasyland. Like you may have heard (and I'll continue to mention) the scale of the Land is tiny. Everything is much closer together. There aren't as many open spaces. And so you walk through the castle, and boom, Peter Pan is to your right, Pinocchio is to your left, and there's no more than 25 feet from one door to the other. It's tight. Especially when there's a lot of people. It wasn't packed, but I'm very glad I didn't have a stroller (or really, anyone else with me to slow me down.)

I headed right for a classic...

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride!

After Mr. Toad's, I skipped over Peter Pan, and went on Pinocchio, which was a walk on. I then headed north, towards Small World, and ran across the Tea Cups.

Look! No ROOF!

Then I hit Alice, which was so cute, and the ride vehicles climb up at the end, out onto the roof.

And then Small World... which I remembered from my childhood, very strongly. It's different, sure, but it smells the same. The topiaries are the same. It was very much the Small World from when I was little. I remembered going on it with my mom and grandma, and got a little verklempt.



And then the additions to "their" Small World snapped me out of the memory... look how cool this is!

Alice and the White Rabbit in the UK!


Cinderella and Gus and Jacques in France!


My favorites, Lilo and Stitch in the islands!


It was awesome.

Then I hit the Matterhorn, and discovered a Land thing that I wish the World had... a magical thing called "Single Rider Line." See, many of the rides at Land are odd people rides. Three people in the Matterhorn car, five people in the Splash log. And most people are there in even numbers. So, they have Single Rider Lines, where people like myself jump to the front to fill out those even cars. And jump to the front I did on the Matterhorn. It is a bobsled through a mini Everest, complete with mini Yetis, and a nice little splash at the end. It was awesome.

I decided to head towards New Orleans Square, because Pirates of the Caribbean was calling me. Yes, anyone who has ever been to both places will tell you that Land Pirates kicks the butt of World Pirates.


And in the next installment, I'll give you my opinion about that...

 

[Pesky]

Love it already! Maybe because I had yarn ponytails and a stroller of death but I'll never admit until given a Mickey bar....

 

[onelilspark]

Joining in!

 

[DisGirl819]

Awesome! Looking forward to reading more!

I grew up going to Disneyland too, so when I go to WDW I have the same issue you had entering DLand, its all right but in the wrong place! After about 4 trips to WDW in the past 3 years and none to DL, I'm starting to get accustomed to WDW.

 

[happybelle]

Joining in!

 

[LastLookAtTheCastle]

Oh, it's been a whole month, and I'm super sorry about that, but that's because I GOT A NEW JOB. Yes! I gave notice and I'm done in two days and then I'm starting a NEW JOB...

And it's BASED IN L.A. Yes, the place I visited at the end of April and then got to go to DL. Which means... I'll be visiting L.A. a lot more often, I think. Not moving, working from home, doing some new stuff. Yay me.

But I digress. But did I mention more DL visits perhaps? Yes. Back to DL...

When last I updated, I was walking from Fantasyland to POTC. I walked through a little alcove and came out right next to Rancho del Zocalo in Frontierland. I'd made a mental note to check that out for lunch, because even the worst Mexican food there is going to be better than the best Mexican food here, in the mountains of Virginia. POTC was just around the corner from there.

And again, I was struck at the TINY TINY space of DL. From standing in front of POTC (which looked like this...)


I could easily see The Haunted Mansion...


AND Splash Mountain off around the River. It was all right there. Like spitting distance from one ride to another. It was weird, and it really felt differently there. That area is definitely not WDW feeling.

BUT I had a mission, and it was to check out POTC, which is one of my all-time favorites at WDW.

Others had said that DL's POTC kicks WDW's version's butt. I say... it kicks its butt, then over to the curb, stomps on it a bit, and then laughs at it. In its face.

Once you get into the boat, there's a lazy ride through the backwater of Cajun country, with the lights of the Blue Bayou along the way. And then whole sections that aren't at WDW. And the DROP. It's GINORMOUS.

There is no comparison. I rode it twice in a row because there was no line. And then I went to HM. It is pretty similar. Different load line, but pretty much the same. HOWEVER, and I need to double check this, my favorite Hidden Mickey is NOT at DL... anyone know of the one in the crypt with the Grim Reaper?

I then hit the Single Rider line (ohhhh how I love thee Single Rider line) at Splash Mountain, and it's a little different too, but not massively. Smaller boat is the biggest thing. We have a family tradition of great ride pictures on this ride, but I hadn't thought of anything good for this... so I just put the map up like I was reading it. The Australian family I was with got a good chuckle out of that.

After those three, I decided to wander through Adventureland and then back over to Frontierland for food at Rancho Del Zocalo. It was good... cheapish, and like I said, better Mexican food than I'd find around here. I called my kids from there, and had to listen to the "NO FAIR NO FAIR NO FAIRS" but that the breaks, spawn.

I knew I wanted to hit Indy soon after that, but I took the long way around, cutting back by the tiny castle...

Hewwo, teeny castle. I went through the Sleeping Beauty walk through then, remembering the vignettes from when I was a kid, and admiring the beautiful laser and video ones now.

And back through into Adventureland.

OK, faithful readers, here's the scoop on Indiana Jones' Adventure.

It. Is. Stupid. Amazing.

You wind your way through the jungle, and once you're inside the Temple of the Forbidden Eye, you board the exact same ride vehicle as in Dinosaur. And it's the same kind of jumpy jerky movements; however, it's like going through an Indy movie, complete with Great Movie Ride animatronics of Harrison Ford and fire and blow darts and snakes and giant scary movie set pieces and a ROLLING BOULDER DOWN ON TOP OF YOU.

I'm a geek. I adore these movies. I wanted to jump up and down afterwards. Instead I called my brother, who had been on it as well, and freaked out. And then I went on it again. Have I mentioned how much I love the Single Rider line?

Some more details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Jones_Adventure:_Temple_of_the_Forbidden_Eye

After that, I bounced around there a bit more, and then cut across the hub to Tomorrowland. It, too, is very different. Compressed. Unfortunately, the Nemo ride was down, but I chilled next to the water for a while, and got a neato picture of the monorail over the water...



Space Mountain was down too, which was unfortunate (this was during that period that it was closed due to OSHA issues.) But I wandered over there anyway. That area of the park was almost deserted, as was the ride dump area, but it had a nice covered bench area, so I sat for a bit, and loaded some pictures up. While I was sitting, two STORMTROOPERS walked out, on their way to the Jedi Training Academy/Star Tours area (yes, that's in DL there.) I ran after them, and ran up to one and said, "Do stormtroopers take selfies?"

Turns out, they do.



Please note, I don't have a mustache. Just looks like I do.

I wandered around Tomorrowland some more, and then up into Fantasyland, just soaking stuff in. I really wanted to do the Storybook Canal Boats, but the line was ridiculous, and I was getting into the middle of hour four there, and getting a little antsy. I settled for a Monstro picture.



I had some shopping to do, so I decided to hang out on Main St. for the last of my time there. I needed to charge my phone (and they have special charging lockers there, which is cool... you can plug your phone in and leave it in a locker safely) and buy the kids some stuff.

It was then that I had a serious memory flashback, and started crying, in earnest.

Most of the stores there are also connected, like WDW, but they are tiny... the famous Magic Shop - you couldn't fit 10 people in there. But the shop that gave me the best memory of the day was the glass shop, Crystal Arts.

I walked in there, and all of a sudden, I was 6 again. The place smelled the same, and I swear the woman working there was the same woman. It was as if 35 years hadn't passed. And I remembered this little glass Tinkerbell necklace I'd gotten there, on a ribbon. It must have broken when I was in high school, but the same pieces of glass, same styles were there. Not the same necklace, but definitely different "rainbow effect" glass pieces like that necklace was.

And I was done for. I walked out, crying happy tears, thankful for the memory and the sights and sounds of a lovely park that started my personal little love of all this stuff. Sniff. I didn't get anything in there. Didn't need to. I'd gotten enough.

I picked up some Disneyland ears for my kids on the way out, and while they were getting monogrammed (still miss the old fashioned way of getting them stitched...) Mickey himself was doing a Meet and Greet next door. And like three people in line.

You know what? Mickey does selfies too.

 

[LastLookAtTheCastle]

Because I mentioned my family's epic ride photo tradition, I share with you now, the best one ever taken. Guess which one is my brother?

 

[LastLookAtTheCastle]

Annnnd one last update, and then I'll be done for the day (but then I haven't updated in a month, so you deserve it, you beautiful creatures you...)

SOME NEW PLANS!

Like I mentioned before, I have a new job. It's a very flexible telecommuting situation, working from home, but that also means that I can work from pretty much wherever. SO. We will now be departing to drive to WDW on the afternoon of Thursday, August 22, and I hope to get about halfway or past that point that day, leaving the other half on Friday. I have a hotel reserved in Pooler, GA, and that leaves about 290 miles Friday morning. That means we can meet my mom's plane at POR AND...

I got an ADR for Ohana that first Friday night. Woot.

AND AND August just opened for the Dessert Party, and I got THAT for our LAST night there, on the 27th. Mom doesn't even know about that.

With that, I'm done with ADRs. I think. Maybe. Hmmmm.