1st timer becomes a 2nd timer! Two trip reports collide! Trip Reports Complete!

[Funball]

PAULA:


ME:


our kick butt space mountain photo with "billy ray cyrus" in the front!:




and to prove that she smoked me on astro blasters, i ended up just giving up!:

 

[Funball]

..i forgot to mention about “Billy ray Cyrus” that was in line with us at Space mountain. Ok so this dude in front of us had this mullet wig on, well at first I thought it was real.. and then we he showed Paula and me it was a wig it became quite funny! And he wore it for the whole ride! So we gave him the nickname “billy ray cyrus”…we had some great laughs while waiting in line with him!

 

[smile4stamps]

And she kicked my butt on Toy story mania AND on Astro Blasters! RFLOL

Hey! I only beat you at toy story like you originally wrote! Astros blasters put the scores on the wrong side!!

 

[Funball]

oh so then i did beat you at AO! RFLOL.. ok ok but paula did smoke me at TSM!!!

 

[smile4stamps]

Third time trying to post this! I'm at the airport to head to Wisconsin to see my family that I haven't seen in a long time. Looking forward to seeing all my family but not looking forward to flying with this awful cold I have! Trip report will start in a few days!

 

[kaoden39]

Have a good time with your family. I look forward to hear all about it when you get back!!

 

[smile4stamps]

I didn't forget to write my trip report I promise! I've just been feeling miserable. The cold I started to get while at DL got worse and every time I think I am feeling better I then start coughing again.

I will be getting started shortly! I hope!!

 

[JH87]

I'm looking forward to reading about your trip! I was there the same weekend 10/16-10/17 so it will be fun to hear about your experience and compare it with mine

 

[kaoden39]

I didn't forget to write my trip report I promise! I've just been feeling miserable. The cold I started to get while at DL got worse and every time I think I am feeling better I then start coughing again.

I will be getting started shortly! I hope!!

I hope you feel better soon. It sounds like you got slammed and I am sorry to hear it.

 

[smile4stamps]

Okay. I am still not feeling well and in fact even have a migraine on top of the cold but today started off not so good so I am hoping by starting my trip report it will help me feel better at least mentally.

WARNING! I am talkative so when I remember details I will give DETAILS! a-ha.. So in other words it may get LONG! This first post will not have many photos but following days most definitely WILL!

Wednesday October 13th was TRAVEL DAY! I had done most of my packing the previous weekend but still had a few things to get settled. I finished my packing around 3ish and then just had to wait to leave for the airport. I wanted to leave the house around 4pm for a 5:25pm flight. (We live not to far from the airport)

Around 4 we left for the airport. I said goodbye to my hubby around 4:20pm. I grabbed my bags and went inside to print my boarding pass and check my bags. Placed my first bag on the scale. 46lbs! Whew under 50. The lady tags it and puts it on the conveyor. Place bag #2 on the scale. OVERLIMIT!! Oh dear. Time to rearrange. I ask for my other bag back as inside it has a bag I can use as an additional carry-on. No GO! The bag is already back behind the wall and she can't get it back! EEKS! Luckily all I had in my carryon backpack was the laptop so I had a little room in there. I snagged my apples out of the suitcase and some clothes. Reweighed it... Still 56lbs. I then took out one of the cartons of almond milk I was bringing to go with my cereal and my foot cream. (My heels are now very bad!!) This brought the weight to 54lbs. The lady behind the counter was then nice enough to let it go without the extra charge since my other bag was a little below 50lbs! Phew!

Up to security I went where I saw my friend ahead of me. Waved and said I'll meet you at the gate. I got through security with no issue. And proceeded the long walk to my gate. The new SJC terminal is nice but they made a HUGE mistake by not putting in moving walkways! It is a LONG walk through that airport! So i reach the gate and look for my friend. She is not there! Hmmm, I try calling her. She had to go check her bag because her liquids were to large for carry-on. So I go grab a seat by the gate to wait for boarding. I had checked in 24 hours earlier but my friend first checked in at the airport so I was in A boarding group and she was in B. I said I would save her a seat (obviously!) We both get on the plane without incident. The flight was forgettable. We arrive at LAX on-time. Head to Baggage Claim Wait about 15minutes for the bags to start coming. Grab the bags and then try to find Prime Time Shuttle. Go out the doors walk down a little bit and there it is. We get on the shuttle and SIT for about 15 minutes. then Yippee! We start moving. Okay. Not Yippee! We do a loop around the airport and pick up some more passengers and are finally on our way about an hour after getting on the shuttle. We arrive to the hotel at about 8:45pm. Get checked in and bring our bags upstairs. We decided because we were both awake and excited to be there to walk to see how far it was to the DL gates. We got there in about 8minutes. (I didn't realize its a decent length path to the actual gates of DL)

Yeah! Disneyland... Too bad wouldn't see for about 12 hours!

We then decided we should grab something to eat. We take a look at the Millie's menu and just decide McD's is cheaper and faster.

We eat a quick dinner and head back to the motel. At this point we both figured the walk wasn't bad.

I set my alarm for 6am and we go to sleep.

 

[smile4stamps]

On the morning of the 14th both my friend and I awoke before the alarm went off. We showered and went to check out the breakfast offered by the motel. The continental breakfast consisted of make it yourself waffles, english muffins, bread/toast, cereal, oatmeal, oranges, hard boiled eggs, donuts, danishes, juice and coffee. I had a waffle, an english muffin, a hard boiled egg and some OJ. Also snatched an orange to enjoy later in the day.

After breakfast we started our walk to the park!

Here it is again but in daylight! ME!

And here is my friend!

Can you tell which one of us is more excited?

Off it was through security

I saw the Mickey Benches right away and had to get my picture on one!

Then to get pictures of the CALIFORNIA letters

And of the Giant pumpkins above the gates

I took this picture THROUGH the closed gate.

It was a Magic Morning day (but not for us!) so we got into line outside the gates. We were at one of the gates next to a MM entry gate and we were only about 15 people back. However as soon as they closed that gate and switched it to regular entrance I jumper over to be the second group in.

Here's a picture of my AP before I traded it in for the real thing!

Once we were allowed inside it was to City Hall

To get my First Visit Button!

A stop to take pictures in front of Giant Mickey Pumpkin

(I'm laughing because I wanted to get closer to the pumpkin and lost my footing and fell in the flowers? I smushed a few )

A pic of all the people in front of us and my first view of the castle!

A quick pic of the Halloweentime banners

And then it was off to ride rides... To Be Continued in the next post...

 

[kaoden39]

I hope you feel better. I love the trip report so far. That magical feeling of coming through the gate and hearing that bell....ah.

 

[IndayMichelle]

Whoohoo for your first time!

Did you have to throw away the almond milk and foot cream or did they allow you to carry it on?

 

[smile4stamps]

I hope you feel better. I love the trip report so far. That magical feeling of coming through the gate and hearing that bell....ah.

I'm still not feeling 100%! I don't think I've ever had a cold hang on this long!

Whoohoo for your first time!

Did you have to throw away the almond milk and foot cream or did they allow you to carry it on?

I threw them out. I didn't even attempt to carry them on. I had 2 other cartons of almond milk so I had more than enough. The foot lotion. I have more of here at home but my heels have paid for my not using it for 2.5 weeks!


I'm finally back in CA! I had a great time visiting my family and spending time with my niece and nephew! They are 2.5 and 4.5! My neice who is 2.5 is very into Princesses! I wish I could take then to DL but I don't have the money and neither do their parents. Oh Well. My parents are planning on taking them to WDW in a few years. I may join up with them there! I just wish it was sooner than when they are planning!

I go back to work tonight so I am hoping to continue the trip report tomorrow morning but no guarantee's! I may be exhausted after not doing the night shift for 3 weeks!

 

[kaoden39]

Well, I hope your first day back to work goes well.

 

[smile4stamps]

My first day back at work went well. But I was completely drained when I got back home. Fell asleep in the chair for about 2 hours. Woke up, made lunch, and went back to bed for 8 more hours.

Then yesterday I had a dentist appt after work followed by voting (and I went to the wrong voting place! ), made lunch, took a nap, made dinner, read through BE's chat thread! Alas out of time for updating my own TR!

So I am hoping to get an update done today but my house is nasty so I have lots of cleaning to do!

 

[smile4stamps]

So after we walk down Main Street I tell my friend lets go do the Haunted Mansion. Since it is set up for the holidays the line is going to get long. We grab FP's to be able to ride it later and then decide we mindswell ride it now too! So we get in the ling for Haunter Mansion which at this point means just walking right up!

I took some flash photos in the waiting area so I could see! (I have issues with light/dark transitions)

And then inside the next room. I think there were only 3 of us! I took these before the narration began but didn't have time to get all of the scenes.

And then of course I had to try and get pics inside the ride but without flash on my old P&S camera it wasn't gonna be good!

Back outside I snapped a few more pics of the mansion area

I really enjoyed the Holiday Haunted Mansion. I live the gingerbread scent as you go through the Dining Room.

After the Haunted Mansion it was off to Pirates of the Caribbean!

I was going to post my pic of me under the sign here but my expression is strange! So I will forgo that!

I love this version of POTC! So much better than that of WDW! The 1st drop really surprised me because I was not expecting it! There was a baby riding in front of us on the ride and the parent thought it would bother him but the child really seemed to enjoy the ride!

After POTC we headed to Indy! A truely different ride. However all the bumps and jerks had me feeling a little motion sick so it is not something I would be wanting to do over and over again!

We did grab FP for Indy hoping to return to it later in the day.

Next I figured it was still before 9am so we could catch he Jungle Cruise. We got through that line speedy quick! We were the last 2 on the boat they were currently boarding!

Pics from the line

The skipper (way up there!)

I liked our skipper! I love the corny jokes!

My pics of the actual ride are all pretty blurry! the ride went pretty fast so it was hard to aim and shoot before we were off again!

Oh here's one that is mostly clear!

Then since it was Still before 9:30 I figured we could ride one more ride before heading over to DCA to get WoC fastpasses.

So we headed to Big Thunder Mountain RailRoad!

The line along with the ride ended up taking longer than I had wanted and it was already around 10:00 am however I really wanted to grap Space Mountain FP tickets before we left so we could ride it later! We ended up leaving DL for DCA at about 10:05am. Over at DCA we get in the gates and
I start walking to wear I think the WoC FP machines are. Then I see this HUGE LONG line and I ask someone if it was the WoC FP line (already dreading the answer!). Indeed that is in fact what the line was. The line was SO long. It was almost the Hollywood Blvd! So in line we got and in line we waited. For over an hour! WE finally get to the front and I am SO excited to be getting the FP's! I didn't even look at them! However, several hours later when I did look at them I was confused. They said RED viewing area. RED... Where was red? I hadn't heard anything about a Red area... Well it turns out not to be so good. (More on that later!)

To be continued!

 

[Goofy_Mom]

It's always exciting to hear a 1st timers trip to DL, expecially when they already believe in the magic. Can't wait to hear more

 

[kaoden39]

It sounds like the early part of your day was fun filled for sure. I love Haunted Mansion holiday. It is so fun.

 

[smile4stamps]

It's always exciting to hear a 1st timers trip to DL, expecially when they already believe in the magic. Can't wait to hear more

I love Disney! It's awesome to just lose yourself in the ride and to immerse yourself in it.

It sounds like the early part of your day was fun filled for sure. I love Haunted Mansion holiday. It is so fun.

The early part of the day was kinda crazy actually! If it hadn't been for wanting the WoC FP's I probably would have slowed things WAAAYYYY Down. I felt really rushed and didn't get to absorb the true magic like I wanted.


I'm actually at work right now. They called and asked if I could work a Evening Shift. I said yes because I need the $$$! Hopefully it will result in more $$$ for disney but at this point I have a lot of expenses coming up I hadn't counted on!