TR- 10 yrs later, a trip back "home!" pg. 10. Complete w/ final thoughts.

[tofubeast]

Awww... there's a flower for your last day blues.
Awww, thanks!!

Ridemax! Yes, I am a fan. It rocks. Your morning was really similar to ours including the great ride times and the Blue Bayou (I'm going back someday... ) The creesto's looked mah-velous!

Yes, those evil cheese artery stuffing sandwiches are just a must. Not an every day affair, but since I am not a frequent visitor ro DLR, I think I could indulge, right?!

Darth Vader! You guys are so lucky! I was a BIG Star Wars geek (member of the Official Fan Club for a year or two and visited the big convention.. oh yes, I did that. - big Chewie fan, myself) The closest we have been is:

Yep, that's me up there.. can you imagine me at Jedi Training??

Yes, too bad they don't pick adults for all that fun!! I am a star wars geek too. I need to dig out some photos of me when I waited in line at the Mann's Chinese for Episode one. I had a darth maul saber and was having fun fighting the force.

Lilly Belle! Loved it! Loved, loved, loved it. Wasn't that great to get your own private tour (free) tourguide!!! Thanks for the pics, it was great to relive it. The smiley of you and your DH nervously chatting while waiting almost made me pee I was laughing so hard.

Yeah, that smiley kinda says it all. I was so nervous and excited all at once. That Lilly Belle sure is a beauty. Wasn't it an experience you will never forget? Too cool!!

Canoe's.. FUN and Healthy!! I may be able to find a pic of myself on the ole Mine Train back in the day.... I'll have to check. It was so long ago I get it confused with the train at Knott's and I'm not sure if I know the words from the ride because I was on it or because I heard it on Walt Disney World TV Sunday nights. LOL

Yeah, the mine train at Knott's is quite similar. I was glad to see that ride was still there back during my last visit there in '01.

HillBillies! I am SO disappointed that I didn't even KNOW about these guys when we went. I'm so glad you experienced it. What a great morning you guys had!

YOU MUST SEE THEM. "nuff said!

The Columbia!! Another thing I missed that looks so wonderful! I'm so glad you rode. You and I are so similar in our nostalgic mind-set.

I can tell if you and I did a DLR trip we would nostalgia geek the whole time. BECAUSE THAT IS THE WAY WE ROLL!


Ha! You were EVAC'd!! I'll give you a hint.. that's close to what happened to us during the great black-listing of '85.

Still waiting for a PM with THAT story!!

I look forward to your final thoughts and to following you around WDW someday (via the dis, of course ).

Take your family to WDW the last week of April so we can bump into each other!

Great job!!!

Thank you! I only modeled my TR after the best...your's that is!

 

[travelmel]

Thank you! I only modeled my TR after the best...your's that is!

Awww! Too kind! You're going to lose all respect for me after that dreaded PM!

 

[tofubeast]

Awww! Too kind! You're going to lose all respect for me after that dreaded PM!

Still waiting for the infamous PM!!

 

[travelmel]

Still waiting for the infamous PM!!

Oh, that. Drat. Didn't it make it to you?? I sent it... darn computer! ::badcomputer::

 

[Disneygrl36]

So glad you came back to finish this and with such a magical day.
I booked the 11:30 seating at Blue Bayou for us in Dec & hope we get the same luck you got & get a waterside table.
My ride evac story happened on the Peoplemover (or the TTA if we want to talk present day). We got trapped inside Space Mtn on the darn thing. It was cool!!!!
Congrats on loosing 20lbs...........great job. It is sooooo hard.

 

[tofubeast]

So glad you came back to finish this and with such a magical day.
I booked the 11:30 seating at Blue Bayou for us in Dec & hope we get the same luck you got & get a waterside table.
My ride evac story happened on the Peoplemover (or the TTA if we want to talk present day). We got trapped inside Space Mtn on the darn thing. It was cool!!!!
Congrats on loosing 20lbs...........great job. It is sooooo hard.

Thanks for the Congrats (said while I eat an exciting cottage cheese breakfast).

I am so happy you got waterside seating too. That restaurant just has to be one of the neatest out there!! I bet WDW wished they had room for it, but POTC was not intended to be put where it is until people complained.

So what happened on the Peoplemover. How did you get off the ride, or did it eventually start moving again. I so miss the peoplemover and being picky about which color car I wanted (yellow was always my fave).

 

[Disneygrl36]

Thanks for the Congrats (said while I eat an exciting cottage cheese breakfast).

I am so happy you got waterside seating too. That restaurant just has to be one of the neatest out there!! I bet WDW wished they had room for it, but POTC was not intended to be put where it is until people complained.

So what happened on the Peoplemover. How did you get off the ride, or did it eventually start moving again. I so miss the peoplemover and being picky about which color car I wanted (yellow was always my fave).

We haven't actually been yet, so I am hoping for a waterside table. Pixiedust: I think you are right about WDW wishing they had room for a Blue Bayou type restaurant at MK. I guess the closest they come is in the Mexican pavillion at EPCOT.

We had to be evaced out. They came & opened up the little sliding door things & we walked out on a sidewalk like area to the right of the cars. Then we came out of the mountain & went down a flight of stairs & it put us out about at the path to Toontown. It was really cool. I wanted to take pictures too, but didn't.

 

[tofubeast]

I will finish this TR up very soon. You can all blame travelmel for getting me into the Twilight book series, which takes me away from the Dis!

 

[travelmel]

My ride evac story happened on the Peoplemover (or the TTA if we want to talk present day).

People Mov-ER, People Move-ER, People Move-ER! :chanting:

I will finish this TR up very soon. You can all blame travelmel for getting me into the Twilight book series, which takes me away from the Dis!

You're preaching to the converted, Danielle! Melanie is one of us now...

 

[trodrigue]

I just found your report and read the entire thing. What a great legacy of going to DL and a fabulous return trip. Thanks for sharing your experience!

 

[Disneygrl36]

Hello........is this thing on?????????

 

[travelmel]

Check.. check... 1, 2, 3... check

 

[notes4theheart]

hmmm...just found this...ever gonna complete?

 

[tofubeast]

I feel so bad. You know I will complete!! How can I even think of starting a pre trip review for an upcoming trip when this one sits here all lonely.

I will!! I will. Just think of it as me really thinking about the trip and my final thoughts on it!!

And you can blame travelmel for taking my attention away from this TR and turning it to Twilight instead. All her fault!!

 

[travelmel]

And you can blame travelmel for taking my attention away from this TR and turning it to Twilight instead. All her fault!!

What are you playing this on a loop????? BEEP... it's all travelmel's fault BEEP... blame travelmel ...BEEP.....thank you for calling, please blame travelmel... BEEP

 

[tofubeast]

What are you playing this on a loop????? BEEP... it's all travelmel's fault BEEP... blame travelmel ...BEEP.....thank you for calling, please blame travelmel... BEEP

Yes, it is ALL your fault. I was fine updating my blog and doing my thing until YOU told me to check out the Twilight part of your TR. I asked you about the books and movie and YOU sold me on it. It is all your fault.

 

[tofubeast]

Finishing out the Trip:

I know I probably do not have ANYONE following this TR anymore because I was such a slacker, but I need to finish it. Now let's see what I still remember of it?

RideMax

I know I have mentioned it through this TR, but I am going to say it again. I cannot rave about RideMax more.

Day One, we hit over 20 rides, plus had 1 CS and 1 TS meal and watched the Electric Parade. Oh, and we also had several breaks.

Day Two, we hit nearly 28 rides, went on the Lilly Belle (thanks pixie dust), sat through a ride evacuation, ate at the Blue Bayou, saw the Hillbillies, rode the Columbia and saw a parade on Main Street. Did I mention we rode Space Mtn 3 times too?

All of this on two busy summer days. Amazing!! I just re-subscribed to RideMax for our WDW trip, and it looks like it will be just as helpful.

I think back to that conversation that I spoke about with the tired, cranky mom in the hotel shuttle who complained about seeing very little. Having a plan, whether it be RideMax, UG etc.... is crucial during the busy times of the year.

~~~
So we woke up the next morning, and I was so sad that the Disney portion of our trip was over. We checked out of the CCI, and we decided to go eat at Mimi's Cafe. Since we over-slept for the free breakfast at CCI, we thought we would check out this place after all the awesome reviews on the Dis. Mimi's is definitely worth the accolades, the food was delicious. Plus it was nice seeing the monorail go by from outside our window.

Which leads me to my one and only disappointment regarding the Disney portion of our trip. I was sad I never got to see the red or blue new Mark VII's when at Disneyland. Aside from the fact I did not get to ride them, I didn't even see them. I LOVE the monorail, I even have the little monorail train toy. (Yes, I am that silly.) So to not see the shiny new monorails was sad. BUT, that gives me something to look forward to NEXT time, right? Yes!

So we pulled out of the restaurant parking lot, and headed north on Harbor. Just like I did as a kid, I kept an eye on my rear view mirror as I saw the last visuals of the park come out of view. Of course, I also kept my eyes ahead of me too because this time I was the one doing the driving!

So as to the rest of the trip, we headed to go visit friends in "The Valley," and we also celebrated the baby shower of my sister in law. We also did another run at Amoeba records in Hollywood.

We also did one more thing out of my childhood memories of Los Angeles. I went somewhere I had not been since I was maybe 12 years old. We went to El Tepeyac Mexican restaurant. Now, if you are looking for REAL authentic Mexican food, and we are not talking El Torrito here, then you must go to El Tepeyac. This place has been in Central Los Angeles for years and years and years, and the burritos are the biggest you will ever see.

Check out this "small" burrito:

It was so nice to see that the place has not changed at all. It is nothing fancy, but it is just a very special place. You won't see a lot of tourists here, and it is just good, ol' fashioned Los Angeles.

So after a little over a week in L.A., we boarded the Jet Blue plan out of Long Beach back to Ft. Lauderdale. It is always bittersweet for me to leave my old state, as I miss it so much as well as my friends. But I know L.A. will always be my "home," and I can visit her again and again. I went home with many special memories: I got to see friends, experience an amazing wedding, help my sister in law prepare for a beautiful baby girl (who I hope to see this summer), and show DH "my" Disneyland. Good ol' Disneyland was just as I remembered it, with many new elements that make the park exciting to see each time. I think my next stop there will be when DCA is all complete, so I can see that park in all its glory!

For now, I will experience and learn more about my new home park, WDW, especially because we are getting AP during our upcoming trip. Yay! We will be spending a week there soon, and I hope to post a TR with lots of pics. So stay tuned.

"Well folks" (said in Mickey voice) that brings me to the official end of this TR. Thanks to those of you have joined me along for the ride. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to post or PM. I am now hopping back on the Dumbo 747 and taking it to WDW.

 

[travelmel]

Those burritos look muy bueno! You can't beat So-Cal Mexican food .. unless you go south-er, I guess. lol

I love your Dumbo pic!

Congrats on your upcoming AP season at WDW.

We're going to California this Xmas but I think we will skip Disney until DCA is done. We'll see... I say that but............

 

[tofubeast]

Those burritos look muy bueno! You can't beat So-Cal Mexican food .. unless you go south-er, I guess. lol

I love your Dumbo pic!

Congrats on your upcoming AP season at WDW.

We're going to California this Xmas but I think we will skip Disney until DCA is done. We'll see... I say that but............

Thanks, Mel!! Yes, you can't beat good ol' true so cali Mexican food. yum yum AND yum.

Something tells me you will still see DL at Xmas. Just skip DCA.

 

[pixleyyy]

OK, I know I'm chiming in really late here but I just wanted to tell you that I truly enjoyed your TR. Great photos, great memories, great writing. Thank you for sharing that with us.