Updated 8/27/04~ FINALLY FINISHED ~Looby & family take on Disneyland! About This Page:

[loobyoxlip]

1) Was it really the first time you'd ever been on Pirates? Had you never gone on it before at DL or WDW?
I know, crazy, but nope I'm not lying!! Yep, we had never gone on it before. Last year when we were at DL it was down for rehab, but that's the only excuse I have. Other than that, I guess we just bypassed it during previous trips

2) Were the temperatures you experienced at that time of the year usual or exceptional? I'm curious, as I didn't think it got that hot over there in late April - It was extremely unseasonal. The temps there were all over the national news, as it was WAY above normal for them during that time of year.

3) How crowded was it while you were there? I was a bit shocked at the two hours waits you mentioned.... - The waits for Soarin' and Autopia are always long - even when we are there during supposed low capacity times. I think Soarin' got SOOO long b/c it is inside an air conditioned building (it's actually very cold in there) and people were trying to escape the heat. Waits on Sundays can be ridiculous, also. This is the time of year we go every year and it was much more crowded this year than it has been other years.

[dsnytina]

*Tina*
I know that these DL TRs don't get as much notice as the WDW ones do - but know that there a few here that REALLY appreciate them! Thank you and hurry with more!
Tina

[goofy4goofy]

Loved the latest installment!!!! I'm lovin' all the pictures too!!!!

Kelly

[loobyoxlip]

Day 4, Wednesday April 28th



We actually slept in until 7:45 this morning. I took a shower and got ready. While my mom was in the shower, I bent over my suitcase to get something out and almost fell over in pain. I pulled something in my back and couldn't even stand up straight. Of course the boys were wondering why mom was bent over sobbing. I tried to straighten out, but the pain was quite severe. It died down a little, and when my mom was out of the shower, we headed over for breakfast by the pool again.



We walked to DL again this morning and were there early. We were allowed onto Main Street but had to wait for the rope to drop to allow us into the park. In the meantime, we went into Mickey Mouse theatre and watched some old Mickey cartoons. I had never been in here before. It looks like a great spot for some air and shade during hot days. And it was already hot out this Wed. morning. We left the theatre about 9:55 and waited with the crowd to enter DL.



Our first stop of the day is Autopia - as there is usually a long line later in the day. Jalen went with me, Kylor drove Grandma around. This ride is so so fun. The cars are much easier to steer then the ones at WDW. Jalen has so much fun steering around all the curves - and he did an amazingly good job of keeping us on course

We were the 4th and 5th cars of the day.





After our spin on Autopia, we headed on over to HISTA, since it was only a short walk away. My mom liked this for the most part, but I think she was spooked by the mice part for the rest of the trip. LOL. We were going to stop by Innoventions after the show, but it didn't open until 11.



We didn't have anything pressing we needed or wanted to do, so we just leisurely strolled around. We ended up getting another picture taken in front of the castle: We walked through the castle and ended up at the Once Upon a Time Toy Shoppe. There are princess story times in here most days at 11, 12 and 1. We had seen Belle tell the story of Beauty and the Beast last year, which was a real highlight. Belle remembered the boys when she saw them in the park the next day and said 'Hi, boys. Just as handsome as you were yesterday'. This really made their day. This time, however, our storyteller was Cinderella! If you are ever in DL, please try to catch one of these shows. You will love it as much as your kids. It's not just a princess sitting reading a book, it's a little skit. There's a CM who plays all the other parts in the movie, and he is completely silly. For instance, at one point Cinderella calls for Drucilla and the CM pretends he heard Godzilla and comes out roaring and beating his chest. And they modernize the story...he pretended the glass slipper was a cell phone, etc. I was laughing so hard at some points. This is one of my favorite things to do at DL, and I think it's a relatively unknown treasure. After the show, all the kids can get their picture taken with the princess.





After this great show, we took a quick picture opp on the side of the castle. I love this picture, it is one of my favorites:

We then decided to walk back to Innoventions. I do NOT like the way this is set up. First you have to wait on a platform to be let in. Then when you are finally inside you are herded to this spokesperson pushing a new product. You can leave, but it's kinda hard to when you are up in front of a huge crowd of people. The games and such are OK, but nothing that held the kids attention. There are no restrooms here, either, and guess what? Oh yes, Jalen had to go the bathroom. So we left and said we'd meet Gma and Kylor outside in a little bit. Unfortunately once you exit here, you cannot get back in without having to again wait on the platform, go through the whole product schpiel again, etc. So we just waited outside. We ended up by one of those misting machines, so Jalen was having a great time playing in that.



After we meet up again with Kylor and Gma we strolled through DL to make our way over to DCA. At the end of Main Street we meet up with Cruella. We have been wanting to meet her for a long time and were the last family before she got taken away for a break:



Some pictures right outside the gates of DL:



Upon entering DCA, we immediately see Goofy. And, boy, was he ever acting Goofy today:

We got FP's for Soarin' which we never ended up using. We headed over to a Bug's Land. There is such a great view of the ToT from here.

I stared longingly at it. Then I heard screaming, doors opening, people IN the ride!! What?!? The ride is open?!? Hmmmm... We headed over to the bumper cars and took a quick ride on those. Then Jalen and Kylor played on the Caterpillar truck for a while.



We had a PS for Ariel's Grotto for 2:00 (our only PS of the trip) so we headed over towards the Pier. We checked in and waited about 10 minutes for our name to be called. We went downstairs to the restaurant and were seated inside right by the window. It was a nice view of the lake surrounding the Pier. We ordered our drinks and then they started the kids parade through the restaurant. Jalen went to join them. I guess Kylor thought he was too old for that sort of thing



We placed our orders after that. Kylor ordered the Octopus macaroni and cheese (hot dog shaped like octopus over mac n' cheese), Jalen ordered the chicken nuggets and fries (which came in a Ariel's Grotto pail with the ketchup on the shovel), I ordered the penne pasta, and so did my mom. While waiting for our food, we went over and took a few pictures with Ariel. I think Ariel REALLY liked Jalen



A dad came along with his kids and took their picture then asked me to take a picture of him with Ariel with his cell phone. LOL. I bet he couldn't wait to send that one to all his friends.



Our salads had come while I was over taking pictures. I had gotten the raspberry vinigriatte and my mom had tried the peach. Neither of them were anything special. Minnie came along at this time. I had to laugh when I noticed Kylor was about the same size as her.

Shortly after that, our meals came and the penne pasta was scrumptious. YUM!! I was very happy with all our meal choices here. You also get hard rolls and cotton candy for dessert. I think we only paid like $15/each for me and my mom and $10/each for the kids. It was a good deal considering all the food you got, and we were STUFFED by the time we left.



As we were leaving the pier, an photographer stopped us. As we hadn't gotten our free 5x7 yet, we posed for another picture here, with the pier in the background. The photographer was very picky (a good thing) and even let us preview the picture on his camera. If we didn't like it, he would have taken another. But I think it turned out rather nice:





Jalen is getting a little tired. He wants to go on a ride HE picks out, he says. So we head back to A Bug's Land and ride on the ever so cheesy Heimlich's Chew Chew Train. This ride is so lame it's funny. It's about 30 seconds long, if that. Even my mom was laughing when we came around a corner and she realized the ride was done already. The scent of frosted animal crackers is yummy, though.



My mom has had enough, it is really really hot again today. She asked Jalen if he wanted to go to the hotel and the pool and he agreed. Kylor and I stayed and decided to go back to the Tower of Terror. As we were approaching, we could see a bunch of sawhorses out blocking off the entrance. Then I heard a CM ask somebody if they had a fast pass. They said no and she said how today was only for people who had fast passes and that you had to get them online. I found out later it was only for AP holders. Oh, well.



Coming up: Finally get our free 5x7 and a night in the hot tub

[GATechGal]

Great reports. I'm getting really excited about my trip on July 8th. Thanks for the tip on the princess stories. I'll be sure to check it out. I love the one Belle does at MK.

[luvnwdwgal]

Great update Tina! Love the picture of Jalen with Ariel! Very nice family photo too! Looking forward to more!!

[Colexis Mom]

Great update Tina I hope your back was okay! Great pictures of everyone (love the Ariel ones, and your group shot in front of the rollercoaster)

I'm really enjoying your report, keep it coming

[goofy4goofy]

LOVE the photos..esp of the boys near the castle. Beautiful!

Kelly

[chezp]

Another great installment and thanks for the review of Ariel's Grotto - I think we'll definitely be trying it out next year. I also love that photo that the Disney photographer got - that is so beautifully framed and you all look as if you're having the time of your lives.

[MegglesMom]

I love that picture of you guys by Paradise Pier...

[dsnytina]

Hey, Tina!
I was just thinking that Kylor was looking SO grown up!
At least Jalen is still a darling little boy! Ah, they grow up TOO fast - Good Mommy for taking them to DL and WDW while they're young!
Tina

[DreaminDizney1002]

Yay - I just realized there was a new update! I am really enjoying reading about all of your DL adventures! It's so exciting since we've never been there. Love the picture of the kids with Goofy! Keep 'em comin'!

[DopeyGirl]

Just got caught up on your report, Tina, and it is GREAT!!!

Trying to convince DH that we need to make it out to CA some day but he is dragging his feet . . . glad to see the boys had such a fun time and that Jalen wasn't "lost" for too long . . . I would have freaked out too if DD went missing for even 3 seconds!!!

Looking forward to more!!!

[BritDisFan]

Another great update Tina, I can't believe how hot it was . No wonder you and your Mum were feeling a bit under the weather with heat like that.

Karen

[loobyoxlip]

Day 4, Part 2

After our disappointment of not getting on ToT (and it's really hard to walk away seeing the ride operating, hearing people screaming, etc.) we headed on over to the Disney Animation Courtyard. I love walking in here. The "lobby" is so grand, so large, so air-conditioned We had seen the Robin Williams movie here a few years ago, so we went down to the Sorcerer's Workshop. I had no idea what this place was about, but it is for sure another hidden gem. The first room you walk into has a bunch of cels and these little wheels (not sure what they are called) that have pics inside and when you turn the wheel really fast, it looks like an animated cartoon. There are a few of these, and we took the time to try out each one. Very cool. At the end of this room is a sign leading to the Beasts library. There's a short, very dark tunnel to the library.



Once inside the library, it's very bright. There's a fireplace and about six stations set up with royalty chairs in front of screens. The premise here is to sit in the chair and there is a book in front of you. Lumiere comes on the book's screen and you follow his directions. First they take a picture of you and save it. Then you go through and answer a few questions and it will match you to a Disney character. At the end, it puts your picture in a "frame" and announces who you most resemble. I was Belle ( ) and Kylor was Flik.



At the end of the room is a very dark tunnel leading to a very dark room. Here there are 4-5 stations set up with t.v. screens. You can go to a station and follow the on screen directions to record your voice singing/talking. It directs you what to say. After that, your voice is substituted for the characters as they play the clip on the screen in front of you. We sang 'heigh ho' and our voices were audible instead of the dwarves. It was so cool. We also did a Lion King scene where Kylor was Simba and I was Scar!



We spent a great deal of time down here, and Kylor was now itching to go on a ride. We tromped on over to Grizzly River Run and the line was only about 15 minutes so we hopped in the queue. This line moves super quick and we were in our raft in no time. I only got a tad wet this time. As long as my rear and back don't get soaked, I am happy. I just love watching Kylor on this ride, he loves it so much. Especially when he gets wet. He pretends like he's all mad, but I know he's lovin' it!



Since we're without Jalen, we walk back to the Pier to California Screamin'. I have all 4 tickets, so I can get 4 FP's. Whoo hoo! Our FP return is in 50 minutes, so we walked over to Mulholland Madness (a mini roller coaster) and waited in line there about 30 minutes. This is a VERY slow moving line. And I'm not a big fan of this ride - it's very jarring. But Kylor had been asking to go on it, so we do. After the ride we still have a little time to kill before CS, so we went shopping on the pier. I really hadn't bought any souvenirs, etc., so I got a new Mickey DL keychain, a photo album, a Finding Nemo go fish card game, and a few postcards. We stuffed them in Kylor's backpack and headed on down to CS. I love, love, love this ride. It is a good length of time you are onboard and we figured out where the picture taking is to the second, so we had some hilarious shots to look at after the ride. Unfortunately, I didn't buy any After our first ride, we immediately hopped back into the FP line and were on again in less than 10 minutes. The standby line had grown huge by this time as no more FP's were available. Another great ride on CS and we were exhausted, hot, and ready to go back to the hotel. On our stroll back to the entrance to DCA, Kylor was being extremely goofy. I think he was just loving his one on one time with me so much. It was great, we were laughing and just being fools the whole walk. We took a quick stop into the gift shop to pick up our free 5x7 of the pier shot. Of course, I ended up wanting the characters around the edge, so I ditched the coupon and paid for an 8x10.



I then decided I needed to use this coupon. We had taken a shot earlier in the day by the castle, so we park hopped over to DL to go to Main Street Photo and check out our castle picture. It turned out nice, too, so I used the coupon and we were on our way.





We walked to the Candy Cane Inn shuttle. The door was open, the bus was running, but no driver. Hmm. No other guests in the bus, either. We went and sat at the back and waited. The bus driver eventually came on the bus. He was almost out of the parks before he even realized we were on the bus. I think it scared him when he did see us. He made a gasping sound. Then he announced how he didn't see us sneak on. LOL.



As soon as we got back to the pool, we got on our swimsuits and headed to the pool. It is a beautiful night with a nice breeze and I decide I am going in the hot tub tonight! It was so nice to sit and relax. Ahhhh. My mom watched the boys while I almost fell asleep in the hot tub.



After drying off and changing, we made a quick run to the 7-11 for some nachos and drinks, brought them back to the room, watched American Idol and crashed.



Coming up: WE DO RIDE TOT!!!