Pammer ~ February 27 - March 3, 2023 ~ Offsite

[Pammer]

Travel dates: February 27 - March 3, 2023
Travel method: Southwest
Resort: Camelot Inn (Off-site)
Accommodations: Standard
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
Disney Resort Experience Represented in Group: Veteran
Comments: Hello 2023!
Cast of characters:

• Pam, 62: trip planner/writer/self-proclaimed Disney Queen!
• James, 63: Pam's hubby who likes Disneyland but is not as fanatic as Pam!
• Debbie: Pam's cousin who lives about 30mi from Disneyland

The Planning

We had the first trip of 2023 planned for mid-January, but had to cancel a few days before departure due to no available cat-sitter. No worries, I already have a few more trips planned for the rest of the year! This is our second planned trip: February 27 – March 3 (Monday-Friday); we will be leaving the day the DCA Food & Wine Festival begins, but we may be able to sample something the day before if they have a soft opening like they did in 2022.

My cousin Debbie bought an Imagine Magic Key in January when they went on sale (the Enchant key, which she had before but didn't renew in September, isn't available for new purchases right now; however, the Imagine key should work for her usual visit preferences) and will meet up with me on that Tuesday. She used to mostly go with her daughter, son-in-law, & 2-year-old grandson last year, but never got to do any adult attractions during their short visits! Debbie did spend a half day with me a year ago doing tons of stuff at Disneyland, so the goal is to do more of the same, plus maybe a few things over at DCA too, once we can park-hop at 11am.

Lodging: I booked a Two-Bedroom ADA Family Suite in June at the Camelot Inn on Harbor Blvd., then moved the dates up a day in September.

Airfare: I booked airfare on Southwest Airlines using points in October.

Ground Transportation: We will park our car at the Sacramento airport and use Lyft between SNA & Anaheim.

Tickets: We have active Enchant Magic Key passes.

Theme Park Reservations: I made reservations for all 4 days of this trip after I canceled the January trip:

• February 27: Start at Disneyland Park
• February 28: Start at Disneyland Park
• March 1: Start at Disney California Adventure
• March 2: Start at Disneyland Park

Priority Seating: I was able to book both Lamplight Lounge and the Blue Bayou for the days & times I wanted by getting up early on the first available date at 60 days out for each! Everything else will probably be counter-service:

• March 1: Lamplight Lounge @ 12:30pm
• March 2: Blue Bayou @ 11am

The Itinerary

Here was the result of my pre-planning:

• February 27: Fly down in the afternoon; check-in to the Camelot Inn; Disneyland/DCA
• February 28: Disneyland/DCA; meet up with cousin Debbie
• March 1: DCA/Disneyland; lunch at Lamplight Lounge @ 12:30pm
• March 2: Disneyland/DCA; lunch at the Blue Bayou @ 11am
• March 3: Check-out of the Camelot Inn; fly home in the afternoon

Sunday, February 26, 2023 (1 day before departure)

Actual: I did my usual stuff and checked in with our neighbor who cat-sits Sidney for us (he already had our house key from when we almost went last month). Before noon I headed over to Subway to get the foot-long veggie sandwich for James' lunch tomorrow & then printed off our boarding passes when they went live at 2:30pm (B12 & B13, exact same numbers as our trip down on November 1st!).

We finished our packing and other usual pre-departure tasks and I was in bed before midnight; James followed a few hours later.


Monday, February 27, 2023 (54^o)
Plan: Fly down in the afternoon; check-in to the Camelot Inn; Disneyland/ DCA

Actual: OMG ~ what a lousy night's sleep I had! I usually fall asleep easily, but I woke up about 10mins later and was awake for over an hour! Then I woke up around 5:20am and never could get back to sleep; I was very worried about having to drive in a heavy downpour that was forecasted for our commute to the airport & none of my fall-asleep tactics worked. I only had about 4.5 hours of sleep, far less than James as it turned out!

Oh well, I finally gave up and got up to start getting ready; James was up by 10:15am. I later remembered that he should have allowed extra time this morning to get ready, so we left the house about 25mins late just before noon. The good news is that the heavy rain had passed and I only had light rain during our drive, so YAY!!! (I was anxious for nothing!).

I had a senior moment and missed the cutoff to Terminal B so we had to take the scenic route back to Departures; of course, that made me anxious all over again! James helped me get my electric wheelchair (EWC) out of the SUV and set up, plus the large suitcase, while I got my purse, backpack, & EWC travel cover bag. He then went to park in the Daily Parking Lot while I took the EWC for inspection and to check in the suitcase (36.5#); luckily there was no wait and the agents were very friendly and helpful.

There was no wait at TSA either, and I was soon through and filling our water bottle. The seating area by the food court was pretty full, and my table was partially blocked so James had trouble finding me once he finally arrived around 1:15pm! A large Ziploc in my carry-on bag had been deemed suspicious and required a further inspection; it was the charger and tools for the EWC, but James was eventually cleared to leave. It's funny that it was deemed suspicious at this point, when we've flown with the same Ziploc in the same carry-on 4 other times with no issue! Oh well, we'll just try to remember to pull it out for its own inspection going forward.

We went down to Gate B19 and James ate his sandwich while I went to get a Gate Claim Check for the EWC from the Gate Agent. At one point, James noticed that a departing Southwest plane was one of the Freedom One-wrapped planes, so that was fun to see.



I used the airport Wi-Fi to update some apps (faster than at my house) and we pre-boarded when allowed; we folded up the EWC and put its travel cover on, then left it to be stowed by the ground crew. We found that the plane is slightly wider starting at row 4, and my roller carry-on bag will then fit in the overhead bin and not have to be turned length-wise and take up more room, so we will aim for that row going forward.

We sat on the left side of the plane, stowed all of our gear, and were very pleased at the on-time takeoff of 2:30pm! We didn't have much of a view because of the clouds, but sometimes there was a break!





We had our usual snack mix, and James had OJ and I ordered a Coke Zero; however, the flight attendant returned with a Cranberry Juice Cocktail instead! I told her that it wasn't the right drink, and she NEVER came back with the right one the rest of the flight!!! She was the lead FA too; however, she apparently knew the woman in the row behind us and spent nearly the ENTIRE flight chatting with her instead of attending to her duties (hello?)!!! I've never had any of the FA do that before; I had one that was lippy with me one time about the exit row, but they usually are very pleasant. Oh well ~

We landed on-time around 4pm, deplaned, retrieved the EWC and later our suitcase. I requested an XL ride from Lyft and Kyle picked us up just before 4:30pm; there was lots of commute traffic and it was still raining a bit, but he dropped us off safely at the Camelot Inn just after 5pm.

We checked in and were given rooms #303 & #304, which is the ADA Two Room Family Suite. This one has an ADA King Room for me and a Double Queen Room connected to it for James; it has an extra bathroom with accessible features that I really like, so we were pleased it was available when I booked.

We quickly got situated, put our valuables in the safe & the lights on the EWC, and headed out around 5:45pm. The rain had stopped and we headed down Harbor, where I stopped at The Pizza Press & James continued on to the CVS on Katella for water, sandwiches, chips, and OJ.

I rode the EWC into the hotel entrance and around into the pizza place, where I parked it near an open table. I went up to order and had pretty much no wait! I ordered 2 cheese pizzas (me), 2 "Publish Your Own" pizzas (mostly veggie for James), and a soda.



I got a Coke Zero and ate about 2/3 of one of my pizzas while waiting for James to arrive; when he did, he ate an entire pizza as he was really hungry! We carried the leftovers back to the room, along with our supplies from CVS.

We put our food in the fridges and headed back out just after 7pm; we quickly went through security & then entered Disneyland Park. I stopped at the Guest Relations kiosk down by the Plaza Inn to renew my DAS, and the CM made a DAS Return Time (RT) for Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (7:21pm @ 7:26pm).

The earlier rain had really lowered the crowd-level and wait times; really only the E-ticket attractions had the long waits, so we headed into Tomorrowland, parked the EWC outside, and walked-on to Star Tours - The Adventures Continue via the elevator. We got the old-school components: Darth Vader, Hoth (yuck), Princess Leia, & Coruscant. My deja vu was really working overtime, as I kept envisioning what we were about to get right before we got it! EEK!!!

We then went straight over to ride Buzz, where James was #4 with his score of 1,197,600!!! He was very excited, of course; I even scored a respectable 413,000.







I'd made another DAS RT for Buzz right after we checked in (7:47pm @ 7:42pm), but James didn't think he could beat his prior score tonight so I cancelled it after the first ride.

We decided to head out around 8pm, but first did a little shopping along Main Street; yes, it's a bad time to do that and sure, it’' easy for him to zip around the crowded stores but not me on this EWC!

I wish I wasn't so tired (4.5 hours of sleep is catching up with me) & that we still didn't need to unpack and get settled, as the wait times were so great! However, I finally got James' attention and we headed out around 8:30pm. James took the EWC up to the room to get charged, while I went over to McDonald's for our usual 2 Big Macs and a double hamburger.

I ate my burger when I got back to the room, but it ended up not settling right and soured in my stomach, resulting in me getting sick later. I think I was just too tired and anything was going to cause issue at that time of night!

Aside from my upset tummy, we unpacked & got settled; I also wrote messages on the postcards I brought for my 95-year-old Aunt and my brother & updated my trip notes, while James watched TV on his side. I took a quarter Tylenol PM and was in bed by midnight; James followed around his usual 2am.

Thoughts about the day:

• Hated the anxiety I got about driving in heavy rain, which caused my insomnia and didn't come to pass after all!
• Loved the low wait times at the park; too bad we were too tired to take advantage!!!
• Happy we are back after 4 months!

[Pammer]

Tuesday, February 28, 2023 (59^o)
Plan: Disneyland/DCA; meet up with cousin Debbie

Actual: I slept pretty well until I woke up at 5:40am to use the restroom! I couldn't go back to sleep, so I got up for good around 6:15am, got ready, & had some leftover pizza for breakfast.

Debbie messaged me at 7:15am that she was on the tram & I replied about 5mins later when I left the room. I had short lines at both security and the turnstile, and pulled over to see that she said she was inside "Standing in front of the Mickey head", which I guessed to mean the Walt & Mickey statue down at The Hub! I replied that I was coming down Main Street now, but then I saw the Disney 100 Platinum Mickey statue at Town Square and became uncertain as to which "Mickey head" she meant! As it turned out, she was near the floral Mickey right inside the entrance, and she had totally missed me! I directed her to where I was parked by the Wooden Indian statue outside of the theater and we finally met up around 7:45am!

We headed towards The Hub to wait for rope drop, and I was able to make a DAS RT for Space Mountain (7:56am @ 7:51am). We chatted a bit and then headed into Tomorrowland once permitted; a lot of people go to Space, but many go to either Peter Pan's Flight, Rise of the Resistance, or the new Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway (MMRR), which had just opened a few weeks ago.

I parked the EWC at the exit to Space and we checked in; it was quite busy, so they had us wait until they sent us down in the next group of guests. While we waited, I made our next DAS RT: for some reason, MMRR wasn't showing up as an option, so I made one for Rise (8:55am @ 8:05am).

After a couple of minutes, we were sent down to ride Space; we could have sat in Row 4, but I asked for Row 6, as I can grasp the railing right there to help me out of the ride vehicle afterwards. As it turns out, we had nobody else in our car and had the picture to ourselves!



We collected the EWC and went over to the Guest Relations kiosk outside of Star Wars Launch Bay to ask about why I couldn't see MMRR on my DAS service; as it turns out, it had a "delayed opening" that morning and I would be able to see it once it was open so YAY!

We went to Star Tours, which still had a standby time of 5mins, and rode via the elevator; we got almost the EXACT ride as I did yesterday! The only difference is we got Yoda instead of Princess Leia.

We left Tomorrowland and entered Fantasyland via the path by Snow White's Grotto; neither one of us had paid much attention to this in a long time, so we stopped for pictures.





We cut through Fantasyland on our way to the exit of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, where I had intended to ask for a "Location" Return Time (LRT) to use after we rode Rise; however, standby was only 5mins at that time, so they sent us right on in! (Love these Magic Moments!)

Our Rise RT window had opened, so we headed right over there; after checking in, I saw that MMRR was now open so I made a DAS RT for it (9:51am @ 9:16am).

We had a great time on Rise and Debbie was able to get an awesome picture of the Stormtroopers, since we were at the back of the pack!



We headed out towards Critter Country and saw the Mark Twain Riverboat go by when we stopped at the restrooms under Hungry Bear Restaurant! There were 2 Canadian geese there on the landing as well, grooming themselves in the sun.





We continued on to the Haunted Mansion, which only had a 13min wait, so they let us on through the accessible queue (Magic Moment #2!). I parked the EWC by the hearse and we joined the queue; Debbie & I held on to each other in the dark, as I have a terrible time getting my eyes to adjust from broad daylight to the gloom of the Foyer!

We next went to the exit of Pirates of the Caribbean, where we again were let through as the wait time was only 10mins! I asked for the back row, which usually doesn't get as wet as the other rows; it was a great ride, but I really had trouble hoisting myself out from the low seat!

We were past time for our MMRR DAS RT, so we headed over there via the Big Mountain Trail and through Fantasyland, which was now very busy!

We joined the DAS/Lightning Lane queue around 10:50am and made our way through it & then over to the accessible vehicle; there is a lot of stuff to see, but I was just trying to concentrate on maneuvering the EWC through the tight turns! At some point, I felt my phone vibrate in my waist bag and James & I then played phone tag over the next 20mins until we were off of the attraction!

While we were busy at MMRR, James had entered DL and ridden Buzz via the standby queue around 11am, which was only around 15mins. He did quite well again, scoring 689,000 (#13)!



When Debbie & I were off of MMRR, I pulled over to the side to call James around 11:20am; we decided to meet up around the Plaza Inn and head over to DCA.

We met up with James around 11:25am and headed over to DCA; as soon as we all were through the turnstiles, I made a DAS RT for WEB SLINGERS (12:06pm @ 11:31am), since Debbie had never ridden it before.

We all were hungry, so we decided to order lunch before WEB; Debbie & I had wanted corn dogs from Corn Dog Castle, but decided to get regular hot dogs from Award Wieners instead since it was closer. Since I'd bought our corn dogs last year, Debbie treated me this time! I got the All-Beef Hot Dog with Filmstrip Fries & a large Diet Coke, whereas Debbie ordered the Bacon Street Dog (All-Beef Hot Dog dipped in a House-made Roasted Red Pepper Ketchup topped with Grilled Onions, Bell Peppers and crispy Bacon Crumbles served on a Toasted Bun with Filmstrip Fries) & water.

James doesn't eat hot dogs, so I made a Mobile Order with Lucky Fortune Cookery instead for his usual Teriyaki Chicken with Sauteed Vegetables and Steamed Rice. I gave him my phone so he could go pick it up and Debbie & I headed over to Award Wieners, where I found a table for us to sit at and she let them know that she was there for our order. The food came up quickly and we had already made a huge dent in it by the time James returned (he'd eaten his over by the LFC).

While we were eating, the nice sunny day gave way to clouds and it got pretty chilly & breezy for a while; I even had to start putting my layers back on that I had previously taken off (I had started out with a light raincoat over a thin long-sleeve shirt & a Monsters Inc. baseball jersey over a sleeveless top, and had to put the outerwear back on temporarily until the sun came back out)!

We headed over to ride WEB around 12:10pm and had the 7th highest score that hour with 876,100! I led all scorers with 280,500 and James was 3rd with 190,200; the single rider came in 2nd with 232,800 and Debbie was dismayed to only get 48,900! However, not bad for her first try!





We took some photos together in the Avengers Campus, and then Debbie left around 12:45pm to beat the traffic, plus she needed to take her granddaughter to softball practice at 5pm if the weather held out!




To be continued...

[Pammer]

Tuesday, February 28, 2023 (59^o) ~ Part II
Plan: Disneyland/DCA; meet up with cousin Debbie

I had made a DAS RT for Soarin' Around the World right after we had checked in to WEB (12:26pm @ 12:11pm) for all of us, in case Debbie had time to go; since she left, I cancelled her out of the group and James & I rode it together just before 1pm.

After checking in to Soarin', I had made a DAS RT for Toy Story Midway Mania (1:15pm @ 12:55pm), so we headed over there to ride next. James beat me as usual: 200,200 to my 163,700, and was Best in Vehicle again!





I was surprised when James agreed to ride Guardians of the Galaxy with me, so I had made a DAS RT right after checking in to TSMM (2:10pm @ 1:35pm). We still had some time after TSMM, so we rode Jumpin' Jellyfish (standby = 10mins) and The Little Mermaid Ariel's Undersea Adventure (standby = 5mins)!

We then finally timed it right and was able to view The Amazing Spider-Man! at 2:45pm!



We next rode Guardians around 3:10pm with our DAS RT; unfortunately, we got my least favorite version ("Give Up the Funk" by Parliament), but oh well!



Rain had been forecasted to return first at 4pm, then 6pm, and now 8pm; I was tired from my long day and really didn't want to get caught out in a rainstorm, plus the EWC desperately needed charging, so we decided to call it an early night, which was again a shame since the crowds were so manageable today!

We looked through the shops along Buena Vista Street, where I purchased a World of Color souvenir penny for a $1 (I remember when these used to be $0.50, but now they upped the price and supply the penny for you!), and we headed out around 4:15pm; I headed to Tony Roma's and James took the EWC back to the room for charging.

I ordered a Diet Coke for me and some Iced Tea without the ice for James, plus their Potato Skins appetizer (6 crispy potato skins with a blend of melted cheeses, bacon and chives; served with sour cream) while waiting for James to join me.



I later got the Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich (house-made pulled pork topped with Memphis dry rub, but with the Memphis barbecue sauce on the side and no dill pickles; served with lightly seasoned fries and coleslaw)...



...and James got the BBQ Chicken Cobb Salad (roasted chicken breast drizzled with Original barbecue sauce on Romaine, roasted tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, bacon, fresh avocado, but without the cheddar cheese; served with house-made BBQ onion ranch dressing on the side).



My sandwich was a bit dry, but the potato skins were AWESOME!!! I would be happy making a meal out of them in the future ~ LOL!!!

Our server took a LONG time to finally bring our bill, but we finally left and walked back to the room around 6pm; we settled in for the night and I worked on my trip notes while we watched TV. I took another quarter Tylenol PM pill & made it to bed this time around 11am, whereas James went to bed around his usual 2am.

Things we missed: Disneyland Railroad, Star Tours (James only), Disneyland Monorail, all of Fantasyland, Jungle Cruise, Radiator Springs Racers, Monsters Inc., Mickey's PhilharMagic, & Turtle Talk with Crush.

Thoughts about the day:

• Loved spending time with cousin Debbie again!
• Loved the low manageable crowds, thanks to the forecasted rain & colder temperatures!
• Loved getting James on to Guardians of the Galaxy with me!
• Loved the potato skins at Tony Roma's; hopefully we can get them again sometime in the future!
• Happy to hit almost everything on Debbie's wish list; we still need to do Guardians of the Galaxy, Radiator Springs Racers, & Soarin' Around the World together, but there is always next time!

[Pammer]

Wednesday, March 1, 2023 (55^o)
Plan: DCA/Disneyland; lunch at Lamplight Lounge @ 12:30pm

Actual: I slept pretty well and got up with my alarm at 8am; I checked the Weather Channel app to see when the rain was due to end, which was 10:15am, and took my time getting ready to leave. It was forecasted to be much cooler today and I decided to wear capris instead of my usual skort; I thought long pants might make me too warm, but in hindsight probably would have been the best choice after all!

I left around 9:30am and had short lines at both security & the DCA turnstiles; one of the security CMs asked me if I knew the wheelchair rules! I thought I did until he told me no races, no betting on races, no wheelies, that sort of thing! He was a lot of fun ~

I pulled over to the side after entering to make my first DAS RT for Guardians (9:45am @ 9:40am!); since it was essentially right now, I immediately headed on over! You can tell by the quick RT that the line was short, which worked to my advantage over the next couple of hours.



Note: I used to park the EWC outside the attraction exit and walk through the queue because of the DAS letting me go through the LL instead of standby (and it's hard to maneuver the EWC through the queue at times); however, it's getting too difficult for me to stand that long, especially when they have technical difficulties and things take longer than usual! I also cannot negotiate those low steps without something to hold on to and the seat backs are too low for me to grasp, so I always request the front row. I usually will sit on the aisle as well, so my arthritic knees aren't too cramped up ~ boy, it sucks to get old! Anyway, this all means that I take the EWC with me into the queue now.

The short lines allowed me to ride SIX TIMES IN A ROW!!! I kept booking additional DAS return times as soon as I would check in, and they were always 5mins away; this can mean that the DAS/LL queue isn't being used as much, or standby is 15mins or less. I kept using the DAS just in case the wait time increased significantly while I was riding, plus that queue has less turns to navigate than the standby queue.

#1: "Hit Me with Your Best Shot"



#2: "Hit Me with Your Best Shot"



#3: "Free Ride"



#4: "Give Up the Funk"



#5: "Born To Be Wild"



#6: "Born To Be Wild" (ride #5 didn't clear on my app after checking in, so I ended up having 2 rides on the same RT!)



I called James around 11:30am to let him know to dress warmly (thermal top as well as bottom), as it was very chilly!!!

I had made a last DAS RT when I had checked in for ride #6 (11:38am @ 11:33am), but I ended up canceling it after the ride just before noon, as James had called to let me know he was on his way & I HAD just ridden it SIX TIMES!!! The only downside was missing my two favorite versions: "Burnin' Love" and "I Want You Back"!

I went through the Avengers Campus, where Warriors of Wakanda: The Disciplines of the Dora Milaje training was going on, & I got a picture of their transport vehicle.





To be continued...

[Pammer]

Wednesday, March 1, 2023 (55^o) ~ Part II
Plan: DCA/Disneyland; lunch at Lamplight Lounge @ 12:30pm

I rode over to Pixar Pier and positioned myself next to Knick's Knacks to wait for James; I watched the app and made a DAS RT for TSMM as soon as he was in the park (12:37pm @ 12:02pm). We met up a few minutes later & I checked us in online 20mins early for our lunch reservation at The Lamplight Lounge. I requested a table indoors and we hung out inside Knick's Knacks to stay warmer while we waited.

We kept waiting to be notified to come up to the podium; a couple of times I received a notice that my reservation had changed, but it showed nothing when I would check. Finally, at 10mins past our reservation time (having waited 30mins since checking in), I went to the podium to check; apparently they were ready for us when those notices kept showing up, even though there was no text info.

We went inside to find that they were going to sit us OUTSIDE!!! It was windy and too cold for us, even with the heaters on, so we waited a bit more for an inside table to become available. Finally, we were seated around 12:50pm, 40mins after I had initially checked us in!!! I guess I will go back to checking in in person, rather than online, since you can't trust technology!

We had a great server, Scotty T., who came over right away for our order: Cheddar Burger (Grilled custom Burger blend with Cheddar and Toasted Amish Bun served with Malted Fries, but without the Roasted Tomato, Red Onion, & Avocado Ranch Spread) and a Diet Coke for me...



...and the Roasted Chicken (Ale and Citrus-brined, Dry-rubbed Half Chicken with Seasoned Couscous, Pickled Red Cabbage and Smoked Almond Romesco) and a 2319 (frozen Mocktail made with Strawberry Pure, Cream of Coconut, and Pineapple Juice, topped with Diet Coca-Cola) for James.



Everything was great as always; we settled the bill and were about to leave when we noticed that it was POURING outside! We later learned that there was even a bit of hail and graupel (snow slush), both here and at the other park! We decided to wait it out a few more minutes, and it luckily subsided after about 15mins.

We left for TSMM, where James beat me 197,500 (Best in Vehicle) to my 168,000.





I had made a DAS RT for WEB (2:30pm @ 2pm), so we headed over there next; I again had the high score (216,300) & James came in second (200,400)! The overall car score was 732,400, which didn't make it on the Top 10 list this time!



I had made a DAS RT for Soarin' (3:05pm @ 2:30pm), so that was our next destination.

After Soarin', we stopped at Guest Relations for a DAS RT for Rise (4:25pm @ 3:25pm) & then park-hopped over to DL.

Standby for Buzz was only 10mins, so we headed into Tomorrowland; not a high-scoring ride for either of us: James only got 457,300 whereas I only got 274,400 and had no score on my ride photo!

We next headed to the exit of BTMR, with the intention of getting a LRT; however, the return line was short and they sent us right in (Magic Moment #3!)!

We then rode Rise with the DAS and were so excited to be pulled aside by the CMs in the Stormtrooper room for our own "image scan"! Oh wow ~ that was so cool ~ Magic Moment #4!!!



I had made a DAS RT for MMRR after checking in for Rise (4:59pm @ 4:24pm), so James looked through the shops in Star Wars Galaxy Edge while I just waited for him near the First Order's TIE Echelon fighter.



We continued on through Fantasyland and over to ride MMRR via the DAS/LL queue and the accessible vehicle; I like this way because you have a little extra time to board and often have no one else with you!

I had made a DAS RT for Jungle Cruise right after we checked in to MMRR (5:30pm @ 5:15pm) so we headed in that direction. However, we were hungry and decided to check out Rancho del Zocalo first to see how busy it was; we were shocked that it had virtually NO LINE, so different for this time of night on our previous trips!!!

I got the Red Chile Enchilada Platter (Three Cheese Enchiladas topped with Red Chile Sauce served with Mexican Rice and Refried Beans) & the Crispy Chips con Limon, James got the child's Bean and Cheese Burrito, but without the cheese (served with Rice, Applesauce, Vegetables and a Small DASANI Water), and we shared a regular Coke Zero. I asked for the enchiladas on a separate plate, so James could eat the rice & beans.

After we finished eating, we went to the Haunted Mansion for a LRT (6:30pm @ 6:15pm) and then back to the JC to use our DAS RT via the Orinoco Ida. Our skipper was CM Matthew and he was absolutely AWESOME, one of the best skippers we've had in a while! We kept laughing at his jokes, which became part of his repertoire that we were the only ones that were (not completely true)!

I requested a DAS RT for Peter Pan's Flight after checking in to the JC (6:40pm @ 6:20pm) and we went back to ride HM; my eyes adjusted much better this evening than they usually do in the daytime!

Pirates had been down earlier but had just come back up with a very short queue, so we went to the exit to see if we could ride; the CM said yes (Magic Moment #5!) and the line was much longer by the time we were off!

I now had another senior moment: I had it in my mind that we had made our next DAS for Star Tours instead of Peter Pan (because we had discussed which one to get before I made it), so we headed over there next; we went through the DAS/LL check-in with no issue, and I later realized that we were at the wrong attraction ~ LOL! The CMs never said anything ~ oh well!

We happily had the newer elements: Kylo, Kef Bir (Endor ocean moon), Maz, & Crait.

Oh, on our way over to ST we were within a large group of guests; there was a young man to the left in front of me who suddenly stepped to the right and collided with me in my EWC! I grabbed a hold of his jacket to both steady me and hopefully keep him from falling; he said he was okay, but I was now a nervous wreck! (This was the second of three similar mishaps, where someone ran into me in my EWC; I will immediately let go of the joystick whenever it happens, but the darn thing still takes a second to stop completely! This does nothing to ease my anxiety ~ LOL!)

We decided to call it a night and headed back to the room around 7:45pm; the new season of Survivor was starting at 8pm and I really needed to thaw out & charge my EWC anyway!

I remembered to cancel the Peter Pan DAS RT around 8:45pm and worked on my trip notes while we watched TV. I took another quarter Tylenol PM and finally got to bed around 12:15am, with James following around 2am as usual.

Things we missed: pretty much all of DCA, except for Guardians of the Galaxy , WEB SLINGERS, Toy Story Midway Mania, and Soarin' Around the World, Space Mountain (me only; James hates it!), Disneyland Railroad, Disneyland Monorail, & all of Fantasyland.

Thoughts about the day:

• Loving the Magic Moments this trip!
• REALLY loved my 6 rides on Guardians of the Galaxy today!!!
• Disappointed that the check-in process at The Lamplight Lounge did not work properly.
• You know it's cold when I'm cold!!!

[Pammer]

Thursday, March 2, 2023 (63o)
Plan: Disneyland/DCA; lunch at the Blue Bayou @ 11am

Actual: I woke up around 5:45am to use the restroom; I wasn't feeling too great (my gut), so I decided to change my alarm from 6:30am to 8am and get a little more sleep. I felt a bit better at 8am, so I got up & ready.

I left around 9:10am and had slightly longer lines for both security and the turnstiles; the rain and colder weather had passed and it was very noticeable by the crowd levels today!

As soon as I was through the turnstile, I made a DAS RT for Space (9:28am @ 9:23am) and headed right over to check-in for my ride. I immediately made another DAS RT (9:39am @ 9:34am) after checking in, and then was sent down for my first ride of the day (it's crazy how my bangs disappear in these photos)!



I came back up afterwards, used the restroom, & checked in for my second ride; I didn't make a third DAS RT because the wait had now jumped up to 50mins!

After my second ride on Space, I made a DAS RT for Buzz (10:08am @ 10:03am) and headed right over; I was thrilled to finally crack the Top 10 = 696,500, which was #8 ~ WHOO-HOO!!!





I now only had about a half hour before our reservation at The Blue Bayou, so there wasn't really anything I had time to do by myself except The Enchanted Tiki Room; however, the next show would end too close to my dining reservation time, and I definitely wanted to check in as soon as James was in the park, so I chose to skip it this trip.

I headed over to the BB and parked my EWC across from the exit to Pirates against the Cafe Orleans building to wait for James, who called a few minutes later to say he was on his way. I checked in online with BB 20mins early (10:40am) and then made a DAS RT for HM when I noticed James had entered the park (11:25am @ 10:45am) because Rise was down.

James arrived, so I checked in to the Podium just in case! We went into the little lobby, which was pretty crowded, but I was able to sit on the edge of one of the benches next to two men, while James stood next to me. I was telling him about my morning, when he suddenly leaned down to whisper that one of the men I was sitting next to was Wayne Brady (star of "Let's Make a Deal" & "Whose Line is it Anyway?")!!!

I casually started looking around and saw that it was indeed Wayne Brady! I would have loved to take a picture, but I didn't want to bother him. A few minutes later, a plaid spoke to him and both men went outside. The restaurant then started seating parties and he & the rest of his group walked back in, and James noticed Wayne's "Deal" co-host Jonathan Magnum among them! There were about 8-10 guests, and they weren't even seated waterside, as we saw when we walked past a few minutes later to our table. Well, that was exciting to see them from afar, anyway!

We were seated waterside and CM Lonny quickly arrived to take our order: Filet Mignon with regular potatoes instead of the Patatas Bravas (I also eliminated the Spinach, Lemon Aioli and Olive-Piquillo Pepper Tapenade) plus a Diet Coke for me...



...and the Roasted Mushroom Ragu (Trofie Pasta, Spinach and Charred Tomatoes with Fava Bean-Pistachio Pesto) and a Mint Julep for James.



I noticed that Rise was back up, so I cancelled our DAS RT with HM and made one for Rise instead (11:37am @ 11:07am).

We enjoyed our entrees and then I ordered a vanilla Creme Brule for us to share; all of our food was delicious!



We settled our bill and then noticed that our DAS RT for Rise had become an Experience Redemption & the attraction had gone back down again! Therefore, we decided to ride the Disneyland Railroad full-circle from the New Orleans Square station while we were in the vicinity.

I had difficulty pulling myself up into the car, but we had a nice relaxing ride once I was up & seated! I made a DAS RT for Buzz (12:38pm @ 12:28pm), and we headed in that direction once we were off the train.

It was VERY noticeable how busy the park was today compared to the prior couple of days, as we ducked & weaved amongst everyone; fortunately, the bottleneck by Indiana Jones Adventure was much less congested, due to the attraction being down for refurbishment at the time!

While on our way to ride Buzz, we saw a security guard keeping watch over a momma duck & her babies as they walked around The Hub. James beat me 838,100+200, which was #12, to my 380,400 (no score on the photo again)!




To be continued...

[Pammer]

Thursday, March 2, 2023 (63^o) ~ Part II
Plan: Disneyland/DCA; lunch at the Blue Bayou @ 11am

After checking on Rise (still down), I had made a DAS RT for Peter Pan (1:24pm @ 12:59pm) right after checking in to Buzz, so we headed there next to ride. I then made DAS RTs for Snow White's Enchanted Wish, Pinocchio's Daring Journey, & Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, which we then proceeded to ride consecutively one after another in that order!

I next made a DAS RT for Alice in Wonderland (2:24pm @ 1:59pm) and we went back to see The Tale of the Lion King at 2:30pm ~ such a talented cast!









At 2:50pm, I checked in online for our flight tomorrow (B11 & B12), and then I noticed that Rise was back up, so we headed over there as quickly as possible through the crowds to ride before it went down again!

We were ready for a break, so I cancelled the DAS RT with Alice and we headed towards Critter Country, where we saw the Mark Twain again!



We stopped at the Guest Relations kiosk outside of the HM to get a return time for TSMM; we had a nice chat with CM Angelo who used to work that attraction before moving into GR! He ended up shortening our DAS RT in half (4:09pm @ 3:54pm = Magic Moment #6!), which was such a nice and unexpected thing to do; I didn't have the heart to tell him we weren't going directly over there right then.

We said goodbye to Disneyland Park for this trip and headed into World of Disney to check out their water bottles; we were looking for a design similar to the Crush & Squirt one we saw over at DCA yesterday (wide mouth stainless steel), but only found the C&S one, so I did a Mobile Order to purchase it.







We headed back to the room around 4:30pm to charge the EWC and take a much-needed break!


To be continued...

[Pammer]

Thursday, March 2, 2023 (63^o) ~ Part III
Plan: Disneyland/DCA; lunch at the Blue Bayou @ 11am

I made a Mobile Order with Pacific Wharf Cafe around 6:35pm (sliced sourdough baguette) with a pickup of 6:45pm-7:15pm, and then we left for DCA. James veered off to pick it up once inside, and it took a really long time for the order to be ready!

We finally met up around 7:15pm outside TSMM and snacked on the bread in the queue as we went through! James outscored me 210,900 to 195,500, and he was again Best in Vehicle!





Radiator Springs Racers was down most of this evening, so I made our next DAS RT for WEB (7:45pm @ 7:15pm) and then we went to Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta; the dining area was fairly empty for a change, and we parked my EWC next to an open table. We went inside to get our food: James got his usual spaghetti & meatballs with pomodoro sauce and I got a slice of cheese pizza (no soda, we just had water), before coming back outside to the table to eat.

We continued to snack on the bread with our dinner & then we went to ride WEB, where I again outscored James 213,600 to 196,800! I also was the high scorer in the vehicle, where the total score = 772,100!



I had made a DAS RT for Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! (8:29pm @ 8:09pm), so we headed over there next; afterwards, we took in the Turtle Talk with Crush show at 9pm.

At this point we were done, so we said a final goodbye to DCA and the rest of the resort!

James took the EWC up to the room to be charged, while I went to McDonald's to get him a Big Mac and regular hamburger.

I was back in the room by 9:45pm and did my usual nighttime tasks, before going to bed around 12:45am.

Things we missed: We were able to hit almost everything on our must-do list we wanted to today, except for Guardians of the Galaxy (me only) & Radiator Springs Racers. Other attractions we would have liked to do but missed included Disneyland Monorail (which was down all day), Alice in Wonderland, The Enchanted Tiki Room (me only), Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, & Soarin' Around the World.

Thoughts about the day:

• Another full day, after a slow start for me.
• I was thrilled to finally crack the Top 10 on Buzz Lightyear, which is only possible if I ride early in the day without high-scoring James who aims for all of my targets so I can't tell if it's him or me!!!
• It was lots of fun to see a celebrity, even though I don't have photographic proof of it ~ LOL!

Friday, March 3, 2023 (65^o)
Plan: Check-out of the Camelot Inn; fly home in the afternoon

Actual: I was up around 9am after another fitful night of sleep and called the front desk to request a late check-out of noon; the desk clerk checked with the housekeeping staff and said it was fine. James was up around 10am, we finished our packing, and checked out around 11:40am.

I requested an XL Lyft ride and Patrick picked us up around noon in a Nissan Pathfinder; it really didn't have a lot of extra cargo room, so James had to ride in the front seat.

We unfolded the EWC and brought everything inside the terminal; I took the EWC and the big suitcase up to the counter while James waited with everything else. The agent checked in my bag, inspected the EWC, and gave us both boarding passes (B11 & B12, although we have pre-boarding).

We met back up and headed down to the Pre-TSA queue, where we surprisingly had a long line! It went quickly, but I was randomly picked to have my electronics more closely inspected. No issues with them or the EWC scan, so we collected everything, met back up, and headed down to Carl's Jr.

Carl's was VERY busy (it was 1pm), but we found a place to park the EWC and our bags in their seating area; James waited with everything while I went up to order our usual: cheese quesadilla with no Pico de Gallo for me, a bean/rice burrito without cheese nor Pico de Gallo for James, 2 chocolate chip cookies, and a medium Coke Zero for us to share.

We enjoyed our lunch and then took everything all the way down to Gate 21 around 1:30pm; I asked a Gate Agent for a claim check for my EWC, and then we settled in to wait for our plane.

The plane arrived on-time, but took a long time to do their turn-around; we pre-boarded after folding up the EWC and sat on the right-side of the aircraft, in hopes we'd see DL when we departed; however, no such luck. The flight was almost completely full, but we luckily had no one in our middle seat. For the first time ever, I couldn't buckle my seatbelt and had to ask for an extender; I don't know why they all seem to be slightly different, as I didn't have any trouble on the way down on Monday! I only needed about a half inch more, but it is still embarrassing to ask; I know I didn't gain THAT much in a week ~ LOL!

I was able to enjoy my Coke Zero this flight (YAY!) and James ordered the Cranberry Juice Cocktail, as it is supposed to be lower in potassium than the orange juice; we also had the yummy snack mix & I enjoyed the view outside the window.









We landed about 25mins late around 4:40pm, picked up the suitcase, and took everything outside for me to wait while James took a shuttle to the Daily Lot to collect our car; he paid for parking and picked me up just after 5pm.

We were in the middle of Friday commute traffic, so we went to an In-N-Out Burger closer to home and had our usual burgers, while sharing an order of fries & a small Diet Coke. We finally got home around 6:20pm, where we heaped lots of love on Sidney!



Thoughts about the day:

• A fairly uneventful trip home, so YAY!

Up Next: Our next trip is scheduled for May 8-12 (as long as it's not TOO hot), which is just before the Grad Nites begin; unfortunately, they decided to hold a couple of extra Star Wars Nites during our stay that week as well, so I expect to still have crowds!

Summary & Final Thoughts: It was great to be back again after nearly 4 months; the rain & cold helped keep the crowds low at the beginning of the trip and even I got cold!

Highlights include:

• The wonderful visit with cousin Debbie!
• Both James & I getting on the top 10 list at Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters!
• The electric wheelchair & DAS combo as always!
• Riding our favorite attractions multiple times (6 times on Guardians of the Galaxy ~ whoo-hoo!!!)!
• "The Tale of the Lion King" show!
• The very manageable crowds with only the usual bottlenecks!
• Seeing Wayne Brady at The Blue Bayou!
• The free attraction ride photos!
• The low crowds the first few days because of the cold & rainy weather!

Lowlights include:

• The anxiety I felt on my first day.
• Missing the new Wondrous Journeys projection show & the new World of Color, but it was just too chilly in the evenings to stick around for them.
• Me getting cold!!!

Hope you enjoyed reading the report...until next time!

[spectromen]

This past Winter has been the first one where I actually felt chilled to the bone - what is going on with us? LOL I think we're just getting older!
Loved the pictures from the plane; all that snow = <3!!!
I believe you are back right now and, thankfully, it definitely isn't too hot of a May thus far, so hope you're having a great time!

[Pammer]

This past Winter has been the first one where I actually felt chilled to the bone - what is going on with us? LOL I think we're just getting older!
Loved the pictures from the plane; all that snow = <3!!!
I believe you are back right now and, thankfully, it definitely isn't too hot of a May thus far, so hope you're having a great time!

You are so right on all points...LOL! Just got back last night and the weather was a dream for me! Of course, we landed in 90^o Sacramento! The next trip will be mid-September, assuming the weather cooperates (last year it barely did in the low-mid 80s; the average is 89 so this year, who knows?)!

[wdwjan]

Thanks for another great trip report! Your food pictures are amazing. Thanks for keeping up with sharing your trips! I haven't been to DL in years, so it's wonderful to feel like I'm there with your reports.

Jan

[Pammer]

Thanks for another great trip report! Your food pictures are amazing. Thanks for keeping up with sharing your trips! I haven't been to DL in years, so it's wonderful to feel like I'm there with your reports.

Jan

Thank you so much for the kind words, Jan!!!

[olegc]

Thanks for another great trip report! Your food pictures are amazing. Thanks for keeping up with sharing your trips! I haven't been to DL in years, so it's wonderful to feel like I'm there with your reports.

Jan

I wanted to see those too but cant find the link in the overall thread. Can you point it out? or are they not online? Thanks

[Pammer]

I wanted to see those too but cant find the link in the overall thread. Can you point it out? or are they not online? Thanks

They are imbedded in the individual posts; I'm not sure why you can't see them, unless your phone or computer won't load them?

[olegc]

They are imbedded in the individual posts; I'm not sure why you can't see them, unless your phone or computer won't load them?

Oh ok. My work blocks some media so that's maybe why they were not visible. Though there was not even a placeholder. I'll have to check on a home computer.

Sent from my motorola edge (2022) using Tapatalk

[Pammer]

Oh ok. My work blocks some media so that's maybe why they were not visible. Though there was not even a placeholder. I'll have to check on a home computer.

Sent from my motorola edge (2022) using Tapatalk

Good luck!