"On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair" (DL/So.California TR) LOTS of pics!

[mommaU4]

Well, just thought I'd post that we are back from the circus. I have to say I really enjoyed it!

I had no clue what to expect, and thought it might be boring or smelly. But it wasn't. Sure they had the usual elephants, tigers, horses, etc. but it was very well done and not boring or smelly at all.

Then they also had so many other acts, including some amazing acrobats, dancers, and gymnasts who reminded me a lot of the performers in the Cirque de Soleil shows we've seen here in Vegas. I was surprised.

Ruben remembered going as a child and said this was much different then he remembered. More modern, entertaining and organized. I'm so glad we went. The kids had a blast and the show held their attention the whole time. It was pretty long too. Started at 7:30 and went for about 2 hours.

After that we went and drove down the Strip before heading home. I did take some pics that I will try and post tomorrow in case anyone cares to see them. Not many turned out very good though. My camera doesn't do well in darkness or low light, but I'll post what I can.

 

[Missy1961]

Beth, this is a great report! love all the pictures.

January, Maddie is so beautiful!

 

[daisy_77]

Beth, I am loving the trip report and all of the pictures!!!

I love the pics of the parade with the Incredibles, Bugs Life, etc. I have always thought Jonathan would love DL just for that.

We did the character breakfast with Lilo and Stitch at Ohana (seems a lot like the one you did at DL) and that is our favorite!!

January, I cannot belive how big Maddie is!!!! She is a beautiful girl.

I had to add I have to try that Tinkerbell Twist, it sounds yummy!!!

Thank you, Jenna! She is growing up too fast for me. You know how that is.

Well, just thought I'd post that we are back from the circus. I have to say I really enjoyed it!

I had no clue what to expect, and thought it might be boring or smelly. But it wasn't. Sure they had the usual elephants, tigers, horses, etc. but it was very well done and not boring or smelly at all.

Then they also had so many other acts, including some amazing acrobats, dancers, and gymnasts who reminded me a lot of the performers in the Cirque de Soleil shows we've seen here in Vegas. I was surprised.

Ruben remembered going as a child and said this was much different then he remembered. More modern, entertaining and organized. I'm so glad we went. The kids had a blast and the show held their attention the whole time. It was pretty long too. Started at 7:30 and went for about 2 hours.

After that we went and drove down the Strip before heading home. I did take some pics that I will try and post tomorrow in case anyone cares to see them. Not many turned out very good though. My camera doesn't do well in darkness or low light, but I'll post what I can.

I have always been too afraid of circus clowns so I haven't made it to one yet...maybe we should check this one out.

Beth, this is a great report! love all the pictures.

January, Maddie is so beautiful!

Thanks, Missy!

 

[Missy1961]

Hey January! I've missed seeing you around--maybe I need to hang out on the DL boards so I can see you.

 

[mommaU4]

Beth, this is a great report! love all the pictures.

January, Maddie is so beautiful!

Thanks Missy! I'm glad you're still along for the ride.

Maddie is a total cutie! I'm so happy I got to meet her. I heard on the news that Jamie Lynn Spears (from Zoey 101 and Britney's sister) had her baby girl and she named it Maddie Briann. Another Maddie!

I have always been too afraid of circus clowns so I haven't made it to one yet...maybe we should check this one out.

I think that Maddie would love this! If it comes near your town you should really take her. We had seats about 6 rows from the front, on the side of the arena so we could see all the action, and the kids had a lot of fun.

 

[mommaU4]

Some quick circus pics before I start on Day 3 of the TR.

Before the circus started, they had an animal open house and you could go and view the animals so we snapped some pics of the elephants who were cooling down in the hot Vegas weather.

The actual circus pics didn't turn out very well as I said, but here are a few of them:

Here is a shot of the items they had for sale.

It souvenirs and food was so expensive! Those light up twirly things were $20. A stuffed elephant was $30. Snow cones were $10 each. Cotton candy was $12 a bag , and there wasn't even much in it.

I brought in snack packs of cookies for the kids to munch on. And we went to Sam's Club before our trip, and I had bought a 6 pack of cotton candy in these cute little buckets, so I divided that up into baggies, one for each kid and brought that in with me for them.

Then all we had to buy was something to drink and some popcorn. Some people may say that's being cheap. LOL That's ok, I don't mind. I have been lucky enough to be a SAHM now for almost 12 years. You just can't raise 4 kids on one income (and it's not a doctor or lawyer's income either, LOL) without making a few adjustments and cutting back here and there.
But we all got to go see the show, we had excellent seats, and we had a great time so who cares if I had to bring in some of my own snacks.

After the show, we drove down the Strip. I love it there at night. It's cooler (not by much though!), the lights are awesome, and there's just a fun energy in the air. Here are a few random pics I snapped as we drove by:

OKay, now to get to work on Day 3.

 

[kaoden39]

I love the lights too. Whenever we go to San Francisco and I see the lights it takes my breath away. Or when I was a kid and we used to go camping at Lake Tahoe and you could see State Line from the beach it was a beautiful sight at night. When DH and I went to Beverly Hills in October 2006 I loved the lights on Rodeo Drive. That's the ultimate place to window shop. No you aren't cheap you are wise. The price seem extremely steep to me.

Michele

 

[mommaU4]

Here we are on day 3 and I could not drag myself out of bed at a decent hour. I think it was after 8 before I woke up! Everyone else was still sleeping as well, so I woke them up and we got some breakfast at the hotel's free breakfast buffet.

I was in no hurry to rush off to the parks for some reason. I guess the heat and crowds at DCA the day prior kind of wore me out. Also hearing on the news that they were expecting highs in the area to be around 90 degrees didn't help.

I was finishing up getting ready when I received a phone call from Stacie (stacielee) a DISer I'd met on the Girls Only trip in April. She was there with her 2 DDs and Callie (DangerMouse) and her DD. They were just calling to see where we were, and warned me that it was HOT and crowded. Yikes. I told them we'd be on our way shortly and I'd call them when we got there.

It didn't take long to get on the tram but only because they were loading two trams at a time, one on each side. BUT when we got off the tram, the line for security was so darn long! It was hot and we had to stand there for at least 15 minutes waiting just to make it through the security check point.

From there I got in line to get a free stroller, one of the perks of having a Disney visa. We don't really need one, but occasionally the twins need it to take a break in, and we use it to store our belongings.

I called Stacie and we made plans to meet up at the Golden Horseshoe in a little bit. Then I called January to find out where she was since it was their last day there, and I wanted to say good bye. She was down on Main Street by the Coca-Cola Refreshment center, so we made our way over there.

The kids had helped me put together a little gift for Maddie; an Ariel purse with different Ariel items in it, including some candy treats, for her to take on the plane, so we gave her that. January had bought two really cute pins for me to save and give to the twins on their b-day, so she gave me those. (I took pics of them, they are so cute! But I don't have them in the computer yet, so I'll post those later)

We said our good-byes, gave out hugs and then she had to be on her way to catch her airport shuttle. I really enjoyed seeing her again, and I can't wait until the March '09 Girls Only trip when hopefully we can hang out some more.

After we left her, we went to the Golden Horseshoe to see if we could find Stacie and Callie. While we were waiting for them, a cowboy came by and saw the twin's b-day buttons. He played the birthday song for them on his violin while he sang to them. It was cute, and they got a kick out of it.

Just then I spotted Stacie and Callie, with their girls. We introduced our families to each other, chatted for a minute or two and then they said they had to go. Callie said she'd had enough of the heat and crowds and was ready to head over to White Water Snacks to escape for awhile. LOL So we said good bye, and then Ruben and I tried to figure out what to do next.

Since I'd never seen the show there at the Golden Horseshoe, we found a table in the nice, cool building and Noelle and I went up to the counter to get in line to buy some food to snack on. I wanted to get a funnel cake, but it wasn't until I'd already been waiting awhile in the long line that I remembered they sell them next door at the Stage Door Cafe. What I did see on their menu however was a yummy looking chocolate cake! Hmmm, ok, well, that will work too. LOL So we ordered that, along with some chicken strips and fries.

The cake was HUGE, but it didn't take long for my four vultures to devour it, with a little help from mom and dad of course.

The show started and we all really enjoyed it! I wasn't sure what to expect but it was funny. The kids liked it too. I'd definitely go back and see it again. Two thumbs up....

From there we decided to make our way over to the new Indy show. I have to say I wasn't really impressed with this show. The twins liked it, and Hannah was chosen to go up and help carry the basket of snakes, but it just didn't thrill me. I would have actually prefered they kept the old Aladdin/Jasmine show. This one was boring to me, although others in the audience seemed into it.

It must have been because I was bored that I looked down at my watch and saw that it was past 2:30. Suddenly it hit me!!! Shoot, I'd totally forgotten about the reservations I'd made for the twins to attend the Birthday Party over at the Plaza Inn!!!! UGH! I could not believe I had forgotten!!! At one point I had considered canceling this because of the cost, but then I decided to keep it and I was bummed that I'd forgotten.

Once the Indy show was finally over, we made our way over to the Plaza Inn but of course it was way too late. Shoot. So there I was, bummed that I'd forgotten, feeling very hot, and irritable from the crowds. The Disney magic was starting to fade, and nothing really sounded appealing at that point.

to be continued.....

 

[CaliLuvinGirl]

Great Trip Report! I love it!

But on a side note, almost all circus's featuring animals treat the animals really cruelly. Next time you should try a cruelty free circus with just people performers!!! Sorry, just had to get that off my chest. But great report!

 

[mommaU4]

Great Trip Report! I love it!

But on a side note, almost all circus's featuring animals treat the animals really cruelly. Next time you should try a cruelty free circus with just people performers!!! Sorry, just had to get that off my chest. But great report!

Hi there. Thanks for that suggestion.
We've seen many of the Cirque de Soleil shows here in Vegas which I guess could be considered very elaborate non-animal "circuses", and I really enjoy those.

I did notice when we arrived at the circus there was a small handful of people out front with signs saying something about animal cruelty, but when I went to the circus website after we got home they had a section about how they treat and care for the animals, and how they have elephant conservation centers, etc. so I wasn't really sure what to think.

I will say the time the animals were out there was minimal, it seemed like they focused a lot on human performers and acrobats, so who knows if maybe this particular one is changing their ways. Hopefully they are since they are so well known.

Thanks again for the information though. I'll keep it in mind.

 

[mommaU4]

So after starting to feel rather crabby, I suggested to Ruben that we split up and I'd take the twins to the Princess Fantasy Faire area, and he could take the older two to do whatever they wanted. Maybe being in a smaller group with less people's needs to tend to would help restore my sanity. LOL

On the way to PFF the twins and I stopped to see Ariel. Surprisingly the line wasn't long at all.

I knew there would be a long line at PFF though and was prepared to wait. However once we got there, I was shocked to see just how long. A CM standing there in a prince type costume said happy birthday to the twins, and I asked him based on the size of the line how long he would guess the wait to be. He said at least 2 hours!
Ummm, no thanks! We'll pass. I miss when the Princesses could just be found walking around the parks. I really am not fond of PFF. I know it's not bad if you get there early, but still. It's not the same.

Since we decided not to stand in line for two hours it was time for Plan B. I found a table near the Enchanted Cottage Sweets and Treats. And then bought two of the Castle Cookie Kits for the girls to decorate and an icy cold drink for myself and we had a nice way to pass some time on a hot, busy day.

They had lots of fun decorating (and later eating) their castle cookies. When we were at DL over Christmas they also did the snowman cookies at the Reindeer Romp.
For some reason the castle cookies tasted better and fresher then the snowmen ones did. But they ate both and had fun decorating both.

After the cookie decorating, Ruben called to find out where we were. They'd been over at Innoventions and said they'd be right over to join us. I think by that point we were all a little cooler and more relaxed and happy.
The twins went down for Cinderella's story, and when that was over all 3 girls did some of the arts and crafts they have there, while I went to get more snacks.

We grabbed a Bavarian pretzel with cheese sauce which was pretty good. The cheese was slightly spicy but not too bad:

And we tried the Knockwurst with peppers and onions. I really liked this but not so much anyone else. Then again they aren't fans of peppers or onions so that's probably why. We also tried the German Chocolate Cake Brownie which was good but nothing special. I didn't like all the chocolate pieces on the top so I took those off.

After resting and snacking, we made our way towards Toon Town but it was too crowded in there for my taste. I guess one of the problems with having APs is you lose your tolerance for the crowds when I know I have been on days when it's practically empty and can always come back again.
So we decided to head to Indy to use some FPs we'd picked up earlier. On the way there Ruben snapped some shots of It's a Small World which is still undergoing renovation and will be until the holiday season.

I didn't want to go on the Indiana Jones ride. I've been on it many times and I like it, I just wasn't in the mood to be jerked around. The line was still really long even with FPs. And without them it was around an 80 minute wait.

As I was sitting there waiting for them, I kept checking out the line for Bengal BBQ. I've never eaten there, but it was one of the places I wanted to try. The line is always so long though!
I'm not sure how long I sat there waiting but I happened to glance over to the BBQ place again and LOOK! There was almost no line! I don't know what happened, and to be honest I wasn't really even hungry but I couldn't pass up this opportunity! I had to go get some chicken skewers.

While I was waiting my turn I kept an eye out for Ruben and the kids coming off the ride. When I saw them I waved them over. Ruben was laughing at me because I was in line for more food.
The chicken skewers were really good and all the kids liked them. I also bought some Tiger Tails but I didn't care for those.

After our snack, we decided to go look for a spot to watch the parade. Whoo hoo! I love a parade!

to be continued......

 

[mommaU4]

We found a great spot for the parade, right on the bricks between the Matterhorn and Ariel's Grotto. While we were waiting for it to start, Adam and Noelle took off and rode Matterhorn with only about a 15 minute wait.

I love the Parade of Dreams and the song too.....

"Welcome to our family time,
Welcome to our brotherly time,
We're happy giving and taking,
To the friends we're making,
There's nothing we won't do.

Welcome to our family time,
Welcome to our happy to be time,
This is a festival,
You know and best of all,
We're here to share it all."

 

[mommaU4]

Whew! Still on Day 3. Long day at DL I guess.

After the parade we all hopped in line for the Matterhorn. The kids love that ride and since the line was only about 20 minutes, we decided to go for it.

Ruben took some shots of the Nemo ride while we were in line:

After Matterhorn we decided to try Toon Town again because I wanted the kids to see Mickey. It was a lot less crowded by then and we were able to take some pics with the main man, er, mouse himself.

After Toon Town we went to Fantasyland but it was still too crowded for me so we kept walking. We ended up going on Haunted Mansion with no wait. Then I made a quick stop at the Mint Julep bar for some more snacks.
We got the fritters with fruit dip, and the funnel cake with chocolate and strawberry sauces and whipped cream.

The kids wanted to do Splash Mountain next. Well, all except Hannah, so I said I'd stay off with her and instead we went on Winnie the Pooh twice with no lines.
After the Pooh ride we had to hit Pooh's Corner for something yummy to take back to the hotel with us. I am not a fan of the Tigger Tails , so I was looking for something else to try. So many choices!!

We ended up with a toffee pretzel, an Apple Pie caramel apple, and a chocolate covered strawberry. All 3 were very good.

Next we went on POTC, Jungle Cruise, and Big Thunder Mountain. After BTM, we bought a chimachanga from the carts near by. I wasn't expecting much but it turned out to be really good. The kids even liked it. It seems like we ate so much today! LOL But everything we bought, we shared among us, and we snacked our way through the park rather then eating large sit down meals. Something I'd always wanted to do.

Sorry the pic is blurry though:

The kids played at the shooting gallery for a bit, then we left Frontierland and I waited on Main Street while Ruben took them all over to Space Mountain. The line there was still long, about 35 minutes, but they really wanted to ride it. And I didn't mind sitting on a bench and just hanging out with everything all lit up and pretty.

After SM it was time to go. On the way out we ran into Pinocchio! The kids loved meeting him and he was a lot of fun to pose with!

Finally Day 3 comes to an end. Back to the hotel for some much needed Zzzzz's.

 

[daisy_77]

Great update, Beth! I love that chocolate cake pic...looks goooood!

Thanks again for that gift for Maddie. She actually just opened the lip gloss this morning and took it fishing with her and Brent. She loves lip gloss (like her momma).

It was flippin hot that morning! And crowded---but it sounded like you got a lot accomplished in such a short amount of time.

 

[daisy_77]

This is the cutest picture! I love it!

I am glad the crowds died down and it cooled off.

 

[toocherie]

Great report Beth! I love the snacking idea--that's why when I go with my Mom we tend to split meals and things--then we get to try more goodies!

Looks like you and your family had lots of fun at DL--can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip too.

 

[kaoden39]

I'm really enjoying your trip report. It looks like after a very long morning everything smoothed out.

 

[CaliLuvinGirl]

Great update, and I am glad the circus seemed pretty kind to the animals!!

I have always wanted to try the apple pie caramel apple. What was it like? I always chicken out and get something I know I'll like!

 

[mommaU4]

Great update, Beth! I love that chocolate cake pic...looks goooood!

Thanks again for that gift for Maddie. She actually just opened the lip gloss this morning and took it fishing with her and Brent. She loves lip gloss (like her momma).

It was flippin hot that morning! And crowded---but it sounded like you got a lot accomplished in such a short amount of time.

The cake was good. But mostly everything we tried that day was. LOL Except the Tiger Tails at Bengal BBQ. They were dry and flavorless to me and this is coming from someone who loves all bread.

I'm glad Maddie liked her gift. It was just little stuff but I wanted her to have something to take on the plane.

It really was hot that day. And so crowded. I'm too spoiled to have patience for that. I'm glad we stuck it out though because once evening hit, around 5-ish, it was getting much cooler and the crowds really thinned out.

Great report Beth! I love the snacking idea--that's why when I go with my Mom we tend to split meals and things--then we get to try more goodies!

Looks like you and your family had lots of fun at DL--can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip too.

Thanks! I love all the places to eat at DL, and snacking was so much fun. We tried so many new things that day. It wasn't really any cheaper, but we got to experiment and sample different items.
We had so much fun at DL but there is lots more to come. We have one day left at DL, and then Solvang, the beach, etc. Thanks for reading along!

I'm really enjoying your trip report. It looks like after a very long morning everything smoothed out.

Yes, thankfully the day ended up being a really good one after all.

Great update, and I am glad the circus seemed pretty kind to the animals!!

I have always wanted to try the apple pie caramel apple. What was it like? I always chicken out and get something I know I'll like!

Hmmm, it's hard to describe. I don't even know what that stuff is they have on there, but it really does taste like an apple pie with caramel. So if you like apple pie, you will enjoy this apple.
Ruben and I both liked it and would get it again. It wasn't as hard to eat as some of the others appear to be either, so that's a plus for those like myself with dental work to keep in mind.




everyone for reading along. It's good to know I haven't lost ya'll with my endless babble!!

 

[mommaU4]

Here are pics of the pins that January was sweet enough to buy for the twins b-day. I know they are going to love them! It will be their first pins. We just bought them lanyards and some pins from the Disney Store so this was perfect timing.

Mickey and Minnie as Jasmine and Aladdin:

Mickey and Minnie as Ariel and Eric:

I love them! Thanks again January.