First Trip to DL - solo (COMPLETE) new link p.43

[Pinkocto]

smashing! One for each wrist lol. Your Mum doesn't stand a chance of getting hers!

I laughed out loud at this Paula!

 

[Pinkocto]

I am green with envy that you already got your Magic Bands. As we live in the UK, I won't get mine until we check in. I had to smile though. For this part of the trip we have selected the same colours: green for Graham and blue for me. For our night at Beach Club Villas I have gone with pink and Graham with orange.

Corinna

I was surprised they shipped them next day air. I'm quite curious to the cost of this whole change. From custom making the boxes/foam, to the shipping cardboard, the shipping cost, the actual MB, and the CMs that are doing all the physical labor, this has got to be a huge amount.

I'm sorry you won't see yours until checkin, one less thing for you to pack though. I was 100% on orange and then changed to green for Christmas.

 

[Pinkocto]

I'm so excited for you to be going to the VGF in just 27 days!

I'm so excited!!!

You've got magic bands!

I love that they're waterproof. It'll make the waterparks so much easier!

I reread your latest update and wanted to tell you I just love the ToonTown photos. We don't spend a ton of time there anymore but we did when the kids were little. It's got such a creative theme, so quirky and cool and magical.

Thank you I thought that area was so well done. It's just amazing what Disney comes up with.

 

[rentayenta]

I'm so excited!!!

I love that they're waterproof. It'll make the waterparks so much easier!

Thank you I thought that area was so well done. It's just amazing what Disney comes up with.

The creativity is truly a wonder. Is your cute mom joining you at the VGF?

 

[Pinkocto]

The creativity is truly a wonder. Is your cute mom joining you at the VGF?

Yep, she's the reason we're doing the VGF. I had AKV CL booked but after I bought the VGF points she asked me to change it.

 

[Pinkocto]

Day 6, Last full day of vacation

Today was the last full day of vacation. As usual all good things must come to an end, but not quite yet. I had another very exciting day planned. A little history first. Months previously when Alison and I were talking about my trip she had mentioned that Sunday was a day she couldn’t get together because she and Fran had a concert that evening. A concert you say? I love concerts of almost any type. I said that if she didn’t mind I would love to go. She warned me that they weren’t very good and that I might not like it but that I was welcome to come. We talked a bit of how I would get there, a member of the band lives near DL and maybe he could pick me up and bring me. That made me a little uncomfortable; I’m pretty shy and thought that might be awkward. Then I thought about public transportation. She warned me that it might be tricky to figure that out, not to mention time consuming. Then I thought about renting a car. That would eliminate needing a shuttle from LAX to DL and back, I could stop at the grocery store for my sodas, and I could get to the concert on my own. Win win situation all around. The concert started at 4:00 and mapquest said it was a 40 minute drive. I wanted to be on the road at 2:30 to give myself plenty of time. That still gave me the morning to do some last minute enjoying of the parks.

I managed to drag myself out of bed at 10:05. You see how the week kept getting later and later. I did want to sleep until 10 though, tomorrow was going to be a long and early day and I wanted to be rested. The only thing I ‘needed’ to do was get to Ghirardelli to pick up some cookies for mom. She was taking care of Conner for me and all she wanted was some cookies. Who was I kidding, I wanted some cookies too! I took a look at the park maps to see if there was anything I wanted to do before going to get the cookies. I had pretty much written off Mickey and the Magical Map. It was something I wanted to do, but kept forgetting about it while I was in the parks. Well as luck would have it there was a showing at 11:45. This is the only reason I managed to get out of the room before noon. I probably would have putzed around, watched a Once Upon a Time episode and slowly gotten myself going. I quickly got ready and was out of the room by 11:00.

I went through the resort entrance to DCA again. It might not have saved me any time but I felt that it did. Into DL and halfway up Main Street I thought I probably could have taken the train up to Toon Town. As I thought of it a train had just left the station. I figured I’d just walk up to the theater. I finished the last two bananas on the way.

According to the time stamp I made it here at 11:30





I found a good seat



And sat back to enjoy the show



I wasn’t going to take any pictures, I really wasn’t, but when they started I Wanna Be Like You I just couldn’t help myself. I absolutely love this song.











Mickey would come out between the songs



These guys came out with this balloon looking things



And then got inside them which was wild





I thought the waves were cute



And Mickey joined us in Hawaii



And Yensid came out



And Mickey got his own brush to paint with



And then Tiana came out and sang



And we were treated to some live music.



Then Mickey came out



And closed the show with some words of wisdom if I recall correctly



It was a great show and I highly recommend seeing it when you’re at DL. I’m so glad I got myself out of the room and went to see it.

While leaving the theater I noticed the train station was practically next door which was perfect. I had to wait for a second train but that was less than 5 minutes. I was going to do one last ride on Alice but I could see the line was huge so didn’t bother. I was fascinated by a dinosaur exhibit which I think was near Space Mountain. I was quite surprised to see stuffed animals (real ones) in the exhibit. I know there were some in Club 33 but I was surprised nonetheless. I don’t think there are any at WDW, none that I’ve seen that is. Despite several announcements by the conductor that flash photography was prohibited people kept taking photos, why do people think they’re above the rules?

 

[Pinkocto]

Exiting the station on Main Street I saw this beautiful horse! I think he was a Clydesdale, please somebody correct me if I’m wrong.





I was entranced





Goodbye gorgeous!



I almost jumped onboard for a ride but I needed to be heading out



One last shot of the courtyard



Going into DCA one last time



A little crooked, but I wanted a picture where 1901 was



I headed to Ghirardelli to buy the cookies. I ended up getting five, 2 for mom, 2 for me, and one in case I ate one on the journey. Five actually made it home. Since I didn’t make it to the Golden Horseshoe the night before for a strawberry sundae I ordered a strawberry shake and my oh my was it delicious!



The cookies were only in paper sleeves. I asked them if they had any plastic containers I could buy so they wouldn’t crumble in travel, but they claimed they didn’t have anything that would work. On the way back to the resort I recalled the paper box my sandwich came in at Whitewater Snacks so I stopped by and asked if I could buy any of them. The CM said I didn’t have to pay for them, and they had plastic ones that worked perfectly! Cookies safe for travel I went to sit by the pool for a little bit. I didn’t need to be on the road for an hour so lounged on a lounger one last time. I made a few phone calls and thoroughly enjoyed relaxing. It was glorious.

I was a few minutes late leaving, but it was fine. I dropped off the cookies in the room, and then headed out. There was no traffic which was great. I’m glad I factored in extra time though, otherwise I probably would have been stressed. Off the freeway and into LA, and I went through a few sketchy areas. I guess I had this romantic notion of LA from the movies. I was amused at my own preconceptions. Coming close to my destination I saw this gorgeous church in the distance. I thought there was no way that’s where I was going, it was huge and gorgeous but that was indeed where my directions led me.

Look at this place

 

[Pinkocto]

I didn’t see Alison so I found a seat. She came out from the back very shortly after. It was so nice to see her again. She took me behind the scenes and introduced me to Fran and their fellow musicians. We chatted for a bit and then it was time for the performance.



Ok guys, they were FANTASTIC! Song after song was so well done, perfectly done to my ears. Alison had several solos, and she was amazing!

The conductor would read us a little snippet from the program about each song before it was performed.



And all too soon the glorious music was over



Some pictures around the church










During intermission Alison and Fran invited me to dinner. I would have loved nothing more but my phone battery was dangerously low and I didn’t think it would be enough to guide me back to the resort. Alison assured me she would give me flawless directions. After the concert I followed them to another church where they store the instruments, and left my car there while we went out to eat.

On the way to the second church I saw the Hollywood sign! I couldn’t believe it and quickly grabbed my camera out of my purse. It was a bit dangerous I’ll admit but I had to do it, who knows when I’d see it again.



I thought this was a pretty view



We ended up at a Mexican restaurant and some of the other band members came out too. I think it’s a regular thing they do after concerts, and I hope nobody felt like I was intruding. I had such a great time chatting with everybody, of course with Alison and Fran especially.

I ordered the fish tacos which were quite tasty



After everyone had their fill of food and drinks we all headed out. A & F drove me back to my car and I followed them to the freeway and a little beyond, we were headed in the same direction for a while. It was such a nice evening. Alison, thank you so much for inviting me to dinner and letting me come to the concert, you guys really played magnificently!

I actually caught some of the fireworks while I was driving. It was pretty magical seeing them that way. I stopped into the lobby to ask a CM to help me print out my boarding pass.







The lamps are so pretty









Boarding pass in hand I headed up to the room. I was getting the sad end of vacation feeling by then. I packed for about an hour, caught up in the journal, and went to sleep around 11:30. It was a beyond wonderful last day of vacation.

 

[PrincessInOz]

What a fantastic update.

How cool was it to catch Alison and Fran playing? I keep hoping that my trips would coincide like that but I haven't managed to make the timings align yet.
That church is beautiful inside.

Sad for the last day.

 

[Pinkocto]

What a fantastic update.

Thank you

How cool was it to catch Alison and Fran playing? I keep hoping that my trips would coincide like that but I haven't managed to make the timings align yet.
That church is beautiful inside.

That's exactly why I wanted to go, who knows when the timing would work out again. It was really awesome, they were so good!

And that was only a little chapel, I didn't get to see the rest of the church. It was beautiful.

Sad for the last day.

I know, it couldn't have been a better last day though. It was wonderful

 

[mvf-m11c]

Nice to see that you got your MB for your WDW trip.

I know they were still working on it when we were there. We were going to upgrade our park tickets plus Disneyland passes to the Premier Pass, but the lady at guest services suggested we wait until the end of our trip. She said it created problems almost 100% of the time. Of course, we never made it back to upgrade. If we go back to WDW in the next year, I will be bummed at the lost money. It is doubtful we will return before December 2014 though.

I remember problems the Premier AP so well back in 2010. When I upgraded my Premium AP to the Premier and there was a lot of problems with it from not entering the park, getting discounts, and FP's. Since then, I had no problem with it and hopefully there won't be any problems for the MB.


Very nice update. That is neat to be able to see Alison and Fran playing at the church.

 

[dolphingirl47]

The show really sounds amazing . I have to make sure that I watch this next year. I am glad that you got your cookies and a container to safely get them home.

The church looks so beautiful. I had no idea that California had something so historic. It is great that you managed to go to Alison's and Fran's concert.

Corinna

 

[Pinkocto]

Nice to see that you got your MB for your WDW trip.

Thank you I'm getting excited!

Very nice update. That is neat to be able to see Alison and Fran playing at the church.

I don't know how far away you are, but I highly recommend going to one of their concerts if you have the chance, they were fabulous!

 

[Pinkocto]

The show really sounds amazing . I have to make sure that I watch this next year. I am glad that you got your cookies and a container to safely get them home.

The church looks so beautiful. I had no idea that California had something so historic. It is great that you managed to go to Alison's and Fran's concert.

Corinna

Mickey and the Magical Map was great, I hope you can catch this next year.

The CM at Whitewater was so nice and helpful. Those cookies would have made it home as crumbs if it wasn't for those boxes.

The church was beautiful, I haven't seen many places like that in the U.S.

 

[rentayenta]

Very cool that you got to see A&F perform. I call them that too.

I am so proud of you for driving around LA by yourself. Well done friend.

Great pics of Mickey's Magical Map. Looks like you had a perfect day. I took picks of where 1901 is too so I could adequately describe it. Isn't it the neatest?

 

[tstidm1]

I'm glad that you really enjoyed Mickey and the Magical Map. I hope to see that as part of the ABD trip, but not sure whether I should see shows or just focus on rides with only parts of three days in the parks. That may be the one show I see.

 

[franandaj]

I hope all the bugs are fixed by then! I wouldn't think it would be a problem since it's just linking your pass's number to the band. I guess that's why I'm not an IT person...

My pass is linked to MDE, the MDE system just doesn't think its a valid pass. "Not eligible for My Magic +". They eventually will fix it somehow, but it's annoying in the meantime.

So many updates recenly on M&TMM recently. It was a really fun show to see. And I love that you took the train back to Main Street. I love thw Primeval world! I think the animals may have been gifts from Walt's friend and he had to use them somewhere, but I could also be totally mistaken.

It's funny you posted this update today. We pplayed our concert at DCA today. It was fun but its an exhausting time because we also work in a late night dinner the night before. This time I rented one of the Grand Villas and we had a blast! I'll tack it on the end of my TR as bonus material!

 

[Pinkocto]

Very cool that you got to see A&F perform. I call them that too.

They were fabulous! I feel silly typing out people's names several times in a paragraph, and everyone already knows who I'm talking about, I hope.

I am so proud of you for driving around LA by yourself. Well done friend.

Thank you! I couldn't have done it without the iPhone, having it talk me through the directions was perfect.

Great pics of Mickey's Magical Map. Looks like you had a perfect day. I took picks of where 1901 is too so I could adequately describe it. Isn't it the neatest?

Oh my goodness, 1901 was so cool. Such a nice oasis for the members.

It was a perfect ending to a perfect trip. Well not quite ended yet, there's still the travel day.


ETA: I finally changed my tickers, they started adding days instead of subtracting them...

 

[Pinkocto]

I'm glad that you really enjoyed Mickey and the Magical Map. I hope to see that as part of the ABD trip, but not sure whether I should see shows or just focus on rides with only parts of three days in the parks. That may be the one show I see.

It was a great show, very well done. When will you find out the itinerary? I hope you get to see Aladdin and WoC, they were both fantastic. So much to do, not possible to do it all in one trip.

 

[Pinkocto]

My pass is linked to MDE, the MDE system just doesn't think its a valid pass. "Not eligible for My Magic +". They eventually will fix it somehow, but it's annoying in the meantime.

You couldn't use your MB to get in the parks? That's what I'm looking forward to most. I'm always juggling getting the pass out and holding the backpack, and trying to get a picture of something that catches my eye

So many updates recenly on M&TMM recently. It was a really fun show to see. And I love that you took the train back to Main Street. I love thw Primeval world! I think the animals may have been gifts from Walt's friend and he had to use them somewhere, but I could also be totally mistaken.

I'm glad I took the train too, the exhibits were unexpected treats.

It's funny you posted this update today. We pplayed our concert at DCA today. It was fun but its an exhausting time because we also work in a late night dinner the night before. This time I rented one of the Grand Villas and we had a blast! I'll tack it on the end of my TR as bonus material!

I thought that was today, I was thinking about you guys. I can't wait to read about it, and see the pictures! I'm glad you had a great time.

Did you get the picture of you and Fran I emailed a while back? just want to make sure it went through.