Our 1st Proper Halloween - Disneyland Leg **COMPLETED** About This Page:

[Big Sister]

To read about the second leg of our trip (cruising the Pacific Coast on the Disney Wonder), please click here

Sunday, 7 October 2012: Cruise ends Disneyland starts

Woke and got up at 6.19am. Couldn't sleep, as I couldn't relax with what was ahead, plus there was a weird tapping sound coming from the airvent in our room As soon as I got up, I looked out the window and saw a scene I didn't recognise. When I next looked out, we were at port already! I was shocked! The transition was so smooth and unnoticeable. Now we were right back where we started from.

Nest got up at 7am to get ready, while I did last minute tidying up and finalised our day bags. Our guest account summary was delivered around the same time, and was nowhere near as much as I was dreading, thank goodness!

We left our stateroom for the last time a bit before the deadline of 8.30am I was relieved to see other people only just leaving their stateroom's also. Loaded up with our day bags (six in total!), we gingerly made our way downstairs (I say gingerly, as we were both awkwardly balanced with day bags) to the Promenade Lounge to wait for our red Mickey luggage tag group to be called, to signal it was our turn to disembark

When we arrived, I checked the announcement screen, and saw that our tags had already been called Putting our comment card in the box provided at the entrance to the gangway, we left the Disney Wonder for the last time this holiday The people who would be boarding her this afternoon for the last Pacific Coast sailing of the season, were very lucky indeed Once again though, like last time we changed base camps, this time we had a great week at Disneyland ahead of us, which we were greatly looking forward to after 2010's disastrous stay there

Once off ship, we arrived at a long line for Customs On learning we were non-US citizens, an officer pulled us aside and took us to a virtually non-existent line We were allowed our big stash of taffy and Twinkies

Going down these long escalators, we found ourselves in a large warehouse type area. There was no way we could manage the four suitcases waiting for us in addition to our plethora of day bags , but thankfully a very friendly porter was heading straight for us, and did all the heavy lifting and wheeling

The bus transfer to the Grand Californian Hotel was leaving from platform nine. There was already quite a line for it, which made me glad we hadn't attended our last breakfast sitting at 8.15am (it was around 9am at the time.) When we went to get our names checked off the passenger manifest, they weren't on it! Luckily, we were still allowed to join the queue due to the PR sticker on our Key to the World cards. The transfers were also itemised on our guest account summary I had with me, but no one asked to check it. We said goodbye to our friendly porter, and told him how much we appreciated his services (it would've been so hard without him!) There were heaps of suitcases already amassed for the Paradise Pier and Disneyland Hotels, but ours were the first to join the queue for the Grand Californian - how exciting! (It's the little things that count as well as the big things! )

We got to board the coach at 9.30am, and got seats together right up the back. As it was another stinking hot day, we were really appreciative that the air conditioning was going full whack.

From where we were sitting, we could see the Disney Wonder being cleaned in preparation for that afternoon's sail.

While waiting for everyone to board, the driver put on a video about now our Disney Cruise is over, and what we could do now. For such a depressing subject, the video was quite positive. It showed Mickey and friends giggling away and boarding a bus just like we had (except there was no giggling on our part ), and talking about future Disney cruises available for us to take. The video ended with all the characters in Mickey's living room, laughing lots while watching their holiday videos. It made going home and back to reality seem fun and exciting in itself - that's Disney magic for you!

The bus was chockers by this stage, with parties having to separate just to get a seat As we pulled away from the pier, the next video to screen, was the season finale of America's Funniest Videos. I don't know for what year though. My favourite video by far, was of all these kittens milling around near a vacuum cleaner. Some of the kittens were on top of it, doing a more thorough investigation, when one of them just happened to turn it on, sending them all scurrying off at the speed of light. Nest's favourite one was of a little dog wanting to go outside, and to get his owner's attention, it rang a bell on the ground with his little paw - it was so cute. I also enjoyed the segment of people being surprised with the news of Disney holidays. The two that stuck in my mind the most, were:

· Two little girls were standing in their phone area. The youngest of the two was on the phone, relaying a message to her slightly older sister, who was standing next to her. When she (the older sister) found out they were going to Disneyland, she just stood there squealing, as if she was on a rollercoaster (or had just seen the biggest spider in the world.)
· A brother and sister had just boarded a flight to Orlando, and buckled themselves in. The Captain came on over the loudspeaker and welcomed them by name, saying that they were actually on a flight to Walt Disney World, Orlando, and not Detroit like their father had said. What a great way to surprise someone!

The video that won the grand prize, was of a boy crying about having lost the video camcorder someone had leant him. The majority of the video is white due to it being lost in the snow, with coloured subtitles of this boy and someone else trying to find it. While on first viewing Nest and I found it funny, we wouldn't preferred the poodle video to have won. It was of these three poodles, with their owner in the background asking who had made the mess (which you didn't get to see.) You could tell the white poodle was responsible, as he was looking incredibly guilty, and the two innocent-looking brown poodles kept looking at him. Our suspicions were confirmed, on further questioning, when the white poodle slowly backed away and disappeared into a nearby room.

The grand prize ended up being a Disney Cruise, an Adventure by Disney, a trip to Walt Disney World, and a trip to Disneyland. Wow, what a prize!! Far more exciting that Australian's grand prize of $200,000! The show had been hosted from aboard the new Disney Dream, and the grand finale presentation took place at Disney's California Adventure near where World of Colour is held.

No sooner had the show ended, did we realise we were in Disney territory ourselves! (The video had kept us in the Disney bubble, 'protecting' us from the rather 'ordinary' scenery whooshing by our window, whilst transferring us from the pier to Disneyland.) The first noticeable landmark I spotted, was Space Mountain, and later on, the mountain peaks of the new Cars Land. Paradise Pier was the first Disney hotel I spotted, so I was surprised when the bus pulled into the Grand Californian first instead.

Even though the check-in line was long, it didn't seem to take long for us to be seen to. Thankfully there was a room available to check-in to straight away (it was before the official time of 3pm check-in), which meant we could dump all our bags in our room and be care-free from then on in The guy checking us in gave us a few tips, such as lining up at 6am for the 7am early morning madness for hotel guests ... which I knew wouldn't be happening without even conferring with Nest first

It was so good to be back at the Grand Californian - it's the definite place for us to stay when we come to Disneyland! Our room, which was number 4440 on the fourth floor, was absolutely gorgeous, and we were so happy and on top of the world as a result The view from our window was wonderful also - we could see the Hollywood Tower Hotel (very important, as its a favourite!), the new Carthay Circle building, Grizzly River Run, and the tips of California Screamin' and Mickey's Fun Wheel above the tops of the trees. Also, the monorail ran right outside, which was exciting too (and not noisy at all like you'd expect.)

On dumping our bags, we didn't even stop to take photos of our new home for the next week , before hitting the Disneyland Park running! We were so super happy to be back, that on leaving our room, we skipped arm-in-arm down the hallway, excitedly babbling about finally being able to go on Splash Mountain and dine at the Hungry Bear Restaurant after all this time! It was around 11.30am at this stage.

We took a shortcut down some stairs, which deposited us right next to the World of Disney store in Downtown Disney, so we popped in for a super quick look on our way to the Disneyland park. Nest found a pocketwatch, and a cast member got it out for him to inspect. Nest was pleased to find it was a wind-up one, and not battery operated, but forgot to check if it was made in Switzerland. (He left purchasing it for later after more thinking about it, as it cost $400 , where-as his others from 2007 were only around the $100 mark.) He asked if there were any other designs, but was told no, as they had just sold out of a train design )

Once through the bag check line, we found ourselves at the Disneyland Park entrance , which had been beautifully decorated with jack-o-lanterns and orange, yellow and brown ribbon ruffles in preparation for Halloween. Main Street was decorated in the same style, and had a giant Mickey jack-o-lantern where we're used to the big Christmas tree going. When I told one of my friends that there's around 200 in Main Street, and not one of them is the same, she told me that she wanted me to take pics of them all so she could check for herself!

We zig-zagged down Main Street, quickly checking for stuff, but not planning on buying anything at this point in time so we wouldn't have to lug it all around with park with us (it was so hot and the most crowded we'd ever seen it!) The first shop we stopped in at, was Disneyana, to check out the gorgeous light boxes. Then we zipped over to the Penny Arcade, as it's one of our favourites.

And so the hunt for Splash Mountain begun. Who could've imagined we would get ourselves so hopelessly lost?! We did two laps of Frontierland in hot crowded conditions, adamant that Critter Country was right next door ... before slowly realising that that's only in Walt Disney World! On our third attempt, we went in the opposite direction to the way we had been going, as it seemed to be the only other possibility at the time. At one stage, we excitedly thought Splash Mountain was right in front of us, but that turned out to be the tiny version of the Matterhorn in the Storybookland Canal Boats! Standing helplessly by It's a Small World, wishing we hadn't left our maps in our room, and not particularly wanting to pick up new copies from the park entrance, seeing as we were so far away from it, I spotted a Cast Member with a fanny pack full of them - talk about being relieved! I asked for a map, and she gladly gave me one. When she asked what we were looking for, she said we couldn't be further away from it if we tried, and we all laughed! Who moved Splash Mountain next to the Haunted Mansion?! (On hearing it's location though, the penny did drop! )

We were massively disappointed to learn that Splash Mountain was temporarily closed (we wanted to cool down with a big splash), but we kept a sunny disposition, and headed for the Hungry Bear Restaurant right on 12 noon (Nest owes me a couple of meals from there.) We ordered chilli cheeseburgers and iced water, with Nest also getting himself an ice cream sandwich. All the shaded tables were taken. We scored one that was only half in the sun, and did our best to cram ourselves into the shaded area! Once settled, we went to eat our burgers, suddenly realising they were plain cheese ones, and not chilli cheese. We still ate them though, and they were really nice.

The first attraction we tried to experience, was the Haunted Mansion, but the line for that disappeared somewhere off into New Orleans Square , so we headed for Pirates of the Caribbean instead, wondering what it would be like to stay in the Dream Suite situated above the attraction The line was deceptively long, as it coiled around in a snail shell pattern, but once inside the doorway to the attraction, it was nice and cool and the wait not as noticeable.

I absolutely loved the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. As we hadn't been on this version since 2007, it was like riding it again for the first time. I loved it how it started off with us sailing through the dark quiet bayou surrounded by the odd firefly (Nest and I were in the very front.) You could just make out some little shacks on stilts, where there was a man on his porch in a rocking chair, lazily plucking away at a banjo. It was so relaxing, but at the same time, Nest and I were hoping it wouldn't attract any zombies like it did in Zombieland when Woody Harrelson played the banjo in the supermarket scene.

Another thing we loved about Pirates, was after the relaxing beginning, there was a totally unexpected drop in the dark - how thrilling! And we got splashed a bit - bonus! This led us to a ship deck scene with a crew of skeletons sailing a ship through a storm, to haunting music - the scene was periodically lit up by lighting. I quite liked this scene!

Another drop (a bit more expected this time, seeing as we could actually see it coming this time!) led us to the battle between two ships. As I was still relaxed by this stage, the splash of water to my right simulating a canon ball landing, made me jump. Luckily nobody seemed to notice

As for the 'main' part of the ride, there seemed to be a new donkey near a new crate of chickens that I can't remember from before. I also loved sailing by the Blue Bayou restaurant. I think another reason I enjoyed this ride super much for, was because it made me totally forget just how hot and crowded it was outside.

Next, we headed on over to Tomorrowland, as Nest was busting to go on Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters - it's one of his favourite attractions, as he's so awesome at it! The line from this was deceptively long also, and mostly in the sun - I estimated we waited for about 45 minutes. At one stage, we were next to the new (to us) Pixie Hollow, and I noticed some beautiful bronze fairy statues in the garden, that I made a mental note to come back and take a photo of (today was a no camera day, so we could just relax and enjoy the attractions. Nest did bring his small one for emergency shots though.)

Nest scored a level 5 (unfortunately I can't remember the level of this title) and I scored a level 3 (Planetary Pilot.) We quickly e-mailed the resulting souvenir photo to our eldest bro, and set off on our way to the nearest refreshment station - a Sprite for Nest, and a water for me.

Our next stop was Space Mountain, which had been made into a Ghost Galaxy for Halloween. The two hour wait broke poor Nest (it was half in the sun, and half in the shade - the fast passes had already been distributed for the day), and made my feet ache badly for the remainder of the day (despite wearing sensible shoes.) The actual ride was AWESOME (Nest noticed my glow-in-the-dark Mickey Halloween shirt glowing brightly, and brought it to my attention.) The addition of the ghosts added to the excitement of the ride, which seemed to greatly accelerate in speed more so than usual, as it went on.

As we exited through the giftstore, Nest and I picked up a Space Mountain character pressed nickel each (good job Nest was with me, as I was trying to insert a dime - ) I also noticed awesome things to display my pins in, which I made a mental note of to purchase later.

Nest soldiered on for a bit more, eventually coming to Autopia (another favourite) after much help from the map. I thought it was good how they've made part of the waiting area shady, and have included cute little thirty second scenes within, since last having ridden.

Nest drove an orange convertible, and I followed him around in a brown convertible. It was a super fun ride! For some reason, he kept on getting away from me, even though I had the pedal to the metal all the way. I loved the big dip we went down at one stage, though it didn't seem to make me go any faster.

Nest shouted me to further refreshments afterwards (I was out of cash due to constant tipping, and was on a desperate look out for an ATM.) We found ourselves at a healthful eating stand, where Nest picked up a container of mango slices for himself, and a container of raw vegies (cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, celery sticks, and flowerettes of broccoli) with ranch dipping sauce, for me. It was a surprisingly tasty snack.

Nest wanted to go back to our hotel, so we wandered down Main Street and towards the exit. Nest stopped at a crystal store, where he bought me two pressies, and himself a little glass creature, while I waited out front where I wouldn't drip ranch dressing all over the valuables. I packed my vegies closed to accompany him into a bookstore (I work in a library, so must check these sort of things out ), where I came across an interesting holiday cookbook to check out on a future visit when I had clean hands. Then we walked through the magic store, then the general store attached to that. I loved the purple glitter spider baubles for sale, and the shop was decorated beautifully also. Wished those decorations had've been for sale too - gorgeous Halloween tinsel and other assorted Halloween props.

Finished off my vegies just inside the park exit, which is when Nest showed me the pressies he had bought me - a super cute tiny jewelled Donald ornament, and a super cute tiny jewelled Pinocchio ornament (Donald's my favourite Disney character, and Pinocchio is my favourite Disney movie ) On passing through the exit turnstile, we got our hands stamped for re-entry (the park closed at midnight) in case Nest got a second wind of energy. I could've kept going in the park despite my sore feet, as that was the kind of mindset I was in. Nest said he didn't mind, and was happy for me to keep going, but I would've felt bad letting him go back by himself, so I went too. It was around 7.30pm.

I seriously didn't realise how pooped I was, until we got back to our room (it was so hot in there, as I had accidentally left the balcony door open in our rush to get to the park!)

Nest turned on new episodes of The Simpsons, and I went almost immediately to sleep while reviewing that day's photos! (The beds are so comfy!) Nest complained about a fly buzzing in his ear as he layed on the floor watching TV. It turned out to be a bee! I freaked out a bit, due to having been stung by bees before, so Nest caught it with a glass and piece of cardboard, and let it go out on the balcony.

I forced myself to wake up and order dinner. Before ordering dinner, I thought having a shower would help me wake up. While I was in the bathroom, Mum rang to see how we were going She said that Byron had taken a photo of our plane from atop the reservoir near home. I should've asked if he had used his telephoto lens and was able to see us looking out the window When it was my turn to talk, I asked for them to tape Turtleman for us, as I hadn't made it clear to do so when we had left, as so much was going on at the time. We had already missed out on two episodes as a result I learnt that Johnny had tried calling us while we were on the cruise, but was told it was $7 a minute and required his credit card details, which he declined to give, so wasn't able to get through to us a result

I was thrilled to see my ultimate favourite dish still on the menu - spaghetti with meat sauce I got a glass of red wine to go with it

Nest had spaghetti with meat sauce too, as well as chicken tenders with a bunch of grapes, and a slice of New York style cheesecake.

It was soooooooooooo relaxing sitting on our huge comfy beds after such a big day, chillin' in front of the TV while eating great food and, in my case, drinking a fine glass of wine. I couldn't have been any happier! I attempted to write while waiting for dinner, as well as after dinner. It was a bit of a challenge to concentrate though, as The Big Bang Theory, Seinfeld, and Bloopers were on the tele. Somewhere along the way, I fell asleep big time. I got to bed properly at midnight. So much for going back to the park with a new lease of energy

Next entry: Going solo at Disneyland

[chezp]

What a great start to your time in Disneyland!

[clio]

No wonder you were tired. You guys did a lot in a short time. I love reading about Disneyland as I've never been there. Can't wait to read more.
Liz

[Dlandmom2]

What fun! Sad that the cruise portion is over, but now you're at my favorite park! This was (I think) during the time when Melanie and Meri were visiting, and we were at Disneyland one of the nights you were there. I looked around to see if I spotted anyone who looked like you or Nest, but unfortunately I came up empty.

Looking forward to hearing about DLR! I hope you were well rested and were able to see a lot more than last time!

[pamcarey]

Great start to your time at Disneyland! I hope it doesn't stay so hot and crowded the whole time.

[Big Sister]

Originally Posted by chezp

What a great start to your time in Disneyland!

Thank you!

[Big Sister]

Originally Posted by clio

No wonder you were tired. You guys did a lot in a short time. I love reading about Disneyland as I've never been there. Can't wait to read more.
Liz

Update coming right up! I truly hope you make it to Disneyland one of these days!

[Big Sister]

Originally Posted by Dlandmom2

What fun! Sad that the cruise portion is over, but now you're at my favorite park! This was (I think) during the time when Melanie and Meri were visiting, and we were at Disneyland one of the nights you were there. I looked around to see if I spotted anyone who looked like you or Nest, but unfortunately I came up empty.

Looking forward to hearing about DLR! I hope you were well rested and were able to see a lot more than last time!

We were sad that our cruise had come to an end too, but were really thankful that we had a week of Disneyland to immediately go onto

Sorry we missed you - we were probably buried in a queue somewhere (Though if you ever catch me on a solo day, I'll most likely be in Critter Country, if my following entry is anything to go by )

Yes, this trip we certainly made up for our disastrous 2010 Disneyland visit, where we were rained in our hotel room for five days straight (I've yet to post about those entries - I'm aiming to finish that TR by the end of the year! It's one of my New Year's Resolutions!)

[Big Sister]

Originally Posted by pamcarey

Great start to your time at Disneyland! I hope it doesn't stay so hot and crowded the whole time.

Thank you!

Yes, it was pretty much hot and crowded for our entire stay at Disneyland (save for one day), but we much prefer it to be like that compared to the constant rain in December 2010

[Big Sister]

Monday, 8 October 2012: Going solo at Disneyland

Got up at around 9.30am. Sat out on the balcony overlooking Disney's California Adventure park, and caught up on some journal writing. Kept an eye on the time at the same time, as breakfast finishes at 11.30am, and I didn't want to miss out on my Mickey waffle! I thought that if Nest wasn't up by 10.30am, I'd go ahead and place an order. Thankfully he got up before then.

We ate breakfast out on the balcony at around 11am. I had a Mickey shaped waffle with syrup served in these cute little carraffs, and water ...

... and Nest had a fresh harvest fruit plate with low fat cottage cheese (I had a brain freeze - I had meant to ask for low fat strawberry yoghurt ) and banana bread with water.

Over breakfast, Nest said he wanted to stay in and work on his journal While I understood him not wanting to forget a moment of this brilliant holiday, on the other hand, I didn't want him to feel he had to sacrifice valuable park time to do so

After breakfast, I wrote out on the balcony with Nest for a little while. During that time, we caught at least three performances of the Hepcats near Soarin'. I was aiming to finish Sunday's journal entry by around one, with an out the door to the park time of 1.30pm at the latest. I was late by six minutes, but at least I was close.

I set off for my solo adventure to Disneyland, down the secret staircase and through the hidden exit door like we had done the day before. Also, after all these years, I had finally learnt how to travel light, and just had a small camera bag containing an even smaller purse, so it would take no time at all to get through security bag check, and wouldn't make me as sweaty as a backpack does.

Our secret door

Approaching the entrance to the park, I began photographing in earnest.

I continued in earnest all the way down Main Street. When I suddenly found myself at the other end of Main Street, I was lost for a second as to where I should go next. The answer? Why, Splash Mountain, of course!

This time, I didn't do two laps of Frontierland before depositing myself a million miles away outside It's a Small World. No. I walked straight through Frontierland, on through New Orleans Square, and straight on to Critter Country, where I believe I spent the next three hours!

Look at the ocean of people I had to wade through to get to Splash Moutain!!

Made it!!

To my luck, I somehow found out that Splash Mountain had a single riders line (the general wait time was 75 minutes, and I didn't want to bother about getting a fast pass - I wanted to ride now!) It was very difficult for me to find, and I had to ask for directions three times along the way (at least I know where it is now!)

I only had to wait around twenty minutes During a part of the wait, I was on a bridge in a tunnel, in direct route of an air conditioning vent, which was a great relief from the stinking hot day! I boarded second from back, and was so excited to be on board one of my most favourite Disney rides, after months of only having been able to watch and listen to it on YouTube to help get me through the days at work. I only wished that Nest could've been with me.

Couldn't remember from before, the bunches of flowers everywhere (circles within circles), glowing multi-coloured mushrooms, a hound dog in a boat filled with beehives going round and round in a circle, or the watery double dip our boat went over - fantastic fun! I also noticed that in an effort to get the crowds through this attraction, that they had sped up the boats that usually travel around the attraction at a relaxed pace. It was hilarious careening around the waterways, the scenery wizzing by, and smacking roughly into the track guidance curves when we came to the corners

I disappointedly didn't get wet where I was sitting, and was envious of the people who got drenched I was happy to see that the Splash Mountain pressed penny machine that squeals when you use it, was still at the exit.

Thought I'd go on The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh next, seeing as it was pretty much next door. I joined what I thought was the queue, and after five minutes of it not moving, I suddenly realised it was because I was in the line to meet the famous bear himself!

On that realisation, I left the queue to go and have lunch at the Hungry Bear Restaurant - making that kind of mistake must've meant I needed sustenance! I felt guilty going there without Nest. I had a pioneer chilli cheeseburger with a side of sweet potato fries and ranch dipping sauce, and a bottle of water. I found a nice shady table to eat at, overlooking the Rivers of America. The Mark Twain riverboat went by with everyone waving.

The natural thing to do straight after lunch, was to ride Splash Mountain again This time, I was virtually able to walk straight on I still had to wait about ten minutes in the tunnel, but that was no biggie at all. During my wait, I saw a little boy emerge from his journey, wearing a pair of pilot's headphones. Perhaps he was worried about getting water in his ears, or didn't want to hear the scary vultures. Whatever the reason, he looked cute. Another guy had a GoPro camera strapped to the back of his head. I was sat on the back seat this time, and still didn't get wet! I think the front seat is the seat to be in for that sort of thing, and to get that, I'm guessing you have to line up in the 'normal' line. (Even though the single riders line is way quicker, I do miss seeing the pre-ride area.)

After my second journey around Splash Mountain, I found the correct queue for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. I noticed a few differences from the Walt Disney World version, such as the bright birthday scene being in a house, and not the woods. In the dream sequence, I noticed the honey harp sound. Loved the bee slippers in Pooh's bedroom at the end. Also loved the swirly painting of heffalumps and woozles, and the spinning overlay. Loved the little heffalumps on the backs of the hives we travelled in.

I headed to the Haunted Mansion next, after a quick comfort stop at the Hungry Bear Restaurant. I wasn't joking yesterday when I said the queue was so long it snaked around New Orleans Square! It seriously did! A positive thing about this though, is that it gave me time to take in the great Christmas/Halloween decorations of the Haunted Mansion and its surrounds.

The pet cemetery had purple, black and white striped bows everywhere, and I loved the lawn of jack-o-lanterns behind the mansion itself. Despite the humungous line, it only took around 35 minutes to get through, which was surprising!

It was great inside. The stretching room had different and seemingly more colourful pictures (stained glass style) compared to the ones at Walt Disney World. The hallway afterwards was lined with beautiful Christmas pictures, that changed to scary Halloween versions after a short period of time. Super loved the gingerbread house featured in the grand ballroom, and the accompanying scent of gingerbread. I was so busy looking at it, that I didn't have time to look at anything else in that room. (This version doesn't seem to have the sequence of attic scenes.) My doom buggy stopped for a while in the very active graveyard, so I took the opportunity to take a few non-flash photos, which required me not to move. The one of the tall white tree of glowing pumpkins turned out great, but the one I took of the three giant evil looking white angels with scary jack-o-lantern heads, had light trails (cos I moved), but that's ok - it look kind of cool - almost as if they were moving. At the end of the ride when you get to see what your hitch-hiking ghosts are, mine turned out to be a pair of scary looking gingerbread men!

While I had been waiting to go on the Haunted Mansion, I had scoured my park map (yes, I haven't left 'home' without one ever since we got lost on our first visit!) for the location of the Mint Julep bar, as I had decided that was where I wanted to go next. Much to my horror, it wasn't listed! Did it not exist anymore? After wandering around for about five seconds, my inner alcoholic found it (only joking - I know they're non-alcoholic!) - for once I was going in the right direction! I briefly considered getting two, I was that thirsty, but thank goodness I stuck to one, as that did me just right. I loved how it was garnished with mint leaves, cherries and a lemon wedge. When you consider it also includes lime juice, then I can safely say I've had my recommended fruit allowance for the day! I drank it while standing in the shade and watching the jazz band. (While I had been waiting in line to be served, a guy had carried four mint juleps He spilt loads just like I knew he would, but didn't drop an actual cup - hurrah! I followed suit later on, while trying to take a one-handed photo.)

Lined up to go on Pirates next. The queue was long, but it was pretty smooth going at the same time. Noticed that a lot of the boats had names ending in 'ette', such as Yvette, Collette, etc. I thought all the boats were going to be named in that fashion after the first two, but the next in lined turned out to be Annabelle (I thought it was going to be Annette ), followed by Mathilde. It's funny the things you notice when you don't have someone in line to talk to

Heading out into the depths of the bayou once on board my boat, this time round I noticed that the guy on the porch in the rocking chair wasn't playing a banjo, he was smoking a pipe (unless he was taking a break from playing due to the threat of zombies ) - the banjo music was part of the ride soundtrack. It was 6pm when I was waiting in line to board, and the lanterns in the tree came on, which looked really nice.

Headed for Big Thunder Mountain next. Asked if there was a single riders line, and found out that there wasn't. That was ok though, as the queue wasn't painfully long, and it was great being in that kind of environment at night. I loved the smell of turkey legs nearby. The ride itself was super fantastic - it went really fast, mostly through tunnels, which was awesome , as the direction you went in was a surprise. At one stage, we were up really high and could see all the pretty lights of the nearby section of the park.

It was around 7pm by that stage, and I began feeling really guilty about Nest being back at the hotel, so I thought I had better go back, as he did mention wanting to go to DCA in the evening. As I left Frontierland, I noticed a big tree covered in beautiful red and gold lights, and little jack-o-lanterns. My photos didn't do it justice - hopefully Nest can capture it better at a later date.

It took me 15 minutes to get through a very crowded Main Street and Downtown Disney, and get back to the hotel room. I'm glad I arrived when I did, as Nest said he was absolutely starving, and was about to have a shower and go and find something to eat. I was happy to be back to look after Nest, but I felt sad he was still writing away in absolute silence, with the TV off and the blinds closed (probably to prevent distraction.) He said he hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast - I don't know how he survived!

By the time Nest was ready to go, there were only two hours of DCA park time left. It was great to finally be in the scene from our window. The first order of things, was to get something to eat. We stopped at the first place we came to - Taste Pilots Grill. We had wanted to eat here in 2007, but it was absolutely packed. Nest had an Alpha Bravo Burger (chilli cheese burger) with a zesty vege side salad, chicken strips with baby carrots and apple wedges, and a carton of milk. I wasn't as hungry as Nest, so just ordered a side of fries with chilli and cheese, plus a bottle of water. For a side dish, it was quite big! I didn't finish it until a bit after Nest had finished all his food!

We headed straight for the Tower of Terror after dinner. It was interesting walking through the Carthay Circle, as we hadn't yet seen this new part. Left exploring it till later (am massively interested in the lolly mountain I read about! ) Stopped in my favourite DCA store, Off The Page, to see if they had my Splash Mountain light box, but they didn't Bought Nest the last musical train pocketwatch in stock, and got two free Frankenweenie collectible cards. The normal line for the Tower of Terror was too long for Nest, so we got ourselves a fast pass each, as they were surprisingly still available. Our return window was 9.20-10pm, so we headed for Paradise Pier, Nest's next favourite part of the park. Unfortunately, it was closed due to the upcoming performance of World of Colour.

The Little Mermaid : Ariel's Undersea Adventure, was nearby, and we found it super great that we were able to walk right on without having to wait! This was our first go on this new ride, and I absolutely loved it!

There was a beautiful mural in the boarding area. It featured Ariel sitting on a rock in the middle of the ocean, with the sun behind her, which physically radiated outwards in a circular motion. Ariel was surrounded by her friends, Flounder, Scuttle the seagull, and Sebastian the shrimp. Off to the far right of the mural, Prince Eric stood on the beach in front of his castle with Max the sheepdog by his side, looking in Ariel's direction. The song, Part of Your World, played in the background.

I adored the coloured clam mobiles we'd be travelling around the attraction in - they were all different colours! Nest and I hopped aboard a salmon coloured clam mobile, and began our adventure by passing through the back part of a ship (I can never remember the correct terminology ... though I think in this case, the word I'm after is 'aft'.) To our right, Scuttle was sitting on some rocks with the sunset in the background. He was playing an accordion and simultaneously chatting away about the great journey we were about to experience.

We then entered an almost pitch black section while beautiful music played. Soon, you could hear the sound of bubbles underwater, and the rocks and clam mobiles around us suddenly turned a bight blue colour with a bubble pattern moving all over them, to simulate being under the sea. This pattern continued up onto the ceiling, where the silhouettes of Ariel (holding a handbag) and Flounder came into view - they were swimming up to the surface, and Ariel was singing Part of Your World. If you looked down, you could see silhouettes of a seaweed forest.

With Part of Your World still playing, we next found ourselves in a room full of bits and pieces, where Ariel was looking longingly at a statue of a woman with legs, with Flounder by her side, and Sebastian periodically peeking out of a box.

My most favourite part of the ride was next - the Under the Sea song section - I so love that song! It was great when we came to a stop for a while in this section! I'm not sure what Nest thought though I'm pretty sure he was probably wishing I would stop singing, for starters! This section was huge, bright and colourful with an infectious feeling of absolute happiness about it. There were dancing fish, turtles, an octopus with little seahorses on each tentacle, twirling starfish, fish conga lines, fish playing musical instruments such as the trumpet and xylophone, and Ariel getting a few grooves in.

This mega happy section led into a dark tunnel inhabited by big flashing electric eels with glowing eyes. We eventually came across Ursula, who was singing Poor Unfortunate Souls while peering into a big crystal ball featuring Ariel and Prince Eric. On shelves nearby, were jars with worried eyes looking out at us, which I took to be the poor unfortunate souls Ursula had been singing about. Projected onto a wall further on down the tunnel, we saw Ariel magically getting her legs as Ursula collected Ariel's voice.

Further on, the calming sound of flowing water soon reached our ears, and was simultaneously depicted on the walls we passed by. Two big stork birds came into view up ahead, then we came to the beautiful scene of Prince Eric and Ariel sitting in a row boat on a bayou at night, under the full moon and surrounded by fireflies, frogs on lily pads, and twirling fish spouting water while Sebastian the shrimp sang Kiss the Girl.

The next scene we came to, was Prince Eric's castle at night. In one of the windows, we saw a silhouette of Prince Eric and Ariel kissing, and being surrounded by a heart of pixie dust. Ariel's throat lights up to signify her getting her voice back, and you see a furious Ursula chucking a wobbly as a result, off at sea in the background.

The final scene depicted Prince Eric and Ariel's wedding celebration. Prince Eric and Ariel were dressed in their wedding finery, waving from their castle balcony at their friends below. Ariel's father, King Triton, was in the sea outside (obviously not inside ), surrounded by happy sea creatures such as smiling dancing turtles, spinning starfish, swaying shellfish, not to forget Ariel's close friends, Sebastian and Flounder. Fireworks erupted in the evening sky overhead. It was a wonderful finale to such a great new ride experience! Scuttle farewelled us as it came time to disembark.

Went to Bugs Land next, and rode Heimlich's Chew Chew Train - so much fun, but extremely short!

Next, we went on Tuck and Roll's Drive 'Em Buggies. My buggie was stuck to a spare buggie and couldn't get away, so for a while, I was travelling really slowly around the ring, attached to a driverless buggie! It was talking to itself every now and then, which resulted in Nest and I almost wetting ourselves with laughter! Eventually I was able to break free and got to go a lot faster, but I came to a stop when being held up by slowcoaches and then it was time to get off

By then, our fast passes for Tower of Terror had become valid, so we went the long way there, forgetting the shortcut through Bugs Land (der!) For a fast pass line, it was a very long wait The views from the elevator shafts were worth it though , and Nest pointed out some beautiful green starburst fireworks. I loved the feeling of weightlessness on this ride, especially as it took pressure off my aching feet. I looked so miserable in the souvenir photo though, and don't know why . It was as if I was seriously miserable and having a bad time, even though that wasn't the case! What's wrong with me!? I'm not scared of the ride! Nest's face was blocked by someone putting their hands up. Needless to say, we didn't purchase a copy (though on hindsight, perhaps I should've! Just the thought of it now makes me want to laugh! )

Had a super quick look around the new Cars Land. Seeked out the headliner ride, Radiator Spring Racers, but Nest was immediately put off by the 85 minute wait time . I was sure it was just a deterrent due to it pretty much being park closing time, but Nest wanted to leave . On our way out of the park, we were high fived by the Cast Member at the gate, as he loved our Universal Halloween Horror Night t-shirts we were wearing, and told us how he had been to one of the parties himself.

There was an hour left of park opening time over at Disneyland, so I convinced Nest that we should head on over . We lined up for the Matterhorn Bobsleds, but left the queue when it became too painful for Nest, and joined the queue for the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. The sign said we would be only queuing for five minutes, but we didn't emerge from the submarine until 12 midnight, which meant we had been waiting in line for around 45 minutes , during which time Nest developed a headache . We liked the view from the submarine windows (I especially loved the sea of lighting up jellyfish), but it was very uncomfortable. Like Nest said - the seating and window placements were made for people no taller than four feet, and the width of a twig. We've been to Disneyland three times now, and this has been the first time we've been able to experience this attraction, as the queues for it have always been so unbearably long. As we were leaving the submarines, we suddenly realised what the loud thumps and screams were from that we were hearing throughout our wait, were from Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy! The roof of Space Mountain had swirling purple patterns moving over it.

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at Gibson Girl's Ice Cream Parlour, where Nest shouted me to a Fanta orange ice cream float , and he got two massive scoops of ice cream (mint choc chip, and cookies 'n cream) in a waffle cone

When we got back to the hotel, I was planning on having a shower, doing the washing, and ordering late room service. I was so exhausted though, that I pretty much fell asleep straight away! Nest had turned the TV on, but I couldn't quite make it through the show, I almost got away with it. I woke up during the end credits though, and Nest sprang to life when Justin Bieber came on advertising Proactive - it was as if he couldn't change the channel quickly enough! I'm glad he did though, as we discovered Jack Hanna, the New York zoo guy, was on the David Letterman Show. We always enjoy it when he's on, because of the way they interact, and all the beautiful animals he brings on. This episode, he brought on two tiger cubs (they were attacking one of the chairs, and one of them destroyed Dave's notes), a young snow leopard, the biggest binturong I've ever seen, and a warthog with a cute tail. Once Jack's appearance was over, I forced myself to get ready for bed properly, and then it was lights out from there!

Next entry: Going solo at DCA ; 1st Mickey's Halloween Party

[Dlandmom2]

What a wonderful day! The view from your room is wonderful! I love how you and Nest start your days with a leisurely breakfast! That waffle looks delicious!

I'm glad you were able to see the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay at the Haunted Mansion. I love it and am so glad to have it at DLR where I can see it every year!

[chezp]

Wow, you certainly packed a lot into your day, especially the solo bit.

[Big Sister]

Originally Posted by Dlandmom2

What a wonderful day! The view from your room is wonderful! I love how you and Nest start your days with a leisurely breakfast! That waffle looks delicious!

I'm glad you were able to see the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay at the Haunted Mansion. I love it and am so glad to have it at DLR where I can see it every year!

Thank you! Even though I would've preferred Nest to have spent the day with me, I respected his wish to stay in the hotel room, and I was pleased with the amount I ended up experiencing on my lonesome.

The only time I seem to have a proper breakfast these days, is during a Disney holiday! I'm usually "too busy" (ie. too lazy) to organise proper breakfasts for myself in reality , going on to wonder why I always seem so hungry throughout the day as a result

I so love the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay at the Haunted Mansion too! I have never through it during the off-season.

[Big Sister]

Originally Posted by chezp

Wow, you certainly packed a lot into your day, especially the solo bit.

Thanks I tend to pick up speed when I'm by myself, as I know that Nest likes to take things at a more relaxed pace

[Big Sister]

Tuesday, 9 October 2012: Going solo at DCA ; 1st Mickey's Halloween Party

Woke up half an hour earlier than yesterday, at 9am, most probably due to having a marenight about zombies Had a shower straight away, seeing as I was too tired to last night. By that stage, Nest was up and out on the balcony, writing.

For breakfast, we both had Mickey-shaped waffles with butter, syrup, and banana fosters sauce and bottles of water. Nest also had a fresh harvest fruit plate with strawberry low fat yoghurt (I got it right this time! ), banana bread, and a caraff of non-fat milk. We also shared a basket of Danish pastries. It's funny - I had originally asked for one, the Cast Member said that they come in twos, yet when the breakfast arrived, the amount had multiplied to four We took care of that with no problem

Nest came in from the balcony and ate breakfast in bed while watching a variety of cartoons, and I ate my breakfast out on the balcony, taking in the view.

Nest said he wanted to spend today in the room catching up on more journal writing, despite me trying to convince him otherwise. He said he really enjoyed relaxing on such a big cosy bed, something he doesn't get to do much at home. Plus he didn't want to over familiarise himself with the parks like he felt happened at Universal.

Before hitting the DCA park solo, I forced myself to catch up on yesterday's journal entry, almost falling asleep in the process. (I had since moved back inside after Nest wanted me to see the jury duty episode of Family Guy that made a reference to the great song, Bird is the Word.) I tried keeping to yesterday's leaving time of 1.36pm, but I wasn't ready to go till 2pm, which made me feel a little guilty. By that time, Nest was complaining about the strong smell of syrup leftover from breakfast, filling the room, as we hadn't moved our trolley yet out into the corridor for collection

I really really wanted to go to Disneyland and ride all the rides I rode yesterday, as well as the ones I hadn't yet gotten round to, but I knew I should give DCA a go, seeing as Paradise Pier's always closed for World of Colour by the time we get to the park these days, I haven't experienced Cars Land, there are new eateries to try, plus we'd definitely be spending this evening in Disneyland for Mickey's Halloween Party.

Using the special DCA entrance for GCH guests, the first thing I did was go and stand at the head of the plane near Soarin', and look up to our room balcony to wave to Nest in case he had changed his mind about looking for me. He hadn't

The definite next stop was Grizzly River Run - it was another hot day and I was hoping to get soaked. I popped my camera bag (it's really Nest's spare one) into a locker for safekeeping after a bit of a kerfuffle with them , and joined the queue. It was a bit of a wait, but not too painful, as there were things to look at, such as the people setting off and returning from their adventure, a big owl up in the rafters, and a book on a shelf called Learn to relax, which I'm certain Nest must've read a couple of times already

I shared a raft with a family with four young kids (sharing two ponchos between them.) One of them wanted to get off pretty much as soon as we got started, and looked so worried the entire time We went down a short gentle drop at the beginning, and he asked, "Was that it?!", looking so relieved before he actually received the answer he didn't want to hear Throughout the ride, the poor kid just happened to be in the correct position to see just what big drops were in store for us. I did my best not to scream in case it worried him, but as his siblings did so, I just had to join in too. I really enjoyed this adventure - I hadn't been on it since 2007. I remember the first time Nest and I went on it, it was night time, and we couldn't see what was in store for us - it was fantastic!

I would've loved another round, but I had begun to get starving hungry while queuing up the first time, plus I wasn't sure if my two hour free locker rental would expire before I could get to it, so I went and collected my camera and headed for Pacific Wharf. I was so busy wondering whether I'd be having Mexican or Chinese for lunch, that I forgot to check out the Grizzly River Run store on the way like I had been planning to

At Pacific Wharf, I looked at Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill's menu and found there to be too many choices , so I went to the Lucky Fortune Cookery, where there weren't enough choices , so I went back to the Mexican and chose a beef burrito I chose a shady seat and had an absolutely delicious lunch. I couldn't quite finish my burrito, and as I crossed my utensils on my plate like Nan taught me when I was little, to signify I had finished, a sparrow popped up on the chair opposite to me, as if he knew I was done and would take care of the leftovers for me

As the bottle of water I had with my meal didn't sait my thirst or stop the burn from all the spices, I had no choice but to go to Rita's and get a grand margarita, which did the trick Everyone being served was asked for ID, except me - surely I don't look that old?! I drank it as I made my way over to Paradise Pier to look at the new pier-side attractions.

When I was done, I lined up for California Screamin'. At the time, I was wondering if it was a wise move on a stomach newly filled with a large plate of Mexican and a margarita I was a little over half way through the queue, when I noticed the single riders line - dang! I'm glad I made the mistake I did though, as when my turn was over (I can't believe I was a little scared during the ride!!), the same single riders were still lined up looking miserable.

Purchased a bottle of water afterwards due to all the screaming I had done, where the cast members correctly guessed I was an Aussie, and did their best to make me feel at home, before asking about Universal's Halloween Horror Nights due to the zombie t-shirt I was wearing.

Continuing in a clockwise direction, I went on the Silly Symphony Swings for the very first time (I last rode it as the Orange Stinger back in 2007) - yes, yet another circular motion ride right after lunch! I know it's a seriously basic ride with not much to it, but it was such a happy and pleasant experience for me. The only bad thing was that I only just managed to fit into the seat - it was such an uncomfortable fit

I continued on to Goofy's Sky School. While the queue didn't look too bad, it took a while to move through. The cast member there asked about Universal's Halloween Horror Nights in more detail than others had been (such as what exactly did the Texas Chainsaw Massacre haunted house entail), and another cast member had excitedly said that they were going in a couple of nights.

I was in the front row of the vehicle with a little girl, while her Dad and little bro were in the back. I couldn't help but scream on this one, cos of the massively sharp turns at such a great height. Luckily, the little girl was thinking along the same lines as me Then she pointed out an upcoming steep dip, to which we got new screams ready for While I had been waiting in the queue, I thought it was funny how a poster had said that to land the plane, push stick forward, close eyes, and scream

It had gone 6pm by that time - those four hours certainly went fast! I had been planning to ride the Radiator Springs Racers next, followed by Grizzly River Run again, but as 6pm marked the start of Mickey's Halloween Party, I made my way back to the hotel instead. I did stop at the plane again, willing Nest to come out on the balcony to wave (I could see our lights on), but he didn't

There was a reason for that - I found a note saying he had gone to the laundry! This was totally unexpected! When I had entered the room, I was knocked over by how hot it was inside , so while I got ready to go find Nest, I had the balcony door open to let some air in (we try not to use the air conditioner in case we give ourselves a chill.) Also, the breakfast trolley was still there, so Nest must've gotten used to the smell of the syrup

Leaving Nest a note to say I had gone to the laundry to look for him in case we missed each other somehow, I picked up my journal and the map he had left behind (thank goodness!), and set off for the laundry. Even with the map, I got a little lost. I wish I had brought my camera with me, as I could see Nest through the window in the door, looking really forlorn while working on his journal I tried getting his attention through the window without making a noise (making sure no one was around!), but that didn't work, so I just went right in. He was pleased to see me, and we filled each other in on our day. The washing was half way through a drying cycle, so we didn't have long to wait from that point onwards.

As soon as we got back to our room with our washing, we left for our first ever Mickey's Halloween Party. It was around 7.30pm by that stage. We were give pink holographic wristbands and a trick-or-treat bag each. Inside the park was great - different from a normal park night. Huge flowing Mickey ghosts had been put up, which were so great. There were trick-or-treat stations everywhere. Halloween music was playing. Light projected Halloween shapes and party titles swirled all over the pavement and buildings in Main Street.

Nest was super hungry, as he hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast again, so we headed straight for the Hungry Bear Restaurant ... after stopping at a few trick-or-treat stations Nest had a pioneer chilli cheeseburger with a side of onion rings and a choccie milk, and I had a turkey and provolone cheese sandwich with lettuce, tomato and basil mayonnaise (so delicious!), a side of fries, and water. It was so busy, I forgot all about asking for ranch dipping sauce, despite only having discussed it with Nest a few minutes earlier.

I really wanted to go on Splash Mountain after dinner, especially as Nest was yet to experience it this trip. Nest regrettably wanted to give it a miss this though, as he didn't want to get wet seeing as it was night, catch a cold, and then spend the rest of the trip sick. As disappointing as this was, I understood, and we rode The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh instead, scoring front row seats

The next nearest non-water ride, was the Haunted Mansion - a very important attraction, especially during a Halloween party ... which was why we were so confused (yet grateful) at how we were able to walk right on?! Such a difference from yesterday's crowded conditions! I made a point of paying better attention in the grand ballroom, and noticed a sleigh crashed into a snow bank with presents spilled out, a HUGE skeletal Christmas tree covered in glowing jack-o-lanterns, skulls and candles, and glowing purple tinsel adding further atmosphere. I also liked the colourful little hologram train circling the base of the gingerbread house, and Jack Skellington's ghost dog circling the top. Talking about trying to pay more attention to things this time round, in the séance room, I loved the green, red and orange lanterns suspended from the ceiling, and the silver Christmas tree made from candelabras. (The red lanterns had black spider web patterns over them, and the orange lanterns were in the shape of Halloween jack-o-lanterns.

We moved on to Pirates of the Caribbean next. As we boarded our front-row seats, I noticed our boat's name was Captain Mainwaring, to which Nest responded, "Don't panic!" We got surprisingly wet (though not soaked) on this ride, but Nest laughed it off and seemed happy about it, which I was really glad about. It was strange floating past the Blue Bayou and seeing it all closed down and vacant, but at least the pretty lanterns were still on.

Headed with glee to Big Thunder Mountain after escaping from the pirates. I love this ride so much, especially at night. Unbelievably, this ride was another walk on - awesome! Our adventure coincided with the Halloween fireworks (perhaps that was why the attraction was strangely vacant?) - it was so awesome tearing around the mountain with beautiful fireworks lighting up the sky. On the first incline, I noticed little purple glowing bats above, which I had missed before (unless they had only just taken shelter their from the fireworks )

Walking around Big Thunder Mountain afterwards and into Fantasyland, we were accompanied by more fireworks real close in the sky above - the resulting bangs were so super loud at that close distance! Went through a BBQ area for more candy, then had a comfort stop, then collected more candy, this time from Pinocchio's Village Haus (it looked so nice inside!), and then on to ride Pinocchio's Daring Journey. Unfortunately, all the Fantasyland dark rides had been closed off for some reason, so we sparked ourselves up by heading to Autopia ... but not before finding another trail of trick-or-treat stations, which went all the way up to the monorail station and back.

Autopia was great - it was so awesome driving it at night! I couldn't catch Nest at all this time round. He was car number six, and I followed him out as car number one once it had been returned, but by that stage, he was long gone, so it was just me and the open road ahead. I felt the car went a lot faster this time, especially gathering speed at the dip. I thought I did a great job at steering the car without hitting the guide rail, but got a case of the wobbles towards the end, and knocked into it something shocking for a while, which made me laugh for ages - hopefully the Cast Member keeping watch in the dark, thought nothing of it.

The line for the Matterhorn Bobsleds was still too long for Nest, and we could see that there was also a long line for Space Mountain without having to go up physically to look, so we headed to Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters instead. I kept to a solid level of three (Planetary Pilot) once again, e-mailing the results back to our bros back home.

We crossed over from Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters, and rode the new and greatly improved Star Tours for the very first time. It was a massive improvement and so intense, that I ended up banging my head on the back wall during the ride , and having to be conscious for the remainder of the ride, not to let it happen again (we were sitting in the back row, not the front row - my neck doesn't stretch that far back! )

It had gone 11pm by that stage, signalling the end of our first Mickey's Halloween Party. A lot of people had gotten dressed up for the party. I lost track of the number of Where's Wallys/Waldos I saw, and Princess Leia from Star Wars seemed a pretty popular choice also. My favourite costume of the night, had to be this little kid dressed in a fluffy baby chick costume - he was so cute! I had brought a costume with me, as I had been dying to get dressed up too, but it was such a hot night, my costume would've made me super uncomfortable (at the time of choosing it, I thought it would be cool at night, so I chose the warmest looking costume I could find.) The costume I chose, was a seductive devil costume (there weren't many flattering costumes for plus-sized ladies. With a few adjustments, I was able to make it family friendly), which consisted of a knee length red dress and a red cape to the ground with a high collar. The costume had a thin black snake skin pattern over it. Accessories wise, I had bought a black and red wig, two necklaces, a red masquerade mask, a snake ring, a spider ring, and black tights. I was disappointed how my black high heels turned out to be super uncomfortable, and sneakers with that outfit, would've looked just plain stupid.

We blobbed back to the hotel, and watched Jimmy Fallon interview Christopher Walken, which was really interesting. They talked about his cowbell sketch with Will Ferrell from his Saturday Night Live days (which I wasn't familiar with, so Nest will show me back home, as he has Will Ferrell's SNL DVDs), showed his Casanova sketch (funny), and did a quick promotion for his new film coming out on Friday, called Seven Psychopaths, which Nest and I were really excited about. They didn't make any reference to the dance he does in one of Fatboy Slim's music videos though - I love that clip!

Afterwards, there was a long infomercial on sign language. Nest absolutely loved it, and in his notes are pages of what he learnt, and a website to follow up afterwards

I was so sure we had late night room service that night, as I distinctly remember the cast member turning up in the middle of the Christopher Walken interview. Unfortunately though, my entry for the day seems unfinished, and I can't find any corresponding photos, which is definitely strange, as I'm always taking photos of everything!

Next entry: Disneyland together , and Goofy's Kitchen Dinner