We Hopped All The Way To Disneyland Just For Some Dis Meets. Ch. 10. Added-7/14/14

[Thumper_Man]

Got all the pictures uploaded over the last 3-4 days. Lady H is tackling day one this time. Hopefully we don't make you all wait as long in between chapters.

 

[Thumper_Man's Wife]

OK. The first chapter should be done and uploaded shortly. There are quite a few pictures on this chapter, so I will warn you that it will probably be broken up into two chapters, for your reading and viewing pleasure.

Stay tuned...

 

[Thumper_Man's Wife]

There is something almost surreal about going on vacation. You prepare for days, maybe even weeks (or months, if you are my DH) to get to this point and if you are lucky, all your hard work and effort pay off and you have the most extraordinary time, and then reality sets in and you're back at home. If you're anything like me, that moment when the plane lands back at home base, and you get into your car and start driving home, almost the exact reverse of the way you came only a week or so ago, you start to wonder…Was it all just a dream? Maybe I fell into some weird Alice in Wonderland vortex or something? It’s usually not until I’m unpacking all the trinkets and souvies that we bought along the way that I remember it was real.

I want to keep that magic alive for just a little bit longer if I may, and tell you all about it. Think of it as a chance to fall into one of my dreams…On second thought, that’s probably a little too close for comfort. I love you all, but a girl’s gotta have some secrets right?

(Cue daydream music, or the little blurry lines from old movies that indicate a dream sequence or flashback.)

Friday. October 4, 2013. T-Man and I both worked a full day at our respective jobs, leaving us only with the evening to finish gathering everything we wanted or needed for the trip. Usually we take half day or the whole day off, so we can prepare, but work had been a little crazy up to that point, auditors had come in on T-Man’s end, and a new summit was approaching on my end that I had to help organize (I’m slowly becoming somewhat of a summit queen here at work, this is the 3rd in 6 months!) and and we didn’t have the opportunity to take additional time off.

At 4:45 that afternoon, we both rejoiced at the idea that we were now on vacation. The only thing holding us back was the train and the traffic home. We got home at around 6:30 and hit the ground running. We had already laid out the clothes we wanted to take with us, and now it was just a matter of folding, and packing them into the space saver bags, and rearranging the suitcases five times over to make sure everything we needed fit, and we weren’t over the weight limit.

Last year my mom bought us this nifty little thing that can attach to any luggage and tell you how much it weighs. (Did I really just say nifty? I’ve been on an 80’s kick lately, I may have to start playing some different music, it’s obviously going to my head).

T-Man attached it to his suitcase and lifted it up…47 pounds. Wow…cutting it a little close there.

Next was mine. I was a little worried. All I had in there at the moment were clothes and shoes. And for some reason my entire flip-flop collection had mysteriously made a home in my suitcase and did not want to move, so my hope was that I didn’t have to fight with any of them to stay home. He lifts up my suitcase…38 pounds! Whoo Hoo! I can add more stuff!

By 9pm we are still adding last minute things to the bags. Don’t forget the hats. Don’t forget the curling irons. Don’t forget the underwear! Don’t forget the swimsuits. Don’t forget…well…you get the picture.

Eventually we had 3 suitcases that were being checked and one that was going on board with us. The carryon had a couple of changes of clothes for the both of us, just in case our bags didn’t make it or decided to take a detour. At least we will have a couple of changes of clothes and if we have to continuously do laundry, at least we aren’t nekkid! I’m pretty sure Disney frowns upon that. Although Donald Duck is half nekkid…But I digress.

By 11 or so we are finally done packing. The last minute morning stuff will have to wait until, well, morning, right before we leave. And we are leaving extremely early in the morning. Our flight is at 8:30am, which means we have to be at the airport between 6:30 and 7.

We are a little worried about traffic going to the airport, as tomorrow is the first day of the International Balloon Fiesta, and traffic for this begins extremely early, so all event goers can park a mile or more away from the entrance to the park, then walk in the dark and cold, only to wait and wait and wait, until about 6:30 when Dawn Patrol goes up to make sure the weather is OK for the rest of the balloons to do the Mass Ascension at 7am.

This is why, on Saturday, October 5, 2013, we got up at the incredibly crazy, no one in their right minds would be up at this time unless they were going to Disney, hour of 4:30am.

One of us, I’m not sure which one, stumbles to the coffee pot in a zombie like state in hopes of becoming human one cup at a time. T-Man has turned into a 6 year old at this point and is excitedly running around the house. Maybe giving him coffee wasn’t the best idea I ever had…

T-Man loads the suitcases into the truck. I give my mom a hug, grab my bag and load myself into the truck, and…

Well you know the drill.

It is about 6:00am now. It takes about 20 minutes to get to the highway from our house. We had debated the different routes we could take to avoid the Balloon Fiesta traffic, but in the long run, the highway is going to be the better choice all around. Once we hit the highway, we merge to the far left lane. We still have a ways to go before we hit our exit and we want to avoid the jams.

In reality, this was the best option. As we approached the first main exit on the highway that would lead to the balloon fiesta park, the traffic is at a stand still on the right hand lane. All you see are headlights and taillights lining about a good 2 miles or so past the exit. People are trying to inch their way in between cars, because they declined to believe that the line of cars was for that exit. What else would cause that sort of a back up at this time of the morning near that particular exit? Really?!

We laugh at the fools, because they should have been there at 4:30, instead of trying to get there at this hour. We wave as we pass by. Smooth sailing.

On the Northbound side of the highway, we are greeted with pretty much the same sight, only the cars are going in the opposite direction and the cars are lined up past the next two exits.

To give you an idea of what all the hoopla is about…This was in 2011.









Tourists come from everywhere...


Smokey Bear


These ones are our favorites. They actually hold hands and the big bees will turn to each other in the air and kiss. It’s the cutest thing.


People from all over the place come to see this spectacle. Some camping out for a week or so before hand. It’s really a great thing to see if you have never seen it. For those of us that get a chance to see it every year, we go on vacation during the same week to get away from the traffic and craziness.

Anywho…back to the main story.

We pulled into the park and ride and parked in the boonies. I think this is the farthest we have ever parked in the 10 years we have been vacationing together. The shuttle was nearby, picking up another traveler, so by the time we parked and started gathering the luggage, the shuttle driver was already there to greet us and help us with the bags.

The ride over to the airport was easy, all the passengers were getting off at the same place, so no worries there. Once we had all our bags and tipped the driver, we stood in line. The line outside was a little less of a wait than the one inside, so we opted for that. There was a family of about 8 people ahead of us. For the most part, they were too busy yammering on and on to worry about their bags it seems. As the men were busy unloading the vehicles, the women would just grab the nearest bags to them, and move up in line when needed. Leaving the rest of the bags scattered here and there without anyone watching them.

At one point, the attendant was working with all of them, giving them their gate numbers and what not, and there was still a bag left at the back of the line. Luckily one of the guys noticed it and hurried over to retrieve it, to make sure the attendant checked it in. I hope they tipped him after all that.

In no time, we were making our way through the terminal and to the security checkpoint. We stopped at our usual spot (This area really should just have our names written on it “Reserved for T-Man and Lady H” because every time we travel we stop at this same exact spot before heading to the security area) to re-adjust our carry on’s and make sure we have our ID’s and boarding passes for checkpoint charlie.

The checkpoint area was getting a little crowded. The party that was ahead of us at the check in station had converged at the checkpoint area and were all trying desperately to make sure everyone stayed together. There are 4 lines for this checkpoint. They were taking up, one, but evidentially had no idea how to form a straight line...making it almost impossible to maneuver around them, in order to get to one of the other 3.

When we finally made our way around them, we stood in line like everyone else. We were about 3 people away from the front of the line, when a woman behind me decided this would be a great time to use my carry on as a bench for her bag.

I didn’t believe what I was seeing at first, and I am pretty sure I gave T-Man a strange look, just to make sure he was seeing what I was seeing. When he gave me the same look back, I had my answer. As I was about to say something to the lady, she starts digging through her bag (perched upon mine) and starts rambling an apology to the effect of…

“Sorry, I hope you don’t mind, I just need to find…*mumble mumble mumble*

To which I reply…

“Um...actually I do...The line is moving and we need to move up.”

As I am saying this, I am trying to roll my bag, however, she is digging into her bag (once again, perched on mine), saying…

“I just need it for a moment. I won’t be long. I know, I’m sorry.”

Now I am trying not to be rude. Usually, if she would have asked before plopping down her bag, if she could use it, I probably would have been fine with it. But I have no clue who this woman is, or what she may have in her bag. So not only am I a little peeved at her rudeness, but now I’m a little worried as well.

It’s a sad day when you can’t trust an older woman at the airport, you know?

So I start to move my bag as the line is moving up and we are next in line. She still has not moved her stuff and both T-Man and I are a little on the irked side. Funny thing is, she is moving along with me, still trying to search her bag.

I finally have no other choice but to tell her to move her bag, as we are next in line. She reluctantly does so, giving me a huff and an exasperated look, then a final “thank you” before moving in behind me.

We move up to the security guard and hand him my ID and boarding pass and he sort of raises his eyebrow at my situation and shakes his head. All T-Man and I can do is laugh a little and I shrug as I take back my documentation and head to the scanners.

Finally through security, we make our way to our gate, which is all the way at the end of the terminal. We stop at Quiznos for a couple of breakfast sandwiches and take them to go. As we find a spot to sit and wait for our flight, this is the site we see from the window.






Looks like the Balloon Fiesta is underway.

The flight to San Diego is pretty uneventful. We were able to get away with no one sitting with us on this leg of the trip, which was awesome. Gave us a little room to groove. We had our breakfast and before we knew it, we were landing.

We got to the baggage claim and low and behold, our suitcases decided to join us for this trip. (Thank goodness!).

We were able to find a shuttle to the car rental place with almost no wait. Once we got there, since T-Man is a Thrifty VIP or something like that. All he has to do is give the guy his information and they point us in the direction of a row of cars we can take our pick of.

The moment we start heading down that row, T-Man almost laughs, and races towards a white car in the middle of the lot. The same exact car that I have back home. T-Man is excited. He won’t have to learn how to operate a new vehicle, as he already knows how this one drives. This will be easy breezy.

After we inspect the vehicle ourselves, we stuff all our luggage into the trunk and back seat and head to the exit. They inspect it once again, and give us our packet and off we go!

We have about an hour and a half to two hour drive to Anaheim. T-Man is driving, so I just sit back and relax and enjoy the drive. I completely slack on my duties as official picture taker on the drive over until T-Man mentions my slacking. Oops!

If you followed along with our last TR from our first trip to the Land, you may recognize this site. I don’t know what it is about this cathedral that just screams, “Take a picture of me!”





I believe this is a view of the racetrack. We keep saying we need to stop in and see what it’s like, but haven’t done so yet. Maybe the next trip.



A view of the water from our car.


I have no clue what this was, but they got in my way when I tried to take pictures of the water.



We were making great time coming into Anaheim. We knew we still had some time before we could check in as it was only 1pm. So as we started to go down some of the familiar roads from our last trip, we came across a new landmark.




Angel’s Stadium. Now granted, both T-Man and I are die hard Dodger fans when it comes to baseball, but it was awesome to be able to drive in and at least check it out.

As you can tell it was a little windy out that day. The Santa Ana winds had made an appearance and I was really hoping that they wouldn’t be sticking around for the entire length of our stay.




From here, we headed to a grocery store. We needed to pick up a few things for the week, and we figured now was as good a time as any to do so. We drove around a few minutes trying to remember where the nearest Albertson’s was, when we stumbled onto a Von’s. Works for us.

On a side note...right next to Von's was this little gem...



I haven't seen one of those in ages. They used to have the best doughnuts in the world! So much better than Krispy Kreme. Sadly, even though we were near this place at least 3 times the whole trip, and repeatedly told each other we needed to stop and grab some for breakfast or grab some to go for the hotel...we never did.

Just as we started walking the aisles, I start to hear a familiar song...The Joker, by the Steve Miller Band. I’m pretty sure that most grocery stores don’t play that type of music regularly. Then I remember it’s my phone. I had placed that as Nebo and Smidgy’s ringtone before we left for vacation, to recognize when they were calling.

It’s Smidgy, wanting to know what we were up to, and if we wanted to swing by for a spell until our room was ready.

We paid for our goods and headed to the Howard Johnson to meet up with Nebo and Smidgy. When she called, she mentioned they were sitting by the pool. It took us a few minutes to find them, there are two pools there, one seemed to be a themed pool, mainly for the kiddies and then there was a quiet pool of sorts. Smidgy finally found us as we roamed the courtyard aimlessly.

Before we got to the pool, we decided to get a parking permit from the hotel so that we wouldn’t get towed for being there when we weren’t really staying there. Smidgy was able to get that without a problem.

Inside the pool area, we sat around and talked for a bit. Had a beer and sort of talked about the plans for the next day. At one point Nebo got up to throw the beer cans away and I swear all of us could have burned holes in the back of his head, from the way we watched him so carefully as he walked around the pool to the other side where the trash cans were and back. The last thing we needed was him slipping by the pool and either falling in, or falling on the concrete. He’s already dealing with enough pain from his wrist…

Speaking of...T-Man even took a picture of his wrist for show and tell.



At one time, Nebo started to ask T-Man about his plans for the week...I think Nebo was a little perlexed by our non challant way of touring the parks. We don’t necessarily “plan” everything. We have ideas on how we want to go about it. We start here and then depending on what the wait times are (we have a handy dandy app for our phones that tell us the wait times for most of the rides in each Disney park) we will go with the flow. As long as we do everything on our list of things to do, then we consider it a pretty good day.

However, I think T-Man was struck with the thought that now he had to plan everything out and he hadn’t done so...I saw a small look of fear in his eyes before we finally told them we would meet them the next day in front of Mr. Lincoln at 8:00am and booked it out of there before they realized the mistake of giving us reign as tour guides for the trip.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Continued in next post.

 

[Thumper_Man's Wife]

It was close to 2:30 now, and we figured we would be safe trying to check into the room. We headed over and sure enough, our room was ready. Once we got our small bags and grocery essentials from the car and into the room, we took a small tour.

This was the courtyard at Best Western in Anaheim.

I love the hidden Mickey's you are greeted with when you walk in.





Pool area (and yes that’s me off to the right).




Hot tub


Our room (and another candid shot of yours truly)


We decided to have a beer and sit out in the courtyard while we debated on what we wanted to do with the rest of the day and evening. After looking at some of the “what to do in Anaheim” magazines, we decided that we should do dinner a little early and that way we could come back and have a chance to hit the hot tub before it closed for the night.



Dave and Busters is a great treat for us since we don’t get a chance to go here regularly, we take the chance when we can. I think I’ve said this before...I can’t remember if I did it on our last TR or on someone else’s TR, so forgive the repeat if it sounds familiar, but, D&B is technically like an adult Chuck E Cheese. Except, it has awesome food and adult beverages and the games are a little more modified.

We didn’t have to wait at all for a table, which was great. Our waiter came by and asked our drink orders. I think T-Man had Iced Tea and I had a Dr. Pepper, and we also both ordered a Coronarita.

Now i have heard nothing but praise for these drinks. But I was a skeptic. I mean, I like Corona...That’s a drink I was practically raised on. Here in NM it’s either Tecate or Corona with lime. And I love Margaritas, was raised on those as well. In the spanish culture, Margaritas and Corona are staples. But I have never thought about putting the two together.

In college I was taught - Beer before Liquor, you’ve never been sicker. Liquor before Beer, you're in the clear.

They said nothing about mixing the two.

But I thought, I’m on vacation, trying something new will be good for me. So we ordered one.

Our regular drinks came, and the guy even took our order...still no adult beverages…

The guy came by to check on us and we mentioned to him we were still waiting on the Coronaritas. Bless him, he apologized profusely, but it still took another few minutes before they finally came. I’m not sure if he just wasn’t able to serve liquor or what, because it was another server that brought them to us.

Looks like T-Man wants both for himself!


I was able to wrestle mine away from him though.


I have no clue what I am laughing at here...But T-Man always finds a way to capture these interesting moments on camera.


I guess technically I could have left that last one out...but I’m sure T-Man would have found a way to squeeze it in somehow, so I might as well beat him to the punch.

Our meal came pretty quickly, and we were both pretty hungry by this point.

T-Man had the Ribs and Chicken combo.


I believe i had the Teriyaki Steak


Both were very good, and i’m pretty sure that we cleaned our plates completely.

Once done with our drinks and our meal, we waited for the waiter to bring our check. We had given him our players cards after we ordered, so he could add points to them. The meals we got had a certain amount of points locked into the price, so we got a pretty great deal all around.

The waiter came back with our check and we noticed that the check had items we never ordered on it. Seems this check was not ours. We were able to wave him back and get the corrected check, so we sent him on his way with T-Man’s credit card. However, when he came back to have T-Man sign for the receipt, we noticed the amount was again, different. Right away, I thought, oh great, he was still charging us off the wrong check...I’m not really sure what the difference was, but the fact remained that he had already run the credit card through for the charge.

We quickly waved him back over and told him the issue. The poor guy apologized profusely and ran to get his manager to fix the problem as quickly as possible. He comes back a few minutes later and tells us that his manager was able to cancel the last payment and re-run the card for the correct amount, but he wasn’t sure if the previous charge had gone through or not already. Sometimes they go through quickly, other times, not so much.

Me and T-Man look at each other and then back at the waiter. He continues to apologize and tells us that the mistake should be corrected without any problems, but just in case we see two charges, know that the first one will be taken off in the next day or so. He finishes with a polite yet fearful, “I hope that’s OK.”

T-Man looks at him and shakes his head, I mean, technically, no it’s not ok...but what do you tell him? There really is nothing we can do to go back in time, so we have to just hope and pray it all works out.

All the poor guy could do was apologize over and over and try to reassure us that the first charge shouldn’t have gone through because they caught it so quickly. I really should have counted the number of times that guy said he was sorry...I’m sure it was a pretty big number.

T-Man right away logs into our account from his phone to see if anything is showing as pending...so far, nothing is popping up...Let’s hope it stays that way.

We leave the tip, and yes, we did tip the guy because he did do a pretty decent job throughout the meal, and at least he owned up to the mistake and didn’t try to get out of it.

Once done there, we head to the back where the games are. We haven’t even stepped foot onto Disney property and we are already turning into little kids…

First game we hit was a trivia game we love to play together. We sit beside each other, each scanning our cards, and waiting for our time to play. The game is like it’s own trivia show. It asks you up to 5 questions, after each question, a wheel is spun to find out your next category. The good news is the categories are determined by the computer, not your opponents. I would have been toast from the get go if that were the case.

Once your question comes up, you have three choices for the answer, and you only have so many seconds to answer. The faster you answer, the better your lead. In the end, I won the first round.

We scanned our cards again, and the battle went on. We played about 4 rounds, I won 2 and I think T-Man won 2. We got a decent amount of tickets from it and decided to see what else was available.

Just behind us was Deal or No Deal. We like playing this when we come here, but hardly ever win anything substantial. We figured we would give it a go once again.

We scan one of the cards, select 2 players and the first thing we get to do is pick our lucky case. All the cases are thrown into a mixing party right after we are shown which one contains the top dollar amount, once you are dizzy and confused, they ask you to pick your lucky case, and begin the game.

We then are asked to pick 4 cases, each taking a turn to choose a case, the case is then opened and we are shown the amount we have just lost out on. Each time hoping it’s not the big amount we are hoping for. After each round, the banker comes on, telling us that he will offer us a so much if we opt to leave the game now, usually dependant on what we still have on the board, and what we could possible have in our own case. We never take the deal. We are here to win!

Half way through the game, the largest denomination is picked by yours truly, and our chances are sunk. We continue to play until the end and get about 60 tickets.

We have no where to be, so we decide to play again. This time, T-Man is really keeping an eye on the case, and has a feeling he knows where it is. He picks the case, and we play just like before. Every now and then, we get a big dollar amount and our deals from the banker are lowered. I’m starting to think we are sunk, but the big dollar amount still hasn’t come up.

The final pick comes and we are greeted with this lovely site.



How cool is that?! I don’t know if that will ever happen again, but it was so cool to watch all those tickets come out of the machine.

We played a few other games, and did pretty well for ourselves, but decided we wanted to get back early, we had a full day ahead of us tomorrow and we could stay here all night if given the opportunity, so we took our coupons to the cashier and had her put the points onto our cards. We looked through the little store they have, but there was nothing that we MUST have at the moment, so we take our points and skedaddle.

Once back at the room, we change into our suits, grab a couple of beers and head to the hot tub. Another couple got there just at the same time we did. We smiled at each other and each couple sank into the water on opposite ends of the tub.

It’s always funny when you find yourself face to face with another couple in a place like this. No one knows what to do...You are complete strangers, and here you are in swim suits and a pretty small space of water.

Luckily, I think T-Man and the other guy break the ice by saying hello to each other and we start up a conversation. They were from somewhere in Northern California and were there for the weekend with their grandchildren, before heading to Las Vegas. The guy seemed a lot more interested in going to Vegas than running around Disney, but you could tell he enjoyed doing it for the kids.

They stayed around for a few and then decided to go to bed. T-Man and I stayed a little longer, until the ants decided to try to invade our drinks. We figured that was our cue to go back in, shower and go to bed.

So we did…

Next up...How did we do on our first outing as tour guides?

 

[pkondz]

There is something almost surreal about going on vacation. You prepare for days, maybe even weeks (or months, if you are my DH) to get to this point and if you are lucky, all your hard work and effort pay off and you have the most extraordinary time, and then reality sets in and you're back at home.

Makes you wonder if all that pre-planning was worth it.
But then you have to think about all those people you passed with your fastpass, or all those people trying to get into the restaurant you had the ADR for, etc.

If you're anything like me, that moment when the plane lands back at home base, and you get into your car and start driving home, almost the exact reverse of the way you came only a week or so ago, you start to wonder…Was it all just a dream?

I find the credit card bill that shows up is a pretty good indicator of reality.

I want to keep that magic alive for just a little bit longer if I may, and tell you all about it. Think of it as a chance to fall into one of my dreams…

On second thought, that’s probably a little too close for comfort. I love you all, but a girl’s gotta have some secrets right?

(Cue daydream music, or the little blurry lines from old movies that indicate a dream sequence or flashback.)

One of the downsides to doing these things at work...

I'm picturing Wayne and Garth, from almost any Wayne's World skit, invoking a dream sequence.

At 4:45 that afternoon, we both rejoiced at the idea that we were now on vacation.

The only thing holding us back was the train and the traffic home. We got home at around 6:30 and hit the ground running.

Wait just a second!
T_Man gives me grief about 'catching trains' and then you post this????

So the trains don't stop for you guys either and you have to jump out.
Check.

We had already laid out the clothes we wanted to take with us,

Being laid out is better then being fired, but the end result is the same.

and now it was just a matter of folding, and packing them into the space saver bags,

The final frontier of saver bags.
These are the voyages of Mr and Mrs Bunny
Their five day (or so) mission: to explore Disneyland
To seek out Nebo and Smidgy
To boldly guide and prevent injury to Nebo, like no one has done before!!!!



whoa

where'd that come from?


I think my blood sugar must be a little low

or high...

whatever

Last year my mom bought us this nifty little thing that can attach to any luggage and tell you how much it weighs.

Up here we call those things 'scales'.

(Did I really just say nifty? I’ve been on an 80’s kick lately, I may have to start playing some different music, it’s obviously going to my head).

Neat!

T-Man attached it to his suitcase and lifted it up…47 pounds. Wow…cutting it a little close there.

One half-decent souvenir and you're toast.

And for some reason my entire flip-flop collection had mysteriously made a home in my suitcase and did not want to move,

flip-flop collection?
Are you that person that picks up those random single flip flops you see on the highway all the time?


<gasp>
That's it!!!!
I've always wondered why every time you see shoes/boots/flip flops on the road there's only just one.
It's because you pick up the other one.

OMG.
I'm so happy I know the truth now.

By 9pm we are still adding last minute things to the bags. Don’t forget the hats. Don’t forget the curling irons.

curling irons
plural

So one for each of you obviously.

Don’t forget the underwear! Don’t forget the swimsuits. Don’t forget…well…you get the picture.

Yes.
Unfortunately.

Now I can't get the picture of Bunny Boy's underwear out of my head.


And I really, really want it gone!!

The carryon had a couple of changes of clothes for the both of us,

The what?
:

if we have to continuously do laundry, at least we aren’t nekkid! I’m pretty sure Disney frowns upon that. Although Donald Duck is half nekkid…But I digress.

But just think how popular you could become!

This is why, on Saturday, October 5, 2013, we got up at the incredibly crazy, no one in their right minds would be up at this time unless they were going to Disney, hour of 4:30am.

That's what time Ruby gets up... five days a week.

I get to sleep in 'til 5 when I'm on days.

One of us, I’m not sure which one, stumbles to the coffee pot in a zombie like state in hopes of becoming human one cup at a time.

I know.

T-Man has turned into a 6 year old at this point and is excitedly running around the house.

They grow up so fast.
It seems like just yesterday he was behaving like a 5 year old.

Oh, wait.
That was yesterday.

Maybe giving him coffee wasn’t the best idea I ever had…

Sounds like what Ruby and I used to say about our girls and sugar.

Well you know the drill.

Once we hit the highway,

You're charged with asphalt.

We still have a ways to go before we hit our exit

and are charged with breaking and exiting


Do you think I'll stop?

No, probably not.

and we want to avoid the jams.

I love jam.
PB&J... mmmm.....

I'd never avoid one.

the traffic is at a stand still on the right hand lane.

Why do they call it a 'stand still' when they're all just sitting there?
Shouldn't it be a 'sit still' or perhaps a 'lack of rolling'?

All you see are headlights and taillights lining about a good 2 miles or so past the exit.

Ah. So people leave all thes lights lying around to mark their place in line?
Clever.

We laugh at the fools, because they should have been there at 4:30, instead of trying to get there at this hour. We wave as we pass by. Smooth sailing.

I was so expecting you to get stuck in your own traffic jam when you said that.

jam.

mmmmm...

To give you an idea of what all the hoopla is about…This was in 2011.

That's pretty nifty... neat... keen.... cool.


'cool' is always 'in'.

Smokey Bear

Did you happen to catch the last episode of Big Bang Theory?
The part about Smokey Bear?

People from all over the place come to see this spectacle. Some camping out for a week or so before hand. It’s really a great thing to see if you have never seen it.

It looks pretty amazing. I'd love to catch it some year.

<sigh> add it to the list.

For those of us that get a chance to see it every year, we go on vacation during the same week to get away from the traffic and craziness.

The line outside was a little less of a wait than the one inside, so we opted for that.

Inside line and outside line?

At one point, the attendant was working with all of them, giving them their gate numbers and what not, and there was still a bag left at the back of the line. Luckily one of the guys noticed it and hurried over to retrieve it, to make sure the attendant checked it in.

Luckily?
Not for you.
You almost got a free bag.

We stopped at our usual spot (This area really should just have our names written on it “Reserved for T-Man and Lady H” because every time we travel we stop at this same exact spot before heading to the security area)

Actually, I find it nice that you're able to travel enough that you have a 'usual spot'.

When we finally made our way around them, we stood in line like everyone else. We were about 3 people away from the front of the line, when a woman behind me decided this would be a great time to use my carry on as a bench for her bag.

What???
What the heck is with that?!?

As I was about to say something to the lady, she starts digging through her bag (perched upon mine) and starts rambling an apology to the effect of…

“Sorry, I hope you don’t mind, I just need to find…*mumble mumble mumble*

To which I reply…

“Um...actually I do...The line is moving and we need to move up.”

You're way more polite then I am Heather.

I probably would've pretended to not see her and just turn my back and walk away.

"Oh, dear. Look at that person back there. All their belongings fell out of their bag. Too bad."

As I am saying this, I am trying to roll my bag, however, she is digging into her bag (once again, perched on mine), saying…

“I just need it for a moment. I won’t be long. I know, I’m sorry.”

Wow.
Just.
Wow.

Now I am trying not to be rude.

Next time, try.
Just be rude.

People like that, who expect you to be their personal doormat, don't deserve any respect.


Wow.
I'm pretty bitter today, aren't I?


Nobody picks on my friends!!!

Usually, if she would have asked before plopping down her bag, if she could use it, I probably would have been fine with it.

Ditto.

It’s a sad day when you can’t trust an older woman at the airport, you know?

True.

But I don't know if I'd use the term 'woman' here in this case.

Funny thing is, she is moving along with me, still trying to search her bag.

Actually, that is kinda funny.
Hey Lady! (and I use that term loosely) Take a hint!

I finally have no other choice but to tell her to move her bag, as we are next in line. She reluctantly does so, giving me a huff and an exasperated look, then a final “thank you” before moving in behind me.

We stop at Quiznos for a couple of breakfast sandwiches and take them to go.

Huh.
I love Quiznos, but have never had one of their breakfast sandwiches.
Didn't even know they had them.

We were able to get away with no one sitting with us on this leg of the trip, which was awesome.

Love it when that happens.

We got to the baggage claim and low and behold, our suitcases decided to join us for this trip. (Thank goodness!).

I defy anyone to claim that they aren't at least a little nervous until their bag shows up.

The moment we start heading down that row, T-Man almost laughs, and races towards a white car in the middle of the lot. The same exact car that I have back home. T-Man is excited. He won’t have to learn how to operate a new vehicle, as he already knows how this one drives. This will be easy breezy.

I do the exact opposite. I look for the coolest car I can find that I haven't tried before.

If you followed along with our last TR from our first trip to the Land, you may recognize this site. I don’t know what it is about this cathedral that just screams, “Take a picture of me!”

It's a Mormon temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.


Gotta love Google.

I have no clue what this was, but they got in my way when I tried to take pictures of the water.

Well... ahem.... ummm....

I can tell you what they look like... but it'll get removed.

Umm.... let's just say they look like part of the female anatomy that is usually more pronounced on women then on men and is located in the chest area.

Which makes it really funny when you say that they get in the way when you try to take pictures.

Angel’s Stadium. Now granted, both T-Man and I are die hard Dodger fans when it comes to baseball, but it was awesome to be able to drive in and at least check it out.

I'm not a big baseball fan, but I'd've checked it out too, if I had the chance.

On a side note...right next to Von's was this little gem...



I haven't seen one of those in ages.

I can top that! I haven't seen one of those.... ever!
If you hadn't said they had doughnuts, I would never have known.

They used to have the best doughnuts in the world! So much better than Krispy Kreme. Sadly, even though we were near this place at least 3 times the whole trip, and repeatedly told each other we needed to stop and grab some for breakfast or grab some to go for the hotel...we never did.

Best doughnuts in the world!!!
Want some?
No!

Just as we started walking the aisles, I start to hear a familiar song...The Joker, by the Steve Miller Band.

I had placed that as Nebo and Smidgy’s ringtone before we left for vacation, to recognize when they were calling.

Seems fitting.

It’s Smidgy, wanting to know what we were up to, and if we wanted to swing by for a spell until our room was ready.

You guys must've been like:

When she called, she mentioned they were sitting by the pool.

But of course.

It took us a few minutes to find them, there are two pools there, one seemed to be a themed pool, mainly for the kiddies and then there was a quiet pool of sorts. Smidgy finally found us as we roamed the courtyard aimlessly.

There were two pools... and you were roaming the courtyard aimlessly...

Try roaming around one of the pools next time.
It should help.

Before we got to the pool, we decided to get a parking permit from the hotel so that we wouldn’t get towed for being there when we weren’t really staying there. Smidgy was able to get that without a problem.

Really?
They'd tow guests of a guest?

Was this a gated lot or something?

I guess I wouldn't even think of that unless I was going to leave my car parked there for a few days or something.

At one point Nebo got up to throw the beer cans away and I swear all of us could have burned holes in the back of his head, from the way we watched him so carefully as he walked around the pool to the other side where the trash cans were and back. The last thing we needed was him slipping by the pool and either falling in, or falling on the concrete.

Really, it's a minor miracle that he didn't slip!

Speaking of...T-Man even took a picture of his wrist for show and tell.

Looks pretty normal.

However, I think T-Man was struck with the thought that now he had to plan everything out and he hadn’t done so...I saw a small look of fear in his eyes

The pressure's on, T_Man!

we finally told them we would meet them the next day in front of Mr. Lincoln at 8:00am and booked it out of there before they realized the mistake of giving us reign as tour guides for the trip.

After looking at some of the “what to do in Anaheim” magazines,

Guaranteed that Nebo didn't have to look at a "what to do" magazine.
Bet he had the evening all planned out already.

Dave and Busters is a great treat for us since we don’t get a chance to go here regularly, we take the chance when we can. I think I’ve said this before...I can’t remember if I did it on our last TR or on someone else’s TR, so forgive the repeat if it sounds familiar, but, D&B is technically like an adult Chuck E Cheese. Except, it has awesome food and adult beverages and the games are a little more modified.

I forgot the name, but I remember the description.

we also both ordered a Coronarita.

Did you like it?

I have no clue what I am laughing at here...But T-Man always finds a way to capture these interesting moments on camera.

Nevermind. Apparently, you liked it.

I guess technically I could have left that last one out...but I’m sure T-Man would have found a way to squeeze it in somehow, so I might as well beat him to the punch.

And it's a cute picture of you.

Both were very good, and i’m pretty sure that we cleaned our plates completely.

Good. 'Cause there are starving children in.... name your cliché

The waiter came back with our check and we noticed that the check had items we never ordered on it. Seems this check was not ours. We were able to wave him back and get the corrected check, so we sent him on his way with T-Man’s credit card. However, when he came back to have T-Man sign for the receipt, we noticed the amount was again, different. Right away, I thought, oh great, he was still charging us off the wrong check...I’m not really sure what the difference was, but the fact remained that he had already run the credit card through for the charge.

I'm sure it was an honest mistake...
But doesn't it sound like a scam?
First it's the wrong bill, then the wrong amount...

He comes back a few minutes later and tells us that his manager was able to cancel the last payment and re-run the card for the correct amount, but he wasn’t sure if the previous charge had gone through or not already. Sometimes they go through quickly, other times, not so much.

Me and T-Man look at each other and then back at the waiter. He continues to apologize and tells us that the mistake should be corrected without any problems, but just in case we see two charges, know that the first one will be taken off in the next day or so. He finishes with a polite yet fearful, “I hope that’s OK.”

wow.
Not okay.
How about reversing the over-charge and not charging us for our meal?
Or giving us a dining credit for a possible future visit?

T-Man right away logs into our account from his phone to see if anything is showing as pending...so far, nothing is popping up...Let’s hope it stays that way.

Why do I have a feeling that it's not going to?

We leave the tip, and yes, we did tip the guy because he did do a pretty decent job throughout the meal, and at least he owned up to the mistake and didn’t try to get out of it.

I suppose I would probably do the same.

Once done there, we head to the back where the games are. We haven’t even stepped foot onto Disney property and we are already turning into little kids…

I thought Thumpy was already acting like a 6 year old?

We scanned our cards again, and the battle went on. We played about 4 rounds, I won 2 and I think T-Man won 2.

I hope so... otherwise something is very, very wrong.

The final pick comes and we are greeted with this lovely site.

Nice!
We have that game at our local movie theater.
Kay one the top prize once, too.

Once back at the room, we change into our suits, grab a couple of beers and head to the hot tub. Another couple got there just at the same time we did. We smiled at each other and each couple sank into the water on opposite ends of the tub.

"Then we all lunged at each other! Each person was trying to force the other out of the tub!
Cries of "Our hot tub!" "No, it's ours!" rang out into the night."

Luckily, I think T-Man and the other guy break the ice by saying hello to each other and we start up a conversation.

I like my version better.

They stayed around for a few and then decided to go to bed. T-Man and I stayed a little longer, until the ants decided to try to invade our drinks.

So that's why they went marching!

Next up...How did we do on our first outing as tour guides?

I don't know... but I can't wait to find out!
Thanks for the chapter!

 

[Thumper_Man's Wife]

Makes you wonder if all that pre-planning was worth it.
But then you have to think about all those people you passed with your fastpass, or all those people trying to get into the restaurant you had the ADR for, etc.

Exactly. At the end of the day, pre-planning is always worth that extra effort. But it drives me nuts. The more we plan, the more I anticipate, the more my patience wanes.

I find the credit card bill that shows up is a pretty good indicator of reality.

When you have paid for the majority of it ahead of time, the credit card bill isn’t as crazy as it probably could be at the end of the trip.

One of the downsides to doing these things at work...

I'm picturing Wayne and Garth, from almost any Wayne's World skit, invoking a dream sequence.

Funny, that is exactly what I was going for, but couldn’t find a video of it to use.

Wait just a second!
T_Man gives me grief about 'catching trains' and then you post this????

Hmm…seems I may have entered into enemy territory on this one…

So the trains don't stop for you guys either and you have to jump out.
Check.

Honestly, there have been days when the train is running behind and you wonder if it’s going to be a rolling stop, and the passengers have to tuck and roll at their designated areas.

The final frontier of saver bags.
These are the voyages of Mr and Mrs Bunny
Their five day (or so) mission: to explore Disneyland
To seek out Nebo and Smidgy
To boldly guide and prevent injury to Nebo, like no one has done before!!!!

Where were you when we were trying to come up with a title?

whoa

where'd that come from?


I think my blood sugar must be a little low

or high...

whatever

Sure…we’ll go with blood sugar on this one…

One half-decent souvenir and you're toast.

Good news was, we added another duffle bag to take with us, just so we wouldn’t run into this problem.

flip-flop collection?
Are you that person that picks up those random single flip flops you see on the highway all the time?

I’ve been discovered! Shoot…I was hoping to go my whole life without being found out. Hi…I’m Heather and I’m the flip-flop crusader!

<gasp>
That's it!!!!
I've always wondered why every time you see shoes/boots/flip flops on the road there's only just one.
It's because you pick up the other one.

I’m only in it for the flip-flops…Someone else goes by for the boots and other shoes.

OMG.
I'm so happy I know the truth now.

I’m happy I could knock something off your, “Things I must know in my life time” list.

curling irons
plural

So one for each of you obviously.

Actually, I took 3…All for my own use (T-Man can get his own!)…used none…Go figure.

Yes.
Unfortunately.

Now I can't get the picture of Bunny Boy's underwear out of my head.


And I really, really want it gone!!

um…sorry?!

The what?
:

Oops…My apologies, carrion.

Better?

But just think how popular you could become!

And never be let into another Disney park again!

That's what time Ruby gets up... five days a week.

I get to sleep in 'til 5 when I'm on days.

Bless you both. On work days, we usually sleep until about 5:15, and then try to go back to sleep for another 10 minutes before dragging ourselves out of bed. If I’m driving in, I sleep until 6. Except for last Tuesday, where I got to get up at 2am so I could be at work by 4am…

I know.

At least one of us does…

They grow up so fast.
It seems like just yesterday he was behaving like a 5 year old.

I know. Pretty soon they won’t need us anymore.

http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/power-drill-1.jpg[/IMG]

That’s the one!

You're charged with asphalt.

and are charged with breaking and exiting

Do you think I'll stop?

No, probably not.

I would expect nothing less.

I love jam.
PB&J... mmmm.....

I'd never avoid one.

Now that you said that, I was watching a re-run of Modern Family last night, where the Gay couple is talking, and one of them mentions he brought the other lunch, PB&J, to which the other replies with, “Pear, Brie and Jambon, my favorite!”
PB&J will never be the same to me anymore…

Why do they call it a 'stand still' when they're all just sitting there?
Shouldn't it be a 'sit still' or perhaps a 'lack of rolling'?

‘Sit still’ doesn’t quite roll off the tongue when describing a gridlock. Sounds more like a parent telling a rambunctious child what to do in a doctor's office...

I was so expecting you to get stuck in your own traffic jam when you said that.

I think I may have written that a little too dramatically. Although to be honest, I was waiting for it to hit us at any point. We cruised through and I still kept waiting for something to happen.

That's pretty nifty... neat... keen.... cool.

'cool' is always 'in'.

Taken from the Urban Dictionary website…

1. Cool
The best way to say something is neat-o, awesome, or swell. The phrase "cool" is very relaxed, never goes out of style, and people will never laugh at you for using it, very convenient for people like me who don't care about what's "in."

Did you happen to catch the last episode of Big Bang Theory?
The part about Smokey Bear?

I must have missed it somehow. I love Big Bang Theory, so it surprises me that I can’t recall anything about Smokey Bear…Hmm…

It looks pretty amazing. I'd love to catch it some year.

<sigh> add it to the list.

Well, you have a place to stay if you ever decide to head on over. It really is a great thing to see if you’ve never been. Some of the balloons are really “cool”. They have a Darth Vader one that was incorporated a few years back and now have a museum dedicated to the fiesta.

Inside line and outside line?

At the front area of the airport here in Albuquerque (and I’ve seen it in other places too), right where either your loved ones, or the shuttle drops you off, they have a kiosk set up for check-in. This is usually easiest for people like us who have already checked in and printed out the boarding passes, but still need to check in luggage. Depending on the weather, and the line itself, the line outside tends to be quicker.

During times like this day, where it’s early in the morning, it’s usually a little less busy outside because everyone wants to stay warm inside. We brave the cold for the quick service.

Luckily?
Not for you.
You almost got a free bag.

Nah…If I don’t own it, I don’t touch it. I don’t want to risk being the one that makes a bomb go off or the one that gets accused of stealing something.

Actually, I find it nice that you're able to travel enough that you have a 'usual spot'.

Good point. I didn’t think of it that way. Maybe we do travel a little too much…

What???
What the heck is with that?!?

You're way more polite then I am Heather.

I probably would've pretended to not see her and just turn my back and walk away.

"Oh, dear. Look at that person back there. All their belongings fell out of their bag. Too bad."

Wow.
Just.
Wow.

Next time, try.
Just be rude.

This whole scenario completely baffled me. I wasn’t sure if this was the “norm” or if I was on candid camera…Maybe I was being punked or something, who knew…But I just couldn’t get over the audacity of this woman...lady…person!

People like that, who expect you to be their personal doormat, don't deserve any respect.

Honestly, I am too nice most of the time. I don’t say anything in certain circumstances because I don’t want to come across as callus, or ungrateful, I’ve learned in my line of work, that the butt you kick today, could be the one you kiss tomorrow…so I try very hard to keep my emotions in check. But when you piss me off, you will know it and I was very close.

Wow.
I'm pretty bitter today, aren't I?


Nobody picks on my friends!!!

Awww…Thanks friend! At least I know you have our back.

Actually, that is kinda funny.
Hey Lady! (and I use that term loosely) Take a hint!

I really think she had a few screws loose.

Huh.
I love Quiznos, but have never had one of their breakfast sandwiches.
Didn't even know they had them.

They were pretty good actually. I think I had an egg, ham and cheese on flatbread.

I defy anyone to claim that they aren't at least a little nervous until their bag shows up.

Ever since the one year that my bag took an additional trip without me, I always have a fear that it will try to do it again.

I do the exact opposite. I look for the coolest car I can find that I haven't tried before.

I would probably do the same. Usually I would go up and down the aisle to see what is available, but this time, I think he saw that car from a mile away.

It's a Mormon temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.


Gotta love Google.

It’s a beautiful church. I think the first year that we went to San Diego, we cruised the back roads to find this place, so we could get a really good look at it and get some good pictures of the front. It was a little difficult to find, and gated. I would have loved to see the inside.

Well... ahem.... ummm....

I can tell you what they look like... but it'll get removed.

Umm.... let's just say they look like part of the female anatomy that is usually more pronounced on women then on men and is located in the chest area.

Which makes it really funny when you say that they get in the way when you try to take pictures.

At least someone else picked up on this. That is the first thing both T-Man and I said as we passed it. I’m glad we weren’t the only ones!

I'm not a big baseball fan, but I'd've checked it out too, if I had the chance.

I only watch baseball if I can watch it live. I find it completely boring on TV. But it was cool to check this out in person. Never been to a major league stadium before.

I can top that! I haven't seen one of those.... ever!
If you hadn't said they had doughnuts, I would never have known.

See I can be educational too.

Best doughnuts in the world!!!
Want some?
No!

That pretty much sums it up.

There were two pools... and you were roaming the courtyard aimlessly...

Try roaming around one of the pools next time.
It should help.

Where were you when we needed you smarty-pants?

Really?
They'd tow guests of a guest?

Was this a gated lot or something?

I guess I wouldn't even think of that unless I was going to leave my car parked there for a few days or something.

We had no idea if they would tow us or not. But there were signs all over stating that this lot was for hotel guests only and we saw every car in the lot had a permit. We didn’t want to end up being the ones that got towed because we didn’t follow the rules.

Plus we figured we would be picking them up at some point, so having one would benefit us during the trip.

Really, it's a minor miracle that he didn't slip!

We sort of thought the same thing.

Looks pretty normal.

Sure…Everyone’s arm is green and scaly right?!

The pressure's on, T_Man!

Yeah it was…Poor T-Man

Guaranteed that Nebo didn't have to look at a "what to do" magazine.
Bet he had the evening all planned out already.

We'll get more into that throughout the trip.

Did you like it?

Maybe a little.

Nevermind. Apparently, you liked it.

Was I that obvious?

And it's a cute picture of you.

I would disagree, but when someone offers a compliment, I have learned to smile and take me and say Thank you

Good. 'Cause there are starving children in.... name your cliché

Africa
Ethiopia
China
Albuquerque…

I'm sure it was an honest mistake...
But doesn't it sound like a scam?
First it's the wrong bill, then the wrong amount...

I kept waiting for the next thing to happen. It was just too weird and too synchronized.

wow.
Not okay.
How about reversing the over-charge and not charging us for our meal?
Or giving us a dining credit for a possible future visit?

Now that would have been nice…but they probably only reserve that kind of stuff for the really big screw ups!

I thought Thumpy was already acting like a 6 year old?

He was…it was my turn this time.

Nice!
We have that game at our local movie theater.
Kay one the top prize once, too.

That’s awesome! Go Kay! We never win…So this was a huge thing for us!

"Then we all lunged at each other! Each person was trying to force the other out of the tub!
Cries of "Our hot tub!" "No, it's ours!" rang out into the night."



I like my version better.

I like your version better too. Would have definitely been more entertaining.

So that's why they went marching!

To get to the beer…Makes perfect sense to me.

Thanks for the chapter!

Thanks for the awesome breakdown!

 

[pkondz]

When you have paid for the majority of it ahead of time, the credit card bill isn’t as crazy as it probably could be at the end of the trip.

I find that no matter how much we pre-pay, we still have a nice sticker shock bill at the end of it.

Where were you when we were trying to come up with a title?

I was right there!
I was the one jumping up and down with my hand waving in the air, "Ooh! ooh! Pick me! Pick me!"

Hi…I’m Heather and I’m the flip-flop crusader!

All: "Hi Heather."

I’m only in it for the flip-flops…Someone else goes by for the boots and other shoes.

oh

Actually, I took 3…All for my own use (T-Man can get his own!)…used none…Go figure.

Well thank goodness you took them all then!

Wait... Just how many curling irons do you own, anyway?

Oops…My apologies, carrion.

Better?

And never be let into another Disney park again!

But you'd be heroes on the DISboards!

(Or eternally ridiculed... either or)

Now that you said that, I was watching a re-run of Modern Family last night, where the Gay couple is talking, and one of them mentions he brought the other lunch, PB&J, to which the other replies with, “Pear, Brie and Jambon, my favorite!”
PB&J will never be the same to me anymore…

I forgot that one. I did see it.

‘Sit still’ doesn’t quite roll off the tongue when describing a gridlock. Sounds more like a parent telling a rambunctious child what to do in a doctor's office...

So you can use it for T_Man then, right?

I must have missed it somehow. I love Big Bang Theory, so it surprises me that I can’t recall anything about Smokey Bear…Hmm…

Okay, I'll try and remember it, but it might be off a little bit.
It's a conversation held in Leonard and Sheldon's apartment.
It's between Raj sitting in the chair and Howard on the couch.
I don't remember how it started, but...

Howard: "...Smokey Bear."
Raj: "Smokey Bear?"
Howard: "You don't have Smokey Bear in India?"
Raj <shakes head>: "No. Is that like Mon Mon the Mongoose?"
Howard: "Mon Mon the Mongoose?"
Raj: "Yes, he teaches children not to play with cobras."
Howard: "You actually need to be taught not to play with cobras?"
Raj: "You actually need to be taught not to burn down forests?"

Well, you have a place to stay if you ever decide to head on over.

Okay. We'll come down in January,
and stay until June... it should be warm enough by then to go back north.

Thanks Heather! Who knew we'd now have a place to go every winter to get away from the cold!

It really is a great thing to see if you’ve never been. Some of the balloons are really “cool”. They have a Darth Vader one that was incorporated a few years back and now have a museum dedicated to the fiesta.

That does sound pretty amazing.

At the front area of the airport here in Albuquerque (and I’ve seen it in other places too), right where either your loved ones, or the shuttle drops you off, they have a kiosk set up for check-in. This is usually easiest for people like us who have already checked in and printed out the boarding passes, but still need to check in luggage. Depending on the weather, and the line itself, the line outside tends to be quicker.

During times like this day, where it’s early in the morning, it’s usually a little less busy outside because everyone wants to stay warm inside. We brave the cold for the quick service.

Ah! Gotcha.
We don't have anything like that up here of course.
Well, I guess we sort of do.
The inside line is for passengers.
The outside line is for freezing to death.

Nah…If I don’t own it, I don’t touch it. I don’t want to risk being the one that makes a bomb go off or the one that gets accused of stealing something.

Yeah, I hear ya. I was just kidding.
Having worked in and around airports most of my adult life, I'm always aware of bags that aren't being attended.

Good point. I didn’t think of it that way. Maybe we do travel a little too much…

You can never travel too much.

Ever since the one year that my bag took an additional trip without me, I always have a fear that it will try to do it again.

Once they go rogue, you can't trust them anymore.
My suggestion to you would be to get a new bag.

At least someone else picked up on this. That is the first thing both T-Man and I said as we passed it. I’m glad we weren’t the only ones!

Just gotta be careful with the DIS censor!

I only watch baseball if I can watch it live. I find it completely boring on TV.

Yes!

But it was cool to check this out in person. Never been to a major league stadium before.

Me neither.

Where were you when we needed you smarty-pants?

I told you. Jumping up and down and waving.
"Please Thumpies! Can I go to Disneyland with you guys and Nebo and Smidgy? Please? Pretty please?"

It was a tad disconcerting to hear four "NO"s shouted at me.

I would disagree, but when someone offers a compliment, I have learned to smile and take me and say Thank you

A picture that captures someone obviously happy and enjoying themselves may not be considered classically flattering, especially to the model, but it reflects the person's emotions and personality far better then a static, classic, posed photo.

So yes. It's a cute picture of you.

 

[Thumper_Man]

Both Lady H and I have increased the size of the TR link in our signatures. Lets see if anyone else catches on now. If not, then I'll go and grab them by the hair, then drag them back to our TR.

Or I guess I could do something like this.


New TR from Thumpers.

We Hopped All The Way To Disneyland Just For Some Dis Meets

 

[pkondz]

Both Lady H and I have increased the size of the TR link in our signatures. Lets see if anyone else catches on now. If not, then I'll go and grab them by the hair, then drag them back to our TR.

Or I guess I could do something like this.


New TR from Thumpers.

We Hopped All The Way To Disneyland Just For Some Dis Meets

I don't see it.
I think it's too subtle.

 

[Thumper_Man]

Sorry for being a little absent lately. New trip to plan, work getting in the way a little, but mostly working on the next chapter. Hope to have another one up real soon.

Few comments to be made. Now let's see what I wanted to comment on.

Lady H pretty much covered the airport scene. Oh. Rental car. This is the 2nd time I've gotten to choose the same kind of car she has. First time was in Orlando last year. Then of course on this trip. In Orlando, we used a different rental company than we usually do, so we were going to be assigned a car. I overheard him mention something about a Cruze. I told him I would be happy with that if I could get that and they did. I know sometimes it's fun to drive new and exciting cars, but it helps to drive a car you are familiar with.

Hmm. What does this button do? Oh look honey, all our luggage got automatically ejected from the trunk and is all over the highway now. That's "COOL."

Now in California, I really preferred to have the Cruze. I find traffic here to be much worse than Orlando. The speed limit is 75. If you're driving that, you're driving too slow. By driving the Cruze, I could comfortably weave in and out of traffic. Glad Lady H was busy taking pictures and didn't see how fast I was really going.

I have since discovered that the picture of the buildings that look like they would represent certain attributes of the female body is actually a nuclear power plant. San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.. Amazing what you can find on Google.

Dave & Busters. Lady H pretty much covered all of this as well. We had contemplated talking to the manager. Would have been nice to get credit for a free meal or something. However; given the busy schedule ahead of us for the week, we wouldn't have had time to go back and use any credit. Plus we can't bring it home with us as we don't have a D & B here. At least not yet. Supposedly they will build one in Albuquerque next year. Was supposed to be this year, but it seems to be betting pushed back more and more. We'll see what happens.

The Coronarita. This one was just ok. Told Lady H that the best one is at Rainforest Cafe. We'll have to get one there. If you've never had one, here's how to drink one. Slam it down. Well I guess you could sip it to if you like. The main thing to remember is, don't pull out the bottle. Well at least not until you're done with your drink.

Meeting with Nebo and Smidgy. Good to see them again. I was going to mention a few things here, but I'll work them in to my chapter. As far as the plan goes. Yeah. Scary thought. Lady H and I never really make a plan for touring the parks. We're you're typical sashay through the park kinda people and do whatever comes to mind. We have a general idea of what we want to do, but have no particular order in how we do them.

What made it a little harder to plan was the fact that Smidgy gave me all these restrictions before hand which we've all read about time and time again on their TR's. Nebo can't do dark rides during the day. Well that's about half the rides in DL and DCA. Well it's not that he can't, he's perfectly capable; it's just he won't see anything but total darkness if he does. Plus they had already been to DL that morning and are we going back later at night. I don't know what they would or wouldn't get to do. What's work for Lady H and I, may not work for them. Only time will tell.

Think that about sums my comments. Lady H did a wonderful job starting us off. Now I have to try and follow up on that. Oh the pressure.

Good job honey. Do you want to write my chapter also?

 

[Thumper_Man]

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[Thumper_Man]

Thumper’s Log. Sunday October 6, 2013.

The Thumper’s are assigned a task to show WDW veterans around Disneyland. Given the Thumpers have only been to Disneyland once as a married couple, this would not be an easy task. To further complicate matters, one of the WDW veterans has vision problems and certain restrictions are given to the Thumpers when trying to come up with a plan. Are the Thumpers doomed to fail right from the start?

0530 and the alarm goes off. Lady H and I have 2 ½ hours to get ready, eat breakfast, check out of the hotel and get to Disneyland. Like Lady H stated in the previous chapter, we packed a small bag just for this night. This would hopefully save us some time. Our big bags stayed in the car overnight. Especially Lady H’s bag. It can’t be trusted alone anymore. It likes to travel without her and needs constant supervision now. I left my big bag behind to watch hers and to make sure it doesn’t up and leave overnight. Plus there is no way I wanted to get them down just for one night.

Part of the reason I picked the Best Western was because they had a complimentary hot breakfast in the morning. Other places closer to Disney did as well, but you had to pay more money of course. Those places probably would’ve required breaking the piggy bank, robbing a bank, or worse; taking out a bank loan. Since it was for only one night, this place fit right into our budget.

It’s been over a year since we last came to Anaheim and DLR. We still have our usual morning routine. Let me recap what that routine is for those that didn’t follow our last TR.

Wake up. One of us will get up and get coffee (or turn the coffee pot on if said coffee pot doesn’t have a built in timer) for the other person and himself. We’ll drink about half the coffee from our cup and hope the caffeine kicks in almost instantaneously. Then we’ll take shower and get dressed. One of us will wait around for the other person to do her hair and put on her makeup. Then we’ll head out the door on time if we’re lucky. We used to be really good at being on schedule or ahead of schedule. Seems as we get older, we hope to be on schedule or not too far behind. Just can’t get the body to move as fast as we used to.

Today is one day I hope we’re on schedule. See, we’re not only meeting with Nebo and Smidgy this morning, we’re also meeting another Dis’er this morning: Queenbetsey and her DH. We said we would meet at Great Moments With Lincoln and hope to have a great meeting moment. I’ll talk more about the Queen Bee and her DH later. Right now we’re going to have to swallow our food whole. Forget chewing, our stomach will eventually digest it in a weeks time or so. One thing I didn’t know until we checked in was that breakfast would be served at 7am instead of 6am. I thought I read on a site somewhere that breakfast was served from 6am-10am. Of course I looked at so many sites, I may have started imagining things the way I wanted them to be.

Ok. Breakfast starts at 0700. That leaves us 30 minutes to gulp down some chow and check out. To get to DL on time, we need to leave no later than 0730. It’s about a 15 minute drive to there from this hotel. I timed it yesterday when we met Nebo and Smidgy at their hotel. By the time we park, get through bag check and get to the turnstiles to have our pictures taken (I’ll explain more on this later), get into the park; we should have about 2 seconds or so to spare.

The time is now 0630 and I’m ready to go. Lady H is still putting on makeup.
While Lady H beautifies herself (although I often tell her she doesn’t need to, she’s naturally beautiful), I start to load the car with some of the stuff we unpacked that needs to be repacked. The rest of the beer, bottled waters we never drank because we were consuming beer and whatever else we feel needs to make it to the resort with us. 15 minutes later, Lady H is done beautifying herself. We pack up the small bag, load it into the car and proceed to dining area. We’re a little ahead of schedule so we’ll wait around until they open up the lounge area. To our wonderful surprise, the breakfast area is already open.

We each grab a plate, serve ourselves and chow down. We’ll actually get to chew some of our food instead of swallowing it whole. Once we finish breakfast we go to the front desk and check out, take one big hop to the car and off we go. On the way there, we debate where we should park. The Toy Story Mania Parking Lot or Mickey and Friends Parking Garage. Either way, we’ll have to take a shuttle from each of these places to DL. Since we’ll have to leave in the afternoon to check in to our resort, we decide on the Toy Story lot. It will be easier to get to our resort from here as opposed to the parking garage. Our resort is hop, another hop and jump away; or 2 blocks away if traveling by car.

On our last trip, the only Disney parking lot we used was at Downtown Disney; and that was just for a short time. Otherwise we always took the ART hotel shuttle. We figured we’ll get some use out of the rental car this trip. Instead of it being parked back at the resort, it can be parked at the parking lot or parking garage. We knew for sure we didn’t want to use the ART hotel shuttle this trip (even though we still would land up using the ART shuttles). By parking in the Disney parking lot/garage, we have an hour to catch the last parking lot shuttle once the parks close. With the ART hotel shuttle, you only have a half hour to catch the last shuttle and there isn’t as many of those as there are parking lot shuttles. This will allow us a little more time in Disney at park closing time, plus less stress.

Did anyone figure out why I mentioned we still landed up using the ART shuttles? Good for all of you. Moving on.

Wait, I see a hand way in the back. You didn’t figure it out? Let me explain. ART (which stands for Anaheim Resort Transportation) also provides and operates the Disney parking lot shuttles. Well for the Toy Story Parking lot anyways. Naturally you pay more for using the Disney parking lot, but ART seems to provide more shuttles for the parking lot then they do for the hotel routes. I agree with what you’re all thinking right now. They should as we’re paying them more.

Now that you know all about the ART shuttles, it’s time we move on to your next lesson. How to enter the Toy Story Parking lot. There are 2 entrances, but visitors are only allowed to use one. The other entrance is for the CM’s whom have their own designated section and shuttle.
There are also 2 exits which coincidentally are located next to the 2 entrances. Guests are allowed to use either one.

OK. Getting back to our parking adventure. Since I’ve already stated that we’ve never parked in this parking lot, we didn’t know the employee entrance was not a guest entrance. Imagine the surprising look on our faces when we read that the lot is already full. Full? At 0740 in the morning? We have a thought as to why, but we’re not sure exactly. That’s for future chapters. We proceed towards the lot and ask the CM’s if it’s indeed already full, even though we can clearly see the lot still has tons of parking available. The CM tells us no, but this isn’t the proper entrance. It’s an entrance for employees only. The guest entrance is off of Harbor Blvd. We were on Katella.

Here’s a visual for you:


Tomorrow we’ll try the Mickey and Friends Parking Garage. I’ve heard and read nightmares about using the parking garage. If things work better there, then we’ll park over there. If not, we’ll continue using the TSM parking lot. It’s closer to our resort and now that we know how to actually get in and out without being detained, we may continue to use this lot.

Now parking in this lot is another adventure. Where we were hoping to enter the parking lot at first is more or less where we land up parking. The CM’s could’ve saved us the hassle of driving around to the other entrance. They very easily could’ve collected our money, let us park, slapped us on the hand and let us know we need to use the other entrance next time; but NO!

We also get a grand tour of the parking lot in our own car. Well in Thrifty’s rental car that we rented from them. I’ve yet to figure out why they are doing things the way they are doing them. Let me provide another visual aid for you.



Prior to this trip, I prepaid for parking for 2 days. We’ll pay for the other 2 days later on in the trip. We hand the CM at the correct entrance our prepaid parking voucher. He hands us back a receipt that will allow us to go in and out of the lot all day. Now to get from the entrance to where we parked, it’s about a ¼ of a mile. We drive a little over ½ mile. Now I’ve outlined the route I thought would be simplest, and the route we actually traveled. The green route is what we actually traveled. Now that I look at the map, I now understand why they did it the way they did it. Being it wasn’t that busy at the moment, I think my way (pink line) would have worked just fine. Heck they could’ve at least shortened the distance a little and detoured us a little sooner as outlined by the blue line.

Soon we park, the shuttle is there waiting for us and we’re off to DL. We’re still making good time until……………….. THE BAG CHECK LINE!

Here we’ll lose a little time. This is still my biggest pet peeve about DLR. I have a new one, but it’s still not as bad as this one. I’ll get to the other one later as well. Lines could move so much faster if they had a non-bag line. You don’t know how many people we see with no bags. Sure they’ll just be waved right on through once they get to the front of the line, but a non-bag line would help speed things up. It works at WDW, I’m sure they could get it to work here as well. Especially since they don’t have very many checkpoints. There is a lot more space on the other side of the checkpoints for them to wait then there is here. Regardless, being we each have a bag, we know they need to be checked. We’re prepared once it’s our turn. Bags open and ready for inspection.

5 minutes later and we’re through checkpoint Charlie. Now there’s another new obstacle added to this course that wasn’t here last year. Getting into the park. Well yeah, there’s the having to show your ticket at the gate obstacle, but they added an extra line of defense. Since we were last here, Disney is now requiring anyone with a multiday ticket (I believe 3 or more days) to have their tickets scanned and their pictures taken to be associated with their ticket. The equivalent to this at WDW would be the fingerprint scans. Well then. I don't know about now with the transition to FP+ and Magic Bands. Anyways, this would become my 2nd pet peeve. I know a lot of people have complained about this and IMO, it’s still a problem.

The first time you enter either one of the parks, you pick a line (hopefully the shortest and fastest moving), hand your ticket to one CM who will scan your ticket, then take your picture. This way the next time you have to enter a park, all they have to do is scan your ticket and make sure the right person is using the ticket.

Now being this our first time to the park with our new tickets, we were expecting this. What we were not expecting is how long it would take and some of the troubles the CM’s were having with some people. Luck would have it we would pick the line with the large family that would be having problems. All the other lines were moving quickly. Finally the CM saw how long we had been waiting and just waved us through. No picture taking this morning. I hope this doesn’t become a problem later.

One improvement from last year is that we are no longer issued a separate ticket for our So. Cal City Pass. We only have one ticket to worry about instead of 2. Well at least for now. We need to add a day to our tickets later on in the trip.

Time now is 0758 and we head over to Great Moments With Lincoln. Once we walk under the tunnel and get there, no one is there. Looks like we’re the first to arrive. I still haven’t come up with a touring plan yet. Now the pressure is really setting in. We are traveling with 2 people whom I know WDW is and always will be their favorite place to go. I’m just hoping that we can show them a good time here at DLR and hope they have as much fun here as they do at WDW. It will also help if they don’t try to compare it to WDW, but I seriously doubt this will happen. Once piece of advice I always give is, don’t try to compare any park to other theme parks. Enjoy it for what it is. If you go in comparing, you will not have a good time. What to do, what to do.

Help, I need somebody.
Help, not just anybody.
Help, you know I need someone.

HELP!

 

[queenbetsey]

Oh man I got stuck parking in that lot one time now I head to the mickey and friends lot.
Totally agree with you on the multi day ticket pet peeve, We too usually get stuck behind the big group who gives the cm grief about the picture thing. *yet another thing we can thank the folks who had to make a buck on the mouse by ticket scams grr*
I also was nervous about showing our home turf to Smidgy and Nebo it is so very different than WDW and much smaller. Folks who have been to wdw where it is all green and open have a shock when they come here and are smack dab in the middle of the city.
Also I was at quite the loss to figure out things that were not in the dark so to speak. as you know quite a bit of our attractions are inside.

Our morning went something like this:
One of us got up and made the coffee for us while Lance was drinking his I was getting Stanley,*the wonder dog* squared away, you know food water taken out etc. Then the "what to wear" battle, "Do I HAVE to wear the matching shirt? the other guys will make fun of me" "yes lance you need to wear the shirt or else you can pick something out for yourself" I don't know aout other husbands out there but mine for some reason just gets befuddled at the concept of picking out his own clothes.
One last trip outside for Stanley who by now has realized that we are ditching him for a few hours and is now pouting by the door giving us "the look"
Then off to DL. and a barrage of questions, all of which I have answered already a 100 times and we are both nervous I mean we are meeting Disboard legends right? but all in all excited at the prospect

 

[pkondz]

Thumper’s Log. Sunday October 6, 2013.

These are the voyages of the bunny ship... uh...
oh.

Wrong TR.

The Thumper’s are assigned a task to show WDW veterans around Disneyland. Given the Thumpers have only been to Disneyland once as a married couple, this would not be an easy task. To further complicate matters, one of the WDW veterans has vision problems and certain restrictions are given to the Thumpers when trying to come up with a plan. Are the Thumpers doomed to fail right from the start?

What's with that???
You've only been once and you're forced into guidance slavery?

Do these people have no morals???

Well, I happen to know that she does, while he most certainly does not.

0530 and the alarm goes off.

What's a vacation without making it into work?

Our big bags stayed in the car overnight.

But doesn't a little part of you feel sad when your little bags get big and are able to be on their own overnight?

Plus there is no way I wanted to get them down just for one night.

True, sometimes getting them down for the night can be a pain.
"Can you close my zipper? I'm cold! Tell me a story about Satchel Paige. I'm not tired! I have nightmares of monkeys smashing me around."

Part of the reason I picked the Best Western was because they had a complimentary hot breakfast in the morning.

Oh, man! I love complimentary hot breakfasts!
Eggs: "My you look sunny this morning!"
Bacon: "You look as happy as a pig in a poke!"
Spuds: "Hey good lookin'! I've got my eyes on you!"

Ya walk outta there and you feel like a million bucks!
And full too!

We still have our usual morning routine. Let me recap what that routine is for those that didn’t follow our last TR.

I remember what's coming next.


uh.... does that mean I'm psychic?



awesome

One of us will get up and get coffee (or turn the coffee pot on if said coffee pot doesn’t have a built in timer) for the other person and himself.

Well said. I recall which one is the brewer and which one the befeficiary of said brewer.

Then we’ll take shower and get dressed.

You wild and crazy kids you.
Ah, I remember what it was like to be young and in love...

We used to be really good at being on schedule or ahead of schedule. Seems as we get older, we hope to be on schedule or not too far behind.

Have kids.

You'll never be on time, again.... ever.... for anything.

See, we’re not only meeting with Nebo and Smidgy this morning, we’re also meeting another Dis’er this morning: Queenbetsey and her DH.

I am so jealous!
So wish I could have been there!

2015... 2015...

Right now we’re going to have to swallow our food whole. Forget chewing, our stomach will eventually digest it in a weeks time or so.

Actually, when applying the Heimlich maneuver, the unchewed food doesn't reach the stomach.

By the time we park, get through bag check and get to the turnstiles to have our pictures taken (I’ll explain more on this later), get into the park; we should have about 2 seconds or so to spare.

See? Plenty of time. Why the worry?

The time is now 0630 and I’m ready to go. Lady H is still putting on makeup.
While Lady H beautifies herself (although I often tell her she doesn’t need to, she’s naturally beautiful),

He's not kidding, folks.
I've seen pictures.

To our wonderful surprise, the breakfast area is already open.

Probably around 6 or so.

We each grab a plate,

That's good.
We wouldn't want you squabbling over one plate, now.

Our resort is hop, another hop and jump away; or 2 blocks away if traveling by car.

A hop, hop and a jump?
I think you skipped something, but I can't figure out what.

We knew for sure we didn’t want to use the ART hotel shuttle this trip (even though we still would land up using the ART shuttles).

Oh, sure.
That clears that up.

Did anyone figure out why I mentioned we still landed up using the ART shuttles? Good for all of you. Moving on.

Oh, sure. Piece of cake.

Wait, I see a hand way in the back. You didn’t figure it out? Let me explain.

Hang on.
I've got to make my way back to the front, to hear this.


Not that it was me with my hand up.

Naturally you pay more for using the Disney parking lot, but ART seems to provide more shuttles for the parking lot then they do for the hotel routes. I agree with what you’re all thinking right now. They should as we’re paying them more.

Actually, I was thinking that I'd like a ham sandwich.
But, sure.
That too.

There are 2 entrances, but visitors are only allowed to use one.

The white zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only. There is no stopping in the red zone.

The red zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only. There is no stopping in the white zone.

There are also 2 exits which coincidentally are located next to the 2 entrances. Guests are allowed to use either one.

Are you sure?
Did you use them both?
Hmmmmm????

Imagine the surprising look on our faces when we read that the lot is already full. Full? At 0740 in the morning?

Disney executives today admitted that they might have been in error by constructing a parking lot to accomodate all Disneyland visitors that only has room for 7 small cars. Or 4 large ones.

The CM tells us no, but this isn’t the proper entrance. It’s an entrance for employees only. The guest entrance is off of Harbor Blvd. We were on Katella.

Did you see any signs (then or later) that pointed to the right entrance, or designated this one as employee only?

Here’s a visual for you:

What's with the circuit board with the funny red lines on it?

They very easily could’ve collected our money, let us park, slapped us on the hand and let us know we need to use the other entrance next time; but NO!

That's called 'being made an example of'.
This process is generally annoying and serves absolutely no purpose other than to make the instigator have a swelled head.

We also get a grand tour of the parking lot in our own car. Well in Thrifty’s rental car that we rented from them. I’ve yet to figure out why they are doing things the way they are doing them. Let me provide another visual aid for you.

Another circuit board?
Weird TR, dude.

Besides, Disney owns everything... including the gas stations.
This forces you to burn more of it.

Much more.

Prior to this trip, I prepaid for parking for 2 days. We’ll pay for the other 2 days later on in the trip. We hand the CM at the correct entrance our prepaid parking voucher. He hands us back a receipt that will allow us to go in and out of the lot all day.

I thought you were leading up to a problem there.

Soon we park, the shuttle is there waiting for us and we’re off to DL. We’re still making good time until……………….. THE BAG CHECK LINE!

Insert "dun dun dun duuuuunnnnnnn!!!!!" here.

This is still my biggest pet peeve about DLR. I have a new one, but it’s still not as bad as this one.

We have two pets in our house too!
A dog and a guinea pig.

Lines could move so much faster if they had a non-bag line.
...
Regardless, being we each have a bag, we know they need to be checked.

That cracked me up.
"We want a non-bag line! But it's not for us! Just get one!!!"

Since we were last here, Disney is now requiring anyone with a multiday ticket (I believe 3 or more days) to have their tickets scanned and their pictures taken to be associated with their ticket.

I would so walk up with a funny grimace and tell them it's something I can't control.

"Sir? Could you please uncross your eyes and stop sticking your tongue out?"
"You insensitve CM! I have a rare disorder that prevents me from conrolling my facial muscles. You have insulted me and hurt my feelings, too."
"I'm so sorry sir! I had no idea! Here, take a handful of fastpasses."

The equivalent to this at WDW would be the fingerprint scans.

I wonder which one is really less intrusive?

Finally the CM saw how long we had been waiting and just waved us through. No picture taking this morning. I hope this doesn’t become a problem later.

Geez. Then why do it in the first place?

Once we walk under the tunnel and get there, no one is there. Looks like we’re the first to arrive.

You could've chewed twice!

I still haven’t come up with a touring plan yet. Now the pressure is really setting in.

You are so in trouble.

Once piece of advice I always give is, don’t try to compare any park to other theme parks. Enjoy it for what it is. If you go in comparing, you will not have a good time.

What if your favorite thing to do in all the world is comparing things?
Thanks for the chapter, T-man!

 

[Thumper_Man]

Oh man I got stuck parking in that lot one time now I head to the mickey and friends lot.

We have a story about this as well. Stay tuned.

Totally agree with you on the multi day ticket pet peeve,

I do have one more thing to say about this, but I'll talk about it later. I just can't figure out why it would be so hard to have first timers go through a different line the first time they enter the park. They always seem to have at least 15-20 lines open when you first get there. Surely they could devote at least one quarter of these lanes to assisting first timers.

I also was nervous about showing our home turf to Smidgy and Nebo it is so very different than WDW and much smaller. Folks who have been to wdw where it is all green and open have a shock when they come here and are smack dab in the middle of the city.

Well being in the smack dab in the middle of the city has its advantages and disadvantages. Although WDW may be more spread out, DL has just as much to offer. I did a little comparison as to what the Disney website considers to be attractions at both WDW and DLR. The results. DLR has about 20 less attractions than WDW. Keep in mind, the pavilions in World Showcase at WDW are considered attractions by the website standards.

Also, almost every major headliner at WDW has at least some type of counterpart at DLR. There are very few headliners at WDW that don't have a counterpart at DLR. Plus there are some rides that are unique to each park.

Ok. I can go on and on, but bottom line; even though DLR may be smaller in size, they still have quite a bit to offer.

Also I was at quite the loss to figure out things that were not in the dark so to speak. as you know quite a bit of our attractions are inside.

Yes I know. I was at a loss as well.

Our morning went something like this:
One of us got up and made the coffee for us while Lance was drinking his I was getting Stanley,*the wonder dog* squared away, you know food water taken out etc. Then the "what to wear" battle, "Do I HAVE to wear the matching shirt? the other guys will make fun of me"

We were nice to Lance. This time. Now that we know him, he may not get so lucky the next time.

Come to think about it, Lady H and I have matching shirts. Why we didn't wear them this day is beyond me.

"yes lance you need to wear the shirt or else you can pick something out for yourself" I don't know aout other husbands out there but mine for some reason just gets befuddled at the concept of picking out his own clothes.

This goes back to childhood. You know, when mother's say "I don't know what you're going to do without me." It rolls over into adulthood. We've come to expect it.

Then off to DL. and a barrage of questions, all of which I have answered already a 100 times and we are both nervous I mean we are meeting Disboard legends right?

Why thank you.

What's that? She wasn't referring to me or Lady H? Oh, she was referring to Nebo and Smidgy. Well it was worth a try.

 

[Thumper_Man]

Do these people have no morals???

Well, I happen to know that she does, while he most certainly does not.

Are sure you've never met Nebo and Smidgy in person?

What's a vacation without making it into work?

Time to Relax. At least that what Lady H tells me.

Oh, man! I love complimentary hot breakfasts!
Eggs: "My you look sunny this morning!"
Bacon: "You look as happy as a pig in a poke!"
Spuds: "Hey good lookin'! I've got my eyes on you!"

Sadly, there were no spuds. There were eggs, bacon and sausage. And waffles. This at least made up a little for the lack of spuds.

Ya walk outta there and you feel like a million bucks!

Can I have the million bucks to go along with that feeling?

I remember what's coming next.


uh.... does that mean I'm psychic?

No. Just means your old timers hasn't fully kicked in yet.

Well said. I recall which one is the brewer and which one the befeficiary of said brewer.

And it's still the same on this trip.

You wild and crazy kids you.
Ah, I remember what it was like to be young and in love...

Well at least you're still in love. That must count for something.

Have kids.

You'll never be on time, again.... ever.... for anything.

We don't need kids to accomplish this. I think we have it down pat already.

I am so jealous!
So wish I could have been there!

2015... 2015...

We may be the jealous ones now. I don't know if we can be there in 2015. Depends when in 2015 you will be there. We're going to Cancun in November 2014. Plus we'll have a new boss in 2015. Pray that we still have jobs then.

Probably around 6 or so.

Well it wasn't open at 6:30 when I started taking stuff out to the car. It was close to our room and I could see it was still closed.

The white zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only. There is no stopping in the red zone.

The red zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only. There is no stopping in the white zone.

That about sums it up.

Are you sure?
Did you use them both?
Hmmmmm????

Don't be getting ahead of us now. We're not there yet.

Did you see any signs (then or later) that pointed to the right entrance, or designated this one as employee only?

At the time, there were signs; but very hard to read. It wasn't until you were actually right there that you could read them. Plus with so many cars going by, you couldn't see it long enough to read it.

Here's a picture from Google. At this point, you would actually be closer to them then you would be in the left turning lane at the signal.

That cracked me up.
"We want a non-bag line! But it's not for us! Just get one!!!"

Really, they need one. I'll tell you more about it later.

Geez. Then why do it in the first place?

To beat the scam of companies reselling multi-day tickets. As you know, DLR does not do the biometric fingerprint scan that WDW does. Therefore, tickets cannot be tied to a particular individual. Because of this, you would have certain companies buy a multi-day ticket then resell it multiple times.

Here's a good example.
Right now DLR park hopper tickets (per DLR site) are:
1 Day - $137
2 Day - $210
3 Day - $260
4 Day - $285
5 Day - $300

Lets say I'm the dealer your the customer. You come to me for a ticket because you heard I can save you some money. I have for sell, a 5 day ticket which I paid $300 for. You only need a ticket for 2 days. I sell you this ticket for $195. My pitch to you, it's $15 less than the gate price. The only thing is, you need to return it to me once you're done with it. Heck I'll even meet you at the entrance on the last day to pick it up from you once you're done with it. With a new ticket like this, I'll tell you I can only accept a debit or credit card. You agree, pay me, I hand you the ticket along with your 2 day receipt and off to DLR you go.

Once you're done with it, you return it to me just as promised. A week later, Nebo comes along and tells me he needs a ticket for 3 days. I sell it to him for $240. Same pitch as before only this time I don't need it back, because he's going to finish using the last 3 days. Since he'll be using the last 3 days, I'm willing to accept cash in addition to credit and debit cards for this ticket. Nebo pays me, I hand him his tickets along with a 3 day receipt and off he goes.

Now, I paid $300 for it. I resold it twice and the total I resold it for was $435. I made a $135 profit off of one ticket.

So to beat this scam, DLR now scans the ticket and takes a picture of the person who first uses the ticket. After that, each time someone uses their ticket, they will make sure the person using the ticket is the same person in the picture.

I know I didn't probably need to get into that much detail, but work is a bit slow at the moment.

You could've chewed twice!

Or possibly even 3 times.

You are so in trouble.

You'll find out in the next chapter.

What if your favorite thing to do in all the world is comparing things?

Then I hope you have different expectations. If you don't, then you may be disappointed when one doesn't meet or exceed the expectations of the other.

Thanks for the chapter, T-man!

Thanks for the comments.

 

[pkondz]

Are sure you've never met Nebo and Smidgy in person?

Nope.

But I'm good at inferring.

Except I occasionally get red paint thrown at me when I infer.

Sadly, there were no spuds. There were eggs, bacon and sausage. And waffles. This at least made up a little for the lack of spuds.

Waffles? What kind of compliments do they give?
I guess you don't know 'cause they only speak in French, German or Dutch, right?

Can I have the million bucks to go along with that feeling?

Yes.

Just go to your bank and hand them a note that says, "Give me one million dollars."

It's all set up. You're good to go.

Well at least you're still in love. That must count for something.

Nah.
At this stage of the game, we're just in tolerate.


Oh, okay. Okay.

Yeah, we're still in love. But don't tell her 'cause then she'll get all gooshy.

We may be the jealous ones now. I don't know if we can be there in 2015. Depends when in 2015 you will be there. We're going to Cancun in November 2014.

Sometime in summer, I guess.
Haven't figured that out yet.

Plus we'll have a new boss in 2015. Pray that we still have jobs then.

Don't be getting ahead of us now. We're not there yet.

Whoops! Sorry for stepping on TR toes!

At the time, there were signs; but very hard to read. It wasn't until you were actually right there that you could read them. Plus with so many cars going by, you couldn't see it long enough to read it.

Here's a picture from Google. At this point, you would actually be closer to them then you would be in the left turning lane at the signal.

Whoa. That's hard to read. I could see how you'd think it was okay.

To beat the scam of companies reselling multi-day tickets.

Yeah, I got that.
What I meant was, if you're not going to do the photos for everyone, why bother.

Then again, the randomness of it would be enough to curb the practice.

 

[mmeb144]

I love your trip reports! The details, the dirt, the Nebo sightings... Hopefully, no one gets hurt to make the report more action packed.

 

[Backstage_Gal]

Geez, Thumpers, obviously you did NOT make your siggie link big enough because I didn't notice it until you spelled out your were doing one over on Ponzi's TR.

So, I'm here now, whew!!

Great job so far, loving your report as always!

 

[queenbetsey]

oh where oh where have our thumpers gone to oh where oh where can they beeeeeeee