How to Meet Friends and Alienate Children - *Updated 8/10* About This Page:

[simbarel]

I can't believe you tried to bogart Dawn's fries. What a non-jazz handing shame that check-in was---but to tell the truth...I probably would have taken you up on your Disney Visa offer. (That was really nice of you and I have no doubt that everyone loves you as much as you love you.) And what is up with "oh, you still want a theme park view?" How could such a sentence even get formed, much less spoken????

Us Mainahs (meaning Wally and myself) steer clear of Starbucks as well----it's not the price or the language barrier, it's the way they taste! Excellent reporting, thanks for leading the pack. Can't wait to see some PHOTOS! :hint hint:

[chezp]

Karen, you are too funny with your installements! Don't spoil 24 though - don't forget, we're a couple of weeks behind you still!

My goodness, you guys did meet a couple of umm - not so great Cast Members didn't you? I just hope that doesn't set the tone for the rest of your vacation....

[mattnkatsmum]

Thanks for your input, Karen - you are one funny lady. What's this about 24 being far fetched? Are you suggesting that Wayne Palmer is not the President? It's all REAL. Jack Bauer is going to save the world don't you know? And then marry ME.

Eileen. Your latest update is hilarious. I too would have made a beeline for the fries!

I'd love to see some photos

[lindawdw]

I'm so glad you're back and posting Eileen!!! First let me start with the fact that you handled the unexpected houseguests the evening before your trip very well!!! We all know how stressful it can be when you think you have the whole night before to finish packing, and then when a monkey wrench is through into the plans all hell breaks loose. The ride down with Karen sounded like a lot of fun and it was so nice when you finally got to meet up with Dawn. I can't wait to hear more of your adventures.

[ilovedisney0_0]

I this TR! The fun has already started, and you aren't even at the parks yet! It a bummer about your 2 not so happy CM's. Suprising they work at the Grand, huh? Eileen, next time you are at Starbucks, try the Grande non-fat iced latte with 6 pumps of sugar free vanilla.... It's yummy!

And Karen, isn't that just like a teenager?? Always blurting out things you wish they didn't know about!

[Mouseketeer]

My goodness, this is a fun and hilarious trip report already! Can't wait to read more.

Lynda

[PrincessSharon]

Whew! You've certainly been busy! But I'm sure you were rushing just to get to the best part - my arrival! I'm with Crystal, I didn't think I had more laughs in me, but you proved me wrong. Especially because I'm picturing you doing the tardy face!

[disneydani]

Even if I knew how to 'quote'and chime in, I don't think I could because the whole TR is way too HY-STER-I-CAL to comment upon!
Of course, we 'girls trip wannabees' all knew that hilarity would definitely ensue!
I hope Karen continues to add her two-cents because you two have quite comedy act going on there.

[mom to 3 princesses and 1 prince]

Normally I would not mosey on over to the Disneyland section of these wonderful boards. However, one thing led me here - the fact that I'm now planning a 2009 DLR trip - and another caused me to stay - a TR by one of my favorite TR writers! Welcome back, Eileen! Can't wait to read more!

[tndisneyfam]

I am enjoying every second of this! An awesome TR Eileen and great chiming in Karen!

I Have never been in a Starbucks because of the "You've Got Mail" scene. I am not a coffee drinker so I am afraid! Way to go with all the questions!!

I CANNOT wait for more!!!!!


Darcie

[TroianRae]

OMG, you all are killing me!!

It's a good thing my office sits at one side of the building - all by myself - or everyone would hear me laughing and (almost) falling off my chair.

But, no, today, the day I get caught up on your TR, the carpet guys are here and they think I've lost it. (All this hysterical laughter coming from the office and I'm all alone).

[bonphil]

Hurry back with more. I'm loving it so far!

[Caldercup]

I have to say that meeting PassPorters in person is one of the all-time great highlights of any given trip. And this trip – well, I started out with a whole bunch in a short time. First Liz and then Janine and Tina.

Let me just say that I knew these ladies would be great fun after “talking” to them during the pre-trip chats. And, I knew what both of them looked like having seen pictures of them posted on the boards over the past few years. Yet, I think nothing compares with actually being in the same space with your online pals, talking to them face-to-face and breathing the same air. And… best of all… you can hear them laughing!! Which brings me to telling you all that Tina has one of the world’s great laughs. Seriously, in the annals of laughter, Tina’s sits on a golden pedestal in a beam of celestial light. I highly recommend you meet up with her and say something witty – you won’t be disappointed!

We all sat around in the comfy, overstuffed chairs that make up the little conversation areas of the Grand Californians lobby and chatted away like magpies – where I completely fell in love with Janine’s accent!!

After a bit, Dawn, Janine and Tina went to the check-in desk to sort out their room. A big thumbs up from Dawn quickly told me that all had worked out satisfactorily – YAY!!

Liz made a run up to her room and brought down some truly delicious treats from the concierge lounge. My goodness, were those chocolate-covered strawberries good! And HUGE!!

We all conferred about what we wanted to do with our afternoon (since our rooms were no where near ready.)

California Adventure? – sounds like a plan!

Karen needed to drop something off at the Disneyland hotel and then we both needed to go to the ticket gates (me to pick up my pre-ordered tickets and Karen to sort out what Miss Sunshine had royally screwed up with her AP.) We all decided we’d meet up at the parks and we quickly exchanged cell phone numbers.

Karen, Sharon and I walked out through the maze of corridors from the GC to Downtown Disney and I was disappointed with this being the only option for getting to the esplanade (the fancy name for the big “piazza” – oh, look! Another fancy name! -- between Disneyland and DCA.) It seemed like an awfully long way to walk just to get outside of the hotel.

Anyway, Karen raced off to the DL gates and Sharon accompanied me to the ticket booth on the esplanade. A gent named Walt gave me my pretty little ticket in exchange for my confirmation number. I was ready to go!!

Karen told us to go into the park while she got her AP, but she told us – “Don’t have any fun without me.” Wouldn’t think of it darlin’… wouldn’t think of it.

Sharon and I walked under the Golden Gate Bridge and the first thing we saw was the toy store. Without the need for words, we headed inside. I was disappointed to see that they only had a small Mr. Potato Head part display and none of the newest items were on offer. In fact, now that I think about it, I don’t remember seeing MPH parts anywhere else (although I didn’t check the stores in Toontown… and I bet there was something there.) After a bit, Karen joined us and we headed off to our first ride.

The wait for Monsters, Inc. was under 10 minutes and we were quickly climbing into our little yellow car. Unfortunately, not everything STAYED in the car. Just as we pulled out and were about to pass through the first door of the ride, Sharon’s camera made a daring escape and flung itself to the floor, just outside of the car. We turned back to the CMs, but they seemed not to notice. Oh, well – I didn’t have my camera with me (it was still in my laptop bag back with Mike at Bell Services) and Sharon’s was now sitting on the floor of the loading area. Hopefully, Miss Karen got some pics!

The ride was cute and I really enjoyed seeing it again. The best part of all was at the end, when we approached Roz. Now, you need to know that she’s often just a “canned” animatronic, but we were lucky enough to have her fully interactive. She saw us coming and said (in her droll, scratchy voice) “Hello, ladies.” We gave her a big hello, which she appreciated. Then she asked us to give her a good scream – we screamed and she approved! Then, because it was time for our car to move, she said “Bye, ladies!” But, our car didn’t move. We looked to her again and she blinked at us for a second. “Buh, BYE, Ladies!” Again, our car didn’t move and we starting giggling nervously. “I said goodbye,” grumbled Roz. “Now, get out of here!”

With big smiles on our faces, our car finally pulled into the unloading zone. Sharon was able to retrieve her camera and we were off to the Tower of Terror.

We quickly met up with the rest of our touring group for the day and walked right into the lobby. We were ushered into our pre-show room and then made the long climb up the flight of stairs. Even though we were a fairly numerous group, we didn’t have enough to fill a whole elevator by ourselves, so we were joined by a few strangers. The spacing worked out so that Karen, Sharon and I were all in the front row, with me on the aisle side (because I find I get a bit claustrophobic if I’m against one of the walls.)

Well, as our bellhop gave us the rundown, I noticed that the young woman in the seat next to me (across the aisle) was texting someone on her cell phone. The bellhop gave her a hard stare and she flipped it shut, but didn’t put it immediately away. “Oh great,” I thought, “it’s gonna fly outta her hands and smack me in the nose.”

How I wish that was what happened…

We zoomed up the tower to the second pre-show area about the pour souls in the elevator and then we got the star field section. Seeing as how I’ve been on this ride before, I knew that we were about to start falling.

The woman next to me… well, she wasn’t ready for it.

So, when the elevator dropped, she grabbed for the first thing her flailing arm could find in the pitch black darness. And that was… my right breast. Yep… she grabbed me in a way that would cause most people to get a good right cross. But, it was so unexpected, so shocking, that I just burst into laughter and she immediately let go. For the rest of the ride, I alternated between screaming and laughing. Screaming and laughing.

When we got off the ride, I turned to Karen and Sharon and said….

“That woman owes me dinner!”


[Up next: Talk to the left hand because you ain’t right!]

[DopeyGirl]

Eileeeeeeeeeeen! (yes, I said it in a sing-songy voice. )

You and Karen are frickin' hilarious, my friend. (and making me look bad. I still have about 200 photos to edit so I can get cracking on my first installment! )

. . . and SCANDAL! I can't believe you didn't even get her number.

[chezp]

Oh my goodness, that was certainly an eventful visit to the Tower of Terror!

I remember Tina's laugh now you mention it, although it's been way too long since we last heard it (three years now I think) - we need to make sure we experience it again soon!