Coast-to-Coast Disney 2011 Trip Report: Mme. & M. Bricker's Zany Holiday

mickey2008.1 · May 27, 2011

how your new job lets you have so much vacation time is beyond me?:shrug: Trumps "you're fired!" would have been in place by now for my employees. Bring on the trip report.

Rose99 · May 28, 2011

I love reading your reports. Whats the lense you use for the "round" photo's?:shrug: I love those pictures...... the perspective is unique...

Mrs.PhD · May 28, 2011

We are planning our 1st trip to DL for this summer. We are WDW pros, but DL is all new. I love your trips reports. I can't wait for the rest! Love the pictures too. :sohappy:

WDWFigment · May 28, 2011

tehSAC said:
Indy native I see! Do you work downtown? I assume you do, based on the first photo.

Anyway, I look forward to reading your report.

Native? Oh **** no! I'm from Michigan. A beautiful state with wonderful natural resources, lavish lakes, wonderful wines, and magnificent microbrews.

I currently reside in Indiana, for reasons beyond me.

ILDisneyFan said:
EXCELLELNT trip report so far, can't wait for the rest! I'm getting anxious for my trip in September to WDW and reading trip reports helps me get through the day! I've been going to WDW since I was little, I have never been to Disneyland though so hopefully I can make it there one of these days! Oh and by the way I'm so glad you made it to Disneyland in time when all the ticket booths were closed I thought the McDonald's curse had gotten you! :ROFLOL:

We didn't have much interest in going to Disneyland until we were heading out there for a wedding and decided to make it a stop. Now, we can't get enough. It is a stark contrast to WDW, in both a good and bad way.

If you go to WDW primarily for attractions, you definitely need to visit DLR. If you go mainly for the "resort" experience, maybe a DLR visit is not a necessity.

DisneyRed95 said:
I'm excited to read your latest trip report! What could be better than a coast-to-coast Disney trip!? Yay!

(P.S. I completely agree with your Indiana comments! :ROFLOL: )

A continent-to-continent trip? OH, GREAT IDEA FOR NEXT YEAR!

There is currently a 4-day special for travel to Tokyo--$760 including airfare (including taxes and fees) and hotel. The hotel alone is $260/night rack. Airfare frequently runs $700-1000. The offer is only valid during June. I have two trials in June, otherwise we'd be all over it.

blackthidot said:
Dude I vanish when I want. Then you're all like...where did he go yo? Oh snap.

More like, then I'm all like, "Oh snap, he's FINALLY gone!!!!"

erstwo said:
Exciting!!!!

Now, here's hoping have no friends, no family, and no plans for this entire holiday weekend so you can finish this TR! :lol:

"Unfortunately," we're up in Chicago for the weekend. Somehow, no one else is awake yet (a bunch of bums). Since it appears I wake up 3 hours before everyone else, I might do some morning updates. I have work to do, too, though.

mickey2008.1 said:
how your new job lets you have so much vacation time is beyond me?:shrug: Trumps "you're fired!" would have been in place by now for my employees. Bring on the trip report.

Sarah's job is the real consideration, as I for the most part set my own schedule. There are very few times when I absolutely couldn't rearrange my schedule to travel (as long as I had a few months notice), which is really nice.

Rose99 said:
I love reading your reports. Whats the lense you use for the "round" photo's?:shrug: I love those pictures...... the perspective is unique...

That is the Rokinon 8mm fisheye lens. And what a lens it is!

Mrs.PhD said:
We are planning our 1st trip to DL for this summer. We are WDW pros, but DL is all new. I love your trips reports. I can't wait for the rest! Love the pictures too. :sohappy:

Obviously what you do is all up to you, but I might suggest loading the report so it doesn't display photos. Experiencing Disneyland with completely fresh eyes was one of the most exciting trips of my life. Luckily, the two best attractions (Nemo and Indy) are incredibly difficult to photograph, so those will be fresh experiences no matter how you slice it, but Disneyland is so easy to tour that it really doesn't take a ton of prep. Going into it blindly (although an upcoming post *may* seem to contradict this a bit) is not a setback.

blackthidot · May 28, 2011

WDWFigment said:
More like, then I'm all like, "Oh snap, he's FINALLY gone!!!!"

WDWFigment · May 28, 2011

That morning, I had woken up early, as I always do on the mornings of our trips, to find news that the day before, Disneyland had started construction of the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides viewing area. Even though we didn’t experience the Sailing Ship Columbia, Davey Crockett Canoes, or Mark Twain Riverboat on our previous visit, nor have we ever ridden the Liberty Belle at Walt Disney World, I was really upset by this news, which would put all of those attractions out of commission. Part of it was from a photos perspective, as I just didn’t want the mammoth seating area in any of my shots. Part of it was because I actually thought “this might be the trip” for those attractions. Of course, you always appreciate things more once they’re gone.

When we walked past the construction for the first time, I realized it would interfere substantially with photography, and also thought of a new problem it would pose: traffic flow. It wasn’t so bad at that point, since it was late at night, but it was pretty clear that it’d be worse during the day when crowds were at their peak.

We took advantage of the low crowds that evening and hit some other big attractions: Indiana Jones Adventure, Haunted Mansion, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, the Storybook Land Canal, and Space Mountain. We accomplished quite a lot in under 2 hours, I think!

While in the Haunted Mansion stretching room, I pointed out to Sarah that this room stretched more than its Florida counterpart. She looked at me with one of those, “well no ________, Sherlock” looks implying she had noticed that a while ago. For whatever reason, I had either missed this last time, or forgot about it. Although we do seem to have far too many, “wow I just noticed that for the first time,” there’s also a running joke between us that there are probably a couple things about which we say this every trip, and just forget that we noticed it--and said that same line--on the past trip. I think this probably falls into the “forgot I noticed it” category. It stinks that I am already becoming absent-minded, but I guess there is some upside: there are plenty of things I’ve experienced before that will suddenly become “new” again!

Mrs.PhD · May 28, 2011

WDWFigment said:
Native? Oh **** no! I'm from Michigan. A beautiful state with wonderful natural resources, lavish lakes, wonderful wines, and magnificent microbrews.

I currently reside in Indiana, for reasons beyond me.

Obviously what you do is all up to you, but I might suggest loading the report so it doesn't display photos. Experiencing Disneyland with completely fresh eyes was one of the most exciting trips of my life. Luckily, the two best attractions (Nemo and Indy) are incredibly difficult to photograph, so those will be fresh experiences no matter how you slice it, but Disneyland is so easy to tour that it really doesn't take a ton of prep. Going into it blindly (although an upcoming post *may* seem to contradict this a bit) is not a setback.

I often wonder why we live in MI, at least for about 7 months of the year. :veryconfu

Nope can't do that. The pictures are just too darn good. They insipre my husband and I. We got a Cannon Rebel last year and are still learning to use it. I love your trip reports too, it reminds me of when my husband and I 1st got married and would take our annual WDW trips. You know, before the kids.................. :lookaroun

sweetpee_1993 · May 28, 2011

I swear, who can take airport pictures that are interesting and enjoyable to look at to the point that one actually would like to see more??? Who else but YOU. Sheesh! That's just crazy to me. I really liked the airport shots.

Yay for getting to DL before closing! :sohappy: Can't wait for the rest of this report. Should be veeeery interesting and, I'm sure, loaded with mind-blowing pictures. :wave:

Sarabell · May 28, 2011

So happy to see you have a new trip to tell us about! even better, both DL and WDW!! seeing how much you and Sarah love Disney, it´s like reading the story of how you went back to your natural habitat (I know, it sounds totally National Geographic, but it´s true). I can´t wait for more posts and I know there´ll be plenty of awesome pics (meaning plenty of potential new wall papers for my laptop

)

catnrob · May 28, 2011

Mrs.PhD said:
I often wonder why we live in MI, at least for about 7 months of the year.

I'm originally from Royal Oak and have since migrated to the upper peninsula so we've got you beat with weather (cold and snow especially :xmas

but I would never give it up!

Loving the TR and looking forward to seeing more!!!

Mrs.PhD · May 28, 2011

catnrob said:
I'm originally from Royal Oak and have since migrated to the upper peninsula so we've got you beat with weather (cold and snow especially :xmas but I would never give it up!

Loving the TR and looking forward to seeing more!!!

That is true, the winters are a lot harder up there. The summer are so beautiful. We just need to escape to warm and sunny Florida every winter. I wish we could go a few times a winter like we did when the kids were younger, but it is too hard to take them out of school now.

mrerk · May 29, 2011

WDWFigment said:
"Unfortunately," we're up in Chicago for the weekend. Somehow, no one else is awake yet (a bunch of bums). Since it appears I wake up 3 hours before everyone else, I might do some morning updates. I have work to do, too, though.

Not a race fan I take it?

Disneygal1 · May 29, 2011

Your trip reports are always fantastic! I can't wait for some more photos!

I hope to at least make one trip to Disneyland. I want to compare and contrast.

WDWFigment · Jun 1, 2011

Mrs.PhD said:
I often wonder why we live in MI, at least for about 7 months of the year. :veryconfu

Nope can't do that. The pictures are just too darn good. They insipre my husband and I. We got a Cannon Rebel last year and are still learning to use it. I love your trip reports too, it reminds me of when my husband and I 1st got married and would take our annual WDW trips. You know, before the kids.................. :lookaroun

I take it you don't like the snow? I love it. About the only time of year I don't like in Michigan is late February to early April. It's dreary and wet, as the remnants of the snow remain before things start to bloom.

One of the reasons we're traveling so much now is to live it up as much as possible before kids. Obviously we'll be able to travel then, too, but the freedom doesn't seem like it's the same.

sweetpee_1993 said:
I swear, who can take airport pictures that are interesting and enjoyable to look at to the point that one actually would like to see more??? Who else but YOU. Sheesh! That's just crazy to me. I really liked the airport shots.

Yay for getting to DL before closing! :sohappy: Can't wait for the rest of this report. Should be veeeery interesting and, I'm sure, loaded with mind-blowing pictures. :wave:

Glad you liked the airport photos. I'm not sure that I'd take so many, in hindsight. There are some horror stories about photographers being stopped at the airport (much like there are horror stories with everything at the airport, I'm sure the stories are the exception rather than the rule, but still...)

Sarabell said:
So happy to see you have a new trip to tell us about! even better, both DL and WDW!! seeing how much you and Sarah love Disney, it´s like reading the story of how you went back to your natural habitat (I know, it sounds totally National Geographic, but it´s true). I can´t wait for more posts and I know there´ll be plenty of awesome pics (meaning plenty of potential new wall papers for my laptop )

Natural habitat. Ha, that's good. Hope you enjoy what's to come!

catnrob said:
I'm originally from Royal Oak and have since migrated to the upper peninsula so we've got you beat with weather (cold and snow especially :xmas but I would never give it up!

Loving the TR and looking forward to seeing more!!!

I think the UP is gorgeous, but I don't know if I could handle the remoteness (at least of some areas). It certainly is great to visit!

Mrs.PhD said:
That is true, the winters are a lot harder up there. The summer are so beautiful. We just need to escape to warm and sunny Florida every winter. I wish we could go a few times a winter like we did when the kids were younger, but it is too hard to take them out of school now.

Nothing beats visiting Mackinac Island in the summer. Crazy to think that it's so cold only a few months later!

mrerk said:
Not a race fan I take it?

Ha. "Not a race fan" is a huge understatement. Racing, of any sort, has never done it to me. I find it extremely boring, amongst other things. However, I could watch baseball all day, so who knows.

Disneygal1 said:
Your trip reports are always fantastic! I can't wait for some more photos!

I hope to at least make one trip to Disneyland. I want to compare and contrast.

Like I said above, and will probably say again, Disneyland is a must-visit for any WDW attractions' fan. Or any Disney history buff. The place is just so rich with detail, etc.

Okay - hopefully will get another update posted tomorrow. I'm busy catching up with things and we have a new counter-top being installed tomorrow (so getting an update posted may be a bit of an over-zealous goal). We'll see.

xdan0920 · Jun 1, 2011

Great TR as usual.

On another note, Great job with the blog.

disneygirl1 · Jun 1, 2011

Yay another Tom and Sarah TR! I love that you have a blog on wear Sarah shops for her dresses! :lol: I'm a HUGE fan on Rue La La too!

JohnnyDollaz89 · Jun 1, 2011

Loving the TR so far can not wait to read the rest of it

PolynesianPrincess · Jun 1, 2011

A double dose of Disney with this one! I love it!! :sohappy:

Mrs.PhD · Jun 1, 2011

WDWFigment said:
I take it you don't like the snow? I love it. About the only time of year I don't like in Michigan is late February to early April. It's dreary and wet, as the remnants of the snow remain before things start to bloom.

One of the reasons we're traveling so much now is to live it up as much as possible before kids. Obviously we'll be able to travel then, too, but the freedom doesn't seem like it's the same.

I think the UP is gorgeous, but I don't know if I could handle the remoteness (at least of some areas). It certainly is great to visit!

Nothing beats visiting Mackinac Island in the summer. Crazy to think that it's so cold only a few months later!

Not really a snow fan. I mean it is nice for a month at the most, but after that I am done! Then it stays for 3 or 4 more months. One of the reasons we visit WDW every year.

You are right about the travel freedom, I am so glad we had that time together before we had kids. I will admit that going with kids brings a whole new joy (and headache) to the trip. The headaches and planning are worth it to see them love the place as much as we do. Our oldest DD is a true Disney fan and trivia buff. She knows it all.

I agree about the UP, we like to go up there once a summer or so, normally with a Mac Island trip. Last year we stayed at Mission Point on the island. It was great. Don't think we are going this summer since we are taking the CAL trip.

popsicletrees · Jun 3, 2011

WDWFigment said:
One of the reasons we're traveling so much now is to live it up as much as possible before kids. Obviously we'll be able to travel then, too, but the freedom doesn't seem like it's the same.

I got married about a month before you. My husband and I are trying to do the same. He has only been to Disney once, so he doesn't understand my desire to go there every chance I get. He wants to do things like go to Europe and visit his family. psshh.

I'm looking forward to reading this report, of course. I loved the only trip that I've ever had to Disneyland. So you are going back this Christmas? I know you will, but you must do Haunted Mansion Holiday. I can't even sit through all of The Nightmare Before Christmas, but that is an amazing attraction.

Also, you should go on the Liberty Belle. I can't speak for any of the water craft at Disneyland, but the Liberty Belle offers some nice perspectives of BTMR.

Coast-to-Coast Disney 2011 Trip Report: Mme. & M. Bricker's Zany Holiday

mickey2008.1

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