TR - A Gregarious Ghostly Gallivant - Final Thoughts Finally Posted!

[mnmrmustard]

I've been looking at that and considering ordering it but it looks like Disney's ploy to make you spend money to spend more money. Can I ask, what made you join? Have you heard if they are going to offer members any perks?? If they do then I might have to join but I don't think I will if there isn't anything else to it other than the free gift and magazine.
Oh and let us know what the free gift is when you get it. I'm curious!!

I am hopeful that they will build in perks to existing events such as holidays and such ....like Halloween I'm willing to roll the dice and see what they do with the concept. If it doesn't pan out over the first year I'll just not renew it.

Here is the blurb saying exactly what you get. We won't be able to take advantage of the expo this year, but it is something we can work into future trips:

A one-year D23 Charter Membership* includes:

Disney ''twenty-three'' Quarterly Publication: A one-year subscription (four issues) to D23's exquisite collectible magazine, filled with stunning photography, dazzling illustrations and the ultimate Disney insider perspective. It's your all-access pass to discovering the magic of Disney's past, present and future!

Membership Card and Certificate: Your membership card and personalized, suitable-for-framing charter member certificate feature many of Disney's most beloved characters drawn by Disney Master Artist David Pacheco.

Surprise Collectible Gift: A collectible just for D23 members. You'll receive a gift you'll cherish from the new Walt Disney Archives Collection.
Exclusive Special Events and Merchandise: D23 offers its members unique special-event opportunities throughout the year, as well as access to exclusive, limited-edition merchandise and collectibles.

D23 Expo: It's the ultimate Disney fan experience, taking place in Anaheim, California from September 10-13, 2009. This can't-miss event will feature guest speakers, celebrity appearances, breathtaking exhibitions, sneak peeks, film screenings, one-of-a-kind merchandise, and so much more! Admission will be discounted for D23 members.

Subscription to bi-weekly D23 FanFare e-newsletter with breaking news and special offers. (You may opt out of receiving FanFare after your first e-newsletter arrives.)

Plus, stay connected to D23 every day at Disney.com/D23, featuring up-to-the-minute Disney news, feature stories, event info, merchandise and more.

*Join by December 31, 2009 to be a D23 Charter Member

D23 memberships are non-refundable and non-transferable.

 

[Leger13]

Yeah, I've seen the blurb. Done a lot of research on it and am subscribed to the threads about it on here just to see what everyone says. I wonder if they plan on giving "charter members" more perks. I guess if I magically get an extra $75 between now and December I'll sign on but I just can't justify it right now.

 

[kaoden39]

Maybe I am crazy but it seems like the long way around to go 505 to 80 to 37 to 101. But maybe because I am local. I can offer a few short cuts at least on the 37 to 101 if you are interested. I am not a fan of 37 but I do use it I love going over to Marin and Sonoma counties for the ocean and such. Ah Santa Rosa. Lovely place. Gateway to the Redwoods.

 

[mnmrmustard]

Yeah, I've seen the blurb. Done a lot of research on it and am subscribed to the threads about it on here just to see what everyone says. I wonder if they plan on giving "charter members" more perks. I guess if I magically get an extra $75 between now and December I'll sign on but I just can't justify it right now.

Well I'll certainly let you know what comes of it. Oh, and I would guess that charter members will just get a special pin or something. I don't see any park-based perks coming of that variable. And I understand wanting to conserve $$$ the way the economy is right now.

Maybe I am crazy but it seems like the long way around to go 505 to 80 to 37 to 101. But maybe because I am local. I can offer a few short cuts at least on the 37 to 101 if you are interested. I am not a fan of 37 but I do use it I love going over to Marin and Sonoma counties for the ocean and such. Ah Santa Rosa. Lovely place. Gateway to the Redwoods.

Sure, I'm always open to new/different ways to get there.

I had tried taking 12 across, but it was pretty convoluted and seemed to get backed up pretty easily. And I've done the northern route around Clear Lake and invariably get stuck behind a motorhome or someone hauling a boat and it ends up adding 30 min to an hour to my trip Plus, the Clear Lake route is tougher when we're bringing the kids and their "hummingbird bladders"

Gotta love it!

 

[kaoden39]

Well I'll certainly let you know what comes of it. Oh, and I would guess that charter members will just get a special pin or something. I don't see any park-based perks coming of that variable. And I understand wanting to conserve $$$ the way the economy is right now.



Sure, I'm always open to new/different ways to get there.

I had tried taking 12 across, but it was pretty convoluted and seemed to get backed up pretty easily. And I've done the northern route around Clear Lake and invariably get stuck behind a motorhome or someone hauling a boat and it ends up adding 30 min to an hour to my trip Plus, the Clear Lake route is tougher when we're bringing the kids and their "hummingbird bladders"

Gotta love it!

The thought around CLear Lake had crossed my mind but I am not a fan of that route. My Grandpa used to live up at Clear Lake Oaks and he had to go the Opthamologist in Santa Rosa and he was in his 90's so he couldn't drive himself so I drove that route a few times. I actually have a friend that lives up there in Kelsyville that commutes to Fairfield. No thank you not me.

There is one little time saving one for you. When you are going down 37 instaed of going all the way to 101 turn right on Lakeview Rd. I think it is. Whatever the name it is the stoplight right after the one for Sears Point or Infinion whatever the name is now. If you follow that out it will take you into Petaluma and 101 cutting off a ton of time and miles. You may have already known that but it is one short cut.

 

[mnmrmustard]

The thought around CLear Lake had crossed my mind but I am not a fan of that route. My Grandpa used to live up at Clear Lake Oaks and he had to go the Opthamologist in Santa Rosa and he was in his 90's so he couldn't drive himself so I drove that route a few times. I actually have a friend that lives up there in Kelsyville that commutes to Fairfield. No thank you not me.

There is one little time saving one for you. When you are going down 37 instaed of going all the way to 101 turn right on Lakeview Rd. I think it is. Whatever the name it is the stoplight right after the one for Sears Point or Infinion whatever the name is now. If you follow that out it will take you into Petaluma and 101 cutting off a ton of time and miles. You may have already known that but it is one short cut.

Yes! I forgot that bit - it is Lakeville Road and it is the route we take. Just after going over the hill after the marshes we take that right turn and it plops us down right at the south end of Petaluma

 

[kaoden39]

Yes! I forgot that bit - it is Lakeville Road and it is the route we take. Just after going over the hill after the marshes we take that right turn and it plops us down right at the south end of Petaluma

That's the one it takes off so many miles and gets you off of that crazy 37.

 

[mnmrmustard]

That's the one it takes off so many miles and gets you off of that crazy 37.

Coolness

 

[DizNee Luver]

So did you ever get back to get the recipe from my TR for the gumbo & Monte Cristo??? You went MIA...... it really turned out good!!!

 

[mnmrmustard]

Nothing new on the planning front, so I thought I’d invite y’all along on a little trip down memory lane. As I may have said, I’ve been to Disneyland twice in the past.

PART 1

The first time was part of a one week whirlwind adventure in a rented Chevy Citation (now THAT was a stylin' ride!) in 1976. It was me (age 7), my big sister (age 11) and my mom and ex stepdad. We hit Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Lion Country Safari (now closed), Sea World, and the San Diego Zoo.

I have no pictures from the trip. It seems like there should have been some, but nobody seems to know about them. Due to this I did some fishing on flickr and snagged a couple of images that other people took on trips there in '76 ;-]

Disney itself was a bit of a blur, us trying to cover everything in one hot summer day. I specifically remember all of the red-white-and-blue theming for the Bicentennial. I also remember how cramped the submarine was and how much walking we did. Some of the high points were PoTC, Peter Pan’s Flight, and the Matterhorn.

From a nostalgia point of view I am happy to have been one of those “older folks” who go to ride on the Skyway

I really liked the "America on Parade" uhhhh, parade Here's a sticker that I remember us putting on the Citation:

I was going to post pictures of the parade, but found a site that does it a lot more justice than I ever could. If you're interested just click on the URL.

http://www.yesterland.com/americaparade.html

I remember REALLY wanting to ride up in the top bubble of the monorail. And no, it didn't happen.

And then there was the big letdown. I couldn't ride Space Mountain I sat outside the gleaming white facade while Menudo (or at least that year's incarnation of them) were performing in front of it. I remember looking forlornly at it while they danced and sang. To this day I still equate the name Menudo to tragic disappointment

But then there was the end of the day and my curbside seat for the Main Street Electrical Parade. That was the capper, that was the one bit that really got me. Without knowing it then, it is what really made me the Disney fan that I am today.

There was a feeling of total immersion in the experience. The lights, the theme song (which still gives me a bit of a charge when I hear it), and the pure Disney magic of it. It was a perfect way to end the evening and it washed away any tiredness I may have felt. I remember going to sleep in the hotel room humming the song (much to the consternation of my big sister, with whom I was sharing a bed - lol).


PART 2

Even though I had that Disney magic, it lay dormant inside me for the next 29 years It wasn't until my DDs were old enough to really enjoy Disney (ages 5 & 8 at the time) that we planned a trip. I planned it and it was a bit of a goof on my part as to when we went.

I found a website that showed crowd levels and apparently the week after new years was some of the lowest numbers in the park. What I neglected to cross-reference it with was the amount of rainfall that So Cal gets in early January. Soooo, we basically went there during the wettest month of the year

It was to be a 3 day visit to the parks. part of it would be just us, the other part with one of my bro-in-law's and his family. Granted, we had a lot of fun and the rides that were open had basically no lines. Unfortunately it rained for over half the time we were there, ending with an outright downpour that flooded parts of CA.

Here are some pics from that little adventure. They are a bit grainy as they are actually captures from video that I took there:

Any you may have wondered about Bean's haircut being kind of "boyish". The little imp had decided to give herself a haircut a week before we left. That was how short it had to go to even out the chunks she had taken out of it - lol

There are more pictures but not too many as it was too wet much of the time we were there to film stuff. And a lot of them were just the girls posed by all of the different themed Mickeys they had stationed around CA.

But as I said, no lines. Among the stuff we rode:

Matterhorn - 4 times
PoTC - 8 times
Splash Mountain - 4 times
All the fantasyland rides multiple times
Soarin' - 3 times
ToT - 7 times for Bean (I only rode it 3 times)
Haunted Mansion - closed to change back from the Nightmare Before Christmas theme :-[

AAAAANNNNNDDDDD - SPACE MOUNTAIN - CLOSED FOR REFURB!!!!! Still haven't rode that bugger. Also, no parades and no fireworks due to a mix of off season and bad weather.

So obviously there was some stuff we missed out on. It was part of the reason I started planning our 2008 WDW trip back in 2006. I wanted to make sure we didn't miss out on anything ...or at least see as much as we could without going crazy or having our feet fall off.

So there ya go - a brief interlude on what has brought me here now, planning for a trip that is still 6 1/2 months away ;D Tune in next time when I ........ummm, when I.....

....


....Hey Look - IT'S BIGFOOT!

*points behind you and disappears under my desk*

 

[kaoden39]

Oh the shame of not getting to ride Space Mountain. I am a few years older than you and I road on it the year it opened. It looks like you are a year younger than my DH Scotty. His best memories of going as a kid was the Electric Light Parade. We also got to see it when we went on our honeymoon 17 years ago this summer. And on that trip we acquired the most expensive souviner from a trip ever for me. She will be 16 on Friday. This time you will get to ride Space Mountain.

 

[mnmrmustard]

So did you ever get back to get the recipe from my TR for the gumbo & Monte Cristo??? You went MIA...... it really turned out good!!!

Yes, I remember you talking about posting it but I have been pretty much AFK for the past two weeks. Last week was Spring break, which for us IT folks means a lot of prep work/upgrades for servers and computer labs. And this week is the first week of Spring term, so it is just naturally busy.

I'm hoping things will slow down soon so I can get back to some serious DIS'ing

 

[mnmrmustard]

Oh the shame of not getting to ride Space Mountain. I am a few years older than you and I road on it the year it opened. It looks like you are a year younger than my DH Scotty. His best memories of going as a kid was the Electric Light Parade. We also got to see it when we went on our honeymoon 17 years ago this summer. And on that trip we acquired the most expensive souviner from a trip ever for me. She will be 16 on Friday. This time you will get to ride Space Mountain.

Yes, it did bug me a bit when I went back after all of those years only to see it closed. I must have been a blast to have rode it right when it opened Cool that your hubby and I have the same big memory from the park.

And I'm jealous that you got to see the parade when it came back. I'm hopeful that we'll be able to see it in CA when we go, but they're so wishy-washy on the off season about running it Very cool that the two of you spent your honeymoon there though.

And you rascals, making babies at Disneyland - what would Walt say? Actually, I'm sure he'd just say 'here comes another generation of Disneyland fans'

Yes, I will ride Space Mountain!!!!!

 

[kaoden39]

The off season thing is one of the reasons I changed the dates of our trip. We have gone off season so many times we miss the fireworks and Fantasmic and the parades. This time we are seeing it all. Oh and I updated my report too.

 

[DizNee Luver]

That's a drag you've missed Space Mtn..... by chance (may have missed what year the trip with the kids was) did you go in 2005??? I'm asking because we have a picture of Belle & Aurora together at the Animation Bldg with our son.....and those 2 gals are the same (I believe)...... just curious!!

Love the picture of the Skyway....boy does that take me back!!! Loved riding in these when I was a child!!!

We've missed ya, but understand that some people actually do have real lifes outside these boards.... unlike myself I guess!!!

 

[mnmrmustard]

The off season thing is one of the reasons I changed the dates of our trip. We have gone off season so many times we miss the fireworks and Fantasmic and the parades. This time we are seeing it all. Oh and I updated my report too.

From what I've read in bits and pieces on the web we should at least be able to do Fantasmic! on Friday night. And we'll have to see if we're up to staying through the end of the day on Saturday to see the light parade/fireworks.

I'm glad you are going to get to see everything this time around. We saw Spectro at WDW last january, so I at least got something close to the Main Street Electrical experience. And with the 7 days we spent in the parks at WDW the girls actually got burnt out on the parades, so I'm sure they won't mind if we don't see them this time around

I'll jump over right now and take a look at your update!

That's a drag you've missed Space Mtn..... by chance (may have missed what year the trip with the kids was) did you go in 2005??? I'm asking because we have a picture of Belle & Aurora together at the Animation Bldg with our son.....and those 2 gals are the same (I believe)...... just curious!!

Love the picture of the Skyway....boy does that take me back!!! Loved riding in these when I was a child!!!

We've missed ya, but understand that some people actually do have real lifes outside these boards.... unlike myself I guess!!!

Yup, we went in January of 2005 so those were probably the same characters in the same place

Yes, we rode the skyway three times. The first time just to ride it, then once more because I begged and pleaded and wanted to go through the Matterhorn again, and the third time to get back to the side of the park we wanted to be at - lol.

Hehehe, I would enjoy being more of a full-time DIS'er, but the outside world keeps knocking at my door

 

[DizNee Luver]

Yup, we went in January of 2005 so those were probably the same characters in the same place

Hehehe, I would enjoy being more of a full-time DIS'er, but the outside world keeps knocking at my door

That's what I thought!! Belle was Anthony's girlfriend the entire trip!!! She knew him by name & would wave & say hello everytime they passed.....so cute to see a 3 yr old blush!!

I'll be patient....I know you'll be back when you have the time!!!

 

[mnmrmustard]

That's what I thought!! Belle was Anthony's girlfriend the entire trip!!! She knew him by name & would wave & say hello everytime they passed.....so cute to see a 3 yr old blush!!

I'll be patient....I know you'll be back when you have the time!!!

Oh really? Very cool indeed!

 

[Leger13]

Hey Mike! You get your D23 mystery gift yet?? I'm dying to know what it is.

 

[mnmrmustard]

Hey Mike! You get your D23 mystery gift yet?? I'm dying to know what it is.

Hey Mike! You get your D23 mystery gift yet?? I'm dying to know what it is.

Oh yeah!

It was a lithograph from Mickey's 80th birthday... Disney artist Paul Felix's "Putting a Smile on the World". 20"x30":

Also got the first magazine, which is very high quality and has some very cool content. It looks like I missed out on getting the D23 pin, but have the membership certificate and card.

Pretty cool overall, I'm happy with the investment.