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CoasterChickie
04-05-2005, 09:21 AM
Let me begin by saying that we had an awesome time from start to finsh!! :fez:

Our trip began with my DD and I flying out of SF at 5 pm Friday night. We flew on United Airlines which I must say I prefer to Southwest as the pilots seem to do smoother take offs and landings. We sat on the left side of the plane so we had a great view of the California coastline all the way down and could see the DLR all lit up at sunset as we were flying into Orange County.

We retreived our luggage, walked out the door to ground transportation and were on the Super Shuttle in no time. (No reservations were necessary and it was $10 each for one way.) We had a great time chatting with a family from Seattle so the drive to the hotel went quickly.


We stayed at the Hawthorn Suites in Orange. The lobby was very nice as were the restaurant and pool area. There are different types of suites...we had the kind with a king size bed in one room and a queen pull-out bed and kitchenette in the other. The staff there was awesome, ESPECIALLY the shuttle driver. We pretty much had our own private chauffer both nights and he was very nice , friendly and prompt!

We got to DL at 8 pm , but weren't planning to meet Karla till 9 pm at the hub, so we took our time strolling down Main Street. We were hungry so we got some veggies with ranch dressing. Then I got my DD her first corn dog. She LOVED it and probably would have eaten the whole thing , but was nice enough to share with me!! :)

It was finally time to meet Karla. We waited on the Walt side of the hub for about 5 minutes. Then I said "Wouldn't it be funny if she is on the other side and we're just not seeing her?" So we walked around and there she was in her flannel shirt which she'd told me she'd be wearing. We gave each other a big hug and she hugged my DD too. I've only known Karla since July when we "met" on MP, but finally meeting her in person was like having a reunion with a best friend I've known my whole life. She is adorable. She has short curly hair, big brown eyes, a button nose, and a great big smile. And she looks young! Her personality is exactly like you'd expect...she is just like she is online. She was very kind to my DD and made her feel comfortable right away too.

We chatted for about 20 minutes and then the fireworks started. They didn't last as long as the holiday fireworks and there was no snow, but they were still pretty good and so was the music. We're easy to please!! :)

When they ended , we decided to go on the Matterhorn. I have no idea how long we waited because we were talking so much that the time went by quickly. Once we were on the ride , I was cracking up because Karla kept screaming "Holy Cow!" and "Ugh, oh, ugh , DOH" and bouncing all over the place. (LOL) She made me think of a pinball machine!!


We went to IASW after that and got on a boat right away. There was a family from Alaska on with us and the dad was hilarious. He made the ride even more fun than usual. And Karla's expression on her face was priceless.

Next we went on BTMRR. Everyone seemed to be watching Fantasmic, so we were able to walk right on the ride. Again, Karla was hilarious yelling "Holy Cow" and "Whoa." Right when we got off she said "Let's go again" so we did. She made us all close our eyes for the second half of the ride to make it scarier!


It was getting late so we headed back to the hub and sat on a bench and had soda and popcorn. It was getting cold too, so Karla was very sweet and loaned her sweater to my DD. We walked out to the shuttle stop and said our goodbyes for the evening. I wish our driver could have given Karla a ride to her hotel as I could tell she was exhausted from her long day of traveling, the time change and her first day in Anaheim.

All this time my sister, nephew and niece had been driving from San Ramon, but they were asleep in the bed when we got back to the hotel. I couldn't sleep at all that night because I was too wound up and I wasn't comfortable. The one drawback to the Hawthorn Suites is that the beds are hard as a rock , the pillows are really thin, and so are the covers. If I stayed there again I would take my own pillow and blanket.


To be continued.......

JosieGirl71
04-05-2005, 09:26 AM
Keep it coming... I am anxiously awaiting more installments! :D

ima_mickeyfan
04-05-2005, 09:35 AM
sounds like you started your trip off on a happy note, keep the report comming, love to hear more!

SallySkellington
04-05-2005, 09:41 AM
More! We want to hear more! :D

sunfun94
04-05-2005, 09:45 AM
ditto!! :D

rentayenta
04-05-2005, 10:01 AM
Love it!!! Keep going.................

Crazy4DL
04-05-2005, 10:12 AM
ditto to all the above post! really fun reading! thanks for taking the time to post it all. :)

CoasterChickie
04-05-2005, 10:29 AM
Okay, I'm back. I had to take a break for water. I'm kind of sunburned and very dehydrated right now. I've also had a sinus headache and stomach ache all weekend , but I still had a blast on this trip!!!



Day 2

My nephew and niece were up at the crack of dawn ready to go to DL. They got dressed in about 2 seconds flat. The rest of us were a little slower. We got all ready to go, had the free breakfast in the restaurant which was pretty good, then drove over to DL in my sister's car. We got a great spot on the Daisy level of the parking garage right next to the escalator.

There was a huge line for the tram so we walked along the path instead to get to the main gate. There was also a long line to get into the park. Once inside, we had our picture taken by a CM with the castle in the background. Then I told my sister we were going to get a locker and would be right back. We were gone less than 2 minutes and she disappeared with her kids. We looked around for her and decided she must have gone to the hub to meet Karla and Mukta, but none of them were there. It turned out my sister had gone to get a coffee then headed down to Fantasyland to meet us but we never saw her again until that night at 6 pm even though we kept calling each other on our cell phones every hour. (Note to everyone...it is nearly impossible to hear cell phones ringing in the parks due to all the noise. Be sure to use the buzzing feature on your phone if it has one) So we had already agreed beforehand that she was going to do her thing with her kids and I was going to do my thing with my DD and friends, but it still would have been nice to have gone on a few rides together early in the day! :crying:


Luckily, I was able to get hold of Karla and Mukta and they were already in line for Peter Pan. I had the pleasure of meeting Mukta on my last trip, but my dd had not and was really looking forward to it. Mukta is very small and my dd is very tall so they were just about the same height. Mukta was like a very loving older sister to my dd from the moment they met so my dd just adores her now!!! :)

We rode Peter Pan and then headed over to the Alice in Wonderland ride (and had flashbacks of being wedged into that ride by the CM a couple weeks ago!) Well this time we had the "pleasure" of breaking down halfway through the ride. I thought we were going to get to walk through the entire length of the ride which would have been cool, but instead we were taken through a door, through a workroom and out a door right next to the princess bathroom.
Oh well, I had to use the restroom anyways!

Next we headed over to POTC where we saw a guy with a very cool mohawk standing in line. I've always wondered how someone can make his hair stand up like that and he said he used Elmer Glue! Karla also complimented him on his earrings. I love that DL is such a people watching place and you can always learn something new! :)


Next we rode HM...my dd made up her own lyrics to the "Hurry Back" song. She sang "Hurry ba-ack, first get sna-acks." We were all starting to get hungry , but we went on Winnie the Pooh and then single rider on Splash. We also rode on the top level of the Mark Twain.

By that time we were all starving and lunch wasn't for another hour so we went and got our first Dole Whips. Oh my gosh....those things are THE BEST!!!! Two of us had the whips and two of us had the floats! Yum Yum!!!
Having those made the Tiki Room experience all the better!!!!


We killed a little more time looking around in shops, then headed over to the Blue Bayou where we met Darkbeer and Deogge'smom for lunch....

Speaking of lunch, I'm starving right now. I'm gonna go get something to eat. Be back in a while....

Mommy2NicknMax
04-05-2005, 10:43 AM
Great trip report! Can't wait to hear more. :)

yellowrosedtxn
04-05-2005, 10:49 AM
Thank you for this trip report. I am enjoying it a LOT!

Hakuna Makarla
04-05-2005, 10:59 AM
omGoodness what a wonderful trip report!! I am going to let you tell it ok, you are so much better and well I tend toforget things :) those dole whips were awsome!! I wish I had one right now!! we had a great time on all the rides and the haunted mansion was so cute! its a small world had me singing all night long , I was sick of the song by midnight going thru my head LOL!

Deogge's Mom
04-05-2005, 11:50 AM
Darkbeer and I missed out on alot by not getting there earilier, didn't we?

No wonder Karla was so tired by the time we stopped for dinner Saturday evening.

I want to hear more, even though I was there, it's interesting to get another perspective.

Karla is just as CC described her. Now we just need to convince her to let Darkbeer post a picture or two.

Hakuna Makarla
04-05-2005, 11:53 AM
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ! No pictures you promised :) Yep we did have a great time did we not! I had more fun on this trip then I have my whole life!! Nopw you need to write a report Lisa!!

mystycalchyk
04-05-2005, 11:56 AM
[snip]
...a guy with a very cool mohawk standing in line. I've always wondered how someone can make his hair stand up like that and he said he used Elmer Glue!


I used to just use really stiff gel and lots of spray ;) never did the glue thing.

Mine was only 6 inches high though so gel and spray did the trick for me just fine

CoasterChickie
04-05-2005, 12:02 PM
I am going to let you tell it ok, you are so much better and well I tend to forget things :) It's a small world had me singing all night long , I was sick of the song by midnight going thru my head LOL!


LOL

Well look who's up and out of bed. I thought you'd be still be sleeping after our jamm packed weekend.

I'm telling what we did through my eyes, but feel free to jump in any time and add your version of it.

I forgot to mention that when we got on IASW, the CM told Karla to get in row 4 with my dd and me but instead she got in row 5 with another lady and her niece! ( LOL ) I said "Don't worry she won't bite, and the husband leaned forward and said "Yeah, but will she lick?!" :eek: It took me a moment to get that he was being funny then I lol'd. Then he said something like "So, it REALLY is a small world, do you think we know any of the same people?" And we told him we'd all just met in person for the first time and that we knew eachother from the internet. (Someone I know hates it when I tell people that!! ;) )

So back to the Blue Bayou....We went through all the hugs and introductions and got seated pretty quickly. We weren't right next to the water , but there was only one row of tables between us and the water so we were all happy. We had a great waiter and busboys. Everyone liked what they ordered. I even had a bite of Darkbeer's monte cristo and liked it, but I would still never order a whole one...it's just too sweet for me. We were there for about an hour having a nice conversation, getting to know everyone better and telling some good jokes.

Now it was time to use our fast passes for Indiana Jones. Mukta was our tour guide explaining the premise of the ride to us since some of us have never bothered to pay attention to the black and white film. ;) She also encouraged us all to act overdramatic during the spider part and the dart part. After the ride we hung out for a while in the shade of the Tarzan tree while Darkbeer took pictures of the rennovations that are going on with the Jungle Cruise. It was weird to see how deep that water usually is and the alligator up on the rock looked very unusual. A very kind CM told us what they're improving , what they're getting rid of, and what they're adding. It sounds like it 's going to be really neat!!!


Darkbeer had also been kind enough to get us all fast passes for the Buzz Lightyear ride, but in the meantime we went on Star Tours. I was so glad that we got the front row because it's the best. Mukta and I both told Karla to keep her feet off the ground and not hang onto anything during the ride. It was hilarious. She looked like she was trying to surf or something!! (LOL)
Here's another thing I learned on this trip...Mukta said "That's the voice of Pee Wee Herman in the robot!" I can't believe I had never realized that.

After Star Tours, we walked over to HISTA. My dd and I aren't crazy about that ride so we decided to take a break and I let her play Dance Dance Revolution while the others were inside. She got a pretty good score on it.


When the gang came out of HISTA we decided to go over to the Golden Horseshoe and see Billy Hill and the Hillbillies because Karla loves country music and we knew she would get a kick out of it. We got a table off to the side , but pretty close to the stage. The audience was really rowdy which made the show even better. Some of us had treats during the show and I now know that I definitely do not like funnel cakes....nastiest thing ever!!!

Finally it was time for the Buzz Lightyear ride. It is so much fun every time. The ride stopped when our car was directly in front of the easiest targets so I got a score of 180,00! Yeah!! I don't remember what Karla scored.

By this time, it was after 5 pm so we started heading out of DL into DTD. I wanted to get the photo from earlier and my things out of the locker so Karla went with me and the other 4 were going to take the monorail. We were supposed to meet my sister and kids at the Rainforest Cafe at 6 pm and we didn't want to miss her. While we were waiting for her who should come along but Marox and her family. That was really fun bumping into her and introducing her to a few more padders she hadn't met. Then my sister and kids arrived so she got to meet them too. There had been a little mixup with our reservation at the Rainforest Cafe so unfortunately we didn't get to eat there. But the wait everywhere else was too long so we decided to go to the Lost Bar since you can get drinks, appetizers, meals, etc. there. The only problem was we never really had a server wait on us so we all kept having to run around to get our own food and drinks from this place and that place. It was pretty haphazard, but eventually everyone had what they wanted.


My dd, nephew and niece were having a ball driving the little boats outside in the little lagoon. And my dd was thrilled because she met some other nice kids her own age. It was very easy to see them all from where we were sitting.

There was a musician singing and playing the guitar and it was a little disconcerting because he kept walking up to our table and standing right there. I finally decided to get up and dance instead of sitting there. I convinced Deogge's mom to join me , but Karla and Mukta wouldn't budge from their seats. Pretty soon my daughter and niece came inside and danced with me. Then a high school girls' volleyball team showed up and started dancing. They were a lot of fun to watch. They did a conga line at one point so DM and I joined them. I hear there are some pictures of that night floating around somewhere. If Karla posts the one of me doing my signature dance move for her, I might just have to break down and post her TOT or Screamin picture!!! :~D

After the Lost Bar, Karla was beat so Mukta drove her back to her hotel. The kids were dying to go on more rides so we walked over to the monorail station and got in the back seat. I think I like the back seat even better than the front seat. When we got off in Tomorrowland we went straight to the Buzz Lightyear ride again. My nephew and niece absolutely loved it. Then my nephew found a great toy in the gift shop and once my sister had bought it he decided he was ready to go home. My dd was still hoping to go on more rides, and between the last trip and this trip, I've gotten to know Darkbeer and DM pretty well so I let her stay with them in the park a little longer while I helped my sister back to her car and the hotel with her kids. In the hour I was gone, my dd had a great time gong on 4 more rides. I met DB, DM, and my dd back at the hub at 11 pm and my dd and I said goodbye for the evening.

All in all, Saturday was a wonderfully exhausting day. When we got back to the hotel my sister's husband had arrived so her family all slept in the king bed and my dd and I slept in the queen bed. We all slept like logs!!! :)

rentayenta
04-05-2005, 12:08 PM
(Someone I know hates it when I tell people that!! ;) )






That would be me :D



I love the report! I wish I could have been there :crying:

Susan L
04-05-2005, 12:11 PM
Great report so far. Sounds like you all had a great time.

Hakuna Makarla
04-05-2005, 12:23 PM
Finally it was time for the Buzz Lightyear ride. It is so much fun every time. The ride stopped when our car was directly in front of the easiest targets so I got a score of 180,00! Yeah!! I don't remember what Karla scored.

ummm I scored 400 LOL! yes that would be 400 points LOL!

I finally decided to get up and dance instead of sitting there. I convinced Deogge's mom to join me , but Karla and Mukta wouldn't budge from their seats.

Pssst ... I was to woozy from the drinks to dance LOL!


I hear there are some pictures of that night floating around somewhere. If Karla posts the one of me doing my signature dance move for her, I might just have to break down and post her TOT or Screamin picture!!! :~D

I will never never show them muawauaaaaaaaaa ! but again you better not show mine!!!

disneyperson
04-05-2005, 12:27 PM
I'm gald you had a great time. Did I read that you just had your very first Dole Whip? :eek:

SCUBAbe
04-05-2005, 12:37 PM
I'm gald you had a great time. Did I read that you just had your very first Dole Whip? :eek:

I've never had one either, but thats on the end of ny to do list. i passed by them and saw people eating them, but they dodn't look that appealing to me. we had a grand gibson instead...LOL

jennia
04-05-2005, 12:52 PM
The trip sounds like a lot of fun! i'm looking forward to more of your "report"!!

CoasterChickie
04-05-2005, 02:00 PM
Sunday


I have no idea what time it was when we woke up because the curtains were shut so the room was realy dark, and we'd just had the time change of one hour. My niece had a light up toy in each hand and was dancing and saying "I'm an acrobat in a circus." My nephew had his new Buzzz Lightyear toy and was doing what he called "surgery" on my toe that was sticking out of the covers. We all started waking up at that point and getting ready for the day. My BIL went downstairs and brought back two huge plates of food from the complimentary buffet so we could eat in the room . Then he drove my dd and I over to the DLH where we all planned to stay that night. We never saw them again till after midnight, but they said they had a great time the entire day and the highlight was the birthday dinner for my niece at Goofy's Kitchen where Aladdin had spent a long time visiting with her. My niece and nephew also loved taking their baths that night with the Mickey Mouse soap!!!


My dd and I had gotten to the DLH fairly early and there was a long line at the front desk so we left our bags at the bellhop station and decided to check in later. It was kind of cold that morning and we were in tank tops so we stopped at the Emporium and bought t-shirts. Hers is black with sparkles and has a DCA design on it. Mine is a dusty blue color with Sleeping Beauty on it. We went inside DCA and a CM took our picture in front of the Golden Gate Bridge.


We only planned to do a couple of rides right then so she chose California Screamin' and the carousel. Then we went by the Grizzly and got fast passes and took the shortcut through the Grand Californian to get back to the DLH. There was still a long line to check in but we just waited patiently. We asked if we could have a room in the Sierra Tower and at first there wasn't one available, but then the CM asked for us and we got one on the 3rd floor facing DTD. YAY!! We got up to the the room and the keys didn't work so we called down to the front desk and they sent a security guard up right away. We also called for our luggage and the bell hop brought it right away. I have never had anything but excellent service at the DLH. My dd and I were on the nice comfy beds and pillows going "Ahhhh" when I sudenly realized that it was 1 pm and we were supposed to be in the park meeting everyone.

I called Karla then Deogge'smom called me and we all agreed to meet in front of the TOT in 15 minutes. Darkbeer ws there too and then kmatsamura joined us. I felt so bad for her because it was obvious that she felt really sick but she really wanted to meet Karla.

We all got fast passes for the TOT then went down and got seats for the DUH show. I went down to the Schmoozies on the corner and got my dd a smoothie..I tried a sip of it and it was delicious. The DUH show was great. Most of us had never seen it and we really enjoyed it.

Then we went on the TOT. Karla was so funny...she had that moment like I did the first time of thinking "I don't wanna go on this." But I told her that since she was the reason I got up the courage to go the first time, she needed to go this time. My dd and I were thrilled because we saw Ellen who is our favorite CM on TOT!! Karla was screaming and hollering so loud on the ride!!! The picture is hilarious! She says she was crying but it sure looks like she's laughing to me!!Her hands were shaking for about 5 minutes afterward.

We headed toward the Golden Gate Bridge to meet Mukta and practically bumped into her walking our way. Everyone was hungry so some of the gals stopped at the Brrrbank and got ice cream cones and the rest of us got food at the Taste Pilot's Grill. I love their popcorn chicken salad and my daughter loves their kids meals that come in the cute little lunchboxes.

Some people wanted to go to the Cove Bar right after that , but the rest of us went and saw It's Tough to be a Bug. That is the neatest show , but really and truly not aprropriate for some little kids. They get really scared during some scenes, especially the hornet stinging one. But some other little kids love it and it's always fun to see and hear how people react at the end of the show. :D

It was after 4 so we headed over to the Cove Bar. I made a pact with my dd before we went that if she was bored or it seemed inappropriate for her to be there we would leave and go on rides instead. Crazy Train was there when we arrived and my dd really enjoyed meeting her too. She sat between her and Mukta and drew pictures of both of them.We ordered a few different appetizers. The lobster nachos were great and the spinach dip looked really good too. My dd was bored after about an hour and DM offered to go on Mulholland Madness with her. I was really glad because it's my dd's favorite ride and it scares the heck out of me! DM was very good with my nephew, niece and dd...I think she would make a great mom!! :)

We had a reservation for Ariel's Grotto at 6pm. We thought everyone including my dd had decided not to go and do the Grizzly River Run right then so we cancelled the reservation. Then we found out my dd had thought we were going to go on the GRR after dinner, so she had a little melt down. I have to give kudos to each and every one of my friends and the CM's because they were really great to her when this happened.

Darkbeer checked with the CM who had been handling the reservation and was able to take her downstairs right away to have her picture taken with Donald who is her favorite character. She also had her picture taken with Mickey. And the CM told me we could come back at 7:30 to eat since she had one table left. ;) Everyone was so patient and kind during the time this took.


Speaking of time....I need to go pick up my kids from school. I'l be back.......

Hakuna Makarla
04-05-2005, 02:01 PM
Dole whips and floats ..

they are wonderful!! well when its hot any way. I liked them and really enjoyed mine. I had the float, the best!!

Crazy4DL
04-05-2005, 02:09 PM
Dole whips and floats ..

they are wonderful!! well when its hot any way. I liked them and really enjoyed mine. I had the float, the best!!

Hey, getting a kick out of your new avatar :-) Is that to make up for not posting your picture? ;)

Hakuna Makarla
04-05-2005, 02:09 PM
Hey, getting a kick out of your new avatar :-) Is that to make up for not posting your picture? ;)

what do you mean? that is me, just drawn into carector. Really thats me!