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Disneyland and D23, September 2009

churros
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Re: Disneyland and D23, September 2009

Postby churros » Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:02 am

Looks like I'm the only one reading your trip report at the moment Keith. It may have something to do with being on holidays or just being desparate to go on another trip.

I laughed about the sunglasses in Nemo. I've done that because my sunglasses are prescription. At least you went on it again, we only managed one ride.

I hope you took a paperbag with you to Ariel's to regulate your breathing. :lol:

Which carriage/bucket (what do you call them?) on the funwheel to go on? ie with or without nausea?

KeithS
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Re: Disneyland and D23, September 2009

Postby KeithS » Tue Oct 06, 2009 10:37 am

I've done that because my sunglasses are prescription.
Exactly - that's my problem too - I completely forgot they were on.
Which carriage/bucket (what do you call them?) on the funwheel to go on? ie with or without nausea?
Definitely without nausea - I don't even like the stable ones - I just went on them to see all the construction from above!
Keith

Trip history:
DLR: 2005, 06, 09, 11, 12, 13, 15, 18
DLRP: 2006
HKDL: 2006 (Mar & Sept), 11 (Apr & Dec), 14, 19
SDR: 2017
TDR: 2008, 10, 17
WDW: 2006, 13 (Mar & Sept), 16, 19
DCL: 2013, 15 (Alaska & Hawaii), 18
Aulani: 2015

sandie
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Re: Disneyland and D23, September 2009

Postby sandie » Tue Oct 06, 2009 11:53 am

Looks like I'm the only one reading your trip report at the moment Keith
i'm reading - its just my Mummy said if you can't say anything nice don't say anything! Its hard to be gracious when I wish I was there!
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Re: Disneyland and D23, September 2009

Postby mushu mama » Tue Oct 06, 2009 1:38 pm

I'm reading it too, and plan to comment when I am not catching up on the lastest installment on the pay computers at work :wink:

Brilliant stuff so far though.

Lisa :D
1999- Tokyo DL, 2008- DLR/Cal Adventure, 2012-DLR/Cal Adventure, 2013-Tokyo DLand/Sea, 2014-DLR/Cal Adventure, 2015- Paris DL, 2016 - WDW/Disneycruise , upcoming - May 2018 - HongKong DL

KeithS
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Re: Disneyland and D23, September 2009

Postby KeithS » Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:03 pm

I'm glad you are all enjoying it. I'll get back to it tonight when I get home. I'm almost up to the D23 Expo days, so that should be fun to write about!
Keith

Trip history:
DLR: 2005, 06, 09, 11, 12, 13, 15, 18
DLRP: 2006
HKDL: 2006 (Mar & Sept), 11 (Apr & Dec), 14, 19
SDR: 2017
TDR: 2008, 10, 17
WDW: 2006, 13 (Mar & Sept), 16, 19
DCL: 2013, 15 (Alaska & Hawaii), 18
Aulani: 2015

KeithS
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Re: Disneyland and D23, September 2009

Postby KeithS » Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:24 pm

Day 10 - Disneyland
Tuesday morning is Early Entry Day - woohoo!

But only if you get up early that is. Not to fear - we were out the door nice and early and across the street to get into the park before all the other people lined up. It gave us a good opportunity to get those photos of the Mickey floral and Castle without hordes of people in them. It was also the first day of school for most LA schools and after the long weekend, the park was much quieter.

After getting some photos with Mickey and Pluto in Town Square - we headed over to the new Pixie Hollow to line up for its 10am opening. We noted there were pretty big queues most of the time, so the early morning entry was one good way of getting to the front of the line. Right on 10am, we were ushered up the pathway to meet Iridessa first, then on to see Tinker Bell (she was great too - full of attitude!)

We picked on a few more rides in Fantasyland - including Toad, before heading over the ride Big Thunder Mountain. We ate lunch over at the Hungry Bear and I think I could have sat there all day - it was such a nice day (seems to be a recurring theme here!)

Another trip on Haunted Mansion and some more rides (geez - I wish I had Della's journal at this point, it is getting a little fuzzy in my memory!) then we headed over to buy a Dole Whip - while I was waiting, I noticed Maynard was working the room, but I couldn't get out of line to say hello. After we ate the whips in the Hub however, we returned and were able to chat with him for awhile and take a picture:
Image

We headed back to Main Street for shopping then grabbed a bite to eat before sitting down to get a good spot for the Celebrate - A Street Party parade. We noticed then that they had put up Christmas Decorations in one section of the street. Don't worry - they weren't getting ready in September - they were just shooting the Christmas Television commercial that night and had dressed the place accordingly. It was pretty cool too - they even put up a Christmas Tree in Town Sqr and we watched them setting up all the cameras. We even saw Mickey come out in his Christmas gear to begin filming. By now, it was 8pm and the park was closed, but they were having trouble clearing the guests because we all wanted to watch the filming - it was very funny.

While all this was happening, we also ran into Wayne and Jennifer, so we arranged to meet them early the next day before going to DCA to ride Toy Story Mania together. That arranged, we left the park and headed back to the hotel for the night.
Keith

Trip history:
DLR: 2005, 06, 09, 11, 12, 13, 15, 18
DLRP: 2006
HKDL: 2006 (Mar & Sept), 11 (Apr & Dec), 14, 19
SDR: 2017
TDR: 2008, 10, 17
WDW: 2006, 13 (Mar & Sept), 16, 19
DCL: 2013, 15 (Alaska & Hawaii), 18
Aulani: 2015

churros
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Re: Disneyland and D23, September 2009

Postby churros » Wed Oct 07, 2009 8:15 am

I should imagine that yelling Aloha all days is not quite as exciting as butlering!

mushu mama
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Re: Disneyland and D23, September 2009

Postby mushu mama » Wed Oct 07, 2009 9:55 pm

wow... you guys did some amazing stuff... definitly going to check out that fountain if I ever find myself in NY one day. Loving the photos!

.... and Maynard! -/ brilliant stuff... I forgot to look for him when I was there.

I completely bypassed the Princess Fair thing ( needs no explanation) but Pixie Hollow is somewhere I'd like to see.

Cracked up about the sunnies underwater... good one Keith :lol:

Gotta ask.... did Della have to buy another suitcase? :wink: Her shopping expertise is clearly legendary. Actually, I'm sure she could teach me a thing or two - and I consider myself pretty accomplished in the field.

Looking forward to the next installment. -/

Lisa. */
1999- Tokyo DL, 2008- DLR/Cal Adventure, 2012-DLR/Cal Adventure, 2013-Tokyo DLand/Sea, 2014-DLR/Cal Adventure, 2015- Paris DL, 2016 - WDW/Disneycruise , upcoming - May 2018 - HongKong DL

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Re: Disneyland and D23, September 2009

Postby Gerard » Thu Oct 08, 2009 6:58 am

I saw Maynard at the Expo a few time, that guy freaks me out so i avoid direct eye contact

KeithS
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Re: Disneyland and D23, September 2009

Postby KeithS » Thu Oct 08, 2009 7:38 am

Gotta ask.... did Della have to buy another suitcase? :wink:
Nope - she didn't need to buy an extra suitcase...


...she had to buy two :D
I saw Maynard at the Expo a few time, that guy freaks me out so i avoid direct eye contact
He sat behind me at the D23 Auction, so we had a good long chat. He was amazed at some of the prices people were paying for the goods!
Keith

Trip history:
DLR: 2005, 06, 09, 11, 12, 13, 15, 18
DLRP: 2006
HKDL: 2006 (Mar & Sept), 11 (Apr & Dec), 14, 19
SDR: 2017
TDR: 2008, 10, 17
WDW: 2006, 13 (Mar & Sept), 16, 19
DCL: 2013, 15 (Alaska & Hawaii), 18
Aulani: 2015

mushu mama
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Re: Disneyland and D23, September 2009

Postby mushu mama » Thu Oct 08, 2009 7:49 am

Nope - she didn't need to buy an extra suitcase...


...she had to buy two :D
Now that is funny! -/ Was pondering this yesterday in a quiet moment at work and wondered what on earth she does with all those fluffies? Does she have a shipping container to house them in? The collection must be formidable by now. After my last trip, ( and I have to clarify that before my last trip, I was not a huge fluffie collector) I think I crossed the line from having a smattering of cute fluffies to them becoming a storage issue so any tips from Della would be appreciated. :D
I saw Maynard at the Expo a few time, that guy freaks me out so i avoid direct eye contact
:lol:
He sat behind me at the D23 Auction, so we had a good long chat. He was amazed at some of the prices people were paying for the goods!
I would love to have a chat to Maynard... his enthusiasm just has to be infectious , right? Must try and remember to find him next time.

Lisa. */
1999- Tokyo DL, 2008- DLR/Cal Adventure, 2012-DLR/Cal Adventure, 2013-Tokyo DLand/Sea, 2014-DLR/Cal Adventure, 2015- Paris DL, 2016 - WDW/Disneycruise , upcoming - May 2018 - HongKong DL

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Re: Disneyland and D23, September 2009

Postby sandie » Thu Oct 08, 2009 11:15 am

I really enjoyed spending time with Maynard in his natural environment at Disney but when he was here he was a bit creepy! I guess a lion is really interesting in the wild or even the zoo but I don't want to wake up with one on the other side of the bed!
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KeithS
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Re: Disneyland and D23, September 2009

Postby KeithS » Thu Oct 08, 2009 12:21 pm

Maynard is just an ordinary guy when you get him out of the Disney-mode. He is a showman on stage (and I guess we saw that when he visited us) but when you speak to him about normal subjects, he becomes just like you and me (well...almost like you and me :D)
Keith

Trip history:
DLR: 2005, 06, 09, 11, 12, 13, 15, 18
DLRP: 2006
HKDL: 2006 (Mar & Sept), 11 (Apr & Dec), 14, 19
SDR: 2017
TDR: 2008, 10, 17
WDW: 2006, 13 (Mar & Sept), 16, 19
DCL: 2013, 15 (Alaska & Hawaii), 18
Aulani: 2015

KeithS
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Re: Disneyland and D23, September 2009

Postby KeithS » Fri Oct 09, 2009 9:11 pm

Day 11 - DCA and Disneyland
Right, where was I? Oh yeah - we had arranged to meet Wayne and Jennifer outside DCA before opening this morning. After leaving the hotel, we headed over the road to the Esplanade - only to see and unusual site - there was an large set of construction walls set up in front of the DCA entrance. Wayne and Jennifer we walking around them, looking very bemused. We greeted each other and were talking about the walls, thinking they may be the first signs of construction for the new entryway - we've since learned it was just some pavement work and they were taken down after week left - oh well, not DUD scoop there!

Anyway, after checking out the wall, we decided to head over to the Grand Californian DCA park entrance - we thought that would get us closer to Toy Story Mania so we wouldn't have to wait so long. So we passed through the GC lobby and out towards the park gate. Once through, we got to the internal rope drop with about 15 minutes to wait. We were all pretty excited - ready to charge down to TSM to ride it for the first time. The rope went down and off we went. We get to Paradise Pier and...uh oh...cast members were at the ride - it was broken down and wouldn't be up for another hour...nuts :) And to make it worse - California Screamin' was also down! So much for our clever plan to ride those two rides early!

So we split up and Della and I headed over to Grizzly River Rapids. Now many of you would be aware that Della hates these types of rides, and I love them. You see - Della always gets drowned...and I don't. Della HATES getting wet - even on nice warm days like this one was. So, in anticipation, I took a "before the ride" photo of Della.

Image
See - she's looking pretty confident this trip - she is thinking she'll survive okay...you can't possibly drown EVERY time you ride this? Can you?

...Of course - this is Della we are talking about...and yes, she got drowned - and here is the result:

Image
As you can imagine - I got in trouble again for making her go on the ride. She has told me she'll never ride it ever again... :D (At least without a poncho!)

Anyway, after the drowning, a very grumpy Della and I headed back towards Paradise Pier - and Toy Story Mania was up! Even better, Wayne and Jennifer had just joined the back of the queue in front of us! We only waited about 15 minutes before we were laughing and pulling the string - throwing hoops, firing darts, and breaking plates. This ride is so cool - you have to try it! At the end of it, I think even Della had forgiven me for the Grizzly River drowning!

Earlier in the day, I had sent Gerard a text anticipating his arrival in LA, and around this time we got a message from him - he had just touched down and was taxiing towards the gate at LAX! The fifth member of DUD was on US soil!

Afterwards - we headed over to Tower of Terror, The Hollywood Backlot (Drawn to the Page show), Taste Pilots for lunch, and watched the High School Musical 3 show (surprisingly good - they were singing live, not mimed, and they sounded very good). After that, we did some more DCA rides and It's Tough to be a Bug (love hearing adults and kids scream in this one - especially first timers!) then it was time to head over the Disneyland for the remainder of the afternoon.

In Disneyland it was really quiet, so we ran around getting onto our favourite rides and having Dole Whip in the Hub. We also took the horse-drawn tram down Main Street to Town Square. While on the tram, I was speaking to a cast member and gave her one of our DUD cards - she wants to come and visit Australia, and she was a great Disney fan - I told her to look us up on the web (I hope she reads this!) Gerard also sent me a text asking where we were. I said we were in Town Square but about to head to Downtown Disney. He said he was outside the park heading to DTD as well. So we went out the gate and saw him standing outside waiting for us. I always find it really cool meeting friends in overseas locations - so it was great fun greeting Gerard and getting him up to speed on what was happening.

We all headed over to Downtown to do various shopping - we wanted to check out all the shops thoroughly, and Gerard was looking for soap before heading to the hotel for rest (that's what a long flight does to you...!) while I bought some books and Della did a big shop in World of Disney - our last major pre-Expo expenditure!

I think we finished the day eating at Dennys - but I'm not too sure, all these days begin to roll into one! That night however, the anticipation was growing - because the following day was EXPO DAY 1 :D
Keith

Trip history:
DLR: 2005, 06, 09, 11, 12, 13, 15, 18
DLRP: 2006
HKDL: 2006 (Mar & Sept), 11 (Apr & Dec), 14, 19
SDR: 2017
TDR: 2008, 10, 17
WDW: 2006, 13 (Mar & Sept), 16, 19
DCL: 2013, 15 (Alaska & Hawaii), 18
Aulani: 2015

churros
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Re: Disneyland and D23, September 2009

Postby churros » Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:24 am

A great day! Toy Story Midway Mania is such a fantastic attraction and would appeal to everyone - but it's tough on your arm!


kuchnie Czeladź

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