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Thread: Pammer ~ January 28 - February 1, 2020 ~ Offsite

  1. #1
    Self-Proclaimed Disney Queen! Pammer's Avatar
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    Apr 2004
    Location
    Sacramento, CA

    Pammer ~ January 28 - February 1, 2020 ~ Offsite

    Due to sheltering-at-home, I was able to finish my trip report from January! I hope everyone is staying safe & healthy, and that you will enjoy reading it!

    Travel dates: January 28 – February 1, 2020
    Travel method: Southwest
    Resort: Camelot Inn (Off-site)
    Accommodations: Standard
    Ages Represented in Group: Adult
    Disney Resort Experience Represented in Group: Veteran
    Comments: A trip to celebrate James' 60th birthday!
    Cast of characters:

    • Pam, 59: trip planner/writer/self-proclaimed Disney Queen!
    • James, 59/60: Pam's hubby who likes Disneyland but is not as fanatic as Pam!


    The Planning

    James turns 60 on January 30th and my AP expires February 27th, so that means it's time to go back to the Disneyland Resort! We decided on January 28th – February 1st and I started the planning!

    Lodging: I booked a One-Bedroom Family Suite in April at the Camelot Inn on Harbor Blvd. & then called to rebook to a lower rate in late September (a less than 10-minute walk from the parks; total for 4 nights = $1,017).

    Transportation: I booked airfare on Southwest Airlines from Sacramento to Orange County using points at the total equivalent cost of $305; with TSA fees & the Early-Bird option, the total cash cost = $405.

    Since SuperShuttle is no longer in business for travel to/from our motel in Anaheim, we opted to use Lyft.

    Tickets: We both have valid Deluxe Annual Passports with MaxPass.

    Priority Seating: I only made two dining reservations for our visit; the rest will be counter-service:
    • January 29: World of Color Dessert Party @ 8:15pm (me only; I will pick up a FastPass for James)
    • January 30: Blue Bayou @ 11:30am for James' birthday lunch


    The Itinerary

    The pre-planning was done very quickly, and here was the result:
    • January 28: Fly down in the afternoon; check-in to the Camelot Inn
    • January 29: Disneyland/DCA; World of Color Dessert Party
    • January 30: Disneyland/DCA; lunch @ Blue Bayou
    • January 31: Disneyland/DCA
    • February 1: Check-out of the Camelot Inn; fly home in the afternoon


    Monday, January 27, 2020 (1 day before departure)

    Actual: Since I am no longer employed, I had most of our stuff packed yesterday!!! Today I got my nails done, ran some errands, stopped at Subway to get James his veggie foot-long sandwich for tomorrow, and later printed off our boarding passes (A52 & A53).

    We spent the rest of the day getting ready (last-minute house cleaning & packing) & watching a little TV, and I was in bed around midnight; James was feeling congested (we both had colds during the past couple of weeks, but were on the mend) and fell asleep around 3:30am.


    Tuesday, January 28, 2020 (75o)
    Plan: Fly down in the afternoon; check-in to the Camelot Inn

    Actual: We left the house around 3:15pm and had no issues driving to the airport; I found an end spot in the Economy Lot (42A) and we were able to catch an arriving shuttle (there was an electronic sign at the entrance that said shuttles were running every 30mins, and we sure didn't want to wait around for the next one!).

    I checked our big bag in and we had no wait in the TSA-Pre line (the regular line was pretty light as well).

    I went to fill our reusable water bottle and James sat down to eat his sandwich around 4:15pm; I'd eaten lunch at home so I just had a P3 snack (turkey, Colby, & almonds). James hadn't eaten anything all day, so he ate his whole sandwich (I didn't mind; one less leftover to hang on to!).

    We then went down to our gate to wait for our flight; we boarded and sat in 13 A & C (our favorite seats were already taken). Fortunately, no one sat between us and we had an on-time departure at 5:40pm.

    The flight was bumpy, so we had no food service; however, we landed 10mins early around 6:55pm at Orange County. We picked up our checked bag and went upstairs to the second floor of the parking garage to request a Lyft ride just after 7pm. The area was full of travelers waiting for their rides as well.

    My ride request was picked up and then almost immediately dropped, before being picked up by another driver (Chris); it's a good thing we weren't in a hurry because it took Chris 25mins to find us! I watched him driving all around the area outside the airport via the app, and finally texted him after 15mins to see if he was still coming to get us.

    It turns out that Chris was from San Diego and wasn't familiar with this airport; he couldn't figure out how to find us! He was very personable and was happy to let me guide him through the carpool lines straight to our motel. He picked us up at 7:30pm and dropped us off at the Camelot Inn at 8pm.

    We checked in (room #502) and hauled our gear to our room; after getting briefly situated, we walked down to The Pizza Press. I got in line and James continued down to CVS (Katella) to get 2 gallons of water (he also got a turkey sandwich & some BBQ Baked Lays Chips).

    I ordered the yummy Press Cheese pizza for me, plus two identical Publish Your Own pizzas (mostly veggie + Hawaiian with no cheese) for James and a soda for us to share (I had an old 10% coupon, but he ended up giving me the 25% hotel discount instead!). James arrived in time to eat with me, and then we took all of the leftovers back to the room.



    We stopped along the way at The Cove Market, where I picked up a couple of postcards, and we were back in our room around 9pm. James watched TV while I got us all unpacked and moved in; I showered and was in bed around 11pm, but couldn't get relaxed enough to fall asleep until midnight! (Not sure when James fell asleep.)

    WE’RE HERE!!! 

    Steps: 8,911


    Wednesday, January 29, 2020 (75o)
    Plan: Disneyland/DCA; World of Color Dessert Party

    Actual: With the new Rise of the Resistance ride having just opened 12 days before, I knew it was going to be a priority this trip. I had researched the tips on requesting a boarding group via the Disneyland app & was hopeful that we each would get to ride at least once; unfortunately, since you must be scanned into Disneyland Park BEFORE official park opening time (which means EARLY), I knew we would not be able to ride together because of James' sleep issues. However, I had 3 chances to try!

    My alarm went off at 6:25am (darn it, why couldn't I have fallen asleep sooner last night?!); I had a protein shake & a slice of my leftover pizza, and was out the door by 7:25am. There were short lines at security, but long lines for DL (halfway across the Esplanade)!

    They opened the turnstiles at 7:30am and I was inside by 7:40am (it helps that I know of a line that splits past a planter right before the gates!). I said hello to Walt...



    ...then rented a standard locker (#1826) and left my jacket inside before heading towards Tomorrowland.

    Rope drop occurred 5mins early; I headed to just outside Star Traders and waited for 8am to come so I could join a boarding group for RotR! Apparently, my phone's time is a bit faster than Disney's, plus I just wasn't sure of the timing; I kept going back and forth between screens and then started feeling a big desperate when people started cheering all around me! The "Join Boarding Group" button FINALLY activated for me and I went through the steps to link just my pass before clicking "Submit" ~ SUCCESS!!! I got Backup Boarding Group 67 @ 8:01am (the park was closing at 8pm tonight for a special event, so fewer BGs were assigned), and I did a mental happy dance inside!

    I headed to the exit of Space Mountain so I could ride via the disabled vehicle; there was no CM present, so I stood there waiting for one to arrive. I got very annoyed at some teenagers with a wheelchair who just started to speed past me and not wait for the CM; I called them back and they only waited about a minute before heading down the ramp anyway.

    I realized that I had forgotten to get the World of Color FastPass for James, so I did that through the app (BLUE; he will use my physical AP to enter the viewing area tonight) and then I made a MaxPass for Star Tours @ 8:10 = 8:40am (next = 8:40am).

    The CM finally arrived and I told her what had happened; she told me to go on down & I was put in the second car behind these kids (I was still annoyed at their blatant disrespect to me, but oh well!).

    I then rode Space 3 times (after each of the first two rides, I asked the CM to check if anyone was waiting to ride up at the exit; if not, they will let you ride again)!!!



    After exiting, I made a MP for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at 8:45am = 9:15am (next = 9:15am) and then walked on to Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, where I scored 427,600 (#26) but had no picture (BOO!)!

    I next rode ST with my MP via the elevator; they are only showing the new scenes right now so I got the Stormtroopers (which I ended up getting on every ride this trip EXCEPT one!), the ocean moon Kef Bir, Lando Calrissian, Exegol, & the original hangar we departed from!

    I made a MP for Radiator Springs Racers @ 9:20am = 12:35pm (next = 10:50am) and then walked over to the exit of Alice in Wonderland; their return time thing was down, so the CM let me ride via the exit in the disabled vehicle right then.

    I walked through Fantasyland towards the BTMR exit and rode with my MP ~ always fun!

    I headed into Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge to ride Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run via their soon-to-be FP entrance so I could avoid the stairs of Single Rider and the long wait of the Standby queue; I requested to be an engineer again, as I am quite content to sit in the back of the vehicle & push my buttons!

    I headed back to Fantasyland and rode Peter Pan's Flight (5mins via the disabled side entrance) and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride via the exit (Ratty; also 5mins).

    I exited via Sleeping Beauty Castle...



    ...and decided I was getting hungry, so I went to the Little Red Wagon around 10:40am for a corn dog, chips, & large Diet Coke. I found a seat behind the wagon to enjoy my yummy food!



    While resting, I also made a MP for Guardians of the Galaxy @ 11am = 11:15am (next = 11:20am) and wrote out my postcards (one to my brother and one to my nearly 92-year-old aunt).

    I left a few minutes later and stopped at the Camera Center to add my Space photos to my account (they are always gone from the monitors by the time I get back up there) and also mailed my postcards at one of the postal boxes on Main Street. I stopped at the locker to leave my jersey shirt (too warm for me!) and headed over to Disney California Adventure around 11:15am.

    After a restroom break, I made a MP for Soarin' Around the World @ 11:20am = 12pm (next = 12pm).

    I next headed to Guardians and rode with my MP ("We Want the Funk"); afterwards, I rode again via the very short Standby queue which was listed as 15mins but was actually a walk-on ("Hit Me with Your Best Shot")!!!



    It was time for another MP, so I made one for Guardians again @ 12:05pm = 12:50pm (next = 12:50pm) and then walked over to ride Soarin' with that MP around 12:30pm (row B1 without even asking!).

    Five & Dime were performing in the hub, including Anders (formerly with the Billy Hill & the Hillbillies group), so I stopped to watch them perform for a few minutes.



    I next walked back to ride RSR with my MP via the disabled vehicle and got the Luigi side.



    I wanted a snack and planned to get a Goofy Glacier at Trolley Treats, but then I saw the Mickey Ice Cream Sandwich along the way and bought one of those instead!

    I sat down on a bench near the Carthay Circle Theater to enjoy my treat and then walked over to ride Guardians a third time around 1:50pm ("Free Ride"). While waiting to ride I made another MP for RSR @ 1:55pm = 8:05pm (next = 3:25pm); someone must have cancelled theirs for me to get a MP this late in the day!


    ...to be continued
    Pam
    DL trips: too many to remember actual dates, but they began in the 60s!
    WDW trips: 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2021



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  3. #2
    Self-Proclaimed Disney Queen! Pammer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Sacramento, CA
    Wednesday, January 29, 2020 (75o) ~ Part II
    Plan: Disneyland/DCA; World of Color Dessert Party


    James called around 2pm and said he was on his way, so I told him where I was; we met up outside Elias & Co. around 2:15pm and headed over to watch Mickey's Philharmagic. Unfortunately it was down, so we went across the street to walk through Off the Page, before going inside the Disney Animation building.

    It was time for Turtle Talk with Crush, so we went inside and sat near the back like we usually do; however, Crush decided to talk to me at one point! I don't remember too much about it, other than it had something to do with me being from Sacramento ~ LOL! The CM gave me a sticker afterwards, so DUDE ~ TOTALLY!!!



    We walked over to see the 3pm showing of Frozen and they were able to find us two seats in the Orchestra section. I checked my phone and saw that my BG had been called at 2:42pm and James had two hours to get over there to report in, so whoo-hoo!

    We enjoyed Frozen as always and then headed over to DL around 4:10pm; since James' birthday is tomorrow, I let him ride it today (yes, I know ~ I'm such a thoughtful, caring wife!) instead of me! We switched passes once inside the park, and he quickly headed back to SWGE as he is much faster than I am and time was running out to board!

    I took my time to walk back to SWGE and found a spot to wait for him where I could sit down & update my trip notes. I also linked my attraction photos to my account and saw Kylo Ren with 2 Stormtroopers walk by, and later Chewbacca & Rey on separate occasions as well. I also enjoyed seeing the CM who used to be a Jedi Master at the Jedi Training Academy (and later the reimagined show) walk by dressed as a First Order officer! If I had been a bit more on the ball I would have asked him whether he was betraying the Jedi Order or was just undercover!

    James & I met back up just after 5pm & he was RAVING about the new ride! He could hardly stop telling me all about it as we left SWGE for Frontierland!

    We went to Rancho del Zocalo and shared the Carne Asada & Enchilada platter with a Diet Coke & I made a MP for Soarin = 6:35pm (next = 6:35pm).

    We walked over to Peter for a return time (5:55pm) around 5:30pm and then rode Buzz twice (5mins wait each time):
    1. 314,800 (Pam) & 577,000 (James)
    2. 324,100 (Pam) & 1,448,400 (#28; James)


    Peter was down when we went back to ride, and they gave us two replacement FPs instead; we then went next door to ride Toad via the exit.

    Our next destination was the Jungle Cruise, where we had Skipper Brendan on board the Zimbabwe Miss (walk-on) and then we used one of the replacement FPs on the Indiana Jones Adventure. We crossed the park and used the second replacement FP on ST (same components that I had this morning) and then we cleared out the locker around 7:25pm.

    We headed over to DCA and rode Soarin' with our MP, followed by a quick ride on The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel's Undersea Adventure.

    We split up at this point ~ I went to the WoC Dessert Party @ 8:15pm and James took my AP so he could ride RSR with my MP (he also rode a second time via the short Single Rider queue) and later enter the BLUE viewing area to watch WoC.





    I had the specialty cocktail (vodka, Sprite, lemonade, & pomegranate juice) for my two drinks; they were pretty tasty, but I rarely drink alcohol these days and that might have caused me to feel ill once I got back to the room.





    Before the main WoC show started at 9pm, they had a special Lunar New Year presentation called Hurry Home, where a little lantern hurries home for the annual celebration of good luck & fortune; they used the fountains, music, fireworks, & images and it was a nice little bonus!



    We each enjoyed the shows from our respective viewpoints and later met up outside Elias & Co.; we were both surprised that all of the stores on Buena Vista Street were closed (granted, the park was also closed, but the stores usually stay open about an hour longer)!

    I stopped at Guest Relations to pick up a birthday button for James and an "I'm Celebrating" button for me; the CM asked if we wanted "Happily Ever After" buttons as well, so I said why not? He added a "35" to those buttons, to signify us being married 35 years to-date, and we finally left the park.

    We stopped at McDonald's to get the BOGO Grilled Artisan Chicken sandwiches for James & a double hamburger for me (even though I wasnt feeling well), and we took them and my dessert leftovers up to our room around 10pm.

    Sure enough, I ended up getting sick after eating my burger, so I took my shower and went to bed around 11pm (James ate some of his food and watched TV over in his room).

    Steps: 26,850
    Pam
    DL trips: too many to remember actual dates, but they began in the 60s!
    WDW trips: 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2021



  4. #3
    Self-Proclaimed Disney Queen! Pammer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Sacramento, CA
    Thursday, January 30, 2020 (75o) ~ Happy 60th Birthday to James!!!
    Plan: Disneyland/DCA; lunch @ Blue Bayou

    Actual: My alarm went off at 7:05am, since the parks were opening at 9am this morning; I had a protein shake & a slice of my leftover pizza, and was out the door by 8:15am. Again there were short lines at security, but long lines for DL, who had Magic Morning today. I got in the same line as yesterday, and was surprised that it was one of the few actually moving; as I got closer I could read the sign at the top said "Magic Morning" instead of "Entrance" ~ OOPS!!! I couldn't enter the park yet in this line and all of the other "Entrance" lines were MUCH longer than they had been 5mins ago!!! Fortunately, they changed the sign to "Entrance" at 8:30am (whew!!!) and I was inside DL around 8:40am. I sat on a bench across from Disneyana and people-watched as I waited for 9am to arrive.

    I booked a MP for Toy Story Midway Mania @ 8:45am = 9:35am (next = 9:35am) and then tried my best to get a Boarding Group for RotR when the park opened at 9am; it was very distressful to hear the roars from the crowds around me as they won their slots and I couldn't even get the darn button to activate!!! I finally was awarded backup BG 98 @ 9:01am, which I knew was a long shot for me today, although the park was open until 10pm so maybe the Disney gods would smile down upon me! 😊

    I left DL for DCA and walked-on to Guardians around 9:15am ("I Want You Back"); I then made a MP for them around 9:35am = 10am (next = 10:05am) and rode standby again ~ this time our vehicle broke down at the beginning, so they moved us to another vehicle (funnily enough, we had the same song both times, even though they were different vehicles at different times ~ "We Want the Funk")!!!



    I exited and then rode a third time with my MP just after 10am (my favorite version = "Burnin Love"; this means I rode 6 times over two days and got 5 of the 6 versions, only missing out on "Born to be Wild"!); whew, I need to catch my breath now!



    I decided to skip TSMM and avoid the walk to & from the back of the park and instead made another MP for Buzz @ 10:10am = 10:15am (next = 10:40am). I perused Elias & Co. and headed back to DL around 10:40am.

    I rode Buzz with my MP shortly thereafter (407,500 = #52) and then headed across the park to Blue Bayou. I kept watching the app to see when James was in the park, and then made a MP for both of us at TSMM @ 11:10am = 1:50pm (next = 12:40pm).

    We met up and I checked us in at BB around 11:15am; we were quickly seated...



    ...and ordered 2 Maison chicken without veggies & sauce, plus a Diet Coke (Pam) & Mint Julep (James).





    Everything was yummy as always, and they also brought us each the Mickey chocolate mousse for dessert ~ one for James in honor of his birthday and one for me in honor of our anniversary (I was wearing both of my buttons)!





    We were interested in riding the Sailing Ship Columbia, but it was at sea so we walked over to take birthday photos in front of the Castle instead!





    We next walked over to get a return time for Peter and they let us right on (Magic Birthday Moment!)! We then walked around the corner to get a return time for Alice around 12:25m = 12:35pm; since it was so close, we just perused the Mad Hatter shop while we waited to return.

    We rode Alice via the accessible vehicle & then I made a MP for Buzz @ 12:40pm = 12:50pm (next = 1:10pm). We next decided to ride the Disneyland Monorail and were lucky enough to ride in the "tail" of Monorail Red full-circle to Downtown Disney and back.


    ...to be continued
    Pam
    DL trips: too many to remember actual dates, but they began in the 60s!
    WDW trips: 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2021



  5. #4
    Self-Proclaimed Disney Queen! Pammer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Sacramento, CA
    Thursday, January 30, 2020 (75o) ~ Happy 60th Birthday to James!!!
    Plan: Disneyland/DCA; lunch @ Blue Bayou

    I made a MP for Soarin' around 1:15pm = 2:15pm (next = 2:15pm) and we walked back to Buzz; I gave James my AP so he could ride his favorite attraction twice with our MP while I sat down nearby to wait for him. James only scored 380,600 on his first ride, but his birthday hit a high on the second ride: he scored 1,388,100 which was #1!!!





    We emailed both photos home and then perused the Little Green Man store and Star Traders, before heading over to DCA around 1:45pm.

    We hiked back to ride TSMM with our MP (me = 159,000 & James = 199,600), and then left since there were many others waiting to ride the accessible vehicle.



    I booked a MP for Indy around 2:35pm = 6:25pm (next = 4:05pm) and then we walked over to ride Jumpin' Jellyfish (10mins).

    We looked at a few of the Lunar New Year Festival kiosks as we walked and I ended up buying a Mickey Chinese Hot Dog Bun, which was a Mickey-shaped pretzel with cut up hot dogs in it; there was also a light sesame glaze on it as well. It tasted fine and was a nice little snack.



    We rode Soarin' with our MP and a CM was a bit abrupt when I asked if we could get the first row of the second section (we were already in the second row, but there was still room in the first row) ~ he said "Absolutely not!". Now it was only a request and I was very polite about it; however, his tone and verbiage bothered me and I think he could have been a little bit more polite to me in his response.

    We walked through Elias & Co. and then headed back to the motel for a break; James headed over to McDonald's to get a BOGO Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich and I went to Cold Stone Creamery for a Love It Oreo Shake.

    We met back up at the room around 4:15pm, and James took a nap while I updated my trip notes and tried to nap as well.

    I made a MP for ST around 6:20pm = 6:35pm (next = 6:50pm) and we walked back to DL around 6:40pm. We rode ST with our MP and then I made another MP for BTMR around 6:50pm = 8:50pm (next = 8:20pm).

    We next walked over to ride Indy with the MP and then walked on to Pirates of the Caribbean around 7:40pm.

    We were feeling hungry again, so we went to Rancho del Zocalo for the Carne Asada & Enchilada Platter, side of tortillas, kid's burrito, & soda. After we ate, I made a MP for Buzz around 8:25pm = 8:30pm.

    There was a special RotR AP T-shirt that we had seen earlier at Elias & Co., but it was not available in my size; we'd looked for it at a few other stores but no luck. We walked back to Star Traders and a CM did a search for us and found there were 3 XXLs at the Fantasia Shoppe at the Disneyland Hotel. I decided to ride the Monorail over and see if I could get one, and James went to ride Buzz with our MPs.

    I rode Monorail Blue and walked over to the DLH; unfortunately, they did NOT have any XXL, only XXXL! This shirt is much bigger than I wear, but I figured I could wear it as a sleepshirt and bought it anyway.

    I left the store and sat down on a chair outside the hotel to call James; unfortunately, I couldn't reach him because he was on Buzz! I decided to walk through DD and check the World of Disney Store for the shirt, just-in-case.

    I had no luck at WoD either, but found a specially-wrapped Honda to the right of the ticket booths advertising the new RotR attraction; unfortunately for me, they had stopped at BG 96 tonight (Id had BG 98)! Boo-Hoo



    I walked back into DL around 9:35pm and checked Disneyana for the shirt (no luck here either); I went back outside the store, sat down on a bench, and updated my trip notes.

    James finally called just before the park closed at 10pm; I told him where I was and he came to meet me. In the interim, he had ridden Buzz 4x, scoring 1,092,300 (#16), 454,400, 275,800, and another 1.1-million-point ride that he couldnt find the photo for (#18)!

    We headed back to the motel, did our usual night-time routine, and I was in bed by 11:30pm.

    Steps: 25,165
    Pam
    DL trips: too many to remember actual dates, but they began in the 60s!
    WDW trips: 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2021



  6. #5
    Self-Proclaimed Disney Queen! Pammer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Sacramento, CA
    Friday, January 31, 2020 (83o)
    Plan: Disneyland/DCA

    Actual: My alarm went off at 6:15am, since the park was opening at 8am; I had a protein shake & the last slice of my leftover pizza, and was out the door by 7:20am. Again there were short lines at security, but the lines for DL were all the way across the Esplanade!

    I got in my usual line and they opened the turnstiles at 7:30am; I was inside by 7:45am and headed down Main Street. I stopped near the rope drop for Tomorrowland and made a MP for Fantasmic! (first show) and then one for ST for 8:35am (next = 8:35am).

    Rope drop was again 5mins early at 7:55am and I headed over towards the exit of Space Mountain to wait for the park to officially open; today I was VERY lucky in getting BG 64 (not even a backup BG since the park was open until midnight tonight!) for RotR and my insides did their own victory dance since I had no one to share the news with in the park!

    I walked to the exit of Space and the CM sent me down to ride around 8:15am; I subsequently was able to ride twice more on my favorite attraction at DL!



    Between the 2nd and 3rd ride, I made a MP for BTMR around 8:40am = 9:35am (next = 9:35am) and afterwards rode ST with my MP (getting everything the same except Kylo Ren at the beginning instead of the Stormtroopers).

    I next rode Buzz with a 7min wait (although standby was posted as 25mins already!), scoring 424,900 (#49), and then rode Toad via the exit.

    I made a MP for Guardians around 9:40am = 10am (next = 10:10am) and then went to ride Smuggler's Run via their extra entrance; I again requested the engineer position and had a great ride!



    I then stopped at First Order Cargo to ask about the special Star Wars metal collectible gift cards and was told they were sold at the Droid Depot, so I went over there to buy two (you have to load $100 on each one, which I have no problem with spending them afterwards!).

    I then walked over to ride BTMR around 10:10am, when I realized I was no longer holding my reusable water bottle! I headed back to the Droid Depot, as I was SURE I'd left it there on the counter; there was a different CM there and she told me it wasn't there. So I walked all the way back to Smuggler's Run and told them exactly which vehicle I'd been in and which seat. The CM called back to the boarding area and they said they had it, so I waited for them to bring it up; however, it was NOT my blue bottle! I waited another 10mins and nothing else was found, so I went back to the Droid Depot, where the original CM was back, recognized me, and gave me my bottle that I had left there earlier!!! I thanked her and wished that I had been persistent earlier with waiting to talk only to her and I could have saved my poor feet all of that extra walking and wasted time!

    Oh wellback to BTMR to ride with my MP, now around 10:40am; fortunately, the same CM was still there to let me in, since my MP had already been scanned the first time I was there!

    After all of that, I'm now hungry so I head back to Main Street and stopped at the Little Red Wagon just before 11am for another corn dog, chips, & large Diet Coke. I sat down behind the wagon to eat and knew I didn't have the energy to walk over to DCA and ride Guardians again!

    I went into the Camera Center to add my Space photos to my account and then bought some park attraction leggings at China Closet Clothiers.

    I next headed over to City Hall to leave a comment about the Soarin' CM whose "Absolutely not!" comment from yesterday had bothered me so much; I was fine with not being able to ride in the first row, it was all about the tone & verbiage of the comment that I felt could be improved.

    I walked back to the room around 11:45am, updated my trip notes, and dozed for a little bit.


    ...to be continued
    Pam
    DL trips: too many to remember actual dates, but they began in the 60s!
    WDW trips: 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2021



  7. #6
    Self-Proclaimed Disney Queen! Pammer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Sacramento, CA
    Friday, January 31, 2020 (83o) ~ Part II
    Plan: Disneyland/DCA

    James got up and ready, and we left the room around 3pm; I was thrilled to get a notification around 3:06pm that my BG for RotR had just been called!!!

    We headed into DL and James went to ride Smuggler's Run via the Single Rider queue, while I went to join my BG at RotR; I arrived around 3:30pm and they were queued all over the place outside (James didn't have that problem on Wednesday)!



    I took a bunch of photos while in the queue (here's a sampling)...







    ...and also made a MP for BTMR @ 3:30pm = 6:50pm (next = 5pm); I was finally in the experience around 4:15pm and was off around 4:30pm ~ it was FANTASTIC!!! It was truly outstanding, the CMs (especially the First Order) are so in character, and I was so thankful to experience it this trip.












    ...to be continued
    Pam
    DL trips: too many to remember actual dates, but they began in the 60s!
    WDW trips: 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2021



  8. #7
    Self-Proclaimed Disney Queen! Pammer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Sacramento, CA
    Friday, January 31, 2020 (83o) ~ Part III
    Plan: Disneyland/DCA

    I met back up with James and we took some photos in SWGE...







    ...before we headed over to the Hungry Bear Restaurant to eat: a double hamburger & fries, BBQ chicken salad, & large Coke Zero ~ YUM!

    I made another MP for ST around 5pm = 5:20pm (next = 5:30pm) and then we rode The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (walk-on).

    Since Haunted Mansion was closed this trip, we walked over to ride the Disneyland Railroad from New Orleans Square to Tomorrowland; along the way, I made a MP for Buzz @ 5:35pm = 6:10pm (next = 6:10pm).

    We de-trained and went to visit Darth Vader at the Chase Disney Visa meet & greet inside Star Wars Launch Bay ~ always a fun encounter!









    Our next stop was ST with our MP just after 6pm, and then we shopped in Star Traders; James picked out a Star Wars jacket as his birthday present & I bought a Space Mountain shirt.

    We then walked to the Disney Showcase on Main Street so James could have the AP logo embroidered on his new jacket.

    We next split up: James wanted to look through the shops on Main Street and I headed over to get a return time on Indy around 6:55pm = 7:25pm; we met up at the BTMR exit to use our MP.

    Since we had skipped Buzz earlier and it IS James' favorite attraction, I made another MP @ 7pm = 8pm (next = 8pm ~ the park was definitely getting busier!), thinking James could ride it twice before Fantasmic! started at 9pm.

    We walked back into SWGE to look through the shops (there was a shirt James thought I might like, but I didn't so we skipped buying it); I was REALLY thirsty, so we bought a Diet Coke in one of those SW detonator bottles and shared it while we walked along.

    We went back to ride Indy around 7:50pm, but it was down so they gave us a replacement FP on our tickets. I was STILL thirsty, so I bought a Coke Zero at the Adventureland Bazaar.

    We walked over to the special seating for Fantasmic! near the River Belle Terrace just after 8pm, and I checked in with my digital FP. James went to ride Buzz with our MP and scored 525,500 and 102,100 (what? Thats so unlike him ~ bad gun!).

    James came back just in time for Fantasmic! and the CM let him in to the section even though he didn't have a FP for tonight's show (it wasn't full). He just chatted with me for a few minutes, and then watched the show from behind the others who were already seated in the section (he can stand with no pain!).

    After Fantasmic! was over, I stayed seated and watched Mickey's Mix Magic with fireworks ~ the music is so peppy! It wasn't a very good view of the fireworks, but I didn't care ~ it was a very nice way to view the performances!

    We decided to ride ST with our replacement FP around 10pm, and then headed back to Disney Showcase to pick up James' now-embroidered jacket. We said goodbye to Walt for this trip around 10:30pm and left the park.

    We stopped at McDonald's for BOGO Big Mac sandwiches + 2 double hamburgers and went back to our room. We ate half of our sandwiches, saving the rest for breakfast, and did the usual night-time stuff. I was asleep by 1am.

    Steps: 24,741


    Saturday, February 1, 2020 (86o)
    Plan: Check-out of the Camelot Inn; fly home in the afternoon

    Actual: We were both up by 9:30am and finished off our leftover food We packed everything up & checked out of the Camelot Inn & Suites just before 11am.

    I requested Lyft to take us to the airport using a pre-book code; Boris arrived around 11:10am and was a very fast, aggressive driver ~ we were at the airport by 11:30am!

    I printed off our boarding passes (A42 & A43) and checked in our large suitcase and our small suitcase (we used a tote bag as new carry-on instead of the small suitcase); after finishing our liquids, we were through Pre-TSA by 11:45am.

    We bought lunch at Carl's Jr. @ 12pm = Bean & Rice Burrito (James), cheese quesadilla (Pam), & a small Coke Zero (shared), and then went down to our gate to wait for the flight after we finished eating.

    We had a full flight & on time departure @ 1:50pm; I had Diet Dr. Pepper & pretzels and James had ginger ale & pretzels during the flight. The blonde Flight Attendant forgot James' drink until well after everyone else was served (insert blonde joke here!), before she remembered!

    We landed 10mins early @ 3:10pm, got our bags off of the carousel, took the shuttle to the Economy Lot (SMF parking @ 3:43pm, which was 4mins short of another days charge, according to the receipt!), & drove home ~ another trip in the books!

    Steps: 6,219


    Up Next: James & I are scheduled to go back together in early May 2020; however, that trip may get postponed to the fall if the parks are still closed due to the Coronavirus outbreak!


    Summary: What a great birthday trip for James; we couldn't have asked for more!

    Highlights include:

    • Spending James' birthday together at Disneyland!
    • James getting #1 on his favorite attraction: Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, and ON his birthday!!!
    • Riding the new Rise of the Resistance for the first time!
    • Riding my favorite attractions multiple times: Space Mountain & Guardians of the Galaxy (getting 5 of the 6 versions)!
    • Interacting with Crush during Turtle Talk with Crush!
    • MAXPASS (I can't stress this enough)!!!
    • GORGEOUS weather for late January ~ warm & sunny with no rain!


    Lowlights include:

    • James' first-time experience with Lyft not being the most positive for him
    • Getting sick after World of Color
    • The water bottle run-around
    • My sore feet as always



    As always...thank you for reading!!!
    Pam
    DL trips: too many to remember actual dates, but they began in the 60s!
    WDW trips: 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2021



  9. #8

    Loved your trip report as always.
    Ellen


  10. #9
    Self-Proclaimed Disney Queen! Pammer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Sacramento, CA
    Quote Originally Posted by EJ4Disney View Post
    Loved your trip report as always.
    Ellen
    Thanks Ellen (as always, very appreciated)!!! I made the decision yesterday to definitely move the scheduled early May trip to late September (the summer is too hot & we're blocked from DL most of the days anyway)...sad for me, but I was 99% sure the parks weren't going to open in time and I thought it was the best & safest decision for now.
    Pam
    DL trips: too many to remember actual dates, but they began in the 60s!
    WDW trips: 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2021



  11. #10
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Beautiful Orange County, CA

    Always enjoy your trip reports! Did you switch hotels, didn’t you stay somewhere else usually?


  12. #11
    Self-Proclaimed Disney Queen! Pammer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Sacramento, CA
    Quote Originally Posted by josephfive View Post
    Always enjoy your trip reports! Did you switch hotels, didn't you stay somewhere else usually?
    Thanks! For years we stayed at the Del Sol Inn, and then began staying next door at the Anaheim Desert Inn when the Del Sol significantly raised their rates. Three years ago the Anaheim Desert Inn screwed me over and canceled a reservation because they allegedly couldn't get my credit card to work to charge the deposit 2 days before but never called me until after I had already left for the airport. After that, their GM Teo told their staff to automatically cancel any of my reservations going forward; he humiliated me and treated me as someone with poor credit, even though I have a near-perfect credit score! It's too bad, because their suites are less expensive than the Camelot, but the Camelot has been great to us the past couple of years.
    Pam
    DL trips: too many to remember actual dates, but they began in the 60s!
    WDW trips: 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2021



  13. #12
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Kinistino, Saskatchewan, Canada

    Love your trip reports!
    Have you ever tried the Grand Legacy?

    All your Dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them.-Walt Disney

  14. #13
    Self-Proclaimed Disney Queen! Pammer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Sacramento, CA
    Quote Originally Posted by saskatchewanmom View Post
    Love your trip reports!
    Have you ever tried the Grand Legacy?
    Thanks!

    I have stayed there before when it was still Ramada Maingate, so nothing recent.
    Last edited by Pammer; 09-07-2020 at 05:36 PM.
    Pam
    DL trips: too many to remember actual dates, but they began in the 60s!
    WDW trips: 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2021



  15. #14

    I was happy to see this and have stayed up well past my bedtime to read it! It was nice reading about the "good old days". Hoping we are looking at an October opening at this point (fingers crossed).
    I haven't been to DLR in a few years (my AP is at WDW!) but MaxxPass does sound like the way to go. There was one- I forget where in the report - but you wrote that you booked one for a return time that had a window of 10 minutes. Can that be? Or are they always 1 hour?


  16. #15
    Self-Proclaimed Disney Queen! Pammer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Sacramento, CA
    Quote Originally Posted by spectromen View Post
    I was happy to see this and have stayed up well past my bedtime to read it! It was nice reading about the "good old days". Hoping we are looking at an October opening at this point (fingers crossed).
    I haven't been to DLR in a few years (my AP is at WDW!) but MaxxPass does sound like the way to go. There was one- I forget where in the report - but you wrote that you booked one for a return time that had a window of 10 minutes. Can that be? Or are they always 1 hour?
    Thanks Kelly! Funny how you live so close to DL, but have an AP for WDW!

    Yes, sometimes you can REALLY get great return times for MaxPass! Usually it will happen earlier in the day when wait times haven't quite formed yet; otherwise, it usually starts in 35-40mins. I think you can also get a Magic Moment and score a return time for an attraction that has already given out all of its FP/MP (like Racers) because someone had just canceled theirs and you just timed it right when you were looking in the app! This is where MaxPass has the advantage over traditional FastPass: you can see what is available and for what time right at your fingertips, compare them all, and then choose which one fits your plans, all without walking to the individual attraction itself! Guests who get traditional FP loaded on to their ticket, cannot make changes without the app; however, you may be able to ask one of the CMs at the informational booths located around the parks. I think MaxPass is better than the FP system in WDW too, but I haven't experienced that one yet!
    Pam
    DL trips: too many to remember actual dates, but they began in the 60s!
    WDW trips: 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2021



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