Mom and Me at the Happiest Homecoming on Earth! - COMPLETE! About This Page:

[PrincessSharon]

Day Three Part Two – Crowds!

Once we were on the train, we just sat back and enjoyed the ride. I’d heard about the Grand Canyon and Dinosaur dioramas, so I was looking forward to finally riding around that part. No flash photography is allowed (and I doubt flash pictures would come out in there anyway), but I was wishing I’d brought my camcorder with me. I thought both dioramas were and so did DM!

Once we made it to New Orleans Square, we headed for Pirates of the Caribbean where we were happy to find the standby listed as 10 minutes. The line looked pretty long, but we made it through in a little less than the 10 minutes. Pirates was so good, and really long. We were able to see the Blue Bayou, where we’d be having lunch, but it wasn’t open yet. We both got pretty wet because we were in the front seat. DM wasn’t too happy about that!

Next, we decided to ride the Haunted Mansion again. The line was a bit longer than last time, so I got to check out the pet cemetery this time.

After our visit with the grim, grinning ghosts, we headed over to pick up some FPs for Indiana Jones Adventure. The standby line was 45 minutes at that time, so I’d have to be content with a couple of rides later (so glad DM doesn’t want to ride).

The line for the Jungle Cruise was really long!! It went all the way over to the Tiki Room. We decided to come back to that later. Neither of us had eaten any breakfast, so we decided to get ... Dole Whips! (DM is such a bad influence on me )

I got the regular Dole Whip, and DM got the Dole Whip float (which I think the only reason she got it is because it looks bigger – but don’t tell her I said that! ) Before we dug in to our treats, I had to snap a couple of pics. DM’s looked so much nicer than mine, with the cool paper umbrella and everything.


DM didn't want to be in the picture




I wanted to get FPs for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain after our Dole Whips, so we walked around to Frontierland to eat them. I also noticed a place to get Mickey pretzels, so I had to have one of those, too! DM split it with me.



I sat down to enjoy our treats and a hilarious show started up just then. The mayor of Frontierland comes out and is trying to marry off his daughter to someone – anyone. The last single man in Frontierland is doing anything to prevent it being him that she marries, so he recruits some people from the crowd and they play a dating game style game. It was really funny! I was on a bench, so I wasn’t really positioned for pictures, but when I got a look at the poor girl, I just had to take a shot!


Um, the daughter’s in pink … I think

Once that really fun show was over I headed over and picked up two FPs for BTMRR. I asked DM if she was going to ride it with me, and she said she wasn’t going to. If she was going to, I would’ve ridden it on my own then as the standby was only 20 minutes at that point. But with two FPs for later, I decided to try other things before the crowds started to build.

FPs in hand, we walked over to Critter Country so I could get some Splash FPs (loving the AAA unlimited FP this day). The wait time for Splash was 120 minutes! I knew DM wasn’t going to ride this one, and wasn’t sure if I wanted to ride it twice, but I got two FPs anyway.



Then we headed over to the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Everyone in Critter Country must’ve been waiting for Splash, because Pooh’s standby was only 5 minutes! We walked right on and again there was no one around us so I got some flash pictures.

















It was fun, but I like WDW’s version better. By now, my Indy FPs were ripe, so we headed over that way. I had two FPs to use (didn’t even offer DM one, I wanted to ride twice!). The standby was up to 120 minutes (and again, I overheard people saying that the line is an hour and 20 minutes). With my FP I made it through in 20. Indy rocks! I saved the other FP for later.

After Indy, we decided to give the Jungle Cruise another try. The line was no longer down to the Tiki Room. What a sneaky queue this is, though! It takes you way out of the way, up and down a flight of stairs, and then back over to the loading area. Even so, it still only took us 20 minutes before we were in our boat. I don’t know why, but I didn’t even attempt to take any pictures on this.

My Splash FP window was open now, and the sun was out and it was getting hot, so I decided to try for a ride on Splash. We walked back over there, but the ride was down. I would try back later.

The BTMRR FPs were active now, so I decided to give that a try. The standby was up to 60 minutes, but it only took about 20 minutes for the FP line. It was a lot like the WDW version, but riding it in a mirror! On my first ride, I got the very last seat! It’s much faster in the back! The second time, I was in the middle of the train.

When I met back up with DM, the Mark Twain was pulling in, so we decided to take the ride. I was able to get some nice pictures (and to see that Splash was up again )













It was getting really crowded by now, so we decided to see if we could check in early for our lunch at the Blue Bayou. It was a madhouse in that area! We could barely move. There were a bunch of walkups trying to get seats, and I had to wait on line behind them. They weren’t seating them then, but were making PS’s for them later that day, so it took a while to check in. The man behind me thought he’d get smart and phone in for a reservation, but I don’t think he ever got off hold while he was behind me.

We checked in a half hour early, and the CM told me she wasn’t sure she could seat us that early, but we figured we’d wait it out. I didn’t make a waterside table request because we wanted the first table we could get. We waited about 10 minutes before we were called and escorted to our waterside table!




The view of Pirates of the Caribbean from our table

When I made this PS, I was planning on ordering the Monte Cristo sandwich, but at the last minute, I decided to get the chicken Caesar salad and DM had prime rib. My salad was good, but DM said her steak was fatty.





Neither of us ordered dessert, but we enjoyed the chocolate doubloons! There was a slight communication glitch with me and DM in here. After our meal, DM needed to use the ladies’ room, so she went while I waited for the check. The restroom is right by the door of the restaurant so she waited for me outside. I spent about 10 minutes sitting in the restaurant before I figured out she wasn’t coming back. This wasn’t our best meal, but I would eat at Blue Bayou again, just to try the Monte Cristo.

Now it was plenty hot, so I was ready to get wet. The standby for Splash was 120 minutes, but I only waited 10 in the FP line! I got the back row, which has never happened before! I still got plenty wet. Splash seemed much shorter than WDW’s version. I was wet enough after one trip into the briar patch, so I decided not to go again.

Up Next: A slightly-less-than-perfect evening

[DawnDenise]

Another wonderful update Sharon!!!! I love all your pics!

[dsnytina]

Cool day so far, Sharon!
Can't wait to hear what happens next!
Tina

[Colexis Mom]

Another great update Sharon

[PrincessSharon]

Day Three Part Three – A slightly-less-than-perfect evening

Now it was time to head over to Tomorrowland, via Adventureland to use my other Indy FP. The standby was 120 minutes, and it took just over 20 minutes on the FP line.

In Tomorrowland



there was some kind of pin trading thing going on and I noticed a board where you could trade for any pin, so I stopped to trade while DM picked up the FPs for Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters.

At this time, I decided that DM wasn’t having much fun, so I asked her what she wanted to do. She said she was having fun just being with me. Awww! I figured there’d be stuff she’d do in Fantasyland so we headed in that direction.

When we got to the central plaza, an announcement was made, and suddenly Mickey Mouse was climbing the Matterhorn!









It was a cute show, and when Mickey makes it to the top, he plants a 50th Anniversary flag. I paused to take yet another picture of the castle before finally heading in to Fantasyland. (You can see how much more crowded it was than early that morning! )





Not surprisingly, Fantasyland was a madhouse! We decided we would line up for the 5:30 Snow White show (it was about 4:50 at the time). Well, after 20 minutes of standing, the line started to move, but it was because they’d cancelled the show. They didn’t tell us why, and that was the last performance of the day, so we missed the Snow White show.

We decided to treat ourselves to some Mickey bars at the refreshment stand in the theater and wait for the mob to clear out. We ended up eating them while sitting in front of IASW. The lines in the area were pretty horrendous, made worse by all the people who were in the area for the Snow White show, so we headed back over to Tomorrowland to use our Buzz FPs.

We were disappointed to discover that Buzz was down so we’d have to come back later. My Space Mountain FPs were still not active, so we headed for Honey I Shrunk the Audience. We were early enough that we caught the entire Kodak preshow. This is probably my least favorite of the 3-D movies, but it’s still great fun! And the best part: no fingerprints on my 3-D glasses. (I checked before the movie started )

I wanted to find a spot for Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams which would be at 7:00, so we headed back towards Main Street. DM wanted to change her shoes, so she headed to CGH and I found a spot right where the parade comes out. DM got back shortly after the parade started, so she couldn’t join me, but she did enjoy the parade. This parade was really terrific, and I got some pretty good pictures.































































The only negative about this spot is that the parade stops periodically for performances (where you are along the parade route determines which float performance you’ll get). Well, the parade passed by me before it stopped, so I had to move over to be able to see the performance on the float. From my new spot, I could see everything well, but the sun was interfering with getting good pictures.




It must be fascinating watching me take pictures

Once the parade started to move, I ducked into the First 50 Magical Years. My favorite photomosaic was in there.



I really enjoyed looking around in here, and the movie, which is hosted by Steve Martin, was great! Once it was over, I came outside and phoned DM and she was standing about 50 feet away from me!

We headed back over to Tomorrowland and Buzz was still down. Our Autopia FPs were good by now, so we got in line for that. The standby was 60 minutes, but we only waited about 20 with our FPs (I found that my FP wait time was almost always 20 minutes).

I know this is low-tech and old-fashioned, but DM and I really enjoyed this! You get a nice long ride and there’s lots of stuff to look at. The videos that they show in the queue are really cute, too.

My Space Mountain FPs were finally ready, but Space Mountain was down too! We decided to head back to GCH for a short break and try later. I know my camera’s limitations, so I didn’t even bring it with me to try for any night shots, so I don’t have any more pictures for this day.

I wanted to catch the 9:25 Remember Dreams Come True fireworks from a spot where I could see the castle (at least partially), so I left the room just before 9. DM decided that she’d rather stay in the room and rest. I was able to find a pretty good spot (one of the benefits of being solo). This fireworks show it truly amazing! When I saw Wishes I thought that was the best fireworks show I’ve ever seen, but Remember is even better! It was really phenomenal. And Tink’s flight is unbelievable. I even got a little emotional, which is unusual for me!

I decided I wanted to see the 10:30 Fantasmic, so I made my way over and managed to find a pretty good spot over there, too. It was a completely different experience from the dessert buffet, but the show was every bit as good! Love it! And it was a great way to spend my last moments at Disneyland.

I still had a little time before the park closed but I was feeling tired, so I decided not to try to use my Space Mountain and Buzz FPs. I wasn’t even sure if they were running again. In retrospect, I should’ve given the FPs to someone. Oh, well, they make a nice souvenir.


Special AAA Fastpass

I just made my way with the masses out the park, pausing for one last look at the castle before I left. See you in 2007.

We would be having a late breakfast tomorrow, so I didn’t set a wakeup call, but went straight to bed.

Up Next: Breakfast with Goofy

[Colexis Mom]

Another great update Sharon Love the pictures of the parade Sorry it was so crowded

More please

[DawnDenise]

Another great update Sharon!!! All of your pictures make me want to go to DL even sooner. More please!!

[dsnytina]

Sharon:
How cool to be solo for the fireworks and Fantasmic! It was tough finding spots for 4!
I'm so sorry that everything seemed to be down at the same time - the same thing happened to us!
Thank you for taking the time to share this with us!
Tina

[DebiDebiDebi]

Sorry your Blue Bayou experience wasn't quite as good as it could have been. Glad you are willing to try it again...it is my favorite DL Eatery!

[PrincessSharon]

Day Four – Sunday, August 14
Breakfast with Goofy

I was up early again this morning at 6:10. I got up and watched Megan and the Top 7 while I packed. But I was excited about our trip to the beach, and being able to cruise there in our convertible!

We finished packing, showering and getting dressed and called Bell services to take care of our bags until after our breakfast. DM and I were also ready for some power shopping!

Our first stop was at WOD where we loaded up on the things that we’d seen over the course of the three days we spent in the park, plus more. DM bought a bunch of stuff and I bought tons including a tote bag, a zippered hoody sweatshirt, some earrings, and the Happiest Homecoming on Earth DVD. I had a 10% off coupon from the Official Guide and used it here and between DM’s and my stuff we saved $37. Consider that our secret.

The next place we stopped was Marceline’s Confectionery. I had a hard time choosing what to get, but I ended up getting a Mickey pecan turtle and a couple of big lollipops for my nephews. The CM told me to look for a hidden Mickey on the bag and I found it. I thought it was a pretty cool one!



It was coming up on our PS time for Goofy’s Kitchen, so we headed down to the Disneyland Hotel. It looks like a fun hotel, and I am considering this resort for my trip in 2007.







We didn’t get to explore too much because we were cutting it kind of close for our PS. We checked in at 10:25 for our 10:30 PS and were seated about 5 minutes after check-in. I was able to show my AAA card for a 10% discount.

Goofy’s Kitchen is sort of like Chef Mickey’s. It was a really fun character meal and we both loved it. They serve a brunch on weekends, so we were able to get breakfast and lunch foods and everything I tried was





The character interaction was fantastic, and there were a lot of characters coming around. We had visits from Goofy, Princess Aurora, Alice, Chip, Dale, Donald, and Max, though I had to chase him down for a picture. Pluto was posing for pictures in the lobby.










I was really happy to meet Alice – she’s someone I’ve never found before!

I was excited to meet Max, too. He just isn’t around much at WDW. Well, he was at the buffet, but he would visit two or three tables in a section and then just disappear for 20 minutes. We ended up waiting a while after we were finished for him to come around. He was finally at the section right next to us and then he headed for the kitchen again! It’s a good thing we let our server know we were waiting for him, because he dragged him out just for a picture with me!


Max, the slacker

During our meal, all the characters did the macarena, which was fun.



Later, there was a huge crash and Goofy fell down in the middle of the restaurant, taking out several trays around him. DM thought he’d really fallen, but being Goofy, I immediately knew it was an act. It turned out to be a Trashin the Camp number and all the kids banged on pots and pans and made a huge racket for a few minutes.

We really enjoyed this buffet and would definitely do it again. Outside of the restaurant was a golden Autopia car, so I was finally able to get my picture in a golden ride vehicle.



On the way back to the GCH, we stopped to check out the LEGO creations in the LEGO store.










This guy really gets around!

I took this opportunity to get some pictures of Downtown Disney.




I really wanted to try Brennan’s but we didn’t have time





I spotted an Elmo in the Build-A-Bear window, and my DN is an Elmo freak, so I had to build an Elmo for her, which is going to be her Christmas present. It was a Sunday afternoon and there were a few parties going on in there, so it was kinda crazy, but there are CMs who will help people not part of the parties so you don’t have to wait behind 25 little girls (not that that wouldn’t be a wonderful experience ).

I had a $5 off BAB coupon from the AAA coupon book, but I didn’t think we’d be going in there so I hadn’t brought it with me. Oh well.

I wanted to prolong our departure for as long as I could, so I went down to check out the pool area. As I said before, the mornings would be a bit cool and cloudy, so I never felt like swimming then. At night it would be too cool for swimming, and during the hot sunny part of the day, we’d be at the parks, so looking is all I did at the pool.















We wanted to reach Santa Monica while it was early enough to enjoy the beach, so we decided to bid farewell to Disneyland and the Grand Californian. We got our things from Bell services and I snapped a few last pictures while waiting for the car.










Up Next: A Day at the Beach!

[Colexis Mom]

Another great update Sharon

More please

[DawnDenise]

Another spectacular update Sharon!!! I'm really enjoying your report!

[dsnytina]

Sharon:
Terrific photos and wonderful breakfast!
Say it isn't so...this report is winding down?
Tina

[PrincessSharon]

Day Four Part Two – A Day at the Beach!

We got in our cool convertible and started the drive to Santa Monica Beach. We took I-5 to the Santa Monica freeway, which took us through the city of Los Angeles. We passed the LA Times building and the Staples Center on the way. DM and I couldn’t believe how much traffic there was on a Sunday afternoon!

Despite the traffic, we were in Santa Monica in about 90 minutes. We pulled into the Loews Santa Monica Beach hotel and valet parked the car, which was valet only and $26 per day – ouch! I was wishing we were staying for longer than one night, but happy we didn’t have to pay for another night of parking!

Now, I am a Loews employee, which is why we chose LSMBH, but my opinions are 100% honest. Forgive my gushing!



What a gorgeous hotel this is! The lobby is spectacular, with palm trees inside it!





And the ocean views were just amazing!







There was no one on line, so we were checked in in no time, and our room was ready!



We checked out the room quickly, because we were ready to hit the beach!

















We decided to do a bit of shopping before hitting the beach, so we walked over to the Third Street Promenade, which is a pedestrians only shopping mall a la Downtown Disney. It took us about 10 minutes to walk over, and we passed a Segway dealer on the way, which was right next door to LSMBH! Segways are available for rental and someone zipping along on a Segway is not an uncommon sight to see on the streets of Santa Monica.

The Third Street Promenade was very nice, with lots of stores, street vendors, and performance artists. There were a few restaurants that we would’ve tried if our stay was longer.





My favorite part of the shopping was Ye Olde King’s Head Gift Shop. Santa Monica has a large British population, and there are a few shops with lots of British merchandise. Ye Olde King’s Head also has a restaurant, which looked quite busy! I bought some yummy chocolate and some PG Tips tea, that I enjoy every morning at work (the tea - the chocolate is long gone! )

After our mini shopping spree, we headed back to LSMBH via the Ocean Front Walk and the beach. I got lots of pictures on the way.




The Santa Monica Pier is in the background







We saw Walk On LA, which is a giant wheel that actually makes designs of the city of Los Angeles in the sand.




A sample of its work

There are even volleyball courts on the beach.



The Ocean Front walk goes all the way to Venice Beach. It reminded me of movies I’ve seen, with people roller blading and riding bikes. A small part of me always suspected that was fake, but now I was witnessing southern California culture in person! LSMBH even rents bicycles, which we would’ve done if we’d had another day.





Santa Monica Beach is the home of the original Muscle Beach (as well as being famous for being the Baywatch beach). There’s lots of equipment, and lots of strong guys using it. DM and I only glanced at them.







We actually did go in the water, but only up to our knees. It was freezing!


DM with the Santa Monica pier behind her


and that’s me

LSMBH is not right on the beach, but it’s so close that you can’t tell it isn’t. It’s a fantastic location. Here’s what the gorgeous hotel looks like from the beach.





We had sand in our shoes, so we headed back to our room to clean up and change for the evening. DM was in the mood for seafood, and we both decided we wanted to eat on the world famous Santa Monica Pier, so we headed out.

We checked out the Looff Hippodrome Carousel, which is a National Historic Landmark, but neither of us wanted to ride.





We were pretty hungry and Rusty’s Surf Ranch looked good, so we ate there. I had crab cakes and DM had a shrimp & linguini dish. We both enjoyed our food and we were too full to have dessert.

Then we checked out the Pier. Pacific Park is a small amusement park on the pier complete with a rollercoaster, which was quite a little rush!


View of LSMBH from the Pier

It got dark (and cold), and we were feeling tired, so we headed back to LSMBH. We stopped in a gift shop and got some cheesy souvenirs on the way.


Too bad you can’t see the mountains behind me

I never managed to get a good picture of the Pier at night, but trust me, it’s beautiful.

I went down to check out the pool, which has a fantastic view of the ocean, but it was too cold for me to brave a swim. I headed back to the room and went to bed. Tomorrow we’d be going home. I really wished we could’ve stayed another day in Santa Monica, but DM had to go back to work.

Up Next: Headin’ home

[Colexis Mom]

What a great day in Santa Monica How beautiful