Forever Young: A Disneyland Trip 50 Years in the Making COMPLETED 1/16/16 - Page 12 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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It's time to move on and move forward.
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Oh, how exciting to finally be walking in Walt's footsteps.
It was very exciting as Walt's mark is everywhere here, which we learned even more about on Friday, but that update is a ways away.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMB733
Sounds like your day is off to a wonderful start!! Nothing can be better than starting off with a Dale meet and greet!
I hadn't expected our first attraction to be a meet and greet, but I was so excited to meet Dale.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dutchdisneyfamily
The castle there certainly is not the same focus as it is in WDW, that's for sure. Your morning sounds quite a bit like ours. The rides were exactly the same, only instead of seeing a chipmunk, we saw Buzz Lightyear. I am loving these updates! And I am wondering what you did with your jacket because I know what happened with the temperature....
I'm a pro with that jacket as I've carried one every WDW trip, too. As the weather warms up, it is tied to my crossbody bag's strap. You'll notice it there in later photos.
Disney does Fall so well. Love all of the pumpkin pix. You and Dale sure look good together. Too bad he can't talk to give you directions. Buzz Lightyear and Star Tours look the same as WDW on the inside. The Star Tours exterior is an interesting building.
Enjoying your DL TR so much. It's been 30 years since I have been there. I love seeing how everything has changed and what has stayed the same. Once DH retires next year I hope to get there.
Great first day so far! Love the photo of you & Dale in his policeman uniform
I have only been to DLR once, and that was about 11 years ago. I almost missed the castle because I'm so used to Cinderella's castle at WDW. I asked my DH where the castle was (he grew up in Southern CA so he has been to DLR many times) and he pointed to it and was like "It's right there". My response was "THAT'S the castle???" I was definitely underwhelmed BUT I had to remind myself that at the time the park was opened, I'm sure people thought the castle was lovely. I told myself it wasn't fair to compare it to the castle at WDW (although it was definitely hard not to, for me).
How cool to see Dale in his policeman uniform! I don't remember seeing Chip and Dale at all at DLR.
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Luke seems to think I have a radar for the chipmunks. I saw Dale around a small crowd of folks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rhinohunter
Disney does Fall so well. Love all of the pumpkin pix. You and Dale sure look good together. Too bad he can't talk to give you directions. Buzz Lightyear and Star Tours look the same as WDW on the inside. The Star Tours exterior is an interesting building.
Star Tours in Fantasyland, and really the whole set of DL Tomorrowland gave it a different feel to me. I liked, but this part was very different from MK.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
What a great start to your day at DL! Love the pictures!
We were so pleased at how well our day's start had begun.
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Cool Character Meet. Buzz is so much better in DL, don't you think? Looking forward to the rest of your day!
I was so happy to finally be able to pull my gun out where I could really use it no matter how Luke was turning us. So sad that MK does not have this. Definitely one of the many reasons I want to go back.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lonereb
Enjoying your DL TR so much. It's been 30 years since I have been there. I love seeing how everything has changed and what has stayed the same. Once DH retires next year I hope to get there.
Hope you all finally get back to DLR so you can experience all the changes yourself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SharonK0527
Great first day so far! Love the photo of you & Dale in his policeman uniform
I have only been to DLR once, and that was about 11 years ago. I almost missed the castle because I'm so used to Cinderella's castle at WDW. I asked my DH where the castle was (he grew up in Southern CA so he has been to DLR many times) and he pointed to it and was like "It's right there". My response was "THAT'S the castle???" I was definitely underwhelmed BUT I had to remind myself that at the time the park was opened, I'm sure people thought the castle was lovely. I told myself it wasn't fair to compare it to the castle at WDW (although it was definitely hard not to, for me).
It is a little sad at how obscured the castle is from the front end of Main Street. I had thought I would be awed like I was our first visit to the MK. But I still loved the castle once I found it.
Wednesday, October 7 -- Breakfast with Mary and Our First Look at Sleeping Beauty’s Castle
Back on planet earth after somewhat helping Buzz fight off Zurg (around 9:00 AM), we decided it was now time for breakfast. As we walked in to the hub from Tomorrowland, we immediately noticed this really cool restaurant. I was pretty sure I knew which one it was from photos on the Disneyland website. Indeed it was the Jolly Holiday Bakery. We agreed for us it was the perfect breakfast spot. Luke and I both selected the egg, bacon, and cheese croissant with fruit. I got a large orange juice while Luke got a large Coke. Total cost = $20.27 with a $2.09 DVC discount. We came to love this discount so much over the course of the trip, a really cool bonus that WDW could learn something from. While we waited for the order, I picked up napkins, straws, forks, and salt and pepper. When our name was called, I marveled at how large our sandwiches were. Wow!
Seating here is all outside, though much of it is under cover, so Luke carried our tray to an empty table I found right next to a window on the upper level of seating. Our sandwiches were delicious, though I would have like less egg. As you can see in the photo there was a lot of egg. Luke ate the eggs that kept falling off every time I picked up the croissant.
Also there has never, ever been a melon that I liked. I am a rather Southern girl who does not like watermelon. That and my dislike of sweet tea make me rather an oddity here in the South. The fruit cup had three large grapes, but everything else was some kind of melon. No problem – Luke loves melons so that just meant more for him. When we finished, our plan was to explore the hub. But first a few photos of the bakery sign.
The hub is one spot where the compactness of Disneyland is obvious. The space is much smaller, especially after the renovations, than the hub of the Magic Kingdom, making it feel much more intimate to me. Even the distance between the Partners Statue and Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, is much more compact.
See the castle is right back there.
My fascination with pumpkins continued here with a display that surrounded the statue. I walked around the whole area, capturing every single pumpkin.
Isn't it neat that each pumpkin corresponds to one of the lands that spokes off from the hub.
I remember glancing at the castle, but then I saw a PhotoPass photographer, and we had that lanyard that hadn’t been put to use yet. This photographer was great as he took quite a few poses and was very friendly and cheerful.
Happy Birthday, Luke!
Magic Shot
First Visit
At this point the castle was forgotten again. We were ready for another attraction, and what should attract our attention. The most prominent feature of the Disneyland skyline from where we were standing – The Matterhorn Bobsleds.
For a girl who isn’t really fond of coasters, it may come as a bit of a surprise, but I very much wanted to ride this one. This one is a classic in Disneyland, opening in 1959 when I was only one. As the first tubular steel continuous track coaster, it set a precedent for all future steel coasters. At least that is what Luke explained to me as we were in the queue. So cool! While we’d been enjoying our breakfast, the lines had grown a wee bit, though the Matterhorn was only showing a 20 minute standby wait. So we joined the queue. Once again I occupied myself by photographing anything and everything nearby.
Where the line began we could easily see both the Nemo ride and the Monorail.
My first glimpse of a bobsled.
Almost there.
At some point in the line we were befriended by a young girl who, I think, was winning her way forward in line by charming folks. She was very sweet, and seemed surprised when we got to the front of the line, and I told her to go ahead of us. This next photo is the first, but definitely not the last of its kind for this trip. Kind of became a motif for me.
I made Luke ride in the front because I was well aware of that water feature at the end. And we're off!
Bobsledding is one of my favorite events of the Winter Olympics, and I had imagined this ride might give me a taste of what bobsledding is like. If an actual bobsled ride is this rough, I’m best not participating. Honestly, I enjoyed the ride, squealing through much of it, but my joints were not happy at the end. Luke, in fact, had to assist me in getting out of our sled.
A nice beginning to the morning with some great photo pass opps and capturing the park on your own with so many good photos! Glad you got to and enjoyed riding the Matterhorn!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
I am loving your TR! Your breakfast looks yummy!
I love the idea of taking a picture of your feet in the boarding line! Very cool!
Just realized when you said that you were one when the Matterhorn opened in 1959, that you and I are the same age!
A nice beginning to the morning with some great photo pass opps and capturing the park on your own with so many good photos! Glad you got to and enjoyed riding the Matterhorn!
We ended up having quite a bit of fun with our PhotoPass photos throughout the trip.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DMA
I am loving your TR! Your breakfast looks yummy!
I love the idea of taking a picture of your feet in the boarding line! Very cool!
Just realized when you said that you were one when the Matterhorn opened in 1959, that you and I are the same age!
1958 was a good year! Disneyland officially opened to the public on July 18, 1955, and that has always felt special because July 18th is my birthday.
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