Whirlwind Tour of So-Cal--All Finished About This Page:

[WDW Novice]

Cast: Me—Susan, thirty-something travel lover always in search of a bargain

Diana, fifty?-something lodging provider and dinner companion



Occasion: Free room and airfare too good to pass up!



Dates: April 18-22, 2004



Pretrip: In January, I was checking airfares for a business trip to Chicago in March when my friend and colleague, Diana, decided to check out prices for fares for her business trip to San Diego in April. She hit on a $148 round-trip from Cincinnati, which was less than to Chicago. She half-jokingly said, “Wow, someone could stay in my room for free and get a pretty cheap California vacation.”



Well, you can’t say “cheap” and “vacation” within twenty miles of me without piquing my interest. We talked about it in jest for a couple of days and then she said that it would be fun and I should go. I said, “Really?” And she said, “Yes.” And I said, “Really? Are you sure?” And she said, “Yes.” And I said, “Are you positive?” And she said, “No, you are going to drive me nuts.”



The trip was on!



By the time I finally took her seriously and purchased my tickets, the price had gone up to $224, which was still around what fares to Chicago were at the time. So, I booked the flight and was her slave for three months to ensure I still had a free room. “Diana, I’m going to Subway—want anything?” “Diana, I’m going to the break room—want anything?” You get the picture.



Then the planning began in earnest. I have to say, for me, half of the fun of traveling is making plans and the months of anticipation leading up to departure. I love pouring over guidebooks and brochures, studying maps (although I often end up lost), and searching for information about my destination.



Though I was thoroughly intrigued with San Diego’s offerings, I couldn’t help wondering how I could manage to slip over to Disneyland. I would be so close, but I only had three full days in California. I didn’t relish the idea of renting a car and trying to maneuver my way around an unfamiliar (and notoriously snarled) traffic landscape.



I was resigned to remaining in San Diego County, when I decided to book a city tour. I found the San Diego Tours Web site, and lo and behold, a little sidebar revealed that they offered a day tour to Disneyland! Woohoo!! It was about $80, but that included park ticket and motor coach transportation. Better than renting a car!



I booked the Disneyland tour for Wednesday, April 21, and the San Diego Grand Tour for Monday the 19th. That left the 20th kind of free, but I did have several ideas of what I wanted to do. Once the tours were lined up, I bought The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland (yes, for just a one-day trip), and marked up my must-sees. I was pumped, and April 18th couldn’t get here fast enough!

[ilovelilo]

Hi Susan! I like your trip report so far--I've always wanted to go to So. Cal and Disneyland (and someday I will!). That's awesome that you got a free room and cheap airfare!

Can't wait to read the rest of your report!

[goofy4goofy]

Great start to your trip report!!! I can't wait to hear about the rest!!

Kelly

[WDW Novice]

Day One—Breezing Into California

The day started waaaay too early for this night owl. I woke up at around 4:45 am (before my alarm—a rarity for moi) and was surprisingly chipper. I got ready in record time and headed out to meet Diana at work, where she was going to leave her car (we work fairly close to the airport). She showed up at 6:30 on the dot, and we made our way to the airport. I dropped her off at her terminal and made plans to meet up with her in a million hours once we both reached San Diego (we were on different flights with different connecting airports). Parked my car in long-term parking and watched the sun rise over the Interstate—quite inspiring.

The shuttle came within a few moments and picked me up, as well as my one fellow traveler, who was headed to Vegas “for business,” or so he said with a wink. Made it to the terminal in no time and stepped inside to check in. I used the self-check-in station for the first time. No big time savings since an airline employee still had to fiddle with my bags. I found two boarding passes already in my machine and saw a man frantically searching for something. I handed the passes over to the Northwest bag lady, who handed them off to the frantic guy.

Sailed through security and quickly found my gate. I still had about 1-½ hours until my flight, so I popped into Moe’s for his famous breakfast sandwich (or so the menu claimed—I never even knew that Moe served breakfast sandwiches). I kept expecting to hear a gravelly voice yell, “Amanda Huginkiss. I need Amanda Huginkiss,” or “Al Coholic. Is there an Al Coholic here?” The sandwich was OK, but for something famous, I expected more.

Flight to Minneapolis was lovely with wide seats and no one sitting next to me. Flight attendant was pretty casual and handed out Quaker Oatmeal bars straight from the box, sans the cart. I thought union laws required use of the cart. Landed in Minneapolis without incident and even squelched the urge to throw my beret in the air as I dashed through the airport, a la Mary Tyler Moore (probably helped that I wasn’t wearing a beret).

Flight to San Diego was filled to capacity but amazingly not overbooked. I got to my seat to find Elbow Man smack dab in the middle of my row. Yes, he was spread out with his arms on both armrests, dangerously overlapping into my sacred space. I came to know his left elbow quite intimately during the course of the trip, let me tell you. And his very cold Diet Coke bottle, which he shoved down into the side of his seat (and into the side of my hip) whenever possible. Once he did actually say out loud, “Well, I guess I am taking up more than my fair share of the space. Ha ha ha ha.” I said, “Yup,” but the elbow remained.

We sat on the runway for a while and then the pilot announced, “The airport has closed down all but one runway…DRAMATIC PAUSE…due to gusting winds. We should be taking off in about 45 minutes.” My mind couldn’t understand how that one runway was not experiencing the same gustiness, but we waited in a long line of varying sizes of aircraft and watched a lot of taking off and landing. Finally, we flew out of there, and the pilot proceeded to point out cities and landmarks conveniently located on the right side of the plane, while Elbow Man and I were on the left. I guess it’s just not in the cards for me to see an aerial view of Palm Springs.

Landing in San Diego was pretty cool. The airport is right downtown, so I actually got to sneak a quick look into Petco Field while a Padres game was in progress. As I made my way to baggage claim, I looked out the window to see a virtual mound of luggage on the sidewalk outside. Not a promising sight when you’re en route to claim your bags, but luckily mine soon came out the little chute, and my record of no lost luggage remains untarnished!

Took a cab to the hotel, tried to call Diana on the house phone, but she hadn’t checked in. The moment I called her on her cell, she said she was getting out of the conference shuttle out front. She quickly checked in, we unpacked in about ten minutes, and then we discussed what we should do. I told her to pick whatever she wanted because she was the one who would be cooped up inside for the next three days while I frolicked. We decided just to walk to the harbor, try to find Seaport Village to do some shopping, and then go someplace kind of nice for dinner. We asked the concierge for advice, and he said, “You should wear red, and you would look better in turquoise.”

He eventually directed us to Anthony’s Fish Grotto on the harbor and told us how to get to Seaport. The first sight in the harbor we saw was the Star of India, an 1863 sailing ship. It was breathtaking. We walked and walked, but it was so pleasant (though windy) that we barely noticed. We could not figure out what the difference (if any) was between the harbor and the bay, as we heard it called both throughout the course of the evening. Either way, it was gorgeous. We saw cruise ships and touring boats and NAVY boats and sailboats and everything in between.

We shopped, ate, and returned to the hotel completely exhausted. I was conked out by 9:30 for the first time since I was about 8. Diana said she will never believe my stories of being a late-night TV junkie again.

Up next: Day Two—Blowing Around Town

[Colexis Mom]

Great start Sue Can't wait to read more!

[DisneyDoll]

I'm looking forward to hearing about what you did in San Diego since I live here. I'll try to explain the Bay/Harbor thing to you. The body of water that comes into the inlet is called San Diego Bay. The harbor refers mostly to the area where the boats are moored; this area stretches from the Embarcadero (this is where the Star of India was) all the way along down to where the Navy boats pull in. I hope that makes sense. Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip.

[loobyoxlip]

Thanks for the TR. It's great so far!

[WDW Novice]

Day 2, Part 1—Blowing Around Town

Today I awoke more refreshed than I thought I’d be. Diana had first dibs on the bathroom and was out of the room by 7:30. I quickly got ready to meet my tour at 8:20 (so nice to have them pick me up at my hotel).

The mini-bus pulled up at 8:10, and there were a few other people already on board. We thus continued the rather boring task of picking people up at their hotels. This lasted for about 45 minutes. The tour guide claimed that he grew up in San Diego and loved the city. I was pumped that we would get tons of information and see plenty of sights.

The tour finally got under way at around 9:00, and it was pretty disappointing. He pointed out a building here and there, but that was about it. We drove through the Gaslamp Quarter (“Hey, look, there’s the drug store that Gregory Peck’s family owned”), the Embarcadero (“Look to your right and you’ll see some boats in the harbor”), and Balboa Park (“We’ll make a brief stop to take photos at the front of the zoo.”)

We also went to Coronado. At the Hotel del Coronado, he told us to get off the bus and meet him back there in 30 minutes. I was the first one off the bus, and he pointed off to the left and told me to follow the path to the lobby. Then he yelled to everyone else, “Just follow her [motioning to me]. She knows the way.” Um, OK, sure I do.

We wandered around for a while and then everyone went off on his own. One girl who was by herself stayed with me, and we kind of pal-ed around for the rest of the day. We looked around for a while and walked on the hotel’s beach. It was beautiful, but I would have liked to have actually learned something about it from our tour guide.

The best part of the tour was a stop at Mt. Soledad (in La Jolla?). It is a giant cross on a hill that is a war memorial with sweeping panoramic views of the ocean, the city, and mountains in the distance. It really made the trip worthwhile, with or without commentary.

Our last stop on the tour was Old Town, where we were let off to eat lunch. Mind you, I’m still pretty sketchy on what Old Town was all about, what with our fount of information tour guide and all. Still, it was quaint, but with only thirty or so minutes to eat, I didn’t get to see much. I headed for the Coyote Café and enjoyed a carne asada quesadilla on their patio. I saw a woman make a few tortillas on the outdoor grill, and numerous students being led around by costumed women. It really looked like a place I’d like to explore more in depth, but it wasn’t to be so on this trip.

After lunch, we met at the bus and were taken back to the Embarcadero.

Up Next: Harbor Hair and Bargain Hunting in Mexico

[wdwlovers]

Thanks for posting your TR to San Diego! Sorry that this first tour was kinda dull. Hopefully your DL day was awesome! Can't wait to read about it!

[Tara O'Hara]

Whoo-Hoo!! Another DL trip report!! Great start!! Can't wait to hear about your DL adventures!!

[Colexis Mom]

Thanks for sharing Looking forward to more

[WDW Novice]

Day Two, Part Two—Harbor Hair and Bargain Hunting in Mexico


Since I was on the San Diego Grand Tour, I was locked in all day with different activities. After the drive around town without learning much, we were dropped off at the Embarcadero to catch a one-hour harbor cruise. I really enjoyed cruising around and seeing the sights: lots of naval ships, submarines, seals, the “Real World” house, and tons of sailboats. It was a gorgeous clear day, but man, my hair is STILL windblown! I have really curly hair, and coupled with really windy conditions, I had really BIG hair as well. The boat tour guide called it “harbor hair,” and I have to say that I used that term several times during my stay!

After the cruise, we met up with Mr. Information again for a little trip to Tijuana. I know, it’s not exactly the most picturesque spot in Mexico, but it’s a fun way to blow an afternoon. The drive was pleasant, and when we arrived a few merchants boarded the bus to give us some tips about buying leather and silver. I mostly just remember that you’re supposed to look for “925” stamped somewhere on the silver to ensure that it is real. (We later found out that the merchants also happened to be our guide’s cousins. Shady? Probably!)

I walked around for a while with Amber, the woman whom I had met when I was the honorary tour guide at the Hotel del Coronado. But, she got into a bidding war with someone over a bunch of jewelry and figured she would be a while, so she sent me on my way. I bought some silver, some beautiful embroidered placemats, a nativity set for Diana, and some goofy souvenirs for people back home. One guy offered me a “curly hair discount of 99% off.” Must’ve been the harbor hair!

We had about 3 ½ hours to shop, but I was worn out after two. I didn’t want to venture too far from the Avenida Revolucion (the main touristy shopping street), but I had seen everything I wanted to see. I found the cutest coffeehouse/bakery and sat for a while. I enjoyed a slice of something con leche cake, which was delish, and looked through all of the photos I had taken on my digital camera. It was a nice way to end my visit South of the Border.

I found the rest of my group at the bus terminal, and soon another tour guide (who didn’t speak English very well) escorted us to a large motor coach for our trip back to the USA. There were several other people already on the bus who had been in Rosarito and Ensenada all day. The guide gave us very detailed instructions on what we needed to do when we went through Customs. I didn’t understand much of what he said, but we all stuck together and the Customs official only asked us our citizenship. A woman behind me in line said the last time she went through they quizzed everyone for a long time, so I guess it’s just a crapshoot.

There were now quite a few people on the bus, and my mind went back to 8:10 this morning when we had to pick up all the people for my tour. Ugh—I didn’t relish sitting on the bus forever, but miraculously, I was the first stop!
Diana’s son and daughter-in-law drove in from Phoenix to hang out with her in the evenings and do their own thing during the day, and they were all in the lobby when I got off the bus. They gave me fifteen minutes to get ready, and then we headed to Seaport Village again to eat at the Harbor House. I’m not much of a seafood fan—OK, I hate anything that once swam, floated, ducked in and out of a shell, or otherwise existed in a river, stream, lake, pond, or ocean—but I always found a nice steak or pasta on the menu of all the seafood joints we visited. Tonight it was penne with chunky tomato and garlic sauce of some kind. Quite tasty.

We walked around the shops again, and as we walked by a fountain, Jonathan and Susan (Diana’s son and daughter-in-law) started discussing whether or not a turtle in the fountain was real. Jonathan was sure it was. The other Susan and I were not convinced. Never one to let an opportunity for scientific experimentation pass, I pulled some pennies out of my purse and started hurling them towards the turtle. I’m not a very good aimer, so I was miles away. The other Susan, though, beaned it on her first try. It didn’t move, so were satisfied that he was made of concrete. Jonathan was horrified that we threw anything at it. In retrospect, I would have felt rotten if that turtle had moved!

We got back to the room at about 9:00, and no kidding, I was asleep within half an hour. I don’t know where my insomnia went for this trip, but unfortunately it resurfaced the second I landed back in Cincinnati.

Next Installment: Day Three—Exactly When Will We Be Arriving in OZ?

[loobyoxlip]

Thanks for this installment. LOL at your description of your hair. Sorry your insomnia came back when you got back home - sounds like you at least got some good nights of sleep while on vacation.

[WDW Novice]

Day Three--Exactly When Will We Be Arriving in OZ?

Today I woke up with no definite plan. I lounged around and waited for Diana to clear out of the room then got up and dressed. I decided to walk to the Embarcadero to catch the ferry to Coronado and rent a bike. I strolled along in no hurry and enjoyed not being confined by the rigors of a tour. I stopped for breakfast at the Cabo Cafe & Grill, sat on their patio, and read the paper. As I continued my walk to the ferry, I passed a bus stop with an advertisement for the Tower of Terror. I got a little excited anticipating my journey to DL the next day.

I caught the ferry and once again donned my lovely harbor hair. Once at Coronado, I rented a bike and took a ride along the bike path that goes by the harbor and under the bridge. Saw lots of little old ladies with blue hair walking dogs and hunky Navy guys jogging I really loved the scenery.

I rode for about an hour and just made the next ferry back. I still didn't know what I wanted to do, and as I passed the Star of India, I decided to go to the Maritime Museum. The museum consists of four boats, including the Star. Also included is the HMS Rose, which was used in the filming of "Master and Commander, The Far Side of the World." All of the boats were impressive and very interesting.

I still had no plan for the rest of my afternoon. I thought about hopping on the Old Town Trolley for a REAL tour of the city, but it just didn't sound good at that point. I wandered around and tried to find a place to process my digital pictures, and about an hour later ended up downtown somewhere at a one-hour photo place (where the clerk made fun of me big-time because I was less than adept at using their machine).

By this time it was about 3:00, and I was completely into my floating around without a plan day. I had worked up quite a sweat finding the photo place and still had quite a walk back to the hotel, so I figured a dip in the pool and some pool-side lounging might be the ticket for the rest of the afternoon.

I made it back to the hotel (after a scenic stroll past the federal prison), jumped into my suit, grabbed "The King of Torts" and a bottle of water and went up to the pool.

Oh dear goodness, the wind!!!!

I secured my belongings under the leg of a chair and opted for the jacuzzi instead of the pool (it was way colder than I realized). The jacuzzi was perfect, but then I had the trauma of getting out. Brrr.

I thought I might try sitting in sun to warm up, dry off, and do a little reading. I sat down. Whoops, there went my towel. Chased that down. There goes the FULL BOTTLE OF WATER blowing by. Retrieved that. John Grisham pages are turning by themselves. Yep, there goes that old lady on the bike with Toto.

Did I mention that it was really windy?

I finally gathered all my belongings from nearby trees and such and went back to the room to shower and try to pack because I knew I would be gone the whole next day to DL!!

Diana came back from the conference and we decided to go to Little Italy for dinner. The concierge recommended Vincenzo Ristorante Italiano, and we were not disappointed. I don't remember what I had, except I do remember the cannoli

Coming Up: Day Four--Floating Around Disneyland

[WDW Novice]

Day Four--Floating Around Disneyland



Today I had to get up at about 5:45 to be ready to meet Contact Tours again for my trip to the original Mouse House at 7:00. I was a tad bit groggy, but excited. This tour rated a full-size motorcoach instead of Monday's minibus, replete with very vocal bus driver, Kermit.



I was the first one to be picked up and Kermit and I had WAAAY too much time to chat. I had my USA Today with me and was ready to read my way up I-5, but Kermit made me sit up front and talk. A lot. At the next hotel we picked up about four people, including Amber, who was on my Monday tour. It's a small world...



After picking up several people at a bunch of different hotels, we took off for DL. It was sprinkling a little bit (I was kind of glad-thought a little rain would keep the crowds at bay), it was kind of chilly (good for the same reason), and we hit very little traffic. Kermit pointed out a few sights along the way (the Carlsbad Flower Fields, Camp Pendleton, the tip of the San Juan Capistrano mission, and part of the Crystal Cathedral). All in all, he was a better tour guide than my Monday man, and he was only supposed to be dropping us off at the park.



We got to DL about 9:30. He had already given us our admission tickets (cool tickets with the Tower of Terror on them), so he only had to let us off at the Pinnochio lot and give us these IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS like 3,000 times: "I will be picking you up at the PINNOCHIO lot at 6:45. If you're not here, we will not wait. If I am not here, it means I am stuck in LA traffic." (He had to go to Universal, too.)



Amber and I hopped on a tram and were ready to go. After a pretty short wait to get in the park, we found ourselves at the rope on the Adventureland side. I had an elaborate plan to ride Indy first and then collect my fast passes. I didn't really feel like explaining my rigid schedule for myself to Amber, but I told her I was riding Indy first if she wanted to tag along. She had never seen the movie(!) but was game. We walked quickly after the rope fell and walked for miles and miles through the queue, all the while remarking to each other how detailed it was and how cool it was. Think how great she would have thought it was had she actually seen the film! To be fair, she was from Pakistan, so perhaps Indy never made it to that part of the world.



We had no wait to ride, and I'm happy to report that, for me, it lived up to its hype. Loved Indy's appearances and smart alec remarks. Loved the effects. A great ride!



After Indy, Amber was looking at her map to see what else she wanted to do in Adventureland. I told her that I was ready to hit New Orleans Square, so we amicably parted ways.



I grabbed fast passes for Pirates and the Haunted Mansion. It's true people--they're not networked to the other machines so you can hold them simultaneously with other fast passes.



Well, let me tell you, those fast passes are in my scrapbook and I never tested the rest of the fast pass system because there were no lines for anything. I decided to adopt my previous day's go-with-the-flow and wander aimlessly attitude which made my day so enjoyable and laid back.



I meandered over to Critter Country and walked right on Pooh. The only real line I saw was to meet Pooh and his pals outside the ride. Aside from the little greeting areas, I never saw characters in the park. Pooh was OK, but I really don't love the dark rides, so it didn't do much for me. The little boy in the honey pot ahead of me laughed and laughed, so that made me happy to see a kid having a great time.



Next it was over to Big Thunder Mountain. A CM was standing at the entrance trying to get people on the ride. Again, no line. I was ushered directly to the back seat. Any apprehension I felt about riding it after its, uh, "problems," disappeared when I saw a five-year-old boy get in the seat in front of me and laugh uncontrollably. The ride was awesome.



Now I was in full-on wandering mode. I went to the HM and attempted to use my FP because I saw a line. The CM said the FP return line wasn't even open and I could walk right in. Sure enough, I was in the stretch room within a few seconds. Some kids recited the spiel along with the soundtrack, but they weren't too obnoxious. I like the line for the doom buggies better than WDW's.



Next it was off to Pirates. LOVED LOVED LOVED it. The story makes so much more sense than the one at WDW. After seeing the Blue Bayou, I knew I had to eat there. After exiting the ride, I went over to make a PS. I had considered making one before I left home, but I figured if the park was crowded I would stick with counter service. I made a PS for 1:30 and then looked for the NOS train depot.



I have severe map dislexia. I can look at it from any angle and never quite figure out how to get where I need to go. I ran into the only non-helpful CM of the day by Big Thunder who had no idea where the NOS train depot was. Somehow, I stumbled upon it on my own. I bought some popcorn and waited in line. A train showed up within a few minutes and I rode to the Toon Town station.



Toon Town was deserted. The only thing I wanted to do there was Roger Rabbit. The sign said it was a 5 minute wait, but it really was just the walk through the queue. I loved all the details in this line, too, especially the door that said "Exit Stage Left." Hee hee. The ride was OK, but I gave up spinning my car and tried to get what the storyline was. Still not quite sure.



Next I walked to Fantasyland and saw where everyone was. The lines looked pretty long. Since I was having a pretty free and easy day, I decided to skip all those dark rides and headed for the Matterhorn. This one had some childhood memories from when I visited DL in 1979--I remembered that "scary" snowman. The line was about 10 minutes, so I rode both sides. I liked the Tomorrowland side better, but enjoyed both rides.



I still had tons of time to kill until my Blue Bayou PS, so I walked right on to Star Tours--the ride was half empty. Then I went to see Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. The theater was about one-fourth full.



Finally it was time for lunch. There was a huge line out the door and I heard that hostess tell someone that they were all booked up. I got some glares when I walked up to the PS lady and gave my name. She told me to wait in the jam packed lobby, but I was called almost immediately. More glares. Hey, anyone can make a PS--give it a try!!!



I didn't get to sit right next to the water, but I could still see the boats and the swamp scene from the ride. It felt good to sit and relax. And for people who've said they would feel weird riding rides or dining alone because they think people would look at them strangely, I never got a look from anyone and never felt out of place.



I HAD to order the Monte Cristo sandwich. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it and wished I had gotten something different. But, from the description of that sandwich, I would never order it anywhere else, so I'm glad I tried it.



I relaxed a bit in the dark restaurant and drank a Coke or two and then shopped a little in NOS. In every shop, a CM came up to me and asked me if I was having a magical day or if I needed help finding anything. I bought my nephew a pirate Mickey plush which was adorable (and I secretly wanted to keep for myself).



I spent a little time in the Disney Gallery enjoying the display from the "Haunted Mansion" movie and the panoramic view of the Rivers of America from the balcony. If this is where the Fantasmic Dessert package takes place, it has got to be worth the price for that view!



By now it was warming up, so I thought I might check out the line for Splash. The wait was about 45 minutes, so I asked about the single rider line. The CM said he didn't have any passes but I could just walk in the exit and tell them I was a single rider. I did and the CM put me on the very next log. It was so awesome, but I can't even believe they do that! The family I rode with was so fun and included me. We kept laughing at the dad who sat in front and got utterly soaked. My backside was a little damp, but otherwise I escaped pretty dry. I love all those Brer creatures and the whole theme of that ride.



Next I grabbed a fast pass for Indy, which was showing a 30 minute wait. In the meantime, I climbed Tarzan's treehouse and took a voyage on the Jungle Cruise, which had about a 5 minute wait. I hadn't ridden the WDW version since the mid 70s, so I had forgotten how corny it really is. Still, our captain was so into it that it cracked me up.



I then went back to use my Indy fast pass and got in line in front of a family with a little girl who was less than thrilled to ride. The time went fast as we tried to calm her down and take her mind off of all the sounds in the queue. I think the wait was about 10 minutes in the fast pass return line. The beginning of the ride was a little different from the first time. This time we were told that we chose correctly and were headed for the land of joy and happiness or whatever and then--PSYCHE, we were still doomed!



After Indy, I got a Mickey Bar (sorry, no Dole Whip for me) and walked around, soaking up the atmosphere. I shopped a little, walked a little. I went to Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and liked it way more than I expected. I mailed my niece a postcard from Brer Rabbit (whose handwriting is strikingly similar to mine) and I rode the train all the way around. When I got off the train at Main Street, the flag lowering ceremony was in progress, and it was very moving.



I swung by the bakery and bought two Mickey Rice Krispies treats with the ears dipped in chocolate for Diana and me for our respective plane rides home.



I still had a little time before meeting up with the rest of the group so I bid adieu to DL and shopped at World of Disney. Made it back to Pinnochio lot with ample time to spare and Kermit was a wee bit late. He didn't shut up for one second on the way home, and I must've heard his plan for the order of dropping us off at our hotels about 200 times. Of course, I was last.



My day was completely perfect. The sun came out as soon as we got to DL, it was pleasant but not hot, crowds were virtually nonexistent, and people were considerate and happy. It was all I could have hoped for! Since the Tower of Terror preview event was happening a few days after my visit, I thought the crowd level might be higher, but it didn't seem to be the case.



I got back to my hotel at about 9:00, did some last minute packing, and then jumped into bed because I had to be at the airport by 8:00 the next morning.



Day 5--Bye Bye So Cal



Grabbed the free airport shuttle from the hotel at 7:30 and made it to the airport around 7:45. No line at curb-side check in and a very nice skycap wished me a wonderful trip home. Felt nice to give him a little extra tip. Got in the Security line, which most certainly reached Tijuana. Egads. Made it through in plenty of time and had two uneventful flights, although I did have to make the O.J. dash (sans knife and gloves) through the Minneapolis airport to make my connection.



Had a great time on my impromptu little vacation. Thanks for reading about it.