It Only Took 5 Months to Finish Trip Report - November 10-26, 2010

[mariezp]

Continued.....

We ran into the Bootstrappers and listened to them sing. After a bit I decided we should leave before my DD learned the beer drinking song a little too well.

I love the different popcorn guys. I do think Oogie Boogie is a little less appealing than some!

We then rode HM. Afterwards, we had to go on a search in the shops after that to see if we could find a Zero my DD had been wanting. Found it! And we roamed around doing a little more window shopping.

A very strange bird.

I want this chandelier!!!! Love it!

Cute. Made me wish I were a bigger fan.

 

[mariezp]

Continued.....

We had just enough time left before lunch to stop in at the Tiki Room.

Never noticed this before. May be my favorite bathroom door sign!

These remind me a lot of some girl's profile pictures I see on Facebook. I always wondered why they stuck their tongues out so much. Now I know. They want to be Tiki gods!

When the show was done we met up with the guys at at Café Orleans. DS ran to pick up like his 7th or 8th turkey leg while the rest of us placed our order. When our waitress saw him eating it she called him a caveman. He got a kick out of that. Dh had the gumbo and we all shared an order of Pomme Frites and a Three Cheese Monte Cristo. Food was yummy as always!

When we were through with our meal DS and I rode Splash. He rode in the front and got completely drenched. I got fairly wet but I had on quick dry pants whereas he had on slow drying jeans. He tolerated my picture taking fairly well even though he doesn’t volunteer to pose for me nearly as often as my DD does.

 

[mariezp]

Continued....

We took a ride on the train. We considered getting off at Toontown to wish Mickey happy birthday but DD was tired and DS soggy so we opted to just head back for a late midday break.

When we made it back to the park for the evening we showed up just in time to hit the end of the parade crowd and it was a madhouse! We followed them all the way back to Small World.

Crummy picture I know but I just wanted to show these guys we were walking behind and their crazy Christmas hats. You can sorta tell what they are. There were a couple others with plates of cookies on their head but I missed getting pics of them.

We finally made our way to Small World.

It's a hidden horseshoe!

 

[mariezp]

Continued....

After we were most of the way through, I finally discovered a setting to get a little better shots on my camera for this ride….. and with no flash! Now if I just had a steadier hand. Too bad I probably won’t remember which setting I used by the time we go back next year.

Next we took a spin on the Teacups.

Then Storybookland. Since everyone was either in Fantasyland or the rides were closed we decided to just try to beat the rush out of the park. We stopped in the tunnel and snapped pictures of the attraction posters while everyone else was watching the fireworks.

On the way out we waved a farewell to the CA bridge just in case it is gone next year.

Heading back to our room we decided to make a run down to McDonald’s to get DD some "normal food" that she would enjoy for a change. Took it back to our room and watched some Johnny Dep as Willy Wonka.

 

[Sherry E]

It's about time you posted again! It'll be November 2011 before you finish this TR!

I'm here, Marie!! I was subscribed to this TR a while back. I just hadn't had a chance to post much until recently. And when I finally posted my PhotoPass pictures in my TR (which you had asked me about), you were nowhere to be found!!

I think everyone's photos look different...and the same, all at the same time! I mean, you could see 100 people's photos of the Castle, but they are all taken from a different vantage point or from a different perspective, which makes it interesting. Some of the shots have people in them. Some of them have no people. Same thing with ToonTown - we could all take a photo of City Hall, but a different angle or perspective makes it a fresh, new picture. So while we all may photograph the same things in DLR, the pictures are all slightly different in their own way. And then most of us are lucky to be able to find things to photograph on our trips that are less common as well, so that adds some spice into the mix!!

 

[mariezp]

Hey Sherry! You know you may be right. Then again, November 2011 seems kinda optimistic, doesn't it? Seriously though... I am at least over half way through. So I bet I get done at least by the end of summer! No update today but who knows what the next few days may bring......

Last week was busy with vet appointments and doctor appointments. I attempted to play nurse to my DD's sickly guinea pig for 3 days and then she still ended up dying. After that DH decided to promise her a new kitten to help make up for it so I have been searching high and low to try to find one for her. Later in the week, I took DD to the doctor....against her protests.... to find out that she has pink eye and a ear and throat infection so we have been spending a lot of time just keeping up with her medications. My son is also probably sick with the same thing but he does do a little better taking care of himself. Maybe this week will be better with kids on the mend. Hopefully, I will be able to find a little more time for posting on my report.

I hope you didn't think I had deserted you over on your trip report. I must confess that I am really not good at multi-tasking. Since my DD began homeschooling I have so much less free time than I used to. Also, If I am going to sit down and post I like to have plenty of quiet, alone time to think up a thorough response. Quiet just doesn't happen around here often. On top of that, lately I seem to have the attention span of a 2 year old so I mostly just flit from here to there.... reading a little of this... and a little of that and not posting much. EGAD! I've turned into a LURKER! BUT don't think I am not out there.... watching.... reading..... and still planning to post again some day!

You are so right! I am very glad that seeing photos from other peoples perspectives always seems to stay interesting. Plus it is always fun to see if you find that something new. I saw a new picture of a architectural element from the Snow White ride on the Uno thread today that I have never seen before... even after 10 years of visiting the park. You can bet your sweet boopie that I have added it to my list to snap a picture of next year!


Time to move along and start working on the next installment!

 

[kaoden39]

Home schooling? You are my hero. I am not sure I could do that.

 

[mariezp]

Home schooling? You are my hero. I am not sure I could do that.

I bet you could if the need arose! While it can be challenging sometimes it is certainly worth it to me. I really should have planned better though. My son just graduated and I am just really getting rolling good with my DD. (4th grade) It would have been nice if weren't stretched out so far. By the time she gets done I will have homeschooled for 20 years!
It really is a blessing for our entire family. Nothing like being able to take off whenever you decide for those off season Disneyland vacations!

 

[kaoden39]

I bet you could if the need arose! While it can be challenging sometimes it is certainly worth it to me. I really should have planned better though. My son just graduated and I am just really getting rolling good with my DD. (4th grade) It would have been nice if weren't stretched out so far. By the time she gets done I will have homeschooled for 20 years!
It really is a blessing for our entire family. Nothing like being able to take off whenever you decide for those off season Disneyland vacations!

Vacation time is a good plus for sure. My kids are all so close in age I think they would have driven me nuts. And then there is the little thing that at least one of them is so much smarter than I will ever be.

 

[mariezp]

Day 10, November 19, 2010

We decided to spend the day in CA.

My son’s coach would be proud. DS has been getting in a little advertising for him when the weather is cooler.

Shortly after we arrived we got in line for Soarin. The guys grabbed some fastpasses for later.

Hi Patrick!

Since it was cool this morning we skipped GRR. Everyone else apparently was too because there was no line.

We decided to eat early since we have a WOC package with ressies to eat at 6:00. DS made a run for a turkey leg. DH and DD picked up some food at the bakery and I went for Chinese food again. This time I went ahead and tried the Thai Curry Chicken. I really should have went with the Teriyaki.

 

[mariezp]

Continued....

We were going to nab some FPs for Screamin but it was down. We headed over to Toy Story for a 45 minute wait.

We walked down the boardwalk and played a few games. DS got annoyed with the baseball game. Not one to give up, I am pretty sure he will be back to try again.

This tree was beautiful in it's fall color.

Another favorite shot of my son.

And, then there's my wacky daughter!

We made our way back to our room for a break and to rest up for our big night watching the WOC.

 

[mariezp]

Continued....

We waited until the last minute to make our way back to the park, just barely making it back in time for our reservation. WCT was nice. The waiter was good though he spoke so quietly he was a little hard to understand. The food I thought was fair but nothing spectacular but my son liked it enough to request coming back on our next trip.

When we were done with our meal we had a little time to waste before the show. The guys went on Screamin while DD and I rode the carousel.

King Triton's critters are all so bright and make wonderful pictures.

We tried our luck on the boardwalk just one more time. DD really wanted to win a big Bullseye and by golly she did!

We leisurely made our way around Paradise Pier. DS and I stopped and rode the Silly Symphonies. I loved it and surprisingly so did he. Much better than zooming around inside a giant orange.

We headed over to our reserved area for WOC, arriving about 45 minutes before showtime.
We had to think up ways to keep ourselves entertained somehow...

my family and their halos.

We decided the halo was a lost cause so we tried to balancing the ball on DS's head. His balance must not be too good.... and my camera skills are even worse!

Bullseye got in on it too.

Plenty of time for some checkers.

We found a spot where no one could stand in front of DD, as that was my main concern. Luckily, the crowd was well behaved with no one crowding in on us. The show was great and our view was excellent with the exception of the kid who would intermittently wave his light saber in front of DD.

We made our way back to Soarin and got in one last ride. We grabbed some cappuccino and gingerbread cookies on the way out and called it a night.

 

[mariezp]

Day 11, November 20, 2010

Woke up to a rainy day this morning so already it was not going as I had in mind. Then the rest of the day strayed even more off the path I was hoping for. We’ve stayed at Desert Inn for the last 9 years. In the recent years they have set up a booth out front to lure you in to a timeshare presentation. We have been walking past them all this time but today they finally wore my DH down. I wanted to avoid it like the plaque, after all it is probably one of the last things I've ever wanted to be doing while on vacation, BUT DH managed to guilt me into going along with him because he had to have his wife with him to earn the $100 for attending the Worldmark sales pitch. A driver was there to pick us up promptly at 9:45. The supposed 2 hours turned into 3 and by the time we finally made it out of there we had been hooked into becoming owners.

Those salesmen were GOOD and the properties look great….. but as of this writing I am having buyer’s remorse. The big pitch was that we would be able to stay in the Disney DVC but, of course, now that we are home and have tried to book we have been told that it is highly unlikely we would ever be able to get in. GRRRRR! There are a few other options in the area… Peacock Suites and Dolphin’s Cove… but they both require walking a longer distance or a car and appear to stay pretty booked up as well. Then I am also having an issue with the “free 2 week certificate” they threw into to sweeten the deal. Turns out it appears to be only available for specific times and so far for none of the travel destinations I had in mind. So far customer service has been friendly… except for the one condescending jerk I spoke with… but for the most part they just seem to pass me along to someone else. And, then of course there are the other fees that keep popping up. I am currently longing for the simplicity of calling and booking a hotel but I guess we will give it a bit more time before we call it a total bust. (If anyone out there has any advice to offer please feel free to contact me and give me some pointers!)

Anyhoo….. that over and done….. I had a $25 restaurant .com certificate for Fire and Ice Grill so we headed there for lunch. The place is unique and I had high hopes but ended up not really all that impressed. Even with the coupon it still ended up being pretty expensive.

From there we went over to the big bowling alley in the Garden Walk center. The place is really nice but the giant screens flashing all the Disney teeny boppers and their chic music blaring continuously was almost more than we could stand. And there was just something about the lanes! I think they were cursed. We all usually at least break 100 but after 2 games we barely even managed to pull it off. My poor DS has never done so poorly! It’s a good bet that we won’t be returning. Then to top it off I had a $20 off coupon but after we had left I noticed they had overcharged me $25! I ended up having to run back in while our cab was waiting to get a refund. Luckily the manager was efficient … when he finally made his way to the front desk.... and gave my money back without any problems.

We went back to our room and I gathered up our laundry from the previous week for an exciting afternoon doing laundry for the next couple hours. Really, not all that bad. I grabbed a magazine, a drink and a candy bar and enjoyed a few hours of quiet time.

DD was getting a sore throat and the rest of us were pretty tired so we ended up taking the day off completely from the park. DS and I went next door and grabbed takeout from Denney’s.

 

[mariezp]

Day 12, November 21, 2010

DD still had a sore throat this morning so I basically left it up to her on how we would spend the day. Long about noon she started getting hungry and possibly a little bored so she decided we should go to the park… and to ride Jungle Cruise. We decided we might as well get a little entertainment while we ate so we went over to the Golden Horseshoe and ordered some chicken nuggets. We got our food and it was almost show time when she decided that she really did not feel well so we packed up and headed back to our room. At least we did get to eat and I did set foot inside the park… ever so briefly.

The guys grabbed some Coldstone’s ice cream and I shared a bit with her which perked her up a little bit. Obviously, she was still feeling pretty poorly since she even ended up taking a nap. We spent the rest of the day being lazy. We watched Shrek 1 & 2 so at least we had some entertainment.

In the evening we ordered takeout from Denney’s again. They have some pretty good chicken noodle soup which comes in handy when someone is not feeling so well. She did eat that pretty good so her appetite appeared to be coming back. Hopefully she will be feeling better by morning.

 

[DL55]

I hope your DD got better quickly.
Enjoying the pictures. Can't help you with the timeshare but thanks for reminding me why we never go to those presentations.

 

[kaoden39]

Oh poor DD getting sick at the happiest place on earth.

 

[tinksdreamwishes]

aww hope she is feeling better!

 

[TheColtonsMom]

Toontown looks like so much fun!!! And so much bigger than WDW's.

I had never heard of the Lilly Belle but that too looks like a lot of fun.
So glad you got to meet up w/ a fellow Diser. Sounds like a great match.

We also LOVE the Rainforest Cafe. Especially the one in WDW. However we have been making a point to always eat at RC if there is one in the area, across the USA. So far we've done...

Gurnee, IL
Woodfield Mall in IL
WDW
WDW @ AK
Grapevine, TX
Minneapolis, MN

Our favorite RFC is the Tempe Arizona one the food is wonderful and so is the servicce...the only problem is the gift shop on the way out LOL we always visit this one when we visit my 3 grown up kids. the DLR one doesn't compare so we never eat there.

 

[mariezp]

I hope your DD got better quickly.
Enjoying the pictures. Can't help you with the timeshare but thanks for reminding me why we never go to those presentations.

Thanks DL55! As much as you travel a timeshare might just be what you need! I am still very annoyed with Worldmark at this point but hopefully we will find a way to put it to use in the future.... even if it isn't towards a Disney vacation.

Oh poor DD getting sick at the happiest place on earth.

Seems like she has gotten sick for a day or two on several of our trips. Thankfully each time hasn't been anything serious and she was over it quickly. It's hard to stay sick too long when you have so much fun waiting for you across the street!

aww hope she is feeling better!

Yes she was over it in a couple days. Unfortunately, she realized that she liked staying in the room and started dragging along more from that point on. Sad to say but I think my DD is in a Disneyland slump. Am so hoping she snaps out of it by the time of our trip this year!!!! On a positive note though my DS just seems to keep getting more and more into Disneyland with every trip!

Our favorite RFC is the Tempe Arizona one the food is wonderful and so is the servicce...the only problem is the gift shop on the way out LOL we always visit this one when we visit my 3 grown up kids. the DLR one doesn't compare so we never eat there.

I am glad you have a RFC close to you that you enjoy. We have one about 45minutes away but we have never been. Just seems to be something we save as a special treat for the trip. I keep hoping that maybe they will realize that the DTD location is just not keeping food quality up to what it should be. Here's hoping they have a new cook this year!




Okay, now that I have posted those responses I feel like I should let everyone know that there will probably be a delay in the next update. Right now I am posting from my DD's computer because my computer is SICK. Apparently I have picked up a virus! I have no idea how bad it is going to be but from how it was acting when I started up this morning it may take a while for our computer tech to get it straightened out. Plus I may not even be able to get it to him until sometime next week... depending how busy he is. Lord I just hope it doesn't wipe out all my files and pictures!!!! Anyway, will post more to my report when my computer is healed!

 

[Sherry E]

When did you discover your computer was infected, Marie? Didn't Nancy post to you on Facebook the other day about something being a virus? Was it the "Charlie Sheen is Dead" link (which IS a virus and fake story) or something else? In any case, I recall seeing that she had pointed it out to you. Maybe that's when it got infected?

I've always thought that carousel in DCA was very pretty. I think I like it better than the carousel in DL because of the colors and the ocean theme.