Don't Fear the Rain, We Have the "Ducky of Death!"-Jan '14 **Bonus TR DCA 9/1 x2

[DisneyKid4Life]

As for the Dollar rental, I suspect this is the norm based on the reviews I've been reading online after the fact. Clearly, I should have done my homework. We actually got off easy compared to the poor folks who were standing in line at the regular counter for a lot longer then only to come out to the lot with their paperwork to find that their vehicle is not available. After receiving their paperwork everyone is told to just go pick out a vehicle parked in the appropriate size section only to find that the lot is empty and there are no cars available. I saw multiple people storm back into the agency building to complain that there are no vehicles available for them. Once I got my paperwork from the Express counter, I hurried over to the Full Size lot where only three cars remained. The first one I tried had its door taped off saying that the vehicle is a no go and there is no key. I had to scurry over to a very dinged up car and take one of the last remaining vehicles in the full size section. So even though we were tired and frustrated from the experience, I couldn't bring myself to complain too much considering there were people back there that would be waiting for a long time to finally get a car.

Just no words for that mess Dave. I had read bad reviews too actually, but since I was an Express member, I stuck. I guess maybe I got really lucky being there off season. What a way to run a business.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Thanks for posting the update regarding DCA - Carsland really does look amazing! Part of me wants them to build one in WDW but part of me also wants them to keep it unique to DCA - and be another reason we need to take a trip out there.

Side note - on our trip we just finished we also rented from Dollar (due to the low price we got) ... it wasn't as bad as what you described since they have a better set up in MCO but I was kinda disappointed in the quality of the car we got (not bad, just not as nice as from other places and it wasn't quite as clean, etc.) - like you said, I guess you get what you pay for

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Thanks for posting the update regarding DCA - Carsland really does look amazing! Part of me wants them to build one in WDW but part of me also wants them to keep it unique to DCA - and be another reason we need to take a trip out there.

Side note - on our trip we just finished we also rented from Dollar (due to the low price we got) ... it wasn't as bad as what you described since they have a better set up in MCO but I was kinda disappointed in the quality of the car we got (not bad, just not as nice as from other places and it wasn't quite as clean, etc.) - like you said, I guess you get what you pay for

I have similar feelings about recreating Carsland at WDW. Plus, a Carsland expansion would inevitably delay the Star Wars Expansion

I think MCO's Dollar has a much better setup than Dollar's other airport locations. That's why we hadn't had a problem in Orlando when renting from Dollar. I usually am able to pick up and drive up our minivan in less than 10 minutes! You're right about the quality of the car though. Dollar usually rents out no-frills versions of the vehicles.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

This hasn't happened in awhile but this TR post has no photos. As you'll read, my head was not in the right place to pay attention to photography. Not to worry! I'm posting back to back updates today so the following post has more photos.


DS started asking whether we could go on “the Toy Story shooting game.” So we made our way over to Paradise Pier. Since Toy Story Midway Mania is not a FP attraction at DCA, I figured we had better get that done earlier in the morning before the wait times got too long although it never gets as long as it does in DHS. A funny thing happened on the way to TSMM. As we crossed the bridge into Paradise Pier and over the launch track for California Screamin’, DD began asking about the coaster. If you haven’t been, this one is very similar to Rock n Rollercoaster at DHS minus the corkscrews and it’s outdoors. She watched a coaster launch high speed and saw another one go through the loop then turned to me and said “I want to try that.” My eyes widened as to say “Whaaaaaa?”. This is our DD who after one try on ToT decided that she never wanted to step foot on it again and refuses to try EE because of the Yeti. I never included Screamin’ in our touring plans because I just assumed that DD would not be remotely interested. But she sounded serious about wanting to try Screamin’. I told her to think about it while we rode TSMM and if she still wants to go then I would take her.

We were in the standby line at TSMM for 20 minutes and finally got on. It’s been so much fun going on this ride with the entire family and observing DD and DS scores slowly and gradually increase each time. I remember it wasn’t too long ago that DS had trouble aiming and shooting the TSMM gun on his own but now he does it well. The kids once again had a blast. They wanted to go on it again but we opted to move on since this was one of the rides that we have and will continue to enjoy at WDW.

As we exited TSMM, DD once again confirmed that she did want to try Screamin’. I decided to take DD to ride it since DW doesn’t do well with coasters with loops. DW took DS over to the Boardwalk Games area while DD and I walked over to Screamin’. I had to remind her that she may not be tall enough since she didn’t make the height requirement for Primeval Whirl back in January which was also 48 inches. She cleared the measuring stick by at least an inch! She must have had a growth spurt in the past 6 months! The standby wait time at 9:30am was only 5 minutes so we breezed through the queue and soon was settling into our seats. I had to help DD get her harness bar down from the top as she was unfamiliar with this setup. Once we were seated and the coaster pulled out of the boarding area I was a little nervous for her although I didn’t show it. This was her first real coaster ride. The closest she’s come was Big Thunder Mountain so clearly we were about to take the kiddie gloves off. I could tell she was a little nervous but more eager to find out. The countdown started for the launch. 5.4.3.2….1! Off we went. I kept looking over during the ride to see how she was doing and her expression was pretty neutral throughout. She usually doesn’t show much emotion during the rides whether she likes it or not. I saw the loop coming up ahead and gave her a heads up. Still no sound from her. At least she wasn’t crying. As we finally pulled up to unload, I asked her “What did you think?” fully expecting the same answer she gave me on her first ride on ToT last January (which was “Once was enough.”). DD goes “Let’s go again!” Did. Not. See. That. Coming! Finally, we have broken through the thrill ride barrier with her! I was so ecstatic that she loved the ride that I didn’t think twice about going back in line which was still only a 5 minute wait. By the way, for those of you keeping track, in about 45 minute timespan I had ridden Mater’s Jamboree back to back then Screamin’ back to back. I just want you to keep that tally in mind as we slowly build a textbook prescription of sequence of rides at DCA that without fail will give you a nauseating world-spinning headache. Stay tuned!

We exited and hopped right back in line. I kept thinking about what this could mean for our future WDW trips! RnR and Space Mountain is now in play! It dawned on me that the thrill ride portion is never what bothered her for ToT or even trying EE. It was the “scary” theming of those rides that she didn’t like. I called DW to tell her the news that we were going on it again. In the mean time, DS apparently had won a bunch of stuffed animals over at the boardwalk games and the two of them were now in line to go on the fun wheel. Our second ride on Screamin’ was an equal success and DD still wanted to go again but I really had to put the breaks on as I started to feel too woozy for another spin.

So what did we do next instead? We tried to catch up with DW and DS over at the Fun Wheel. Genius. I know. By the time we got in line in the sliding car version DW and DS had already boarded their car. So DD and I eventually caught our own car. Now this ride freaked me out a lot more than I thought it would. I have an issue with heights. Coasters don’t bother me as much as long as I don’t look down during the ascent. This Ferris Wheel gave me all the time in the world to look down. And when our cart starting sliding down back and forth each time giving me the illusion we were about to slide right off the wheel and into the pier water, I could just feel my toes curl. Yes, I had some problems with this one especially since my head was already spinning before I even stepped foot on this one. I’m getting too old. Sigh.

When we finally got off, we caught up with DW and DS waiting at a bench. DS was eager to show off his new bounty and collection of stuffed animals he won at the boardwalk games. To give DD an equal chance we played a few more games before moving further down the pier towards the next set of rides that DD had spotted: the Silly Symphony Swings. DW immediately declared that she would be skipping out on this one. She usually does worse with these spinning rides which is why she never goes on RnR. I asked her to pull some FPs from Goofy’s Sky School while she waited for us. Since DD just turned 8 last month, she was finally at an age where she no longer needed an adult sitting next to her on Disney rides. So she picked a single swing behind me while DS and I strapped into a double swing. There’s not much to this ride……except spinning. And more spinning. The kids of course LOVED it.

By the time we got off, the clock read 10:30am. Our FP window for our third and final go on Radiator Springs Racers had arrived. So we walked back over to Radiator Springs. The kids were not surprisingly ecstatic that we got to go one more time. DS declared after the day was over that Racers was indeed his favorite ride and would tell everyone who would listen during our San Diego visit. The third time was great and you’ve already seen the photos.

Continued in next post!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

It was about 11:00am when we exited and now it was time for lunch so we headed into Flo’s V8 Café. The theming in here was equally awesome. The dining area also includes Doc Hudson’s medical office and that’s where we sat staring at his multiple diplomas framed and hanging from the wall along with an eye chart. I sadly only have one photo of this area as I was too busy feeding the kids and taking DS to the bathroom. The food was pretty decent for Disney QS fare.



After a good meal, we once again exited Radiator Springs. DS was beginning to show signs of fatigue and fussiness of having little sleep the night before. We made it back over the end of Paradise Pier where we had left off to use our FPs for Goofy Sky School. I split off from my family to take a detour by Soarin’ the pick up another set of FPs and rejoined them by the Sky School. Since DS was not tall enough for this ride, I had the distinct pleasure of taking DD on this one back to back using the four FPs we had previously collected. DD wanted to keep going and going on this ride. I on the other hand was pretty sure I sustained a concussion after this one from the whiplashes. As DD bounced down and out of the exit queue and I stumbled behind her, DS and DW were enjoying a cold refreshing lemonade slushie. DS was a bit perturbed by the fact that DD got to go on a ride without him. So he insisted that I take him on a ride without DD and pointed to the Golden Zephyr.

I took him on this one and DD stayed behind with DS to enjoy their drinks. DS enjoyed it but it’s a simple, wait for it, spinning ride. Instead of a flying elephant, magic carpet, or triceratops, we were riding a rocket ship that was being centrifuged by a few cables very similar to the Symphony Swings.



Aaaand, of course as soon as we got off DD wanted to try going on it so the three of us went right back on it.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is how I ended up with a nagging headache for the rest of the day and it was barely past noon. To recap: Two doses of Mater’s Jamboree, two punches of Screamin’, a dash of Fun Wheel and Symphony Swings, load up your stomach with some lunch just for giggles, then grind in two portions of Goofy’s Sky School and finally sprinkle in two servings of Golden Zephyr. There you have it. The perfect script for a pounding headache.

I finally called a moratorium on all spinning rides and popped a couple of ibuprofen before we moved over to The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure which is the exact same ride as MK’s Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid (minus the interactive queue). Someone was clearly bored and thought giving the two identical rides identical names would just be silly. We had been mostly focusing on rides that were not available at WDW but along with TSMM, Soarin’ and ToT we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to go on our favorites. Fun was had by all and this time I spent a whole lot less time looking through the lens during the attraction. But still snapped a couple.

It's becoming increasingly hard to find shots that I haven't tried before after being on this attraction a few times with my camera. I for some reason had always failed to capture this one in the past mainly because I never could get my camera ready in time.



Yep, looks about the same as the one in WDW!



I think this is the first time I noticed this school of fish.



Aaaand the obligatory over-exposed shot of Sebastian.



This guy always seem to make my album too.











Ok, you're right. That was more than just a couple of photos.

DS was really sputtering out as we left the ride and started falling dozing off in his stroller as we made our way down to Soarin’. He really enjoyed his first outing on Soarin last January so I wanted to try to squeeze this last ride in before he zonked out for an afternoon nap. DD was excited once again to be going on one of her favorite rides. DS was half asleep when finally arrived at Condor Flats so I carried him in. He couldn’t remember very well what Soarin’ was all about so I had to jog his memory in hopes that the anticipation would wake him up as we waited.

They had updated the introduction video in the loading wait area to include some Planes characters as each location was introduced. I thought I had remembered reading somewhere that the on-ride footage itself was either updated or in the process of being updated so was a little excited about the possibility of seeing a cleaned up digital version of the ride but I was mistaken. Everything was exactly the same as I remember which is perfectly fine and enjoyable. And I can never get tired of Puddy giving us the safety instructions on the video screen. DS and DD adored this ride once again. The breeze. The scents. The hair-raising feeling when we first “ascend” into the clouds. What’s not to love?

As soon as I placed DS back into his stroller and we started moving he was out. DD had been asking and asking to go back to California Screamin’ so I took this opportunity to take her hoping that the standby wait wasn’t too bad while DW would slowly stroll her way down towards Hollywood Land where we would regroup with her to watch Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular. DD once again thoroughly enjoyed Screamin’. When we pulled up to exit, she was disappointed that the ride was already over and wanted to go on it again but we had a show to catch so we had to say bye to Screamin’ for this trip.

We walked back over to Hyperion Theater. DW was taking a slow stroll with DS napping in the stroller somewhere and we had apparently beat her to the theater. I pulled ToT FPs and finally caught up with her. We got in line for the Orchestra Section and as soon as we entered the queue they closed it and declared it full. Wow. That was a bit of luck. The next 15 minutes was not so lucky as we stood in line waiting for the theater doors to open while I was holding DS who was still napping soundly against my shoulder. After what seemed like an eternity the doors finally opened and all of us spilled right in to the theater. We took one of the side sections and moved up as much as we could. I was excited to share this show with the kids as I was smitten with it when I first saw it a couple of years ago during a solo visit. The production value is definitely a notch up compared to the stage productions at DHS. The kids did indeed enjoy the show. Even DS who eventually woke up right before the show began enjoyed it. A few photos I captured during the show.



Despite how this photo makes it look, Aladdin IS trying to escape from these two castle guards and not dance with them.



Hope that's not the same apple that the Evil Queen used. By the way, Abu is conspicuously missing from this show because it just would be logistically difficult to include a monkey in a live show. Magic carpet and Magical Genies are no problem. Monkey is where we draw the line.



My favorite shot from the show.



Here's Genie!!



And yes, those nipples are as distracting as George Clooney's Batman suit.







Jafar's default expression. Perturbed and grumpy.





I have to say that seeing this show not long after the death of Robin Williams carried extra meaning and emotions. You could sense that undercurrent running through the audience and when Genie first made his first appearance the crowd responded with extra applause. A similar show of appreciation and remembrance was later seen during World of Color. Rest in Peace Robin Williams.

 

[LuvEeyore]

Great update Dave!! I love California Adventure when I was there. Just loved your photos

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Great update Dave!! I love California Adventure when I was there. Just loved your photos

Thank you! We really enjoyed the park! Got a couple of more updates to DCA left.

 

[afwdwfan]

Hmmmm.... these last few updates look oddly familiar.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Hmmmm.... these last few updates look oddly familiar.

One way to keep an old trip report alive