jenniebean
10-21-2008, 05:21 AM
(I figured that because Scott's visit wasn't just another day in the park, it warrants a trip report!)
Travel dates: October 16 & 17
Travel method: Scott flew in, then driving from campus
Ages Represented in Group: 20 (me) & 19 (Scott)
Disney Resort Experience Represented in Group: weekly visitor (me) & first timer (Scott)
Comments: flying my bestie out as a gift for two birthdays/two Chanukahs/graduation
Cast of characters: duhhhh me & Scott!
Thursday, October 16th
After settling in on campus, Scott & I ventured to the Character Warehouse in Fullerton since I'd never been, & we needed an adventure. Umm, I can't believe I hadn't been before, because I found the black castle tote I had wanted... for only $10 :) We made it to the DCA gates by 6 & lined up for Mickey's Trick-or-Treat party. Like I might have said before, we totally flaked on costumes, but took the awesome tip on bringing a backpack. Alright, I haven't worn a backpack at the park (except my quick homework trips) in years-- now I remember why. By the end of the night, with all the candy, my back was killing me. It was painful. BUT, before the pain, we had a wonderful time. I hadn't been to DCA for over a month & was so excited to see the Halloween decorations. The MToT particulars were especially cute. After the rope drop, we headed straight for Midway Mania (but were not part of the rude groups that pushed & ran) & only waited about ten minutes before beginning the competition. Scott kicked my butt, 104100 to 102400, which meant I was buying lunch the next day. We were on our way to Tower of Terror when we noticed the 5 minute wait for Screamin'. We chose no wait in the middle of the train over a short wait for the front... Scott LOVED it! Toy Story was fun, but the smile on Scott's face after CS pretty much symbolized everything magical about Disneyland that I wanted to share with him.
So, we went again, lol. This time we did front row, & no matter how many times I go on it, I always forget how intense it is. En route to Soarin', we discovered the treat trail or whatever it's called back on the Redwood Creek Challenge trail. I had never been back there (I've discovered there are a lot of Disneyland nevers for me this past week, but I've been working to change that!) & I'm so glad I got to because it's so beautiful! My family, mostly my dad, is really big on camping & the outdoors, especially northern California. I can't wait to take them back there next time they let me drag them to the parks. Anyway, back to right now-- Scott didn't make it onto Soarin' during our choir trip to WDW in 2006, so we obviously had to go on it this time! Once again, no matter how many times I go on it, I always forget how stunning it is. We met the nice Peter Pan costumed crew I mentioned in a different thread: Peter (green tunic complete with leaf accents), John (top hat perfectly not fitting on his head properly), Wendy (cute blond curls all pulled back just right), Tiger Lilly (moccasins & all), & Tinker Bell (obsessed with the green dress she was wearing), all of which were made by the Peter Pan boy. I was very impressed. I made sure we were in "terminal" 2B, for the seamless view, because I can be kind of persnickety about getting a near-perfect experience. Totes worth it. Since it's inexplicably my favorite, we grabbed some chicken nuggets at the Taste Pilot's & traded candy (I like laffy taffy, Scott likes reeses).
We headed toward Tower of Terror, pausing to dance up a storm in Candy Corn Acres & take a trip through the Sorcerer's Workshop. Seeing as we became best friends from being in choir & singing, we thoroughly enjoyed Ursula capturing our voices ;) ToT was unfortunately closed :crying: because the power had gone out at 6 that day, but the bellhops outside were very nice about it & we chatted with them & took a photo or two pretending to be scared of them. Although they said there was a good chance it'd be up "soon" (8pm), I knew better from years of disappointment & we got in line for a photo with Cinderella & Snow White.
Now, Snow White is Scott's [I]brother's favorite, & we've already got a photo with Cinderella from dinner at the castle in WDW, but it seemed like something to do... but then Belle & Pocohontas replaced them, which rocked because Belle is Scott's favorite & I was Pocohontas for Halloween a handful of times when I was little (my sister was/is obsessed with Meeko & dressed up as such for Halloween about 5 years, & a few of them I matched). Cuties. Jumped onto Mike & Sulley & then took the scenic route towards Screamin', via the treat stations along the Pacific Wharf & Paradise Pier. One more ride on Screamin' brought us to 10:20 (party ends at 10:30), & I decided to try one last time to see if ToT was up. The CM at the front of the Screamin' queue graciously called over & informed us it WAS up & running! I don't believe in running through Disney parks unless it's like, midnight & practically empty, or there are wide open spaces & there's no chance of running into anyone. Since it was fairly crowded, we walked as quickly as possible across the entire park, making it into the library of the hotel at 10:28, completely out of breath.
Unfortunately, right after the doors closed, they reopened & the CM said the lights were going out again & we had to get out. I completely understand that they have no control over rides breaking down, that it's just unlucky, but she said as if it were no big deal & she could care less. While I go pretty often, this was Scott's first & only day in DCA (probably for several years, nonetheless) & I'm sure a rare treat for other passengers as well, & I would have appreciated some sign of sympathy. I mentioned it to a CM in the gift shop who asked if we had a nice night as we were walking out, & he was SO compassionate about it, & even though I know we could have just gone to City Hall for them, when he got Scott a birthday & 1st visit pin while apologizing, it seriously made up for the disappointment because that's the Disney level of friendliness & guest acknowledgment I've been missing lately, probably due to the unbearably hot weather. Of course, a trip through Gone Hollywood annoyed me again with the lack of familiarity with the merchandise, but whatever... It was late, & I'm guessing that the HSM3 stuff was just too new. We ended up being some of the last people out of the park, giving us the opportunity for fun, stranger-free photos. Oh, & we had a spectacular candy haul to enjoy on the drive back to campus. Basically, an awesome night, & next year I want to actually dress up & catch the parade!
hints/tips/lessons: -for candy, definitely bring a backpack or larger bag because it makes carrying it easier & less of a cance of losing any pieces on bumpy rides
-worth it to get there early to be in the front for the rope drop for a short wait on Midway Mania
-if there's a long line for candy, why wait? just hit the station up later when there's no line... there are plenty of other things to get to!
-although they look bad, the character lines move quicker than expected
-they won't tell you what rides will be open at the trick-or-treat party, so don't bother trying to call ahead & ask
-I don't know if it's like this all the time, but the last station on the treat trails is healthy stuff like raisins or apples... I either neither, so waiting in the long line was a waste
-bring purell or wetwipes or something for sticky fingers after candy eating
*Also, there was a guy dressed up like a toy soldier (or at least in army gear with his face painted green) walking alone through Paradise Pier & shouting random commands at guests... he didn't seem to work there, but I couldn't be sure. I've never seen a "character" just wandering around on their own without a handler at least nearby... cute if he did work there, creepy if he didn't.
Friday, October 17th
Due to our late night beforehand, we slept in & didn't make it to the park until about 1030ish. Another "never" of mine was seeing the Disneyland band come down main street, which was a nice surprise & a first glance of Mickey! As what happens with most of my friends who have done WDW before DL, the sight of Sleeping Beauty's castle was a bit underwhelming; It's an acquired appreciation, or at least it was that way for me (now I think that while Cinderella's is impressive & breathtaking, SB's is far more charming & inviting). We picked up Space Mountain fp & hopped on the Matterhorn. It was only right that Scott's first ride in the park be one of Walt's originals. Picking up Roger Rabbit fps (I might hate spinning rides, but Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is one of our favorite movies!), we strolled through Fantasyland. We rode Snow White, Pinocchio, & the Storybook Land Canal Boats. SLCB ride is usually one of my favorites, but, even though I was sitting right next to her, I couldn't hear the CM because of the constant talking of the other passengers. Oh well, it's not like I didn't know what was going on, & I whispered the names of different spots to Scott. We did a quick Big Thunder since it's Scott's favorite & then it was time to use our RRCS fps. I figured out that if the direction of spinning is alternated every few seconds, I don't get sick!
Nemo's Submarine voyage was awesome, as always, & I took advantage of Scott's sweet camera's "aquarium" setting, capturing 60+ shots & videos so he could just enjoy the magic! We got off the subs just in time to catch the Jedi Training Academy, one of my favorites to awkwardly watch, simply for the droll commentary when kids don't follow the routine exactly (ex: "duck!" :kid stands there: "... or not"). These kids all managed to follow it perfectly (BO-ring), so we went to use our SM fps. We found a herd of people exiting through the entrance, indicating the dreaded indefinite delay, & so we made our way to pick up Haunted Mansion Holiday fps. Hopped onto PoTC, which had been under construction still on our March '06 WDW trip, so Scott hadn't been on it. Our boat was awkwardly weighted, & we seemed to barely crawl through the ride... totes alright by me, as I use it as naptime when IASW is closed. After that, we took a little stroll through NOS-- another "never": I had actually never been in the court of angels (or if I had, I wasn't paying attention), & I definitely see what everyone has been saying about it being beautiful & peaceful! We went on Winnie the Pooh before using our HMH fps. Scott loved it, I loved it, it was magical.
We picked up Indy fps & got on the Jungle Cruise. Our skipper was pretty much entirely off script & I loved it. I was legit laughing hysterically the entire time. The last few times I've been on it, either the speaker was broken, or it was just a lame delivery, & I had totally lost my faith, but this kid restored it. Afterward, we wandered over to Princess Fantasy Faire to see what that's all about (still a little confused, but that's alright) & then boarded the train at Toon Town station to get over to check out the SM situation. The parade had started from IASW, so the train was waiting for the floats or something... but then we still weren't moving & the conductors weren't helpful with information, so we decided to walk it. Thank goodness Scott got to catch the end of the parade stop (but I'll get to THAT later). SM was up again &, as I expected, Scott loooved it. We did a little shopping around & Star Tours before I sent Scott to wait for the parade on main street while I went back to the car to get warmer clothes.
Alright, here's my ridiculously disappointing experience of the weekend: If any of you regularly read my posts, I love the Parade of Dreams, especially the parade stop, when Walt speaks. I cry every single time. It's been a while since I've actually stopped to watch the parade from a planned-out vantage point, so I stopped by the information kiosk by the hub & asked where the parade stops twice on main street. There was a guy & a girl, & they're acting kind of goofy, & the guy just smiles & says, looking excited, "The parade isn't stopping today!" & I'm like, "Seriously?" & he looks even more excited & goes, "Yup! It's just going straight on through!" I can't tell if he's telling the truth & being a (insert expletive here) or lying & being a (insert expletive here). It's not cool to be excited when someone looks disappointed, it's weird:mad:. So I asked the girl & she's manages to get out "I really don't even know" through her giggles. Whatever, I walked away & found someone who looked like they knew what was going on, & this guy tells me that there's only going to be one stop because of the incoming traffic from DCA since it closed early for the trick-or-treat party, & it'd be by IASW. So I call Scott & send him down there, determined to get a good spot. I meet him there about fifteen minutes to 7, when the parade is supposed to start.
We did meet some incredibly friendly folks from Utah who were sitting in our little section. This nice woman just introduced herself & explained she was there for a family reunion with 50 relatives & introduced the rest of her family-- so nice! They were just so excited about all the little Disney touches like the "family reunion" pins & the parades & everything, it was so nice & refreshing to talk to them. Her son is leaving on his mission soon, so we chatted about that... I've found the friendliest people I meet are from the Midwest, Utah, or Pennsylvania, & I hadn't experienced that kindness in a while.
Anyway, the parade comes through & it's magical & wonderful & all that... & it never stops. The nice family from Utah was still floored by the amazingness, & so was Scott, but he knew that he had missed something. I talk about the parade constantly. I was planning on stopping by city hall because this was just another example of a lack of guest services-- the "no stops" thing wasn't listed on the times guide & had I known, we would have watched the earlier parade instead or not spent over an hour holding a "better" spot, we would have just watched it from wherever. Also, in addition to the rudeness of the first CM, the lack of proper information distribution to any of the CMs I asked was incredibly frustrating. Luckily, I figured out I was just extra irritable because I was hungry. We got burgers to go & ate aboard the Mark Twain (another "never") which was a little overrated... but then again, I don't like boats :rolleyes:
Scott beat me in Buzz (embarrassing) before our ride on Indy, which was ah-mazing as always. Then we got some skewers from Bengel Barbecue... yet another "never," & how could I have missed this? Bacon wrapped asparagus? So delicious I actually called home to rave about how good it was. Anyway, we staked out a spot on main street for the fireworks & whined about having to stand up. It had been a long day, we were entitled to whine a little. I was *not* the only one crying during Walt's opening day speech, & hearing that made up for missing the "Welcome" during the parade. The look on Scott's face after the fireworks was another example of the Disney experience I wanted to share with him, & it made me so happy to see him happy. Provided another girl who had been crying with a tissue before maneuvering our way through the post firework crowd Sidebar: ever since the "nightmare on main..." thread, I've tried to be extra careful around strollers & wheelchairs! Somehow, I still get hit, though :( There are only so many places I can look at once! Scott & I are fairly used to the crowds, though... passing periods in our high school were legitimately more dangerous than any Disney crowd I've ever been in (ex: tornado watch & you're stuck in gridlock in a long, narrow, glass hallway between two buildings with no way of budging or accidentally losing a shoe walking up the stairs after a pep rally lets out).
Peter Pan line got too long, too fast, so we opted for Mr. Toad & then Big Thunder again for the nighttime experience. Met more nice Utah people in line because the 5 year old had a Wrigley Field shirt on, aka, heaven. We somehow managed to fit in SM, Matterhorn, & HMH before the park closed. Since it was kind of empty, we were lucky enough to take some gorgeous castle shots & then proceeded to spend an hour in the shops, lol. We found an adorable tee for Scott's girlfriend & I picked out all the things I want for Chanukah (I usually get to pick out those gifts, which are usually shoes & other accessories, as opposed to how I demand to be surprised by Santa on Christmas morning)-- I need the new pink scarf with the subtle Mickey print. Another weird CM interaction (she dropped the F bomb & managed to basically demonize the merchandising department... awkward) was once again counteracted with two fabulous CM interactions (we discussed how I was beyond disappointed that In N Out closed so early).
Those were our Disney days! We followed up with a little trip to Hollywood to enter the lottery for Wicked tickets (two & a half hours before every performance, there's a drawing for the opportunity to purchase the 26 front row seats for $25 each) & WON, so that was phenomenal, & stuck around for autographs by the stage door. After FINALLY getting In N Out, it was time for the weekend to end :( But Scott had a marvelous time, as did I.
So... that's it!
Travel dates: October 16 & 17
Travel method: Scott flew in, then driving from campus
Ages Represented in Group: 20 (me) & 19 (Scott)
Disney Resort Experience Represented in Group: weekly visitor (me) & first timer (Scott)
Comments: flying my bestie out as a gift for two birthdays/two Chanukahs/graduation
Cast of characters: duhhhh me & Scott!
Thursday, October 16th
After settling in on campus, Scott & I ventured to the Character Warehouse in Fullerton since I'd never been, & we needed an adventure. Umm, I can't believe I hadn't been before, because I found the black castle tote I had wanted... for only $10 :) We made it to the DCA gates by 6 & lined up for Mickey's Trick-or-Treat party. Like I might have said before, we totally flaked on costumes, but took the awesome tip on bringing a backpack. Alright, I haven't worn a backpack at the park (except my quick homework trips) in years-- now I remember why. By the end of the night, with all the candy, my back was killing me. It was painful. BUT, before the pain, we had a wonderful time. I hadn't been to DCA for over a month & was so excited to see the Halloween decorations. The MToT particulars were especially cute. After the rope drop, we headed straight for Midway Mania (but were not part of the rude groups that pushed & ran) & only waited about ten minutes before beginning the competition. Scott kicked my butt, 104100 to 102400, which meant I was buying lunch the next day. We were on our way to Tower of Terror when we noticed the 5 minute wait for Screamin'. We chose no wait in the middle of the train over a short wait for the front... Scott LOVED it! Toy Story was fun, but the smile on Scott's face after CS pretty much symbolized everything magical about Disneyland that I wanted to share with him.
So, we went again, lol. This time we did front row, & no matter how many times I go on it, I always forget how intense it is. En route to Soarin', we discovered the treat trail or whatever it's called back on the Redwood Creek Challenge trail. I had never been back there (I've discovered there are a lot of Disneyland nevers for me this past week, but I've been working to change that!) & I'm so glad I got to because it's so beautiful! My family, mostly my dad, is really big on camping & the outdoors, especially northern California. I can't wait to take them back there next time they let me drag them to the parks. Anyway, back to right now-- Scott didn't make it onto Soarin' during our choir trip to WDW in 2006, so we obviously had to go on it this time! Once again, no matter how many times I go on it, I always forget how stunning it is. We met the nice Peter Pan costumed crew I mentioned in a different thread: Peter (green tunic complete with leaf accents), John (top hat perfectly not fitting on his head properly), Wendy (cute blond curls all pulled back just right), Tiger Lilly (moccasins & all), & Tinker Bell (obsessed with the green dress she was wearing), all of which were made by the Peter Pan boy. I was very impressed. I made sure we were in "terminal" 2B, for the seamless view, because I can be kind of persnickety about getting a near-perfect experience. Totes worth it. Since it's inexplicably my favorite, we grabbed some chicken nuggets at the Taste Pilot's & traded candy (I like laffy taffy, Scott likes reeses).
We headed toward Tower of Terror, pausing to dance up a storm in Candy Corn Acres & take a trip through the Sorcerer's Workshop. Seeing as we became best friends from being in choir & singing, we thoroughly enjoyed Ursula capturing our voices ;) ToT was unfortunately closed :crying: because the power had gone out at 6 that day, but the bellhops outside were very nice about it & we chatted with them & took a photo or two pretending to be scared of them. Although they said there was a good chance it'd be up "soon" (8pm), I knew better from years of disappointment & we got in line for a photo with Cinderella & Snow White.
Now, Snow White is Scott's [I]brother's favorite, & we've already got a photo with Cinderella from dinner at the castle in WDW, but it seemed like something to do... but then Belle & Pocohontas replaced them, which rocked because Belle is Scott's favorite & I was Pocohontas for Halloween a handful of times when I was little (my sister was/is obsessed with Meeko & dressed up as such for Halloween about 5 years, & a few of them I matched). Cuties. Jumped onto Mike & Sulley & then took the scenic route towards Screamin', via the treat stations along the Pacific Wharf & Paradise Pier. One more ride on Screamin' brought us to 10:20 (party ends at 10:30), & I decided to try one last time to see if ToT was up. The CM at the front of the Screamin' queue graciously called over & informed us it WAS up & running! I don't believe in running through Disney parks unless it's like, midnight & practically empty, or there are wide open spaces & there's no chance of running into anyone. Since it was fairly crowded, we walked as quickly as possible across the entire park, making it into the library of the hotel at 10:28, completely out of breath.
Unfortunately, right after the doors closed, they reopened & the CM said the lights were going out again & we had to get out. I completely understand that they have no control over rides breaking down, that it's just unlucky, but she said as if it were no big deal & she could care less. While I go pretty often, this was Scott's first & only day in DCA (probably for several years, nonetheless) & I'm sure a rare treat for other passengers as well, & I would have appreciated some sign of sympathy. I mentioned it to a CM in the gift shop who asked if we had a nice night as we were walking out, & he was SO compassionate about it, & even though I know we could have just gone to City Hall for them, when he got Scott a birthday & 1st visit pin while apologizing, it seriously made up for the disappointment because that's the Disney level of friendliness & guest acknowledgment I've been missing lately, probably due to the unbearably hot weather. Of course, a trip through Gone Hollywood annoyed me again with the lack of familiarity with the merchandise, but whatever... It was late, & I'm guessing that the HSM3 stuff was just too new. We ended up being some of the last people out of the park, giving us the opportunity for fun, stranger-free photos. Oh, & we had a spectacular candy haul to enjoy on the drive back to campus. Basically, an awesome night, & next year I want to actually dress up & catch the parade!
hints/tips/lessons: -for candy, definitely bring a backpack or larger bag because it makes carrying it easier & less of a cance of losing any pieces on bumpy rides
-worth it to get there early to be in the front for the rope drop for a short wait on Midway Mania
-if there's a long line for candy, why wait? just hit the station up later when there's no line... there are plenty of other things to get to!
-although they look bad, the character lines move quicker than expected
-they won't tell you what rides will be open at the trick-or-treat party, so don't bother trying to call ahead & ask
-I don't know if it's like this all the time, but the last station on the treat trails is healthy stuff like raisins or apples... I either neither, so waiting in the long line was a waste
-bring purell or wetwipes or something for sticky fingers after candy eating
*Also, there was a guy dressed up like a toy soldier (or at least in army gear with his face painted green) walking alone through Paradise Pier & shouting random commands at guests... he didn't seem to work there, but I couldn't be sure. I've never seen a "character" just wandering around on their own without a handler at least nearby... cute if he did work there, creepy if he didn't.
Friday, October 17th
Due to our late night beforehand, we slept in & didn't make it to the park until about 1030ish. Another "never" of mine was seeing the Disneyland band come down main street, which was a nice surprise & a first glance of Mickey! As what happens with most of my friends who have done WDW before DL, the sight of Sleeping Beauty's castle was a bit underwhelming; It's an acquired appreciation, or at least it was that way for me (now I think that while Cinderella's is impressive & breathtaking, SB's is far more charming & inviting). We picked up Space Mountain fp & hopped on the Matterhorn. It was only right that Scott's first ride in the park be one of Walt's originals. Picking up Roger Rabbit fps (I might hate spinning rides, but Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is one of our favorite movies!), we strolled through Fantasyland. We rode Snow White, Pinocchio, & the Storybook Land Canal Boats. SLCB ride is usually one of my favorites, but, even though I was sitting right next to her, I couldn't hear the CM because of the constant talking of the other passengers. Oh well, it's not like I didn't know what was going on, & I whispered the names of different spots to Scott. We did a quick Big Thunder since it's Scott's favorite & then it was time to use our RRCS fps. I figured out that if the direction of spinning is alternated every few seconds, I don't get sick!
Nemo's Submarine voyage was awesome, as always, & I took advantage of Scott's sweet camera's "aquarium" setting, capturing 60+ shots & videos so he could just enjoy the magic! We got off the subs just in time to catch the Jedi Training Academy, one of my favorites to awkwardly watch, simply for the droll commentary when kids don't follow the routine exactly (ex: "duck!" :kid stands there: "... or not"). These kids all managed to follow it perfectly (BO-ring), so we went to use our SM fps. We found a herd of people exiting through the entrance, indicating the dreaded indefinite delay, & so we made our way to pick up Haunted Mansion Holiday fps. Hopped onto PoTC, which had been under construction still on our March '06 WDW trip, so Scott hadn't been on it. Our boat was awkwardly weighted, & we seemed to barely crawl through the ride... totes alright by me, as I use it as naptime when IASW is closed. After that, we took a little stroll through NOS-- another "never": I had actually never been in the court of angels (or if I had, I wasn't paying attention), & I definitely see what everyone has been saying about it being beautiful & peaceful! We went on Winnie the Pooh before using our HMH fps. Scott loved it, I loved it, it was magical.
We picked up Indy fps & got on the Jungle Cruise. Our skipper was pretty much entirely off script & I loved it. I was legit laughing hysterically the entire time. The last few times I've been on it, either the speaker was broken, or it was just a lame delivery, & I had totally lost my faith, but this kid restored it. Afterward, we wandered over to Princess Fantasy Faire to see what that's all about (still a little confused, but that's alright) & then boarded the train at Toon Town station to get over to check out the SM situation. The parade had started from IASW, so the train was waiting for the floats or something... but then we still weren't moving & the conductors weren't helpful with information, so we decided to walk it. Thank goodness Scott got to catch the end of the parade stop (but I'll get to THAT later). SM was up again &, as I expected, Scott loooved it. We did a little shopping around & Star Tours before I sent Scott to wait for the parade on main street while I went back to the car to get warmer clothes.
Alright, here's my ridiculously disappointing experience of the weekend: If any of you regularly read my posts, I love the Parade of Dreams, especially the parade stop, when Walt speaks. I cry every single time. It's been a while since I've actually stopped to watch the parade from a planned-out vantage point, so I stopped by the information kiosk by the hub & asked where the parade stops twice on main street. There was a guy & a girl, & they're acting kind of goofy, & the guy just smiles & says, looking excited, "The parade isn't stopping today!" & I'm like, "Seriously?" & he looks even more excited & goes, "Yup! It's just going straight on through!" I can't tell if he's telling the truth & being a (insert expletive here) or lying & being a (insert expletive here). It's not cool to be excited when someone looks disappointed, it's weird:mad:. So I asked the girl & she's manages to get out "I really don't even know" through her giggles. Whatever, I walked away & found someone who looked like they knew what was going on, & this guy tells me that there's only going to be one stop because of the incoming traffic from DCA since it closed early for the trick-or-treat party, & it'd be by IASW. So I call Scott & send him down there, determined to get a good spot. I meet him there about fifteen minutes to 7, when the parade is supposed to start.
We did meet some incredibly friendly folks from Utah who were sitting in our little section. This nice woman just introduced herself & explained she was there for a family reunion with 50 relatives & introduced the rest of her family-- so nice! They were just so excited about all the little Disney touches like the "family reunion" pins & the parades & everything, it was so nice & refreshing to talk to them. Her son is leaving on his mission soon, so we chatted about that... I've found the friendliest people I meet are from the Midwest, Utah, or Pennsylvania, & I hadn't experienced that kindness in a while.
Anyway, the parade comes through & it's magical & wonderful & all that... & it never stops. The nice family from Utah was still floored by the amazingness, & so was Scott, but he knew that he had missed something. I talk about the parade constantly. I was planning on stopping by city hall because this was just another example of a lack of guest services-- the "no stops" thing wasn't listed on the times guide & had I known, we would have watched the earlier parade instead or not spent over an hour holding a "better" spot, we would have just watched it from wherever. Also, in addition to the rudeness of the first CM, the lack of proper information distribution to any of the CMs I asked was incredibly frustrating. Luckily, I figured out I was just extra irritable because I was hungry. We got burgers to go & ate aboard the Mark Twain (another "never") which was a little overrated... but then again, I don't like boats :rolleyes:
Scott beat me in Buzz (embarrassing) before our ride on Indy, which was ah-mazing as always. Then we got some skewers from Bengel Barbecue... yet another "never," & how could I have missed this? Bacon wrapped asparagus? So delicious I actually called home to rave about how good it was. Anyway, we staked out a spot on main street for the fireworks & whined about having to stand up. It had been a long day, we were entitled to whine a little. I was *not* the only one crying during Walt's opening day speech, & hearing that made up for missing the "Welcome" during the parade. The look on Scott's face after the fireworks was another example of the Disney experience I wanted to share with him, & it made me so happy to see him happy. Provided another girl who had been crying with a tissue before maneuvering our way through the post firework crowd Sidebar: ever since the "nightmare on main..." thread, I've tried to be extra careful around strollers & wheelchairs! Somehow, I still get hit, though :( There are only so many places I can look at once! Scott & I are fairly used to the crowds, though... passing periods in our high school were legitimately more dangerous than any Disney crowd I've ever been in (ex: tornado watch & you're stuck in gridlock in a long, narrow, glass hallway between two buildings with no way of budging or accidentally losing a shoe walking up the stairs after a pep rally lets out).
Peter Pan line got too long, too fast, so we opted for Mr. Toad & then Big Thunder again for the nighttime experience. Met more nice Utah people in line because the 5 year old had a Wrigley Field shirt on, aka, heaven. We somehow managed to fit in SM, Matterhorn, & HMH before the park closed. Since it was kind of empty, we were lucky enough to take some gorgeous castle shots & then proceeded to spend an hour in the shops, lol. We found an adorable tee for Scott's girlfriend & I picked out all the things I want for Chanukah (I usually get to pick out those gifts, which are usually shoes & other accessories, as opposed to how I demand to be surprised by Santa on Christmas morning)-- I need the new pink scarf with the subtle Mickey print. Another weird CM interaction (she dropped the F bomb & managed to basically demonize the merchandising department... awkward) was once again counteracted with two fabulous CM interactions (we discussed how I was beyond disappointed that In N Out closed so early).
Those were our Disney days! We followed up with a little trip to Hollywood to enter the lottery for Wicked tickets (two & a half hours before every performance, there's a drawing for the opportunity to purchase the 26 front row seats for $25 each) & WON, so that was phenomenal, & stuck around for autographs by the stage door. After FINALLY getting In N Out, it was time for the weekend to end :( But Scott had a marvelous time, as did I.
So... that's it!