Nothing to See Here...

[Chereya]

I am really enjoying reading your trip reports, Sherry! I know you have so many other threads to keep up with but I look forward to reading each new one!

 

[mvf-m11c]

Glad that you got your ice cream on that day. I'm sorry that u had to walk back and forth from DL to the DLH. I understand that it isn't fun when someone in your group asks to meet u at a specific spot and all of a sudden they changed their minds.

Very nice photos from that day.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Sherry E]

Ok, I am voting that I like the 2010 ice cream cone with the crushed peppermint better than the 2011 version with sprinkles, although anything with sprinkles is a winner. More research needed? I volunteer!

I can see (especially since you've hinted before) how frustrating your time with your old friend could turn into. Different expectations already even though you're just meeting up, and adding her family into the mix.

PHXscuba

PHX -

You know, I actually think there may have been a wee bit o' crushed peppermint mixed in with the red & green sprinkles on the cone from 2011. I tasted a little bit of candy cane on the cone itself. But, of course, the 2010 version was all crushed peppermint and no red/green sprinkles.

I think I like the crushed peppermint version too.

As for "M" - yes, I suppose you could say that there were different expectations. Some things were discussed back and forth and clarified and reminded beforehand - meaning before "M" and family ever showed up, we had decided certain things we would be doing over two days in the parks together (not counting the Goofy's Kitchen dinner day), and she told me up front what time she would be available and what she would be able to do or not do. Basically, she reneged and backed out on a large part of what we had planned and talked about. So it wasn't as if I just expected certain things that hadn't been discussed, and then they didn't go the way I wanted. Oh no, indeed. It was all discussed beforehand.

I don't want to jump too far ahead and reveal too much of what's to come - because even with what I have hinted at, you guys still don't know exactly what led to my crying on a bench in DCA - but let's just say that it all was clearly defined beforehand what we were doing and not doing...and yet it changed when they actually arrived, and everything went downhill. I suspect that "M" knew how some things would end up early on, but she led me to think that they would be different and didn't tell me exactly what was happening - to the point where I altered my own plans and ideas of what I wanted to do, just to be with her - all for naught. She didn't communicate when it came right down to the important stuff, like backing out on plans...which is, sadly, something that is not uncommon for her to do.

The thing is, I can take a lot of elements into consideration when looking back at this whole fiasco - er, I mean, trip. I can accept the fact that "M" was with her father, who is in poor health; her husband, who has his own ideas of what he does and does not want her doing; and her young son, whose needs (obviously) have to be a major concern. She also had all kinds of family members and other friends clamoring to see her - and for some reason, many of them wanted to see her at Disneyland. Also, "M" had not been to DLR in 10 whole years, so everything was kind of sensory overload for her and she got caught up in shopping and things like that, and didn't really think about how it was being inconsiderate to others. (More on that later.)

At the end of the day, I think, as the saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Anyway, stay tuned for more TR updates as things slowly descend into a dark abyss of frustration and exasperation, on different levels! Fun times ahead!

We're voting?? I too vote for the crushed peppermint on the chocolate part of the cone too!

Why am I craving peppermint ice cream in August??

TK -

I am craving it too. I am gleeful at the notion that my local Ralphs will get the peppermint ice cream in stock next month! Even before Halloween! Then again, it's hot - I am craving any kind of ice cream at this point.

 

[Sherry E]

I had just responded to PHX & TK above and didn't think there were anymore replies, and I just happened to see Chereya's and Bret's posts before I signed off!

I am really enjoying reading your trip reports, Sherry! I know you have so many other threads to keep up with but I look forward to reading each new one!

Chereya -

Thank you so much for the kind words. I really do appreciate it, and I appreciate you hanging in here with me even beyond the Cars Land report! I know that a lot of times, when we write TR's or put together threads, we aren't sure if too many people are actually enjoying them. Sometimes it seems like we're talking to ourselves, or like no one else is out there!

Suddenly I got into some thread gridlock and there are a bunch of them happening at once! It's not always that way. For one thing, I am normally not working on a holiday TR 8 months after the trip happened! My TR's are usually done pretty soon after the trip in question. So this little holiday epic from 2011 is a thorn in my side because it's a story I want to tell, and yet I took so long to get it going that I have kind of lost the momentum. But still, I carry on! It just so happens that this thread is going on while the Halloween & Christmas Superthreads are hoppin,' and I have a Catalina photo report that is active (another unusual thing for me). One Year from now, I probably won't have so many active threads at one time!

Glad that you got your ice cream on that day. I'm sorry that u had to walk back and forth from DL to the DLH. I understand that it isn't fun when someone in your group asks to meet u at a specific spot and all of a sudden they changed their minds.

Very nice photos from that day.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Bret -

Thank you.

That ice cream cone was going to happen no matter what during my trip - it was just a matter of when!

Yes, it is soooo annoying walking back and forth because someone else in the group can't be clear on what's happening or make up their minds. I could have so much time in walking to and fro if my friend had just picked a plan of action for her family when they arrived at DLH and stuck to it. It was all the indecision and confusion that really bummed me out because it seemed unnecessary. If I had handled things in the same way and had her/them walking back and forth because I couldn't make up my mind and stick to it, they would not have been pleased!

 

[Sherry E]

My last installment was 3 days ago. I'm working on another one which should be up by tomorrow (Monday). I was actually working on it yesterday and it was way too hot to sit by my window, which is where the PC is located! I couldn't stand it. I had to move.

Today, I tried to write at times when the heat was a little less intense. I am beginning to get into some territory in the TR where (you could say) there were a few little early "red flags" going up about "M" (before and after Goofy's Kitchen) and how the rest of the DLR trip might go. As I was explaining these scenarios and hoping that my readers would pick up on the red flags, I kept getting writer's block - or I kept wanting to remove certain things and add other stuff in its place. I think the heat was making my mind go numb. Anyway, I got most of what I wanted to say typed out, so it's now just mainly a matter of pulling the IMG codes for the photos and then posting!!

So stay tuned for more TR tomorrow!!

 

[tksbaskets]

Standing by

 

[rentayenta]

Still reading along! Great pics as usual.

 

[Sherry E]

Standing by

Thank you, TK! I appreciate it!

Deej seems to have vanished from this thread. Molly is in and out of it. Michele is in and out of it. Marie is in and out of it. Others come and go. Bret is headed to the Expo. It's pretty much just you, PHXscuba and Chereya who seem to be sticking with me! I appreciate your loyalty!

Still reading along! Great pics as usual.

Jenny -

Thank you!

I didn't think you were still out there - when you posted during my Cars Land segment, I replied to you and you never answered so I thought you disappeared well before I got to the holiday TR!

I remembered you had asked me long, long ago to send you a PM and let you know when and where my holiday TR was beginning. Once I finally got going with it, I kept thinking, "Should I let her know that it's begun? Or is she still out there, silently following along?" I had a feeling that you would have gotten a kick out of some of what I was describing - like nearly ending up in the forest on my way to DLR, due to the Super Shuttle guy who had his own agenda - but I just didn't know whether or not to alert you.

I was also going to PM you to let you know that there's a Halloween Superthread Theme Week Countdown happening. We finished with the Haunted Mansion Holiday theme week and are currently in the middle of Halloween Round-Up week. This coming Friday starts a new theme.

And in the Christmas Superthread, Theme Week begins again on Monday, August 27th! (Can you believe it's been a full year - almost - since we started the theme week countdown in the Christmas thread last year?) So even if you don't plan any DLR visits for either Halloween or Christmas this year, I know you have pictures!!!!

I literally just thought of you yesterday because I got to writing the part in my TR where I was expanding upon being at the Hearthstone Lounge, and I had commented about it once in your TR thread, when you were talking about being there as well! You said you were sitting in the love seat that was facing the bar, and I said that we were sitting in the love seat facing away from the bar.

That Hearthstone Lounge part of the TR is coming up later today.

 

[rentayenta]

Always send me a PM! I'm overwhelmed with planning our WDW trip so I'm slow on catching up so a little prompting is good with me! I wish the WDW section had a Halloween countdown thread. They've got a bazillion super threads but nothing with pics like you keep going.


Can't wait for the Heartstone update. It's one of my favorite places in all of the DLR.

I'll be on the lookout for the Christmas countdown thread. It's always so much fun!

 

[Virgoinab]

Still reading along, and thinking good thoughts as you write, what I think (maybe I'm wrong) a difficult next few chapter's for you.

But dang I do love your TR'S with all the mystery, intrigue and well the pics

 

[Sherry E]

Always send me a PM! I'm overwhelmed with planning our WDW trip so I'm slow on catching up so a little prompting is good with me! I wish the WDW section had a Halloween countdown thread. They've got a bazillion super threads but nothing with pics like you keep going.


Can't wait for the Heartstone update. It's one of my favorite places in all of the DLR.

I'll be on the lookout for the Christmas countdown thread. It's always so much fun!

Jenny -

Well, I'm glad you're here, despite being caught in the throes of planning your WDW trip. I probably would not be able to think straight if I had to plan a huge trip like that.

Sometimes I think, "Maybe I should PM so and so to let them know I started the TR," and I always feel like I'm being pushy, so I end up not doing it!

I didn't realize that the WDW side of the board has Superthreads! That side of the DIS is so huge that I get lost over there. There are so many sections and sub-sections to sort through. It makes my head spin! I know that I have looked for Superthread-type things for the holiday season or Halloween season and haven't found any. I've found all sorts of mini-holiday threads that focus on one thing only - like the hotels' decorations and that sort of thing - but never one big, wonderful thread with all kinds of info and photos in one place. I know that WDW's holiday season thread would be massive because it encompasses so many aspects and details, but I wish they'd get it going over there!

Yes, Hearthstone Lounge segment of the TR is coming up in the next TR installment, and the Christmas Superthread Theme Week Countdown is coming up in 2 weeks!

Still reading along, and thinking good thoughts as you write, what I think (maybe I'm wrong) a difficult next few chapter's for you.

But dang I do love your TR'S with all the mystery, intrigue and well the pics

Virgoinab -

Hello and welcome! I didn't know you were out there too. I know that lots and lots and lots of people like to read TR's quietly and not necessarily speak up, but it's always interesting for us to get an idea of who is out there - in other words, are they people silently lurking, who have never posted on the DIS at all before, or people that we know quite well from the boards who are secretly reading along?

Thank you for the kind words. I do appreciate it and it means a lot. I'm glad you're enjoying the mystery, intrigue and photos! I'm glad to have you aboard this TR train!

Yes, you're not far off in your suspicion that the next few chapters may be difficult for me to get through. The one I am on now - the one that I will post here later today - was giving me a headache the last couple of days, even though I am still reporting on a day in the trip that went fairly well, comparatively!

I want to explain events as they were happening because there were certain little red flags that were going up to alert me to the fact that things might be headed downhill. But...at the same time...I didn't want to make what I was writing sound like one big 'bashing' session against my friend "M." I like to be very up front and honest about my role in things and what I do that I could have done or said differently, and yet I realize that much of what I am writing - that you all will read - sounds like I am just painting her in a bad light. I'm not trying to do that - I'm really just trying to relate the facts as they actually happened, and however it is perceived at the end of it all is how it's perceived, I suppose.

Still, when I finally get to the point in the TR where I was sitting on a bench in DCA, crying, it will be clear that I was not just sitting there crying for the fun of it! Obviously there were certain things that were said or done that will have prompted it (which you all will learn in time).

 

[ttig34]

Hi! I don't post a lot, but am here! I feel rather guilty for looking forward to hearing about the less than stellar rest of your trip. It's like a train wreck, you feel bad but have to see! Sorry it didn't turn out great and hope you never have a similar trip, but it did pique my interest!

 

[Sherry E]

Hi! I don't post a lot, but am here! I feel rather guilty for looking forward to hearing about the less than stellar rest of your trip. It's like a train wreck, you feel bad but have to see! Sorry it didn't turn out great and hope you never have a similar trip, but it did pique my interest!

Hello, ttig34!

Welcome aboard the train wreck!

I have seen you post here and there on the main DL forum, but not a lot. I'm glad you came out of hiding and spoke up!

I know what you mean - I would be interested to read along & find out what happened to lead to certain events if someone mentioned that their trip didn't end well in their TR.

I think that everyone has a trip here and there that 'doesn't go as planned,' let's say, or where there might be some mild bickering, bad moods, people getting cranky, things not working out the way they were supposed to, etc. There were some great parts of my trip, but it certainly went downhill - especially when Day 3 (Tuesday) rolled around. And then Day 4 was just not a good day all around! I hope to never have any future trips that find me crying on a bench in either park!


Okay, I have my next installment all finished, so I am about to post it next...

 

[Sherry E]

Here’s a whopper of an installment for you!

Aunt Betty's Weepy, Wacky, Wonderful Christmas Trip to Disneyland

(12/4/11 - 12/8/11)



Day 2 - Monday, December 5, 2011 - Part 7 ​

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe
Help to make the season bright;
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow
Will find it hard to sleep tonight…






In my last Trip Report installment, I enjoyed a reunion with my long lost friend – my long lost friend being a peppermint ice cream cone from Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor – and, amid much confusion, “M” and family finally arrived…but not at the hotel where I thought they would be. I regaled you all with my tale of walking back and forth, and back and forth again, due to “M” not yet having her plans for the day straightened out.

When “M” finally broke free from her family to wander the wild, mean streets of Downtown Disney with me, Shawn eventually joined us. En route to the Grand Californian lobby we stopped at the crazy puppet dog stand again (run, Deejdigsdis, run!!!) so I could get “M” to pose with a new furry friend. “M” has always been a good sport – a ham, really – about posing for wacky pictures, so I knew I would have no trouble getting her to do it. She is usually game for any kind of zany photo idea (which is why I knew she would be a prime PhotoPass subject). Shawn, on the other hand, often looks like she is being held hostage in photos and can’t wait to escape - so I wasn’t even going to ask her to pose with the creepy puppet dog.

And the version with Photobucket’s Disney Parks effects…

Shawn, “M” and I made our way to the GCH after a quick detour to a Chase ATM in Downtown Disney so that they could both withdraw cash for the Goofy’s Kitchen dinner a bit later. I had no cash to withdraw. I had a tiny bit of money on me, which would last for the next few days if I only ate once or twice and bought no souvenirs. Remember, I was due to be at DLR for 3 additional days after that day so I had to be very conservative with what I spent.

Shawn, “M” and I walked into the Grand Californian Hotel lobby. I was all ready to plunk down in one of the deceptively comfy chairs near the giant Christmas tree and enjoy the atmosphere, when it dawned on me that there was nowhere to sit. It was a packed house. Every possible seat – and even some makeshift seats – was taken, and it wasn’t even 5 p.m., on a Monday. Quite frankly, I’m not even sure if it was 4 p.m. I think we may have still been in the 3 o’ clock hour. While DCA and DL seemed rather uncrowded – probably due to the wild wind – apparently all the people who didn’t want to get blown away had gathered ‘round the tree in the GCH lobby.

“M” and Shawn didn’t know where to go, so I suggested that we take a peek at the Hearthstone Lounge area to see if we could locate some sort of seating. Hearthstone was packed as well. We stood there for a minute until someone got up from one of the love seats – it was the love seat facing away from the bar.

We noticed that the people on the love seat we were about to sit on were having a bit of a hard time getting out of it. We decided to try it anyway. Actually I don’t recall where Shawn was – maybe she had gone to the restroom or something – but “M” and I tried sitting on the love seat. “M” sat down first, uttered some sort of curse word and mumbled a bit as she shimmied forward, arms and legs working in tandem to climb out. She instructed me to sit down too, so I could experience what she was mumbling about. It was basically a cushion that was not very firm to begin with – it wasn’t spongy like the sofas and chairs out in the lobby. It felt kind of like a worn seat that didn’t have much spring left in it. So when people sat in it I guess their butts would sink down, which is why it was so difficult to stand up. It was like a vortex, this seat. It was a black hole that pulled innocent souls in.

I tested the love seat and instantly started hysterically laughing as I sank towards the floor, and then found myself scooting ahead to try to get out of it too. I said, “Okay…this is not going to work – I can’t sit straight up. I’m like…reclining, almost…” I imagined what it must look like from the vantage point of someone at the bar – if they were looking at the back side of this love seat, they would not see the heads of anyone sitting there, and would likely only see feet and hands grasping at the air to try to escape.

In a fit of giggles “M” and I stepped away from the love seat, just at the precise moment someone else was getting up from a booth against the wall. This was supposed to just be a booth for 2 people, really, and it was next to another booth for two people. I told “M” that I was going to look in the lobby again to see if any seats had suddenly become available.

Just for the sake of showing a photographic example of Hearthstone Lounge, I present to you a couple of my photos from December 2010 – since I didn’t take any in 2011 (remember, on my 2011 trip I skipped over a lot of photo-taking opportunities that I got in 2010)…

You can see the back of the love seat/vortex/black hole in these 2 tree pictures from 2010, and you can see the seating area against the wall…

​

I surveyed the festive scene happening in the GCH lobby and it was still as packed as before. I muttered to myself, “How did all of these people find out about this? Oh yeah, I guess I’ve talked about it a lot…” It has been something that I’ve ‘talked up’ in the Christmas Superthread and other threads as being a good “free” way to enjoy the holiday atmosphere, listen to seasonal music, sit by the fire, visit with Santa, relax, chat, have a drink, etc. I think I have talked it up so much that I’ve talked myself right out of a seat! There was not a seat to be had, let alone 3 seats.

Disappointed that I was not able to hunker down in a comfy GCH lobby chair, I walked back towards the booth that “M” had claimed. She was sitting at the table, against the wall, and Shawn was sitting across the table, in a chair, facing her. Basically, there was no ‘real’ place for me to sit and actually be at the table. I had to sit on the part of the seat that was between our booth and the next booth over, which meant I was close to “M” and close to the person in the other booth next to me. I felt kind of displaced.

I did notice, however, that a couple of brave folks had decided to take a shot at sitting in the love seat/vortex/black hole. I watched them and instantly recognized the telltale sinking of the butts as their knees went upward. And then I saw them climb out after only a couple of minutes!!

I nudged “M,” pointed and snickered, “See? They couldn’t do it either! That seat is crazy!”

Someone came by to take our order. I opted not to get anything. I would have liked coffee or something to drink but I knew that the drinks at the Hearthstone Lounge were not cheap – and again, I was working with very limited funds for the next few days. I couldn’t really afford to spend that much on one single beverage when I knew there would be beverages and refills at Goofy’s Kitchen later on.

So “M” ordered some sort of alcoholic beverage with a glowing Buzz Lightyear thingy in it. Shawn ordered coffee.

(Note: I found out much later – and I mean well after the DLR trip was over and I was back at home – that “M” had actually treated Shawn to the coffee at Hearthstone Lounge. Shawn told me. Apparently “M” offered to treat Shawn while I was scouting out seats in the GCH lobby, which is why I didn’t hear about it until after the fact. And, in case you’re wondering - no. Nobody offered to treat me. I suppose that was the plan, since it was quickly discussed while I was walking around, looking for available chairs.)

As the three of us sat there, “M” elaborated on some heated family drama that was unfolding while she was in California. She was embroiled in a feud with one of her cousins. This cousin had lashed out at her on Facebook, for all other family members and online friends to read, about being fed up with her, and how her friends enable her to act irresponsibly and inconsiderately, etc. I think this outburst was triggered by the fact that “M” was supposed to handle the arrangements for a family event while she was in town, or she was supposed to give some sort of information or call someone, and, according to the cousin, she either didn’t communicate at all about what was happening, or she gave the wrong information - or just messed it up somehow. The cousin had reached his breaking point, as this was not the first time this sort of thing had happened between them, from what I gather.

As I listened to the tales of drama unfolding in “M’s” family, it occurred to me that – although the cousin handled his end of the feud very badly by unleashing his angry tirade on Facebook, for hundreds of people to see, which was not cool – I had a strange, nagging feeling that he was probably justified in being angry and fed up. Something told me that “M” was probably at fault in large part for whatever the mess was, but that she just couldn’t see it from the cousin’s perspective and identify what she could have done differently. Her standpoint was just that he was crazy and wrong.

I’m not trying to make this a bashing session against “M.” Everyone has their flaws – some are worse than others; some flaws are things that really bother people intensely, whereas some flaws are just mildly annoying. I’m sure that her cousin played a role in some way too. But I know “M,” and I know that often times she either doesn’t see or ‘get’ what she has done to upset people (even if they tell her in no uncertain terms)…or she is just not concerned with it one way or the other.

I’m not sure how long we sat there, but Shawn and “M” were mainly doing the talking – about “M’s” cousin, about Shawn’s job, etc. I was pretty quiet.

“M’s” husband, “B,” was calling her to arrange to meet up. He was coming from the Disneyland Hotel, with their son and her dad. I’m not really sure what the conflict was (since I only heard her end of the conversation) but somehow they ended up bickering back and forth about where and when we were meeting. I suspected that “B” really preferred that “M” did not come to meet me when she did, and would have liked her to stay in their room to look after their child and her father. I don’t know what she did or did not promise she would do, so I don’t know if he had reason to be snippy with her or if she had reason to be snippy with him.

I listened to “M” as she attempted to direct “B” to the Grand Californian. There was confusion. It was comical. Finally she just told him to keep walking and he’d find it, and she hung up on him!

I wasn’t sure if maybe we should leave Hearthstone and go out to Downtown Disney to flag down her family, but “M” wanted to let him/them find us. Sure enough, they eventually found us (“B,” “R” and “S”).

It was decided that little “R” – an extremely cute and very smart 4-year-old – needed to visit Build-A-Bear to build a new friend. Apparently he has been a regular customer there back in Idaho and has built many friends. This time he wanted a dinosaur. “M” built some sort of furry friend for herself too.

It was clear that “R” knew the drill and was a critter-building expert. I could tell that he was a very bright child. I watched him walk from one spot to another as if he were following a routine. He seemed to know the layout of the store and after he would complete one step in the ‘building’ process, he knew where to go to start the next step. He knew when it was time to pick an outfit. He knew when it was time to give the dinosaur a bath. He could teach a class on building bears, this kid.

These are the times when I wish I had a child. I don’t always feel that way, believe me. But then I watch them doing cute things and I wish I had one – or wish I could borrow one for a week!

Unfortunately, “M’s” dad, “S” – who was in a wheelchair (he is elderly, has had heart problems and has mild Parkinson’s) – couldn’t really get a good look at what “R” was doing in Build-A-Bear. People were walking in front of him and he couldn’t navigate through the aisles to see what was happening so he just kind of watched from afar as he sat by himself. “M” was wrapped up in her own bear-building project, instructing “B” to look after “S.”

So I told “S” that I would try to get a bunch of pictures for him, and every time I snapped a few I would walk over to where he was to show him what I’d taken of “R,” so he could feel like he was a part of it, seeing things as they were happening. “B” was also taking plenty of pictures of “R,” but I don’t know if he was bringing them over to “S” to see on the spot. The important thing, I felt, was for “S” to be included and involved in the whole process as it was happening, and be able to witness his grandson building the dinosaur.

Around this time, Jackie was text messaging me to find out where we were so that she and Bob could head over to meet us. They had arrived at Mickey & Friends and were making their way to Build-A-Bear. When they arrived – and this little adventure was taking Jackie away from home on a work night, which she agreed to solely to see “M,” since M had not been in SoCal in so many years – there were more hugs and smiles all around. Even though I had just seen Shawn, Jackie and Bob on the previous day, it’s a good feeling to reunite and get a big group of old friends together for food, fun and merriment.

I had offered to use my Annual Pass discount for some of “M’s” purchases during the time we were together at DLR over the next couple of days (like the bigger, more expensive ones). This is why she had to get cash from the ATM earlier – I had informed her that if I was going to use my AP to get discounts on her food and merchandise, I’d have to have cash to pay for her stuff, since we would not be able to use my AP with her credit or debit card. I was not going to put her purchases on my debit card and let her pay me later, so she had to have cash up front.

Build-A-Bear takes the AP for a 10% discount. Not much, but it’s better than nothing. When “M” was finished making her own bear (I guess that “R’s” dinosaur was being purchased by his dad or grandpa), she shoved it at me…and walked off somewhere else in the store! Lol.

One of the Build-A-Bear employees (what do they call themselves? I have forgotten…not Cast Members, but something else) was standing by and saw “M” push the bear in my arms, and she kind of shrugged at me. I shrugged too and said, “Why am I holding this bear? It’s not my bear.”

I found “M” looking over a display of some kind and said, “Why am I holding this?”

She said, “Oh, because you have to have it when you get the discount, right?”

I said, “Well, I have to have money when I get the discount too. You have to give me the cash and whatever info about the bear they ask for at the register. You just shoved the bear at me and walked away!”

I handed the bear back to “M” and said, “You can hold your bear and we will go up to the register together.”

And so we did. I whipped out the AP. “M” handed over the cash. The bear was put in his cute little carrier thingy (with air holes!).

Our group of 8 began to slowly make our way to Goofy’s Kitchen to see if we could be seated any earlier than 6:30 p.m. It was already dark at approximately 5:45 or 5:50 p.m.

Again I observed what a smart little 4-year-old “R” was. He had never been to Goofy’s Kitchen before but if he had, he probably would have led us there like a seasoned navigator. Instead, he recognized the grounds of the Disneyland Hotel (after only seeing it briefly earlier in the daytime) and the tower in which they were staying, and started to turn off into their tower to go up to the room, until he was stopped by “B.”

This is the sort of child I would want to have if I had a child – a child who is apparently very good with directions and remembering where he has been before, so that in case he ever got lost he could probably do a capable job of directing anyone who found him back to where he was supposed to go.

And the version I created with Photobucket’s Disney Parks effects, as well as some extra effects layered in to make it more magical…

We arrived at the front check-in/register area of Goofy’s Kitchen. Fortunately, we would not have to wait until 6:30 to be seated. Even though we were a party of 8 arriving 40 minutes early, they had a table all ready for us. I guess they were not terribly busy on this Monday night (either the gale force winds scared everyone away from eating, or everyone who would normally be eating was taking up space in the Grand Californian Hotel lobby!). We just had to wait about 5 minutes or so.

At that point – at the very moment of learning the total due and paying the CM behind the counter – it became a blur to me. It was a chaotic frenzy, with money being passed back and forth between hands and people trying to count out how much they owed; and trying to explain to the CM that we needed to split it all up into 2 bills – one for Jackie/Bob and one for the rest of us.

Jackie and I both had Annual Passes. She wanted to pay for herself and Bob using her AP discount, and she didn’t have cash on hand to give me for their share. I needed to use my AP for “M’s” discount.

So, in one big ball of confusion, Shawn handed me her money. I dug out my Annual Pass. I asked the CM to put Jackie and Bob on a separate bill, leaving the CM puzzled as to exactly how many people would be on “my” bill, and then applying the child’s price for “R.” Then, “B,” – “M’s” husband – approached me with a handful of cash and asked how much they owed me, meaning how much was their share.

I don’t know if any of you recall, but “M” had been telling me early last year that she would treat me to Goofy’s Kitchen when we finally ate there (she is part of the “I Family” I spoke of in 2011). Now, true, at the time she thought her family was coming out here last May. But she said that she would treat me a few different times, even after the May 2011 trip idea fell through. So it appeared to me, from the way “M” was sounding, as though she was going to treat me when we went to Goofy’s, whenever it was. I could have misunderstood, and “M” could have clarified…but it seemed pretty clear to me. She knew that I was not the one who wanted to eat dinner there and that I was only doing it because she and her family preferred dinner. That was a big part of the reason why I’d told “M” that I would let her take advantage of my AP discount – because she was going to treat me to Goofy’s Kitchen!

Well, it became clear to me that “B” was asking me how much their share was because they were not planning to treat me. Rather than bring it up right in front of everyone, which would have been embarrassing, I rifled through my wallet and dug out a few bills to cover what I owed, putting it on top of Shawn’s money. Mind you, I had very little money left for the remainder of my trip, so taking out cash to spend on something for which I thought I would be treated was a bit painful.

Even though I kind of had a hunch that I could not trust or count on “M” to go through with treating me, I felt that she should have said something to me beforehand. Maybe earlier in the day she could have said, “I won’t be able to treat you after all. I hope that doesn’t leave you in a bind.” Something. Anything. But she said nothing about it. She did not communicate about it at all, even though she had repeatedly told me she would be treating earlier last year. So there I was at the register at Goofy’s, with an already befuddled CM waiting on me to get everyone’s ‘stuff’ straightened out, and I was silently panicking because I wasn’t sure if I would have enough money to last me the next few days.

To add to the madness, the price at Goofy’s Kitchen was not what I had been quoted on the phone. I usually ask them what the price is, including the tax and tip. I had been given a total that did not sound right on the phone, but I was assured that it was correct. I usually know exactly how much Goofy’s will be before I ever get there, and I have the money ready. But the gratuity had gone up, while the tax had gone down, and we also had a child with us so the amount for him would be different.

“B” was still standing there with cash in hand, pointed towards me. I was not about to figure out ‘how much he owed,’ so I just handed my money and Shawn’s money to “B,” because he held the money for himself, “M,” “R” and “S.” It was easier to just give him all the money and let him hand it to the CM. They applied my AP discount and took “B’s” money.

It bothered me (in silence) that “M” had just kind of left me in a lurch like that. If I had all kinds of money to throw around, then maybe it wouldn’t matter that she didn’t tell me that she no longer planned to treat. But she knows I am broke, so I would have expected that it was common courtesy. I suspected that possibly “B” didn’t really agree with the idea of treating me – maybe because “M” had split the cost of my hotel room for that night, or maybe she simply hadn’t clued him in on her plan to do it. That’s totally understandable if that were the case and he hadn’t wanted her to treat. All I would have wanted was to just be informed about it before we got to Goofy’s! Maybe I would have said an outright “no” about eating at a table service place with Jackie, Bob and Shawn the day before if I’d known that I’d be definitely paying for my Goofy’s dinner.

I don’t know. If I had told someone repeatedly – no matter how early in the year I’d told them – that I was going to treat them to a character meal, I would make sure to let them know if I could no longer do it. I wouldn’t just stay silent about it, especially if I knew they were broke. I felt like “M” avoided bring the subject up to me so that she wouldn’t have to say she was backing out on what she said she’d do.

What “M” did do, which was nice of her, was buy the photo package of the photo op at the entrance – using my AP discount – and gave me one of the 5”x7” photos that comes with it. She gave Shawn the other photo.

There were 3 cameras between the 8 of us, and the CM photographer took pictures with all 3 of our cameras, as well as the photo with their own camera for the photo package…


Group shot…

The version with Photobucket’s Disney Parks effects…

Jackie’s version, from her camera…

“M’s” version that she paid for as part of the photo package – this was one of the 5”x7” “extras” in the package that she gave me:

These next several pictures were actually taken after the Goofy’s meal, but I am posting them here because they seem to fit better in this spot, based on how many there are…


“M” & Jackie…

“M” & me…

L-R: Shawn, me, Jackie and “M” at Disneyland – circa 1993 or 1994…

And the 4 of us, circa 2011 (L-R: “M,” Jackie, Shawn and me)– I actually think this would have been a better shot if 2 of us had been kneeling down in front of the tree, to kind of bring the focus towards the center a bit more. We would have been blocking the presents, yes, but the way the photo is now I think we are too far off to either side of the tree!

Jackie’s version of the picture, taken by Bob…

After taking the group photo with Chef Goofy at the entrance, we were escorted back to our table, and a big dinner buffet awaited us!





Coming up next, in Part 8 of Day 2: more fun at Goofy’s Kitchen; I am asked to participate in a covert mission; we wait around in the cold night air for “M”; we bid farewell to Jackie, Shawn and Bob; “M” and I head back to the Paradise Pier Hotel to settle down for the night; and I encounter a puzzled Cast Member when I leave Keys to the Magic for Molly (bumbershoot) and Laurie (DizNee Luver) to pick up at the PPH front desk, as Day 2 finally wraps up!

 

[kaoden39]

 

[rentayenta]

Can I not like "M"? You have all been friends a long time. I'd expect better behavior from "M" that's for sure. You spend a lot of time planning trips and helping people and even though you enjoy it doesn't mean you should be walked on. Down with "M". Okay, I'm done bashing!

You can borrow all of my children for a week. They are good at directions, funny, and cute. Even the teenagers.

 

[PHXscuba]

I've got a stubborn but clever 7-year-old you can have for awhile. He even loves Disney!

I do love seeing Disney through the eyes of my kids -- the first time I took my older son and watched him watch the evening parade, I actually got teary-eyed because I was so happy to share a big piece of my childhood.

I feel bad that you got talked into and then stiffed at Goofy's Kitchen. It's an expensive meal at dinner! I hope you ate really, really well!

PHXscuba

 

[kmedina]

It is a bummer when your thumb ruins a picture you’re taking. You remembering the lady you spoke to a year earlier at Disneyland reminds me of Crap. We can take a three year break from a restaurant and return. He will look at me and say remember that was the server we had three years ago. I smile and say I do not remember that. Excellent memory. I also wondered if she remembered you too when I read that. Of course she would if she was sent there to watch over you.

I am getting mad at M with each new thing I read, since it is obvious she lets you down. Hopefully, she makes it up to you. I would have rather had breakfast at Chef Goofy’s than dinner too, although the dinner there is good. I am not sure of the peppermint ice cream cone, but I cannot wait to hear about the gingerbread cookie with mouse ears. Christmas time and Disney are so awesome! That sounds divine. Even though M made you leave unnecessarily I am glad you got your cone.

Even though it was a little bit of a hassle, I am glad to see you finally met up. You had me laughing about the black hole that was like a vortex. I have sat in seats like that before. Hahaha. R is adorable. Xander loves Build a Bear too, so I get it. You are too nice. If M offered to treat, you should have included the price of your meal when B asked you how much he owed. I would not have given them the option not to treat unless someone specifically said he/she was no longer treating you. I love the new and old pictures of the four of you by the way. So cool.

 

[Sherry E]

??

Can I not like "M"? You have all been friends a long time. I'd expect better behavior from "M" that's for sure. You spend a lot of time planning trips and helping people and even though you enjoy it doesn't mean you should be walked on. Down with "M". Okay, I'm done bashing!

You can borrow all of my children for a week. They are good at directions, funny, and cute. Even the teenagers.

Jenny -

All of the children for a week? How many have you got? Maybe we can strike a deal!

You know, all of this "M" stuff is what would have happened in the old days. I can't even begin to tell you the number of occasions in which things like this - or other 'events' along a similar line - have happened in the past. I guess I just thought that things would have evolved and changed a bit after all this time, since she moved out of SoCal and created a whole new life in Idaho over the last decade.

Thank you for the kind words of support. I do appreciate it and all I can say is, stay tuned because it only gets better from here in the TR.

Well, when I say "better," I mean that in the 'train wreck' kind of way, where everything just seems to kind of spiral downhill. So I guess I am using the term "better" with a sarcastic edge!

I've got a stubborn but clever 7-year-old you can have for awhile. He even loves Disney!

I do love seeing Disney through the eyes of my kids -- the first time I took my older son and watched him watch the evening parade, I actually got teary-eyed because I was so happy to share a big piece of my childhood.

I feel bad that you got talked into and then stiffed at Goofy's Kitchen. It's an expensive meal at dinner! I hope you ate really, really well!

PHXscuba

PHX -

Wow! So many people offering up their children to me! Your 7-year-old has the right idea. Any children I borrow have got to like Disney!

I think that's probably a major thing for parents, to see their kids experience fun things for the first time - especially things that the parents have loved themselves. Isn't it? Going somewhere like DLR or WDW must be so exciting because parents can watch their children meeting Mickey Mouse, getting an autograph from Chip & Dale, riding Dumbo, staring with wide-eyed wonder at a parade, or eating their very first mouse-shaped food item.

I love Goofy's Kitchen, of course. But the dinner was not my idea at all. I'd told "M" this early last year, when she first thought that they were coming out in May. She was the one who wanted dinner. I thought that was a large part of the reason she offered to treat. And to help with costs, I was offering up my AP discount.

Now, again, it's okay if "M" had changed her mind or was suddenly unable to treat me. She's certainly not obligated to do anything like that. But what I would have expected - out of courtesy - was just a little 'mention' of this beforehand, like a day or two before. ...Just an alert to let me know she wouldn't be treating so that I could maybe either skip something I was eating the day before (at Storytellers), or so that maybe I would have a chance to back out and say, "Okay, I only have XX number of dollars for the next several days, so I won't be able to do the Goofy's dinner after all." It would have been nice to know what was happening before we got to the restaurant, and preferably even earlier than that. But nothing was ever said about it or initiated by "M." It was as if "M" didn't really care if she left me in a bind - or that's how it appeared - and just kind of wanted to block it out that she had ever offered to treat.

Well, I only got one plate of food at the dinner. Normally, at the Goofy's breakfast, I will get a second plate of something or other - whether it's a second plate with just fruit, just pastries, just eggs, whatever. At dinner, even though I was hungry (all I'd had to eat that day was the peppermint ice cream cone) and even though the food was good, I wasn't hungry enough to get up and stuff myself with a second plate.

It is a bummer when your thumb ruins a picture you’re taking. You remembering the lady you spoke to a year earlier at Disneyland reminds me of Crap. We can take a three year break from a restaurant and return. He will look at me and say remember that was the server we had three years ago. I smile and say I do not remember that. Excellent memory. I also wondered if she remembered you too when I read that. Of course she would if she was sent there to watch over you.

I am getting mad at M with each new thing I read, since it is obvious she lets you down. Hopefully, she makes it up to you. I would have rather had breakfast at Chef Goofy’s than dinner too, although the dinner there is good. I am not sure of the peppermint ice cream cone, but I cannot wait to hear about the gingerbread cookie with mouse ears. Christmas time and Disney are so awesome! That sounds divine. Even though M made you leave unnecessarily I am glad you got your cone.

Even though it was a little bit of a hassle, I am glad to see you finally met up. You had me laughing about the black hole that was like a vortex. I have sat in seats like that before. Hahaha. R is adorable. Xander loves Build a Bear too, so I get it. You are too nice. If M offered to treat, you should have included the price of your meal when B asked you how much he owed. I would not have given them the option not to treat unless someone specifically said he/she was no longer treating you. I love the new and old pictures of the four of you by the way. So cool.

Hello, Kim!

Thank you for taking the time to stop by, read and post such kind comments - I know you've been really busy with work (I've seen your updates about it in your TR), and I know how it can be tough to fit in time for things like trip reports when you already have a super busy schedule.

I was annoyed at the accidental thumb picture, but I was more annoyed at myself for inadvertently deleting the redo/do-over picture I took to replace it!

Ah yes, Twilight Zone Lady. In this case I think it was easy to identify her almost right away (silently) because she is a petite lady with a particular shade of reddish/magenta-ish hair and had come up to say something to me two years in a row. In general, most people will not walk up to complete strangers and make comments out of the blue. Because she had approached me in 2010 as well, I got the feeling that she might be a local who is at DLR on Mondays a lot. That seems to be the most logical explanation. The next most logical explanation would be that she is another holiday visitor (like myself) who plans a December trip every year...and just happened to end up there at the same time I was there again. That's probably not too far-fetched. I know that lots and lots of folks on this board plan yearly trips, and sometimes trips overlap with other people's trips more than once.

I guess the question remains - did Twilight Zone Lady recognize me when she came up to me the second time? Did she remember that she had spoken to me in 2010 too, or does she just go around talking to people who look like they are solo, and happened to encounter me two years in a row? We may never know.

It's great that Crap has such a good memory! I'm making a huge generalization here, but a lot of times it seems like women are more inclined to remember faces, names, events, dates, etc., while men don't remember much of anything. Doesn't it seem that way? I guess there have to be a few exceptions to every rule!

"M" did let me down on this trip but see, again, I hate even typing that out because it sounds like I am just playing a victim role, not to mention bashing her. I am really just reporting events as they happened, in the best way I can explain them. Unfortunately, a certain picture will be painted that is not particularly rosy. But...at least I learned my lesson and I know that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

I was really trying to keep an open mind and be fair on this trip. If this had been the "M" of 10 years ago, or 20 years ago, or 30 years ago, I would have known to expect certain behavior and habits. So to end up being "let down" would have only been dumb on my part because I should know better. However, this was the "M" of 2011 and I guess I did expect that some things would have changed a little bit. Maybe certain things have changed in some ways, but in other ways it is just like it would have been long ago.

In any case, as I've hinted, it only goes downhill from that point in the trip, so get ready for the 'fun' that awaits!

Have you ever tried peppermint ice cream, or, like Bret, is it totally new to you? I used to eat it every now and then as a child. My grandmother and I would be out running her weekend errands or whatever, and we'd stop at Sav-On Drugs (which later changed to Osco, and then back to Sav-On again, and now it's CVS) to get ice cream cones. At that point they used to sell a bunch of flavors, and peppermint was one of them. I think I developed a taste for it early on. Then, back in the early '90s a friend and I would go out for lunch and get peppermint malts or shakes.

So peppermint ice cream is always lurking around in my life somewhere! Fortunately, my local Ralphs should be getting the Dreyer's version in stock next month, according to what they told me last year, so I won't have to wait long! But it's always more fun to eat it at Disneyland! And even though I like the idea of the ice cream being available to me in September, I kind of feel like I have to wait until at least November before eating it. It feels like cheating to eat it so early! I could buy it next month and just keep it in the freezer, but then I know I'd end up eating it!

That vortex/black hole love seat at Hearthstone was crazy! I noticed that the folks who were in it before we sat down seemed to be struggling a bit when trying to get up, and the people who sat there after us also had trouble. So I knew it wasn't only us. I did not notice anyone having trouble getting out of the seat facing the bar (which is the one that Jenny/rentayenta said she sat in during her holiday DLR trip last year).

You know, when we got to Goofy's and suddenly I found myself at the register, trying to instruct the CM to split the bill into two, and Shawn was handing me her money and "B" was holding his money in his hand, and the CM was asking questions about the child in our group and how old he was, and then giving me a total that was different from what I had calculated pre-trip (after calling to verify the exact amount so that we could avoid all this chaos), I felt overwhelmed and unable to think clearly or do any quick mathematical equations on the spot!

Shawn paid a few dollars too much, I think, and when I pulled out my money I paid a few dollars less to even it out, but I was doing this all very haphazardly (normally I am much more careful about paying exactly the amount). I don't even remember the whole total of the bill. At that moment, it was just faster to take Shawn's money and my money and hand it over to "B." At the end of the day, I'm not even sure I gave "B" the full amount I owed, to be honest - I may have given him a few bucks less than what I owed, which wasn't my plan. The unexpected total threw me off. It wouldn't have been that much less that I underpaid - really, only a few dollars, if anything, because I handed over quite a bit of money of my own, along with Shawn's.

So if I ended up underpaying by a few dollars, maybe "M" sees that as treating me. In hindsight, the best thing to do would have been to have "M" and family get their own bill - without the help of my Annual Pass discount - and put Shawn and me on another bill. I don't think the CM would have wanted to do that, but that would have been best. Less confusion and mayhem.

I guess I expected that it would all work like it worked at Build-A-Bear, where we'd go up to the register, I would flash my AP to get the discount and then "M" - or whomever - would pay the bill. I didn't realize there would be all of this confusion. But I don't blame the confusion on "M" and "B." (Not counting the "treating" thing, which is a separate issue.) I think it was just an unexpected hiccup - I thought we were all prepared and that I had gotten all the details straight, but it ended up being more chaotic in person!

 

[kaoden39]

It is and was just a fly by hi. Just making sure you knew that although I may not comment I am still here. I just have a lot going on right now.