Lisa's Mega Colossal, SupercaliforniafragilistikexpialaTrip Report! 10/26-31

[mikeland]

Re: Lisa's Mega Colossal, SupercaliforniafragilistikexpialaTrip Report! 10/26-31

Looks like you all had a great time. Thanks so much for the report.

Maybe next time, you can visit Walt Disney World in Florida ... it's much larger than Disneyland!

[mouseinphilly]

Re: Lisa's Mega Colossal, SupercaliforniafragilistikexpialaTrip Report! 10/26-31

This deserves a "BRAVO!" call.

[Mac Daddy]

Re: Lisa's Mega Colossal, SupercaliforniafragilistikexpialaTrip Report! 10/26-31

Thanks for your super, mega colossal trip report!

[HDAlien]

Re: Lisa's Mega Colossal, SupercaliforniafragilistikexpialaTrip Report! 10/26-31

Looking forward to more!

[kelly]

Re: Lisa's Mega Colossal, SupercaliforniafragilistikexpialaTrip Report! 10/26-31

Love it.. awesome

[Laughin'Place]

Re: Lisa's Mega Colossal, SupercaliforniafragilistikexpialaTrip Report! 10/26-31

Great trip report!!!


By the way, isn't there a special line-jumping pass you can get at City Hall when you're traveling with an autistic child? I'm pretty sure some friends of ours got one and they were able to walk on all the rides. They didn't have to wait in line at all. Sorry, I know it's off topic.

[lil lisa]

Re: Lisa's Mega Colossal, SupercaliforniafragilistikexpialaTrip Report! 10/26-31

Roo, the Italian place was called Valentinos. My hubby and I met there when we were teenagers, so it's got a special place in the heart for my family.

mikeland, DisneyWorld is next on the list. One of my best friends just bought a beach front condo about 30 minutes from Disney. She's invited us to stay with her when we can work it out. Gotta wait for some cheap airfare first though!

Laughin'Place, I've heard we could have done something like that, but we chose not to. Joey is very high functioning and we figured if we paid attention to the wait times, and used Ride Max, he'd be just fine. But like I said, the park wasn't busy and we rarely had to wait. To get a special pass would have made me feel like I was taking advantage. If he were lower functioning, I would have no problem doing something like that. Thanks for mentioning it though- because someone else might read this who needs to know about the option.

Thanks everyone for the positive comments! I'm off to work on part 2!

[lil lisa]

Pt 2 of Lisa's Mega Colossal, SupercaliforniafragilistikexpialaTrip Report! 10/26-31

There's nothing like coffee and a little Tae Bo to get your morning juices flowing!


Breakfast at the Hampton Inn was great. We stuffed our faces and then only needed one meal at Disneyland- and a few tasty snacks of course!


There were all the breakfast goodies you could want.


Including some hot items.


They also have coffee and hot chocolate 24/7


I can't say enough nice things about the hotel. Our stay there was wonderful.


Did I mention that Joey loved the water feature?


The escalator meant we were almost there!


It's always good to remember where you parked!


I have a whole new love for Mickey Mouse. I got a kick out of the little scenes we saw on our tram ride.

[samsma]

Re: Lisa's Mega Colossal, SupercaliforniafragilistikexpialaTrip Report! 10/26-31

woo hoo! More is on its way!

[DisneyIPresume]

Re: Pt 2 of Lisa's Mega Colossal, SupercaliforniafragilistikexpialaTrip Report! 10/26

I can't say enough nice things about the hotel. Our stay there was wonderful.

Knott's Berry Farm Syrup -- cool! Did you try their boysenberry jam? The BEST!

Did I mention that Joey loved the water feature?

I am glad he didn't find the similar water feature in Innoventions. I did that one time in there and the CM for some weird reason wasn't too happy about it...

[ksejr1]

Re: Pt 2 of Lisa's Mega Colossal, SupercaliforniafragilistikexpialaTrip Report! 10/26

love your pics so far, cant wait for more!

[raevnzno]

Re: Lisa's Mega Colossal, SupercaliforniafragilistikexpialaTrip Report! 10/26-31

Great report. New eyes always add such a sparkle to something you already love.
'Toadly' awsome pics, and you have a beautiful family.

[kelly]

Re: Lisa's Mega Colossal, SupercaliforniafragilistikexpialaTrip Report! 10/26-31

Roo, the Italian place was called Valentinos. My hubby and I met there when we were teenagers, so it's got a special place in the heart for my family.

mikeland, DisneyWorld is next on the list. One of my best friends just bought a beach front condo about 30 minutes from Disney. She's invited us to stay with her when we can work it out. Gotta wait for some cheap airfare first though!

Laughin'Place, I've heard we could have done something like that, but we chose not to. Joey is very high functioning and we figured if we paid attention to the wait times, and used Ride Max, he'd be just fine. But like I said, the park wasn't busy and we rarely had to wait. To get a special pass would have made me feel like I was taking advantage. If he were lower functioning, I would have no problem doing something like that. Thanks for mentioning it though- because someone else might read this who needs to know about the option.

Thanks everyone for the positive comments! I'm off to work on part 2!

i can hardley wait

and I agree with others. you have such a wonderful family

[lil lisa]

Re: Pt 2 of Lisa's Mega Colossal, SupercaliforniafragilistikexpialaTrip Report! 10/26

We're getting closer!


Boo!


I loved the tram ride. It was as fun as anything else- watching the people, admiring the little kids in their fun costumes, anticipating the park- or bed- depending on the time of day.


The tunnel made it official. The tunnel to joy.


Our first views of Disneyland were by night. So seeing it by day was like seeing it brand new.


We were prepared for a long day at the park, so our first stop was at the lockers to stash sweatshirts and other miscellaneous. A large locker rents for $10 a day- payable by credit card or cash.


After our long busy day the day before, we allowed ourselves to sleep in late, knowing we'd be at the park late again on Sunday. This was the time we got to the park. I love that clock!


The park seemed less crowded than the night before, and once again, the lines were short.


We had to take a family picture in front of the Mickey/Bolt statue! (See previous TR for "Bolt" explanation) This photopass photographer was so jolly and kind, that we had to take one with him too!


Behold, what do my eyes see? Mice Chatters? Alas, Mickey, it IS the Mice Chatters!


We didn't stay for more than a few minutes. The kids were eager to explore and Joey was already begging for snacks. I was torn between staying and going, but decided not to subject the Mice Chatters to Joey when he's in a contrary mood. I figured it was best to get the boy his ice cream bar and distract him with some rides. Before we left though, the kids were given some yummy chocolates to enjoy!


More to come!

[Kritter]

Re: Pt 2 of Lisa's Mega Colossal, SupercaliforniafragilistikexpialaTrip Report! 10/26

yaaaaaaay! You're trip report is amazing!

I'm glad you guys had a great time!

[DisneyIPresume]

Re: Pt 2 of Lisa's Mega Colossal, SupercaliforniafragilistikexpialaTrip Report! 10/26

You guys should have stayed a little while longer at the hub, then I would have gotten to meet you!!!

[dland_lover]

Re: Pt 2 of Lisa's Mega Colossal, SupercaliforniafragilistikexpialaTrip Report! 10/26

More! More! More!

[lil lisa]

Re: Pt 2 of Lisa's Mega Colossal, SupercaliforniafragilistikexpialaTrip Report! 10/26

Ice Cream anyone? My boys made the most of the fun snacks at Disneyland.


Ok, I gotta admit. I too enjoyed a wee snack or two- especially if it came in a Mouse shape.


Fun sign! We had fun shooting at the targets too. You can call us the tenderfoot variety.


We loved watching the water creatures.


Our Sunday strategy (yes, we really had one) was to hit one ride request for each of us- to make sure we all got in our favorites. The list included Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, Haunted Mansion, the teacups (again) and Star Tours. The plan was to do them all early in the day, before the crowds got bad. We started with Pirates. We got a chuckle out of the pirate characters at the gate. One of our pirates was not very piratey. In fact, he was quite... as unpiratey as you can get. We liked the wait time though!


It seemed like there were a lot of people in line, but the line moved quickly and it was indeed only a 10 minute-ish wait.


I remember Pirates from my childhood visit, but the only part of the ride that stuck in my memory was the beginning- where you're floating in the water by the dining guests. Tom is not having a seizure in this picture. He's doing Pirate impressions and trying to distract Joey from his bad mood.


Pirates was a lot of fun. We really thought Joey would like it, but he really did not enjoy any of the dark rides at all. The rest of us loved Pirates though and thought the new additions to the ride were cool. Kaylie was fascinated by the pirate on the foggy "waterfall" and reached out to touch it. We quickly determined Pirates was on the repeat list- though we knew Joey wouldn't ride again.

Next on the list was Haunted Mansion- another ride from my childhood visit. I had vivid recollections of looking down on the ballroom scene and wishing the seat would remain still long enough for me to really take it in. I also remember the ghost sitting in the seat with us and thinking that was the coolest thing ever! I was curious as to the Halloween themeing. Kaylie is a big fan of the Nightmare Before Christmas so that was the ride she was most excited to see.

The stated wait time was 20 minutes. It seemed like a lot of people in line, but figured it was like the Pirates line and would move quickly.


Our 20 minute wait for HM turned into a 60+ minute wait. It was quite warm in the early afternoon sun surrounded by lots of people and no place to sit. We assume the ride must have broken down, though we never heard for certain. What we did know was that we were hot and Joey was crabby and we were too far in the line to work our way out of it. Joey refused to go on the ride and I wasn't about to force him. When we finally got to the front, we spoke to the Cast Member and asked if we could trade off. Tom and Trev went first and the waiting continued. Finally they came out and Kaylie and I went on. Haunted Mansion was disappointing. On the way home we determined it was the most disappointing ride we had on the trip. We did concede our opinion was possibly skewed due to our long wait. I personally didn't care for the Nightmare Before Christmas themeing inside. I've never seen the movie, so it didn't do anything for me. The ballroom scene looked strange compared to my childhood rememberance. The Christmas tree was out of place and the ghost couples were dancing right through it and it was weird. And instead of the ghost in our buggy at the end, it was a load of presents that seemed kinda fake. But like the Matterhorn ride the night before, our opinion might have been different had we not been tired and stressed after an hour and a half of listening to Joey complain.


By the time we finished with Haunted Mansion, it was time to find a spot for the parade. I was the only one excited about it- at first. But like all of the shows we saw, it was beyond words and immensely enjoyable.

Yep- there's more!

[kelly]

Re: Pt 2 of Lisa's Mega Colossal, SupercaliforniafragilistikexpialaTrip Report! 10/26

LOVE IT:yea:

[lil lisa]

Re: Pt 2 of Lisa's Mega Colossal, SupercaliforniafragilistikexpialaTrip Report! 10/26

Parade time!

We found great spots and quickly grabbed them. We had a few minutes to wait before the start, but I loved looking at the adorable little girls in their princess dresses, dancing around as they waited. I miss having a little princess around. My little princess has turned into a big drama queen, ha ha! Get it?! Little Princess- BIG DRAMA QUEEN! I crack myself up...

Kaylie took her friends on vacation too- via the cell phone. I should have tossed it into the water during the pirates ride.


We had a fun pre-show thanks to Eyeore! He crawled under the ropes and had us scratching our heads as he dragged a garbage can into the road. Then he impressed us by drumming out an awesome and entertaining beat! I was mad because I went to videotape him, but didn't get my camera going in time. By the time I started filming he was finishing (I caught maybe two drum beats, ha ha) and then he dragged the can back. He waved at everyone and gave out a few hugs before he left. My love for Eyeore has grown!


Time for the parade! Did somebody wish for a fairy godmother? Or several?


Those fairies can dance!


Tinkerbelle was soooo cute- and not at all ornery like on TV!


She made those little girl's day! She gave them a lot of her attention and for a goodly amount of time too.


Here is where I admit that I've become a sap in my old age. I got really teary eyed during the parade. I've sang and danced and performed since childhood and now, as an adult, I direct and choreograph the plays and musicals for our local high school. I have a full appreciation for the performing arts. But my tears were really sentimental and silly. I sat there, surrounded by Disney magic and it hit me hard that my dream of taking my children to Disneyland had come true. I hoped their memories would be as special and long lasting as I knew my own would be.


We really did have ideal viewing of the parade. We were able to sit down, and because of where we were, the floats and performers were just inches away from us. Because of where we sat, there weren't people on the other side, so all of their attention was focused on us. Joey got lots of attention from the performers and characters- heck, we all got it in abundance. It was awesome!


It was fun!


Incredible!


Do you want to see more? I hope so. More parade pics, coming right up!