Solo day and family trip... two, two, two reports in ONE!

[kaoden39]

Woo hoo! I am looking forward to reading it.

 

[bumbershoot]

That's quite an avatar you've got there, kaoden.

**********

I'm going to start with my experiences while in San Diego, not to make a trip report but to give a background for how much I needed that day in Disney. Although I took umbrage at my friends saying Disney is "childish", I did NEED a place that was "childlike" after that trip. I'm not sure I like adults and adult behavior all that much!

The trip was in honor of a friend's 40th b'day, and the place was chosen b/c of Madonna's concert on the 4th.

Let me mention that if you believe in the *secret* ballot like I do, and don't much enjoy political "discussions", then being with a large group of varied people at a concert venue as election results are coming in and being discussed is NOT a terrific option for you. Though it did result in my hearing what was possibly the most inane comment ever, which was amusing enough to make the other crud worth it. More on that later.


So this was a large group of women, between 32 and 47. Three of us only knew a couple of others, but the bulk of them knew the bulk of them. They've been on "girl trips" before, and I guess they truly use the "what happens out of our small town stays out of our small town" concept. I did not expect that! When there are rules that involve "don't leave with a guy and not tell us" or "if you want to invite someone back to the condo overnight you need to put it to a vote", and the women in violation of those rules are *married*, you know that you're going to need Disneyland at the end of it.

There were also conversations that involved counting the drinks they could *remember* having (seems most maxed out at 10 mixed drinks)...I kept thinking "perhaps these years since college were all a dream and we're actually still 19", but all the arm pinching in the world couldn't convince me of that.

There were a few of us who kept to ourselves, didn't flirt and dance with every guy in sight, and that was good. I was glad I was not the only one keeping to the decisions I made when I agreed to Robert's proposal and to traditional marriage vows (we didn't have the traditional "forsaking all others" that others do, but it was in other words and in our intentions), but it was still exhausting, and more importantly, disappointing, to see it all.


I had to leave them by Monday; I had only gotten in Saturday night. Thankfully my brother and I already had plans to get together on Monday, and I just had him pick me up hours earlier than originally planned, and I decided to stay over that night. Turns out that my brother has co-workers who do the same sort of nonsense while on business trips! Crazy. I had no idea that there were so many people like that. Then my sister in law got in from a business trip that night, and since I hadn't really seen her in awhile I was glad I was staying over.

Got back to the group the next day, just in time to rest a bit more and get ready for the concert. The tickets said it started at 7:30, but that was a total lie. Madonna hit the stage (no opening act) at 9.

In between the time we got there and sat down (well before 7:30) and Madonna, the news was being transmitted that there were enough electoral votes to decide the president, and then later that the other candidate had gracefully conceded. When the women in front of us got the news of the concession, they shouted it (they were rabid supporters of the future new president). The women behind us were rabid supporters of the one who conceded, and *flipped out*. Shouted over my head to ask the other women if they had actually said that. Spent some time dropping some bad words and "I just can't believe it"s. I'm sure the same thing would have happened if it went the other way, but by different people.

But here's where it got silly. I'm sure that ANY of you guys here can see the silliness. As it was, even in our varied group of people, those who heard the statement all tilted our heads like confused puppies, and we just said "huh?"

This woman (the main one freaking out) was sputtering and yelling and was VERY upset, and said "that's it, I don't want to live in a socialized country like future new president wants....let's go, we're moving to Europe!!!"

Um, huh?

One friend texted that to a friend of hers at home, who was a PolySci major, and the friend started making suggestions of the strongest socialized European nations as a joke.

It's one thing to want to emigrate just so you don't have to be part of it; it's another thing to be against having a more socialized system but want to move to Europe to get AWAY from it.



Madonna was good. She's really in amazing shape. I kept having to remind myself that she's 50, since she can dance in 4 inch heeled boots for almost 3 hours. She can even do complex jump rope routines, while rising up on a moving platform, while wearing those heels.

She peeved the future confused European citizens behind me by spending about 15 minutes talking and singing about the future new president. I wished she hadn't done it either, but that's just b/c of the secret ballot thing. Not into public displays of rabidity on EITHER side.

Part of that was having those on the "floor" move up, and she urged "no space, no space", b/c she wanted everyone to be unified and celebrating as one, but I do admit I felt bad for those who weren't part of the "one country" since their candidate didn't have enough support. They certainly didn't feel unified at that moment, and I feel bad for those who feel left out, but I'm not sure they had to sit and sulk while swearing behind me, either.

She did a kick-booty version of Borderline that involved drum and guitar lines closer to Rob Zombie than dance club stuff from the 80s. Since I love love LOVE that song, and love that kind of "harder" music, I LOVED the version. And the stuff she did with Like a Prayer was amazing too.

I guess tonight at her Los Angeles concert she's going to have both Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears there singing with her (Disney tie-in!!!!!), while our concert just had their voices and images during the songs that she did with them.

It was quite a good concert. I'm not convinced it was worth the $191 I paid for the ticket (the birthday girl was in charge of buying them, and she obviously lost her mind when it came to choosing the seats), but it was a very good show.


After the concert our traveling companions wanted to drink more (the $10 mixed drinks and $7 Budweisers at Petco Stadium not being enough for them) so we went off to WhiskyGirl, where the non-birthday girl that I already knew suggested leaving after about 5 minutes. I gladly left, we got dinner and went back to the condo.

I called Yellow Cab, arranged a pick-up for sick-and-wrong the next morning, and went to bed, happy with the music running through my head, and the fact that I was going to DLR in the morning!

 

[bumbershoot]

Just in case no one actually cares about why I was in such need of a "happy place", or cares about the Madonna concert, I'll start my Disney day.

The day dawned early. OK so I was up before it dawned. I am NOT a fan of days like that! But it was for a good purpose. I had done most everything for the morning before going to sleep, so I had very little to do other than gather things and wait for the cab. The cab driver was early, but I was ready and watching, so that was fine.

I had scheduled a half hour to get to the Amtrak station, just in case, but since he got there about 12 minutes ahead of time, we ended up being at the station at the time he was supposed to pick me up! My train was at 7:05, and b/c the ticket kiosk wasn't agreeing with me, I got to talk to an agent. I was traveling on Guest Reward points earned from hotel stays from last year's CA trip (Wyndham hotel group, including Super8, TravelLodge and HoJo!), but the kiosk wanted me to give it a credit/debit card despite the paper specifically stating I didn't need one. AND since I hadn't given them a card number anyway, putting one in the kiosk wouldn't have gotten me anywhere.

So the agent gave me a ticket, and told me I could get on the 6am train that was about to leave. Well what the heck, why not? So I loped out there, got on board, and settled in.

What a nice trip! Getting out of San Diego isn't the prettiest thing, but as you get further north you can see the ocean and all the surfers in the water. Passed through San Juan Capistrano and found some places I want to visit (Garden Temple and the cafe nearby looked nice from the train tracks). In a short 2 hours, we were there, at the very barren Anaheim train station.

When you get off the train, you might think you're just in a parking lot. I was scared! But I followed the path along, and after using the pedestrian underpass beneath the tracks, was happy to find some civilization. There was a taxi that had just dropped people off, and he could sense my need for a cab (I saw one or two parked, but only the one right there waiting).

Since I had luggage and was going to catch the Disneyland Express that night from outside the Disneyland Hotel, I had him drop me there, just in case they would hold my luggage. The answer? No. I could have checked with the Bell Services captain, but it seemed like it was going to be a "no" no matter what, and there are lockers, so why bother? Plus I would have had to tip the bell guy and the captain in thanks, then tip the bell person later that night, and that would add up just the same as a locker rental.

I was there just after 8am, with a park opening at 10. So I trudged in the morning sun, out of the hotel (I did snag some free-for-guests coffee b/c I'm naughty like that). Pretty grounds, most definitely! Nice, if old fashioned lobby area. But wow that's an obnoxious walk! If I'm going to walk that far (remembering that I would probably never take the monorail in, in the mornings at least) I'd rather be paying HoJo 59 bucks vs paying DLH whatever they are charging. Not saying I will NEVER stay there, just saying it's a long stinkin' walk. Biggest problems with the walk for me are: shopper's mecca and I'm not a shopper, and it's not in a straight line...I like straight lines, like, oh, say, Harbor Boulevard from HoJo, LOL.

So there I was, walking through DTD. There were tons of people out! I'm not sure they knew what time the parks opened. I asked a nice security guard chatting with a janitorial CM, just to make sure there are big lockers over in the picnic area. He assured me that there are, but I needed to get there "early". OK it's maybe 8:30 am on a Wednesday...I was indeed already early, LOL. I wasn't worried.

The picnic area is off to the left, before the DTD-side bag check. A nice quiet place behind tall trees. I chose the extra jumbo, or something like that, locker for $15. WOW was that locker big! I could have gotten the mid-sized locker and still would have had extra space. I had a soft-sided piece of luggage that is officially carry-on size for any airline, and then a matching bag that's more "personal size" when you think of a carryon. I also put my sweatshirt in there, as it was already warming up. Before buying the locker I organized a bit, figuring that I wouldn't have much time to do so that night.

Then I headed towards bag check, which was opening right as I walked up to it. I hadn't had coffee yet and people already seemed cranky, b/c they were realizing the park opening time and how early they were. Because of that, I "let" several families LEAVE the esplanade to go back to their hotel, b/c it was too early to be there. I feel bad now, but it's not like those people were going to believe me, if I told them that it behooved them to be in line early. And really, the crowds were VERY light, and I'm sure people were fine all day, so in retrospect it was OK, but I felt actual guilt for not talking to them at the time.

Just before 9am.

Lightballs in the trees in DTD while wandering.

The A for no good reason.

I finally got in line. I was about 5 groups back then a CM pointed out one of those hidden-by-trees gates, which no one was at (even me) even though we were right there, b/c we just didn't think of it. So then I was the second back (guy behind me was a CM on his day off). In front of me was a family from Idaho who hadn't used message boards to plan (I asked). They had been in the parks the night before briefly, but this was their first morning of their first trip to Disneyland Resort! Very fun. They had matching shirts that had been beadazzled by grandma with what looked like golden brads in the shape of a Mickey head. A small Mickey head, but still, a Mickey head (you can see why I asked if she planned online, LOL).

The husband hadn't wanted to get there so early, but wowie did it pay off, b/c this is them as they opened the park!

I already knew I had to leave before the parade, but I sure hope they had fun being the honored family.



They opened the park just after 9:30. As the CM with them prepared his spiel, the gates opened and since I was first at my gate, the CM dealt with my $30 off AP voucher and gave me my ticket-like voucher, then had me wait until the family and the CM did their thing. She went further in the line with her scanner thing, beeping their tickets so the first few groups could just charge through. I liked that!

So then we charged and I was inside the park, yet again during this now-longer-than-one-year of Disney!

 

[Sherry E]

$191 for a Madonna ticket? Good Lord! $191 is exactly what I paid for my Premium AP after I applied all my unused tickets to the price!

 

[Sherry E]

I am on the edge of my seat, anxiously awaiting the rest of the TR! More! More!

 

[bumbershoot]

$191 for a Madonna ticket? Good Lord! $191 is exactly what I paid for my Premium AP after I applied all my unused tickets to the price!

It was painful. Very painful. I've never paid anything like that for a ticket. Ever.

My friend talked about the concert, I said yes when she said we were going to Vegas. Then something strange happened with getting those tickets (even though she had TWO nights there) and it was changed to San Diego, and suddenly she had purchased 12 tickets for $191 each. She said that I could back out if I wanted, but I didn't want to do that (should have told her to sell it to someone, then bought my own ticket, really), didn't want to look cheap. And that's how I got suckered into paying 191 (that's with ticketmaster's fees and taxes and such)

I guess they were good seats when I think about it now, but at the time I was kind of "eh" about the view. But Petco is a weird stadium, and I guess it was probably the second best area for a view without being on the floor right in front of the stage (but that's not a good view of the whole spectacle of the SHOW, though a good view of her legs I imagine). The box areas were probably nice to be in, but much further away than we were.

Haven't yet gotten pix up, being lazy.

 

[BillyFan]

$191 for a Madonna ticket? Good Lord! $191 is exactly what I paid for my Premium AP after I applied all my unused tickets to the price!

I was thinking the exact same thing about the concert ticket. You could have added another couple of days to your Disneyland trip with that money! What we do for friends........
And I can't wait for more of your trippie.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I thought you might like what Carrie Underwood said the other day. She loses respect for celebrities that endorse candidates because she feels like they're insulting the American people. I didn't know much about her, but that made my respect for her skyrocket. It's okay and wonderful to have political opinions, but when you're a rock star, movie star, sports star, et all, I don't care what you think or who you're for.

I know what you mean about telling people the tips and tricks that work best for touring the parks. Some people just don't want to hear about it and won't listen to you anyways. I always feel sorry for those who say they really want to ride Nemo, but can't wait an hour for it, so they hope to come back later to see if the line is any better.

 

[bumbershoot]

Although I don't discount what celebrities have to say, I just don't like it when they are LOUD about it. I figure that an actor actually does have lots of downtime to read up on things, and actually has access to those in charge (or who want to be in charge), or at least more access than we do, so I think that they can make some very good decisions using much more information than we can.

I just don't want 'em to go ON about it. I didn't want Madonna to talk about the president elect, just like I wouldn't want a celebrity on the "other" side to talk about it.

Bad night for me to be out and about.

Though I did get some attention from a few men of African descent who asked me how I felt about the president elect. Since I had been keeping to myself during the trip and hadn't had ANY attention from men, 4 men talking to me in one night was kinda fun! I even got two hugs on the street from men who were glad I was positive about the president elect's father's race. Silly thing to hug about, but they were excited about the election and were in very happy moods. One of them even asked my friend (this was when we were on our way to get food) if I was married, LOL. I don't think any of the men pestering the others on the trip were asking questions like that, so not only did I get a hug, I got a hug from a moral man! I had been starting to wonder if they existed in San Diego!

 

[kaoden39]

Oh geez. I am with you. When celebrities go on and on even when it is a subject I agree with. Oh my gosh that whole San Diego part was not all that fun. And I must be cheap there is no way I would pay $191 for a Madonna ticket. Nice male attention can be flattering but um the other I don't know...I look forward to the rest of Disneyland.

 

[bumbershoot]

I just added pictures to my arrival post.

 

[bumbershoot]

Assuming you have read the arrival post that I edited, you know about being behind the family of the day.



As I was reading the post over, I realized....I might-could have been the park opener (if they ever take single tourists). Why do I think that? Well, I was heading over to the empty line and a family got there quicker than I did. I was looking around, smiling in the sunshine, and I noticed a big family behind me was having problems figuring out the MTTMM vouchers they had. Even after a CM explained, they were still complaining about it, so I offered my assistance. I'm not sure if it helped, but at least I finally tried.

When I turned back around, I noticed a CM with the family that beat me to the first spot at the gate, and he was telling them that they would be let in and open the park, and he mentioned the parade. After the CM left them, I congratulated them!

But now I wonder, if I had been quicker about moving over, would I have been asked to be the person of the day?

I wouldn't have been able to accept anyway, b/c I had to leave before the parade, but wow it would have been nice to have to turn it down!

And now I've just realized that that moment was the start of my "just missing out on Dreams" theme for the day.

 

[Sherry E]

Although I don't discount what celebrities have to say, I just don't like it when they are LOUD about it. I figure that an actor actually does have lots of downtime to read up on things, and actually has access to those in charge (or who want to be in charge), or at least more access than we do, so I think that they can make some very good decisions using much more information than we can.

I just don't want 'em to go ON about it. I didn't want Madonna to talk about the president elect, just like I wouldn't want a celebrity on the "other" side to talk about it.

Bad night for me to be out and about.

Though I did get some attention from a few men of African descent who asked me how I felt about the president elect. Since I had been keeping to myself during the trip and hadn't had ANY attention from men, 4 men talking to me in one night was kinda fun! I even got two hugs on the street from men who were glad I was positive about the president elect's father's race. Silly thing to hug about, but they were excited about the election and were in very happy moods. One of them even asked my friend (this was when we were on our way to get food) if I was married, LOL. I don't think any of the men pestering the others on the trip were asking questions like that, so not only did I get a hug, I got a hug from a moral man! I had been starting to wonder if they existed in San Diego!

It is ALWAYS nice to get hugs from moral men! I know moral me don't exist up in Los Angeles, but I guess a few trickled down to SD!! I was beginnng to think the only moral men to be found in California live in the hinterlands up north, in those great little small towns that still have general stores instead of grocery stores - like Yreka. Yes, there is a Eureka, CA, but there is also a Yreka. I don't know what Yreka is like these days, but when I saw it last, it looked like a town with upstanding citizens and decent men!

 

[bumbershoot]

Upstanding citizens and decent men, yeehaw!

Thankfully hubby seems to be one of them...hmm, he's from Issaquah WA which is sort of a mountain community like I think Yreka is (always seem to be heading through the mountains when I see the signs at least). Maybe those mountain men is what people should look for. Though these guys weren't in the mountains...maybe they had come down from the mountains to celebrate.

Eh, all I know is that I felt like I had been surrounded by skeevy people (both my friend and her buddies along with the boys pursuing them despite all the women having very traditional golden engagement and wedding rings on (maybe the guys all thought the rings were fake?)...and I have an untraditional anniversary style band with tanzanite, and I get asked if I was married) and it was just lovely to have a nice hug and to be ASKED if I was actually attached or not.


Right now I am in desperate need of the Mexican food I had near my brother's place. It was sooooo good. I don't think hubby is so upstanding and decent that he's going to hop on a plane to go get it for me, though.


I don't know how Hound draws out a story like he does. I guess it's something about him being, oh I don't know, BUSY or something. I'm trying to go slow but it's not working!

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

Molly! For some reason the date you were going didn't register in my brain that it was this early in November! Doh!

I agree about the celebrity/political thing too. My Mom was watching a music video on youtube last night about our now president, but this was made before he became president. And it was a bunch of celebrities and kind of celebrities. It was a nice song they were all singing, but the images in the video directed who they were voting for which was all meh to me. I'm all for celebrities using their voices as a vehicle to get us Americans to vote, but I could really care less who they're supporting. It's not going to make me change my mind.

Yeah! $190 for Madonna is a lot. Were your seats really close? My parents were nice enough to pay $125 for Jonas Brother's concert tickets for me. Well $120 after shipping and processing and all that junk. Plus it's general admission so the seating is all equal.

I can't wait for more updates! I enjoy reading them! I said that already, huh?!

 

[bumbershoot]

When we last left, um, me, I had just been let in, yay!

Since there weren't many people at the gates and since it was half an hour until rope drop, and since I wasn't heading towards Fantasyland or Nemo (b/c MY Dis knowledge is to turn left, always left when I get into the parks b/c everyone else will turn right), I, um, turned right! OK only to get to the AP processing center. No one else was in there, and I exchanged my newly printed ticket-like voucher for a new AP.

OK so actually I was unaware of the time, and thought it was truly park opening. It was after I got the AP and started walking that the announcement came on saying that the park would officially be opening in half an hour, and to enjoy the shops and food until then.

So I went and got some breakfast. Instead of talking I'll show:

The latte was better than I remembered, but the muffin was just Not Good. I liked the ones I made from their recipe much better. First off, that muffin is Too Big. Second, they gave it to me in a paper tray instead of a bag, so I felt I had to finish it or throw it away, b/c I couldn't just put it into a bag and carry it along. Third, it was dry-ish. Fourth, it had raisins in it. OK so the recipe did too, but I didn't use them and I forgot about them until I broke into the muffin. Fifth through thirtieth, the cream cheese frosting was DISGUSTING. I think maybe they used paste instead of cream cheese? And there was no cinnamon in the cream cheese even though the recipe called for it. Bleah. Disappointing!


Then I just sort of stood around in the middle of the hordes. That's a relative term. When you're in the middle of a crowd you don't know how small the crowd is; from the wait times I experienced, there wasn't much of a crowd.

There were cute kids all around! What I've noticed now from my two solo trips is that they make me happier about the family trips. I see "bad" behaviour from kids, but it doesn't look that bad. I see cute behaviour and it's cuter than anything. I see adorable kids and they are more adorable (like the sister and brother, perhaps 2 years difference, who had the same wondrously curly hair and were incredibly patient while waiting for rope drop!). And so on. I don't sit there wishing that my son were there, but I wish for a future trip so I can enjoy him then. (I don't seem to have the "missing people" gene, I've noticed, as long as the person is still alive)


At last the rope dropped (since I'm short and have never been at the front I haven't a clue as to what this rope might look like). And what did the crowd do? They went LEFT! Huh? "They" say that "they" will go to the right. But here I was in near-running crowds over to the left. Well, OK, whatever.

By this time I had finally decided on my strategy for the day, which was "do what I want when I want to do it". Good strategy for a solo trip, right? I mean, you'd never have seen that one coming.

Actually one of the things I did while waiting outside the gates, when the gate CM started passing out maps through the gate (pretty cute of her), was cross out the things I didn't want to do. Jungle Cruise was out. I was going to go to Indy, but the line was already long outside (though of course there was no one inside and I should have just gone on the ride at that point but I don't like being in lines that go into the walkway, even if I know they will clear soon.

Note to newer DLR dis'ers who might be lurking: sometimes I do things opposite of what I should do, just b/c I wanna or don't wanna do whatever it is. It seems to work out for me, but you might just want to do what other smarter Dis'ers do instead.

So I bypassed Indy. I looked at Tarzan's Treehouse as I approached. I had a *strong* feeling that there would be Dream Team people there. I thought about going up at that point. I decided against it. As I passed by, I saw no Dream Team people at the exit, and felt OK with my decision.

Now you might wonder where on earth I was going! Was it Pirates? No, b/c I didn't want to ride it without DS. Was it Splash? No, b/c I don't actually *like* Splash. (see note above...sometimes I'm just different.) Was it Pooh? No.

I was heading that way, um, because...I wanted to go on Haunted Mansion Holiday. I worried that I was giving it short shrift, and I wanted to see what I felt about it for a second time. I wanted to get a FP for it, and maybe ride it.

So I went through part of NOS with no great sense of urgency, and snapped a few pics.

I didn't even pop the colors up on this one!

Taking pictures into bright morning sunshine is difficult.

At last I got to the FP machines for HMH. I felt silly getting the pass, but I like it in that little area so I got a pass anyway. And then I walked right in, possibly in the first group, b/c the ride vehicles were totally stopped, as was the loading walkway, when we all got to the ride.

My goodness that stretching room spiel is creepy! Anyway, here's my one no-flash shot (not that there are other pictures I took WITH a flash...just that I took one picture and it was without the flash).

The verdict? Meh. I prefer the proper HM, I won't go out of my way to get on HMH, but I won't go out of my way to NOT go on it, either. It's not my style, it's too packed with stuff, the gingerbread was strong smelling but not pleasant to sniff either, but it's not evil, either.



Then I decided to go on Indy, and I walked towards it. Short line, though I got to see the film reel 3+ times. Chatted with a family on their first day, first trip! I tried to show them the rope-pull trick, but it wasn't doing anything. Drat! They had high hopes about the ride. As a person riding alone, I was put with other people. I had great fun and laughed the whole time. I was in the back for the first time, and it was MUCH rockier than I've experienced in the past.

As I left, I saw the family...they were carrying the younger boy (not that young, but younger than his brother). I guess he got sick on the ride or maybe just hated it, which is just rotten. Poor boy. By the end of the exit area he was OK to walk and they all held hands and went along with their day. So they seemed to be making the best of it!

As I exited, I saw signs that the Dream Team was around. Since I had just come out of Indy, I didn't think it was from there, so I checked out Tarzan, just to see. I was NOT the only person with that idea. Alas, we were all disappointed, b/c there was no Dream Team there.

At the time, because I hadn't yet realized that I maybe could have been Dreamed if I had been the first person at my gate, I thought "I bet today is going to be like that...repeatedly narrowly missing the Dream Team". And I was right!

 

[bumbershoot]

ppb, the seats were OK. It's a weird set-up with the seats there; the seats angle the other way from where the stage was set up, and I haven't checked but I might have a bruise on my right thigh b/c of trying to sit at the correct angle to see her (when the people at the front of my section stood we all had to stand, but sometimes they would sit down, too, and then we would all sit along with them) and running into the seat's side.

I assume the seats are set up so you're looking at home plate (I think it's just a baseball stadium in terms of sports), but she was in the outfield. My section (I was maybe 5 rows from the front of my section) didn't have sight lines impacted by other sections, so like I said, when the people in front sat down, it was a good thing. I guess the women in front of us were having a lover's spat and kept moving towards then away then towards etc each other...I had ear plugs in so didn't hear them but my friend heard them arguing...that caused me a problem b/c I had to keep looking one way then the other, depending on where they were standing!

Anyway, the seats were probably in the second best section; closer than most of the seats off the floor, and I know from experience that floor seats aren't all they are cracked up to be b/c you don't get the whole view. I sat on the floor section at the now blown up King Dome for U2 in '97 or so, and it was nowhere near as good as I have experienced by buying "obstructed view" cheapie seats for other U2 concerts and some other concert I'm not remembering right now. Of course some of the floor people got to be broadcast to the rest of the stadium, but that still wouldn't have been worth it to me, not for that show.

 

[bumbershoot]

Alright, where was I? Oh yes, I had finished with Tarzan's Treehouse.

It was such a lovely day! Not too warm, not cold, not crowded but not empty either.

I hadn't been on Big Thunder in what felt like ages. So I decided to go over there. Their FP machine was off (did you know that the Entertainment Times Guide tells you which FP machines are turned off?) but the wait was SHORT so I walked on.

I was put in one of the front cars (stood in row 3 on the boarding platform). While waiting to go, I decided I would try the "goat trick", where you look at the goat and keep looking as the train whips around the right turn after the goat.

I really enjoyed the ride, it was great fun! When I got to the goat, I turned my head to keep looking at it, and oh goodness me, I thought my stomach came off its moorings! Oh the sick feeling was intense. But intense and sick in a fun roller coaster sort of way.

After the ride finished, I decided to go again, but NOT do the goat trick this time. As I was put in row 10 on the platform, I realized that my experiment wasn't perfect. It didn't account for my body getting used to the ride, nor did it account for being put into different spots on the train. Well, nothing to do about that now...

So now, being towards the back of the train, when I did NOT do the goat trick, I didn't have even a bit of the sick stomach floating feeling. It was a huge difference.

So that was my experiment with the goat trick.



From there I wandered back behind the ride, just in case the Dream Team was there. I saw some no-vest DT cast members going into the backstage door there, so I just missed them. As the door opened and closed, I saw Woodie and Jessie waiting to come out, and because I didn't feel like waiting for them, I just missed them, too.


I walked through Fantasyland, glad I wasn't having a day where I might want to or have to go on any of the rides. Ooh, I just now realized that I really ought to have gone on Alice, since I've only been on it once if I remember correctly. Oh well!

I did wander through the hat shop where I saw a CUTE pink fedora type hat along with an adorable little Mickey-as-cowboy felt cowboy hat for only $8. Oh I hope that hat is there on our next family trip! I didn't buy it for DS b/c I didn't know if he would want it, and since he loves buying things, I didn't want to take that purchase away from him.

 

[blue donkey]

Can totally understand why you would appreciate a disney day after your " " beginning to your socal trip. But, I guess you something new everyday.

your tr. always enjoy what you write.

 

[bumbershoot]

Hi Blue! Thanks for reading!

I'm still reeling from the start to the trip. Talking about it with hubby and my closest friend, who reluctantly divorced her husband after finding out about his infidelity (she tried so hard to make it work, but he was even lying to his counselor and not trying to change so it was useless), and just being sad about it.

I've known the main "bad behavior" friend since I was 17, and I have known her husband since I was 18. I'm trying to decide if I should do anything. I don't know the other women who were being bad, but I do know the main one, and I feel horrible for her husband.

But back to Disney!