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

[franandaj]

I have been way too far behind to comment on much of anything. It took me several days to get through the Early Morning update and just when I thought I was caught up, you hit with the RSR update!

I'll just say that the farming update was very interesting, it was neat to hear your voice in the video, and you explained everything quite masterfully.

I'm glad you had a good morning. The one thing I will comment on is that the CM's commute is something that is quite common for So Cal residents. I used to have a 53 mile commute to work, and around the Christmas holidays it could sometimes take me three hours in traffic to get home. Now that I'm "retired" we only have one day a week that we drive much of anywhere on a regular basis and that's our Tuesday night to band. Coming home, we make it in 45 minutes tops, but to get there for the 7:30 start time, we leave well before 5PM if we can. Usually that gets us there in plenty of time at least by 7PM, but sometimes, we are cutting it very close. Crazy traffic is just something we all put up with so that we don't have to shovel snow, or brave tornadoes!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

The Heavens opened and angels sang!



IT WAS OPEN!!!!

(Hallelujah Chorus)

It is an undisputable fact.

Numbers don’t lie.

"There are lies, damn lies, and statistics." -- Mark Twain

“I’m sorry, but somebody broke down in Radiator Springs. We’re going to have to hold you here until they get the street cleared.”



DOES THIS RIDE EVER WORK????????

In front of us was his son with a couple of guys who are college aged. One of them started asking her questions about working there… And she really opened up.

By far, one of the most memorable moments of the trip for me. I was in Disney nerd Nirvana listening to her stories.

Very cool! That would have been really interesting to hear.

All I can think, is how bad is the commute if you regularly allow enough time that you made it to work on time after being delayed nearly 2 hours?????

I need to print this for when people complain about our roads. They have no idea what traffic really is.

It was really cool hearing her story and getting to hear her perspective on things. If it hadn’t been for the fact that RSR never works like it is supposed to, I’d have probably never had that opportunity to chat with her and find out how awesome some of the DL CM’s really are. She made our 20 - 30 minute wait seem much, much shorter.

Very awesome! She sounds really cool. One question, though: does she actually like working there?

I would have preferred to have the full effects of the ride since this was only my second time on it, but being the Disney nerd, I did think it was kind of cool being able to see all the things that we aren’t supposed to be able to see.

I'm glad you experienced the "real" ride first. This would have been cool, too.

All work and no play makes DS a dull boy.

This was the beginning of our crazy-what-are-they-thinking back and forth treks across the park.

Oh, like anybody is dumb enough to tour the parks like that.

POTC had been down when we’d tried to ride before. Thankfully it was up and running and we were able to check it out. And I’m so glad we did. It is amazing. I love it. The loading area, the cruise through Blue Bayou, the 2 drops, the extra scenes. It is just awesome. Basically everything the ride at WDW is… and then some.

Monorails are cool. But this one. Well, it’s hot.

There’s no AC.

There’s no spiel - If you want to hear it, you have to say it yourself.

And people will look at you like you're crazy.

I'm really, really glad I ended up missing out on this and sticking Julie with it instead.

It was great to ride Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride once again. I’d ridden it at WDW so it was once again, one of those nostalgic attractions. But I can’t say that I’m all that sad that it’s gone. I’m glad I could revisit a ride from my childhood, but Winnie the Pooh is a much better attraction.

And it doesn’t send you to Hell.

Which is always a good thing.

Disagree. Give me Mr. Toad over Pooh anyday. I'm still stunned that final scene exists in a Disney park.

DD and I had a car behind a guy who apparently seemed to either be unable to reach the gas pedal, or didn’t know how to use it. We were released from the loading area. He took off, drove about 20 feet and stopped. Consequently, I had to release the pedal and stop.


Unfortunately, he did this for the… whole… entire… ride.

This is when my road rage kicked in.


Come on. Show of hands. Who hasn’t been behind a slow driver on the highway that they just wanted to push out of the way?

Either that, or I've wanted the guns from Buzz Lightyear mounted on my dashboard.

We sat there for probably 30 seconds, unable to move.

Cars backed up behind me.

I tried pumping the pedal.

I held it to the floor.

Eventually, I heard the motor turn over. It coughed and sputtered and we were off!

Well, at least we’ll be able to enjoy the rest of the ride going full speed!!!!


About 2 turns later, I caught snail man again.

Even at 7 mph?

"This is the vehicle's top speed."
"I can get out and run faster than this!"

My theory was that there are sensors in the bumper and some kind of computer controlled ignition on the cars to shut them down if you bumped another car???

Makes sense. I'm sure the lawyers have it all figured out.

Maybe not a must do Disneyland attraction, but definitely worth checking out if the line is short or you can get FP.

Yeah, you made it sound so appealing.

The best part of lunch though, was that we were sitting down to eat just in time to see Jedi Training Academy. DS doesn’t seem to have any interest in doing JTA so it hasn’t ever been a priority for us. This is the first time I’ve ever seen the entire show from start to finish so I enjoyed getting to watch it while we ate.

That really is a great show.

What? You didn’t really think I was going to sit around the room and nap, did you?

Napping is a waste of Disney time!

Even though it was blowing in an upward direction, about 5 or 6 feet above the corn, it still managed to burn all the corn in the area. The corn shows signs similar to frost damage in the area that looks darker than the rest and it will be dead in a few days.

I kind of wonder if the meth users know how potent this stuff is? It is an ingredient in meth and one of the biggest crime problems around here is people trying to steal anhydrous ammonia to make meth.

That's why you let the pros at Los Pollos Hermanos take care of it.

Um, I mean, that's interesting information.

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Well now…
I are behind in the proceedings again.

So I’ve got’s three chapters to catch up on.
‘Best get started then, so here goes…

Keep Your Hands and Arms Inside the Carpet!

We're... outta here!

I think the only show I haven’t seen yet at WDW is the Finding Nemo show. But based on my experiences, Aladdin is the best theme park show I’ve ever seen. It is phenomenal!

We got to see a version of Aladdin on the Fantasy last week. If it has anything in common, then I’ve no doubt that it was one heck of a show. I will also say that you should try to see Finding Nemo over at AK if you get the chance. That’s actually one of my favorite shows from any of the parks.

But the highlight, is the man himself, Genie.

Wow, Genie really makes the show. I don’t remember a lot of specifics to share, but he delivered a lot of one liners that were both funny and relevant. I don’t know if they allow the actor to ad lib, or if they just re-write it every week or so based on current events, but I remember noticing he was using fresh material.

Yep…
Sounds like it might be the same version on the ship.
The Genie had us rolling as well; lots of ad-lib one liners.

Oooooo… Pur-ty.
Nice shot of the family as well there sir.

I had the BBQ pork ribs

Similar to what’s offered at the Flame Tree?

the kids actually sat down and ate their mac & cheese.

Ahhhhh…
Five minutes of blessed relief.

We didn’t think to take any pictures inside the restaurant, but there is the outdoor seating that you see At the end of our meal, we were getting up and getting ready to leave when DS knocked his cup on the floor. It resulted in a mini explosion of Sprite everywhere. We tried to grab some napkins to clean it up, but a couple of CM’s came over and told us not to worry about it and they’d take care of it. I’m sure they just wanted us to leave before we made a bigger mess, but I appreciated it.

Reputation preceding you I see.

We finished in Carsland, and decided it was time to call it a night.

Well, almost.

Cool!
I like “Well, almost” stories.

We’d skipped It’s Tough to be a Bug at WDW…

The Bug Show?
With your DD?

We stopped and explained to DD exactly what we were going to do and asked her if it was ok. We were going to watch a movie with big bugs in it. They wouldn’t hurt her though and she could sit on my lap.

The siting on your lap part of it was the single smartest thing you could have done there.

Wait… did I just give you credit for something?
Hold on a minute, I’ve got to go wash my mouth out…
Now where is the Palmolive? Dang! Nothing handy but Life Boy… YOUGH!

Well, she actually sat with the 3-D glasses on and watched. Until, I believe, it was the bug bomb scene.

If your gonn’a be over something… that’s a pretty good spot to be so.

And apparently, because it was finally a Friday Disneyland had early hours at 7AM!!!!!

 


= = = = =

This Will Be a Day Long Remembered.

Unless someone does something foolish, like – you know – leaving an open exhaust port that leads directly to the main reactor core at the end of a lightly defended trench in the superstructure.

Then things could turn sour pretty quickly.

Ok… bad news. Friday, was a very full, fun day. And we have hardly any pictures. In fact, the first update has none. I apologize in advance.

I mentioned this same point in Ponzie’s report a little while ago…
More pictures = more Oooos and Ahhhhs
More words = more caustic observations and sarcasm.

Which of those is a better situation is a purely subjective matter.

Clearly, GCH really did just toss everyone out on their own to get to transportation and deal with moving their luggage.

Equal opportunity oppressors, I see

There was a roadblock set up in front of the DLH with 2 CM’s standing next to it. I figured they’re next to a roadblock, they must know what is going on.

Which way to that undefended trench and that exhaust port?

They said they only knew about the traffic closures at the exact spot they were placed and didn’t know about anything else.

Really?

Come on. Is this some kind of a screwed up joke???

And all the folks that do know what’s going on are watching the video feed of that exchange and descending maniacally into their own special laughing place.

I never saw a car come or go the whole time I was there, so I approached the guard shack to ask. Unlike the day I rolled into DLH, the guard answered me in no uncertain terms that I would be able to get out that way the following morning.

Finally!
You got far enough away from the Brass and down to the Sergeants that are actually in control of the trenches. ‘Bout time.

They were playing Star Wars music, and I think I started whistling along with it as I walked back towards DTD and GCH.

It gonn’a be a good day, tatter.

They did the little countdown and officially turned everyone loose.

Charge!!!

The family in front of us made it through the turnstile. DW and DS followed.

But I was stuck.

I had the stroller.

Nooooooooooo!!!

Are there any sadder words to be spoken then: “I had the stroller”?

But I know for a fact that the mom, or whoever she was, who was pushing the stroller knew I was trying to get around. Just based on eye contact and the look I got. I pretty much took it as a “screw you, you’re not getting in front of us.”

This world would be a really nice place to live if it weren’t for all the other people in living on it.

We decided that we’d to ride the Finding Nemo subs before it got lined up this morning. And as it turned out we were first in line!

A proper reward for all that frustration

The Finding Nemo subs were a fun ride, but I definitely wish it was Captain Nemo instead.

So say we all.

I knew DW didn’t want to ride Star Tours…

But there was no line.

And we were right there.

DW decided that she was ok with taking the kids for another ride on Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters and I was grateful to hop on my starspeeder for a quick flight with C3PO.

You married well (you’re also now farther in debt).

It was the shirt with Darth Vader and storm troopers on the carousel with the quote, “This will be a day long remembered.”

“That was totally wicked!”
(I know… wrong movie, but still… Totally Wicked!)

I didn’t buy it because I’d already bought a shirt.

Wait, What!

But I had another idea.

A better idea.

It’s rare that you have any idea, so a “better one” is setting a mighty high bar here.

I don’t know if I mentioned it yet, but I love the proximity of the parks.

Seems I’ve heard a thing or two about something along that general line of reasoning…




= = = = = = = = = = = = =

Por Favor Manténganse Alejado de las Puertas

Please gather your personal belongings, watch your head and step as you exit, and take small children by the hand.

We trekked across the vast expanse between the parks and made it inside DCA just prior to Rope Drop. We made it through the turnstiles

And without any stroller incidents this time.
Bonus!

and paused only briefly at the square near Carthay Circle before the hoards were turned loose.

Disney’s nod to the infamous “Running of the Bulls”

We entered scenic Radiator Springs.

We followed the direction of all the CM’s telling us to keep right if we want to ride RSR.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we’ve got it.

Seasoned vets, eh?

We passed Ramones and ditched the stroller.

We rounded the corner to the entrance of the ride.

The Heavens opened and angels sang!

IT WAS OPEN!!!!

Numbers don’t lie.

That’s not the way Mark Twain explained it to me.

In no time, we were through the queue and loaded into a car. We headed out, and got to the seat belt checkpoint. The car in front of us left. We pulled up.

I’m grabbing the yellow strap trying to show the CM that my seat belt is properly fastened.

The CM walks over and instead of telling us to pull the strap, she says “Hi, how is everyone.”

Um, Hi. Great, thanks!

“I’m sorry, but somebody broke down in Radiator Springs. We’re going to have to hold you here until they get the street cleared.”

Wah, wah, wah, waaaaah…

DOES THIS RIDE EVER WORK????????

No, I didn’t actually say it. The voice in my head did though.

Are you sure?
I think I may have heard you all the way out here.
You must think loudly.

By far, one of the most memorable moments of the trip for me. I was in Disney nerd Nirvana listening to her stories.

The silver lining shows itself in the form of another person.
Who knew.


Maybe we don’t have to get rid of all the other people on the world to make it a better place after all.

The lights were still on, so it definitely left something to be desired. I’m just glad it wasn’t our first ride on it.

But you do have one heck of a story to go along with it.

We had some Disneyland must do’s left on our list, so we really wanted to make sure we did them first. This was the beginning of our crazy-what-are-they-thinking back and forth treks across the park.

Been there…
Sometimes it just the only way.

We started off in beautiful New Orleans Square. POTC had been down when we’d tried to ride before. Thankfully it was up and running and we were able to check it out.

Looking forward to seeing that one at some point.

Monorails are cool. But this one. Well, it’s hot.

Well put.

There’s no spiel - If you want to hear it, you have to say it yourself.

And people will look at you like you're crazy.

Well, we take that for granted anyway, so go on ahead and recite away.

It was great to ride Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride once again.

I miss that one as well; hated to see it go on our coast.

I’d ridden it at WDW so it was once again, one of those nostalgic attractions. But I can’t say that I’m all that sad that it’s gone. I’m glad I could revisit a ride from my childhood, but Winnie the Pooh is a much better attraction.

Really? That’s Interesting… Never ridden that one.
Our young’en was always way too old for it (in his opinion)

And it doesn’t send you to Hell.

But that’s the best part.

Unfortunately, he did this for the… whole… entire… ride.

But unfortunately, no padawans went to the Dark Side.

It’s probably a good thing they only let kids do the JTA.
I can just see the line of DisDads via for a chance to take over the whole show.
It would be epic (and not necessarily in a good way)

What? You didn’t really think I was going to sit around the room and nap, did you?

The thought never crossed my mind.

 

[afwdwfan]

There's a difference between tires and cars. Really.

Only slightly though. Running into things is running into things, regardless.

Um ... sure. Let's just pretend I didn't forget 95% of what I learned in chemistry.

I pretend I haven't forgotten things I should know all the time.

Great, I'll send you some of ours. I don't need it. This is New York, we have sprinklers!

Sounds good to me!

I love your crop pictures. I love watching crown grow and I am blessed to ahve a field right by my nouse (I'm sure I've mentioned this more than once). It it just amazing to watch it get a little higher every day.

Thanks! And you have. It is great to watch it grow... as long as conditions stay favorable.

I loved your great CM story. Funny how a broken ride can lead to such a memoralbe experience. It was really cool that the CM was so candid with you. But- I honestly can't imagine having that kind of commute in the morning. Definitely puts any of my traffic complaints to shame.

I know. It was interesting hearing her side of the story. It was a great experience. But there is no way I could handle that commute. I'd quit the first time I had a 2 hour delay getting there.

I think I would have bumped the slow guy on Autotopia, too! I admire you for showing restraint for as long as you did. I probably would have bumped him sooner!

Well, I was just going to putter along until he decided to take too long to resume driving.

I have to agree that Pecos Bill makes one HECK of a burger!

RSR really sounds cool - but such a bummer that it has so many technical issues and is so often down. Would really suck for people that don't have as many opportunities on a trip to ride it and just aren't able to because it is down.

It is a phenomenal ride. I'm just glad we had multiple days there to deal with all the frustrations. I can only imagine how much it would stink to have those problems if we only had 1 park day.

I do enjoy seeing the working parts of attractions (e.g., Space Mountain with the lights one) but agree with you that for people riding it for the first time that kinda hurts the illusion.

Yeah, it's great to see those things, but I'd definitely have preferred to see it after I already know the ride as it is supposed to be. For only our second time around on this one, I'd definitely have liked to see it as it was intended. But at least this wasn't our very first ride!

That trip on autopia sounds ridiculously frustrating. I do like the set up of the DLR version and would like to check it out when there

Oh it was very frustrating. I do like their version a lot more than WDW. But in the end, it really is what it is. Cars slowly moving around a track and banging into rails.

Mr Toad's is definitely one thing I definitely want to get on (do recall going on it as a kid in WDW) - but as big a fan of it as I am it is hard to argue against the change over from a business standpoint. How many kids even know what book/movie that is for? And I've read bits of the Wind and the Willows to my daughter and it isn't exactly as pleasant reading before bed as most Winnie the Pooh stories.

Heck, I remember the ride and I really don't know/remember much about the Wind in the Willows.

Really interesting reading about the farming!

Thanks.

... you can tell I DIS too much when I was expecting a picture of a line of people waiting to meet Anna and Elsa

Well, that'll learn ya. Next time fix it on your neighbour's farm.

Well, it was at home near a stone driveway. I thought about pulling out of the field and doing it there. But then if the wind shifted, I could have killed some grass, trees, flowers, who knows what else. And a little bit of dead corn is better than a pissed off wife.

"But officer, these are my crops!"
"Uh, huh. Sure. I bet they are. Just what exactly are you growing? Now show me some I.D."

I was getting grilled by the guy. But the thing is, he wasn't even in his jurisdiction. He knew it. I knew it. He was an off-duty officer from the next county over who just happened to be driving along and saw a truck and wanted to show how important he was. I was actually just an 18 or 19 year old kid at the time, but I played along and answered his questions. The thing is, I knew who this guy was, yet he never put it all together and realized who I was. He was actually related to my aunt. I finally told him I had other things I needed to do. if he had any more questions he could just call her and she'd confirm my story and then I just got in my truck and left.

Nice update Andy. It's always great to get some time to really chat with some cast members, I'm just sorry that RSR had to break down for you to get that opportunity.

Yeah, the RSR breakdowns were a frustration, but I'm glad we had the opportunity to chat with her. She made the wait worthwhile.

Now I just have to comment on this picture. Is it just an unfortunate perspective, or is this guy smoking the world's biggest hookah pipe?

I never noticed that!

 

[afwdwfan]

I have been way too far behind to comment on much of anything. It took me several days to get through the Early Morning update and just when I thought I was caught up, you hit with the RSR update!

Oops... sorry. I'm on a roll!

I'll just say that the farming update was very interesting, it was neat to hear your voice in the video, and you explained everything quite masterfully.

Thanks. I thought that would be a good way to show a little bit more than just pictures. And it was getting late and I was getting bored.

I'm glad you had a good morning. The one thing I will comment on is that the CM's commute is something that is quite common for So Cal residents. I used to have a 53 mile commute to work, and around the Christmas holidays it could sometimes take me three hours in traffic to get home. Now that I'm "retired" we only have one day a week that we drive much of anywhere on a regular basis and that's our Tuesday night to band. Coming home, we make it in 45 minutes tops, but to get there for the 7:30 start time, we leave well before 5PM if we can. Usually that gets us there in plenty of time at least by 7PM, but sometimes, we are cutting it very close. Crazy traffic is just something we all put up with so that we don't have to shovel snow, or brave tornadoes!

I just can't even imagine.

But at least snow and tornadoes are only seasonal things. Not something you deal with every single day!

(Hallelujah Chorus)

"There are lies, damn lies, and statistics." -- Mark Twain

When I worked for the USDA as an auditor, one of my co-workers always said "figures don't lie, but liars figure."

Very cool! That would have been really interesting to hear.

It definitely was. It was great to just chat with her and hear her stories. And I'm glad that she was willing to be so open and not just give the vanilla-company-line-pixie-dust-and-magic spiel.

I need to print this for when people complain about our roads. They have no idea what traffic really is.

True. But those east coast drivers...

Very awesome! She sounds really cool. One question, though: does she actually like working there?

Apparently, very much so if she's been willing to put up with a 2+ hour commute that should be 45 minutes for the past few years. Yes, she seemed very happy to work for Disney and didn't have plans to go elsewhere. She basically said it was something she had dreamed about since she was little and it was kind of a dream come true.

I'm glad you experienced the "real" ride first. This would have been cool, too.

I think it would have been cooler if I'd had more opportunities to see the ride the right way first though.

All work and no play makes DS a dull boy.

He makes some of the goofiest faces for pictures.

Oh, like anybody is dumb enough to tour the parks like that.

I know, right?

I'm really, really glad I ended up missing out on this and sticking Julie with it instead.

Yeah, monorails are generally cool, but you came out ahead on this one.

Disagree. Give me Mr. Toad over Pooh anyday. I'm still stunned that final scene exists in a Disney park.

Eh, I can't argue against it. They're both good rides, but Pooh just seems more relevant these days. Having ridden Mr. Toad again after several years I just didn't feel like I missed it or yearn to jump right back on it.

Either that, or I've wanted the guns from Buzz Lightyear mounted on my dashboard.

But only if they shoot real lasers. Not just those little dots.

Even at 7 mph?

"This is the vehicle's top speed."
"I can get out and run faster than this!"

I'm not even sure we ever got up to 7mph.

Makes sense. I'm sure the lawyers have it all figured out.

Lawyers ruin all the fun. Right, @RGirl ?

Yeah, you made it sound so appealing.

It is definitely better than the WDW counterpart. I like how it follows the terrain and every time you think it is about over, you go around another curve and head back out into the woods. But it would definitely be a lot more fun at full speed.

That really is a great show.

I'm glad I finally had a chance to watch it all. It would be cool if DS would eventually want to do it, but until then, I'm kind of glad we can hit rides up instead of waiting in line to sign up for JTA.

Napping is a waste of Disney time!

That's why you let the pros at Los Pollos Hermanos take care of it.

Um, I mean, that's interesting information.

 

[afwdwfan]

Shout out to @Glittercat . You must be really, really, really bored today, because you're blowing up my alerts with likes. Welcome to the TR!

 

[Glittercat]

Hi Andy! I caught up on the WDW portion of your family trip, but somehow many of the quotes are gone, and the rest are now in the wrong order.

Sweet Emotion

and now this has been stuck in my head for at least an hour...

Sharon was really great. And not just because she gave us an amazing upgrade. She made DD’s day by giving her a flower. I couldn’t even begin to estimate how many times I had to smell that thing, but DD was happy. Sharon also was great with DS. She was telling him all about his room and the Cozy Cone pool area and she had him all excited about it. By the time we walked away, DW was wiping a tear away. It really was one of the most special things we’ve ever had happen to us at Disney World.

Awww, how wonderful!

Truthfully, we were so in love with the Cars area and what we had to our disposal there, that we didn’t spend much time anywhere else around the resort.

I can understand that! We've not been to that resort but the Cars area of California Adventure was one of the most fun and by far best themed in both parks!

The show turned out to be a lot of fun. The kids enjoyed it and were singing along with it. And FiL… who didn’t really want to go to Disney World and didn’t think he’d like it.

Well, I might have seen him wipe a tear away as he was watching the kids singing and dancing along with the show.

Sounds like fantastic memories were made!

Ok… I won’t lie… we’ve seen the Osborne Lights a few times now. And usually we’re taking pictures and video as we watch. This time we just soaked it in. This will become a trend over the course of this trip, so aside from character meets, I apologize for the low picture count.

It looks really pretty! We were there in Dec. last time, and I had panic attacks from crowds, being in the wheelchair, but I enjoy all the pics others have of them.

Side Story: Back in 2008, I ruptured my left achilles tendon playing basketball. I now have an 8” scar on the back of my leg, and I don’t know how much of it is mental and how much is physical, but when I have even light contact there it hurts like heck.

Owie! Everywhere I had surgery is still really tender and I've had them since age 8.

Well, I’m just standing behind the stroller watching the lights dancing when I feel something hit the back of my right leg. I turn to look, and a lady who just hit me with her stroller is just looking up at the lights above her as she pulls the stroller backwards about a foot, only to ram it back forward again without looking. Apparently she thought she’d just jackhammer her way through the crowd until she made a hole large enough to fit through. Well, that second impact fell right on the back of my left leg. I saw it coming, but there was nothing I could do to avoid it. I almost ended up sitting on top of her kid, and he got to learn a few new words.
That just sucks. I'm sorry this happened to you. People are sometimes brutal with strollers there.
As this is happening, I felt our stroller rock back into me and turned to look back that direction to find DW laid out across our stroller. Someone pushed her and completely knocked her down. Thankfully, I was holding DD and FiL had DS so she didn’t land on the kids.

The poor dear, sorry that happened to her.

She’d had her hand on the bar on the side of the stroller and got a finger pinched between the 2 strollers when they hit. It was too crowded to be able to stop and do anything to help her. I just took her out of the stroller and handed her to DW so she could comfort her as we continued to walk

Aww poor baby.

Next thing you know I’m walking through this shoulder to shoulder crowd, holding a double stroller over my head trying to get to my family. I’m sure it looked like I was getting ready to throw it at somebody, and at that point in the evening if someone said the wrong thing to me, I probably would have been tempted to.

lol one of the trials of Hercules.

Because that’s what Dad does.

My dear husband would concur and refers to himself as the pack animal, though that trip the backpack spent most of the time on the back of my chair.

DW asked me if I wanted to try to ride Star Tours while we were there. She hates that ride, and I knew she wouldn’t ride anyway, so I just said no.

Hates Star TOURS?! Say it ain't so?!

But to be quite honest, it didn’t feel bad. The water was warmer than the air temps. DS had fun swimming and we stayed out there for maybe 15 minutes before heading inside and going to bed.

Now that I think about it, that little swim probably helped me immensely with winding down and regaining my composure after all the stress from our time in DHS.

It also probably helped your leg a great deal!

We were headed for Fantasyland so we decided to walk through the castle, which DD absolutely loved. She said it was “boofyful.”

adorable

The Speedway was… well, it was the speedway. I don’t even know what else I can say about it. We drove slow and slammed into rails, but the kids loved it.

it is smelly but fun

By the time we took the checkered flag, it was time to go ride Peter Pan. With our FP+, we were quickly in a pirate ship and headed to Neverland.

Is this a fun ride?

DD was nowhere to be seen.

PANIC!

She ended up getting up and going up front with the rest.

*phew!*

Next time we go in there and they ask the kids to walk up front and the adults to go to the right, they’re going to have to move me by force. Ain’t happening. I’ll be standing right behind my kids.

Good plan dude.

She ended up getting to be Chip!

cute as can be!

boarded a boat for the greenhouses

Neat! I want to see these.

Imagination, and Figment, is just one of those things that take me back to some fond memories and good feelings.

My 9 year old was a big Figment fan at 5 and is just as excited to see him again five years later.

I definitely enjoyed Maelstrom, but bringing a ride based on a Disney story or character to the parks is something that has never bothered me at all. Those characters are really what the company and the parks are all about.

I'm looking forward to the Frozen attraction.

But don’t get me started on Avatar.

Grrrr... Ditto. Asinine is what that "land" is. Grrr....

The look of awe on your DD's face is just wonderful!

I’m not sure she’s even seen The Little Mermaid yet.

Really? *hmmph* lol

She finally stood up and then came the moment that I’m still trying to figure out… She looked right at me and said “you remind me of Sebastian, only less crabby.” before waving goodbye to all of us and turning to walk to the next table.

As we were walking out, DD got all excited and yelled “Goodbye Cinderella!” Cinderella turned and gave her a smile and a wave. The perfect end to our dinner experience.

popcorn and cotton candy

the best kinds of snacks ever

Not exactly. I hear him ask a few more times, but from the sound of his voice I can tell he’s moving around the restroom. The next thing I know I hear him asking to see wristbands and he’s standing right behind me.

Well, you can either wait till I’m done or I can show you now but that would make things kind of awkward…

oh dear!

I grabbed one of the chairs from the kitchen and put it in front of the door so that if he should get an idea to sneak out the door, he’d at least have to make a little bit of noise to do it.

Our 14 year old daughter is a dangerous sleepwalker and always has been so I've done my fair share of propping chairs in front of doors to sound an alarm.

I had it saved on my phone… but it must have been on the phone’s memory instead of the SD card. We’ll save that story for Disneyland…

uh ohhhhh...

The lady sitting next to DW was nursing the baby. And um… wow, it was all out there.

lol. Well, having been a breastfeeding mom sometimes those babies just do everything in their power to expose you both, if that was not the case well then I just don't know...

Literally, 2 pictures in the aquarium… 1 of them was I don’t know what. That’s all we had from the whole day.

We take pictures the same way. *laughs* I have about 50 from AK, 20 from It's a Small World, and 2 total from HWS. I don't even know. *shakes head*

Seriously… I love our kids, but they can drive me nuts sometimes.

yep. said every parent everywhere.

We stopped on the way out to get a couple of PP pictures. We always get a family picture here at some point. This has to be my favorite from the whole trip.

Beautiful family photo!

Power walking the wrong direction.

I needed a drink.

mimosa or bloody mary?

We last ate at H&V for dinner in 2008. The meal we had back then was absolutely horrible. The hot food was cold and the cold food was hot on the buffet.

aw crap. We were hoping to get Fantastic packages there, but if dinner sucks, then maybe not.

I was trying to get the kids ready to move out of the restaurant when DW said she wanted to get another plate.

I developed a nervous tick.

You have a few things in common with my husband, in regards to scheduling I mean.

Watch the Little Mermaid show.

We enjoyed it though. It really is a good show.

I didn't know they had one!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake.

not a huge sweets eater but this sounds yummy

And well worth every minute…

That pic of you guys rocks! So glad you managed to go even though it looked like you'd been thwarted at every turn!

They look adorable!

The sky was clear, it was a beautiful night.
There were fireworks going off in front of me.


I was in Disney World. And I wasn’t ready to leave!


It was just a magical moment and I didn’t want it to end.

*sniff* perfect

I took the long way back to the room. I basically wandered around the entire Cars area of the resort, just taking it all in once again, and taking my time. Maybe looking at things through misty eyes this time.

awww

Of course.



We rode 3 times.

What a cutie pie! Seriously though teacups 3 times in a row?!

And I actually remembered to do something for the camera for once.

love it!

I remembered where the cameras were, but I forgot which side of the track they were on.

Which actually probably makes it funnier than it would have been otherwise.

cute

So we finished our food and got some daddy/daughter time as we headed off to use our highly coveted and hard fought FP+ while everyone else finished up with lunch and toured BOG.

Sister kept taking her cape off and making funny faces for the pictures. Mom was getting irate. I mean the picture would be taken, then mom would storm around and give her that “mom death glare” while putting the cape back on. Then she’d get back behind sister and stand there looking at the camera with her biggest, fakest smile she could muster. As she was looking at the camera, sister would slowly slide her hand up to her neck, and slowly and quietly unfasten her cape. I’d love to have seen their Memory Maker account, because just before every picture was snapped, sister sister made a goofy face and her cape was about halfway to the floor during about every flash.

I was struggling to keep from laughing.

the family in front of us didn’t go more than a few steps away from Anna before they started the process of transforming sister back into Elsa. It was quite impressive. Almost like a NASCAR pit crew.

That poor kid, it bites that she was exposed, forced into gown after gown, and that her feelings were disregarded for the entire event so mom could could get the dream photo op.

t is a tough FP+ to get. I’m sure this was their one chance to meet them so, by all means, take full advantage of it! But at least have her wear something under the dresses. I know that might get hot, but go to a restroom and change into something else afterwards.

Even a swimsuit or leotard on the girl would have made that less awkward for everyone involved.

just precious

Philharmagic is a favorite show of mine. I enjoy it and the kids absolutely loved it. I think it was easily DD’s favorite 3D show. Even though it was still hard to get her to understand that it is easier to see if you look through the glasses.

we like this one too

The next show on the agenda was one for FiL and myself. Hall of Presidents. Again, we wanted to make sure he he enjoyed the trip and I knew this was one he’d get something out of.

My 10 year old daughter just had to see this one last time, so I went with her. She says we don't have to for the upcoming trip. lol.

We stopped by the Tangled restrooms for a quick break. And yeah, the rumors are true. Pretty cool area for just stroller parking and restrooms. I still say Rapunzel got the shaft though, just getting restrooms instead of an attraction or at least a meet and greet under her tower or something.

*cries* I can't believe the only nod to Tangled a bathroom. *sad sad rebecca*

She nailed it. Head on. Square contact. I’m talking she went from 4 mph (however fast they go) to 0 in the blink of an eye.

Yeouch. I'm so afraid to be at WDW on a scooter the wheelchair is scary enough. It will be my own daily use scooter not a rented one, but still shaking in my boots.

What a great photo of you both!

He looks charmed! This is such a sweet photo!

After another stop at Rapunzel’s restrooms, of course. I'm telling you... that place is nice.

DD doesn’t like ice cream

My daughter and I don't like ice cream either.

Gorgeous!

For MiL and FiL having never been, I think they both really enjoyed it and managed to have a good time. I’ve not heard any complaints and I’ve heard FiL telling people about a few of the things we did or saw there. So quite frankly, I feel like the trip was a huge success.

Good job!

I just don’t like having to make an ADR 6 months out. Then as park hours are released and things change I always end up canceling ADR’s because I can’t change it to a time that will work with our schedule after they come out with modified park hours or something.

I'm curious about how this will work as well.

And I know some would argue that FP+ gives you that flexibility. But I’m just not buying it. It does help from the standpoint of not having to worry about running around and grabbing FP’s first thing in the morning and it allows you some opportunity to park hop and still hit headliners in the afternoon if you use the FP+ for that second park. But as for last second planning or last minute changes, it really has you captive if you’ve got those headliner FP+ and need to keep them.

I definitely like FP+ more than I expected to. It does have its positive qualities. But I’m still not just over the moon excited about the whole system. Maybe if they did something about the tiers, it might help. Or offer an extra FP+ or 2 to on property guests. But then again, that would only limit what little flexibility there is that much more.

It just really felt like this trip, more so than those of the past, we were constantly having to watch the time and keep track of where we were and where we needed to be. If anything, this trip had less opportunity to just go off schedule and do whatever we wanted to at the spur of the moment than in the past.

The FP+ is tough to wrap my head around.

And hopefully next week, I’ll transition us from Disney World to our West Coast trip!

Yay!

 

[pkondz]

And a little bit of dead corn is better than a pissed off wife.

True! So true!

I was getting grilled by the guy. But the thing is, he wasn't even in his jurisdiction. He knew it. I knew it. He was an off-duty officer from the next county over who just happened to be driving along and saw a truck and wanted to show how important he was. I was actually just an 18 or 19 year old kid at the time, but I played along and answered his questions. The thing is, I knew who this guy was, yet he never put it all together and realized who I was. He was actually related to my aunt. I finally told him I had other things I needed to do. if he had any more questions he could just call her and she'd confirm my story and then I just got in my truck and left.

"Look either arrest me or buzz off. I unlike you, have work to do."

 

[Steppesister]

I am caught up and loved reading about your morning- Park to Park and back and forth within a Park- at DLR. You finally had some better luck... Hooray!!!

Glad you got some RSR in and yeah, I really miss Mr. Toads for sure. A nostalgic part of my own childhood.

Ok, hopefully more later... nodding off and dinner's almost ready. I'll be back to comment on farming and other fun stuffs.

 

[KatMark]

Sorry I got behind (some personal stuff going on and I fell behind).

I'm glad you finally got to do Radiator Springs EARLY! And, even though, you got stuck because someone broke down, at least you had a CM that kept you entertained and learned some stuff.

I was never a big fan of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and much prefer the Pooh ride.

Cute pictures of the kids in Toady's vehicle.

I'm glad you enjoyed your lunch...good to know Counter Service is overall better at DL. And just so you know, spoiler alert, we ate at Pecos Bills last month and I actually enjoyed it this time (but I didn't have a burger).

 

[pucknasty]

You've just gained a follower from your neck of the woods! Looks like you guys are having a blast!

 

[afwdwfan]

We're... outta here!

We got to see a version of Aladdin on the Fantasy last week. If it has anything in common, then I’ve no doubt that it was one heck of a show. I will also say that you should try to see Finding Nemo over at AK if you get the chance. That’s actually one of my favorite shows from any of the parks.

I definitely need to catch it sometime if we can work it out. Truthfully, Finding Nemo has never been one of my favorite movies so the show has just never been a priority.

Yep…
Sounds like it might be the same version on the ship.
The Genie had us rolling as well; lots of ad-lib one liners.

I'm sure it is very similar if not the same.

Oooooo… Pur-ty.
Nice shot of the family as well there sir.

Thanks

Similar to what’s offered at the Flame Tree?

Dare I say, better?

Ahhhhh…
Five minutes of blessed relief.

It's great when you can get it!

Reputation preceding you I see.

Naturally

Cool!
I like “Well, almost” stories.

Oh, we know. We know.

The Bug Show?
With your DD?

Maybe not the best idea ever.

The siting on your lap part of it was the single smartest thing you could have done there.

Wait… did I just give you credit for something?
Hold on a minute, I’ve got to go wash my mouth out…
Now where is the Palmolive? Dang! Nothing handy but Life Boy… YOUGH!

If your gonn’a be over something… that’s a pretty good spot to be so.

Unless someone does something foolish, like – you know – leaving an open exhaust port that leads directly to the main reactor core at the end of a lightly defended trench in the superstructure.

Then things could turn sour pretty quickly.

Excellent point...

I mentioned this same point in Ponzie’s report a little while ago…
More pictures = more Oooos and Ahhhhs
More words = more caustic observations and sarcasm.

Which of those is a better situation is a purely subjective matter.

Again, excellent point. I tend to be word heavy more often than not though.

Equal opportunity oppressors, I see

Apparently so.

Which way to that undefended trench and that exhaust port?

Oh, just keep stumbling around. You'll surely find it eventually.

And all the folks that do know what’s going on are watching the video feed of that exchange and descending maniacally into their own special laughing place.

I knew it! It's a reality show!

Finally!
You got far enough away from the Brass and down to the Sergeants that are actually in control of the trenches. ‘Bout time.

Well, up until this point, the sergeant was clueless too.

It gonn’a be a good day, tatter.

Charge!!!

Appropriate. Very appropriate.

Nooooooooooo!!!

Are there any sadder words to be spoken then: “I had the stroller”?

Well, yeah. How about "I'm sorry, but we're out of bacon?"

This world would be a really nice place to live if it weren’t for all the other people in living on it.

True.

A proper reward for all that frustration

So say we all.

Well, most of us anyway.

You married well (you’re also now farther in debt).

“That was totally wicked!”
(I know… wrong movie, but still… Totally Wicked!)

It fits. I'll go with it.

Wait, What!

I know, I know. I mean I was there. I should have just accepted that my money is Disney's and bought it anyway. I mean, that's what they want us to do, isn't it?

It’s rare that you have any idea, so a “better one” is setting a mighty high bar here.

Um. Thanks. I think...

Seems I’ve heard a thing or two about something along that general line of reasoning…

I just wanted to make sure I mentioned it.

Please gather your personal belongings, watch your head and step as you exit, and take small children by the hand.

And without any stroller incidents this time.
Bonus!

Disney’s nod to the infamous “Running of the Bulls”

A little more controlled there. They at least walked the crowd down.

Seasoned vets, eh?

Oh yeah, we've got it down by now!

That’s not the way Mark Twain explained it to me.

Mark Twain knows words. Not numbers.

Are you sure?
I think I may have heard you all the way out here.
You must think loudly.

You can read my mind???? What am I thinking right now???

The silver lining shows itself in the form of another person.
Who knew.


Maybe we don’t have to get rid of all the other people on the world to make it a better place after all.

No, just most of them.

But you do have one heck of a story to go along with it.

Definitely

Been there…
Sometimes it just the only way.

Unfortunately, that is the case. If you want to get through it all...

Looking forward to seeing that one at some point.

Definitely worth checking out. I'll still love it at WDW, but it puts it to shame.

Well put.

Thanks. Seemed accurate and to the point.

Well, we take that for granted anyway, so go on ahead and recite away.

If you insist...

miss that one as well; hated to see it go on our coast.

I hated to see it go, but I also don't miss it terribly.

Really? That’s Interesting… Never ridden that one.
Our young’en was always way too old for it (in his opinion)

I'm way too old for it too, but it is there. And it is a well done attraction. I like it. And it is something that seems to have more appeal to the whole family and characters that more people know.

But that’s the best part.

Really? Well, that just explained a lot.

It’s probably a good thing they only let kids do the JTA.
I can just see the line of DisDads via for a chance to take over the whole show.
It would be epic (and not necessarily in a good way)

That would be so AWESOME!!!!

The thought never crossed my mind.

You know me well.

 

[afwdwfan]

Hi Andy! I caught up on the WDW portion of your family trip, but somehow many of the quotes are gone, and the rest are now in the wrong order.

Hi! Welcome to the party. I'm glad to see you here!

and now this has been stuck in my head for at least an hour...

You're welcome. At least it is a good one.

Awww, how wonderful!

It was amazing!

I can understand that! We've not been to that resort but the Cars area of California Adventure was one of the most fun and by far best themed in both parks!

The resort is certainly no Carsland, but as for theming at a WDW resort it is certainly second to none.

Sounds like fantastic memories were made!

Oh, definitely!

It looks really pretty! We were there in Dec. last time, and I had panic attacks from crowds, being in the wheelchair, but I enjoy all the pics others have of them.

I can only imagine how that would have felt. I didn't feel comfortable and I'm a pretty big guy who isn't typically bothered by crowds.

Owie! Everywhere I had surgery is still really tender and I've had them since age 8.

Wow... I can't even imagine. I've only had that one and it is plenty.

The poor dear, sorry that happened to her.

It wasn't pleasant, but she recovered quickly.

lol one of the trials of Hercules.

My dear husband would concur and refers to himself as the pack animal, though that trip the backpack spent most of the time on the back of my chair.

Hey, whatever works. He made sure it got there though, right?

Hates Star TOURS?! Say it ain't so?!

She is not a Star Wars fan at all. And she doesn't like the motion simulator rides.

Truthfully I hate motion simulator rides too. I can ride a rollercoaster or a spinny ride with no problems. But the simulator type rides tend to make me motion sick. They're just usually too awesome to stay away from.

It also probably helped your leg a great deal!

it is smelly but fun

True.

Is this a fun ride?

It is. I enjoy it, but Peter Pan is also my all time favorite Disney movie. But, if you're unable to transfer, I wouldn't feel like you're missing a whole lot. It isn't a very long ride. The effect of being in a ship and flying over Neverland is cool, but that is really all that sets it apart and it really isn't anything special. Just your typical dark ride. I think it is just held in such high regard because it is a classic attraction and it is based on a movie that a lot of people like. We make sure to ride it every trip, but it isn't something we rave about enough to go back every time. Truthfully, if we didn't get an FP+ for it or we walked up to it with a 60 minute standby wait and I had to miss out on it during a trip, I'd be ok with it.

PANIC!

I just wish I knew how the whole system worked before hand.

cute as can be!

She was, if I do say so.

Neat! I want to see these.

I always enjoy this one. Something different.

My 9 year old was a big Figment fan at 5 and is just as excited to see him again five years later.

Figment is a great character.

I'm looking forward to the Frozen attraction.

Me too. I'm kind of over Frozen, but I'm sure they'll do a great job with it.

Grrrr... Ditto. Asinine is what that "land" is. Grrr....

I'm with you on that. We just had a big discussion about it on @Steppesister 's PTR last week.

The look of awe on your DD's face is just wonderful!

It was certainly a magical evening.

Really? *hmmph* lol

Ok, in my defense, we own the Blu Ray and I know we watched it before the trip, especially because we expected to stay in a Little Mermaid room. DD just didn't have any attention span for movies other than Frozen or Cinderella at that point in time so I think she was running around the house playing. She definitely has seen it since, as well as the sequel on the Disney Channel multiple times.

the best kinds of snacks ever

Well, kind of. There's no chocolate.

oh dear!

It was odd to say the least...

Our 14 year old daughter is a dangerous sleepwalker and always has been so I've done my fair share of propping chairs in front of doors to sound an alarm.

Scary!

lol. Well, having been a breastfeeding mom sometimes those babies just do everything in their power to expose you both, if that was not the case well then I just don't know...

I know. I probably shouldn't have mentioned it. It is what it is, and DW did breastfeeding with our kids. But she would just never do it in public like that. It probably wouldn't have bothered me if it weren't for the fact that we were right there on the same bench and there was no way I could not notice it.

We take pictures the same way. *laughs* I have about 50 from AK, 20 from It's a Small World, and 2 total from HWS. I don't even know. *shakes head*

Yeah, that's kind of how it is. I want to have fun. Pictures are secondary.

Beautiful family photo!

Thanks!

yep. said every parent everywhere.

mimosa or bloody mary?

Whiskey. Straight.

aw crap. We were hoping to get Fantastic packages there, but if dinner sucks, then maybe not.

I wouldn't worry too much. Our disaster there was almost 7 years ago now. A lot can change and I've heard better reviews of the lunch and dinner there recently. I know breakfast has somewhat started to restore my faith in it.

I didn't know they had one!

It's a good one. Definitely something you should check out.

not a huge sweets eater but this sounds yummy

Oh, it is.

That pic of you guys rocks! So glad you managed to go even though it looked like you'd been thwarted at every turn!

Thanks. It was great to finally get to ride.

*sniff* perfect

The little moments like that are why we keep going back.

What a cutie pie! Seriously though teacups 3 times in a row?!

Hey, she loved her tea cups.

cute

Yeah... I'm an idiot.

That poor kid, it bites that she was exposed, forced into gown after gown, and that her feelings were disregarded for the entire event so mom could could get the dream photo op.

But I was proud of her for getting a little bit of passive aggressive payback.

Even a swimsuit or leotard on the girl would have made that less awkward for everyone involved.

just precious

Thanks!

we like this one too

It's great, isn't it?

My 10 year old daughter just had to see this one last time, so I went with her. She says we don't have to for the upcoming trip. lol.

I can't blame her. I enjoy history and things like that though so I could watch it every trip. I can also skip it and have on some trips, but it is fun to do once in a while.

*cries* I can't believe the only nod to Tangled a bathroom. *sad sad rebecca*

At least they did it well.

Yeouch. I'm so afraid to be at WDW on a scooter the wheelchair is scary enough. It will be my own daily use scooter not a rented one, but still shaking in my boots.

Well, I think if you just do the little things like... oh... watching where you're going. You'll be just fine. I mean if you're driving a car with your head turned over your shoulder, what would you expect to happen?

What a great photo of you both!

Thanks!

He looks charmed! This is such a sweet photo!

He talked a lot about not liking the princesses, but the truth seemed to be otherwise.

My daughter and I don't like ice cream either.

Gorgeous!

She did a good job on the beach photos.

Good job!

Thanks! I'm glad that they enjoyed themselves. I know MiL has already asked about going back. If we go with SiL next summer, I think she wants to go. I don't think FiL wants to return though.

I'm curious about how this will work as well.

Oh, it never works for me. I've scrapped more character breakfasts because park openings or EMH schedules change... I just almost don't even consider even trying to schedule them anymore.

The FP+ is tough to wrap my head around.

I've been there and done it and it is still not something that I feel 100% confident about.

 

[RGirl]

Hey, I'm just waiting for them to part it out and put it on Ebay. I'm sticking it in the backyard and I'll always know where the kids are!

You would totally do it too!

Got it! Theres a tool that has knifes on it that cut a trench between the corn rows. Behind the knife is a rubber hose. The rubber hose injects anhydrous ammonia (a gas) into the soil. 2 big wheels run right behind it to shove dirt back over the trench and hold the gas in. If the soil is too wet, then those wheels can't get enough loose dirt to seal the trench and you lose some of the gas before it has a chance to absorb into the soil.

Ha! Look at that - I'm pretty sure that I actually understood that. I mean, to the extent that I'm ever going to understand sentences that include "anhydrous ammonia."

I can now say with 100% certainty, that RSR is only open 1/3 of the time at Rope Drop.

It is an undisputable fact.

Numbers don’t lie.

Seriously - we must have just been VERY lucky with this over the years.

headed over to Luigi’s for another ride on his flying tires

This just KILLS me! Every time you mention the ride now (which is more than anyone who has ever been to DCA before or since), I actually snicker out loud. It's just hilarious!

All I can think, is how bad is the commute if you regularly allow enough time that you made it to work on time after being delayed nearly 2 hours?????

California, baby!

When I lived in the Bay Area, I had a house in Alameda (across the Bay Bridge from SF). Of course, I worked in SF. I could count on my commute being between 20 minutes and 2 hours. Morning and Evening. Whatever time I did it. Very predictable.....

She was talking with us and even pausing to let us know what was going on and how they were proceeding to move people around inside the attraction as she was hearing the calls over her radio.

This is so cool! What a great CM - and very neat to actually get to know what is going on.

The lights were still on, so it definitely left something to be desired. I’m just glad it wasn’t our first ride on it.

Ugh - that's a shame. I mean, it's always kind of neat to see a ride this way, but it's not the same. I would have been very disappointed.

We made it back to the station and exited.

I was really hoping that I would read, "We made it back to the station, and the CMs told us to stay in our seats and go around again if we wanted." That happened to us the one time we were on this ride and it broke down.

Since we were in the area, DS requested another ride on the Flying Tires.

Look how cute he is! But why does he love this ride so much????

This was the beginning of our crazy-what-are-they-thinking back and forth treks across the park.

Oh man, we have had a LOT of these days on both coasts!

I realize this exact monorail was Walt's dream and his doing. And I'm sure it was something in his day.

Well, I'm a little younger than Walt would be, but I can tell you that when I first visited Disneyland (there was no DCA back then), the monorail was amazing. My parents actually booked us at the Disneyland Hotel on that trip, and it was so cool. That hotel no longer exists. (It was demolished and rebuilt in a new location.) And why was it so cool? Well, it was beautiful. The CMs were great. And all that jazz. But the monorail came right to the hotel!!! (Yes, I know this is all the rage at those MK resorts, but I didn't know about them back then - heck, I don't even know if they even existed back then.) I remember it being just amazing!

The doors are shut by a CM on the platform!

Um, I'm thinking there was something wrong with your car? I am pretty sure that the doors have always shut automatically when we have ridden the monorail. But I am old and tired, so maybe I imagined that. How odd!!!!

This was an interesting experience, one that I kind of had to re-think what happened after hearing a similar story from @RGirl .

Yeah, my take on the situation was quite a different experience, wasn't it?

The best part of lunch though, was that we were sitting down to eat just in time to see Jedi Training Academy. DS doesn’t seem to have any interest in doing JTA so it hasn’t ever been a priority for us. This is the first time I’ve ever seen the entire show from start to finish so I enjoyed getting to watch it while we ate.

And this is why Willow LOVES Tomorrowland Terrace so much. She loves watching this show. I know that she really wants to do it, but she feels to shy to go for it by herself.

Solution to that? Taking a trip with a friend!!!

But unfortunately, no padawans went to the Dark Side.

*sigh* What is WRONG with children today?????

I was putting anhydrous ammonia on the corn in the field at my house.

I totally know what this means!

This is a picture of the knife that injects the anhydrous ammonia into the soil with the closing disks that push the loose soil back over the trench.

I totally knew that there were knives and and wheely things!

 

[afwdwfan]

"Look either arrest me or buzz off. I unlike you, have work to do."

That's pretty much how it was. Just a guy on a power trip... in a county where he didn't even really have any power.

I am caught up and loved reading about your morning- Park to Park and back and forth within a Park- at DLR. You finally had some better luck... Hooray!!!

Finally! If we'd have wasted time with another rope drop only to come up empty. Well... I wouldn't have been terribly surprised, I guess.

Glad you got some RSR in and yeah, I really miss Mr. Toads for sure. A nostalgic part of my own childhood.

You know, this is one that I was really looking forward to. I remember when it used to be in WDW and I couldn't wait to ride it again. But after riding it, I didn't really miss it so much anymore. I'm ok with it being gone now.

Ok, hopefully more later... nodding off and dinner's almost ready. I'll be back to comment on farming and other fun stuffs.

Oh, we'll be here. Hopefully with another new update soon.

Sorry I got behind (some personal stuff going on and I fell behind).

Sorry to hear. I hope everything is ok.

I'm glad you finally got to do Radiator Springs EARLY! And, even though, you got stuck because someone broke down, at least you had a CM that kept you entertained and learned some stuff.

It wasn't ideal, but she definitely helped make the best of it.

I was never a big fan of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and much prefer the Pooh ride.

I liked Toad, but I tend to agree that Pooh is better.

Cute pictures of the kids in Toady's vehicle.

Thanks.

I'm glad you enjoyed your lunch...good to know Counter Service is overall better at DL. And just so you know, spoiler alert, we ate at Pecos Bills last month and I actually enjoyed it this time (but I didn't have a burger).

If you didn't have the burger, you're really missing out.

You've just gained a follower from your neck of the woods! Looks like you guys are having a blast!

Hi! Welcome to my TR!

 

[afwdwfan]

You would totally do it too!

Well... if the price was right...

Ha! Look at that - I'm pretty sure that I actually understood that. I mean, to the extent that I'm ever going to understand sentences that include "anhydrous ammonia."

I'm helping educate someone about how food is grown. I feel better about myself.

Seriously - we must have just been VERY lucky with this over the years.

Well apparently. If it was open more than 33.33% of the time at RD, you clearly should have gone out and bought a lottery ticket because you were on a lucky streak!

This just KILLS me! Every time you mention the ride now (which is more than anyone who has ever been to DCA before or since), I actually snicker out loud. It's just hilarious!

The kids, especially DD, loved it! And we always try to let DD do what she really enjoys since she can't do the height restriction rides yet. We can always use promises of riding "her ride" to help appease her when she has to wait.

California, baby!

When I lived in the Bay Area, I had a house in Alameda (across the Bay Bridge from SF). Of course, I worked in SF. I could count on my commute being between 20 minutes and 2 hours. Morning and Evening. Whatever time I did it. Very predictable.....

I never want to live there. Ever.

This is so cool! What a great CM - and very neat to actually get to know what is going on.

It was awesome that she was so open about it all. I've never experienced that. I'd expect it to be some line about Mater rounding up the tractors and getting them out of the streets or something like that. I was glad to hear the real story in this case.

Ugh - that's a shame. I mean, it's always kind of neat to see a ride this way, but it's not the same. I would have been very disappointed.

If I'd ridden a few more times and knew the ride as intended a bit better it would have really been cool. But being only my second ride, there were still details that I wanted to look for and take in.

I was really hoping that I would read, "We made it back to the station, and the CMs told us to stay in our seats and go around again if we wanted." That happened to us the one time we were on this ride and it broke down.

Oh, that would have been great! I guess since we got to ride all the way through after the seatbelt check, the considered us as having ridden it without a break down?

Look how cute he is! But why does he love this ride so much????

Well, he liked it but not nearly as much as his sister.

Oh man, we have had a LOT of these days on both coasts!

It is unavoidable.

Well, I'm a little younger than Walt would be, but I can tell you that when I first visited Disneyland (there was no DCA back then), the monorail was amazing. My parents actually booked us at the Disneyland Hotel on that trip, and it was so cool. That hotel no longer exists. (It was demolished and rebuilt in a new location.) And why was it so cool? Well, it was beautiful. The CMs were great. And all that jazz. But the monorail came right to the hotel!!! (Yes, I know this is all the rage at those MK resorts, but I didn't know about them back then - heck, I don't even know if they even existed back then.) I remember it being just amazing!

I don't doubt that a bit. I'm sure it was incredible back then. And I'd have liked to have experienced it that way. The current version going to nowhere just didn't exactly do a whole lot for me.

Um, I'm thinking there was something wrong with your car? I am pretty sure that the doors have always shut automatically when we have ridden the monorail. But I am old and tired, so maybe I imagined that. How odd!!!!

I don't know? I thought it looked like they were walking the platform manually closing and locking them all. Maybe there was a problem with the mechanism when we were there?

Yeah, my take on the situation was quite a different experience, wasn't it?

Just be glad I wasn't in the car behind you!

And this is why Willow LOVES Tomorrowland Terrace so much. She loves watching this show. I know that she really wants to do it, but she feels to shy to go for it by herself.

Solution to that? Taking a trip with a friend!!!

Are they planning to do JTA together???? That will be a lot of fun!!! And again, keep Shannon active on the boards whey you guys get back, because I want a TR!!!!

*sigh* What is WRONG with children today?????

I don't know. But you've got some time to work on Willow before your trip.

totally know what this means!

I totally knew that there were knives and and wheely things!

I put that in there just for you.

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

You can read my mind???? What am I thinking right now???

Dude!
This is a family board, I can't say that out loud...
In front of Mickey and every one.
Sheese...

 

[pkondz]

I don't know. But you've got some time to work on Willow before your trip.

She's already more mature than we are.

Dude!
This is a family board, I can't say that out loud...
In front of Mickey and every one.
Sheese...

Yup.
Really Andy.
That's pretty bad.

 

[afwdwfan]

Dude!
This is a family board, I can't say that out loud...
In front of Mickey and every one.
Sheese...

Yup.
Really Andy.
That's pretty bad.

She's already more mature than we are.

By far.

 

[afwdwfan]

I'll Have Some of That There Pistachio Ice Cream.

When we last left off, it was about 12:30 PM. We were on our way to our room in GCH. As we were walking down the hallway, we heard all kinds of yelling and saw a couple of important looking Disney people standing outside the door to a room.

Seemed a little odd, but we headed on past.

We made our way to our room and DW and the kids laid down in bed for naps. I, on the other hand, was heading back out the door. There were a couple of Disneyland exclusive attractions that I wanted to check out that nobody else wanted to do. Specifically, Grizzly River Run and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.

I changed into swim trunks and an Under Armour shirt to go ride GRR first. I enjoy water rides, but I just don’t really like to walk around in wet clothes all day. Since we were in GCH and the entrance to the ride was literally steps away from the GCH entrance, it was only slightly farther to walk here than it was to walk to the pool anyway.

Those raft type rides aren’t quite as much fun when you have to ride in a raft filled with strangers. But it was still a fun ride. I rode with a group of kids and one other adult. The kids were all probably around the 6 - 10 year old range. I guess there were a few families in the park together and the other adults were riding ToT. The kids didn’t want to do that, and the GRR line was short so I was riding with them during their third spin around the river.

I felt sorry for the mom who either drew the short straw or was also too scared to ride ToT.

I really enjoyed GRR. It is very well themed. Kind of like a mountain stream with several small drops and lots of big splashes. It is much, much longer and more entertaining of a ride than Kali River Rapids. (I’m sorry if you’re a KRR fan, but it does nothing for me. Unless there’s just no line at all, I’ll just save time and jump in the pool fully clothed.) I ended up getting kind of wet on the ride, but not soaked. One of the kids in our raft just seemed to catch all the waves though. I don’t think it would have been possible for him to be any wetter. And I don’t think he’d have it any other way.

With our ride done, I headed back to the room to change and grab my sunglasses, which I had forgotten. On my way, I passed the room where we heard the yelling earlier and there were 2 Disney security types standing outside in the hallway talking with a man. The door was opened and I could see others inside the room..

I got to our room and changed. The kids were still wide awake, but lying in bed. I think they were watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, or whatever was on the Disney channel at the time. DW was about half asleep.

I headed back out to the hallway and saw about 6 Disney security people standing there. They were escorting the man they had been talking to when I came back in, down the hallway. I’m not sure what happened, but I could overhear one of the security people talking to someone else through a radio and it sounded like he was informing the person on the other end that they were going to be leaving the hotel to escort this guest off of the property.

Sucks to be you, buddy.

I’ve got to say whatever it was, they handled the situation well. Had I not been walking down the hallway at the particular moments that things were going down, I don’t think we’d have ever noticed a disturbance. It certainly wasn’t a bother to DW and the kids in the room.

Our plan was to take a break until about 3 or 3:30. I still had plenty of time. Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln doesn’t last that long, so what else should I do? I thought about it for a bit and decided that I’d ride ToT. I never really considered it a must do for Disneyland since WDW is supposed to have a better version. But I had time and decided I’d check it out. I considered going into DCA via the GCH entrance, but with ToT being clear across the park and Condor Flats walled off, I chose to just walk to the main entrance instead of circling the whole park.

I entered DCA, walked as fast as I could possibly walk to ToT and grabbed a FP. I think my return time was like 2:50 - 3:50 or something like that. I then doubled back and headed across to the Disneyland park entrance. In no time at all, I was in the lobby waiting for the next showing of Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. I had arrived just after a show started, but it worked out perfectly. They basically have 2 pre-shows for this attraction and I got to see both. The first pre-show is a recorded Disneyland 50th anniversary special hosted by Steve Martin. I really enjoyed watching that.

After that ended, the CM hosting the show encouraged everyone to move into the next room where there is a large model of the US Capitol building and a video playing about Walt Disney’s fascination with Abe Lincoln and how the attraction came to be.

It was finally time to see the show, and I really enjoyed it. But I also enjoy Hall of Presidents. So take it for what it is worth. I like history, so it was a nice show to be able to experience. The Abraham Lincoln audio animatronic was great and the show was very uplifting and patriotic. As with the HoP, I’m not sure that his would be an every trip attraction if I were able to get to DL on a regular basis, but I’m glad to have been able to see this show. It’s a great story about a great US president. And it is one of the projects that Walt himself was personally passionate about.

After the show ended, we exited into a hallway that had all kinds of pictures of people who have been leaders, entertainers, inventors and innovators over the years. And there were plaques among certain groups of pictures labeling these individuals as “the Spirit of … “ The entire display seemed like a tip of the hat to Walt Disney. At least that’s how I took it. Each one of the “spirit of” plaques seemed to outline a characteristic that Walt himself embodied. The pictures included everything from historically relevant events to current stars. But it was just an interesting display that I never knew existed until I saw it.

And I’m sorry I destroyed my phone, because I totally would have had pictures of this if I didn’t.

After the show, I decided to head on down Main Street. I popped into the theater to check it out. I thought it was a neat area but I didn’t hang around for very long. I wanted some ice cream.

Specifically the kind with pineapple in it.
I walked on towards Adventureland and holy cow!!! The Dole Whip line was wrapped around the building and back towards Aladdin’s Oasis. I passed on the line and headed into Frontierland. I wanted to get FP for later on so we could ride BTMRR again when we returned to the park. The FP time was still a little early, so I headed into the Golden Horseshoe to check it out. There was a sign outside saying you could get ice cream, but I walked in and there was a show going on. I’m sure I could have got ice cream, but I didn’t want to walk past all these people sitting at tables and watching the show to try to get up to one of the counters so I just stood in back and watched the show for a while.

When I came back outside, the FP time for BTMRR was at 3:20 to 4:20. I figured we could work with that so I grabbed FP for all of us. I still had a little bit of time to kill before my ToT FP, so I wandered around a little bit. I headed towards New Orleans Square and then back through Adventureland. The line for Dole Whips was no shorter than before, so I passed on it.

Look, I really enjoy a good Dole Whip. But to me, they just aren’t worth waiting in a long line for. If I can get one with minimal wait, I gladly will. But the line was long and I just didn’t care to wait. I don’t mind waiting in lines for an attraction, but if it comes down to waiting in a long line for a snack I don’t have much patience and tend to figure out how badly I do or don’t need something to eat. I’m overpaying for whatever I get, so I might as well go for quick and easy. My food and snack choices at the parks tend to be heavily influenced by convenience and lines.

It was about time to ride ToT so I headed for the exit and crossed back over to DCA. I walked to ToT and arrived right at the beginning of my FP window. I handed them my FP and basically walked straight into the library for the pre-show.

The ride itself was fun, but definitely a much different experience from WDW. There’s really not a dark ride element to the ride that you have at WDW with the elevator moving down the hallway. You basically have some video elements and then the drops. It is definitely a lot of fun, but I don’t think I’d have missed much if I didn’t ride it.

After my ride, I needed to start heading back to the room. I had a little bit of time but not much. I considered checking out Mickey’s Fun Wheel, but assumed it would take too long. Instead, I decided to spend just a few more minutes in Carsland. No kids. No camera. Just me. Walking around and taking in the details one last time.

It was fantastic.

I never did get my Dole Whip so I stopped in at the Cozy Cone to get an ice cream cone there and then I started walking towards the GCH exit. Within a few minutes my ice cream was gone and I was back at our room. I opened the door and the kids were still wide awake.

Well, DW isn’t going to be in a very good mood, but at least I had a great afternoon.