Yay!
I zoomed over to DLR for the weekend for my birthday. Originally it looked like work was going to keep me home, but my higher-up gave me the day off on Friday for my actual B-day, so i picked up my other-half from the airport, plotted things online, and then ryushed back to the airport and off to San Diego. Gotta love free flight vouchers (and their odd choice of destinations) so I discovered San Diego is a lovely scenic drive about an hour and a half from DLR.
Brought my own GPS, so it was pretty quick and easy. Cali traffic is still horrible, but the GPS got my around most congestion. The way back to the airport, got a lovely scenic detour through Laguna Beach.
Anywho, called and got in last-minute at the Hojo though everyone said they were booked full online. Called the Hojo, got transfered to reservations, reservations said they were full, got transfered back to the Hojo, and they gave us a room which they had said they had - and obviously still did.
Ended up on the top floor of the tower building, with those lovely funky skylights. Short 7min walk to DLR - through this gate:
We got two-day park hoppers. Went to DCA first...
Very few photos of DL, because we spent mostly the evenings there. I had/have a nastey cold/flu and spent considerable time in bed at the hotel. Not all was lost, i did do some highlights and lingered in the parks - just didn't do it hardcore sun-up to sun-down.
I figured I might never see it again, so i got a photo of the hubcap.
It's really sad to see the light-reflectors all akimbo and the fountain itself turned off. Funny DCA note - my other half smelled the "burnt coffee" scent and went "What is that stench?" Here's hoping that goes with the hubcap..
Not all is grim in DCA, i actually liked some of the park music this time. I still think the Pier music is earbleeding and leads to brain cell loss, but the "Do you know the way to San Jose..." at the entryway was really fitting and nice.
Off to MGM.. er.. DHS
One of the problems with a last minute trip is not checking the refurb calendar and it's really suprising when things are closed..
Now I know how most tourists feel. Haunted Mansion was of course closed as well. I got luckey and did Small World Holiday. That was nice. I really liked the enhancements, but the ride itself definitely needs that upcoming refurb.
This brings me to a gripe of mine about DLR information guides. They don't list attraction closures or attraction operation times (nor the restaurants). Signs in the park saying "Fantasyland closes early" are NOT helpful unless they state a time. This is one area I feel DLR really needs to improve in. Since my trip was last minute, I had no idea what was going to be open or shuttered - and i bet that's how 90% of the tourists encounter it. WDW handles it much better with their times guides, and not just on some "WDW roxors" fanboy level, but really, they're much more functional and are even the same printed size - so there's no real excuse for DL's not offering the information.
That gripe aside..
Look! Tower!
Now, most of you know of my post about the Grizzly Rapids raft sitting half off the track and the ride being shut down the first night. I couldn't get photos then, because Disney was trying to scare people away, but i went back the next day and to my suprise the ride was open and running. So, here's a shot of the end with a raft right-about where the other jumped the track.
See the hide guide rails on either side of the straight-away at the end of the drop? Imagine that raft propped up on the rail on the right side about halfway out of the flume and with the water drained so it's sitting at about 45 degrees and you have the scene the night before.
I know it's pessimistic, but i wasn't getting on it after seeing that.
I tried to be all artsy scenic with Grizzly peak - didn't really work.
And I tried once more for good measure:
I then wandered over to the pier and caught-a-flave of that swirly soft serve stuff. Major gripe #2: carts don't take credit cards. I don't carry cash ever anymore, so it was really hard for me when i couldn't buy a bottle of water when i needed to take a pill. It took 30mins in line at a counter service during lunch peak to get a bottle of water
Poor planning on my part? Yup. But can it be offered by Disney? Yup. Nearly every cart or stand in WDW takes credit cards. Even the ballon vendors on Main Street and the Glow Carts at night. DLR needs to implement that system for guests (I noticed several enjoying photopass when i was there!)
Anywho, Catch-A-Flave led to me blindly taking shots of the Midway construction:
The sun was at that perfect blinding angle and i had a headache so i was literally pointing my camera and snapping shots - and the ice cream cone in my other hand probably didn't help. But hey, I at least tried to zoom!
I'm almost to the end of my photos, I know, nothing at DL itself. I didn't spend nearly as much time there as I had wanted because of my cold/flu - but i did ride Casey Jr! and a few other highlights.
General notes from DL: Things looked a bit mroe beat up then the past two trips.. are things starting to go downhill again since Ouimet left? It was a bit unsettling. No Gallery? Boo! The line for the Subs? Are you kidding me?
Yes, i didn't ride the subs. I saw them, i seriously considered it, I couldn't stomach the wait (if i was perfectly healthy it would have been a stretch). They load SOOOOO slowly! I watched from the monorail platform as they loaded and it took them forever to load - the subs which had left were already backed up into the exit cave before the next ones trying to load departed. It's taking way too long to load those things. I know it's hard, but jeeze...
I can't imagine it going that slowly when the ride originally opened. I mean, why have that many subs if they're going to be 3 backed-up into the caves before they dispatch?
Here's my photo from the monorail platform:
The monorail had left (I just missed it) and then went to DtD station and returned to pick me up in the amount of time it took that sub in the photo to load and then reach that point in the lagoon. It was the first one i could get a photo of.
Anywho, that's it for my itty-bitty short trip report. Overall i had fun, and it's now a running joke that i cant goto DLR and not be sick. Oh well, better luck next time.
Enjoy.
I zoomed over to DLR for the weekend for my birthday. Originally it looked like work was going to keep me home, but my higher-up gave me the day off on Friday for my actual B-day, so i picked up my other-half from the airport, plotted things online, and then ryushed back to the airport and off to San Diego. Gotta love free flight vouchers (and their odd choice of destinations) so I discovered San Diego is a lovely scenic drive about an hour and a half from DLR.
Brought my own GPS, so it was pretty quick and easy. Cali traffic is still horrible, but the GPS got my around most congestion. The way back to the airport, got a lovely scenic detour through Laguna Beach.
Anywho, called and got in last-minute at the Hojo though everyone said they were booked full online. Called the Hojo, got transfered to reservations, reservations said they were full, got transfered back to the Hojo, and they gave us a room which they had said they had - and obviously still did.
Ended up on the top floor of the tower building, with those lovely funky skylights. Short 7min walk to DLR - through this gate:
We got two-day park hoppers. Went to DCA first...
Very few photos of DL, because we spent mostly the evenings there. I had/have a nastey cold/flu and spent considerable time in bed at the hotel. Not all was lost, i did do some highlights and lingered in the parks - just didn't do it hardcore sun-up to sun-down.
I figured I might never see it again, so i got a photo of the hubcap.
It's really sad to see the light-reflectors all akimbo and the fountain itself turned off. Funny DCA note - my other half smelled the "burnt coffee" scent and went "What is that stench?" Here's hoping that goes with the hubcap..
Not all is grim in DCA, i actually liked some of the park music this time. I still think the Pier music is earbleeding and leads to brain cell loss, but the "Do you know the way to San Jose..." at the entryway was really fitting and nice.
Off to MGM.. er.. DHS
One of the problems with a last minute trip is not checking the refurb calendar and it's really suprising when things are closed..
Now I know how most tourists feel. Haunted Mansion was of course closed as well. I got luckey and did Small World Holiday. That was nice. I really liked the enhancements, but the ride itself definitely needs that upcoming refurb.
This brings me to a gripe of mine about DLR information guides. They don't list attraction closures or attraction operation times (nor the restaurants). Signs in the park saying "Fantasyland closes early" are NOT helpful unless they state a time. This is one area I feel DLR really needs to improve in. Since my trip was last minute, I had no idea what was going to be open or shuttered - and i bet that's how 90% of the tourists encounter it. WDW handles it much better with their times guides, and not just on some "WDW roxors" fanboy level, but really, they're much more functional and are even the same printed size - so there's no real excuse for DL's not offering the information.
That gripe aside..
Look! Tower!
Now, most of you know of my post about the Grizzly Rapids raft sitting half off the track and the ride being shut down the first night. I couldn't get photos then, because Disney was trying to scare people away, but i went back the next day and to my suprise the ride was open and running. So, here's a shot of the end with a raft right-about where the other jumped the track.
See the hide guide rails on either side of the straight-away at the end of the drop? Imagine that raft propped up on the rail on the right side about halfway out of the flume and with the water drained so it's sitting at about 45 degrees and you have the scene the night before.
I know it's pessimistic, but i wasn't getting on it after seeing that.
I tried to be all artsy scenic with Grizzly peak - didn't really work.
And I tried once more for good measure:
I then wandered over to the pier and caught-a-flave of that swirly soft serve stuff. Major gripe #2: carts don't take credit cards. I don't carry cash ever anymore, so it was really hard for me when i couldn't buy a bottle of water when i needed to take a pill. It took 30mins in line at a counter service during lunch peak to get a bottle of water
Poor planning on my part? Yup. But can it be offered by Disney? Yup. Nearly every cart or stand in WDW takes credit cards. Even the ballon vendors on Main Street and the Glow Carts at night. DLR needs to implement that system for guests (I noticed several enjoying photopass when i was there!)Anywho, Catch-A-Flave led to me blindly taking shots of the Midway construction:
The sun was at that perfect blinding angle and i had a headache so i was literally pointing my camera and snapping shots - and the ice cream cone in my other hand probably didn't help. But hey, I at least tried to zoom!
I'm almost to the end of my photos, I know, nothing at DL itself.
I didn't spend nearly as much time there as I had wanted because of my cold/flu - but i did ride Casey Jr! and a few other highlights.
General notes from DL: Things looked a bit mroe beat up then the past two trips.. are things starting to go downhill again since Ouimet left? It was a bit unsettling. No Gallery? Boo! The line for the Subs? Are you kidding me?
Yes, i didn't ride the subs. I saw them, i seriously considered it, I couldn't stomach the wait (if i was perfectly healthy it would have been a stretch). They load SOOOOO slowly! I watched from the monorail platform as they loaded and it took them forever to load - the subs which had left were already backed up into the exit cave before the next ones trying to load departed. It's taking way too long to load those things. I know it's hard, but jeeze...
I can't imagine it going that slowly when the ride originally opened. I mean, why have that many subs if they're going to be 3 backed-up into the caves before they dispatch?
Here's my photo from the monorail platform:
The monorail had left (I just missed it) and then went to DtD station and returned to pick me up in the amount of time it took that sub in the photo to load and then reach that point in the lagoon. It was the first one i could get a photo of.
Anywho, that's it for my itty-bitty short trip report. Overall i had fun, and it's now a running joke that i cant goto DLR and not be sick. Oh well, better luck next time.
Enjoy.
