Trip Report Let’s Hit It Outta The Park!!!

It’s been about 3.5 years since my last Disney trip report and I’m really rusty. While not truly live, I want to try and do sort of a day by day as we go. Of course, I’m already behind as today is day 3!

So, where are we? At a Holiday Inn about .5 miles from here…
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This isn’t exactly a Disney trip. In fact, it’s going to be nearly a week and a half until we set foot in a Disney park. Sam…the kid who had just turned 2 in my very first trip report, is now almost 16 and playing travel softball. We’re in town for PGF nationals to cap off our summer season. Between our crazy summer tournament schedule, college stuff for Kendall, and recent hurricane related lodging, I feel like we’ve been living in hotels for nearly 2 months. Most of the team opted for beach adjacent/front rentals when we bought out of the stay to play requirement, but Disneyland was our priority. Imagine that!?!

Speaking of Kendall…she stayed home to organize things for dorm move in next month and give the dog a break from boarding after her storm experience. So, this is how she’s getting to experience much of this trip…

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(Yeah, that’s me up there too)
It’s too bad because the fun stuff planned towards the end was supposed to be for her. I was going to head to Yosemite, but she insisted on Disney. She gave me this whole heartfelt speech about it being her childhood. Kids!

So, we decided to drive to California. It’s been drama trying to get my vehicle back for this (damaged in the May derecho that went through Houston) and it’s probably going to have to go back in. We were hoping we’d have it before Sam’s two tournaments in Colorado, but they ordered some incorrect parts. Oh well…I have it now even though it’s still got issues. We set out around 4:45am CT on the 17th with a goal of Tucson by dinner time. I was driving, so not much in the way of photos aside from this Texas Spiny Lizard at a gas station west of San Antonio.

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The most surprising drama of the day was just west of El Paso. All traffic was being individually inspected by Border Patrol. So that was fun. We also had to keep an eye out for dust storms and dodge the dust devils in NM and AZ.

We got to Tucson around dinner. We checked into the hotel, but I was so road weary that we just opted for a nearby Denny’s and hoped the severe storm over the mountains didn’t hit us.

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Thankfully, the storm lost its steam and we were all able to get some sleep. Well, sort of. I was up around 4:30am, which is probably good because I noticed an alert for one of Kendall’s prime day packages being delivered and saw this on the local Houston radar.

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I have some serious PTSD from the derecho and Hurricane Beryl, so I woke Kendall up and had her move to a safer spot downstairs. Oh, and said a few prayers for the power to stay on. Thankfully all was good, but she’s going to Oklahoma, so I need her to be more weather aware.

I used sunrise to try and keep myself from freaking out.

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It’s a really boring video, but I got tired of peaking, so I just put my phone in the window.

 

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So, now it was LL time. While we were on the train, we looked at the options. The return time on things like Indy was just already crazy. So, we tried to target things that we like that had reasonable return times that could have lengthy waits. So we headed to...

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(here's where you really miss the big castle)

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...Big Thunder.

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There's the moon again!

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I can also share that you probably don't ever want to be in a queue with me for this one, because I will repeat this nearly every single time I hear it.



I actually took a few pics on the ride this time.

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As well as some video in the dynamite section.



I have to be honest, while I think the phone is easier than lugging around a camera and lenses, I'm always so nervous I'm going to drop it. Not that it would be good to drop the camera and lenses, but it's far less likely. Not to mention, if the camera falls off the ride, it's not going to prevent me from booking LLs, calling home, checking emails, etc.
 

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
That was definitely thinking of another p-word based on where his paw was LOL

I didn't even notice! What's funny...this is one of five and this is the least questionable in terms of paw placement! There definitely wasn't any contact because I would have noticed that, but this reminds me of 2-4 year-old Sam. We have a good 5-6 character meet and greet photos where there was some completely innocent but questionable hand placement. Of course, she was in preschool and Tigger is clearly a full-grown person.
 

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I booked a LL for PotC after scanning our bands for Big Thunder. On our way…we saw a character we’d never seen in person before…

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I have to say that I love how Disneyland has so many characters that come out on their own without formal M&G settings and handlers. On the other hand, Miguel might not have loved it. David saw him, got all excited and yelled COCO!!!! And then ran over for a picture.

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David was there before the little girl, so he had first dibs on a pic! I didn’t notice until after Sam said something and I reviewed my pictures, but it looks like the CM playing Miguel is probably a girl. Which is fine…but the more hourglass shape stood out in the costume.

Back to heading towards Pirates…


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And we’ve arrived.

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We had a bit of a meltdown before heading in. We wanted to stick to quick service today and wanted to put in a lunch order. The problem…everyone is so freaking indecisive! We pored over several different menus and nobody would make a decision. When I finally corralled everyone into a decision, the app gave me payment error after payment error. I was so frustrated and started looking for TS ADRs, but David wasn’t losing it like me and suggested we try again after the ride.

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It felt like a million years since we had eaten there, but it was only 2 days. I guess that’s how Disney time and memories sometimes works.

More on the ride…

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HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
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We had a little delay getting off the boat. A guy was experiencing a medical issue right at the exit and medical personnel was attending to him. They were eventually able to shift him to allow for an exit path. He looked overheated, so hopefully he was ok.

At various points in the ride I was able to get a signal but I still kept getting errors. Of course, after the ride, there was a change of heart on where and what. We ended up shifting from Bengal BBQ to Jolly Holiday Bakery. The payment issues persisted but I ended up figuring out that my Disney rewards card kept messing things up. Problem solved.

We had some time before lunch and there was absolutely no line, so we hopped on a cruise…

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HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Of course, our cruise wouldn’t be complete without this…

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As we were exiting our cruise, we also heard something…or someone. More on this in a bit.

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We still has some time until our order would be ready and I wasn’t ready to walk or stand in the sun…so I went to deal with some unfinished business.

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There was a shockingly large crowd, but I got a good spot among the birdies and got what I wanted the other day.



I bolted after the first song.

On my way out, I heard the talking again…


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This day was officially my first time seeing (and hearing) Rosita!!!

Ok, time to head to lunch!
 

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We normally do a lot of TS, so mobile ordering is still a bit fuzzy for me. In hindsight, while we did some pre trip research on good options, I think we should have done more as well as to where we could just walk up and skip the app.

It took a bit of work to find a table and then a secondary effort to find one that wasn’t in the sun. There’s a porch area with a full overhang that’s better for this than the umbrella tables.

As you might imagine, Jolly Holiday is Mary Poppins themed. Sam came to this revelation once we were inside.

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While we waited for our order, I also checked out the baked goods… hoping I’d made good choices for dessert.

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We were all on the same page and got the birria grilled cheese.

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They were really good! No complaints whatsoever. I just wish there were more options. That’s been my issue with Disney and quick service as a whole. The menus are limited (not that TS is much better), and while embracing the spontaneity of quick service was good, we found ourselves wanting to eat in three different places. While no unique ordering for us here, this was the one place that had something that all three of us would be on board eating…even if it wasn’t a first choice for all.

Oh well, it was still a great view and setting.

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You might also notice some goodies on the table.

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The raspberry Mickey macaron was messy but really good. The popular Matterhorn macaroon was ok. I was surprised by the density. The taste wasn’t as coconutty as I was expecting and I think it could benefit from a thin dark chocolate base.
 

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We had a LL booked for after lunch. We ran into some characters that reminded us of another ride goal for the day.

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We had a mountain to conquer first.

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We passed another character along the way that would be a little foreshadowing for our issues to come.

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When we got to the Matterhorn, they put us on the right. The other day, we’d ridden left. From what I’ve read and our experiences… left is more intense while right is a little longer. All I know is that I mentioned something that it’s probably going to hurt and the CM jokingly agreed. I waved to all of the Harolds before taking off…

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After the Matterhorn, I put my foot down for about the fifth time for no tea cups.

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Alice, on the other hand, is a definite yes.

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Not much to this queue and you’re in and out of the sun, but the area has a fun vibe…

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The birds also seem to really like the queue decor. I’m sure they clean it, but it’s everywhere.

Wait was something like 20-25 minutes. Time to ride…

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HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
By the way...while I may post a little bit more later on today...I'm probably going to take a break. Kendall is moving into college on Tuesday and it's all on me since...
1. Sam has school and someone needs to be here to get her to and from school. So no Sam and David to help.
2. K broke up with her boyfriend. This wasn't in the plans. In fact, he was supposed to drive up in his vehicle and help bring some of her stuff. So, now we have to see how much will fit in my SUV.

We have a ton of final packing and vehicle loading tomorrow night and plan to hit the road between 3:30-4am.

Now, there is a possibility that I may channel my emotions into something upbeat...which could be this report. It's finally starting to hit me that we're down to hours and the tears have really ramped up. Parents' weekend is a month from move in date and it's "only" about a 6-hour drive if we need to go up sooner. Still, her bday is towards the end of this week and things like this surprise birthday trip to Disney from 2011 have been on my mind a lot of late.



I know it's not a loss and it's all a blessing, but it's a big change coupled with a lot of chaos in life of late. The rollercoaster has been wild and it's finally hitting me. Whew.
 
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HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
College sends offs are rough. Schools start later in the northeast so we have a little more time. Independence in college is great for the kids but it’s an adjustment for the parents…..

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We start so early here, and it gets earlier every year. I grew up in NJ and we always started after Labor Day. Of course, we also were in school until later in June.

Yeah, I know we’ll feel the void far more than she ever will, but that’s just how it goes.
 

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We’re still doing move in, but I wanted to share a little unexpected Disney magic. The RAs themed the various dorm floors and wings. Ks wing just happens to be Disney!!!

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I’m exhausted! We left around 4am to make it in time for check in. I’m still debating how far I want to drive towards home tonight. K and I have to take a shuttle back to get my vehicle so I can bring by the tv. It’s the only thing they wouldn’t remove from my SUV and deliver to the room. After that, I guess I’m going to take K to dinner before I hit the road. I’m trying to stifle my emotions. Who knows…I might need to head back this weekend if she needs the couple of things I forgot. It sounds crazy, but it might be necessary stuff for job applications.
 

ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member

Alice is my favorite Disney dark ride! I rope drop it every Disneyland day.

And how fun that Kendall's dorm floor has a Disney theme! She picked the right school!
 

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I was originally going to spend the night in Norman, but she was scheduled for the last move in date and they have some 5 day camp to get them ready for classes and campus culture. We were running so late and she needed some last minute essentials, so we hit up a Dollar General and a Whataburger for a little snack in the car before I dropped her off for a mandatory dorm meeting. I wound up driving the 6+ hours all the way home. I keep seeing the truck outside and thinking she’s home. I guess that’ll start to shift when Sam gets her license in a few months and takes over using the truck.

Back to Disneyland…

I recall that we were having a lot of issues getting LLs for things we actually wanted to ride. M&Ms Runaway Railway kept temporarily closing and LL times were in this bizarre bait and switch mode. I wouldn’t make that connection until later in the day, but in this moment…I thought it was me.

I had an idea that didn’t involve any LLs. On the way to this plan, we saw Peter Pan and I got “assaulted” by bunch of balloons blowing in the wind. Seriously, David was buying water and next thing you know, my head is in the middle of a bunch of balloons.

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We decided to do something that’s really more of a ride at Disneyland vs the heavily used transportation option at WDW.

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The station backs on the Nemo subs…something nobody wanted to ride…but the water still looks so inviting. I always wanted to jump in for a swim when 20,000 Leagues was at WDW.

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Time to ride. It was nice to sit, but we were relying on airflow from the windows to keep semi-cool.

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One of the good things about the ride…we realized that this might be a good alternative to the tram. It has a stop in DTD right near the Disneyland Hotel. It would be even more convenient when the DTD entrance isn’t shifted for construction.

When we got back from our monorail trip, we were going to try again for Runaway Railway, but it shuttered again just as we were getting close. We were right next to it and the line was short, so I won another ride with the demon babies.

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While we waited…we got a little treat…

 

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