A holiday tale, a tale that's quite COMPLETE!!!....Halloween 2012!

[Minnie Sue Oz]

Some really great photos. Especially love the new addition to your Castle collection. Your new camera is working a treat.

Thanks Minniemum I can't wait til September so I can get some more shots to add to the collection!

Love all the great park photos! That's the great thing about a longer trip -- you don't feel rushed through taking photos.

And the Minnie shirts you are both wearing at the Minnie breakfast -- perfect!

PHXscuba

Glad you liked the photo's I will have some time like that this year too so I can't wait to get some more shots. I am writing a journal of sorts of things and angles etc I would like to capture. And we do love our Disney shirts!!! The idea of matching them for a character meal is always fun!

I love your photos from this trip! I love the idea of a castle wall - I might have to steal that one And the Jack coffin meal looks awesome!

I am glad you like the pics! the castle wall will have a new addition soon! I have recently got myself an ipad and have downloaded some aps to change the colours etc in photo's. the new one is a castle pic that is black and white except for the pink roses at the bottom! It looks amazing!!! And yes, we both very much enjoyed the Jack meal and are hoping they have something similar this year!

matey....riding along I am

great way to start a lazy saturday

Here to help More soon!!!

This is good so far!! Girl reminds me of a stuffed pooh I've had since I was a baby. I'll be 18 later this month but I still sleep with him and goes on my trips.

Glad you are enjoying the report. Yes, Girl is a very special mouse and I am sure she will be accompanying us in September too! It's always nice to have that one "special friend". I have one too that was given to me on my 21st and he still sits on my bed...................24 years later!!!

Loving your update Sue. Your photos are beautiful, I especially like seeing the ones later on in the day as the sun is going down, I love this time of the day, and Disneyland at night

I am so glad you are enjoying the report and the pics! I am going to try to get some more pics this year in the late afternoon as this is one of my fave times of day too! And Disneyland at night..................amazing

Love the pics, especially the one with the castle and reflection ... just beautiful!

More pics to come and I am thrilled you like them!

The coffin chocolate mousse looks awesome! Hope they have that when we visit at Halloween time this year!

Loved the photos of the castle reflected in the water too.

The mousse was super yummo and hopefully they will have it again this year! And I am glad you liked the castle pics................

Enjoy your next trip, we are now going to WDW since FD has come out, but will still read along with this.

Sad we won't get to meet up, but hey, who can pass up free dining!!!!??? You will have to tell me all about that as we won't hit the world until 2016 and it will be our first time!!! And thanks for sticking around!!!

 

[alicia1506]

we have now changed our plans and will be doing mnsshp in dlr instead of wdw, so i am itching to start planning it in more detail. and i can't wait to experience the halloween party at dlr, it's my happy place.

your pics have me itching to get back to dlr and start filling up my own photo wall. thanks for the inspiration

hope life has been treating you well

 

[princesszelda]

I am sorry to say that we will not he going in Sept so we will not be able to keet up again. We are now doing a Bahamian cruise on thw Wonder in Nov. My sister will be getting married on Castaway Cay while we are on our cruise.

 

[AussieDisneyNut]

Hi Minnie Sue,

Just hoping that all is well with you ... looking forward to your update when you have a chance!

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

I am sorry to say that we will not he going in Sept so we will not be able to keet up again. We are now doing a Bahamian cruise on thw Wonder in Nov. My sister will be getting married on Castaway Cay while we are on our cruise.

Oh that is a shame, but you will have a wow of a time on the cruise! Maybe we can catch up next time!

Hi Minnie Sue,

Just hoping that all is well with you ... looking forward to your update when you have a chance!

Guess what, I'm back!!!!! Thanks for looking out for me and I have 3 days of this report left before I can start the new PTR....................here we go!!!!

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

Tuesday 6th November 2013

We got up reasonbly early today and caught a cab up to Target to grab a few things to take back home to Australia! Wandered round for about an hour and picked up a fab Minnie Mouse jacket for me, some Avengers PJ's for the DD and a cool shirt for DH amongst other things! We also bought another bag as we were running out of suitcase space!
Grabbed another cab back to the Ho Jo, unloaded our purchases and headed up to the parks. We arrived around 10:45 and we were disappointed that all the fast passes for Radiator Springs Racers were gone already.

Had our first photpass photo of the day taken with Goofy.



Now, I might just refresh your memory a tad before I continue. DD and I made a pact before we left for our trip, that we HAD to ride every ride and see every attraction across both parks at least once. I will also remind you that I do not like getting wet on the rides ( unless it is the middle of summer and you dry out quick. I just don't like squishing in my shoes!!! )

So, I was dreading what was to come next.......................yep, Grizzly River Rapids was calling DD. In all the times I have been in DCA, I had always managed to get out of getting on. Not this time!!!

I was admiring the area and took some photos..................



Note the cheeky " ha ha Mum you have to get on" grin!!!



We got in the line which was quite short as we only waited around 10 minutes before boarding. They were doing some testing as some of the rafts were filled with water filled containers.









On we got. I can honestly say I was just not too happy about getting wet, but a deal is a deal! We floated round the first bend, the waves came crashing into the raft and guess who copped all the water???!!! The bottom half of me was drowned and my shoes.................oh dear!!! So now I thought I might as well just enjoy the rest of the journey! So, we started going up the incline ready for the drop on the other side. We made it to the very top.........................and stopped. Now at this point I thought we were just waiting for other rafts to go down. So, we waited. And waited. And waited some more. We struck up a great conversation with the other members of our raft who were from Canada and the USA. We waited some more and after about 25 minutes there was an announcement that the ride had malfunctioned and we were to be evacuated

Yes, evacuated!!!! A cast member appeared about 5 minutes after the announcement to tell us we all had to get out and walk down the emergency stairs inside the mountain!

They emptied all the water out of the whole ride and brought little step ladders that they placed next to the raft and helped us all off.

So, here are some pics that you might not have seen before!!!

With the water gone, you can see there are little walkways that are hidden under the water that go from one side to the other.







Standing right in the middle of what is normally gushing with water!



You can see where the water was on these stairs we had to use.



From the very top of the mountain



The empty rafts still at the top



Inside the mountain on our way down and out



And to think we were right at the top!!!



We were issued with 2 front of line passes for our trouble ( pity we couldn't use them for Carsland attractions. It was actually printed on the pass!!! )

We laugh about it all the time as technically I still haven't been on it!!! I have been told that will be changing this year though and you know what, I really don't mind getting wet any more and am quite looking forward to it! As long as I can change my shoes that is!!! Plus, the weather will be warmer too!

So, needless to say, I was feeling a tad yuck as my shoes were drowned and it took all day for my jeans to dry! So, we headed off and made our way over to ride California Screamin' which we did twice. We grabbed fastpasses for Soarin' and then lined up for 20 minutes and rode Toy Story.
It was then time for Silly Symphony Swings and the Little Mermaid.

Ran into this guy!




We picked up fastpasses for Tower of Terror and decided it was time to get something to eat so off to Paradise Pier we went. DD had mexican and I had a roast beef sandwich. The best part though was the most yummiest, gooiest cinnamon scroll ever................mmmmmm!!








It was then over to use our Soarin' FP and then we headed over to see what the single rider line for RSR was like. Not too bad at 20 minutes so we joined the line. It was great as usual but I missed my ride buddy

We then had Luigi's Flying Tyres to cross off the rides list, so we lined up for that.







Continued next post..................

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

Continued.................

This is the floor that the tyres float around on, kind of like a giant air hockey table!!!





This was to be the only time we would ride it. Not right at the top of our list to go back on!

It was then over to use our TOT fastpass. DD has since decided that this is her all time favourite, yes Pirates is now second

One of the best CM's that stays in character all the time is the guy on the left here with DD. His name is Moses and he is just so so good!



A colourful character!!!



So, we still had our 2 front of line passes each so it was off to Toy Story to use the first one! And yep, mine is the highest score.....................way to go Mum!!!



We used our second one for Screamin'



Time for some dinner we thought so we wanted to try somewhere new. Flo's cafe was where we ended up and I gotta tell you, I loved my meal here...............yummo! I had the roast beef with the special Coca Cola sauce. DD got the prk and we ended up sharing. She was not too keen on it though.



I loved the theming...........



This eye chart was on the wall





We had a few more rides we wanted to cross off the list so off to Bugs Land we went! First it was a quick drive round on Tuk And Rolls drive 'Em Buggies.



Next up was Flik's Flyers. It was then time to head over to watch, for the very first time, World of Color. To say this show is amazing really is an under statement. I was moved to tears. It is one of the things I am so very much looking forward to on our next trip. I kept the camera away as I wanted to enjoy it for the first time without seeing it through the lens of the camera. I did snap a coupe of pics when it had finished though!







We waved goodnight to cast members who were al lined up and headed back to the motel after a very fun day!

We also caught up earlier in the day with our favourite cast member that we met back in 2010. We had been looking out for him the whole time and finally found him in DCA! We had been teaching him how to speak "Australian"!!! We had been wondering the whole time if we sould see him or even if he still worked there! Laura got her pic with him in 2010 too! He was actually outside the Haunted Mansion and DD had just had her pic taken with Jack Skelligton and had her autograph book out. He waved to us and said he was sad that nobody ever asked for his autograph...................the rest is history!!!



When we returned to our room, there was a message flashing on our phone. When I listened to the message, it appeared one of the guests had been trying to contact me re a missing parcel of theirs from the Disney store. It turned out that a fellow Aussie Diser was staying at the hotel and we had ended up with one of her packages!!! And would you believe it, she was staying in the room next door!!!!
i made the call and the next thing we were all in our room having a great old chat! I was just so glad that is was us who ended up with the parcel, other wise she may never have received it!

Up tomorrow, Disneyland with special guests!!!

 

[monkey30]

Great update, oh how I miss DLR! The weather looks awesome, so much better then the cloud and rain we have here today!!

 

[PHXscuba]

Sounds like all of the rides you did after getting wet on GRR would have dried you out! Even though you didn't experience the whole ride, that sounds like a very interesting one to be evacuated from. Aren't we all weird DISers that being evacuated is a "plus" on a trip?

I want to eat a real meal at Flo's next time I go. That roast beef does look good!

PHXscuba

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

Great update, oh how I miss DLR! The weather looks awesome, so much better then the cloud and rain we have here today!!

The weather was wonderful excpet for the second last day which was a bit of a downer. It was not poor old DD's best day either

Sounds like all of the rides you did after getting wet on GRR would have dried you out! Even though you didn't experience the whole ride, that sounds like a very interesting one to be evacuated from. Aren't we all weird DISers that being evacuated is a "plus" on a trip?

I want to eat a real meal at Flo's next time I go. That roast beef does look good!

PHXscuba

I know right?! Evacuation = Excitement!!! It really was fascinating and we still talk about it today! I am very much looking forward to having Flo's again.................mmmmmmm roast beef

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

Wednesday 7th November 2013 - Day 15

We were up not too early, not too late, but just right this morning! Popped over to the laundry to do some washing before we left. We actually had a special morning planned as we had tickets for Mickey's Toontown Morning Madness. So, we wandered up to the park and the first thing we noticed were the massive big trucks parked right outside of the front entrance of Disneyland.
On closer inspection, they had Paramout and Buena Bista pictures on them. Ok, so they were filming something.......................but what?!
We also noticed half of the front entrance in the turnstile area was sectioned off with people walking round with signs with "quiet please". Of course, we needed to get a closer look.................

Notice how the crowd are all dressed in 50's attire



There was also a big black car. At this stage we still hadn't found out what they were filming.



So, we asked a cast member for some info. They were actually filming scenes for Saving Mr Banks which is the story of P.L Travers, the author of Mary Poppins and how Walt Disney adapted her book for the big screen. We couldn't ( and didn't see him ) but Tom Hanks who is portraying Walt in the movie, was just behind the turnstiles!
We made it inside and they only had the left side open. We wandered around to the other side which was closed off to the public and I snapped only a couple of pics as I was promptly told by a CM to put the camera away!!!

You can't really see it too well, but Mickey and Goofy were the old style costumes from that era.



After all that excitement, it was on with the day!



We headed up to the hub to wait for rope drop so we could then make our way to Toontown.

I noticed the banners outside the castle were from yesteryear...........



It was a great time for picture taking................











We made our way into Toontown after giving the CM our tickets, and were given a little treasure map with scratch panels.




There was not a whole lot of people like I was expecting, so we grabbed some pics with the characters that were out and about before the official opening and rode Gadgets Go Coaster.











The Christmas decorations had just started to appear







And on with the show....................








It was cute with lots of antics from the charcters!





We took advantage of no lines for Roger Rabbit




Continued next post..................

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

Continued....................





Time for turkey leg.....................not something I eat, but DD had one on the last trip and wanted another. What she forgot though, was last trip she shared it with her dad so needless to say she could not finish it!



It was then off to ride Space Mountain, twice in fact and both times a walk on! We had picked up a fastpass earlier for Star Tours so it was there next. Now have you been counting how many times we have been on Star Tours? And how many times DD had NOT been the Rebel Spy. Could we get lucky THIS time???!!!

Answer........................YES!!!!!!!! Yippee, mission accomplished and there was her face on the big screen! Special shout out to the CM on that flight

It was then back over to our favourite spot to see a few pirtaes! And then to my absolute deilght, this guy was out and about!!!

He actually asked me if I had been playing with potions as I had a strip of colour in my hair. I of course said yes and he told me he must tell Sally to try it!!!





He really was a chatty Jack!!!






We a bit hungry at this point, so it was to try something I had been hearing about and just had to try for myself. The Hungry Bear restaurant in Critter Country was where we were headed.and may I introduce........................

The Fried Green Tomato Sandwich with sweet potato fries.......................yum yum yum!!! Also had onion rings too!!!



And this little fellow DD named Jeffrey.......................!!!



It really is a great spot to sit and relax for a bit.................



I really was enjoying my time with the camera today.......................





One of my favourites................





Jumped on the train and got off at Main Street as I really wanted to go and get some night time pics in DCA.





I must admit, I can't wait to spend more time in DCA this year. The photo opportunities are endless..........................







Another one I love........



Continued.................

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

Continued................











We ducked back into Disneyland and caught the parade!









It was time to call it a night so we headed back to the hotel and attried our first packing attempt. Really, just where did all this stuff come from???!!!

Up next....................rain, tears and cancellations!

 

[alicia1506]

sue, i am loving this TR. and your pics are stunning.

love love love the up close one of the butterfly/mardi gras dancer from soundsational. we were up near the railway station (great vantage point, stinky if your zoom on your camera/focus speed isn't good enough ) and they were whipping by too quickly for me to get one focused in my sights

sounds like an amazing time, and so happy for you that you got to experience MTTMM before they stopped doing that show.

rain, tears and cancellations? no, no, that's no way to end a trip. hope there's lots of magic to come

 

[PHXscuba]

That's awesome that you got to see a bit of the filming and JACK!!

Great night photos.

Get to the end so we can hear about your next trip!! It's coming soon!

PHXscuba

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

sue, i am loving this TR. and your pics are stunning.

love love love the up close one of the butterfly/mardi gras dancer from soundsational. we were up near the railway station (great vantage point, stinky if your zoom on your camera/focus speed isn't good enough ) and they were whipping by too quickly for me to get one focused in my sights

sounds like an amazing time, and so happy for you that you got to experience MTTMM before they stopped doing that show.

rain, tears and cancellations? no, no, that's no way to end a trip. hope there's lots of magic to come

Glad you are enjoying the pics! I just love taking photo's in the park and funnily enough I always look at them to see if they will make a good canvas for the wall!!!
And yep, our last full day was . let me say, a bit up and down!

And, thanks to the wonderful person you are, we had a fabulous time watching the Mayor open Toontown

That's awesome that you got to see a bit of the filming and JACK!!

Great night photos.

Get to the end so we can hear about your next trip!! It's coming soon!

PHXscuba

Hold on to your hat..................I am about to finish up!!! And yep, I love me my Jack!!! Glad you liked the pics

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

Thursday 8th Novemeber - DAY 16 - Last full day

Had a little bit of a sleep in this morning as we knew we had a full day at the park today. So, it was off to Mimi's for what would be our last meal there for the trip

It had rained overnight and the ground was still quite wet. It wasn't raining at that stage, but it sure was overcast. I had the trusty rain ponchos in the bag just in case!
The first thing we did when we entered the park was take ourselves up to Main Street station to enquire re riding the Lily Belle. This has been something I have wanted to experience for a very long time. We spoke to the CM conductor who checked her sheet to see if there were any spots left. We were very lucky as they had 2 spots left for the 4pm train! She took our names and we wandered off happy indeed!

We caught the train round to Tomorrowland where we grabbed a fastpass for Space Mountain. Had a quick ride on Buzz and then stopped to do some pin trading. It was then in to Fantasyland as we still had a of couple things on our list to do. One of those was for DD to ride Lillians gold tooth horse on the carousel. We lined up and it stopped right in front of us. There were a few kids in front of us and we thought for sure one of them would have jumped on the nearest horse, but as luck would have it, DD managed to get her horse!!!





It was then over to Dumbo as we still had not ridden at all! And, we needed to cross it off the list!








I took a few random shots and you can see just how overcast it was.





After a quick go round with the little elephants, it was off to see Mr Toad!





It was then off to ride Pinocchio. We wandered over to see if there had been any action near Small World. It had been closed the whole time we were there and we knew it was due to reopen on our last day which was the next day, with the Christmas overlay present. We also knew sometimes they did open things early so thought we would try our luck. Now talk about good timing, there just happened to be cast member placing poles and ropes in the ground just as we arrived. After asking the million dollar question, we were informed that it would indeed begin taking passengers soon. So, we joined the queue that was already forming and decided to wait! It was at that point the heavens opened..................I reached for the rain gear, but alas, I had left it back at the Ho Jo! DD did a quick dash the little shop at grabbed us an umbrella while I held the place in line. Within a matter of minutes the line was moving and were on our way! We actually were in the second boat to go through!









Something we noticed tight away was they had forgot to turn the music on!!!! We floated through the first half of the ride before they noticed! It was quite different without that song playing, but let me tell you, everybody was singing it anyway!!!!



There were a few things different from the previous year as I did not remember this guy!!! He was amazing!





We did have something to eat at Pizza Port earlier in the day and I discovered Mickey Mouse parfait..........................oh yum yum yum!!!! DD had the usual!!!





We also used our fastpasses for Space..................this pic is just too funny..................check out the 2 guys behind us! We saw them when we came out and told them their pic was going back to Australia and they thought that was hilarious!!!



It was approaching 3.30 so we made our way back over to Main Street station all ready and excited to ride in the special carriage that Walt had done especially for his lovely wife Lillian.

While we were waiting....



So, we waited, and we waited, and finally I thought I best go and see what was happening. We were sitting inside the station and I could hear some CM's talking out the front. I asked as to what was going on and was then given the disappointing news that the Lily Belle carriage would not be available today due to the wet weather. It was explained to me that as the carriage still has all the original fittings and fixtures, they don't want to jeopardise damage by having people getting in and out in the wet.
It made total sense...................however................I was just so very very disappointed . DD tried her best to cheer me up by reminding me we could do it again the next time we came and it would be something to look forward to and not to forget we had our dinner reservation for later on at our all time favourite, Big Thunder BBQ.
I really didn't want to ruin our last night there, so tried to put it behind me and enjoy the time we had left.
We ran into this guy and we hadn't seen him all trip so that was a plus! He was quite cheeky too!!!!





We spent a bit of time out of the rain and wandered through the Main Street shops. DD had really been wanting some artwork to take home, so we talked to a CM and I decided to buy her a hand drawn Lion King picture. She chose the characters she wanted, I paid for it and we were told we could pick it up on our way out.

It was getting close to our reservation time so we made our way back out into the yucky weather and headed towards the ranch. DD had been a little home sick over the last few days and she was very quiet for a lot of today.
If only I knew what was coming...............................

Continued..............

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

Continued..................

We had been talking for days how our last dinner was going to be a special one and we were going to savour every last moment at our favourite eating spot. We had already eaten here once, but were looking forward to this very very much as there is just no better spot for us to sit and re live our wondeful trip accompanied by all our favourite foods!
As we got closer, I could see there were not a lot of people sitting at tables......................no wait, there were NO people sitting at tables. This did not look promising at all. We approached the CM's who were standing out the front and were informed that the restaurant was closed due to the weather..................NNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

We had been so so looking forward to this. As it turns out, it was just all too much for DD and the poor girl burst into tears. With the rain, and the Lily Belle being cancelled, and her being homesick ( missing the DBF!!! ) and now this, it was just all too much.
The CM's were just so accomodating and it was my turn now to try and cheer her up. I offered her the choice of any single place she wanted to eat, whether it be inside or outisde the park..................it was her choice. The CM's were standing by to make the call to any of the eateries inside and make us a reservation.
After some discussion, she decided she didn't want to leave the park and the CM's said we could get in to the Carnation cafe right then.
I thanked the CM's for being so wonderful and we headed off towards the cafe. When we arrived, they asked how our day was going???!!! Well, one look at DD answered that question. We had a table inside this time as it was still raining outside.I told our server about what had happened with the train and then with dinner and that it was our last night before we had to go home. He was very sympathetic and took our orders. I know I had the soup but I don't have a clue what DD had. It was wonderful as always.
As were finishing up, our server came to tell us that as we had had such a bad day, they would like to offer us each a free dessert to try and make up for some our disappointment. I was just so so grateful and I thought it was so so nice of them to go out of their way to make us feel better. So, I had the little meringue pie and DD had the chocolate cake.





Both were very yummy! As we were finishing our desserts, the manger came over to our table. She also said she had heard about our day and would like to help bring a smile back to our faces and promptly gave us a front of line pass for any ride we wanted to choose.........................I love Disney magic

We thanked the manager so very much and were on our way then back to ride Space!

And that folks is where my journalling ends! I know we rode Pirates and the Mansion one last time before we headed back to Main Street to pick up Laura's drawing.

We were lucky enough to get there just as the artist was finishing it off.







Kevin was just so talented and DD was absolutely thrilled with the finished product. Kevin was more than happy to pose for a pic!



We said goodnight to our beloved park and headed back for our very last night at the Ho Jo



Friday 9th November 2012 - Final Day

I have no written entries for our last day so I need to remember from memory and the very few pictures I took.
I can tell you one thing I know. I was sad. DD was sad. We were both sad.

The last day of a holiday is never a happy one, but the last day of a Disneyland holiday, for us, is devestating. It brings out so many emotions and DD and I were just...................well, so so sad.

We finished packing up all our bags and went to check out. The Ho Jo were great as they held our bags while we went up to to the park for our teary farewell.

Umm, there is just 2 of us right!!!



I did have the camera with me, but I didn't get it out much but I took some last minute pictures on our way out. We rode our favourites and before we knew it, it was time to leave. I did not want to leave. I never want to leave. I sat on a bench and sobbed....................happy tears for the most wonderful journey that I was so lucky to have with Laura............ a journey I know I will remember for the rest of my living days
And sad tears to be leaving what is the most special place to me......................and I did not know when, if ever, I would return.

















So, it was back to the Ho Jo to catch our bus to LAX. It was a real effort with all that luggage between the 2 of us let me tell you!!!!

We required 2 trolleys at the airport!!!!



It was an uneventful flight. The plane was full with not a spare seat to be found, so I did have someone sitting next to me this time. Arrived home and got through customs in next to no time to find a very happy DH waiting for us..............more tears!!!!!

So, that's it folks. The final instalment..................................I hope you have all enjoyed our journey and I thank each and every one of you that has followed along. I can honestly say, it was one of the most memorable times of my life. Laura and I always had a very very close mother daughter relationship........................now the bond is even stronger!!

On a side note, I have some Photopass pics and some random shots that I am going to post. DD also has a list of all the rides we went on and how many times so I am going to post that too..........................let's see if you can guess which ride came out on top!

And, in breaking news..........................a BRAND NEW PRE TRIP REPORT shall be forthcomimg! And this trip is going to just as special as the last.................you will have to read to find out why!!!!


Thanks again everyone, it really has been a pleasure

 

[becpee]

Oh Sue I know the feeling of leaving my happy place too well

It's so overwhelming

Loved your pics, and the Cast members were so lovely to you and your DD (makes me tear up as I felt your disappointment)

I can't wait to read your new TR

 

[Jade+3]

Great trip report Sue. Your last post is so sad. I hate that last day feeling.