We just got back from our 10 day trip to Anaheim, had a great time, and wanted to share some highlights with everyone. Hopefully I can remember all the highlights and details, but I'm sure I'll forget some things.

Attendees: Myself, DW Cheryl, DS Spencer 6, DS Cameron 4, DS David 1, MIL Ann

Day 1: Saturday June 2. Flight at 2:30, stop in Phoenix, then onto LAX. I hate LAX, but the airfare was too cheap to pass up. Amare Stoudemire from the Phoenix Suns was on our flight from Phoenix to LA, and then I just about ran into Michael Strahan of the NY Giants inside LAX, so those were our celebrity sightings for the trip! We have deluxe AP's, so we couldn't go on Saturday anyway, so we checked into the Hojo's, went shopping at Albertsons for water and snacks, and got to sleep for an early day on Sunday.

Day 2: Sunday June 3. Here we are! Got in just slightly after park opening. Had to stop for autograph books, and then off to FL. First ride was of course Peter Pan, although the line had built up quite a lot already, so we waited about 30 mins. Rode Pinocchio and Snow White as well, and then headed over to IASW. Not my favorite ride, but I always go on it one time, and I got that out of the way early! :~D A CM gave my kids Incredibles buttons to wear (family reunioni themed, but still neat) Got FP's for Space, rode Buzz and Star Tours, met Cruella on our way out, and then headed over to DCA to take advantage of our Disney VISA photo op before 11:30. Mickey and Goofy were there, and were great as always. We got FP's for Soarin' and Grizzly, and then headed over to check out Monsters. We noticed that Drawn to the Magic was about to start, so we watched that. Quite enjoyable, and the kids met Cinderella afterward, since we figured we'd meet Mickey and Woody later on, and might not meet any princesses. Rode Monsters, Roz asked Spencer if that was his brother in the front seat, "I thought so, heh heh heh...." Met Mrs Incredible on the backlot (no Mr. Incredible or Frozone though!) Rode Soarin and Grizzly. Cameron rode Grizzly for the first time ever and loved it! He asked to ride it about 100 times each day afterward. Headed back to DL after that. Rode Pirates, HM (wife found the hidden mickey in HM), Pooh (David's favorite ride!), BTMRR, used our Space FP's (Spencer's first time, he was scared in the past, but he LOVED it!), rode Buzz again, and by that point everyone was tired, so we headed back to our hotel for bed. Had an early morning Monday.

Day 3 Monday June 4. 7:30 PS at Lilo & Stitch character breakfast This is by far the best character breakfast of all of them. The food was tasty and fresh (mmm Pineapple coconut scones), the cast members were fun and friendly, and the character interaction was great. Stitch wiped a Booger on Spencer's head :D Met Lilo, Stitch, Minnie, Pluto, and Daisy Duck (woo hoo, a new autograph for the boys!) My kids were afraid to play the games with Lilo and Stitch, but I thought it was very cool that they did that. We will definitely be revisiting this breakfast in the future. Headed back to the park, and spent the entire day in Disneyland. Can't think of too much else that stood out on this day, we just maximized our fastpass usage, got on pretty much everything with minimal wait. Watched the parade of dreams at 3:30 from main st. David was absolutely enthralled with it, so we ended up watching it 4x total during this trip. Got soaked on Splash 2x in a row with Spencer (he always asks for the front of the log). Had some really annoying boyfriend/girlfriend couples on the Haunted Mansion that screamed all the way through the ride. My tolerance for idiots is about zero, so I made a comment as we exited that was audible to all, and utilized at least one word that is not appropriate for this forum. At least I wasn't the only one though, another couple said the same thing as they exited. We did ride the Tomorrowland side of the Matterhorn, which I hadn't done in a couple of years, and of course my kids loved it, so we rode that side pretty much every time the rest of the trip. We also ate at the French Market for the first time. It was very good, although we had an incident with fussy eater Spencer that I would just as soon forget. Otherwise, it was a great day, we pretty much focused on getting on as many attractions as possible. More to come, but I have to go take vacation laundry out of the dryer first. Back in a bit.

OK, we're back.
Tuesday June 5. Again arrived at park opening. Fantasyland was already packed, so we headed to Adventureland. Got FP's for Indy, rode Jungle Cruise, Pirates, BTMRR, etc...Headed over to DCA again for another photo op at Ariel's. Got Mickey and Goofy again, and this time the kids weren't much in the mood for posing, so none of the pictures came out great. When we got the pictures developed, they let us use a different picture on our photopass for the freebie, since none of the ones at Ariels were very good. Got FP's for Soarin and Grizzly again. Lightning and Mater were over in Condor Flats, so we got pictures there. Went to Playhouse Disney, saw the usual show, but the kids had a great time as usual. We also did Turtle Talk, Dory came out for a visit, got squished by the whale again. Didn't get to talk to Crush this time around. Rode Soarin' and Grizzly and then got TOT FP's. Ate at Taste Pilots, good as usual, and we even found a table inside! The wife and I rode TOT, as no one else wanted to, and then we headed back to DL for the afternoon/evening. We decided to brave the Princess Fantasy Faire, as the boys love to get their autographs. Waited about an hour for the meet and greet, got Snow White, Aurora, and Belle, and they were all great. We timed it just right, as Snow White switched with Cinderella right after us, and Aurora left, with no replacement right after us. Disclaimer: Although the characters were wonderful, the Fantasy Faire is a joke. We had about the shortest line that I saw the entire trip, yet it still took an hour. Bring them back to the castle, and put a new show in the theatre. Did Jungle Cruise at night, and had the best skipper I've ever had. He was an older gentleman with glasses, and he was hilarious, and told some jokes I've never heard before. Used our Indy FP's from earlier, did BTMRR at night, went back to ride Buzz again, and called it a night.

Wednesday June 6. We got there for rope drop, and headed to FL. Got on Dumbo first as we had ridden Peter Pan 1x already. Rode Dumbo, David loved it. Did Casey Jr., Carousel, Storybookland (2 CM's got into an argument over who was supposed to open the rope to let people into the boat), Teacups, Alice, Pinocchio, Snow White, and Matterhorn. Toad was closed, otherwise we could have done everything in FL in about 1.5 hrs. Headed to toontown, let the kids run around in goofy's house for a while. Didn't feel like waiting for Gadget or Roger, so we headed out to main st. Spencer and I had tickets for the Angels game at 12:35, so we left the others to fend for themselves. We saw a great game, even though the Angels blew a 4-0 lead and lost 8-5. Weather was perfect, seats were great, and the game was fun. Spencer got a new Angels hat. We headed back, and my wife decided to get on Pirates while we were trying to find them, so it took us a while to meet up. We went over to Pirates Lair at Tom Sawyer's Island. Very fun for the kids, lots of stuff to climb over, under, around and through, and I thought the theming was cool. We were too late for the last show, but everyone had fun exploring nonetheless. It is annoying that the smoking section has to be right next to the raft launch, but then again I subscribe to the theory that the park should be 100% smoke free anyway. YUCK! Checked out Nemo, lines were pretty short for the AP previews (didn't win :crying:) Did a few more rides including our 1x on Autopia, and headed to bed.

Thursday June 7:
Went to FL first again, did Peter Pan before the lines got too long. Rode the Carousel and teacups, and then headed over to DCA Got in line for the early Aladdin show, sat in the mezzanine level, front row, which was great. Show was awesome as usual. David got a little grouchy, so he and I had to leave about 5 mins early, but we caught most of the show. Met Brer Bear and Brer Fox on the backlot, which I thought was a weird place for them. Caught most of HS musical pep rally as well, which I personally don't understand the popularity of, but not everything is for everyone I guess. Did Soarin and Grizzly again, and then Spencer and I went on Screamin'. He was so excited as he was finally tall enough, and he was nervous, but LOVED it! Checked out the Brother Bear totem ceremony as well, which was cute. We headed back to DL after that. Didn't go near Tomorrowland, but found out later that they were letting anyone on Nemo because AP winners weren't showing up. Did the canoes for the first time, which was fun. Took Spencer and Cameron on as well. It was hard work! Had to ride BTMRR again, as it is Cameron's favorite ride, so we have to go on it at least once a day. Did HM and Pirates again. I forgot to mention this about Pirates. The crab was present on day 1, and then gone the whole rest of the trip until the last day when it was back again! Headed off to bed after that, had a long day in store for Friday.

Friday June 8th. PS at Storytellers for Chip n Dale breakfast, a surprise for the kids. Food was good, but not quite as good as Lilo & Stitch. I did like that they brought warm waffles directly to your table. Character interaction was very good, although David scared Terk away. He was mad at Kenai for stealing his hat, so he screamed when Terk came over, he thought that she was going to take his had as well. Characters met include Terk, Kenai, Koda,Chip, Dale, and Meeko. We liked this breakfast as well, but it was a notch below Lilo & Stitch. Got to the park early again, and spent the entire day at DL, save for a 1 hr trip back to the hotel for jackets, and to rest a bit. Did Peter Pan, Dumbo, and Casey Jr. again., and got on Toad finally (had been closed June 4-7) Headed over for the Aladdin Storytelling, which was great as usual, and decided to do the Tiki Room as well. The boys seemed to like the Tiki Room better this time than on our last couple of vacations. Had to get a Dole Whip as well :D Moseyed over for Space FP's, and discovered that Nemo was open to the public, so we immediately jumped in line! Got on in just under an hour. I thought it was pretty neat, but at the same time felt bad for those who were going to be waiting 3-4 hours in line on Monday, because it is not worth that long of a wait. My wife agreed on that one, and suggested maybe they play the movie in the queue while you wait, to distract the kids. Either way we were glad to have gotten on the ride on Friday, and would be able to skip it on Mon/Tues! A really fun ride, and neat effects, but not a "must do" for us on future vacations if it involves waiting more than about 30 minutes. We met a nice family after the ride, and David made fast friends with their little granddaughter, and they were even holding hands and kissing each other from their strollers! It was pretty funny. Stayed for fireworks, watched them from BTMRR exit, which was a good view, but cold, as the wind blew from the rivers of america. Great show nonetheless. Went to bed after that.

Saturday June 9: Trip to San Diego Wild Animal Park. You'll notice I haven't mentioned my mother in law much, and that is because she was pretty much a pain in the rear the entire trip. We forewarned her that there would be a lot of walking involved, and she knew full well that we move at a quick pace, but yet complained about how sore and tired her feet were every single day, and didn't want to go on hardly anything except Soarin. She sat and read her book for probably 60% of the trip. Today would be the day that was the worst for that, because as anyone knows, the Wild Animal Park isn't exactly flat! Anyhow, we had a lot of fun, saw lots of cool animals. Okapi are about the strangest looking creatures I've ever seen! The cheetahs were cool too, the zookeeper was petting one like it was a kitten. The safari tour was great as well, saw lots of different creatures, and tons of rhinos, probably at least 15 of them. This is a really neat park to visit, but it isn't exactly easy to find either. It obviously has to be out in the boonies to be a wild animal park, and it definitely is. After the park, we headed back, ate dinner at Claim Jumper next to Knotts, had to get the gigantic chocolate cake at the end as well. Headed back to bed after that.

Sunday June 10: I can feel that everyone is starting to wind down at this point. 1 week is about right, 10 days is a bit too long (and I never would have admitted that prior to this trip!) My wife wanted to see if she could spot any celebrities at the Nemo party, but they had walls up everywhere, so we avoided tomorrowland other than to use our Space FP's at night. Wanted to make sure we hit all the shows that we might have missed prior to today (and yet we still missed Jedi Training and Sword in the Stone.) We did see the marching band go from the castle to the main st. train station, which was neat. Spent some time at DCA again, rode soarin, screamin, TOT, and Grizzly one last time. We also decided to check out the Animation studio, and Spencer and I learned how to draw Goofy. Went to Turtle talk again, and Spencer asked Crush if he had ridden the Nemo Subs yet "I do not know what that is, Surfin' Spencer." The host had to explain to Crush that it is a method we human dudes use to see the undersea creatures such as himself and Nemo, and he still seemed baffled. It was a different Crush voice this time as well, and it wasn't quite as good as the person we were used to. Got a picture with Sulley on the backlot, and then went to ride Mulholland Madness, a ride which Cameron has decided rules. I am not so much a fan myself, but to each their own! Went back to DL, and hit some of the favorites again. Used our Indy FP's since it had broken down in the morning. I think this was the night fireworks were cancelled, so we rode Buzz again (scored 444,600, my best score without the ride stopping), and headed to bed.

Monday June 11: Nemo opening day. A nice person had given us Mickey's Toontown morning madness coupons on Sunday night, so we headed over there to take advantage of that. Rode Gadget and Roger, and took lots of pictures of the kids doing all the gags like the electric door, and the exploding dynamite plunger. As we left toontown, the line for Nemo was almost back to IASW, and the princess fantasy faire line was out to the IASW merchandise shop. HERE COME THE CROWDS! Walked through FL, and the evil queen was out in the old villains lair! She was very much in character, and made all the kids take 3 steps back because they were crowding up during our picture. We did Haunted Mansion and Pooh again. You know the crowds are bad when the Pooh line stretches out to the entrance, and includes switchbacks. We met the Pooh characters, and used FP's for Splash. We had to sit in the back, for the only time, so didn't get very wet this time. Zipped over to DCA to avoid the crowds, and rode some favorites 1 last time (Soarin, Grizzly, Screamin, Monsters, Mulholland) Left DCA, headed back to watch fireworks, which we watched from over by Haunted Mansion. Did a few more rides, and then headed to bed.

Tuesday June 12th. Last day :crying: We were supposed to meet up with a friend who was flying in that morning, but he never called, so we spent the morning riding our favorites 1 last time. We did Space, Buzz, Pooh, HM, Pirates, and Big Thunder. Had to leave some shopping time for everyone, picked up the new Nemo subs pin that had been released on Monday, along with many other pins for birthday presents later on this year. The kids probably made about 50 pin trades during the week, and had a great time doing so. They ended up with some really cool ones when all was said and done. Anyhow, we headed out about 12:30 to catch our 4:15 flight (you never know with traffic), and after a layover, we were home about 11:00 pm MST.

Overall thoughts and observations.
The good: Cast members were very friendly throughout the week, and I didn't see any of the morale issues that have been discussed, other than the small spat on Storybookland. Characters were great. The boys got 31 different autographs this time around, and for the most part the pushy parents weren't out during the interactions. Park was clean, restrooms were either clean, or being cleaned each time we used one. Our experience overall was wonderful. Weather was excellent, crowds weren't bad at all, other than Monday the 11th. Food was good as well, although we got breakfast at the Village Haus on Sunday the 10th, because Tomorrowland Terrace was closed, and it took almost 30 mins to get our food with NO ONE in line!

The bad: Indy needs a refurb bad. It broke down multiple times this trip, and did the same when we were there in January. Shut 'er down before the next movie comes out, and spruce it up please! Screaming idiots on Pirates and Haunted Mansion annoyed me as well. Princess Fantasy Faire, other than the actual character interaction, is ridiculous.

The ugly: Get rid of the smoking sections Disney! If you want your park to be truly family friendly, stop letting the ashtray lickers give me and my family cancer. Smokers, I'm not going to apologize for my comments. It is disgusting, and causes cancer, and does not belong in a Disney park.

People who complain about those of us with strollers, if you really look around, it is not the stroller pushers that are the problem, it is the morons who stop suddenly in the middle of a crowded walkway (see Adventureland, Tomorrowland, or Main Street) to pull out their map or cell phone, or decide which ride to go on, and then get mad when they get hit by a stroller wheel. Here's an idea, step off to the side, out of the way, and let the rest of us get to where we are trying to go.

Rant mode off

All in all, another wonderful vacation. We are shooting for another trip the first week of June next year, but you never know when we might be able to sneak one in before that. Hopefully!

So, I thought that I had seen David Arquette in the park, and it turns out I was right, as he was at the celeb party for the Nemo premiere. I guess that makes 3 celeb sightings. Didn't see Courteney with him, although she was there somewhere.
Forgot to add also, the new and improved Mark Twain looks beautiful!

You mentioned one smoking area are there others?

I am very allergic to smoke (asthma) and want to avoid areas with smoke. When I get a park map will the CM be able to mark the areas to avoid?

I'm trying to remember, but I can think of three off the top of my head. Next to the TSI rafts area, behind Big Thunder Mtn Railroad on the way to Fantasyland, and over by the Matterhorn/Old Motorboat Cruise area. I always cut a wide swath when walking by those areas.