Brina78
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2005
- Messages
- 311
This trip to DL was certainly full of surprises. Some good, some not so good. To start it off, it was Christine's birthday and we planned to go to spend the day at our favorite park. It was just me, Christine and Mom. We arrived at the park at 12:00, discovering the park opened at 10. Not bad. The CM at the main gate was such a sweet elderly gent. He scanned Christine's card first and it beeped to say "Happy Birthday." He went, "Oh! It's your birthday!" and reached across to give her a hug! I came up next and said, "Heh, yeah, it's not my birthday, though." He hugged me anyway! I really did not expect that, and Christine probably didn't either. The first place we went to was City Hall for Christine to get her birthday button and hear Goofy wish her a Happy Birthday. Jeanne was the CM who assisted us, a very sweet girl. It was a shame to admit we would be seeing her again a little later on. I'll explain why.
We left City Hall to make our way to ride Peter Pan since the line always fills up quickly. I had just gotten in the line when I was hit with a sudden wave of feeling sad, like I was about to cry any minute. I could not control it. All I knew was I had to get out of the line as quickly as possible. I shoved past everyone, leaving Christine standing there in total confusion while Mom followed after me. I sat down outside the Peter Pan ride and cried my eyes out. I had trouble breathing, my heart was pounding, and I could not calm down. Fortunately, the moment passed and we went through the exit of the ride to see if we could meet up with our party, or Christine, who was still in line and wondering what on earth happened. The girl at the control near the exit was a sweetheart. Her name was Alicia and I told her everything that happened. She recommended that I go back to City Hall and get a Guest Assistance Pass so that incase I get another attack, it doesn't happen in line. I use the pass to get on the ride at the exit or wheelchair access. She let Mom and I on a pirate ship and we rode up to the boarding zone for Christine to get on. I was still emotional, but doing better than before.
After Peter Pan, we went straight back to City Hall, taking the horseless motorcar instead of walking. Steve from Hawthorne, CA was our driver. A very nice guy. We returned to City Hall and Jeanne helped us again. She was very concerned about my attack and kept asking if she needed to call first aid. I said that wasn't necessary, but still took the Guest Assistance Pass. I explained how I was going through a very tough time in my life and that the attacks are caused by my work stressing me out so much. I let it bother me to the point where I lose control and almost have a heart attack from it.
We paused at the Coca Cola place for hot dogs (I went and got a corn dog) and watched the Dapper Dans perform. Christine got pulled up there to sing and dance along with them. Poor thing didn't know the words! I took photos, but I wished I used the video on my camera. She would have killed me for that.
Next, we moved over to Tomorrowland to see how the line for Space Mountain looked. Wow, it was a 5 minute wait at 2:00 in the afternoon! It was a beautiful day, very empty and not really hot. Mom waited at the exit as Christine and I walked all the way until we neared the last ramp of the boarding zone. It was awesome. I was still in a horrible depression and just sat on the ride, not enjoying it at all.
Moving on, we stopped at the little souvenir cart near Innoventions with Star Wars merchandise, finally buying a keychain light saber glow stick for Mom. Christine and I each have had one since Sept. 5 and we kept telling her she should get one too. I also bought the SW pin of Goofy as Darth Vader and Mickey as Obi Wan battling each other. As we moved away from there, the Jedi Academy training was about to begin at 2:25. We had both seen it on Sept. 5, but Mom had yet to see what it was like. We left her there to watch the show as we took off to ride the Matterhorn on the Tomorrowland side.
While in line for that, three small girls in front of us were talking about the ride, one of which was rather nervous about going on it and wanting to leave. Her friend kept going, "Oh, my God! Oh, my God, you will so love it!" Everything was "Oh, my God!" in her sentence, it was hilarious! The hesitant girl looked up at Christine whom kept nodding and saying, "It is fun, trust me, you'll want to ride it again after getting off!" They rode in the last cart of our bobsled and we had the very front. Turned out the girl loved it, screaming, "I want to ride it again!"
After that, we returned to Mom and the Jedi Academy was still going on. Once it ended, we walked down the path near Pixie Hallow and over to Fantasyland to ride some of the dark rides. We went on Mr. Toad first, each taking our own motorcar, and then we went on Pinocchio next, lastly followed by Snow White which we, um, were escorted out of when it broke down! That was a weird experience! The ride just stopped during the haunted forest part (of all places) and we sat there for a moment in the darkness. Suddenly, all the lights turned on and a voice-over was telling us to stay seated and a Cast Member would come get us out. I've never seen what it looks like with the lights on; it kind of ruins the magic!
We made a quick detour near Alice (closed at the moment, what was up with the rides breaking down?!) to use the restroom and Christine posed near that statue of the White Rabbit. We left Fantasyland after that and went into Frontierland (Big Thunder Ranch was closed? Odd!) where Mom wanted to go see Billy Hill and the Hillbillies at 4 p.m. She went to grab a table while Christine and I went off to get us all a French Vanilla Latte. I thought I had to go all the way to Hungry Bear for them. We first went to Indiana Jones to grab Fast Passes (return time 4:20-5:20) but I also paused to see what the Bengal place had. Sure enough, they had the Latte drinks, saving us a trip to Critter Country! I told the girl 'low' ice and she thought I said 'no' ice! We got three rather warm iced coffee drinks! I also ordered a Chieftan Chicken Skewer plate. Yum, but avoid the scallion onions, they are very spicy!
We took our drinks and chicken back to the Golden Horseshoe and found Mom saving a table in the very front near the stage. She got up to go order some chicken strips (or nuggets?) and I told her to get a cup of ice for our drinks. Heh. It was very warm! LOW ice, not NO ice! Oui! One of the fiddlers spotted Christine's birthday button and played the birthday theme for her. He played it in the wrong hand, though, so it sounded horrible. He was teasing, and it was still funny. They are a very talented group, always enjoy watching them play.
After that, it was time to use our Fast Passes for Indiana Jones. Mom waited outside the River Belle Terrace as we went to ride it. I regret to say that I experienced a second panic attack, but this time, Christine told me how to control it. She told me to take out my phone and play a game on it. This occupied my mind as we stood in line. The crowds were overwhelming for me, and I could feel my heart racing again. I almost used that Guest Assistance Pass, but the line moved, and I was all right to continue. The ride didn't break down (Unlike on Halloween when we got escorted out) and it was all good.
We met up with Mom and decided to move on, first pausing to use the restroom near the Tiki Room and border of Frontierland. Mom remained at her seat of the River Bell Terrace as Christine and I left to go to the restroom. Passing the Aladdin Oasis, Aladdin and Jasmine were standing outside posing for pictures. I paused and just snapped a photo of the two.
We then went back and entered New Orleans Square to ride Pirates and onward to Haunted Mansion. Both had NO wait time at all. Walked right onto Pirates and the line for Haunted Mansion went straight up to the steps with no zig-zagging in the back. Such a wonderful day to ride rides. While in the elevator shaft of HM, the three girls from the Matterhorn were also there with their family. I said, "Hey, it's you guys from the Matterhorn!" They waved and said hello. We lost track of them when we got on the ride.
After HM, Christine and I wanted to jump on BTMRR because it was dark by then, like 6 p.m. to be exact. We left Mom and got in a line that started around the last corner before the staircase to the boarding zone. Not bad at all. I love riding BTMRR at night, I love all the colorful lights on the canyons. We got off and made our way back into Fantasyland to ride Alice (finally working) and take some photos around and inside the Hat Shop.
At that time it was almost 7 and we ended up back near the Partners statue where we met a very nice couple whom claimed there would be fireworks at 7. We sat down on the bench next to them and waited to see this happen. As we waited, a parade went by for the movie, "Bolt" with Miley Cyrus' voice singing the song. Mom finally went to a food cart to ask if there were fireworks. Nope! The couple was embarrassed, but we were cool about it. They were real friendly and fun to talk to. We walked with them back into Main Street and they stopped to have dinner at the Coca Cola place as we continued toward the exit, telling them to have a good night and enjoy the rest of their time at the park.
Christine did some shopping around at the Emporium and our final stop was back at City Hall to leave positive feedback for Jeanne and Alicia for being so kind and understanding with my anxiety attacks. We talked to a nice guy named Ryan and he filled out the feedback slip for us. I got on the discussion of "The Great Mouse Detective," asking if it were ever possible they would bring out Basil and Ratigan to meet and greet. Rare characters never come out, and it's such a shame when fans of the films really want to meet them. I know my history well on GMD and gave him one of my business cards for a fansite I run. It's just information on the film, I make no profits off of it and he took the card with much interest.
We left the park to return to our car and drove north on Katella to an Olive Garden in Cypress since Christine had a $20 gift card to use. We had a wonderful dinner and our waiter was so friendly as well as knowledgeable on all of the new items. He was cute, too! As we returned to Anaheim and got on the South 5 for home, we ran into a gridlock of cars due to a very horrible accident. It was around 9:45 when we drove onto the on ramp from Katella Ave. and saw a very devastating sight. This car was badly mangled and upside down. Flares were everywhere and Mom swears she saw a dead body covered up under a tarp. I couldn't see it because I was driving, but Christine claims she saw it too. They both got a little emotional and I don't blame them. Got home by almost 11 p.m.
And that's my trip report!
We left City Hall to make our way to ride Peter Pan since the line always fills up quickly. I had just gotten in the line when I was hit with a sudden wave of feeling sad, like I was about to cry any minute. I could not control it. All I knew was I had to get out of the line as quickly as possible. I shoved past everyone, leaving Christine standing there in total confusion while Mom followed after me. I sat down outside the Peter Pan ride and cried my eyes out. I had trouble breathing, my heart was pounding, and I could not calm down. Fortunately, the moment passed and we went through the exit of the ride to see if we could meet up with our party, or Christine, who was still in line and wondering what on earth happened. The girl at the control near the exit was a sweetheart. Her name was Alicia and I told her everything that happened. She recommended that I go back to City Hall and get a Guest Assistance Pass so that incase I get another attack, it doesn't happen in line. I use the pass to get on the ride at the exit or wheelchair access. She let Mom and I on a pirate ship and we rode up to the boarding zone for Christine to get on. I was still emotional, but doing better than before.
After Peter Pan, we went straight back to City Hall, taking the horseless motorcar instead of walking. Steve from Hawthorne, CA was our driver. A very nice guy. We returned to City Hall and Jeanne helped us again. She was very concerned about my attack and kept asking if she needed to call first aid. I said that wasn't necessary, but still took the Guest Assistance Pass. I explained how I was going through a very tough time in my life and that the attacks are caused by my work stressing me out so much. I let it bother me to the point where I lose control and almost have a heart attack from it.
We paused at the Coca Cola place for hot dogs (I went and got a corn dog) and watched the Dapper Dans perform. Christine got pulled up there to sing and dance along with them. Poor thing didn't know the words! I took photos, but I wished I used the video on my camera. She would have killed me for that.
Next, we moved over to Tomorrowland to see how the line for Space Mountain looked. Wow, it was a 5 minute wait at 2:00 in the afternoon! It was a beautiful day, very empty and not really hot. Mom waited at the exit as Christine and I walked all the way until we neared the last ramp of the boarding zone. It was awesome. I was still in a horrible depression and just sat on the ride, not enjoying it at all.
Moving on, we stopped at the little souvenir cart near Innoventions with Star Wars merchandise, finally buying a keychain light saber glow stick for Mom. Christine and I each have had one since Sept. 5 and we kept telling her she should get one too. I also bought the SW pin of Goofy as Darth Vader and Mickey as Obi Wan battling each other. As we moved away from there, the Jedi Academy training was about to begin at 2:25. We had both seen it on Sept. 5, but Mom had yet to see what it was like. We left her there to watch the show as we took off to ride the Matterhorn on the Tomorrowland side.
While in line for that, three small girls in front of us were talking about the ride, one of which was rather nervous about going on it and wanting to leave. Her friend kept going, "Oh, my God! Oh, my God, you will so love it!" Everything was "Oh, my God!" in her sentence, it was hilarious! The hesitant girl looked up at Christine whom kept nodding and saying, "It is fun, trust me, you'll want to ride it again after getting off!" They rode in the last cart of our bobsled and we had the very front. Turned out the girl loved it, screaming, "I want to ride it again!"
After that, we returned to Mom and the Jedi Academy was still going on. Once it ended, we walked down the path near Pixie Hallow and over to Fantasyland to ride some of the dark rides. We went on Mr. Toad first, each taking our own motorcar, and then we went on Pinocchio next, lastly followed by Snow White which we, um, were escorted out of when it broke down! That was a weird experience! The ride just stopped during the haunted forest part (of all places) and we sat there for a moment in the darkness. Suddenly, all the lights turned on and a voice-over was telling us to stay seated and a Cast Member would come get us out. I've never seen what it looks like with the lights on; it kind of ruins the magic!
We made a quick detour near Alice (closed at the moment, what was up with the rides breaking down?!) to use the restroom and Christine posed near that statue of the White Rabbit. We left Fantasyland after that and went into Frontierland (Big Thunder Ranch was closed? Odd!) where Mom wanted to go see Billy Hill and the Hillbillies at 4 p.m. She went to grab a table while Christine and I went off to get us all a French Vanilla Latte. I thought I had to go all the way to Hungry Bear for them. We first went to Indiana Jones to grab Fast Passes (return time 4:20-5:20) but I also paused to see what the Bengal place had. Sure enough, they had the Latte drinks, saving us a trip to Critter Country! I told the girl 'low' ice and she thought I said 'no' ice! We got three rather warm iced coffee drinks! I also ordered a Chieftan Chicken Skewer plate. Yum, but avoid the scallion onions, they are very spicy!
We took our drinks and chicken back to the Golden Horseshoe and found Mom saving a table in the very front near the stage. She got up to go order some chicken strips (or nuggets?) and I told her to get a cup of ice for our drinks. Heh. It was very warm! LOW ice, not NO ice! Oui! One of the fiddlers spotted Christine's birthday button and played the birthday theme for her. He played it in the wrong hand, though, so it sounded horrible. He was teasing, and it was still funny. They are a very talented group, always enjoy watching them play.
After that, it was time to use our Fast Passes for Indiana Jones. Mom waited outside the River Belle Terrace as we went to ride it. I regret to say that I experienced a second panic attack, but this time, Christine told me how to control it. She told me to take out my phone and play a game on it. This occupied my mind as we stood in line. The crowds were overwhelming for me, and I could feel my heart racing again. I almost used that Guest Assistance Pass, but the line moved, and I was all right to continue. The ride didn't break down (Unlike on Halloween when we got escorted out) and it was all good.
We met up with Mom and decided to move on, first pausing to use the restroom near the Tiki Room and border of Frontierland. Mom remained at her seat of the River Bell Terrace as Christine and I left to go to the restroom. Passing the Aladdin Oasis, Aladdin and Jasmine were standing outside posing for pictures. I paused and just snapped a photo of the two.
We then went back and entered New Orleans Square to ride Pirates and onward to Haunted Mansion. Both had NO wait time at all. Walked right onto Pirates and the line for Haunted Mansion went straight up to the steps with no zig-zagging in the back. Such a wonderful day to ride rides. While in the elevator shaft of HM, the three girls from the Matterhorn were also there with their family. I said, "Hey, it's you guys from the Matterhorn!" They waved and said hello. We lost track of them when we got on the ride.
After HM, Christine and I wanted to jump on BTMRR because it was dark by then, like 6 p.m. to be exact. We left Mom and got in a line that started around the last corner before the staircase to the boarding zone. Not bad at all. I love riding BTMRR at night, I love all the colorful lights on the canyons. We got off and made our way back into Fantasyland to ride Alice (finally working) and take some photos around and inside the Hat Shop.
At that time it was almost 7 and we ended up back near the Partners statue where we met a very nice couple whom claimed there would be fireworks at 7. We sat down on the bench next to them and waited to see this happen. As we waited, a parade went by for the movie, "Bolt" with Miley Cyrus' voice singing the song. Mom finally went to a food cart to ask if there were fireworks. Nope! The couple was embarrassed, but we were cool about it. They were real friendly and fun to talk to. We walked with them back into Main Street and they stopped to have dinner at the Coca Cola place as we continued toward the exit, telling them to have a good night and enjoy the rest of their time at the park.
Christine did some shopping around at the Emporium and our final stop was back at City Hall to leave positive feedback for Jeanne and Alicia for being so kind and understanding with my anxiety attacks. We talked to a nice guy named Ryan and he filled out the feedback slip for us. I got on the discussion of "The Great Mouse Detective," asking if it were ever possible they would bring out Basil and Ratigan to meet and greet. Rare characters never come out, and it's such a shame when fans of the films really want to meet them. I know my history well on GMD and gave him one of my business cards for a fansite I run. It's just information on the film, I make no profits off of it and he took the card with much interest.
We left the park to return to our car and drove north on Katella to an Olive Garden in Cypress since Christine had a $20 gift card to use. We had a wonderful dinner and our waiter was so friendly as well as knowledgeable on all of the new items. He was cute, too! As we returned to Anaheim and got on the South 5 for home, we ran into a gridlock of cars due to a very horrible accident. It was around 9:45 when we drove onto the on ramp from Katella Ave. and saw a very devastating sight. This car was badly mangled and upside down. Flares were everywhere and Mom swears she saw a dead body covered up under a tarp. I couldn't see it because I was driving, but Christine claims she saw it too. They both got a little emotional and I don't blame them. Got home by almost 11 p.m.
And that's my trip report!
