Pammer ~ September 11 - 15, 2023 ~ Offsite

[Pammer]

Travel dates: September 11-15, 2023
Travel method: Southwest
Resort: Camelot Inn (Off-site)
Accommodations: Standard
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
Disney Resort Experience Represented in Group: Veteran
Comments: Magic Keys are now unblocked again!
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!

The Planning

Passes are unblocked & schools are back in session, but we fear hot temps & large crowds remain as the Halloween season descends upon the parks! I booked this trip around the Oogie Boogie Bash parties over in Disney California Adventure, which will close that park early on two of our theme park nights. We like to avoid the busier Fridays, so this trip will be September 11-15 (Monday-Friday); this same week worked okay for us last year, so hopefully our luck will hold out again this year with highs in the 80s or less! We will cancel if the forecast is for 90s & above, so fingers & toes are crossed!

No cousin Debbie this trip though, so we are on our own!

Lodging: I booked a Two-Bedroom Family Suite in December at the Camelot Inn on Harbor Blvd.

Airfare: I booked airfare on Southwest Airlines using a gift card from my brother in June (2 one-way reservations).

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 in June once the days opened up on the Enchant Magic Key calendar:

• September 11: Start at Disneyland Park (or we may start at Disney California Adventure instead)
• September 12: Start at Disneyland Park
• September 13: Start at Disneyland Park
• September 14: Start at Disney California Adventure

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; based on a tip I read online, I decided to try LL right before World of Color in hopes we might be able to view that show immediately after our dinner from the restaurant patio ~ we shall see! I also later decided to try booking the Carnation Cafe once I was able to get a reservation close to the time when the Magic Happens Parade should pass by; everything else will probably be counter-service:

• September 12: Blue Bayou @ 11am
• September 13: Lamplight Lounge @ 7:50pm
• September 14: Carnation Cafe @ 6:40pm

The Itinerary

Here was the result of my pre-planning:

• September 11: Fly down in the afternoon; check-in to the Camelot Inn; DL or DCA
• September 12: Disneyland/DCA; lunch at the Blue Bayou @ 11am
• September 13: Disneyland/DCA; dinner at Lamplight Lounge @ 7:50pm
• September 14: DCA/Disneyland; dinner at the Carnation Cafe @ 6:40pm
• September 15: Check-out of the Camelot Inn; fly home in the afternoon

Sunday, September 10, 2023 (1 day before departure)

Actual: I did my usual stuff and checked in with our neighbor who cat-sits & picks up our newspapers while we are gone; we adopted a 10-year-old kitty, Tommy, on July 1st, so Steve will look after him while we are gone.



I printed off our boarding passes when they went live at 2:10pm (B5 & B6) & then went down to Subway to get the foot-long veggie sandwich for James' lunch tomorrow.

We finished our packing and other usual pre-departure tasks and I was in bed around 11pm, this time also taking 1/2 Tylenol PM to help me sleep! James followed a few hours later as usual.


Monday, September 11, 2023 (91^o)
Plan: Fly down in the afternoon; check-in to the Camelot Inn; DL or DCA

Actual: I awoke around 6:30am and watched TV until getting up around 8am; James was up just before 10:30am. We finished getting ready and left around 11:50am, about 20mins later than I had planned. There were a lot of construction zones to circumvent along our route, but we were finally at the airport around 12:25pm. James dropped me off with the Ranger electric wheelchair (EWC), its travel cover, my backpack, & the big suitcase, before going to park in the Daily Lot.

I luckily had no wait at Customer Service, and they quickly inspected the EWC and checked my big suitcase in for me (34#). I was through Pre-TSA quickly as well, filled our water bottle up, and then found a seat in the food court dining area to wait for James around 1pm. I ate my Lunchables that I had brought with me and James arrived about 10mins later. He ate his sandwich and then we found a seat near our departure gate B23. I asked a Gate Agent for a claim check for my EWC, and we settled in to wait for our plane to arrive.

We preboarded and broke down the EWC to be gate-checked, before finding seats in the 5th row. The plane was pretty full and we left pretty much on time around 2:10pm; unfortunately, the jerk in front of me reclined his seat right into my knees, leaving me pretty much stuck the whole flight! He did this during taxi, which is against the rules, but the Flight Attendants never noticed.

I had Coke Zero, James had ginger ale, & we both enjoyed the snack mix during our flight, before arriving on-time around 3:40pm.

It was very exciting to fly over the resort!



We also flew over the old Spruce Goose building next to the Queen Mary; it's easy to find since it is a big round white thing!







We collected the EWC & the suitcase, then I requested an XL ride from Lyft; Alen arrived around 4pm in a Honda Pilot, which accommodated the EWC and everything else nicely! We had some showers, so it was very humid ~ very uncomfortable for me!

There was a lot of commute traffic (of course!), but Alen dropped us off at the Camelot Inn about 30mins later; I checked us in and we received the family suite #508 (no ADA available this trip) = top floor but not as close to the front of the resort as we prefer.

We put our valuables into the safe and left around 5pm for The Pizza Press; I went in to order our dinner & James took the EWC further down to CVS to buy our usual water, juice, & sandwiches, plus a couple of postcards. James had decided that trying to carry 2 gallons of water, plus a big bottle of juice & sandwiches is very hard on his hands, so using the EWC to transport everything on his lap was much easier!

In the meantime, I ordered 2 cheese pizzas (me), 2 "Publish Your Own" pizzas (mostly veggie for James), and a canned Diet Coke, because their fountain machine was out-of-order. I ate about 2/3 of one of my pizzas while waiting for James to arrive and then he ate one of his pizzas. We carried the leftovers back to the room, along with our supplies from CVS, with me balancing the heavy water bottles on my lap.

We put our food in the fridges, James put the lights on the EWC, and we headed back out around 6:20pm; we quickly went through security, where we had a very fun security guard who told us "Welcome back! Good to see you again!". We entered Disneyland Park and headed into Tomorrowland; I needed to renew my DAS and decided to go to the kiosk there instead of the one on Main Street, where it was very busy with guests waiting for the Magic Happens parade.

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters showed a 10min standby wait, so James went there while I went to the Guest Relations kiosk; I had a very nice CM named Brittney who renewed the DAS and then scheduled our first DAS Return Time (RT) for Buzz as well (6:41pm @ 6:36pm).

I went back to the exit of Buzz to wait for James; he had scored 445,600+25,400 (total = 471k) and was fine not riding again, as the parade guests were starting to infiltrate the area and it was getting crowded!

I'd read about a special Magic Key offer, where you could get the Magic Key-themed Magic Band+ (which I had purchased last year for about $35, after my key discount) for free with a purchase, so we asked at Star Trader. They told us that Westward Ho Trading was pretty much the only store who might still have them in stock (I'd read that supplies are restocked each day), so we fought our way across the park and the parade guests to check. They did have them, so we each picked out a pin in order to get our bands, intending to use them as backup to the ones we already have.

I stopped in Refreshment Corner looking for the Disney100 Buzz Lightyear Straw Clip & the Minnie Mouse: Hocus Pocus Halloween Dress-up Sipper they were supposed to have; they were out of both, so we left the park around 7:30pm, with Oogie Boogie cackling at us from across the Esplanade!



I went to McDonald's for a large French fries & a large frozen Coke, while James took the EWC back to the room to charge; I was back in the room by 7:45pm and we did our usual arrival-evening tasks of unpacking & settling in; I also wrote out my postcards for my brother and my 95-year-old aunt, as well as updated my trip notes. I was in bed around 11:45pm and James followed around 1am.

Thoughts about the day:

• No issues to report!!!

[Pammer]

Tuesday, September 12, 2023 (83^o) ~ Part I
Plan: Disneyland/DCA; lunch at the Blue Bayou @ 11am

Actual: I was awake at 6:15am, ate some leftover pizza for breakfast, & finished getting ready. I left the room around 7:35am and found short lines for both security and the theme parks. I entered DL, stopped to mail my postcards at the box near the tunnel, made a DAS RT for Space (7:57am @ 7:52am), and then headed on down Main Street to wait for rope drop near Tomorrowland.

I rode slowly towards the exit of Space, dodging the crowds as I went along, and parked the EWC near the DAS seating area. I asked the CM to ride without stairs and he sent me right down; since there were few DAS parties riding at this early hour, I was able to ride 5 times in a row!!!



I canceled the DAS for Space, made one for Buzz instead (8:56am @ 8:51am), and then went to Star Tours The Adventure Continues; I parked outside the entrance and used the elevator so I could avoid the ramp. I had what I call "old school" scenes: Darth Vader, Hoth, Princess Leia, & Naboo, but helped deliver the Rebel Spy anyway!

I collected the EWC and took it over to ride Buzz; I had a fairly low score (282k), but it was good enough at that early hour to be 28th!



I made a DAS RT for Snow White's Enchanted Wish (9:37am @ 9:32am) & then rode over into Fantasyland, parked the EWC in the accessible parking area, and asked to ride Mr. Toad's Wild Ride via their DAS entrance. I next rode Pinocchio's Daring Journey via their TAV (Transfer Access Vehicle) and Snow White via theirs as well. When I went back to collect my EWC, I saw Peter Pan & Wendy riding the King Arthur Carrousel!



I rode past the Snow White Grotto...



...& then headed towards the Blue Bayou; James called about 10:25am while I was enroute, so I quickly called him back. I then parked the EWC across from the exit to Pirates of the Caribbean and got in the long line to check-in for our reservation around 10:30am.

I kept watching the DL app for when James was in the park, so I could then make our next DAS RT; I usually select Rise of the Resistance, but it was down (as it had been most of the morning) so I chose Haunted Mansion Holiday (11:44am @ 10:34am).

James arrived, we checked-in, and were directed to sit in the lobby. The Bootstrappers arrived, with Anders (from Billy Hill & the Hillbillies fame) playing the bass, so I went outside to get some photos of them.



We were seated along the water as usual (which is the main reason for requesting an 11am reservation!) and our server was Misty; I was very disappointed that they had changed their menu THAT DAY and replaced my beloved Filet Mignon with Prime Rib!



PR is always way fattier than I like and usually prepared rarer than I like as well, but I ordered it anyway with the Buttery Mashed Potatoes, but without the Roasted Heirloom Carrots & Peppercorn Demi, plus a Diet Coke. They had also replaced James' pasta dish with another: Sunchoke and Pistachio Pesto Pasta and he got his usual Mint Julep.



They gave me a HUGE piece of meat, of which only a small part of it was edible, and it was medium rare rather than medium well, but I did my best with the piece that didn't have fat on it! (Some of you may enjoy your meat this way, but I don't, which is why I prefer Filet Mignon!)



James was fine with his pasta (he's not as picky as I am, except for wanting his meat cooked well done!)...



...and then we shared the Vanilla Creme Brulee for dessert (without the Palmier and Macerated Berries).



We settled our bill and left around 12:10pm.


...to be continued

[Pammer]

Tuesday, September 12, 2023 (83^o) ~ Part II
Plan: Disneyland/DCA; lunch at the Blue Bayou @ 11am

We went to ride HMH...



...and had our first issue when the ride went down while we were in the stretching room; usually I park my EWC and walk through the attraction, but this time they had me take it in and boy, was I glad when these issues began! They backed us out of one stretching room into the other, and then had us wait a bit longer; they also had me go to the left side with the EWC into the accessible boarding area, which I had never used before. We luckily were able to ride before the ride went down again & they started evacuating everyone!





Rise was back up right after we had checked in at HMH, so I got a DAS RT for it (12:48pm @ 12:18pm); we also discussed the Carnation Cafe reservation on Thursday and mutually decided to cancel it, so I did that while we were waiting as well.

It was time for Rise when we finally got off of HMH, so we headed right over there to ride before it went down again! Afterwards, we came back to the Guest Relations kiosk near Harbour Galley to get a DAS RT for WEB SLINGERS (2:18pm @ 1:43pm). I then noticed that HG had the Minnie Mouse Hocus Pocus Sipper than my friend Juanita wanted, so we purchased one for her.



I started having issues with the EWC making screeching noises, as if metal was grinding on metal; we've had that intermittently before & I think usually it's when the battery gets low, but it wasn't too low yet. Sometimes James can get it to stop by going backwards; he gets really bitchy when trying to fix it, so I just try to say nothing ~ LOL!

We got it working until we got to the exit & someone cut me off, so I had to abruptly stop; then it started up again! It was very frustrating, that's for sure.

We park-hopped to Disney California Adventure around 2pm; the plan had been to ride a couple of attractions before the party guest mix-in started at 3pm, but the EWC issues put a damper on that; we rode WEB, where our vehicle had a combined score of 779,400 and I beat James 212,100 to his 140,100!



We continued to trouble-shoot the EWC issues with very little success; however, I'd made a DAS RT for Soarin' Around the World (2:45pm @ 2:35pm), so we did that just around 3pm.

I stopped at the Guest Relations kiosk for another DAS RT for Rise (4:14pm @ 3:39pm) & then we left for the room; James took the EWC upstairs and I stopped at McDonald's for a Big Mac large combo meal with Diet Dr. Pepper and a double hamburger for us to share. They were VERY slow to fill the order, even though it wasn't very busy, but it eventually was ready & I went up to the room for our break.

We ate, charged the EWC, and rested before leaving back to DL around 6:45pm, which avoided most of the parade traffic.

Lines were short and we stopped at Disneyana for the Haunted Mansion "Ghost Host" trading cards freebie they had for Magic Keyholders this week.



We then went through Adventureland to get a Location RT for Indiana Jones Adventure (7:39pm @ 7:04pm) before heading on to ride Rise.

I then made a DAS RT for Jungle Cruise (7:24pm @ 7:14pm) and we rode Indy via the DAS entrance; it was SO rough on me & my back, whipping me around terribly ~ I think I might need to skip it the rest of the trip!

We next rode JC with Skipper Jackson, who was awesome! The CMs also put the steps in to help me when I exited; they keep the regular steps from being so deep!

I had made a DAS RT for Buzz (8:43pm @ 8:18pm), so we headed there next around 9pm; James was thrilled to score 1,104,600, which was #6 at the time!!! I had a measly 298,800, but the darn picture showed 3,400! What? Honestly.





We headed back to the room afterwards and did our usual nightly tasks; I made it to bed around 12:30am & James around 1:15am.

Things we missed: Disneyland Railroad, Star Tours (James only), Disneyland Monorail, most of Fantasyland, Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan's Flight, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Alice in Wonderland, & most of DCA, except for Soarin' & WEB.

Thoughts about the day:

• Stupid EWC issues cutting into our DCA time!
• Five rides on Space Mountain for me ~ whoo-hoo!
• Darn menu changes at The Blue Bayou that went into effect today and we weren't expecting!
• Two rides on Rise of the Resistance!
• James scoring #6 on Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters!
• Beating James again on WEB SLINGERS!

[Pammer]

Wednesday, September 13, 2023 (79^o) ~ Part I
Plan: Disneyland/DCA; dinner at Lamplight Lounge @ 7:50pm

Actual: Normally we start at DL on the first & third full days of our trip and DCA on the second full day, but with the Halloween parties occurring twice during our trip, I swapped the starting parks on the second & third days. Therefore, I was up again at 6:30am with the alarm instead of sleeping in an extra hour as usual ~ the things I will do to ride Space Mountain multiple times in the morning ~ LOL!

I got ready & was out the door around 7:40am, using a cane since the EWC is being cranky (James thinks one of the motors is defective). There were short lines for security & the ECV/WC/Stroller rental place, and I rented an ECV before heading into DL.

I pulled to the side to make a DAS RT for Space (8am @ 7:55am; just in case) and then headed down Main Street, listening to the rope drop music as I went! I saw Frank on the porch in his Dodger blue, where he is almost every morning, and then finally saw the Clapping Man for my first time near Buzz when I passed by!

Like yesterday, I headed straight to the exit of Space, parking my ECV along the DAS seating area, and asking to ride without stairs. Today I was able to ride EIGHT TIMES IN A ROW, because the DAS parties were rare ~ YAY!!!



I was pretty tired afterwards and canceled the DAS for Space, before making one for Star Tours (9:35am @ 9:25am). I used the restroom and then parked the ECV where the CM told me to in the stroller parking area outside of ST, before taking my cane with me to ride Buzz via the standby line (wait = 5mins, but was really just a walk-on). I was SO EXCITED to score 531,100, which was #7 at this early time ~ what a great morning so far!!!





I exited Buzz and went over to ride ST via the elevator; this time I got more of the "new school" scenes: Kylo Ren, Jakku (with Rey instead of Finn), Maz Kanata, and Crait, before returning to the home port and an angry droid who said we had stolen his ship!

I canceled the DAS for ST, since I had actually entered via the regular queue since it was still non-existent, and made one for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (10:04am @ 9:49am) instead.

I went to collect my ECV to find it buried in a sea of strollers, not what the CM had told me would happen earlier! He of course is nowhere to be found, but luckily, I know how to release the brake and was able to maneuver it out of the masses.

I made a Mobile Order at the Little Red Wagon around 10:15am for a corn dog, chips, & bottle of Coke Zero, with an arrival window of now-10:45am, but then rode over to ride BTMR via the exit first. While waiting in line, I changed the arrival window to 10:30am-11am, to give me more time to ride and get back over there.

I parked the ECV behind the wagon and said I was there around 10:40am; the food was ready within a few minutes. I lucked out when a table opened up for me to sit at; I also offered two of the other seats to two other ladies so they could sit while eating as well, and we had a nice visit.

I saw that the Buzz straw clip I wanted for James was available at Alien Pizza Planet, so I made a Mobile Order for it around 11am with a pickup time of now-11:30am, and I headed over there next to pick it up. They had trouble locating it, even after saying my order was ready! They finally found one and I was on my way again.

I parked the ECV in the shade across from the Jolly Holiday Cafe and walked over to see The Enchanted Tiki Room show at 11:40am...



...afterwards, I went back to the ECV and sat in the shade for awhile wondering when James might arrive. We didn't have any dining reservations, so he could take his time if he wanted to. I read emails & did some texts, then I noticed he was in the park so I made a DAS RT for Rise (12:52pm @ 12:17pm).

I called James and he said he was having trouble getting service, which is why I hadn't heard from him yet; I talked him to where I was sitting & then we headed into Adventureland. We stopped for a Location RT for Pirates (12:33pm @ 12:28pm) and looked through the Pirates and HM shops by the exit before riding.

We next went to ride Rise, and I made a DAS RT for BTMR once we had checked in (1:41pm @ 1:16pm); we then headed over there once we were off of Rise and James had briefly looked through the shops in Galaxys Edge.

Our next DAS was for Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway (2:09pm @ 1:54pm), but James was hungry first so we stopped at Rancho del Zocalo for a Chicken Burrito Sonora (with Refried Beans, Rice and Cheese wrapped in a Flour Tortilla and topped with a traditional Guajillo Sauce) for him, a bag of Crispy Chips con Limon for me to snack on, and a Coke Zero to share.

I had been interested in trying the new Pepperoni Pizza Flop-Over (Pepperoni, Mozzarella, Provolone with Tomato Sauce) from Cafe Daisy, so I made a Mobile Order for it, with a pickup of 2:35pm-3:05pm.

After James finished eating, we headed through the Fantasyland crowds to ride M&MRR. I kept watching the time for the Cafe Daisy arrival window, and ended up sending James with my phone to pick it up around the end of my arrival time because he was so much faster than I am on the ECV!

Luckily it was bagged (especially because how greasy it is!) & we took it with us towards the front of the park, trying to beat the parade before it started by it's a small world! The Disney ECVs are very slow, which makes them safer to others around them, but it does take a while to get where you are going.

I stopped at the Guest Relations kiosk to get a DAS RT for WEB (4:18pm @ 3:23pm); The Disneyland Band was entertaining on Main Street, which complicated a quick exit even more!

I left the ECV at the rental shop for now & we headed back to the room for a break around 3:35pm. I warmed up the Flop-Over in the microwave, as it was plenty cool by now ~ it was very greasy and just okay, so I probably won't be getting another one anytime soon.

We left the room just before 6pm, where we encountered long security lines for some reason (no Halloween parties tonight); I collected the ECV and we headed into DCA.

We rode WEB, where I beat James 219,600 to his 199,200, and the total vehicle score was 776,300.



We passed by Lightning McQueen as we were going towards Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters, on our way through a very crowded San Fransokyo Square.



We stopped to ride The Little Mermaid Ariel's Undersea Adventure as standby was listed as 20mins; however, we were on in 10mins. The very nice CM slowed the belt down for me in both directions, which is always appreciated!

I had previously made a DAS RT for Toy Story Midway Mania (7:06pm @ 6:12pm), so we headed there next; James outscored me 213,500 to my 174,100 and was Best in Vehicle as usual!






...to be continued

[Pammer]

Wednesday, September 13, 2023 (79^o) ~ Part II
Plan: Disneyland/DCA; dinner at Lamplight Lounge @ 7:50pm

We didn't really have any time to do much else, so we went to check in at The Lamplight Lounge around 7:35pm for our 7:50pm dining reservation; they called us about 5mins later and we were very happy to get an outside table (as I had requested during check-in) where we should have a great view of the upcoming World of Color ONE show at 9pm!

We had an awesome server, Mikey, who took great care of us! First he took our drink orders: Diet Coke for me and a Diet 2319 (a frozen Mocktail made with Strawberry Puree, Cream of Coconut, and Pineapple Juice topped with Diet Coke instead of the usual Coca-Cola) for James. Our food orders were my usual 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) for me and the Stone Fruit Salad (Roasted Chicken Breast, Mixed Greens, Sweet Tea Vinaigrette and spicy Cornbread Crumbles) for James that he'd tried on our last trip.

We had a great view of the Pixar Pier area while eating our dinner and settled our bill before the show started.













https://i.imgur.com/bAug3vE.mp4

We got spritzed a couple of times, but had a wonderful view of the WoC show, which was new to us; the show was fine, but not as entertaining or wide-spread as the previous version had been.





https://i.imgur.com/yfyelfr.mp4


...to be continued

[Pammer]

Wednesday, September 13, 2023 (79^o) ~ Part III
Plan: Disneyland/DCA; dinner at Lamplight Lounge @ 7:50pm

Afterwards, we collected the ECV and joined the masses exiting the park, as it was now closed. I took pictures of the various Halloween decor, including the Headless Horseman, the projections on the Carthay Circle Theater, the surrounding trees, & Oogie Boogie at the exit, while James looked through Elias & Co.





https://i.imgur.com/buO4VXW.mp4

https://i.imgur.com/xOh9pWr.mp4







We met back up, exited DCA, and I returned the ECV key for the deposit, before we headed back to the room around 10pm. We again did our nightly tasks and I finally got to bed around 12:45am, with James following around 1:30am.

Things we missed: Most of DCA except The Little Mermaid, WEB SLINGERS, & Toy Story Midway Mania, Disneyland Railroad, Disneyland Monorail, Haunted Mansion Holiday, Indiana Jones Adventure, Jungle Cruise, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (James), & all of Fantasyland.

Thoughts about the day:

• Eight rides on Space Mountain ~ WOW!!!
• My high score on Buzz that dropped me into the top ten ~ WOW #2!!!
• Watching World of Color ONE from The Lamplight Lounge outside dining area ~ WOW #3!!!

[Pammer]

Thursday, September 14, 2023 (79^o) ~ Part I
Plan: DCA/Disneyland; dinner at the Carnation Cafe @ 6:40pm

Actual: The alarm went off and 7:30am and I was out the door around 8:45am; there were lines for security & the ECV rental place, but not for DCA so I went over there first. My DAS was active as soon as I went through the turnstile, so I made a DAS RT for Guardians of the Galaxy (9:02am @ 8:57am; the wait time for Guardians was 40mins before I left the room, but was now only 10mins!) and then exited back over to rent my ECV. Their queue was completely filled in (as opposed to yesterday; it's amazing how much difference that first hour makes everywhere!), but I was through in 15mins.

I went back into DCA and straight over to Hollywood Land; I parked my ECV in the shade near the attraction exit, as it is difficult to maneuver in the queue, grabbed my cane, and headed over for my first ride on Guardians! I quickly made another DAS RT once checked in (9:56am @ 9:26am) and enjoyed "Free Ride"!

I spent the next 3 hours repeating the above sequence until I had ridden Guardians SIX TIMES IN A ROW, which was absolutely AWESOME!!! On top of that, I had four of the six versions: #2 was "I Want You Back", followed by "Born to be Wild", "Free Ride" again, "Burning Love", and "Born to be Wild" again; I had missed "Hit Me with your Best Shot" and "Give Up the Funk", which is my least favorite song of the six.













It was now 12:20pm and I was ready for a break, so I went off to the restroom and then found a quiet shady spot to catch up on emails, etc. I finally called James around 12:40pm to see what he was up to and then headed over to see if Snickers was out and about near Grizzly River Run (she wasn't).

When I noticed James was in the park, I made a DAS RT at Toy Story Midway Mania (1:24pm @ 12:59pm) and then met up with him near Jumpin' Jellyfish, which we then rode with a 5min standby queue. We enjoyed seeing a bit of the A Musical Celebration of Coco show, which was in the Performance Corridor next to us.

We were both hungry, so we went to the Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta, where James got his usual spaghetti & meatballs with pomodoro sauce, I got a slice of cheese pizza & breadsticks, and we shared a Coke Zero.

We headed over towards TSMM, but then I pulled over to the side by Bing Bong's Sweet Stuff when it was almost time to check-in for our flight tomorrow (B20 & B21, although we should be able to preboard).

We rode TSMM, where James beat me 187,400 to my measly 128,400...





I was dismayed because my gun wouldn't go all the way to the left where most of my favorite targets are, so they gave us another ride in a different row. These results were more like it, with us scoring 208,700 (James, who was also "Best in Vehicle") & 181,100 (me)!






...to be continued

[Pammer]

Thursday, September 14, 2023 (79^o) ~ Part II
Plan: DCA/Disneyland; dinner at the Carnation Cafe @ 6:40pm

I'd made a DAS RT for WEB (2:18pm @ 1:53pm), but James went to ride Radiator Springs Racers first via the Single Rider queue while I took some photos of San Fransokyo Square.







I found a shady spot to wait for him across from the WEB entrance, where I also saw Spider-Man perform a couple of stunts on the side of the WEB building!



https://i.imgur.com/h4Xo6Ww.mp4

James had about a 20min wait to ride RSR; there was no photo afterwards, so he called me and I directed him to where I was waiting. We met back up & rode WEB, where I beat James 188,100 to his 171,300 (the entire car score was 701,300)!



I'd made a DAS RT for Soarin' (3:28pm @ 3:03pm) after checking in to ride WEB, so we headed over in that direction now; the park was beginning to get crowded as the mix-ins for tonight's Oogie Boogie Bash were arriving, so we decided to leave after riding it.


...to be continued

[Pammer]

Thursday, September 14, 2023 (79^o) ~ Part III
Plan: DCA/Disneyland; dinner at the Carnation Cafe @ 6:40pm

We stopped at the Guest Relations kiosk so I could get a DAS RT for Rise (4:56pm @ 3:56pm) and then left DCA for this trip; we then went over to World of Disney, where I ended up buying 2 tank tops, a sling bag, & the Halloween tote (qualifying purchase item) via Mobile Order, which is much quicker than standing in the regular checkout lines!











We headed into DL, where the Flag Retreat was in progress, and down into Fantasyland, where I got a LRT for Peter Pan's Flight (5:05pm @ 4:45pm), before heading over into Galaxy's Edge to ride Rise.





https://i.imgur.com/47SUAoN.mp4

We later encountered Chewbacca...



...as we made our way back through GE to Fantasyland on our way to ride Pinocchio's Daring Journey via the TAV.

We next parked the ECV in the nearby accessible parking area and rode Peter with our LRT, before next riding Snow White's Enchanted Wish via their TAV.

I'd made a DAS RT earlier for Alice in Wonderland (5:13pm @ 4:58pm) after we had checked into Rise, so we headed there next; however, it was down at the time so we rode Mr. Toad's Wild Ride via the accessible entrance.

Alice was back up so we quickly rode that via their TAV before collecting the ECV again. I made one last DAS RT for Buzz (6:32pm @ 6:12pm) and then we headed into Tomorrowland to peruse Tomorrow Landing & Star Traders before riding: James scored 554,700+200 (#74) & I scored a lousy 11,000+69,800 (BOO)! There was no score on my photo, which was fine with such a crappy score!




...to be continued

[Pammer]

Thursday, September 14, 2023 (79^o) ~ Part IV
Plan: DCA/Disneyland; dinner at the Carnation Cafe @ 6:40pm

James next looked through the shops on Main Street, whereas I just made my way down towards Disneyana. I then remembered I had wanted to try the Maleficent Churro (Classic churro rolled in chocolate cookie crumbles), which they had there at the ODV in Town Square; there was no line so I purchased one & ate it while waiting for James ~ it was DELICIOUS!!!

I watched a murder of crows fly in and land in the trees in the area...



...& then also saw an interesting smoke/exhaust flume over behind the Fire Station.



I called James near 7:30pm and we met back up at Disneyana to collect the Ghost Host trading cards again, as today was the last day for them this week; then we said good night to Walt and exited the park.



I returned the ECV key for the deposit and we went to Tony Roma's for dinner, even though in hindsight we should have skipped them, as I wasn't super hungry and James still had lots of leftovers in the room.

They were pretty busy (Thursday Night Football was concluding), so we had a short wait for a table, then were seated in an area different from where we sat in February. Our server was Sandra and we ordered the Potato Skins appetizer (6 crispy potato skins with a blend of melted cheeses, bacon and chives; served with sour cream) to share, although they were the only reason I wanted to eat here tonight & should have stopped with just them ~ LOL!

I also ordered the Cheesy Burger (a charbroiled premium all beef patty, Cheddar cheese, with lightly seasoned fries) & a Diet Coke and James again 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) & an Iced Tea.

We were both extremely full & left for the hotel just before 9pm after settling the bill. We again did our nightly tasks and I apparently was so tired I forgot to note our bedtimes for tonight!

Things we missed: We were able to hit almost everything on our must-do list we wanted to today, except for Tale of the Lion King, Disneyland Railroad, & the Disneyland Monorail. Other attractions we would have liked to do but missed included Monsters Inc.

Thoughts about the day:

• Loved my 6 rides on Guardians of the Galaxy!
• We wish we hadn't eaten at Tony Roma's, since we weren't that hungry, but I just didn't want McDonald's again!

Friday, September 15, 2023 (78^o)
Plan: Check-out of the Camelot Inn; fly home in the afternoon

Actual: I was up around 8:50am and James was up around 9:30am; we finished our packing and checked out around 11am.

I requested an XL Lyft ride and Abbas picked us up around 11:15am in a Toyota Hybrid Highlander; he was a great driver and had us at the airport around 11:35am.

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 paper boarding passes (B20 & B21, although we have pre-boarding).

We met back up and headed down to the Pre-TSA queue, where we were through quickly with no extra scans except of the EWC. We collected everything and headed down to Carl's Jr. I found a seat near the hallway and James waited with our stuff while I ordered a cheese quesadilla with no Pico de Gallo, 2 chocolate chip cookies, and a medium Diet Dr. Pepper for me; James was too full from trying to finish all of his leftover food in the room this morning before we left so he wasn't hungry.

After I finished my lunch, we filled our water bottle & then took everything all the way down to Gate 18; I asked a Gate Agent for a claim check for my EWC, and we settled in to wait for our plane.

We departed about 10mins late around 2pm, had our usual snacks (Ginger Ale, Coke Zero, & Snack Mix), and arrived in Sacramento about 10mins late as well.







We collected the EWC & the suitcase, then I waited with everything while James went to get the car. He paid for parking and picked me up around 4:15pm.

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 a small Diet Coke. We finally got home just after 6pm, after making a couple of stops along the way.

Thoughts about the day:

• Another pretty uneventful travel day, so yay!

Up Next: Our next trip is scheduled for October 31 November 4; it was supposed to be with our nephew & his family, but they had already postponed because his wife had just started a new job at the end of August. He unfortunately was then in a terrible motorcycle accident the week after we arrived home from this trip & was severely injured by a hit & run driver while commuting to work; he was very lucky to have survived with multiple broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and more, but he's now slowly recovering at home.

Summary & Final Thoughts: A fun trip with reasonable weather for this time of year, warm but not too hot that we need to cancel!

Highlights include:

• DAS as always, a pain-saver option for me!
• Having a great view of the new World of Color ONE show from The Lamplight Lounge!
• James scoring #6 and me #7 on separate rides on Buzz!
• Riding our favorite attractions multiple times ~ whoo-hoo!!!

Lowlights include:

• The electric wheelchair motor acting up and forcing me to rent an ECV from Disneyland on two separate days (the alternative of no ECV isnt an option; there is a rental agency on property at our hotel, and even though they would be cheaper I prefer not worrying about issues with a non-Disney ECV inside the park; also, other rental agencies cannot deliver to the hotel address because of their agreement with the hotel).
• Missing "The Tale of the Lion King" show again, but we keep forgetting it!

Thanks for reading ~ see you next time!

[suejacken]

My nephew and his wife are going to Disneyland in January. It will be his wifes first trip. I was showing them this site and your posts in particular. You went to two of the places they want to eat at. Lamplight lounge and Blue Bayou. Can I ask you how far in advance they can be booked and what time of day the reservations open up. We are used to booking disney world

I was telling them how much I love your reports and showed them how much you get done.

Thanks for taking the time to post everything

Susan

[Pammer]

Thanks Sue, for the kind comments! Dining reservations at DL open up exactly 60 days ahead of time at precisely 6am Pacific Time! For example, today, October 27th, you could have booked a date as late as December 26th, so if that was the date you needed, you would have had to be online ready to go by 6am PT this morning!

You need to be logged in all ready to go prior to that time in order to score your preferred restaurant and time & not waste precious time (I usually use my PC, but you can also make them through the app). I like to open multiple tabs, one specifically for each restaurant if I have more to do that day.

If you want to ensure a waterside table at Blue Bayou (so you can see the Pirates of the Caribbean boats float by, similar to the Mexico restaurant at Epcot), you need to request 11am to ensure you get it, and then check-in AT the restaurant (not through mobile check-in, as they still want to check you in in person) at least 20mins before your reservation time.

For Lamplight Lounge, I usually do 12:30pm, but if you want to try to get an outdoor seating to see the World of Color show like we did this last trip, you need to request the last reservation of the day around 8pm.

If you are trying for both restaurants on the same day, I would recommend you reserve BB first, followed by LL; these are EXTREMELY popular restaurants, and you most likely won't be able to reserve them later as they will be full, but keep trying! You can also check walk-up lists for both, but I don't know how easily that works as I've never done it.

Good Luck!!!

[suejacken]

Thank you so much for the awesome info. I really appreciate it. My nephew wants to make his wifes first trip memorable

[suejacken]

I forgot to mention that I loved your world of color pics and showed my nephew and suggested that he try to get that kind of view. Your reports are always so helpful . I’m so glad you take the time to post them

[Pammer]

You're welcome!!!

[suejacken]

Thanks again for the info . I was able to book lamplight for them this morning. Tomorrow is 60 days for the day we want to try to get blue bayou so fingers crossed for that

[Pammer]

Thanks again for the info . I was able to book lamplight for them this morning. Tomorrow is 60 days for the day we want to try to get blue bayou so fingers crossed for that

Yay & you're welcome!!!

[suejacken]

I just wanted to let you know that I have so much respect for your patience in booking dining for Disneyland. Having to book one day at a time is driving my nephew and I crazy. We are used to Disney world where you can book your meals for your length of stay at the 60 day mark of your trip. We were able to book lamplight lounge for them at night but World of Color will be closed unfortunately. I was able to book trader sams but checking their website randomly at the 60 day mark and reservations opened about 7:15 am eastern time . They never showed up on the my experience app. We are having a lot of trouble trying to book blue bayou. It was only showing up to 1/6 until yesterday. Yesterday it updated the dates but says closed for most of their dates. Nothing at all has shown up for the three dates we have tried. I did tell them they can try walk up and we will continue to look for openings but its been a struggle. Lol

[Pammer]

I just wanted to let you know that I have so much respect for your patience in booking dining for Disneyland. Having to book one day at a time is driving my nephew and I crazy. We are used to Disney world where you can book your meals for your length of stay at the 60 day mark of your trip. We were able to book lamplight lounge for them at night but World of Color will be closed unfortunately. I was able to book trader sams but checking their website randomly at the 60 day mark and reservations opened about 7:15 am eastern time . They never showed up on the my experience app. We are having a lot of trouble trying to book blue bayou. It was only showing up to 1/6 until yesterday. Yesterday it updated the dates but says closed for most of their dates. Nothing at all has shown up for the three dates we have tried. I did tell them they can try walk up and we will continue to look for openings but it’s been a struggle. Lol

So true! I think Blue Bayou is going to be closed that second week of January, as the dates are crossed out. I've been trying yesterday & today to book them the following week and it still has no availability, even though there are hours posted for those days...I'm guessing there might be a refurbishment there that may go longer than they plan? I just don't know; they do tend to close BB when Pirates is closed, but I don't know if they are scheduled for a refurbishment either!

There is always the walk-up list, just in case it is open while they are there & they are lucky enough to get on it! Good luck!

[Pammer]

We were able to book lamplight lounge for them at night but World of Color will be closed unfortunately.

Sue, I just read that World of Color will be down 1/8/24 through 2/29/24, so you don't need to book the last reservation for Lamplight any of those days after all! You can modify the reservation in the app to a different day and/or time if you decide to (usually under "Future Plans" in the ... section). It's still a nice nighttime view, though.

I still cannot get a Blue Bayou reservation for my dates (January 17, 18, or 19), even though they show to be open those days (and that's trying first thing at 6am on the 60-day mark for each day!); oh well, James can just sleep in that day if I'm never successful...LOL!

That's the problem with trying to plan your trips in advance, and then Disney decides to close your favorite attraction for refurbishment after you already have your reservations!

[suejacken]

I just booked the new restaurant great maple at paradise pier for them. They are going to try walk up for blue bayou. Hope you have better luck in your trip. Have a Happy Thanksgiving

[Pammer]

I just booked the new restaurant great maple at paradise pier for them. They are going to try walk up for blue bayou. Hope you have better luck in your trip. Have a Happy Thanksgiving

Nice...I hope it works out for them as well! Hope your holiday was also great!