September '09 Trip Day 4.3

Outside of our breakfast with Minnie Mouse and the half an hour we spent following Peter Pan and the little girl around the park Andrea and I had been off doing our very own thing. She was probably off going on all of the rides that I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole, seeing as I am a chicken. Or, as my high school biology teacher would say during our blood typing lab - "I am a wuss"!! But we did have plans to meet back up later. Obviously we'd have to find each other at some point to watch Fantasmic! but at 3 o'clock we met up with another member of the Disney forums that I am addicted to outside of Pirates of the Caribbean. But not before grabbing one of my all-time favorite treats at Disneyland, a mint julep. I know I have said it before, but I am addicted to them and I need them like air or water when I'm there. I'd been waiting as patiently as I could since we had arrived on Tuesday since they wouldn't be open until the weekend. Or at least until Friday. Which, surprise surprise, it was. Sure, I had one at lunch at the BB, but it just isn't the same.
I love grabbing a mint julep from the Mint Julep Bar. And luckily enough it's behind the French Market near the New Orleans Square Station and I had just enough time to stop by before finding a place to outside of POTC to just relax while I waited for Andrea and what a nice, relaxing, few minutes it turned out to be while I finished off my drink and my co-hort showed up. The funny thing is, as soon as she saw what I was drinking sh had to go and grab one for herself. It was nice to meet someone from the message boards that had been alongside us with all of our planning questions and all and the four of us enjoyed a go on Pirates and chit chatted for a fun little bit.
By the time that we all got off of Pirates and said our goodbyes it was a little too late for us to head back towards Main Street for the Flag Retreat Ceremony which we had a tentative plan to go back for and there was more of that "well, what should we do next" talk that drives me up the wall and is part of why I like to plan things the way that I do and that Andrea has always been very resistant to. So guess what we did again? We split up, of course! I made my way towards Critter Country to take some photos over there and to take a spin on the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Mostly I wanted to go into Pooh's Corner and get some photos of some Tigger Tails, which are a very Disney-fied marshmallow on a stick, and try one for myself.

September Trip Day 3.2

There was more fun to be had than just our breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen! I remember I ended up having to walk back to the hotel to drop off our photo package and change out of the capris I was wearing. It was already starting to heat up and it was barely even 9 in the morning yet! What a hot day that turned out to be, perfect for me! It just wasn't perfect for the whole party but that was neither here nor there at the moment. When we finally got in to the park a little before opening we hung back around the Main Street station to ask about something I was determined to do that day: take a ride on the Lilly Belle parlour car. That was what I wanted for my birthday, and we were told to check back sometime around noon and they would see what they could do to accommodate us.


At that point we were going to take the train to New Orleans Square for our first ride (Pirates) but we spotted two of Andrea's favorite characters and there was no way we could just walk away without getting photos. It turned out to be a headache as there was no formal line and many parents just pushed their kids in front of those of us patiently waiting our turn, but that's just something you have to deal with sometimes. But at least we did get our photos. We even got a photo together at the little photo op spot right at the beginning of Main Street. I thought I would be funny and gave a certain someone bunny ears, lol.

As it turns out I would rather walk a mile than hike up a set of stairs for a train and so we made the walk to New Orleans Square on foot and got sidetracked as always by two of our favorite rides ever. At least with one we simply grabbed Fast Passes for our proposed return later in the evening when we knew it would be busier. The Fast Passes of course belonging to Indiana Jones, while we rode the Jungle Cruise. To top it all off, Adventureland was look particularly exotic that morning.



Sidetracked much? I think that's an understatement. It's almost a miracle that we ever did make our way over to Pirates, but this is what happens when there are so many fun things to see and do. To bad one of those fun things was officially closed for the remainder of our trip!

September Trip Day 2.2

After leaving DCA it was back to Disneyland we went. I had a rather hefty goal for this vacation: to meet and greet as many characters as I possibly could, which also meant getting photos. I mentioned before how much I miss the other Ariel's Grotto that was a meet & greet station for the Little Mermaid herself but has now been turned into a meet & greet for Tinkerbell and her friends called Pixie Hollow. We wanted to see how the line was before we decided if we would go in or not. It looked short enough to us, and we weren't disappointed as we only had to wait about 15 minutes. We got to meet Tinkerbell and Silvermist.



Afterward we had to make our way back over to New Orleans Square for one of our last opportunities to ride the Haunted Mansion, a favorite of ours. On Wednesday, September 10th (coincidentally this was also my birthday) it would be shutting down until the end of September for it's transformation into the Haunted Mansion Holiday so of course we had to get our fix in! Boy did we ever. It was literally a walk on and I just couldn't help myself, I had to go twice in a row. I did make one small detour though. It's common knowledge that outside in the queue for the ride you walk through a pet cemetery that I usually photograph like crazy. But what isn't common knowledge is that there is another pet cemetery to the right of the mansion. So of course I sought after the ones you don't see every day by asking a CM about it before jumping in for the second time in a row. It's small, as much of what had been there was moved to the more visible pet cemetery long ago, but there's still a couple of things to see.



By that point Andrea and I had both went our separate ways to do the some thing solo which proved to make a huge difference for me. I move around a lot easier when I'm by myself, all of that speed walking of mine can get put to good use, and I made my way through some favorites including:

Pirates of the Caribbean

Jungle Cruise



And to leave us off for this installment are a few photos I took in Frontierland before meeting back up with Andrea!

Trip Report Part III

A Date with Pirates
Under normal circumstances any other time during the year that little run through of the Haunted Mansion would have been third in line, following another fan favorite (and favorite of ours). I'm sure somebody could take a stab at guessing which attraction I'm talking about. Here's a hint for you:

Yo Ho Yo Ho
A Pirate's life for me
I'm sure you guessed that I'm talking about a ride based off the Veggie Tales "The Pirates Who Don't do Anything". Am I right?

No, I suppose that answer wouldn't be correct after all. Of course I am talking about the ride turned three-peat of the film industry, Pirates of the Caribbean!

"Psst! Avast there! It be too late to alter course, mateys... and there be plundering pirates lurking in every cove, waitin' to board. Sit closer together, and keep your ruddy hands inboard. That be the best way to repel boarders. And mark well me words, mateys... dead men tell no tales!"

"Ye come seekin' adventure and salty ol' pirates, aye? Sure ye come to the proper place. But keep a weather eye open, mates, and hold on tight, with both hands if you please... there be squalls ahead, and Davey Jones waiting for them what don't obey..."
It never gets old saying this, but the ride just keeps getting better and better. I couldn't begin to guess how many times I have crossed those waters but I still love it now as much as I did so many years ago. If there is any justice in the world the excitement will never go away.

In a wonderful display of perfect timing, we found ourselves exiting the ride just as we needed to check in right next door at the entrance to our favorite place to eat in the park: the Blue Bayou (although now that she has dined at the exclusive Club 33 it may just be Andrea's second favorite).


We needed to be there early to check in to be sure that we got our beloved water side tables, and we're glad that we were. Between the time that we got there and the time hat they started letting us into the lobby to be seated I can't even tell you how many more parties showed up. And of course everyone is trying to tell the Hostesses that they have an early 'reservation' and they should be at the head of the line, but we all had the same time so the little argument would get them nowhere.

The wait wasn't bad however. It was still a good 20 or 30 minutes before our priority seating time (which is Disneyland speak for reservations, but it's not quite the same) but we managed to find some entertainment for ourselves. Andrea and I took turns going in and out of the shops and even found some roaming and performing pirates!






By the time we were actually seated we were the third party in to get a table. I'm very happy that we chose to do an early lunch because they always fill the water side tables first so we got our water side table no problem. I've always loved the ambiance of the restaurant but those tables only add to the experience. You really feel as though you are eating outdoors at nighttime. And if you didn't already know this the restaurant is inside of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and you actually pass by the dining area not long after you launch from the loading docks. It's not as though the ride is passing directly next to everyone trying to enjoy a nice meal, but they are there. Because it is so dark it can be tricky to get photos from inside the restaurant without flash (which you don't want to use too much since it will likely blind everyone seating near you), but I did my best.






And just in case you were wondering, I ordered the same thing that I order wherever I go: the salmon. And their Blackened-Cajun Salmon is almost as to-die-for as that Mediterranean Salmon I had back in Texas this summer that I have been craving ever since. I just wish I could have eaten the whole thing but I was so hungry I had already stuffed my little face with the salad before we even got to our entrees. But it was delicious nonetheless. And it being my birthday and all, we even got a little extra treat in the form of a delicious little chocolate mousse desert.


Yes, that is a birthday candle in my iced tea!






It was a great lunch and put us in an even better mood for the rest of the afternoon. I don't know how happy we would have been with each other after such a long morning if we hadn't decided to add this meal into the mix for our first day.

Coming up: We meet Winnie the Pooh & Friends