Post -Trip Report. Photos on page 9 and 10 - 4/29/2010-05/02/2010

[zeitzeuge]

DAY 3
We were moving kind of slowly on Saturday morning. But we got up around 7am, ate some breakfast and decided on what to do that day. We had no plans. MK was only open until 7pm due to grad nights and we had already planned on going to MK from 8am to 1am on Sunday. We wanted to walk around EPCOT some more and ride Spaceship Earth again, so we hopped on the bus to EPCOT.

We spent about 3 hours, doing another walk through and taking more pictures. We did a little shopping as well. To be perfectly honest, EPCOT isn't our favorite park, with the exception of World Showcase, so we spent most of our time shopping in WS. We forget how long it takes and how big it is. By the time we got finished we were tired, but decided to plug away and head to DHS around noon. Even though DHS has many of the rides that DCA and some that are at DL, we decided to check it out and see what was different.

We rode ToT which was very different from the one in DL. We loved it. We went on Rockin' Rollercoaster. It's one of my favorites and Steven had never been. He loved it as well, but wished it wasn't so short. We followed that attraction with backstage tour, TSMM and the Great American Movie ride (?) TSMM is pretty much the same but with better theming in the queue. I find the movie ride to be quite humorous, but Steven wasn't amused. I think he might have fallen asleep.

By this time, we were completely tired, worn out and the heat was getting to us pretty bad. The park was so crowded you could barely move. They said that due to grad nights at MK, most spent the day at DHS instead that Saturday. Long lines for food and attractions, and was even going to take 6 hours to have our name put on a set of ears. Needless to say, it didn't take long to become quite irritated, so we found a nice little bar towards the back of the park with a very cute bartender who made us great, strong drinks. We had a few of those, followed by tons of water. We walked around one last time and and decided to leave around 6pm. We were done for the day. This is so strange for us since we're use to open to close.

We went back to PC to nap and freshen up before heading to BLT to go to Top of the Tower for a few cocktails. It was beautiful up there and the view of MK is wonderful. We got to see the um....boat, light show thing on the river? Not sure what it was, but it was humorous. I hear they're nothing but chainlink fences with christmas lights, which made us laugh.

 

[cmpdw4me]

If you click the link to my current pre-trip there is a link to last year's trip in the first post.

Thank you Ma'am!

 

[C&G'sMama]

Oh thank you and keep it coming. DP and I are having kind of a crazy day (I acutally took PTO today) so I've been sharing your report with her and we've been .


Is the picture of the pool from BLT, it's a beautiful pic.

 

[cmpdw4me]

LOVING your TR! The heat literally took the life out of us last trip too. It's the humidity! Glad you guys had a great time, I knew you would. Can't wait to hear how the meet & greet went.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Great pics!
DHS is not fun when it is crowded. There was one day last summer where it was just PACKED, and it was very unpleasant. That park doesn't absorb crowds very well.

 

[Gypsybear]

Great pics!
DHS is not fun when it is crowded. There was one day last summer where it was just PACKED, and it was very unpleasant. That park doesn't absorb crowds very well.

I'm just glad that he acknowledged that perhaps a little planning wouldn't hurt on his next trip to these "other parks"....

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I'm just glad that he acknowledged that perhaps a little planning wouldn't hurt on his next trip to these "other parks"....

Poor Mr. Z.
That's why I like LOOONNNG trips. If something is too crowded, we just leave. That one day at DHS last year was just a complete anomaly. I have no clue where all of those people came from. This year I expect DHS to be a zoo the whole time - people will be going to Star Wars weekends or avoiding Star Wars weekends during the week. Either way, it's going to be crowded.

 

[zeitzeuge]

I'm just glad that he acknowledged that perhaps a little planning wouldn't hurt on his next trip to these "other parks"....

Yes I hate to admit it because it goes against every fiber of my being, but when we come back in probably 2 years, we'll stay longer and have a different approach. I'll talk more about it in my post trip wrap up. There were things we learned, things we loved and things we weren't so crazy about. It's difficult when you're home park is somewhere else and you try to do the same thing at a new park. It just doesn't work.

 

[Crashdown]

Thanks Z! Great trip Report. Oh, the hectic leisure that is WDW. Sure it can wear you out but it is so worth it. Being from Texas I am surprised the weather got to you. Glad you had such a great time.

 

[zeitzeuge]

DAY 4

Today was the day that we had been waiting for. We're such HUGE Disneyland fans that our focus and goal was to experience Magic Kingdom together. The other parks were more "perks" to our trip than everything else.

To be perfectly honest, after the othe 3 parks, I think we might have spent one day doing AK and EPCOT and the other two days fully at MK. Hindsight is always better than foresight.

Being this was the 4thday and the 3rd day in a park, our poor feet and legs were killing us. We found the new Disney crocs that have these cute strips around the base, so we both purchased a pair around 7am and switched shoes before heading to the bus stop. Luckily, we got there pretty early because we didn't realize that MK is way longer of a drive than any of the other parks. Have I mentioned yet that we now officially hate busses? We love experiencing rope drop.

We made it just in time as the opening started. Rather than walking in and running straight to get a fast pass, then ride another normally busy attraction, we decided to relax, take our time and just do what we can, when we can. We went up to the train station to take some pics, then wandered around mainstreet for an hour or so, shopping and having some coffee. It's odd to look around and go, Where's the Emporium or Disneyana at? Where's the coffee shop? Where's this or that? We had to get acclimated.

MK wasn't that busy that morning for some reason, so we were able to really enjoy the morning until around noon. We wandered around the Hub having a Photopass taken every time we saw one. Which by the way, we rarely saw any Photopass people. We usually leave DL with about 80 pics and we were lucky to get out of 4 parks with only 40 pictures. It was strange.

On the left hand side going towards Tomorrowland, there's the photo op spot that had a photopass guy. We walked up and the first thing he asked was, "So how do you guys know each other?" I found this odd at first and didn't realize what he was doing at first. I asked him what he said, he repeated and I'm like, "Oh, well we're Partners". So he asked us to pose and "act like we loved one another" and get close, which we did. He then said, "OK, now for the kissing shot! So we kiss and he starts counting, 1, 2, 2 1/2, 2 3/4, 3!!". Trust me, it was the longest kiss ever. When we looked up there were a few people standing there and many walking by who were all smiling really big. That made us feel SO good, SO welcome and it absolutely made our day. It was a great way to start off.

The reason I mention how much this moment meant for the both of us, is that we wore Happy Anniversary buttons on Saturday. Most CM's would glance at the button, then just smile and then look away. Out of all the contact with CM's we only had a handful actually say Happy Anniversary. This irked us since on the bus we saw this older couple who commented on how they had every single CM they passed the entire day, wish them Happy Anniversary. He claimed it happened 50 times that day. We might of had it happen 5 times. It didn't ruin our day, but it did make us aware that I think Disney has some training to do with CM's regarding same sex couples wearing buttons. They all should be acknowledged. The CM's often just seemed uncomfortable or didn't know what to say.

Enough on that.

We started riding finally around noon and rode TTA (I so miss this from DL), Buzz Lightyear, the Train, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Railroad, Haunted Mansion, Hall of Presidents, Country Bear Jamboree, Jungle Cruise. Snow White, Philharmagic, POTC, Tiki Room (which is an abomination!) and IASW. We had all of this completed by 6pm! We were given fast passes by someone at one point, went and retrieved a 2nd set, then rode something else while we waited for those two FP times to show up. We rode HM, SM and BTR within 40 minutes. It was crazy.

We enjoyed the Celebrate Parade and loved seeing Miss Piggy and Kermit. It was like seeing Royalty. We loved the spot we got. I posted this on FB, but not one seemed to get my sense of humor. We found a spot in the shade on Main Street, behind two people who were on scooters. They couldn't stand, so we had perfect viewing! The family behind us was literally trying to physically move us to the side so they could get in front of us. They were an average of 5'2" tops. I couldn't believe they were physically trying to push us aside. So, I had to let them have it and they left.

We rode a few attractions again, before spending the rest of the time spending money before finding a perfect spot for SpectroMagic, which we absolutely LOVED! I like sparkly, glittery night time parades. Again, we grabbed a great spot with a bunch of people in front of us who sat the entire time. The odd thing? I'm not sure what country they were from, but any character that was evil or bad, they all booed and gave the thumbs down. Has anyone ever seen or heard this done?

After the parade, we wandered closer to the HUB to watch Wishes. Got a great spot in the middle of MS. I can't tell whether or not I like Remember from DL or Wishes from MK. I think I'm leaning towards Remember though. Loved the fireworks. Always our favorite part of the evening.

We spent the rest of the next two hours doing our final, slow walk around the park. We like to visit the shops one last time, buy our last minute items, soak up the atmosphere and kind of say good bye.

We ended up at the wishing well at Cinderella's castle and took pics of our hands/rings on the well and again, told each other how much we love each other and reaffirmed our commitment to one another. It's become a tradition for us when we go to DL, so we figured we would do it at MK.



Always the first pic we take when entering the park

Trying on hats for the day

One of my favorite buildings on MS

Perfect photo op

Loved our Photopass guy. I have to still get the photopass photos online and will post later.

Our new comfy shoes that saved our lives!

TTA is one of my favorite rides. So relaxing.

Another perfect photo op

Royalty!

The skipper took our picture when he caught us struggling to take it ourselves. Plus he made a big deal that we interrupted his flow.

Great way to cool off on this hot day

Loved the difference in the MK HM version. Although I'm use to seeing the entire building, not just a portion.

There's bloooooood on the saddle........

Twilight is my favorite time of day at any park

Odd to see this covered at MK, but it's quite beautiful

I have a thing for horsies.

I'll give a short wrap up of my overall feelings about the trip tonight.
Five more images on the next post. Just found out I can only have 25.

 

[zeitzeuge]

So peaceful on this side of the park late night.

My favorite color

I think our rings are getting a little beat up. Steven wants to upgrade already. LOL

Leaving.....always a sad time.

 

[OrlandoMike]

Odd to see this covered at MK, but it's quite beautiful

I have a thing for horsies.

I love the differences in the two parks. It really shocked me that the teacups were not covered at DL, what do they do when it rains? Did you look for Cindy's horse? Her's has a gold ribbon on it's tail.

The one big difference at DL that really shocked me was the windows on the monorail that actually open!

 

[zeitzeuge]

I love the differences in the two parks. It really shocked me that the teacups were not covered at DL, what do they do when it rains? Did you look for Cindy's horse? Her's has a gold ribbon on it's tail.

The one big difference at DL that really shocked me was the windows on the monorail that actually open!

Yeah thats what I liked to see were the differences:

1. POTC was much shorter and seem to just end very quickly.
2. HM you are in your doombuggie when you go past the paintings and the statues that watch you. At DL you walk past all that in the queue. The rest seemed the exact same.
3. Teacups are not covered and they just shut down when it rains.
4. Splash Mountain seemed to be a lot a alike, but longer.
5. The on the carousel at DL there's Walt's wifes horse which has one gold tooth, one dedicated to Julie Andrews and there's also one that's a donkey, not a horse. Not sure if Aurora has a horse at DL.
6. Hall of Presidents obviously has all of them and DL has a new revamped Lincoln only.
7. I kept looking for New Orleans Square and Critter Country.
8. Jungle Cruise seemed exactly the same with the exception of the tunnel.
9. Buzz was way different, with all different scenes.
10. Thunder Mountain seemed the same.
11. IASW seems to small and kind of tucked out of the way unlike DL's being this huge monstrosity.

There are other differences of course, but the ones we noticed.

 

[zeitzeuge]

Oh yeah and yes the DL windows on the monorail actually open because there's no air conditioning in them since it's not needed. But when it hits 80, you want those windows down to allow a breeze.

 

[rosiep]

Thank you! Thank you!! Your pictures are beautiful and have got me so excited for our upcoming trip. My daughter used to live in Los Angeles so I've been to DL a few times...I prefer WDW but I adored DL. Anyone who hasn't been to both and goes with an open mind is in for a treat don't you think?

 

[zeitzeuge]

Thank you! Thank you!! Your pictures are beautiful and have got me so excited for our upcoming trip. My daughter used to live in Los Angeles so I've been to DL a few times...I prefer WDW but I adored DL. Anyone who hasn't been to both and goes with an open mind is in for a treat don't you think?

Thank you honey!

I totally agree. For us, our home park is DL. We love it for various reasons and prefer it for various reasons as well. But, it doesn't mean that we can't go to WDW and try something different and enjoy it as also. Certain things we miss of course, but there were other things that were so different and made it a very unique and wonderful experience.

The problem is that many don't give each coast a chance and see what it has to offer. They're both totally different experiences. Like you said, you just have to go with an open mind.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I am glad you guys enjoyed it for the most part!

It's funny, I think everyone has a preference for one park or the other. I don't know if we will EVER go to DL, because we LOVE WDW. And given our tendency to stay for 2 weeks at a time, I think WDW is a better fit for us.

 

[zeitzeuge]

I am glad you guys enjoyed it for the most part!

It's funny, I think everyone has a preference for one park or the other. I don't know if we will EVER go to DL, because we LOVE WDW. And given our tendency to stay for 2 weeks at a time, I think WDW is a better fit for us.

We really did and I hope everyone can see that. Sure, there were things we were just "eh" about but others we loved. MK obviously we could have spent days there. EPCOT? We enjoyed very much. AK? It's a beautiful park, but that's about it. It was wonderful to walk around. DHS? Probably wouldn't ever go back. LOL

But you're right, if you're the type to go for 2 weeks, WDW is for you. But if ever in CA for whatever reason, you should try to experience DL some time.

 

[C&G'sMama]

But if ever in CA for whatever reason, you should try to experience DL some time.

I was in DL in 1973 when I was 9 and definitely want to go back and share it with DP and the kids. Our hope is some time in the next couple of years to drive cross country and DL will be a "must do" for us.

I guess we could fly, but that's not really our thing. And to Z we're not big on the buses either, another reason we like having our car.

 

[rosiep]

So the big question is: Do you have any desire to see Disneyland Paris, Tokyo or Hong Kong?

I'll admit I'm curious, but I don't think I'd ever go out of my way to plan a trip there. Except Paris, although I wouldn't need Disney as an excuse to visit there!