Mr., I'll Make a Fan Out of You, June 2017- WDW Lovers Take on Disneyland and the West! (UDx3 1/16)

[ArielSRL]

Love the Mary and Bert costumes! I remember enjoying the Storyland Canal boats. I do not remember getting to the Toontown area but that doesn't mean I didn't. Of course, it was still at WDW back then so I may not have.

I watched GotG and thought it was ok. Funny, sure but I haven't watched it again nor have I watched the second one. But I'd ride the ride. Just to see how different it is. ToT is my fave ride at WDW but a lot of that is the theming so I wonder how much I'd like the rethemed one at DLR.

Glad you got some ornaments. I meant to get some at the Christmas Shop at DS but our DS night was so nasty weather-wise. But I just ordered one during the Labor Day sale online so now we have one! Of course I may order a photo one from Shutterfly using one of our PP photos.

 

[ArielSRL]

Oh and I read an article about the Cars 3 thing. Apparently the money the movie makes is secondary to the merchandise sales so unless a Disney movie just bombs, execs aren't that concerned with box office sales.

 

[Jfsag123]

I've commented earlier in your report, but just have to say again how awesome I think it is with your kids costumes! The characters must get a real kick out of that! I think you said your MIL made them? Really impressive!

Looks like an amazing holiday. We just came back ourselves and I can relate to all the rides and stuff ...great reading.

Yes, MIL made them - she is talented! We have so much fun with the characters. How was your trip?? I think I remember reading some of your posts on the DL board when you were planning.

I watched GotG and thought it was ok. Funny, sure but I haven't watched it again nor have I watched the second one. But I'd ride the ride. Just to see how different it is. ToT is my fave ride at WDW but a lot of that is the theming so I wonder how much I'd like the rethemed one at DLR.

That's my worry too! I love ToT for the theming only - I hate the drops! I forgot to decline Guardians of the Galaxy as my featured title last month with Disney Movie Club, so I recently acquired parts 1 and 2...guess we'll be watching them at some point since we have them.

Glad you got some ornaments. I meant to get some at the Christmas Shop at DS but our DS night was so nasty weather-wise. But I just ordered one during the Labor Day sale online so now we have one! Of course I may order a photo one from Shutterfly using one of our PP photos.

Good for you! We try to get a couple each time.

Oh and I read an article about the Cars 3 thing. Apparently the money the movie makes is secondary to the merchandise sales so unless a Disney movie just bombs, execs aren't that concerned with box office sales.

That makes me feel better, as I'm sure it will move plenty of merchandise and probably DVD's/blu-rays as well. I'm ready to see it again!

 

[Jfsag123]

Day 8, June 21, part 3: Disneyland Resort!

We hopped back over to DL just in time to meet up with DSFIL. We grabbed fastpasses for Star Tours for all of us, then DMIL and DSFIL took Alex on Buzz while DH, Cora, and I used our Space passes. Then we all met back up and did Star Tours (short return windows still in effect!), on which DSFIL was the rebel spy.

We crossed the hub planning to ride Pirates for the first time on the trip, as we were really excited to get to experience the DL version, but it was down. Instead, DMIL and DSFIL did Haunted Mansion while the four of us rode Winnie the Pooh (better at WDW).

While we were back in Critter Country we grabbed FP for Splash to use later in the evening. We met back up with our group and they had recently reopened Pirates, so we hopped in line.

WDW/Disneyland ride comparison: Ok, so of course the Disneyland version wins, as it’s longer and has the added atmosphere of Blue Bayou. However, we did miss our own version just a little, as it’s what we know.

We were hungry by this point and decided to test the “you can be spontaneous at DL” claim by trying to eat at a TS with no reservation. We knew better than to try Blue Bayou, but walked over to Main Street to try Carnation Café, as several folks were in the mood for fried chicken.

They quoted us a 30 minute wait and meant every minute of it - we asked about our position about 26 minutes in and were somewhat huffily told "you still have 4 minutes left!" But we were glad to get in! We tried sitting on the curb near the restaurant, as all the inside seating was taken, but were shooed away by CM's telling us we could not wait for the parade yet. We told them we weren't and showed them our pager, but were still instructed to move along. We decided to hang out in the theater showing Mickey cartoons while we waited, which was fine. I had to snap a pic of Tilly.

I’m a bad DISer and I didn’t take pictures of the food. We had fried pickles as an app, and 4 of us got the chicken fried chicken. DH and DSFIL got bacon cheese melts. The food was really good and we left stuffed – perfect condition to go ride Splash!

WDW/Disneyland ride comparison: We prefer the WDW version for the side-by-side seating, but this one was still a lot of fun.

Whee!

Though he hates drops, Alex wanted to sit in the front. This was the kids’ reaction after the ride:

Before going to Splash, I had acted as a runner again and grabbed FP for the Matterhorn again. We headed that way next and enjoyed getting to ride as it was getting dark.

When we pulled back into the station after our ride, the CM looked at us and said “want to go again?” We were surprised, as there was a pretty decent line, but of course we shrugged our shoulders and said “sure!” and off we went again! Sorry for the people at the front that I’m sure we irritated as they watched the train they thought they were boarding speed off with us in it again!
We finished the night by grabbing ice cream on Main Street and watching the MSEP from a distance for the last time. DH had bought a goodbye MSEP shirt in Downtown Disney the previous day and he was proudly wearing it.

After the parade we moved to the center of Town Square to watch the fireworks. I had no idea the Disneyland fireworks had the Wishes song! When I heard “star light, star bright…” coming out of the speakers I was immediately overcome with emotion, as I never thought I’d hear that in a Disney park again. The show was great, but we missed the finale, as it was stopped just before the end due to wind.

Still, it was quite a magical day overall and we were starting to get the Disney feels for Disneyland in its own right.

Up next: Falling down the rabbit hole

 

[Frozen2014]

Yes, MIL made them - she is talented! We have so much fun with the characters. How was your trip?? I think I remember reading some of your posts on the DL board when you were planning.

Wow...so awesome! SHe really is talented, and it must be such a joy to see her grandchildren wearing what she made. Guess it's no Walmart costumes for you at Halloween..lol.
Our trip was great. Thanks for asking. Our first time at DL/DCA and absolutely loved it! I'm writing a trip report as well (almost at the Disney part).
Thanks for sharing yours. Btw...your son's face on Splash is priceless (and expressions afterwards). That is my son's very favorite ride.

 

[soniam]

Love that Main Street theater. I wish we still had one at WDW. I love that they wouldn't let you wait on the curb. If you had been standing there, would have been OK? Or is there a general "No Loitering" rule at Disneyland now to keep out the teenage punks and riff raff

 

[ariane37]

Next we decided to check out the Storybookland Canal Boats. When we got on, the CM asked Mary and Bert if they’d like to sit up front, which they were only too happy to do.

This ride fascinates me for some reason. I don't know much about it but I feel like I would love it

Characters we can’t find at WDW! Ok, so we can find them at Move it Shake it, but we can’t meet them!

The day we can meet Nick and Judy in WDW other than the parties will be a happy day for me! I love them!

hey quoted us a 30 minute wait and meant every minute of it - we asked about our position about 26 minutes in and were somewhat huffily told "you still have 4 minutes left!"

This happened to me and another agent at Toothsome Chocolate Factory at the TA training back in Feb. They gave us an hour wait time; we checked in at 49 minutes and were told we had 11 minutes left lol.

After the parade we moved to the center of Town Square to watch the fireworks. I had no idea the Disneyland fireworks had the Wishes song! When I heard “star light, star bright…” coming out of the speakers I was immediately overcome with emotion, as I never thought I’d hear that in a Disney park again. The show was great, but we missed the finale, as it was stopped just before the end due to wind.

I didn't know this either but it's another reason for me to convince DH we need to go out to California. I LOVED Wishes and am not a fan of HEA at all I'd give anything to hear the song again!

Truly sounds like a wonderful Disney day Looking forward to reading more!

 

[AprilRenee]

I had no idea the wishes sing was at Disneyland either!! Fireworks just moved to the top of the "must see" list

 

[Jfsag123]

Our trip was great. Thanks for asking. Our first time at DL/DCA and absolutely loved it! I'm writing a trip report as well (almost at the Disney part).
Thanks for sharing yours. Btw...your son's face on Splash is priceless (and expressions afterwards). That is my son's very favorite ride.

I'll have to check yours out! Alex actually typically does not love Splash, but was feeling brave this evening for some reason. I was thrilled, as it's one of my absolute favorites!

Love that Main Street theater. I wish we still had one at WDW. I love that they wouldn't let you wait on the curb. If you had been standing there, would have been OK? Or is there a general "No Loitering" rule at Disneyland now to keep out the teenage punks and riff raff

Seriously! I have no idea, but we totally felt like riff raff lol. I'd read on here that they were not letting people wait for the parade, but man...

This ride fascinates me for some reason. I don't know much about it but I feel like I would love it

I knew almost nothing about it, but I liked it a lot. I feel like you would love it too.

The day we can meet Nick and Judy in WDW other than the parties will be a happy day for me! I love them!

Yes! One thing I discovered is, while the characters are less predictable at DLR, there seems to be a much bigger variety of them if you can just find them.

This happened to me and another agent at Toothsome Chocolate Factory at the TA training back in Feb. They gave us an hour wait time; we checked in at 49 minutes and were told we had 11 minutes left lol.

I remember that! I'm used to WDW, where a "20 minute" quoted wait can be as few as 5 or as many as 45, which is why we check in sometimes.

I didn't know this either but it's another reason for me to convince DH we need to go out to California. I LOVED Wishes and am not a fan of HEA at all I'd give anything to hear the song again!

I felt like an idiot because I was so caught off guard and surprised I just started bawling lol. It is seriously a motivating factor for me in trying to get back out there.

I had no idea the wishes sing was at Disneyland either!! Fireworks just moved to the top of the "must see" list

Yes! It seems like they get cancelled or end early for wind a lot, so I would try for them earlier in the trip in case it doesn't work out the first time. I almost skipped the fireworks and ended up being so glad I didn't!

 

[Jfsag123]

I haven't updated in 2 months! This living-in-two-cities thing is kicking my butt. I'm playing catch-up now, so here's a double. Thanks to any who decide to bear with me.

Day 9, June 22, part 1: Disneyland Resort!

Very shortly before our trip I decided to see about trying to get a night or two at the Grand Californian via DVC point rental, which is what we do for our WDW trips. I knew the odds were quite slim, as it books up early and we were really close to our date. However, I actually lucked out and was able to get the last night we were planning to spend in the DLR area at Grand Californian!

We got up early and checked out of the Hojo, as we wanted to go ahead and check in so we wouldn’t have to worry about dealing with it later in the day.

The lobby was gorgeous and my pictures don’t do it justice.

We checked in and were given our room keycards. Of course, we had no room yet, but they said they would text us when it was ready. We wandered around the hotel for a little bit just checking things out before we headed out to the parks.

We decided to spend the first half of the day in Disneyland Park and the second half of the day in California Adventure, since we’d have the entrance/exit to that park right within our hotel. The kids were dressed as Alice and the Mad Hatter.

The first thing we did after entering the park was to meet Minnie. We hadn’t planned on this, but she was coming out as we were walking in. She saw the kids, immediately came over to us and took their hands and took off skipping with them over toward the train platform. She then gestured that the line started behind us, as people had of course followed. There was a trashcan in the way of where she wanted to take pictures and she picked it up and moved it herself, then showed off her muscles. The kids were cracking up! This definitely started off our park day the right way.

Next we hopped on a Main Street vehicle (I think horse drawn trolley?) and rode our way down to the hub.

So of course the kids insisted on our first rides of the day being the Alice in Wonderland themed attractions in Fantasyland.

Teacups

Dark ride

DH took the kids on the carousel and I decided to sit it out and wait for them. As I was waiting, I saw a crowd starting to gather on the other side of the ride. I walked around the corner and saw Alice and the Mad Hatter had come out. The timing was perfect, as DH and the kids were just coming off the ride. The characters spotted the kids kicked off a series of experiences that will be treasured memories for us for the rest of our lives.

They made a big fuss over the kids and then Alice asked them which ride they would most like to ride. The kids said the teacups and off they went! As they were walking, Hatter turned around to me and said “we’re doing musical chairs at Coke Corner,” and told me the time, which I can no longer remember.

They stood with the kids and watched the current round of the ride that was in progress shouting “spin faster!” at the people riding.

Then they put the kids on to ride. The stood off to the side and waved and cheered while Cora and Alex rode and then were waiting for them at the exit.

We said goodbye to Alice and Hatter at this point and Hatter reiterated that we should come to musical chairs. As we walked around the corner, all of us on a pixie dust high, Pinocchio and Gepetto were coming down the path. The came over to the kids and took their hands and walked with them. Those of you who are familiar with our family from previous reports know that we are character nuts. I think my cheeks were going to crack from smiling so hard at this point.

Next up? Another character, of course. We’re so predictable. We walked back around toward the castle over to Snow White’s fountain and the Evil Queen was out meeting. The line was short, so we hopped in. Cora is cracking up in the first picture because of what the Queen said to her. When the kids first approached, Cora was on the well side and Alex was over by the rail where Cora is in the picture. The Queen had them switch places because, as she told Cora “you’ve got a nasty habit of falling down holes.”

To be continued…

 

[Jfsag123]

Day 9, June 22, part 2: Disneyland Resort!

As we left the meet with the Queen guess who was coming around the corner – Alice and Hatter again! Lol They stopped to take another picture. I swear we didn’t ask, but were thrilled to oblige.

So the kids were basically floating on a cloud at this point. A band had started playing in front of the castle and we were in a space that was pretty open and uncrowded, so the kids started dancing. A photopass photographer noticed and started snapping their pictures without them realizing. He got some great shots.

He told us we should take some photos in front of the Cheshire Cat over by the Alice rides, paused for a moment, then said actually he’d just come over there with us and take pictures. I know I’ve said it before, but I cannot say enough good things about the PP CMs at Disneyland. They were wonderful!

We decided it was time to see a classic:

Loved the models in the waiting area and the photos after the attraction.

We love Captain EO (yes, we’re those people), so it was great to see this.

The bench where Walt got the idea for Disneyland. I’m not crying, you’re crying

We came out and spotted Cruella meeting – can’t catch her at WDW outside of special events so you know we got in line. Making stink faces.

Time for treats at the Ice Cream Parlor!

We really wanted to see the Sleeping Beauty castle walk-through and this felt like a good time. It was really cool and I wish we had something like it at WDW.

We really were just wandering around at this point killing time until musical chairs. It was nice to have some time to just soak in the atmosphere. We ate at some point – I don’t even remember where or when! We ran into Captain Hook, another first for us.

Finally it was the time Hatter had told me for musical chairs. When the characters came out, Hatter spotted the kids and grabbed them to start setting up before recruiting additional kids to play.

This experience was so so cute. We each kid was eliminated from the game (“Unwinners”) they were given the chance to do something in front of the crowd. When Cora got out she chose to tell a joke. When Alex got out he chose to dance and ended up having his favorite moment in life to date.

He still talks about this experience on a regular basis and Mad Hatter is now his absolute favorite character.

Final pictures with Alice and Hatter before saying goodbye for the day.

On our way out of the park we stopped to watch the Dapper Dans for a bit before heading back to the Grand Californian to get into our room and get changed to prep for an evening in DCA,

Up next: The world is a carousel of color!

 

[ErinF]

Well, an update to your trip report was definitely worth the wait!!! Your kids are so cute in their costumes, and I love reading about how much pixie dust you received because of them. So many wonderful memories from all your character encounters, I don't know how your next trip could possibly compare!!

 

[Jaina]

Such fun pictures and experiences!!

 

[Jfsag123]

Well, an update to your trip report was definitely worth the wait!!! Your kids are so cute in their costumes, and I love reading about how much pixie dust you received because of them. So many wonderful memories from all your character encounters, I don't know how your next trip could possibly compare!!

Ha! Thank you! Next trip will have to compare just by being a return home to WDW, but yes, we experience a ton of pixie dust, in large part due to the costumes and I’m always trying to make sure the kids recognize that.

Such fun pictures and experiences!!

Thanks! It really was a great day.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Well worth the wait! Man what a morning!!!!

The kids were dressed as Alice and the Mad Hatter.

SO, I quoted this thinking such a great pic! But the pictures just get better and better!

There was a trashcan in the way of where she wanted to take pictures and she picked it up and moved it herself, then showed off her muscles. The kids were cracking up!

Ha! Too funny, wonder if she does that everytime? What a great way to kick off your morning!

Next we hopped on a Main Street vehicle (I think horse drawn trolley?) and rode our way down to the hub.

I want to do this one day.

Perfect!

Amazing!

as she told Cora “you’ve got a nasty habit of falling down holes.”

Seriously, I love this. Catching that real laugh is just awesome.

I swear we didn’t ask, but were thrilled to oblige.

Seriously, this is a perfect Holiday Card!

One of my favorite moments was from our first trip to Disney World and the girls decided to just dance and dance in front of the Rapunzel bathrooms. It is just pure kid joy! Awesome.

When Alex got out he chose to dance and ended up having his favorite moment in life to date.

That video almost made me cry! Amazing!

 

[RedHotMama]

Those of you who read my previous report know that we have a bit of a thing with Disney costumes. For those who have not, here are a few pics to demonstrate what I’m talking about:

Amazing costumes!!!

DMIL is a seamstress and also a Disney fan, so she makes costumes for the kids, which the kids love wearing to the parks

She is incredibly talented! I think I need to get my DMIL on board.

When Alex got out he chose to dance and ended up having his favorite moment in life to date.

What a perfect, magical day!

 

[Jfsag123]

SO, I quoted this thinking such a great pic! But the pictures just get better and better!

Ha! We were lucky to get some great ones. Thanks for the picture comments.

Ha! Too funny, wonder if she does that everytime? What a great way to kick off your morning!

I wondered too! The CM with her was trying to do it, but she shooed her away and did it herself.

One of my favorite moments was from our first trip to Disney World and the girls decided to just dance and dance in front of the Rapunzel bathrooms. It is just pure kid joy! Awesome.

I love the spontaneous dancing moments! Pure kid joy is the best way to describe it. Mine only ever do this in Disney parks.

That video almost made me cry! Amazing!

Thank you! It seriously made his life.

Amazing costumes!!!


She is incredibly talented! I think I need to get my DMIL on board.

She really is. I enjoy being fortunate beneficiaries of her talent. Good luck with your DMIL.

What a perfect, magical day!

Best day of the trip!

 

[Jfsag123]

So I'm back after another loooong absence. Heavily into planning for our WDW trip this July, but still enjoying revisiting last summer's trips. Thanks to those that have put up with my starting and stopping and are still here.

Day 9, June 22, part 3: Disneyland Resort!

Within 5-10 minutes of heading back into the Grand Californian we got the text that our room was ready.

Long hallways!

The room was beautiful. Once again, my pictures don’t do it justice.

I loved all the space under the bed – great for storage! The kids wanted to check out the pool for a bit before heading back into the park, so DH took them down.

I decided to rest in the room for a little bit before heading into DCA on my own for a bit. I couldn’t resist since the park was literally steps outside the resort. This was actually the first time I’ve ever ventured into a Disney park (or any theme park for that matter) alone and I enjoyed it.

I ended up riding a ride on my own – purely for research purposes! The kids were saying they wanted to ride California Screamin’, but can also be pretty wimpy about big roller coasters. I figured I would do the family a favor by hopping in the single rider line and giving it a go. This was the excuse I would later give my children for experiencing it first without them. Spoiler: it would not go over well…

Loved this ride! The single rider set-up was weird, though! I’m pretty directionally challenged and I’m not sure I could have figured it out if there hadn’t been a child going up at the same time as me who seemed familiar with the procedure. I felt like an idiot, but such is life. At least, such is my life.

On my way back to the resort I swung by Soarin’ and picked up fastpasses for all of us to use once we came back into the park for the evening. I met back up with the family and we all had a little chill time in the room before heading back out. We popped back in Wilderness Explorers for a bit, hopped on Soarin’ with our fastpasses, then started making our way toward Carsland to be able to see it get lit up for the night.

Stopped for a picture on the way.

We got there just in time to see it lit up. Gorgeous!

We planned to finish the night with the World of Color Dessert party, but decided to first hit the Little Mermaid ride again. This put us toward the back of the line for dessert party seating, which meant we got one of the last choice tables – back row on the end behind another high table. The view was still fine.

Here was the menu and food we were served:

Alex is a bread fiend and wanted more after this basket was gone and our server was happily agreed to bring another basket. He also offered to take our picture as a group.

The kids were delighted with their Glow with the Show cups. Let me tell you how much fun storing these things has been.

Mommy was also happy with her sweet blue drink.

We loved the show and will still randomly burst out into the song. I don’t know that I would do the dessert party experience again, as it’s very expensive and I prefer the buffet style at WDW. However, I definitely think it was worth doing once to just be able to take in the show, which is beautiful.

We loved being able to just cross the park and be back at our hotel – definitely spoiled by the Grand Californian! We put on the Disney princess channel on the resort TV once we got back to the room. DL vets: how long has this same princess story thing been playing?? It looked so old. We missed our Duffy story, but still enjoyed getting to settle down with Disney on the TV. Ready for our final day in DLR!

 

[Jfsag123]

Day 10, June 23, part 1: Disneyland Resort!

Our plan on this morning was to get up early and take advantage of getting to do the Magic Morning at DCA. We’d spend a couple of hours in the park, head back to the room before check out time and take care of that, then go back into the parks to wrap up whatever we felt like seeing before we left.

The line to get into the park via the hotel entrance was…wow. I had read about it here, so I expected it to be long but it still surprised me. We had talked about going around to the front, but I figured I’d probably get lost in the hotel (sooooo directionally challenged….), so we decided to just deal with it.

We still got in decently early and immediately grabbed fastpasses for RSR before making our way over to Paradise Pier (R.I.P.). We rode Toy Story Mania twice in a row with pretty much no wait. Next up we planned on California Screamin’, but Cora chickened out at the last minute. I was glad I had gone by myself the day before so I didn’t mind staying off with her. The boys hit CS while Cora and I rode King Triton’s Carousel.

“Where is Alex??” is a question you might ask yourself when looking at that picture. Am I remembering incorrectly and he stayed off too? Did he fly out mid-ride and DH was just having too much fun to notice? No to both – he is, in fact, in the picture. He was TERRIFIED. He’s basically lying in DH’s lap, or at least as close as he could get with the restraints on. DH said the second the ride started Alex screamed “I regret this decision!!!” and checked out.

The kids were dressed as Ariel and Eric this morning. We tried to ride the Little Mermaid ride, but it was broken down. We changed course and had a superhero morning in princess attire because why not?

Alex is a big Spiderman fan, so we had to meet him. We were first in line and got some decent time with him.

Spiderman teaches the kids to make web-slinging fingers:

And then we all got in on the action

Next we got the kids signed up for an Avenger’s training show later in the day.

We stopped for a couple of photos on the bridge before heading back to Carsland to use our RSR FP.

It was time to go back to the hotel to check out. We changed clothes, left our luggage to be held by bell services, then hopped back into the park. We grabbed some lunch at the Lucky Fortune Cookery before crossing the Esplanade to go back into DL park. DMIL had made us all matching shirts, so we decided to wear them for our last day.

 

[Jfsag123]

Day 10, June 23, part 2: Disneyland Resort!

Cora and me twinning in DCA

Mickey heads!

Magic shot with no magic

On the way in I detoured over to grab fastpasses for one last ride on Space Mountain. I loved this ride so much and am scared it has ruined the WDW version for me. We rode the Jungle Cruise first with almost no wait. When we came out, we saw Moana greeting guests and so, of course, had to jump in line.

Next we decided to try something we’ve never gotten around to in WDW – Tom Sawyer Island! Though apparently now it’s the Pirate Lair.

Someone was waiting for us when we disembarked!

He noticed DH because of his…stylish?...hat. The kids explored and played around for a little bit and when we got back to the mainland this lovely pirate band was playing on the dock.

We decided to hightail it across the park to catch Mickey and the Magical Map, but stopped for a favorite on both coasts on the way – Dole Whip floats!

As I was readying mine to eat, a bird pooped on me. Like, a big poop. Fortunately it just landed on my purse and not on me or my drink, but it did make me lose my appetite and I ended up giving half my treat to the kids.

We enjoyed the show, but my mood was a little sour because of Poopgate ’17, so I don’t remember it very well.

Being a giant Beauty and the Beast fan, I decided to pop in Red Rose Taverne to pep myself up.

It did make me a little happier.

It was time to use our Space FP, so we headed that way. DH’s face here is everything and Alex pulled his disappearing act again.

We stopped by the Partner’s Statue for a picture on our way out of the park and had a PP photographer who posed us a bajillion different ways. We are pointing, giving the thumbs up, talking on the telephone, talking on the phone AND pointing, blowing kisses, putting our hands on our hips, putting our arms out, doing the two-finger Disney point, and more! Here is out waving photo in which Cora decided to be a rebel and not wave.

We headed back into DCA for Avenger’s training. The kids said they enjoyed it, but not as much as Jedi Training.

Then we got in for one of the Animation Academy drawing classes and ended up drawing Pluto. I am hopeless at drawing, so I was happy to just be able to do something that resembled something other than a rough gathering of squiggly lines. These photos refused to rotate and I finally just gave up.

Cora:

Me:

Alex:

DH (the winner):

Our plan was to leave at this point, but the kids weren’t ready to go, as there were two things they still wanted to do – the monorail and the Nemo submarines. We ended up heading into Downtown Disney and taking a quick break there, before hopping on the monorail back to DL and riding Nemo. We realized later that this would have made more sense in reverse, as we needed to end up at Grand Californian and could have gone in through DTD, but oh well.

While in DTD we tried the beignets from the Jazz Kitchen Express. Yum!

Monorail pics!

And Nemo pics. My goodness this ride was claustrophobic and smelly. I could not wait for it to be over, but the kids had a good time.

It was not the highest of notes to end on, but overall we loved our time at DLR. We headed back to DMIL’s house to begin the final leg of our trip.