Trip Report for the OhanaFamily Clan

[ohanafamily]

Hello, and welcome to the Trip Report for OhanaFamily and Clan…

As one of the many members of the Tagliarchy, I want to make sure I can steer fellow Dis-ers in the right direction. I will report my trip, and my impressions of DisneyLand in California.

This trip began (Day 0-Travel Day) on 10-30-2003, and ended when we got home on 11-3-2003. It was a short trip, but we packed a lot of stuff into our DisneyLand experience.

See the Thread Trailer Below…

Action, Adventure, Massive Flirting and Danger are all here on the Official OhanaFamily Clan Trip Report....See Nephosaurus show his skills at picking up Princesses by being 'Just So Darn Cute', Feel the wind rush by you as you Soar over California. Watch as Nieceosaurus negotiates a new guest of honor Princess Badge and then goes Shopping with her Auntie winding up with not one, but two new outfits...Hear comparisons between ride versions at DL and WDW...All this and more for your personal edification."

 

[ohanafamily]

About a week before we set off for Orange County Airport Robin, my DW, managed to connect her foot with a door in a special way that managed to break her middle toe on her left foot. The Doctor told her that she needed a wheelchair. We were not happy about that, but we were going to deal with it. Nieceosaurus and Nephosaurus liked the idea because they usually get to ride in a backpack with their heads sticking out. They thought that they would get to ride facing forward. They were at least happy.

I, on the other hand have been having breathing and sleeping problems for several months. I was calling the front desk at the Grande Californian Hotel every day to find out an “Air Quality” report. The trip was off and on several times that week, finally on the 29th, the front desk at the Grande Californian told me that there was a travel advisory if you are having breathing problems. Since I purchased the travel insurance I wanted to check on canceling. I called the travel insurance company and asked about how to cancel and make a claim…They said that they do not cover Travel Advisories. I had to go to CA, and if I could not breathe see a local Doctor there. I was not happy.

We went out and bought 3 different kinds of masks to take with us, and we prepared for our trip. It all didn’t Matter, we were going to DisneyLand!!!!!

Getting back to the airlines, Special Services at American airlines was fantastic, they arranged for wheelchairs both ways and even moved our seats away from the exit row we requested to somewhere back in the middle of the plane. They also put us in a middle and a window seat, and they didn’t block the seat between us. I wound up canceling the wheelchair and fixing our inbound tickets. We didn’t get upgraded going to SNA

On the day of the flight I went home a little early, and we wanted to leave an extra hour in case we needed a wheelchair. Robin didn’t want one, but we had made arrangements for an early pickup and we went. We had a marginal dinner at TGIF, I DO NOT recommend the French Dip there, but the Broccoli Cheese Soup was very good. After dinner, we went up to the Admirals Club and Nephosaurus posted that he didn’t like dinner but we were on our way to Disney Land!!!

 

[ohanafamily]

We got on our very full flight to SNA (AKA John Wayne/Orange County/Santa Ana) Airport. No food on the flight, and my stomach was still a little queasy from dinner. The person who sat next to me was a little heavy, and so am I. The first thing she did was to pull up the armrest and say we would both be more comfortable and asked if it was OK. I hemmed and hawed a little, but let her do it.
Travel Tip from this trip #1: If someone pulls up the armrest in the seat next to you do not let them, you wind up with them seriously encroaching on your space
Robin whispered to me that I needed to reclaim my space bit by bit whenever she shifted her position. I told her that my back was aching and I would be up and down all of the flight. The girl must have heard me because she asked the flight attendant to move her in between 2 other people. I don’t think they were pleased, but I was able to breathe and it was a lot more comfortable for me (and for her too).

We got to the airport, let Nieceosaurus and Nephosaurus poke their heads out of the backpack, and headed for the Taxi stand. Since this was a short trip we only used carry-ons. I learned a while back (in New York) Travel Tip #2: Always ask at the information counter about how much cab fare is to a destination hotel, and if they offer a flat rate. He told me it should be about $35. I asked again at the taxi stand and was told it was $32. The Taxi stand there has learned a trick or two from Disney; they have 5 spaces and send you to the next space just like they line you up in rows at Star Tours (and Soarin’). We had pad #3, and the driver did not seem to understand me when I asked for the flat rate. Is was OK, it was a $34.75 fare (plus tip).

When the cab pulled into the Grande Californian Hotel, they gave us a letter with our name and registration number. We left the cab, grabbed our luggage (telling the bellman that we were ok on our own) proceeded to the Check-In Counter. They had all of our information and gave us a nice room. We were on the Concierge level, and arranged for concierge service. There are only 6 floors on that hotel, and not all people on the 6th floor are Concierge. It was after 10:00 at night, so the lounge was closed. They gave us the map and calendar for October, and our room keys.
Disney Difference: at WDW and DCL, your room key is everything. In California they are all separate. You have a slip of paper that is your charge card that you need to show with photo ID to use.

We went up to our room. It was a very nice room (I had asked for one close to the elevator) Not a huge room, but a good sized room. We went to the window to check out the view (that I paid extra for a good view) We were not disappointed. We had a full view of the lit up California Adventure with the ferris wheel, and all of the rides. It was breathtaking. I will post some pictures later. We were not at all disappointed.

I had to set the A/C to a lower temperature because I am used to sleeping with air circulating. Robin was a little cold, but I slept fairly well.

We Were Happy, We Were at Disney Land!!!

 

[Tigger Fans!]

Glad you're all back! I'll look forward to the next installment of your trip report!

TTFN!

 

[deadheadbelle]

More, please!!! I want to hear about Nepho & the Ladies....

 

[ohanafamily]

Actually, the censor edited the first Nephosaurus incident. While we were checking in the person in the section next to us was a new CM, just earning her ears. I made a comment about her already having ears. She pulled her hat down, when Robin said that they had ears too. We had a character breakfast scheduled for Friday, and asked for a list of our reservations. We were told it was in the Concierge room, but I could get one later by calling "0" from the room. The new girl delivered the itinerary, and by this time the kids had their ears on already. Nephosaurus Winked at her and she winked back...I don't think they met again during the trip, but one never knows...

 

[ohanafamily]

We started our first day at Disneyland with a quick trip to the gift shop for a new autograph book for Nieceosaurus and Nephosaurus. Nephosaurus had to show off his pin trading lanyard, and the young clerk made some oogle eyes at him. He made the only pin trade of the trip with her, and I think she gave him a book of matches with a phone number on it; I must be mistaken. We then proceeded to a Character Breakfast in the Story Teller Café. The food was good here, there weren’t any Pancakes or Waffles on the buffet, but they asked if we wanted any. The restaurant was beautifully themed, and the buffet even had Eggs Benedict and an omelet station. The only problem with it was that the characters stayed at the front of the restaurant and didn’t walk around to the tables. Since we are adults with dragons, the kids pushed in front of us and we wound up missing Chip and Dale. Other Difference Note: Chip at WDW has the brown nose, at DL chip has the black nose. I am not sure which is the right way, but both parks are quite adamant about the color of each of their noses!

We left the story Teller Café and walked about 30 feet to the back entrance of Disney’s California Adventure! As we walked in the gate I got a little surprise, We bought 5 day Park Hopper Passes (for the price of 3-on special) and we were reminded that once we use them for the first time they expire in 14 days. Note: This was an unadvertised limitation, and very disappointing We have 3 days left and won’t be able to use it..

Well, it was Park Open, and we rushed over to Soarin’ Over California. We got in line and waited for it to start. We were in the Center Section, Row #1. The seats were meshy, and the place for the back pack to fit into was under our legs. This meant that Nephosaurus and Nieceosaurus were able to peek between my legs and watch the show. They really enjoyed it. For those of you who haven’t ridden this ride, you feel like you are suspended (almost like a Hang Glider). You fly over various places in California, and your fee almost touch the ground. It is a WAY COOL ride, and I recommend it highly. As we left we stopped and got a FastPass for another ride.

Special Feature:When you book through Disney Travel, with certain packages your ticket will let you get more than one FastPass at a time. You can still only get one per ride during the waiting period, but you can get one for another ride immediately. This system is only at Disneyland parks in California, not in Florida.

We then walked to the Aladdin show, to get a FastPass for that, but found out that it didn’t start for a couple of more hours, and no FastPass. We decided to use our premium seating vouchers (Another Special part of the package from Disney Travel) on this show. Along the way to the theater we got autographs from Mickey, Goofy, Max, and Stanley (with his fish). Nephosaurus started flirting with Mickey’s handler, and she suggested we check out the animation area behind her. We went to MuppetVision 3-D first

We do MuppetVision 3-D every time we go to MGM in Florida, and the show is the same. The attendant would not give Nieceosaurus and Nephosaurus their own 3-d glasses, so we let them borrow my sunglasses during the show. The show is the same as the one at MGM, and it was fun.

We next went to go see The Art of Animation. The current version of this show talks about the history of MUSHU, from Mulan. Nieceosaurus likes Mushu a whole lot (because he is a Red Dragon too). It was very interesting, and if you like animation is interesting. We also looked at the sketches of several characters in the gallery. These pictures showed how several characters were developed, with lots of cells and drawings. Again, it was very interesting to me.

It was now time to go to see Aladdin. We used our preferred seating vouchers, and got into a short line. We were in line next to an off duty CM (he is one of the moderators for Who Wants to be a Millionaire) who was telling us how wonderful this show was, and also how much better Fantasmic is at Disneyland than at Disney World. The show was good, lots of dancing, flying, and a lot of the music from the movie. I am glad we had good seats, and it is definitely the place to use those vouchers.

After we left the Hyperion theater, we went back to the Art of Animation. We went into the Sorcerer’s Workshop and took a test to find what Disney character we were. I was Lumiere (I disagree), Robin was Cinderella. The kids were afraid to find out. We skipped the Walt Disney story (we saw it last year at MGM) and shopped in the shop for a few minutes. Since it was well past Lunch time, we asked a CM where to go eat. She suggested Ariel’s Grotto.

Nieceosaurus got Ariel’s autograph, and we had lunch. I ordered Fish and Chips (marginal at best) Robin had a Hamberger and was quite pleased with it.

I think I will end this installment now, halfway through day #1….

 

[ohanafamily]

We left Ariel’s Grotto and decided we were cold. We walked across the lane to the shop and I bought a sweatshirt, and Robin bought a jacket. We were very happy with the quality, and only wish these types of things would be available at our local Disney Store. While at lunch we kept watching the rollercoaster California Screamin’. That is where we headed next. While I was waiting for Robin to wash her hands, I had the opportunity to speak with the CM controlling the line. I asked him a question and his answer was “Technically Yes”. I asked him Ride Tip for kids: “If a kid gets in line that is tall enough, even though they wouldn’t be without the platform shoes/inline skates that convert to shoes, will you let them on?” So if your kids are close to the mark, bring a spare pair of really tall shoes for them to wear. The ride was fun, I am not really the most fanatical Roller Coaster fan, but it was a good long ride, and I can understand why it is one of the most popular attractions there.

The next ride we went on was the Sun Wheel. Robin hated the moving carriages. If you get a little queasy with excessive rocking and moving, get a fixed carriage. I thought it was fun, but was a little disappointed that our carriage didn’t go up to the very top of the Ferris Wheel.. After I calmed Robin down, we went and rode the Orange Stinger. It is your basic swing ride inside an orange with a Bee theme. Again, this was fun but we had to leave the kids on the ground.

We proceeded to Mulholland Madness. This is similar to the Primeval Whirl in AK. I like the AK ride better. There is more elements to the theme, and the cars twist and turn more in the Florida version. Say what you want about Chester and Hester, but their mousetrap ride is fun.

We wanted to go on Grizzly rapids, but it was way to cold, so we settled on using our Fastpass to ride Soarin’ again. This time we rode it from row 3 in the left section. I liked the center section a little better, because the sides of the screen is not as obvious. Row #1 is much better because you don’t have any feet dangling ovr you as a distraction. The ride was still phenomenal (and definitely an E-Ticket ride). We left the ride and made our way back to the store at the front of the park, “Greetings from California”

I forgot to mention in my report from that morning that we bought some pins, and redeemed our Pins/Lanyard certificates from Greetings. We came back for a set of Ears that I had seen earlier (we like to buy a new set of ears every trip, it is difficult to find ones we don’t already have). I bought a set of ears that were on an old style (imitation) leather helmet based on the ones worn by early aviators. It is a great set of mouse-ears and a real find. We were tired, it was late, we headed back to the room. We missed Flick’s area, and ITTBAB, but other than that we rode almost everything that was open.

We went to the Concierge Lounge, loaded up a couple of plates with PB&J mini sandwiches, some drinks, chips, and a couple of cookies. We borrowed Pete’s Dragon, went back to the room and locked the door for the evening….

 

[Annie&Hallie'sMom]

Loving the reports. Keep 'em coming!

 

[ohanafamily]

We started out Day #2 with Breakfast in the Concierge Room. Robin figured out that while the chocolate croissants had a hard piece of chocolate in them that made them not-so-great, if you have them heated they are fantastic. Nephosaurus and Nieceosaurus slept in while we went for a water ride at DCA. They don’t take much to the water rides. We also wanted to hit the Grizzly River run while it was sort of warm, and before Robin’s sister joined us. (Her sister only got a one day pass for one park, and we wanted to finish off our DCA experience). The Grizzly River Run is much better (longer, a better theme, more elements etc…) than the river ride in Animal Kingdom. While the water was quite cold, we really enjoyed the ride. I still like Bluto’s at US IOA better than both of these, but GRR is a good ride, and has a few drops and rapid elements that neither of the others have. It was warm out, so when we finished, we stopped by Soarin’ (without the kids) for a quick tour of California. We were in the left section, row #2; as I said earlier, row #1 is the best, The Center section is the best, and you want to be as close to the end of the row on either side as possible. When we finished, we headed back to the room to change and wait for DSIL. When we got back to the room, we found Nephosaurus reading a “Learn Spanish” book. I think he wanted to flirt with the maid!

DSIL got there a half an hour before we were expecting her, and we went over to the Concierge lounge for water and to buy her park pass with No Line. We walked through Downtown Disney, into the park and went to guest relations to pick up our Balcony seating tickets for Fantasmic. After waiting in line for 5 minutes we were told that I needed to go to guest services outside of the park. They waited for me in the Emporium while I walked outside and asked the CM at the gate where to go. She sent me across to the left side of the entrance to DCA. I get there, wait in line for a few minutes (I bet you see where this is going, that’s right, this was another guest relations, but this one was for DCA. They sent me across the parking lot again to the correct place. I got there, picked up the tickets, and had to cross back to the other side of the entrance to get back in to DL. The girls (and Nephosaurus too) were waiting in front of the Emporium wondering if I had gotten lost!!!.

Our first concern was to ride the Holiday Haunted Mansion. We stopped on the way for a FastPass for Pirates of the Caribbean. There is a cute game going on at Haunted Mansion this year, Find the Ooogie Boogies. We were not yet aware of the hidden ghouls, we got the flyer later on at lunch. So we just went and enjoyed the ride. I really like the holiday version of the Haunted Mansion, Jack Skelington has taken over the mansion and all of his friends are just partying down with the 999 ghosts. The sound track and all of the narrations have changed, but the basic elements of the ride and the illusions are still there. As a matter of fact, in the ballroom they stuck a tree in the middle of the dance floor and it looks like the ghosts are dancing around the tree.

After the Haunted Mansion we stopped for a quick bite of lunch at the French Market Restaurant. I had a French dip and was not impressed. The beef there just isn’t up to my Texas Standards. We left the restaurant, and headed over to Pirates.

I do like the DL version of Pirates better, but there are some things I like better in Florida. At Disney Land, the ride is longer. There are some long spaces where you can catch your breath. Also, you can hear the characters voices better. In Florida there is such a din that you can’t always make out the words. What I like better in Florida is that the storyline makes more logical sense. An example is that the Treasure Room is near the beginning in California, and it is at the end in Florida. I also like the Blue Bayou restaurant being inside the ride.

Next we rode the Indiana Jones Ride. This ride is better than the Dinosaur ride in AK (the closest ride in Florida to it), the basic plot is that you are in a truck driving through an Indiana Jones adventure. The truck ride is rough and shaky, but in the end you make it through. The only problem with this ride is that from the entrance to where you get on the ride is at least a half mile. I guess we should have worn our hiking boots!!!

Our next stop was on the Jungle Cruise. This is very similar to the one in Florida, and is one of my favorite older rides. There are a few elements that are in Florida that are not in California, an example is that in the line there is a moving box of spiders in Florida, but all in all it is very similar…even down to the bad jokes from the skipper.

We stopped for some Mickey Bars next, Nephosaurus made quite a mess and needed a wipe-down. We just can’t let him get that close to Tigger Fans! Favorite snack! After the ice cream we went to the original Tiki Room. I am not sure which I like better, but the original is still playing in California. It was the first fully automatic show (or something like that) it has been playing since 1963. Pretty music, a Polynesian theme, and some Tiki gods make a fun show.

I will stop here for today, I have to get back to work…

 

[lulubelle]

Thank you so much for the detailed trip reports to date.
Am anxiously awaiting for the next installment.

Did you need the masks? How was the air quality? How many hidden Oogies did you see? We were there on 11/2 and only saw a couple in the mansion! Indy is the BEST ride at DL for sure.

Looking forward to your next post...

 

[ohanafamily]

Well, this is giving a secret away, but we are fairly sure we found 8 of the oogies. Also, when we got there the air quality was great!!!

 

[jiminy579]

I am so happy your trip went well, and that you had a great time!
Did you give Mickey a hug for me since we missed him?????
Oh... and did you eat a giant Mickey rice krispie treat?

 

[ohanafamily]

After the Enchanted Tiki room, we hot-footed it over to Splash Mountain. We had gotten a fastpass earlier, and breezed by the very long line. There are elements of this ride that are much better in Florida, namely the spacing in between the sequences has a lot more characters and theme. Also, the layout in Florida more closely resembles the storyline in Song of the South. It is still a fun ride, but we felt it was better in Florida,

When we got off of Splash Mountain, DSIL wanted a picture with Pooh Bear for her kids. We were happy to wait in line, especially since Nephosaurus needed his picture taken, and Nieceosaurus wanted autographs. The first character was Tigger, He tried to bounce off with Nieceosaurus. Then there was Eyore, Robin told him that it was her birthday and nobody cares…She got dirty looks from the rest of us. When we got to Pooh, we took our pictures and got his autograph. I asked for directions to his ride and his handler pointed to it. We loaded the kids back in the backpack and headed off to the Winnie The Pooh Ride.

The cars are similar to the ones in Florida, but they are shaped like Bee Hives. I like the way the doors open up better on the California version, but I think the one in Florida is a little more bright and fun.

After we left the Pooh Ride Robin’s foot was bothering her a little, so we stopped for some hot Cocoa at the French Market. They gave us a couple of free refills each while we sat in the restaurant; we bought the special Halloween Mugs. We then hopped onto the Disney Land Rail Road for a quick ride into Toon Town. We walked into Fantasy land, and rode Mr. Toad’s wild ride. I actually remembered this ride once I had gotten on it. I let Nephosaurus drive. It is a similar ride mechanism to the Pooh ride, and they may have actually used the same track in the Florida Version.

We next road Pinocchio's daring journey, followed by Snow White's Scary Adventure. These rides are fairly much the same as they are in Florida. I like them, but there isn’t enough of a difference to notate.

We wanted to ride the Peter Pan ride, but the line was way too long and there was no FastPass. We snuck over to the Matterhorn Bobsled ride. We didn’t realize that it has lines going both directions, so we tried to find the end of the line and wound up in the line on the other side. We were confused. DSIL called home to check in, we got on the Bobsleds (I let Nieceosaurus in front of me) and had a great ride.

We had Dinner at the Plaza Inn, once again, I had a pot roast and the food was marginal. We had to head back towards Pirates for our Balcony Seating to Fantasmic, but we went to Honey I Shrunk the Audience first. Again, this is the same show that they have at EPCOT.

We had time to ride Star Tours, (same as at MGM) and walked over to the shop on top of Pirates where the Balcony is. If you are going to DL, and plan on seeing Fantasmic, I highly recommend the Balcony. It was about $50. per person (which included Desert) but you are well above the crowds, and can see the entire show. I am glad we called right at 30 days out and got the best seats.

The (Fantasmic) show is very similar to the one at MGM with a few minor changes. DL has a bigger boat, and a whole section devoted to Peter Pan. MGM has much better seating for the masses, and has a Pocahontas section in place of the Peter Pan. I also felt that the water projectors seem to work better at MGM as well. After the briefing we got in the Aladdin line from the CM I was expecting a little more, but I always enjoy Fantasmic. As far as the Desert Buffet goes, they ran out of the good stuff before the show started and didn’t restock. Since we were on Dallas Time still, we were quite glad we picked the earlier show.

After Fantasmic we left the park on a quest to find the stone we purchased that had the date of our first date. I was sent back to Guest Relations to look up the location while they all hunted for it. They found it just as I was getting the map, so we took some pictures…..

On the way back to the room we made a quick stop at the World of Disney for Kid Gifts for DSIL. She also picked up a Pretzel as we continued our trek back to the room.

We were tired, we did almost the entire park in one day. We went to the room, changed and went to bed. DSIL stayed the night in our room (It was OK, we put her name on the reservation, and even got her a key!) We had such a busy day that I found it hard to get to sleep, but I eventually did get there…

 

[ohanafamily]

jiminy579, we didn't see the Mickey treats, but we did get a couple of good pictures with "The Kids" and Mickey on our first day. Nephosaurus was a little busy flirting with Mickey's handler to talk much to the mouse, but he had a great time.

 

[jiminy579]

Thanks for the wonderful reports. I can't wait to see your pictures!!
Have a great night!

 

[Laura]

Thanks for posting, Ohanafamily! It's been a loooong time since I've been to DL.

 

[ohanafamily]

We awoke to a beautiful morning, a chorus of Happy Birthday ringing for my loving bride. We got ready quickly, and went over to the Concierge lounge for breakfast. We really did get our use out of the club. Even though it was a continental breakfast, it was enough to get us going and keep us from doing nothing but Junk Food. We bid our farewells to DSIL, went back to the room to help her get her stuff, and let her drive off into the sunrise…figuratively.

The kids wanted to ride Soarin’ again, so we went into DCA and got a FastPass then waited in line. I think we also got our use out of the unlimited FastPass this trip. We left DCA through the front entrance and went into DL park.

Since we rode most of the rides the day before, we spent the day just doing our favorites, and letting Nieceosaurus and Nephosaurus meet some of the characters.

We first went to Pirates, got a FastPass, and rode the ride I wanted to videotape it, but there was a kid in the row behind us who wouldn’t shut up. I usually have a lot of patience for these things, but I was trying listen to the dialog and this kid was just talking up a storm. I apologize to the Mom’s reading this, but most of you probably control your kids a little better. After Pirates, we went over to Haunted Mansion (got a FastPass) and waited in the 20 minute line. We actually started looking for all of the Ooogie Boogies…I videotaped most of the ride, but I am not sure how well my camera was working…I haven’t reviewed any video yet.

We left the Haunted Mansion and went back to Pirates. There was an older couple behind us telling us that they were celebrating the fact that their children were safe from the fires and that their home was not destroyed. I had my Camcorder out to take video comforted by the thought that they would be behind us. Nope, another kid (not quite as noisy) wound up behind us, but we did manage a front row in the boat.

After we rode Pirates the second time it was time for lunch…A special birthday lunch at the Blue Bayou Restaurant. Again, I wasn’t impressed with the meat (the waitress told me that the Prime Rib was the best thing on the menu. The piece that they gave me was over half fat, but covered in sauce. I took a couple of bites and told my wife I wasn’t going to say anything but I would get something more when we left. The waitress saw I wasn’t happy, and brought me another piece (it was a little better, but between the two pieces was one good piece. Robin enjoyed her lunch. I had arranged for two Birthday Buckets; a Princess one for her and since my birthday is at the end of the month I got a Mickey one for me. The cake was OK, the pin was a good one and the toys were instantly confiscated by the kids.

We tied our buckets to the backpack (around the kids necks) and walked over to Snow White’s Castle. We sat there for a minute and decided to take the monorail back to the hotel for a nap, when Nieceosaurus spotted Cinderella. WE HAD TO GET AN AUTOGRAPH. And a couple of photos. So, we get up to see her in the line when Nephosaurus jumps over and gives her a big smacking kiss on the cheek. Nieceosaurus showed her her Cinderella Pin and we told her that they both watch her movie all of the time. I asked her what the real color of the shirt she gave Gus-Gus when she first met him. It looks a different color on different TV sets. She told us he has a lot of shirts, and some fit him better now. She gave both of the kids kisses, and we headed for the monorail.

Well, or should I say next to the wishing well, was Snow white. Nephosaurus had to show her his pin (he has a Snow White pin on his lanyard) The kids were a little afraid, because her husband kills a dragon in her movie, but they asked if she minded getting her picture with them because they were very good dragons. Boy I tell you Nephosaurus was just wide eyed and smiling. He wanted his kiss. He was not disappointed, and we got another couple of good photos and an autograph.

Still walking towards the monorail, who should we run into but Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) Well, not to be outdone, he wanted to know that if he kissed her she would wake up. She said he was welcome to give her a kiss, but the waking up thing is only for her Prince and true love. More Pictures, another autograph, and we left hoping to go back to the monorail.

Finally we were going to get back to take a nap, but we first decided that we would take a quick look in Innoventions. The building used to be Carrousel of Progress, and the Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow song was still playing. I liked Carrousel of Progress, and it hasn’t been open on the last several trips to MK. We went into the building, and looked around. There were many things that were kind of neat, but most of the stuff was new computer and video games. We went to an area where they had a game to uses Google to find stuff on the web. I asked if I could check my e-mail on the computers. We were told that the computers were locked down through the firewall against that, but we were welcome to play and surf the net. Robin found the Disboards, and I proceeded to do a little bit of hacking to check my PMs and catch up (The Tagliarchy thread can move several pages a day) While I was hacking in, we played the game and Robin and I both got a set of Kim Possible Trading Cards. The object of the game is to find pictures using Google Search on the internet. The security isn’t too terribly tight, and I assured the CM that walked up behind me when I was checking my mail that there was nothing bad or pornographic in any ot the sites I was visiting. I even disabled the preview pane in case there was a bad picture someone sent me. We both caught up on the threads, made a couple of posts, and upset our Dragons by not letting them on the boards. I will say that Nephosaurus made me show his web page to the CM (again around their limited protection). He got another smile and flirtatious grim. He is just a “Babe Magnet”

By the time we left Innoventions it was too late to go back for a nap, but we did notice where the tracks were for the Tomorrowland Transport Authority…or should I say where the tracks were for the TTA. You could see them on top of the Radio Disney Building from the top level leaving Innoventions. That is another ride we missed.

We rode the Disney Land RR from Tomorrowland to New Orleans Square, and used our FastPass for Haunted Mansion again. The entrance line is really cool in the dark, all of the pumpkins light up and it is very well themed. We actually had an extra fifteen minutes in line because “some of the ghosts got out and they needed to get them back. When we finished, the wait had gone from 45 minutes to 90 minutes. …

We rode Pirates and Indiana Jones both one more time, and were walking back to the monorail when we noticed it was almost time for the parade.

We scoped out a good spot and waited. A couple walked up with a stroller and asked if she could move next to us. Robin moved a little, she parked the stroller next to her and proceeded to stand in front of Robin. Robin asked if she could move closer to the stroller, especially since she was taking picture of the parade floats. I think the woman though we were being rude, but she changed places with her husband and sat next to the stroller. Robin could see, I put the backpack on backwards so the kids could see, and we watched the parade. It was a nice parade, the kids really enjoyed it, and we got lots of pictures.

After the parade, we finally got on the Monorail, from Tomorrowland to Downtown Disney. After we got off, we went for comfort food to the Rain Forest café. I had a bowl of soup, and split a turkey sandwich with Robin. It was quite late, and we didn’t want a heavy meal.

We walked across the street to ESPN, redeemed out $10 in games coupons, and didn’t find anything we wanted to play. We rushed back to the hotel before the Concierge room closed for water and cookies (before turning in to bed) We started packing, and decided it wasn’t time yet to be sad… We still had a half a day left in the morning….

 

[Nephosaurus]

OhanaFamily, you make me sound so bad, like all I want to do is chase princesses. I can't help it if they can't control themselves around me.

I also realize how tired you were today, so I will forgive you for mixing up the Princess's husbands. Aurora's husband is the one that me and my sister are afraid of. He likes slaying Dragons. Snow Whites husband is kind and gentle.

Just thought I would file a correction for when you get up tomorrow morning...

 

[ohanafamily]

Ooops, I did mix up the details a little in the report. I am sorry Princess's for the mix up. the key thing is we didn't make that faux Pas at the park.....