FINALLY! The "Surprise" Disney Trip That Made Magic -- Nov 17-23, 2012
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papamouse1
Still... Papa "MooMoo"
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Day 3 - Disneyland With A View
Well, it is definitely the holiday season, so I have been swamped... I hope to bust out Day 3 & 4 today, so let's get busy!!
It is Tuesday morning, and today we are headed to Disneyland for Early Morning Hour! We want to try and bust out all of Fantasyland and get FP's for a couple of the major rides before lunch. We had moved over to Disneyland Hotel on Monday night. It was our first time staying there, but I promise it won't be our last... we LOVED it!! The remodel is so nice, the new pool is great... so much to enjoy here.
Since we are headed to Fantasyland for EMH, we decide to just ride the monorail from DTD right in to the park and it will mean we can avoid the main entrance mayhem. The night before, I asked the monorail people how early we should get there for EMH entrance, and they said people don't really start lining up until about 20 minutes before park open. We got there 30 minutes before, and were about 20 people back from front of line. We were so excited, then a monorail pulled up...early! Must have been a test run because they didn't let us in. A couple of minutes and another pulls up... still early! Nope, still not ours. Then a third one pulls up right about time for park to open... this must be ours! It pulls away. Hmmm? Then the anouncement is made. "We are sorry, but the monorail is not functioning properly. You can remain in line, but we cannot guarantee when or if it will be up and running." Bummer!
I ask my girls if they want to wait or run over to main entrance. They say let's try Main Entrance, so we run down DTD towards the front entrance. We aren't even out of downtown before we see it... the "Sea of Humanity". The lines for the security goes all the way back to unloading dock for the trams (100 yards+), then it doubles back halfway back to the tables, then turns again and goes back in to DTD! At this point, we are not confident we will even make it into the park EMH is over, so we decide to avoid the crowd, head back to the monorail and wait for it there. Of course, we had to console ourselves with beignets and cocoa while we wait! When we get back to the monorail there is now a significant line there as well. Welcome to Disneyland at the Holidays! We only had to wait about 10 minutes, and a monorail arrived! Woohoo! And luckily, we were able to just barely make the 1st monorail, so off we went with a little time left in EMH.
When we arrive in Fantasyland, our touring plan is already out the window, so we see there is no real line for the submarine, so we jump right on. I still love that ride! I just the water features of the submarine.
When we get off, the crowds have arrived and the line is now packed! For the next hour, this was the theme for the day. We managed to ride most of Fantasyland, and each time we got off, the line would have doubled in size compared to when we got on... Isn't Pixie Dust Wonderful!! We made it over to Toon Town shortly after it opened, and it was already packed! I wanted to see the Christmas decorations, I heard they were great... and we were not disappointed!
The decorations were so over the top and "cartoony", pictures really don't do them justice
I was so in awe of them, I forgot to keep taking pictures, so have none of Mickey and Minnie's house... sorry. We only took time to ride Roger Rabbit, but the rest of the time in TT was just soaking in the Christmas Goodness
We headed over and got FP for Thunder Mountain RR, then used the single rider line on Splash Mountain (still 2 of my faves..), then we headed over to our lunch reservations at Blue Bayou. This is one of my wife's "Disney Bucketlist" things. We had never eaten here, so I surprised her with lunch. All I can really say is we have eaten there now. It was nice, but not really interested in going back. I tried taking photos in here but my flash made the food look yucky and it was too dark to really photograph much else, so not much to show on this adventure.
After lunch, we head over to get FP for Haunted Mansion, then it's out of the park for our afternoon break. I Need A Nap!
You have to remember, we have never done the EMH hours before at Disneyland, so these early mornings were catching up with us.
Okay... after some much needed nap time, pool time, and chill time it is now 5PM... and still no surprise for today! What's the deal, Dad!! You said there's a surprise EVERY Day?
Time for Day 3 Reveal...
"You are invited to join Mickey and his friends In an amazing adventure to save the park from the evil queen. Join us this evening for a front row seat to experience Disney magic up close and enjoy the sweet experience"
We are headed over for the private Fantasmic Dessert Party!
I was really not sure I wanted to do this. It is extremely expensive and only has dessert, not a meal. We have seen Fantasmic many times and usually stake out a place real early to get a prime viewing spot, so is it really worth it to pay $60 per person for a nice seat and some snacks? The answer is YES YES YES!!
I think I am absolutely ruined for watching Fantasmic. This is a must-do show for us every trip and now this Party is a must-do as well I think. It was wonderful! I had to get there a little early, to select seats, so my family just went and rode a ride or two while I got our seat assignment. Then about 15 minutes before the show started we all went in and got our seats... right up front with an absolute perfect view, nice comfy padded chairs, and our first cup of cocoa to warm us up! NICE!! Then they delivered our "box"
Our snack box had some delicious little desserts, cheeses, and crackers. The 2 little truffle-like balls were my favorite, but honestly there wasn't one thing that wasn't delicious. we had a wonderful server who took care of us throughout the show keeping our cocoa full and sodas flowing!
Finally the show started and all I can say is it was incredible! The view sitting up in a chair like that with no obstructions was wonderful!
The ship was so close, it made the show that much more exciting!
The dragon was amazing as always and as the show wraps up, we are feeling pretty happy about the experience... but wait... there's more! "Please feel free to remain in your seat to enjoy the fireworks show".
Cool! We have never watched the fireworks from here, but we were pleasantly surprised! It was nice. Plus we had a nice seat and they still kept serving cocoa while we watched the fireworks. We will definitely be doing the Dessert Party again!
The Day 3 Surprise was a hit! So can it get any better? We have already had Gospel Brunch, a Disneyland Tour, wonderful dining and World of Color seating, now Fantasmic in the BEST way possible, what can we do to top this?
Time for bed, because Day 4 is THE BEST Surprise YET!!!
NEXT UP: We're Going Hollywood!
Well, it is definitely the holiday season, so I have been swamped... I hope to bust out Day 3 & 4 today, so let's get busy!!
It is Tuesday morning, and today we are headed to Disneyland for Early Morning Hour! We want to try and bust out all of Fantasyland and get FP's for a couple of the major rides before lunch. We had moved over to Disneyland Hotel on Monday night. It was our first time staying there, but I promise it won't be our last... we LOVED it!! The remodel is so nice, the new pool is great... so much to enjoy here.
Since we are headed to Fantasyland for EMH, we decide to just ride the monorail from DTD right in to the park and it will mean we can avoid the main entrance mayhem. The night before, I asked the monorail people how early we should get there for EMH entrance, and they said people don't really start lining up until about 20 minutes before park open. We got there 30 minutes before, and were about 20 people back from front of line. We were so excited, then a monorail pulled up...early! Must have been a test run because they didn't let us in. A couple of minutes and another pulls up... still early! Nope, still not ours. Then a third one pulls up right about time for park to open... this must be ours! It pulls away. Hmmm? Then the anouncement is made. "We are sorry, but the monorail is not functioning properly. You can remain in line, but we cannot guarantee when or if it will be up and running." Bummer!
I ask my girls if they want to wait or run over to main entrance. They say let's try Main Entrance, so we run down DTD towards the front entrance. We aren't even out of downtown before we see it... the "Sea of Humanity". The lines for the security goes all the way back to unloading dock for the trams (100 yards+), then it doubles back halfway back to the tables, then turns again and goes back in to DTD! At this point, we are not confident we will even make it into the park EMH is over, so we decide to avoid the crowd, head back to the monorail and wait for it there. Of course, we had to console ourselves with beignets and cocoa while we wait! When we get back to the monorail there is now a significant line there as well. Welcome to Disneyland at the Holidays! We only had to wait about 10 minutes, and a monorail arrived! Woohoo! And luckily, we were able to just barely make the 1st monorail, so off we went with a little time left in EMH.
When we arrive in Fantasyland, our touring plan is already out the window, so we see there is no real line for the submarine, so we jump right on. I still love that ride! I just the water features of the submarine.
When we get off, the crowds have arrived and the line is now packed! For the next hour, this was the theme for the day. We managed to ride most of Fantasyland, and each time we got off, the line would have doubled in size compared to when we got on... Isn't Pixie Dust Wonderful!! We made it over to Toon Town shortly after it opened, and it was already packed! I wanted to see the Christmas decorations, I heard they were great... and we were not disappointed!
The decorations were so over the top and "cartoony", pictures really don't do them justice
I was so in awe of them, I forgot to keep taking pictures, so have none of Mickey and Minnie's house... sorry. We only took time to ride Roger Rabbit, but the rest of the time in TT was just soaking in the Christmas Goodness
We headed over and got FP for Thunder Mountain RR, then used the single rider line on Splash Mountain (still 2 of my faves..), then we headed over to our lunch reservations at Blue Bayou. This is one of my wife's "Disney Bucketlist" things. We had never eaten here, so I surprised her with lunch. All I can really say is we have eaten there now. It was nice, but not really interested in going back. I tried taking photos in here but my flash made the food look yucky and it was too dark to really photograph much else, so not much to show on this adventure.
After lunch, we head over to get FP for Haunted Mansion, then it's out of the park for our afternoon break. I Need A Nap!
You have to remember, we have never done the EMH hours before at Disneyland, so these early mornings were catching up with us.
Okay... after some much needed nap time, pool time, and chill time it is now 5PM... and still no surprise for today! What's the deal, Dad!! You said there's a surprise EVERY Day?
Time for Day 3 Reveal...
"You are invited to join Mickey and his friends In an amazing adventure to save the park from the evil queen. Join us this evening for a front row seat to experience Disney magic up close and enjoy the sweet experience"
We are headed over for the private Fantasmic Dessert Party!
I was really not sure I wanted to do this. It is extremely expensive and only has dessert, not a meal. We have seen Fantasmic many times and usually stake out a place real early to get a prime viewing spot, so is it really worth it to pay $60 per person for a nice seat and some snacks? The answer is YES YES YES!!
I think I am absolutely ruined for watching Fantasmic. This is a must-do show for us every trip and now this Party is a must-do as well I think. It was wonderful! I had to get there a little early, to select seats, so my family just went and rode a ride or two while I got our seat assignment. Then about 15 minutes before the show started we all went in and got our seats... right up front with an absolute perfect view, nice comfy padded chairs, and our first cup of cocoa to warm us up! NICE!! Then they delivered our "box"
Our snack box had some delicious little desserts, cheeses, and crackers. The 2 little truffle-like balls were my favorite, but honestly there wasn't one thing that wasn't delicious. we had a wonderful server who took care of us throughout the show keeping our cocoa full and sodas flowing!
Finally the show started and all I can say is it was incredible! The view sitting up in a chair like that with no obstructions was wonderful!
The ship was so close, it made the show that much more exciting!
The dragon was amazing as always and as the show wraps up, we are feeling pretty happy about the experience... but wait... there's more! "Please feel free to remain in your seat to enjoy the fireworks show".
Cool! We have never watched the fireworks from here, but we were pleasantly surprised! It was nice. Plus we had a nice seat and they still kept serving cocoa while we watched the fireworks. We will definitely be doing the Dessert Party again!
The Day 3 Surprise was a hit! So can it get any better? We have already had Gospel Brunch, a Disneyland Tour, wonderful dining and World of Color seating, now Fantasmic in the BEST way possible, what can we do to top this?
Time for bed, because Day 4 is THE BEST Surprise YET!!!
NEXT UP: We're Going Hollywood!
michellekcm
DIS Veteran
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Ooh -adding the Fantasmic Dessert to my list of things to do when we get there...
papamouse1
Still... Papa "MooMoo"
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papamouse1
Still... Papa "MooMoo"
- Joined
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michellekcm said:
Unless you are a person who just worries about how much something costs, this experience is a can't miss in my book. Not saying you shouldn't care tat it's spendy, I don't have $$$ to just throw around. It's just that with Disney, sometimes you just have to say I know it's too expensive, but I'm going to do it anyway and just enjoy it.
papamouse1
Still... Papa "MooMoo"
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meajuly5 said:
Ahh... Thanks. We are in Phoenix at Grandma's house for a short trip so I should be back working on the next installment Monday. Until then, enjoy another Turkey Sandwich
papamouse1
Still... Papa "MooMoo"
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Alright, enough playing around... it's time to get back to business!
In the last couple weeks I have conducted multiple holiday services, programs, and parties, conducted 3 funerals, made a trip to Phoenix to Grandma's for Christmas, started... and finished my "School of Disney Knowledge to become a certified Disney Vacation Planner for Fairytale Journeys (anyone need me to book you a trip? I need the practice ), and now it is time to finish up this TR.
I used to get frustrated with folks who did TR's and they would drag it out for months... I now have a much deeper appreciation of how hard it is to get these things done!
Enough talk... Time to start typing
In the last couple weeks I have conducted multiple holiday services, programs, and parties, conducted 3 funerals, made a trip to Phoenix to Grandma's for Christmas, started... and finished my "School of Disney Knowledge to become a certified Disney Vacation Planner for Fairytale Journeys (anyone need me to book you a trip? I need the practice
), and now it is time to finish up this TR.I used to get frustrated with folks who did TR's and they would drag it out for months... I now have a much deeper appreciation of how hard it is to get these things done!
Enough talk... Time to start typing
papamouse1
Still... Papa "MooMoo"
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Day 4: Time To Go Hollywood!
It is Wednesday morning (the day before Thanksgiving, and I decided to really mess them up this morning
We have been getting up everyday around 5:30-6 to be at the early entry at 7AM for the parks, but today they got to sleep in!! Well if you can call getting up at 8 sleeping in on your vacation. I know they were pretty sleepy as they got up, but I was a little surprised when they seemed stunned and incoherent when I said, "you get to open your surprise for today right now!"
At first they looked at me like I was messing with them, but with a little coaxing they woke right up and excitedly ran to get their boxes.
Yes, today they opened actual boxes... not just envelopes with cards explaining the surprise
Hmmm.. feather boas... matching sunglasses... fleeing paparrazzi... going Hollywood...? What in the world are you up to today Dad???"
It is Wednesday morning (the day before Thanksgiving, and I decided to really mess them up this morning
We have been getting up everyday around 5:30-6 to be at the early entry at 7AM for the parks, but today they got to sleep in!! Well if you can call getting up at 8 sleeping in on your vacation. I know they were pretty sleepy as they got up, but I was a little surprised when they seemed stunned and incoherent when I said, "you get to open your surprise for today right now!"
At first they looked at me like I was messing with them, but with a little coaxing they woke right up and excitedly ran to get their boxes.
Yes, today they opened actual boxes... not just envelopes with cards explaining the surprise
Hmmm.. feather boas... matching sunglasses... fleeing paparrazzi... going Hollywood...? What in the world are you up to today Dad???"
papamouse1
Still... Papa "MooMoo"
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Day 4... Part 2
...... Too soon to tell them everything
I instruct them to keep their feather boas and glasses on, grab their day packs and stuff and let's get going! Go where? Let's go see. Now truth be told, I kind of led them to believe that we were headed into Disney somewhere, but we when we got to the lobby of the Disneyland Hotel, instead of turning toward the parks, I told them they needed to go out front first. After standing out front in the loading area for what may have seemed an eternity to them I finally point to the driveway and say, "Well ladies, that is for you!"
We're Going To Hollywood!
This may have been my favorite reveal of the week, I totally caught them offguard... and they still didn't know all that was going to happen. My wife and I (before kids) lived in LA and had been to Hollywood to see the sights on more than one occasion. Our girls had been to Sunset Boulevard, and the different sites as well, so Hollywood sounded fun, but there was a little "been there done that" vibe in the air.
We enjoyed a nice leisurely ride into downtown LA letting our chauffeur navigate LA traffic (that was my gift to me right there...), but as my kids began to see the Hollywood signs on the highway, they realized we passed the exits that they thought we were going to... so where we headed? I thought we were doing something we have never done before each day for our surprise? Hmmm. well we've never done this have we? Gotcha!!
I hadn't been to Universal Studios since 1975, and none of my family had ever been, so this was definitely a nice surprise. We had arrived 45 minutes early and there was absolutely no line for the park, so we went to take some pictures and get some breakfast in City Walk. I gotta say the Crepe shop in City Walk was great! We filled up on delicious crepes, snapped a couple photos..
... then it was time to head for the park!
Well, things had changed since we last saw the front gate. When we got back to the gate, the crowd had swelled significantly... so much so that I began to think about paying for their very expensive front of the line pass to make sure we could see everything today... BUT I trusted my touringplan and said let's just get in line and go for it!
They let you in a little ways into the park and set up a rope drop scenario. While there was quite a crowd lined up behind the line I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly it dispersed heading different directions. Based on our touringplan advice, we headed straight for the escalators at the back that take you down to the lower lot where they have 3 of the headliner rides including the Big Daddy of them all.... TRANSFORMERS!!
We knew that this ride gets slammed as the day goes on, so we hurried over there first thing. To say we were pleasantly surprised would be an understatement... we walked into a ghost town. For a moment, I wondered if the ride was down or something, because NOONE was there... works for me!
We literally walked straight through the queue and right on to a waiting car
Okay,so for anyone out there who has heard the hype about this ride and wants to know if it is worth it, let me just say
THIS RIDE ROCKS!
I can't remember the last time I had so much fun riding a new ride. The 3D video was MASSIVE and fantastic! I kept getting caught off guard by the action taking place... I laughed so much and hollered so much I think my kids started to get embarrassed
Hey, it's only fair I get them back after all the times they have embarrassed me in public, right? :
We finished the ride, walked all the way back out (this ride is huge and a very long inside queue and long exit...), and we realized there still seems to be no wait! WOOHOO! Let's do it again! The 2nd time was just as fun, and as we exited, we're considering a 3rd try when suddenly we were starstruck! Remember my story earlier about how we were starstruck when we saw the guy from "White Collar" on TV? Well, believe me, we are in Hollywood now, and we were about to get floored! My wife spies one of her favorite stars!!! a true skilled actor...
BUMBLEBEE!!!!!
...... Too soon to tell them everything
I instruct them to keep their feather boas and glasses on, grab their day packs and stuff and let's get going! Go where? Let's go see. Now truth be told, I kind of led them to believe that we were headed into Disney somewhere, but we when we got to the lobby of the Disneyland Hotel, instead of turning toward the parks, I told them they needed to go out front first. After standing out front in the loading area for what may have seemed an eternity to them I finally point to the driveway and say, "Well ladies, that is for you!"
We're Going To Hollywood!
This may have been my favorite reveal of the week, I totally caught them offguard... and they still didn't know all that was going to happen. My wife and I (before kids) lived in LA and had been to Hollywood to see the sights on more than one occasion. Our girls had been to Sunset Boulevard, and the different sites as well, so Hollywood sounded fun, but there was a little "been there done that" vibe in the air.
We enjoyed a nice leisurely ride into downtown LA letting our chauffeur navigate LA traffic (that was my gift to me right there...), but as my kids began to see the Hollywood signs on the highway, they realized we passed the exits that they thought we were going to... so where we headed? I thought we were doing something we have never done before each day for our surprise? Hmmm. well we've never done this have we? Gotcha!!
I hadn't been to Universal Studios since 1975, and none of my family had ever been, so this was definitely a nice surprise. We had arrived 45 minutes early and there was absolutely no line for the park, so we went to take some pictures and get some breakfast in City Walk. I gotta say the Crepe shop in City Walk was great! We filled up on delicious crepes, snapped a couple photos..
... then it was time to head for the park!
Well, things had changed since we last saw the front gate. When we got back to the gate, the crowd had swelled significantly... so much so that I began to think about paying for their very expensive front of the line pass to make sure we could see everything today... BUT I trusted my touringplan and said let's just get in line and go for it!
They let you in a little ways into the park and set up a rope drop scenario. While there was quite a crowd lined up behind the line I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly it dispersed heading different directions. Based on our touringplan advice, we headed straight for the escalators at the back that take you down to the lower lot where they have 3 of the headliner rides including the Big Daddy of them all.... TRANSFORMERS!!
We knew that this ride gets slammed as the day goes on, so we hurried over there first thing. To say we were pleasantly surprised would be an understatement... we walked into a ghost town. For a moment, I wondered if the ride was down or something, because NOONE was there... works for me!
We literally walked straight through the queue and right on to a waiting car
Okay,so for anyone out there who has heard the hype about this ride and wants to know if it is worth it, let me just say
THIS RIDE ROCKS!
I can't remember the last time I had so much fun riding a new ride. The 3D video was MASSIVE and fantastic! I kept getting caught off guard by the action taking place... I laughed so much and hollered so much I think my kids started to get embarrassed
Hey, it's only fair I get them back after all the times they have embarrassed me in public, right? :
We finished the ride, walked all the way back out (this ride is huge and a very long inside queue and long exit...), and we realized there still seems to be no wait! WOOHOO! Let's do it again! The 2nd time was just as fun, and as we exited, we're considering a 3rd try when suddenly we were starstruck! Remember my story earlier about how we were starstruck when we saw the guy from "White Collar" on TV? Well, believe me, we are in Hollywood now, and we were about to get floored! My wife spies one of her favorite stars!!! a true skilled actor...
BUMBLEBEE!!!!!
papamouse1
Still... Papa "MooMoo"
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Day 3... Part 3
After our photo op with this true legend, we realize that suddenly the crowds have figured out where the real hidden treasure is at Universal and the lower lot is getting packed (I am sure they were all here to see Bumblee... according to my wife, he's a real "Cutie"), so we decide against a 3rd run on Transformers and head off to check out the other 2 headliners on the Lower Lot...
Revenge of the Mummy
... fun roller coaster with some real unique twists and turns. I don't want to give too much away but think Expedition Everest...
Jurassic Park
... all I can say is wet.. fun.. spooky.. WET! Maybe it was just us and maybe it was the fact that it was still morning the day before Thanksgiving and a little cool, but that ride hosed us down worse than Kali River Rapids or Grizzly Peak EVER did! It was pretty cool ..... literally
So far our trip plan is working great! The park didn't open until 10 and it was only 11:30! 4 headliner rides in 90 minutes on a packed day... not bad
We are all a little hungry again, so we go ahead and have lunch. Time to head up to the Upper Lot and check out the big shows there. 1st stop... Simpsons!
... this was a fun 3D ride, but the lines were really long and slooowww moving. But worth it in the end
After burning almost as much time riding this one ride as we spent riding 4 this morning, we need to hurry and catch the Waterworld show. By the time we get there, the stadium is pretty full but we find some great seats right up front... see the top of the heads in the photo? That was where we were... right behind the rail.
The show starts with a BANG! It is high speed.. fireballs.. explosions.. FUN! Then suddenly we discover why these nice front row seats were not taken...
Do you see the metal railing that is in the water right in the middle of the photo? That is what's left of the tower you see in the previous photo. After a HUGE explosion (the heat from it chapped my lips) the tower collapses into a heap in the water... creating a HUGE Tidal Wave of water!!! We got hosed again!
This show has been around awhile and there is always talk about it going away, but I think it still pulls it weight well.. We really enjoyed it! Soggy shoes and all
We took a trip over to check out the Terminator 3D show
This was a cool show, that mixed 3D projections, animatronics, and live characters. We enjoyed it and we are especially glad we saw it since in December, it closed forever at Universal Hollywood
Next Up... Shrek 4D
The show was OK but I think we enjoyed hanging out with donkey in his snack shack better
I couldn't get my girls to do a decent photo, because Donkey kept cracking all kinds of jokes... too funny!!
Well, the day is growing late and there is only biggie left that we just cannot miss.... time for the Big Papa.. The Studio Tour
Literally too much to talk about, and I was so busy taking it in, I took almost no pictures, and the ones I took were no good. We did enjoy the tour... makes me sad I never got to see the Studio Tour at Hollywood Studios before they chopped it down to nothing
It is just starting to get dark and almost time to go... nothing left to do but shop! And just when I thought we were done, I got a pleasant surprise!!
I am not sure my girls enjoyed it, but I love the Blues Brothers!! "Bring me four fried chickens and a Coke.... and some dry toast..."
Time to head out and try to beat the LA traffic. It is crazy outside the park, and I'm not looking forward to trying to drive out of here...
WAIT! I'm not driving... I got a Chauffeur for that. That ride home from Universal back to Disneyland was pretty nice I hear... I was too busy snoozing to notice
Finished out the day with a trip offsite to one of our favorite places to eat in LA... El Pollo Loco!
A perfect end to a perfect day
Next Up... Happy Thanksgiving!
After our photo op with this true legend, we realize that suddenly the crowds have figured out where the real hidden treasure is at Universal and the lower lot is getting packed (I am sure they were all here to see Bumblee... according to my wife, he's a real "Cutie"), so we decide against a 3rd run on Transformers and head off to check out the other 2 headliners on the Lower Lot...
Revenge of the Mummy
... fun roller coaster with some real unique twists and turns. I don't want to give too much away but think Expedition Everest...
Jurassic Park
... all I can say is wet.. fun.. spooky.. WET! Maybe it was just us and maybe it was the fact that it was still morning the day before Thanksgiving and a little cool, but that ride hosed us down worse than Kali River Rapids or Grizzly Peak EVER did! It was pretty cool ..... literally
So far our trip plan is working great! The park didn't open until 10 and it was only 11:30! 4 headliner rides in 90 minutes on a packed day... not bad
We are all a little hungry again, so we go ahead and have lunch. Time to head up to the Upper Lot and check out the big shows there. 1st stop... Simpsons!
... this was a fun 3D ride, but the lines were really long and slooowww moving. But worth it in the end
After burning almost as much time riding this one ride as we spent riding 4 this morning, we need to hurry and catch the Waterworld show. By the time we get there, the stadium is pretty full but we find some great seats right up front... see the top of the heads in the photo? That was where we were... right behind the rail.
The show starts with a BANG! It is high speed.. fireballs.. explosions.. FUN! Then suddenly we discover why these nice front row seats were not taken...
Do you see the metal railing that is in the water right in the middle of the photo? That is what's left of the tower you see in the previous photo. After a HUGE explosion (the heat from it chapped my lips) the tower collapses into a heap in the water... creating a HUGE Tidal Wave of water!!! We got hosed again!
This show has been around awhile and there is always talk about it going away, but I think it still pulls it weight well.. We really enjoyed it! Soggy shoes and all
We took a trip over to check out the Terminator 3D show
This was a cool show, that mixed 3D projections, animatronics, and live characters. We enjoyed it and we are especially glad we saw it since in December, it closed forever at Universal Hollywood
Next Up... Shrek 4D
The show was OK but I think we enjoyed hanging out with donkey in his snack shack better
I couldn't get my girls to do a decent photo, because Donkey kept cracking all kinds of jokes... too funny!!
Well, the day is growing late and there is only biggie left that we just cannot miss.... time for the Big Papa.. The Studio Tour
Literally too much to talk about, and I was so busy taking it in, I took almost no pictures, and the ones I took were no good. We did enjoy the tour... makes me sad I never got to see the Studio Tour at Hollywood Studios before they chopped it down to nothing
It is just starting to get dark and almost time to go... nothing left to do but shop! And just when I thought we were done, I got a pleasant surprise!!
I am not sure my girls enjoyed it, but I love the Blues Brothers!! "Bring me four fried chickens and a Coke.... and some dry toast..."
Time to head out and try to beat the LA traffic. It is crazy outside the park, and I'm not looking forward to trying to drive out of here...
WAIT! I'm not driving... I got a Chauffeur for that. That ride home from Universal back to Disneyland was pretty nice I hear... I was too busy snoozing to notice
Finished out the day with a trip offsite to one of our favorite places to eat in LA... El Pollo Loco!
A perfect end to a perfect day
Next Up... Happy Thanksgiving!
papamouse1
Still... Papa "MooMoo"
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2011
- Messages
- 1,285
I apologize again for being so ssllloooowwww!!!!
I recently became a Disney Travel Specialist and have been busy finishing my Disney School and my Universal School.... now I'm right in the middle of Carnival Cruise training and SeaWorld.... busy, busy, busy! I will try to button this TR up by this weekend.
Thanks everybody for your interest
I recently became a Disney Travel Specialist and have been busy finishing my Disney School and my Universal School.... now I'm right in the middle of Carnival Cruise training and SeaWorld.... busy, busy, busy! I will try to button this TR up by this weekend.
Thanks everybody for your interest
papamouse1
Still... Papa "MooMoo"
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2011
- Messages
- 1,285
1 Last Big Surprise!
Okay, it is time to button this up. This has become the TR that never ends
I am actually going to do the last 2 days... Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) and Friday.
The surprise for Thanksgiving was pretty straight forward and simple...
We had only eaten one time in the Storyteller's Cafe and absolutely loved it! So when I saw they were offering a Thanksgiving Meal there, I jumped on it . It is so funny to book dining, tours, etc. at Disneyland when you are someone who has planned trips to WDW where you have to book meals 180 days out, etc. I called DL 60 days out on the first day possible, and they acted like I was crazy! "Ummm sir, you really want to book dinner this early?" Hehe...
SO Thanksgiving was left as a non-park day. We planned to sleep in, swim, shop and eat. I had booked dinner for 4PM, so after sleeping in, swimming, doing some laundry, it was 1PM. Now what do we do? Shop? See a movie?
I know... let's go ahead and open up our final surprise gift that is actually for tomorrow! WooHoo!!!
Last BIG SURPRISE!!
"Ummmm... okay, I got a dolphin Christmas ornament. Nice, but I don't get it?"
"Pack your bags kids, we are going to San Diego!!!"
The plan was to have dinner at Storyteller's then sometime later to head to San Diego and go to Sea World on Friday! My wife and I had taken a "weekend couples trip" to San Diego a couple years ago around Thanksgiving, and we had never been to Sea World, so we checked it out. They had their special Christmas shows going, and we so impressed with the quality of the shows, etc... especially the Shamu Show. We LOVE Candlelight Processional in WDW, but honestly this show was even better. We decided we HAD to bring the girls to SW just to see this show.
Well something strange happened... My family got so excited about going to San Diego and Sea World, that none of them wanted to stay until after 5 to leave. SO... we cancelled Storyteller's, went over and ate another of the amazing Holiday sandwiches at Earl of Sandwich... said "Happy Thanksgiving", loaded the car and we headed out!!!
We have family that lives in SD, so we spent some time with them, and had so much fun we had no time to go sightseeing. So Day 5 was quiet and uneventful... and still a Thanksgiving memory we will cherish for a long time
Time for bed, tomorrow is Day 6... our last day
Okay, it is time to button this up. This has become the TR that never ends
I am actually going to do the last 2 days... Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) and Friday.
The surprise for Thanksgiving was pretty straight forward and simple...
We had only eaten one time in the Storyteller's Cafe and absolutely loved it! So when I saw they were offering a Thanksgiving Meal there, I jumped on it . It is so funny to book dining, tours, etc. at Disneyland when you are someone who has planned trips to WDW where you have to book meals 180 days out, etc. I called DL 60 days out on the first day possible, and they acted like I was crazy! "Ummm sir, you really want to book dinner this early?" Hehe...
SO Thanksgiving was left as a non-park day. We planned to sleep in, swim, shop and eat. I had booked dinner for 4PM, so after sleeping in, swimming, doing some laundry, it was 1PM. Now what do we do? Shop? See a movie?
I know... let's go ahead and open up our final surprise gift that is actually for tomorrow! WooHoo!!!
Last BIG SURPRISE!!
"Ummmm... okay, I got a dolphin Christmas ornament. Nice, but I don't get it?"
"Pack your bags kids, we are going to San Diego!!!"
The plan was to have dinner at Storyteller's then sometime later to head to San Diego and go to Sea World on Friday! My wife and I had taken a "weekend couples trip" to San Diego a couple years ago around Thanksgiving, and we had never been to Sea World, so we checked it out. They had their special Christmas shows going, and we so impressed with the quality of the shows, etc... especially the Shamu Show. We LOVE Candlelight Processional in WDW, but honestly this show was even better. We decided we HAD to bring the girls to SW just to see this show.
Well something strange happened... My family got so excited about going to San Diego and Sea World, that none of them wanted to stay until after 5 to leave. SO... we cancelled Storyteller's, went over and ate another of the amazing Holiday sandwiches at Earl of Sandwich... said "Happy Thanksgiving", loaded the car and we headed out!!!
We have family that lives in SD, so we spent some time with them, and had so much fun we had no time to go sightseeing. So Day 5 was quiet and uneventful... and still a Thanksgiving memory we will cherish for a long time
Time for bed, tomorrow is Day 6... our last day
papamouse1
Still... Papa "MooMoo"
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2011
- Messages
- 1,285
Day 6-Nice Ending!
*** Just FYI... due to the amount of water areas, etc. I did not take any pictures on this day, so I had to use some of my daughter's photos and a few stock/Google photos
So it is the day after Thanksgiving, and we have one exciting surprise left... Sea World! Our kids have been doing Disney for 14 years, but we had never taken the time to treat them to other parks like Sea World or Universal. When I first started to plan this trip, I knew I wanted to try some new exciting things my girls had never done before. My oldest daughter graduates this year and is off to college next year, so there's no guarantee we will be doing our yearly trips like we have... so I wanted this one to really stick in their memory.
After my wife & I visited SeaWorld to experience Christmas, we knew we wanted our girls to experience it. It worked out perfect, because they just started the Holiday overlay on the Friday we were there!
I knew the crowds were probably going to be Crazy the day after Thanksgiving, but I wanted to make sure my girls got to experience it all... so I had one more surprise in store...
I would not normally recommend spending the extra $$ to get front of the line access at Sea World. There are less rides and more shows, and getting into a show on most days is not hard to do... on most days. But on Thanksgiving Weekend? The crowds were crazy!
So let me just say the Quick Queue Passes I pent $150 for were absolutely worth every penny!!
Not only were we able to ride rides like Manta over and over with zero wait, but we also got access to reserved seating in every show! We could show up the last second and got a seat front and center in every single show! We literally got to experience everything we wanted with almost no stress whatsoever.
So what did we experience?
Well, our very first item on the agenda was to try and beat the crowds to Manta..
This was a very fun, smooth roller coaster. It was kind of like California Screamin' with fast launch mechanism, but the cool thing is it would launch you, then eventually come to a stop somewhere on the track... then launch you again! We rode it once, then cam around and the line was already getting HUGE! No worries, we have Quick Queue. We go straight to the front of the line. That was fast! Wanna do it again? Why not? We rode it 3X in about 10 minutes literally
After that, I really don't remember what we did in what order. But here are the highlights..
Journey To Atlantis...
We really enjoy this ride. It is for the first section a water flume ride. Then it goes around, enters a cool room that does some special effects while it is actually on an elevator taking your whole car to the top for a short roller coaster ride. Very creative!
Shipwreck Rapids
This is the single wettest ride of this type I have ever ridden. You literally go underneath waterfalls!!
Which would be nice on a hot summer day, but this was a cool fall day and we were downright miserable. They have these really cool heater closets that you pay$$ and go inside a large human dryer that blows hot air like the hand dryers in some bathrooms. the were great with one caveat... it took alot of $$ to actually get dry. We just ended up buying new sweatshirts/jackets for everybody and changing our clothes. Would love that ride if it weren't so cold.
Wild Arctic Ride
This sums up this ride.... **Yawnnnnn.....*
It was an okay simulator ride, but nothing great to write about.
That pretty much sums up the rides...yep that's it!.. There is an elevator ride and a skybucket ride where you just look at the scenery, but we really aren't into those things.
*** Just FYI... due to the amount of water areas, etc. I did not take any pictures on this day, so I had to use some of my daughter's photos and a few stock/Google photos
So it is the day after Thanksgiving, and we have one exciting surprise left... Sea World! Our kids have been doing Disney for 14 years, but we had never taken the time to treat them to other parks like Sea World or Universal. When I first started to plan this trip, I knew I wanted to try some new exciting things my girls had never done before. My oldest daughter graduates this year and is off to college next year, so there's no guarantee we will be doing our yearly trips like we have... so I wanted this one to really stick in their memory.
After my wife & I visited SeaWorld to experience Christmas, we knew we wanted our girls to experience it. It worked out perfect, because they just started the Holiday overlay on the Friday we were there!
I knew the crowds were probably going to be Crazy the day after Thanksgiving, but I wanted to make sure my girls got to experience it all... so I had one more surprise in store...
I would not normally recommend spending the extra $$ to get front of the line access at Sea World. There are less rides and more shows, and getting into a show on most days is not hard to do... on most days. But on Thanksgiving Weekend? The crowds were crazy!
So let me just say the Quick Queue Passes I pent $150 for were absolutely worth every penny!!
Not only were we able to ride rides like Manta over and over with zero wait, but we also got access to reserved seating in every show! We could show up the last second and got a seat front and center in every single show! We literally got to experience everything we wanted with almost no stress whatsoever.
So what did we experience?
Well, our very first item on the agenda was to try and beat the crowds to Manta..
This was a very fun, smooth roller coaster. It was kind of like California Screamin' with fast launch mechanism, but the cool thing is it would launch you, then eventually come to a stop somewhere on the track... then launch you again! We rode it once, then cam around and the line was already getting HUGE! No worries, we have Quick Queue. We go straight to the front of the line. That was fast! Wanna do it again? Why not? We rode it 3X in about 10 minutes literally
After that, I really don't remember what we did in what order. But here are the highlights..
Journey To Atlantis...
We really enjoy this ride. It is for the first section a water flume ride. Then it goes around, enters a cool room that does some special effects while it is actually on an elevator taking your whole car to the top for a short roller coaster ride. Very creative!
Shipwreck Rapids
This is the single wettest ride of this type I have ever ridden. You literally go underneath waterfalls!!
Which would be nice on a hot summer day, but this was a cool fall day and we were downright miserable. They have these really cool heater closets that you pay$$ and go inside a large human dryer that blows hot air like the hand dryers in some bathrooms. the were great with one caveat... it took alot of $$ to actually get dry. We just ended up buying new sweatshirts/jackets for everybody and changing our clothes. Would love that ride if it weren't so cold.
Wild Arctic Ride
This sums up this ride.... **Yawnnnnn.....*
It was an okay simulator ride, but nothing great to write about.
That pretty much sums up the rides...yep that's it!.. There is an elevator ride and a skybucket ride where you just look at the scenery, but we really aren't into those things.
papamouse1
Still... Papa "MooMoo"
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2011
- Messages
- 1,285
Part 2
So let's look at the shows....
Blue Horizons
This show was just stunning with all the colorful characters flying around on guide wires, dipping into the water on bungie cords, while birds fly past our heads and animals leap into the air... you just have to see it to fully appreciate it. Maybe the single prettiest show at SW.
The other shows were remade just for the Christmas Holidays.
Clyde & Seamore Save Christmas
This is a wonderful show full of laughs and cute character interaction
Christmas Tails
A great show with all kinds of trained animals! I did mention in every show we just walked up last second and got great front & center seating right?
The Quick Queue Premiere pass was phenomenal on every single ride & show... well all but one
The Polar Bear Express 4D experience
For all the other shows, they just had a section that they guarded & only let people with passes sit there. But with the Polar Express show, they just let you go into the theater first and sit wherever you want and then let in the rest of the folks... which actually sounds like a great deal, right? We asked them where we needed to go stand and when, so they told us we didn't need to get in line for another 30 minutes, so we went over to get a hot cocoa. Came back with almost 10 minutes to spare, went to the place they told us to line up (it was an exit) but noone was there. I went and asked the front gate worker and they said they had already let the pass people in early...unfortunately, they were now letting everyone in, so we ended up in a really bad spot over to the side and WAY up front so the show was a disappointment. My wife and I had seen it on our last trip and thought it was one of the best 4D shows we had seen. Oh well... can't have everything go perfect
The decorations were great...
The animals were all adorable...
They even built a special a special "Snow World" where kids could ride sleds, throw snowballs, or whatever other snow fun they wanted...
We had an awesome day (other than getting soaked on one ride and crappy seats at 1 show), but the best event was still to come
Ice Skating!
Just kidding. Grand Finale was...
Shamu's Christmas
This is an absolutely amazing show!! It is packed with amazing lights, wonderful music from Jazz soloists on Sax, amazing solo vocals, and a large church choir and an incredible Sign Language Choir...
All interspersed with killer whales performing incredible jump, rolls, etc.
What an amazing end to a perfect last day!
Tired but fulfilled, we headed back to our Hotel to get some rest, as we would be heading back home early in the morning. In 2 days, we would be back in Carlsbad New Mexico, and back to our everyday normal lives.
I started planning and preparing for this trip a year before we actually went. Hours of planning and preparation to make sure that each day on our trip we would experience some things that we had never done before... and in the end, it all came together. Every single day my girls reflected on new and exciting things they had seen or done for the very first time. And the fact that I managed to keep it all a secret... nothing short of a miracle
Well, it is January, and I am already well into the planning of our next trip...
Aulani here we come!
We are headed there in June to celebrate my little girl (not so little anymore)graduating from High School. And while I have some nice surprises in store for them (if you can't tell yet, I LOVE to plan my trips ), there is no way it will be like this one we just experienced. It truly was a Once In A Lifetime trip that brought the "Magic Home" 
Thanks for joining me in our journey!
That's A Wrap!
So let's look at the shows....
Blue Horizons
This show was just stunning with all the colorful characters flying around on guide wires, dipping into the water on bungie cords, while birds fly past our heads and animals leap into the air... you just have to see it to fully appreciate it. Maybe the single prettiest show at SW.
The other shows were remade just for the Christmas Holidays.
Clyde & Seamore Save Christmas
This is a wonderful show full of laughs and cute character interaction
Christmas Tails
A great show with all kinds of trained animals! I did mention in every show we just walked up last second and got great front & center seating right?
The Quick Queue Premiere pass was phenomenal on every single ride & show... well all but one
The Polar Bear Express 4D experience
For all the other shows, they just had a section that they guarded & only let people with passes sit there. But with the Polar Express show, they just let you go into the theater first and sit wherever you want and then let in the rest of the folks... which actually sounds like a great deal, right? We asked them where we needed to go stand and when, so they told us we didn't need to get in line for another 30 minutes, so we went over to get a hot cocoa. Came back with almost 10 minutes to spare, went to the place they told us to line up (it was an exit) but noone was there. I went and asked the front gate worker and they said they had already let the pass people in early...unfortunately, they were now letting everyone in, so we ended up in a really bad spot over to the side and WAY up front so the show was a disappointment. My wife and I had seen it on our last trip and thought it was one of the best 4D shows we had seen. Oh well... can't have everything go perfect
The decorations were great...
The animals were all adorable...
They even built a special a special "Snow World" where kids could ride sleds, throw snowballs, or whatever other snow fun they wanted...
We had an awesome day (other than getting soaked on one ride and crappy seats at 1 show), but the best event was still to come
Ice Skating!
Just kidding. Grand Finale was...
Shamu's Christmas
This is an absolutely amazing show!! It is packed with amazing lights, wonderful music from Jazz soloists on Sax, amazing solo vocals, and a large church choir and an incredible Sign Language Choir...
All interspersed with killer whales performing incredible jump, rolls, etc.
What an amazing end to a perfect last day!
Tired but fulfilled, we headed back to our Hotel to get some rest, as we would be heading back home early in the morning. In 2 days, we would be back in Carlsbad New Mexico, and back to our everyday normal lives.
I started planning and preparing for this trip a year before we actually went. Hours of planning and preparation to make sure that each day on our trip we would experience some things that we had never done before... and in the end, it all came together. Every single day my girls reflected on new and exciting things they had seen or done for the very first time. And the fact that I managed to keep it all a secret... nothing short of a miracle
Well, it is January, and I am already well into the planning of our next trip...
Aulani here we come!
We are headed there in June to celebrate my little girl (not so little anymore)graduating from High School. And while I have some nice surprises in store for them (if you can't tell yet, I LOVE to plan my trips
), there is no way it will be like this one we just experienced. It truly was a Once In A Lifetime trip that brought the "Magic Home" Thanks for joining me in our journey!
That's A Wrap!
PoohBearFriends
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2006
- Messages
- 893
Great report. Lots of fun!
Glad you made it so magical. We are planning a little of that for next week. Last time we went we had Halloween decorations so we added dining and preferred seating to be new things this year!
Glad you made it so magical. We are planning a little of that for next week. Last time we went we had Halloween decorations so we added dining and preferred seating to be new things this year!
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