Travel dates: June 23 – July 1, 2007
Travel method: Personal Cars from Portland, Oregon
Hotel: Anaheim Plaza Hotel on Harbor Blvd.
Accommodations: Two Family Suites
Ages Represented in Group: 15, 18, 27, 49, 70 & 71

DL Experience Represented in Group: The four oldest in our group grew up down in Southern California so we’ve been numerous times in our lives. The two youngest have been a few times over the years, with their last trip during Spring Break of 2003.

Comments: Three members of our party celebrated birthdays during the trip.

Cast of characters: Patty (me, 49), Jason (son, 27), Tom (my dad, 71), Lois (my mom, 70), Charlie (nephew, 18), Samantha (niece, 15)

Background:
My son Jason and I have visited Disneyland at least once or twice a year since 2003, when the six of us, plus another nephew, visited during spring break. When Jason and I last visited in October 2006, we decided to skip our next annual visit in 2007 to save up for two weeks at WDW in December 2008. A few days before Memorial Day weekend, my mom called me at work and announces that she and my dad were thinking of taking two of my sister’s kids to Disneyland and would Jason and I like to join them. Of course I said yes!!! She and my dad would pick up the cost of our hotel and park tickets; we would pay for our own food and any souvenirs. So instead of waiting 18 months long months for our next Disney Park fix, we were going in less than a month!!

Since Jason and I are considered the “Disney Experts” in our family, everyone was more than happy for us to do the research and come up with a plan for our trip.

Planning:

Accommodations
I usually plan my trips at least six months in advance, so I was really feeling the pressure of planning a trip less than a month away. We couldn’t go until the kids were out of school so we decided on the last week of June. Charlie had just graduated from high school and planned to spend most of the summer working before he left for college in the fall. Our first choice for hotel is always HoJo’s, but they only had three rooms left during that week and those were all smoking rooms. Our next choice is the Anaheim Plaza Hotel. We’ve stayed there a couple of times and found the rooms to be spacious and clean, within fairly easy walking distance to the park, and reasonably priced. I booked two of their Family Suites. A Family Suite consists of two connecting rooms each with two queen beds, a bathroom, TV, and refrigerator, with one microwave per suite. The rate had jumped from $144 per night (AAA rate) to $170 per night (AAA, Web, and Entertainment Book rate) in the time it took us to nail down dates for the trip. My parents and the two kids would be in one suite, while Jason and I would be in the other suite. Even though I had booked the rooms, I still checked their website regularly just to see if the rates changed. Shortly afterwards they jumped to $190 per night during the week and over $200 on the weekend. Luckily, six days before we were due to check-in the room rate on their website dropped to $158 so I immediately booked it, and then cancelled our original reservation. With tax, this saved my parents a total of $193. That’s pays for a lot of Dole Whips.

Park Hoppers
We picked up 5-day Park Hopper tickets from AAA for $179.45. Each ticket included one early entry day and free parking.

Transportation
Since they are retired, my parents planned to take three days to drive down from Portland, OR, then after the Disneyland portion of the trip was over take some time to visit family and friends in Orange County and the South Bay areas before leisurely making their way home. Jason and I hoped to fly down, but airfare was so outrageously expensive that we decided to drive down as well. We would drive down on Saturday and Sunday, spend Monday through Friday in the parks, and then drive home the following Saturday and Sunday, being home in time to return to work on Monday.

Dining
After getting input from my dad and mom, I made Priority Seating (PS) arrangements at the Carnation Café for breakfast on Tuesday and Friday mornings and the Blue Bayou for lunch on Wednesday. Samantha and Charlie had never eaten at either place so this would be a first for them. I wanted to be sure to get a waterside table at the Blue Bayou so I made our reservation for the first lunch seating at 11:30 AM. While making the reservation, the CM asked if we were celebrating any special occasions and noted the names of the three people in our party who were celebrating birthdays.

Tours
I learned about the “Cruzin’ Disney’s California Adventure” tour on the Mouseplanet’s June 11 DLR Park Update. This is the tour where they teach you to ride a Segway, and then you get to ride around DCA before the park opens. There had been rumors of this tour floating around in fall 2005 and my dad had really been excited about possibly taking the tour. However, the tour was never ended up being offered. My dad would ask me about it occasionally, but I never heard more about it until now. As soon as I heard about the tour, I called my mom and we decided to treat my dad and son to the tour as a birthday gift. At $99 it was too expensive for all of us to do it. Besides, Samantha was too young (you need to be at least 16) and Charlie really wasn’t that interested.

RideMax
Since we were going during the busy season, I subscribed to RideMax in hopes of reducing the amount of time we spent waiting in line. It was a lot of fun playing around with different scenarios and coming up with different options. To reduce the amount of walking, each day I focused on a different area of the park, and only chose those attractions that I thought might have a line. By doing this I ensured that by the end of the week we would have ridden each of the main attractions at least once. I purposely left the afternoons and evenings free. We planned to return to the hotel each afternoon for a rest or swim and we wanted to be able to enjoy the parades and fireworks in the evening. I was careful not to put too much into one day, to leave plenty of time to take pictures and just enjoy being there instead of rushing from attraction to attraction. Once I finalized our touring plans, I created pocket itineraries for each day that were about the size of our park tickets. We each had a lanyard and plastic pouch to hold our park tickets and FastPasses, and the itineraries fit perfectly in there as well. This was very helpful with a large group because everyone knew what was coming up and it eliminated the wasted time standing around trying to decide what to do next. I really recommend RideMax if you’re going during a busy time. In every case, we actually beat the RideMax estimates, and the tips for riding the new Finding Nemo Subs proved invaluable.

Day One – Saturday, June 23, 2007 – Portland, OR to Santa Nella, CA – 700 miles

Jason and I were both up around 3:30 AM. Since we packed most of the car the night before, it was a simple matter to pack the cooler and gather up the last minute things. We made a quick detour to my parents’ house to pick up my mom’s camera that she had forgotten to bring, before hopping onto the highway at 4:53 AM. Once we hit I-5, I set the cruise control, Jason popped in the first of the CD’s we had burned especially for the road trip, and we settled in for the long drive.

Traffic was light, the weather was great and the day seemed to pass fairly quickly. At 4:10 PM we pulled into the Motel 6 in Santa Nella. We’ve stayed there a couple of times before. The rooms are clean, inexpensive and perfect for one night where all you really need is a bed and a shower. We dropped our luggage in the room, which was stifling hot, cranked up the AC and left to go eat dinner.

One of the reasons we like to stop in Santa Nella is to eat at the Split Pea Andersen’s restaurant. We both had the Traveler’s Special, which consists of all-you-can-eat pea soup, along with bread and butter, crackers and a beverage, for the very reasonable price of $7.99 per person. Both the soup and the service were excellent. Our server was very attentive, ready with a fresh bowl of soup as soon as we finished the first.

Back at the hotel, the room was still really hot. It was actually cooler outside then it was inside. Even as tired as we were, we knew we wouldn’t be able to sleep with it this hot. I called the front desk and asked to move to another room. Jason loaded up the car while I picked up the new room key. The new room was upstairs, so we left most of our stuff in the trunk and just brought up what we needed for the night.

It had been a long day and by 8:15 we were ready for sleep. Surfing the channels on the TV, we found that Finding Nemo was on, a perfect way to end the day. In less than two days, we hoped to be experiencing the world of Nemo ourselves on the subs.

Day Two – Sunday, June 24, 2007 – Santa Nella, CA to Anaheim, CA – 300 miles

We were up at 5:00 AM this morning. Since we left most of our belongings in the car, loading up the car was easy. After filling the gas tank, we were on the road at 5:55 AM. We were anxious to arrive at our destination so we only stopped once, at our favorite Starbucks at the base of the Grapevine. Iced beverages in hand, we were back on the road in less than 15 minutes.

We’ve found that once we pass the Grapevine, the time and distance seem to fly by rather quickly. Maybe it’s because there’s more to see. We were very excited that our long journey was nearing the end; so excited that we somehow ended up on the 10, instead of continuing along the 5. Once we realized our mistake, we took the first exit, thinking it would be a simple matter to just get back on the freeway and head back the way we came. Unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be an on-ramp heading back the opposite direction. So we wandered around a very deserted section of the City of Vernon. It didn’t seem to be the safest area so we were just a bit nervous. Fortunately, we managed to find an on-ramp and were soon back on track.

At 11:00 AM we arrived at last in Anaheim. Since we had a couple of hours before the rest of the family was due to arrive, we decided to head over to Downtown Disney and look around. As we walked from the car, we saw that Monorail Nemo was at the station. Hoping to take some pictures as it left the station, we stopped and pulled out our cameras. Other people walking by noticed what we were doing and thought it was a good idea, so by the time the monorail left the station, there was a small crowd of people waiting to take pictures.

It felt so good to be back on Disney property. We browsed through some of the stores and just enjoyed being there. It didn’t seem too crowded. I guess everyone was in the parks. We decided to pick up the tickets for the Segway tour so we wouldn’t have to take the time to do it later. There was no line so it took just a few minutes.

Wandering back through DTD, we entered the World of Disney store. Jason had realized that he left his backpack at home, so he looked for one there. They didn’t have anything that would work so we decided to swing by Target, just down the street on Harbor.

As we left Target, it was around 12:45 PM so we decided to just wait at the hotel for the rest of the family. We sat in the nice, air-conditioned Cantina area and had only about 10 minutes to wait until everyone else arrived.

Even though check-in time wasn’t until 3:00 PM, they had one suite ready now. We had requested that our two suites be near each other, but if we took the suite that was ready, the second suite would be in the next building. Or, we could wait until they finished cleaning and get two suites next to each other. We decided it wasn’t vital that we be in the same building so we opted to take the room that was ready. The buildings aren’t that far apart.

We all drove around to the back of the property and parked. While Dad went to find a luggage cart, the rest of us went up to look at the room. We’ve stayed at this hotel a couple of times before and one of the things we really liked was the way the bathrooms were set up. In prior stays at this hotel, we’d always had rooms where the toilet and tub/shower were separate from the rest of the bathroom, with a long counter with double sinks just outside. In these rooms, the toilet, tub/shower and sink were all in one room. This was a minor disappointment.

It was stuffy, so Mom turned on the AC in both rooms. It worked fine in one room, but didn’t work at all in the second. Good AC is a must for us. Mom called down to the front desk to tell them and it was decided we would wait until the two suites near each other were cleaned and ready.

Mom and I walked back to the front desk to return the keys, while everyone else waited in the car. By the time we worked things out, both suites were ready so we were able to get the keys. I called Jason to let him know what building we would be in so they could move the cars over.

Both suites were on the upper floor, as we requested, just a few doors down from each other. Before hauling our luggage upstairs, we went to check things out. Everything looked good and the AC worked just fine. We were also pleased to find that these rooms had our favorite bathroom configuration. While there was only one sink instead of two, having it separate from the rest of the bathroom makes it so much easier for those sharing a room to get ready in the morning. And having tons of counter space was really nice too.

As soon as the cars were unloaded, we all piled into Dad and Mom’s minivan and headed over to Knott’s Berry Farm to enjoy Mrs. Knott’s famous chicken dinner. Eating at Knott’s is a tradition whenever we’re in Southern California. We arrived around 3:15 and waited in line for about 45 minutes before we were seated. Of course, all of us ordered the chicken dinner. For a reasonable $13.75 (tax and gratuity not included) you get your choice of creamy chicken noodle soup or rhubarb, cabbage or corn, salad, mashed potatoes and gravy, four pieces of chicken, plenty of piping, hot buttermilk biscuits with butter and Knott’s jams/jellies, and dessert (choice of pie or ice cream). Beverages were not included and most of us ordered berry punch at $2.75 each. The punch is so good and once you started drinking it, it’s hard to stop.

You can almost make a meal just from the side dishes and I was only able to eat one piece of chicken before I knew I needed to stop to save room for pie. Charlie ate all his chicken, and my dad may have also, but the rest of us had leftovers to munch on over the next few days. All of us except Samantha had berry pie for dessert. Sam’s not a pie eater, so she chose ice cream, which was served with a side of chocolate sauce.

Full and happy, we browsed in some of the nearby shops. In one shop, there was a music box playing. Next to it was a CD for sale, which my mom decided to purchase. She popped it in the CD player on the drive back to the hotel and we spent the short drive back playing “Name the Tune.” There’s nothing like hearing Boogie, Woogie Bugle Boy played on a Music Box.

At the hotel, we dropped Dad and Charlie off and the rest of us went to Food4Less for provisions. There were a couple of mornings where we planned to eat breakfast in the room so we purchased cereal, milk and OJ, along with pop and some snacks.

Back at the hotel, we put away the food then met in my Dad and Mom’s room for a short trip meeting. I distributed our pocket itineraries for the next day and went over our strategy for riding the Finding Nemo subs. We planned to use our Early Entry tomorrow so we agreed to meet at 6:00 AM in front of my parent’s room.

Jason and I said goodnight to the rest of the group and went back to our rooms to unpack. Around 9:30 I heard the fireworks begin and peeked out my window to see if I could catch a glimpse of them. No luck; didn’t see a thing. I have a terrible sense of direction so it wasn’t until the next morning that I realized I was looking in the completely opposite direction. Later in the week I happened to be in my room when the fireworks began and looked the right direction. This time I was able to see some of the higher fireworks.

Tomorrow was going to be an early day so it was lights out at 10:00 PM.

Day Three – Monday, June 25, 2007 – Disneyland

I was up at 5:00 AM, showered and dressed, then took a walk over to the hotel lobby to drop our postcards for the Disney Dreams Giveaway in the outgoing mail. At 6:00 we met up with the rest of our party and all piled into my parent’s minivan. As I mentioned earlier, the three guys in our group were celebrating birthdays during our trip. Today was my dad’s actual birthday so we all wished him a happy birthday.

According to plan, Dad, Jason and Charlie dropped me, Mom and Samantha off at the IHOP across from the pedestrian entrance to the resort then continued on to the Mickey & Friends parking structure. We had heard that the parking lot didn’t open until 6:30 AM, which was cutting it a bit close for us. The idea was for the women to get as close to the front of the line as possible, and then the men would join us as soon as they parked the car. The bag check area was closed and there were only two other people waiting. About 10 minutes later they opened up the bag check and we were on our way to the turnstile. We lined up at turnstile #15, just behind the two people that were in front of us earlier. Each of the odd-numbered turnstiles had at least one party already lined up so we figured this one was as good as any. It turned out that any of the other early entry turnstiles would have been better as shortly before 7:00 about 9 other people (including two strollers) joined the two people in front of us. We couldn’t really complain since they were only doing the same thing we were.

It’s a good thing we didn’t go with the guys to park the car, since they didn’t arrive in line until almost 7:00 AM. There ended up being a huge line at the parking structure and they were worried that they wouldn’t make it in time for opening.

Promptly at 7:00 AM they opened the early entry turnstiles. We all walked briskly down Main Street, around the hub, along the path to the right of the castle, clockwise around the Matterhorn and over to the line for Nemo. Samantha arrived first, followed closely by Dad, Jason and Charlie, with my Mom and me bringing up the rear. We waited in line for a few minutes while they finished getting the subs ready. At last they were ready to begin boarding. Our group was the first to board the third sub. After a few more minutes, we were on our way.

The ride itself was certainly cute, but I wouldn’t describe it as anything more than that. Of course, we had to ride it since none of us was sure when our next trip to Disneyland would be. For me, it sure brought back fond memories of riding the original subs when I was growing up. We all agreed that the ride was cute (there’s that word again), but none of us felt the need to ride it again this trip.

We exited the subs at 7:45 AM. We had allotted our entire early entry hour to riding the subs, so we were pleased that we still had 15 minutes left before the masses would descend. Since Buzz Lightyear is Mom’s very favorite attraction and we were nearby, we veered off from our RideMax plan to ride. It was basically a walk-on. Buzz hadn’t opened until after Charlie & Samantha’s last visit, so they really enjoyed experiencing it for the first time.

Since Mom’s not a roller coaster fan, we left her at Buzz to ride a few more times, which she did after first getting herself a FastPass for later on. Jason, Charlie and Samantha left to get the rest of us FastPasses for Space Mountain, while my Dad and I walked over to the Matterhorn. Once the kids were back with the FastPasses we got in line, which was still very short.

The Matterhorn was the very first roller coaster that I ever rode. When I was young, my dad had to do a lot of convincing to get me to ride. But once I did, I was hooked. Dad and Jason don’t really care for it. They say it’s too rough and bumpy and they end up sore. I have a bit more natural padding then they do so it doesn’t bother me.

Next up was the Astro Orbiter for Jason, Charlie and Samantha. Since the line for Buzz was still very short, Dad and I decided to ride while we waited for the others. Then Jason, Charlie and Samantha hopped on Buzz too for a quick ride. After exiting Buzz at various times we all met up again and everyone except Mom went over to ride Star Tours. Mom browsed through the nearby shops. By now our FastPass window for Space had opened up. Dad decided not to ride and waited for us at the exit. Mom was still shopping.

By now it was around 10:00 AM and we were all hungry. We were about 15 minutes ahead of our RideMax schedule and everyone was happy with how well it was working out. The plan was to grab something at the Blue Ribbon Bakery. There was a bit of a line, so Dad and I left the others there to order while we went across the street to the Market House to get coffee. We love getting coffee at the Market House because you can get free refills all day. Just show them your receipt and they’ll pour you a fresh cup of coffee. It may be because it was already quite warm out, but there wasn’t anyone in the store. After ordering our coffee, I asked the very friendly CM where I could get Birthday Buttons for the three birthday boys in our group. I expected her to refer me to City Hall and was very pleased when she reached under the counter for three buttons and wrote their names on them.

Dad and I took the coffee and buttons to one of the tables outside the Market House, in the small courtyard outside the locker area. We’re always been able to find a table there and it’s nice to sit and watch the traffic pass by on Main Street. You can also hear some interesting sounds from some of the upstairs windows.

The rest of the group arrived shortly and we enjoyed a nice break. Most of us ordered either the Really Sticky Sticky Bun or the Really Big Cinnamon Roll. I had the Really Big Cinnamon Roll and it was just like its name, really big. I could have easily shared it with someone else and been completely satisfied.

By now it was around 11:00 AM and we were finished with our RideMax Plan for the day. We had done everything we had wanted to do in Tomorrowland, even riding Buzz Lightyear multiple times. From now on, we were on our own. We were eligible to get another FastPass so we decided to pick one up for Indiana Jones on our way to Pirates. As we passed the wait board near the hub, we noted that the wait time for Finding Nemo was 180 minutes. We were so glad that we had been able to ride it first thing and didn’t have to wait in that line.

Pirates is one of Mom’s favorite rides and she was a little worried that the changes made last year might spoil the ride, but she was happy with the result. She really liked the Davy Jones mist effect and thought that Jack Sparrow fit well into the attraction. For me, the changes completely revitalized a ride that I had become somewhat bored with.

Since we planned to return to our hotel shortly for a rest, we decided to ride Splash Mountain. This way if we ended up getting soaked we wouldn’t have to walk around in wet clothes for the rest of the day. The standby line was really long, so we opted for the Single Rider line. We went through the exit and took the bridge over the flume to the loading area on the other side. There wasn’t anyone else waiting to ride single rider, so we were all loaded onto the ride fairly quickly. All of us except Dad were seated in the back seat of our individual logs; for some reason he managed to get the front seat. As a result, he was soaked when he got off the ride. His ride photo turned out pretty good, so he decided to buy it. While he was in line to do that, Charlie and Samantha decided to ride once more. Jason and I decided to walk around to the front of the mountain and try to take their pictures as they were going down the drop. As we walked, I heard someone calling my name. I look over and it’s a man that I used to work with a few years ago. He was there with his wife and grandchildren. It’s so strange to be a thousand miles from home and run into someone I know among the tens of thousands of people at Disneyland.

Once we regrouped, we decided to use our FastPasses for Indiana Jones. Mom and Dad felt that Indy is too rough of a ride for them, so the rest of us went on it while they wandered around nearby. Within 15 minute we were on the ride and thoroughly enjoyed it. Samantha didn’t care much for the large snake.

By now we decided to head back to the hotel for a rest. Dad stopped by the Market House to get a coffee refill and the rest of us stopped at the Newstand near the entrance to look at the badges that are engraved with your name. Dad and I had brought ours from a prior visit, but Mom and Jason had left theirs at home. Samantha decided she wanted one too. We love wearing them because we usually get greeted by name by many of the CM’s.

We were back at the hotel a little after 1:30 PM. We decided to regroup at 4:30 PM to return to the park. Charlie headed for the pool, while the rest of us headed to our rooms for naps.

Refreshed, we all loaded into the car and headed back for the evening. Just as we did this morning, we parked in the Pinocchio lot, very close to the tram station. Once inside the park we stopped at the Market House for coffee refills and headed over to our favorite viewing spot for the parade. If you get there early enough you can find an open bench and sit comfortably while you wait for the parade to begin. Also, there isn’t room for anyone to sit or stand in front of you, affording you an excellent view of the parade.

The parade was fantastic. Because the three guys were wearing their birthday buttons, many of the parade performers wished them a happy birthday as they passed by. The only drawback was that the parade started at Main Street, which meant that the sun was shining directly at us, making it difficult to take any decent pictures.

After the parade, we scoped out the hub for possible fireworks viewing locations for later in the week. Then Mom went to ride Buzz Lightyear, while the rest of us rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We politely asked the CM if we may wait for the last car of the train and he directed us to a spot in the middle of the two loading areas to wait. Jason and I shared the secret of the goat trick with the others. Samantha was a little unsure of what exactly was supposed to happen, so she wasn’t going to do it. Charlie, of course, was into it 100% and thought it was great. BTMRR is one of my top five attractions and I could ride it over and over.

Next, Dad went to find Mom, while the four of us rode Space Mountain and then went back over to ride Big Thunder. This time Samantha tried the goat trick and liked it, even though the ride is a little rough for her. Because she’s so slim, when she rides with any of the rest of us, the lap bar doesn’t lower all the way down so she tends to get thrown from side to side a lot.

By now it around 9:00 PM so we decided that if we were going to leave, we should do so before the fireworks started. We met Mom & Dad at City Hall and were able to jump onto the first tram that arrived at the loading station.

On the way back to the hotel we decided to stop at Taco Bell for a quick bite to eat. Then we all met in Mom and Dad’s room where we handed birthday cards to Dad and Jason. The cards contained their tickets to the Segway tour later in the week. Jason knew that Dad was getting the tour for his birthday, but didn’t realize that he was going too. He was surprised and pleased. On the other hand, Dad didn’t have a clue that the long-rumored tour was even being offered. At first he was a little confused because the tour tickets look exactly like ParkHopper tickets. Once he started reading the ticket, he realized what it was and was very happy and really looking forward to it.

It was getting late, so I handed out our pocket itineraries for the next day and we agreed on a time to meet up in the morning. It was lights out at 11:00 PM. It was a great first day and we still had four more ahead of us.

Day Four – Tuesday, June 26, 2007 – Disneyland/Disney’s California Adventure

The plan was to spend most of the day at DCA, but since it didn’t open until 10:00 AM, we had made an 8:00 AM priority seating for breakfast at the Carnation Cafe. We left the hotel at 7:00 AM and parked again in the Pinocchio lot at the parking structure. As soon as the gates opened at 8:00 AM, Jason took all of our park tickets and raced over to Buzz Lightyear to get FastPasses for everyone to use after breakfast. The rest of us leisurely strolled over to the restaurant. We didn’t expect to be seated until after Jason rejoined the group, but there was absolutely no one in the restaurant, so they were happy to seat us right away.

The Carnation Café is our all-time favorite place to have breakfast when we’re at the park. We usually eat there at least twice, last October Jason and I ate there four times. Nothing is better than starting the day with a Mickey Mouse waffle. This was Charlie and Samantha’s first time to eat there. The servers are very friendly and attentive; many of them have worked there for a long time. We were especially happy to see that Oscar was still around; especially since he’s been talking about retiring for some time now. He made a couple of stops at our table to chat.

Three of us order the Mickey Mouse Waffle, which comes with bacon or sausage. Mom ordered Oscar’s Choice, which is scrambled eggs with melted cheddar cheese, and comes with breakfast potatoes, bacon or sausage, and a croissant. Charlie had the Cinnamon Roll French Toast which was French toast made with one of their excellent cinnamon rolls, and comes with bacon or sausage. Samantha had the Croissantwich which is a croissant filled with scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese and honey ham. Everyone enjoyed their meal.

Stomachs full, we left the Carnation Café to use our FastPasses for Buzz Lightyear before heading over to DCA. Just as we arrived in Tomorrowland we spotted Buzz himself just outside of Star Tours. Mom immediately goes to the end of the line to wait her turn to meet her hero. Dad, Jason and I stand off to the side trying to snap a picture of Buzz without any kids around him. When Mom’s turn came, the three of us immediately began snapping pictures of her. It wasn’t until afterwards that we realized how funny it must have looked to see three people furiously snapping pictures of a grown woman with her arm around Buzz.

After our encounter with Buzz, we headed across to ride Buzz. The CM at the entrance checked the return time on our FastPasses and let us through. However, once inside there wasn’t anyone there to collect our FastPasses. We waited a while and still no one appeared, so eventually we just went on through and kept the FastPasses for later.

By now it was 9:30 and time to head over to DCA for rope drop. First, we all picked up FP’s for Buzz to use later on, then made our way down Main Street. People were pouring into the park and it felt strange to be headed in the opposite direction.

Our first ride on our RideMax plan was Tower of Terror. Once inside the park, Samantha and I went to the left to wait at the rope, while the guys went to the right to pick up FP’s for everyone for Soarin’ and Grizzly River Run (possible because the FP machine for GRR is not connected to the rest of the FP machines). Mom wasn’t going to ride ToT, so she browsed through the stores.

When 10:00 AM arrived, we followed behind the rope held by the CM’s as they walked us to the back of the park to ToT. When we reached the end of the street, Samantha and I waited on a bench for the guys to catch up to us. By the time they did, there was a posted 20 minute wait, but we ended up waiting a little bit less than that.

Jason and I are the only ones in our group to have ridden Tower of Terror before. The first time we rode was during the short-lived Mysteries, Myths and Legends tour in October 2004. The tour began outside the Tower of Terror just as DCA was closing. We had purposely waited until our tour to ride just in case it scared us too much that we would be too afraid to ride it again. We were both really nervous and were shaking when the ride was over. Just as we were getting ready to undo our seat belts, the tour guide surprised our group by having us ride it a second time. It’s one of those rides that I dread going on, but am happy once I do.

After Tower of Terror we made our way over to the Monsters, Inc. ride and met up with Mom. There was a posted 10 minute wait, but we waited less than that. Everyone enjoyed the ride, especially at the very end when our car stopped while Roz sang Happy Birthday to the three birthday guys. I heartily recommend getting a birthday button if you’re celebrating your birthday. My son said it was the best birthday he ever had. The attention you get from the CM’s is tremendous.

Next up on the schedule was the High School Musical Pep Rally at 11:30, which Samantha was really looking forward to. We still had about 20 minutes before it was supposed to start so we went to pick up more FastPasses for Soarin’ to use later on. The standby line was currently at 50 minutes.

Mom and I went to sit on a bench in front of Burrr-Bank Ice Cream, while the others sat along the taped off area for the Pep Rally. Samantha and Jason really enjoyed the show. Dad enjoyed taking pictures. I think Charlie just tolerated it. Mom enjoyed watching a 20-something guy doing his own moves to the music. She went over to let him know how much she enjoyed his performance. He was a good sport and laughed about it; while his dad egged him on to keep dancing.

After the show was over, we used one of our FastPasses for Soarin’. We wanted to ride in the center section on the top row so we asked the CM very politely if we might wait for it to be available. He was very accommodating and had us wait along the wall until they were ready to board the next cycle. While we were waiting for the pre-show with Patrick Warburton to begin, we became aware that the woman standing in line next to us was talking loudly to another woman in her group. Once the pre-show began, we thought she would quiet down, but she just kept right on talking. Most likely the majority of the crowd has heard Patrick’s spiel more than a few times, but there might be someone for whom this was their first time, so I think it’s only considerate to quiet down when it begins. After shooting her a couple of looks, my mom finally “shushed” the woman. The woman looked over at me and spoke loudly to her friend that I had “shushed” her. I spoke to her in a low voice, telling that we hoped she wasn’t offended, but her talking was making it difficult for us to hear. I felt like telling her to just shut up for a few minutes, but I tend to avoid scenes. The woman started right back up with her conversation, which continued all the way through the entire show. At that point, she seemed to be doing it just to bug us. Needless to say, this first ride on Soarin’ was a major disappointment.

Leaving Soarin’ we headed around the bend to Grizzly River Run. After stowing our belongings into a couple of the free lockers, we entered the FastPass return line. Mom and Dad were the only ones that hadn’t ridden GRR before. Mom has a tendency to get motion sickness so I wasn’t sure how she was going to handle the spinning of the raft, but she absolutely loved the ride. It replaced Buzz as her favorite ride.

We all had such a great time that we decided to ride again using the single rider line. Most of us rode in separate rafts, but Samantha and Charlie got to ride together. We fully expected to get soaking wet, but other than a few spots here and there, we all remained fairly dry. The geyser that shoots up at the end of the ride wasn’t operating. When Jason and I last rode in October 2004, we got absolutely soaked by it. That time, our clothes were so drenched with water that we had to race back to the hotel to change and race back to make our lunch reservation at Ariel’s Grotto. This time we were riding it just before our planned break back at the hotel, so it didn’t matter if we ended up getting soaked.

It was around 1:00 PM, Charlie and Jason headed over to California Screamin’ to get FastPasses. The rest of us picked up more FP’s for Soarin’. Jason called and said they decided to ride single rider for Screamin’ since they were there, so we found a bench to sit and wait for them.

When we all met up, we were starving. We had planned to eat at Taste Pilot’s Grill when we returned that evening but decided to do lunch instead. This is another must do whenever we visit. The condiment bar is excellent, as are the criss-cut fries. The place was pretty busy, so we sent half the group out to look for a table while the rest of us waited in line to order. Mom told Dad to be sure to order her some fries, not realizing that they came with the meal so we ended up with an extra basket of fries in addition to what came with each burger. Not one to waste food, Mom carefully wrapped them up in a napkin to take back to the hotel, where I’m sure they lingered for a few days in the refrigerator before finally being discarded.

Full, hot and tired, we went back to the hotel. Charlie immediately headed for the pool, while the rest of us napped and rested in our rooms.

At 6:00 PM we met up again and returned to DCA. First up was Turtle Talk with Crush. Jason and I saw this for the first time last October and loved it. Plus, it’s always nice to have a cool place to sit and rest for a few minutes. Afterwards, we split up with Jason and Charlie off to use their FP’s for Screamin’, Dad, Samantha and I went to use FP’s for Soarin’, and Mom, loaded up with all of our FP’s, headed over to Disneyland to ride Buzz. The plan was to meet up at the Sunshine Plaza at 8:15 PM and watch the Electrical Parade.

This is where the plan for the evening fell apart. Those of us that were in DCA decided to ride Soarin’ again, and then start looking for a bench to watch the parade. We waited until way too late to do this. We made our way along the parade route looking for a bench to sit on as none of us wanted to stand during the parade and Mom and I would have been uncomfortable sitting on the ground.

Finally, just before we reached the Orange Stinger and the end of the parade route, we located a bench. Jason and I left everyone there while we quickly walked back to Sunshine Plaza to look for my Mom. There was no sign of her anywhere and the place was packed with people. Numerous attempts to call her on her cell were unsuccessful. Finally, close to 8:30 she called to say she was in line at Buzz. I could hear her speaking, but for some reason she couldn’t hear me. I knew there was no way she could make it over in time, so we decided to forget the parade and get ice cream instead. We called the others who were waiting on the bench and explained the new plan. No one was disappointed in missing the parade. I think I was the only one that really wanted to see it. We decided to meet at Burr-Bank Ice Cream and would try calling Mom again to have her meet us there.

There were huge lines for ice cream and no place to sit and eat it, as everyone was waiting for the parade to make its way to the front of the park. So we had to adjust our plans yet again. We decided to call it a night and head back to the hotel. We exited DCA and went to sit over by the Guest Services building to call Mom. Before we could, she calls us to say that she’s now over in DCA near Engine-Ears toys.

We finally manage to get our whole group together again. Everyone is a little cranky and irritable at this point. Part of the group was anxious to get over to the tram station before the parade ended, while others didn’t quite appreciate the urgency and wanted to linger. It was a pretty silent ride back to the hotel.

Back at the hotel, we rallied at bit to hold a short group meeting to hand out the pocket itineraries for the next day and go over the plans. Jason and I returned to our rooms where we snacked on leftover chicken and watched TV. It was lights out at around 10:30 PM.

Day Five – Wednesday, June 27, 2007 – Disneyland

Since today we had an 11:30 AM priority seating for the Blue Bayou, I encourage everyone to eat a light breakfast in the room before leaving the hotel around 7:00 AM. Once again the men dropped us women off at IHOP and went to park the car while we waited in line at the turnstiles. Today there was an extremely long line to get into the parking structure so the guys didn’t meet up with us until five minutes before park opening.

This morning I had scheduled a second chance to ride Finding Nemo in case we weren’t able to do so on Monday. Since we had been successful we had an extra 47 minutes to spare, so we headed straight back to Fantasyland. First stop is always Peter Pan and we walked on. Dumbo was next with a wait time of less than five minutes. Mom didn’t want to ride Dumbo so she opted for a second ride on Peter Pan. We all met up to ride Alice in Wonderland before leaving Fantasyland.

Well ahead of schedule we made our way to Adventureland where everyone except Mom & Dad picked up FP’s for Indy. Next was Pirates and then back over to the Jungle Cruise. Dad, Jason and I were all snapping pictures like crazy during the cruise.

Our FP return time for Indy opened up so the four of us went to ride. Dad decided to ride Jungle Cruise again so he could sit on the other side of the boat and take pictures from that side. It always seems like the best photo ops are always from the side of the boat opposite to where you’re sitting. Mom browsed through some of the nearby stores.

Next up was the Haunted Mansion. Mom doesn’t like this ride so she walked on ahead to Critter Country. After getting FP’s for Splash we all rode Winnie the Pooh. I know some people don’t care for this ride, but I think it’s cute. I love Winnie the Pooh. When we were all here together in March 2003 they were holding soft openings for the ride and we were able to ride it a couple of times. Samantha is really into Hidden Mickey’s so we pointed them out to her and also the tribute to Country Bear Jamboree, the former occupants of this space.

After the ride, Samantha and Charlie decided to do a quick single rider on Splash while the rest of us browsed through Pooh’s Corner. We still had forty minutes before our PS at Blue Bayou but decided to head over to New Orleans Square anyway. We split up and agreed to meet at the Blue Bayou at 11:15 AM.

At the Blue Bayou we were the first party to check in and to be seated. Our reservation was for the first seating of the day so that we would have the best chance for a waterside table, and we were lucky enough to get it. Jason and I ate here for the first time four years ago on the spur of the moment. It’s the first time we ever did a table service restaurant in the park. We were walking by and impulsively decided to try it out. We’ve eaten here every trip since. This was Mom and Dad’s second time, and Charlie and Samantha’s first time.

Lunch was excellent. Dad ordered the Royal Street Seafood Jambalaya, Samantha the Tesoro Island Chicken, Charlie had the Molasses Brined Bayou Pork Chop, and Mom, Jason and I got our usual Monte Cristo. Jason and I split one entrée. They charge a $4.00 split plate charge, but it’s less expensive than buying two entrees. Each person gets their own side dishes and they split the Monte Cristo in half. It’s so rich that we can never finish a whole one anyway and this leaves some room for dessert. Instead of the wedge salad we tried the New Orleans Gumbo. It was loaded with chicken and sausage and it was excellent. Charlie’s pork chop looked especially good. He gave me a bite and it was the tenderest pork chop I’ve ever eaten. Next time I’m going to order that.

As we were contemplating dessert, our server came up with three dishes of chocolate mousse for the three birthday guys. She lit the candle that was stuck in each of them and we sang happy birthday. They each received a birthday card signed by Mickey himself! I am so going to celebrate my birthday here one day.

We ordered two of the Flying Dutchman Cookie Boat’s and shared them. The cookie boat is made of a warm chocolate chip cookie, topped with vanilla ice cream, and chocolate and caramel sauce. It comes with a keepsake sail, made of some edible material. Charlie bit into it and said it tasted like Pez candy.

After lunch we split up for awhile, agreeing to meet at the hub at 4:00 PM. Mom was going to ride Buzz then head back to the hotel. Dad wanted to wander around on his own and take pictures. The rest of us picked up FP’s for Big Thunder, and then took the raft over to Tom Sawyer’s Island to check out the new Pirates theming. We wandered around for about 20 minutes before heading back.

Next, we used our FP’s for Big Thunder, again asking for the last car so we could do the goat trick. Jason wanted to take some pictures, so he went off for a while and would meet us at the hub at 4:00.

It was so hot. Usually at this time of day we’re back at the hotel resting and swimming. Charlie, Samantha and I decided to cool off by riding single rider Splash Mountain. We were all so miserably warm that we hoped to get completely drenched. We ended up riding four times in a row, stepping off the ride and immediately crossing over the little bridge leading back to the single rider line. While it was definitely cooler being near the water, none of us ever got more than a little splashed. Each time we were seated in the back seat which seemed to be the best place for remaining dry. This is exactly what we didn’t want. After the fourth trip, we decided we’d had enough. I bought each of us a soda and we started making our way over to the hub.

As we approached the hub, we realized the parade was going on and it wasn’t the best place to arrange to meet someone. Jason called to say he was stuck on the Tomorrowland side of the hub and Dad called from the hub itself where he was watching the parade. Since we had some time to kill, the three of us hopped on Big Thunder for a quick ride. This time we decided to ride with our eyes closed. It was quite a different experience since you can’t anticipate any of the turns and was very fun.

Around 4:30 we met up with Dad and Jason and started looking for the perfect bench for the fireworks. We wanted one with a clear view of both the castle and Matterhorn. We found a bench that had a pretty good view, but the bench that we thought would be perfect was occupied by an older man. Around 5:00 the man got up from the bench and the five of us swooped in to sit down. It was dead center facing the castle with a clear view of the Matterhorn.

Occasionally over the next four and a half hours, a couple of people would go off to do something while the remaining three people would stay on the bench. Charlie went to ride Buzz a couple of times using some extra FastPasses that we had. Dad called Mom to let her know that we were saving a bench for the fireworks. She had walked back to the hotel, leaving the car for us. She was tired so she opted to just stay there and rest.

It was a long, hot afternoon. There was an umbrella near our bench, but it didn’t provide much shade. Even as the sun set, it just seemed to miss the trees and kept shining right at us. Gradually, the area around us began to fill up with people, many of them spreading blankets. After the 6:30 parade Dad and I went over to get everyone Dole Whips. We hadn’t had anything to eat since lunch and we were all hungry.

About 15 minutes before the fireworks were to begin, the CM’s working the area started telling everyone to stand up and move forward. A lot of people were upset because they had been staking out their spot for a long time and it didn’t seem fair that they had to move to make room for people to come in at the last minute and get a prime viewing location. It took a lot of effort on the CM’s part to get everyone to move. We remained seated on our bench.

When the show began, the wait was worth it. Since everyone was now standing, we had to stand too, although I ended up perching on the back of the bench. I love fireworks and no one does it better than Disney. The music is awesome. We could see all the projections on the castle and Matterhorn, the laser, and had a great view of Tinkerbell. Our view was almost perfect. The umbrella that provided the only bit of shade also blocked some of the view of the fireworks going off behind us. This was only my second time seeing this particular show. Dad, Mom, Jason and I saw them back in December 2005 when we visited during the 50th Anniversary Celebration.

Once the show was over we just stayed on the bench for awhile to let the worst of the crowds pass by, and then went to Tomorrowland to ride Buzz. The standby time was posted at 20 minutes but after being in line for five minutes without it budging one bit, we gave up and made our way down Main Street. By now the crowds weren’t too bad, but we knew the tram station would be packed. We decided to look around the World of Disney Store for a bit, to let things clear out. About 10 minutes later we exited out the opposite end of the store. We saw a few people waiting at the second tram loading area, so we went to join them, hoping that they were picking up passengers from this station. A few minutes later a tram pulled up and we hopped on. As we passed the first loading area we saw that it was jam packed with people. If we had followed the herd and lined up at that first station, we would have waited for at least three trams. Once again we were parked in the Pinocchio lot so it was a short walk to the car from the tram. We arrived back at the hotel and were asleep by 11:00.

Day Six – Thursday, June 28, 2007 – Disney’s California Adventure

Dad and Jason had their Segway Tour this morning, so they left early to walk over to DCA. They were to meet their Tour Guide at 6:45 AM. The rest of us decided to sleep in a bit and meet them after their tour at 10:00 AM.

I was up at 7:30, which for me is sleeping in since at home I’m usually up at 4:30 AM during the week so I can workout at the gym before going to work. I had a bowl of cereal in the room and we all left for DCA at 9:00 AM. Mom drove through McDonald’s to pick up a breakfast sandwich to munch on. There was a pretty long line at the parking structure so it was 10:00 AM before we entered the turnstiles of DCA. Jason had called to say they were walking back to the hotel to drop off their souvenirs from the tour and would meet us at the Sunshine Plaza. While we waited we send a runner over to Soarin’ to pick us up some FastPasses.

The guys met up with us at 10:30 AM and told us about their tour. They both said the tour was excellent and was the highlight of the trip for them. I asked Jason to write up an account of the tour.

Here is his take on the tour:

It was a brisk Thursday morning at 6:46am when we arrived at Disney's California Adventure for the experience my Grandfather and I had been awaiting since we received the tickets near the beginning of the trip. Once we heard about the Segway Tour we both thought it would be a great experience. As all great experiences go, this was beyond expectations as is a natural occurrence when guests at any Disney resort location. I am getting ahead of myself as we both had to stand outside the park before venturing into the belly of the beast. Aside from my Grandfather and me, an older couple came up and the four of us whiled the minutes away with small talk before being introduced to our tour guides.

Matt and Amy came outside decked out in their Segway Tour uniform consisting of a polo and khaki pants. They introduced themselves and we responded in kind. They led us off to the left of the main entrance to Disney's California Adventure through a doorway meant exclusively for employees. I recognized a doorway that led into the Guest Relations room as we passed and finally made our way to a waiting room that had muffins, coffee and Odwalla juices available for us. The four of us grabbed some refreshments and we seated ourselves and talked with both Matt and Amy. I was struck that Matt looked very similar to Adam Corolla and that Amy looked similar to a woman I used to work with. Minor distractions aside, they handed us some documents that required our attention. We signed any liability away and they began giving us a tutorial on how the Segways work and safety information and gave us our collectible pin. Once completed we headed out into the field.

We exited the building from another mysterious nondescript door off to the side and made our way to the front of the Monster's Inc. ride where they had helmets and Segways waiting for us. Each of us picked a helmet and watched as they taught us how to lead the Segway on foot. Once we got the basics down we split into two groups. My Grandfather and I had Amy and we led our Segways just outside the path from the Hollywood Pictures Backlot that leads to the Monster's Inc ride. She gave us additional information including the "Segway Shuffle." I remembered one of the things they told us in the waiting room was how the Segway tries to balance you like you would balance a broom on the palm of your hand. The same principle applied in regards to the Segway, just like you need to move your hand to maintain balance with the broom, the Segway will do the same. So the importance in standing straight was imperative.

I step on the Segway for the first time and it began to "shuffle." It is an unsettling feeling, but it shuffled only for a few instances and then stopped once I stood straight. I looked over to see my Grandfather suffering the same fate. Once we both found our footing we went through a couple of exercises that included getting on and off, turning in place, moving forward, moving backward and stopping.

It all felt completely natural as if the Segway was an extension of your body. My only problem was with stopping. We were instructed that in order to stop you had to stick out your butt. I get the feeling now while recounting this that it was just a way to humiliate us. Not likely though. I found it easier to stop by pulling gently back on the handlebars. It was the only way I could stop effectively.

The group came together and we began to go through some other practical movement training like making turns, going over bumps, moving through narrow passageways and clearing low branches. They made sure that we understood that we were now much taller and wider then we were before stepping onto the Segways. After all this training the fun really began. We set off to tour California Adventure. We weaved our way through the Sunshine Plaza and then started on our way into Condor Flats were we stopped and learned a bit of relevant history. Then it was off to Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. While the name of the trail freaked me out a little. I didn't want to do anything challenging while on a machine that I had only just become accustomed to 30 minutes ago. But my fears were laid to rest once I got past the ridiculously narrow entrance to the trail. I had only been on the trail once before during Mickey's Halloween Treat Party. Yet my familiarity was relegated to the dark, so it was like doing it for the first time.

After going through the Challenge Trail twice we made our way through the Grizzly Peak trails and then to Paradise Pier. We stopped in front of Burger Invasion and took a quick break chatted some and learned some things like how competitive our tour guides are and the different competitions they all take part in. After we took a break we got back onto our Segways and I turned around just in time to see the other gentleman get, in my mind, bucked off the Segway.

Matt raced over to him on his Segway and jumped off to the rescue. The man didn't know how it happened but it really made us all more aware that these were not toys and that you could get hurt if you don't treat them with the proper respect.

We continued on to the boardwalk area in front of California Screamin' where they allowed us free reign to ride freely in that immediate area. We dispersed and I wandered up and down the walk area weaving through the benches and umbrellas along the water. I also went up and down the queue of the Sun Wheel. We did this for a while and then it was time to move on. We went up the boardwalk and settled in the stage area overlooking the water. There we had our picture taken on our Segways and we continued on to the tour.

We rode through a Bug's Land and came to a stop. Matt told us about a difficulty the Imagineers had in regards to the Hollywood Tower of Terror ride being next to a Bug's Land. How could they incorporate this giant structure that overlooks a seemingly unrelated land? Matt informed us that they made it so you actually felt like a bug in a bug's land. When you looked up at the ride, it would feel like you're in the grass using forced perspective. It was the first time it dawned on all of us how true that was. We then passed through another passage and parked ourselves in front of the Hollywood Tower Hotel were we learned something else, about Imagineers I suspect, I can't recall.

The tour was nearing its end and we headed back to the doorway we had exited just a couple hours before and parked our Segways. It was then we learned that this was Matt's final test before he became a real tour guide. They escorted us to Greetings from California where we each picked up our pictures and then out the front gates.

The experience was magnificent and well worth the money. My Grandfather and I were surprised just how natural it felt. It was almost if you thought about going forward you moved forward. This is a tour that I would enthusiastically go on again in a second.

-Jason


Today was going to be a day to do the things we didn’t have time for on Tuesday. First up was Golden Dreams, which none of us has ever seen. We were the only ones waiting for the first show, which was scheduled for 11:00 AM. I guess Golden Dreams isn’t something people rush to first when the park opens. Right at 11:00 the CM made the announcement that the show was cancelled due to technical difficulties.

Strolling over to Paradise Pier, all of us except Mom rode Mullholland Madness, another first for everyone. I was a little nervous about riding, since I don’t like heights and I’d heard that many people do not like this ride. I guess I had it built up in my mind to be worse than it turned out to be. I thought it was fine. It was jerky all right, but the height didn’t bother me at all. The rest of the group didn’t care for it at all.

This seemed to be a day for firsts, as next up was the Orange Stinger, which none of us ever attempted. Only Jason and Charlie braved this and neither of them liked it the least bit. Charlie then rode Mall-A-Boomer while the rest of us sat on a nearby bench to watch and snap pictures. Next, the three guys rode the Sunwheel, then Mom and I rode the Carousel, after having our pictures taken by a PhotoPass photographer.

Moving into the Golden State area we stopped into the Mission Tortilla Factory to watch them make tortillas. When we reached the end of the line, each of us received a warm, freshly made tortilla to eat. I’ve never eaten a better tasting tortilla. Dad and Jason were still wearing their birthday buttons, so they each received a package of a dozen tortillas. Next we toured the Boudin Bakery next, enjoying a small piece of sourdough bread. All these delicious smells made us realize that we were starving, so we asked at Information if there was a place to get turkey legs at DCA. She pointed us towards the Hollywood Pictures Backlot area. Charlie and Samantha saved us a table, while Dad and Jason went to buy turkey legs. I wasn’t in the mood for a turkey leg so I had a Sicilian Sausage at Award Wieners’, where we bought drinks for the group. Lunch was great. Dad opened his pack of tortillas and some people made burritos with their turkey.

After lunch it was time to get in line for the next showing of Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular. Jason and I like to see this every trip. This was the first time for Charlie and Samantha. Everyone enjoyed the show.

We were getting ready to head back to the hotel for a rest, but first Jason, Charlie, Samantha and I did a quick single rider ride on Grizzly River Run while Dad snapped our pictures coming down the waterfall at the end. At 3:15 PM we left the park to go back to the hotel. Mom had a craving for ice cream, so we did a quick drive thru McDonald’s and picked up cones or sundaes for everyone. As usual, Charlie went to the pool while the rest of us napped and relaxed in our rooms.

We met up at 7:00 PM to head back to DCA. First stop was ice cream at Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream. Samantha had a chocolate cone. Dad had a Loco Moca Fudge which is two scoops of Mocha Almond Fudge ice cream atop a sliced banana, with hot caramel sauce, whipped cream, chopped peanuts and a cherry, served in a waffle cup. The rest of us had the Steam’n Chocolate, which is two scoops of vanilla ice cream atop a piece of warm chocolate cake, topped with hot fudge, whipped cream, chopped walnuts and a cherry, served in a waffle cup. It was yummy. We also asked for cups of ice water. You can always ask for a cup of ice water at any of the counter service restaurants. They don’t charge you and you save the cost of expensive bottled water.

After we finished eating, we decided to split up for awhile with plans to meet at the compass rose in the main entry plaza at 9:00 PM. Mom went over to Disneyland to ride the train, the others went to ride Screamin’ and I went to ride Soarin’ armed with a couple of FastPasses.

During my second ride I could feel my phone start to vibrate. I was so relieved that I had switched the ringer off before getting on the ride. Being strapped in, I couldn’t get to my phone and I could feel it vibrating repeatedly during the rest of the ride. After the ride was over, Jason called again to say that they were all over at Disneyland because they didn’t want to get caught in the post-parade traffic from DCA. I agreed to meet them in front of the Opera House. The Electrical Parade was just reaching the Sunshine Plaza as I slipped out of DCA and into DL, with no line at the turnstiles.

While we waited for Mom to join us, Dad chatted with a nice CM named Caroline, who gave Samantha an Honorary Citizen badge. Once Mom arrived we went inside to watch “The First 50 Years,” hosted by Steve Martin. Exiting the Opera House, we found that the fireworks had started. We knew it would be difficult to make our way down Main Street and we were all tired. We had kept up a pretty good pace during the week and it was catching up to us. We headed back to the hotel and it was lights out at 11:00 PM.

Day Seven – Friday, June 29, 2007 – Disneyland

Today was our last day in the park. We left the hotel at 7:00. Once again Dad dropped us women off at IHOP and the guys went to park the car. For some reason there was no line at the parking structure so the guys met up with us fairly quickly.

When the park opened we headed straight for Fantasyland. All around us people were racing for Nemo and you could hear CM’s shouting at people to walk. Mom saw one of the Main Street Vehicles that was ready to pull out so she hopped on. A woman running in front of me stepped off the curb, onto the tracks, which caused her to lose her balance and fall smack down on her face. She was moving so fast that she didn’t have time to put her arms out so her nose took the brunt of the fall. Fortunately, her companion, running a few paces ahead of her, happened to turn around to see her lying on the ground. I didn’t see any blood, but you know it had to hurt. I felt sorry for her. One minute you are full of excitement and anticipation, the next you’re sprawled in the street, clutching your nose. I guess there’s a reason why the CM’s don’t want people running down the street.

The five of us arrived at the hub at the same time my mom stepped off the vehicle. I’ll have to remember that for future reference. Moving through the castle we walked onto Peter Pan. Then Dad went to pick us up FastPasses for Buzz

The line for Alice was really long so we skipped it since we had ridden it earlier in the week and opted for the Storybook Land Canal Boats instead. There were just a few people ahead of us so we boarded in no time. The CM noticed the birthday buttons and had everyone in our boat say happy birthday. This is one of my favorite rides, but we don’t ride it as often as I’d like because there is usually such a long line. Our CM was just wonderful. She spoke slowly and clearly, and in a way that made you believe that tiny people actually lived in the miniature houses. Usually, the CM’s race through their narration as if they’ve done it a thousand times and they just want to get it over with. This woman took her time and made it sound like she was telling a story, slowing down so that we could take plenty of pictures. She even pointed out some Hidden Mickey’s and told us about some on the other Fantasyland attractions. She really seemed to enjoy her job and it absolutely showed, making this the best experience I’ve ever had on this ride. I regret that I didn’t note her name so that I could fill out a compliment card for her at City Hall.

Next it was time for the Tea Cups. I’ve never ridden this before. I was always afraid I would get dizzy and motion sick, but this time I was going to give it a try. Charlie and Samantha rode together since they planned to spin. Dad, Jason and I didn’t plan to do any spinning so we crammed ourselves into another teacup. It was such a tight fit that we couldn’t have spun it anyway. It was fun and I had no problems riding at all. It was as easy as riding the carousel. I’m just sorry I missed out on so many years of fun.

After the Tea Cups, we rode Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride and then Pinocchio (where we spotted the Hidden Mickey’s our CM from the Storybook Land Canal Boats had pointed out). Snow White was down so we went on to It’s a Small World. Passing the Matterhorn, I noticed the line was very short and planned to ride it after IASW. However, by the time we emerged from IASW the line for the Matterhorn had grown tremendously so we skipped it and went over to pick up FP’s for Big Thunder.

By now it was 9:40 AM. We had a priority seating for the Carnation Café at 10:10, but decided to head over to see if they could take us earlier. There was a long line of people waiting to be seated, so they weren’t able to change our reservation time. We decided to split up and look around the stores on Main Street until it was time to eat.

I went across the street to the Market House for coffee, and then browsed through some of the stores before settling on a bench near the First Aid center. It was nice to just sit and enjoy the atmosphere, and a little sad knowing it was our last day.

Right before 10:10 AM, we met up in front of the Carnation Café and were seated promptly. The food and service were perfect as always.

After breakfast we sent the guys to Splash Mountain to pick up FP’s. We all wanted to ride together one more time and purchase the ride photo. Jason called from Splash to say that the return time wasn’t until 2:45 PM. This was much later than we had hoped, since we planned to be back at the hotel mid-afternoon, but we decided to get them anyway. Next we rode Pirates and then used our FP’s for Big Thunder. At this point we decided to split up for the rest of the day. Time was running out and we each had things we wanted to see and do before leaving. Samantha decided to hang out with me. Since it didn’t look like the group picture on Splash was going to happen, everyone gave their FP’s to me and Samantha.

First, Samantha and I headed to the Haunted Mansion and then back to Big Thunder. The posted wait time was 20 minutes, but we only waited 15. Next, we headed to Tomorrowland and picked up FP’s for Autopia. I wasn’t sure if we’d use them. Even with a FP, the wait seems awfully long, especially standing out in the hot sun. Buzz had a pretty short wait, so we hopped into line. Jason called while we were waiting and when we stepped off the ride, he was right there waiting for us.

Jason had gone over to DCA first. He was just about to get on Tower of Terror when alarms went off and they not only evacuated the ride, but the entire area. He wasn’t able to find out what happened. He then came back to DL and was walking along the path by Snow White’s Grotto when he was stopped by two members of the Dream Squad who wished him a happy birthday, then told him he also was the winner of a pair of YOAMD mouse ears. What a great birthday present. He’s the only one who won anything during the trip.

I had wanted to take some pictures of the Subs and lagoon from the Monorail station so we walked up there next. It’s a great place for pictures. Since we were there we decided to ride the Monorail. After leaving the Monorail we decided to take the train over to the other side of the park and then use the FP’s for Splash. There was a huge line at the train station so we didn’t get on the first train that arrived.

While waiting in line, Dad called to find out where we were. He had gone to DCA and now was back in DL. He wanted to ride Splash too, so he was hurrying over to try to meet up with us before the next train arrived. Since four of our six members were now together, we called Charlie and Mom to see if they wanted to ride Splash too. Charlie did and would meet us at the FP entrance. Mom didn’t answer her phone. Later we found that she was shopping on Main Street and didn’t hear it ring.

Once we boarded the train, Dad pulled a package of tortillas out of his backpack and passed them around. He had visited the Mission Tortilla Factory again and was given another dozen tortillas since he was still wearing his birthday button. So we munched on tortillas while we rode the train.

Charlie was waiting for us when we arrived at Splash. The FP return line was fairly short, but while we waited we decided how best to arrange ourselves in the log so that everyone would be seen in the picture. Charlie would be seated in front and when we reached the drop he would lean slight to his left, Samantha was second and would remain dead center, I was third and would lean to my right, Jason was fourth and would lean to his left and Dad was last and would lean to his right. We practiced a couple of times; on the count of three everyone assumed their assigned pose. We were ready to ride.

When we reached the front of the line, Charlie asked the CM if we could be in our own log since we planned to purchase the ride photo. The CM was very nice and allowed us to do this. It worked out perfectly. Everyone was clearly visible. It’s too bad Mom wasn’t able to join us to round out the picture.

Next we stopped for Dole Whips and then into the Tiki Room to enjoy the show. Everyone seems to race for the front rows but we always like to sit in the back. It’s usually less crowded and you don’t have to crane your neck up so far see everything.

By this time it was late afternoon and Jason, Samantha and I decided to go back to the hotel. Jason and I were leaving early the next morning to start the long drive home and still needed to pack. Mom had taken the car so we were going to have to walk. On the way out I ducked into the Candy Palace for the piece of fudge I buy every trip. I wasn’t the least bit hungry so I was saving it for later on. It was so hot outside that I was afraid it would melt before I got back to the hotel.

As we exited the park I remembered there were a couple of things I wanted at the World of Disney so we detoured over that direction. We didn’t linger long, Jason and I both knew what we wanted to we were in and out in about 10 minutes.

The walk back to the hotel was long and hot. My knees were really bothering me and it seemed like we would never make it. Once we reached our rooms, I just collapsed across the bed, unable to move. I was there for about 30 minutes when Jason came through the connecting door to say that he, Samantha and Mom were driving back over to do more shopping at the World of Disney store; Samantha had left her souvenir money in her room and wanted to go back to spend it. I felt bad that she hadn’t said anything about it because I certainly would have fronted her some money while we were there earlier.

Soon after they left, I managed to get up off the bed and run myself a hot bath. After a good long soak, I was totally relaxed and crawled into bed where I watched TV and dozed until everyone came back.

For dinner we went to El Pollo Loco around the corner on Ball Road. Jason and I always eat here each time we visit. We love the chicken, which is different than anything we can get in the Portland area and we always have to get some flan. We decided to take it back to the room since we had plenty of beverages back at the hotel. Once we gathered in Mom and Dad’s room we realized that the table was way too small for all six of us. None of us had the strength to haul the table over from the other room so we decided to just eat in our own rooms. As Jason and I said goodnight to everyone we realized it was goodbye. He and I would be leaving early the next morning to drive home. Mom and Dad would be in the area for almost another week visiting friends and relatives. Charlie and Samantha were to visit their uncle for the weekend before flying home on Monday.

Back in our room, Jason and I ate and watched some TV. The bath, rest and food helped revive me a bit so I was able to get packed fairly quickly, but I was so ready for bed soon after.

Day Eight – Saturday, June 30, 2007 – Going Home

We were up at 5:00 AM. We quickly finished packing, loaded up the car, checked out of the hotel, filled the gas tank and were on the road by 6:30 AM. Yreka, CA was our destination today, 700 miles away. It’s always so much easier to drive down to Disneyland than to drive back. On the way down you still have your whole time at Disneyland ahead of you. Going home is a different story, especially knowing we don’t have another trip planned until our WDW trip in December 2008.

We arrived at the Yreka Motel 6 just before 6:00 PM. After checking in, we went to our room only to find that the AC didn’t work at all. We have the worst luck with air conditioning. We went back down to the lobby to request another room. There was a family from Vancouver, BC checking in ahead of us that had also just spent a week at Disneyland. Unfortunately, they developed car trouble on the way home and were stuck in Yreka waiting to get their car repaired. The parents had a great attitude, treating it like an adventure so that their three small children would not be worried. They said that the mechanic was coming in on Sunday, his day off, to work on their car, so that they would be able to be back on the road by Monday morning. I thought that was really nice of him.

We were both exhausted from the busy week, so after unloading only the bare necessities, we grabbed some dinner at a nearby Carl’s, Jr., watched some TV and called it an early night.

Day Nine- Sunday, July 1, 2007 – Home at Last

We were on the road at 5:45 AM this morning. Five and a half hours later we were home, happy that the long drive was over, but sad to have the trip come to an end. We had a wonderful time and for the most part, things went very smoothly. It was hot and crowded, but with a lot of planning, we never stood in line for any attraction for more than 20 minutes the entire week. It will likely be more than three years before we go back to Disneyland. We’ll be purchasing AP’s for our December 2008 trip to WDW, with a second trip planned for about 11 months after that.

If you’ve made it this far in my trip report, thanks for reading. I know it was a long one. Writing up this report has allowed me to relive the fun all over again. I hope you enjoyed it.

I printed out your trip report to read on the trip home and it took a while to read it -- and I'm a fast reader! I see now why your report wasn't filed for a few months.

And it's a great report!!!!!! I ate up every detail. I'm going to get that mocha almond fudge thing on the first day of my next trip. It was like being there. Thank you for giving us such a fun report.

Oh, and I'm doing the Segway tour, too!

Congratulations on making it to the end. I know it was long, but i couldn't leave anything out. That Loco Moca Fudge looked really yummy. I keep telling myself i'm going to order something different, but I always end up getting my usual, the Steamin' Chocolate.

I hope you have fun on your trip and on the Segway tour. The guys still talk about how amazing it was. I'm going to have to try it someday too.

Thanks,

Patty

Thanks for the great trip report! Even though I am a passholder and go often it is always interesting to read reports giving another perspective. I will have to try the ice cream at DCA now! Your trip was well organized with time for extra fun. I'm glad you were able to do everything since it is usually busy during the time you were there. I am curious to find out where your spot was for the fireworks?? We have seen some of the fireworks walking around the park but we havent sat to watch them in awhile. We are planning to do this on one of our next trips! It is also fun to time it so that you are riding BTMRR while the fireworks are going on!:D

Thanks! We all had such a great time and I think everyone was satisfied that they got to do all the things that were important to them. Next time I'll try riding BTMRR during the fireworks. That sounds like it would be awesome.

I am curious to find out where your spot was for the fireworks??

It was a bench in the hub directly in front of the castle. It gave us an perfect view of the projections on both the castle and Matterhorn. The only obstruction was from the umbrella right next to the bench, which kept it from being a perfect 360 degree view. I think if we moved over one bench it might have been just a bit better.

-Patty