Jrsy Boy
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2005
- Messages
- 3,626
The next few days will probably have less detail since we were mainly just running around riding whatever didnt have too long of a line, but I will try again to hit some of the more interesting details.
Monday 11/22
Monday started with a hearty breakfast at Mimis and, really, who doesnt love a hearty breakfast? Wed signed up for Mimis e-club prior to leaving so we also had coupons that theyd emailed us which saved us some cash. Disneyland was opening at 8am and we arrived shortly thereafter. The skies were blue but the air was still cool and there were noticeably more people on Main Street. We took some photos around the hub before it got too busy there and started the day once again with Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyears Astro Blasters. We probably should have jumped onto the Matterhorn right away because it was probably the only time that day that it was short enough that wed consider waiting in it. Instead, we rode Indy as well as picking up FPs for later. Wed never been up Tarzans Treehouse, so we did that, too.
The lines were building quickly so we tried to go with only waits under 30 minutes and use FPs when we could. Obviously, we hit PotC and HM but we also took a ride around the entire park on the Disneyland Railroad, which was something we had never done before. I had read about the dioramas along the train route between Tomorrowland and the Main Street station so I really wanted to take the time to see them this trip. It was almost like taking a train through the Museum of Nature and Science. After the train ride, we headed down Main Street and over to California Adventure, where we were seeing equally long lines. Despite his hearty breakfast, we had to stop at the Mission Tortilla Factory so Alex could have a few tortillas to tide him over until lunch. We hit a few rides and picked up some FPs before we were all getting hungry for lunch.
We had lunch at La Brea Bakery in Downtown Disney. The food was good, though a little pricey, but we had a coupon. We sat on the patio and it was probably just on the brink of being comfortable because it was still cool and the heater near our table was not working. Alex had a cheeseburger and fries, Tammy had a tuna sandwich and I had caprese panini sliders with a cup of clam chowder. After lunch, we went back to World of Disney and picked up a couple more souvenirs before heading back to the hotel to rest for a bit. As we were checking out, I saw a book called Disneyland through the Decades which looked pretty good, but all of the copies at the register were pretty dog-eared, so I planned to keep my eyes open for a nice copy.
With the amount of time wed spent in the parks the previous day, we were definitely feeling it in our feet despite wearing appropriate shoes, so it was nice to put our feet up back at the hotel room. Unfortunately, on this particular day, we got back to find that our room hadnt been cleaned yet. We were surprised to see that all of our coffee supplies had been replenished, however, so I called the front desk to see what was up. It turns out that the cleaning supervisor makes the rounds first and replenishes the coffee supplies then housekeeping follows later.
Wed only been in the room for a couple of minutes when there was a knock, so we left for a bit so that the room could be cleaned. The weather was still cool and had become a bit cloudy, so rather than sit outside and wait, we went to the arcade and played some games. We also picked up a few more things in the shop as wed been using our milk and water for coffee every day. When we decided to head back to the room, we were pleased to see that housekeeping was done. We rested for a bit then made some coffee to get us through the rest of the evening before heading back to the parks.
Wed checked the Animation Academy schedule earlier that day and had decided to return for the last session where wed be drawing Jack Skellington. In the meantime, we rode what we were willing to wait for or what we had FPs for, including what we thought was a pretty long wait for Toy Story Midway Mania. We were surprised by the number of line jumpers on this trip, groups of up to four people cutting through to join the one or two people whod been holding a place for them somewhere in front of us. Of course, on previous trips, the lines had been much shorter so I guess long lines bring out the worst in people.
We rested in the Animation Courtyard while waiting for our Animation Academy session to begin, having already attended Turtle Talk with Crush on the previous day. Once we were let in, I sat up front with my Jack Skellington hoodie on, but there were plenty of other obvious fans in the room, too. On our previous two trips, a member of our group had scored the animators drawing at the end of the session but I wasnt holding my breath that wed be so lucky again. As it turned out, the animator didnt give out her drawing at the end of the session, anyway.
On our way out, we went into Off the Page and I found the Disneyland through the Decades book Id seen earlier as well as a book about Nightmare Before Christmas. Unfortunately, the NBC books were pretty beat up and they didnt have any other copies, so I just went with the Disneyland one. For the rest of the night, I was lugging around my new book and our drawings from Animation Academy but we didnt stay out as late as we had on our first night. The lines didnt die down as much as wed hoped, though we did hit a bunch of rides between the time DCA closed and when we left Disneyland, which was probably still after 11pm. Wed even indulged Alex and got on a long line for Space Mountain because he wanted to confirm whether they still did Rockin Space Mountain at night, as hed read online. Unfortunately, after waiting about 20 minutes, there was an announcement that the ride would be down for a while. We assured Alex that wed try again on another night and got out of line.
Not surprisingly, my feet were sore by the end of the night, but as we were walking back to the hotel, I had another sinking feeling. About two months prior, Id had the extremely painful experience of my first case of gout. Fortunately, our physician had made a quick diagnosis and wrote me a prescription that took care of the problem quickly. I was starting to feel a similar pain in the same location and was worried that I was having a recurrence. I dont know if it was the concern about a recurrence or the actual onset, but I slept terribly that night.
Monday 11/22
Monday started with a hearty breakfast at Mimis and, really, who doesnt love a hearty breakfast? Wed signed up for Mimis e-club prior to leaving so we also had coupons that theyd emailed us which saved us some cash. Disneyland was opening at 8am and we arrived shortly thereafter. The skies were blue but the air was still cool and there were noticeably more people on Main Street. We took some photos around the hub before it got too busy there and started the day once again with Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyears Astro Blasters. We probably should have jumped onto the Matterhorn right away because it was probably the only time that day that it was short enough that wed consider waiting in it. Instead, we rode Indy as well as picking up FPs for later. Wed never been up Tarzans Treehouse, so we did that, too.
The lines were building quickly so we tried to go with only waits under 30 minutes and use FPs when we could. Obviously, we hit PotC and HM but we also took a ride around the entire park on the Disneyland Railroad, which was something we had never done before. I had read about the dioramas along the train route between Tomorrowland and the Main Street station so I really wanted to take the time to see them this trip. It was almost like taking a train through the Museum of Nature and Science. After the train ride, we headed down Main Street and over to California Adventure, where we were seeing equally long lines. Despite his hearty breakfast, we had to stop at the Mission Tortilla Factory so Alex could have a few tortillas to tide him over until lunch. We hit a few rides and picked up some FPs before we were all getting hungry for lunch.
We had lunch at La Brea Bakery in Downtown Disney. The food was good, though a little pricey, but we had a coupon. We sat on the patio and it was probably just on the brink of being comfortable because it was still cool and the heater near our table was not working. Alex had a cheeseburger and fries, Tammy had a tuna sandwich and I had caprese panini sliders with a cup of clam chowder. After lunch, we went back to World of Disney and picked up a couple more souvenirs before heading back to the hotel to rest for a bit. As we were checking out, I saw a book called Disneyland through the Decades which looked pretty good, but all of the copies at the register were pretty dog-eared, so I planned to keep my eyes open for a nice copy.
With the amount of time wed spent in the parks the previous day, we were definitely feeling it in our feet despite wearing appropriate shoes, so it was nice to put our feet up back at the hotel room. Unfortunately, on this particular day, we got back to find that our room hadnt been cleaned yet. We were surprised to see that all of our coffee supplies had been replenished, however, so I called the front desk to see what was up. It turns out that the cleaning supervisor makes the rounds first and replenishes the coffee supplies then housekeeping follows later.
Wed only been in the room for a couple of minutes when there was a knock, so we left for a bit so that the room could be cleaned. The weather was still cool and had become a bit cloudy, so rather than sit outside and wait, we went to the arcade and played some games. We also picked up a few more things in the shop as wed been using our milk and water for coffee every day. When we decided to head back to the room, we were pleased to see that housekeeping was done. We rested for a bit then made some coffee to get us through the rest of the evening before heading back to the parks.
Wed checked the Animation Academy schedule earlier that day and had decided to return for the last session where wed be drawing Jack Skellington. In the meantime, we rode what we were willing to wait for or what we had FPs for, including what we thought was a pretty long wait for Toy Story Midway Mania. We were surprised by the number of line jumpers on this trip, groups of up to four people cutting through to join the one or two people whod been holding a place for them somewhere in front of us. Of course, on previous trips, the lines had been much shorter so I guess long lines bring out the worst in people.
We rested in the Animation Courtyard while waiting for our Animation Academy session to begin, having already attended Turtle Talk with Crush on the previous day. Once we were let in, I sat up front with my Jack Skellington hoodie on, but there were plenty of other obvious fans in the room, too. On our previous two trips, a member of our group had scored the animators drawing at the end of the session but I wasnt holding my breath that wed be so lucky again. As it turned out, the animator didnt give out her drawing at the end of the session, anyway.
On our way out, we went into Off the Page and I found the Disneyland through the Decades book Id seen earlier as well as a book about Nightmare Before Christmas. Unfortunately, the NBC books were pretty beat up and they didnt have any other copies, so I just went with the Disneyland one. For the rest of the night, I was lugging around my new book and our drawings from Animation Academy but we didnt stay out as late as we had on our first night. The lines didnt die down as much as wed hoped, though we did hit a bunch of rides between the time DCA closed and when we left Disneyland, which was probably still after 11pm. Wed even indulged Alex and got on a long line for Space Mountain because he wanted to confirm whether they still did Rockin Space Mountain at night, as hed read online. Unfortunately, after waiting about 20 minutes, there was an announcement that the ride would be down for a while. We assured Alex that wed try again on another night and got out of line.
Not surprisingly, my feet were sore by the end of the night, but as we were walking back to the hotel, I had another sinking feeling. About two months prior, Id had the extremely painful experience of my first case of gout. Fortunately, our physician had made a quick diagnosis and wrote me a prescription that took care of the problem quickly. I was starting to feel a similar pain in the same location and was worried that I was having a recurrence. I dont know if it was the concern about a recurrence or the actual onset, but I slept terribly that night.
This had me laughing! 
