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OK-- This finds us on Saturday the 15th at 5:30 am desperately trying to get out of bed to catch the 7 am bus to the MK. Both DH and I are avid railroad fans. We own a locomotive and several cars in the 1 1/2" scale that Walt started in when he started thinking of the theme parks. the original Lilly Belle is in this scale and is what started my fascination in Disney. It also happens that I am a railroad conductor.
So here we are on this tour, enjoying our tour guide Bob. He is giving us a lot of history behind Walt and Roy, and the trains. There were 8 of us on the tour and all with a love of the trains. Bob took us back to the roundhouse for the locomotives and cars, also this is where the monorails are maintained at. It was very interesting standing under the switch for a modern monorail system, while leaning up against a turn of
the century steam powered locomotive. The tour lasted for 2 hours, and for all railroad fans I recommend this tour. It is very fascinating and very informative. After the tour, Bob said he would be willing to stick around and answer questions. DH and I stood and talked with him for another 2 1/2 hours about a lot of things. He and DH talked computers, for they both worked in the computer industry for many years. We talked railroading, the country, its state of affairs, and a lot of Disney. Bob asked us where we were staying and said he might have something of interest for us later if we wanted. He said he would talk to us later in our stay.....
And off we went. We had PS at the Royal Table at 4:30 for an early dinner, and were to meet the cousins in front of the castle at 11 am.... There we all were. Dino had arrived and was in good shape, and we were raring to go. Fantasyland was done in an hour, no lines. Kathy had to do the Pooh ride. Then it was off to Tomorrowland.
Dino does not like rollercoasters, so we immediately drag her on to Space Mountain, the cousins go to Buzz Lightyear, and I by myself go to Alien Encounter.... DH won't do it. He did 4 years ago, and refuses to do it again. No one else wants to. I go in and had a very unfortunate experience. My seat did not work. The CM's told me I could stand in line and go again, but my party was ready to head to Toon Town so off we went. Next time we get to WDW, I want to try this again.
Off to Toon Town for character greetings, and to get Dino on another rollercoaster. She is starting to distrust us a little. We went on Goofy's Barnstormer twice, thanks to Dino. Off to see a Mouse who wants to see my wedding band, and he got down on bended knee to propose. Apparently DH mentioned it was our honeymoon, and I told Mickey I just couldn't part from DH as of yet.... VBS.... Then it was off to knock over little kids to see Pooh and Eeyore. Then to Frontierland.
Here we got Dino on Splash Mountain, three times, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad a couple of times. We agree to meet at Pirates of the Caribbean, while I go to first aid for some ice for my knee. My doctor warned me that too much walking would do this. I am back at the Pirates by the time they show up. Onto Pirates, Aladdin, we miss the Tiki Room by 10 minutes, but not the Dole Whip, and then back to Splash Mountain, and then Spectromagic.
During Spectromagic, we work our way to the castle, to watch Tinkerbelle fly, and the fireworks. I buy a whole bunch of those neon necklaces which I give away to all these bright eyed kids that are amazed by all going on around them. Then we are off to DD, yet again, we need to finish the souvenir shopping soon.....
Sunday, we are off to show Dino Epcot. First we get our Leave A Legacy tile, then we have breakfast at the Electric Umbrella. Spaceship Earth is first, followed by the Sea, the Land, and then the fountains. Next we head for Test Track and the nations.
Dino surprises us and enjoys Test Track. She asks when we get to ride that again. We start the nations at Mexico this time, and head around the world. We meet the characters, and I try to run off with Donald, but Daisy catches me and takes me back to my DH who thanks her.... LOL.. It is all on tape.....
We get to Germany, get PS for 7:00 pm, and head to Canada, the UK, have to see the British Invasion, back to France to play with the statue, who again gets Kathy in his clutches and won't let go.... To Japan, Morocco, Italy and it is time for dinner.
Both DH and my families are German. We all really enjoy the food and show at the Biergarten. Also unbeknownst to Dino, we remember her 60th birthday today.... The show was fun. This time DH did the birdie dance with me, and then we went back and the staff brought out a small cake for us all to share and sang her Happy Birthday in German which made her day.... Then again is Illuminations, can't tell we like it, then Test Track in which the CM's don't let us off, and then we say goodbye to Epcot, knowing that was our last day there....
Back to the hotel room we go. We are all exhausted and I am not feeling well.... I take a look at my calendar, take a pregnancy test and tell my husband we are now pregnant with our first child.... He faints, comes to, tells his cousin and aunt, and then we are on the phone to the West Coast calling home and telling the families.
Tomorrow is Typhoon Lagoon and back to MGM to show Dino. We sleep in for a while, then off to Typhoon Lagoon, where DH won't let me do anything, so I spend the day in the Shark's Reef floating around while everyone else does the water rides. We all get a slight sunburn, for the sun is finally out all day. At about 2:00 everyone is ready for a break so we head over to the hotel, to get cleaned up to go back to MGM.
At about 3:00, DH and I get a phone call from our tour guide on Sat., Bob. He asked if we were going to be in our room for very long and we said yes
for about another hour or so, and he asked if he could come over. We said sure. In panic mode we clean the room up, normally neat people at home,
but on vacation we could care. Bob arrives and in his hand is a package. He said it was something he ran across is a store years ago, and he thought we were the right people to pass it along to... When we opened it up, inside was a journal from Walt about the building of his layout at his house for his 1 1/2" scale train. I started to cry, and did not want to accept this gift. Bob said no, this was the right thing to do. When DH and I are through with it, we will be contacting our local Live Steam Club and see where the best place to put this on display would be, and it very well may turn out to be it will end up at Disneyland with the LillyBelle in the Main Street Station where she is displayed. It was a wonderful surprise and a wonderful gift. Come to find out a day later, Bob had a heart attack and is no longer working with the WDW Railroad. He decided that it was time to retire.... Thank you Bob.
This is Tuesday, we were supposed to fly out this evening and go home. However, Delta had cancelled today's flight and moved it to tomorrow. I talked to the Front Desk they said no problem. We could stay in our room an extra night and leave the following day... Yeah! That got rid of that headache.
When everyone was ready to go, we grabbed some snacks from our stash and we were off. We were on our way to MGM , and WWTBAM. There our 12 year old cousin got number one at the end of the game, Dino made me sit on the wall next to her while we waited for everyone to ride Rockin Roller Coaster. We did
a lot that we had already done, and made it to Fantasmic. I was excited. I love Fantasmic here at Disneyland and was looking forward to this show.. While we got our seats a small family sat behind us and I became good friends to the little girls behind us. They ere really fascinated with my lanyard and all of my pins. I asked their folks if it would be all right to give them a gift and their parents said yes. So to the youngest I handed a Minnie face pin and to the older one a Pooh pin. Both girls faces lit up. Apparently I had picked there favorite characters and had given them to the correct girls.... It made their day. Fantasmic was excellent and the differences between the show out here and the show there were welcome changes. It was nice to see the differences. I wished we had been able to see the show more often.
When Fantasmic was over we headed back to the hotel, time to pack and see if we could meet the new airline regulations. Trying to fit everything in was not easy. It was an experience relooking at what you would normally carry on to an airline vs. what you can't now. Lanyards to be stowed away, manicure sets, things you wouldn't normally think about.... At about 1 am we call it quits. Realize we forgot to call Mears, went down called them, forgot to talk to guest services about our luggage, and then back to the room to die from exhaustion.
It was amazing though after 10 days I wasn't ready to go home. I asked DH if we could move to WDW and he told me if I could figure out how we just might be able to. LOL I would like to see him leave CA.... Oh well.
The morning of the 18th we shuttle all of our luggage to the luggage check in place. Catch a bus to MGM yet again. We had missed the animator's tour a couple of times now and DH really wanted to do this as he missed it 4 years ago also. We did that, Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground, walked the streets, went to WWTBAM again, Rockin Rollercoaster, and then finished shopping. Had desert at the Prime Time Cafe, with Cousin Dave and Cousin Mickey... and then it was time to go to the hotel....
The front desk was unable to check us out earlier, but said come back. When we came back they had waived our extra nights stay, because the airline had changed our flight.... Thank you WDW. Then Mears arrived and onto the bus we piled. We arrived at the airport, 3 hours before our cousins flight and 4 before ours. Checked in our bags, and Dino was chosen to have her bag searched. We all felt lucky due to the fact all her bag had in it was clothes. It was the safest to open and close, and easiest to repack. Then out to the terminal, visit the Disney Store for last minute gifts, and onto the plans for a long flight home. On the way home, DH told me to start planning a trip for 2003, so we can bring the baby when he/she is about a year old for his/her first trip to WDW. Don't worry though the little one will have many trips to Disneyland in the meantime.
Thank you all for putting up with my long trip reports. If it wasn't for all of your input and ideas, I would have spent way to much money and would not have enjoyed the trip half as much....
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