Originally Posted By ncnike7 Hey, eat all the snacks you want, someone on the dining thread told me calories don't count in Disneyland because of all the pixie dust and stuff! I'm lovin' your posts, keep 'em up!
Originally Posted By nevadarebel I too am enjoying your posts, keep them coming and it sounds like a wonderful trip. The snacks are making me hungry right now!!!
Originally Posted By familyguy The temp. was in the 90's again today so when we got back to the park the first thing we did was go to DCA and ride the rapids and we were stoked to get soaked!! It was perfect for the weather outside. We actually didn't get completely drenched, which was good. Just got wet enough to cool off. Then I finally had the opportunity to get on TOT with the brve souls while FamilyGirl took the fradeys. It was really fun. I love to ride TOT with first time riders because I really like to get them excited. I tell them "You're going to love it! It's like our favorite ride", which I'm now realizing could possibly be a lie. How do I know they're gonna love it? What if they hate it? There are those who don't like that ride, ya know... (I may have to revise what I tell people as they're getting on that ride for the first time) Anyway, that was pretty much it for DCA...we only had about an hour before they closed by the time we actually got there. (closed at 6) So we finished off the day at Disneyland hitting Star Tours, Jungle Cruise, and Indy. (I finally got to ride it! First time this trip) I've still got a couple things on my "to do" list before we leave. One is try a mint Julep, and another is try the beef skewer and the bacon wrapped aspargus skewer at Bengal BBQ. I've done so many different things here this year based on stuff that I heard all of you guys talking about and it's been really fun. Thanks for sharing all of your experiences because I have benefitted from them big time. Anyway we planned on getting some dinner and doing some shopping tonight at DTD but by the time we ate (at ESPN Zone) all the shops were closed so there was no shopping tonight. Oh well, gives us another opportunity to go out again before we leave. Tomorrow, as I've kinda mentioned in passing, we have a couple friends coming out to join us that have only been to Disneyland one time. They have 2 day passes so we'll do our best to show them a great time at our favorite place. (We'll try to convert them to Disney Freaks like us) It should be fun. Since they only have 2 day passes, and we'll be going Thursday and Friday with them, tomorrow we won't be at the park a whole lot. We do have a lunch reservation at the Blue Bayou, but after that I think we're going to the beach with them so there won't be much Disney magic to report other than our Blue Bayou experience. (hopin for a good one) If any of you have any suggestions for what we should do with our very Disney deprived friends please post them. You guys definitely know this place better than I do. We'll have 2 days to show them what Disneyland is all about...I hope I can accomplish that task well. Thanks for continuing to put up with me. See you guys tomorrow. P.s. I often wonder when I'm in lines and stuff like that and I see someone wearing Disney Crocs, or talking about DL the way WE talk about DL and I wonder if I'm standing right next to an LPer without even knowing it. If I was a little more outgoing I'd probably ask, but I'm not so I'll never know. Anyway, it was a good day and I'm tired so I'll get some sleep now. I'll eat a churro for you guys. Peace...
Originally Posted By officerminnie >>>>P.s. I often wonder when I'm in lines and stuff like that and I see someone wearing Disney Crocs, or talking about DL the way WE talk about DL and I wonder if I'm standing right next to an LPer without even knowing it<<<<<< familyguy, we just got home tonight from 5 days at DL and we most certainly must have seen you, because this morning our routine was pretty much the same as yours. We did Space, then Matterhorn (twice), then Buzz (twice). Then we were at the Adventureland rope drop, just like you, about 10 minutes to opening. We must have been right there with you, cuz we tried Indy first, then Jungle Cruise (saw the film crew by the treehouse), then went on Big Thunder, Pirates, and HM in that order. We must have followed each other!
Originally Posted By familyguy That's so funny...see how us LPers think alike? I wish I would have had the opportunity to meet you and your boys and introduced you to my wonderful family. Oh well....next time!
Originally Posted By ABBY Sounds like a great trip! We were there the 6th, 7th and 8th and went to the same showing of Aladdin as you !
Originally Posted By familyguy I knew it...I'm around LPers all the time! So today we got our second wind (as well as a bit of a reprieve from the heat) and when we hit the park at opening time we felt really good. We actually felt so good that we were really bummed that this was gonna be a short day at the park as we were going to be meeting our friends and taking them to the beach today. We walked right on Star Tours (our little guys new favorite ride), Space Mountain, Snow White, Tea Cups, and Alice right off the bat! BTW, when we were in line for Alice we saw dream cast members handing out dream fast passes. It was cool to see! We looked at the amount of fast passes in their hands and the amount of people in front of us and knew we weren't gonna make it so we didn't get our hopes up. It was really cool to see people winning though. So whoever it was that was wondering if they had run out of prizes, they haven't. By this time it was already close to 11 and I heard that with an 11:30 reservation we should get there a half hour early if we wanted to get seated at the water. We did and they weren't checking people in till 11:15 so we took a run on pirates and then checked in. IT was awesome. We had a really good seat by the water, a great server and really good food! I had the Monte Cristo (which was amazing), my wife and oldest daughter shared the ribs (also amazing [I tasted]), and the other three kids had one of each of the kids menu items (mac & cheese, PB&J monte Christo, and chicken drumettes) all of which they very much enjoyed. We also had mint juleps all around. The food was very, very good and I can't wait to go back. One of the highlights of that meal for me personally was the gumbo. I had never had gumbo before but I figured if I was gonna try it, it might as well be at the Blue Bayou. It was very tastey. I'll definitely do that again. Sadly, after that it was off to meet our friends. We took them to Newport beach and took a little boat ride at Balboa pier. It was fun. We actually loved Joe's crab shack so much that we took them there again tonight. (They were in the mood for seafood) I really like their crab. We went for a little walk down downtown Disney to get them excited about tomorrow's adventures at the happiest place on earth. (we had to pick up their tickets also - something about ordering them through travelocity??) Anyway, it's 10 now and I'm gonna call it an early night so we can hopefully show them a really good time tomorrow. We'll be praying for good weather and mellow crowds so they can get the most out of just 2 days at the parks. They are also really looking forward to fireworks, so we'll pray those happen on Friday too. (They happened both Saturday and Sunday since we've been here, so we'll see what happens) Well it's been cool to be able to get on here and do this at night before I go to bed. It gives me a chance to reflect on my day and be grateful for all the fun and excitement that I had that day. I also think about the memories that I'm creating for my family. These times are so precious. Time goes by so fast. Before I know it the kids will all be out of the house and I won't be able to pay them to come on a trip like this with me. But I pray that they will remember these times and resolve in their hearts to pass this magic on to their children. It will be these memories that will bring tears to my eyes when I leave this world and remember what an amzing family I've had, and how Disneyland gave us the opportunity to forget everything else in the world but each other. Ok, before I start shedding those tears right now, I better just log out and go to bed. This has been a magical trip thus far, and we've still got two more days to go. Rock on...
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb Good stuff FG! I hope your family are having a wonderful time showing your friends the parks. I wish you good weather and short lines!
Originally Posted By liveforvacations You guys are having such a great trip! I know what you mean about trying different things that you've read about here. Even though I have been to Disneyland more than a few times, now every trip I have so many new things to look forward to experiencing. I'm actually keeping a list of "Favorite Snacks". I love how you ended your last post and I can totally relate to it. Every time we go to Disneyland, so many of my friends and relatives want to know why I spend all this money on Disneyland when I could buy new furniture etc. They just don't get the fact that although we try to spend as much time with our children, so much needs to be done everyday but when we are in Disneyland it is all about fun and family. That is what memories are made of! Your family is going to have a lot of wonderful memories after this trip! And, don't feel bad if you can't turn your friends into "Disney Freaks", I think maybe some of us are born that way and the first trip just makes it blossom. Keep writing!
Originally Posted By familyguy Met up with "the friends" early and arrived at the park about 8:30. By the time we actually got to the gate it was cool because we walked under the tunnel right as the clock struck nine so right as we walked onto mainstreet the "Welcome to Disneyland" recording came over the speakers. (One of those magical Disney moments) Well our friends had told us that their favorite ride last time they were here was Indy, so I figured we'd take them there first. Jumped on Indy early and didn't wait more than 10 minutes. (They remembered waiting in really long lines for it last time) After that we were gonna take them to Pirates but it was down so we did Haunted Mansion. After that Pirates was still down so we hit Big Thunder. They really enjoyed that one. We took the back walk around Big Thunder to Fantasyland where we rode the darkrides with the short lines. (Pinochio and Snow White) Then it was over to Matterhorn. Meanwhile these guys are really enjoying all the sights and sounds that are Disneyland and I'm doing my best to point out little magical details that are easily overlooked. We rode Buzz and then headed back to Adventureland and I wanted to get some skewers from Bengal BBQ. That was a great snack and a big hit with "the friends". They really liked the spicey beef (banyan). Then it was Pirates (finally open), Dole Whips (for like the 4th time this trip) and over to DCA. They had been to DL for one day like 5 years ago, but had never been to DCA so this was a completely new experience for them. They had heard a lot about Soarin from someone so we took them over there first thing. Man, they really loved that ride. Probably one of their favorites so far. (What's not to like? That ride rocks) Then just a quick ride on TOT (which they also loved) and Monster's Inc (cute) and it was time to call it a day at Disneyland. They wanted to go to lunch at In-N-Out and then go rest before they had reservations to eat at Midevil Times (or whatever). I wondered why they would want to do that but I didn't want to discourage them. They called us later and regretted going....they didn't enjoy. They paid 50 bucks a person too. (bummer) Oh well, we have a really busy day tomorrow if they want to experience everything. I always wonder why people take a trip to Disneyland and schedule other things. (lol, most people wonder why I come and do nothing BUT Disneyland) Well, as our trip winds down, I'm starting to feel the bitter sweet. It's always a sad thing to leave Disneyland, but I have the best job in the world to go back to. (Yes, even better than working at Disneyland) PLUS, I have another trip planned to look forward to. It'll be my first trip to Disneyland during the holiday season (mid November) and I'm so excited to experience the Haunted Mansion layover as well as IASW for the first time. Just experiencing all the holiday decore will be awesome. Anyway, you all have been so kind to encourage my rambling and I appreciate it. You've got just one more day to deal with me and then I'll be done. I normally don't post too often. I usually just like to read what all you guys talk about. Well, if you're taking a trip real soon I hope you have as good a time as I have had. Love God, love your family, and love Disneyland! Peace...
Originally Posted By ncnike7 We're leaving for Disneyland tomorrow, and you have made this last week of waiting bareable. I have loved your reports, thanks familyguy!
Originally Posted By 8 ilovemickey 8 That's funny that you mentioned Medieval Times. I went there for GradNight and it was horrible. The food was disgusting and you didn't utensils. The Knight Fighting was exciting for about 5 minutes. So when we went to Disneyland in April my sister was supposed to go with here group to Medieval Times (she's also a vegetarian and I thought she might gag if she saw the food) and I quickly talked her out of it and she instead spent the day and evening in Disneyland with me! A much better choice I think! Haha. So I guess my point is don't waste valuable Disney time and Medieval Times!
Originally Posted By 8 ilovemickey 8 *get utensils. And I forgot to mention that i'm loving your trip report! Eat some more Bengal BBQ and dole whips for me please! Haha. HAVE FUN!!!
Originally Posted By ilvdland These reports were awesome!! Thanks for keeping up everyday, make sure you do a holiday update for us too!!
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 I just now got caught up on your posts What a fantastic time you are having, YAY! I appreciate hearing about all the details.
Originally Posted By familyguy Our last day at the park with our friends was great! We went from Open to close without a break. (which is something we don't do very often) Normally we'll leave in the middle of the day and go back to the hotel for a nap and then come back in the evening (as you've seen in my reports of previous days) but not today. If we wanted to get "the friends" on most everything there was no time for breaks. They only had a two-day pass and cut us short yesterday for mideval times, so today was packed. Right at opening we went on all the fantasyland darkrides that we hadn't been on yet (Peter Pan, Toad, and Alice). WE got to see Mickey climbing the Matterhorn as we were in line for Alice! It was awesome! My friends were like "where else in the world can you see something like Mickey Mouse climbing the Matterhorn". It was really cool. Then we went and rode RRCTS, Space, and headed back over to Critter Country to ride Pooh and get some yummy snacks at Pooh Corner. BTW, we couldn't wait to get to Critter Country to get snacks so we stopped on the way and got cream cheese and jalapeno cheese filled pretzels! At Pooh's corner we got the Apple Pie apples, and oh my gosh...they are amazing. I will miss those very much until I come back. Then we headed over to DCA and caught it's tough to be a bug and the Aladdin show. This kinda helped us rest a little as we were doing this full on crazy day. After that we got a chance to experience Disneyland First Aide as my daughter (14) got a huge splinter in her hand coming out of Aladdin. They were really nice and efficient. Now it was time for lunch so we did the Rainforest Cafe again with our friends. (This was a 4:30 lunch BTW) After that we rode the monorail back into the park and jumed on Autopia with some fast passes we picked up earlier. That was about as fun as Autopia gets. Then it was straight back over to DCA as there was still much there they hadn't experienced. There they did Mulholland Madness (they really liked it), the sun-wheel of death, and California Screamin with my wife and oldest daughter jumping on the Maliboomer as well. (those girls are crazy...you couldn't pay me...) By this time it was already time to head straight back to Disneyland and save some spots for the fireworks. One of my favorite parts of the trip happened right now. My younger daughter (10) who had always been too scared to go on TOT (one of the fradeys) had decided that she wanted to go on TOT and get it over with. It was awesome! No one had pressured her into it, she just decided this is what she wanted to do. So everyone went to save a spot for fireworks and daddy got to go on TOT with his little girl for the first time! It was really awesome and a definite highlight on this trip. I loved being able to hold her and talk her through the ride trying my best to soften the ride a bit for her. We got her one of the "I survived" cards with her name on it on the way out. Priceless moments! Anyway, we ran over to Disneyland afterwards and met up with our friends and family who had saved some spots for us near the partners statue. As we were waiting for the fireworks to come on, the recording came over the speakers that the fireworks may not happen tonight due to winds at higher elevations. Man, this was the part my friends were really looking forward to. They were actually good sports about it though. They just said they would have to come back again if they didn't see them tonight. Luckily though about 2 minutes later, the lights went down and the show went on!! It was so magical. What a great way to close out the day. After that there was just two more things we wanted to make time for and that was a trip to the Tiki room (with some more dole whips of course) and a trip to Endor on Star Tours. Whew...I got tired again just telling you about our day. There a few things that we didn't get to do with them, but nothing they didn't do last time they were here about 5 years ago. (stuff like Jungle Cruise, IASW, and a few others) Hopefully they will realize that 2 days just isn't enough. Maybe next time they'll get like a 3-5 day park hopper. Anyway, we got home last night and I jumped on LP only to find out that Splash Mountain had opened up today while we were at the park and we didn't know it. That was kind of a bummer to find out, but oh well. I have to not let myself get too bothered about that. We had a great time either way. Thank you guys for sharing this trip with me. I understand that there is a cartoon out there called Family Guy. (I personally have never seen it) I think you guys have really had a chance to see why my name on these boards is Family Guy. It has nothing to do with a cartoon, and everything to do with one of my greatest loves (even above Disneyland) and that is my family. I think I have the greatest family in the world and, as you can see, I shout it from the rooftops! I didn't mention the fact that our kids (14,10,7,4) were with us the entire day and didn't cry or get grouchy or grumpy even once. What a long day for them and they hung in there like champs. I'm so proud of them. We had a blast and as we were leaving the park my wife told my 4 year old boy that this was our last day and that tomorrow we were going back home and he told her, "That's ok mommy, we'll be back". Words of wisdom from a 4 year old. This is only our last day at Disneyland THIS TIME, but don't worry.....we'll be back!
Originally Posted By ABBY What a great family you have!! I am wondering how your 10 year old liked the TOT? Did she enjoy it or did it scare her? Thanks for the great trip reports...made me feel like I was there again
Originally Posted By familyguy She was pretty scared. She isn't into drops. She's not a fan of splash either. I was really surprised she wanted to get on it, but she did. It was great.
