TR: And now for something completely different - a WDW Family did DLR *(new - 4/15: HK Disneyland)*

[TheMaxRebo]

Great upcoming trips! I'm jealous of your getaway at Hong Kong Disneyland - that will be an amazing experience! And a road trip down to WDW does sound like an adventure. Great park plans. I'm hoping they continue the Symphony in the Stars fireworks as well - waiting on that announcement! As far as your stops, we really love Asheville, NC. When we lived in Virginia we took weekend trips there pretty often. Very cool, funky downtown area. Lots of fun shops and restaurants!

The parades at DL are really unique. I love that there are characters featured that don't get much attention at WDW. The Mary Poppins section is really fun! And the boys are big Lion Guard fans too - Simba is Kion's dad around here too!

Great meet with the princesses. The girls look really cute in their dresses and Peter certainly enjoyed his hugs! I love the interaction with Sow White!

Thanks for your input - I hear a lot of great things about Asheville - that was one of the first places we put into the itinerary!

haha - glad we aren't the only house where the Lion Guard is the main attraction. Granted, that is like thinking of Bob Dylan as Jacob Dylan's dad

We love meting Snow White - maybe it helps that we are excited going into the meets with her.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Chapter 37 - Disneyland - Part 18
October 17th
Ride the rail(s)​

After meeting the princesses we figured it was time to do something more aimed at Peter so we headed towards the train station in New Orleans Square, picking up Fast Passes for Indiana Jones along the way.

One of the reasons I wanted to go to this train station was to hear the telegraph that plays in the station ... sharing a picture or gif of this doesn't really help so here is a short youtube of is:

For those unaware, the telegraph plays on a loop the opening speech for Disneyland that Walt gave:
- --- / .- .-.. .-.. / .-- .... --- / -.-. --- -- . / - --- / -.. .. ... -. . -.-- .-.. .- -. -.. --..-- / .-- . .-.. -.-. --- -- . .-.-.- / .... . .-. . / .- --. . / .-. . .-.. .. ...- . ... / ..-. --- -. -.. / -- . -- --- .-. .. . ... / --- ..-. / - .... . / .--. .- ... - --..-- / .- -. -.. / .... . .-. . / -.-- --- ..- - .... / -- .- -.-- / ... .- ...- --- .-. / - .... . / -.-. .... .- .-.. .-.. . -. --. . / .- -. -.. / .--. .-. --- -- .. ... . / --- ..-. / - .... . / ..-. ..- - ..- .-. . .-.-.-

which translates to:
"TO ALL WHO COME TO DISNEYLAND, WELCOME. HERE AGE RELIVES FOND MEMORIES OF THE PAST, AND HERE YOUTH MAY SAVOR THE CHALLENGE AND PROMISE OF THE FUTURE."

One small note - we decided to leave our stroller in this area knowing we would be coming back later for our Indy pastpasses ... this fact will be relevant later on (oooooh, foreshadowing)

Then the train pulled up and I was glad to see what was on the end of the train. We got to sit in the last regular car of the train, which put us pretty close to the Lilly Belle:

(as you could see they weren't letting people ride in that - so this is the closes we would ever get to it)

I was also glad to see that we had one of the train cars with the seats that were sideways - just because it is different from what is at WDW.

We headed towards Toontown and it is pretty cool how the train goes somewhat through It's a Small World - provides some neat views:

and then we went to Tomorrowland where we got off. Got another view of the Lilly Belle (as you can tell it was starting to get dark):

The reason we got off here (and one downside was we never saw the Dinosaur section) was to get on another of Peter's favorite modes of transportation - the Monorail:

Now was time to deploy one secret idea I had to the kids ... when we got to the front of the line we asked the CM if it was possible to ride in the front car and they said we could! (we had to wait one more train, but no biggy). Only negative was there was a 4 person limit, and Emma counted as a person so Judi to her in the 2nd car and I went with Peter and Olivia up to the front - felt neat to move up and have them open the door for us:

I got a picture of Olivia posing, but Peter was so busy taking it in, wouldn't peel his eyes away from looking out the window once we go moving:

Our pilot was Joe and he was very nice and while he wasn't super outgoing he did happily take in all of Peter's questions. One part that is neat is that the monorail goes basically to the edge of the park and along the street:

- this was where we had seen the monorail on our first day when we pulled into the parking lot of our hotel. And we could see our hotel from the monorail (which Peter and Olivia pointed out to Joe). It's a little blurry but this was our hotel from the monorail:

The monorail ride gives you lots of cool views during the trip - including when it goes through the Grand Californian and through Downtown Disney - but also when it comes back and does some loops through Tomorrowland. This especially cool view of going over Autopia and with the Matterhorn in the background:

After this amazing trip we headed back towards Indiana Jones Adventure to use our Fastpasses. I first took Olivia while Judi took the other two and got some food at Bengal Bareque which is basically right across the street from Indy.

Olivia was a little nervous for this ride and even during the queue - which is very detailed and immersive. Including some signs about watching where you step or it could trigger booby-traps - so we had fun playing along with that.

No pictures from the actual ride - but it was really cool - very impressive the technology and just everything that is going on - very immersive! It is very herky-jerky - so probably not the best for anyone who has a bad back or is pregnant.

Other thing we didn't get pictures of was of dinner (trip reporter fail on our part) - one challenge we had with this location was that there wasn't a lot of seating so we were had a high ledge with the kids sitting on the foot rest and eating down there. Plus, even with the FP it took close to 1/2 for each of us to get through Indy - so Peter and Emma were there for about an hour without a seat, etc. - so keeping them in check prevented us from getting pictures.

That said, the food was really good! We got a few of the beef and of the chicken skewers as well as the veggie one which were really great! Definitely something to keep in mind for those of you interested in vegetarian options.

Coming up next - night times shows!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Chapter 38 - Disneyland - Part 19
October 17th
Amazing night time entertainment!​

So with belly's full we decided to head and see what the crowds were like for Pain The Night which, at this point was starting in about 1/2 hour. I was originally thinking of seeing it at the later show but the kids were starting to drag a bit so we were hoping we could make it work.

Well, the crowds were pretty nuts at this point anywhere near Main St. but we did ultimately find some room on this raised area near It's a Small World (it's where we saw Alice and the Mad Hatter meeting earlier in the day). It was crowded but actually was a little room to manouver. Here is roughly our view:

I had Emma strapped to my back at this point (in a carrier, not using duct tape or something) and she had fallen asleep. The other two we actually wound up putting on top of a trashcan that was there so they could see (hey, figured we do it for food during Food & Wine Festival). Fully admit this was not an ideal situation, but the way the crowds were, we did what we could.

Then Paint the Night started and it is hard to put into words how good and amazing of a parade this is. Just the technology and energy is really cool. Very catchy song too. Both Judi and I were trying to take video so not a lot of pictures ... so get ready for gif-apaloosa!

Did get one photo of Mickey:

All of it was great, though I think the doors on the Monster's Inc float, the Big Mac truck, and Mickey's Float were the real highlights - just from a technology and lighting point of view

After the parade, we decided to just stay where we were to see Disneyland Forever rather than try to get onto Main St. - it was just too crowded and we had a good view of It's a Small World where we knew there would be projectoins. I am glad we stayed as we had a great view of those projections and a neat view of the back fireworks.

During the break Peter and I went to get some snacks and came back with these:

We also came back to this:

so yeah, she was out - and stayed that way through out the fireworks.

Then the show started and it was really rather good. After Paint the Night awes you they go right to the feels with projections of Walt onto It's a Small World:

And some other classics such as Peter Pan:

Along with fireworks - what we could see were the back fireworks, we didn't have a great view of the ones that were over Sleeping Beauty Castle:

above you can see projects for Tangled on IASW and then Pooh looked very cute being projected:

They then had a Frozen section which included snow coming down (not sure if that translates into photos though):

Then more fireworks, including a pretty darn good finale (in the last gif):

While this is no Wishes all together this is a pretty solid show and then combined with Pain the Nights and it is a real winner of a night time experience.

So as mentioned above we had left the stroller over near New Orleans Square so we had to head over to get it .... only issue was that the stroller lot we had left it in was now part of the viewing area for Fantasmic. So um, how do we get the stroller? One positive around this was we were able to catch the end of Fantasmic. We had three park days and it turned out that two of them had Halloween parties so we really only had one evening to see shows - and Paint the Night was the priority so we weren't expecting to see Fantasmic. We obviously didn't have the best angle but we did get to see a bit of it, including their Maleficient Dragon - which is much, much cooler than the one at Hollywood Studios in Florida.

We then found a CM who explained where the strollers were moved to and we got it no problems. We figured there was some plan and worked out fine. We loaded the kids up and headed back the the hotel. Pretty darn exhausted and a bit drained frm the crowds but overall satisfied with what we got done.

Coming up next - already our last day in the parks ... and we make the most of our first hour!

TTFN

 

[Volunteer]

Sounds like a great day. Glad you all enjoyed PtN, DF, and even were able to see some of Fantasmic. Can't believe only one day left!

 

[Disney9.9.10]

Great update! I love all of your GIFs, so neat and very helpful to a DL newbie. I'm glad that Peter got to experience riding in the front car of the monorail, it really is a neat thing to experience, especially for the kids who love trains and cars and things. Baby carriers really are amazing to have in the parks aren't they? I said so many times that our Tula saved me on our last trip to WDW.

 

[missangelalexis]

The railroad looks fun, wish we could have ridden it!

Aww I'm sorry Judi couldn't ride with you guys, but so cool that you got to do it!

Glad to hear dinner was tasty!

I'm glad you were able to squeeze into a spot for the parade! Great gifs!! Really is a great parade!

Aww Olivia! That doesn't seem like the comfiest position

Though not the best spot for the fireworks, you do get a great view of the projections back there.

Wow, cool that you got to catch some of Fantasmic!

 

[afwdwfan]

One small note - we decided to leave our stroller in this area knowing we would be coming back later for our Indy pastpasses ... this fact will be relevant later on (oooooh, foreshadowing)

Uh oh... this can't be good.

Then the train pulled up and I was glad to see what was on the end of the train. We got to sit in the last regular car of the train, which put us pretty close to the Lilly Belle:

Cool! I never even saw it!

and then we went to Tomorrowland where we got off. Got another view of the Lilly Belle (as you can tell it was starting to get dark):

It almost looks like your ride from IASW to Tomorrowland had to have taken extra long for there to be that big of a change. Although I'm sure that is attributed more to the pictures and the angles in relation to the sunlight.

Peter was so busy taking it in, wouldn't peel his eyes away from looking out the window once we go moving:

I don't blame him a bit. He was doing it right!

Plus, even with the FP it took close to 1/2 for each of us to get through Indy - so Peter and Emma were there for about an hour without a seat, etc. - so keeping them in check prevented us from getting pictures.

Yeah... that's one drawback to Indy. It does take a while to get through it, even with FP or Rider Swap. I'm glad you got to do it and enjoyed the ride though!

Then Paint the Night started and it is hard to put into words how good and amazing of a parade this is. Just the technology and energy is really cool. Very catchy song too. Both Judi and I were trying to take video so not a lot of pictures ... so get ready for gif-apaloosa!

Awesome! It looks like a great parade to see!

During the break Peter and I went to get some snacks and came back with these:

Excellent choices.

We also came back to this:

so yeah, she was out - and stayed that way through out the fireworks.

She really had to be tired to be sitting there like that asleep in that chair!

While this is no Wishes all together this is a pretty solid show and then combined with Pain the Nights and it is a real winner of a night time experience.

I'm glad that the new shows are an improvement over what I saw there last year.

So as mentioned above we had left the stroller over near New Orleans Square so we had to head over to get it .... only issue was that the stroller lot we had left it in was now part of the viewing area for Fantasmic. So um, how do we get the stroller?

We obviously didn't have the best angle but we did get to see a bit of it, including their Maleficient Dragon - which is much, much cooler than the one at Hollywood Studios in Florida.

We then found a CM who explained where the strollers were moved to and we got it no problems. We figured there was some plan and worked out fine. We loaded the kids up and headed back the the hotel. Pretty darn exhausted and a bit drained frm the crowds but overall satisfied with what we got done.

Whew... I'm glad it wasn't too big of a deal to get it and get out of there. That was definitely an action packed evening! I'm feeling exhausted just reading about it!

 

[hokieinpa]

Paint the Night looks amazing! Glad you squeezed yourself into a spot!

Quite the sleepy Snow White you had on your hands there! At least Peter stayed awake to enjoy the fireworks.

 

[chillitsanne]

Now was time to deploy one secret idea I had to the kids ... when we got to the front of the line we asked the CM if it was possible to ride in the front car and they said we could! (we had to wait one more train, but no biggy). Only negative was there was a 4 person limit, and Emma counted as a person so Judi to her in the 2nd car and I went with Peter and Olivia up to the front - felt neat to move up and have them open the door for us:

Very cool! I didn't know you could do this.

No pictures from the actual ride - but it was really cool - very impressive the technology and just everything that is going on - very immersive! It is very herky-jerky - so probably not the best for anyone who has a bad back or is pregnant.

I read online that this ride is like Dinosaur in AK. Definitely looking forward to riding it.

During the break Peter and I went to get some snacks and came back with these:

The best!

We also came back to this:

so yeah, she was out - and stayed that way through out the fireworks.

So cute! It always amazes me what kids can sleep through haha

Then the show started and it was really rather good. After Paint the Night awes you they go right to the feels with projections of Walt onto It's a Small World:

Good to know to get a spot near it's a small world to see the projections

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Sounds like a great day. Glad you all enjoyed PtN, DF, and even were able to see some of Fantasmic. Can't believe only one day left!

It was a long but great day - and while we didn't get prime viewing for everything we did get to see all we wanted to as far as shows/parades. I know - last day already - but another full one as we actually have one more night in the hotel, just not a park day the last day (do get some Disney in though)

Great update! I love all of your GIFs, so neat and very helpful to a DL newbie. I'm glad that Peter got to experience riding in the front car of the monorail, it really is a neat thing to experience, especially for the kids who love trains and cars and things. Baby carriers really are amazing to have in the parks aren't they? I said so many times that our Tula saved me on our last trip to WDW.

Thank you and glad it is helpful!

Peter was in his glory - he was so happy! We didn't use the carrier a ton in the parks, but helped in the airport, etc. - especially with trying to keep track of the other kids as well!

The railroad looks fun, wish we could have ridden it!

Aww I'm sorry Judi couldn't ride with you guys, but so cool that you got to do it!

Glad to hear dinner was tasty!

I'm glad you were able to squeeze into a spot for the parade! Great gifs!! Really is a great parade!

Aww Olivia! That doesn't seem like the comfiest position

Though not the best spot for the fireworks, you do get a great view of the projections back there.

Wow, cool that you got to catch some of Fantasmic!

It was a bummer that Judi couldn't come with us - I was hoping since Emma was under the age of even needing a ticket they would let all 5 of us go, but they were quite clear about it.

It definitely worked out - like I said, not ideal but could have been worse .... yeah, we did shift her a little bit to be more conformation (after I took the picture like a good parent )

My main goal was to have a view of some projections somewhere so based on that our spot really worked out. Ideally we would have been on Main St but that would have required waiting over an hour ahead of time and that just wasn't in the cards

I am glad we got in even a bit of Fantasmic! as I do love that show. So while not the best view for each and every thing I feel like we got to see, at least to some extent, everything we wanted.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Uh oh... this can't be good.

Cool! I never even saw it!

It almost looks like your ride from IASW to Tomorrowland had to have taken extra long for there to be that big of a change. Although I'm sure that is attributed more to the pictures and the angles in relation to the sunlight.

I was glad to at least see the Lilly Belle - definitely reading about things like that, so personally connected to Walt, and then see them in person, was very cool!

I definitely think it was somewhat the angle, though it did get quite a bit darker while on the train. There are so many neon lights in parts of Tomorrowland that I think in Pictures the areas that don't have as much of that light come out as in shadow or darker

I don't blame him a bit. He was doing it right!

Yeah... that's one drawback to Indy. It does take a while to get through it, even with FP or Rider Swap. I'm glad you got to do it and enjoyed the ride though!

Awesome! It looks like a great parade to see!

Excellent choices.

She really had to be tired to be sitting there like that asleep in that chair!

I'm glad that the new shows are an improvement over what I saw there last year.

Pete was definitely in his glory!

I was a bit surprised how long the FP line took at a few attractions - but especially Indy. That was one thing we didn't count on and with having to go in shifts for so many attractions it made everything feel longer and just I think did take longer to get through things. Looking back, we may have tried to split up a bit more when we had to do rider swap and plan more things to do with the other kids while taking turns rather than just waiting.

Definitely liked the shows a lot!

Whew... I'm glad it wasn't too big of a deal to get it and get out of there. That was definitely an action packed evening! I'm feeling exhausted just reading about it!

We had definitely parked the stroller in a designated area so I figured there had to be some process for getting the stroller (so I wasn't too stressed) and it turned out to be no big deal, plus we got to see some of Fantasmic! - so really, a win-win

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Paint the Night looks amazing! Glad you squeezed yourself into a spot!

Quite the sleepy Snow White you had on your hands there! At least Peter stayed awake to enjoy the fireworks.

really liked Paint the Night - it's a fun show in general but I also really appreciate the technology!

yeah, she was just spent at that point. Peter stayed up for the fireworks, though crashed during the trip back to the hotel in the stroller

Very cool! I didn't know you could do this.

I read online that this ride is like Dinosaur in AK. Definitely looking forward to riding it.

The best!

So cute! It always amazes me what kids can sleep through haha

Good to know to get a spot near it's a small world to see the projections

You no longer can ride up front in the monorail at Walt Disney World, but you still can at Disneyland ... just ask the CM when you get to the top of the ramp!

Indy is very similar to Dinosaur and the ride vehicles are basically the same (just themed a little bit) - I think Indy is better though, just how they did it.

Yeah, we did make Olivia a bit more comfortable - after getting the picture of course

There are projections on a few things throughout Disneyland (they made a point of doing that for this show to try and spread the crowds out a bit). Probably still the best view is on Main St. (they project onto the main street buildings and the castle) but that gets really crowded and early - so this was a good back-up plan for us I think

 

[Carathryn]

Wow you guys had a really entertaining night! I love the projections on IASW, may have to watch over there next trip. I'm glad you enjoyed the technology in PtN, it is such an upgrade from MSEP.

 

[MarbleBob]

Another fun update! On our last visit, we watched the parade and fireworks over by the Astro Orbiter, so it's cool to see things from another perspective over by It's a Small World. Especially the projections.

Great series of Gifs on Paint the Night. I love watching the diamonds tumble on the main logo float.

Oh, and nice bonus on seeing part of Fantasmic too!

Looking forward to your next update!!!!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Wow you guys had a really entertaining night! I love the projections on IASW, may have to watch over there next trip. I'm glad you enjoyed the technology in PtN, it is such an upgrade from MSEP.

I thought the projections on IASW were really cool - they definitely used the shape of the building at times as well. Paint the Night is really cool!

Another fun update! On our last visit, we watched the parade and fireworks over by the Astro Orbiter, so it's cool to see things from another perspective over by It's a Small World. Especially the projections.

Great series of Gifs on Paint the Night. I love watching the diamonds tumble on the main logo float.

Oh, and nice bonus on seeing part of Fantasmic too!

Looking forward to your next update!!!!

I do love how spread out the show is - I read they made a point of doing that with this show as with the previous show, where all the projections were viewable from really just Main St it got crazy crowded there

That big screen on the Peter Pan drum is pretty cool - lots of neat stuff came up on there!

really only got to see the end of Fantasmic! Missed the pirate ship part unfortunately but was happy to see the dragon!

 

[mousehappync]

Just found your report and loving it! We are contemplating a trip to the West coast, and reading about how a WDW family does it is really useful. Wanted to add a couple of tips for your NC portion of the trip. You will like Asheville-- it's not my favorite place to take our kids, but the food/drink scene is fantastic. If you can squeeze in Curate while there, it's a phenomenal place. Also Tupelo Honey for breakfast is really good-- my kids love that, as well as Early Girl. If you decide to route on 81 down instead of 95 (we do this when we travel to MA-- longer distance but SO much easier traffic-wise) stop in Greensboro for a visit to Gibbs Hundred on Elm St.-- they brew in-house, you can get amazing bar food from Table 16 next door, and they are EXTREMELY kid-friendly. Enjoy your trip!

 

[horse11]

Once again I find myself playing catch up. I have been busy planning our up coming Disney World trip which now is just a little past the 3 month mark.
First I want to say that Tarzan;s Tree House reminds me of Smith Family Robinson Tree house back at Disney World which I am hoping we will have time to check out during our upcoming trip.
Got to say if we were at Disney Land I could bet the boys would each want that Chernobog Drink Cup along with the Mickey Pumpkin light up cubes. I am just cringing at the thought of how much that would have cost us lol!!!
So exciting to hear about your future plans and up coming trips!! Wow Hong Kong!!! That would be cool!!
Once again I am at awe with your pictures of the parades and the fireworks!! Disney Does an amazing job on those parades!!!
Love, love , love your video of Thunder Mountain!!!! So sad that the one in Disney World will be down when we are there in May. So glad we got to ride it back in May 2014. Good news is we get to ride SDMT in it's place. That was not yet open when we were there back in 2014 so very excited about riding it!!
And last but not least that picture of Olivia asleep during the fireworks is priceless!!! I would have that one framed!!

 

[ElenaJane]

Hello Phil! I love your TRs!! I have no idea how you have 3 kids, a job, and find time to do this kind of writing/photo editing. You rock.

We are going to Disneyland at the end of April. I went one time, years ago, for like half a day. DH has never been. Your TR is getting me so excited! It seems like you mastered the old paper FPs again. I was not a fan of the FP+ system when it first came out, but now I like it and am so used to it! I hope I remember how to fully utilize the FP- when we are there.

Hong Kong Disneyland!?! So cooool! It is on my bucket list to go someday, and definitely want to check out Mystic Manor! Why can't my job have meetings near the Disney Parks?

Thanks again for your hard work!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Just found your report and loving it! We are contemplating a trip to the West coast, and reading about how a WDW family does it is really useful. Wanted to add a couple of tips for your NC portion of the trip. You will like Asheville-- it's not my favorite place to take our kids, but the food/drink scene is fantastic. If you can squeeze in Curate while there, it's a phenomenal place. Also Tupelo Honey for breakfast is really good-- my kids love that, as well as Early Girl. If you decide to route on 81 down instead of 95 (we do this when we travel to MA-- longer distance but SO much easier traffic-wise) stop in Greensboro for a visit to Gibbs Hundred on Elm St.-- they brew in-house, you can get amazing bar food from Table 16 next door, and they are EXTREMELY kid-friendly. Enjoy your trip!

Thank you - and thanks for joining! I know I got a lot of help from others on the DISboards when I was planning this trip so I if this TR can help you out at all, that is great!

Thanks for the information / tips for our road trip as well! I just mapped it and I think, b/c that was already a long drive day, heading over to Greensboro I think would be pushing it - but we will keep it in mind as it sounds like a great place to visit! Curate looks awesome and will keep Tupelo Honey for breakfast in mind!

Once again I find myself playing catch up. I have been busy planning our up coming Disney World trip which now is just a little past the 3 month mark.
First I want to say that Tarzan;s Tree House reminds me of Smith Family Robinson Tree house back at Disney World which I am hoping we will have time to check out during our upcoming trip.
Got to say if we were at Disney Land I could bet the boys would each want that Chernobog Drink Cup along with the Mickey Pumpkin light up cubes. I am just cringing at the thought of how much that would have cost us lol!!!
So exciting to hear about your future plans and up coming trips!! Wow Hong Kong!!! That would be cool!!
Once again I am at awe with your pictures of the parades and the fireworks!! Disney Does an amazing job on those parades!!!
Love, love , love your video of Thunder Mountain!!!! So sad that the one in Disney World will be down when we are there in May. So glad we got to ride it back in May 2014. Good news is we get to ride SDMT in it's place. That was not yet open when we were there back in 2014 so very excited about riding it!!
And last but not least that picture of Olivia asleep during the fireworks is priceless!!! I would have that one framed!!

Wow - exciting that you are only 3 months away from your next WDW - I am sure it will be a blast!

So, the Tarzan Tree House used to be the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House just like at WDW but then they put a Tarzan overlay on it at Disneyland ... so basically the same attraction, layout - just different theme

They had a lot of neat drink cups - especially with all the 60th stuff - but a lot was pricey. That said, on our upcoming WDW trip I am sure we will get at least one BB-8 sipper

Thanks! The nighttime shows at Disneyland now are really good there! Working on that part of the video now and feel like I could just play the entire shows and make the video 30 mins long

Hello Phil! I love your TRs!! I have no idea how you have 3 kids, a job, and find time to do this kind of writing/photo editing. You rock.

We are going to Disneyland at the end of April. I went one time, years ago, for like half a day. DH has never been. Your TR is getting me so excited! It seems like you mastered the old paper FPs again. I was not a fan of the FP+ system when it first came out, but now I like it and am so used to it! I hope I remember how to fully utilize the FP- when we are there.

Hong Kong Disneyland!?! So cooool! It is on my bucket list to go someday, and definitely want to check out Mystic Manor! Why can't my job have meetings near the Disney Parks?

Thanks again for your hard work!

Elena! Thanks for joining. Yeah, I pretty much don't have time for silly things like exercise or eating healthy ... just the kids and trip reports for me. Also have noticed I haven't had much time for my beer blog of late - hopefully I can do more there once this TR is over.

Glad this TR is getting you excited for Disneyland! It is really fun! You'd be surprised how quickly you re-learn FP- ... though at Disneyland, with the parks so close to each other you can go back and forth and pick up other FP (since the parks are disconnected) and at one point we had 3 or 4 FP at one point

Hong Kong was definitely not expected - but I am happy to be able to take advantage while there!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Chapter 39 - Disneyland - Part 20
October 18th
Kidnap the Sandy Claws!​

At this point I do wish I had taken better notes or taken more pictures documenting more details as I don't recall what we did for breakfast this morning. I think we just did snacks in the room (granola bars, etc. - stuff we had picked up at Target back in San Diego). The only picture I did get is from the k-cups they had in the room - so I know we had some coffee ... and decent options for free in the room:

Our main goal for this morning was to get to the park at/close to opening and head to New Orleans Square in hopes of riding Haunted Mansion and Pirates with less than the 45-60 minute wait times it had every time we checked it out previously. So we executed on that plan and it worked out great!

We went right to haunted Mansion as it had the Nightmare Before Christmas Overlay on it so this was a big priority for us to get on - and we were greeted with no line whatsoever! And as you can tell from the clock we got there at 8:10am - not too bad!

The kids were a little leery going in - but at the end they decided they want to ride again ... and still no wait! Well, the posted wait time was 13 minutes (love it!) but really was still a walk on - so we went again!

Below are probably way too many pictures of the ride but it was just so cool and is a mix up between the two trips and between my phone, the camera, and Judi's phone (I tried to keep things in the order of the ride, but may not be perfect) - dark ride so hard to get great pictures but I think we got at least a few good ones:

(unfortunately best picture I got of the Hat Box Ghost ... it was really cool to see him but he was just in a spot and it was like "oh, there is is!" not a big special location or something)

There is one part where there is a list of names of kids and Alicia had pointed out that they noticed it had Judi's name on it - and even spelled the way she did (with an 'i') and the end. So getting a picture of this list was key for us and when we did we realized it had Olivia's name on it as well:

At the end they projected different "gifts" into your doombuggy - in this case a festively wrapped set of dynamite:

We considered riding a 3rd time but we new we wanted to ride Pirates so first Judi went to the other side of HM to pick up FPs for Splash Mountain while I took a picture of the kids:

Then onto Pirates:

and once we boarded we passed by where we had eaten lunch the previous day at Blue Bayou:

So I got pretty terrible pictures on this - but the ride is awesome! Soooooo much better than the version at WDW. It has this very long scene at the beginning going through the caves and just everything look great! I know the version at WDW got put up quickly in response to guest complaints that there wasn't a Pirates there - so this comparison definitely shows the difference that comes form Imagineers having the time and money they need.

Coming next - a trip down Slippin' Falls and then through the happiest cruise in the world!