Originally Posted By Lisann22 So Saturday morning the phone rings at 3:31am. I think it's mine but it’s actually IceK’s. NAPC calling to say people are already lined up. Holy cow! IceK nor I got up till 4:30am but we were both awake. IceK contemplating whether he should get dressed and jam over there and me telling him to do it and I'll pay him. IceK and I had many interesting talks in the dark laying in our beds under the galaxy. LMAO! May the Force be with us today. Ice, Lula and I were dressed and downstairs in the van at 5:30am. I MIGHT have accidentally hit the horn, I’m just saying. FINALLY, Litter and the girls came downstairs. Thankfully Disney Chica’s pirate gear was tame; a cute scarf and earrings. Mild, way mild compared to what we would soon see. We ended up on the bottom floor of Mickey and Friends. Thank god for that come 16 hours later. We get on the tram dreading what we might find - we get off the tram and dreaded what we found. The line was winding around the bushes that separate the security area from the trams; we turn and see that the line is on the other side of the loading area. The side they tend to use when really busy. So we snake our way around. Ice didn't have the nerve to call NAPC and ask her to lay her body across Main Street for us. She's definitely not SuzieQ - she'll never work for T&L. So, I did. "Hi Honeybunch, if you were to like lay down and hold seats for six of us I'll buy you lunch and dinner." Ok, Pirate mania had taken control of me. I was desperate! This was for my goddaughter’s life. Ok, so that’s the line I was using, work with me here. Litter and the girls had to buy block out passes so Ice, Lula and I got in line. We lined up at the "I" in CALIFORNIA. Ice and I were both like ok this isn't that bad as it felt like it was a mixed crowd. Pirate Partiers and regular folk there for the day. Boy, were we kinda sorta wrong. LOL! We get in the park and first thing I notice was there were not Disneyland guides with Pirates like last year. It should have been a hint of the day to come when I noticed CM's running around trying to fill all the boxes in front of the turnstiles with programs. They were also running around getting Pirates buttons to the turnstiles in little red baskets. I grabbed three from a CM walking by; I felt like a crazed mom. The CM’s looked a tad bit more stressed than on the 50th. Um, didn't Disney remember they threw this party? It was odd. We go through the right tunnel and uh oh things are different. Not only did we notice it but we all heard a very frantic DLandDug yelling it; â€Jamie, this is not like I've ever seen it before, follow me." IceK and I turned around, we knew that voice. We were cracking up as we watched him scamper down Main Street with poor JB following behind. Whew boy, everyone was pretty worked up. They were gone in a flash. We high tailed it to the area in front on Tomorrowland as NAPC called IceK and said "get here as fast as you can." NAPC was doing her best to hold our area but people were pushing and screaming for places. Nudging and being kind of nasty. When we got there she was literally doing the splits to save us space. So I'm sure we were not too popular when we showed up to sit down. I instantly laid down my gray flannel sleeping bag and we tried to spread out to save space of Litter and the girls. They came in quickly behind us. There were two moms and their daughters that were upset with NAPC. Apparently the girls had been at the front but when we came out they ended up separated from their moms. I thought great we have to spend 16 hours here together and now we are going to do it pissed off at each other? So I stepped in asking the moms if they'd let the girls continue to sit where they were to save our friends spaces as soon as our other three got there we'd rotate so the girls would be back in front of them. They agreed. Within the next 2 hours, Lula was friends and riding rides with their girls and we were running drink runs for each other. Disney Chica shopped for the moms and it was a big love fest. Major incident avoided. We were very lucky that we got to be in overcast skies till around 12noon because once the clouds broke it was HOT. We were saved by the slight breeze. We noticed right away that Ursula, 999Haunts and PirateBrittany were directly across the street. I called Ursula and said "People are watching you." She spotted us and then it was fun all day as we visited and called updating each other about what was happening in each others section. Litter went and bought us all breakfast at the Plaza. We created the human chain to allow for comfort. We had one seat on the bench that I mostly took over and we rotated to relieve butts and backs. We did a lot of talking. Didn't use the DVD's or iPod's as much as we thought we would. The CM’s very nervously began to tell us about how at any time they could ask us to stand up and we'd all have to squeeze together so more people could fit in. I can tell you that was not going over well. Just Duckee was on Main Street when it happen doing a drink run and she said people were screaming at the CM’s. We luckily did not have to stand up till 3:00pm and we did in on our own as a united section; more of that later. Anyway, we noticed they never enforced it. We all said they would have had a riot on their hands and I think they realized that. Our biggest beef was the lack of entertainment and vending. Nothing like what the rumors were saying. They could have made a fortune and we would have all been much a happier if a flipping ice cream cart would have past us once in a while. Not until 2:00pm did they bring around a soda and cotton candy cart. The entertainment with the Pirates didn't start till 4:00pm. That was ridiculous. We were starting to get really antsy between I'd say 1 and 2pm; just feely very sleepy, hot, crowded and impatient. LOL! We had a lot of fun as always within our group. But it was hard have people constantly stepping over, around and on top of you. Especially the same people over and over. We had PeePee Man, Briefcase Man, Umbrella Man, Weird Hippie Chick, the Hot Mamas, the Mulan girls, etc. We gave them all nicknames in trying to keep our sense of humors. We made a pact with Ursula’s section that if anyone in either section bought a Pirate balloon and blocked our view. They and the stinkin’ balloons were going down. ;> I hit my low point when we sat there in the baking sun watching three Disney workers glue the red carpet to the cement in a very frantic pace while 2 suits watched them. Then had three janitors vacuum the carpet to make sure it was pristine. I'm thinking "Ok Lisa, you need to start re-evaluating your priorities in life because your hukkas is sitting in the hot sun watching this all so another human being can walk on this and you can watch." <sigh> However within 5 more hours I was barely standing on my shaky pain ridden bum knees yelling and screaming at the top of my lungs... DAAAAAAAAVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! For a snotty washed up old Hall of Fame baseball player Dave Winfield for whom I was the only person in our area to know who he was and have him blown me off with a wave from the back. <insert curse word of your choice> But I got his picture so it was cool. Sick, it was sick I tell ya. We are sick! So sick that Sunday morning I asked Litter SO if we go back next year how would you do it different. LMAO!
Originally Posted By debtee ^ I'd agree with that Sue! Thanks for the reports Lisa ..it does sound like a brilliant day...wish I coudl have come!
Originally Posted By Kira lol. great report, I am relieved to find that people on your end of main street were as attitudey as everyone around us near the emporium. it was probably one of the ugliest and nastiest events I've been to but one of the best lol, contrary to what I have been reading about the 1st and 2nd premieres (people making friends with those around them and having grand old time). I did'nt realize that so many LP'ers were there. Darkbeer was across from where I was sitting taking pictures in the press area and i did see dlanddug a few times wandering main street. other then that I did not see anyone I knew or recognized (besides the fact that everyone and their great aunt mildred was there). at least you guys had fun! did you get pictures or autos from any other celebs?
Originally Posted By Pixie Glitter <<<Ice, Lula and I were dressed and downstairs in the van at 5:30am. I MIGHT have accidentally hit the horn, I’m just saying. FINALLY, Litter and the girls came downstairs.>>> Translation: "Litter" was in the van at 5:40 a.m., which is PRECISELY the time we had all agreed upon. So Lisa's "finally" means ten minutes. (Just Duckee and DisneyChica were but moments behind me). Lisa can be such a drama queen.
Originally Posted By Pixie Glitter ^^^To be read in the gravelly Roz from Monsters, Inc. voice. ROFL!!!
Originally Posted By chickendumpling Great read (as usual). And lol at you two bickering! Warms the cockles of my heart.
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 I loved reading this Lisann! The part about you wondering why in the heck you were there watching the guys glue down the carpet was priceless
