Somebody's Gonna Pee in a Cup, West Coast - Link to new TR 1/21

[Dugette]

kids still wide awake and DW sleeping.

I'm impressed she was able to take a nap despite the awake kids.

It was disappointing that the entire Critter Country area was walled off completely. We never even had an opportunity to even glance in and check it all out.

What were they doing there? Clearly I'm not up on my DL news.

Dinosaurs!

That's awesome!

Just as the show was starting, a couple of people came and sat down literally right in front of DS and DD. The entire row was empty. 20 rows in front of them was empty. And they chose to sit right in front of the kids.

And that’s about the time they decided to get up and go find a spot closer to the front of the theater.

Never ask your kids what they want to do when you’re standing in view of It’s a Small World.

So true.

I turned to head for the Dole Whip stand.

When the CM at the door announced last call to enter the show.

The kids were getting tired.

Waiting outside through the length of a whole show just wasn’t going to work well for us.

So no Dole Whip for me.

Aw, that's a bummer to miss out on the Dole Whip. Glad you enjoyed the Tiki Room, though.

But DS… the kid got 6 rides on BTMRR. And I think he’d have ridden it 6 more times if he could!

That is great! I still remember going on Space 6 times in a row as a kid. I'm sure that was a thrill for DS.

Since I didn’t have a phone, the park was getting jam packed, and it was dark we felt the need to be specific.

Sometimes I wonder how people ever found each other before smartphones. I think we'd spend most of our time in Disney wandering around trying to spot each other.

I was getting extremely uncomfortable holding DD. I had to go find something to at least lean on for a while.

I can totally understand this. It's hard to hold a kid that big for a long period, especially asleep. I was a mess from carrying an awake kid through WDW, so I don't know how you handled the sleeping one.

I don’t know, it might have been better had we been farther down MS towards Town Square, but it just emphasized to me how small the castle was. The fireworks were so high above that it didn’t feel like the castle was actually part of the show in the same way that it is for Wishes.

Huh, I hadn't thought about that, but makes sense. If we manage to go, it should be during the 60th fireworks, so hoping that's awesome.

It had been a whirlwind of a visit to Disneyland with a little bit of a rocky start. But it was worth every minute.

So glad that you felt it was worthwhile, despite the really rough start. Thanks for sharing your trip!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Skip the nap while your parents sleep? Nope, that was never me when I was a kid...

The interior of Sleeping Beauty's castle sounds pretty awesome.

Multiple rides on BTMRR? Win!

It's too bad that the fireworks were a letdown. I think when you're used to Wishes, anything else has a lot to live up to.

 

[natebenma]

Pistachio

I'm not gonna lie, solo time at Disney is pretty awesome!

I did the same thing with GRR- the rest of the family didn't want to ride, so I went solo, along with a family including a grandmother, father/mother and kids, dressed in jeans. They got soaked!

Did you use the regular stand-by line or use the single rider which takes you right to the loading area?

I didn't even think of the possibilities of getting FP when the family was not with you! I know when you got them at the World, everyone had to have entered the park, but with the ease of hopping park to park at DL, I guess it is simple to accomplish this even early on in the day.

Nice job getting a chance to enjoy HoP and ToT and to bank some FP for Big Thunder.

Sorry about the Dole Whip disappointment. You just need to go through the turnstiles at the Tiki Room holding area and order from the other side of the counter. The people at the Dole Whip stand clued us into that.

I hope the rest of your afternoon/evening is decent and the kids are not too tired.

:

 

[natebenma]

It seems I was a little bit pre-mature in my assessment of the corn we killed. It would have been close, but the growing point must have still been under the soil surface, because it has greened back up. Here are 2 pictures of that spot taken about a week apart. You can see that the growth was definitely stunted, but the dead corn appears to be making a comeback.

"Corn will find a way"- Ian Malcolm

 

[natebenma]

Happy Fathers' Day, Andy!!!

Someone apparently must have been proud that we let him handle his own ticket on the way into the park.

Great photo!!!

We still wanted to see Mickey’s Magical Map, but there was a little bit of time left before we had to get to the next show.

I have never heard of this!!! In my defense, it is a show, so I wouldn't get my family to it anyway, but I'm so glad to hear you all enjoyed it.

Because, dinosaurs.

Duh!

(I think we are going to see Jurassic World today, as we will be visited by Tropical Storm Bill, an unwelcome visitor on Fathers' Day)

And honestly, when the show ended, DW and I both looked at each other and asked if that was it.

OK, that makes me feel better. We were at DL for 4 nights, but never watched the fireworks while at DL. We could see them quite well from our GCH balcony but I wondered how the experience was from inside the park. Guess we did ok.

But it was worth every minute.

Really enjoyed your report!!!

 

[pkondz]

"Corn will find a way"- Ian Malcolm

 

[missjackiemcg]

I love the pic of your son with his own ticket! He looks so proud

All the restroom trips due to Sprite overload had me cracking up!! My 5YO son has recently discovered Sprite (thanks to a stomach bug, too!!) and he is constantly looking for it or trying to order it for himself at restaurants.

Your last look up at Walt's window made me cry!! I love that people stop and take the time to thank "uncle Walt" for all the magic!

 

[natebenma]

Don't encourage me or I might starting posting stuff like this...

 

[pkondz]

Now you're just getting corny.

 

[khertz]

Despite a few hiccups, it seems like your last night in Disneyland was pretty great!

The dinosaurs on the train ride will likely totally ruin any future rides on the WDW Railroad for DS. lol I knew about that from another TR but kept it a secret for him and he totally loved it!

It had to be rough holding DD in that sea of humanity, especially for 45 minutes! We had a similar reaction to the fireworks, but I think it was just because we were there during a slow time, which in Disneyland, means limited fireworks. When we went in August a few years ago, the fireworks show was AMAZING! Dumbo and Tink flying over the castle (and not just a quick flyby) and the show lasted as long as Wishes does. The abbreviated show in DL is definitely not what we are used to as WDW visitors where every night is a full fireworks show!

 

[ursalita]

I'm still enjoying all your farming updates. I can't imagine having all that wide open space to plant acres of corn. I'm with you on the corn, you can only eat it when it's in season. I ordered some seeds this year to plant for my first attempt at a garden but it didn't happen. Maybe next year. I only have some herbs growing in containers that I get from my CSA share.

Dinosaurs!

Seriously! I didn’t know this existed. But it was kind of cool. There’s a diorama of dinosaurs and other sorts of prehistoric wildlife.

That's a nice surprise.

Because, dinosaurs.

Obviously.

Just as the show was starting, a couple of people came and sat down literally right in front of DS and DD. The entire row was empty. 20 rows in front of them was empty. And they chose to sit right in front of the kids.

Who would sit in front of kids?

I can’t blame them. The show was starting, they probably just sat in the first seats they saw. Thankfully our row was empty as well so we just slid over a little bit.

You're a lot more understanding than I would have been. I would have moved but offered some choice words for them.

Apparently, while DW was asleep and I was in the parks, DS had helped himself to the rest of the Sprite that had been stashed in the fridge from when he was sick earlier in the week.

Resourceful kid.

Never ask your kids what they want to do when you’re standing in view of It’s a Small World.

At least the holiday theme made it enjoyable.

Aurora’s Castle is actually an attraction itself. You can enter the castle and walk up some stairs and there is an entire walkthrough attraction. You see several dioramas that outline parts of the story of Sleeping Beauty. It’s kind of a neat attraction, but it is very dark in there. DD actually kind of freaked out on us a little bit.

That sounds really cool.

DS was using the end of his belt to whip his horse like he was trying to win the Triple Crown.

Cute.

Seriously? I didn’t even know we had that much Sprite left in the fridge!

Or maybe DL gets grass fed beef. Yeah, I’m going with that theory. Grass fed is the trendy thing, but if you want good flavor it needs to be corn fed.

I had no idea that the corn adds to the flavor of the meat. Interesting. So when I ate at Mama Melrose's with my friend who is allergic to corn she asked the chef if the beef was grass fed and they couldn't confirm that. So probably the majority of the beef is corn fed unless specified in the menu.

But I couldn’t help but think about that Dole Whip that I didn’t get earlier that afternoon.

I hate it when that happens.

So no Dole Whip for me.

Sorry you didn't get it. I'd still be thinking about it.

But it wasn’t a minute into the show before another lady 2 rows behind her, leaned across the top of the people in between them, tapped her on the shoulder and asked her to keep the balloon down. There was a small round of applause in the theater at that point.

The crowd applauded? That's funny.

But DS… the kid got 6 rides on BTMRR. And I think he’d have ridden it 6 more times if he could!

Lucky kid.

Before long, both kids were sound asleep and DW and I were enjoying just being off of our feet and relaxing on a nice comfortable bench in the middle of Disneyland. It was a perfect evening.

Unfortunately, it wouldn’t last long.

Darn! That's too bad.

But we still had to wait 45 minutes before the fireworks would start.


And I was holding a sleeping 3 year old with no place to sit down.

Ugh. Nothing like a back breaking wait.

And honestly, when the show ended, DW and I both looked at each other and asked if that was it.

So not really worth it? That's too bad.

And I get it. I really do. The park is close to a residential neighborhood. I mean literally if you look across the street from Disneyland hotel there are houses. Who wants to hear a huge firework show being shot off in their backyard all the time?

Great point. I'm sure there are a bunch of annoyances they have to live with in addition to the noise.

I found Walt’s light in the window and took one last look. I don’t know if or when I’ll ever get back out there and I just had to take a moment to thank him for all the good times and great memories he has provided me with over the years.

So glad to hear that you had a great trip despite the rough start.

 

[afwdwfan]

Hi everyone! I just wanted to let you all know I appreciate the comments and have read them all. I just haven't been able to do replies yet. It was a busy weekend, then I've been out of the office today for meetings and when I get back, I'll be working with an intern for a couple of weeks. So even if I do happen to have some downtime at work, there's a good chance she might be using my computer so my downtime might not necessarily allow me to post on here.

Well, that and wheat harvest will start as soon as we dry up. So could be later this week. And things will get crazy at work when that happens.

But anyway, I'll get back to you all here and try to catch up on everyone else's TR's when I get a chance. I'm likely reading all you post on my phone, but just not replying yet, as it is. I hope to have a little bit of time this afternoon when I get home before we have to leave for DS's baseball game this evening.

Thanks for your patience!

 

[afwdwfan]

No. I'm going to.

So... what did you decide?

Yeah, I know, I'll probably find out when I get around to your TR.

I'm terrible with rules. Just ask my high school principal.

You rebel!

They're definitely fireworks. Some of them are in a park a few blocks away. Some of them are just loud.
When you hear airplanes flying over your house all the time, you learn to identify sounds.
Although there was one time when there was an earthquake and I thought it was just a low-flying plane... (in my defense ... the earthquake was in DC, we were just feeling the edges of it)

Well, I just wanted to be clear... you know, with it being the city and all.

I love reading all your posts about the farm. I find it quite fascinating. Going to college in a fairly rural part of NC, there was a lot of corn around. And I remember my senior year, I was really looking forward to going back to one of the corn mazes, and sadly they didn't have it that year because we'd had SO much rain it literally washed the crop away.

Thanks!

And now I'm wondering if there's a particular type of corn used for mazes...any input?

Probably just regular dent corn. Just planted thicker. There's a farm near us that does a corn maze every year. They just plant regular dent corn, but they actually plant the field twice with rows going both directions so that they criss cross and make the corn thicker so you can't look out between the rows.

BTMRR in the dark is amazing!! Doubly so if you can catch it during Wishes, which I've been lucky enough to do once.

That's the ultimate way to do it!

As a vertically challenged person, I feel for your kids and wife. I hate when I get a view lined up in the crowd, and then someone steps in front of me. Lately DBF (who is 6'1") and I have employed the strategy of finding a railing or other solid object to stand behind, and then I stand directly next to it while he stands behind me. That way we take up minimal space and both of us can see.

That is always the best way to do it. That's kind of how we ended up doing Fantasmic!

Sad to see the DLR portion coming to an end!

I know. Me too. Time to plan a new trip.

No I forgot.

But I can tell you the 60th Anniversary fireworks are really cool. I'll have a post on my PTR. I think I got some good pictures.

Cool! I saw that you updated. I haven't checked it out yet, but I definitely will when I get a chance!

He's so cute!

Sometimes.

Woof. You'd think they'd at least put up a colorful tapestry or something. No bueno.

I know. They're putting up tarps with fake trees in the MK for crying out loud! Why does DL just get a black screen?

Cool!

Seriously.

Why? What is wrong with people?

I don't know. I can't be too upset because the show was just starting so they probably just slipped in and stopped at the first empty row they saw. It didn't ruin anything for us.

Cool!

It was.

Nice. I see a trend starting here...

A bladder the size of a thimble and he always wants to drink his weight in whatever it is he's drinking.

DD's face in this photo is everything!

She loves it!

WHAT?!?!

And all Cinderella gets is a mosaic.

Well, and a restaurant. Aurora doesn't have that.

OOps. Poor kiddo.

She is the most evil one.

I agree.

I love spooky and cool; that's what every dark ride should be!

Cuties!

Thanks!

Of course! Burger research is serious business!

We only cover important topics around here.

I'm so glad there were a few magical CM moments. Why work at the Happiest Place on Earth if you're a grumpy Gus who just doesn't care?

Good point. Although they really were fine for the most part. We just didn't get the over the top great from most of them.

YES! I really miss this ride. When I was last in WDW in 2012 we skipped it cause the line was long. If I'd known then what I know now I'd have ridden it at least twice.

Oh! That's too bad!

As there should have been. Rude balloon lady.

The world revolved around her...

Small World? To get a snack? BTMRR? Am I hot or cold?

Cold. All good guesses though.

I quoted the wrong portion and I'm not going back. But I am not in the least surprised that DS chose a BTMRR pin; like father like son!

Grumpy men is never good.

It's a good way to get into trouble.

Excuse me?

That's kind of what I was thinking!

Way to be SUPER unorganized DL.

Well, in their defense, they were actually very organized. They knew exactly what they were doing. But it still didn't make me any happier!

Mega ouch. I mean my DD is only like 20 pounds but the idea of lugging that sleepy little thing around for an hour makes my back hurt.

Yeah, no kidding. That dead weight when they sleep just makes it worse.

Man, DL misses the mark, again.

It was good, but the fireworks definitely didn't live up to our expectations.

I do! I mean, maybe not really. But I guarantee those folks bought those houses after DL was built.

Excellent point!

AWE! This was really sweet. I'm glad you had a Walt moment or two in DL. Even if they got a few things wrong I love how close you felt to Walt while in DL; makes me wanna go.

It is definitely worth going. It's a great way to kind of pay tribute to the man who started it all!

Keep in mind I haven't been on the train for a few years. Yesterday I noticed that the train in MS station had the cars facing the center of the park, but I didn't see any other trains that day. I could be totally wrong. I guess I need to go back and ride the train.

Yes, you need to research this and report back!

We were planning on a week. I was thinking of doing a house/condo. I wanted to do Legoland, LA, and the beach as well as Disney. The last and first time I went was before California Adventure. Only the Disneyland Hotel was open. We stayed two nights. I was in maybe 7th or 8th grade, but wasn't impressed. I remember Small World being longer, but there was no water. It was just on a track. I remember loving Matterhorn though. I know we were sad to leave, but it just didn't feel the same. I'll be looking forward to the review.
-Lindsey

Sounds like fun! And I think you'll be just fine staying off site. It will probably be for the best since you're planning to do so much outside of Disneyland. A lot has most definitely changed so it should be a great experience for you!

 

[afwdwfan]

I'm impressed she was able to take a nap despite the awake kids.

They were watching TV. So they weren't crawling on top of her. Which is actually better than most nights at home.

What were they doing there? Clearly I'm not up on my DL news.

I honestly don't really know! I'm sure doing the typical refurb that always needs to be done on Splash and then I assume just refreshing the whole land for the 60th?

That's awesome!

Yeah, pretty much.

So true.

Live and learn...

Aw, that's a bummer to miss out on the Dole Whip. Glad you enjoyed the Tiki Room, though.

Yeah, it was for the best, really. I can live without a Dole Whip so it wasn't too big of a deal.

That is great! I still remember going on Space 6 times in a row as a kid. I'm sure that was a thrill for DS.

Oh yeah! He remembers it. And last night he found his little stuffed Yeti keychain and was actually talking about wanting to ride EE again. We'll see what happens when we eventually get there...

Sometimes I wonder how people ever found each other before smartphones. I think we'd spend most of our time in Disney wandering around trying to spot each other.

No kidding! You just hope there aren't 500 other families meeting in the same spot at the same time your family agreed to meet!

I can totally understand this. It's hard to hold a kid that big for a long period, especially asleep. I was a mess from carrying an awake kid through WDW, so I don't know how you handled the sleeping one.

I don't know either. But I managed. And I think I'd still rather hold her for one evening like that than mess with taking our nice double stroller on the airplane and through the crowds.

Huh, I hadn't thought about that, but makes sense. If we manage to go, it should be during the 60th fireworks, so hoping that's awesome.

I hope so!

So glad that you felt it was worthwhile, despite the really rough start. Thanks for sharing your trip!

It definitely was worth it all in the end. We had a great time!

Skip the nap while your parents sleep? Nope, that was never me when I was a kid...

I know. Totally foreign concept.

I actually remember this from a trip to Disney World when I was little. My sisters were young enough that they had to have naps so we'd go back to the room to take a break. Everyone would sleep except for me and I was so mad that we were wasting valuable time for naps!!! I just wanted to leave and go do something, but I wasn't really old enough to go off on my own yet. Drove me crazy!!!

The interior of Sleeping Beauty's castle sounds pretty awesome.

It was a neat attraction. It really isn't anything spectacular by any means, but it is kind of cool to see and they've got some nice little details to catch in there.

Multiple rides on BTMRR? Win!

It's too bad that the fireworks were a letdown. I think when you're used to Wishes, anything else has a lot to live up to.

Excellent point!

 

[afwdwfan]

I'm not gonna lie, solo time at Disney is pretty awesome!

I did the same thing with GRR- the rest of the family didn't want to ride, so I went solo, along with a family including a grandmother, father/mother and kids, dressed in jeans. They got soaked!

Oh no. Nothing worse than wet jeans.

Did you use the regular stand-by line or use the single rider which takes you right to the loading area?

Single rider was closed. It was basically a walk on.

I didn't even think of the possibilities of getting FP when the family was not with you! I know when you got them at the World, everyone had to have entered the park, but with the ease of hopping park to park at DL, I guess it is simple to accomplish this even early on in the day.

We'd already been in both parks, so it was no big deal. If I'd have had more time, I'd have been grabbing all kinds of FP's!

Nice job getting a chance to enjoy HoP and ToT and to bank some FP for Big Thunder.

It worked out great!

Sorry about the Dole Whip disappointment. You just need to go through the turnstiles at the Tiki Room holding area and order from the other side of the counter. The people at the Dole Whip stand clued us into that.

I knew about that. But I didn't really want to watch the Tiki show at the time and I wasn't sure about jumping the turnstiles to bail on it.

Happy Fathers' Day, Andy!!!

Thanks!

Great photo!!!

Thanks!

I have never heard of this!!! In my defense, it is a show, so I wouldn't get my family to it anyway, but I'm so glad to hear you all enjoyed it.

It's a good show! I'm not usually a big fan of the shows either, but I enjoyed it!

Duh!

(I think we are going to see Jurassic World today, as we will be visited by Tropical Storm Bill, an unwelcome visitor on Fathers' Day)

So did you see it?

OK, that makes me feel better. We were at DL for 4 nights, but never watched the fireworks while at DL. We could see them quite well from our GCH balcony but I wondered how the experience was from inside the park. Guess we did ok.

Yeah, I think you probably went with the better option there.

Really enjoyed your report!!!

Thanks!

I love the pic of your son with his own ticket! He looks so proud

Thanks!

All the restroom trips due to Sprite overload had me cracking up!! My 5YO son has recently discovered Sprite (thanks to a stomach bug, too!!) and he is constantly looking for it or trying to order it for himself at restaurants.

Oh yeah. They love that stuff. We try not to make a habit of letting them have it very often, but we do allow it once in a while.

Your last look up at Walt's window made me cry!! I love that people stop and take the time to thank "uncle Walt" for all the magic!

I think it is just fitting. The fact that they leave that light on to remember him says a lot and I think it is only right that we as Disney fans take a moment to at least acknowledge it.

Don't encourage me or I might starting posting stuff like this...

Now you're just getting corny.

 

[afwdwfan]

Despite a few hiccups, it seems like your last night in Disneyland was pretty great!

It really was a good night. A great way to end the trip.

The dinosaurs on the train ride will likely totally ruin any future rides on the WDW Railroad for DS. lol I knew about that from another TR but kept it a secret for him and he totally loved it!

I'm glad it was a hit with him as well!

Now you'll just have to take him on Ellen's Energy Adventure. Unless you think he's ready for Dinosaur...

It had to be rough holding DD in that sea of humanity, especially for 45 minutes! We had a similar reaction to the fireworks, but I think it was just because we were there during a slow time, which in Disneyland, means limited fireworks. When we went in August a few years ago, the fireworks show was AMAZING! Dumbo and Tink flying over the castle (and not just a quick flyby) and the show lasted as long as Wishes does. The abbreviated show in DL is definitely not what we are used to as WDW visitors where every night is a full fireworks show!

That might have been the case for us too. They only offered fireworks on Friday and Saturday nights. And I'd assume January is a slower time.

I'm still enjoying all your farming updates. I can't imagine having all that wide open space to plant acres of corn. I'm with you on the corn, you can only eat it when it's in season. I ordered some seeds this year to plant for my first attempt at a garden but it didn't happen. Maybe next year. I only have some herbs growing in containers that I get from my CSA share.

Yes, fresh is always the best!

And I couldn't imagine not having all the wide opens space. I'll go to a friend's house in town and see his house 30 feet away from the neighbor's house and I can't even imagine living like that. I like my privacy!

That's a nice surprise.

Obviously.

Who doesn't like dinosaurs?

Who would sit in front of kids?

Apparently, these people...

You're a lot more understanding than I would have been. I would have moved but offered some choice words for them.

It really wasn't that big of a deal. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. They walked in as the show was starting and I think they just ducked into the first empty row they saw. Whether they moved because they realized what they did, I don't know, but that could have been the case.

Resourceful kid.

You have no idea...

At least the holiday theme made it enjoyable.

That sounds really cool.

It is!

Cute.

As long as PETA doesn't show up...

I had no idea that the corn adds to the flavor of the meat. Interesting. So when I ate at Mama Melrose's with my friend who is allergic to corn she asked the chef if the beef was grass fed and they couldn't confirm that. So probably the majority of the beef is corn fed unless specified in the menu.

Honestly, I don't know why it wouldn't be corn fed. Unless you want to specifically market your product in a manner that you can charge a higher price for an inferior product that actually costs less to produce.

Actually just about all beef is grass fed. Grass and hay makes up a large portion of their diet. But in many cases they are fed some feed (grain) to supplement the grass. The grain helps them put on weight a little bit faster and gives them a little more fat content. I wouldn't think that grass fed vs. corn fed should have an impact on her allergies, but I don't know. She would and I guess that's why she asked.

I hate it when that happens.

Frustrating when you miss a snack

Sorry you didn't get it. I'd still be thinking about it.

I was just staring longingly at the Dole Whip the guy in front of me was holding.

The crowd applauded? That's funny.

Not the whole crowd, but the ones in the vicinity did!

Lucky kid.

Darn! That's too bad.

I know. All I wanted to do was sit for a while until we had to make our way out to Main Street.

Ugh. Nothing like a back breaking wait.

But at least it was our last night and I had some prescription medicine back in the room if I needed it.

So not really worth it? That's too bad.

I don't know. It was a disappointment, but can you really go to Disneyland and NOT watch the fireworks? I'm glad we saw them regardless. And it seems that they have better shows during the busier times of year.

Great point. I'm sure there are a bunch of annoyances they have to live with in addition to the noise.

So glad to hear that you had a great trip despite the rough start.

We did, it was all worthwhile in the end.

 

[KatMark]

Andy.

 

[Steppesister]

I'm not gonna lie, solo time at Disney is pretty awesome!

So... what did you decide?

Yeah, I know, I'll probably find out when I get around to your TR.

Yes, I did roller skate. And my thighs are still giving me death threats.

 

[afwdwfan]

Andy.

Yes, I did roller skate. And my thighs are still giving me death threats.

 

[natebenma]

So did you see it?

GRRR!!!! NO!

We got to the theatre at 2, power was out all over the area. We asked if there was any hope and they said power had been out since noon.



Maybe this coming weekend.