Somebody's Gonna Pee in a Cup, West Coast - Link to new TR 1/21

[afwdwfan]

I doubt I'll read it all! Just wanted to get a feel for the place.

Soon. Soon.

Well, if you read 10 pages, you've probably read more than I read in the current thread.

Reading your description of being on Main St in DLR and seeing Walt's apartment and the light on, etc. definitely got me a bit emotional thinking about our upcoming trip and being able to see it for myself and having similar thoughts. And if it's corny - at least we get to all be corny together here

You'll love it! It just really hits you on a totally different level than WDW. It is great to have that experience.

Glad you enjoyed Indiana Jones - that is definitely once I am most looking forward to checking out!

It is definitely a fun ride, and well worth the effort to ride it!

Sorry about all the issues with the Fantasmic! seating. The shows may be amazing (that and WOC) but the whole seating/viewing areas/etc. seems not the best compared to WDW for shows. The Peter Pan/Hook part does look amazing!

Yeah, they just don't handle the viewer experience very well. Part of it, I'm sure, is due to the park size and the fact that the viewing areas are nothing other than walkways. But there has to be a better way.

The show is phenomenal though, and yes, Hook and Pan fighting on the ship definitely was a good pay off for the frustration.

I love the picture of your kiddos watching the parade.

Thanks!

I'm glad you had time to ride a few rides at Disneyland, especially Indiana Jones!

It was bonus time for us, but it was nice, especially, to get Indy out of the way so we would have more time to do other things later.

That's a bummer about the wait and seating at Fantasmic, but I'm glad you loved the show! Your photos of the Peter Pan/Captain Hook fight are awesome!

Thanks, I was somewhat impressed with how they came out, given the lighting and movement. We didn't even take our camera on this trip so all the pictures we have are from cell phones.

A late night pizza snack? Sounds like a good plan to me!

Can't go wrong with some VN/Naples pizza!

Just got all caught up on your trip and am enjoying it! Fantasmic! at DL sounds awesome! And congrats on a great first 24 hours!! Can't wait to read more.

Thanks! Fantasmic! really is a step above and beyond WDW's show. I'll take the Peter Pan scene over Pocahontas anytime!

 

[afwdwfan]

Nope. And NO, it's not corny at all. DLR has that "feel" to it that just can't be described. Palpable, yet hard to put words to.

Like PoTC.... Some things DLR just trumps over WDW.

And I have no idea why? Really, would it be so hard to have made the Florida version a little bit longer???

Glad it was worth it in the end! Mostly. I agree, maybe another seating option would have made it GREAT.

Possibly. I'd definitely have to do more research to see what options would work better. I kind of went for the lowest cost option so that might have bit us. But still, at least we were guaranteed to have a spot to see the show. Even if a less than ideal location.

That's what vacations are made of!

Junk food at bed time!!!

I think I actually like that better, though. Less likely for kids to still be napping.

True. 3 pm is a bad time for a parade if you're taking breaks and leaving the parks. That's really why we never could manage to see the parade.

Don't mind me, just wanted to use this:

Very fitting.

I wonder how it stacks up to a McMansion?

Um... you could probably fit it in the living room.

Clearly I have not been doing my Disneyland homework - I had no idea any of that even existed.

Sounds like Fantasmic was an incredible show, despite the less than stellar viewing area/experience.

It is a new package. They actually just introduced it shortly before our trip. I had very limited information on it when I booked it, but I just thought it seemed like a convenient and cost effective option based on the descriptions I found. It was ok. They've got several options available for it now via different FP's and dining options, so there are probably more ideal ways to see the show. I really don't know though.

It kind of baffles me that the restaurant only served 3 dishes, and they ran out of one of them. Like, if you're going to have a small selection, make sure you have enough of each item...And yeah, lasagna needs meat. Otherwise, it's just...wrong.

Yeah... exactly. But I guess in their defense, they stopped serving at 6pm, so we were just about the last ones in. From what I gathered they were only 2 meat lasagnas short of making it to the end. If only we'd arrived on time for our ADR.

I was kind of ok with the small menu though, in principle. If it meant they could prepare the meals quickly and get you out of there, I'm fine with that. It certainly was table service quality food, and I'm sure it likely would have been served faster if they hadn't run out of what I had ordered.

Yikes, this trip sounds like it was a lot different than you imagined it to be. Everything seemed to come with a catch. You got into the park early for magic hour. But the two popular attractions were down. You got a Fantasmic package to ensure a good seat. But you were placed in front of an obstruction.
I'm glad to hear the show was good, at least. And that you didn't pay an arm and a leg for the dinner package.

That's a very good point. It was certainly a frustrating experience, but at the same time there's so much going on there that it didn't have as negative of an impact as we had expected at that moment in time.

Showing up and hour early for F! and being placed behind the dock was probably the biggest frustration I had with everything. I wasn't very happy, but at least we were in front of the other people and could see. They might night have been happy being behind someone who is 6'2" and standing, but I got there before they did and I wanted to see too. I did make sure to not sit down while waiting to give someone the false sense that I wouldn't be standing.

I've heard others talk about how Main St in DL just feels different than Main St in WDW. That you can look and feel and tell that DL was Walt's park.
And reading your description of the going into DL for that first time really made me wanna go there myself. You hear stories and see pictures of Walt walking down Main Street and the lamp in the firehouse window, but seeing it for yourself had to be incredibly surreal.

It definitely has a different look and feel. You walk in and it all feels very familiar, yet so different. I know the word "quaint" is thrown around a lot in comparing DL to WDW's Main Street area, and while I hate to use such a generic term, I really can't think of a better way to say it. It really is more quaint. More simple. It wasn't designed to handle millions of visitors. It was just Walt's vision and passion project. And you can really feel that sense.

 

[afwdwfan]

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a good weekend. I wanted to pop in with a quick update from our busy weekend.

First of all, DS had his first ever baseball game on Friday. I'm helping coach the team with my BiL, a guy who I played baseball with growing up and in high school, and a friend's dad who was an assistant coach at our high school as well as a couple of other dads. It is a fun group of guys, but I think we all get quickly frustrated trying to teach 4 - 6 year olds how to play.

The league is an instructional league even though the coaches do keep a book and track outs and the score (we tied Friday). The players all bat in an inning. They get 5 pitches from a coach and if they don't hit it, they get to hit off of a tee.

I was pretty proud of DS. He'd been hitting well off the tee, but struggling to hit pitches. He lined his very first pitch between third base and short stop for a base hit.

And I totally missed it because I was trying to corral kids escaping the dugout and get the next batter on deck.


But I'm most proud that he wasn't one of the kids we had to pick up off of the infield dirt because he was making snow angels in the dirt.

​

As of today, DD is officially no longer "free" by Disney standards. Yesterday, we had a Cinderella themed birthday party for her.

And yes, she got more dresses.

And one of them sings.

Anyway, here you go...

​

I think everyone had a fun afternoon, and our house will be covered in a layer of glitter for about the next 40 years.



Also, I wanted to let everyone know I'm working on my next DL update and hope to get it posted in the next couple of days after I catch up on TR's I'm following.

As some of you who have followed my TR's in the past are aware, I live on a farm and also work a full time job in an office during the day. It is that time of year, and we're going to be planting corn very soon. Once that happens, I tend to have absolutely no free time outside of regular work hours so my replies and updates might not come as frequently. We've had a wet spring so far, but the forecast is looking pretty good right now. I don't know if we'll start planting this week or not, but I'd say by the end of the week, there's a very good possibility we could get started. That means leaving work and then driving a tractor until about 1 or 2 am and then getting a few hours of sleep to do it again the next day. Yep, I'll be a zombie soon.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Happy Birthday to your daughter! Looks like a fun party - she must have loved that princess bouncy castle! Dresses and glitter seems to come with the territory (so far we have avoided any singing dresses)

Good luck with the growing season! That all sounds very tiring and stressful, but probably also satisfying when harvest comes

 

[MissMaryQC]

Congrats to DS on the baseball! I'm glad it's not too competitive for the little guys; there is so much time for that in life. I'm sure you are a proud papa, I know my SO would be; BIG baseball fan.

Happy birthday to your DD! She is adorable. And congrats on the glitter, we know how much you love that....

Hope all goes well weather wise so you're able to start planting! I can only imagine how exhausting that sort of thing is, especially on top of a 9-5. Wishing you all a fruitful season, with some rest in between shifts.

 

[Gracefulskinny]

First of all, DS had his first ever baseball game on Friday. I'm helping coach the team with my BiL, a guy who I played baseball with growing up and in high school, and a friend's dad who was an assistant coach at our high school as well as a couple of other dads. It is a fun group of guys, but I think we all get quickly frustrated trying to teach 4 - 6 year olds how to play.

how fun!

He lined his very first pitch between third base and short stop for a base hit.

And I totally missed it because I was trying to corral kids escaping the dugout and get the next batter on deck.

What a bummer!

But I'm most proud that he wasn't one of the kids we had to pick up off of the infield dirt because he was making snow angels in the dirt.

always a bonus!

As of today, DD is officially no longer "free" by Disney standards. Yesterday, we had a Cinderella themed birthday party for her.

Happy Birthday to her!

And yes, she got more dresses.

Of coarse!

And one of them sings.

You know, I've seen those and wondered why it is necessary to make a dress sing?

I think everyone had a fun afternoon, and our house will be covered in a layer of glitter for about the next 40 years.

Welcome to life with a girl!

That means leaving work and then driving a tractor until about 1 or 2 am and then getting a few hours of sleep to do it again the next day. Yep, I'll be a zombie soon.

I don't know how you do it.

 

[pkondz]

First of all, DS had his first ever baseball game on Friday.

Really! That must've been a blast! For him and for you.

I'm helping coach the team with my BiL, a guy who I played baseball with growing up and in high school, and a friend's dad who was an assistant coach at our high school as well as a couple of other dads.

Nice.

we all get quickly frustrated trying to teach 4 - 6 year olds how to play.

Yeah, I could see how that could happen.

track outs

Sorry, never played baseball as a kid. Don't watch it as an adult.
What are "track outs"?

They get 5 pitches from a coach and if they don't hit it, they get to hit off of a tee.

I like how if they can't hit a pitch, they don't have to miss the fun of base running, etc.

He lined his very first pitch between third base and short stop for a base hit.

That's terrific! Tell him Way to go!

And I totally missed it because I was trying to corral kids escaping the dugout and get the next batter on deck.

Yup. That does seem to happen, doesn't it?
"Daddy! Daddy! Did you see me??"
"Uh.... crap."

But I'm most proud that he wasn't one of the kids we had to pick up off of the infield dirt because he was making snow angels in the dirt.

As of today, DD is officially no longer "free" by Disney standards.

Happy Birthday to her.
Hard to believe she's an "adult" now.

And one of them sings.

Dear Lord!
It's not... It's not.... Let it go?

A lot of wonderful pictures but this one just blew me away.
Love it!

And... you had a bouncy castle????
Can you plan my birthday?

I think everyone had a fun afternoon, and our house will be covered in a layer of glitter for about the next 40 years.

Nah. I speak from experience here.
You'll get rid of all of it.... right around this time next year.

Also, I wanted to let everyone know I'm working on my next DL update and hope to get it posted in the next couple of days after I catch up on TR's I'm following.

Woot!

It is that time of year, and we're going to be planting corn very soon.

I do remember that... but.... and I don't know why this didn't occur to me before...


CORN ROAST AT ANDY'S HOUSE THIS SUMMER!!!!

I'll bring the butter.

Once that happens, I tend to have absolutely no free time outside of regular work hours so my replies and updates might not come as frequently.

I get it. Do what you can, when you can.
Or don't.

That means leaving work and then driving a tractor until about 1 or 2 am and then getting a few hours of sleep to do it again the next day. Yep, I'll be a zombie soon.

Wow. Tough schedule.
How long does it take to get all the planting done?

 

[SarahDisney]

I was pretty proud of DS. He'd been hitting well off the tee, but struggling to hit pitches. He lined his very first pitch between third base and short stop for a base hit.

Yay!!! Congrats - that's pretty awesome!

But I'm most proud that he wasn't one of the kids we had to pick up off of the infield dirt because he was making snow angels in the dirt.

Yeah, every team has a kid like that. When I was younger, I just sat in the outfield and plucked grass out of the ground. Although I couldn't do that anymore once I moved to the infield.

As of today, DD is officially no longer "free" by Disney standards. Yesterday, we had a Cinderella themed birthday party for her.

Happy birthday! The party looks like a lot of fun ... especially the princess bouncy house.

And one of them sings.

Well that's probably tons of fun for you.

I think everyone had a fun afternoon, and our house will be covered in a layer of glitter for about the next 40 years.

As a girl with a sister, I can tell you this: it's not your fault, glitter kinda just comes with the territory.

As some of you who have followed my TR's in the past are aware, I live on a farm and also work a full time job in an office during the day. It is that time of year, and we're going to be planting corn very soon. Once that happens, I tend to have absolutely no free time outside of regular work hours so my replies and updates might not come as frequently. We've had a wet spring so far, but the forecast is looking pretty good right now. I don't know if we'll start planting this week or not, but I'd say by the end of the week, there's a very good possibility we could get started. That means leaving work and then driving a tractor until about 1 or 2 am and then getting a few hours of sleep to do it again the next day. Yep, I'll be a zombie soon.

Must ... not ... make ... farm jokes.
In all seriousness ... it sounds like a lot of work, and I'm very impressed that you do this every year! I hope you have a good crop and get lots of good corn at the end (yeah, I have no idea what to say about farms, but whatever good things can happen with a farm, I hope they happen for you).

 

[afwdwfan]

Happy Birthday to your daughter! Looks like a fun party - she must have loved that princess bouncy castle! Dresses and glitter seems to come with the territory (so far we have avoided any singing dresses)

It was a good birthday party. She had a blast and the adults enjoyed it too. There is just no escaping the glitter.

My SiL was responsible for the singing dress. Threats... no, make that promises... have been made.

Good luck with the growing season! That all sounds very tiring and stressful, but probably also satisfying when harvest comes

It really is all satisfying. Spring is tiring, because I'm working a lot longer hours than I do during other times of the year, but it is probably some of the more enjoyable work. I get in the tractor and sit there all night... by myself. Kind of nice to be honest. I listen to some baseball and music on the radio. Kind of therapeutic.

Congrats to DS on the baseball! I'm glad it's not too competitive for the little guys; there is so much time for that in life. I'm sure you are a proud papa, I know my SO would be; BIG baseball fan.

I am! We didn't get him signed up last year, so he didn't get to play as a 4 year old. He's really picking up on it and doing pretty well.

Happy birthday to your DD! She is adorable. And congrats on the glitter, we know how much you love that....

Thanks! And yeah, just what we need, more glitter...

Hope all goes well weather wise so you're able to start planting! I can only imagine how exhausting that sort of thing is, especially on top of a 9-5. Wishing you all a fruitful season, with some rest in between shifts.

Thanks! It is exhausting, but I kind of enjoy this time of year too. I get in the tractor in the evenings and it is just me, myself and the radio. I always enjoy listening to the Reds games on the radio and then listen to some music until it is time to call it a night. I kind of enjoy the alone time.

how fun!

Well, usually!

I'm lucky enough that I typically work with the 4 year olds on just basic things like how to stand at the plate and how to swing a bat. Which sounds like a nightmare. And sometimes is.

Until you consider the fact that the parents sit back and let me try to control the 3 ring circus at practice, while the coach working with the 6 year olds has more parents than players trying to "help" him. When we talk after practice I always appreciate my chaos.

What a bummer!

Yeah, that stunk. I heard him hit it and turned around to see the ball going through the infield.

And see DS standing there watching it and admiring his work.

always a bonus!

Yes. Small victories.

Happy Birthday to her!

Thanks

Of coarse!

Just what we needed. I think we're going to be covered for outfits for our next Disney trip.

You know, I've seen those and wondered why it is necessary to make a dress sing?

I... I don't know. Somebody obviously doesn't have kids and found a way to make a dress cost a little bit more.

Welcome to life with a girl!

No kidding

I don't know how you do it.

5 hour energy. No, it really isn't all that bad. If the weather cooperates and we can get after it pretty much non-stop, we can have it all done in 2 or 3 weeks. If weather doesn't cooperate, there will be rain days and a chance to rest up. It is what it is, but I always kind of enjoy this time of year.

Really! That must've been a blast! For him and for you.

Yeah, I could see how that could happen.

I'm just glad they can't swing a bat any harder than they can. I can't even tell you the number of times I've reached out and stopped a bat mid swing to keep them from hitting my fingers as I'm putting a ball on the tee or hitting someone else.

Sorry, never played baseball as a kid. Don't watch it as an adult.
What are "track outs"?

Sorry... I just meant that we, the coaches, keep track of outs, hits and runs even though the league officially doesn't. We want to know how we're doing. Are we winning games? Getting our butts kicked? What do we need to improve at? How do we know if we don't keep score????

I like how if they can't hit a pitch, they don't have to miss the fun of base running, etc.

Yeah, base running. The fun part.

That's terrific! Tell him Way to go

Sure!

Yup. That does seem to happen, doesn't it?
"Daddy! Daddy! Did you see me??"
"Uh.... crap."

Every time...

Happy Birthday to her.
Hard to believe she's an "adult" now.

Let's not push it. She's a child at Disney until she's 9.

Dear Lord!
It's not... It's not.... Let it go?

For the first time in forever. The Anna dress sings and has blue leds in it that light up. I'm ready to plan a trip to Disney World and have her crash the MSEP now.

A lot of wonderful pictures but this one just blew me away.
Love it!

And... you had a bouncy castle????
Can you plan my birthday?

Thanks, I liked it too.

Sure. You want the princess castle? There's no Ariel on it.

Nah. I speak from experience here.
You'll get rid of all of it.... right around this time next year.

Oh boy! Just in time for more!

I do remember that... but.... and I don't know why this didn't occur to me before...


CORN ROAST AT ANDY'S HOUSE THIS SUMMER!!!!

I'll bring the butter.

I get it. Do what you can, when you can.
Or don't.

I will. Or won't.

Wow. Tough schedule.
How long does it take to get all the planting done?

If weather cooperates and all goes well, we can get it all in 2 or 3 weeks. I remember 15 or 20 years ago it used to be a 2 or 3 month job. Now we've got larger and more efficient equipment. Once the ground is in good shape and we can get after it, we can really cover a lot of ground in a hurry.

We raise corn and soybeans. I've got a little bit of ground, my cousin has a little bit of ground and my Dad and uncle both have quite a bit. We all just pool resources and labor to get it all done. My uncle and cousin get all the beans planted and my Dad and I take care of the corn. I typically run the cultivator in front of the planter. That's why I work so late at night. If the weather is clear for the next day, as long as I'm about 150 or 200 acres ahead of Dad when I quit at night, he won't catch me by the time I'm home from work. And he usually quits when it gets dark, so that gives me a chance to get back out ahead of him again. I can usually cover about 20 acres an hour.

Yay!!! Congrats - that's pretty awesome!

It was! I was impressed by it!

Yeah, every team has a kid like that. When I was younger, I just sat in the outfield and plucked grass out of the ground. Although I couldn't do that anymore once I moved to the infield.

No, but you can draw pictures in the dirt!

Happy birthday! The party looks like a lot of fun ... especially the princess bouncy house.

Thanks! It was a good afternoon. We all had a good time!

Well that's probably tons of fun for you.

Fun... I'm not sure that's the word for it.

As a girl with a sister, I can tell you this: it's not your fault, glitter kinda just comes with the territory.

And it never goes away!

Must ... not ... make ... farm jokes.
In all seriousness ... it sounds like a lot of work, and I'm very impressed that you do this every year! I hope you have a good crop and get lots of good corn at the end (yeah, I have no idea what to say about farms, but whatever good things can happen with a farm, I hope they happen for you).

That's alright! And I appreciate the positive sentiment. I get it. I'll probably post some pictures once we get rolling as I usually do. Feel free to ask questions if you want or just ignore them if you don't care. It doesn't bother me either way!

 

[ashw100]

Great picture of ds playing baseball, glad he is doing well. Good for you for coaching, my ODS starts t-ball today and DH said he in no way had the patience to coach a bunch of 5 year olds. Love the pictures of dd on her birthday. A singing dress? That's crazy, but now you have to plan a trip back to WDW to put those dresses to work. Good luck on the planting!

 

[KatMark]

I'm sorry I missed your last update.

Ahhh...the angels in the infield. How well I remember that (or picking dandelions in the outfield).

A parade and popcorn...can't beat that combo.

I'm sitting here with tears rolling down my face as you described your feelings about "Walt's park." I have to get to DL...it's a must for sure now.

I have never been overly impressed with that castle from all the pictures I've seen.

I'm glad you got to do the Indiana Jones ride.

Too bad about them running out of your meal and the place you got stuck for viewing Fantasmic. Wow, the pictures are terrific that you did take. Captain Hook and Peter Pan fighting. I want to see it now too.

Looks like a REAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALY fun birthday party and lots of beautiful princess dresses too.

 

[jedijill]

Little kids baseball always cracks me up and makes me appreciate the folks that coach it!

Happy birthday to you DD! A singing dress???? Whatever will they come up with next.

Good luck with the planting...hope you get it done soon.

Jill in CO

 

[MEK]

Awwww - good old baseball. Glad he is loving it and you are stepping right up there as an assistant coach. I am sure it will be a great and rewarding experience for you.

And happy birthday to your lovely daughter. I just love all her new dressed. They are adorable. Sounds like she had an awesome party.

Work is about to get in the way of your DISing - say it isn't so!

 

[Dugette]

Congratulations to your DS on his baseball success!

And to your DD! Looks like a fun party and Izzy would LOVE that bounce house castle!

Good luck with the planting! Hope everything goes well and you don't become too zombie-like. I don't know how you do it.

 

[afwdwfan]

Great picture of ds playing baseball, glad he is doing well. Good for you for coaching, my ODS starts t-ball today and DH said he in no way had the patience to coach a bunch of 5 year olds.

I don't have the patience to coach them either, to be honest. Some how we're getting by though.

Love the pictures of dd on her birthday. A singing dress? That's crazy, but now you have to plan a trip back to WDW to put those dresses to work.

She had a great party. But I don't know why the dress has to sing. There have been discussions about another trip possibly next summer. And if we go, it sounds like this might be epic. Although I'm not sure I want to plan a trip for that many people.

Good luck on the planting!

Thanks!

I'm sorry I missed your last update.

It's ok. I'll miss your next one.

Ahhh...the angels in the infield. How well I remember that (or picking dandelions in the outfield).

When I was little, we played T-Ball in a field that had trees in the outfield. I don't really remember it, but my mom says we used to get distracted by squirrels.

A parade and popcorn...can't beat that combo.

I'm sitting here with tears rolling down my face as you described your feelings about "Walt's park." I have to get to DL...it's a must for sure now.

Oh, you definitely should. I know you'd appreciate the experience.

I have never been overly impressed with that castle from all the pictures I've seen.

I wouldn't say it isn't impressive. It just isn't all that big. Definitely a beautiful castle though.

I'm glad you got to do the Indiana Jones ride.

So am I! It was a lot of fun.

Too bad about them running out of your meal and the place you got stuck for viewing Fantasmic. Wow, the pictures are terrific that you did take. Captain Hook and Peter Pan fighting. I want to see it now too.

The show is well worth seeing. The viewing and crowd control methods they have in place make me appreciate WDW though.

The meals weren't bad... but would have been much better if I got what I ordered to start with.

Looks like a REAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALY fun birthday party and lots of beautiful princess dresses too.

It was a fun birthday party. The boys all had a good time too, even if it was a pink princess castle.

Although we got home yesterday afternoon and DD asked where her princess castle was...

Little kids baseball always cracks me up and makes me appreciate the folks that coach it!

It certainly is entertaining.

Happy birthday to you DD! A singing dress???? Whatever will they come up with next.

Thanks! I don't know what they'll come up with next, but I'm sure it will be annoying and glittery.

Good luck with the planting...hope you get it done soon.

Thanks!

Awwww - good old baseball. Glad he is loving it and you are stepping right up there as an assistant coach. I am sure it will be a great and rewarding experience for you.

Well, it is an experience... We'll see how the season go. As long as they improve, I guess that's about all we can ask at this age.

And happy birthday to your lovely daughter. I just love all her new dressed. They are adorable. Sounds like she had an awesome party.

Thanks! She had a great party!

Work is about to get in the way of your DISing - say it isn't so!

I'll still be around. I'll pop in when I get some down time while I'm at my desk job like usual. I just won't have ANY time to log on during the evenings.

Congratulations to your DS on his baseball success!

Thanks! I'm glad to see him making small improvements.

And to your DD! Looks like a fun party and Izzy would LOVE that bounce house castle!

Oh, Thanks! I'm sure she would love it! The kids all had a blast playing in it!

Good luck with the planting! Hope everything goes well and you don't become too zombie-like. I don't know how you do it.

Thanks. We'll get through it, we do every year. 5 Hour energy helps.

 

[afwdwfan]

When I Get Home I Shall Write a Book About This Place... If I Ever Do Get Home.

When we returned to our room Wednesday night and went to bed, it was still just around 9pm. I never go to bed that early at home. Consequently, I also got up even earlier than I had been all week.


But part of that was planned.


When we returned to our room, we found a letter regarding the road closures due to the race. The letter did, in fact, support some of the information that I was given. It listed the times or the road closures (midnight to 8 or 10 am depending on the day) and instructed guests staying at the GCH to move their vehicles over to DLH if they needed out during those hours. However, the letter also included pictures of maps with the road closures listed. And it still showed the road to the lot I moved our car to as being one of those closed roads.

So I got dressed and headed off towards DLH at around 5:30. Hey, I was awake. Might as well do something worthwhile. We had a bag that we’d already filled with some dirty clothes, so I figured I’d go ahead and haul it over so that would be one less that we’d have to take later.

I got over to DLH, placed the bag in the car and just wandered around some. I didn’t really find anything out that morning, and didn’t see the point in harassing anymore CM’s about it. I was noticing some Star Wars stuff popping up.

I believe I saw somewhere that the Expo started at 6am that morning and I could see the line formed waiting to get in. Quite frankly, the line wasn’t very long. I was surprised by that. I almost considered trying to sneak in, but I didn’t.

I did wander around the DLH lobby for a bit checking out some of the pictures outlining Disneyland’s history.

Eventually, I decided to head back over to GCH, grab some more cereal for the kids (I bought enough to last the rest of the trip this time) and see if anyone else was awake.

They weren’t.

But it didn’t matter. It was still just barely after 7 AM.

Once again, the parks weren’t opening until 10:00 with a 9:00 EMH at DCA.

We had PLENTY of time.

DW and I ate our cinnamon rolls that we’d picked up from Le Brea Bakery. I have to say that they were not only cheaper than the ones we picked up at GCH, but they were also much, much better.

We finished eating and then turned on the TV and sat around the room for a while.

This never happens in the morning at WDW.

We decided that since we got there 20 minutes before the supposed park opening the day before and only stood around for about 40 minutes, we weren’t going to worry about getting there quite as early this morning.

We finally headed out at around 8:30, only this time, we decided to use the main entrance rather than the GCH entrance just to see how it worked.

We were in the park just a little before 9. Obviously, we weren’t near the front of the crowd for RD this time, but we still weren’t too far back. It wasn’t bad.

They led us down the streets and toward Radiator Springs just after 9. A few minutes late, but certainly nothing like yesterday. We could see the crowd from the GCH entrance arriving at the same time we did and the 2 merged onto the main street of Radiator Springs.

Once again, we walked down the street. CM’s along the way informed us that if you want to ride RSR, keep to the right. They instruct us that we should park the stroller at Ramone’s if we plan to ride RSR. Yeah, we know. Been there done that.

We rounded the corner to get in line for RSR…

Only to be told the ride is down. You can wait if you want, but we don’t know when it will be back up.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

Our intention for today was to hit RD at DL and spend most of the day there. We were going to just skip out on EMH this morning, but since the parks open ridiculously late and we only rode RSR once yesterday, we had made the decision that we’d use EMH to get a ride in before heading over to catch RD at DL. Once again, that is the beauty of how close these 2 parks are. You can easily do EMH at one park, hit a headliner and then hop over to the other park for regular RD.

We considered waiting, but really didn’t want to completely screw up our whole day just waiting for 1 ride that may or may not open sometime sooner or later.

Instead we crossed the street to take a ride on Luigi’s Flying Tires once more.

Seriously, our kids loved that ride.

We grabbed the stroller and made our way back towards the exit.

By the time we got there, the turnstiles were open and they were letting people into the park. We quickly got through and entered the park. The night before, DW couldn’t find a shirt she liked for DD. With the crowds out of the way, we could see that there was a toddler’s clothing store across the street from where we’d been the night before. We stopped in and ended up getting a shirt for DD and a bib for my niece.

It only took a few minutes and we continued on down a virtually empty Main Street towards the hub. It still wasn’t 10 yet, so we weren’t sure how the RD system worked. We soon found out. When we got to the hub, CM’s were stationed around the spokes with ropes across the walkways. We planned to head directly to Fantasyland so we positioned ourselves right at the rope on the right hand side of the hub. We were directly in front of the castle, we just had to walk through it and make a right to ride Peter Pan. This will be easy…

​

We heard the family next to us talking to the CM. They mentioned that they were going to Peter Pan first as well. One of the kids said he was going to run and get there first. The CM told them no running and then they all laughed.


If only I knew…


10 am came and the announcement was made that the park was opening. The CM’s removed the ropes right on time and turned us all loose.

Remember, I said we were in the FRONT ROW. Our stroller was literally under the rope.


That family that laughed about running to Peter Pan?


Yeah, they made Usain Bolt look like a slug.


The CM made a half hearted effort to yell at them, but I’m pretty sure they were already in the queue by the time he could utter the first sound.


We walked as fast as we could. I sent DW and the kids to the line while I quickly parked the stroller and caught up with them. But even though we were there, right at the rope when the park opened, we ended up waiting 20 minutes to ride Peter Pan.

I said Rope Drop is crazy at Disneyland, and I stand by that comment. It was ridiculous!!! I realize that it is a different beast at DL, considering that none of the Fantasyland attractions have FP so it is a priority to get there before the lines back up too much. But I couldn’t believe how quickly the lines backed up!

At the time we got in line, we weren’t sure how long it would really take. I was thinking we can’t be that far back so it can’t be too bad. But as time ticked by, I was pretty anxious to be standing in this line for so long right after RD. Thankfully, it did end up being a shorter wait than we’d see for PP the rest of the time we were there, so it wasn’t a total loss.

I want to comment now about the queue situation at a lot of the rides in DL, but especially the Fantasyland attractions. The queues were certainly an afterthought on these rides. And they are narrow and tight! I’m about 6’2”, 230 lbs. Not a little guy, but I don’t consider myself to be huge either. And I found myself having to turn sideways to fit through the turnstiles in a lot of the queues there.

Anyway, we rode PP and enjoyed it. I think it was worth it. While it might be basically the same ride as WDW, there are some differences in the track and the scenes which made it a fun experience and totally worthwhile.

I’d been using the Lines App on my phone to monitor wait times for a few days leading up to our trip. After PP, our plan was to spend the morning in Fantasyland getting as many of the rides that seemed to consistently have 20 minute plus waits out of the way as we could before it was time for lunch.


Our next 2 stops didn’t fit into that game plan at all.


We saw Dumbo. There was hardly any line. Why not?

Random picture, but I like the greenery backdrop they had behind Dumbo. You can see part of it here.

We saw Teacups. Of course there wasn’t a line. Why not?

Wait a minute, don’t answer that one.

But this put us close to one of our targets for the morning, Alice in Wonderland. The wait was already posted at 20 minutes when we arrived, but I didn’t think the line looked that long. As I mentioned, I was using the Lines App, and as part of it I would use the timer tool to track and submit our waits and posted waits as we were waiting in line. I think the wait time we submitted was actually only 12 minutes. Not too bad.

Just as we boarded our vehicle and the ride started, The Mad Hatter was walking past and interacting with the people waiting in line. Kind of a nice touch and the spontaneous character interactions is definitely something that DL does better than WDW.

Alice is an interesting dark ride. Disneyland has several dark rides and a few of them can’t be found at WDW. This is one of them. We didn’t try to take any pictures so consider that a gift if you’ve never been. Now it will be a complete surprise! But it is a fun ride. It is a 2 story track that takes you through Alice’s story. A well done ride and I’m glad we finally got to experience it!

After Alice, we decided to go check out the Storybook Land Canal Boats. The posted wait was 20 minutes and it ended up being every bit of that long. Here it was, not yet noon and we had waited in 2 lines of 20 minutes or longer. Aside from Test Track and RnRC, I’m not sure we waited in a single line in excess of 20 minutes during our entire Disney World trip. But then again, with the lack of FP in Fantasyland you’ve got to get on them when you can.

The wait was brutal though. I remember thinking how awful it would be on a hot day. I think it was maybe 70 degrees, but the queue was just out there in the sun. We were hot and uncomfortable… and did I mention how crowded the queues are at DL?

They were also training new boat drivers. So we saw 2 boats in the rotation that bypassed the dock empty every time while a skipper was going around with a trainer to learn the spiel.

But we did get to enjoy the sounds of pounding on metal and grinding coming from inside the Matterhorn while we waited. Must have been break time?

We finally got to board the Canal boats, which are a very different, yet interesting ride. You board a boat and set sail only to become whale food as you enter Monstro’s mouth. But then you’re in land of grassy hills and countrysides with small models of castles, buildings and scenes familiar from many of Disney’s animated movies. A lot of the area you go through here is behind that greenery screen that is behind Dumbo. The CM operating the boat talks about the story and the setting you’re passing as you move through all of the scenes. It’s a great ride, and something definitely unique to a WDW veteran. I’m absolutely glad that we did it, being our first and possibly only visit to DL, but if that ride was at WDW, I’m not sure I’d look at it as being anything that would be a priority unless the line is short.

We were about ready for lunch by the end of our cruise. We wanted to check out Mickey’sToontown today too, so we just decided we’d head in that direction and grab lunch from the QS in Toon Town. But as we rounded the corner we saw It’s a Small World.

Who can resist that siren song?

We got in line and waited maybe 5 minutes before we were on a boat and sailing.

Seriously… WDW vets, can you believe it loads outside??????

For those of you who don’t know, IASW in DL has a holiday overlay, and while we were there it was still in place. Clearly, they were in the process of taking it down, as you can see part of the facade covered and we could see some stands of disassembled props that hadn’t been completely removed throughout the ride, but it was nice to still see some of the special holiday effects.

It has been too long and I don’t remember the song exactly (maybe that’s why I liked it so much), but they blend, I think, Jingle Bells and maybe another Christmas song in with IASW making a new soundtrack for the ride. It is less repetitive and therefore not as ear wormy as IASW typically is. It was quite enjoyable.

Oh yeah, and they have Disney characters located in scenes associated with their story or origins. I know this was kind of a point of contention among the die hard Disney fans when they decided to put them in there, but personally, I liked it! Our kids love IASW anyway, but it was fun riding with them and trying to find characters they know hidden amongst the scenes.

After the cruise ended, we continued on into Tootown. I stepped over to Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin to grab an FP before we ate.

The food court area of Toontown doesn’t exactly have the largest variety of food to choose from, but that was fine. Again, we weren’t really focusing on food or specific restaurants for this trip. We were going for whatever was quick and convenient. The kids had hot dogs, which were much better than the ones they had in San Diego. DW and I each got a pizza. I have to say it wasn’t half bad. Better than the regular theme park pizzas you find at Disney World. We found a table with some shade under an umbrella and just took our time eating. It was a nice chance to get off of our feet and relax for a while and recharge before we hit the ground running once again!

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

First of all, DS had his first ever baseball game on Friday. I'm helping coach the team with my BiL, a guy who I played baseball with growing up and in high school, and a friend's dad who was an assistant coach at our high school as well as a couple of other dads. It is a fun group of guys, but I think we all get quickly frustrated trying to teach 4 - 6 year olds how to play.

But you are out there trying not to get frustrated. Points for that.
Sounds like you’ve got enough help to do the job well.

But I'm most proud that he wasn't one of the kids we had to pick up off of the infield dirt because he was making snow angels in the dirt.

Yah, about fifteen years ago or more… mine would have been one of the group playing in the dirt.

Oh, but it is good to be able to see them get out there and grow a bit, ain’t it?

As of today, DD is officially no longer "free" by Disney standards.

My condolences…

Yesterday, we had a Cinderella themed birthday party for her.

How appropriate, at midnight that free entry thing turned right back into a pumpkin.

But I’m missing the point here…
Happy birthday to her, and I hope it was a joyous affair.

I’ll take it from that picture, that joy was most certainly had.
Wonderful shot there.

And yes, she got more dresses.

And one of them sings.

Noooooooooo!
Not that!

I think everyone had a fun afternoon, and our house will be covered in a layer of glitter for about the next 40 years.

If not longer…
There is always a possibility of grandchildren in the future ya’ know.
Glitter, glitter everywhere.

 

[pkondz]

Consequently, I also got up even earlier than I had been all week.

How is that even possible?!?

And it still showed the road to the lot I moved our car to as being one of those closed roads.

Might as well do something worthwhile.

You know what else is worthwhile? Sleep. Sleep is worthwhile.

I almost considered trying to sneak in, but I didn’t.

Should have. It's not like you were pressed for time.

I did wander around the DLH lobby for a bit checking out some of the pictures outlining Disneyland’s history.

That looks like it was interesting.

We decided that since we got there 20 minutes before the supposed park opening the day before and only stood around for about 40 minutes, we weren’t going to worry about getting there quite as early this morning.

I was so sure that you were going to get burned here.

Only to be told the ride is down. You can wait if you want, but we don’t know when it will be back up.

You're kidding me!!

You’ve got to be kidding me.

That's what I said!

Unbelievable.

Once again, that is the beauty of how close these 2 parks are. You can easily do EMH at one park, hit a headliner and then hop over to the other park for regular RD.

Or go to one park for the only ride you're really interested in, give up and head to the next park.

This will be easy…

Ok, now you're foreshadowing!

The CM told them no running and then they all laughed.

Oh, boy.

That family that laughed about running to Peter Pan?


Yeah, they made Usain Bolt look like a slug.

And yet...

But even though we were there, right at the rope when the park opened, we ended up waiting 20 minutes to ride Peter Pan.

Wow. First (close enough) in line and by following the rules (no running!) you get there and see a twenty minute wait.

And I found myself having to turn sideways to fit through the turnstiles in a lot of the queues there.

I guess that's another reflection of a different time.

We saw Dumbo. There was hardly any line. Why not?

Small kids? Why not indeed.

Great shot!

We saw Teacups. Of course there wasn’t a line. Why not?

Wait a minute, don’t answer that one.

I won't.

the spontaneous character interactions is definitely something that DL does better than WDW.

I like that. It used to be the only way to see characters.
Now you need a FP+. I think some of the magic's been lost.

It is a 2 story track that takes you through Alice’s story.

What's the other story about?

It’s a great ride, and something definitely unique to a WDW veteran.

It sounds pretty interesting.

Who can resist that siren song?

Me. I can resist it.

We got in line and waited maybe 5 minutes before we were on a boat and sailing.

Andy! Nooooooo!!!!!

Seriously… WDW vets, can you believe it loads outside??????

All right. I'll give you that one. That's interesting.

It was quite enjoyable.

pssst... is someone holding you hostage? do you need help?

Our kids love IASW anyway, but it was fun riding with them and trying to find characters they know hidden amongst the scenes.

Actually, I can see that.
Having something to look for turns it into an interactive ride. And if the music isn't so mind-numbing...

The kids had hot dogs, which were much better than the ones they had in San Diego.

They could hardly be worse, right?

It was a nice chance to get off of our feet and relax for a while and recharge before we hit the ground running once again!

Thanks for the chapter!

 

[franandaj]

I'm on a quick flyby, so not a lot of time to comment, but I'm glad your DD had such a great birthday. What really caught me in the photos was not the awesomeness of the princess bouncy house, but your yard overall. I'm not sure if you noticed, but here in California every home has a fence around it. The fence marks the perimeter of where your yard ends and your neighbor's yard begins. Often times, your fence is quite tall (like my house which backs up to a Major Blvd) like 14 feet tall. It's like a privacy barrier so no one can see and you can't see out.

When I saw the photos of your yard and the horizon which stretched for what seemed like miles, and there were no houses, it was just so astonishing. I did drive through Ohio and Indiana last summer and thought it was odd how all the houses that weren't in big cities seemed like they were out in the boonies, but it's just fascinating how different various lifestyles in different parts of our country can be.

I also find it fascinating to hear about your farming stories. Please feel free to elaborate here on what you might think is mundane daily life. I mean I grow a few tomato plants and some squash every other year or so, but I can't even imagine what farming on huge scale could be like! That's funny how your Dad works in the day and you get ahead of him every night!

I'm also really enjoying your take on Disneyland and how different you think it is from WDW. I personally never really noticed that most of the queues are outside. Us Californians live to be outside and would never think of waiting inside air conditioned buildings if we had the choice. Most of us are used to being out in the hot burning sun, and take precautions for it, like putting on sun screen as a daily grooming activity. And we wear a lot of hats too because the sun is usually beating down on us even in January. I guess because there are queues like Space Mountain, Soarin and Indy, I don't think about that most of them are outdoors. I wouldn't even consider IASW loading indoors. Perhaps I better make it a point to ride it in WDW next time. I don't think I ever have.

And I had to google to figure out where you got your food from in Toontown. I didn't even know about those places to eat. I do have to say that I concentrate a LOT more on food than you guys did, but I can also get out there a lot more often, so I can afford to be pickier. Alice after the refurb is so much cooler than it used to be. It was kind of corny, but now I think it's a pretty cool little ride.

Great day so far, and even if you had to wait what you thought was a lot, you got a bunch of rides in!

 

[ksinniger]

Love the little league photos! From a former bench coach -- be prepared for even more distraction in the outfield when the caterpillars emerge!