The Unexpected Journey

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Dave is feeding the Disney addiction.... Now I am curious about going to DL

 

 

There is nothing stopping ya'll but a couple thousand miles!!!  Plus upgrading your APs to two coast APs is less than a 5-day DLR ticket, then you'll have a Premium at WDW to try the waterparks before Halloween :)

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

I was just reading something else, it looks like you have to stop at the ticket windows each day with your ID? They can't read it at the turnstyle?

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

There is nothing stopping ya'll but a couple thousand miles!!! Plus upgrading your APs to two coast APs is less than a 5-day DLR ticket, then you'll have a Premium at WDW to try the waterparks before Halloween :)

You too carol.....

[Big Kahuna aka John 71]

Dave,  This is just a great trip report.   I love the Mickey photo with you and the wife.  It is hilarious !!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I love how the characters walk around like they did at WDW when I was a kid.

 

Hmmmm..... I have a friend who lives very close to DL and is always trying to get me to visit.

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

You too carol.....

you know what I mean :)

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

you know what I mean :)

Hehehehehehe.....

[devores 382]

Dave is feeding the Disney addiction.... Now I am curious about going to DL

Its something every Disney fanatic needs to do at least once. It is the original and where it all began.

 

 

Once on Dino was enough for me....

 

I agree, we do not ride it very often. Normally only when we take someone with us who has never rode it before.

 

I'm not a Dinosaur fan.  Not sure I'd care for Indy, but I'd give it a try. 

 

The Evil Queen in the window is very cool.  She rocks. 

 

It's nice how accessible the characters are.  That sure is different from what we are used to.  At WDW we pay $50/person for a crappy buffet just to get some character face time. 

 

I agree. It makes it feel more like youre visiting their home and they welcome you there.

 

I've been to DL twice. Both times Indian Jones was "down". I don't remember the AK Dinosaur ride having reliability issues.

 

Im not sure either. Like I mentioned earlier, we do not ride dinosaur, so cant comment on its reliability. But it seems Indiana has allot of issues.

 

I'm in finally. This is the coolest TR ever. Coast to coast disney. I'm loving it.

Thanks.

 

 

Dave is feeding the Disney addiction.... Now I am curious about going to DL[/quote

I guess the "It's all Dave's fault." can be applied to various Dave's across the board.

Oh man. Now Im lumped in the same category as Dave, Lou, and TCD???

 

My street cred is dwindling away.

 

Awesome report. IASW is an attraction I missed cause it was down for an extended refurb when I was there.

It was fun only because it was different. We found ourselves looking for the characters in each country as a game.

 

 

Dave, you got me back with the short shorts photo. Maybe Alice would get more attention if she wore some?

Based on that photo of Mickey making a move on your wife, I'd keep an eye out for him. I don't know if you know it, but he splits his time between DL and WDW, so be concerned if you see mouse droppings around your RV.

Hmmm, Alice in booty shorts. Do I sense another Disney sequel?

 

I totally agree and he's providing us a perfect guide book.

 

For example, Dinosaur with an Inidana Jones theme or Pooh but Alice.

 

Honestly we don't need anymore than that to know what we want to do.

Glad I could help.

[devores 382]

I was just reading something else, it looks like you have to stop at the ticket windows each day with your ID? They can't read it at the turnstyle?

The ticketing systems are different and do not read off each other. We use our maingate to get into the park and this requires getting a paper ticket as the maingate is not recognized as valid park entry for FPs and such.

 

Dave,  This is just a great trip report.   I love the Mickey photo with you and the wife.  It is hilarious !!

Thanks. Being a CM we know how to interact with the characters. Mickey did his thing and we played along.

 

I love how the characters walk around like they did at WDW when I was a kid.

 

Hmmmm..... I have a friend who lives very close to DL and is always trying to get me to visit.

WDW use to be like that. But I guess things got to big and it became to much for the characters to do anymore. So now, in sense of efficiency, they have designated meet areas.

[devores 382]

Time for another update.

 

We left off heading to Frontierland. Its themed after an old western town. Very similar to WDWs.

 

While walking through frontierland, we spotted something that seemed odd. Something we had never thought we would see in Disney.

 

 

 

Yes, that's a real life goat. There were 6 of em. Just laying there in their pen.

 

There were also horses and chickens.

 

You could pet them if you wanted. And buy some food to feed them.

 

But Disney goats?

 

It was a little weird.

 

After the goat encounter, we walked to the other side of the rivers of America.

 

They have two boats that run around the rivers.

 

The regular paddle boat, like the one at WDW

 

and this

 

 

That's was cool. We did not ride on them, but it was neat to have them both running.

 

BTW, the area just to the right of this photo is where they show Fantasmic. There is a stage set up right there and standing area where I took the picture from.

 

We did not see Fantasmic at DL as we were told it is the same show and we had to choose between that and the Fireworks and World of Color. Fantasmic ended right when the fireworks started so there was no time to make it to the front of the castle after the show.

 

We made our way to the Prates Lair. Many of you know it as Tom Sawyers Island. Its the same thing except with a pirate theme.

 

 

In addition to the two large ships they have sailing the rivers of America, they have canoes as well.

 

 

They have to have a full boat to run these and you do all of the work.

 

Not my idea of fun.

 

Wait in line for 30 mins to work.

 

No thanks.

 

On the island they had some pirate treasure

 

 

After the island adventure, we headed to Critter Country.

 

This is where they have the Pooh ride and Splash Mountain and you can meet Pooh, tigger, and eyore.

 

As we walked past the Pooh ride, the CMs were out begging people to ride it.

 

The posted wait time was 2 mins.

 

Yes, it was posted as 2 mins.

 

And they were begging us to ride.

 

So we rode it.

 

Its different.

 

Its like the Alice ride but with Pooh.....

 

After we got the pooh done, we headed for New Orleans Square

 

Remember I said you would just walk up to a show, well they had a jazz band playing

 

 

They were pretty good. We watched the whole show as we were actually running out of stuff to do.

 

After the show, we headed back to MS.

 

I spotted something that I had to get a picture of.

 

Lou would be upset, as would some others on here

 

But the Photogs at DL, on MS do not wear knickers

 

This is their costume

 

 

I actually like this.

 

Not sure I would want to wear it in the summer here in FL, but it looks nice. The women photogs wear a dress similar to this.

 

We decided to look at our photopass photos as there was not a line.

 

Did you know you can look at your WDW photopass photos at DL and vice versa?

 

Well you can, its all the same system.

 

The girl helping us was having a ball looking at our photos from WDW and asking questions about the differences between the two.

 

As we finished up in the view, we walked out and the parade was just starting

 

So we stayed to watch it again. We had not planned to, but were so far ahead of schedule we needed something to do.

 

I wont bore you with pictures again, but it was just as fun the second time.

 

After the parade, we wandered down MS to get a good look at everything

 

They do not have SOTMK here, so this

 

 

Is just a firestation

 

Here is a map to help you see how DL is laid out and how much walking back and forth we did

 

 

The sun was staring to set and we were no where near the time to find a spot for the fireworks

 

So we wander back to Tomorrowland.

 

And guess what, at night Tomorrowland becomes Pastland.

 

What do I mean?

 

You will have to wait for the next update to find out.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

AH! Leave us hanging!

[devores 382]

So, you are probably wondering what I mean by Pastland.

 

Well, when we get to tomorrowland, this is what we find

 

 

That my fiends, is none other than the king himself. Elvis.

 

He didn't die, he moved to DL.

 

 

The king and his band played a compilation of classic rock. 

 

The best part

 

There were these people

 

 

Those are locals. They come every weekend to listen and dance to the band.

 

There were a bunch of them, but this was the best couple.

 

 

We listened to the band and watch the show

 

When Elvis was done, he "Thanked us, thanked us very much" and took a step back.

 

Then, the stage he was standing on began to lower into the ground. Yes, the whole stage.

 

It was the coolest thing.

 

I was so amazed I didn't get pics this time, but we do get some later in the trip.

 

After Elvis made his Houdini disappearance, we decide its time to find a spot for the fireworks.

 

Along the way I snap a pic of this old classic

 

 

Remember how no one lined up early for the parades?

 

The fireworks were a different story. This was an hour before the fireworks and this was as close to the castle as we could get.

 

 

 

 

Of course, DL ropes off areas that must remain clear. A tactic WDW needs to mirror. So you cant just stand anywhere to view the fireworks. It has to be in a designated area.

 

About 20 mins before the show starts, they make an announcement that due to high winds the show may be cancelled.

 

Remember how DL is in the middle of everything? Well if its too windy, they cancel the show so nothing lands in someones backyard or stray embers burn down the piggly wiggly.

 

Well Pooh.

 

We wait it out as everyone else does and with a little faith, trust, and pixi dust, the show starts on time.

 

Remember the cable?

 

Tink flies on that cable

 

 

 

 

 

 

FUEGO

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, I am very pro wishes.

 

But I would love to have this show at WDW.

 

These pictures do not show how awesome this show is.

 

I posted a link below to the entire show.

 

If you do not want it spoiled, do not watch it.

 

If you do watch it, be prepared to be amazed

 

http://youtu.be/5ibxCo_IGfs

 

After the fireworks, we wait for the crowds to thin out, which they did quickly, then work our way down MS to the exit.

 

On our way we pause for a moment and let it all sink in.

 

We had an amazing day that far exceeded our expectations. We had accomplished so much. And, we were standing where Walt had stood many years ago.

 

The park was still opened for 2 more hours but we had done all we wanted, plus.

 

So we head back to the room and get some rest.

 

Tomorrow is CA and an 8 am extra magic hour.

 

Will we have the same luck we did today?

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

I am finally caught up Dave.

What an awesome report.

Fuego!!!!

[wdwpoohbear...Jennifer 40]

Those fireworks were awesome!  I wish they would bring them to WDW as well!

 

Great trip report so far!  It really is interesting to see Disneyland and how different it is from WDW.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Great fireworks pics.  Did Dumbo fly?

[devores 382]

Great fireworks pics.  Did Dumbo fly?

Dumbo flies during Magical, the summer fireworks show. Yes DL has different fireworks shows for different seasons. It usually runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The show in the video clip is the one we saw, Remember, Dreams Come True.

 

http://youtu.be/ZErbNdY-WiE

 

Supposedly both Tink and Dumbo fly during this show.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Super update and WOW.... that fireworks show really was awesome!

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

Dumbo flies during Magical, the summer fireworks show. Yes DL has different fireworks shows for different seasons. It usually runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The show in the video clip is the one we saw, Remember, Dreams Come True.

 

http://youtu.be/ZErbNdY-WiE

 

Supposedly both Tink and Dumbo fly during this show.

 

Tink and Dumbo do both fly in Magical. Or they did 2 years ago when we were there. 

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

I love the way tink flies at DL, it appears she is actually going around the castle, instead of just hurtling down a wire like at MK.

 

I was also amazed at the crowds that gather for the fireworks.

 

You said something about them only doing fireworks on the weekends. When I was there in late August  (08) they had fireworks every night, and Fantasmic only on the weekends. I was there Sunday through Friday (took a redeye to Orlando on Friday night), so missed Fantasmic, but did see the fireworks a few times.

[devores 382]

Looking over the schedule for DL (they are only posted through the middle of June now) beginning May 24 they start having fireworks every night. Up until that time, they are only Friday through Sunday.

 

But they also do not list a parade for those dates either.

 

So I guess when they start the summer show, they have it everyday.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Your entire trip was awesome -- not just the fireworks!

[Total Joker ... TJ 203]

Dave, you got me back with the short shorts photo. Maybe Alice would get more attention if she wore some?

Hmmm, Alice in booty shorts. Do I sense another Disney sequel?

Not booty shorts, but a costume redesign may be in order...

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Wow. Fuego!!

[ftwildernessguy 778]

It would appear that the west coast Tink is a girl, however I did live in California for 4 years, and I know a lot of weird surgery happens out there, so who knows. By the way, TJ, thanks for the picture of Alice.

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Great Update.  Don't think I will be applying for the Alice job if that is the costume. LOL