Brina78
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2005
- Messages
- 311
You can almost tell it's going to be a bad visit when one, the parking structure entrance has all lanes open with several cars in them, and two, they give you a little yellow slip saying the park is extremely busy and what suggestions are offered to have a good time. Believe it or not, we had a very good time, in fact, I'd say it was one of the best days ever! I'll explain, naturally. 
The party consisted of the usual suspects, myself, my sister, Christine and Mom, Dianna. We arrived at around 10:30 and parked on Mickey's level. Nice. Before entering the park, we took a very long route clear across the Central Plaza all the way over to Harbor and Katella to eat at the Cheesecake Factory for breakfast. Christine had about $26 left on her gift card from her birthday and it was a good way to save some money on our first meal for the day. Mom and Christine ordered an omelet while I got a Fiesta Burrito. Their omelets are mixed with milk, making them light and fluffy. Oh my goodness, simply delicious. My breakfast burrito was a bit spicy, but I wasn't in pain. No numb lips or trouble breathing so to speak. It was a tasty spice.
We then made our way back over to the parks and entered DL. Upon arriving, Mom wanted to do IASW first to see the holiday theme. Entering Main Street, I noticed Mickey was decked out in his Christmas attire and wanted a photo. I figured I should do it then or I wouldn't get the chance to later on. We got in the line and didn't wait too long. The couple in front of us had an adorable 20-month old baby girl. She was so thrilled to see Mickey, she didn't want to leave him. We nearly died from the precious sight of Mickey holding her on his knee and giving her kisses. As we waited, I was fiddling with Christine's new digital camera and didn't realize it snapped a picture at the two. I got such a wonderful shot, I could not delete it. In fact, I couldn't stop previewing the picture all day long!
Then, it was my turn to greet the mouse. Oh, my gosh, he was so overly excited to see me, I was taken by surprise! I went up to him and he threw his arms around me in a very tight squeeze. The photo looked wonderful, I even looked good I'm fortunate to say! I then got more hugs from him. That day, I wore my lanyard and he lifted it up to point to the ones he liked, nodding with approval. There have been other times when I got the cold shoulder from him, another time at Christmas when he barely touched me or put his arm around my shoulder. But this time, I walked away feeling so loved!
The three of us then walked off under the castle, almost doing the Sleeping Beauty walkthrough, but when we saw the long line, we decided to skip it and try again later. I wanted to make sure Mom saw it since it is worth going through. She only remembered it the original way! We moved on to IASW and saw the incredibly long looping line for it. Christine darted off to the restroom and refused to get in that line while I boldly walked through the entrance, exclaiming it's going to be that way no matter where we go! Mom joined me since she really wanted to do the ride. The line moved pretty fast; we only waited about 30 minutes. Mom got Christine on her cell phone and kept telling her to come through the line. It was ridiculous; there was a sea of people where we tried to locate and beckon her to come through the line! She eventually squeezed through and rode with us. She declared us totally nuts, but I already knew that!
Next, it was off to the Golden Horseshoe to see our Billy Hill buds perform yet another lively show. By request from Mom, of course. She loves them. Their next show was at 2:30 and the IASW clock just bonged 2. I got a photo of the 2:00 coming out of the clock. We almost went to Toontown, but ended up making our way to see Billy Hill instead. Once we got there, I craved an iced latte and snack. I left the two at a table and took Christine's card to go get a Fast Pass for Indiana Jones as well as purchase two lattes and a giant cookie at the Bengal Barbecue. There was a bit of a line (like everywhere was!) and I got back late to Billy Hill's show. Fortunately, they had just started, so I really didn't miss any of the songs.
After the show, we headed toward the restroom near the Bizarre of Adventureland. I stopped in the Bizarre to purchase more lock backings for my lanyard. I was determined to change all the backings of my pins to the more stronger, secure gold locks. Christine and I then used our FPs for Indiana Jones while Mom waited outside. Couldn't get her to budge to ride it again.
We then moved over to Haunted Mansion and got a Fast Pass for 4:40-5:40 return. That gave us time to slip onto Pirates when the line moved rather quickly. We got on and off that and then browsed around the stores to kill time before 4:40. Christine was on the hunt for something with TinkerBell for a friend's birthday. Shouldn't be too hard since she's a popular character! Got on HM next in three individual seats. I like to sit alone sometimes and just relax!
By that time, it was getting dark out and that meant it was time to jump on BTMRR! Only Christine and I went to get Fast Passes for a 5:45-6:45 return. While she and Mom went off to the restroom, I sat outside one of the Frontierland shops and began fixing my lanyard with the bolts and wrench. I foolishly kept the wrench on my lap. It fell off onto the wooden planks and slipped through one of the cracks! It was gone! I ended up having to go to Westward Ho! Trading Co. to see if I could get a new wrench. The CM had to open a new bag to get one and Mom ended up buying it when I noticed I needed more bolts anyway. I sat in a corner of the store to fix my lanyard, sitting on a nicer floor without cracks! If you unscrew the screw too much, it'll fall out, and that's just what happened as I sat there. Fortunately, the floor is smoother.
Our Fast Pass for BTMRR arrived, and gads, it was mighty cold on that ride! I had my hat and Pirate jacket on. Didn't bring my gloves or NBC scarf (really can't wear one with a lanyard on). Christine brought her thicker coat, NBC scarf and gloves and was still freezing. We met up with Mom (whom stayed warm in the Golden Horseshoe) and moved on to Fantasyland, finally doing the walkthrough of the castle. She liked it, thought it was cute!
Next, we noticed Peter Pan had less of a line than usual and jumped in it, discovering it had broken down! We waited until it was fixed after a pile up of people got behind us. A twenty-minute wait. Not bad at all. I was playing with this new camera a lot, trying to get photos of the castle or snapping at the evil Queen when she pulls the curtain aside in the window. We ended up jumping on Snow White. Someone dropped a dollar in the first dungeon room below the line's walk way. I took a photo of it for kicks.
We left Fantasyland once more and made our way back to New Orleans Square to the Try Our Gumbo food stand. There was a long line, but I hopped right in. Mom and Christine ordered clam chowder while I tried the steak gumbo. It was pretty good but a little spicy. I drank another iced latte with the meal. I'm hooked on those things! We sat at a table in front of the River Belle Terrace, debating if we should stay for the very-missed Fantasmic! Nope. Nah. Never mind. We got up and left to go find a seating area in front of the castle for the 9:25 fireworks. Instead, we ended up over by the stage near the Carnation Plaza and remained there until the fireworks ended. They got a late start, beginning at 9:36 rather than 9:25.
After the fireworks, Fantasyland remained closed until 10. We moved over to Tomorrowland to look in shops for any shirts with WALL-E. Only toys and stuff, no shirts. By that time, I was pushing us to leave. I had a 5 a.m. shift the next day and it was really late! Christine kept shopping on Main Street, looking for something with TinkerBell to send to her friend. I stopped in the watch store and had a very long conversation on the art designs. They have adorable pictures of Basil and one of Ratigan! The CM showed the book and allowed me to take pictures of two colored images. I think if I want the design, I really have to save up. It's in the $400-600 range, so, wishful thinking, I know!
On top of wanting to leave, it started to rain! Wonderful! I found some cute December stone earrings with TinkerBell in the Clothiers store. Her friend would love them. Great. Sold! As Christine bought them, Mom and I walked off to Bank of Disney to get information on a payment plan to upgrade our passes to Premium. There was a very long line to get inside the building, but a CM was outside. I talked to him and he said we had to leave the park and go to ticket booth 5 for assistance. It sounded to me like we had to put a down payment, and we just can't afford it. Christine met up with us and we left to get on the tram, getting soaked in the process.
So much for a full night's sleep. We walked in our home at 12:30 and I was in bed by 1, getting less than three hours of sleep. How I got through my work schedule, I haven't a clue!
And that's my holiday trip report!
The party consisted of the usual suspects, myself, my sister, Christine and Mom, Dianna. We arrived at around 10:30 and parked on Mickey's level. Nice. Before entering the park, we took a very long route clear across the Central Plaza all the way over to Harbor and Katella to eat at the Cheesecake Factory for breakfast. Christine had about $26 left on her gift card from her birthday and it was a good way to save some money on our first meal for the day. Mom and Christine ordered an omelet while I got a Fiesta Burrito. Their omelets are mixed with milk, making them light and fluffy. Oh my goodness, simply delicious. My breakfast burrito was a bit spicy, but I wasn't in pain. No numb lips or trouble breathing so to speak. It was a tasty spice.
We then made our way back over to the parks and entered DL. Upon arriving, Mom wanted to do IASW first to see the holiday theme. Entering Main Street, I noticed Mickey was decked out in his Christmas attire and wanted a photo. I figured I should do it then or I wouldn't get the chance to later on. We got in the line and didn't wait too long. The couple in front of us had an adorable 20-month old baby girl. She was so thrilled to see Mickey, she didn't want to leave him. We nearly died from the precious sight of Mickey holding her on his knee and giving her kisses. As we waited, I was fiddling with Christine's new digital camera and didn't realize it snapped a picture at the two. I got such a wonderful shot, I could not delete it. In fact, I couldn't stop previewing the picture all day long!
Then, it was my turn to greet the mouse. Oh, my gosh, he was so overly excited to see me, I was taken by surprise! I went up to him and he threw his arms around me in a very tight squeeze. The photo looked wonderful, I even looked good I'm fortunate to say! I then got more hugs from him. That day, I wore my lanyard and he lifted it up to point to the ones he liked, nodding with approval. There have been other times when I got the cold shoulder from him, another time at Christmas when he barely touched me or put his arm around my shoulder. But this time, I walked away feeling so loved!
The three of us then walked off under the castle, almost doing the Sleeping Beauty walkthrough, but when we saw the long line, we decided to skip it and try again later. I wanted to make sure Mom saw it since it is worth going through. She only remembered it the original way! We moved on to IASW and saw the incredibly long looping line for it. Christine darted off to the restroom and refused to get in that line while I boldly walked through the entrance, exclaiming it's going to be that way no matter where we go! Mom joined me since she really wanted to do the ride. The line moved pretty fast; we only waited about 30 minutes. Mom got Christine on her cell phone and kept telling her to come through the line. It was ridiculous; there was a sea of people where we tried to locate and beckon her to come through the line! She eventually squeezed through and rode with us. She declared us totally nuts, but I already knew that!
Next, it was off to the Golden Horseshoe to see our Billy Hill buds perform yet another lively show. By request from Mom, of course. She loves them. Their next show was at 2:30 and the IASW clock just bonged 2. I got a photo of the 2:00 coming out of the clock. We almost went to Toontown, but ended up making our way to see Billy Hill instead. Once we got there, I craved an iced latte and snack. I left the two at a table and took Christine's card to go get a Fast Pass for Indiana Jones as well as purchase two lattes and a giant cookie at the Bengal Barbecue. There was a bit of a line (like everywhere was!) and I got back late to Billy Hill's show. Fortunately, they had just started, so I really didn't miss any of the songs.
After the show, we headed toward the restroom near the Bizarre of Adventureland. I stopped in the Bizarre to purchase more lock backings for my lanyard. I was determined to change all the backings of my pins to the more stronger, secure gold locks. Christine and I then used our FPs for Indiana Jones while Mom waited outside. Couldn't get her to budge to ride it again.
We then moved over to Haunted Mansion and got a Fast Pass for 4:40-5:40 return. That gave us time to slip onto Pirates when the line moved rather quickly. We got on and off that and then browsed around the stores to kill time before 4:40. Christine was on the hunt for something with TinkerBell for a friend's birthday. Shouldn't be too hard since she's a popular character! Got on HM next in three individual seats. I like to sit alone sometimes and just relax!
By that time, it was getting dark out and that meant it was time to jump on BTMRR! Only Christine and I went to get Fast Passes for a 5:45-6:45 return. While she and Mom went off to the restroom, I sat outside one of the Frontierland shops and began fixing my lanyard with the bolts and wrench. I foolishly kept the wrench on my lap. It fell off onto the wooden planks and slipped through one of the cracks! It was gone! I ended up having to go to Westward Ho! Trading Co. to see if I could get a new wrench. The CM had to open a new bag to get one and Mom ended up buying it when I noticed I needed more bolts anyway. I sat in a corner of the store to fix my lanyard, sitting on a nicer floor without cracks! If you unscrew the screw too much, it'll fall out, and that's just what happened as I sat there. Fortunately, the floor is smoother.
Our Fast Pass for BTMRR arrived, and gads, it was mighty cold on that ride! I had my hat and Pirate jacket on. Didn't bring my gloves or NBC scarf (really can't wear one with a lanyard on). Christine brought her thicker coat, NBC scarf and gloves and was still freezing. We met up with Mom (whom stayed warm in the Golden Horseshoe) and moved on to Fantasyland, finally doing the walkthrough of the castle. She liked it, thought it was cute!
Next, we noticed Peter Pan had less of a line than usual and jumped in it, discovering it had broken down! We waited until it was fixed after a pile up of people got behind us. A twenty-minute wait. Not bad at all. I was playing with this new camera a lot, trying to get photos of the castle or snapping at the evil Queen when she pulls the curtain aside in the window. We ended up jumping on Snow White. Someone dropped a dollar in the first dungeon room below the line's walk way. I took a photo of it for kicks.
We left Fantasyland once more and made our way back to New Orleans Square to the Try Our Gumbo food stand. There was a long line, but I hopped right in. Mom and Christine ordered clam chowder while I tried the steak gumbo. It was pretty good but a little spicy. I drank another iced latte with the meal. I'm hooked on those things! We sat at a table in front of the River Belle Terrace, debating if we should stay for the very-missed Fantasmic! Nope. Nah. Never mind. We got up and left to go find a seating area in front of the castle for the 9:25 fireworks. Instead, we ended up over by the stage near the Carnation Plaza and remained there until the fireworks ended. They got a late start, beginning at 9:36 rather than 9:25.
After the fireworks, Fantasyland remained closed until 10. We moved over to Tomorrowland to look in shops for any shirts with WALL-E. Only toys and stuff, no shirts. By that time, I was pushing us to leave. I had a 5 a.m. shift the next day and it was really late! Christine kept shopping on Main Street, looking for something with TinkerBell to send to her friend. I stopped in the watch store and had a very long conversation on the art designs. They have adorable pictures of Basil and one of Ratigan! The CM showed the book and allowed me to take pictures of two colored images. I think if I want the design, I really have to save up. It's in the $400-600 range, so, wishful thinking, I know!
On top of wanting to leave, it started to rain! Wonderful! I found some cute December stone earrings with TinkerBell in the Clothiers store. Her friend would love them. Great. Sold! As Christine bought them, Mom and I walked off to Bank of Disney to get information on a payment plan to upgrade our passes to Premium. There was a very long line to get inside the building, but a CM was outside. I talked to him and he said we had to leave the park and go to ticket booth 5 for assistance. It sounded to me like we had to put a down payment, and we just can't afford it. Christine met up with us and we left to get on the tram, getting soaked in the process.
So much for a full night's sleep. We walked in our home at 12:30 and I was in bed by 1, getting less than three hours of sleep. How I got through my work schedule, I haven't a clue!
And that's my holiday trip report!
We went not too long after 12/2 because our level of AP has block-out dates from December 19 all the way into early January! Sunday was our last day to spend the time during the holidays. I know to go on a block-out date is I think $40, but it's a risk to deal with heavy crowds. Plus, we just don't have that kind of money to spend at the moment. So, we made the trek up on Sunday as the last visit for the year and then we'll return after the holidays. Hope your stay is just as awesome! 
