14 Glorious Hours at Disneyland:A WDW Vet Gets 1 Day at Walt's Park UPDATE x5 (12/15)

[heathsf]

Yay so glad you're back and had an amazing Wedding and Honeymoon!

Aw, that majorly sucks that you had an entire trip planned out AND even got ADR's at BoG and had to cancel Can't even believe you got an ADR there. I look, not all the time, for any time during our trip and nada. I think we'll just go there for lunch one day and just get in line really early.

Yay! Your first Dole whip and at Disneyland no less! A bunch of firsts on this trip.

I think I know what show you're talking about

Oh and I hope you were actually able to get on Indy with no problems. Usually, it's like a 75% chance that you'll get on. It always breaks down.

I'm sure you do know which show

I hope you get to eat at BoG on your trip (which is so soon!!!)!! I just got all caught up on your PTR yesterday. I'm constantly behind on all of my threads. I need to allocate more time in my life for the disboards

And funny you should say that about Indy. You certainly know DL!

 

[Leshaface]

I'm sure you do know which show

I hope you get to eat at BoG on your trip (which is so soon!!!)!! I just got all caught up on your PTR yesterday. I'm constantly behind on all of my threads. I need to allocate more time in my life for the disboards

And funny you should say that about Indy. You certainly know DL!

Glad to see you're back on! I'm assuming life is crazy right now?!

 

[lucysmom]

Okay, you have to finish this. What show?!!

 

[heathsf]

Glad to see you're back on! I'm assuming life is crazy right now?!

Yes, haha, very crazy. Although calming down now. I've never been so busy at the start of a school year before! I worked 60 hours last week! And that's all in-school time, not work brought home! Ahh!! But this past week was much better. DH and I were also looking at houses so I was spending every free second researching but we ultimately decided to stay in our apartment for another year. So when I woke up this morning I thought, "I want to write an update today!"

Okay, you have to finish this. What show?!!

I know! I'm the worst! Working on an update right now!! Pictures are uploading...

 

[heathsf]

So, DH and I will be back in LA in November visiting our same friend who just got married in March - which was the reason for our DL trip! She just recently started working full time, which means we're on our own for Thursday, Nov 7 and part of the day on Fri, Nov 8. So naturally, you all know what I want to do!

DH said right away, "I assume you want to go to Disneyland..."

I acted like this was a fantastic idea that HE had given me! But then replied that I had a BETTER idea: We should go to DCA!!!

He wasn't really committing to an answer at first, but in my head I knew I was going either way, with or without him And most likely with him And of course, he ultimately said yes.

So now, here's my problem!!!! Obviously the #1 thing I want to do is RSR and it's slated to be CLOSED for refurb!!! Yup, the one day we would be able to go!!! OF COURSE!!!!

And to add insult to injury, it looks like it will be reopening the following day, Fri Nov 8.

So what do I do!!?? If we go on Friday, I'm losing time visiting my friend who is the reason for this trip, so I really don't want to do that. But IF it did end up working out for some reason, can anyone tell me if I should expect a significant crowd difference between a Thursday and a Friday? And should I expect a crowd difference between RSR being open or closed? Should I hold out any hope that it will open from its refurb one day early??? Help!!!!

 

[heathsf]

OMG!!!! I ALWAYS copy my updates into MS Word as I type them...and today I didn't!! And OF COURSE--- The page somehow reloads on its own and I lose it all!!!!!!!!!!!

ASFO;IJAWEFG.N A32095RU 23[0 ;LFAKSDF 'AKLS;DF';ALSKDF;AS'DF

ARRRGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, I just had to get that out. I will be calmly starting my update over now.

And I'll also share this because it made me laugh:

(Thanks to Leshaface's TR for opening my eyes to the beauty that is Disney Memes!)

 

[heathsf]

Chapter 8 - Dead Men Tell No Tales (But Maybe They Write TRs)
And if they did write TRs, they'd probably do it faster than me!

We left off at 12:14 pm on Thursday, March 21 in Frontierland. My TP app had just informed me that a show was starting nearby at 12:15. And it happened to be a show that I had repeatedly read good things about on the DIS. So we headed here:

Any idea what show yet??

How about now??

It was Billy Hill and the Hillbillies! It was just starting as we walked in and we decided to get some Fish & Chips to share while we watched. While waiting for the food, we scoped out the area and realized there were no free tables or chairs downstairs. We took our food and headed upstairs to the balcony and unfortunately there were no free tables up there either. There were, however, rows of chairs in the back that were totally empty. So we put our food on a chair in between us and that worked out okay, except that I couldn't really see well from back there. Fortunately, there was no one behind me so I could stand to see. Unfortunately, this made eating my food a little difficult. Speaking of which, I should have taken a food picutre before this.

But I forgot. Sorry. Bad DISer. Bobby did eat those last three fries, in case you were wondering. I just barely took this picture in time. Needless to say, we enjoyed the food.

Here are some pictures from the show, which was very funny and entertaining (and popular, so get there more than 1 minute before it starts if you want a table!) They’re a little blurry because they’re very zoomed-in.

I really enjoyed the show. And I think DH enjoyed it even more than I did! Which made it all the more enjoyable for me. Being with DH in Disney is like being with a kid, the happier he is, the happier I am! I just love sharing anything Disney with him.

Back outside, I took some pictures of the scenery. It was like being in WDW, but not. Everything was familiar, but not. It was so bizarre and I loved it.

The wait time for POTC was posted as 15 minutes but the line looked really long. We got on anyway because this was on our must-do list.

POTC in DL is so classy!

Lines lines lines!

Barbossa!

I had very high expectations for the ride because I had read so many comments on the DIS from people saying that after they rode POTC in DL, it ruined the WDW version for them because it is so much better. Some people even seemed to feel that the WDW version should be torn down and redone!

The wait only ended up being about 20 minutes. Not bad.

Passing by the restaurant made me feel like I was on Gran Fiesta Tour passing by tables in San Angel Inn. So pretty.

This reminded me of the skeletons playing chess in WDW, only that is seen from the queue.

So do I think that WDW’s POTC needs to be knocked down? Absolutely not. I super enjoyed POTC in DL, because it’s POTC and how could I not love it?? But I didn’t think it was better than WDW’s… just longer and different.

Up Next: We get a FP and try to use another one

 

[Leshaface]

So, DH and I will be back in LA in November visiting our same friend who just got married in March - which was the reason for our DL trip! She just recently started working full time, which means we're on our own for Thursday, Nov 7 and part of the day on Fri, Nov 8. So naturally, you all know what I want to do!

DH said right away, "I assume you want to go to Disneyland..."

I acted like this was a fantastic idea that HE had given me! But then replied that I had a BETTER idea: We should go to DCA!!!

He wasn't really committing to an answer at first, but in my head I knew I was going either way, with or without him And most likely with him And of course, he ultimately said yes.

So now, here's my problem!!!! Obviously the #1 thing I want to do is RSR and it's slated to be CLOSED for refurb!!! Yup, the one day we would be able to go!!! OF COURSE!!!!

And to add insult to injury, it looks like it will be reopening the following day, Fri Nov 8.

So what do I do!!?? If we go on Friday, I'm losing time visiting my friend who is the reason for this trip, so I really don't want to do that. But IF it did end up working out for some reason, can anyone tell me if I should expect a significant crowd difference between a Thursday and a Friday? And should I expect a crowd difference between RSR being open or closed? Should I hold out any hope that it will open from its refurb one day early??? Help!!!!

Seriously?! Can you do dinner with her on Thursday night and hit the park on Friday and hang out with her Saturday and Sunday? I would do everything possible to get to ride RSR! Plus that park is not an all day type of park (unless you want it to be, which I try and do because I love the feel of that park.)

 

[Leshaface]

OMG!!!! I ALWAYS copy my updates into MS Word as I type them...and today I didn't!! And OF COURSE--- The page somehow reloads on its own and I lose it all!!!!!!!!!!!

ASFO;IJAWEFG.N A32095RU 23[0 ;LFAKSDF 'AKLS;DF';ALSKDF;AS'DF

ARRRGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, I just had to get that out. I will be calmly starting my update over now.

And I'll also share this because it made me laugh:

(Thanks to Leshaface's TR for opening my eyes to the beauty that is Disney Memes!)

I HATE WHEN THAT HAPPENS!! That's the whole reason i've been doing my TR's on Word and then pasting them here. I think it's annoying though to even have to do that.

Love that Meme!!

 

[Leshaface]

They are so fun to watch! Too bad about not getting a table though.

I feel exactly the same way. If DH is happy and having a great time, that just makes me 10X more happier knowing he's having fun! That's probably why I really enjoy going to WDW because he loves it there way more than DL.

POTC - I really like floating by the restaurant. It's so calm, quiet and serene. However, it's soooooo long. It's nice when you don't have plans and are just leisurely touring the park, but if you have something to do, that's the last thing i'm going on. Especially since the majority of the time, the boats get backed up and it takes a long time to get through the last scene. I'd have to say I like both WDW and DL's pretty equally

 

[heathsf]

Seriously?! Can you do dinner with her on Thursday night and hit the park on Friday and hang out with her Saturday and Sunday? I would do everything possible to get to ride RSR! Plus that park is not an all day type of park (unless you want it to be, which I try and do because I love the feel of that park.)

So, hopefully, we'll be scratching the whole thing because we may be going to WDW in August!!!!!! In which case, I certainly won't drag DH to Disneyland for the day. Maybe, if RSR would have been open, but since it's not, I'll save it for another time!

 

[dismagiclover]

I came over to join in. It's always interesting to read DL reports from WDW vets. I've been to both parks and I think it's fun to compare the differences. I love Disneyland, but my heart really does belong to WDW.

 

[heathsf]

Thanks for joining in WDW has my heart too. But I will say that I would love to be able to go back to DL for a longer trip and take full advantage of the closeness of everything because that was an amazing perk over WDW.

 

[heathsf]

Chapter 9 - 999 Happy Haunts

After POTC, we headed to a land that doesn't exist at WDW!

More specifically, here:

To get these:

It was then time to use our IJ fastpasses! This was one we were both super excited about! Unfortunately, once we got there we found out it was down. I spoke to the CM who assured me that we wouldn't have any trouble using the FP later even though it would be after our return time.

Instead, it was snack time!

Yum!

Next we headed to one of my WDW favorites, the Haunted Mansion, which had a 10 minute posted wait time. Our actual wait time was even less than that though. It looks so different from the outside here.

I was a little scared.

HM was awesome, of course, because it's the HM!!!

Next we hopped on the Disneyland Railroad after a short 5 minute wait. The train is different here as the benches all face inward toward the park instead of facing the front of the train like at WDW. Just as a note, the Main Street stop was closed for refurb so the train was only stopping here and Toon Town.

We enjoyed this relaxing break.

Is this the back of the stage for Fantasmic? I'm not sure, but it seems small...

Then it was time to disembark the train.

Up Next: A DL classic with an upgrade we loved!

 

[dismagiclover]

Love the DL pictures! That last one reminded me how much I love Toontown in Disneyland. It is so awesome! I also like the train ride better in DL. Seems like there is more to look at because you aren't just driving through trees. Is the random dinosaur diorama still there?

 

[Leshaface]

Geez, I just knew IJ was going to be down. Hopefully you got to go on later that day!

I haven't been on the Railroad at MK yet (was down during our trip too, I was so bummed!) but I know some trains at DL have the benches facing outwards, like towards the park, and other trains have the benches facing forward. Personally, I love the ones facing towards the park as you're not always straining your neck to look to the right.

 

[heathsf]

Love the DL pictures! That last one reminded me how much I love Toontown in Disneyland. It is so awesome! I also like the train ride better in DL. Seems like there is more to look at because you aren't just driving through trees. Is the random dinosaur diorama still there?

Yes the random dinosaur diorama is still there!! My pictures just didn't come out very good so I didn't include them. Toontown in DL was awesome. I loved the look of it. It's exactly what a cartoon land should look like in the middle of the "real world." And I'm a *huge* fan of Who Framed Roger Rabbit which makes me appreciate Toon Town even more!

Geez, I just knew IJ was going to be down. Hopefully you got to go on later that day!

I haven't been on the Railroad at MK yet (was down during our trip too, I was so bummed!) but I know some trains at DL have the benches facing outwards, like towards the park, and other trains have the benches facing forward. Personally, I love the ones facing towards the park as you're not always straining your neck to look to the right.

It was neat that the benches faced in. I didn't realize there were different trains with different benches. That's pretty cool. I guess that gives the railroad repeatability!!!! (I totally thought I was making up that word, but spell check isn't identifying it so I guess it's real )

I was laughing when you first posted something about hoping IJ was actually running a while ago. It also made me feel a little better knowing that this happens a lot and not just on the one day I get to go!

 

[heathsf]

I just have to interrupt this DL TR to say:

I'm Going to Disney World!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so excited to finally be able to put a ticker back in my signature!!
Finally having a definite upcoming trip has re-energized me to spend more time on this TR!! I just uploaded a bunch of pictures to photobucket and I'm planning to post an update later

 

[heathsf]

Chapter 10 – It’s A Small World With a Big Wait (But Not Really)

We left Toontown without really spending any time there, knowing that we would come back later. Instead, we turned around and headed back into Fantasyland to It’s a Small World which had a 20 minute posted wait time. I love the outside façade, it’s beautiful! It was warming up outside and we decided we should probably put some sunscreen on while we waited on the outdoor queue in the sun. In WDW the queue and ride entrance are covered/inside.

While waiting and sunscreening, we saw that Merida was greeting nearby. I hadn’t seen Brave yet at this point, and made a mental note that I definitely needed to do that. I have since watched it, and it was really cute.

I have written down that we only waited 15 minutes but I remember feeling like it was taking forever! I guess because the line seemed very short but it was still taking a very long time. But who am I kidding, I shouldn’t be complaining about a 15 minute wait

We LOVED looking for the characters that were incorporated in the ride into their respective countries. I wonder if WDW will do this too one day. I love IASW anyway, but DH didn’t really care for it in WDW. He had more fun in DL since he had something fun to do while riding. I took pictures of all the characters we found, but I’ll only include some of them here.

It was 2:55 when we got off the ride and we went back to Toontown to get some FP!

The look of this area is just so cool. I LOVE Who Framed Roger Rabbit and I LOVE that this area was modeled after the Toontown from the movie.

Speaking of Who Framed Roger Rabit….. Fastpass p-p-p-p-puh-leeeeeease.

DH playing

We had an hour to kill before our FP return time so we hopped back on the train at Toontown station, DH relaxed, and we went the rest of the way around.

Up Next: We get a little wet!

 

[psac]

Thanks for the update! I had never actually seen the outside of the DL IASW. Looks awesome!