Arkansas Hillbilly in Disneyland

[dayvewc]

In the language I grew up with, "I'm still a-learnin'."

This trip report is an after-the-fact accounting of my Spring Break 2015 trip to Disneyland (March 21 - 27). Had I thought it through, I would have done a full-on trip report from beginning to end; sadly, it did not occur to me to do so.

However, I am using this particular report to help me organize my thoughts into a coherent whole for my memory/scrapbook that I will put together over the next several weeks. Stories and ancedotes that others find interesting and worthwhile will definitely be included in the final form, while the bits and pieces that garner no love will more likely be left out.

The Prologue:
From the summer of 2013 - 2014 was my "Year of Disney", or as I sometimes jokingly called it "My Year in the Mouse Trap". Due to a change in employment, I was able to take more than my normal yearly trip to Disney World. When I returned home from my last trip in July 2014, I had anticipated not going for at least a year to allow time for my wallet to fatten back up.

However, right after school started back in Auguest, out of curiosity I was checking the availability of rooms for spring break. By accident, I had selected the Grand Californian option on the DVC website instead of Grand Floridian and realized that there were rooms available, and in the point range of my contract. It was still a few weeks before the booking window officially opened, but I decided that if rooms were still available, I would reserve one for a West Coast get-a-way. (I am totally and completely and intentionally leaving out the long internal dialogue concerning the worthless P.O.S that was my significant other <SO> at the time. Suffice it to say that the initial plan included a partner, the trip would have been a reward for the partner obtaining and keeping a job, there was an expectation that the partner would begin contributing the the maintenance of the house, but said partner self-disqualified due to subsequent actions).

Fast forward a few months, it is now November, the room has been reserved for 5 nights (Sunday - Thursday nights). Southwest airlines has finally released their fares for the week I need, and I discover that flying out on Saturday and back on the following Friday is about 70% of the cost of flying out on Sunday and back on Friday. The difference would more than pay for a one-night stay at a discount hotel, and add an additional day to my ticket. So, I cash in my rewards points for a free night at the Days Inn Anaheim and book my flight. Leaving midafternoon from Memphis, brief layover in Houston, and final arrival at LAX around 8:30 pm. At this time I also made reservations with Dollar Rent-a-Car for rental, with pick up around 9:30 pm on Saturday night, and drop off the next Friday around noon.

Again, hit the high-speed button to get to mid-February and I finally order my tickets and PhotoPass+ for the trip. I waited until after the first of the year in order to get tickets for the current year, then had to wait until income tax return came through to pay for the ticket, and was praying hard that I got the return before Disney did its price increase. Thanks to several websites I'm signed up with (UnderCover Tourist, Mouse Savers) I got word on that Saturday that the prices would increase on Sunday. Going by my penny pinching nature (Penny really doesn't like that some days, but she does like me so it's all good), I went to Target and used my 5% discount through the RedCard to purchase enough gift-cards to pay for tickets and memory maker. But when I called to get my tickets, they could not process the number of cards it would take, so I loaded all the cards in to my Disney Vacation Account and paid for it that way. Which worked fine as far as the tickets were concerned. However, when I went that evening to pay for the PhotoPass +, I learned to my chagrin that they do not accept payment from the DVA, and my debit card was charged. Luckily, DVA was able to reissue the excess as a gift card that I was able to take with me when the trip finally came to be.

And now, it is time to recount all the adventures.

 

[dayvewc]

Saturday, March 21 arrived after many days and nights of eager anticipation. I left my house around 10:30 that morning to get to the airport. It is roughly a 90 minute drive, plus I needed to stop for gas, so I anticpated that I would arrive a between noon and 1 pm for my 3 o'clock flight out. With the recommended 2 hours to get through TSA, I figured this would give me plenty of lee-way to get my bag checked in, and maybe grab something to eat at the concourse. The last time I flew through Memphis and had extra time, they had a really good BBQ joint and I was kind of looking forward to eating there again. Of course, the last time I flew through Memphis was pre 9/11, which says something about my age.

So, I arrive at the airport about 12:30, everything is right on schedule. I get inside, get my luggage checked in, and get in line to go through TSA. I make it through TSA at 12:46. That 2 hour wait? Yeah, didn't need it this time. Of course, had I not given myself the time would be the day that all the agents call in sick and the line is backed up for 6 hours. Also, the BBQ joint is either closed or on another concourse, so I just grab something to eat at the sandwich shop and hang out waiting for the plane to land and load.

When the time comes, I get loaded (on the plane, not with alcohol) and manage to get one of my favorite seats - exit row. It's not that I don't think other people could manage to get the door open in the case of an emergency landing, but I know I can manage to handle it, and I trust myself more than the average person I meet. Call it a side-effect of being a teacher. I have great students, but the rest give me great worries about the future. ;-)

The Continuation:

The flight from Memphis to Houston was uneventful. I did have a very interesting seat-mate on the exit row. But due to mild turbulence, the stewardesses never complete the beverage or snack distribution. The layover was easy, as my plane was the one continuing on to LAX, so I did not even need to disembark. I did move to the front so as to be one of the first off at my destination. Should have thought that one through more.

When we landed again at LAX, I grabbed my flight bag and headed to the baggage claim. There I discovered that SouthWest is apparently suffering from inadequate staffing, as the luggage was backlogged from 2 flights before mine, and there was no estimate on when the luggage might begin making its way around the carousel. An hour after the plane landed, the luggage finally started making its way out, which in the grand scheme of things wasn't too bad, except that while it was currently 9:30 Pacific time, I had excitedly awakened at 5:30 Central time and this was turning into a very long day, and I still had to pick up my rental car and drive to my hotel for the night.

The shuttle for Dollar Rentals came around just before 10 pm, and after the sticker shock of my discounted rental being 3 times what I was expected due to loss of use insurance, taxes, and fees, and a longer wait than I was expecting to be able to pick up my car (they were cleaning them and bringing them out one at a time) I finally wound up on the road in a Nissan Altima. I doubt that I'll ever buy an Altima, but it is a nice car!

I eventually arrived at the Days Inn Anaheim, just a few blocks away from my ultimate destination about midnight Pacific time. This one night hotel was ok, nothing outstanding, but the parking was incredibly tight. Finally, after a quick repack of my flight bag and checked luggage (according to "the plan"), I turned in for a few hours of sleep to begin my week stay at DisneyLand.

 

[dayvewc]

Sunday, March 22 Day 1:

After way too short of a night, I woke up, grabbed a quick bite for breakfast, and checked out of the Days Inn to head to the Grand Californian. I arrived shortly after 8 am, and was directed by bell services to the self parking lot. (Sorry, I'm really cheap, no valet for me). BS did unload my bag from my car for storage until called for, and I alerted the bell-hop to the fact that Vons would also be dropping off a grocery delivery for me for the week. They assured me that there would be no problem.

So, after parking my car, I grabbed my park bag (also my flight bag, but cleverly disguised as a backpack) and headed to Registration. Being there that early in the morning, there was no one in front of me, so I was able to get checked in quickly and easily. The CM got my cell-phone number and said that they would text me when my room was ready, handed my my room key card, and I was off to the parks. (After a quick detour to Guest Services to see if my ECV had been delivered and a short visit with the DVC rep - I discovered I had left my DVC membership card at home). Using the back entry from GC into DCA, I first headed to the front of the park to exchange my PhotoPass+ voucher for the scan card. That took a few minutes to find, but went easily and quickly once I discovered where it was located.

And it was time for my first photographic evidence of my visit.



From there, I headed towards the Hyperion Theatre and picked up FP for the Anna and Elsa meet and greet. After getting that coveted piece of paper, I went to see about the Tower or Terror, but it was sadly not running at the moment. The CM's were allowing guests in to the lobby to take pictures and were hopeful that the ride would be up by afternoon. They were wrong, it did not return to operation until Tuesday. I did get a picture of the building though. Probably should have taken more pics inside, but I think I was functioning in a fog from little sleep.



With another hour or so until my 20 minute window opened for A&E, I headed back down the road and saw that the Incredibles were out taking pictures, but that the line was already cut off. Not being in any rush, I visited with the CM monitoring the line and found out which other characters were prone to be available for pictures, and where they might be located. Based on this information, I moved to the front steps of Monster U and waited for Sulley to make his appearance.



From Sulley, I went up the road to catch Jake



After being the last person in line for Jake, I went over to the Bugs Life area and grabbed a FP for RSR. Good thing I did when I did, the return time was already late afternoon! From there, I went back to Grizzly Mountain and picked up a WoC FP. Good thing I did, they were already issuing for the second area. Not sure how much longer those were available.

Since I knew that the Incredibles meet near the A&E meet, I headed back and managed to get pictures with all of them. I felt kind of bad, though. I had signature cards for almost every character, but did not make one for Mrs. Incredible. I did not realize that she would be out.



It was finally time for to meet A&E. Pretty sure the only thing that having the M&G as a FP only option achieved was to limit the number of people who could see the sisters. I still spent the better part of 45 minutes in line to see them. I don't think I've ever waited that long with a FP before for anything. But, I wanted to have them sign my book, and I had promised a friend from work that I'd try to get them to sign something for her as well. I wish she had asked earlier, making a request the day before I left all she got was their signature on a park map!



After A&E, I took advantage of my park hopper, and moved across to DL proper. Time for some classic shots in front of the castle. I have to say, being used to WDW, the DL castle is a bit underwhelming. But I did meet a really nice PP photographer who did several magic shots.







I did not spend much time at DL this day. I had other things which I knew I had to take care of, so I just did a quick round to get a feel for where the main attractions are, and then went to meet Thor and Captain America (and Stan).

Meeting Thor was really amusing. He may be reciting a script welcoming humans to Valhalla, but he appeared to be having a lot of fun. I wound up being the next to last person to get my picture made. Thor commented to several before me about them having met Captain America first, so when it became my turn, I pointed out that I had chosen to visit with Thor first. He smiled and thanked me, until I mentioned it was because his line was shorter than Captain America's. lol. I still got some decent pictures though.

<Thor pics>

Then it was back over to Captain America's line, and sure enough it had shortened considerably from when I had first entered the building. He did not seem quite as engaging as Thor, but pic and autograph and I was happy.

<CA pic>

While waiting in line for Captain America, the CM directing guests was a really amusing individual named Stan.
At one point, he called out "Captain America's line forms to the right. Thor is down and around to the left. The line for Stan the Man is right here."
Brief pause.
"No one ever wants my autograph. *laugh*" (Writing this it does not seem nearly as amusing as how it came across when he said it).
So, after I finished meeting Captain America, I saw that Stan had been moved to the line exit and stopped for his autograph and picture. I may be the only DL guest that day to get those!



Now to take care of my other business, I went and caught the monorail to Down Town Disney - this wound up being the only time I rode the monorail while visiting. Which in retrospect is sad. I had fully intended to ride it at least once more, just on a full loop, so actually took the time on this trip to check my phone and saw that my room was ready. As a consequence, I did not really see anything from the monorail. :-( I have to go back just for that, now. lol

At DTD, I used my St. Patrick's Day coupon from Earl of Sandwich to "buy 1 get 1 free", which became lunch (and 7 hours later) dinner. I really like EoS, and I'm not a big fan of hot sandwiches in general. From there, I tracked down the show room for DVC to get my membership card replaced, and then back to the GC to have my luggage (and groceries) delivered to my room. After unpacking my bag, and storing my food in the dorm-fridge, I left again for DCA as my FP time for RSR was fast approaching.

Going into CarsLand, I caught a couple of PP photographers and had my picture taken. I hate to say, but while I found the CM's at DLR overall more pro-actively attentive, one of the photographers down the main strip was the only rude CM I have ever run across. I'm normally fairly easy-going and non-assertive, but being actively ignored for more 5 minutes while you carry on a conversational complaint about scheduling with the person you are relieving - not a happy person. But this was the only dim spot in a bright week of vacation, so I just got my picture made and "let it go". Then on to the RSR ride, which I enjoyed. Though not as much as people had told me I would. That may be due to having built up a greater expectation in my mind.



There was still quite a couple of hours remaining before WoC, so I went back across the park to see if I would have time to get in Olaf's Snow Fest. I did, so I got my buzzer, rode the Monsters, Inc. ride, and then waited to meet Olaf. He had lots of warm hugs to give.

<Olaf Picture>

After leaving the Snow Fest, the dance party was underway, but there was almost no line for Marshmallow, so I got pics with him really quick.

<Marshmallow pic>

And then headed back around to wait for WoC. This wound up being a very disturbing show. Right about the time the show started, a lady in the section behind where I was began screaming. Apparently, her mother had some sort of seizure or heart attack or something, but the CM's called the paramedics. The show was actually stopped a few minutes after it began while the paramedics were doing their job. From where I was at, I could see them performing CPR, and saw them bring out a defibrillator machine and heard them call out the "Clear!" signal two different times. Eventually, they loaded the guest onto a gurney and wheeled her away. I really hope she recovered, but never heard anything else about it. Anyway, by this time, even though the show was resumed, I had lost the magical feel and was not interested in seeing it, but more interested in calling my own mother just to say "Hi". However, with the mass of people, I decided it would be easier to just wait through the remainder of the show before heading back to my room for the night.

Which I did (wait through the show), and I did (head back to my room), where I went to sleep quickly and deeply until morning.

*the other pics will be uploaded as soon as I get them from Disney Photo Pass. I'm still making edits to borders, and trying to get them saved in different size formats before I order.

 

[dayvewc]

Monday's mishaps and mayhem

March 23, started out (and stayed) a good day. I did oversleep a little, waking up about 6:30 instead of my planned 6 am. That meant that I was not going to make it for rope-drop for the Magic Morning at DCA. By the time I had showered, eaten breakfast, gotten dressed, gathered my bag for the day, and gotten myself down to the entry line, it was about 7:15. The line to enter through the back of the GC was longer than I would have thought, but it did move quickly.

I immediately headed toward Paradise Pier, to get pictures of me (of course), but realized while waiting in line at the first photographer that I did not have my PP+ lanyard. Which meant I had either left it in the room, or less likely lost it. Here I was faced with the option of going back to the room and look for it, which meant leaving the park and going back through bag inspection when I reentered, or seeing if I could sweet talk the photo store into re-issuing it. Since I had taken a picture of it the day before, and had my receipt in my wallet, I felt confident that option 2 was the faster one. I was mostly correct. They were able to reissue the PP+ card, but I did not have the receipt in my wallet still.

After I had the PP+ card exchanged out, I headed to the Frozen Fun display since I had not gotten a picture with it yet. See,



From there, I went back to Paradise Pier and rode California Screamin'



and got my picture made with the Mickey Fun Wheel in the background,



before grabbing a FP to WoC and then heading to DL to ride a few specific rides: Snow White, Mr. Toad, Indiana Jones, Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, and getting a pictures with a few characters

Mad Hatter



I love how his tongue switched sides between takes.



Aladdin, Jasmine, and Genie


The fun thing about this group was Aladdin complimented me on my autograph book, and also realized that I had different markers for each person - color coded based on the picture in the book. He helped make sure every one signed in the "correct" color. Then Genie decided he wanted to play with my ECV (you can just see the front of it in the lower left of the picture) but couldn't figure out how to make it go. ;-) I told him to feel free to make it fly like carpet, cause that would make it much easier for me to get home.

Eventually heading back to my room to get my better camera and make my late lunch / early dinner reservation at Carthay Circle.

Once at Carthay Circle, I requested a seat with a view of the Pixar Parade, which led me to be on the upstairs, outside balcony. The view was decent, but me being short and trying to look over the wall was only so-so. The food was really good, though I think the srirachi duck wings caused me problems later that night.

After dunch (or is it linner?) I roamed the area and got a few more pics with characters





and just pics in general



while waiting for WoC to start.



Sadly, about an hour before the show was to begin, I began to feel a bit delicate. Whether it was just the change in climate or diet, or the excitement and "on-the-go" constant stress, or just the srirachi duck wings, I opted for retreat being the better option to remain on good terms with my fellow guests and headed back to my room about 9 pm for an early night and long sleep.

 

[dayvewc]

Tales from Tuesday

Not great amount to tell about this day.

After my earlier than normal night the night before, I slept til just after 6, and got down to DL Morning Magic Hours shortly after they opened the gates. I headed straight to Space Mountain to ride,



and then over to the Finding Nemo Submarines.

One thing I did discover, is that of the rides that are in both parks, I tend to like the DLR version better than the WDW (mostly, ToT and JC being the exceptions) BUT that the lines and details while waiting are better at WDW than DLR. Bear in mind that Splash Mountain and Soarin' were both closed while I was at DLR, so I did not ride every duplicate ride.

After Nemo was safely recovered, I headed through to Big Thunder Mountain Rail Road and picked up my FP for Fantasmic! Then back toward around to Haunted Mansion and over to Jungle Cruise. By this time I was getting a bit peckish, so went to the Blue Bayou to see if I could maybe move my reservation for early dinner up to a late lunch. They were accommodating and allowed the change. The food was really good there, though a bit pricier than I normally spend.

After lunch, I went through Down Town Disney for some souvenir shopping. Several of my coworkers and friends had requested I try to get them something. Found several fun little gifts, bought as few of them as I could manage, and discovered that WDW tends to have a much larger selection of stuff for sale. Particularly the nutcracker Mickey's. Couldn't find them at DLR anywhere.

After my brief shopping excursion, I took my loot back to the room and invested in a short nap. Even though I had gone to bed earlier than normal the night before, just the constant activity of my week was slowly sapping my energy and a quick re-charge was just what I needed.

Feeling quite refreshed, I headed back to DL a little before the 2nd Mickey's Soundsational Parade was set to begin. While looking for a good place from which to watch the parade, I had quite an interesting conversation with a group of three CM's.

I had noticed that the Matterhorn had several cables running from the top.



But, the Matterhorn was also closed while I was there, so I was not sure what purpose the cables might play. Since I was near the base of the Matterhorn looking for a place to watch the parade, I asked some CM's that were setting up the parade route if they could explain the purpose for the cables to me.

The first CM got a slightly puzzled look on her face and said, "There are cables at the top? I had never noticed those before."

The second CM smiled really big and stated authoritatively, "Oh, those are for Tinkerbell to fly on, unless Dumbo is flying that night. It's the zip-lines that they hook up to."

The third CM just got a horrified expression, and the second CM looked at him and then said, in a very crestfallen tone, "Oh, I wasn't supposed to say that, was I. I guess I need to go turn in my name badge now."

I assured him that I wouldn't tell anyone. (And I have been very careful to not mention that his name was Johnny*)

So, I had a good laugh, and enjoyed the conversation with the CM's, then got myself situated to watch the parade.

These are the only pictures that came out well on my phone from the parade.





After the parade, I meandered my way over to the staging area for Fantasmic! and waited to watch the show. It was quite good, better than the WDW version, though Hollywood Studios seating is much better.

On my way out of the park, I stopped for a few pictures in front of the castle at night



And that was my day.

*Name changed to protect the guilty. Unless I just said I changed the name, but left it the same so you'd think it was changed. I'll never tell!!!

 

[dayvewc]

Wednesday's Windbag of Wondrous Wows!

So, by this morning, I pretty well knew where everything was in each park. And since I had seen or ridden most of what I wanted to, I was not in too big of a rush and meandered my way down to the Morning Magic hours about 7:45, effectively missing the extra hour. Which meant there was almost no line to enter the park, and I could head over to Tower of Terror, which had finally opened the evening before.

So, I arrived at the Hollywood Tower Hotel, grabbed a FP, and got in line, waiting and winding my way through the queue. The line moved fairly quickly, but still took about 30 minutes to advance all the way and I got my first experience on my favorite WDW ride in DLR. It was good, but I was a bit let down. Not sure why, but it just didn't seem to have quite the same "oomph" as the one in HS.



Which didn't stop me from getting back in line when I got off for my FP ride!



Though, I did stop and get a picture of the "broken elevator" doors. I never get to see this at WDW, I always have to go through the back entrance.



When I exited this time, I grabbed another FP (I told you, this is my favorite ride) and headed over to grab a FP for WoC. This was my last scheduled night in DCA, and I did want to see it uninterrupted.

Since I had broken down and bought a couple of souvenir t-shirts (and one hoodie sweater - did not expect 60 degree weather to be that cold) I figured I would get a few more "absolute tourist" pictures made with the Fun Wheel in the background.



As well as ride the Fun Wheel.



And then came back to ride ToT once again (but not before I grabbed another FP).



To ride one last time



After my final ride on ToT, I headed next door to the Hyperion Theatre to watch Aladdin the Musical. It was really good, though it started a little late and I was growing paranoid as I had lunch reservations shortly after the show was to end.

Once the show was over, I left the parks and went to my generally favorite restaurant of all time, the Rain Forest Cafe for a slightly late lunch.

I was seated in the upstairs area, facing an aquarium that was undergoing some work. At least it was empty and had no fish, so I just had to ask my server if it was really broken or if they had just run out of the "catch of the day" in the kitchen. lol.

After a great lunch, I headed back to my room for a short nap, and then was on my way back to the parks when I passed the Guest Services desk. It occurred to me that I had not been as diligent in trying to meet all the characters as I had originally planned. As a result, I only had about 12 signatures in my book, with places for about 60 more. I also recalled reading about a the Disney Cruises, where you can drop anything you wanted autographed at the Guest Services when you board, and they would return it before the cruise ended with all the signatures. So, I thought, "Why not?" and asked the CM at GS if they did something similar there. I explained that I did not expect to get all of the autographs, but as many as was feasible, with an emphasis on the villains as I generally never see them at WDW. She said that she could not promise anything, but if I would like to try to spend the rest of the day getting autographs and then drop the book off when I returned that evening they would see what they could get done on Thursday (my last park day). I agreed, and headed off to return to the park, after she placed relevant notes in my room file. (I kind of really would like to know what was placed there, actually. You'll hear more later).

Returning to the park, I managed to meet with Goofy right before he joined in with Five & Dime, the swinging street band.



(My favorite type of music - swing).



Who became one of the last characters I was able to get to sign my book.

I then meandered over to DL, where I took in a few of the smaller rides before heading back to watch WoC. Really great show, I highly recommend it. Before heading back to the resort.

When I got back to the DGC, I stopped off at Registration - since the Guest Services desk was closed at this hour - and dropped my autograph book off. I had to explain again what I was hoping to have done, and then she checked the note in my room file and took the book, saying to check back tomorrow evening sometime and I should be able to pick it up.

On my way to my room, it dawned on me that I had not taken any pictures yet of the resort, and so I snapped this one picture of the outdoor relaxation area.



And this ended my next to last park day on my first trip to the West Coast.

 

[dayvewc]

Thursday's Thirst-quenching escapades (and several instances of incredible Pixie Dust):

I woke up Thursday morning, and made my way down for the early entry to DisneyLand.

Headed straight for Space Mountain



Before going over to hang out in Fantasy Land and try to get some Character Pictures. At this point, I did not have my autograph book, but I definitely still wanted to try to meet as many characters as possible. At the Guest Services Kiosk, I talked to the CM to find out who might be appearing that day, asking about a few specific characters. I was told that Captain Hook usually came out about 9 am (it was currently about 8:30), followed by Wendy and Peter, with them alternating about every half hour. Also, that Bert usually was down on Main Street near the Jolly Holiday, normally about 9:30 am, and the Evil Queen from Snow White should be out later in the morning at the rear of the castle.

So, I found a shady spot to wait for the Capt'n and made some calls to different friends (and other assorted business I had put off while on vacation). Around 9, I began looking in earnest for the Capt'n to appear, roaming the area around the carousel and checking the different paths that the CM said he normally came from. About 10 minutes later, the CM stopped me and said that she had spoken to someone, and that the Capt'n should be out any moment, and would be at the rear of the Dumbo ride where he normally met. For another 10 minutes or so, I stayed in the area with no luck, so I informed the CM that I would just return for his next visit as I wanted to get my picture with Bert.

So, I headed down to Main Street and asked the CM's at the GS kiosk if they knew when Bert might make his appearance, and where he normally was. They responded that as far as they were aware, he should be out any moment and generally was out in front of the Jolly Holiday or roaming Main Street. About 10-15 minutes later, one of the CM's came up to me (I was waiting in the shade not far from the kiosk with a good view of both the JH and Main Street) and informed me that they had just been notified that Bert "was still in London and would not be able to make it over today." I was a bit sad, as he is one character I have never been able to find at WDW, but thanked her for the information and headed back up to Fantasy Land by way of Frontier Land to check on the FP distribution for Fantasmic! that night. I was hoping to be able to get a good FP for the second show.

When I arrived at the F! FP distribution, they were still distributing for the first show, and the CM said that she had no way to override to print a ticket for the 2nd show. She did suggest that I go ahead and get a 1st show FP, and I could always check back later and see if it could be exchanged for the 2nd show if I missed the distribution (as there were specific things I wanted to get done in DCA during the early afternoon). I thanked her for the information, collected my FP and headed on to Fantasy Land, stopping at the entrance to Big Thunder Ranch to ask if all the rabbits were still meeting for Easter, and what time they started. The answer was that yes they were, and the first greets were around 10:30 am.

When I got back to the GS kiosk, which was near the end of the line for Wendy and Peter who were meeting already, I asked if I had missed the Capt'n and when he might be back. The CM said that he had not made his first appearance yet, but was expected soon to trade out with Wendy and Peter. So, I went ahead and got in line, thinking I could meet with Wendy and Peter or at least be at the front of the line when the Capt'n did make his appearance.

The line had progressed to where I was about 2/3 of the way to the front when I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. I turned around and saw the CM I had talked. She said that the Capt'n was here, and she had told him how eager I was to meet him, so he wanted to meet me first! And there behind her was Capt'n Hook himself.



After I got my picture with the Capt'n, he proceeded on to the area where Wendy and Peter were meeting, and I was preparing to leave the line when I realized that Wendy and Peter were staying!



I never thought I'd manage to get my pic with all three at the same time. I did tell Wendy that she should make sure that Smee never eats at the Blue Bayou, because if he figures out how to make Crocodile Gumbo, Tick-Tock will be dinner and the Capt'n won't have to be afraid of him anymore. ;-)

After getting my picture with the Neverland trio, I went to the rear of the castle and waited near where I thought the Evil Queen would make her appearance. I was wrong, she was on the other side, but I got in line and got my picture with her as well.



Leaving the Queen, I headed over to Big Thunder Ranch as it was close to time for the rabbits to appear, when I saw Jesse.



Entering BTR, I got to see everyone do 'the hop' - should have taken pictures of that. And then got in line to meet Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh

<Rabbit Picture>

Thumper

<Thumper Picture>

Mickey and Minnie in their Easter Best - was the next to last person here, as everyone was getting ready to switch out

<Mickey and Minnie pic>

But a new set of Easter rabbits came out, including
B'rer Rabbit

<B'rer Rabbit pic>

Roger Rabbit

<Roger Rabbit pic>

and the Easter Bunny

<Easter Bunny pic>

As it was nearing on 11:30, and I had hopes of seeing the Aladdin show at 12:40, I headed back to DCA, stopping by the F! distribution (still on first show) and then the Town Hall where, they exchanged my first F! FP for a 2nd show. Whew! I also got some pics outside the train station.

<Train station pics>

Once I was in DCA, I stopped by the GR kiosk at the round-a-bout to check on the wait time and FP distribution time for Screamin'. The wait was close to an hour (wouldn't be able to make the Aladdin show) and the FP return time was for 2:30, conflicting with my late lunch reservation. But the CM did say that Oswald should be making his first appearance for the day soon, back by the entrance gates and across from Oswald's Gas station. So, I turned around and headed back to get a picture with Oswald



Before heading over to see the Aladdin show again. This time, I wanted to get a better view. While my first visit I was right down front, I decided that was not the best angle from which to watch the show, and was looking for something further back this time around.

It was a great show again, even though the carpet didn't fly this day.

By the time I had gotten out of the Aladdin show, I went back to check on the wait time for Screamin' again, and now the time would interfere with my dining reservation, but the FP time was during the 4:30 Soundsational Parade. I wanted to catch the early parade, since at the late parade a couple of days earlier the last pictures looked a bit dark to me on my phone. When I thanked the CM for helping me, but mentioned that it did not look as though I would be able to ride Screamin' again due to the schedule conflicts, she did this for me



That was my 2nd good drifting of Pixie Dust for the day. I was highly impressed and very happy. So after riding the coaster, I made sure to stop by one of the GR offices to commend her for helping me out.



After my ride on Screamin' I made my way to my late lunch, and then went to get a good place to watch the Soundsational Parade. (FYI, my late lunch was at Cafe Orleans where I had the Monte Cristo sandwich. I was not as impressed with it as I had been led to believe. I'm not sure if I just expected more due to how much others had raved about it; I just discovered it was not quite to my liking).

After the parade, I made my way over to try to ride Space Mountain, stopping at the GR kiosk in Tomorrowland to check times first. Before I could say more than "hello", the CM who remembered me from a few days earlier, asked how I had been enjoying my vacation. I told him honestly that I was having the time of my life, and was just working on getting in a few of my favorite rides again on my last day. He asked which ride I was looking to go on, so I told him, and he wrote me another GS FP right there! I was really impressed and happy again (3rd dose of Pixie dust) and after the ride also gave him a commendation notice at GR. It almost seemed like that last day, every time I turned around I was getting dosed with Pixie Dust and heading to GR to show my appreciation.



After the ride on SM, I worked my way around the park, just leisurely taking my time and taking in the different sights and sounds, and looking for any characters I had missed so far until it was time to watch F!. Which I still believe is better at DL than at WDW - by a landslide.

Making my way back to my room after the show, I stopped at Registration to inquire about my autograph book. The CM on duty did not at first understand what I was asking (I told her that I was there to pick up the package I had dropped off the day before) until she started reading the note on my room file.

And she kept reading.

And reading some more.

And then reading some more.

I finally asked, jokingly, if they had written a novel about me, and she said, "Yes they have." I replied that I hope it was all good, and not that I was some overbearing guest, at which she laughed and said, "No, there's just a lot of information here. Hang on a minute, and I'll be back."

She then left and went behind the scenes, returning a few minutes later with another CM who was highly energetic and had my book. This CM (pretty sure her name was Cheyenne) said that she had come in to work that day and been given the book and had personally tracked down as many characters as she could. She also mentioned that doing this was something that they did on a regular basis, and that all the CM's had been highly impressed with my book, saying that "We see a lot of personal books, but none that look as good as yours does." I thanked her, and asked how many signatures she had found. She smiled, handed it to me, and said "Why don't you look?"

My book was (essentially) complete! Of the 72 different character signature cards, I had personally gotten around 12-15 (a few, such as Marshmallow and Sulley don't sign, which I had notated on the book, and Mrs. Incredible signed even though I did not have a page for her) but the only missing signatures were Russel ("He was really tired after meeting everybody today, and didn't feel up to signing again"), Darth Vader ("I asked, but he said it was beneath his dignity to sign something"), and a Storm Trooper ("Once Vader said he wouldn't sign, the storm troopers wouldn't sign either. They just do what Vader does or tells them to.")

Pixie Dust Dose #4!!! That was the most awesome thing ever. As much as I wanted to meet every character myself, being able to get the autographs is a more than adequate replacement.

I talked to Cheyenne a bit more, then headed to up to start packing and head to bed. For tomorrow, I had to return to the real world.


* Here are the rest of the pictures for the day. That 10 picture per message limit.

 

[dayvewc]

Friday's Final Features

I woke up Friday morning, and after getting cleaned and dressed, finished packing my luggage. It was at this point that I really realized that I had distinctly over-ordered on my food from Von's. Probably half of it was left (4 frozen dinners, 16 Smuckers Uncrustables, several oranges and apples, and a few bottled drinks).

Since there was no good way that I am aware of to pack frozen food in my checked luggage, nor to bring it on the plane in my carry-on bag, I thought I would need to find something to do with it. With that in mind, as well as the memory of Cheyenne from last night, who before I left had given me a manila envelope full of signed pictures of several princesses, as well as one of Lightening McQueen and Mater (for my nephew), I headed down to GR to again fill out a compliment card, as well as inquire as to whether it was allowed for me to donate the (still sealed) food to the CM break room.

Once down there, as I was explaining that I wanted to fill out the compliment card, the CM's working the desk were like, "That was yours? We heard about it yesterday and how EVERYBODY was just so impressed with that autograph book." I was much appreciative of their compliments, and they answered all my questions (including helping me to figure out that the CM's name from the previous night was Cheyenne. I had been so tired that I had forgotten her name, but they knew exactly who had been working on my book the day before. They also were able to direct me to Bell Services as the people to ask about donating the remaining food, mentioning that the break room occasionally resembled having a horde of locusts descend on it whenever food was made available. (Which has always been my experience with work break rooms - any food left out or marked as "free" quickly gets eaten).

So, I went over to Bell Services, received clearance to donate the food, and returned to my room to call a Bell Hop to assist in bringing my luggage down, and take possession of the sustenance.

After I picked my car up from the self-parking lot (which took 3 trips around to find the exit, and then a block detour to get back to the resort - I can navigate across an unfamiliar city, but I can't cross the street without taking a wrong turn ), I went back inside and finished my check-out process. Also bringing in my Autograph Book for the GR CM's to see, as they had mentioned hearing about it and how everyone was impressed but had not seen it themselves.

Then, it was back to Dollar rent-a-car. No issues on returning the car. Back to the airport (I still intensely dislike LAX), through TSA security (took longer than in Memphis, but not as long as I was afraid it might) and waiting for my plane to arrive and to board.

Once loaded (again, on the plane not with alcohol) I was able to get a seat on the exit row, where I proceeded to agree with the safety protocols before going to sleep. Literally, I was asleep before they did the general safety announcements to the entire plane, and did not wake back up until almost to Houston. Though the stewardess tried. I remember twice her stopping and asking if I wished for something to drink, both time to which I replied "No thank you" before leaning my head back and re-entering the land of nod.

At Houston, I moved over to the window seat, and then for the relatively short flight back to Memphis I had more than ample legroom. Once in Memphis, I retrieved my checked baggage (with the notice on the inside that it had been opened and inspected by TSA - since the TSA has started doing this, I have never taken a flight where my bag was not inspected on some leg of the trip, either outbound or returning).

The friend of mine who had been house- and dog-sitter for the week picked me up from the airport, we returned to home arriving about 1 am, where after greeting my lovely girls, Rose and Ellie, I again slept for close to 10 hours, waking up just long enough about 7 am to let the girls out for about 20 minutes to do their business. The rest of Saturday afternoon was spent in un-packing, laundry, and beginning the edits to my PP+ pictures, which hopefully the CD will be here by Tuesday and I can upload the remainder of them for everyone who wishes to see.

And that, my friends, is my Trip Report on my first visit to DisneyLand!

 

[Angeejoe]

I'm here!! I want those pics!!

 

[Angeejoe]

Smart playing with the flights to save some money & using points for the 1st night at another hotel!

 

[Dentam]

Look forward to reading your report and seeing all of your pics!

 

[Angeejoe]

I post in the wrong thread, lol

 

[Dentam]

What everyone's spending/money pitfalls?

For me it's:

1. I love getting a good deal, I have a hard time passing them up
2. Dining out
3. And the reason we are here, Disney

Did you mean to post this in the debt dumpers thread?

 

[Angeejoe]

Did you mean to post this in the debt dumpers thread?

Yes, lol!

 

[Angeejoe]

When the time comes, i get loaded (on the plane, not with alcohol) and manage to get one of my favorite seats - exit row.

 

[xlsm]

Hello from a fellow Arkansas (although I am a transplant from southern MO). We flew out of Memphis last summer, and my last flight out of there was also pre 9/11...and that flight was a Disney trip too!

Looking forward to hearing about your time in Disneyland, as we are heading there for the first time in summer 2016

 

[dayvewc]

Hello from a fellow Arkansas (although I am a transplant from southern MO). We flew out of Memphis last summer, and my last flight out of there was also pre 9/11...and that flight was a Disney trip too!

Looking forward to hearing about your time in Disneyland, as we are heading there for the first time in summer 2016

I'm working on the days in the parks. It's kind of slow going, since I want to put the pictures in and most of my pics were done by the PP and I haven't downloaded them. I want to get all the borders and tags done so I only need to do one download.

And heading to DL for summer '16 will be great. I'm trying to get back for spring break next year. Talking to the CM's last week I was informed that the 60th anniversary will last until end of August '16, so if I can get back I'll get to see all of the stuff they are doing that wasn't up and out yet.

 

[thiabelle]

I am soooo excited to read your trip report!!! I have been wondering about your trip and now I will get to know the details. I've very much appreciated all that you have shared via Debt Dumpers. I am currently suffering from a "debt hangover" due to a binge but I'm back on track (and I take an aspirin before I check my credit cards online!).

 

[bcwife76]

I'm here, I'm here!!! Waiting for the continuation and of course, photos

 

[dayvewc]

I am soooo excited to read your trip report!!! I have been wondering about your trip and now I will get to know the details.

I'm here, I'm here!!! Waiting for the continuation and of course, photos

Thanks!! I wondered if anyone would really care or bother about my solo trip, it's nice to know that people are interested. Day 2 of my trip is posted, with the few pictures I had on my phone included. Pictures from PP are going to be a few more days at least.

I've very much appreciated all that you have shared via Debt Dumpers.

There are days when I wonder if I over-share on the Debt Dumpers thread. Thanks for the appreciation!

I am currently suffering from a "debt hangover" due to a binge but I'm back on track (and I take an aspirin before I check my credit cards online!).

lol. I get that occasionally. I was actually reading some information about AA, some brain chemistry studies, and evaluations of what becomes effective treatment for addiction. One of the things that struck me was the fact that "cold turkey" quitting is actually not a very effective method to deal with addition, causing people who backslide to over-indulge at levels above what they previously consumed. I'm not quite sure that direct parallels can be drawn between alcohol addiction and debt (though sometimes I think there should be! lol), but I am actually having better luck dropping debt this time than in the past. I'm not sure if it is having the DD thread to be able to talk out my problems in (similar to the AA meetings), or my approach this time. I have set myself with the goal of "getting" to debt free but recognizing that: it will not happen overnight, life is worth living, and restraint is easier than denial. I may not be the best "debt dumper", but I look at it through the lens of "as long as I have less debt this month than last month, I'm succeeding". Then when emergencies occur, or I just really feel like treating myself for some reason, I'm perfectly fine with adding small amounts - as long as the total debt will be less than last months. This way, I'm not feeling like such a failure when I need new tires and have to charge them, or getting so stressed if I decide I want to eat out one night. It is slower progress than the times I've tried to dump in the past, but at the same time I've stayed with it longer and actually made more progress than I ever have before. So, it's working for me. YMMV.