The girls and I left the house at 8am, to go pick up my boyfriend at his house. We then left to drop my 2 year old off at my grandma's house. We reached her house at 10-ish, and then left for Disneyland. By the time we parked, hopped on the tram, bought our AP block out passes and entered the park, it was 1:10pm.
The first thing we saw was Goofy in front of the Firehouse. He must have just arrived, since we had a minimal wait. The girls in front of us asked me to take their pic, and Goofy rested his arms on their head. The CM who was assisting Goofy said he was acting silly. Goofy took great offense to that, and the CM was acting like she didn't know why (maybe she didn't!!). Anyway, I said "No, Goofy..you're not being silly, you're GOOFY!!!" And he ran over to me, raised my arm in the air, and started jumping up and down. Fun!
After that, I went to City Hall and left my message for the LPers who may show up to the park.
We then walked over to Adventureland. I got 3 Fastpasses for Indy, then we went to Pirates. The wait was only about 5 minutes. I was surprised, since it was a holiday.
After Pirates, we went on Haunted Mansion. We had just seen the movie (with Eddie Murphy) the previous weekend on The Wonderful World of Disney, so it was fun riding the ride, looking for the elements used in the movie. We (BF and I) decided that the Mansion in the movie must have been modeled after the Florida version.
After HM, DD and I were hungry, so we bought some ice cream. We figured by the time we finished, it would be our FastPass time (2:50pm). We walked back to Indy while we were eating, and, like I had planned, by the time we finished, it was 2:54. DD, BF and I waited about 15 minutes to ride. It was BF's first time riding, too. The previous times we've been to DL, he's opted to stay with my 2 year old while my 5 year old and I rode (which has only been the last 3 or 4 times, as she just made the height requirement).
When we were done with Indy, we decided it was time to eat. I thought it would be nice to ride the Monorail, which was repainted to look like a Nemo Sub. When we got to the Monorail entrance, The Nemo Monorail had just left, which meant that Monorail Purple would be the next one into the station. There was a small crowd waiting to board, but since we were waiting for the Nemo one, we were the only ones left. We asked to ride in the front, and were told that if no one else got up to the front before us, we could ride (we were waiting by the front anyway). While we were waiting for the monorail, I took pics of the Lagoon and the Matterhorn. I also took pics for LaughingPlace Live. (
http://www.laughingplace.com/Live.asp?I1=User&I2=Tinkerbell10601) We finally made it onto the Monorail, and riding in the front is a BLAST!!! Especially riding over DCA and through the Grand Californian. We disembarked at DTD and then had to decide where to eat.
Alex wanted to eat at Rainforest Cafe, but I had forgotten my Safari Club Card, which would save us some money (I wasn't worried about waiting for a table, since it wasn't crowded). We had a bit of a meltdown at Tortilla Joe's, since Alex wanted nachos, but I wasn't paying $6 for plain nachos. So BF and I ordered ours, and I told Alex I'd buy her a pretzel with cheese when we got back to Disneyland.
The original plan was to ride the Monorail back to Tomorrowland, but we started walking and window shopping, and ended up closer to the Esplanade than the DTD Monorail station. Oops. :) While we were eating, though, an LP'er called me!! He had gotten my message at City Hall. So when I got back into the park, I called him back, and we arranged to meet in front of the train station. It was about 5:30 at this time, since people were already starting to line up for the parade.
So we met TinksBestFriend!!! He's so nice, and gave DD an American flag, and one for her sister, too. We chatted about the benefits of Premium AP vs. SoCal AP (since BF, DD and I have already visited twice on blackout days...DUH to me). We also talked about the upcoming meets and past meets. We talked until about 6:15 or so, when BF, DD and I decided to ride the train to get around the upcoming parade. We entered the train station, then asked to ride Engine 1. We were told that they were refueling, so we would have to wait. We waited and waited...finally, we decided to just ride the next train. We made the full circuit, and at Tomorrowland, a family boarded, and started talking about watching the parade. It was approx 6:35, so I told her that the parade may have already started. However, by the time we got back to Main Street, the Tink float was just passing in front of the train station. The 3 of us hopped off, but DD didn't want to watch, so we were able to get right back on the same train.
We got off the train at NOS, and decided to camp out for Fantasmic. It was a little before 7 at this point. Not too crowded in front of the Rivers of America, so we were able to get a great spot. DD and I sat for a bit, then decided to get some snacks for the wait. We went to the Mint Julep Bar and bought a bagel and coffee for BF, and DD and I decided to share the fritters. DD then got chocolate milk, and I got an iced mocha.
While we were waiting, we talked with some people around us, and I ended up talking to another LP'er, although she said she isn't active anymore due to her WebTV not being compatible with LP. It was nice talking to some of the fanatical locals. :) Next year, I have decided, if I can afford it, I will be getting the Premium (of course, then I have to buy 3).
So Fantasmic! started, and it was amazing!! They made some changed that really enhanced the experience. I was in awe the whole time, but managed to take some good pics. Immediately after F!, the Remember...DCT fireworks started. It was nice because some of the effects that are on the Castle during R..DCT were also on Pirates' Lair (formerly Tom Sawyer Island). The fanatical locals I mentioned above (including DD and me this time) were muttering the dialog and singing the songs along with the soundtrack to the fireworks. And, immediately after Remember..., was the 4th of July Fireworks. The whole hour was just amazing!!!!
After the fireworks, we headed to Critter Country because DD and I had to use the restroom and the ones in NOS and closer to Main Street we knew would be crowded. I noticed upon walking to the CC restrooms that the wait for Splash Mountain was 10 minutes. Perfect! I thought. So I used the restroom, and then told DD to wait with BF since she didn't want to ride. I hopped in line, and waited less than 10 minutes. When I got to the front, I was informed of the Single Rider line, which I knew about, but didn't know you had to enter through the exit. Oh, well..the line was minimal. So I rode with some very nice people, who were enthusiastic, and I didn't get wet!!! The girls in the front (the very front was wearing a white tank with a black bra...ooops!!!!!) got SOAKED!!! HAHAHA. :)
After Splash, we went over to Nemo, to see how long the line was. 120 minutes. *sigh* not this time. So we got in line for the Matterhorn, which is amazing at night, BTW. After that, we headed out, and made it out of the parking lot at midnight.
All in all, the best 4th of July I ever experienced!!! Minimal waiting in lines, not too crowded (no more than when we went at the beginning of May). Temp was gorgeous (84 when we arrived, which was the temp at home at 7:30AM!!!). We met a couple LPers which is getting me psyched for the Big Meet on the 17th. Great day...pics to come!! :)
