PrincessTToo
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 11, 2003
PRESHOW A half-price/double-miles fare sale on NWA to LAX was all the incentive I needed for a trip to Disneyland. Ive only been to Disneyland one other time (October 2002) but Im a WDW veteran.
SHOW I slept in until 7:00 AM. The coffee in my room at the GC Hotel was wonderful. I sat out on my balcony with the coffee and listened to the park waking up. No cigarette smoke this time. I guess whoever was smoking yesterday checked out or got yelled at.
I used my compact binoculars to watch them testing California Screamin and the Sun Wheel. I also caught up on my journal and made a list of to-dos for the day. They were tuning the piano in the lobby so that speeded up my urgency to get out of my room. By the way, even though I could hear almost every sound from the lobby in my room, once I shut my balcony door I couldnt hear anything from the park or the pool.
I got to the private DCA entrance at about 9:30 AM. It only took a couple seconds to get through the line. It looked like Soarin was open but I was looking to be one of the first people to ride California Screamin. So I got in line in front of the sun sculpture waiting for the rest of the park to open. The CM said very nicely but very firmly that once he removed the rope that we should WALK to our destination. I was expecting a stampede but everyone did indeed walk. Bravo!
I was in the 2nd car for California Screamin. Its changed a little bit since when we were there in 2002. They added a countdown like the Rock n Roller Coaster. And there was lots of music. Maybe the music was always there but the countdown wasnt. Anyway, its tied for my 2nd favorite roller coaster. Nothing can touch the Hulk at Universal but California Screamin and Rock n Roller Coaster come close.
It was now time to face my personal Fear Factor. I walked over to the Sun Wheel and got in line for a stationary car. They put me in a car by myself. I was fine on the way up and I was taking pictures and having a great time but once I got over the top and started back down I could feel my heart pumping and my breath getting short. I had an intense discussion with myself on why I was so afraid of Ferris wheels but not afraid of anything else. This intense conversation made it much easier to go over the top the second time. I bet if I rode it enough times I could get over my fear. Maybe someday I could even ride in one of the moving cars!
Next I rode the Golden Zephyr which was a golden yawn. I was laughing at myself because the cables holding my car were creaking but I wasnt scared at all.
I decided to try Mulholland Madness even though it wasnt on my to-do list. Im just that flexible. Id never ridden a mouse coaster before and doubt I ever will again. It wasnt scary just very, very annoying.
Next I stopped at the sourdough bread tour and got two free slices of bread. I liked the tour film with Rosie ODonnell and that guy from Whos Line is It Anyway? I dont remember them having a film the last time we were there. I thought it was very informative and pretty funny.
Then I walked through the Tortilla tour. I like the preshow miniatures scenes. One of the CMs handed me a lovely, fresh, warm tortilla while I was watching them being made. I dont know if its because it was fresh or because I was so hungry but I think it was the best tortilla Id ever had.
Next I walked past Fliks Fun Fair and caught a little bit of Flik and Aida doing a show. It was really cute. The costumes were great. Then I walked past some kids playing in the Princess Dot Puddle Park. They were having a blast.
I walked past the Wine Country Trattoria restaurant at 11:00 AM and hoped it was open since Id had nothing but coffee and that tortilla for breakfast. Unfortunately I didnt see any CMs. So I walked past the sun sculpture and saw Mickey. I stood in line for a while but started to feel really self-conscious since I was the only solo adult there. So I casually left the line and went to ToT and got a FP for 12:10 1:10 PM. I did a little shopping and found a hat for my brother-in-law for his birthday. Its one of the Disney D hats and both his initials are D. The CM that waited on me said that the restaurant opens at 11:00 AM. So I went back there. Make that 11:30 AM. Once they did open I got seated right away outside on the terrace. I had a lovely grilled vegetable sandwich, great bread rolls and some interesting potato salad. I topped it all off with two glasses of white zinfandel. I only ate ½ of my sandwich so I had room for a very delicious tiramisu. It was one of those I cant believe what a great time Im having on a Tuesday times that can only come when youre on vacation and always seems to happen on a Disney vacation. But I must have had too much wine though because I left the hat I had just bought at the table. One of the young waiters chased me down to give it to me. How nice. How Disney.
Now I realize how toasted I really was because the next thing I did was to got in line for Mickey again. Fortunately the line was very long and I sobered up before I embarrassed myself. So I left the line and stopped at the Art of Animation again. I stood in the center of the room and kept twirling around to see all the pictures. One time I twirled around and right in front of me was a life-size Zoe from Roly Poly Olie. Now how does a 47 year old woman without children know about Zoe? I work for a Disney licensor, thats how. Plus I think the show is pretty cute now and then when Im flipping channels.
I stayed at Art of Animation until I felt sober enough to take on ToT. But I stopped in the restroom next to Cruellas trailer first. As I walked out I saw Cruella. She was so in character. People were posing with her and shed say in a very deadpan voice What is your name? like she couldnt care less. I didnt pose with her but I got a great picture of her.
Even with a FP the line for the ToT was so long in the boiler room that I was completely sober by the time I got in the elevator. But I was a little worried about being so full from lunch. Fortunately it was a very uneventful ride. I even got my favorite seat (first row against the wall).
I walked past Grizzly River Rapids and saw that it was a 5 minute wait. So I went back to my room to change into my water shorts and a quick drying top. On my way to my room I stopped in the hotel gift shop and bought the polo shirt for my husband.
I zip locked my keys, etc. and put it into one of my buckled pockets in my water shorts. Its now my standard procedure for riding water rides. The line was much longer by the time I got back to Grizzly but I was able to get into the Single Rider line and got on right away. I was sitting next to a woman with her very young child. Across from us was a group of kids from Portland. They said they were missing the last day of school. They were so much fun but the more they said dont worry to the little girl the more petrified she looked. But she was smiling and skipping up to her Dad after the ride. None of us got very wet at all. But Im glad I was prepared for the worst.
Since I was already a little wet from Grizzly I decided to go back to my room, change into my swimsuit and check out the pools. They were packed. Some Dad was teaching his kid how to swim in the quiet pool. So I checked out the spas. One was busy and the other just had some little kid in it swimming! His Dad was watching him. I stood by the timer for the jets and stared at the Dad. Finally I just said to him is the kid going to drown if I turn on the jets? He said no, go ahead. The kid started flailing around as soon as I turned on the jets. I hopped in and spent most of my time in there waiting to have to save him. The kid finally got out and I started to relax. Then he had his Dad put a life jacket on him and he hopped right back in. So much for a relaxing spa. But the jets did feel good on my back. I think Id had a little too much roller coasters for this old back. I hate to admit that Im getting that old.
I went back to my room again to shower, pack and change for my last (?ever?) trip to DL. The park seemed very crowded but the line was very short for PoTC. Yo Ho. And I was in the front row!
I walked past the Columbia but couldnt see anyway to get on board. So I wandered around and ended up at Winnie the Pooh which I am so glad I rode. It wasnt on my list but I found it just adorable.
Indy was next on my list and it was a 20 minute standby wait which was great because I finally got to spend some time in the queue. It has got to be the best queue anywhere. I swear I could ride Indy a 100 times and still not see everything.
I got in line for Jungle Cruise but bailed because I didnt want my last ride at DL to be a long wait with people with no sense of personal space. So my last ride was Indy which is great. I hope and hope and hope that theyll have it at WDW someday.
I got caught up in the wave of people leaving the park after the parade but I got to see the very tail end of it with Mickey and Minnie and friends on a float. What a nice last memory of DL.
I stopped at Storytellers Café for dinner and got seated right away at 7:45 PM. The table next to me was so noisy and the children so untamed that the waitress apologized. I didnt think it was that bad and actually enjoy watching kids having that much fun. Plus I was envious of the big family vacation they were having. I have a very, very small family and no one else wants to go to Disney.
I had a delicious cornbread muffin from the breadbasket. And a Caesar salad and a 3 cheese ravioli and a very nice white zinfandel. And I topped it off with a chocolate brownie with ice cream and some earl gray tea.
Back in my room I changed and finished the rest of my packing and called to verify my 9:30 PM pickup with the town car service. The front desk called me at 9:15 PM to say my ride was there. I hadnt even checked out yet. When I got down to the front desk my driver was waiting and he took my bag while I checked out. The CM at the desk was very unhappy that I was checking out so early. I told her that I realized that I was leaving early but didnt want to checkout at 3:00 PM and have to carry my stuff around etc. She said I could have requested a late checkout. Huh?
Anyway we got to the airport at 10:00 PM for my 12:40 AM flight. There was absolutely nothing open at LAX except the restrooms. My plane was full of Marines on their way to North Carolina so I felt very safe and secure and happy to be going home.
My last trip to WDW I had left thinking that it would be a while before I would want to come back. Now I cant wait to go back. I was so enthusiastic when I got home and had so many good stories that my husband has decided to go with me to WDW in January. Think I can talk him into a ride on the teacups?
QUOTES FROM AROUND THE GC HOTEL:
By hammer and hand, all things stand.
One pleasure past, another still we gain.
SHOW I slept in until 7:00 AM. The coffee in my room at the GC Hotel was wonderful. I sat out on my balcony with the coffee and listened to the park waking up. No cigarette smoke this time. I guess whoever was smoking yesterday checked out or got yelled at.
I used my compact binoculars to watch them testing California Screamin and the Sun Wheel. I also caught up on my journal and made a list of to-dos for the day. They were tuning the piano in the lobby so that speeded up my urgency to get out of my room. By the way, even though I could hear almost every sound from the lobby in my room, once I shut my balcony door I couldnt hear anything from the park or the pool.
I got to the private DCA entrance at about 9:30 AM. It only took a couple seconds to get through the line. It looked like Soarin was open but I was looking to be one of the first people to ride California Screamin. So I got in line in front of the sun sculpture waiting for the rest of the park to open. The CM said very nicely but very firmly that once he removed the rope that we should WALK to our destination. I was expecting a stampede but everyone did indeed walk. Bravo!
I was in the 2nd car for California Screamin. Its changed a little bit since when we were there in 2002. They added a countdown like the Rock n Roller Coaster. And there was lots of music. Maybe the music was always there but the countdown wasnt. Anyway, its tied for my 2nd favorite roller coaster. Nothing can touch the Hulk at Universal but California Screamin and Rock n Roller Coaster come close.
It was now time to face my personal Fear Factor. I walked over to the Sun Wheel and got in line for a stationary car. They put me in a car by myself. I was fine on the way up and I was taking pictures and having a great time but once I got over the top and started back down I could feel my heart pumping and my breath getting short. I had an intense discussion with myself on why I was so afraid of Ferris wheels but not afraid of anything else. This intense conversation made it much easier to go over the top the second time. I bet if I rode it enough times I could get over my fear. Maybe someday I could even ride in one of the moving cars!
Next I rode the Golden Zephyr which was a golden yawn. I was laughing at myself because the cables holding my car were creaking but I wasnt scared at all.
I decided to try Mulholland Madness even though it wasnt on my to-do list. Im just that flexible. Id never ridden a mouse coaster before and doubt I ever will again. It wasnt scary just very, very annoying.
Next I stopped at the sourdough bread tour and got two free slices of bread. I liked the tour film with Rosie ODonnell and that guy from Whos Line is It Anyway? I dont remember them having a film the last time we were there. I thought it was very informative and pretty funny.
Then I walked through the Tortilla tour. I like the preshow miniatures scenes. One of the CMs handed me a lovely, fresh, warm tortilla while I was watching them being made. I dont know if its because it was fresh or because I was so hungry but I think it was the best tortilla Id ever had.
Next I walked past Fliks Fun Fair and caught a little bit of Flik and Aida doing a show. It was really cute. The costumes were great. Then I walked past some kids playing in the Princess Dot Puddle Park. They were having a blast.
I walked past the Wine Country Trattoria restaurant at 11:00 AM and hoped it was open since Id had nothing but coffee and that tortilla for breakfast. Unfortunately I didnt see any CMs. So I walked past the sun sculpture and saw Mickey. I stood in line for a while but started to feel really self-conscious since I was the only solo adult there. So I casually left the line and went to ToT and got a FP for 12:10 1:10 PM. I did a little shopping and found a hat for my brother-in-law for his birthday. Its one of the Disney D hats and both his initials are D. The CM that waited on me said that the restaurant opens at 11:00 AM. So I went back there. Make that 11:30 AM. Once they did open I got seated right away outside on the terrace. I had a lovely grilled vegetable sandwich, great bread rolls and some interesting potato salad. I topped it all off with two glasses of white zinfandel. I only ate ½ of my sandwich so I had room for a very delicious tiramisu. It was one of those I cant believe what a great time Im having on a Tuesday times that can only come when youre on vacation and always seems to happen on a Disney vacation. But I must have had too much wine though because I left the hat I had just bought at the table. One of the young waiters chased me down to give it to me. How nice. How Disney.
Now I realize how toasted I really was because the next thing I did was to got in line for Mickey again. Fortunately the line was very long and I sobered up before I embarrassed myself. So I left the line and stopped at the Art of Animation again. I stood in the center of the room and kept twirling around to see all the pictures. One time I twirled around and right in front of me was a life-size Zoe from Roly Poly Olie. Now how does a 47 year old woman without children know about Zoe? I work for a Disney licensor, thats how. Plus I think the show is pretty cute now and then when Im flipping channels.
I stayed at Art of Animation until I felt sober enough to take on ToT. But I stopped in the restroom next to Cruellas trailer first. As I walked out I saw Cruella. She was so in character. People were posing with her and shed say in a very deadpan voice What is your name? like she couldnt care less. I didnt pose with her but I got a great picture of her.
Even with a FP the line for the ToT was so long in the boiler room that I was completely sober by the time I got in the elevator. But I was a little worried about being so full from lunch. Fortunately it was a very uneventful ride. I even got my favorite seat (first row against the wall).
I walked past Grizzly River Rapids and saw that it was a 5 minute wait. So I went back to my room to change into my water shorts and a quick drying top. On my way to my room I stopped in the hotel gift shop and bought the polo shirt for my husband.
I zip locked my keys, etc. and put it into one of my buckled pockets in my water shorts. Its now my standard procedure for riding water rides. The line was much longer by the time I got back to Grizzly but I was able to get into the Single Rider line and got on right away. I was sitting next to a woman with her very young child. Across from us was a group of kids from Portland. They said they were missing the last day of school. They were so much fun but the more they said dont worry to the little girl the more petrified she looked. But she was smiling and skipping up to her Dad after the ride. None of us got very wet at all. But Im glad I was prepared for the worst.
Since I was already a little wet from Grizzly I decided to go back to my room, change into my swimsuit and check out the pools. They were packed. Some Dad was teaching his kid how to swim in the quiet pool. So I checked out the spas. One was busy and the other just had some little kid in it swimming! His Dad was watching him. I stood by the timer for the jets and stared at the Dad. Finally I just said to him is the kid going to drown if I turn on the jets? He said no, go ahead. The kid started flailing around as soon as I turned on the jets. I hopped in and spent most of my time in there waiting to have to save him. The kid finally got out and I started to relax. Then he had his Dad put a life jacket on him and he hopped right back in. So much for a relaxing spa. But the jets did feel good on my back. I think Id had a little too much roller coasters for this old back. I hate to admit that Im getting that old.
I went back to my room again to shower, pack and change for my last (?ever?) trip to DL. The park seemed very crowded but the line was very short for PoTC. Yo Ho. And I was in the front row!
I walked past the Columbia but couldnt see anyway to get on board. So I wandered around and ended up at Winnie the Pooh which I am so glad I rode. It wasnt on my list but I found it just adorable.
Indy was next on my list and it was a 20 minute standby wait which was great because I finally got to spend some time in the queue. It has got to be the best queue anywhere. I swear I could ride Indy a 100 times and still not see everything.
I got in line for Jungle Cruise but bailed because I didnt want my last ride at DL to be a long wait with people with no sense of personal space. So my last ride was Indy which is great. I hope and hope and hope that theyll have it at WDW someday.
I got caught up in the wave of people leaving the park after the parade but I got to see the very tail end of it with Mickey and Minnie and friends on a float. What a nice last memory of DL.
I stopped at Storytellers Café for dinner and got seated right away at 7:45 PM. The table next to me was so noisy and the children so untamed that the waitress apologized. I didnt think it was that bad and actually enjoy watching kids having that much fun. Plus I was envious of the big family vacation they were having. I have a very, very small family and no one else wants to go to Disney.
I had a delicious cornbread muffin from the breadbasket. And a Caesar salad and a 3 cheese ravioli and a very nice white zinfandel. And I topped it off with a chocolate brownie with ice cream and some earl gray tea.
Back in my room I changed and finished the rest of my packing and called to verify my 9:30 PM pickup with the town car service. The front desk called me at 9:15 PM to say my ride was there. I hadnt even checked out yet. When I got down to the front desk my driver was waiting and he took my bag while I checked out. The CM at the desk was very unhappy that I was checking out so early. I told her that I realized that I was leaving early but didnt want to checkout at 3:00 PM and have to carry my stuff around etc. She said I could have requested a late checkout. Huh?
Anyway we got to the airport at 10:00 PM for my 12:40 AM flight. There was absolutely nothing open at LAX except the restrooms. My plane was full of Marines on their way to North Carolina so I felt very safe and secure and happy to be going home.
My last trip to WDW I had left thinking that it would be a while before I would want to come back. Now I cant wait to go back. I was so enthusiastic when I got home and had so many good stories that my husband has decided to go with me to WDW in January. Think I can talk him into a ride on the teacups?
QUOTES FROM AROUND THE GC HOTEL:
By hammer and hand, all things stand.
One pleasure past, another still we gain.
