Seriously... I'm struggling with navigation on the Dis. I somehow missed notification that you had updated. I can't keep track of how this new stuff works. I miss my old subscribed threads list where everything was conveniently in one place and I could see who posted last and when.
What I did was copied the Watched Thread page's address and then went to my bookmarks. I right clicked on the bookmark for my subscribed threads and selected properties and pasted in the new address. Works great.
Seriously... I'm struggling with navigation on the Dis. I somehow missed notification that you had updated. I can't keep track of how this new stuff works. I miss my old subscribed threads list where everything was conveniently in one place and I could see who posted last and when.
You get to the first lits by selecting the "Watched Threads" button on the top of the page and then when you are there, at the bottom is the button to see all watched threads. Subscribed threads are now watched threads. Hope this helps!
A thread that has unread posts will stay bold until you read it. And the boards will remember which posts you have read and keep them unread until you actually navigate to that thread. Currently after the switch over all threads are set to being not read since January 7 (unless you actually read them).
I always liked the old subscribed list because I could see what had been updated most recently and by whom. And I had a list of all the threads I'm following right there together which made it easier to read an update on the go from my phone and then remember to come back later to reply. Having them disappear from that other watched threads list once I read it certainly didn't help me any.
I always liked the old subscribed list because I could see what had been updated most recently and by whom. And I had a list of all the threads I'm following right there together which made it easier to read an update on the go from my phone and then remember to come back later to reply. Having them disappear from that other watched threads list once I read it certainly didn't help me any.
Seriously... I'm struggling with navigation on the Dis. I somehow missed notification that you had updated. I can't keep track of how this new stuff works. I miss my old subscribed threads list where everything was conveniently in one place and I could see who posted last and when.
Looks like Magdalene hooked you up on this one. I actually don't subscribe to most of the threads I follow--didn't want to clog my email inbox. I just check the different sub-boards and look for the threads I've responded to, and see if there's anything new.
Carsland is just amazing. DS was watching Cars over the weekend and I sat down to watch with him for a while. Having seen Carsland and then taking another look at the movie, it just all the more impressive.
It is better than waiting in standby twice though, if you don't have FP... but yeah it really only helps to benefit the other kids getting to ride twice.
There are a lot of things better than waiting in standby twice. Watching paint dry, for example. Getting audited by the IRS. Things like that. I just didn't factor in how much it would slow us down throughout the day.
Lines, in general, just seem to move a lot slower at Disneyland in comparison to the sister attractions at Disney World. At least that was my take on it.
You know, I didn't consciously think that at the time, but looking back, it feels right. Given the temps, I wasn't a big fan of all of the queues being outside.
What I did was copied the Watched Thread page's address and then went to my bookmarks. I right clicked on the bookmark for my subscribed threads and selected properties and pasted in the new address. Works great.
You get to the first lits by selecting the "Watched Threads" button on the top of the page and then when you are there, at the bottom is the button to see all watched threads. Subscribed threads are now watched threads. Hope this helps!
A thread that has unread posts will stay bold until you read it. And the boards will remember which posts you have read and keep them unread until you actually navigate to that thread. Currently after the switch over all threads are set to being not read since January 7 (unless you actually read them).
I always liked the old subscribed list because I could see what had been updated most recently and by whom. And I had a list of all the threads I'm following right there together which made it easier to read an update on the go from my phone and then remember to come back later to reply. Having them disappear from that other watched threads list once I read it certainly didn't help me any.
Sorry, had to giggle a bit at seeing all the Joshua trees on the highway!
Isn't entering into the Disneyland area so strange?! You should see it coming East from Katella. YIKES!
Have stayed at Castle Inn once and just like you, the price couldn't be beat.
Next time, you've got to try the tableside guac at Tortilla Jo's. So delicious!
Isn't the Esplanade the best place?! I try to explain to people the one big difference between DLR and WDW and they just don't understand that you can literally see both parks from this area.
But, Heimlich's Chew Chew Train is one of the top attractions, why wouldn't you want to do it?!
Isn't Cars Land just amazing? At night is even better with all the neon.
Sarah's reaction is right on point with the castle!
It can get ridiculously hot down there. I've been when it was 100 before and it's so not fun. And this was back when they first opened Nemo's Submarine Voyage and there's no overhead coverage for the line
I must say, between the Matterhorn and Indy, you got the better deal (if you got to ride it that is! It's ALWAYS down!)
Isn't the Esplanade the best place?! I try to explain to people the one big difference between DLR and WDW and they just don't understand that you can literally see both parks from this area.
It can get ridiculously hot down there. I've been when it was 100 before and it's so not fun. And this was back when they first opened Nemo's Submarine Voyage and there's no overhead coverage for the line
11:08 a.m.—We have Star Tours FP’s in hand, the Matterhorn Bobsleds are down for repairs, and it’s not quite time for lunch yet. Alison has called and is on her way but hasn’t made it to the park yet. What to do?
We head across the park to see if we can find a line that’s not too long. Near the castle, we catch what will turn out to be our one and only glimpse of Mickey for the day.
Hope you weren’t expecting a cute photo of Baby Drew with Mickey on his first visit. That idea kind of fell by the wayside.
We try to move as quickly as we can through the crowds. We go through the gate to Adventureland…
And into New Orleans Square. Which we all agree has beautiful theming. We check on the line at Pirates of the Caribbean, but it looks insane. I always count on that one to be a fast loader at WDW, so the line there worries me. There was one more ride that I thought might have a shorter line, so we kept moving.
A drive-by shot of New Orleans Square:
And the Columbia:
11:17 a.m.—We made it to the Haunted Mansion. Even better, the posted wait is only 10 minutes! Time to cross another one off the list.
Obviously, the exterior of the mansion is far different from the one in WDW. This one is built to reflect the New Orleans theme, and does so beautifully. The line snakes through the gardens outside, and then we get to walk right through the front door.
Front door at DL vs. basement of WDW: +1 for Disneyland.
The ride itself is a classic. We notice an ever so slight shudder when the stretching room begins to move, since it’s an actual elevator here. Other than that, I have to confess I didn’t notice much different about the ride itself. I’m sure others could point out more of the details than I could. But we were all very happy with the experience.
11:25 a.m.—We emerge back outside in the warming California sun. Just as we leave the ride, we see a woman approaching on a scooter, wearing a large sun hat. It’s none other than our Honorary Fairy Godmother, Alison!
Do we get a photo right then? Of course we don’t. I told you, our photo-taking skills were taking a big hit as we ran through the parks at breakneck speed. But anyway, greetings and smiles are exchanged as we finally get to meet in person. Given all that she had done for us in setting up the day, we were expecting to meet a warm, sweet, fun and friendly person…
…and we were right.
11:30 a.m.—So, Alison, now that we’ve met, are you hungry? Sure, she says, so we’re off to get some lunch. No PB&J today (you’re welcome, Alison). We head back across the park to the Plaza Inn on Main St.
11:40 a.m.—It appears the Plaza Inn isn’t quite open and serving lunch yet. So much for our plan to eat a little early and beat the crowds. We make another seat-of-the-pants decision and head over to Star Tours to use the FP’s. Drew is ready for his lunch, so this time I get to go first.
11:44 a.m.—The line extends outside the building. Many of the queues for the rides at Disneyland are actually outside the buildings, given the limited space they had to work with. Not only that, but the pathways around the park in general feel more cramped and crowded than they do in Florida. I’m sure most of the year it works just fine, but in 92-degree weather and large crowds it’s pretty harsh. +1 for Disney World.
I will say, though, that Julie and I are both impressed at the job the Imagineers did in maximizing the space they had to work with at Disneyland. Relatively speaking, it’s a small piece of property, and we didn’t get the feeling that there was any wasted space whatsoever.
11:48 a.m.—Some of my longtime readers might remember that on our last WDW trip, we rode Star Tours three different times in one morning. I had hoped to get the Darth Vader scene in the beginning, since I’d heard nothing but amazing raves about how AWESOME that Vader scene was. Naturally, I went 0 for 3 on that trip. So it is here that my hopes are renewed that maybe, hopefully, I will get to experience the Darth Vader scene on the ride.
Even in the FP line, it takes a good 15 minutes before we’re loaded into a ride vehicle. We strap in, blast off, and…
…no Vader. But we still love the ride anyway.
12:07 p.m.—I trade places with Julie and Alison graciously hangs out with me while the others get back in line for Star Tours. So Alison and I shoot the breeze for a while. I learn that Julie mentioned our difficulties so far in getting Baby Drew to eat any solid foods. No matter what we’ve tried to this point, he’s pushed it away, spit it out, or just refused to even try anything. It’s not a huge worry yet, but it’s been annoying.
12:14 p.m.—This is the point where it dawns on me that the child swap is actually a stealth time suck.
12:18 p.m.—We are rejoined by Julie and the kids. They got the Darth Vader scene. Because of course they did. Because we are a kind-hearted, supportive, loving family, they all needle me mercilessly over it. I threaten not to buy any of them lunch.
12:30 p.m.—The Plaza Inn is open. And thankfully, it’s also air-conditioned. It’s a Disneyland original, and if I remember correctly, Walt himself once walked these halls. I’ve also read that the fried chicken here is one of the best counter-service meals in the whole park, so that’s what we’re after. As I’ve mentioned before, Sarah and I are absolute suckers for fried chicken.
12:30:30 p.m.—Alison informs us that this chicken is actually baked, not fried. They just found a way to give it a similar texture.
12:31 p.m.—Baked, fried, fricasseed, whatever. If it tastes like fried chicken, Sarah and I will attack it like starving pit bulls.
12:37 p.m.—It tastes fried. And really, really good. We make short work of that meal.
12:58 p.m.—We’re headed back across the park. Alison, because she has magical Fairy Godmother powers, informs us that she has a Magic Fastpass generator that can get us instant Fastpasses for one ride today. So, we ask the kids which ride they want a Magic Fastpass for, and they all agree: they want to go on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Excellent choice, kids.
1:08 p.m.—Alison twirls her magic wand and out pop our Fastpasses. I once again display my amazing husbanding skillz and take baby duty while Julie rides. Alison is most likely sick of watching us have all the fun at this point, so she jumps in line for the ride too.
I’m a little surprised Scotty is riding it. Again, longtime readers will remember that he has tried this ride twice at WDW, and ended up in tears both times. He’s visibly nervous as he gets in line here, but his good experience on Radiator Springs Racers seems to have given him some courage. Here’s hoping.
Meanwhile, I’m hanging out with Baby Drew and fooling around with the camera. Looking back at New Orleans Square, you can see how packed the crowds are getting there:
1:17 p.m.—I get a glimpse of everyone on the ride—they’re in the first car. Sarah and David up front, followed by Julie and Scotty, and Alison behind them.
I learn later that Scotty is leaning over and holding Julie close through the whole ride. Julie’s really worried that once again, he’s hating this. But then, they reach the end, and he looks up and says, “That was…fun!”
FINALLY—Scotty has conquered Big Thunder Mountain.
1:20 p.m.—So he leads the charge as the big kids and I get back in line.
1:29 p.m.—Big Thunder Mountain went under a recent refurbishment at Disneyland and as a result has become a much smoother ride. It also boasts a bigger finish with new effects. As a result, we all had a blast with it, and we’re starting to learn the general rule about Disneyland rides: most of them are better here than their counterparts in Florida. +1 for Disneyland.
I especially love the new effects at the end (hidden with super-secret spoiler tag).
Where you used to see big cheesy-looking fake rocks in an “earthquake”, you now get lit fuses following you up through the tunnel to a gigantic explosion right over your head. It’s pretty awesome, because pyrotechnics.
Julie caught me waving from the train:
1:42 p.m.—We decide to give Pirates another shot. As most of you know, lines at Disney parks are usually categorized in 4 different levels:
1. Nobody here! Let’s go!
2. That’s not so bad. We’ll get in line.
3. Ugh. Do they have a Fastpass? I’m not sure I want to wait that long.
4. HOLY CRAP!! ARE YOU SERIOUS???
As you can see from the photo, Pirates has reached Level 4.
But hey, there’s the Disney Dream Suite up there! That’s about as close as we’ll get to it.
Obviously the crowds are seriously cramping our plan for the day. Alison says she’s never seen the line for Pirates this long. But this is an original, and one we really wanted to ride. So once again, Alison uses her Fairy Godmother powers and says, “Let’s go in the back door.”
There’s a back door?
1:51 p.m.—Actually, it’s the alternate entrance for the disabled. She’s allowed to use that entrance, and we scan our tickets and put our names on the list. It works basically like a FastPass in that we’re given a return time equal to the posted wait time on standby. This seems fair, as it’s not a front-of-the-line pass but also doesn’t force the disabled to wait out there in the standby line the whole time.
So, now we have about an hour to kill before we can ride Pirates. I think we’re already running poor Alison ragged as we do our mad dashes across the park. And it’s only getting hotter and more crowded.
Sounds like it’s time for a Dole Whip.
But first, I volunteer to make a FP run for Space Mountain, because we know everybody still wants to try that one out. We agree to meet at the Dole Whip stand in Adventureland.
2:02 p.m.—Barry Sanders has nothing on me when I’m doing a FP run in a Disney park. I don’t even need a fullback.
2:14 p.m.—I arrive back at Adventureland to see the rest of the crew waiting in line for the Enchanted Tiki Room. Now, I haven’t checked the list recently, but I’m pretty sure that wasn’t on it.
“It was a shorter line for Dole Whips over here,” Julie explains. And really, that’s all the justification needed. The Dole Whip stand (I forget the official name) has two counters, one for the general public and one for people waiting on the Tiki Room. You can even bring your Dole Whip into the Tiki Room with you.
This means that you can go into the Enchanted Tiki Room, sit in dark air-conditioning, and guzzle down a Dole Whip float while completely ignoring the show. +18,000 for Disneyland.
2:28 p.m.—I’m sitting in dark air-conditioning, guzzling a Dole Whip Float. Some birds are singing or something. I have no idea, because I’ve zoned out and don’t really care.
As a joke, I scoop a little bit of Dole Whip onto my spoon and offer it to Baby Drew, who is sitting on my lap. Of course, he’ll probably just spit it onto my lap. But even that would be ok, because I have reached my Dole Whip Zen state.
But then, I find that I can’t get my spoon back.
I pull harder. More resistance.
2:34 p.m.—We have created a monster. The Dole Whip is hereby known as The First Solid (Sorta) Food That Baby Drew Deemed Acceptable.
But really, that seems appropriate, don’ t you think?
You’re not getting that spoon back, Mommy.
Coming Up Next: Will we get on all of the rides on our list? And hey, Alison is spending a large part of the day with us. Maybe we should, I dunno, get a picture together or something.
Looks like Magdalene hooked you up on this one. I actually don't subscribe to most of the threads I follow--didn't want to clog my email inbox. I just check the different sub-boards and look for the threads I've responded to, and see if there's anything new.
Back in the day, no one could figure out why Walt wanted to build his park out in "the sticks". Anaheim was a rural farming community back then. The only thing out there was a little farm where folks would stop and have Chicken Dinner on their way to or from the Beach.
Check out the first 20 seconds of this video and you'll see what Anaheim looked like when Walt started construction on the park.
The reason he secretly bought all the land for WDW is becuase that City "popped up" around his park. And believe me before DCA opened the businesses around there were much less "family friendly"!
The ride itself is a classic. We notice an ever so slight shudder when the stretching room begins to move, since it’s an actual elevator here. Other than that, I have to confess I didn’t notice much different about the ride itself. I’m sure others could point out more of the details than I could. But we were all very happy with the experience.
I never realized that WDW wasn't an elevator! One of the differences is that the things you see when walking down the hallway at the DL version are actually in the ride portion at WDW. The two inverted statues whose eyes follow you, and I believe some of the lenticular portraits are viewed from your doom buggy, whereas at DL you walk past them.
But first, I volunteer to make a FP run for Space Mountain, because we know everybody still wants to try that one out. We agree to meet at the Dole Whip stand in Adventureland.
This was very cute. I was glad that Julie and I had our little discussion earlier or I would have been like, "what's the big deal, so he's eating a Dole Whip?"
And stop with the magical powers! I was just glad to spend the day with you and your family! Although your kids were a little shy, sort of like, "who is this weird lady you met off the internet? Didn't you tell us not to talk to stangers?"
And I just thought I would include this photo, since you didn't. Thank you very much for a wonderful and tasty lunch!
Hope you weren’t expecting a cute photo of Baby Drew with Mickey on his first visit. That idea kind of fell by the wayside.
And into New Orleans Square. Which we all agree has beautiful theming. We check on the line at Pirates of the Caribbean, but it looks insane. I always count on that one to be a fast loader at WDW, so the line there worries me. There was one more ride that I thought might have a shorter line, so we kept moving.
A drive-by shot of New Orleans Square:
And the Columbia:
11:17 a.m.—We made it to the Haunted Mansion. Even better, the posted wait is only 10 minutes! Time to cross another one off the list.
Obviously, the exterior of the mansion is far different from the one in WDW. This one is built to reflect the New Orleans theme, and does so beautifully. The line snakes through the gardens outside, and then we get to walk right through the front door.
Front door at DL vs. basement of WDW: +1 for Disneyland.
The ride itself is a classic. We notice an ever so slight shudder when the stretching room begins to move, since it’s an actual elevator here. Other than that, I have to confess I didn’t notice much different about the ride itself. I’m sure others could point out more of the details than I could. But we were all very happy with the experience.
11:25 a.m.—We emerge back outside in the warming California sun. Just as we leave the ride, we see a woman approaching on a scooter, wearing a large sun hat. It’s none other than our Honorary Fairy Godmother, Alison!
Do we get a photo right then? Of course we don’t. I told you, our photo-taking skills were taking a big hit as we ran through the parks at breakneck speed. But anyway, greetings and smiles are exchanged as we finally get to meet in person. Given all that she had done for us in setting up the day, we were expecting to meet a warm, sweet, fun and friendly person…
…and we were right.
11:30 a.m.—So, Alison, now that we’ve met, are you hungry? Sure, she says, so we’re off to get some lunch. No PB&J today (you’re welcome, Alison). We head back across the park to the Plaza Inn on Main St.
11:40 a.m.—It appears the Plaza Inn isn’t quite open and serving lunch yet. So much for our plan to eat a little early and beat the crowds. We make another seat-of-the-pants decision and head over to Star Tours to use the FP’s. Drew is ready for his lunch, so this time I get to go first.
11:44 a.m.—The line extends outside the building. Many of the queues for the rides at Disneyland are actually outside the buildings, given the limited space they had to work with. Not only that, but the pathways around the park in general feel more cramped and crowded than they do in Florida. I’m sure most of the year it works just fine, but in 92-degree weather and large crowds it’s pretty harsh. +1 for Disney World.
I will say, though, that Julie and I are both impressed at the job the Imagineers did in maximizing the space they had to work with at Disneyland. Relatively speaking, it’s a small piece of property, and we didn’t get the feeling that there was any wasted space whatsoever.
11:48 a.m.—Some of my longtime readers might remember that on our last WDW trip, we rode Star Tours three different times in one morning. I had hoped to get the Darth Vader scene in the beginning, since I’d heard nothing but amazing raves about how AWESOME that Vader scene was. Naturally, I went 0 for 3 on that trip. So it is here that my hopes are renewed that maybe, hopefully, I will get to experience the Darth Vader scene on the ride.
Even in the FP line, it takes a good 15 minutes before we’re loaded into a ride vehicle. We strap in, blast off, and…
…no Vader. But we still love the ride anyway.
12:07 p.m.—I trade places with Julie and Alison graciously hangs out with me while the others get back in line for Star Tours. So Alison and I shoot the breeze for a while. I learn that Julie mentioned our difficulties so far in getting Baby Drew to eat any solid foods. No matter what we’ve tried to this point, he’s pushed it away, spit it out, or just refused to even try anything. It’s not a huge worry yet, but it’s been annoying.
12:14 p.m.—This is the point where it dawns on me that the child swap is actually a stealth time suck.
12:18 p.m.—We are rejoined by Julie and the kids. They got the Darth Vader scene. Because of course they did. Because we are a kind-hearted, supportive, loving family, they all needle me mercilessly over it. I threaten not to buy any of them lunch.
12:30 p.m.—The Plaza Inn is open. And thankfully, it’s also air-conditioned. It’s a Disneyland original, and if I remember correctly, Walt himself once walked these halls. I’ve also read that the fried chicken here is one of the best counter-service meals in the whole park, so that’s what we’re after. As I’ve mentioned before, Sarah and I are absolute suckers for fried chicken.
12:30:30 p.m.—Alison informs us that this chicken is actually baked, not fried. They just found a way to give it a similar texture.
12:31 p.m.—Baked, fried, fricasseed, whatever. If it tastes like fried chicken, Sarah and I will attack it like starving pit bulls.
12:37 p.m.—It tastes fried. And really, really good. We make short work of that meal.
12:58 p.m.—We’re headed back across the park. Alison, because she has magical Fairy Godmother powers, informs us that she has a Magic Fastpass generator that can get us instant Fastpasses for one ride today. So, we ask the kids which ride they want a Magic Fastpass for, and they all agree: they want to go on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Excellent choice, kids.
1:08 p.m.—Alison twirls her magic wand and out pop our Fastpasses. I once again display my amazing husbanding skillz and take baby duty while Julie rides. Alison is most likely sick of watching us have all the fun at this point, so she jumps in line for the ride too.
I’m a little surprised Scotty is riding it. Again, longtime readers will remember that he has tried this ride twice at WDW, and ended up in tears both times. He’s visibly nervous as he gets in line here, but his good experience on Radiator Springs Racers seems to have given him some courage. Here’s hoping.
Meanwhile, I’m hanging out with Baby Drew and fooling around with the camera. Looking back at New Orleans Square, you can see how packed the crowds are getting there:
1:17 p.m.—I get a glimpse of everyone on the ride—they’re in the first car. Sarah and David up front, followed by Julie and Scotty, and Alison behind them.
I learn later that Scotty is leaning over and holding Julie close through the whole ride. Julie’s really worried that once again, he’s hating this. But then, they reach the end, and he looks up and says, “That was…fun!”
FINALLY—Scotty has conquered Big Thunder Mountain.
1:20 p.m.—So he leads the charge as the big kids and I get back in line.
1:29 p.m.—Big Thunder Mountain went under a recent refurbishment at Disneyland and as a result has become a much smoother ride. It also boasts a bigger finish with new effects. As a result, we all had a blast with it, and we’re starting to learn the general rule about Disneyland rides: most of them are better here than their counterparts in Florida. +1 for Disneyland.
I especially love the new effects at the end (hidden with super-secret spoiler tag).
Where you used to see big cheesy-looking fake rocks in an “earthquake”, you now get lit fuses following you up through the tunnel to a gigantic explosion right over your head. It’s pretty awesome, because pyrotechnics.
Julie caught me waving from the train:
1:42 p.m.—We decide to give Pirates another shot. As most of you know, lines at Disney parks are usually categorized in 4 different levels:
1. Nobody here! Let’s go!
2. That’s not so bad. We’ll get in line.
3. Ugh. Do they have a Fastpass? I’m not sure I want to wait that long.
4. HOLY CRAP!! ARE YOU SERIOUS???
As you can see from the photo, Pirates has reached Level 4.
But hey, there’s the Disney Dream Suite up there! That’s about as close as we’ll get to it.
Obviously the crowds are seriously cramping our plan for the day. Alison says she’s never seen the line for Pirates this long. But this is an original, and one we really wanted to ride. So once again, Alison uses her Fairy Godmother powers and says, “Let’s go in the back door.”
There’s a back door?
1:51 p.m.—Actually, it’s the alternate entrance for the disabled. She’s allowed to use that entrance, and we scan our tickets and put our names on the list. It works basically like a FastPass in that we’re given a return time equal to the posted wait time on standby. This seems fair, as it’s not a front-of-the-line pass but also doesn’t force the disabled to wait out there in the standby line the whole time.
So, now we have about an hour to kill before we can ride Pirates. I think we’re already running poor Alison ragged as we do our mad dashes across the park. And it’s only getting hotter and more crowded.
Sounds like it’s time for a Dole Whip.
But first, I volunteer to make a FP run for Space Mountain, because we know everybody still wants to try that one out. We agree to meet at the Dole Whip stand in Adventureland.
2:02 p.m.—Barry Sanders has nothing on me when I’m doing a FP run in a Disney park. I don’t even need a fullback.
2:14 p.m.—I arrive back at Adventureland to see the rest of the crew waiting in line for the Enchanted Tiki Room. Now, I haven’t checked the list recently, but I’m pretty sure that wasn’t on it.
“It was a shorter line for Dole Whips over here,” Julie explains. And really, that’s all the justification needed. The Dole Whip stand (I forget the official name) has two counters, one for the general public and one for people waiting on the Tiki Room. You can even bring your Dole Whip into the Tiki Room with you.
This means that you can go into the Enchanted Tiki Room, sit in dark air-conditioning, and guzzle down a Dole Whip float while completely ignoring the show. +18,000 for Disneyland.
2:28 p.m.—I’m sitting in dark air-conditioning, guzzling a Dole Whip Float. Some birds are singing or something. I have no idea, because I’ve zoned out and don’t really care.
As a joke, I scoop a little bit of Dole Whip onto my spoon and offer it to Baby Drew, who is sitting on my lap. Of course, he’ll probably just spit it onto my lap. But even that would be ok, because I have reached my Dole Whip Zen state.
But then, I find that I can’t get my spoon back.
I pull harder. More resistance.
2:34 p.m.—We have created a monster. The Dole Whip is hereby known as The First Solid (Sorta) Food That Baby Drew Deemed Acceptable.
But really, that seems appropriate, don’ t you think?
You’re not getting that spoon back, Mommy.
Coming Up Next: Will we get on all of the rides on our list? And hey, Alison is spending a large part of the day with us. Maybe we should, I dunno, get a picture together or something.
Don't mind the above. I haven't quite mastered the cutting and pasting with pictures replies. Maybe I need a second cup of coffee?
So - this was pretty much the BEST UPDATE EVER!
I love the way you are cruising through DL and I almost feel like I know where you are, even though I have never stepped foot in the park.
Yay for meeting Allison!
Boo for being the only one who didn't get the Darth Vader scene. I think you should have threatened the rest of the gang (I mean your kind and compassionate family) with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for heckling you.
What a cute restaurant and good to know about the fried chicken. I mean, not fried chicken that tastes like fried chicken. Doesn't CA have all sorts of healthy food rules. I would thinking frying is strictly prohibited there, but I can't swear to it.
Yay for a magic FP and a ride on BTMMR. Glad Scotty loved it.
Way to push your way through the crowd and get those SM FP's.
So Baby Drew's first solid food is DOLE WHIP???? Yup - you really ARE going to win parent of the year awards for that one!
I was concerned at the length of the lines at first until I realized once you went in you were practically on the ride..... the only time that backfired was Roger Rabbit.
I learn that Julie mentioned our difficulties so far in getting Baby Drew to eat any solid foods. No matter what we’ve tried to this point, he’s pushed it away, spit it out, or just refused to even try anything. It’s not a huge worry yet, but it’s been annoying.
Alison, because she has magical Fairy Godmother powers, informs us that she has a Magic Fastpass generator that can get us instant Fastpasses for one ride today. So, we ask the kids which ride they want a Magic Fastpass for, and they all agree: they want to go on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
As a result, we all had a blast with it, and we’re starting to learn the general rule about Disneyland rides: most of them are better here than their counterparts in Florida. +1 for Disneyland.
This means that you can go into the Enchanted Tiki Room, sit in dark air-conditioning, and guzzle down a Dole Whip float while completely ignoring the show. +18,000 for Disneyland.
What a super great update, Mark!! WOW, so much goodness in there. Including Dole Whip action! Your son clearly has good taste. And fried chicken. (I'm reading this just as I head off to a Valentines Day Double Date, where I may just have to order some.)
You are taking a romp through my old stomping grounds, spent many a day and night working that area. The theming is indeed incredible; I really love NOS.
Love that shot of you waving- great timing, Julie! Super big hooray that Scotty has conquered the Mountain. He's on his way!!
Ok, I'll wait for my new nifty little notification when I need to catch up again. Cheers.
We head across the park to see if we can find a line that’s not too long. Near the castle, we catch what will turn out to be our one and only glimpse of Mickey for the day.
And into New Orleans Square. Which we all agree has beautiful theming. We check on the line at Pirates of the Caribbean, but it looks insane. I always count on that one to be a fast loader at WDW, so the line there worries me. There was one more ride that I thought might have a shorter line, so we kept moving.
Do we get a photo right then? Of course we don’t. I told you, our photo-taking skills were taking a big hit as we ran through the parks at breakneck speed. But anyway, greetings and smiles are exchanged as we finally get to meet in person. Given all that she had done for us in setting up the day, we were expecting to meet a warm, sweet, fun and friendly person…
I'm glad you got to meet her! And I trust that you'll get a picture eventually. But I totally understand the "put the camera away" attitude. It really wasn't a priority for us at all on our past trips.
I will say, though, that Julie and I are both impressed at the job the Imagineers did in maximizing the space they had to work with at Disneyland. Relatively speaking, it’s a small piece of property, and we didn’t get the feeling that there was any wasted space whatsoever.
I had hoped to get the Darth Vader scene in the beginning, since I’d heard nothing but amazing raves about how AWESOME that Vader scene was. Naturally, I went 0 for 3 on that trip. So it is here that my hopes are renewed that maybe, hopefully, I will get to experience the Darth Vader scene on the ride.
We are rejoined by Julie and the kids. They got the Darth Vader scene. Because of course they did. Because we are a kind-hearted, supportive, loving family, they all needle me mercilessly over it. I threaten not to buy any of them lunch.
I learn later that Scotty is leaning over and holding Julie close through the whole ride. Julie’s really worried that once again, he’s hating this. But then, they reach the end, and he looks up and says, “That was…fun!”
But first, I volunteer to make a FP run for Space Mountain, because we know everybody still wants to try that one out. We agree to meet at the Dole Whip stand in Adventureland.
2:02 p.m.—Barry Sanders has nothing on me when I’m doing a FP run in a Disney park. I don’t even need a fullback.
You're absolutely right though.
I try to explain to people the one big difference between DLR and WDW and they just don't understand that you can literally see both parks from this area.
Probably part of the not sleeping at night thing.. 
Cheers.
No. It reached level 4 2 hours ago. This is just insane. 
