My Dis Diva Trip - 28 Feb - 4 Mar 19 (Day 4 posted)

[Canadian Harmony]

I did a trip with the Divas this year - my first! Things just worked out perfectly for me - I had money, time, and an AP burning a hole in my wallet. I had gone to Hawaii the week before with the family to get a break from the snow and cold snap we had. I was home for 3 days then off to Disney! I was really looking forward to this trip because we got a skookum rate at the DLH, so I couldn't pass up staying there, plus I was going to meet my Gumball Rally team mates after months of chatting on Facebook.

So, up for my early morning flight. I lucked out and got a good turn-around time flight from YVR to SNA, so I was scheduled to land around 1:30-2pm, which meant I had time to put my bags away and meet the girls for a trip to Company D!

Bonus leg room on my flight!

Allowed me to get a much-needed nap in. I had left my house at 3 for a 6:30 flight to YVR.

We arrived a few minutes early and the bags came down.... but mine didn't. Neither did about another 2 dozen! Turns out, a bunch of our bags were left in YVR. Oh. So I filled out the form and was told that they'd be sent to LAX either on the 3pm or 11pm flight. Maybe. I had all my Disneybounding stuff for Friday in my suitcase... and my toothbrush, and clothes for the weekend... ugh. Oh well, not much I could do about it, right? I just had to 'let it go'.

Karmel sent a sweet black SUV and I shared with a family - grandparents and grandkids - also from Canada. We chatted about Max Pass (they didn't know!) and the app (they didn't know!). Finally, this came into view and my day brightened up considerably.

I went to the main desk... after seeing Goofy and Chip n Dale hanging out in the lobby and playing with guests - SO COOL... and told them my tale of woe. My roomies had already signed in, so I got my key and went outside to Bell services where I explained the situation and said, "I don't care what time my bag arrives, PLEASE call me and let me know."

I was in the Frontier Tower - so waaaaaay at the back, but before I could get there, I was reminded that I had to meet up with my team for the Company D trip. This gave me a bit of time to explore the lobby,

and get some snuggle time in with the chipmunks. It really made me feel so much better!

I popped outside to get a photo of the hosts, and as my arms aren't long enough for a selfie, I just took their photo.

Then I waited in the teacup chair for my teammates because YAY - DISNEYLAND HOTEL AND TEACUP CHAIRS!! Oh yes, while in Hawaii, we did the Aulani Luau and it was lots of fun! I might do a mini-report on that sometime soon. I purchased an Aulani jersey while there, and traveled in that, which was a great idea because it kept me warm the whole time while waiting for my luggage.

We met up and headed off to Company D, a little late, but still within our allotted shopping time. It was great to see things from December 2017 and October 2018 I had almost bought but didn't because now I could buy them! The prices were amazing and I spent a little less than I had budgeted and still got tons of cool stuff... including a new dress!

We made it back and I headed up to the room with my loot.

I loved the artwork.

A typical room, but enough space for all 4 of us.

The view was no great shakes, but honestly, I'm not here for the view.

I love what greets you as you come off the elevators. We were on the 7th floor.

This is the view at the elevators. Much nicer!

This amazing diorama is in the lobby of the Frontier Tower. Seeing as how BTMRR is probably my favourite ride, I was really happy to see this.

NOW it was time for the park!! I hadn't taken the monorail from this end before, so two of my teammates met up with me and we headed toward the 'uptown' end of DTD. For those of you who don't know, if you're staying at the DLH, you first go under the sorcerer's hat. The line up in front there is security.

<Artsy Shot>

Once through security, a few feet to your left is the green gates for the monorail. I showed my AP and *PING* I was in! UP the stairs and wait at the gate for the monorail, which really doesn't take long at all.

Then *ZOOM* off we were whisked to Tomorrowland! I had a dinner reservation at Blue Bayou, somewhere I'd never eaten before. I was going to be a bit late, so I called dining to let them know. I was on hold the whole 12 minutes it took from the monorail ride to when I arrived at BB. They were cool with me being a bit late, but I still felt bad. The reservation girl offered me a seat inside while I waited for a table.

I only waited maybe 10 minutes, and then was shown to a four-top table one row back from the water. I was starving, but if you're not in a rush, ask for water-side so you get a really good experience. It is dark in there, but the menus have wee reading lights in them to help you see! Very cool!

I ordered my food and while waiting, couldn't help but notice the cool looking lights.

I ordered a mint julep, of course, and the bread was all for me, and warm and absolutely delicious! Best part of eating alone - all carbs were mine!

I ordered the lamb, without potatoes, and extra veg. I received the lamb, with potatoes and regular veg.

Still, very delicious. The waitress offered to take it back for me once I told her, but I said that it was fine. What a hassle to go through the whole thing again. Now, I'm not a food critic or anything, but I was kind of expecting a more... 'made' meal for the price I paid. I could tell this wasn't a meal which had just been cooked. It had just been warmed. And it tasted fine. Not incredible like Carthay's meals. Not meh like chicken fingers and fries. Just... fine. Will I go again? Probably not.

Anyway, next was dessert - the million-layer chocolate cake!

(Ok, not a million layers, but it was still really tasty).

Outside was still light (weird) and NOS was gearing up for Mardi Gras.

I met up with my gang for the Soundsational Parade. They had good seats near Tink's entrance.

And I'll do the parade in the next bit.

 

[Canadian Harmony]

By this time, the temperature was lowering and of course, my coat was in my room because I'm a hardy Canadian. Not so much. I had purchased a hoodie for my kid, but it's two sizes too small, so there goes that idea. So, nothing to do but to suck it up and distract me from the lowering temps. I sat on a wide railing behind the garbage cans, but felt a little unsteady, so I ended up sitting sideways and wrapping a leg around the metal railing around the pond. I felt much steadier. And then a CM came by and said I couldn't do that in case I fell in. Well I see your point, but I'm pretty much locked in... but whatever. I moved, she left, I moved back.

So, we had good seats near the Matterhorn for the parade and we were NOT disappointed!

Drummers!

They were REALLY good!

Then Mickey on drums and Minnie showing her moves.

Pluto! Such a good boy.

Chip n Dale bringing a cute cake with them.

Goofy dancing up a storm.

And then grabbing his float.

Then the Genie leading the lovely dancing ladies.

And something cool in front of Aladdin

And Abu!

Then it was jellyfish and underwater coral (?)

And Ariel and her gang!

Sebastian shaking his maracas!

Then the 3 Caballaros and their dancing pinatas came by!

Next up - the princesses!

TBC...

 

[Canadian Harmony]

Followed by Terk, King Louie, and the gang from the Lion King.

And finally, Mary, Bert, and some amazing chimneysweeps!

(I do have photos of Mary and sweeps, but for some reason they're not on Facebook... hmmmm).

Afterward, I headed to the market across from the Jungle Cruise and grabbed a sweater for me. Then we three hit the Jungle Cruise for some late-night laughs.

After successfully navigating the rivers of the world, I decided to ride Pirates, as the line up wasn't very long.

As I was single rider, I was put in the front seat of the boat. And behind me was a group of 20-something girls who talked the whole.way.through the bayou. So, on the first drop... I ducked.

They got soaked! And still chattered, so on the second drop... I ducked.

It quieted them down a little but honestly....

I had had enough, and by now it was time to meet up with my teammates at Trader Sam's for a drink. A quick monorail back (BEST THING EVER!) and I was soon sitting near the fire lamps, enjoying a Tarangoa Cooler.

SO Delicious. Tasted like another. Second one didn't taste like the first one at all! I kept drinking different drinks trying to figure out what the difference was. No luck. I did take the glass home though. Last time I'll do that - $40!?! Yoikes!

I finally went back to my room, and was met with this.

I love this place.

I had asked for my phone to be texted when my bag showed up so I wouldn't wake anyone up. At around 3am, I woke up because my phone had dropped from my hand and then I saw the red message light on the room phone blinking. At 2:30, the bag had arrived! I called down and said, "Please, yes, send it up right away!"

About 10 minutes later my giant suitcase arrived and I was so happy to see it! I went back to bed and finally fell asleep about an hour later. Then up at 6 because we had a rally to go to!

I'll continue that another day this week.

 

[Jaina]

It sounds like fun! I'm interested to hear more about your teammates and what you were there for. I don't know what Divas are for some reason (in this context). I dream of a solo trip someday, but having people to meet up with here and there sounds even more fun!

 

[DLfan4]

It sounds like fun! I'm interested to hear more about your teammates and what you were there for. I don't know what Divas are for some reason (in this context). I dream of a solo trip someday, but having people to meet up with here and there sounds even more fun!

Hi Sara, from what I understand, and heard Mary-Jo talk about on the podcast, the Dis Divas is a ladies-only annual trip. It started with a small group years ago and has grown! .
For more information check out this planning thread.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/dis-divas-planning-for-2019.3386049/

 

[Jaina]

Hi Sara, from what I understand, and heard Mary-Jo talk about on the podcast, the Dis Divas is a ladies-only annual trip. It started with a small group years ago and has grown! .
For more information check out this planning thread.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/dis-divas-planning-for-2019.3386049/

That sounds awesome! I'm definitely going to have to look into it and keep it in mind for my future, haha!

 

[Canadian Harmony]

Welcome back! So yes, this is a yearly adventure the Disboard Divas do every Feb/March. Now onto Day 2!

I woke up early, but didn't make it in time to meet up with two of my Rally-mates. Instead, I hung out with my roomie/Rally-mate, S, as we supported the other two girls from a distance. We did Disney Bound though. The two who did the Rally were Jessie and Eve from Wall-E, I was Merida, and S was Edna Mode. The girl who bound as Jessie created our custom ears for us and we all received a LOT of compliments (well deserved!) on them. You'll see my awesome outfit later.

We chose Incredicoaster as our first ride of the day. It was also the start of the Food & Wine Festival in DCA.

We are both AP holders, so we swung into AP Corner and I grabbed my F&W Pass, a button, and talked to the PhotoPass photographer there about some photos we had done in Aulani. In case anyone was wondering, I'm going to digress here for a mo':

When we were at our luau in Aulani, there was a PP photographer so we had a family photo taken there. It showed in my photos on the Disney App, but the watermark was across it. I tried adding the photos but kept getting an error message. At DCA, the photographer tried to add the photos too, but after a bit of research, it turns out the photos, being taken at another resort, won't get added without a watermark unless I purchase them. $20 each. There were 9 photos. Not. Going. To. Happen. What irritates me about this is, that Aulani is a stand-alone resort and therefore there's no 'deal' for photos like we can get at DLR or even WDW. I would have expected photos at Aulani to be included in my AP cost, or even if someone was an AP holder for WDW they'd be included. I sure am not expecting to pay $20/photo ON TOP OF the amount I spent for the AP with MaxPass/Photo Pass. Tl:dr: this means my photos of Aulani taken by a PP Photographer will have a watermark across them because I'm cheap.

Ok, back to DCA! While we entered DCA just after rope drop, we didn't get to our 8:45-9:45 Incredicoaster FP until 9:28 because S was on a scooter. This forced me to slow down my usual fast pace, and I didn't really mind it at all, all things considered. I was sad I didn't get to do the Rally, of course, but any experience at DCA/DLR is a good one, right? Plus, S and I had a lot of fun, riding rides, meeting characters, getting photos, and eating. Oh, the eating!!

While in the line up along the top walkway of the ride, I put my sunglasses into my small cross-body pouch. Somehow my AP and driver's licence fell out of the pouch (I forgot my lanyards in the hotel room, and I usually carry my cards in the lanyard pouch, so purse it was), so I immediately grabbed them and carried on.

After successfully finding Jack Jack, we headed to the eating area for an early lunch. I wanted to try the Chinese Fortune Cookery and S decided on Cochina Cucamonga. Just before 11, when everything opens, we heard some music in the back ground and saw this awesome group of women playing.

I wandered over to CFC and discovered my gift card was gone!! ACK! What? Where? Oooooohhhhh.... so when everything jumped out of my purse pouch, the gift card must have followed, however S and I didn't remember seeing it anywhere. I decided to head to DCA's version of City Hall (name escapes me at the moment) and hope they could help me out.

While in line, I checked the "my gift card" website and sure enough, I had registered the card. I immediately transferred the balance ($300+!!) over to another card... which was in the hotel room. Unfortunately, I learned that I couldn't transfer the funds from a card onto another card in the Park - that's like buying a g/c with a g/c. Ugh.

So, at least I had some cash on me, but I had to be REALLY miserly with my funds. No souvenirs today! Just food. Speaking of... I headed back and had a rice bowl and then S and I headed to behind Flo's for a group photo. While there, I took a selfie,

and got some photos from the PP photographer who was taking pictures. As the rains had come, the cactus had blossomed too.

We went to the Pier after because Sully was coming out. Instead, I got to meet Mike, and that was okay too!

We stopped for a snack, of course!

Then Edna Mode came out so we hopped into line to meet her!

Our outfits made the grade, so we moved onto the F&W AP Corner at Blue Sky Cellar.

I'd never been inside, so I took scads of photos. And if you've never been there, here's what's on the walls!

more in next post

 

[Canadian Harmony]

So there's a nook ahead where the AP photo op takes place. On one wall was this.

And the wall facing it, on the way out, is this.

in the middle of the room is an elevated platform with the banner and two open barrels, and a model of Pixar Pier.

The photo op was fun - large pretend fork and spoon and chef Mickey, etc etc. Same PP photog as who took our group photo behind Flo's! That was cool.

As we were leaving, S saw someone with tahine around the rim of a Margarita. We discovered you can ask for this at Cochina Cucamonga, and so I was introduced to this blend of salt and spice, and LOVED IT!!

So. Delicious! If you like Margaritas, go to Cochina's and make sure you ask for tahine around the edge. Really yummy and the combo of the alcohol, sweet juice, and spicy child around the rim was just perfect.

Oh, and the amazing musicians were back, and singing things like, "You've Got a Friend In Me".

Next up, CarsLand!

It was going on 3:30, and our FP was for 2:50-3:50, so we headed to the entrance. The scooter entrance was to the left where the single riders join in, and we waited on the platform for a bit before loaded into our car.

We won our race and then headed to Flo's for a bite. We were there a little ahead of the Rally gang (they were meeting there after the Rally), and we saw our other two partners. They had done amazing, and ended up finishing third! There was something like 5 points separating first place from third, so these guys did a great job on their own!

I decided I'm going to do two things next time I go in October. I'm going to spend an hour or so in Flo's and write down ALL the songs on their playlist to make my own. Then, I'm going to grab a couple of Margaritas and sit out back of Flo's to write down the songs in the Carsland playlist. Every song makes me happy and I could listen to that sound track all day every day.

On the way to Grizzly Peak for our Soarin' FP, I took a spin on Mater and we got some photos at the entrance on the way out. We had a quick bathroom break, and then headed in to Soarin' around five after 5.

It was so nice, as usual, and then we headed to our Guardians FP. On the way, I had to stop and get a quick photo with a friend or two.

So gorgeous at night.

Turns out, even the FP line was over an hour. Why? One of the elevators had been down throughout the day, so while the standby line was up to like 170 minutes or something weird, the FP line wasn't much better. My feet were huge, my ankles were the size of wee planets, so I asked if we could start heading back. S agreed and we wandered down Sunset and Hollywood.

There was a PP photog who had us put our hands down for the nephews, and together for Tink, but for some reason they didn't appear.

We were a little peckish, so we stopped at Award Wieners and grabbed a bite. The food was really good, but as usual, we left our funnel fries on the table when we left. Smart like boxcar I am.

We went through the Grand to get back to DTD and the DLH. We swung into the Disney Home store because I needed an ice cream scoop. They didn't have one, but they had one of these, and that made me laugh.

We got back to the hotel room and crashed. It had been a long day, even though we didn't rush around like our Rally-mates did. I was happy with our day - we managed to get a few rides in, met some characters, and got some photos.

Tomorrow, I had a date with Minnie and her friends, so I was glad to get to bed before 10pm.

I'll continue this later this week if I have time. Hope you're enjoying the report so far!

 

[Canadian Harmony]

SATURDAY! A rainy morning greeted me as I booked it down through DTD to the main gate in order to line up for my character breakfast. With an AP, I don't get early morning entry, so this was my only way to enjoy a quiet park. I was one of the first people into the park after the CM had us all join in the countdown. Love the empty park.

The castle was still under construction, but I don't mind a little pain for some long-term gain. It's different and means I get different photo ops.

I was hoping to meet a few characters I had missed last time my family and I had eaten with Minnie. I was standing in the longest omelette lineup evah while they met Max and Rafiki, so this was my chance!

I was like the second person in there (after a couple guys entered first), and had photos with Chip n Dale which ended up on my MaxPass, which I haven't put onto Facebook yet.

I was seated in the far room in a corner table. And my first guest was Rafiki! I was so excited to meet him! We had hugs and I let him know I was really happy to meet.

Downside to solo-ing: many selfies because no one will take a photo for me. But, we made do and I was super happy nevertheless.

I also had a fabulous (and quick) omelette, fresh fruit, water, and set up my signature cards for my scrapbook.

My next guest was Eeyore. He was as sweet and hugable as ever.

I need longer arms.

Next up was Pooh Bear. The gang always makes me nostalgic for my mother. She had an original copy of Winnie the Pooh and House and Pooh Corner which she used to read to me when I was little. So meeting these guys is like my childhood coming to life, reminding me of a more simple time, a more innocent time, and a time when I felt safe and loved.

Next, Max came around. He was having some fun with the kids near me but was still really sweet when he came around to me.

Then Tigger came around. He has always been my favourite and really liked it when I told him that (no doubt!).

How I keep from bursting into tears I'll never know.

Next was that sneaky pirate, Captain Hook. He saw my pins and wondered where his was. I told him I didn't have one, and so he made me pinky/hook swear that I'd get a pin of him today.

I was there for about 40 minutes and I just couldn't sit any longer. I left before Minnie came out, and felt a little bad about it, but honestly I just couldn't wait any longer.

So, I headed over to the front gate of the Castle to check things out.

I saw on the app that Tinkerbell was meeting people so I headed over to see her. We had a great chat about Hook and his pin request. She said that because he's a pirate, he goes back on his word all the time, so if I did the same, I'd be following the Pirate's Code and so wouldn't need to get a pin because that would be fine to a pirate.

I like the way she thinks.

I took a selfie with her and then her handler came through so I could get a REAL photo with Tink.

Wet Hair - Don't Care

I headed over to Jolly Holliday and grabbed an Abuelita once it opened (a tradition for me), and then made it over to Big Thunder for my FP at around 9am.

I love this ride.

I decided to head to the right to get back to Fantasyland, and saw a display I hadn't seen before. Every time I go, I find something new. I also love horses, so this was perfect for me.

The wait for Peter Pan's Flight was only 30 minutes. I rarely wait more than 20 for a ride, but PPF is usually a 45 minute wait, so I figured, what the he...ck.

The back of the castle overlay is cool too. There's a Disney Play thing regarding this, but I didn't play it. I should have, but the line was moving quicker than expected.

After my ride through to Neverland, I headed to the Hub for a group photo. Naturally, because of the rain, there was no PhotoPass Photog, so a nice security guard took our photo for us.

The cute Mickey and Minnie on the poles were just begging for a photo.

I met up with some of the girls for a brunch at Riverbelle Terrace. So here's a hack - if you order TWO things off the regular menu - like... a side of eggs and a side of bacon, say... you can order off the kid's menu. So I did that and then ordered an oatmeal too and had a great mid-morning snack. There were tons of of and one server, so the meal went on for about an hour. By this time I had to go to the bathroom REALLY bad, and I had an Indy Fast Pass to use up before 11:30. I took off at about 11:20, sped-walked to the Adventureland bathrooms, then made it to Indy 4 minutes after my FP hour was up. Thank goodness for the 5 minute grace period on FPs!

I then headed over to HM for my next Fast Pass at noon.

Continued in next post.

 

[Canadian Harmony]

A lady got all bent out of shape that my backpack nudged her. "Excuse ME!" she said. "Uh... sorry?" I replied. Honestly, it's the elevator room, the CMs ask us to pack in, and it's Disneyland. There's no such thing as Personal Space in Disneyland, lady. If you think there is, you're in for a shock. I think maybe she was a little scared because the lights were out and all, but she should check her entitlement.

It's cool to see the original and then remember the NBC overlay and see where they put stuff for the holidays.

My app showed the Boba Fett was going to make an appearance at the Launch Pad, so I headed over to meet up.

I love their details.

He came over and surprised me a little. I said, "I've been waiting here for you. Come here often?"

He put up with my snark and was nice enough to pose with me.

I went around the corner and got onto my Star Tours FP ride just before 1pm.

After helping the Resistance, I headed back to BTMRR for my next FP. Did I mention how much I love that ride?

Now I was a little peckish, so I headed to the Golden Horseshoe where I've never eaten. I managed to snag a table right near the stage so I l sat and waited for the show to start after I was done my snack.

Something else I've never seen was this show, and I was happy to catch it.

The show was really funny and I'm glad I saw it at least once. Time to mosey along, so I decided to say hello to some Princesses as the line up was about non-existent.

First up, Snow White.

Then a selfie with Cinderella.

Then Jasmine and I talked about snow.

I wanted a hand-made item, and this time it was a silhouette from the shop.

I went over to DCA because I was meeting the girls for a Mixology course during the Food and Wine. I had some time to kill, so I decided to get out of the rain, along with everyone else it seems, and do a class at the Animator's Studio.

Continued in the next post.

 

[Canadian Harmony]

Oh, how I miss Robin.

I had a successful art class - drew Steamboat Willie Mickey. Then I was a little peckish again, so headed to the F&W line and grabbed some food. First, the Chocolate Cake at the Garlic Stand (OMG, so good).

And then the garlic mac & cheese. To. Die. For.

We had booked our Mixology Seminar for vodka, and were really excited to participate. We all met at the bottom of the stairs at Trattoria for check in, and were allowed upstairs a little later than usual.

Well... it wasn't vodka. It was gin. And we were learning about martinis.

Not quite what we expected.

We participated and realized we REALLY don't like martinis. So we talked to the guy who was the liaison between Disney and the people putting on the seminar. We explained that the seminar wasn't what we had paid for or expected and they should really get their schedules straight. The event was nice and the leader was knowledgable, but just not what we wanted.

I was supposed to eat at Carthay, but my table canceled, so I went over with two of the girls to DLR. We headed over to the Plaza Inn for dinner and ran into Goofy on the way!

He was all blinded out!

So dapper and gentlemanly.

There was a CM holding a board, so I HAD to get a photo. And my co-horts HAD to photobomb. It was hilarious.

Dinner was yummy, and the cake was just calling my name.

Our Indy FP turned ito a Multiple Experience FP, so we headed to BTMRR because it's awesome.

We sat on a bench afterward, to wait for Mickey's Magical... whatever it was. But we soon realized we were fading fast. So, we headed to the candy store for a quick pickup of a treat for kids and then I had to see Esmerelda.

We headed to Tomorrowland for the monorail back to the top end of DTD. I spotted something I've never seen before (again!).

I was first one back to the room (it was not even 9pm, after all) and so I lit up the head board.

And so ended Saturday. I had a great solo day. I set it up to join one of the other girls for a Sunday 'character chase' around the parks. We still would do rides, but our main goal was to catch characters we hadn't yet seen, and then have dinner at Lamplight Lounge.

So, to bed with me!

 

[Canadian Harmony]

Sunday, SUNDAY, SUNDAAAAAAYYYY! Today one of the girls and I are chasing characters and riding some rides. She took off before I did, so I eventually got up and wandered down to the monorail.

I checked the app on the way in and saw the Evil Queen was hanging out between the Matterhorn and the back end of Fantasyland. I texted R and we met up. The Queen was doing the best conversations with people. I managed to walk with her for a bit, and told her I would never DREAM of competing with her on looks, but I'd be happy to offer my services as huntsman (woman?) and showed her my bow & arrow earrings. She appreciated the silent and deadly effect arrows have. And of course, I followed her order of 'no smiling' for our photo.

I love her eye makeup. SO perfect.

After R had her visit, we headed to Jolly Holliday for a bite. We made it with 5 minutes to spare before breakfast ended.

My favourite!

We headed over to see Tangled at the Royal Theatre, but they decided to not go ahead for some reason. They had a meet & greet though, and of course, we missed the cut-off time. But Gaston showed up!

I chased him and asked for a selfie. His shoulders were SO big, I ended up looking like a dork, while he, of course... didn't.

Our FP for BMTRR moved over to a multiple experience pass, so we went over to Indy instead.

We headed back to the Theatre and sure enough, they were showing Tangled. We grabbed a seat to watch the show, right behind the piano.

A theatrical representation of hair.

I have a dreammmmm!

We cheered, HUZZAH! at the end and joined the line up to meet the stars. I had a page created for them to sign, and after talking with Flynn, we realized I had HIS pin and Maximus' pin on my lanyard!

tbc next post

 

[Canadian Harmony]

R had her visit and then we headed over to see Tink again.

We hadn't visited Toon Town yet, so we headed over that way.

We wanted to visit Mickey, so we headed out back to meet up.

I love their details in these homes.

Then the line up stopped. R and I were not in the mood to wait, so we jetted and headed over to Minnie's. We had a bit of a wait for her to come back, but then we joined the line up. I was worried about making a timing over in DCA, but R assured me we'd still have time to see Minnie. She was right. Her home was super cute too.

The fridge opens and whaddya know...

Full of cheeeeeeeese!!

After a successful meeting with Minnie (captured on PhotoPass), we headed over to search out Pluto, R's 'top dog'. On the way, was another photostop.

Pluto came out and we followed him to his spot. He's such a good dog.

Then Donald came over and we saw him flirting... but not with Daisy! So we told him we'd not tell on him. After all, I'm an ex-sailor, so I gotta have my navy buddy's back!

We headed over to DCA now, and I shared my remaining F&W tabs with R. First we had the citrus chicken and the lemon macaron. Like angels dancing on my tongue. So delicious.

With blackberry jam in the middle. OMG.

We ate our way up the mall, stopping where we thought the food would be good. I had the chocolate cake and garlic mac & cheese again, along with a few other things that I can't remember off the top of my head. But they were yummy, and as we were having dinner in a couple hours, sharing the food was a good call.

We met up with S, our third for dinner and headed over to Cochina Cucamonga for a drink.

So. Good.

TBC next post.

 

[Canadian Harmony]

Time for dinner at the Lamplight Lounge.

We had a bit of a wait, but we wanted to try to get a bit of a sunset, so we didn't mind.

We were buzzed and moved downstairs.

I need to learn how to take photos with glass reflections...

We were seated in the centre in those nice lounge chairs. Perused the menu.

And the drinks...

I had the Final with a Fix. I should have had the Open Ocean with a Splash.

It was pretty though.

I had the chicken salad. Didn't realize it was a deconstructed salad.

It was okay. I like the Lamplight, but if I go again, I'll just do the upstairs lounge instead. I love the wall headed to the bathroom.

R headed back to the hotel because she had an early departure. S and I headed down the boardwalk and hung out until our Incredicoaster FP time. The band was out playing.

The talent Disney recruits is just world-class.

I like the lit-up sign.

We decided on a night run in the single-rider line at Racers. Good decision.

FINALLY got a paint job this time!

Lost the race, but had a great time anyway.

I took a spin, literally, on Mater.

We still had a bit of a wait for the FP, and who showed up... but FROZONE!! Wooooo!

He's tall.

We hit the Incredicoaster at 8pm. Last row. Best. Ride. Ever.

Finished in the next post.

 

[Canadian Harmony]

S headed back to the hotel and I headed up to the WOC line up as I'd paid for the Dessert Party. I was early, so wandered up and down the road. Ran into the CM from Friday night and had a nice chat with her. I went back to the line up area and was first. Got to chatting to a couple behind me and another single joined in our conversation. And then we ended up sharing a high top table together.

I didn't play the Fun Wheel (of Doom) Challenge, but I took a photo anyway.

The dessert was good. The drink tasted like another one.

The show was just okay. I'd seen the 60th version and it was awesome. This was just... fine. A couple people didn't move all the way forward, so I ended up with heads in my shot. At one point. two couples were right in my line of sight and I had to ask a CM to move them. There was TONS of room in front of them, but they HAD to stand on the stairs, and as I wasn't at a concert....

I headed back to the hotel and took a few snaps along the way. I don't think I'll ever get another chance to stay on property anytime soon, though I'm trying to save up for my 55th in... a few years... so I can stay at GCH for my 5 night annual trip.

And then it was bedtime. My last morning tomorrow, so I wanted to get some stuff done... packing and the like. And probably another suitcase too, the rate things are going with all the stuff I bought.

Last day and last day thoughts another day. Thanks for following along so far.

 

[Jaina]

So many fun things!! I love all your character meets. I've never really tried conversing with the characters. I could see a lot of awkwardsville for me, haha. BTMR is probably my favorite ride at the resort for nostalgia/fun factor. (With Guardians a close second on fun factor alone). All the food looks scrumptious!

 

[DLfan4]

Love the picture of you with Gaston! so cute

 

[Canadian Harmony]

So many fun things!! I love all your character meets. I've never really tried conversing with the characters. I could see a lot of awkwardsville for me, haha. BTMR is probably my favorite ride at the resort for nostalgia/fun factor. (With Guardians a close second on fun factor alone). All the food looks scrumptious!

I don't really know what to say either, but they're so sweet, it doesn't really matter what you say, as long as you're polite and sincere. The villains are more fun because the snark level increases exponentially. I love BTMRR so much. It's probably my favourite on the DLR side. DCA has the Incredicoaster which has replaced Racers as my favourite, however Guardians' theming is second-to-none and the soundtrack makes that ride for me. The food was so good. So. Good.

Love the picture of you with Gaston! so cute

LOL, glad you liked it. I think I look like a doofus, but really HE'S the star, right? LOL

 

[Canadian Harmony]

Last day. Sad panda.

Again, the only crummy thing about going solo, is your arms are never long enough for a cool photo with backdrops. This was probably the best one out of the lot.

This was in the back of the main tower of the DLH.

I had packed before I left the hotel room and realized I needed another suitcase - carry-on sized preferably. I went to the front desk and the Cm told me their shop had bags, but once I saw the prices, I was prepared to wear 18 layers of clothing to avoid buying one. I decided to wait for WOD to open to see if they'd have anything. I didn't want to go into the parks that day because I didn't really have much time before my shuttle would get me from the hotel, so I wandered around DTD. WOD opened at 8 (iirc), so I walked through and bought stuff to bring home - some earrings to replace my old Mickeys (I lost one), the Stitch ears hat for DD#2, a couple shirts, etc etc, and found me a cute carry-on in the kid's section which was the right price. I took my loot to Starbucks for a breakfast sandwich and a coffee while I waited for the Dress Shop and the Lego Store to open.

I did a quick Facebook Live for my friends of the people walking by and the songs. "Surrey With the Fringe On Top" reminds me of when I was in Oklahoma! with some theatre friends of mine, so when that song came on, I had to let my friends listen to a little happiness too.

Soon I was buying my latest Pandora charm (the Fun Wheel) and the Lego set for DD#2, and headed back to the hotel with bag in tow to re-pack and settle in outside of the hotel to wait for the shuttle.

It arrived (across the crosswalk which I wasn't expecting), and soon... too soon... I was at SNA. I eventually got through security and had a (now) traditional burger at Ruby's, then boarded the plane nearly immediately. Uneventful flight to YVR and a LONG 2 1/2 hour wait to YYJ. It was dark and cold, but I eventually got to my car, paid the $20/day parking fee (ick), and headed home.

I had a great time all in all. It was a trip that was thisclose to being an amazing time, but nevertheless, any day in Disney is a good day, right?!

And now I get to plan and look forward to my October trip.

Thanks for following along!

 

[Jaina]

Cutest carry-on ever! And no one will ever grab it accidentally! It sounds like a lot of fun souvenirs to help you remember your awesome trip!