Somebody's Gonna Pee in a Cup, West Coast - Link to new TR 1/21

[pkondz]

Read the update, Andy! Back later for comments.
My break is almost over.

 

[pkondz]

I'll Have Some of That There Pistachio Ice Cream.

And that there is one of the few flavours that I haven't tried.
I guess I just don't get the connection.

As we were walking down the hallway, we heard all kinds of yelling and saw a couple of important looking Disney people standing outside the door to a room.

Oh, I get that.
They'd have to drag me kicking and screaming out of there too.

"I don't wanna go home!!!"

I changed into swim trunks and an Under Armour shirt to go ride GRR first.

You what?

A real man would wear his jeans and shirt.



So disappointed.
You better hope the DISdads don't hear about this.

Those raft type rides aren’t quite as much fun when you have to ride in a raft filled with strangers.

I get that. A lot of the fun is seeing who gets soaked the most and then laughing at them.

I felt sorry for the mom who either drew the short straw or was also too scared to ride ToT.

Oh, to see her face!

I really enjoyed GRR. It is very well themed. Kind of like a mountain stream with several small drops and lots of big splashes. It is much, much longer and more entertaining of a ride than Kali River Rapids.

I was surprised by that.
But then I Googled and found out that Kali opened two years earlier than GRR.

I don’t think it would have been possible for him to be any wetter. And I don’t think he’d have it any other way.

Some people love the soaking and want to get hit. Others are the opposite.
Not too many people in the middle.

On my way, I passed the room where we heard the yelling earlier and there were 2 Disney security types standing outside in the hallway talking with a man.

"I'm sorry sir. But your family wants you to come home. It's been six months."

I headed back out to the hallway and saw about 6 Disney security people standing there.

Yup. That's more like it.
No measly two guards are going to be able to dislodge me!

I’m not sure what happened, but I could overhear one of the security people talking to someone else through a radio and it sounded like he was informing the person on the other end that they were going to be leaving the hotel to escort this guest off of the property.

Sucks to be you, buddy.

But... you must be just as curious as I am to know what was going on.

I’ve got to say whatever it was, they handled the situation well. Had I not been walking down the hallway at the particular moments that things were going down, I don’t think we’d have ever noticed a disturbance. It certainly wasn’t a bother to DW and the kids in the room.

Disney excels at that kind of thing don't they?

The first pre-show is a recorded Disneyland 50th anniversary special hosted by Steve Martin. I really enjoyed watching that.

Love Steve Martin. He can pull off serious as well as comedic.
Which way did he play it?

I really enjoyed it. But I also enjoy Hall of Presidents. So take it for what it is worth.

I'm not American, but I liked HoP too.

And I’m sorry I destroyed my phone, because I totally would have had pictures of this if I didn’t.

Pictures or it never happened!

Specifically the kind with pineapple in it.

I’m sure I could have got ice cream, but I didn’t want to walk past all these people sitting at tables and watching the show to try to get up to one of the counters so I just stood in back and watched the show for a while.

Nah. Just barge on through.
Ice creams trumps manners, ya know.

Look, I really enjoy a good Dole Whip. But to me, they just aren’t worth waiting in a long line for. If I can get one with minimal wait, I gladly will. But the line was long and I just didn’t care to wait.

I agree. Which is why I try to time... everything to have little or no waits.
Even Dole Whip.

I'll come back later, thanks.

The ride itself was fun, but definitely a much different experience from WDW. There’s really not a dark ride element to the ride that you have at WDW with the elevator moving down the hallway.

Huh. That's the best part.

It was fantastic.

Next time, try going solo the whole trip.

I opened the door and the kids were still wide awake.

Well, DW isn’t going to be in a very good mood, but at least I had a great afternoon.

Ah. Well, there's your reason why you won't be going solo any time soon!

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

I'll Have Some of That There Pistachio Ice Cream.

“Do not try the free pistachio ice cream!
It done turn!”

As we were walking down the hallway, we heard all kinds of yelling and saw a couple of important looking Disney people standing outside the door to a room.

Seemed a little odd, but we headed on past.

I’d say that “odd” may be a bit of an understatement for the GCH.

I, on the other hand, was heading back out the door.

At’a boy

I enjoy water rides, but I just don’t really like to walk around in wet clothes all day.

I miss a lot of them for that very reason.
Actually, I’ve never ridden Kali for that exact reason.
That’s also why we made that extra run over to The Dark Side in the middle of a rain storm back in that TR I finally finished.

Since we were in GCH and the entrance to the ride was literally steps away from the GCH entrance, it was only slightly farther to walk here than it was to walk to the pool anyway.

The resort choice is paying off handsomely in this instance.

I felt sorry for the mom who either drew the short straw or was also too scared to ride ToT.

Oh the things we do for our young’ens

On my way, I passed the room where we heard the yelling earlier and there were 2 Disney security types standing outside in the hallway talking with a man.

Yep…
That’s precisely the kind of thing that Disney does not like to have going on.

it sounded like he was informing the person on the other end that they were going to be leaving the hotel to escort this guest off of the property.

Sucks to be you, buddy.

Yes it does, and I have a sneaking suspension that chemical enhancement was directly involved.
Either that or the guy was just a plain idiot.

I’ve got to say whatever it was, they handled the situation well.

That doesn’t surprise me a bit either.

In no time at all, I was in the lobby waiting for the next showing of Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. I had arrived just after a show started, but it worked out perfectly. They basically have 2 pre-shows for this attraction and I got to see both.

I love it when a plan comes together.

It was finally time to see the show, and I really enjoyed it. But I also enjoy Hall of Presidents. So take it for what it is worth.

<<raises hand>>
Yeah… me too. I get it.

Specifically the kind with pineapple in it.

Pineapple… good…

I walked on towards Adventureland and holy cow!!! The Dole Whip line was wrapped around the building and back towards Aladdin’s Oasis.

When I came back outside, the FP time for BTMRR was at 3:20 to 4:20. I figured we could work with that so I grabbed FP for all of us.

Nice planning there.

The line for Dole Whips was no shorter than before, so I passed on it.

No cooperation…

Look, I really enjoy a good Dole Whip. But to me, they just aren’t worth waiting in a long line for.

<<raises hand>>
Yeah… me too.

Of course admitting that could get us both kicked out of the DDC.
We’ll just need to double out intake of beer and bacon.

The ride itself was fun, but definitely a much different experience from WDW. There’s really not a dark ride element to the ride that you have at WDW with the elevator moving down the hallway. You basically have some video elements and then the drops. It is definitely a lot of fun, but I don’t think I’d have missed much if I didn’t ride it.

Interesting…
It seems to be a fairly rare occurrence of something at DL not being more elaborate as its Fla counterpart.

Instead, I decided to spend just a few more minutes in Carsland. No kids. No camera. Just me. Walking around and taking in the details one last time.

It was fantastic.

Very nice…
Take advantage of such while you can.
You may pay for the privilege later on.

Within a few minutes my ice cream was gone and I was back at our room.

Always hide the evidence.

I opened the door and the kids were still wide awake.

Uh oh…

Well, DW isn’t going to be in a very good mood, but at least I had a great afternoon.

We’ll just see how the evening goes.
Good thing you got the BTMRR passes as a bit of a piece offering.

 

[SarahDisney]

I'll Have Some of That There Pistachio Ice Cream.

Wasabi!

As we were walking down the hallway, we heard all kinds of yelling and saw a couple of important looking Disney people standing outside the door to a room.

Seemed a little odd, but we headed on past.

Okay, I'm sorry, maybe I'm just too nosy for my own good (I am) ... but how do you not stay close by and try to find out what's going on??

There were a couple of Disneyland exclusive attractions that I wanted to check out that nobody else wanted to do. Specifically, Grizzly River Run and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.

Yeah, sometimes reading your TR makes me feel like a bad DL-lover. I've never done either one.
Then again, I've never done ToT either and I'm not wild about Haunted Mansion or POTC (although I do generally do both of those, I just don't like them much) ... so I guess that makes me a weird Disney-lover in general.

One of the kids in our raft just seemed to catch all the waves though. I don’t think it would have been possible for him to be any wetter. And I don’t think he’d have it any other way.

Once you get wet, you have to get super wet. It's like a rule.

grab my sunglasses, which I had forgotten

That's like my biggest nightmare. At least you got the chance to go back for them.

On my way, I passed the room where we heard the yelling earlier and there were 2 Disney security types standing outside in the hallway talking with a man. The door was opened and I could see others inside the room..

Seriously, how do you just pass by and not stop to find out what's going on??

The kids were still wide awake, but lying in bed. I think they were watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, or whatever was on the Disney channel at the time. DW was about half asleep.

This sounds like a really good idea. Leaving 2 awake kids in the room with a half asleep adult.

It was finally time to see the show, and I really enjoyed it. But I also enjoy Hall of Presidents. So take it for what it is worth. I like history, so it was a nice show to be able to experience.

Um ... I've never done Hall of Presidents either. And my main travelling companion was a history major in college (in her defense, she focused on post-WWII America, and Lincoln was pre-WWII).
Also, my father's a history teacher. So, really a fail on my part.

Well, DW isn’t going to be in a very good mood, but at least I had a great afternoon.

And really, all that matters is that you enjoyed, right? DW & kids don't matter during alone time!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

sounds like an interesting experience with that guest who needed to be escorted out. Good to hear they handled it without much ruckus (could you describe the ruckus, sir?)

Grizzly River Run sounds really fun. My daughter loves, loves Kali River Rapids so we will definitely have to check out GRR. Glad you got to see great moments with Mr. Lincoln. The pre- and post-show stuff sounds almost as good as the show itself.

I really love Dole Whips but that line sounds crazy!

Glad you had a nice afternoon - even if the plan for your wife wasn't fully executed

 

[afwdwfan]

And that there is one of the few flavours that I haven't tried.
I guess I just don't get the connection.

Yeah... me neither. I prefer to stick to the basics.

Oh, I get that.
They'd have to drag me kicking and screaming out of there too.

"I don't wanna go home!!!"

You what?

A real man would wear his jeans and shirt.



So disappointed.
You better hope the DISdads don't hear about this.

Considering I never wore jeans the whole trip.

I get that. A lot of the fun is seeing who gets soaked the most and then laughing at them.

Oh, to see her face!

It was a look of defeat.

I was surprised by that.
But then I Googled and found out that Kali opened two years earlier than GRR.

I just don't care for KRR. I mean the queue is phenomenal, the ride is very well themed and the setting is fantastic. But the ride is over before it even gets started. Just left me disappointed.

Some people love the soaking and want to get hit. Others are the opposite.
Not too many people in the middle.

Very true. And usually the one who wants to be wet doesn't get a drop and the one afraid of water gets soaked.

"I'm sorry sir. But your family wants you to come home. It's been six months."

NOOOO!!!!!

Yup. That's more like it.
No measly two guards are going to be able to dislodge me!

What if one of them has a taser?

But... you must be just as curious as I am to know what was going on.

Oh, I most certainly was. But not curious enough to sacrifice solo park time to hang around and spy it out.

Disney excels at that kind of thing don't they?

Love Steve Martin. He can pull off serious as well as comedic.
Which way did he play it?

Actually both. It was kind of a serious retrospective with a lot of comedy and gags thrown into the mix. I think he and Donald were fighting over who the real host was or something like that at one point.

I'm not American, but I liked HoP too.

It's a good one.

Pictures or it never happened!

Well, I don't have pictures, but it happened. I guess that just means you need to get your butt down to Disneyland and see first hand.

Nah. Just barge on through.
Ice creams trumps manners, ya know.

I agree. Which is why I try to time... everything to have little or no waits.
Even Dole Whip.

I'll come back later, thanks.

It didn't work out for me, but that's alright.

Huh. That's the best part.

Maybe to you.

Next time, try going solo the whole trip.

That would be fun!!!!

Ah. Well, there's your reason why you won't be going solo any time soon!

Truer words have never been spoken.

“Do not try the free pistachio ice cream!
It done turn!”

I’d say that “odd” may be a bit of an understatement for the GCH.

In all fairness, I've never seen anything like it at ANY Disney resort.

At’a boy

I miss a lot of them for that very reason.
Actually, I’ve never ridden Kali for that exact reason.
That’s also why we made that extra run over to The Dark Side in the middle of a rain storm back in that TR I finally finished.

I kind of plan it that way too. If I'm doing a water ride I definite make sure to wear lightweight clothes that will dry quickly and ideally do it before going back to the room. Your IoA drencher plan was ideal.

The resort choice is paying off handsomely in this instance.

Oh the things we do for our young’ens

Yep…
That’s precisely the kind of thing that Disney does not like to have going on.

Not at all. They were swift to handle it.

Yes it does, and I have a sneaking suspension that chemical enhancement was directly involved.
Either that or the guy was just a plain idiot.

I don't know. I couldn't understand much of what he said. He wasn't speaking English. Or maybe he was just slurring that badly.

That doesn’t surprise me a bit either.

Nope, they're top notch.

I love it when a plan comes together.

<<raises hand>>
Yeah… me too. I get it

Pineapple… good…

Nice planning there.

It worked well. The times were close, but I figured we'd get to the park at around 3:30 and I wanted to push the window back just a little more to give us a cushion.

No cooperation…

Those stupid people! Don't they know I want a Dole Whip too??? Why are they all in my way!

<<raises hand>>
Yeah… me too.

Of course admitting that could get us both kicked out of the DDC.
We’ll just need to double out intake of beer and bacon.

There are a lot of great snacks at the Disney parks. But I can't think of one that I'm willing to wait in a long line for. Now DW will always wait in a line for the Caramel Corn in Germany and it is usually a bit of a wait too. But there just isn't much that I have to have if it involves waiting in a line longer than the line for the Magic Carpets.

Except for maybe the chocolate peanut butter cupcake at Starring Rolls. I don't know, I've never had to make that call.

Interesting…
It seems to be a fairly rare occurrence of something at DL not being more elaborate as its Fla counterpart.

There are a few cases. But most of them are in DCA. Which I would assume, is part of why it underwent such an extensive refurbishment of the entire park a few years ago. I'd say the main ones that stick out as being a little bit "more" at WDW are ToT, TSMM and Little Mermaid, all in DCA. Then Star Tours and Astro Orbiter in Tomorrowland. The rest are better at DL or a push. The main detractions for most of these rides though compared to the WDW counterpart would be the lack of theming of the queue and ride building.

Very nice…
Take advantage of such while you can.
You may pay for the privilege later on.

Always hide the evidence.

Deny, deny, deny.

Uh oh…

We’ll just see how the evening goes.
Good thing you got the BTMRR passes as a bit of a piece offering.

It can't hurt.

Wasabi!

Okay, I'm sorry, maybe I'm just too nosy for my own good (I am) ... but how do you not stay close by and try to find out what's going on??

I was definitely curious as to what was happening. But the guy wasn't speaking English so I didn't know what he was saying anyway. And regardless, I had precious few hours of solo park time. I wasn't wasting time with hotel drama!

Yeah, sometimes reading your TR makes me feel like a bad DL-lover. I've never done either one.
Then again, I've never done ToT either and I'm not wild about Haunted Mansion or POTC (although I do generally do both of those, I just don't like them much) ... so I guess that makes me a weird Disney-lover in general.

But we all knew that.

Once you get wet, you have to get super wet. It's like a rule.

That's like my biggest nightmare. At least you got the chance to go back for them.

True. I wear contacts and my eyes are just super sensitive to light when I have them in. I almost turned around to get them when I stepped outside to ride GRR and realized I forgot them. But I decided to just suck it up and squint through it for one ride.

Seriously, how do you just pass by and not stop to find out what's going on??

Again... language barriers and solo park time. I was actually walking down the hallway right behind them when they escorted him out. That's how I could hear the conversation that one of the security people was having. I took the stairs instead of hopping in the elevator with them though.

This sounds like a really good idea. Leaving 2 awake kids in the room with a half asleep adult.

As long as i'm not the half asleep adult, it is a great idea!!!!

Um ... I've never done Hall of Presidents either. And my main travelling companion was a history major in college (in her defense, she focused on post-WWII America, and Lincoln was pre-WWII).
Also, my father's a history teacher. So, really a fail on my part.

You should check it out sometime!

And really, all that matters is that you enjoyed, right? DW & kids don't matter during alone time!

Well, yes and no. You do kind of have to keep from thinking about that to enjoy yourself and avoid feeling guilty about it. But then you return and kind of feel bad.

 

[ursalita]

As we were walking down the hallway, we heard all kinds of yelling and saw a couple of important looking Disney people standing outside the door to a room.

Seemed a little odd, but we headed on past.

Intriguing...

Since we were in GCH and the entrance to the ride was literally steps away from the GCH entrance, it was only slightly farther to walk here than it was to walk to the pool anyway.

Must be so nice to be that close!

I really enjoyed GRR. It is very well themed. Kind of like a mountain stream with several small drops and lots of big splashes. It is much, much longer and more entertaining of a ride than Kali River Rapids.

That sounds like a fun ride. I like Kali so I'm sure I'd love this one.

I ended up getting kind of wet on the ride, but not soaked.

Perfect.

One of the kids in our raft just seemed to catch all the waves though. I don’t think it would have been possible for him to be any wetter. And I don’t think he’d have it any other way.

Also perfect.

On my way, I passed the room where we heard the yelling earlier and there were 2 Disney security types standing outside in the hallway talking with a man. The door was opened and I could see others inside the room..

The plot thickens.

I headed back out to the hallway and saw about 6 Disney security people standing there. They were escorting the man they had been talking to when I came back in, down the hallway. I’m not sure what happened, but I could overhear one of the security people talking to someone else through a radio and it sounded like he was informing the person on the other end that they were going to be leaving the hotel to escort this guest off of the property.

I wish I knew what he did! I'm so nosy.

I’ve got to say whatever it was, they handled the situation well.

No surprise there.

They basically have 2 pre-shows for this attraction and I got to see both. The first pre-show is a recorded Disneyland 50th anniversary special hosted by Steve Martin. I really enjoyed watching that.

That sounds fun. Was it a temporary think for the anniversary?

After that ended, the CM hosting the show encouraged everyone to move into the next room where there is a large model of the US Capitol building and a video playing about Walt Disney’s fascination with Abe Lincoln and how the attraction came to be.

That sounds good, too. We loved HoP so we would have to do this one, too.

And I’m sorry I destroyed my phone, because I totally would have had pictures of this if I didn’t.

Dang!

Look, I really enjoy a good Dole Whip. But to me, they just aren’t worth waiting in a long line for. If I can get one with minimal wait, I gladly will.

I totally agree.

I opened the door and the kids were still wide awake.

 

[afwdwfan]

sounds like an interesting experience with that guest who needed to be escorted out. Good to hear they handled it without much ruckus (could you describe the ruckus, sir?)

It was kind of interesting to see what I was able to see as they were dealing with the situation.

Grizzly River Run sounds really fun. My daughter loves, loves Kali River Rapids so we will definitely have to check out GRR. Glad you got to see great moments with Mr. Lincoln. The pre- and post-show stuff sounds almost as good as the show itself.

I thought GRR was fantastic. I'd definitely make a point of riding it. I can't really disagree with the statement about the pre-show and post show areas of Mr. Lincoln. The whole building is just like stepping into a museum, in a way. It just has Walt's presence all around. It's nice to just be able to take it all in.

I really love Dole Whips but that line sounds crazy!

They're good, but I just struggle with the idea of spending a longer time waiting in line for a snack than it will take me to eat said snack.

Glad you had a nice afternoon - even if the plan for your wife wasn't fully executed

Yeah. It was a perfect afternoon for me...

Intriguing...

Must be so nice to be that close!

That was one of the main reasons we wanted to stay at GCH. And that part of the resort did not disappoint.

That sounds like a fun ride. I like Kali so I'm sure I'd love this one.

Oh yeah... and I just slammed Kali. Sorry. I'm sure you'll like this one. It's a longer ride, and to me, a little more interesting terrain. The queue is pretty simple though, so it has nothing on KRR's theming.

Perfect.

Also perfect.

The plot thickens.

I only wish I knew what it was all about.

I wish I knew what he did! I'm so nosy.

No, I wanted to know what it was too! But I couldn't understand anything the man was saying and, you know, solo park time. I had other priorities.

No surprise there.

Disney security does what they do very well.

That sounds fun. Was it a temporary think for the anniversary?

I don't believe so. There were basically 2 rooms before you get into Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. This video was playing in the first room which was more of just a Disney-esque display than the actual pre-show room where the model of the Capitol is located.

That sounds good, too. We loved HoP so we would have to do this one, too.

It's well worth checking out. I did enjoy the video showing how the attraction came to be.

Dang!

I was really disappointed that I didn't have a way to document anything. I guess I should have been like @Captain_Oblivious and made up some kind of story about how I defeated some ninjas or something while I was in the park since I didn't have any photo evidence of what actually happened anyway.

I totally agree.

Again... spending more time in line to get a snack than it takes to eat it just doesn't work for me.

 

[ursalita]

Oh yeah... and I just slammed Kali. Sorry. I'm sure you'll like this one. It's a longer ride, and to me, a little more interesting terrain. The queue is pretty simple though, so it has nothing on KRR's theming.

Hey, no apology necessary. I don't have anything to compare it to. Also, I think I enjoyed it so much because the boys loved it.

 

[pkondz]

Considering I never wore jeans the whole trip.

Just a speedo, huh?

Or as DW calls them: "Sausage casings."

But the ride is over before it even gets started. Just left me disappointed.

Okay, I get that.

Very true. And usually the one who wants to be wet doesn't get a drop and the one afraid of water gets soaked.

That's true. It does seem to happen that way.

What if one of them has a taser?

Then I follow him out like a little whipped puppy.

Oh, I most certainly was. But not curious enough to sacrifice solo park time to hang around and spy it out.

Agreed.

Actually both. It was kind of a serious retrospective with a lot of comedy and gags thrown into the mix. I think he and Donald were fighting over who the real host was or something like that at one point.

Ah. That must've been pretty good.

I guess that just means you need to get your butt down to Disneyland and see first hand.

Actually.... probably never gonna happen. And I'm okay with that.

 

[afwdwfan]

Just a speedo, huh?

Dear God, no!!!!! Nobody wants to see that.

Or as DW calls them: "Sausage casings."

Then I follow him out like a little whipped puppy.

Yeah, that's what I thought.

Ah. That must've been pretty good.

It was. I enjoyed it. I was actually thinking about it as I typed the update that I need to look for it on Youtube to watch it again. I was trying to kind of watch it while looking around the room a little bit at the same time so I know I missed out on some things.

Actually.... probably never gonna happen. And I'm okay with that.

I totally get it. I'd have said the exact same thing about 3 years ago.

 

[afwdwfan]

Hey, no apology necessary. I don't have anything to compare it to. Also, I think I enjoyed it so much because the boys loved it.

I think that's why I'm so hard on KRR. Our "local" park (Kings Island near Cincinnati) has a raft ride that I've really enjoyed over the years. And KRR was kind of a disappointment compared to it. I certainly have higher expectations for a Disney ride compared to something that isn't Disney.

 

[Gracefulskinny]

On my way, I passed the room where we heard the yelling earlier and there were 2 Disney security types standing outside in the hallway talking with a man. The door was opened and I could see others inside the room..

They were escorting the man they had been talking to when I came back in, down the hallway. I’m not sure what happened, but I could overhear one of the security people talking to someone else through a radio and it sounded like he was informing the person on the other end that they were going to be leaving the hotel to escort this guest off of the property.

Huh. Well at least they were discreet about it.

Sucks to be you, buddy.

But I also enjoy Hall of Presidents.

Can't say I've ever been to that one that I remember.

And I’m sorry I destroyed my phone, because I totally would have had pictures of this if I didn’t.

Bummer again!

I don’t mind waiting in lines for an attraction, but if it comes down to waiting in a long line for a snack I don’t have much patience and tend to figure out how badly I do or don’t need something to eat.

Sounds like DH.

No kids. No camera. Just me. Walking around and taking in the details one last time.

It was fantastic.

Its nice to do that sometimes isn't?

I opened the door and the kids were still wide awake.

Always fun when that happens. I found the perfect solution for the rest of the night.

 

[pkondz]

Nobody wants to see that.

And yet... we still do.

Yeah, that's what I thought.

What can I say.
Were you expecting heroics? That's only in the movies.

I totally get it. I'd have said the exact same thing about 3 years ago.

Yeah, I guess I should never say never.
Let's just put it at "unlikely".

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Those raft type rides aren’t quite as much fun when you have to ride in a raft filled with strangers.

On the downside, you can't give the family member who got soaked a hard time. On the plus side, you can say pretty much anything you want to people who will never see you again!

The kids didn’t want to do that, and the GRR line was short so I was riding with them during their third spin around the river.

I felt sorry for the mom who either drew the short straw or was also too scared to ride ToT.

You could do worse. They could have made her ride Mickey's Wheel of Death over and over.

It is much, much longer and more entertaining of a ride than Kali River Rapids.

I like KRR, but I really hate that it's so short.

I headed back out to the hallway and saw about 6 Disney security people standing there. They were escorting the man they had been talking to when I came back in, down the hallway. I’m not sure what happened, but I could overhear one of the security people talking to someone else through a radio and it sounded like he was informing the person on the other end that they were going to be leaving the hotel to escort this guest off of the property.

Sucks to be you, buddy.

They covered that up so well we had no idea @FreezinRafiki was even there.

It’s a great story about a great US president. And it is one of the projects that Walt himself was personally passionate about.

I think I would have liked to do the same as you. It's not something I'd go for every time, but seeing it once would be worthwhile, especially knowing this was one of Walt's babies.

I walked on towards Adventureland and holy cow!!! The Dole Whip line was wrapped around the building and back towards Aladdin’s Oasis.

I had pretty much the same experience! Very popular spot.

Look, I really enjoy a good Dole Whip. But to me, they just aren’t worth waiting in a long line for.

Not much is worth waiting in a huge line for. So I guess you weren't interested in the Tiki Room? I did like figuring out how to beat the system and skip the line there.

There’s really not a dark ride element to the ride that you have at WDW with the elevator moving down the hallway.

That stinks. That might be the coolest part of the Florida version.

Instead, I decided to spend just a few more minutes in Carsland. No kids. No camera. Just me. Walking around and taking in the details one last time.

It was fantastic.

Excellent idea!

Well, DW isn’t going to be in a very good mood, but at least I had a great afternoon.

Hope you enjoyed it while it lasted!

I guess I should have been like @Captain_Oblivious and made up some kind of story about how I defeated some ninjas or something while I was in the park since I didn't have any photo evidence of what actually happened anyway.

FYI, ninjas make every story better. So do exploding helicopters.

 

[amazingact21]

Whoa, you never really think about parties having disagreements at DL, but I guess it does. Silly guy, probably lost his DL privileges after that.


I think everyone who goes to DL for the first time has to go see the Lincoln show. It was such an important thing to Walt. Not to mention, one of the first animatronics created. Glad you were able to see it and got that nice little surprise museum at the end.



Well, at least you gave ToT a shot and can compare the two versions now.



Dole Whips are worth a little bit of a wait...especially the versions from AK. I read on someone else's TR thT there's another entrance to the snack line in the Encahnted Tiki Room that tends to be much shorter. So if you ever do happen to end up back at DL and hankering for a Dole Whip...



I feel sorry for your wife that the kids didn't nap for her. That always stinks. Naps are the one break us parents usually get. But, I can understand your appreciation of having that time to yourself. Sometimes, the best gifts you can give to each other is some time to yourself. I still love my mom giving me the chance to go into DHS for a few hours by myself last summer while she watched Landon for me. Only us parents know the sheer joy of being able to walk around a park without toting around diapers and toys and skippy cups. And getting to enjoy an ice cream without having to share or hold onto 80 napkins to use to clean up the mess little hands made with their cones.
The simple things in life...

 

[afwdwfan]

Huh. Well at least they were discreet about it.

Most definitely. I couldn't even have tried to eavesdrop without it being blatantly obvious. I mean who just hangs around in the middle of a hallway?

Can't say I've ever been to that one that I remember.

You should sometime. You know, if Little Miss needs to cool down and take a nap in a dark room. It's a good one, but if you're not that interested in the material, I can see why it has a reputation for being a good place for a nap.

Bummer again!

Sounds like DH.

I just don't like lines in general. Especially one that takes longer to wait in than to eat the snack I'm buying.

Its nice to do that sometimes isn't?

Always fun when that happens. I found the perfect solution for the rest of the night.

On the downside, you can't give the family member who got soaked a hard time. On the plus side, you can say pretty much anything you want to people who will never see you again!

True! Even though the mom might have felt like she was the only adult in the raft by the time we hit the first big splash...

You could do worse. They could have made her ride Mickey's Wheel of Death over and over.

I like KRR, but I really hate that it's so short.

Yeah, that's fair. I'd enjoy it a lot more if there was more of it. The fact that it can get pretty lined up during the summer and has such a long queue for such a short ride kind of turns me off of it.

They covered that up so well we had no idea @FreezinRafiki was even there.

He certainly doesn't venture over to the TR boards much anymore either.

I think I would have liked to do the same as you. It's not something I'd go for every time, but seeing it once would be worthwhile, especially knowing this was one of Walt's babies.

I had pretty much the same experience! Very popular spot.

Not much is worth waiting in a huge line for. So I guess you weren't interested in the Tiki Room? I did like figuring out how to beat the system and skip the line there

Definitely! I didn't really want to take the time to do it while I was solo, but I was aware of this trick...

That stinks. That might be the coolest part of the Florida version.

Just for you and @pkondz
I do like the hallway part of it though. They had the visual effect of the elevator getting zapped by lightning but you just didn't roll down the hallway through all the props and special effects. It was still a good ride though. Just a much different experience.

Excellent idea!

It was perfect.

Hope you enjoyed it while it lasted!

FYI, ninjas make every story better. So do exploding helicopters.

Whoa, you never really think about parties having disagreements at DL, but I guess it does. Silly guy, probably lost his DL privileges after that.

I'm guessing the removal from the property most likely was more than for just the day. It was something you don't expect to see, but they really handled it all well.

I think everyone who goes to DL for the first time has to go see the Lincoln show. It was such an important thing to Walt. Not to mention, one of the first animatronics created. Glad you were able to see it and got that nice little surprise museum at the end.

It was really interesting to see the show and learn about all the work that went into it.

Well, at least you gave ToT a shot and can compare the two versions now.

I liked them both, but Disneyland really did feel like a slightly stripped down version.

Dole Whips are worth a little bit of a wait...especially the versions from AK. I read on someone else's TR thT there's another entrance to the snack line in the Encahnted Tiki Room that tends to be much shorter. So if you ever do happen to end up back at DL and hankering for a Dole Whip...

There is a way to access them from the Tiki Room queue. I was aware of it, but just didn't want to see the Tiki Room during my solo time.

I feel sorry for your wife that the kids didn't nap for her. That always stinks. Naps are the one break us parents usually get. But, I can understand your appreciation of having that time to yourself. Sometimes, the best gifts you can give to each other is some time to yourself. I still love my mom giving me the chance to go into DHS for a few hours by myself last summer while she watched Landon for me. Only us parents know the sheer joy of being able to walk around a park without toting around diapers and toys and skippy cups. And getting to enjoy an ice cream without having to share or hold onto 80 napkins to use to clean up the mess little hands made with their cones.
The simple things in life...

I felt bad that they didn't sleep, but truthfully, they had Disney channel on, so they sat and watched it and I think DW at least got to nap for a while without being disturbed too much.

But I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the parks. I will gladly go to any Disney park by myself for a few hours any chance I get. I always feel bad, like a little kid doing something they know they shouldn't do. But it's just too much fun to have a little bit of extra freedom to do my own thing. And yes, to eat my own ice cream without sharing or worrying about sticky messes. Or at least no sticky messes that someone else made.

 

[pkondz]

I do like the hallway part of it though. They had the visual effect of the elevator getting zapped by lightning but you just didn't roll down the hallway through all the props and special effects. It was still a good ride though. Just a much different experience.

I actually think what's cooler than the effects is that a vertical ride.... moves horizontally.
I'd love to know the engineering behind that one.

 

[afwdwfan]

I actually think what's cooler than the effects is that a vertical ride.... moves horizontally.
I'd love to know the engineering behind that one.

Disneyland's moves horizontally too. I'm pretty sure it did. At least it felt like it moved a bit of a distance. But it was in total darkness.

I mean it has to move at some point, right? To get away from the loading area, to the "elevator shaft" and then to the unload area.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I actually think what's cooler than the effects is that a vertical ride.... moves horizontally.
I'd love to know the engineering behind that one.

Me too. I totally wasn't expecting that when I rode it, and it really enhanced the idea of "entering the Twilight Zone".