Mesaboy's DLR Trip Report -- The Quest To See Dumbo Fly

[momof2n2]

OK, waiting for all the other day reports!

Me too!

 

[PHXscuba]

I agree, as usual, with HydroGuy. Great writing, MesaBoy, and I am using your FP+ guide over on the WDW side as I plan our September trip. Glad you made it to see the Original D for yourself!

PHXscuba

 

[mesaboy2]

Day 2 - Disneyland Park

Alright, one of the big reasons to stay onsite of course is the Early Entry/Magic Morning/Extra Magic Hour or whatever it's called at DLR. It was a huge reason why I never looked beyond the three onsites, even though I knew I'd have an inherent problem in our particular case: DW! She would be the first person to admit she's not a morning person, and she's also not the quickest at that most bewildering of daily rituals--the "getting ready". I'm a dude--I can shower, brush, dress, burp, and scratch in about 20 minutes from eyes-open to out the door. DW...not so much. I rolled the dice in hopes things would change, and they did just a little. We had a 3-hour time difference in our favor (the park really opens at 11:00a for us, I told everyone), and I suppose it was a minor victory that we arrived at the gates at maybe 8:10a local. I asked again about getting our pictures taken and again we were just waved through without a care.

Our primary hits of Pan and Matterhorn were probably already out the door (literally and figuratively) and would have to be skipped this morning. But on the bright side, we could still get much of Fantasyland done as long as we didn't dawdle too much. We took advantage of the nearly vacant Hub area to snap pictures of ourselves at the Partnership Statue, and another family offered to take a couple of all three of us. We returned the favor and then moved up to the castle, where this time a PP photog stood ready to snap us in front of a nearly people-empty scene. Just one party in front of us (already getting their pics taken) and really the best time to get those photos if we wanted no crowds--I am very glad we stopped.

On to Fantasyland where Pan and Matterhorn were already 40 minutes or more--gonna just have to do better in a few more days when we return for another full Disneyland day. That, or suck it up and wait 'em out. That behind us, we knock out much of Fantasyland in short order. Down goes Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (I honestly don't get the almost cult-love for this one, but enjoy it for what it is), Pinocchio's Daring Journey (cute, but after a while most dark rides start to look the same), and Dumbo (nothing other to say other than it's classic) in the remainder of that hour and we are walking up to Casey Junior's Circus Train when it opens at 9:00a. We miss the first cycle, but get on the second a few minutes later. Over to Storybook Land Canal Boats next after maybe a 20-minute wait. Not too bad I guess--we leave the heart of Fantasyland thinking we did okay.

Time for me to hoof over to Indiana Jones and get our FPs, while I suggest the ladies head back to Merida then IaSW. By the way, some kind of official Disneyland app that reports wait times and FP return windows like WDW used to have in Disney Mobile Magic would have been helpful. I had MouseWaits Pro, but I'm just programmed to trust official Disney wait times more. When I get back to them (I think our IJ FPs were for 11:05a-12:05p or thereabouts) Merida has almost no line and they are nowhere to be seen. When they got there, the wait for Merida was a few groups deep while IaSW was walk-on, so they were inside for their second run of the trip. Merida's wait still wasn't bad when they exited, so she was next. She was terrific with DD (and gorgeous I might add), and as luck turned out she still had her brother bears with her. (I've read she has since moved and they are no longer part of the M&G. I think we scared them away a few days after a M&G with them at WDW, too. Sorry everyone!)

We decided to head over to Toon Town next and see Minnie at her house and M&G. We took so much time (not much really, but apparently too much) touring the house we didn't realize Minnie was waiting for us and she took DD's hand over to her gazebo or whatever was back there.

We had IJ with FP up next and then we wanted to do the 12:15p Fantasy Faire show, which was scheduled to be Tangled. The FP For Indy still takes a while, because the merge point is just outside, but the inside queue is loooong. A wonderfully detailed queue--maybe the best at DLR--but we waited a good 25 minutes or so. The ride itself was awesome, I had ridden Dinosaur at AK before and knew everything but the theming is very similar. Amazing though how just changing the theme can make a ride so much better! DW loved it, and DD kept her eyes closed for probably 90% of the ride. (Neither had ridden Dinosaur before, BTW.)

Again we split for a short time as I handled getting Big Thunder FPs and they went to find seats for the FF Tangled show. When I arrived at FF, I confirmed with a CM what I had read here on the boards that after the show ended we would likely see Rapunzel and Flynn for a M&G. The CM left some wiggle room (I totally get why) but basically confirmed it just the same--she did stress that we could not leave the tent however. The show was cute, and we waited maybe 10 minutes afterwards before R&F appeared. We waited on the right side of the stage (looking from the audience) and were second in line for our meet. No PP photog here incidentally. But a Rapunzel and Flynn meet so easy at WDW is unheard of. As it turned out, this was the only princess we met the entire trip. Not intentional really--just the way it worked out.

Off to Big Thunder Mountain next, and I knew from reading here that we had just missed a particularly long refurbishment. We walked past what seemed like a long standby line, but I think the posted standby wait was still not bad--30 minutes maybe. We were towards the back of the train, and we enjoyed what apparently were new effects--they were new for us anyway. The last lift hill was really cool, and I hope to see these enhancements make it to WDW someday.

Time for lunch and off we went to New Orleans Square and French Market. I had heard good things about the French Dip there, and it didn't disappoint! I managed to drop a couple of the spicy onion straws on my khaki shorts making a nice orange stain, but it was still worth it. DW got the chicken Caesar salad and finished it up with a beignet, and enjoyed them both. Loved the live music from the band too, the weather was mild and we sat in the shade. If I had been thinking I would have remembered to get the 10% Disney Chase Visa discount. DW hung back and enjoyed the sit while DD and I went over to the opposite side of the park to get FPs for Autopia. Again, a Disney app that reports wait times--or in this case that the ride was closed--would have been a time- and foot-saver here. Since we couldn't get FPs there, I went back to NOS to leave DD with DW while I tried my luck with Splash FPs instead. I think we got these for around 5:10p to 6:10p--maybe 2.5 hours out.

Alright, now to take in Disneyland's original version of my favorite ride: Haunted Mansion! I've seen pictures of the exterior of course so there were no surprises here. Even in person--it's just not that scary-looking. There are lots of houses in the South that look like that and I'm pretty sure I've not seen any ghosts in them. The exterior of WDW's version pretty much defines my vision of what a spooky house should look like--maybe minus the chess pieces. Anyway, inside we go into the Stretching Room. The corpse hanging above seems much easier to see than what I'm used to. I've explained to DD many times at WDW that DLR's version uses real elevators, so it was cool to finally actually feel the slow descent. Out we came into the hallway and find the busts and portraits a bit out of place on our way to load. Much of the ride is similar if not identical, but we all noticed some minor differences that were fun to spot. HM at WDW has had some modifications made in the last 5 years or so that I think make WDW's version a little bit better, but this was was a blast too.

Pirates of the Caribbean is up next, possibly DW's favorite at WDW. The wait says 25 minutes from the posted sign, which itself has a serious line to get that far. As long as that queue was--we went under the bridge, back out under the bridge, up and over the bridge and back down again only to go back under again, then to the left and around the side of the building--I think we got through in 35 minutes total. It moves a ton of people. The ride itself? Not gonna pull punches, and you all know what I'm going to say--DLR's got it all over WDW's here. DLR Pirates must be 50% longer, with two drops and what seemed like a bunch of extra scenes towards the beginning. To have BB right there after you load is so reminiscent of Gran Fiesta Tour in Epcot, but this is done better. We enjoyed Pirates a lot, and it was weird to have that lift hill at the end get us back up to the load area.

Tarzan's Treehouse was definitely not a priority, but we did it anyway as it was right there and of course there was no line. Nothing particularly notable here I suppose, other than some nice views of Frontierland and what would be the Fantasmic show area at night. DW decided she wanted to try Pooh's Honeypot next, and I had heard it usually had almost no wait due to its location near a dead-end in Critter Country. The ride vehicles are different and of course you load outside, but otherwise it's pretty similar to WDW. For whatever reason though--maybe simply the lack of a substantial wait--we liked this version better than WDW.

We still had a little time to kill before our Splash FPs, so we stayed in the area and tried the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes. We wound up in the front 2 rows of the canoe, so DD and DW wound up getting a little wet from the lead CM's oar action. I guess the closest thing WDW ever had to this was the Mike Fink Keel Boats, something I remember as being an option there when the ABCDE ticket books were the norm. Suffice it to say it had been a long time since I had seen something like this. It was fun, but it was also a good workout for 15 minutes or so. I'm a little amazed at the coordination required between the Mark Twain, the SS Columbia, and these canoes on that busy little waterway.

Time for Splash to cool us off a bit. DD is funny and runs either hot or cold on this attraction. She's either in the mood for it or she isn't. Today, unfortunately was an isn't. I gave her my hardest sell but she just didn't want to do that drop this day. When we get to tomorrow, you'll see how ridiculous this was, but I had to promise her I wouldn't make her ride it again this trip. We both know she can do it, has done it, and has had fun doing it. And I want a ride photo with all of us in it. She finally relents and agrees, and the very first thing she does at the base of the drop after being so concerned is smile and wave at a DC canoe that was going by. Kids are odd sometimes.

We passed Tigger at his M&G and DD, as usual, decided she wasn't interested in him. Tigger was one of her very first M&Gs many years ago and I think she's been just a little jittery around him ever since. Instead she wanted to do Pooh's Honeypot again. I mentioned Tigger wouldn't be there all day and she may as well meet him now. She countered that Pooh's Honeypot wouldn't be there either, which I told her was nonsense--it would go until park close. Once DD noticed Pooh also meeting nearby, she got in line for them. This M&G is a triple-header, with Tigger, Eeyore, and Pooh each meeting at different point in the queue. We got all three (though for whatever reason Eeyore had no PP) and DD predictably had a good time with each of them for the short time you get. We then did PH again, and came out to see the characters gone for the day. I couldn't resist giving DD a little "toldya" as we walked by their empty spots.

We felt like resting our feet, but wanted to let DD have another go at IaSW, so we took the train from NOS to Toon Town. We always planned on riding the Railroad knowing its importance to Walt and Disneyland history, but this short trip wasn't going to count. We were going to do a full circuit before leaving town for sure. Another ride on Small World and it was time for Big Thunder Ranch BBQ for dinner. I had made all our ADRs with my DD's age at 9, though she's really 10. I'm not interested in skirting the rules to save money so much as she just doesn't have the appetite or interest in most of the adult offerings at Disney (or anywhere else just yet). This turned out to be a mistake at BTRBBQ where she gets the same offerings (in an all-you-can-eat setup) as us adults do. Once i remembered this, I confessed to our CM server that DD was indeed 10yo and should be charged accordingly. (Yeah, she doesn't eat as much as we do but I still felt it was dishonest.). The CM insisted it was okay and offered to charge us as if she were 9yo. I reluctantly accepted and then proceeded to ask for the DCV discount I had completely forgotten at French Market. Most of what I had saved by her actions I gave back in a generous tip.

The only "must-do" left for the day was the fireworks, which was Magical now that summer was mostly here. We had a little time to kill though, so we got serious for a bit about finding some pressed penny (and dime and nickel and quarter) machines, many of which are spread around Main Street. DD had come from home armed with a roll of quarters and a ton of shiny pennies for the purpose.

We found an ideal spot at the Hub end of Main Street about 10 minutes before the 9:25p start time and settled in for the show. I made sure my 74" frame wasn't directly or immediately in front of anyone else. Anyone want to guess what happened next as the lights dimmed and the music swelled? Yes, you in the back! What's that you say? The man directly in front of us hoisted his 3yo up on his shoulders? You got it. Argh, what can you do. I wound up holding my far-too-heavy-for-this-anymore DD10 at my height for most of the show so she'd be able to see something. Nice show, we love how Tink flies not once but twice and not just down a zip line (oops, sorry kids) but back and forth. A nice touch. But then we recognize Baby Mine (if you haven't heard the Alison Krauss version by the way, you're missing out) and realize that Dumbo should show up too! But...where is he? Aww man, no Dumbo tonight. DD, and all of us, are sad we missed him. How come Tink but not Dumbo we wondered. I'll have to see about coming back later in the trip--that would be great to see!

We decide to rest our feet and head over to the monorail for a trip back to DTD and a short walk to DLH. We pass Mad Tea Party and see a very short wait--time for another quick audible. We miss WDW's big teapot in the middle but not the roof...DLR's version is gorgeous at night with the multicolored lanterns. (I don't take many good pictures, especially at night, but thought this one was post-worthy.)

Finally time to head out and the monorail. We walk up the ramp to find no one in front of us and a father and son just walking up behind us--with the same idea...front cab baby! The next monorail shows up a few minutes later but the father and son only peek in and don't join us. I think they wanted it for themselves but I guess were unwilling to wait a few more minutes for the next one. Our CM driver was polite but not particularly talkative, so we enjoyed the short ride in relative quiet. These monorails are definitely sleeker looking, but have an old-timey-sounding train horn on them. They seem to go faster and bank a little in the turns. Weird seeing city streets as we ride--the only time I remember being jarred out of the "bubble" while there. We get to DTD and the driver invites us to stay on for the return trip if we weren't getting off now. We were getting off, but....sure let's go around again! We stay up front to make the complete loop. When we get back to Tomorrowland, we get out (I knew from here that everyone must) and board again in the middle on the next train back to DTD. A short walk back to our room and we were in for the night.

Up next: Day 3 - Disneyland California Adventure

 

[DoughR]

For whatever reason though--maybe simply the lack of a substantial wait--we liked this version better than WDW.

I say this a lot about The Little Mermaid in DCA, despite the one at WDW having a better exterior and queue. Can't beat those walk-ons!

I've had some CMs at IJ manage the queue in such a way that FP is more useful, allowing us to walk all the way up to safety video. Sometimes, though, I'd come back with a FP to find there is no waiting queue outside with the interior nearly backed out the entrance.

 

[momof2n2]

That is a great photo. And I may never post pictures again after Janet's thread. Heh, I may never TAKE pictures again after those. Maybe just superimpose my kids?

You did IASW three times - right? Is that also a fave at WDW? I read the DLR one us much better.
Was DD just not super interested in princesses or was it too crazy to meet them?

OT - you said somewhere else in a planning thread about having done DCL once. As a FL resident haven't you ever wanted to scoop up a FL res deal? Or is cruising not really your family's thing?

 

[amandaw]

Sounds like y'all had a very productive day!

I am really excited to see DLR's teacups at night. They look beautiful. I may have to sit out to enjoy them though. My DH goes WAY too fast on those things.

A couple of ?'s:

1. Do all of the restaurants there give the 10% discount with the Disney Visa? I always seem to forget about that discount!

2. Was the BBQ ADR good? That's one I'm looking at real hard for my DH. Sounds like something right up his alley.

 

[mesaboy2]

I say this a lot about The Little Mermaid in DCA, despite the one at WDW having a better exterior and queue. Can't beat those walk-ons!

I've had some CMs at IJ manage the queue in such a way that FP is more useful, allowing us to walk all the way up to safety video. Sometimes, though, I'd come back with a FP to find there is no waiting queue outside with the interior nearly backed out the entrance.

That is a great photo. And I may never post pictures again after Janet's thread. Heh, I may never TAKE pictures again after those. Maybe just superimpose my kids?

You did IASW three times - right? Is that also a fave at WDW? I read the DLR one us much better.
Was DD just not super interested in princesses or was it too crazy to meet them?

OT - you said somewhere else in a planning thread about having done DCL once. As a FL resident haven't you ever wanted to scoop up a FL res deal? Or is cruising not really your family's thing?

mom2rtk's pictures are definitely setting the bar high. I'll go ahead and make her feel bad and say outright I'm not posting many pictures because they can't compete with hers.

IaSW at WDW is definitely DD's favorite, and I think she liked this one even more. She's at 3 at this point in the TR, but the number will go up to 4 or maybe even 6. I liked this one more, and I don't dislike WDW's.

Princesses. She still likes them, it just wasn't in our main plan we talked about. Most princesses are the same at both resorts, but Rapunzel of course at DLR often has Flynn. There are two ladies in my family and one dude, so you can do that particular math. Oops, just realized I forgot Merida--no disresepect meant--we met 2 not just 1. We would have met more if we opted for the Princess character meal at Ariel's Grotto, but instead we chose Minnie & Friends at Plaza Inn just because I had heard great things about the variety of characters (this turned into a pretty cool situation, as you'll see in a few day's TR time) and their interactions at M&F. I let DD decide which character meal by the way.

And DCL. We LOOOOOVVVVEEDDD the Dream a few years back, but even at a discount it is several multiples more in terms of cost for us when compared to just going to WDW itself. And of course WDW has many, many more attractions than a DCL ship. I'm sure we'll do another DCL cruise sometime, just not sure when.

Sounds like y'all had a very productive day!

I am really excited to see DLR's teacups at night. They look beautiful. I may have to sit out to enjoy them though. My DH goes WAY too fast on those things.

A couple of ?'s:

1. Do all of the restaurants there give the 10% discount with the Disney Visa? I always seem to forget about that discount!

2. Was the BBQ ADR good? That's one I'm looking at real hard for my DH. Sounds like something right up his alley.

You bring up a point I wanted to mention, one I just learned here before the trip. I haven't counted, but looking at what we did this day I think we did around 20 attractions or so. I think at WDW we might do a dozen on a busy day. Seems like you can really pound out a big number at DLR if you want to and have the stamina. (I think this day's report reads more like a laundry list than anything else.)

Aesthetically speaking the Teacups at DLR are much more beautiful than WDW, yep. I have a couple more cool photos while we were spinning of DD sitting across from me, I might add one because of course she's mostly in focus and everything behind her is a blur--kinda a cool effect actually.

1. No, just a few from what I know. If it was all of them I would have remembered it more! I think French Market and BTRBBQ were the only two this trip that we ate at that offered it.

2. Yeah, it was alright. I'm a meat-and-potatoes guy, so there were ribs, chicken, sausage, and maybe something else (can't remember what exactly) in the bucket-o-meat they brought. The sides weren't really my thing though--beans and slaw as I recall but no fries or mashed pototoes. I wound up eating mostly the meats. Between the 3 of us, we finished the first b-o-m but didn't see the sense in having the server bring another (it would have been included). So Disney probably made money on us there. This was another place we ate at with live entertainment by the way, and it was fun. Thanksfully the roving musicians didn't embarrass us at our table though. I like to blend in, believe it or not.

 

[amandaw]

You bring up a point I wanted to mention, one I just learned here before the trip. I haven't counted, but looking at what we did this day I think we did around 20 attractions or so. I think at WDW we might do a dozen on a busy day. Seems like you can really pound out a big number at DLR if you want to and have the stamina. (I think this day's report reads more like a laundry list than anything else.)

Aesthetically speaking the Teacups at DLR are much more beautiful than WDW, yep. I have a couple more cool photos while we were spinning of DD sitting across from me, I might add one because of course she's mostly in focus and everything behind her is a blur--kinda a cool effect actually.

1. No, just a few from what I know. If it was all of them I would have remembered it more! I think French Market and BTRBBQ were the only two this trip that we ate at that offered it.

2. Yeah, it was alright. I'm a meat-and-potatoes guy, so there were ribs, chicken, sausage, and maybe something else (can't remember what exactly) in the bucket-o-meat they brought. The sides weren't really my thing though--beans and slaw as I recall but no fries or mashed pototoes. I wound up eating mostly the meats. Between the 3 of us, we finished the first b-o-m but didn't see the sense in having the server bring another (it would have been included). So Disney probably made money on us there. This was another place we ate at with live entertainment by the way, and it was fun. Thanksfully the roving musicians didn't embarrass us at our table though. I like to blend in, believe it or not.

This is all such great info....thank you!!

I'm glad to hear that even on a busy day we should be able to accomplish a good bit of attractions. And I probably won't bother with the Disney Visa discount if it's just a couple of restaurants.

I'll have to really consider the BBQ. On the one hand, my husband is also a meat & potatoes kind of guy but the sides he probably wouldn't touch either. And roving musicians? Yeah, I don't know about that. We're definitely people who prefer to blend in as well. That's a lot of the reason why we've never tried WCC @ WL in WDW.

 

[mesaboy2]

This is all such great info....thank you!!

I'm glad to hear that even on a busy day we should be able to accomplish a good bit of attractions. And I probably won't bother with the Disney Visa discount if it's just a couple of restaurants.

I'll have to really consider the BBQ. On the one hand, my husband is also a meat & potatoes kind of guy but the sides he probably wouldn't touch either. And roving musicians? Yeah, I don't know about that. We're definitely people who prefer to blend in as well. That's a lot of the reason why we've never tried WCC @ WL in WDW.

There were two, a male and a female, that rotated shifts and each would at times wander out to the tables and sing funny ad-lib birthday songs or about where the guests were from. It was pretty hilarious actually--as long as it wasn't me they were about. I'm a party-pooper that way.

Oh, and when we checked in they asked if we were okay with sitting with others or preferred a table to ourselves. We opted for the latter but still sat relatively close to others (which was fine).

 

[amandaw]

There were two, a male and a female, that rotated shifts and each would at times wander out to the tables and sing funny ad-lib birthday songs or about where the guests were from. It was pretty hilarious actually--as long as it wasn't me they were about. I'm a party-pooper that way.

Oh, and when we checked in they asked if we were okay with sitting with others or preferred a table to ourselves. We opted for the latter but still sat relatively close to others (which was fine).

Well, I'm a party-pooper right along with you! Truly, I'm glad to find all this out now, so thank you! There may be a place that better suits my family's personality.

 

[TexasErin]

Enjoying your report!

Please, Sir, we want some more!

We went for the first time end of May and we are going back again the same time next year. It's great to see what your thoughts were. We loved it!

 

[mesaboy2]

Enjoying your report!

Please, Sir, we want some more!

We went for the first time end of May and we are going back again the same time next year. It's great to see what your thoughts were. We loved it!

I started drafting the next day's report last night. Probably some time over the weekend.

And thanks!

 

[mesaboy2]

Day 3 - Disneyland California Adventure

Today's the day we finally get to see what all the DCA fuss has been about! We want to ride RSR and see WOC more than anything else here, so of course they are both on the agenda today. Waiting to do them until our second (and last) day didn't seem like a good idea. DCA has an 8:00a opening to the general public on this Sunday morning, but we can put ourselves in a great position by arriving at 6:30a or so for the early hour starting at 7:00a. We leave the hotel just after 8:00a and enter DCA at 8:15a. The best laid plans.... Why did I splurge and go for onsite again?

Well, at least the entry gates had cleared by the time we got there, so there's some silver lining. We walk in with just about no wait at all, save for the picture of us they finally got around to taking (for the ticket validation). All my FP ninja training told me we were going to get RSR FPs for pretty late in the day, but that was still fine as long as it didn't conflict with WOC that night. It wouldn't be that late, would it? I leave the family in the dust on BVS while I boogie (not run) to the RSR FP location, very curious to see what time we'd get. I was pretty stunned to see return times of 11:00a to 12:00p. And no wait at all to get one. I guess the parks are not that busy this day? I dunno, I'm pretty happy with that result, especially after the sluggish start to the morning.

I take a quick peek at the entrance to CarsLand without entering, and then double-back to collect the family. We make a quick stop at the PP photog at the entrance by the sign, and in we go. Mater's Junkyard Jamboree looked to have a 5-minute wait, so we hang a left and get in line. This ride is silly, simple, and...really fun. I don't know if it's the tractors, the whip action, Larry the Cable Guy's awesomely dumb songs (dadgum dadgum dadgum are lyrics for the ages) and ride narration, or what. But we had a blast!

We spend the next 10 minutes or so exploring CarsLand from the main drag through town. While it was amazing and everything I'd read here and elsewhere, it didn't quite blow me away like I thought it might. I think that's because my expectations for it had built up so high that they couldn't possibly be met. Nevertheless, I was impressed by everything about it, from the overall recreation of the town's layout to the detail and theming in each character's area. The only place I've visited that's as exquisitely themed as this is Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando.

We get to the end of the street and see the entrance to RSR ahead. Not going to ride it of course, I know the waits were going to be 90 minutes or more--that's what the FP is for! Er, posted standby wait was 45 minutes. That's almost short enough to ride standby. Aw heck, why not? Turns out this was one of those rare instances I've encountered where the posted wait was shorter than the actual, but it still wasn't too ridiculous at an eventual 60 minutes. Based on the stories I've read, that's still not too bad.

I am reminded how supremely good Disney is at what I call queue deception. The standby queue, once you get to the water tower, looks pretty much like a straight shot down to the point where you are merged with FP--you can even see people released every couple of minutes on to the last stretch to the loading area. However, there are three buildings on the right of the queue that, not surprisingly, the queue snakes through. This in and of itself isn't too deceptive, but I found it very clever how the first building takes only a few minutes to get through, the next one takes at least twice that, and the third twice again. You want to believe those next two buildings will be quick like the first one, but alas. Those sneaky Imagineers.

Radiator Springs Racers itself, unlike CL at large, did blow me away though. The ride vehicles are cute, the dark-ride portion features the best animatronic characters I've seen anywhere, and the race portion is a blast without being particularly fast. Even more so than IJ over AK's Dinosaur, the theming (and admittedly the execution) makes this far and away a better attraction than Test Track.

After reading on the boards which FPs at DCA are disconnected, it was time to take advantage. I split from the family and am off to get multiple FPs, but for fun I check to see if RSR FPs are still available. They are, and not even for nighttime yet! Since I currently already have a set for 11:00a, I can't get those again for a little while yet. The ladies go to ride Ariel and explore for a few while I make a grand tour. I go to Grizzly River Run area to find the World Of Color FP distribution location. The whole area is pretty dead--GRR is undergoing refurb--and I see that WOC Blue FPs are being issued at 10:30a. I ask the CM there about Yellow FPs, and she estimates another hour or so before they might start with Yellow. This is after she looked behind a panel and checked something--I think she muttered a number like 600, maybe the number of Blues remaining. I wanted Yellow for a couple of reasons, I'll bore you with those later when I get to WOC. On to California Screamin' and have no trouble getting those, then back to RSR a few minutes early waiting for 11:00a to roll around. It's looking like 3 turns on RSR--two with FPs-- on a single day when we arrived kinda late. I'm feeling pretty lucky. No trouble getting another set at 11:00a with a return window of 7:35a to 8:35a, late enough for darkness to start but early enough to allow us time to get in line for WOC at 8:30p or so for a 9:45p show.

Now that the day is mostly set, time to go have more fun! We get our second turn on RSR, this time using FPs, but unfortunately draw Ramone's part for the second time--was hoping for Luigi's section this turn. (The ride "randomly" determines which one of the two sections you go through before lining up for the race portion.). No biggie, another turn tonight! Still fun the second time too.

California Screamin' FPs are up immediately, so time to hit it but there's a problem. DD is having second thoughts after seeing it in person. She was very excited about this before the trip, and had seen a Disney Channel celeb or two ride it in commercials. But once she saw its speed and height in person, she wasn't looking too happy. She's done RnRC several times and liked it, but being indoors she couldn't see what it looked like until one day when we were stuck and had to be walked out with the lights on. Since then, she's not been as thrilled with it. Same thing was happening here. DW and I were definitely doing it, just trying to figure out if we could convince DD. We'd get our ride picture together, we wouldn't have to split up, I'd sit next to her and hold her hand, you never know when you'll get another chance, wouldn't "make" her go again...tried 'em all and it wasn't looking good. Then suddenly she found a little courage inside and said "let's do it". We were on the ride before she had a chance to change her mind. As we were plummeting down the first and biggest hill, I heard her say happily "I'm okay"! She was screaming and raising her hands up by the end of the ride. I was very proud of how brave she was and told her so. She insisted I get more FPs as we left for a few other things.

On to Mickey's Fun Wheel, or as I've seen it referred to sometimes the Wheel of Death. Can't be that bad, we just conquered CS and this was a simple Ferris wheel, right? O. M. G. Totally different sensation...those swinging gondolas really swang. Once on that thing was enough! By the way, our party of three shared our gondola with a nice solo rider, who became solo when his teenage son backed out last minute. I think that guy was the smart one.

DD and I returned for a second go at CS, but DW bowed out. She can handle just about anything once, but can't go back-to-back on the bigger thrill rides. The Wheel of Death sealed her chances of a second turn on CS anyway. DD and I had a great time though, and she has the widest smile on both ride photos. Afterwards, DD wants to sneak a ride on Silly Symphony Swings before lunch--there is no wait. She enjoyed doing a similar attraction at Busch Gardens Williamsburg last year, so I wasn't surprised she liked this one too.

Back to CarsLand and Flo's V-8 Cafe. DW got the pork, I got the turkey, DD got something she doesn't remember but we all enjoyed it. I thought the turkey and gravy and mashed potatoes were terrific, and we managed an inside window table with a view of Route 66 and RSR's race portion beyond. No complaints here.

The last attraction we get to in CL is Luigi's Flying Tires. DD and DW rode together and I got my own tire after maybe a 15 minute wait in mid-afternoon. Again, crowds just aren't as bad as I had expected. I knew you have to really throw your weight around to get much action, so I didn't have much trouble moving it around with my 225-pound frame. Even though I tried to tell them how, DD and DW had more trouble, but they had to coordinate their moves too for much success. Fun, but not a huge hit for us.

This time we split up with me and DD doing some of the more carnival-type rides in Paradise Pier while we leave DW to shop in CarsLand. DD and I get Yellow FPs for WOC at this point--I think about 2:00p--and then do Golden Zephyr, Jumpin' Jellyfish, the SS Swings again, and then King Triton's Carousel. Goofy's Sky School has too long a wait and FPs won't work with our schedule as we're heading back to DLH for a brief swim and enjoy what we paid for a little more. I wasn't heartbroken about GSS since it's a Wild Maus-type coaster--my least favorite with all the flat turns. We meet back up with DW outside Sarge's Surplus Hut and walk back to DLH to swim at 3:45p.

Just DD and I swim this time as DW sees something shiny at World of Disney and decides to look around there instead. We were heading back up to the room after the pool at 5:30p before we saw her again! DD and I feel like royalty at the pool--no special attention or anything, just understanding where we are and how cool it is. We take a single turn on each of the two monorail slides before returning to the other pools to goof off. DD perfects her skills doing flips underwater. Impressed by the lifeguard CMs there too, not only are there about a dozen of them supervising the pools at any one time, but they are clearly well-trained and take their jobs seriously. I can't imagine an accident at some of these places with the coverage I saw.

We get back to the room, shower and get a quick bite to eat upstairs (for "free"!) before heading back to DCA at 7:00p. DTD is hopping, but otherwise no trouble re-entering DCA. The hand stamps we got earlier when we left are still barely detectable after the pool and showers. I still don't quite understand the exact point of the hand stamps, but whatever...I'm sure there's a point related to curbing fraud.

Pretty simple schedule for the remainder of the night here, just RSR with FPs (and hopefully Luigi) and World Of Color with Yellow FPs. Oh, and enjoy CarsLand at night.

We stopped for a few PP opportunities on the way down Buena Vista Street, hoping to catch the lights turn on at CL. CMs didn't know exactly when that would be, but guessed about 8:00p. They turned out to be right, but we couldn't wait too long for RSR before risking a good spot at WOC. Oh, the planning and logistics that go into any Disney vacation. We hit up RSR as the sun was setting, so we got the lights on for the experience, though it wasn't completely dark yet. And Ramone's again! Bummer. At least we were winning the races, now with a 2-1 record after an opening loss. We're coming back tomorrow, but now I was starting to wonder if we'd actually see Luigi's side.

The lights were on when we exited RSR, and we looked around and got some more PP shots. Again, I wasn't quite blown away--I expected a little more neon I guess--but that's my problem. It's also pretty tough to beat Osbourne Lights after you've seen it a few times.

It's 8:30p and time to put all that fabulous, terrific, and useful advice in HydroGuy's thread to the test. I wanted Yellow over Blue for two reasons. One, there looked to be only one FP entrance from Yellow where I think Blue has two. I thought Yellow would be more predictable and therefore I can plan better for it. Second, since Yellow is distributed second that implies that Blue "fills up" before Yellow starts to be offered, so there should in theory be less people vying for Yellow spots, right? Anyway, that was my logic.

I knew going in this would be a challenge since there was only one WOC that night. I knew 90 minutes prior would be great, but 75 should be enough--thus the 8:30p for a 9:45p show. DW wanted to get a chocolate malt from Ghirardelli's, but Mr. Commando here wanted to get in line--we split up. We walked past Blue and I noted probably 100 or so already lined up, more than I had guessed for sure. DD and I got to Yellow and entered the wide queue with about 150 of our closest friends already there. The CM took two FPs from us before we could even line up. Since the queue is so wide, and I needed to hand DW her FP to her before she could enter with us, I found a spot on the rope side and away from the lagoon to do this. DW got to us a few minutes later, and had to work her way through some crowds to get to us, but my point is we are on the wrong side of this wide queue waiting to be released for our spots. I thought I knew where to go based on HG's map and scouting it out earlier in the day, but we were going to have to cross through the people to our side as we were moving in to make that work. That's not usually how cows move in a herd!

Anyway, 8:45p rolls around and we are let in to the area. My goal is the second tier up, as close to show-center as we could manage. I think I get the correct entrance (for the second tier) after crossing the crowds and move down to where everyone else is lining up on the rails, but unfortunately not very far down nor as close to show center as I wanted. We're also behind a trellice that would block our view some. I leave the ladies there while I see what the situation is further down and closer to the center. The line of people along the rails goes as far as the steps leading down to the water and stops--consistent with the HG's map as to where the Yellow FP area ends and the Green section (for dining packages) begins, but on the third tier. (It wasn't until later when I figured out I missed the second tier and was on the third.) Here's the lucky part though: the people lining the rail inexplicably stopped at the stairs, but there was no rope preventing them from going further down, all the way to the end of the Green section where it meets the Blue (other FP area) of the circular compass rose. There is a CM at this crossing, and I ask meekly--"can I go further down?" He nods his head, I thank him, motion to DW and DD to quickly come with me, and we walk all the way down to about the best spot we could have hoped for! Not long after, others joined in, but when I first saw no one in that area nor between me and Position Alpha, I think I was a little stunned. So, on the map we wound up at the right yellow star of the two immediately under the word "Viewing" in the Green area, if that makes sense. We had rail spots near the center, and DD would be able to see without anyone blocking her view. Many, many thanks again to HydroGuy's for his work on the World Of Color super thread--we would have been lost without it. Below was a picture I took before the show of our vantage point.

We sit down and are prepared to defend our spots for the next hour, but the truth is we didn't have any trouble. We were literally at the end of the rail and section, so we only had one nice family beside us on our right and later on some smaller groups behind us. Everyone was relaxed and civil as we all waited, some sitting and others lying down on blankets. The interactive preshow thing with the Wheel of Death never happened because the WiFi network never appeared, so that made waiting for DD feel a little longer, but otherwise it wasn't a terrible wait.

Showtime comes and we are appropriately impressed. I won't write anymore about how impressive the show and the technology is--many before have done better--but suffice it to say this lived up to our high expectations and then some. This was the show highlight of our trip, as we had hoped it would be. DD was annoyed her Glow With the Show ears didn't sync up like the six others in the crowd (), but I encouraged her to see the forest for the trees and concentrate on the spectacular scene in front of her. (We were given them by friends at WDW a while back, so I don't know if the WDW version is somehow incompatible or what. We had toted the ears all the way from FL pretty much for this moment, so I was a little annoyed myself. Again, no big deal though.)

After the show ended, we just hung back and let the crowds thin out before us. We decided to exit using the Grand Californian exit and meander out that way, stopping briefly in the lobby to take a few pictures. After that, we get lost once or twice trying to find the DTD exit and then on to DLH to turn in for the night.

I was pretty happy we had accomplished most of what we wanted at DCA, and we still had a full day to go there. Tomorrow we would tackle the rest, at a hopefully more leisurely pace.

Up next: Day 4 - Disneyland California Adventure

 

[mesaboy2]

Man, I blab on and on a lot!

 

[yawns]

Thanks for continuing your trip report. I'm enjoying it. When DH & I saw WOC last year the sitting/standing on the concrete for over an hour waiting almost did me in. (We are seniors.) I'm not sure what my strategy for seeing the show should be for next time (Im optimistically assuming there will be a next time!) as I won't be getting any younger.
Looking forward to the rest of your story.

 

[ProudMommyof2]

Wow! Very impressive day! I worry about overhyping Carsland in my head as well. I do all the planning, so at least the rest of the family can just be awed

 

[amandaw]

Y'all had a very productive day!

I'm quite impressed that you got on RSR 3x! I'm hoping the crowds won't be too bad for us either next year. Your TR is giving me hope.

I am REALLY looking forward to seeing WoC.

Question about the Mickey Wheel of Death - I think I've seen/read somewhere that some of the gondolas don't swing - do you know if this is true?

 

[momof2n2]

It sounds like a great day!

When you say you did almost everything you wanted to do, what did you miss? It just seems so perfect.

 

[mesaboy2]

Y'all had a very productive day!

I'm quite impressed that you got on RSR 3x! I'm hoping the crowds won't be too bad for us either next year. Your TR is giving me hope.

I am REALLY looking forward to seeing WoC.

Question about the Mickey Wheel of Death - I think I've seen/read somewhere that some of the gondolas don't swing - do you know if this is true?

Yep. Every third gondola is on a fixed point at the outside of the wheel. You can kind of see this if you look closely at it in the picture above--the other two are on oval-shaped tracks closer to the center. These don't swing and should be really mild. (Each time the wheel stops for load/unload, three gondolas are in position for this. Two of them swing, and one doesn't.)

I was also very happy with 3 times on RSR. I'm not sure how possible that is anymore since FPs have changed a bit even since my visit, but I didn't think it was really possible when I was there either.

It sounds like a great day!

When you say you did almost everything you wanted to do, what did you miss? It just seems so perfect.

I just meant that we had accomplished most of what we wanted to do for the entirety of our visit to DCA, not just that day. Which is to say it should be pretty easy to do the rest of it on the next day. As you'll see after the next day's TR, we never did make it to the Aladdin show, but that was due to a schedule conflict and something else coming up. I don't think we missed anything else on our radar--but note copycat rides such as TSM and Soarin' were never really on our to-do list.

 

[amandaw]

Yep. Every third gondola is on a fixed point at the outside of the wheel. These don't swing and should be really mild. (Each time the wheel stops for load/unload, three gondolas are in position for this. Two of them swing, and one doesn't.)

Thanks for confirming this for me! I know a non-swinging gondola is the only way I'll get my DH on that thing. That man will ride ANYTHING but hates ferris wheels.