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TrekkieDad
02-14-2005, 07:46 PM
Geez, I haven't even unpacked yet! And since I have to work in the daytime, it may take a while to get it all reported, before I start to forget when we did what.

Day 1: Driving in the rain

Not much to say about the drive until we hit rain at Tejon Pass. We left Frazier Park at about 5:30 when the rain started. From Castaic to the Orange County line, there was heavy traffic, and we didn't arrive at the DLH until after 8:00. Went we checked in the CM said she needed to check on something and then disappeared with my driver's license for about 5 minutes. Finally, when she came back, she said she wanted to make sure we got a room with two queen beds. And the room--it was on the tenth floor of the Marina Tower overlooking the pool.

At about 9:30, we were in our rain gear riding the Monorail into the park. First stop: Indy--no waiting in standby--future. Still couldn't find "Bones"--more about him later. Then we went to Pirates and HM--and again, no waiting at all. Then it was Pinocchio, Snow, Toad, and Peter Pan, before walking down Main Street and loading up on candy to take back to the DLH. The rain was steady but not soaking. The worst was stepping in puddles in the dark. I set up the laptop and logged in, changed my sig, and sent a few messages. DW unpacked. It was a great start.

TrekkieDad
02-14-2005, 10:36 PM
Here are some photos (http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=x2uiiyq.drk3prq&x=0&h=1&y=lfizgy) from the trip. (I'm still a little new at Easyshare and Ofoto, so bear with me.)

rentayenta
02-15-2005, 12:19 AM
Thanks for sharing the photos TrekkieDad :)

The view from your room is awesome! What kind of candy did you get?

3894
02-15-2005, 05:20 AM
walking down Main Street and loading up on candy to take back to the DLH.

Nicely done!

disneyhound
02-15-2005, 06:38 AM
Thanks Trekkiedad, now day two please... ;)

Raven
02-15-2005, 07:01 AM
I love the photos...ok, lets hear the rest of the report!

Earkid
02-15-2005, 08:23 AM
During our lunch together we were talking about all the special touches in your room at the DLH. Thanks for talking pics of it all. Great view!

Keep 'em coming.

Shortiemetoo
02-15-2005, 08:54 AM
Awesome pictures! Boy has the Disneyland hotel changed since I stayed there eons ago!!! Thank you for the report...looking forward to more!

TrekkieDad
02-16-2005, 06:28 AM
Thanks for sharing the photos TrekkieDad :)

The view from your room is awesome! What kind of candy did you get?
Malted milk balls, gummies, and our all-time favorite: peanut brittle!

TrekkieDad
02-16-2005, 06:53 AM
Got up in time to wait in line for the park to open at the main entrance--gate 13. They let us in at 8 and we headed straight for Indy--future again, still couldn't find "Bones." Then we walked right into Pirates and then stopped for breakfast at River Belle. I had the Mickey pancake, DW had eggs sausage and potatoes. We ate inside, as it was still drizzling. Tables were hard to come by, so we shared with some teenagers who ate very quickly.

Then we went over and rode Pooh. I waited too long to look for Max, Melvin, and Buff, so I didn't see them.

We headed over to DCA before 10 and immediately rode Soarin'. After that we strolled through looking at all the Mickeys. We got all the way to Mulholland Madness, walking right on. We were in the CHP car with someone else's kids. On the big drop, I lost my hat. I reported it to the CM, and she said to go to Lost and Found to retrieve it after 9 the next day, as they couldn't go get it while the ride was running.

Then we worked our way back to the Animation building and watched "Drawn" with the Mushu and the "live animator". By now it was 11:30 and time to head back to DL for our meeting. We worked our way up Main Street and arrived a few minutes early. The corn dog wagon was closed. I saw Kevin sitting on a bench, but of course I didn't recognize him. A few minutes later, Earkid appeared, looked directly at me and said, "TrekkieDad!" We hugged like old friends.

A few minutes later, Surfingstitch and his girlfriend showed up. If he was shy, she was a shrinking violet. What they said can be read in Earkid's report. I sensed SS and gf weren't interested in future meetings, so I didn't propose any. On the other hand, the remaining four went to Redd Rocket's for lunch, before Earkid and Kevin had to hit the road. It was a lively conversation.

Gotta go to work. More about this day later. (It was a long and fun one!)

CrazyTrain
02-16-2005, 07:00 AM
Loving the report so far, trekkiedad! Keep it up!
Wish I coulda met up with you all on Saturday!

Hakuna Makarla
02-16-2005, 07:57 AM
Thank you so much!! I enjoyed it and if you have morepics bring them on!! you took pictures I have not see before, I liked them!!

QueenAlisha
02-16-2005, 10:40 AM
i forgot about the meetup, i enven made a comment about it the day before! glad you guys had a good time, maybe in may...

TrekkieDad
02-16-2005, 07:41 PM
Thank you so much!! I enjoyed it and if you have morepics bring them on!! you took pictures I have not see before, I liked them!!
There are more, most are shots of Storybookland; others just didn't come out well. I'll consider posting more after I've finished reporting.

disney jones
02-16-2005, 07:44 PM
great report and pictures so far - keep it coming!

CoasterChickie
02-16-2005, 07:48 PM
Hey Trekkiedad...


What? No bicycle crash? No carpenter ants?

Where is the excitement in this story? ;) j/k


Sounds great so far!!! :)


PS I really like your photo of the Matterhorn!!!!

TrekkieDad
02-16-2005, 08:05 PM
So we went to Star Tours right after lunch. We walked on just as they were loading. Then we went over to the Matterhorn (east side, our favorite), followed by Small World. DW had me take several pictures of the topiary moose to show her boss at the nursery where she works. Then went back to our room at the DH to rest. I went online.

We had dinner reservations at Yamabuki. Dinner was good, though a bit pricey. Yakitori, California rolls, tempura, rice and fish (salmon for me, cod for DW), followed by a shared dessert of red bean ice cream. Then we walked through the GCH and back into DL. First stop: Great moments with Mr. Lincoln. We wanted to see it before it goes away--some say for good. Things are starting to blur now, but I know we were in ToonTown when the go coaster record was being broken. We rode RR after walking the entire empty queue. The ride stopped at the very end, so we didn't have far to walk out.

By the time we got back to Fantasyland, most of the stroller crowd had gone, so we did Peter and Alice. (Some time earlier we rode the teacups, it's all getting to be a blur.) And I think we finished it off with Big Thunder--that's right--during Fantasmic!, I think.) It was a long and satisfying day.

TrekkieDad
02-17-2005, 09:57 PM
Today I resolved to take in a couple of shows. But first, it was another early start. This time we entered the park on the monorail. (I think it was the second one of the day.) Anyway, we got off the monorail to find virtually no one in line on either side of the Matterhorn, so we rode both sides, one after the other. That's the best way to compare. And we still like the east side better. It just seems a little faster, and it has that nice dip. The west is nice for a change, though.

Since no one was in Fantasyland yet, we rode a few of our old favorites, and we even did the canal boats, a ride we had not done in years. When did Aladdin move in? It was still early, so it was over to Big Thunder. We asked for the back seat, and I have to say it is there you get the full effect of the goat trick. I also spotted the hidden Mickey at the base of the second hill.

Then we decided to ride the Monorail back to the Rainforest Cafe for breakfast. I ordered the "Pie of the Viper" which turned out to be enough for two.

Then we walked into DCA by way of the GCH. The CMs were telling people that only guests staying on property could enter that way. (I know there's a sign there, but most of the time it's not enforced.) No problem--I flashed our room key. The line was short at Soarin', so of course, we had to ride. Next, with few words, we headed directly for the Tower of Terror. We'd only ridden it twice at Disney MGM, and kept avoiding it at DCA. But now was the time.

Drop rides are not my favorite, but this one is kind of fun. There seemed to be no way of predicting just when we'd be pulled down the shaft. I simply lost count of the number of times. DW bought a picture so she could prove to our kids that we rode it.

After our encounter in the Twilight Zone, we walked all the way to the Snow White show. On the way, I stopped at lost and found and retrieved my hat that I had lost the day before. We got to the show 30 minutes early and got some pretty decent seats about half way back next to the aisle. And it let out in plenty of time to make it to the Blue Bayou for lunch. I had the Portobello mushrooms and DW had a Monte Cristo. All the times she had eaten there before and she'd never had one. She said the blackberry jam made it. We didn't have quite enough time to ride the Jungle Cruise before lunch, so we rode it after lunch.

Then we split up. DW didn't want to get wet, so she headed to Dept 56 for some shopping, and I got a singles pass for GRR. On the same raft were a couple that didn't speak much English and a family of four who had ridden it several times in the rain on Friday. ("We were already wet, so what did it matter?") They were a blast to ride with--very much into the experience.

Then I went directly back to our room to get out of my wet clothes. DW wasn't there yet, so I changed and took some photos of the room and the view. Then I called my son in Riverside and tried to talk him into meeting us for dinner. No deal. While I was on the phone, DW arrived with her purchases from Dept 56.

We chilled until it was time to walk over to the Aladdin show. We ended up in the front row of the balcony. The show had changed a little since we had last seen it (mostly Genie's jokes), and a technical glitch stopped the show for about 5 minutes just at the end of the magic carpet ride. Otherwise, it was flawless.

Now for dinner. We still hadn't had the corn dogs Earkid raves about, so we gave them a try at the place in DCA. (Don't tell my doctor!) We sat on the bench and listened to the music in Paradise Pier. Then we went into Golden Dreams and stuck around for the Electrical Parade.

After the Parade, it was back into Disneyland. People were streaming out from the Fantasmic show, so we worked our way to Indy and used the fastpasses we had picked up earlier. This time we were seated in the back on the left and we finally spotted "Bones"! He's a skeleton wearing mouse ears that you can only see if you look behind you when you first enter the skeleton room. It's very dark, and he's hard to spot. I was so pumped up from finally spotting "Bones" that I left my hat in the car. Damn! That's the second time I've lost it on this trip! :mad:

Then we went for a second visit to the Haunted Mansion. We purposely left the stretch room last so we could linger and examine the portraits more closely. The ride itself is looking pretty good, though DW missed seeing Zero. I didn't see the wires holding up Leota, but I was more interested in her face. We did spot the spider that Earkid had told us about. And the ghost with the long beard followed us home.

Then we stopped at the churro cart (Good thing Dr. Paul isn't a padder) outside the mansion just as the second showing of Fantasmic was about to begin. But we weren't interested in the show. Instead we walked onto Big Thunder again and sat in the back again. It's even better at night.

Then it was one more time on the Matterhorn (Hey, the line is short!), before taking one of the last Monorails back to the DLH. We stepped into our elevator just as the park was closing.

The next day we would be heading home :sigh:

Hawaiian Cinderella
02-18-2005, 10:21 AM
I'm REALLY enjoying your report!!!...

Shortiemetoo
02-18-2005, 11:31 AM
Wow, what a wonderful trip! I'm sorry you lost your hat again, did you get it back this time?

rentayenta
02-18-2005, 11:57 AM
Since no one was in Fantasyland yet, we rode a few of our old favorites, and we even did the canal boats, a ride we had not done in years. When did Aladdin move in? It was still early, so it was over to Big Thunder. We asked for the back seat, and I have to say it is there you get the full effect of the goat trick. I also spotted the hidden Mickey at the base of the second hill.

I thought the same thing when I saw Aladdin. Your report is great!

You are going to give Dr. Paul an attack with all the corn dogs and churros ;)

TrekkieDad
02-18-2005, 04:06 PM
Wow, what a wonderful trip! I'm sorry you lost your hat again, did you get it back this time?
Believe it or not, it's on the way!

TrekkieDad
02-18-2005, 04:09 PM
You are going to give Dr. Paul an attack with all the corn dogs and churros ;)
One corn dog and one churro. Sheesh!

Earkid
02-18-2005, 04:12 PM
Well, so how did you like the corn dog?

TrekkieDad
02-18-2005, 04:24 PM
Well, so how did you like the corn dog?
That thing was huge. I'm not sure which was eating and which was being eaten.
Tasted good, but I'm not jonesing for another, like some people I know. ;)