COME LOOK ~ DL/DCA April 2002 TR Completed ~ Now with pictures!! About This Page:

[loobyoxlip]

Me, Tina, 28
Frankie, 37
Kylor, 6 (5 then)
Jalen, 4 (3 then)

We had plans to go to WDW then DL came out with the each child ticket is free with each paid adult ticket, and we got an fantastic deal online for a package. We decided 2 weeks before to go to instead!!! I work for an airline, so it's possible to change plans at the last minute. We are leaving from Michigan. I got our package (tickets, coupons, etc.) FedExed w/in 3 days. We are ready to go!!!

Leave on the 6:40 am flight. That all went off without a hitch. We have a short layover in Milwaukee then off to LAX. Man, that flight is looooong. Good thing they had that free champagne then. Teehee. My sons chowed down the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and the flight attendant throught Jalen was so cute, she gave him a whole bag of them!! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Finally touch down in LAX. We had gotten vouchers for Supershuttle with our package. We immediately piled into a van and 1 stop later to pick up a few more people, we are on our way!!!

We arrived at the Red Roof Inn around 12:30. The rooms are fine, clean and spacious. The pool is nice, although it was too cool at night to use it. We change clothes, grab the stroller and head to the parks. We had just missed the bus to DL, so we walked over. I wanted to leisurely stroll and take it all in, but the boys are in commando mode. We go through security and they do let me walk a little slower down Main Street. I wanted to see my 3 year olds face, but everything was hurry, hurry, hurry and he was in the stroller not facing me, so...Kylor spots Astro Orbitor and declare how he MUST ride this NOW!! The line wasn't bad, about 15 minutes, so this is our first ride. I thought it was cute, and the kids loved it.

On to Toontown....guess what? Dinner's ready. I'll be back later...

[ 06-21-2003, 04:06 PM: Message edited by: loobyoxlip ]

[dsnytina]

Tina ~
Thanks for starting yours! Looking forward to good reading tomorrow!
~Tina

[loobyoxlip]

I don't know why this subject double-posted. Grrrrr. Anyway, we're on to Fantasyland. On the way we run into the Mad Hatter and Alice. There are only 2 other kids there. Mad Hatter rubbed Kylor's head and said 'Ooh, just like velcro'. LOL. The picture I took of them I must have moved because it's kind of shaky, but it seemed to fit the mood of the Mad Hatter perfectly the way it turned out. We get to Toontown, which I just love, and the kids throw a few coins into the Mickey Fountain.
We see Pluto coming out so rush over. It is an absolute mob scene, but we (unlike others) patiently wait our turn. Pluto loved Jalen and put his whole mouth over Jalen's head while Jalen just stood there stock still. I have to get some pics scanned and up here, they're just too precious.
Pluto took his sweet time with the boys, which was pretty special. Next stop: Goofy's Barnstormer. Jalen decides about halfway through the long line he has to go to the bathroom. Arrghh. Dad takes him while Kylor and I stay in line. They came back a few minutes later and I'm sure everyone was hating us while they were barging through trying to get back to us [img]graemlins/blush.gif[/img] I was a little embarassed. This ride is so cute. The wait was about 1/2 the time of the 30 min. posted wait time, so I was glad that didn't deter us. We spent some time exploring the post office and the other cute little buildings they have in ToonTown. We had gotten a FastPass for CarToon Spin when we first got to ToonTown, but we still have about 1/2 hour until it's good. The boys decide they want to go in Goofy's Bounce House. Kylor is too tall, but the CM lets him go anyway. Jalen ended up being scared as he's a little shy and there were too many kids in there. He kinda stood next to the wall the whole time.


Whoo hoo, time for CarToon Spin. The kids liked this ride a lot. I found it a little lame. I guess I was just expecting more. We head off to Tomorrowland and meet TweedleDee along the way. The kids, of course, had no idea who he was. I took their pic with him, anyway. We do the child swap for Space Mountain and Star Tours. It was fun to hang out at the exit of Space Mountain and watch people laughing at the pictures of themselves on the ride. I knew my guys were coming as their picture came out before they did! I love Star Tours, Kylor had gone on it with me in 2001 and couldn't remember he didn't like it. LOL. He went with me first again this time and wasn't about to accompany his father when it was his turn. The baby swap works really good on this ride. You don't have to go back to the normal line, they literally let you get on from the exit. When they opened the doors to let us out of the room, Frankie was standing right there waiting to get on. We walk around Tomorrowland a little, wasting time until the Buzz Lightyear Calling all Space Rangers! show starts. We sit down in front. It was a cute show. Buzz poses for pictures immediately following the show and since we were so close we were 2nd in line to meet him. Jalen is a HUGE BL fan, so this was a highlight of his day.
It's getting late and we are hungry, so we head over to the Plaza Inn for dinner. [img]graemlins/yuma.gif[/img] I had the fried chicken and the green beans with it were SO good. We left stuffed. It's almost closing time, so we leisurely stroll down Main Street, buy some candy and walk to the bus back to the hotel. It's about 8:30 when we get back, the kids are bushed. We watch some mindless programs and drift off the Disney dreams......
Tomorrow, DCA
*~*Tina*~*

[ 06-21-2003, 03:26 PM: Message edited by: loobyoxlip ]

[loobyoxlip]

Originally posted by loobyoxlip:
I don't know why this subject double-posted. Grrrrr. Anyway, we're on to Fantasyland. On the way we run into the Mad Hatter and Alice. There are only 2 other kids there. Mad Hatter rubbed Kylor's head and said 'Ooh, just like velcro'. LOL. The picture I took of them I must have moved because it's kind of shaky, but it seemed to fit the mood of the Mad Hatter perfectly the way it turned out. We get to Toontown, which I just love, and the kids throw a few coins into the Mickey Fountain. We see Pluto coming out so rush over. It is an absolute mob scene, but we (unlike others) patiently wait our turn. Pluto loved Jalen and put his whole mouth over Jalen's head while Jalen just stood there stock still. I have to get some pics scanned and up here, they're just too precious. Pluto took his sweet time with the boys, which was pretty special. Next stop: Goofy's Barnstormer. Jalen decides about halfway through the long line he has to go to the bathroom. Arrghh. Dad takes him while Kylor and I stay in line. They came back a few minutes later and I'm sure everyone was hating us while they were barging through trying to get back to us [img]graemlins/blush.gif[/img] I was a little embarassed. This ride is so cute. The wait was about 1/2 the time of the 30 min. posted wait time, so I was glad that didn't deter us. We spent some time exploring the post office and the other cute little buildings they have in ToonTown. We had gotten a FastPass for CarToon Spin when we first got to ToonTown, but we still have about 1/2 hour until it's good. The boys decide they want to go in Goofy's Bounce House. Kylor is too tall, but the CM lets him go anyway. Jalen ended up being scared as he's a little shy and there were too many kids in there. He kinda stood next to the wall the whole time.

Whoo hoo, time for CarToon Spin. The kids liked this ride a lot. I found it a little lame. I guess I was just expecting more. We head off to Tomorrowland and meet TweedleDee along the way. The kids, of course, had no idea who he was. I took their pic with him, anyway. We do the child swap for Space Mountain and Star Tours. It was fun to hang out at the exit of Space Mountain and watch people laughing at the pictures of themselves on the ride. I knew my guys were coming as their picture came out before they did! I love Star Tours, Kylor had gone on it with me in 2001 and couldn't remember he didn't like it. LOL. He went with me first again this time and wasn't about to accompany his father when it was his turn. The baby swap works really good on this ride. You don't have to go back to the normal line, they literally let you get on from the exit. When they opened the doors to let us out of the room, Frankie was standing right there waiting to get on. We walk around Tomorrowland a little, wasting time until the Buzz Lightyear Calling all Space Rangers! show starts. We sit down in front. It was a cute show. Buzz poses for pictures immediately following the show and since we were so close we were 2nd in line to meet him. Jalen is a HUGE BL fan, so this was a highlight of his day.
It's getting late and we are hungry, so we head over to the Plaza Inn for dinner. [img]graemlins/yuma.gif[/img] I had the fried chicken and the green beans with it were SO good. We left stuffed. The parade has started, but since we arrive so late, we only see it from way back. Frankie put Jalen on his shoulders for a better view. Right after the parade, we head over to Fantasyland. Storybook Land Canal Boats was just reopening, so we hopped right on one of the boats. Sweet little ride. There are virtually no line in Fantasyland except at Dumbo. We walked right on Pinocchio. Frankie kept yelling when we got off, 'Fast pass at Pinocchio'. He can be such a dork. LOL. Also walked right on Snow Whites Scary Adventure and just a few minute wait for Peter Pan. We wanted to do Matterhorn, but the lines still looked a little long. It's almost closing time, so we leisurely stroll down Main Street, buy some candy and walk to the bus back to the hotel. It's about 8:30 when we get back, the kids are bushed. We watch some mindless programs and drift off the Disney dreams......
Tomorrow, DCA
*~*Tina*~*

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[loobyoxlip]

Oh, my gosh, do I keep screwing up tonight. I meant to hit edit and add the part about the parade/rides we did that night, not quote!!! GRRRRRR! Sorry.

[tikibird]

Tina,

So glad you decided to post this - it is getting me psyched for our June trip! Great start - looking forward to more! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[loobyoxlip]

OK, here we go with day 2 at DCA...

We sleep in since DCA doesn't open until 10. We take the bus there and are at the gates about 9:45. Not many people milling around. We are allowed to enter right at 10 and take a straight detour to Soarin' Over California. Frankie gets a baby swap and Kylor and I head on in. There is no wait and we even get the front row!! If you ever go on this, you can request the front row. We went again and were in the 2nd row and the feet of the people in the first row bothered me. Probably only b/c we had already experienced it being in the front row. Kylor was a little frightened when the seats swung up and forward, but he quickly forgot about his fears when the "show" started. There really are no words for the attraction. It must be seen to be believed. I told Frankie when we got out I felt the wind blowing through my hair and then after he went he wondered how b/c the seats don't move, it's the screen. I said I don't know, they probably have wind machines in there, too.

While Frankie is on SOC, we notice there is a Pilot Minnie show starting just down by the airplane. We walk over and Kylor is picked to be in the show. How fun. 6 kids got up on the "stage" and rehearsed some things to say once Minnie came out. She was so cute all dolled up in her little pilot's uniform. Then the kids on stage were the first to get to meet Minnie after the show. I had to keep looking for Frankie for fear he would come out of SOC and not see us. But we ended up having to wait for him, anyway. Since I work for an airline, we thought the little shop here was neat, lots of airline related items.

We're all together again and head over to the metal sun where you first walk in to talk some photos. They turned out really nice, especially the ones where the waterfall is going in the background.
Kylor's favorite ride in ALL of DLR is Grizzly River Rapids, so we head over there. He goes first with his dad and they both get relatively wet.
Of course he has to go again, so I went with him this time. I love this ride, too. There's a 50/50 chance of getting soaked or just a little wet on this ride. Luckily, I've never been one of the ones to get drenched. Lucky for me, because I absolutely HATE being wet. I used a poncho on Kali River Rapids and didn't care who was making fun of me.

Backtracking again over to the promenade and Goofy is out in his beach gear.
The kids love him. Last year he had hung Kylor's hat on his nose while I was taking the picture and I have a great shot of Kylor trying to get it back. Goofy's face was completely blocked, though. Mickey and Minnie are out over by the entrance to Hollywood Backlot, but by the time we get there they are going inside. But guess who's coming out? Cruella!!!
Kylor isn't sure about her. Didn't really want to go anywhere near her. We hung around because Frankie and I thought she was hilarious. Kids were asking for her autograph and she would mimic them and then grab them to come closer. She would say things like 'C'mere, ugly' and had a sour look on her face the whole time. She played her part extremely well. We turn around the leave and are just a few feet away when we hear sobbing. I look at Jalen in his stroller and his whole face is red w/tears rolling down his face. He was in the stroller in front of us the whole time, it never even dawned on me that he would be absolutely petrified of Cruella. Well, he WAS, and I felt like a horrible mommy. I had to take him out of the stroller to console him. We stayed away from the villians the rest of our trip!!

I consulted our map and saw a Monsters, Inc. show was going to be starting in 10 minutes. This oughtta do the trick and calm Jalen down. We weren't sure where it was going to be, so Frankie asked a CM and they told him to wait just a second and the set they use for the show would be coming through the doors of the building right next to us and we could just follow the set. Well, a few minutes later it did indeed come out and I now have a happy 3 year old. Whew, thank goodness. The show was SO cute. Sully is trying on a bunch of different "scary" masks and at one point puts on an eye that is just like Mikes and Mike runs away screaming. Very nice. Afterwards, they let us take pictures with Sully and Mike in the background. Sully was so nice and furry. Jalen is one happy camper. We're off to California Screamin'. My turn to go first, so we get the baby swap for Frankie and Kylor and I head on up. Last year he was scared silly of roller coasters, this year he is pumped. Jalen and Frankie go over to the dock overlooking the ride where you can see the riders take off at 0-60. One piece of advice, if your family/friends are there watching you, DON'T WAVE!!! You never know exactly when you're going to take off and if you have your hand out waving it's going to get smacked right back at you. This is a GREAT ride. I love the scream tunnels and when you go upside down you can hardly even tell. I was exhausted when we got off, but Kylor is rarin' to go again. I take Jalen on the carousel while the older boys go off.
Next stop: Maliboomer. Frankie goes first, I take the baby swap. Kylor is too short for this, but he didn't have any desire to go on anyway. It is an OK ride, I like the drop rides better. This just shoots you up really fast. The view is incredible, though!! We head over to Orange Stinger. Just Kylor and I go, and it is OK. Very tight if you're overweight at all, though. I was glad when it was over. We backtrack to the SunWheel. Last year when we went it was so lame, they only did one complete turn and that included stopping 5-6 times. This year they at least let us take 1 (!!) turn around without stopping. I wouldn't go on this again unless there was NO line. A couple more rides here. Kylor and I go on Mulhollad Madness (NOT good if you have a bad back or any ailment at all - very jerky!) while Frankie tried to take Jalen on Jumpin' jellyfish, but he was too short even for that. Come on! They ride the Golden Zephyr and then we all ride it again. We've done most everything here and are getting hungry.

We trek on over to the Taste Pilot's Grill and the kids got hamburgers with adorable smiley face fries. I got a delicious salad with red tortilla strips and ranch dressing. It was SO good. Since we're close, we get Fast Passes for SOC again. We take the boys over to Redwood Creek play area to blow off some steam.
Oh, ya, the kids have also been collecting stickers at all these places and when they fill their map they take it in to redeem a prize. There is a campfire show just ending, but the kids to get to meet Chip and Dale. Kylor has fun on the net climbs and Jalen went down the slide about 10 times. Frankie really wants to see ITTBAB, I know it scared Kylor last year. But I ask him and he says he'll go, so we head over there.



Kylor hid his head most of the time, but I had to take Jalen out, he was VERY scared. It's time for our FastPass, so Frankie goes first with Kylor and then I go with Kylor again. This is the time we were in the 2nd row. Oh, well. It's still an unsurpassable show! Jalen is now asleep in the stroller. I go to the photo shop and purchase the picture of Kylor with Minnie Mouse and then we have to wake up Jalen as we have a DLR stroller. He is such a bear when he first wakes up. We decided to eat at Rainforest Cafe, which is Kylor's favorite. Last year, we had sat on the balcony and Kylor had his heart set on eating there again, but mean Dad said no! The food was good, I am never overly impressed here, but Kylor and Jalen both loved it.

After dinner, we strolled along DD and the boys played in the Lego store for a while. Take the bus back to the hotel and watch a little t.v. before it's off to bed again. Tomorrow we are having breakfast at the Plaza Inn with Pooh and friends.

*~*Tina*~*

[ 06-21-2003, 03:56 PM: Message edited by: loobyoxlip ]

[tikibird]

Loved hearing about DCA and DD! Can't wait to see them both!

Thanks for the tip re: the front row in Soarin!

More, more! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[loobyoxlip]

Our last day in the parks [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] Take the bus to DLR and head to the Disneyland turnstiles just in time for the opening. Bunch of chracters when we first walk in. The boys meet Captain Hook.
He put his hook hand around Jalen's neck, which Jalen thought was pretty funny. We quick go to Matterhorn Bobsleds anticipating no lines, and there were none. yay! Hop right on. Man, this is one GREAT ride. Very cool with the 35" height requirement. This is one we can't wait to do again this year. Wish it had Fast Pass. I heard a rumor it might be getting FP when it is refurbished next. Hope so!

Head over to the Plaza Inn for our Pooh breakfast. We had gotten breakfast in the park coupons with our package, but just upgraded to the character breakfast. This is the 2nd year we've done this breakfast, and we just absolutely love it. The character interaction is great. Tigger came over and took the sugar packets from the table and just threw them all over the floor. No one ever did come and pick them up, either. LOL. Pooh did a little dance and then Piglet joined in. Very cute!
Minnie Mouse even made an appearance right before we left.


We leave and brrr, it is getting cold outside. Good reason to have to purchase DL sweatshirts. Hehe. We're outfitted and on our way. Spot the Genie just kinda hanging out by himself so head over for some photos. It's starting to drizzle so we head to the Tiki Room. Apparantly this is the place to be when it's raining. It is packed!! Cute little show, the boys really enjoyed it. Next, on to the Jungle Cruise. We had a superb guide! She was as corny as they come. I've heard this attraction is all based on the guide, so I was glad we had one who was really into her job. Kylor and I head to Indiana Jones next while Frankie and Jalen seek refuge under an overhang. What a hike to this ride! Yikes. I think I got my power walking in for the day just on this rides queue alone!!

When we come out, Frankie declares how he's not gonna f**'ing do this all day [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img] Whatever. We get in a huge fight and I threw the hotel room key at him and he left. He had missed the bus and ended up walking to the hotel in the rain, anyway. Arrghhh. We walked over to the Mark Twain Riverboat and by the time the circle around the river was done the sun had peeked back out and it started getting humid. MEN!!

Jessie and Woody were out by the Diamond Horseshoe Saloon and there was actually some sort of semblance and a line to meet them! Shock! We did both of them and got absolutely adorable pictures.
On to Ariel's Grotto to meet the Little Mermaid. Of course she needs to go on break right when we are the next people. She was very nice and spends ample time with each group.


Kylor wants to call his dad to tell him to come back, so we find some phones and he says he'll meet us at 3 pm. At this point, I don't even care. I'm having a better time alone with the kids without him. We go back down Main Street and meet Pluto again. Jalen is disappointed this Pluto doesn't want to eat his head!! Too cute! Then they saw Mickey
The kids play on the fire engine for a while. Our pictures with the Little Mermaid should be ready at Main St. Photo so we head back that way. The CM's in the Photo place thought Jalen was just the cutest and ended up giving him a signed 8X10 of Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger. Too sweet. Their Ariel photos turned out adorable, so I of course bought them. Captain Hook and Mr. Smee are right outside the photo shop, so we take some pics with them, then head back to the entrance to meet Frankie.

Head over to California Adventure....

*~*Tina*~*

[ 06-21-2003, 03:58 PM: Message edited by: loobyoxlip ]

[tikibird]

Hey, thanks for the tip on the Pooh breakfast at the Plaza - didn't know about that!

Yeah the hike to Indy is long, but well, worth the walk, I think! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Glad you enjoyed my tikibirds! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Sorry about the fight - The Food Police and I got into a major spat re: an oatmeal raisin ice cream cookie sandwhich in Animal Kingdom once, so I can relate! [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img]

Hope things settle down for you in the next installment, which I am anxiously awaiting! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[DeboDisney]

I think in the marriage vows they should inform us that, "Men don't do well at amusement parks." We went to WDW in Nov 2002. I worked REAL hard to plan this trip for our family of four (myself, DH, DD(13) & DS(8. We arrived on Sat so the plans were MK Sun, rest Mon, IOA Tues, rest/sightsee Wed & MGM Thurs, relax on Fri, fly out on Sat. Well, plans had to change up slightly so we had to do MGM on Tues but we were going to do IOA on Thurs. Well, DH decides he wants to visit Gatorland. WHAT??? Gatorland -are you serious? [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] He said the kids & could still go to IOA. Well, being the cooperative wife I am I talked the kids into going to Gatorland. Granted, my son enjoyed himself - my daughter and I wished we were at IOA. Overall a good trip by all - but next time I'm sticking to the plans - no more GATORLAND! LOL
Your boys are so adorable. Can't wait to read the rest of your TR. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[tikibird]

Great report - thanks for sharing it with us, and looking forward to your new one very soon! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[loobyoxlip]

I suppose I'd better finish this before we're back from our next trip and I have to start writing that one!! hehe

OK so we cross over to DCA (I LOVE how close these 2 parks are, you can literally park-hop all day) The boys want their pictures taken with every letter in CALIFORNIA (seperately, mind you)
We head right over to Grizzly River Rapids and Frankie and Kylor go first, then right after Kylor and I go. It's fun to stand on the bridge over the "river" and watch when the boats come down the big drop. Depending on the wind, you even get misted yourself just standing on the bridge!



Love this ride! Walk back over to Paradise Pier to ride California Screamin' again. Lucky Kylor got to go twice in a row again! Finished up the roll of film. A lady offered to take a nice family pic of us in front of the waterfall, which turned out really nice! Frankie wants to go on Soarin' over California again. Jalen is asleep in his stroller, so I tell him we will wait for him. There is a Mickey show starting according to the map, so we head over to Bountiful Valley Farms for the show. We wait, and wait, and wait. The show was supposed to start at 5, but there is no one else around. Finally around 5:10, a voice comes over the loudspeaker in the stage that the show is being cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. Hmmm, so we check out some of the agricultural facts and just wander around that area. About 5 min. later, Farmer Mickey and Farmer Chip come sauntering over.
There is NOBODY else around. Kylor was a little shy to go up and play with them, but it was prime one-on-one time!! Chip went up to the stage and knelt down in front of it and was raising his hands to the sky in a "WHY?" gesture. Then pretended to start crying. Took the handkerchief off his neck and was wiping his eyes. SO cute. Kylor finally went over and gave him a hug!
The cutest picture ever! Chip played it up with him for a while. The whole time they were out there, 1 little girl and her family came over! It was in a pretty secluded area, but I can't believe no one else was there, being as there was supposed to be a show!! It was the best time of the trip. Not often you get that solo time with the characters. I was just so sad Jalen was sleeping and missed it all!

Anyway, we met Frankie and left DCA. We picked up our purchases from the drop-off at DL and then bid a fond farewell to DL and DCA. Take the bus back to the hotel and order Pizza Hut for dinner. The boys and I lounged in the hot tub until it came.

We never had a chance to use our $10 game card at ESPN Zone, so figured we'd do that before we left in the morning. We were dumb and didn't check to see they don't even open until 11! We were down in the lobby to catch the 9:00 shuttle and I forgot I had left the tickets (with the $10 on them) in the room, so I run back up there and the door won't open with the key. I went back down the front desk and he reissued them. Went back up again and it still wouldn't work. Turns out our lock was broken and the maint. guy had to come and take the lock off with a screwdriver. We had missed the shuttle by then, but the front desk paid for us to take a taxi there. That's when we walked down DD and found out ESPN wouldn't even be open before we had to leave. Oh, well. We walked around DD a bit and then took the bus back to the hotel and watched t.v. until the front desk called up and said our shuttle was there. We were the last stop on his schedule, so we head straight to the airport. Get there WAY early. Flights home were eventless.

SO glad we'll be back there in 5(!!!) days!!!

*~*Tina*~*

[ 06-21-2003, 04:05 PM: Message edited by: loobyoxlip ]

[dsnytina]

Tina:
Thank you for finishing! I'm still plugging away at mine! Make sure you tell us all about your current trip when you get back.
Your namesake,
Tina
God Bless America [img]graemlins/usa.gif[/img]

[DVC_Don]

Just wanted to thank you for the reading. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]