Step Right Up, Step Right Up



Following!!!! How long was the dvc session!?
not to take over the TR, but my DVC presentation could have gone more smoothly for heaven's sake. I got shuffled around 3x and was sitting in there alone for at least 15 min before anyone was talking with me. It didn't go over 2hrs (including the initial madness of Joseph/the DVC rep at PPH) so it still seemed like $50/hr for me to sit there and see pretty Disney things I can't afford was worth it. Although, I think chilling at Trader Sam's a little earlier would have been more exciting.
 
After our brunch of corn dogs, Becky decided to get a dole whip. I had heard a tip to go into the Tiki Room waiting area because the line is shorter. So we did and it worked but then it left the problem of getting out. We looked around I was like uh oh we are stuck! I asked the cast member and he gasped. You can't get out he said, then he laughed and said just go back through the turnstile. I felt like most of the cast members at DL were wonderful. They were just so much fun and helpful. There were a handful that you could tell hated their job or at least that day on the job but for the most part they were awesome.

When Becky finished we decided to get a fastpass for Indiana Jones and in the meantime ride the Jungle Cruise. Our Skipper was pretty good and there were definitely some unexpected moments that got me. If you haven't ridden the one at DL because you think it will be like WDW you need to ride it!
Here is a little sneak peek of the ride
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While we waited for our Indiana Jones fastpasses we decided to do Pirates. On our way into Pirates we tried to spy Walt and Roy's initials on the railing above the queue since Lucais had told us they would be there. Apparently Walt was having an apartment built up there to accommodate his growing family. We did end up seeing it but on the way out of the ride. Then it was finally time for Indiana Jones!! The best ride in the park IMHO. I just kept thinking I need to get back here with DH.

After Indy we made our way across the park to Tomorrowland. The line for Space Mtn was like 70 minutes or some craziness so we got fastpasses. I remembered they had a special meet and greet for Disney Visa cardholders so we went to the Launch Bay to check out the photo op with Kylo Ren. When we got there we learned that it didn't open until 4 so we had to come back later. We wandered around just taking in the sites when we came across the 60th anniversary photo op with the Matterhorn. I had been dying to do this since reading other TRs and it was really the whole reason I was buying the photopass.
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That's one big Mountain!!

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oh no I'm falling!!!

We made so many photographers laugh this weekend it was great!

Funny enough these pictures didn't want to show up on the DL app. I was so disappointed and thought that were lost forever but the next day we stopped into a photo shop and told them about what time they were taken and they were able to find them!

Then it was time for more pictures!
This time in front of Small World.

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Partners in crime!

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This is probably my favorite picture of the whole weekend!


Afterwards we jumped on It's a Small World, which is also much awesomer at DL. Next we went to Toon Town and surprisingly enough I didn't take any pictures. I thought it was so cute that I stopped to video chat with the kids and rub it in that I was at DL and they weren't bwahahahahaha. (They were seriously ok with it as long as I brought them back something)

We left Toon Town and decided that we needed to ride the most sketchy ride at DL, StoryBook Land Canal Boats! They had to carefully load 8 adults on it so the boat doesn't tip and then ride you pass miniatures of the lands from Disney movies. The miniatures were really neat but I thought we were going to tip over anytime we went around a curve. I did manage to get a couple pictures.

Here is Mini Agrabah
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The worse part of the ride is getting off, the cast member says on 3 we are going to all stand up together so we don't end up in the water:scared:. Thankfully everyone stood up on 3 but the boat was rocking like crazy, I wonder if a boat has ever tipped?

We meandered through Fantasyland for a little while but things were starting to get crowded and we were starting to get tired. We went to go on Snow White but changed our minds. Instead we did the castle walk through. That was really neat and I loved the fact that you can walk through the castle! We made our way to the gift shops on Main Street to do some window shopping and to just take in all that is Disneyland.

Then is was time for Space Mountain! excuse me I mean Hyper Space Mountain! Loved the Star Wars overlay. I was just a bit baffled at the part when they say "punch it" but we are only halfway up the hill!?

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We are in the last row

And right after we went to the Launch Bay to see Kylo Ren. But wait who was that outside of Kylo Ren's room?

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Boba Fett!!

We were escorted into Kylo Ren's room by one of his guards. We had to wait until Kylo himself gave us permission to enter. He was apparently very upset Becky had come.

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In the end he convinced us to turn to the Dark Side!

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This day continues in the next post

 


After Launch Bay we walked over to Frontierland, I think we both were exhausted at this point and trying to find anything to do that didn't have a long wait. Big Thunder Mountain was only 20 mins so we got in line. I think it was actually a shorter wait than it said. When we were finished there it was Becky's turn to video chat with her crew. So we stopped right outside of the Haunted Mansion. I was bummed it was closed so they could decorate for Halloween but I was able to get some good pictures of the outside.
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sorry the pictures are so big I wanted to make sure you guys could see all the little details


After that we went to the Pooh's Corner to look at the yummy treats.

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I didn't get anything because I was trying to be good. After all I was there to run, a fact that kept slipping my mind! I told myself after the half I would get a cake pop but I totally forgot.


By this point we were thinking about which parade we wanted to wait for. I started to get upset because there were people already staking their claims and it was hours before the parade was scheduled to begin. I am talking over 2 hours! I know that it was one of the last nights for Paint the Night but it was not something I was willing to do. We talked to a cast member that assured us if we came back for the 10pm parade we would have front row seats. So we decided to grab dinner take it back to the room and relax for a bit. On the way out the crowds making their way in was insane.
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This shot doesn't do it justice once we got through the turnstiles you could barely move.

We ducked into the World of Disney store and got some things for our kids, grabbed Earl of Sandwich and headed back to the room. After a couple hours we decided it was probably a good time to get back to the park so we could get a spot for PTN. This was on the top of my must do list for the weekend. Since we had to walk right by the monorail we jumped on to save our legs the walk. Love how convenient the monorail is at DL! It dropped us right into Tomorrowland and we walked back towards the hub. Becky pointed out the Pixie Hollow area that you could walk through so we took a minute to go through there. It was cute and it made me miss DD3 she is a huge Tinker Bell fan. When we got to the hub it was packed. This was about 45 minutes to showtime. We just sat down at the first spot we saw. We were next to the walkway out the outside of the hub. The crowd was at least 4 people deep. Everyone was sitting except for a couple people and I was thinking once everyone stands this is going to be now good. But to my surprise cast members came by and told everyone that during the parade everyone had to remain seated. That was amazing!!! We had a great view!
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Of course my pictures don't do it justice, it was a beautiful parade.


And one last shot on the way out.
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The first full day at DL has finally come to an end:) It was a wonderful day and it was amazing how much we accomplished!

 
Yay for a great day at DL. You got so much accomplished. The parade pictures look so pretty and I love the look of Small World at DL.
 
Let's Get Down to Business

After living it up for a day and a half it was time to do what I went to DL for... RUN!

It was the morning of the 10k and I was up before the alarm went off. I love that extra bonus when running on the west coast. It still feels like I am getting up at a normal time. I had laid out all of my stuff the night before so I was ready! My costume for this run was the Evil Queen. I got the headband from ChickyBands on Etsy. My MIL made me the cape and Becky made the poison apple iron on for my skirt.

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This was me before leaving the hotel room.

At 10 of 5 I headed out for my corral. This was the whole reason for picking the PPH, it was so close it let me sleep a little longer. It was a little chilly in the morning and I was glad I had my cape. I made my way through DTD, past security and the pre race area to corral E. The corral was pretty full when I got there so I took my place in the back and tried to eat the Clif bar I had brought with me. I was so nervous that I maybe ate half and threw the rest away. Standing next to me was a girl in a Snow White costume. I thought that was pretty funny so I struck up a conversation. Turns out she was there with her non running friend too. It was nice to have someone to talk to it really helped calm my nerves.


It was finally our corrals turn to toe the line. I set my watch and had the Strava app on my phone ready to go.
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The announcer did the countdown and we were off! We ran down the tunnel and up the other side. Passing PPH where Becky was cheering. I was feeling great. I decided that I would take this race easy since I still had a park day and a half to go. It was hard to hold back and I had to keep reminding myself not to go for a PR. The plan was to run until the crowd thinned out and then take walk breaks when needed. The first 2 miles flew by I walked a couple times to make sure I wasn't going too fast. I was confused as to why there was no water stations. Next time I do an event I really need to pay attention to the event guides better. At mile 2 we were back on Disney property. We finally got a water break before heading into the parks. We came in through the gate at the edge of Cars Land. They had a lot of characters out for this race. I enjoy seeing the characters but I don't ever stop. The only character I kinda wish I would have stopped for was Judy Hopps from Zootopia. But her line was so long and I thought that she would be out at the park later(sadly that was not the case). I hit the 5k mat near Goofy's sky school and got the text that my time was 41:45 and my pace was a 13:31. So right then I made up my mind I would finish by the prediction time which was 7:16am. I would not let myself fade. After we ran out of DCA we were in the backstage area of DL. My favorite part was where they had all the ride vehicles out.

We came into DL near Mickey's house in Toontown. Then I made my way past small world. Near the Matterhorn I recognized another Dis'er and slowed to chat for a minute.

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Here I am coming out of Tomorrowland.


Once we got to the hub I picked up my pace again. I did some quick math and knew that I was still on track with my goal. The course went back around the Matterhorn and out through the castle. Then down Main Street and out to DTD. DTD was fun but stressful. There were so many spectators and the course was narrow. I loved the cheering and lots of people called me out because of my costume! I kept an eye on my watch and knew it would be close. There were so many walking at this point it was getting frustrating. Then the course widened a little bit once we got near the monorail station. I knew Becky would be chEaring near the big curve by the DLH so I made my way to the left side of the course. After the curve I could hear her cheers and ran up to high five her and everyone else on the fence line. As I approached the finish line I was able to high five Aladdin and Genie! I crossed the line meeting my goal of crossing at 7:16!, got my medal, and grabbed my snacks.


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I did it!!
Time was 1:23:58, about 5 minutes off of my PR

One race down, one to go!

After getting through the finish area I called DH to tell him all about the race. My first race without him :(

I turned to take one last picture of the finish
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I found Becky and then went to take a quick shower while she stayed to cheer. We had places to be!

Next up breakfast at Steakhouse 55​
 
Love your Evil Queen outfit! Great race & that's a really good picture coming out of Tomorrowland. It is tricky pacing the first race of a challenge I think to not overdo it but yet it's easy to get caught up in the racing & adrenaline of it all, so sounds like you played it smart trying to hold back.
 
Who needs sleep?!

At 4:30 am on Friday morning I just couldn't sleep any longer. My one day to sleep in and it just wouldn't happen. I tried to think about what I could do so I wasn't disturbing Becky and I realized the 5k was getting ready to start. So I snuck down to DTD and had a great time people watching. I loved all the costumes.

Here is a picture of the mile 3 marker across from where I was standing

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After watching the finishers for a little while I thought it was a good time to get back to the room to get ready for the day. Since we were staying on property we could take advantage of EMH at DCA. The goal was to get to DCA at 7:15am. On our way to DCA we got side tracked and stopped to watch the end of the 5k. I really enjoyed watching the end of the race. In MHO the end was better than the start. Loved the bear group, I should have taken a picture!

Getting back on track we made our way to the security line outside of the esplanade. While we were waiting I texted the word of day to the Disney 60th contest but unfortunately didn't win anything :( After they opened security we were through in a couple minutes and hurried along to stand in line in front of DCA. Once we were finally in DCA we ran straight to Cars Land. They had the streets lined with characters and at first I was a little hesitant to stop. I didn't want to get stuck in the Racer line BUT I am so glad we did because after we got off the ride the characters had already left!
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The last shot cracks me up, it's like a model shot. I don't get why I would want just a picture of me without Red?!

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love the lady behind Becky she looks like she is having a blast! I feel like we kept seeing these ladies through out our trip or am I crazy @wehrengrizz ?


After Cars we went to TSMM. We we able to ride it twice before heading to the best rollercoaster ever!


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Funny story, the kid behind us was screaming "I'm going to die" the whole time. The mom in me was concerned and then I saw the picture, I think it speaks for itself...

As we got off there was no line so we jumped backed in to go again. When we approached the stairs that goes over the track they announced it was being shut down :sad1: womp womp womp.




So I pretty much did everything you did this day (so far) and at nearly the same time! Here's the bear group:
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I was even on the last set of cars on the coaster before they shut down!
 
Love your Evil Queen outfit! Great race & that's a really good picture coming out of Tomorrowland. It is tricky pacing the first race of a challenge I think to not overdo it but yet it's easy to get caught up in the racing & adrenaline of it all, so sounds like you played it smart trying to hold back.
Thanks! It was tricky with pacing the first race and as you will see I did a horrible job of it at the half. But on the plus side it taught me what not to do for Goofy.


So I pretty much did everything you did this day (so far) and at nearly the same time! Here's the bear group:

That is too funny!!
 
After showering I met back up with Becky and we headed over to Steakhouse 55 for our breakfast reservation. I had eaten there for Tink with DH but Becky wasn't able to join us. So she was happy to get a chance to try it out. I got the steak and eggs. Which was amazing but way too much food!
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It also included a bagel!

When breakfast was over it was time for my appointment with DVC. It was right next to the DLH so I walked over and Becky decided to go into the parks.

As I mentioned before this would be my 6th time doing some kind of tour of DVC. Some were in person, some were over the phone but every time they invited me and offered me a gift card to take the tour. So I am on their list. At first they tried to tell me I couldn't do it because DH wasn't there but I had asked first and they told me it was ok. So I went through the spiel and toured the Aulani set up. They actually do make a good argument because we go to Disney so often. But I think if we pulled the trigger it would be through resale. The whole thing took about an hour. At the end they gave me my gift card and fast passes and I made my way to DL.

On the way to DL I decided to hop on the monorail to rest my legs. While I was sitting on the monorail I went through the envelope they had given me at DVC. Much to my surprise they had given me 9 fastpasses instead of 3! Jackpot! I found Becky in front of the Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe. As we were standing there talking a marching band went by with Mickey and Minnie leading the way. As we were turning to leave a cast member stopped to congratulate me on my race. We chatted with him for a minute about the race, our kids, where we are from and how we met. He was so nice and I am sorry I didn't get his name!

We had all these fastpasses that we were putting off using for fear of running out (LOL) so we decided to live it up. First we did Star Tours and then Hyper Space Mtn. It was not as fun the second time around maybe because of where we were seated?

I had been dying to go on the Matterhorn Bobsleds so we made our way over there and used the single rider line since they had no fastpass line. Afterwards I realized why Becky was not so thrilled about riding it, LOL. Talk about whiplash!

Then it was time to use Becky's Indiana Jones fastpass that she had gotten earlier. I was able to use a fastpass from DVC at the sametime. We got in line and even with using the fastpasses I would say it was still a 15 minute wait. So finally it was our turn to ride. The ride started out normal and we were really getting into it when they suddenly stopped the car and turned on all the lights. We thought this can't be good! They played the usual recording that they were experiencing delays but then someone came over the speakers that they would be shutting it down and to remain seated until someone came to help us. The cast members had to slowly make their way to each truck that was stopped on the track and unload them row by row with a ladder. We probably waited 20+ minutes to get out of our truck. To pass the time we played Heads up! Then they led us single file back to the beginning of the ride. They lead cast member was yelling the entire time to stay away from the tire tracks or we would lose a shoe. I stopped to take a picture and Becky high fived someone still suck in their truck and the lady almost lost it. She started to threaten that we wouldn't get fastpasses if we got near the track again. I didn't realize we were anywhere close to the tracks but ok we will be good from here on out.

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Sorry the picture is kinda blurry and off center, I was trying not to lose a shoe!

They gave us fast passes for any ride at either park, we were happy with that since we were heading over to DCA and wanted to do Radiator Springs racers. The DVC fastpasses specifically said they were not good for the Racers, so it worked out for us in the end.

As we left DL we took in Main Street one last time and then headed to DCA for the rest of the day.

When we got to DCA we decided to check out the Animation Academy. I had never been to that building before and I was pleasantly surprised at how much is in there. We got side tracked and never actually made it to the academy. But we did get to meet Anna and Elsa.

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I am not a big character meeting person when I am not with the kids but there was no line and I thought the girls would get a kick out of it. It was actually a lot of fun. They asked me if I won my race and I told them of course!

Then we headed down to the Sorcerer's workshop where you can try your hand at animation. If you go through the workshop you enter the beast's library. This was impressive and I am so glad Becky took me there!
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You can see the desks with open books on them, they are interactive and you take a quiz to see which Disney character you are most like. Becky was Mrs. Incredible. I cannot for the life of me remember who I was. Maybe Becky can remember for me?

After that we had our picture taken in front of the street back drop.
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and then headed for Tower of Terror
we again used one of our DVC fastpasses

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we are on the left in the middle row. I wish I had thought to do something cool with my medal like the couple up front but I was too worried about it hitting me in the face so I tucked it in my shirt.

Next was Racers with our Indiana Jones fastpasses!! We then did the short bakery tour where Becky bought a loaf of bread Shaped like Mickey! It was so awesome and only like $8. I wish I would have gotten one for my crew. (Becky please post a pic if you have one)

Continued next post

 
@emilyhuff I actually also had chatted with a guy at DTD (@MommaoffherRocker I can't NOT say it deetahdee :rotfl2:) ...he set me up with an "open" appointment so that I can go whenever but still get the gift card and FP for staying onsite...then we had the rep at the PPH set it up for an actual time...well, timeS.

@MommaoffherRocker How do I not have a pic of the sourdough Mickey?!:sad1: I'm going to look on our regular camera on the off chance we took one. :( Also...I feel like your character match is on the tip of my tongue...I'll keep thinking. It was funny but not a bad fit! :confused3
 

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