Eclectic Goddess
My Ears are a Pair of Devil Horns
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2011
Pre-Trip Report
Two days until we make our triumphant return to Disneyland! (The triumph? Making it a whole year since our last trip to Disneyland!)
A bit about us: Were both adult women without children. DF is a HUGE Disney fan, member of D23, annual pass holder, etc... Her boyfriend has a rule that he will only travel to DL for her every four years, so several years ago, she asked me to go along with her. Ive never been fan of all things Disney, but she talked me into it with Halloween decorations, Star Wars, and Gay Days. We have a friend who volunteers for the Gay Days organization, and she made it sound like great fun and very welcoming, even if we werent, strictly speaking, gay.
She was completely right. Its awesome. We love it. Weve been every year since. (Except that one fall when Harry Potter tempted us away to Universal Orlando instead, and we pined for Disneyland for the rest of the year.) Weve made customized t-shirts some years, the most famous of which reads, What happens in Anaheim on the front and Stays in Anaheim. on the back.
This year were flying into SNA on Thursday morning and back to Portland on Sunday evening. Well be using DK Livery again, and planning for a grocery stop to pick up juice, veggies, adult beverages, and other snacks. We always stay at the Grand Californian, making use of the Gay Days rate. I bought my 4 day park hopper through them as well.
We dont follow a touring plan, but we are planning a few things:
On Thursday, we have Carthay Circle reservations for a late lunch. Im keeping my fingers crossed, because Im mostly vegetarian, and Ive heard mixed reviews of the way they handle it. Well also be getting WOC passes for that night.
We were going to do the DCA Power Walk on Friday morning (and maybe Saturday) but learned that it only goes through DTD these days, and it starts at 7:30, which is a half hour after early entry. We agreed that we dont want to trade park time to walk through DTD. DF is training for the WDW Princess half marathon, so she really wanted to do it. Instead, shes going to spend some of our designated nap time on a treadmill at the gym.
We also decided not to do Mickeys Halloween Party this year, and we dont want to deal with the crowds at DCA, so well be taking it easy Friday evening. There is a Gay Days cocktail mixer, and later theres a special screening of the season premiere of RuPauls Drag Race, with some of the previous contestants present. (I love that show!) If there are still tickets and a time that works for us, we might also go to see Frankenweenie.
Saturday is mostly going to be spent doing Gay Days activities, taking time off for a late breakfast at Steakhouse 55. Later that night, we have reserved dessert seating for first showing of Fantasmic! Thats particularly exciting, because Ive never seen Fantasmic! (Yes, I know its amazing they still let me post here.) Well probably stay in our seats through the fireworks, then head off to Kingdom to dance the rest of the night away.
Sunday well have half a day in the parks. Officially, the Gay Days crowd is supposed to shift over to DCA, but the reality is that most people bounce back and forth both days, and we will too. Thats our last chance to visit our favorite rides and soak in some of the magic. We usually head back to the Grand Californian at least an hour early to retrieve our luggage and chill out in the lobby before heading back to the airport.
Trip details aside, what Im most excited about is that I secretly booked an in-room celebration to surprise DF! Shes a huge Nightmare Before Christmas fan, so I got the Jack Skellingtons Halloween Treat. It comes with a bunch of Haunted Mansion and NBC stuff, including a Jack plush, Halloween decorations, and lots and lots of candy. I actually customized it some, taking out most of the gummi candy (since I cant eat it anyway) and replacing it with Halloween popcorn. Theyre also adding a Scary Teddy plush, because counting the Scary Teddies in the NBC Haunted Mansion overlay has always been a tradition for us. (It actually took a couple phone calls to get that added, because the first time I asked, they said that they werent available in the park. Thankfully, I called back and they found them!)
DF knows nothing about it. Her birthday was two weeks ago, and I told her that she was getting her present at DL, but didnt give her any other hints. I am excessively excited about this! She keeps talking about Fantasmic! and Cars Land and some of the Gay Days events, and all I can think is, I cant wait until she sees our room!
Very, very excited!
Two days until we make our triumphant return to Disneyland! (The triumph? Making it a whole year since our last trip to Disneyland!)
A bit about us: Were both adult women without children. DF is a HUGE Disney fan, member of D23, annual pass holder, etc... Her boyfriend has a rule that he will only travel to DL for her every four years, so several years ago, she asked me to go along with her. Ive never been fan of all things Disney, but she talked me into it with Halloween decorations, Star Wars, and Gay Days. We have a friend who volunteers for the Gay Days organization, and she made it sound like great fun and very welcoming, even if we werent, strictly speaking, gay.
She was completely right. Its awesome. We love it. Weve been every year since. (Except that one fall when Harry Potter tempted us away to Universal Orlando instead, and we pined for Disneyland for the rest of the year.) Weve made customized t-shirts some years, the most famous of which reads, What happens in Anaheim on the front and Stays in Anaheim. on the back.
This year were flying into SNA on Thursday morning and back to Portland on Sunday evening. Well be using DK Livery again, and planning for a grocery stop to pick up juice, veggies, adult beverages, and other snacks. We always stay at the Grand Californian, making use of the Gay Days rate. I bought my 4 day park hopper through them as well.
We dont follow a touring plan, but we are planning a few things:
On Thursday, we have Carthay Circle reservations for a late lunch. Im keeping my fingers crossed, because Im mostly vegetarian, and Ive heard mixed reviews of the way they handle it. Well also be getting WOC passes for that night.
We were going to do the DCA Power Walk on Friday morning (and maybe Saturday) but learned that it only goes through DTD these days, and it starts at 7:30, which is a half hour after early entry. We agreed that we dont want to trade park time to walk through DTD. DF is training for the WDW Princess half marathon, so she really wanted to do it. Instead, shes going to spend some of our designated nap time on a treadmill at the gym.
We also decided not to do Mickeys Halloween Party this year, and we dont want to deal with the crowds at DCA, so well be taking it easy Friday evening. There is a Gay Days cocktail mixer, and later theres a special screening of the season premiere of RuPauls Drag Race, with some of the previous contestants present. (I love that show!) If there are still tickets and a time that works for us, we might also go to see Frankenweenie.
Saturday is mostly going to be spent doing Gay Days activities, taking time off for a late breakfast at Steakhouse 55. Later that night, we have reserved dessert seating for first showing of Fantasmic! Thats particularly exciting, because Ive never seen Fantasmic! (Yes, I know its amazing they still let me post here.) Well probably stay in our seats through the fireworks, then head off to Kingdom to dance the rest of the night away.
Sunday well have half a day in the parks. Officially, the Gay Days crowd is supposed to shift over to DCA, but the reality is that most people bounce back and forth both days, and we will too. Thats our last chance to visit our favorite rides and soak in some of the magic. We usually head back to the Grand Californian at least an hour early to retrieve our luggage and chill out in the lobby before heading back to the airport.
Trip details aside, what Im most excited about is that I secretly booked an in-room celebration to surprise DF! Shes a huge Nightmare Before Christmas fan, so I got the Jack Skellingtons Halloween Treat. It comes with a bunch of Haunted Mansion and NBC stuff, including a Jack plush, Halloween decorations, and lots and lots of candy. I actually customized it some, taking out most of the gummi candy (since I cant eat it anyway) and replacing it with Halloween popcorn. Theyre also adding a Scary Teddy plush, because counting the Scary Teddies in the NBC Haunted Mansion overlay has always been a tradition for us. (It actually took a couple phone calls to get that added, because the first time I asked, they said that they werent available in the park. Thankfully, I called back and they found them!)
DF knows nothing about it. Her birthday was two weeks ago, and I told her that she was getting her present at DL, but didnt give her any other hints. I am excessively excited about this! She keeps talking about Fantasmic! and Cars Land and some of the Gay Days events, and all I can think is, I cant wait until she sees our room!
Very, very excited!