Being Girls Together at Disney World, Day One: Animal Kingdom

As my two 20-something daughters and I planned our end of August trip to Disney World, we tried to be more scientific about it than in trips past. We consulted several different Disney crowd calendars (undercovertourist.com/planning/when-to-visit.html and touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/crowd-calendar), listened to podcasts (www.disunplugged.com), and read countless blogs (including thedisneyblog.com and disneytouristblog.com). We learned that everybody goes to Magic Kingdom first, which is exactly what we had wanted to do, so it is more crowded on the weekends and on Monday, the first day many vacationers visit the parks. We learned that the parks with EMH (Extra Magic Hours) are the most crowded that day, and that the least crowded days of the week in any park are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Then we had to factor in fireworks and Fantasmic. The Wishes fireworks show would be showing every night, but we could only get tickets to the Dessert Party (with view of fireworks from the Tomorrowland Terrace) on Wednesday, and Fantasmic was not showing Wednesday night at Hollywood Studios. After we considered the availability of desired ADRs (Advanced Dining Reservations) we had a schedule for our five-day visit:
Day 1 (Sunday): Animal Kingdom
Day 2 (Monday): Epcot
Day 3 (Tuesday): Magic Kingdom Fantasyland, New Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland
Day 4 (Wednesday): Magic Kingdom Adventureland, Frontierland, and Liberty Square
Day 5 (Thursday): Hollywood Studios

Our MagicBands came in the mail with our names inside

In all of our research, we also found out about MagicBands. Since both of my girls had gone through the College Program, we were lucky enough to have a connection that allowed us to take advantage of a sweet deal at the Art of Animation resort (we wanted to check out the family suites), but we found out through the DIS podcasts that the only hotels that would be issuing MagicBands were Pop Century, Contemporary, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Yacht Club. Luckily for us, we could transfer our sweet deal to Pop Century and as soon as we did, I got an email asking me to personalize my MagicBands with color and name. Why did we want the MagicBands so badly? FastPass+, which would allow us to reserve three FastPasses per day online ahead of time. I was also surprised to find out that I could request a "Preferred Room" and so I requested a room near transportation.

So excited to meet at the airport and board the Magical Express!

We arrived late Saturday night, all of us coming in from different cities, met in the Orlando airport, and enjoyed our Magical Express ride to Pop Century. I distributed the Magic Bands, the concierge at the resort linked them to our tickets for us and we proceeded to the food court where we dined like kings and decided we absolutely loved Pop Century. The menu selections were amazing. OK, the ambience was a little cafeteria-like, but the food was delicious. We were also happy with our room. We really couldn't see much difference between it and the rooms at the Moderates we had stayed in, Caribbean Beach and Coronado. And in the two Moderates, we had had to walk what seemed like MILES to get to transportation. At Pop Century, we were a hop, skip, and a jump from the pool, dining, and the bus. Perfect.

So off we went to Animal Kingdom the next morning. We had FastPass+ for Dinosaur, the Safari, and Expedition Everest, and we had planned the times so that we had enough room between FastPass rides to see the Lion King show and travel to Rafiki's Planet Watch, since it closed early. I could end my review of Animal Kingdom right here with these words--I WILL NEVER GO BACK THERE AGAIN--but instead, I'll explain why: it is just too hot for humans in that place. I was as red as a tomato within thirty minutes and felt like I was in a sauna the rest of the day, wiping constant sheets of sweat off my face. Miserable. Granted, it was August in Orlando, so what did I expect, but I remember being there during other times of the year, too, and what I remember about those times was: there is never any air movement in the Animal Kingdom. Maybe it's my age, maybe I'm just too fat for Disney World in August, but I made a vow to myself within the first thirty minutes as I was turning into a tomato head in that steam jungle they call Animal Kingdom, and the vow was never to return to Disney World in a hot month. From now on, I'm taking the advice of my sister, a former annual Disney World passholder for many years: go the week after Thanksgiving. The parks are empty and the weather is beautiful. Sold.

I also realized, after our Animal Kingdom day, that it is the largest of the four parks. My dogs were barking, painfully. We walked more miles that day than any other day, and it was our shortest day, since Animal Kingdom closes at 6:00. Now that I know this, it might make me consider putting Animal Kingdom last in the schedule the next time we go to Disney World, that is, if I were ever going back, but, as I mentioned previously, I am never going back there again.

In spite of the fact that I'm never returning, I will admit that it is a beautiful park and every bit as magical as the rest of them. We experienced the magic in a lot of different ways that day. Timon came and sat by my youngest daughter in the audience during the Lion King show, put his arm around her, and then proceeded to choose a mentally challenged young adult across from us to join him in the parade around the floor. We got to watch that young man in his Lion King t-shirt participate with glee and then return to his seat where he patted the seat next to him where Timon had sat and then pointed to Timon while his parents nodded and smiled and we got tears in our eyes. Then he sang every word of every song in the rest of the show with a smile as bright as anything on stage. We couldn't take our eyes off him. His magical Disney moment had become ours.

As far as we were concerned, Timon stole the show

Isn't she lovely?

Next magical moment: we bumped into a Pocahontas meet-and-greet, which you never see any more. She's my favorite Disney "princess," mostly because she wasn't a princess, but an independent girl with a job to do. We love interacting with the Disney characters, especially since my older daughter used to be "best friends" with many of them when she worked at Disney World. When we see a character, we get as giddy as if George Clooney had just walked into the room. (We take a lot of flack about it from my afore-mentioned sister, who is a Disney expert, but who just doesn't get the appeal of the characters. "Going stalking again?" she'll ask.) Pocahontas was charming, and chatted with us at length about how we arrived (by canoe), and how I had skinned the cheetah I had made my Mickey ears out of. I asked her about John Smith and how she was doing without him and she said he came back for frequent visits. I had a million pictures taken with her, since she's my favorite, but none of them of me turned out, since I was by then a total tomato head, with a shiny sweaty face and my hair pulled back into a tight bun to keep the heat off my neck. But she looks great in them, so I'll just crop myself out.

Our last magical moment was on the Dinosaur ride that I almost skipped. We had FastPasses, but the lines were negligible, so we rode it three times in a row. What made it magical is that we decided to pose in a different pose for each photo. In the first photo, we just look scared, but in the second one we played dead, and when we exited the ride and walked past the PhotoPass photos posted on the wall, we actually got a round of applause for our efforts. We ran out of ideas for what to do in the third photo, so we decided to just raise our arms and laugh as if we were having a great time on a roller coaster (the camera snaps the photo when the dinosaur lunges at you out of the dark and roars). The problem was, we couldn't remember exactly when the dinosaur lunged, so we raised our arms and held hands as soon as the lights went out, and as we were lurching and plunging around in that car for what seemed like ages in the dark with our arms straight up and big fake smiles plastered on our faces, we got so tickled that we laughed so hard we could barely breathe. The smiles weren't fake when the photo was finally taken!

From scared to dead to laughing out loud

After the park closed, my youngest wanted to go meet friends at the Polynesian, get a Dole Whip, and watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the beach, but my other daughter and I were truly fried. We begged off, had another scrumptious repast at the Pop Century food court (try the mussels with fennel cream sauce, it was another magical moment!), took hot baths and soaked our tired feet, and were in bed looking at our PhotoPass pictures by the time the youngest got back. We had walked 12,363 steps that day according to my iPhone app--an all-time record for me--and I was feeling every step, although for a brief moment before I fell asleep, I thought to myself, "maybe I will go back there someday..."

Skywalker in Grand Canyon West

I'll be the first to admit that I am a big chicken. I love to travel and experience new things, but some things are just too much for me. Once, my husband booked a tour in a little tiny airplane to a remote river in Alaska for the purpose of getting in that river with bears, and I got so nervous just thinking about the whole idea of being in the same river with hungry bears that I was physically ill. Of course, as soon as he took off in his little tiny airplane, I was fine. So it came as a surprise to some who know me that on our recent trip to Las Vegas, we went to the Grand Canyon Skywalk in Arizona. And walked on it!

The Skywalk is an engineering marvel--a horseshoe-shaped bridge, owned and operated by the Hualapai Tribe, that juts 70 feet out over the Grand Canyon, and 4,000 feet above the canyon floor. The frame is made of steel, but the entire surface of the bridge is GLASS. See-through glass. We read all kinds of information about that glass, about how strong it was and how thick it was and how it could support 800 people per piece. We liked the sound of that, so we booked two $70 tickets to the Skywalk and flew to Las Vegas.

We drove about 2 1/2 hours out of Vegas to get to Grand Canyon West, parked in the Hualapai parking lot and took their bus from the parking lot to the Skywalk itself. On the drive, my husband admitted to me that he and his daughter had already had a conversation about what excuse I would give to get out of walking on the Skywalk. What she didn't know was that the whole thing was my idea. I thought it would be the easiest way of all to experience the Grand Canyon. 

And I was right. After we stored all of our belongings in lockers (no cameras, purses, etc., allowed, or they might fall and scratch the glass), and slipped our soft little cloth booties over our shoes, we stepped out on the glass bridge and over the Grand Canyon itself. At first, we stepped very gingerly on the clear middle part (most people were staying on the sides where the glass was opaque and there was a handrail). But after our friendly Skywalk photographer started having us pose for photos (aha, another reason cameras were not allowed, we realized), we started enjoying ourselves, even lying on our stomachs on the glass and looking straight down into the canyon.

Taking our first steps on the glass

We stayed out on the Skywalk for thirty minutes or so, joking about outlasting Chevy Chase's one-minute Grand Canyon "experience" in Vacation. The view was breathtaking and the experience of being suspended in mid-air on clear glass was unlike anything else we had ever done. We were so pleased with ourselves, we almost felt like we were cheating. You see, the other Grand Canyon experience alternatives were far worse. Riding mules for two days? Backpacking down and up sheer rock walls? Flying in a noisy helicopter? No, thanks. No, the Skywalk was definitely the best way to experience the Grand Canyon for a candy-ass such as myself! 

Looking through the glass at the canyon floor

My First Comic-Con: Dallas 2013

When I present an education workshop, I break the ice by having my teacher participants share something about themselves that no one in the room would ever guess about them. I go first, and tell them what is engraved inside my wedding ring: "Live Long and Prosper." They are shocked. I take it a step further and confess, "I have Star Trek costumes, y'all. I go to conventions." "NOOOO," they say.

Taken 20 years ago at Universal Studios. Brent and LeVar got a kick out of it. "Nice working with you," LeVar said.

Yep. In fact, last month my husband Creed and I checked out the Dallas Comic-con. It was our first Comic-con, so we weren't quite sure what to expect. We had talked about going to the huge Con in San Diego someday, and thought this might be a good trainer Con for us, since it would be small. Wrong. This Con was huge. We arrived early on the first day and people were already parking in the grassy fields across from the convention center and hiking in.

Even the droids had to park in the grass

We had been advised by a friend with Con experience to get the VIP tickets, which we did, but they didn't help with the parking situation. We had to hike in from the field with everybody else. The pricey tickets also didn't prevent us from having to stand in line packed like sardines in the swelteringly-hot parking garage, either. But once the bell rang for opening, our VIP bracelets did get us in faster. Score.

We were the oldest people in line!

I was actually tempted by these

There was a t-shirt for everyone

My husband w/one of many Tardises we saw

Me w/one of many Doctors

Comic-cons originally were all about comics, so comic books and artists were a huge part of this one, but the con seemed to also be about every other geeky thing anybody might be into, from anime to vampires to Big Bang Theory to Doctor Who, to, of course, Star Trek and Star Wars. We started in the vendors' room in the exhibit hall, where we bought a cowboy hat and a sonic screwdriver to complete Creed's Doctor Who get-up and a "Bow Ties Are Cool" t-shirt for me so I could be a more legit sidekick. We also did quite a lot of ogling and picture-taking of other people's costumes as they milled about. We didn't recognize half of them, but we found that everybody was willing to talk about who they were and how they made their costume, and everybody was happy to pose for photos. Didn't have to ask "Do you mind if I post this on Facebook?" once. The whole goal was to be seen. My husband was quite liking having his photo taken himself.

Chatting with LeVar Burton

In the back of the vendors' hall, behind skirted tables, sat some of the stars of Star Trek, calmly signing photos of themselves. Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, and William Shatner! More ogling ensued. You could just stand there and ogle to your heart's content, but it cost money to get the autograph, and nobody was allowed to take photos of William Shatner at the table. I quickly googled, "What should you say to Shatner when you ask for his autograph?" because I was tongue-tied, and got a website written by a very disgruntled ex-fan who now uses Shatner as a curse word, as in "My car is a piece of Shatner." I googled again. The next site said to invite them home for dinner. I was surprised at how nervous I was, but I found them all to be absolutely delightful, and our VIP ticket allowed us to jump to the front of every line. Mr. Shatner definitely had no time for extras, in spite of my efforts to interest him in my life story, but was quite gracious. Brent and LeVar both signed not only their names but added "To Captain Sue" when I asked them to, and engaged in lengthy conversations with me. I told Brent about the google search and he asked, "Hmmm, well, what are you having for dinner?"

Not taking a pic of Shatner, but he's behind me!

The next day, we attended the William Shatner panel. Thanks to our VIP tickets (which were by now bedraggled VIP bracelets), we were able to saunter in at the last minute and didn't have to wait in line, because we had reserved seats in the first few rows. We took photos. We laughed. We cried (seriously, my husband got tears in his eyes over seeing Captain Kirk). We gloried in our geekiness and the geekiness of our fellow geeks in the convention hall. We told each other how charming Mr. Shatner was and how we would never use his name as a curse word, and we said over and over again, "Those VIP tickets were worth every penny."

Mr. William Shatner discusses Mr. William Shatner ("Who else do you want me to talk about?" he said

Daughter of Shrek???

The Doctor with Rory and Amy!

But the VIP tickets didn't help us when it was time to line up to have our photos taken with Shatner. We were in the same gigantic queue with the huge crowd that furbled around a million stanchions and looked hours long. This is when we discovered two really fun Con activities, Making Friends In Line, and Name That Character. The people-watching really was amazing.

Absolutely adorable Dalek

Everybody wanted a picture of her!

And we made new friends, two attorneys from Dallas who were in line in front of us and had left their kids at home with a sitter, who gave us their phone number in case we wanted to meet them at another Con. When we parted, they said, "Have a great Con!"

The really really amazing part of the long long line was that it moved at lightning speed. The whole picture-taking experience was so expertly choreographed (each person got 7 seconds in the room with the seated star), that I barely remember how it happened. I do remember turning to Mr. Shatner, the idol of my teenaged years, and saying, "Thank-you for coming to Dallas to see us, Mr. Shatner." And he turned to me and looked me in the eyes and replied with a warm smile, "The pleasure was all mine, Captain Sue."

I could go on and on about how much we enjoyed the STTNG panel, all of the Nathan Fillion jokes (call in sick for an eye infection, Nathan, and jokes will be made about you), the many creative costumes and new friends, and just hanging out together with people who were comfortable being themselves, or I could gripe about the food (bring your own next time) or the one measly escalator in the entire convention hall, but instead I'll just say Live Long and Prosper and hope to see you at the next Dallas Comic-con. Who needs San Diego?

Part 3 of my Letter about Disneyland to my Niece and Nephew: My Favorite FOOD

When I go to Disney World, I have to have my Dole Whip, my cinnamon-glazed almonds, a churro at some point, and maybe a Casey's hot dog or a cream cheese-filled pretzel as the day goes by. Disneyland has its own specialties.

New Orleans Square is home to a bunch of good eats, starting with the delicious clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. If you like clam chowder and sourdough bread, you will love this rich, creamy soup. You can get it at Harbour Galley or Royal Street Veranda, and I think they also have gumbo or chili. But I got the clam chowder all three times I went to Disneyland and I'm getting it again when I go back.

The other goodies to get in New Orleans are the Mickey beignets and the Mint Julep (it's non-alcoholic), which you can get at the Mint Julep Bar. I know you've had Mickey beignets before at that New Orleans-y resort at WDW, so you know they're like doughnuts but denser, but they make special ones at Disneyland for certain occasions. I was there at Halloween, so they had pumpkin ones. And the Mint Julep is so refreshing! Wait until you're really thirsty and it will just hit the spot, I promise.

I only made reservations at one restaurant--the Blue Bayou--because everybody who I asked about Disneyland said it was a must. They were right. Again, it's in New Orleans, but the really cool part is that it's inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. So it's kind of like when you're eating at the restaurant inside the Mexico pyramid at Epcot, except it's all the Pirates boats that are sailing around you (a fun angle for a photo is to snap a pic of it from a Pirates boat). It's a starry evening setting with crickets and fireflies and little flickery lanterns. Very romantic if you were with a significant other and very expensive for dinner, so try to get lunch reservations. Their famous dish is the Monte Cristo sandwich, which I got, and which was great, but if you get it, plan to share it with someone, and ask them to go easy on the powdered sugar and not to drizzle any sauce on it (just too messy).

One unique and tasty collection of items that I discovered at Disneyland was right across from my favorite ride, Indiana Jones, at a little stand-up quick service place called Bengal BBQ, where you can get marinated chicken, beef, or vegetable kabobs on a stick, as well as a yummy grilled bacon-wrapped asparagus, which for my money was the winning ticket. I heard people around me whining about the prices and the portion size, but just look at it as a little snack to get you through the Indiana Jones line.

The last thing I ever ate at Disneyland, on my way out, was their famous corn dog. There are legends about this corn dog and they don't have them at Disney World (ask your tour guide to tell you the story of the corn dog batter). It's greasy and it's fattening and if you have acid reflux it will mess with you for the rest of the day, but it's worth it. Enjoy your corn dog at the little corn dog cart and then be prepared to deal with Disneyland corn dog cravings for months afterward!

Have fun at Disneyland, C & K! I'm so excited for you! I can't wait to hear about your adventures when you get back! Love, Aunt Sue

Part 2 of my Letter to my Niece and Nephew Who Don't Want to Go toDisneyland

One of the things I enjoyed doing at Disneyland was taking the Walk in Walt's Footsteps Tour. The tour took us all over the Magic Kingdom and covered the historical background of the park (and let us see the inside of Club 33 and Walt's apartment!) It really brought home the fact that while Disney World was completed by Roy Disney, Disneyland was WALT's park. I even had my photo taken like a dork in the exact same spot that Walt had his taken under the castle to commemorate my visit. I would encourage you to take one of the Disneyland tours that are offered, but most importantly, to be appreciative of the place Disneyland holds in Disney history. It's where it all started, y'all.

Taking a walk in Walt's footsteps

Storybook Land Canal Boats

On my first visit to the park, I wanted to experience everything that Disneyland had that was DIFFERENT from Disney World. I circled all of the unfamiliar attractions on my map (I really did. I actually brought a Sharpie with me for just that purpose) and made a plan to get around to all of them, taking a photo of each. I started in Fantasyland, rode the boats at Story Book Land, considered the Matterhorn Bob Sleds (but ruled them out when a new acquaintance told me they "wrenched her neck"), was the only single adult in line for Alice in Wonderland and Pinocchio, and then headed to Tomorrowland where I rode the monorail around the park and chatted with the monorail conductor, who let me sit in the front. I asked her what was different about the monorail in each park, and she said that at Disneyland, it was an attraction, while at Disney World, it was considered transportation. She also pointed out that you can't sit in the front cab of the monorail at Disney World any more!

As I walked around and visited each of the lands, I learned that there are two extra lands (New Orleans Square and Critter Country) at Disneyland, and that some of the attractions that were also at Disney World are in different lands at Disneyland. Walt Disney must have loved New Orleans, because it's a huge section of Disneyland and it's where his apartment and Club 33 are located. It's where Haunted Mansion is located! In fact, we found out on the tour that the Haunted Mansion is located in a different land in every single Disney park (there are many fun factoids like this to be learned in abundance on those tours). I could go on and on about the unique Disneyland attractions, but suffice it to say that there is plenty to see and do that is different from Disney World, including an Indiana Jones ride that is probably one of my favorite rides ever anywhere.

My mission on my next trip to Disneyland, of course, was to compare the things that were the same at both parks. The biggest similarity is that there is a castle in the middle of both Magic Kingdoms. The biggest difference between the two parks is also the castles. You will have yourself a good laugh when you first see Sleeping Beauty Castle, and you might even find yourself saying things like, "Where IS the castle, I can't see it," and "WHAT castle?" It's that small. But after a very short while, it will seem as magical to you as Cinderella Castle. The characters and the parades are all the same. You can still go up to Minnie and kiss her and she will cover her face in embarrassment. And there are fireworks at the end of the day that are very similar to the Wishes fireworks with a little additional bit of magic that is so magical your mom will cry big elephant tears when she sees it, and I'm getting a little choked up just thinking about it. Have camera ready. And do not google "Difference between WDW and DL fireworks." Spoilers abound. Be surprised. At least let your mom be surprised.

Haunted Mansion

One thing I found out about the attractions that were the same in both parks is that they are NOT the same! Haunted Mansion was probably the most similar inside to its WDW counterpart, but the outside was a southern mansion. Pirates was a longer ride with more details up front, Small World was also longer and had a way-cool clock that came to life with the little dolls on the hour, and Winnie-the-Pooh's ride was actually located in a real-life woods, not a concrete jungle. Even the teacups had a completely different venue (outside under a canopy of vines and twinkly lights). The great thing about this was that they were similar enough to feel familiar and traditional, but just different enough to feel like a new experience!

Mad Tea Party

It's a Small World

A Letter to my Niece and Nephew Who Don't Want to Go to Disneyland,Part 1

Every summer when my kids were little, and my niece and nephew (C & K) were really little, we would make the trek from Houston to Orlando to visit family and play with the Mouse. Disney World started to feel like our home away from home and we only visited once a year. My niece and nephew, who lived in Orlando, and whose mom (my sister) worked at Epcot, really felt attached to the place. And then last year they moved to Texas.

This is a long way of saying, those kids (C & K) love Disney World. A lot. But now that they live in Texas, in the middle of the country, their mom, my sister, has planned a family vacation for them to Disneyland. And they are not really that thrilled about it. They're wondering why not go back to Disney World? But they've never been to Disneyland, and that's part of the reason for the plan. They just don't know what they don't know. 

I'm no expert, but after a few trips to Disneyland while on business in the Santa Ana area during the past few years, I've been converted to it. Disney is truly Disney, and Disneyland has the magic, too. I want to share a few of the magical things I enjoyed there that I think they (C & K) will enjoy, too. 

Magical Thing #1: THE WEATHER

Southern California weather is the reason everybody and their dog wants to move to southern California. It's sublime. It doesn't beat you down like Florida heat, or rain on you every afternoon or sap the energy from you after a half-day of walking in it. It is warm but not humid during the day, often breezy, cooler in the shade, and even cooler as the sun goes down. It energizes you and lifts your spirits. You actually need to wear a jacket/hoodie/cardigan there in the summer in the early mornings and at night and you don't sweat through all your clothes.

Magical Thing #2 THE PARK SIZE

The park size is SMALL. So small that you can walk from here to there and back again all in the same day and without saying dumb things constantly like "My dogs are barkin'," or "I'm never coming back here again until I have grandchildren." Everything is RIGHT THERE. It's all attached! You can walk from your hotel to Downtown Disney to Magic Kingdom to California Adventure without breaking the afore-mentioned sweat.

These two Magical Things alone make Disneyland worth the trip, but there is even more in Part 2.
TO BE CONTINUED...

I Am a Terrible Blogger

Let's see, where do I begin after having forgotten I had a blog since last January?

It's Christmastime again, and the same decorations that I had a hard time boxing up and putting away in last year's last blog entry are up again. Except for a tree. We don't have a tree yet. We're going to let the kids decide when they get home whether they want a fake tree that's-already-perfectly-strung-with-lights, or a REAL tree, maybe from the Christmas Tree Farm, that sheds needles and dies within days but smells like Christmas.

Last year, we had Sara and Grant and Eddie and Dane and Skyler here and we all voted for the Christmas Tree Farm.

 We went on the hay ride and drank hot chocolate and took
pictures of each other taking pictures. It was perfect.

Little Grant loved it most of all.