Hi, K here. I am currently at the Nugget Hotel in Reno NV taking a break from losing my pennies while J plays poker. I am watching the Rose bowl. I have $20 on Michigan State. Let me try to recollect the last few days,
On Sunday evening after changing clothes and having a long nap, we got food into ourselves somehow and went back to DCA. J stayed to watch the end of a football game while the rest of the crew enjoyed Soarin' again. Then we trooped over to explore more of DCA. We ended up in Bug Land riding lots of little fun rides and seeing "It's Tough to Be a Bug". Jeff had caught the end of the water show and insisted that it was well worth standing up for. So we found a viewpoint and he was right! In typical Disney fashion, it wasn't just a "water show". It involved the whole pier area with all the rides and lighting color coordinated to the stories and music. Fred got some pics that approximate how amazing it is. Then we all took one last ride on the tower of Terror.
After that, we went back toward Disneyland. It was about 10:30 and Emily and Jeff decided they'd had enough and went back to the Tropicana for R and R. Fred, Ruben and I soldiered on! We went into Disneyland determined to close the place down. Our first task was to get from the gates to New Orleans square.....a daunting task considering the record crowds. The choice was to take the train or walk. We decided to hoof it and single file, snaked through the crowd. We found that at 11 pm there were decidedly less people. We were able to walk on to Pirates of the Caribbean and enjoyed the quiet and dark while singing along. We got out just as Fantasmic started. We looked around and saw that a Hispanic woman with a huge stroller was just leaving a prime viewing spot on the bridge and we snagged it. It had the perfect view and we could lean on the railing to take the pressure off our tired feet. Fantasmic didn't disappoint and was well worth the effort. It ended at 11:50. We had to run to make it to Splash Mt. for the last ride. We caught the last log and ended the evening with a lot of singing and splashing. We were among the last hearty souls to leave.
The next morning I surely paid the price for my late night. J and I slept in while Fred, Ru and Em did more touring early Monday morning. Em has detailed those adventures in the previous post. Jeff and I took our time getting going and met them at IHOP for sustenance. We took a long break by the pool soaking up a much sun as we could.
Jeff would not be denied the opportunity to watch his Ducks compete in the Alamo Bowl. I remembered the ESPN Zone in Downtown Disney and we collected other fans as we walked over there. ESPN Zone has to be one of the most chaotic, annoying, noisy and horrible places to watch a game ever. They charged us $10 per person per hour to occupy a booth. You could hardly hear the game and the food was pretty awful.....it gave Jeff a tummy ache. The beer was $7.50 plus tax a glass. Ugh! When the Ducks got ahead by enough for Jeff to feel comfortable we got out of there and met the troops and Emily has pretty much told the story of our last night. I personally especially enjoyed my last ride on California Screamin' That roller coaster was made with older folks in mind. It is so smoooooth!
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| Bumper bugs |
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| Can you pick us out of the crowd? |
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| Closing down Splash |
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| Getting pretty tired |
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| Jeff cheers his Ducks |
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| Last Ride on Screamin' |
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| Hubcap tree in cars land |
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| Whirling ladybug |
Disney Reflections:
Kathy: I would rate this trip to Disneyland a 7.
Positives: I loved being with my family at Disneyland. Even though we ended up traveling separately, we stayed in touch, lived next door to each other, toured together and had a lot of fun. I am definitely a proponent of Disney magic. I love the cleanliness, beauty, awe factor and organization of the place. I love the appeal to all of my senses. The gorgeous flowers and colors, the smells of churros and cotton candy and fireworks, the feeling of being thrown around and out of control, the challenge of organizing and accomplishing the trip. Very satisfying. It was fun to see DLand through the eyes of Jeff and Fred, who hadn't been there in years. And of course, seeing it all through Ruben's eyes was wonderful. Another positive is the SoCal sun!! So wonderful to be warm, to sunbathe, to swim, to walk around in t-shirts, to see roses and flowers in December. And I really get a kick out of people-watching. And there were lots of people to watch.
Negatives: It was very exhausting. I realized, with some trauma, that I was not that woman I used to be, even two years ago. I really tried to prepare carefully, and I was still pooped and hurting after the first two days. Admittedly, Disneyland is not for the faint of heart and is physically challenging. But age is taking it's toll. Also, there were just too many people. I have never been there when I got claustrophobic because of the crush of people, but that was how I felt on Friday night. We were able to mostly avoid the biggest crowds after that, but it was a crush of humanity.
Jeff here with some closing thoughts. I have to agree with Kat about Disney magic. Their attention to detail is mind blowing. The moss, dust, mold, light fixtures, rotting beams - everything to create and enhance the experience. Their use of cutting edge technology to involve all of your senses - smell, taste, touch, hearing - it is all there in spades. Nothing and I mean nothing was done half way or in a slipshod fashion.
I felt safe walking through massive crowds as security is everywhere, nothing obvious but if anyone tried anything, they would be gone. Along with security, alcohol can only be found in a few choice spots and with the cost of a brew, there was no issue with drunken folks.
It was also nice to hang out with Emily, Fred and Ruben - to share in the laughter as well as the spectacular eye candy.
I also have a deep respect for the knowledge Kathy brings to the party. We used, "The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland" whose guidance saved us untold hours of waiting in line. It is a veritable soup to nuts guide which I would highly recommend to anyone planning a trip. Just be smarter then me and read it 6 weeks before you leave - preparation is everything!!!!!
The negatives - Disney has got you when you are in the park and they will make you pay for the privilege. Everything is about two to four times what it is worth. If you go, bring a fat wallet and leave your sense of value at home. Just relax and allow the Disney Magic to make it all worth the price of admission.
Finally, I had concerns as to me being the weakest link - it is physically taxing is an understatement. I felt pretty good about how I did but Kat and I were both down to our last straw after four days of sensory overload. Next time, I promise to train harder and maybe cut it down to a three day trip.
P.S. A great idea by Kat to take Rt. 395 up to Reno from L.A. Beautiful scenery and nice to relax and catch our breath.
