GOS
Livin' for Disney holidays with great friends
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2006
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- 12,107
Monday 3rd June 2007 The Happiest Place on Earth.
Today is Disney Day.
Hector wakes us up at 7.00am. Who is Hector you might ask? He is the loud dog next door, who seems to think that everyone should be awake by now. Then the next-door neighbour starts his car, which is also very loud .so its a good job we need to get up early today.
Washed, dressed, breakfasted and out by 9.30am. The traffic is fairly light, so the journey only takes 30 minutes. Disney Way/Gene Autrey Way is our exit, which leads straight into the parking lot and were already $11.00 lighter. We park in the Lion King Lot, Timon Section.
The trams eventually arrive and take us to the ticket booths, but first we have to go through bag checks/security. The queues are horrendous Disneyland is open till 11.00pm tonight though and California Adventure till 8.00pm. I need to sort a query about our tickets and we head over to Guest Services. They are no help we need to unlock our tickets so that the 2nd day does not expire.
Through the gates and I notice the tour office to the side of Town Hall. We have taken some really good tours with Disney before, so Rick suggests that we go over and enquire what tours are being offered today. There are 2 tours 1 x free 30minute orientation tour and 1 x 4 hour Walk in Walts Footsteps tour with lunch at $80.00 each.
We decide to take the 30 minutes tour, but we explain that we need to visit Guest Services first to see if we can get something sorted about our tickets. The tour guides ask if they can help and when we explain the problem, they give us a refund on our 2nd day. They also give us fast passes for 2 rides one for each park! They are so helpful.
Our guide arrives and she takes for a quick orientation of the park, passing Indiana Jones ride and getting us fast passes for this ride too. She also gives us some tips on what rides to do and when. We are not so lucky with reservations for the Blue Bayou it is fully booked. I would recommend taking a tour...its surprising what you learn, tips, etc. We say goodbye to our personal CM at the ride update board at the op of Main Street.
Our first priority is Pirates of the Caribbean and we join what seems to be a long queue, but only takes about 15 minutes. The ride is very similar to the one in Orlando, but has a one or two more drops.
As we walk off Pirates, Rick says that he would like to take the other tour, so we head back down main street to the tour office. We are greeted with smiles and are asked if everything was OK with our orientation tour. We said that we had returned to book the afternoon Walt Walk. He said that there were places and gave us a discount yippee! We make our choices for lunch which will be tea and then once paid we are told to go of and Play and return at 2.15pm.
The Matterhorn is next - they dont have this at WDW and what a great ride. Did you know that the Skyway used to run straight through this ride? This was because Walt wanted to disguise the ugly looking frames that kept the skyway aloft. So he built the Matterhorn to hide the frames ingenious or what?
Our fast passes for the Indiana Jones ride are now active now so we head over to the other side of the park. This ride is nothing like the ride in Paris, but is very similar to the Dino Ride in WDW. Very good, if a bit bumpy. We need this over in Florida!
As the Haunted Mansion is near to Indy, we go and join the queue. Like the other rids so far, we only have to wait about 15-20 minutes. There are some slight difference to the Mansions in WDW and Paris such as a floating crystal ball! Outside we buy snacks and a drink to keep us going till early evening. As its 2.00pm, we head back to the entrance and join the group for our 2.30pm tour. We are given earpieces and remote receiver packs and we wait listening to some music. The tour guide from earlier comes over to see if everything is OK and presents us with a thank you pack He says that it will be available for when we return later. We cannot get over how kind these CMs have been. Our tour starts with us visiting Disneyland the first 50 magical years where we see some of the original plans for the park and here Walt talks to us via our headsets about his dream. Someone asks where the tickets have gone from this display and a CM says that everything has its value! Our friend Alexis explained about the ticket system first in operation when the park opened, and she is sure that she has some tickets tucked away somewhere! Well have to tell her about $$$ value. The tour continues and we see and learn about lots of interesting things, such as how the windows along Main Street all honour people who have contributed to Disneyland in someway over the years; also about Club 33 (and we actually get to go inside the foyer!) named after Club 21 in New York and the only place in the park that sells Alcohol; also that the profit from Mary Poppins paid to build New Orleans Square and started WDW. We get to jump the queue at Jungle Cruise and also wake the birds in the Tiki Rooms.
After 3.30 hours, our tour guide takes us back to the tour office, where we sit and enjoy our tea. We all receive commemorative pins and we join in the celebration at its our tour guides very first official tour and he received his own gold D pin.
At 6.15pm, we find a good spot to wait and watch the evening parade along Main Street.
Now its time to continue on our own this time round to Buzz Lightyear in Tomorrowland, another 15-minute wait. They have new cars and new laser cannons, and I still manage to lose to Rick! Next is Autopia, something that Rick and I have not done in a long while. The queues are always too long at WDW, and we dont think its worth the wait, but Im glad we have the chance to do this here. Lots of fun, and I even get my own car.
Now, they have just started soft testing Finding Nemo and today they have offered cast members the opportunity to ride. I ask one of the CMs if it is only CMs? He confirms that it is, and I reply saying that its a shame as we return home tomorrow, and turn and start to walk away. The CM catches us up and asks if it s just the two of us? I say it is and he says to follow him and he will see what he can do. He opens up the line and shows to the end of the queue. How lucky are we? Million Dreams moment?
Great ride, they need to bring this back to WDW. It was always the one ride that we had to do just for the plastic fish!
The monorail takes us on a journey round the park, out through Downtown Disney, past the hotels and back again. It is now quite dark and we are starting to flag, but I must ride King Arthurs Carrousel. So whilst I ride, Rick takes a comfort break. Our last ride tonight was going to be the Sailing Ship Columbia around Rivers of America, but weve missed the last sailing, so time for a quick snack and a coffee from the bakery on Main Street and then into the shops for a few essential items. We call it a day at 10.30pm and we are home by 11.35pm.
We have had a very long but enjoyable day. The sun broke through the clouds on our journey down and it stayed with us all day, the temperature was bout 75-78ºF. It did get cold about 6.30pm when the sun started to set. We have a lazy day tomorrow and a lie in if Hector lets us!
Today is Disney Day.
Hector wakes us up at 7.00am. Who is Hector you might ask? He is the loud dog next door, who seems to think that everyone should be awake by now. Then the next-door neighbour starts his car, which is also very loud .so its a good job we need to get up early today.
Washed, dressed, breakfasted and out by 9.30am. The traffic is fairly light, so the journey only takes 30 minutes. Disney Way/Gene Autrey Way is our exit, which leads straight into the parking lot and were already $11.00 lighter. We park in the Lion King Lot, Timon Section.
The trams eventually arrive and take us to the ticket booths, but first we have to go through bag checks/security. The queues are horrendous Disneyland is open till 11.00pm tonight though and California Adventure till 8.00pm. I need to sort a query about our tickets and we head over to Guest Services. They are no help we need to unlock our tickets so that the 2nd day does not expire.
Through the gates and I notice the tour office to the side of Town Hall. We have taken some really good tours with Disney before, so Rick suggests that we go over and enquire what tours are being offered today. There are 2 tours 1 x free 30minute orientation tour and 1 x 4 hour Walk in Walts Footsteps tour with lunch at $80.00 each.
We decide to take the 30 minutes tour, but we explain that we need to visit Guest Services first to see if we can get something sorted about our tickets. The tour guides ask if they can help and when we explain the problem, they give us a refund on our 2nd day. They also give us fast passes for 2 rides one for each park! They are so helpful.
Our guide arrives and she takes for a quick orientation of the park, passing Indiana Jones ride and getting us fast passes for this ride too. She also gives us some tips on what rides to do and when. We are not so lucky with reservations for the Blue Bayou it is fully booked. I would recommend taking a tour...its surprising what you learn, tips, etc. We say goodbye to our personal CM at the ride update board at the op of Main Street.
Our first priority is Pirates of the Caribbean and we join what seems to be a long queue, but only takes about 15 minutes. The ride is very similar to the one in Orlando, but has a one or two more drops.
As we walk off Pirates, Rick says that he would like to take the other tour, so we head back down main street to the tour office. We are greeted with smiles and are asked if everything was OK with our orientation tour. We said that we had returned to book the afternoon Walt Walk. He said that there were places and gave us a discount yippee! We make our choices for lunch which will be tea and then once paid we are told to go of and Play and return at 2.15pm.
The Matterhorn is next - they dont have this at WDW and what a great ride. Did you know that the Skyway used to run straight through this ride? This was because Walt wanted to disguise the ugly looking frames that kept the skyway aloft. So he built the Matterhorn to hide the frames ingenious or what?
Our fast passes for the Indiana Jones ride are now active now so we head over to the other side of the park. This ride is nothing like the ride in Paris, but is very similar to the Dino Ride in WDW. Very good, if a bit bumpy. We need this over in Florida!
As the Haunted Mansion is near to Indy, we go and join the queue. Like the other rids so far, we only have to wait about 15-20 minutes. There are some slight difference to the Mansions in WDW and Paris such as a floating crystal ball! Outside we buy snacks and a drink to keep us going till early evening. As its 2.00pm, we head back to the entrance and join the group for our 2.30pm tour. We are given earpieces and remote receiver packs and we wait listening to some music. The tour guide from earlier comes over to see if everything is OK and presents us with a thank you pack He says that it will be available for when we return later. We cannot get over how kind these CMs have been. Our tour starts with us visiting Disneyland the first 50 magical years where we see some of the original plans for the park and here Walt talks to us via our headsets about his dream. Someone asks where the tickets have gone from this display and a CM says that everything has its value! Our friend Alexis explained about the ticket system first in operation when the park opened, and she is sure that she has some tickets tucked away somewhere! Well have to tell her about $$$ value. The tour continues and we see and learn about lots of interesting things, such as how the windows along Main Street all honour people who have contributed to Disneyland in someway over the years; also about Club 33 (and we actually get to go inside the foyer!) named after Club 21 in New York and the only place in the park that sells Alcohol; also that the profit from Mary Poppins paid to build New Orleans Square and started WDW. We get to jump the queue at Jungle Cruise and also wake the birds in the Tiki Rooms.
After 3.30 hours, our tour guide takes us back to the tour office, where we sit and enjoy our tea. We all receive commemorative pins and we join in the celebration at its our tour guides very first official tour and he received his own gold D pin.
At 6.15pm, we find a good spot to wait and watch the evening parade along Main Street.
Now its time to continue on our own this time round to Buzz Lightyear in Tomorrowland, another 15-minute wait. They have new cars and new laser cannons, and I still manage to lose to Rick! Next is Autopia, something that Rick and I have not done in a long while. The queues are always too long at WDW, and we dont think its worth the wait, but Im glad we have the chance to do this here. Lots of fun, and I even get my own car.
Now, they have just started soft testing Finding Nemo and today they have offered cast members the opportunity to ride. I ask one of the CMs if it is only CMs? He confirms that it is, and I reply saying that its a shame as we return home tomorrow, and turn and start to walk away. The CM catches us up and asks if it s just the two of us? I say it is and he says to follow him and he will see what he can do. He opens up the line and shows to the end of the queue. How lucky are we? Million Dreams moment?
Great ride, they need to bring this back to WDW. It was always the one ride that we had to do just for the plastic fish!
The monorail takes us on a journey round the park, out through Downtown Disney, past the hotels and back again. It is now quite dark and we are starting to flag, but I must ride King Arthurs Carrousel. So whilst I ride, Rick takes a comfort break. Our last ride tonight was going to be the Sailing Ship Columbia around Rivers of America, but weve missed the last sailing, so time for a quick snack and a coffee from the bakery on Main Street and then into the shops for a few essential items. We call it a day at 10.30pm and we are home by 11.35pm.
We have had a very long but enjoyable day. The sun broke through the clouds on our journey down and it stayed with us all day, the temperature was bout 75-78ºF. It did get cold about 6.30pm when the sun started to set. We have a lazy day tomorrow and a lie in if Hector lets us!
disney moments at last 
