BE's Never Ending TR -- That kind of ... Ended? Or did it?

Belle Ella

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jun 30, 2007
welcome to the madness that has become
Belle Ella's Never Ending Trip Report!
take 2.5​

Much to the surprise all involved (mainly myself), what started out as a simple pre-trip report on a pair of friends' first Disneyland excursion together (minus the parents) has magically transformed before our eyes into something much, much more. Now nearly 2 years in the making and there have already been 3 real-time trips to the Disneyland Resort (not to mention one attempt of failure, that will never be), 2 more time-traveling trips to the past, thousands upon thousands of photos, and 200+ pages of trip details, planning tips, and all the best kinds of nonsense and chit chat imaginable totaling over 3,000 posts! But we're on a roll and we passed the point of no return aaaaagggggeeeeesssss ago.

If you're brand-spanking new to my home away from home, here's a crash course on what to expect while flying Air B.E.

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Me!!

Don't be fooled by what you may hear from others. This report is all about me, by me, and for my eyes only!

Wait, that's not right. Not by a long shot. While you'll only find detailed (and by detailed I tend to mean long winded with a habit of wordy posts multiplied time a gazillion by my obsessive-photo taking skills that are borderline DLR-stalkerish) reports of trips made by me it is my firm belief that this is the most community-filled TR that you will find. No just spitting out facts to be found here, or counting off one-by-one my days in the Parks. We thrive on discussion and want to hear from you! Is this sounding at all like an infomercial to you yet? :rotfl: I know, I know. I find myself funnier than I actually am. Are you are up to the daunting task of experiencing all the insanity yourself, from the beginning? Than check out BE's never-ending fun ** 4 completed TR's ** Thousands of Photos

But we forgive you if you'd rather just stick to the here and now. Just familiarize yourself with the basics and you'll be good to go!

My name is Jessica, but you're more likely to see me referred to as Jazz, Frack, or simply Belle Ella 'round these parts. I'm a 24 year old California transplant (via Washington state) and I'm roughly a 6 hour drive from Disneyland (ahem, or 5 if I happen to be driving like my mother). My favorite Disney movie, and character as well, is Snow White as seen in my current avatar selection to your left. Besides all things Disney and Disneyland 2 obsessions of mine that you are likely to encounter often are as follows (and in no particular order): San Jose Sharks hockey and Twilight. Oh, there's also that whole Disney-photo obsession that I have going on ... But who am I kidding, it's not that big of an obsession. :laughing: And certainly, most importantly of all, I must quote myself:

Just a word of warning to everyone, I love to talk. I am a babbler by nature, so be prepared for some long posts down the road. If that's your thing, awesome :thumbsup2 and if it's not your thing ... feel free to ignore the words and enjoy the pretty-pretty-pictures! :rotfl:
I think it might be wise to add my new found fondness for parentheses in future editions. Hm.

But the one thing that is always, 100% certified, and guaranteed is that when there is a Disney trip involved, there will be more pictures than anyone knows what to do with! And have no fear! Those handy-dandy clickies acting as Fast Passes to the reports will make their appearances in Take 2.5 as well ... starting now!!

:wizard: Your FastPass to my Disneyland Adventures :wizard:

A Ghoulishly Glorious Night at Disneyland - October 2-5, 2011
PAP Trip #6


Jazz Takes on the Star Tours 5K - September 2-5, 2011
PAP trip #5

• Official PTR ... 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6
• Day One ... 1
• Day Two ... 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
• Day Three ... 1 / 2
• Day Four ... 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6
• Day Five ... 1

Jazz Becomes a DIS Diva - March 4, 2011 - March 7, 2011
PAP trip #4

• Day One ... 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
• Day Two ... 1
• Day Three ... 1 / 2
• Day Four ... 1

Jazz's yet-to-be-titled 2 day TR - January 23, 2011 - January 24, 2011
PAP trip #3

TR currently on hold, indefinitely


• Day One ... 1 / 2
• Day Two ...​

Jazz's Rockin' New Years - December 31, 2010 - January 4, 2011
PAP trip #2

• Day One ... 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6
• Day Two ... 1
• Day Three ... 1 / 2 / 3
• Day Four ... 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
• Day Five ... 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6
• Day Six ... 1

Jazz's Very Merry Holiday - December 5-8, 2010
PAP trip #1

• Day One ... 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
• Day Two ... 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6
• Day Three ... 1 / 2 / 3

Jazz's Scary Adventure - September 23-27, 2010

• Day One ... 1 / 2
• Day Two ... 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
• Day Three ... 1 / 2 / 3
• Day Four ... 1 / 2
• Day Five ... 1
• Day Six ... 1

Frick & Frack's Bogus Journey - September 8-12, 2009

• Day One ... 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8
• Day Two ... 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8
• Day Three ... 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7
• Day Four ... 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8
• Day Five ... 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7
• Day Six ... 1

Frick & Frack's Excellent Adventure - March 2009

• Day One ... 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6
• Day Two ... 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9
• Day Three ... 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23
• Day Four ... 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

I hope you'll stick around! I do love the company. Even if it's just to say Boo :scared1:

Thank you!!
:grouphug:
 
So, to start us off, I am re-posting this year's Halloween Time TR. September 2010. So please bear with me if you've read it already! I will be leaving out the PTR though, since that would be silly!
 
Howdy folks! Are ya'll (yes, I said ya'll -- deal with it) ready for another Belle Ella Disneyland Trip Report? Well, tough luck if you're not because I am officially getting under way. I can't stand the waiting anymore and I know it will still be a while before I get to the good stuff. So here we go ...

Jazz's Scary Adventure - Day One
Day One - September 22, 2010​

For the faithful who have been following along for some time now, you'll know that everything was supposed to kick start on the 23rd with a wake up time of 2a followed by the 5 1/2 to 6 hour drive from the place I call home followed by as much Park time as I can muster. But you'll also know that I had a moment of weakness just before leaving, which is the main point for any and all newcomers to my Scary Adventure. I had just gotten home from work on the 21st (a Tuesday) when I popped into the website for the Howard Johnson, the hotel I would be staying at and saw that a new date had opened up for their infamous Entertainment Rate -- the 22nd! The very next day and the night before my first planned Park day. It was just falling into my lap at my weakest moment. I absolutely had to call and reserve another room for the single night. $57 is well worth a full nights rest any which way you slice it in my book. So where does that leave me other than finishing a mad scramble to make sure everything would be packed and ready in less than 24 hours.

Fast forward to Wednesday morning and I got to sleep in until 7 before showering and finishing up the rest of what I had to pack followed by the loading of the car and the goodbyes to the family and pets. It was a shame though. I'm always worried about forgetting to bring something which is why I am an obsessive packer who literally spends weeks on the task. I didn't forget any of the usual necessities like a toothbrush, pajamas, socks or the like. No, I forgot my wonderfully bedazzled Lime Green Mickey Head that I spent so much time working on to distinguish myself as a member of the DIS. I suppose it just wasn't meant to be. My time would eventually be too consumed as it was. O probably didn't have the few extra minutes to spare to chit chat if I was recognized, although it's always a pleasure meeting everyone (or it has been with those I have met).

Before embarking on the long drive I did have to swing by my local Credit Union branch so I could take in my spoils from Miss Piggy. That there put an extra $100 or so into my Disneyland spending 'account' which I was grateful for. I was officially on my way no later than 9:15a with an estimated arrival time of about 2:45 according to my wonderful GPS, affectionately known as Gretel, who kept recalculating as I have a hard time staying on the speed limit. There's never much to say about the drive. I hop on 680 to 580 and eventually to 5 for 300 or so very long miles and it is just about the most boring drive in existence. I think the only thing that comes close in my mind was a small road trip I took across Texas which is flat as can be. At least California has hills, even if some are few and far between. I made one pit stop along the way at the Lost Hills exit. You have to love it when gas stations and eateries are brand new and have clean bathrooms. I do at least.

The excitement finally kicked in as I got closer and closer to the Grapevine. It's my first real sign that I'm 'almost' there. Maybe not close-close, but close enough in my mind that I can start the celebratin' all over again. And no, I totally did not take this while driving ... :rotfl:


My family will never get how I can drive straight through with my only stop being for a single gas and restroom break. But then again, they aren't me. The sooner I get myself to Disneyland, the better! Even if the day had absolutely nothing in store for me I would still go about it all the same way. But at least this time I wasn't leaving at the butt-crack of dawn. Although his time I had to deal with lots and lots of sun in my face and I have never been a fan of driving with sunglasses on. But somehow I survived without getting blinded, crashing into anyone, or getting pulled over (because ticket free is the way to be). The hardest part was only having Gretel for companionship. She's bossy and not so great at conversation, but I digress. Eventually I came across a particular sign of beauty and if weren't for the fact that I was driving in my car I would have busted out in a feverish happy dance, all I could do was a restrained imitation thanks to my seat belt. I like to think I made excellent time, as always! Leaving just after 9a was a wonderful idea. There were two small spots of congestion but other than that I had nothing but the open seas before me.






Now, I have mentioned my destination before and gone over it in the PTR, but here I go again. The Howard Johnson on Harbor Blvd., my home away from home since March 2008. My main reservation was for 4 nights (September 23rd-27th) in a Deluxe Queen but for my first night I would be checking into a Standard King. Oh, what a glorious thing King sized beds are, especially when you have them all to yourself and the mountain of pillows you like to sleep with, and no cats to fight for real estate with. The room was on the first floor of building #2 which is in the back of the property by their Garden Pool. In fact, my room had a view of the pool. For anyone who is wondering I didn't get bothered by any pool noise. Usually any external sounds are diluted by the A/C units, which are not loud but certainly not quiet by any means. I view them as more of just white noise and absolutely wonderful on a hot day. Check in went easy enough and I was able to take my luggage back to my room right away, which is always a pleasure.






^ loved having the double sink to lay my toiletries out on


^ view of the pool from my room


^ parking lot entrance to building #2

The photos didn't turn out but the room also included the dresser/TV cabinet, a desk, coffeemaker, mini-fridge, and a microwave I wasn't expecting until the following night. There was no need for me to unpack since I would only be in the room the one night but I got out the things I would need for my first day in the Park and just took a few minutes to relax. This of course included some checking in here on the DIS and uploading the few photos I had taken already. The decision on what to do next was a tough one. Being so close to the resort makes you want to head straight to the Park. Or should I say being so close to the resort makes me want to head straight to the Park? Either way it was torture to do what I did next: not go into the Park!! I could have without taking away from my 5-day hopper as I had a Give a Day voucher to use. I had already made plans to use it for Fast Passes on Saturday when I would see Jason, but I wanted to go in right then and there! I guess settling for Downtown Disney isn't too bad a trade when you think about it.

Taking my first steps down Harbor ... everything just felt 'right'. I swear it was almost as if I was picking up right where I left off last year, only minus something or two. The walk doesn't take me long, even with a few stops along the way to take photos. I was sad to see that there were generic Anaheim banners up all over the place save for a few of the 'Celebrate Today' banners that have been around for a while now. I like it better when all of Harbor just screams out Disney at you.




The best part about the walk on Harbor is the crosswalk. You all know the one I'm talking about. Or at least, those of you who have made the walk know the one I'm talking about. Sure, I could have crossed over down closer to the hotel but I would have missed out on looking out across the street at the wonderful Disneyland resort sign that ushers you in towards the ART pick-up/drop-off, tram pick-up/drop-off, and of course the Esplanade. The sight still makes me giddy every time I see it.






Before I get to my DTD wanderings, here are some obligatory photos I just had to take while walking across the Esplanade and being taunted by the gates just beckoning me to come inside. But at least I got my first look at Halloween decorations!

















 




It's nice to see your TR back up again Jazz

Very nice pics of your TR, can't wait to see more pics of your TR in September.
 
Day One - Continued

I couldn't hang around the Esplanade, staring at Disneyland for too long. I would have been far too tempted to go in right away which would force me to use my GAD voucher for a ticket if I still wanted some Park time before my planned departure on Monday morning. After my very short photo spree and falling in love with the Snow White World of Color banner I finally started to make my way towards DTD, a place that I surprisingly don't visit often. I'm usually so focused on getting around DL and occasionally DCA with frequent trips back to my hotel that the only times I have ever really taken the time to explore DTD were when I stayed onsite at either the Disneyland Hotel or the Grand Californian, both of which haven't happened in a few years. For the first time I would have all the wandering and meandering time that I required before getting back to the HoJo for a full night of rest before going into the Park for a change. I started out by taking a few photos of the smaller WOC banners on the light posts. I am absolutely in love with the design of them, and it certainly doesn't hurt any that Snow White is featured on them, which always seems to be a rare occurrence. She can be very hard to find on things, even though she really started it all. The banners were also getting me psyched for seeing WOC with my own eyes in just a few short days.






My first actual stop along DTD, however, was of course the World of Disney super duper store! That place is so huge and has just about everything I could ever want, and I do want everything. Even without looking at the actual merchandise there is so much to see everywhere you turn. Can you say "A million times better than the Disney Store"? Two things caught my attention more than any others, however. The first is something that you wear, and after purchasing it, I did end up wearing it the following day! It was a Jack Skellington/Nightmare Before Christmas dress and I fell in love with it the second I saw it. Not bad for a girl who generally abhors dresses. The second was their display of the Dooney & Bourke bags, particularly the sketch design. I cannot tell you badly I wanted to buy one then and there, but I promised myself if I had any money left come Monday I would at least by the cheapest of them, the wristlet! I mean, my Aunt did give me a gift card and order me to use it on myself and something I really, really wanted! I spent a good 20 minutes ogling that display, I did. Funnily enough, I didn't think to take a photo at the time. But I did take a few of the store itself!




















After World of Disney I can't say I did much that was exciting. I simply walked down DTD, once or twice going into a shop or two, just to look. I loved being there simply because it's part of the Resort, but truthfully it's not really my kind of thing. It's like a big mall outdoors and I just never picked up the shopping all day gene, or even the window-shopping gene. As I like to say in jest, my mother never really taught me how to be a girl. Sitting at home after the fact I am wishing I had purchased some bath salts or something at Basin -- it sounds so relaxing, but I didn't, so I'll move on. I did get a sudden urge to go in while walking by Merceline's Confectionery. They were busy making some of the Pumpkin Apples which is what drew my attention in the first place. I did say I needed to try one, did I not? But right then wasn't the perfect time. I hadn't eaten much because of the drive and I doubt a candy apple would have been the best first choice so I figured I would just look and then try to find someplace to eat.














Being as hungry as I was I had to decide where to eat. Since I had never eaten anywhere in DTD it was a hard decision to make. Eventually it was my cravings for pizza that won out and I ended up eating at Naples. I was trying to get photographs of the mosaic outside the restaurant before going in and when I did one of the managers was there and 'tested' me with a few questions about the Bay and Mt. Vesuvius. Luckily I knew the answers. Of all the luck, my bio-dad was stationed in Naples, Italy for a spell a few years ago. After being seated with my menu I had to decide what to eat. I wanted to try something new, but I didn't want to not be able to eat, if you know what I mean, and I was craving pizza so that was a given. Eventually I settled on a bruschetta starter (shrimp, cannellini bean, tomato, arugula, and lemon vinaigrette garnished with olive puree) and an individual pepperoni pizza to go along with my ice water (because I gave up soda 2 weeks before this trip for anyone who is new to the madness). The pizza was wonderful, but I don't think I would ever get the bruschetta again. I thought I would go about this trip and photograph any and all food that I ate. Funny how the only food porn I got on my first day was of the one thing I didn't find that appealing. But I ate most of it regardless. The pizza on the other hand was delicious, but I couldn't finish it all. They did box the rest up for me and I took it back to the hotel to enjoy later since it was a late lunch/early dinner already. That being said, I have to say the service wasn't all that great. I felt a little forgotten about half of the time. But it didn't quite bother me that much. I was seated outside, the weather was nice with a cool breeze and they turned the little heat towers on while I was eating and that felt wonderful. I just sat there and watched people walk by and closed my eyes and relaxed. I think it's safe to say that I wont be going back though.




I didn't hang around DTD much longer after that to be honest. The drive had zapped my energy and you know that feeling that you get when you eat a lot of food? I was ready to fall into a food coma, but the walk back to the HoJo went about just as slow as I could make it, which is still pretty fast for someone like me. Back at the HoJo I planned on getting into my bathing suit and sitting poolside for a while but I ended up settling for a relaxing bath and a good book! That's a great way to wind down and relax muscles that are still sore from being confined to a car for 5 1/2 hours. Of course I got my laptop time in, DIS included, called my family to let them know I made it there fine and got ready for bed munching on some more pizza!

All in all it was a rather uneventful day except for the fact that I was at Disneyland!! Maybe not inside, but I was there and that was what counted. It was a great way to start off the trip, knowing the next morning I would be able to sleep in and start my day off on the right foot!
 
Jazz's Scary Adventure - Day Two
September 23, 2010​

I really, really, really love how what was originally supposed to be my first day in Anaheim turned into my second. What a blessing in a very, very, very obvious disguise! As opposed to waking up at 2a to begin the drive from the my home in the Bay Area, I got to sleep in and wake up well rested and ready to begin my day. If I were to tell you that I woke up at 6a and considering the fact that Disneyland didn't open that morning until 10a you might be curious as to why I didn't sleep in later. The answer is twofold, really: (1) 6a is the normal time I start work in the morning and being up around this time (or before) comes very naturally to me and (2) because I still needed to check out of room #1 and into room #2. It would be so hard saying goodbye to that King sized bed, but you gotta do what you gotta do. After showering and getting everything I would possibly need ready I gathered up my belongings and made my way back to the hotel lobby. I was keeping my fingers crossed that maybe, just maybe, my room might be ready and I could go take my things back and do a little unpacking rather than waiting to do so right before bed. I wouldn't be so lucky this time, but that was really alright. At least they can store your luggage for you until your room is ready for you later in the day. After doing so it was still well before 9a, and with nothing better to do I figured I would make my way towards the Esplanade and take some photos while waiting for the Park to open. The security check would be opening up around that time since the 23rd was a Thursday which means Magic Morning. It was a tempting thought to use my MM that day, but I'm glad that I didn't. It worked out much better for me in the end. And so I set off down Harbor and across the busy street towards that beloved entry arch that tells me I have arrived!




Now, everyone has their theories on what day is the best choice to use for your MM (of course, this only refers to those of us not staying on site who only get the one MM). A very common one that I hear is to do it on the earliest day that you have available, their argument being that you'll be more tired at the end of your trip and you would hate to miss a MM because you slept in. Let me just say this week was a prime example of why I refuse to follow this rule. Mine is a little different: Go on a Saturday -- only a Saturday and no other day. Why, do you ask? It's simple really. Saturday is the earliest opening time available that offers a MM, especially true during the off season, such as September. This means that the MM hour is even earlier and just as you probably wouldn't want to get up that early, many others would be thinking the same thing and if you can get yourself up and there, you wont regret it. It also being a weekend means that the crowds will be higher than during the week so it's better (in my mind) to get as much as you can done before the crowds hit so you'll still feel productive at the end of the day. Does this make sense to anyone? Well, I hope so and as I made my way toward the security check point this rule for me was 100% solidified. The line waiting to get their bags checked was well past the tram/ART loading station and beyond. It was ridiculous. I have never seen that many people lined up at a regular opening. Compared to what I would go through on Saturday when I did use my MM it was a nightmare. Yes, there were regular entry people mixed in here and there, but it was still crazy. I wish I had gotten a photo of it. I could hardly believe it. I'm fairly sure every Thursday/Tuesday are not like this during the off season but this is what I witnessed and it didn't look like much of an advantage to me. In fact, it had me worried about crowd levels would be like later during the day.

As I said before, however, I was simply there to take photographs. I wanted each and every one of the WOC banner designs and a few others as well. There were so many people in the Esplanade and the line was inching it's way towards the California letters though I don't believe it made it that far. It did, however, make weaving in and out of them without people thinking I was trying to cut them in line rather difficult but I managed as I always do. Maybe I just look nice so people figure I wouldn't do that :confused3. That would be surprising since everyone at work always thinks I look mad or something. Maybe I do at home, but I don't think that's possible at Disneyland!!! Eventually when the MM guests started making their way in the regular entry lines started to build up and up and up. Of course, knowing about the gates that switch over from MM to regular entry I positioned myself near gate 13 so that I would be there to hop in line at a seconds notice and not be stuck behind a whole group of people. Worked like a charm, it did.




























Sometime between 9:30a and 9:45a they started letting us regular entry folks in as well, although we were held at the end of Main Street for rope drop (or as I like to call it, rope wind since they don't actually drop any rope). You might be wondering how they know the difference between the MM guests and the regular entry guests and the answer is rather simple, really. The rope didn't block off all of Main Street, they had one walkway open and CM's stationed there along with some of the Disneyland Security folk to watch who went through. You had to have a colored slip of paper that was given out at the MM gates or your hotel key if you were staying on site in order for them to let you through. See, simple! The rest of us just had to wait for the magic hour and the music to start before we could go be unleashed on the Park! I just wish people knew how to follow directions or really took a minute to think about things. When they wound up the rope they asked us all to stay put since the Park was still not officially open and then gave off their safety talk about not running, etc. But of course, as soon as you get the wave forward with the music, there's always people who feel like they need to mow everyone else around them straight down to the ground. Beautiful!! But I got a high four from one of the CM's wearing a Mickey Mouse glove -- not to be confused with a high five since Mickey Mouse only has 4 fingers! Altogether it was a high nine ;)




My first destination once leaving Main Street should not be a surprise to anyone who has ever read my Trip Reports in the past. I veered off to my left and made my way to New Orleans Square via Adventureland. Normally I would get a ride in on the Jungle Cruise and Indiana Jones before hitting Pirates and then the Haunted Mansion but my plans were slightly changed due to the time of year. First of all, Indiana Jones was closed for the day which was no big deal, I had been factoring that into my planning all along but it still sucked to walk by knowing I wouldn't get the chance that day. The second reason has to do with the fact that the Nightmare Before Christmas takeover of the Haunted Mansion comes complete with Fast Passes and I wanted to make sure I stocked up throughout the day because I had a feeling that it would be a popular attraction. Boy was I right. But as luck would have it, while walking up to the Haunted Mansion Holiday what were we greeted by? A CM telling us they were having some ghost problems and would be open shortly. That was the bad news. The good news for 3 of us was that when asked if that meant the FP's were closed as well (as is usually the case I believe) the CM answered that they would be as soon as he walked over there and closed the gates. ;) Well, he took his sweet time getting over there and a grand total of 3 of us retrieved our FP's before he closed the gate. I was obviously one of those three. It gave me the time to go ride something else and come back later and not have to wait in line. I suppose it would have been better had I been able to grab the FP and then walk on, but if it wasn't meant to be it wasn't meant to be. And of course, because I'm me, I took some photos from the FP distribution area.








At that point I was off to my next destination! Or was I ...
 
Day Two - Continued

After returning my camera to it's rightful place around my neck I was about to head off to ride POTC to keep at least one part of my morning tradition alive, but as luck would have it the ghosts were feeling a little playful and decided we could all come see what Jack and Co. had done to the mansion. I haven't been on the Holiday version since 2003 and to be honest I could barely remember any of it. The only thing I had to go off of were a few photos and the soundtrack that I have at home, which I didn't even listen too much compared to "Grimm Grinning Ghosts". Most people usually fall into one of two categories: you either love HMH or you hate it. I guess there is that third group for people like me who can't say they hate it, but can't say they love it either. I most definitely prefer the regular HM to the holiday version and here's why: it's more cohesive than HMH. I don't know what it is, but from trying to rhyme words that just don't sound good at all to music that is just choppy and doesn't flow, it looses a lot of what is so catchy about the Haunted Mansion! I also don't like how bright it is with all of the black light and whatnot. Being able to see the ceiling really takes away from the whole experience. This isn't so say I didn't enjoy the ride or go on it frequently. I would just prefer the regular HM if given the choice between the two. I do like the fact that it can be changed and 'spice things up', so to speak. So like I said, I don't love, it I don't hate. I just am. Here are a couple of photos!




















Here's a question I have for anyone who has been on HMH: You know when you are exiting and there's the Sally saying "Hurry back, hurry back". Does anyone else always think she should say "Don't forget to bring your Sandy Claws hat" and not sack? I don't know why, but it bothers me every time. Sack just sounds funny. But I'm getting slightly off topic again. Or am I? This is my TR, I suppose anything I choose to add would be 100% on topic, correct? But let's get back to my morning!

So, next up was POTC. I hope the ride didn't feel slighted that I chose HMH over it as my first ride of the day. Normally POTC comes before HMH in my circular ride tour of JC, IJ, POTC, HM, JC, IJ, POTC ... you get the picture. I'm not very adventurous normally when it comes to what I ride or the things I do. I love NOS and I would spend my entire day in the area with a few quick bounces over to Adventureland very easily and without complaint. Or at least that used to be the case, but that's a story for another day entirely. ;) Back to POTC! It's always great in the morning when the POTC lines are super short, as in walk on short, and the line was! I got on right away and I had the front of the boat all to myself. It was wonderful. What was even more wonderful was the fact that the CM's operating the ride were being vocal that morning about no flash photography on the ride. I even got a little look-at since I had my camera out, but I knows, I knows! I know how to take a photo without flash, although they very rarely come out. But they don't look so hot with flash anyway, so it's not as though I'm losing anything, right? It would be a theme throughout the day on POTC and it's really the first time I can remember in a very long time where there weren't multiple flashes going off every now and again. I was a very happy camper seeing as flash photography on dark rides is my biggest pet peeve.






It was bitter sweet as our boat passed by the dining area for the Blue Bayou. My original plans had me with a lunch reservation for 11:30 that day but I was trying to cut back on some things and ended up canceling said reservation. Jason talked me into rescheduling for the weekend rather than outright canceling and now I would have to wait until Sunday before eating at my favorite restaurant. A few more days worth of waiting is better than a few more months of waiting, or however long it will be before I get back (and I'm hoping for a sooner rather than a later).

As soon as I got off Pirates I had to make a pit stop back at the FP distribution for HMH. The line was already getting up there in wait time so soon after opening and I didn't want to be caught without a FP when I wanted to ride it again. Plus, I wanted to bring one home as a souvenir. While there I took a few more photos of the statues found there. It's amazing how much work is put into the details of a place that's not used throughout the entire year and these statues are beautiful. My favorite is the Griffin, similar to the one that's near the loading area inside the ride, although I find the one outside not as mean/scary looking.









With a brand new HMH FP I went ahead and used the one I grabbed from earlier for my second ride through of the day. It would end up being one of the best ways to cool off during the entire weekend, which was incredibly warm ... er ... hot, and this day especially since I didn't have my Indy option!! After my second ride through on HMH I started to pick my way towards the back of Fantasyland so I could find the Villains photo-op. This is what I was really, really, really looking forward to about a Halloween Time visit -- the chance to get photos with some characters that I either will never see again, or have been extremely elusive during my previous trips (case in point, Honest John!!). There were really only 3 characters that I absolutely had to see and anything on top of that would just be icing on the cake. Do you have a guess who those characters were? I'll give you a clue: one was already mentioned and the other are characters (well, really character if you wanna get technical about it) from my favorite movie!!

Give up yet? Or did you guess? Here's my list of the only 3 I had to get:

1. John Worthington "Honest John" Foulfellow
2. The Evil Queen
3. The Old Hag

Now you'll just have to see if I was successful or not and I suppose we can start right now. It's a tough gamble with the villains, they switch out rather frequently and every time that I got into line the villains had switched out by the time it was my turn. Thankfully the line is not as bad as PFF and all of that gets and there are some trees that provide shade, but in my opinion also make it hard to get a decent photo at times without flash which can end up drowning you out. I think I waited about 10 minutes, it wasn't too bad. And for my first stop I got to see ... The Queen of Hearts, the Old Hag, and Cruella de Ville! I love seeing any and all characters, but there's something about the face characters that is just pure awesomeness. Cruella really is quite the character. It was wonderful to watch her interact with kids, asking them if they had any dogs and if so what breed they were, being disappointed with their choice in breed half the time. She'd ask them to "stay" and "come here" only to realize they didn't know those commands yet. And to me she recommended blowing up her photos, putting it in a fur lined frame, and hanging it on my mantle. I don't know if I'll follow through on that one though, lol.












Now before I move on I have to ask this: am I the only one who feels awkward in photos. Not just character photos, but any photo with me in it. I never know what to do. I suppose it has to do with all those years I literally ran away from anyone with a camera. :confused3
 
Day Two - Continued

After my little rendezvous with Cruella, the Hag, and the Queen of Hearts a little bit of my Disneyland ADD kicked in. I can never quite make up my mind about what to do in advance, I just go from place to place even if it means walking from one Land to another on the other side of the Park only to decide once arriving that the ride or attraction I wanted to see was located at my starting point. This always leads into why I end up walking so much at Disneyland. I was over in the back of Fantasyland and I decided to walk along that back walkway towards Frontierland, you know, the one that goes by Big Thunder. Every time I walked by I made a mental note to myself to stop by the Big Thunder Ranch and take some photos of what they had decorated for Halloween but it never quite seemed to happen. I did get a few (and I mean very few) of the decked out carriage they have there.




Another sight to see along the walk was Pocahontas! It wasn't the first time I have seen her in various locations around Frontierland, but I normally see her standing out in front of the Pioneer Mercantile shop near the main entrance. Either way, she knew how to find the shade and I found her talking two two little girls about what Tribe they must be from and where their village is located. It's kind of nice to see characters out without any 'handlers' and in somewhat obscure places. People tend to walk right on by more often than not in my experience. I almost stopped to see if I could get a photo but with the very few people who were around I didn't feel like asking one of them to use my camera for a moment. It wasn't as though there was a line and somebody behind me who would still be there if you know what I mean. But I did stay to watch her talking with kids and enjoy the shade for a short while before moving on. And it wasn't until I started to move on that my next real destination came to me, rather than aimlessly wandering back towards NOS which seems to be a gravitational pull for me.

Main Street!

Yes, if I had known this beforehand I probably would not have cut back through Frontierland which means I also would have missed out on seeing Pocahontas so it all worked out in the end. I wanted to go see if Mickey or any of his pals were out in their costumes at the moment. Being in my Halloween type dress I figured I wanted as many of the Halloween and Villain characters as I could get. That's sound reasoning, right? Or am I the only one who wants to coordinate clothes with the characters? :rotfl: After I made my way to Main Street I took a little break to watch the Dapper Dans perform in their special Halloween Time attire. I really kind of like the orange and black look. I love taking the time to watch them perform now and again, all of Disneyland's live entertainment has never let me down. And what was most exciting of all was that they sang "Grim Grinning Ghosts"!! So even with the HMH up I still got a taste of the original, and they did a great job with it.


I didn't stay to watch them perform for too long before I started back towards the end of Main Street to do some character hunting. But of course, by the time I got there all of the character lines had been 'closed'. Perfect timing, huh? And it was vampire Pluto and Witch Minnie and Wizard Mickey. Aw, shucks. All I know is I journeyed to Main Street and got no photos with costumed characters. Yet. I would just have to keep coming back again and again and again. I suppose I could have found a bench in the shade to sit on and wait for some characters to come back out to be sure I got my photos but I settled for getting a photo in front of the Giant Mickey Pumpkin!


After that my magnetic pull kicked back in and I had no choice but to go back to NOS, not that I was complaining. As I was wandering through the streets the Royal Street Bachelors were coming out from off stage and I figured it would be nice to sit in the shade at the French market and listen to some music in the process. And I got some Mardi Gras beads in the process. For my birthday. I know, I know, technically my birthday was on the 10th which was almost 2 weeks before this trip but I was still celebrating my birthday and if that meant wearing a birthday button, you're darn right I was. I only remembered to get it a few minutes beforehand when I was on Main Street. Funnily enough everyone saw me multiple times over the weekend with my birthday button and so I am spreading around the love for celebrating your birth month, not just your birth day ;)


It wasn't long after I sat down that I realized how hungry I was, which meant it was time to go find lunch! But I didn't want to grab a churro or something, I wanted to sit down somewhere and actually eat. Somehow, during my two trips last year, I skipped over eating at Rancho del Zocalo and I love eating there. So needless to say, it didn't take long before I made up my mind and started to make my way back to Frontierland. At least it got my mind off the fact that I could have already eaten at the Blue Bayou by this point. I ended up getting a tostada salad which was good but doesn't come close to the ones they serve up at this wonderful Mexican restaurant just down the street from my house. For the first time I even got one of their little desserts to try, the plate of cookies in the coffin. I wanted to keep the coffin as a keepsake but I just didn't have room for it with me since my camera and everything pretty much took up all I had. It was a shame I hadn't rented a locker yet at that point, which I usually do daily. since I don't like to lug everything around with me all the time. The best part of my meal was sitting next to the bird bath fountain they have along the entrance to the restaurant. The birds were out and loving it and I was loving their company. I really enjoyed getting to see the decorations they had up for "Dia de los Muertos" or Day of the Dead. There aren't too many in the restaurant itself but you'll walk by the rest of them displayed at Zocalo Park on your way out. They aren't something I see every year and they are beautiful and it was nice to read a little bit about it all.
























After I was finished with my lunch and finished taking photographs I made my way back for a second cruise through the jungle. I don't know why I love it so much, but those corny jokes are just awesome to me. Maybe that's the only sense of humor I can really get. I know I sure feel out of place when everything my family says just flies right on over my head. I kind of liked it this year, I heard a couple of new jokes for the first time. But that just meant I couldn't say everything right along with our Skipper. Such a tragedy that was. You know what I wonder ... Have they ever had a Skipper named Skipper? I think that would be funny. You'd probably also know who's mother was a Barbie fan as a kid I suppose (or am I the only one who remembers Skipper?). For the first time when the ride was over I even remembered to ask for a map. I'm really excited about having that, I can't even tell you.










Now I have to ask, what is your favorite corny joke from the Jungle Cruise? I have too many to name to be honest. Would you think I'm crazy if I said all of them? :lmao:
 
Day Two - Continued

As I have already established, I really, really, really wanted to get as many character photos on this day as I could. I didn't want to worry about it later on in the week so I made my way back towards Main Street. This time I was actually able to get some character photos, although I missed out (once again) on any of the costumed characters. The only line that was still open was for Pinocchio and Gepetto, which I got into even though I really love my photo from last year with the two of them plus Gideon. Although, this only reinforced my absolute need to find Honest John and get a photo at some point during these 5 days, or else. Now, I wasn't able to get my camera out fast enough, but you'll see an adorable little girl in one of my photos dressed as Cinderella. Poor thing got the shock of a lifetime when Pinocchio picked her up while she wasn't looking and tried to put her in the trashcan! Poor thing was terrified but then laughed it off. Pinocchio did get a lecture though and proceeded to sit on the ground in frustration before playing with a little boys toy car. The characters during this trip were feeling particularly devilish, I must say!




After I was done getting my photo taken I debated sitting around to wait for more characters to come out, preferably costumed but in the end my Disneyland inspired ADD had kicked back in and I had the urge to go spend some time wandering around a part of the Park that I don't normally get too: Tomorrowland. I originally thought about getting my Galactic Space Ranger(ess) on and hit up the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, but just my luck, the ride was down. You mean I walked all that way for nothing? Well, of course not. I never do such a thing. I decided to continue my stroll through Tomorrowland as a via point on my way back to the Villains photo op. I was passing right on by the Nemo subs and an idea popped into my head. The first one was that a 20 minute wait was really not that bad, considering I had never been there before with a wait time under an hour for this particular ride. Then I remember what it was like the first and only time I had been in the subs: I felt like I couldn't breathe. I was fine when I could stick my head and camera as close to the porthole as possible, but otherwise there was just not enough space down there for me and it was really uncomfortable. My second though was the one that won out: Why not try the "Observation Outpost"? For those of you who don't know what it is, it's a special room that they made to go along with the ride so that people in wheelchairs or who can't access to actual subs for whatever reason (say, someone who suffers from claustrophobia) can still experience the ride somehow. It is not the same thing. Think of it as going to see a movie where you'll just happen to be watching video of what everyone on the ride sees. You don't need a special Guest Assistance card or anything in order to experience the Nemo voyage this way, all you have to do is ask the CM near the front of the line about it and they direct you in through the exit ramp of the ride where another CM will get you set up and leave you to your movie. One day I would like to try actually going into the subs again, but I don't think I could do it every single time. Getting in and out was just too much for me and it's nice to know that in the future, rather than skip out on Nemo entirely, I can still get the experience in somehow.






So after the movie-viewing of the Nemo subs was over I had to go back outside. Did I mentioned I was sitting on a bench in an air conditioned room? I didn't want to leave, and it wasn't even close to being the hottest day of my vacation. Not by long shot. I did remember where I was heading before I got side tracked and from there it wasn't too long of a walk back to the Villain hot spot in Fantasyland. This time there were only two characters out when I arrived, Judge Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Jafar from Aladdin. It was so neat to finally see some characters that I had truly never seen before, even if my photo with the Queen of Hearts was the first time I saw her. But the Villains were still in rather evil moods and did not stay for very long! I had enough time to snap off a photo or two of Frollo before they left and were replaced by Cruella (again) and the Evil Queen (yes!). So that was two Villains down and only one more that I desperately wanted. No, strike that. That left only one more I desperately needed.






After visiting the Villains for the second time that day I chose to take a different route back towards my home sweet NOS. Instead of walking through the back of Frontierland I decided to walk through the heart of Fantasyland and walk across the drawbridge of the Castle for the first time! I'm glad that I did because I happened to see a couple of Princesses walking about. I'm always talking about how much I missed the days of the Princesses being around the Castle for photos. It's just a better atmosphere than silly PFF. Ariel was on the right near Snow White's Grotto but since she was already starting to walk away I decided to stop for a photo with Cinderella and her Fairy Godmother. It would have been cute to see her out with Suzy or Perla like I did one year, but I suppose this was better than nothing.


And then just like that I returned on my march back over to NOS where I got in another round on POTC and then used up one of my HMH FP's and I'm glad I could. Other than first thing in the morning there was always a line for HMH. Even though every other ride available was a walk on. I don't know what it is that makes HMH more popular, especially considering it's a lower crowd season, but I suppose it's just the novelty of it. Although it's funny how many people I overhear who didn't even realize there was a Holiday version of the ride. I am so much of an obsessive over planner sometimes that I can't believe some people can actually just show up and not have any idea what to expect.




Now I'm really excited about one half of the two photos I'll put up next. You wanna know why? Well, I'll tell you! It's because I finally got a photo with a costumed character :goodvibes It only took the better part of the day, I'm telling you. Ever time I made my way back to Main Street it was always just as the characters handlers marked off the end of their lines. I wish they could at least stagger when they did that so those of us who come up too late don't get the short end of the stick and get nada. Who did I get to see this time? Why, Mickey Mouse!! Minnie was out as well and I so wanted to get a photo with her in her costume, but by the time I finished getting my photo with Mickey they had closed off her line so I had to settle for a photo of her.






Wait, I obviously can't count. That's three photos I posted there, not two! Well, you know what I meant, right?

I was kind of trying to wind up my day at this point. For some reason I was already tired and I knew I had to get up early to make it to Goofy's Kitchen for breakfast at 7a so I didn't want to get back to the hotel too late, even if the Park was only open until 8p that night. I figured I had enough time to get a couple more rides in, grab some grub, and head back to the hotel so I could get the key to my new room and do some actual unpacking rather than rifling through my luggage to grab only what I would need. So while I was in the area I took some time to get a photo taken in front of the floral Mickey before making my last trek to Adventureland NOS of the day.


While walking down Main Street some bright idea finally came to me that I cannot believe I hadn't thought of before. Here it goes: I was wearing my Jack Skellington dress. Jack and Sally are out for photos during Halloween Time. I had to get a photo with Jack and Sally while wearing my dress. If I didn't there would be something wrong with the world. Well, I went ahead and asked the CM at the wait time board near the Hub and she went ahead and gave me the remaining times that they would be out. I am so, so, so glad I remembered to ask although I only wish I had done it sooner. If you are going during Halloween Time and want a photo with Jack and Sally, here is a word of warning to you: find out what time they will be out and get there early. Every day I was there they had a line long before the characters even came out. I managed to get into the tail end of the line, but it involved a lot of waiting. They took a little bit of time with every person who came through and it was fun when they noticed who was on my dress and we came to the conclusion that it was all Sally's doing because she's really ingenious that way!


I did get my final ride on POTC and Jungle Cruise after that.I wanted to hurry up and get food so I didn't tempt it with anything more than that!






For dinner I stopped by a usual favorite haunt of mine at Disneyland, the Coca-Cola Refreshment Corner. I used to love stopping there for a special Disneyland Cherry Coke. Somebody please remind me why I gave up soda before this trip again. Because at this point it was feeling like a really dumb decision. But I did stick with my guns and stay soda free for yet another meal. I just ordered chili in a sourdough bread bowl and thanks to some wonderful DIS'ers who had a thread on this a while back I remembered to ask for the bread and chili separately. What a wonderful decision that was. It meant that even when I was finished eating my chili I could take the remainder of my bread bowl with me to sustain me for the walk back to the HoJo. It must have been a sight to see, me carrying a bread bowl around everywhere. There were a few laughs about it along the way with some strangers, but we all decided that it was a wonderful thing to have!






Having the bread bowl to snack on during the walk made it much more enjoyable. It's one of the farthest on Harbor, not that I usually mind, and eating gave me something to do I suppose. It didn't take long once there to get my luggage and go all the way back to building #2 for my new room. It was on the second floor with a view not worth remarking on, at the very end. Boy would that be a fun walk on certain nights. But that's OK. I expect to do a lot of walking at Disneyland, a few extra yards to the hotel wont make or break me. It was a Deluxe Queen and the beds were wonderfully comfortable and I had the refrigerator, microwave, and coffeemaker again. I got everything unpacked, picked out for the morning, set alarm clocks and all that ... jazz. :lmao: I also did some researching on the interwebs to make sure that I would be prepared for the next night when trying to find out how to check in for the Premium Seating and dessert boxes for Fantasmic! with Jason. But more importantly at the moment I had to get some sleep. I had breakfast at 7a all the way at the DLH and I wanted to be ready to leave no later than 6:15a so I wouldn't have to rush the walk.


And just like that, the sun had set on the second day of my Disney vacation!
 
Jazz's Scary Adventure - Day Three
September 24, 2010​

It's time to begin my first big day! I could easily sit here and argue (amongst myself) what constituted a big day versus a little day on this trip and I suppose this is how I broke it down: If I have a reservation made at any time that day, it is a big day. It's a very simple rule to follow which meant Thursday (the previous day) and Monday (my last day) would theoretically be my little days. It's also funny how that works out to any day I was planning on hanging out with Jason fell into the big days and any day that I didn't expect to see him at all fell into the little days. Just a coincidence! I think. But that's a tangent to dive into on another day I suppose, which probably means never.

So! Where to begin? Friday, Friday, Friday. I had a lot planned for myself on Friday although they fell at opposite ends of the daily spectrum. First I had Goofy's Kitchen to look forward to for breakfast at 7a and then the next planned event wouldn't take place until the evening when I met up with Jason before getting out seats assigned for the Fantasmic Premium Seating (+ that lovely dessert box). But ... waking up at 5:30a meant I needed to keep my mind off the evening plans, lest I start to make myself very, very, very nervous as I was bound to do. There was no point in ruining an amazing breakfast now, was there? The 5:30a wake up time was extremely easy for me (5a is my routine wake up at home) and I even woke up 2 minutes before either alarm clock went off (I don't know about you, but I use two because I'm so paranoid I wont hear one go off). That's skill right there! I do this at home as well, I think my body has a better internal alarm clock than any mechanical one I've ever met to date. From the brief time that I wore my pedometer I believe that the walk from the Howard Johnson to the lobby of Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel is pretty darn close to being a full mile. I wanted to be able to take my sweet time getting over there, hence my wake up time.

It was an interesting 'packing' morning for me as well. I was debating on what things I wanted with me in the Park that day because I would be renting a locker. The original plan was for me to bring my small telephoto lens with me to try and get some more variety out of what I was shooting, and I also wanted to bring in things like my sweater (in case I got cold after Fantasmic and for my walk to the hotel), some glow sticks/bracelets (because wearing glow sticks/bracelets at night is awesome), and a few other things as well. Trying to fit everything into my camera bag was pretty interesting and I ended up having to just carry the camera myself while her home was overrun with odds and ends, and other nick-knacks. It was what I like to call a balancing challenge. But I seem to think I made out alright. I made my goal of being out the hotel door no later than 6:15a and I was off on my peaceful stroll across the resort. And of course I took a few photos along my way, including an uninterrupted view of the California letters. One of my goals the past year has been to get a photo before they are eventually removed. It looks as though I was successful this year!






If anybody was ever wondering, as I know I did on my first walk to Goofy's, all you have to do is keep walking straight after the Esplanade, and through DTD, and underneath the magical hat and Goofy's Kitchen is straight ahead. I much prefer walks where the destination isn't blocked by 10 turns to the right with a couple of left turns thrown in for kicks. It is very easy to find! I got to the DLH Convention Center where the restaurant is located directly to the left and with 15 minutes until they started to check us in for our reservations I took my time to get a few photos of the things there to see and I also remembered to grab some pennies for my cousin/friend who makes jewelry out of them. I cannot wait to see what she'll make for me with my Snow White pennies. ;)








Now, here's the deal with Goofy's for this year's TR. I'll write about my experience although I know a few of you have already heard it. I'll share the photos afterward. Sound fair? Peachy!

OK, so I've eaten at Goofy's only once before and even though this was my second dining experience there, it was also my first solo so as much as I knew I loved GK I have to admit that I was apprehensive about the whole idea. I didn't think I would be getting a single photo of myself with a character and would that be worth it for the meal that I don't normally eat (of course, I mean breakfast). I had eaten at GK on my actual birthday back in 2009 and it was just an amazing time with wonderful one on one character interaction. Does anybody remember Dale bringing me a tablecloth to use as a jacket because I forgot mine? Well, that is an image that sticks out in my mind, vividly. I would have been happy if I got half of the experience that time with this meal. Everything started off well. They checked me in and I paid for my meal before sitting down in the lobby to wait for my photo with Pluto. Funnily enough, I wasn't the only solo diner there, although she had no interest in getting photos with the characters so I am curious as to why she was there. But I didn't bother to ask as it wasn't any of my business! I didn't have to wait long for my photo with Pluto and to be taken to my seat towards the back of the restaurant, but still near the kitchen which is where I like to be. I know one question some people have about going solo for a character meal is what to do with your purse (for us ladies) or any other belongings. Truthfully, after a CM brought me out a glass of water (18 days soda free at this point, and going strong) I didn't give leaving my camera bag behind on the other chair at my table while I went to check out the food being offered. I felt comfortable enough just walking away and there are plenty of CM's in the area who seem to be on top of things. Either way, when I came back with my plates of food everything was right where I left it. The buffet was yummy as ever. I tried a little bit of this. A little bit of that. I actually remembered to dig in to some PB&J pizza which was a lot better than I thought it would be. But I still prefer the fruits and breads to anything else. So the food was great as usual, my water glass was refilled magically ;) and I got time to eat before the characters started coming out. Goofy was the first to drop by although it certainly wasn't his only visit to my table. We attempted to dance a little but he's tall and I'm ... 'fun-sized' ... so it was hard to work around. But fun! In the end, fun is what counts. The CM who brought me my water was gracious enough to take a few photos for me. Any time she was in the vicinity she offered to help out which was very nice. But of course when Baloo, Wendy, and even Gideon all came by to say hello nobody was around to take a photo. Even the tables near me hadn't been seated yet, save one, and they were just returning from gathering their food so I felt awkward about asking for their help a moment or two. Instead I just got a couple of solo character photos! They are nice to have as well. Eventually Gideon and Baloo came by my table once more and as a new table had just been seated right next to me, Gideon had the idea to ask them to take a photo which they did and from there they offered to do so if any other characters came around which I truly appreciated. Most of us who are eating there would always love to lend a hand for a photo. I know I would if somebody asked me. I honestly didn't have a bad thing to say about the meal at that point. Except for the entrance by two characters I wanted to see more then anything:

- Honest John, who I am sure I have mentioned I have been dying to see for years on end now. I was seated near a door that the characters kept popping in and out of and the second he walked through the door I practically shot up out of my seat I was so gosh darned excited!

- Snow White, no explanation needed. Right?

Did I get a photo of or with either one of them? No, of course not. Every time I saw these the characters in particular they never even made it to a table. There was a group of girls, maybe 20 or so, who were going up to them in the middle of the kitchen area to do photo rounds which made it really hard for the rest of us, patiently waiting our turn. And there's only so long i can sit there once I'm done eating, and I'm not the type to go do exactly what they are doing just to get a photo. I also, it seems, prefer to suffer in silence and I didn't even say anything to a CM. I suppose that makes me passive-aggressive?

But alas, I did enjoy my breakfast. To date I have many Snow White photos and I knew I had a good chance of seeing her at a later place and time, such as the PFF, but with Honest John, a character I have never seen out before, I was slightly devastated. I left the restaurant crossing everything I could cross that I would get to see him sometime before I had to go home again.



















 
Day Three - Continued

What can I say, there was only so much sitting around at Goofy's Kitchen that I could handle that morning. I did have an extremely important errand to run before I could secure my spot for entrance. Friday wasn't a MM so everyone would be on an equal playing field. That's my kind of morning (unless, of course, I'm the one who has MM access). As previously mentioned tonight was the night I had gone ahead and splurged on the Fantasmic Premium Seating package although we all know we refer to it as the dessert seating since it does indeed come with desserts, drinks as well if you want to get picky about it! And I am picky about it, so I'll just call it like it is. So I made a mad dash to the Guest Services window to the left of the Disneyland entrance because if I wanted my excellent seat for the show tonight I would need to pick up my ticket. Getting the ticket from the CM that morning was rather uneventful. She didn't look too pleased to be there and of course as soon as she asked for my confirmation number I realized that I had left it in the hotel like a genius, but she was finally able to find it although I can't remember if she needed the card I used for purchase or my ID. I think she used my ID because I swear she looked up the wrong name (since my last name is hyphenated). But I could be talking nonsense right now. Who would know, really. The good news is that I had my ticket and she instructed me again on the procedure for checking in to pick our seating arrangements and then what time to show up for the show itself before handing me over a ticket that is identical to my PH minus the fact that the print side has my name and information from purchase on it. Now, I had a solo ticket, but I wasn't supposed to be doing this one solo. At least not in theory at this point. Jason and I had paid for them separately and we would meet up while in the check in line as soon as he arrived after work. It was just under 12 hours or so to the approximate meet up time, which meant a lot for me to do while on my own! The exciting news for the moment was that Indiana Jones would be open for business today, and my plan was to get on that as much as I could.


Shortly before 9a the gates opened and the wonderful magical wand swish greeted us all as we passed through the turnstyle which would mean they would have the rope set up at the end of Main Street to corral us all in for just a few minutes more. But that was alright with me. The good thing about rope wind (remember, I will no longer call it rope drop) is that for someone like me who gets right to the front of the rope, you can get a couple of nice people-free photographs, which we all know I love and will camp out for 10 minutes at a time to achieve. And once again I have to wonder to myself why on earth is it so important for people to run after we're given the go ahead? As this wasn't a MM the CM there stressed the fact that we were the first one's here. There was nobody in line for rides. So there is no need to run.


Similar to the day before, and any other day, I knew my first destination would be to the right. I was partially debating about just jumping right on IJ before moving on, but the strategical part of my brain was remembering one thing: HMH FP's. I wanted to stock up on them during the day so that I could (a) experience it on my own and (b) be sure to still have 2 left over when Jason arrived and we picked our Fantasmic seats for something to do before showtime, or even after. Well, you know, provided I didn't decide then and there I hated his guts or anything. You never know with these things. ;) And since of course there is no line first thing in the morning I decided to walk straight on after grabbing a FP to save for later.








As soon as I left the HMH I hightailed it right back over to Adventureland so I could pick up right where I left off last year with Indiana Jones. How I love thee. Being so early in the morning I decided to bypass my usual routine of going in through the exit with my Single Rider Pass and just go in as standby. It couldn't hurt, there was nobody there. At at least this way I was able to get a couple of new photographs which is the only reason I will ever willingly get into the stand by line again. I could reasonably go with FP's again if it was a matter of sitting next to someone, but otherwise SRL is the only one for me.




As I left IJ I continued my criss-cross of favorite attractions by skipping back into NOS so I could get on Pirates. I attempted to photograph each of the pirates in the entrance, but they didn't turn out as I had hoped so maybe another year! There's not much else to say about it. I did get the front of the boat which was pretty stellar. I do like to sit in the front of the boat on POTC. Since I did comment on the changes to HMH, although that is only for a particular season during the year, I have to say that I don't mind the additions to POTC to tie them in to the movies of the same name (we all know the ones). I know a few people who abhor it and I just don't get it. To me it doesn't take anything away from the ride, and if anything I had maybe ridden it a handful in it's original form, none of which I can remember. The new Pirates 'franchise' or whatever you want to call it is something I'm kind of growing up with alongside every kid out there. I don't know, just thought I would put that out there for anyone to agree or disagree with.

Sadly, no photos to share this time around.

After exiting out into NOS I was planning to just wander around the shops for a minute when I heard a little commotion and realized that it was almost time for the Jambalaya Jazz Band to perform with Princess Tiana and the Mardi Gras dancers. I definitely wanted to watch this one so I started to slowly walk around towards their little make-shift stage out between the French Market and Rivers of America. Jazz always has to watch the Jazz band, there's just no way around it. It was fun to watch and the girl has a great voice. Fun, fun, fun all around. I especially loved it when the little kids got to get up on stage and dance with them. They were so thrilled! It made me wish I was still that little.


By this point, I hate to say that I almost lost what I did for the next 3 hours or so. Normally my photographs tell me what I'm doing and when I'm doing it. Because I take so many I have at least one from every time I get in line. It makes writing reports easier for those people like me who start to forget a few little details now and again. But for now I actually have my thinking cap and I think -- no -- I know that I swung around back by Main Stree to see if I could spot a costumed character or two not realizing what would be going on at the moment. And of course the Disneyland Marching Band were playing on the steps to the Main Street Station, and a little kid was even helping Mickey Mouse do the conducting. It was cute for the few moments I hung around. If I couldn't get costumed characters I figured the next best bet would be to go find me some Villainous friends, and I was successful indeed! I had barely situated myself in line and went to go get a photo of the Villain nearest me when I was face to face with the Evil Queen pointing down at me. "You," she said, "You have returned to see me, yes?" :woohoo: Have I mentioned before how much I love being recognized by characters who have seen me before? I was about ready to jump for joy I was. But of course she had taken her leave by the time I made it back up to pay my respects. But I did get a promising dance from Captain Hook and well ... Gideon decided to say hello as only Gideon can.















 
Day Three - Continued

It was still early enough in the afternoon that I was off doing my own thing after running away from Gideon -- er -- I meant saying goodbye to Gideon. I had a real purpose this time. I would head directly to Indiana Jones and see if I could pull a repeat of last years' performance of 8 times in a row on my favorite ride ever. And not only 8 times in a row, 8 times in a single hour. Oh, how I love you Single Rider Line!! You have completed my life. Even if I have some things slightly out of order I do know this: at just before 1p I made my first long hike down the exit ramp for my first journey. As always I got through the queue fast as lightning and before I knew it I was hopping in the 'jeep', ready to keep an eye out for snakes. And then when the ride started, I should have realized my mission wasn't going to be possible. The ride kept stalling. Over and over and over we'd have to sit a little too long at one point. You know that point where Indiana Jones is hanging from the rope when the ball is supposed to start rolling towards you? Yeah, we sat there for a minute or two once. It kind of took the suspense right out of it. My understanding is that the culprit was because they were sending the vehicles too close together so they had to stop somewhere to space them out. Well, it makes sense to me, but probably not when I try to explain it. But after getting off I went again, and again. But then I had to give up. I was already half an hour into my quest and I had only finished ride #3. It clearly was not going to happen. But that was alright, I was enjoying myself.

From here on out I can't remember the exact order of things that I did, but I assure you I made at least one mad dash back to Main Street to see if I could find any costumed characters (no luck), got one more ride in on Indiana Jones, POTC and HMH (while still remembering to collect the FP's to make sure I would have 2 later in the evening). Annnnnnd! I remembered to do something new that I have read about but was not allowed to do last year because of safety concerns until they fixed the issue. Well, the issue was fixed and after asking a couple of CM's before boarding the Mark Twain I was taken up into the Wheelhouse! It was a fun trip around the ROA. The CM up there was from San Jose, a place I don't know well except for my beloved Sharks team, but we talked about the Bay Area a lot and about the safety door they had to install which was why I was told no when I asked last September. It was a lot of fun. And I was put in charge of ringing the bell and sounding the whistle. Let me just say, I really need to keep my day job. I didn't do a great job. Heck, I slurred the whistle more than once. But I got a good laugh out of it, for sure. It was a fun experience, I got to sign the little guest book and take home a couple of little certificates for the experience. Add in a photo and I finally get to cross off another item from my never ending to-do list.




I also had to sit down for a bite to eat at some point and decided to try out Cafe Orleans for the first time in a few years. Normally it is a restaurant that I would have made a reservation for but the problem with that is I never know when I'll be hungry and want to eat. Luckily I didn't have to wait very long to be seated so I didn't feel too bad about not having a reservation. I had a seat outside next to a tree which was nice and I had a great view to watch (and listen to) Tiana, the Jambalaya Jazz Band, and the Mardi Gras dancers. Great entertainment to go along with my meal. I got the "Crescent City" Salmon Salad which is delicious, and I even got a birthday beignet. So, so, so delicious that was. A very peaceful lunch. Not rushed, not forgotten about. A moment to be relaxed. I wouldn't get too many from that point out.








Add in some more Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, Pirates and Indy and you've pretty got the majority of my day right there. I could go on nothing but those 4 rides all day, every day, and be happy as a clam. Well, at least this was true as of September 24. Who knows how that would change over the coming days ;) And of course there was one midday break back to my hotel to air dry my clothes, and cool off!








Now, I need to interject here and say sometimes it's hard for me to start these posts off, let alone keep them rolling or even come to a close in a way that I like, the words just don't come to me right away. This may be short, this may not be short, we'll see how it goes.

Friday was an interesting day for me. Sure, I was busy doing my normal things at my normal pace but I was a little antsy. Not that being antsy is new to me. Given my anxiety I'm always antsy. Some days are just worse than others, and Friday was one of those days, no doubt. Partially because due to some things that were going on very close to my departure date for this trip (that some of you may be aware of, you know who you are) I began second guessing this whole idea of meeting up with anyone while I was there by myself. Was it going to be a good idea? Was it going to be a bad idea? I really had no idea. Between Facebook and here at the DIS Jason and I had been talking about this trip, possible plans, and completely random things for over 2 months and it was agreed that if anything was awkward we could at least do the Fantasmic dessert, say goodbye and that was that. Sooooooooo, it was a little nerve racking.

Check in time for the seating wouldn't start until 8p but people can start lining up as soon as they want. It's usually best to wait until the special event CM's start roping the section off so you know you're in the right spot. I was chilling in NOS around that time and at 6:15 when they were starting to set up I decided that rather than go ride another ride and get in line with whoever might already be there I might as well just try and relax, take a breather, and just ... wait. That wasn't the plan originally at all and I know a lot of people would balk at the idea of waiting for the check in as long as they would be waiting on the ROA but it really is a different situation entirely. I wasn't sitting on the ground, I could stand, sit on the railing, see the sights and hear the sounds, grab a churro if I wanted. For anybody who has ever been curious the check in podium goes near the Churro cart that is right across from the Haunted Mansion. It was fun to see the people drop by to ask about the line and decide if they wanted to stay or go catch a ride or two. The time passed quickly enough although it was stressful to wait. I get myself worked up over things and all the while the what if's started to run through and they wouldn't shut off. So there was waiting, and waiting, and waiting. 7:24p was the first word that I got that Jason was at the Park. He was waiting for the tram but still had to pick up his ticket, but of course Guest Services was already closed at this point where I had picked up my ticket and I got a call from him a little past 7:30 about where else he should be able to pick them up. My understanding was that he could pick them up at City Hall and I believe that was the golden ticket ;) Of course I was getting antsy and wondering just how close we were going to cut it to the check in time since I was the very first in line. The CM's were awesome about it though. Even before he showed up they marked me down as 2 people and then just moments before they started writing down our seating assignments I turned around and guess who was there?

The funny thing is, I don't think either one of us said "hello". We just started talking with a "perfect timing" quote from me. It was funny, no introductions necessary. It was just like 2 old friends running into each other and picking up a conversation where they left off. No need to be nervous. So it was literally seconds later the CM asked for our tickets so he could write out seating assignments down and gave us the time to come back and we had a half hour to ourselves to do what we wanted to do which ended up being: Haunted Mansion Holiday (thank you FP's) and the SRL on IJ before making our way back to check in with just 2 minutes to spare. Hey, it was perfect timing around and as it turned out we were the last two to be seated. I didn't mind having more time to snack on my desserts. I knew off the bat I wouldn't be able to eat everything and was looking forward to taking it back to the HoJo with me to enjoy later.


I wish I knew what to say about the seating for Fantasmic. It was a new experience for me in so many ways. It was further back than where I normally sit so my eyes could take in more, and I wasn't viewing through my camera's viewfinder. Talk about a personal shocker for me. But I wanted to actually experience Fantasmic this time around, and I did. I definitely did. I could always answer specific questions about it, but really, I have no words right now (1 weeks later, lol) ;) And Snow White's float lit up just in front of us. That alone made my day since she is usually past me by the time it lights up which always makes me sad. We all know how much I love Snow White. And we even stayed in our seats to watch the fireworks. Which were amazing as always, no matter the view.

I have to say it was a quiet evening for the most part. We went on POTC directly after it was over, trying to figure out how to balance our trays without knocking the lids off. I don't know if we're just special or what but I could never get mine to stay on for too long. It was frustrating. So we decided to go see if they would fit in my locker on Main Street and then get in a few more rides before calling it a night. They fit with a little maneuvering of all my belongings and after a brief discussion over the travesty it is that I have never been on (a) the Matterhorn or (b) BTMRR, he somehow talked me into both. Although guess who dodged a bullet.

I'll give you a clue ... ME! We walked by BTMRR first I believe and it was shut down for the moment and I can't remember if we walked down to the Matterhorn or not but it was decided that my reprieve wouldn't be for long and that the day of judgment would be the next day, Saturday. I didn't want to stay until closing at midnight that night because of my MM plans the following morning which meant being ready to leave the hotel before 6a in my crazy world. We were able to hit up one more ride that night, which was a perfect way for me to close out the evening, by going on Indy again.

It was a rather quick goodbye after that. We went back to my locker to pick up the dessert trays and I'm sure anybody in the vicinity got a laugh as I tried to pack everything back into my bag somehow and balance my camera and the tray in my hands. How on earth I made the walk back to the hotel I still do not know. But like I said, the goodbye was fast. I think we both decided we weren't axe murderers or anything by that point :rotfl: and we planned on meeting up after MM was over in Toontown for Morning Madness. Since I had an extra voucher I had offered it up if he was interested and the plan was set. We had all day Saturday to hang out and do whatever.

If only I knew how exhausting a day it was going to be before I woke up!
 
Jazz's Scary Adventure - Day Four
September 25, 2010​

It's very hard to put into words my jam-packed Saturday was like. I can't even come close, but I suppose I'll try. I figure it's better to just start at the beginning, right?

Saturday was going to be a rather busy day. First of all, it would be my Magic Morning (as I've already given my theory on why a Saturday morning is the best day to use your MM option when you only have one) and I would follow that up with Mickey's Toontown Morning Madness since I would be right in the area without making a mad dash in order to get the most out of my time. I was also planning on meeting up with Jason again during MTTMM and hanging out for the day, redeeming my GAD voucher for the FP's, and finishing off the night with an early dinner at Ariel's Grotto and then watching World of Color. I think it's safe to say that Saturday was always going to be my busiest day from the moment I started planning, but only in the best of ways.

So let's back track to wake up time. I'm pretty sure it was about 5a with both the radio alarm and my cell phone going off to make sure that I actually got up. It's a trick that I have to use at home on occasion. My cell phone goes off first, underneath my pillow so I'll be sure to hear it, and then 5 minutes later the actual alarm clock, either across the room or somewhere where I'll actually have to move to turn it off. It hasn't let me down yet and I have a job where I have to wake up very early. But I'm also an early bird as opposed to a night owl. I can't say that I got much sleep, but the excitement usually holds me over long enough to make it back to the hotel for a quick nap and change of clothes in the afternoon. But if you're wondering why I actually get up that early, it's pretty simple: I refuse to let a second of my MM go to waste. I don't want to be at the tail end (or even halfway through) the line waiting to get into the Park, I don't want to walk with a crowd, however small it is, heading back to Fantasyland, and I don't want to waste time in lines if I don't have to. So this all boils down to one fact: I will be the first one there. And so I am. Or, so I was. Let's just put it this way: it was still dark when I left the hotel to hang out at the security check tent where I just passed time playing Solitaire on my iPod and chit-chatting with the CM's about the D23 event. There were a lot of people trying to cross the Esplanade to get to the DLH. But otherwise I was there by myself for quite a while. Even when people did start to show up for MM I was very happy to see that my plan was working out in my favor. There were only a small handful of us and although I couldn't see how many people were waiting on the Resort side, I knew it couldn't have been nearly as bad as Thursday. Not by a country mile, literally.


I wish I had actually counted how many of us there were, because the crowd was so small that I could have easily done so without getting lost in my head with numbers. We barely reached the first flower beds. It was definitely nice compared to Thursday's line that stretched all the way to the California letters. I had no trouble at all taking a spot right next to the gate, and it took a solid 5 minutes or more before anyone else got into line behind me. Have I mentioned how comforting I find it when my paranoia pays off? Well, it's nice. Let's just leave it at that. The time went by fast enough and before I knew it we were counting down to our Magical Morning and they were scanning us into the Park. I must have been tired because I didn't have the usual pep in my step that helps me fly down Main Street, but it was a nice surprise when I was the only one going straight towards Fantasyland. It felt as though everyone was veering to the right towards Tomorrowland. You wouldn't get any complaints from me there. What would I possibly want to do in that direction? The Nemo subs? Well, I've already discussed my small claustrophobia problem there and now that I know about the Outpost I had no qualms about saving that for later in the day since I wouldn't have to wait in the stand-by line. So I was alone crossing the drawbridge into Fantasyland and I even had a moment to spare to stop for a photo rather than attempt it while I was walking so I could still be the first one on Peter Pan.

If you're new to my TR's, here is where I show you my beloved crowd-free and people-free shots. I treasure them since they can be hard to come by unless you like to hang around 10 minutes for one photo, lol :rotfl:












There isn't much more to say about my MM at this point. I made my tour of Fantasyland, going on everything except what was closed and Dumbo. My first destination was Peter Pan's Flight and I followed that up with Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and then Snow White's Scary Adventure and I was actually the first person on all 3. It was that uncrowded. I didn't choose to go through the rides a second time this year, although i certainly could have. I preferred to spend the rest of my hour just walking around and taking photographs although I still didn't take many. It was a relaxing MM for once rather than a quick and blurry one for me.

































 

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