Our Halloween Weekend UPDATED! About This Page:

[gym mom]

I just got my work schedule and realized that if I don't post now, it won't be until Thursday before I can! So here is my first installment.



We are:

Jennifer - age 47

Jeff - age 47

Trisha - age 16

Kyle - age 14

Lindsay - age 19 (a friend of Trisha's)



Day 1 - The Longest Day!



Our day really began on Tuesday morning (October 28) when the alarms began to go off at 5:30 in the morning. Today was to start as a normal day. The kids have school and I am working. Unfortunately, even though I asked for a morning shift, I am closing the store. So I need to be totally packed with everything done in the house before I leave for work at about 1:00. After Trisha got out of school, she had a friend take her to the mall to pick up my car and take it back home. The plan is for the rest of the family to pack the car and be at the mall when I get off at 10. They were on time, I was kind of late getting out. Wouldn't you know it, the one night I want to get out on time all kinds of things come up to slow me down!



We were on our way shortly after 10. We have a 12 hour drive ahead of us. Of course we were concerned about the fires. We will be coming into the LA area from the east, right where the fires are. After we left Needles, California, we began to see signs of smoke. It got worse as we travelled. The visability was down to about half a mile. If I hadn't known that it was smoke and if we were closer to the ocean, I would have said it was fog.



We stopped in Barstow for breakfast. The sun was red. Very weird to see. Some Bible verses come to mind as I look at it. We talked to some of the people in McDonalds and they said that today was the first day they had seen the smoke. The winds had been blowing it out over the ocean, but now they have changed direction and the smoke is blowing east.







Lindsay is flying into LAX this morning. She called us while we were in Barstow to say that she had just landed. We still have 2 hours to go so we better get going so she doesn't have to wait too long at the hotel.



As we came into Rancho Cucamonga we could see where the fire had burned. We saw one area that was burned and right in the middle stood a home...safe. SALUTE to those fire fighters! We also saw an area where the fire had burned right up to a subdivision. I bet those people were sweating bullets. I couldn't tell for sure, but I don't think any houses were burned. We did see many fire trucks and at one point a bunch of them were lined up ready to head up the hill. (Good Luck, guys!)



We got to the Paradise Pier at 10am local time. Our rooms were even ready for us! The best part...I had gotten two rooms. One was an "Upper Level" room and one was "Lower Level". The girls were going to stay in the lower level, less expensive room. They put us together on the 10th floor in adjoining rooms. So I got an upper level room at the lower level price!











We unloaded the car and took everything up to the rooms. Check out the view! That is smoke in the air. We were told that until the day before, ash had been falling from the sky! It continued to get better as the days went on.



First order of business...Disneyland! We have a tradition that we ride the train around the park first thing. Not being ones to break with tradition, we did just that. Caught our first glimpse of the Haunted Mansion done up for Halloween. Wow!



Back at Main Street Station, we headed down Main Street for Adventureland and New Orleans Square. The lines today and tomorrow will be nothing. Indiana Jones was something like 10 minutes. We quickly rode Indy, Haunted Mansion, Splash and ended with Pirates. Just in time for our 1:30 reservation for lunch at Blue Bayou.



I had requested a table by the water, but it wasn't to be. The food was good, mine was a little cold, and the service was great. The A/C was a little over enthusiastic, we all kept our sweatshirts on.



The Haunted Mansion was totally AWESOME There was almost too much to see. I knew we would need to go on it several times, just to take it all in.



One other thing we got hooked on right away was the pins. Trisha began a collection of Tinker Bell pins. All very cute. We never traded. We only bought what we wanted, so didn't have anything to trade.



Before we knew it, it was getting late and we were beginning to really drag. We had been on the go for close to 40 hours, with little sleep. We were all in bed and sound asleep by 10pm.



Tomorrow we will visit California Adventure for the first time!



Jennifer

[ProChristo]

Sounds like your trip got off to a great start. I can't even imagine what those fires must have been like. So scary! Can't wait for more.

[DisneyDoll]

Great start! We live very close to where the fires were in San Diego and thought at one point we would be evacuated. Thank goodness the winds turned east so we were not. The smoke and ash were bad, but I'm glad it cleared up for the rest of your trip. Can't wait to read more.

[gym mom]

Pictures will be in tomorrow afternoon, so look for the rest sometime after that.



Jennifer

[gym mom]

Day 2 - California Adventure

We started the day with Breakfast in the Park at the Pacific Wharf Cafe. Their choices were huge! Note to self: don't eat so much at one meal!!! We sat by the water and fed the birds and ducks. Lindsay was even able to feed one of the birds by hand! It took bread right from her hand. Trisha had to check in the the BF and tell him "Good Morning."

First stop had to be California Screaming. The wait was 5 or 10 minutes so we jumped on it. WOW! That ride is amazing. We loved it. From there we moved on to the Sun Wheel.

Note to self: Never ride the Sun Wheel again! I can ride the roller coasters and go upside down. I can even handle the spinning of the Tea Cups. What I can't handle is a swinging motion. I get sea sick. No, I don't do well on playground swings either. Although the first big swing we had was pretty funny. Kyle was sitting such that he would swing backwards. As we began to swing down and back, his eyes became as big as saucers. For a moment he thought we were doomed. We all got a good laugh out of that. Needless to say, I was a little green around the edges when we got off the Sun Wheel.

Next we tried the Maliboomer. This one shoots you up 180 feet in the air in 2 seconds. When it reaches the top, it immediately begins to fall. So you come up off of your seat and your feet will fly up. Glad they only do that once. After a few more up and down bounces, it brings you slowly back down to ground.

Next we went to the Orange Stinger. A lot like those midway type rides where everyone sits in a little chair and then they swing you out and around. With my stomach still a little upset, I had to breathe deeply a few times. Cute ride, we only did it once.

At this point we had a Fastpass for Screaming again. Ran back over there to catch it again. "Breathe, Jennifer, breathe" became my mantra.

We worked our way back toward Mulholland Madness. I took one look at the tight turns on this one and said, "Go ahead, I am going to pass on this one." I had left my sunglasses in the store on Tuesday, I was in such a rush, so I was in bad need of new glasses. Luckily there was a Sunglass Hut right beside the ride. I stepped in there and found myself a new pair. By the time I was done, they were back.

We had 1:00 reservations for lunch at Ariel's Grotto, but because we had eatten so much at breakfast, no one was hungry. So we passed on that lunch and ate later in the day.

As we walked toward the Golden State area of DCA we were noticing more and more people who were WET! We knew that was from Grizzly River Run. We wanted to go on it, but we weren't too excited about getting wet. It was overcast with a breeze blowing, and not too warm. We decided to brave it and we got WET!

Poor Kyle was sitting in just the wrong seat. It seemed like every splash, every geyser, was aimed at him. Although most of us got pretty wet, Kyle was soaked. All he could do was sit there and take it. The first splash took him and Jeff by surprise and both had wet feet. Trisha, Lindsay and I wisely put our feet up. It really was fun and we would have enjoyed it so much more if it had been warmer. However, when we got off, everyone except for Jeff decided, "We are already wet, let's go again!" So we did. Jeff watched and laughed at us.

Now that we were wet, every little breeze made us shiver. We needed to get inside. What better way than Soarin Over California. That ride is AWESOME ! And quite popular. We hit it at the right time and had a pretty short wait, mostly inside.

By now we were hungry and looking for something to eat. We ended up at Award Weiners for chili dogs and chili fries.

Kyle was beginning to get really cold. Jeff had wet feet and wanted to dry them. The girls wanted to do their own thing.

We were going to meet a bunch of my family who live in the LA area for dinner at Rainforest Cafe. We decided to meet back at the hotel at 7 and be ready to go to the restaurant by 7:30. Kyle could get warm and Jeff could dry his feet.

Once Kyle was warm again he wanted to shop for a new shirt to wear for dinner that night, and I needed to find a Minnie Mouse shirt to wear as my "costume" for tomorrow. So Jeff continued to try to dry his shoes with the blow dryer and Kyle and I headed to Downtown Disney to do some shopping. Never found him a shirt, but I got mine.

At 7:30 we all met my family in front of Rainforest Cafe. Part of the group never made it, but we were 12 for dinner. Had a great time.

Tomorrow is Halloween, need to get rested for that.

[gym mom]

Day 3 - Halloween



Today is Halloween. I am wearing my Minnie Mouse ears and new Minnie Mouse shirt. I will be on a mission to find Minnie and get a picture with the two of us. Jeff is wearing his Grumpy shirt, and Kyle has his Tigger shirt on. Although you can't see it under his sweatshirt. Trisha bought a really cute green Tinker Bell jacket and has that handy for when she gets cold.



We have reservations for a character breakfast at the Storytellers Cafe in the Grand Californian. Kyle and I had stopped by last night coming back from DD to check it out. What a beautiful hotel. Even he was impressed. Breakfast was with Chip and Dale and Pluto. They were at the door to greet everyone, but never traveled to the tables. I was kind of dissapointed in that. Chip did give Kyle a bad time about the toothpick he has begun to have in his mouth at all times. 14 year old boys and their self image. Breakfast was plentiful and very good. We learned our lesson yesterday, and tried not to eat too much.



Today we will split up most of the day. Today is Lindsay's last day and she has some shopping she wants to get done along with making sure she sees everything she can. We will meet at noon in DL at the statue of Walt & Mickey and decide on lunch.



Jeff volunteered to take some things back to the room and will meet Kyle and I at the same statue in about 45 minutes. Got this great picture of Kyle. Two of the Greatest Thinkers of our time!



Once Jeff arrived we were off on our adventures. Met up with the girls at noon and decided to split again until that afternoon. They are headed for DCA, we will meet at 4:15 to check on the Aladdin Show.



I finally did find Minnie and got my picture.



At 4:15, we met up with the girls. I forgot that with the park being open later, that times for the shows would change too. I was planning on a 5:00 show, but the next one was 4:45. We quickly got in line. That show was the best! Definately a must see. The music was wonderful, Genie was hysterical. We really enjoyed this one....even Kyle.



It was getting dark by the time the show finished and we wanted to experience some of the rides in the dark. So we did Screaming, Maliboomer and some of the midway games. None of us did very well on the games, but they were fun.



By now, all of us needed to go back to the room to change into some warmer clothes. All of the Disney Hotels were having Trick or Treating at various locations in each hotel. I had bought Trisha the Jasmine costume at TDS, but it had been too cold to wear it during the day. She decided she wanted to Trick or Treat too. So Kyle donned his new shirt that we found for him that day, and Trisha put on her costume and they headed downstairs to Trick or Treat. They were only gone for about 30 minutes but they had a ball, and everyone had fun with them, giving them handfulls of candy.



It was looking like it might rain a little, but our mission tonight is to see Fantasmic. Lindsay has never seen it, and it has been 10 years since we saw it at DL. Almost 3 years ago we saw the one in WDW and I want to compare them. Jeff decided to stay in the room. His shoes still aren't completely dry!



The park is quite busy, lots of kids in costumes and some adults too. We manage Indy, Pirates, HM and Splash before it is time to find a place to sit for the show. We missed the first show and managed to keep Lindsay from seeing any of it. We find a place to sit, but sitting still on the ground is not a good thing. We are getting cold. From time to time it feels like it will start raining, but it holds off.



Finally the show begins. WOW It is even better than I remember it. Much better than the one at WDW. Not as grand, but closer. You can actually get a little damp from the splashing water. About half way into the show it finally began to rain. Not real hard, but enough. We all have hoods on our sweatshirts, so at least we stay kind of dry. When the breeze blows some of the spray on us, it is cold. Although we loved the show, we are glad when it is done. Time to go home.



Tomorrow Lindsay goes home and it is our last day.

[gym mom]

Day 4 - Birthday Girl and Thank God for Hopper Passes

Lindsay is going home this morning. Her transport will be at the hotel at 9:00 to pick her up and take her to the airport. DL opens at 8:00, so we are going to be at the gates at 8 and go have some breakfast before she has to leave. We ate in Tomorrowland at Club Buzz, right under the Monorail. At about 8:45 Lindsay catches the Monorail back to DD and then a walk back to the hotel. We left her bags at Bell Services. Trisha is glad to see her go. Note to self: If any kids ask to have a friend come on a vaction...just say "NO!" Although they are friends, Trisha was ready to shoot her yesterday!

You know how it is when you are with family. You understand each other. There are inside jokes that we can laugh together with, without having to explain them to someone else. Much more fun.

Since we are already in Tomorrowland, we will just start our day there. We head to the Autopia and for the first time, we can all drive our own cars. Then to Innoventions and Matterhorn. On to Toontown and Roger Rabbit.

Toontown was empty. As we came out of Roger Rabbit we found the "Dog Cage". Just as I was about to take a picture of Trisha, Kyle and Jeff, Pluto poked his head around. I said, "Come on Pluto, get in the picture!" He did and then we got pictures with him and the kids. Goofy and Chip and Dale were close by, so we got more pictures. The CM offered to take a picture of all of us with the gang.

We also got pictures with Minnie with out a wait and then toured her house. Went next door to see Mickey for a picture. As we were in his house I got a picture of Trisha and Kyle. I have the same picture taken when they were 6 & 9. Now they are 14 & "17" (more on that in a minute).

By now it was going on 10 and DCA was going to open. Trisha's 17th birthday is November 19, today is November 1. She decided to celebrate it at Disneyland. So on our way out of DL, we stopped by City Hall and she asked for a Birthday sticker. No questions asked, they wrote her name on it with her age and gave it to her. CM's were great at telling her "Happy Birthday" for the rest of the day.

On to DCA. We need to go on California Screaming again so we can get a good picture of all of us. The first picture wasn't good. Need to go on it again. This one worked.

We have lunch reservations at Goofy's Kitchen at 12:45. The line for Soarin was too long, it wouldn't give us enough time to get to the restaurant, and the Fastpass is for right during lunch. Got to come back.

I had bought the Dining Option through the Disney Travel Co. They were great, but since we missed our lunch at Ariel's Grotto and forgot to use them at Award Weiners, we have a bunch. Our mission today is to use them up. Need to think about dinner. While we are still in DCA, we make dinner reservations....late reservations (7:45) at Wine Country Trattoria.

Now it is time to find Goofy's Kitchen. Once we were there, Pluto was available for pictures. Got some funny ones. (Those pictures are still on the camera. Will need to get them developed and will add later.) The variety of food was pretty vast. They had both breakfast and dinner foods available. PB & J Pizza (no one tried this) Mac & Cheese, Tri Tip Roast. It was all good if a little mild in flavor. Goofy, Max & Sleeping Beauty visited us at our table. We saw Alice and the White Rabbit, but they never came to our side of the restaurant. Good thing our dinner reservation is late, we were stuffed!

On our way out, we walked around the grounds of the DL Hotel. I must say, I liked what I saw. I think we will try for this hotel next time.

After dropping off our bags in our room, we walked back to DCA. Need to do Soarin again. The wait was about 40 minutes. The longest wait we had all weekend.

Now back to DL. Need to get our favs over there. Walking down Main Street we decided to stop at the Crystal Palace and place our order for the glasses we wanted to get. Trisha got the BF a mug with his name on it. She found a shot glass she wanted and had her name put on it. Kyle found a glass with Tigger and had his name added too. We decided we would pick them up later, so we wouldn't have to worry about carrying them. We have 5 hours until dinner, we need to make room. So we ran around hitting all our favorites. Needed to go on Slash Mountain for a picture. Tradition, you know. The first one wasn't good, so had to do it again.

Finally at about 6 we were in line for the Haunted Mansion. We had gotten ourselves a tip sheet for finding Oogie. In the past we kept getting Fastpasses and so missed a lot of what is in the queue area. This time we decided to wait in the line. All 30 minutes of it. I am glad we did. The line moved pretty fast and we saw a lot we had missed. Talked to a few other guests in the line and discussed the missing Oogies. We concentrated on finding Oogie this time and found most of them. Note: If you don't already have one, you can grab a tip sheet just as you enter the building.

Now it was time to go back to DCA for dinner. Even with the time between lunch and dinner, I probably could have gone without, but I didn't. Dinner was good with a wonderful Chardinay to go with it.

Jeff was ready for bed after dinner. Trisha wanted to try out the hot tub before it closed. We had been wanting to get the Deep Fried Cheescake for days. Kyle and I agreed to walk back to DL to get it from the French Market. When we got into New Orleans Square, Fantasmic was just beginning. So we got our cheescake, then rather than try to go through the crowds, we jumped the train and rode it around to Tomorrowland. From there we hopped the Monorail to DD and walked back to the room.

Jeff told us he had watched the Electrical Parade in DCA from the room. Kyle and I missed it.

Even though DL was open for 2 more hours, we were beat and had a 12 hour drive ahead of us tomorrow. Lights were out at 10:30 and we were sound asleep.

Our trip home was uneventful. There was no sign of the fires, no smoke to speak of. I took some time to write all my notes for this trip report and then settled down to sleep the whole way. DH insisted on driving!

[DisneyDoll]

It sounds like you guys had a good trip. Glad the drive back was uneventful. I have yet to try the fried cheesecake, how did you like it?

[gym mom]

The fried cheesecake was ok. I guess if it had been fresh with the topping still warm and crunchy it would have been better. I didn't care for it cold. The cheesecake was good though.

[tikibird]

Wow, what a great report and pictures!

The view from your room was fabulous - must have been awesome at night, and I just love the one of Kyle with Goofy!

Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us - makes me want to start seriously thinking about planning our next DL trip (2005 - here we come! )

[ProChristo]

Sounds like you had a excellent trip! I would love to make it to DL/DCA someday. Thanks for whetting my appetite for it!

[Colexis Mom]

Great report Jennifer Sounds like it was a great time Great pictures too