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View Full Version : We are home from 3days at DLR!..Trip report and my DCA opinion!



baileykat
12-19-2001, 02:10 PM
1st off..LAX turned out to be a breeze on Sat...landed walked off the plane..went straight down the stairs luggage was allready waiting on us..waited for parents..walked out and got right on rental car shuttle to rental place..took 5 mins to get car and we were gone!...INNERSPACEMAN..thanks for the fab directions..they were perfect! We were at our hotel (Tropicana Inn) in 35 mins!...ckd in..went to guest services to pick up sisters ticket, got passes and headed to DCA!..(here we go)...I was a little doubtful about it...(as you might remember I was the one who started that wonderful "DCA..Why did they buildit?") thread..but I swore I would keep an open mind...going in it looked ok..we went to the left and walked right on to Muppets..loved it..cause I love the muppets...then walked around to Award Wieners and got fries only...then walked back to Paradise Pier...skipped Tough Bug...rode Screamin..I loved it!...kids rode Triton thing..My 5 yr old wanted to ride the Sun Wheel..got a moving car..not as tame as it looks..but fun..also a bit chilly!..left to go to Rainforrest Cafe..dinner was ok...back to DCA for Light Parade..just like I remembered it from across the way...kids loved it!..then went to Soarin..10 min wait...it was awesome!!!!!! the cutest part was my 5 yr old riding with her hands in the air like she was on a coaster...overall ..we could just as easily have been at Six Flags or the like...I can see where everyone was coming from..it's not Disneyland..there were some Disney touches and Soarin is really cool...but I do agree it's a half day park!

Day 2 and 3 were spent at DL..Sunday was my daughters 5th bday..got her sticker..every CM told her happy bday and the characters were great to her...they sang Happy Bday to her at Haunted Mansion....Sunday was great...in the am we knocked out Fantasyland in 1 hour! Sunday PM was a little crowded..but still ok....it should be noted that I think my daugher set the record for number of hugs given to a single character in a weekend...every time we saw Pluto she mobbed him!!!!!!!!! but he was always great....
Day 3 was great (monday)..got early entry and walked onto SM, Indy...saw the parade and fireworks this day...awesome!!! and the snow!!!!...I cried!!!!!

Over all..our trip was great! The longest line we had was the Matterhorn on Sunday PM..waited like 25 mins!..not bad...we only Fastpassed 2 rides...Autopia and Small World....Day 3 we went back to DCA for a couple of hours..we had missed the Monsters Inc show..saw that and rode Screamin again..and Mailboomer and Soarin...It was a perfect weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

we rode everything except the Columbia and Jungle Cruise(cause it was closed!)..and Roger Rabbitt ride!..we even did Mr LIncoln..that was cool..like when he blows in your ear!
My 4 okay now she's 5 rode everything but Indy (she was too short!) She loved SPace Mountain!

Tuesday followed those great directions again back to LAX to come home...we left the hotel at 7:15..got to the airport in 45 mins!!! Security at airport sucked...1 hour in line to ck in! but ok after that!!!!!

I just have one question......"what is that awful smell coming out of the 1st restaurant in DCA..is that supposed to be a coffee smell..it just smelled like burnt microwave popcorn......ugghhh!!"

mad4mky
12-19-2001, 02:32 PM
I have been to DCA several times (3 different trips)...it ALWAYS smells like that. Burnt coffee....
I don't drink coffee...can't stand the taste of it. But I usually love the smell of it...

That, ewwww....is all I can say. Ick:(

OH, and I'm glad you guys had such a good time. Isn't Disneyland wonderful with your kids?

innerSpaceman
12-19-2001, 04:28 PM
Hey Baileykat, glad you had a cool time at DLR! You did seem to keep an open mind about DCA and noticed that there are indeed some fun things there. Is that awful smell you mentioned coming from the Soap Opera Bistro? I always notice a weird smell eminating from that restaurant and so I will never eat there.

Glad my road directions came in handy. Visit us again soon!

baileykat
12-19-2001, 05:10 PM
no...it was from I think the ..well can't remember the name but it was the one shaped like a train...ugghh...it was in my hair, that smell, and my coat still smells like it!...we watched the ELP right in front of it so we got a great whif!..DCA was good...we did have fun...more than I thought we would..but we reall y didin't do much...but did do all we wanted....I coulda just rode Screamin and Soarin and been happy all the way home!!!...I think it's the music on Screamin that makes it so cool!!!...we did have music...but sadly NO music on Space Mountain! I was not happy!

MammaSilva
12-19-2001, 06:53 PM
that train thing always 'smells' like burnt coffee to me :( and I agree the couple times we have past the Soap Opera Bistro it 'smelled' so no stops there either :(

Briarose710
12-19-2001, 09:00 PM
u actally get used to that smell after awhile..or maybe aftert enough shift int he toystore you just get used to ie......i've ben told what happens is someone at the bakey spills coffee on a burner or something and it jsut reeks....its comeing from bakersfield Bakery/Burr-bank ace cream right??

MickeyD
12-19-2001, 09:37 PM
It seems to me we've been through this once before and the smell is intentional. Anyone remember?

Nigel2
12-19-2001, 09:39 PM
You know what the burnt coffee smell comes from? The roasting machine in the Zeypher. It looks like its real, I have seen many small ones just like it.

baileykat
12-20-2001, 04:06 AM
It's an intentional smell...while we were waiting on the ELP you could see the steam come out of the smoke stack at certain intervals...it doesn't come out all the time...and right after the steam came out..uggh..their came the smell...i just don't see how it can be coffee...whoever thought that up had a good idea just a bad nose!

Nigel2
12-20-2001, 09:41 PM
Hmmm, really? Why would they put a smokestack on a zeypher? Or do Zeyphers have smokestacks? I guess that's another strike against them for realism.