Hello, Dearies!
I'm ba-ack! My goal for this month will be "to steer the course." AKA- "get back on track post-vacation." The nice thing is that the rest of the family is temporarily on-board. We are all sick of eating out and heavy food... for now... they'll be back on their primrose paths of dalliance soon enough, I'm sure.
So I did my best to scan though the posts for this month... the theme is ironic, considering I just got back from what is probably our last family Disney trip (all four of us) ever... but imaginary trips are really great, too...nothing goes wrong on those, and they're SUPER cost-effective! ;P
A few answers to a few of the QOTD... Personally, I am a rope-drop-to-close type... but no one else in the family is. On this trip, I was lucky to get them there reasonably close to opening, and the only times we stayed to close were if we'd taken a long break in the middle AND it was not evening EMH...
I took my walking trainers and lots of socks, but after the first day I switched to memory-foam flip-flops I got for $10 at Walmart and that's what I wore all the time for the rest of the trip. I had 3 pairs, and had already tested my oldest pair for distance walking before buying the extras. Those were way more comfortable for me in the heat, even with all the walking we did and pushing DD13 in a wheelchair after the first day. (She can walk, but she wears out super-easy even under perfect conditions, then melts down, etc... so after the 1st day, it was actually my husband who said it was time for wheels.)
I don't like all the changes made to POTC. This has always been my favorite ride since childhood, long before the movies made it popular (used to be a walk-on pretty much any day/time...) One of the things that made the first movie so brilliant was how much of the ride they worked into the movie. I hated it when they started retro-fitting the new movies back into the old ride. I don't mind them changing the "chase" scene, since the "fix" fit well, but I don't think it really needed changing, people just need to get over themselves. There's a video just out of what the new auction changes might be, and so I'm withholding judgement... but I've been disappointed for years that the auction scene never made it into the movies, even in the background.
Regarding ToT vs. GotG... I like both properties, so I'm hoping that Disney leaves the Florida ToT alone, then people can experience both rides if they're willing to travel.
I've only been to
DisneyLAND once, about 8 years ago, a total surprise to ALL of us, when our flight home from Hawaii was cancelled due to Snowmageddon and we were (happily) stranded in Cali for a day. I don't think Cars Land was open yet, or it was very new... but either way, we didn't go to California Adventure. Thank you for clarifying that the giant ferris wheel is in California Adventure... I kept seeing pictures of it and wondering why I didn't remember seeing it. I do hope to make it back out that way someday, and will totally try the Guardians ride AND the gondolas-of-doom
And change? I used to love it. I'd live in an RV and rove the country if it was just me... but the kiddo needs structure-- too many variables at once can set off horrid episodes for her (even too many decorations or parties at Christmas), so for now we live and die by plans and backup plans and backup-backup plans... I don't mind it most of the time, but I admit to sometimes feeling ugly inside when I hear other people bragging about their spontaneous adventures... but when change comes, I think I handle it well, not just for me, but for helping the change-averse members of the family, too.
Last QOTD... the fireworks... I loved "Wishes." It used to make me cry every time. The new show is technologically stunning and artistically lovely, and I don't mind seeing it once, but overall the theme did not resonate with me. So when we found ourselves there a second night, we used the fireworks as a time to do POTC (again) as a walk-on...zero wait! The extra explosions outside blended in with the cannonfire on the ride. I also tried to get some SotMK in, but the adventureland portals weren't working well.