Articles | Disneyland | Walt Disney World
Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 43

Thread: DL Trip Report 3/21/04

  1. #1

    DL Trip Report 3/21/04

    I thought I might as well share a quick trip report for Sunday, March, 21st. It was short but really enjoyable day. The weather was great, and although the crowds were significant, we just went with the flow and enjoyed ourselves.

    The day started with us arriving at the park a few minutes before 9, so we could open the place and hopefully hit a few rides before the crowds emerged. That would have been a pretty good plan, had the park not opened at 8. The crowds were already there. Still, our timing worked out, parking-wise. We ended up parking right in front of the tram stop at Timon! What an improvement that was from our last trip, when we were in the far opposite corner of Mickey and Friends.

    Entering the park, we realized that the lines were going to be long. We did our usual "collection of the fast-passes" ritual, then decided to have breakfast in the park, a first for us. Usually, we eat light in the morning and have a nice big lunch. We decided on the River Belle Terrace and found the food to be really good, with nice-sized portions. It was expensive but worth it.

    After breakfast, we had an interesting journey on POC, one that lasted over a half-hour. First we were stopped about 4 boats back from the first waterfall, for a few minutes. After a few "remain in your seats" announcements, they started unloading the boat closes to the falls. "Great", we thought. This will be a new experience. After the first boat was unloaded however, the ride began again. Everyone one ride cheered and down the waterfall, we plunged. Things were great until we entered the foggy area with the Pirate ship. We were stopped in that room, as you make the right turn towards the fort. We didn't mind the wait, as we were still digesting our breakfast and it just felt good to sit and just check out the scenery. After about 10 minutes, they turned on the inside lights. That really surprised me as I have never seen the lights on inside any dark attraction. It was kind of interesting to see, although I couldn't help but think about the little kids, staring into the water and realizing that they weren't in a sea, but rather a wading pool. Bad show, I suppose, but I'm sure there was a good reason. Finally, long after we started out, we made it back up the ramp to find that the huge line of people was gone. They had closed the ride. The CM apologized for the extended ride when we got back to the dock, although it wasn't really necessary. We made the best of it and were at least, well-rested upon our return.

    Now, for my favorite part of the day.

    We headed over to Coke Corner to meet some padders for the first time. We sat at a table for quite a while, staring at anyone who looked like they might be the folks were looking for. This turned out to be somewhat of a challenge, considering the crowds. We narrowed it down to about 5 tables. I looked at all of them, thinking things like, "What would a person who calls themselves "Dark Beer" look like?".

    Our blatent observing (staring) finally caught the eye of a couple of padders who graciously introduced themselves, Morigoon and LSPoorEyoric (hope I got that right!). They were extremely nice and introduced us to everyone including Mamabot, Monorail Man, and Dark Beer. We even got to meet Al Lutz, which was an unexpected treat. He seemed to be a really nice fellow and we had a nice conversation for a few minutes. We all made our way to Whitewater for lunch and it was great to get a chance to converse with some padders IRL. You all were really great and we enjoyed meeting you very much!

    Afterwards, we headed to Grizzly to cool off. Bad idea. The wait was 90 minutes and the fastpass return time was 6:30. We decided to pass, and instead, waited for an hour for California Screamin' which was exhilerating as always. After getting a free tortilla, we decided to head back to DL. We headed to the monorail station in DTD to avoid the entrance gate crowds and were surprised to find a very small line. Back in the park, we rode a few more attractions but the crowds were really getting large at this point. We decided that we had really done everything we set out to accomplish for the day and it was time to head back to the homestead. It was a great way to spend a Sunday.


  2. # ADS

    Join Date
    Location
    Posts
     

  3. #2
    Disneyland Demon! Lekta's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    1000Miles N of DL (16hrs)

    Sounds like a great day to me! Here's to hoping that the crowds thin out a bit by May!!


  4. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by MotorBoat Cruiser
    Our blatent observing (staring) finally caught the eye of a couple of padders who graciously introduced themselves, Morigoon and LSPoorEyoric (hope I got that right!). They were extremely nice and introduced us to everyone including Mamabot, Monorail Man, and Dark Beer. We even got to meet Al Lutz, which was an unexpected treat. He seemed to be a really nice fellow and we had a nice conversation for a few minutes. We all made our way to Whitewater for lunch and it was great to get a chance to converse with some padders IRL. You all were really great and we enjoyed meeting you very much!
    I guess I saw you when I was getting my mustard, then. I saw your group in Whitewater while I was eating on the outside patio with lisap and some friends that we were taking on their first trip to Disneyland, ever. Said hi to Ghoulish Delight and Morigoon, but I was only running on one cylinder. We did know that the park opened at 8am, so we left at 6:15am to get there in time.

    I went around with our friend's 13 year old son and little E and we were able to hit (over the course of the day)....Big Thunder (twice), Splash (twice), Pooh (twice), Star Tours, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, the Train, Gadget's Go Coaster, Mattherhorn, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, and Jungle Cruise, as well as shop, see the Parade and see Fantasmic. It was a tiring day.

    We also had a "turn on the lights" moment, on Splash. They were backing up the boats at the base of the last big hill so we were stuck in front of Brer Rabbit tied up with Fox heading for the ax. That get's annoying after the second time, we heard it at least 15 times. They turned on the lights but we never saw what the problem was.

    Classic comment of the day came from our friend's son as he, little E and I walked up to Pirates.

    Him: "What's this, is it a ride?"
    Me: "Yes, it's a boat type ride"
    Him "Wow, you know, that movie just came out, that's amazing."
    Me "what's amazing?"
    Him "that they have a ride already"
    Me "the ride came first"
    Him "oh"

  5. #4

    Aw, I just missed meeting you! Did you meet Ghoulish Delight at Whitewater? I wasn't hungry at that point, and had split off with others, listening to a choral group at Carnation and then singing like the birdies sing in the Tiki Room.

    I hope to bump into you another day!


  6. #5
    Heidi-a-dale
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    Not in Nottingham, USA.

    I missed meeting EandCDad/Lisa and I missed Jennie and Greg? Man, my timing just sucks. And the meeting that was the reason for my early departure was cancelled. Gah!

    It was lovely to meet the two of you, MBC; you're a delightful pair and I hope we'll be able to spend more time in the park soon.

    The noon meet was the highlight of my time in the park on Sunday, too (Discovering that they're beginning to make the cute retro shirts in my size was also a bright spot.)

    He sits alone on a giant throne pretending he's the king
    A little tyke who's rather like a puppet on a string
    Too late to be known as Bush the first, He's sure to be known as Bush the worst
    A pox on that phony (censored) (censored) (censored)!
    Kerry '04!

  7. #6

    Well, it was nice to see a lot of people, at the meet, and a few others said hello while in the park

    I stayed until Midnight, saw the 10:30 Fantasmic! (without the Mark Twain, due to timing issues), and then had a great last hour, they park stayed open an extra hour than scheduled, and got Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Mr. Toad, Alice and the Matterhorn all in the last hour.....

    Of course, before Fantasmic!, we HAD to eat some Lobster Nachos at the Cove Bar, and use our Soarin' FP's.....

    Also, had a chance to ride Pooh, and show a friend Max, Buff and Melvin... (They say hello to everyone...)

    Hope to see a lot of you next weekend......

    Check out my photos at http://darkbeer.smugmug.com

  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor
    Aw, I just missed meeting you! Did you meet Ghoulish Delight at Whitewater?
    I think we did see them sitting with that group, but were a little preoccupied with our lunch and the other ongoings.

    Sorry I missed you MBC!!!!!!!


  9. #8
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    Huntington Beach,Cali!

    Little did i know that everyone in the whole world from this website would be there !i was there as well, but didnt get into the park until 8:30!we went to the uva bar first and had dinner and then went into the park. wow considering that it was a sunday it was realllly crowded.first we went to btmrr, and it was closed then off to splash it was closed, then to hm which was a 45 min wait so we finally decided on pirates. got off pirates and went over to btmrr again to see if it was open and ahh it was, a good ride on that and it was already time for home! also a question when we were on the mickey parking level there were a bunch of very loud sirens going to the park and ambulances,when we were on the tram to the park they had the little side gate open that leads to the street and our tram stopped and an ambulance drove by with someone in it.. does anyone know what this was all about?

    <3 Nikki<3 Nikki<3 Nikki

  10. #9
    That'll Do Donkey
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
    Location
    Craps Table... come on 6 or 8!!
    Quote Originally Posted by HB Tigger Fan
    I think we did see them sitting with that group, but were a little preoccupied with our lunch and the other ongoings.

    Sorry I missed you MBC!!!!!!!
    Morrigoon and I ran into a few people I know and some I really haven't met. Given who was at the table (and the fact my memory seems to be failing me) I am thinking you are the blonde female at the other table correct? You guys should have joined us... we were having a blast and I am sure the CM's couldn't wait to have to move tables back into place.
    One "Original Six" arena down, 5 to go... look out Toronto!!

    Anyone for a nice waffle or donut this morning?
    "...and pray that there's intelligent life somewhere out in space, cuz there's bugger all down here on Earth." - Monty Python

  11. #10
    Registered User
    MousePad Subscriber
    cstephens's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
    Location
    Dystopia
    Blog Entries
    1

    The parks themselves seemed crowded, but not as packed as you'd think given the length of the entrance lines. When we went back into DL around 5pm, there was quite a bit of a wait. When we then left to go over to DCA for dinner, we noticed the DL entrance lines were into the middle of the esplanade, and the DCA entrance lines were each about 20 or 30 deep. We stood in line for a while, and then they happened to open up another line, so we jumped into that one.

    The only attraction we did all day was see the Magic of Brother Bear show. Wow, was that incredibly boring. No need to ever do that again.

    Please don't ask me how I feel, I feel fine.
    Oh I cry a bit, I don't sleep too good, but I'm fine


    Pancake, pancake, pancake, pancake, pancake, pancake, pancake, pancake, pancake...

  12. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Gauchograd99
    Given who was at the table (and the fact my memory seems to be failing me) I am thinking you are the blonde female at the other table correct?
    HB Tigger Fan, Ghoulish Delight, and Nirvana Man made up what I called "the white shirt brigade." I was in line to enter DL after lunch and I saw all three of them about two lines over and said to myself "well, I can't join them as I am wearing a blue shirt and they obviously have some sort of white shirt requirement."

    Quote Originally Posted by cstephens
    The only attraction we did all day was see the Magic of Brother Bear show. Wow, was that incredibly boring. No need to ever do that again.
    Amen.

  13. #12

    For the folks I missed meeting, my apologies. Hopefully we can meet at the pot luck.


  14. #13
    Insufferable Know-It-All
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
    Location
    Location: Location

    I like pie.

    The Constitution is there to PROTECT rights, not to take them away.

  15. #14

    What is your favorite flavor of pie, Morrigoon?


  16. #15
    From another lifetime lisap's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
    Location
    Sweet and spicy

    I was going to ask where CP was when I talked to GD, but we couldn't find a table indoors that fit everyone in our group, then I forgot. We had first tried Zocolo but the line to get in just to order was down the corridor. Aye Carumba! So some of us went there for dinner instead.


  17. #16
    Insufferable Know-It-All
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
    Location
    Location: Location

    Sorry I didn't get the chance to say hi to you Lisa! When I went outside, EandCDad was there and indicated you guys were with some non-padder guests, so I didn't wanna go back out and interrupt.

    The Constitution is there to PROTECT rights, not to take them away.

  18. #17
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Anchorage, Alaska
    Quote Originally Posted by Morrigoon
    Sorry I didn't get the chance to say hi to you Lisa! When I went outside, EandCDad was there and indicated you guys were with some non-padder guests, so I didn't wanna go back out and interrupt.
    Being new to the forum here (which I am enjoying, thank-you), I was just curious if us "padders" (can I call myself one yet, or do I have to go through a painful initiation to earn the names?) wear somekind of button or hat or secret handshake to identify each other at the parks? Just curious on how you'd find someone you've never met in a park that big?
    GO MARINERS!!!!!

    Yo ho Yo ho a pirates a life for me!

  19. #18
    Insufferable Know-It-All
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
    Location
    Location: Location

    Just look for a large group of dorks But seriously, the reason we can identify eachother is because many of us show up on a regular basis. The best way to "find" the padders is by going to the hub at noon on Sundays (right now being the obvious exception, since the hub is walled off). The meet is usually at the bench closest to the Goofy or White Rabbit statues - sometimes that means on the walkway from mainstreet, sometimes that means the path toward Frontierland, but generally around that area. You could also check Lashbear's padders pics page (link in his sig) and look for a few folks who say that they'll be there that week. Mind you, not all padders go to the meets any more. If you plan to go, best thing is to post a thread saying you'll be there and see who responds that they'll look for you. You can look them up on the padders pics page and then you'll have someone to watch for You can also tell people what you're going to be wearing, and the people coming to meet you will look out for ya. (Some of us have gotten quite adept at spotting people who are obviously looking for the group - not me, unfortunately )

    In general, if you just want to meet other APs (not necessarily or even primarily MPers), you could hang out around Rod at Coke Corner. All kinds of regulars either hang out or pass by there. The table pulled right up next to the piano is a sort of open-seating thing, the folks there will be glad to meet you. But again, that's not really pad-related.

    The Constitution is there to PROTECT rights, not to take them away.

  20. #19
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Anchorage, Alaska
    Quote Originally Posted by Morrigoon
    Just look for a large group of dorks

    But seriously, the reason we can identify eachother is because many of us show up on a regular basis. The best way to "find" the padders is by going to the hub at noon on Sundays.

    Hmmm, sounds like I'd fit right in.



    Thanks for the info Morrigoon. Next time I'm down (not till December), I'll try to meet up with a few of you!
    GO MARINERS!!!!!

    Yo ho Yo ho a pirates a life for me!

  21. #20

    Since the meets really aren't that regular anymore, and there are various groups that come and go seperately (there's plenty of splintering these days), I'd say the best bet for any newbies involves connecting with a padder or more before you meet IRL. PM a padder you admire, or look up their chat names (many padders use YahooIM). If they listed their chat names then they should be ok with you adding them to your buddy list. Getting to know padders via chat is fun, and it will clue you in to meets. Many times I decide spur of the moment to show up at the park, and I'll check chat to see if anyone I know is going.


  22. #21

    The park was crowded that day I dont like it when it is that busy. I was determined though to ride big thunder even though it broke down twice and was down two hours each time. Too bad I didn't know you guys were meeting at the coke corner.

    RCT 2 Disneyland's 50th Anniversary Edition. Thanks goes out to RCT Timeline for this 2005 update.
    http://superiorpcs.smugmug.com/gallery/153427

  23. #22

    It was a crazy day, begining at 9:30 am for us (OMG!). It's funny how certain things like a ride in the nose cone of the Monorail will motivate.

    We went to the River Belle around 10:45 for breakfast. MBC, you guys were probably gone. THen we just acted like slugs the rest of the day. We rode Pirates, spent too much time in the Tiki Room pre-show area (Dole Whip) before going inside, saw a acapella concert while looking at baby ducklings, rode the Mark Twain and then rode BTMRR. Then ate at the Tratoria at DCA.

    So, that was 10 hours at DL with a lot of sluggish behavior (on 4 hours of sleep).

    I'm sorry we missed all the people we missed. We did get with Morrigoon, Mamabot and company before the Twain and Kevy Baby found us then too.

    Spring break is over when? Believe starts when?????


  24. #23

    It was definitely busy. We took it slow, watched ducklings swim, hung out in the Tiki waiting area for two shows, ate slow meals, sat and talked in shady spots. We were at the park from 9:30am to 5pm-ish, and I think we only hit 5 attractions - Monorail, Tiki, BTM, Twain, and Pirates. We had fastpasses for BTM and Pirates, and we got on the Monorail in DTD first thing, so we really didn't wait in any lines.

    All in all we did a very good job of avoiding the crowds, and it really didn't affect my day adversely. I do admit that it's an AP treat to be able to waste time like that, however. I feel sorry for all the Spring Break tourists.


  25. #24

    As we wandered through the day encountering padder after, someone (I wish I remembered who) remarked, "Of course everyone's here - the pads down today." Truer words could not have been spoken.

    ****
    Cherchez Le Swank

  26. #25

    That's what I get when it takes me too long to write a post. Jinx, NA!


Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •