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

[Dugette]

I’ll take an aside to mention one thing. As bad as Rope Drops are at WDW… and I’m including the past cluster that was the TSMM frenzy, I think it is crazier at DL. I mean people were flat out running.

Probably because they're wide awake after such a late park opening! No sleepwalking through DL.

Not one single CM thought to mention that RSR wasn’t operating.

They were probably too preoccupied with their lack of knowledge of race day road closures.

CM’s standing in front of a rope telling everyone the attraction is closed.

While she rode, I grabbed a picture of the guts of World of Color. I was really disappointed that it was undergoing refurbishment while we were there. It is one of the main things I really wanted to see while we were in Disneyland.

Oh no! Disneyland just isn't cutting you any breaks so far.

We walked back over to Radiator Springs, once again, and finally RSR was up and running. The FP line was now a more reasonable length and I was able to secure FPs for around 2pm.

Finally! Something good happened!

Our interactions with all of them were good. Cinderella and DD had a nice little conversation. DD was talking to Cinderella about eating at her castle. To us, we could tell she was clearly referring to our dinner at CRT about a month ago. Apparently jet lag had gotten the best of Cinderella and she couldn’t quite make that connection. She kept correcting DD that it wasn’t her castle, it was Sleeping Beauty’s castle.

Oh, that silly Cinderella. That is really sweet that your DD remembered the meal and was excited to talk to Cinderella about it, though.

 

[MEK]

9:00 came and went.

I began impatiently checking my watch.

9:05

Still no movement.

A female CM was standing at the rope making some kind of announcement. She might as well have been speaking Swahili because I couldn’t understand a word she said.

9:10

Still nothing.

9:15

More CM yelling. I did catch something about not running. I think.

9:20

Still waiting.

9:22

Finally, the masses started moving towards Radiator Springs.

Oh My!!!! I can see this would be very anxiety producing for the seasoned WDW visitor. Yikes!

Not one single CM thought to mention that RSR wasn’t operating.

Because why would THAT be important?

The theming here just looks so fantastic!

And you didn't just hope right on Mickey's wheel of death? Isn't that it's name?

​

We walked past Ariel’s Grotto and California Screamin’ and as we got to TSMM we found a familiar scene.

CM’s standing in front of a rope telling everyone the attraction is closed.

We were determined to do something, so DW took the kids to King Triton’s Carousel while I walked right on to California Screamin’.

​

The kids absolutely had a blast on this ride. As did I.

YAYAYAYAYAY! Finally a ride that's open!

Princess Tiana



Belle



And Cinderella

They are all such fabulous pictures that I couldn't decide which one I like best!

​

Great pictures of the whole gang.

Despite the slow start I think you are having a fabulous day. It looks like so much fun!

 

[Steppesister]

I actually managed to make it through our entire time at Disneyland without having to rely on the medication I had brought.

Now that is some good news! As well as DS keeping his chunks where they belong.

She kept correcting DD that it wasn’t her castle, it was Sleeping Beauty’s castle.

Sounds like someday your daughter could be a queen. You know, renaming castles at whim and all.

A Frozen Sing Along

This sounds super fun!!

 

[ashw100]

I'm sorry I have gotten so behind on this TR. It sounds like you had a good time in San Diego and got to see a lot by walking around. Im sorry you had such a rough start to your DL portion of your trip. It must have been so frustrating not being able to get a straight answer from anyone. Isn't it crazy how these stomach bugs can come and go with kids. I had the same experience with Ds today and now he is completely fine . Sounds like despite a rough start to the day your DCA day turned out okay. I love dd's face in the pictures, she's just so happy. I like that they had some different princesses there, makes for a nice change. That really is a bummer about world of color, I hope you can go back someday and see it.

 

[afwdwfan]

I'm sorry your son wasn't feeling well Andy. Probably just some carry-over from Jay Leno.

I hadn't thought of that!

Regarding Via Napoli -- I'm counting on you Andy.

I just hope they don't have a down day. If it is anything close to normal, you will not be disappointed!

How crazy that no one seems to know anything about the traffic situation during the race!

It really was. Even as the weekend got closer, very few knew anything about it.

Yeah, I was surprised to read that they've done away with the Luigi tire ride. I was hoping to try that someday. Sounded like you did okay getting some rides in once you finally got going.

It was a fun ride. Something different and fun to do. Oh well... hopefully they replace it with something even better.

We had a pretty good day there once we got rolling. The park hours were pretty short that week, only 10 hour days, so we really felt like we had to pack it in, but I was glad to get through as much of DCA as we did that first day.

What a great update, Andy.

Thanks!

I can't believe that it had early opening for you at 9 a.m. and yet you didn't get in until almost 9:30. What was the point? And that stinks about Radiator being down and only getting one ride in that "extra" hour you had.

Yeah, it really frustrated me. I was really hoping to get through RSR and TSMM in that first hour and then be grabbing FP and exploring Radiator Springs after the park opened at 10.

DD looks so happy on the caroursel.

She is always happy on carousels.

California Screamin'--no thank you!

Oh, Kathy! It is fun!!!!

The princesses! Your DD looks so happy to see them (and I have to say they look MUCH better than the ones at DW). Kids never eat at character meals with all the princess and Fab Five around.

The princesses there were great. Actually, the characters as a whole there seemed to be just a step up.

The bumper cars look like a lot of fun.

Well, they were ok. They're for kids. So they didn't exactly go very fast.

I didn't know they closed Luigi's Flying Tires.

It was only open for maybe another 2 or 3 weeks after we were there. They closed it I think because it was difficult to operate and they had problems with guests not knowing how to make it work. They had several CM's stationed there. One corralled everyone on the way in and would give a brief set of instructions as to how to board and dismount your tire and then how to make them move.

It really wasn't rocket science though... don't step on the inflated tire... it will collapse and you'll fall.

Lean the direction you want to go. That's it. Pretty simple. Lean too far, you bottom out and won't move. You can feel it hit if you do lean too far so those who got stuck deserve to sit there!

What great family photopass pictures. I'm glad you ended up getting it.

Glad to see everyone's backs and stomachs were doing at least OK .... bummer about the big rides being down and you not getting much done during the EMH

Yeah, it was certainly a different experience for RD there. I get used to it maybe being a few minutes early at WDW and then there it was either at the exact time scheduled or later.

The theming of Cars Land really is pretty cool!

It is. You're going to love it. No matter how many pictures you see, it just blows you away when you get there. When we got home, DS watched Cars one evening and I just sat there in awe, having just been to Carsland. It just gave me goosebumps seeing the movie again and realizing how exact all the details were. They really did an amazing job with it all.

Glad you enjoyed lunch at Areil's grotto - we are planning on doing lunch there our trip (figure, take advantage of my daughter still being at that princess stage) so glad to hear you enjoyed the food too

Lunch there was good. I'll admit, when I walked in I thought the restaurant looked kind of cheesey and cheap. But the princess interactions and food were second to none.

I think at DHS they are going to move the singalong into a new theater and I wonder if that one will be more themed - we shall see.

Hmmm... I hadn't heard that. I've kind of fallen behind all the new and relevant news since we've returned from our trips.

Looks like you were getting on a decent number of rides and having a good time, which is great!

That's always the goal! Thankfully we were able to get a lot done once they finally got around to letting us in the park and opening all the rides!

 

[afwdwfan]

This title hurts me. Very much. Just because Mater said it, doesn't mean poor grammar is acceptable.

I are sorry.

I know I shouldn't have done that, but I just couldn't resist. I'm sorry.

And that's why I sometimes bring my own cereal ...

We probably would have stopped to pick some up on the way from San Diego if it weren't for DS's stomach issues. But this worked in a pinch.

So ... I've never really done rope drop at WDW (and I've only done it once at DL ... I don't really do mornings very well), but at DL it definitely seems crazy from my experience. The second they drop the rope, people are running to one of three places: RSR, RSR FP, or World of Color FP (at least that's how it was when I was there in 2012).

Well, they were running to RSR this time. I found the same thing at DL. It was ridiculous.

And why would they? That's not important information!

No, of course not. The entire crowd inside the park is walking down the middle of Radiator Springs because we all want to take turn getting our picture with Stanley!

Now that's just cruel.

Yay! California Screamin' is probably my favorite Disney ride, so I'm glad to hear you were able to enjoy it without pain!

I liked it a lot! I wouldn't mind seeing them put something similar in Florida. It could be a little more intense, but a fun ride!

Uh-oh. Sounds like bad news.

At least everything remained contained.

It's very important to stand in line for RSR FP. Really, do you want to wait on the standby line for 2 hours? You need the FP, even if you have to wait on line for 2 hours to get it - at least then you don't have to wait on the standby line!

You know, the thing I didn't get, is why you'd stand in a line to maybe get FP for a ride that isn't open yet and may or may not open later.

Maybe if we had just one day I might have bit the bullet and camped out. But I figured we had more opportunities to try to ride if it wouldn't work out for us later that day.

In my experience (meaning that I've had rain on both of my DL trips) ... there are 2 groups of people in the rain: those who run for shelter/go back to their hotel and those who tough it out and take out the umbrellas. There are things that close in the rain (Tea Cups is the first one that comes to mind for me, but there are other closures too), but if you're willing to get a little wet, you can make it work.
Seriously, on a rainy Sunday night we still had to wait in a 1.5 hour standby line for RSR.

I don't mind a little wet. But I kind of wondered about how it would all play out there. Especially with so many rides there being outdoors or at least loading outside, unlike WDW.

Totally agree. One of the things that I love so much about Cars Land is how intense the theming is everything ... from the lines to the rides to walking down Route 66, it all fits in to the theme and it's amazing.

It absolutely is! They really went above and beyond with all the theming there!

Yeah, not sure that was a great idea, but I'm glad it worked out - it really is such a fun ride!

Yeah, we didn't think that one through fully. But it worked fine and he enjoyed it!

It's pretty easy to get a digital copy ... it's called a scanner!

Or I can go home after I post the update and take a picture:

I guess Cinderella was just having a blonde moment.
(Also, is there a restaurant in Sleeping Beauty's castle?)

No, I don't think there is.

Totally agree on the building/queue - I did it in DCA first, and when I saw did it in MK a year later, I was amazed by the queue. In CA the queue is just there, it's not really themed much.

I kind of felt that way about most of the queues there. WDW tries to make the queue a part of the attraction. At DL, they just seem to be an afterthought.

YES!!! The ride is so cute and I would love to have something like that at WDW ... it's so much better than the laugh floor!

It really is! I enjoyed it!

I think you just lost your father of the year award ...

I'm sure I was out of the running by noon on Jan 1.

Totally with you on this - we loved it, my parents loved it, and I really can't believe it's gone. I really hope whatever they replace it with is awesome, because I miss it already.

I know. I guess it might not have been the most efficient attraction ever, but I loved it! The queue through Luigi's shop was amazing, and the ride was something different. I liked the music, the fun festival atmosphere and cruising around on the tires was just fun!

I hope they give Luigi something new and something really good.

Awesome!

We had a blast riding around crashing into walls.

I love this picture! I think the border makes it extra special ... but it's also a cute family (+ Lightning) portrait.

Thanks!

I would've been so frustrated by that early entry experience. I suppose it's nice that they made sure you all entered at the same time?

It definitely was frustrating. I kept thinking that maybe we should have gone to the other entrance instead of the GCH entrance. I was running through the thought that our rope was being held by inept CM's who are incapable of telling time. So I was relieved to see that they actually time it so that the RD crowd from both entrances get there at the same time.

I love all the pictures of your daughter with the princesses! How fun that Tiana was at the meal - I don't think she's available at any of the princess meals at WDW!

Thanks! It was a nice change to see some different ones there. DD knew Ariel, Cinderella and Rapunzel. She didn't know who Tiana or Belle were though, so we had to help her out a little bit. Since then Belle has actually quickly climbed the list of DD's favorite princesses. Beauty and the Beast has started a heavy rotation in our Blu Ray player the past couple of weeks.

I would LOVE riding the Monsters Inc. dark ride at Disneyland. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

It is one of my favorite Pixar movies (which is kind of hard to determine, because they're really all "one of my favorites"). I thought it was great to ride through the movie and enjoy it as a dark ride. Although it was fun just riding any dark ride there that I've never had a chance to ride before.

The Bug's Life and Cars areas look so fun and well-themed. I'm glad you got to ride the flying tires before they disappeared!

The theming is just incredible! They did a great job with both areas.

 

[afwdwfan]

What a great day! Too bad about the rough beginning to EMH but looks like the rest of the day made up for it. Loved the pics of you DD with the princesses. She is adorable!

We did have a great time once the rides finally opened.

Thanks, she really enjoyed the princesses. Clearly.

Yikes that seems pricey for so little.

Yeah, it was. We actually went elsewhere for our pastries other mornings (and found better and cheaper options). I just remember the CM checking me out actually making a comment about how much it cost for so little food.

And this is where FP+ wins the day. At least in my book.

True. I do like that aspect of FP+.

Although we'd find the same thing at DL with a rush to ride attractions that don't take FP.

So what you are saying is that Disneyland CMs really need to work on their communication skills...

That would help immensely!

Well thats a good thing!

I was relieved.

Mmmmm reading while hungry and this sounds really good.

It was good. I didn't exactly go in there with particularly high expectations for the food. Especially after I got in the restaurant. It just kind of had a cheap and cheesy look to it. It kind of makes you think random diner rather than high dollar princess meal. But the food definitely did not disappoint.

I am preparing myself for this kind of reaction at our character meals.

Yeah, just make sure you have snacks for later.

Silly Cinderella!

She's so forgetful!

Sounds like Little Miss. DH and I keep laughing because my mother is all worried that we plan on taking her on the "Scary and intense roller coasters" {Aka Barnstormer} and won't stop to realize that Height restrictions and psycological trauma are not automatically hand in hand. I can just imagine Little Miss on It's a Bugs Life!

Yeah... I mean Haunted Mansion doesn't have a height requirement and I'm sure it has terrified plenty of little kids.

We did see It's Tough To Be a Bug later on during the trip. Maybe not the best choice...

I can imagine how that went down.

I was carrying her. She climbed around me to make sure I was always between her and that big bug.

Meh, if you don't traumatize them a little at least every now and then you really aren't doing the whole parent thing correctly.

Exactly!

 

[SarahDisney]

You know, the thing I didn't get, is why you'd stand in a line to maybe get FP for a ride that isn't open yet and may or may not open later.

The way I see it (not that I would do this, but I do understand the logic) ... if the ride does open later, you'll have the same number of people trying to ride it in less time, making the standby much longer. Better to have a FP and have the possibility of a shorter line than to definitely have to wait on the longer line.

I don't mind a little wet. But I kind of wondered about how it would all play out there. Especially with so many rides there being outdoors or at least loading outside, unlike WDW.

They're actually pretty good at keeping most things open. Our last trip (2012) we really only had one day of rain, and that was our arrival day, where we only had a few hours in the park and spent them all in Cars Land ... Cars Land stays open. I don't remember anything being closed, but we really didn't see much other than Cars Land that night.
In 2009 we had a full day of rain (worst probably around 10-11 AM, but was still pretty rainy much of the day), and the only thing I remember being closed was tea cups. Other things may have closed during the heaviest part of the rain, but nothing we encountered (we actually were on line for Nemo when it got really heavy, no problems there). I was definitely impressed that they were able to keep most things open despite the rain.

No, I don't think there is.

That's what I thought. I don't know how Cinderella didn't get that she was talking about Florida ...

I kind of felt that way about most of the queues there. WDW tries to make the queue a part of the attraction. At DL, they just seem to be an afterthought.

Totally agree - except in Cars Land. I think that with Cars Land they really learned their lesson and made the queues more part of the attraction and really well themed. I don't know if you guys ever did RSR standby, but there's some cute stuff in that queue area too.
I also like the queue for TSMM - but Florida is still better on that one.

 

[afwdwfan]

What kids would say no to Froot Loops?
It's not even really cereal. It's candy!

I know. But they can be picky. When they want Cheerios, they want Cheerios. If they want plain Cheerios and we only have Honey Nut... no bueno.

Yeah, but that tea was really expensive stuff.

I knew water was in short supply in California, but I had no idea it was that bad!

Well, what do you expect at the end of the day...
Er... oh. Yeah.

Baked fresh last week, packaged and shipped across the country just for you!!!

I think they were serving pastries that went past their expiration date at one of the WDW food courts.

With anxious parents hovering on either side with buckets.

Wow. It's like you were there!

I've figured it out.
I know what they were yelling.
"RSR is down! We're just going to hold you all here in hopes that it will be running shortly!"
Followed by:
"RSR is still down! It will not, repeat not be up and running any time soon. Do not go there! Ride something else!"

Maybe you should get a job as a CM to English interpreter?

Whoa. And that right there is why I like FP+.

I'm not sure it would change much there. People would still be rushing to RSR. One ride just isn't enough. And nothing else in that park can really compete to divert the crowd.

Except for Olaf. I guess that some of the crowd was rushing to get to him before the line got to 90+ minutes.

Or... did they?

Well, they told us to walk on the right side to go to RSR. They didn't necessarily tell us we could ride it.

No. Seriously?
"Come stay at one of our resorts where you'll enjoy such perks as early entry to select parks where you can buy souvenirs and do nothing else."

That seemed to be the only perk we got.

Well, that's good at least.

Now that you mention it, I did the same thing on EE which was my first ride.

Ditto.
Sense of relief, right?

It was good. I felt like I was in good shape and ready for anything.

Uh, oh. No spewing though, yet.

Thankfully.

That... well... sucks.
That'd be one of the main things I'd want to see at DL too.

It was a huge disappointment when they announced the refurbs and we saw that it was on the list. The worst part is that we only missed it by a few days.

I demand a re-do!

I'd take evening EMH as a make up. I mean the park was only open until 8pm anyway.

I've heard that's a big difference between DL and WDW. Low to no waits for TSMM at DL.
Weird.

Well, lower than DHS anyway. It lined up quickly, but not to the 90 minute to 2 hour time frames that you find at DHS an hour after RD.

The biggest difference is no FP for it in DL.

Love stuff like that.

It is the little touches that make the difference.

And parents breathe another sigh of relief.

What? That's the only reason to go there!!



Then again, she would be wearing a gown and not her preferred outfit.

Here you go...

Not surprised, after yakking all the previous day.
Probably a good thing he didn't eat all that much too.

True.

A plethora of princesses... and your DD looks like she's having a great time!

Oh, she was!

Silly Cinderella. But jet lag will do that to you.

It can do weird things to you.

Space issues? Cost?

Oh, I'm sure there are plenty of reason. I just like the dark rides!

So of course you take her to Bug land.

Well, yeah! How else will she conquer her fears???

I love how she can juuuuust reach the wheel.

But still can't steer it.

Great! Glad he got over his fears.

Well, he didn't exactly get over them. But he was willing to try it again.

Huh. I've not heard a lot of positive comments about this one.

It seems to be polarizing. Either you like it you like it or you hate it. We liked it.

Interesting.
But then you'd have the other side of the coin...
"This ride always has such long lineups! Why on earth don't they just add 5 or 6 more tires so more people can ride at the same time?"

I don't think that would be a problem We never waited more than one turn to ride.

Better watch out when she turns 16 and gets her licence!

Thanks for the update, Andy!

Thanks.

Better watch out when she turns 16 and gets her licence!

 

[Vernie822]

Great update! I love the Photopass pictures. Glad your son was feeling better. Although the Rope Drop seemed like a bit of a cluster, it seems like you got a lot done once you got going. Your DD's princess pictures are adorable!! I know nothing about DL, but I'm definitely learning. I'm excited to read more.

 

[Leshaface]

Unlike most food courts at WDW resorts, I felt like the selection there was very limited. They had some hot food that was made to order, but we just wanted some pastries and cereal. I ended up going with the Froot Loops, hoping the kids would be ok with that. I bought 2 bowls of Froot Loops, 2 pastries and one cup of hot tea for DW and it came to almost $20.

When I returned to the room, we slowly got everybody up and going. DW and I shared the muffin and cinnamon roll, but neither of them were all that great, to be honest. Not bad by any means, but a little dry and they just didn’t taste very fresh.

The hot breakfast items here are the only decent things to get. Sorry probably should have helped you out on that one.

9:00 came and went.

I began impatiently checking my watch.

9:05

Still no movement.

A female CM was standing at the rope making some kind of announcement. She might as well have been speaking Swahili because I couldn’t understand a word she said.

9:10

Still nothing.

9:15

More CM yelling. I did catch something about not running. I think.

9:20

Still waiting.

9:22

WHAT?! So much for early entry They should really change it to early-ish entry.

’ll take an aside to mention one thing. As bad as Rope Drops are at WDW… and I’m including the past cluster that was the TSMM frenzy, I think it is crazier at DL. I mean people were flat out running. And I noticed this at both parks, every time we did a Rope Drop. I’ll get a little more in depth about this with our DL Rope Drop… but it was just crazy!

I'm not sure what happened that they changed it, but when TSMM was brand new, they used to have a line that you would have to get in and the CM would literally walk this line right into the line at TSMM. It was very orderly, calm and safe. Now it's just madness!

Not one single CM thought to mention that RSR wasn’t operating.

We decided to cut our losses and head for another attraction we knew the kids would love. TSMM. We took a side street past the RSR track and through Pacific Wharf. It was actually a nice walk. Beautiful. Scenic. And there was nobody else around.

​

The walkway over there is absolutely gorgeous, especially at night.

We walked past Ariel’s Grotto and California Screamin’ and as we got to TSMM we found a familiar scene.

CM’s standing in front of a rope telling everyone the attraction is closed.

It would have took everything in me to not cry.

Not what I had planned for my first ride to be at Disneyland, but certainly not a bad choice! It was a fun ride, and I really enjoyed it. I did think at one point I as I was being jerked around on one of the curves that it was a stupid idea to make that my first ride on our first morning. I could just feel the muscles in my back tighten as I tried to hold myself upright. But thankfully when the ride ended I stood up, stretched, and felt fine. This was when I finally knew that I was over my back issue and I’d be just fine. I actually managed to make it through our entire time at Disneyland without having to rely on the medication I had brought.

I immediately thought of your back when you said Screamin', but glad your back took it well!

After DW rode California Screamin’ I offered to have her wait right there with the kids. They could eat their pretzels and see if TSMM was getting ready to open and I’d go check on RSR and grab FP’s. You know, since it was now after 10 am and we had managed to do 1 frickin’ ride in the early entry hour.

So so sad.

This is where it hit me how much different DL is. There is no shade or protection from rain, to speak of, in that entire queue. I realize that it “never rains” at DL, but while a rain storm can easily be endured at WDW, it could certainly ruin a day at DL. There is just no escape from it!

The Summer can be brutal! I feel bad for folks that have to wait in the uncovered queue for RSR. Yikes!

Car-negie Haul!! Never saw this!

The kids absolutely had a blast on this ride. As did I.

It is such a cute ride that really whips you around.

After our fantastic lunch, we headed out looking for some things to do until it was time to ride RSR. Our first stop was the Little Mermaid ride. It is identical to the WDW ride but with a more “generic” ride building and queue. It basically looks like one of the soundstages from DHS. But the line was short and we enjoyed it.

It used to be Golden Dreams with Whoopi Goldberg. Never saw it but gotta put something in there!

We didn’t get any pictures, but it was a fun dark ride. The Laugh Floor at MK is fine, but I’d much prefer if they had a ride like this at WDW from Monsters Inc.

Yay glad you guys liked it. Such a cute ride, especially when the TV's work in your vehicle, which is about 50% of the time

Cute!

But on the way out, we saw Flik out for his meet and greet. I was only joking when I pointed to him and asked DD if she wanted to go say hi.

I know, I’m cruel.

When it was time to trade places, DS didn’t want to ride again. As I mentioned in the WDW portion of the TR, he hates loud noises and the dark. Well, once your car rolls into Radiator Springs it is dark… and it is loud. He wasn’t excited about riding again, but I finally convinced him to go.

In the end, it worked fine, because he said he’d ride again if we came back tomorrow.

Did you even say, did you like the ride?!

Great shot with practically no one in it!

Such a great picture. And it looks like the CM in the background is posing for the shot too!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Yeah, just make sure you have snacks for later.

For some reason this had escaped me! But it's a good point.

 

[pkondz]

I think they were serving pastries that went past their expiration date at one of the WDW food courts.

Wow. It's like you were there!

Nah. Just the camera.

Maybe you should get a job as a CM to English interpreter?

A job... at Disney?
Sign me up!

Here you go...

Ahhhh.... there she is.
I may have the odd photo of Ariel as well...

 

[KatMark]

2 to 1...series win. That is all.

 

[natebenma]

Here goes…

Thanks to your TR, we now have:
“Fertilizing Disney’s Palms”

But in my travels I’ve encountered:
“The Technicolor Yawn”
and “Liquid Yodeling”

Then there are phrases like:
“Herding Yaks”
“Gastro Blasting”
“Esophageal Evacuation”
“The Upset Genuflect”
“Marinating the vocal chords”
and “Binge Drinker's Interest Payments”

Then there are the variations related the theme of
“praying to the porcelain gods” that you noted.
Those include such missives as:

“Driving the Porcelain Bus”
“Backing up the Buick”
“Bowing before the China Thrown”
“Resting upon the Pottery Pillow”
“Taking a Pilgrimage to the Holiday Hollering Hoop”
“Battle Testing the Plumbing”
And “Reverse Water-Boarding”


Just to name a few…

I am sad to say that these phrases may come in very helpful for my upcoming trip to Disney with middleschoolers. We had a surprising number of protein spills, et al, on the trip with my older son. (Two fourteen year olds, 1 pound of fudge, 11-11:30 pm = Gastro blasting)

 

[natebenma]

This title hurts me. Very much. Just because Mater said it, doesn't mean poor grammar is acceptable.

I'm guessing you have issues with Cookie Monster too

(I do!)

 

[natebenma]

Wow, your time in California Adventure was interesting-surprising-frustrating!

I'm so glad that for the most part your son was feeling ok (although I was a bit scared about Mater's Jamboree ride)

There is just so much wrong about the park opening!

10 am for regular hours? Really?

Parks were open at 8 am when we were there in July, so 7 am early entry which was perfect as we were still adjusting from east coast time! I would be crawling out of my skin waiting for a 9 am opening. And waiting. And waiting! How do you not open at opening time? Of course, Universal does it a little differently- the parks are open but you can't get in because the finger scanners don't work, but at least they make a show of it.

Maybe the CMs didn't realize people were headed to RSR. Of course they should have let people know the ride was down before you had to go all the way back there. And then to find TSMM down. And I'm assuming Soarin' was closed for your trip, too.

The kids smiles on the carousel are precious.

for California Screamin'!!! Glad your back did not suffer after riding.

We had the same thoughts about the TSMM queue and the other queues that are open to the elements at DL/CA.

Phew, about getting the RSR Fast Pass!

We did not ride a lot of the things you did- no Mater's, no Monsters, nothing in Bugsland.



I love the signs you posted from the Mater queue. I at CAR-NEGIE HAUL.

Thanks for sharing the Princess pictures and the photo of the framed pictures. So adorable!!!

I'm glad we got to ride the tires once before they went away.

The photopass pictures are all great, especially with Lightning. DS looks so much better than he did the day before!

 

[afwdwfan]

Probably because they're wide awake after such a late park opening! No sleepwalking through DL.

No kidding. I mean 10 am park opening??? That's just crazy.

They were probably too preoccupied with their lack of knowledge of race day road closures.

Oh no! Disneyland just isn't cutting you any breaks so far.

No. It wasn't the smoothest of starts.

Finally! Something good happened!

It was bound to happen sooner or later!

Oh, that silly Cinderella. That is really sweet that your DD remembered the meal and was excited to talk to Cinderella about it, though.

Yes, it was clear that another princess meal was a good idea since she so clearly remembered the last one!

Oh My!!!! I can see this would be very anxiety producing for the seasoned WDW visitor. Yikes!

Because why would THAT be important?

Oh, I don't know. Surely they didn't think all those people walking through Radiator Springs would be going to that attraction.

The theming here just looks so fantastic!

It really is. They did an amazing job on it!

And you didn't just hope right on Mickey's wheel of death? Isn't that it's name?

I've heard it referred to as that. We didn't ride it, but it wasn't exactly high on my list. It may have Mickey on it, but it is a glorified ferris wheel. I wouldn't have minded riding if we'd had time, but it wasn't something I really felt a strong desire to do.

YAYAYAYAYAY! Finally a ride that's open!

​

They can't all be closed.

Can they??

They are all such fabulous pictures that I couldn't decide which one I like best!

Thanks! She really had a blast with all of them.

Great pictures of the whole gang.

Despite the slow start I think you are having a fabulous day. It looks like so much fun!

Thanks! It was definitely a slow start, but once we got going, things went really well for us!

Now that is some good news! As well as DS keeping his chunks where they belong.

That is always a good thing.

Sounds like someday your daughter could be a queen. You know, renaming castles at whim and all.

This sounds super fun!!

Well, that's a matter of opinion. It is a good show. And fun for the kids. But if you've heard those songs approximately 438,243,987,218 times... well, it is tolerable but fun might be a stretch.

 

[amazingact21]

I'm so used to WDW opening hours that a 9 am extra hour seems so late! I completely get why you were ready to go wait at rope drop so early.
Oh man, The racers and TSMM were both closed during the magic hour? That's the advantage of the perk, getting into those rides before the main guests swarm in. I bet you definitely didn't expect to use that time to have the kids ride the carasouel...


Glad lunch was good. My father in-law used to own a steak and seafood restaurant, and his philosophy was, "if you are going to serve seafood, you better have the best dang steak in town, as well. So that people who don't eat fish still wanna come to your restaurant." Your comment on the beef dish made me think of that.


I have seen videos of the Monsters Inc ride and it looks so cool. I agree that WDW should get something similar in one the parks.



Man, no World of Color that trip. I remember you saying that in your PTR, but being reminded of it while you were in DL had to be tough.

 

[afwdwfan]

I'm sorry I have gotten so behind on this TR. It sounds like you had a good time in San Diego and got to see a lot by walking around. Im sorry you had such a rough start to your DL portion of your trip. It must have been so frustrating not being able to get a straight answer from anyone. Isn't it crazy how these stomach bugs can come and go with kids. I had the same experience with Ds today and now he is completely fine . Sounds like despite a rough start to the day your DCA day turned out okay. I love dd's face in the pictures, she's just so happy. I like that they had some different princesses there, makes for a nice change. That really is a bummer about world of color, I hope you can go back someday and see it.

The stomach bug was definitely a major setback in our plans. But I'm just glad it ended up going away quickly.

DCA did turn out well. I'm glad that we were able to get in as much as we did despite the later start and ride closures. DD absolutely loves the princesses, and her reactions to them definitely made it worthwhile for us to have scheduled that ADR!

I hope we can go back sometime. It is hard for me to want to plan a trip just to go to DL though due to time and cost it takes to get there versus going to WDW. I thoroughly enjoyed DL and hope to go back, but I think it is going to take us traveling out west for some other reason and making DL an add on for it to happen.

The way I see it (not that I would do this, but I do understand the logic) ... if the ride does open later, you'll have the same number of people trying to ride it in less time, making the standby much longer. Better to have a FP and have the possibility of a shorter line than to definitely have to wait on the longer line.

Yeah, makes sense. But still, standing in a line for an FP that isn't even being distributed yet... when you can literally walk on anything else at all. Might as well just plant yourself by the rope and ride RSR right when it opens. I just don't get the logic of tying all your plans for the day to 1 single ride. But that's just me...

They're actually pretty good at keeping most things open. Our last trip (2012) we really only had one day of rain, and that was our arrival day, where we only had a few hours in the park and spent them all in Cars Land ... Cars Land stays open. I don't remember anything being closed, but we really didn't see much other than Cars Land that night.
In 2009 we had a full day of rain (worst probably around 10-11 AM, but was still pretty rainy much of the day), and the only thing I remember being closed was tea cups. Other things may have closed during the heaviest part of the rain, but nothing we encountered (we actually were on line for Nemo when it got really heavy, no problems there). I was definitely impressed that they were able to keep most things open despite the rain.

Hmmm... interesting. Thanks for the info!

That's what I thought. I don't know how Cinderella didn't get that she was talking about Florida ...

Maybe west coast Cinderella hasn't been to East Coast Cinderella's castle?

Totally agree - except in Cars Land. I think that with Cars Land they really learned their lesson and made the queues more part of the attraction and really well themed. I don't know if you guys ever did RSR standby, but there's some cute stuff in that queue area too.
I also like the queue for TSMM - but Florida is still better on that one.

Oh yeah. Carsland is definitely the exception to that!

Great update! I love the Photopass pictures. Glad your son was feeling better. Although the Rope Drop seemed like a bit of a cluster, it seems like you got a lot done once you got going. Your DD's princess pictures are adorable!! I know nothing about DL, but I'm definitely learning. I'm excited to read more.

Thanks! It was a relief to get in the park and get a few rides in and know that he was ok.

RD there just really seemed a lot more chaotic than RD at WDW. At both parks, honestly. I kind of wonder if the late RD we experienced is normal or if that was just a freak thing. We didn't run into that situation on other days.

Thanks for hanging around. I'm trying to share a little bit about DL from a WDW vet perspective. It's really interesting how similar yet very different they are. I should probably post some park maps sometime so that some of the things I mention make more sense.

The hot breakfast items here are the only decent things to get. Sorry probably should have helped you out on that one.

Now you tell me.

We really just wanted quick and easy though. I didn't want to haul hot meals back to the room. I ended up finding pastries for us at DTD that were much better and cheaper for the rest of our trip.

WHAT?! So much for early entry They should really change it to early-ish entry.

No kidding! Is that a common occurrence there or did we just manage to be lucky enough to catch a delayed opening?

I'm not sure what happened that they changed it, but when TSMM was brand new, they used to have a line that you would have to get in and the CM would literally walk this line right into the line at TSMM. It was very orderly, calm and safe. Now it's just madness!

Well, they kind of had that. They led us all the way to Radiator Springs. But the people farther back behind the rope were running and darn near trampling anyone in their way. I may or may not have looped my thumbs into the backpack straps and chicken winged a few of them.

The walkway over there is absolutely gorgeous, especially at night.

It would have took everything in me to not cry.

I was kind of numb. Frankly, I was just glad we were in a park and nobody was puking.

I immediately thought of your back when you said Screamin', but glad your back took it well!

I never even thought about it. We were there, it was open, and there was no line. It wasn't until I was riding that I even thought about my back!

So so sad.

The Summer can be brutal! I feel bad for folks that have to wait in the uncovered queue for RSR. Yikes!

I was thinking that about pretty much all the lines! I'd hate to wait in even just a 20 minute line if the sun was out and beating down on us. There just isn't much escape from it in hardly any of the lines!

Car-negie Haul!! Never saw this!

I never noticed until you mentioned it!

It is such a cute ride that really whips you around.

We had a great time on it!

It used to be Golden Dreams with Whoopi Goldberg. Never saw it but gotta put something in there!

So... it basically was an old soundstage that got converted? Never would have guessed.

Yay glad you guys liked it. Such a cute ride, especially when the TV's work in your vehicle, which is about 50% of the time

We liked it. But there aren't really any Disney dark rides we don't like.

Did you even say, did you like the ride?!

Well... no. I didn't say. Kind of a major TR writing fail on my part. But I guess I thought it just goes without saying.

It. Was. AWESOME!!!!! Lived up to all my expectations and then some!

Great shot with practically no one in it!

That's because nothing was open when the park opened so everybody went to Disneyland.

Such a great picture. And it looks like the CM in the background is posing for the shot too!