When Can We Do This Again? A TCD Disneyland Double Dip

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I'm not sure which one I like best, the corn dogs or the cool parade lights.......definitely the monster corn dog

 

You are correct!

 

The parade is nice, but those corndogs are the best I've ever had.

 

They have some really good food at Disneyland.  Nothing at WDW comes close.

 

I'm in. Sad that I missed you by just a couple of weeks. Dec 1 is Disneyland and I'm trying to take a few days off of work to actually vacation a bit. Are the twins or twins friends available for rent for parade spot holding duty? I'll pay a few bucks and a drink or snack or something! (I'm serious.)

 

That's a generous offer, but I don't think they could commit to that.  They and their friends are basically slaves to Disney, and have entered the frantic holiday season.  Their schedules are crazy.  They still have plenty of fun, but I don't think they could commit to camping out for two hours to save a parade spot.

 

But, I have good news for you on that topic.  Twin #1 shared her secret parade spot with us on our second trip.  I don't think I'll be getting to that too much before December 1, so I'll give you a purple crayon map to it before I post the next update.  You can get a spot in that area about 45 minutes before the parade, and it's great for viewing and photos!

 

I'm in. Glad Mrs TCD was able to make the trip too.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

Me too.

 

She secretly loves Disney, but she does not enjoy our touring style at all. We had to dial it way down for this trip.

 

First page

 

Congrats, and glad to see that you're following along.

 

I'm in, been waiting on this one.

 

Glad to have you on board, Harold.

 

Yay, a TCD Disneyland TR!

Super excited because I just booked our trip to CA for June. Will be taking mental notes!

 

Good for you!

 

I hope that you learn from my tips, and maybe some others can chime in too.

 

All of the 60th anniversary stuff will still be going on then, and the new parade and fireworks are really good.

 

I miss Disneyland! We had such a fun time in August 2014. If the flights weren't so bad, I'd be more willing to book another visit. The parade and fireworks look amazing. I roll my eyes now at our Main Street Electrical Parade. 

 

Just in case you don't know- keep an eye on airfares via Google Flights.  I've been amazed at some of the deals that have popped up there- even on short notice.

 

It's a funny thing about the Paint the Night parade. One night, while waiting to watch it, a custodial CM came by and noted that I was wearing a Disney World shirt.  He asked me if I had seen the Paint the Night parade, and how I thought it compared to the Main Street Electric Parade.  I told him the truth- there is no comparison.  Paint the Night is 1000% better.  He said he would rather have the MSEP.  And he was dead serious.  Disneyland people are funny like that.  Plus marijuana is legal out there.  Which explains a lot.

 

Wow, first page bragging rights.  Excited to see your adventures in California.

 

Nicely done.  You made it just in time!

 

Only one more first page spot! Better get it while you can....

 

Classic.

 

Well played.

 

As per usual.

 

You know I never thought I liked corn dogs but because of this board I was forced to try them. Not bad

 

There you go!

 

Do they have corndogs in Joisey?

 

I honestly can't recall ever having had one when I lived there.  But, they must have them at the Shore.

 

I, also, was never a big fan of the corndog.  But, my girls love the corn dog nuggets at Casey's in the MK.  But those Disneyland corndogs, I have to tell you, are something special.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Great start to the trip report TCD!

 

Nice to see the misses with you out there too!  So did the oldest TCD daughter join you on the second trip?

 

You know we've been talking about the picture taking for our next trip, sometimes you get so caught up in the pictures you miss things in the moment.  It's nice to do what you did and not worry about all the pictures and just enjoy the family time.   Plus a lot of times we end up with a 1000 pictures and honestly it's overwhelming just going through them.  

 

Looking forward to more!

 

WBI

 

Good to see a post from you, Nick.

 

Yes, the oldest daughter and I went out for the second trip.  It's funny how that worked out for me.  She originally was supposed to come with Mrs. TCD and me, but something came up at work.  We had to move her trip back.  And, it was just going to be her and her sisters.  But, they had to work a bunch on the second trip, and my oldest needed a park buddy.  I didn't have to be asked twice!

 

It was nice not constantly worrying about taking photos on the trip with Mrs. TCD.  We got plenty, but it wasn't the crazy amount that I normally take.

 

I am in and remembering my time there in July. Thanks for sharing.

 

Glad you're reading along, Jason.

 

I'm sure everyone would appreciate any tips or observations you want to throw in along the way.

 

I'm far from a Disneyland expert.

 

You know I'm not referring to clamshells.  

 

The cease and desist order for the Germany sausage picture obviously needs to be extended to corn dogs.  

 

Yeah, I know.

 

I hesitated to post the corndog photo.  But, it's the only one I had of the corndogs.  So.

 

I won't post anymore without a prior warning to avert your eyes.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Before I get to the update, here's Twin #1's top secret great parade spot.

 

First, this is the parade route at Disneyland.  It starts back by their Small World ride, winds its way between the teacups and the Matterhorn, and then goes along that side of the Castle before heading down Main Street.  The secret spot is across from the teacups, but closer toward It's a Small World, so kind of diagonal from the Tea Cups:

 

 

The secret spot is along the edge of the walkway across from the teacups.  They let guests sit here for the parade, but it isn't marked, and people pass it by because they don't know the walkway will be closed.  You can't sit on the other side of the street here, just on the side I've marked.  That's awesome for the parade, because all of the performers only have to wave to and interact with guests on the side that you're on:

 

 

After the parade passes, you can get behind it and follow it down toward Main Street. They will stop you before you get to the castle, as the hub area will be really crowded, but after a few minutes, you can find a fireworks spot in time to see them.  You won't be on Main Street, so you'll miss the projections, but you will also have saved yourself from two hours of waiting.

 

We used that spot several times during the second trip, and it always worked out great for us.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Update time.

 

Some of these photos are out of order, because I swiped them from the twins' social media pages.

 

There was one night when it was just Twin #1 and I closing down Disneyland.  I think that this was the night that Twin #2 was working, and Mrs. TCD was tucked in at the Grand Californian.  I got the ride the Ghost Galaxy version of Space Mountain.  Which was pretty cool- they had special projections and music, making a different ride experience:

 

 

Here's a photo of Disneyland's puny castle:

 

 

This one was on the carousel at DCA:

 

 

They have photo props scattered throughout the parks, and Photopass photographers on duty to snap photos:

 

 

They have Magic Shots there too.  And they don't put watermarks on their photos like they're doing at WDW now:

 

 

I think I already mentioned that our touring plan on this trip was very laid back.  We had dining reservations, and ate at several of the nicer restaurants on property.

 

On our first morning at the Grand Californian, we scheduled a character breakfast for the Storyteller's Café.   The food was outstanding, and it wasn't a crazy scene like we used to experience way back in the day at WDW.  Everything was very mellow, and we had a great meal and a great time.  Mickey isn't at this breakfast, just 'critters," like good old Chip:

 

 

I think this is supposed to be Chewbacca, but I may be mistaken:

 

 

This, I know, is Dale:

 

 

And Br'er Bear:

 

 

Mrs. TCD with Chip and some handsome devil:

 

 

After breakfast, we spent a leisurely day at Disneyland.  Mrs. TCD LOVES Winnie the Pooh, so we had to ride the Pooh ride.  I wanted to ride it too, as there was something in there I wanted to snap a photo of.  Note that their ride vehicles are not honey pots- they're bee hives:

 

 

Surprisingly, this ride is quite different than WDW's version.  The scenes you go through are different, and so is the track layout.  That's because Disneyland's version was built in their old Country Bears theater, while WDW's version was built in the old Mr. Toad ride.  They don't have Country Bears at Disneyland, and we don't have Mr. Toad.  I think we won there.

 

As is often the case, the Imagineers at Disneyland included a small tribute to the old Country Bears attraction in the Pooh ride there.  The three animatronic animal heads which used to be mounted on the wall are still in the ride!  I failed at getting a photo, but I saw them.  Here's a description and a photo from a fan site:

 

Max, Buff and Melvin are still hanging around at Disneyland! These lovable lugs used to MC for the Bear Country Jamboree. Now, they're watching over Pooh Bear. On the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride, after the Heffalumps and Woozles, look backwards and up. You'll see them on the wall above you. They look a little stuned, but they're still around!

 

 

Source: http://www.hiddenmickeys.org/disneyland/secrets/critter/pooh.html

 

How cool is that?

 

Pretty cool if you ask me.

 

The Country Bear tributes are not just in the ride.

 

Splash Mountain is across from the Pooh ride, and there's a small gift shop just to its right in this photo:

 

 

There's a food prep area in that gift shop where they make some of the treats they sell in the shop.  On the walls behind where the CM's are working, there are photos showing Winnie the Pooh interacting with some of the Country Bears:

 

 

 

 

Twin #1 pointed those out to us.

 

I was proud to be her father.

 

While we were in Disneyland, I wanted to hunt down the Halloween Tree.  I had read about it on the Disney Parks Blog:

 

If you walk through Frontierland during Halloween Time at Disneyland park, you can’t miss the beautifully decorated oak tree near the Golden Horseshoe Saloon, with glowing orange lights and hand-painted jack-o’-lanterns hanging from its branches. The tree, which is inspired by Ray Bradbury’s 1972 fantasy novel “The Halloween Tree,” was dedicated to the author on Halloween night in 2007.

 

Bradbury, a lifetime Disney fan and the author of classic American novels such as “Fahrenheit 451,” met Walt Disney in 1964. In the years that followed, Bradbury helped develop many attractions at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts, most notably Spaceship Earth at Epcot. He also penned the screenplays for two Disney films, “Something Wicked This Way Comes” (1983) and “The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit” (1999).

 

Bradbury’s novel “The Halloween Tree” tells the story of a group of trick-or-treaters who learn about the origins of Halloween while on an adventure to find their missing friend. Bradbury dreamed of having a Halloween Tree at Disneyland, and on the 35th anniversary of the novel, his dream was brought to life. “I belong here in Disneyland, ever since I came here 50 years ago. I’m glad I’m going to be a permanent part of the spirit of Halloween at Disneyland,” the author said at the tree’s dedication. Bradbury would visit the tree before he passed away in 2012.

 

Today, the Halloween Tree delights guests of all ages and honors Bradbury’s many contributions to The Walt Disney Company. A plaque at the base of the tree commemorates the night of its dedication: “On the night of Halloween 2007, this stately oak officially became ‘The Halloween Tree,’ realizing famed author Ray Bradbury’s dream of having his symbol for the holiday become a part of Disneyland.”

Bradbury’s icon continues to be part of Disney Halloween magic even outside of Disneyland park. If you’re celebrating the Halloween season aboard one of the four ships of the Disney Cruise Line this year, don’t miss the Pumpkin Tree in the lobby that is inspired by “The Halloween Tree.”

 

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2014/10/the-halloween-tree-at-disneyland-park/

 

Isn't that a cool tribute, and a cool detail?

 

The tree itself is easy to walk past without noticing, especially in the daylight, but we found it:

 

 

 

 

We wanted to ride Haunted Mansion, so I headed over there to grab some good old paper FP's.  There were a lot of service dogs in training in the parks the entire time we were there:

 

 

We only had less than an hour to kill before our Haunted Mansion FP's were good, so we headed over to Big Thunder Ranch.  This is the last remnant of all the live animal presence that has been a feature in Disneyland since the beginning.  At one time, the Big Thunder Ranch CM's were in charge of a herd of 200 mules.  200!  Either Walt was crazy or marijuana has been legal in California for longer than we know.

 

Back here at the ranch, they have goats, sheep, some donkeys and a cow.  On occasion, a horse shoes up too.  At quitting time each day, they herd the critters out the back gate.  The twins had heard about the goat stampede that happens at the end of the day, and thought we'd like to see it.

 

It's a really nice, quiet little corner of the park:

 

 

 

And here they come:

 

 

 

 

There's always a slow poke:

 

 

That goat stampede was fun.

 

If you'd like to see it, you'll need to hurry.

 

Big Thunder ranch is going to be shut down for ever in January.

 

That's where Disneyland's Star Wars land is going.

 

After the goat fun, we headed back to New Orleans square to ride the Haunted Mansion with the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay:

 

 

I'm not a big Nightmare Before Christmas fan, but they do an excellent job with the overlay.

 

This was also our first time seeing the new Hatbox Ghost animatronic.  The girls had attended a lecture given by the Imagineer who designed it.  And, they have also had a tour of the entire attraction where they got to walk through it and learned about a lot of the details.  It was cool to ride with them and have them point out small details that I had never noticed before.  And that Hatbox Ghost is super cool!

 

I'll stop this update here, and finish up the first part of the Disneyland Double Dip in the next update.

 

Don't be worried that this TR is going to end too soon.

 

I have way, way more photos from the second trip out.  Plus some bonus photos from a one day trip to WDW where I went on a secret mission to surprise the girls.

 

TCD

 

 

 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I've got some more photos loaded, and we have a long way to go, so here comes another update.

 

We have reached the last day of our visit.  It went quick, but we had a great time. 

 

We had to clear out of Disneyland early because they were having a Halloween Party that night.

 

The twins hadn't been to one, and could buy us discounted tickets, but they told me to save my money.

 

 A couple of their friends had gone, and felt that it wasn't worth it- the MK version is so much better.

 

Any of you long time TCD TR readers might remember how I get a kick out of watching Halloween party guests enter the parks.  Well, here's the Disneyland version of that!  Here they come!:

 

 

We need to zoom in a bit to see what's happening in that last photo. Here we go, we have an interesting looking Buzz and Woody, with Pocahontas and I don't know following behind:

 

 

Hey, it's Queen Elsa!:

 

 

I will spare us all, and we will not zoom in on that dude.

 

What's that?  A girl pirate?:

 

 

Yup- and a Pooh and Tink combo:

 

 

I don't know who the guy in the lab coat is supposed to be.  But, I'm not guessing anyone will pay him much attention if he's going to be hanging out with the girl pirate.

 

Look at this guy in a full-on Perry the Platypus onesie:

 

 

I'm not sure what we have here:

 

 

We need to take a closer look at that:

 

 

Hmmm.  I'm still not sure.  But, I'm sure those costumes mean something to somebody.

 

Here comes some more partygoers:

 

 

I'm not sure if these black ponchos are costumes of some sort, or if they're just black ponchos:

 

 

Here's another shot- here you can see Perry there on the far left:

 

 

There's a lot to see in this shot-  You can see a Peter Pan family near the center of this photo, and then Stitch and a witch to the right, and then a Finding Nemo family all the way to the right:

 

 

We need to zoom in on that photo a few times.  First, here's the Peter Pan family.  Well done:

 

 

And I think this is Stitch, but I'm not sure if that's right:

 

 

I guess the dad here is Marlin, and he's holding Nemo.  But who is the mom supposed to be?  I don't know.  Shouldn't she be Dory?

 

 

I don't think she's Dory:

 

 

There's a Lilo and Stitch over there:

 

 

I said this in my last Disneyland TR, but one thing that surprised me about visiting Disneyland is that the whole California is where the beautiful people live is a total myth.  Or if it isn't, then none of the beautiful people come to Disneyland.  Because all these folks aren't any more beautiful than WDW guests.

 

That's all I have for partygoer photos.

 

And check this out- they have something called a Passholder Treat Location.  They don't do that at WDW:

 

 

Now we're back in California Adventure, heading back to the hotel- you can see the Grand Californian there in the background.  This area was re-themed since our last visit.  It used to be called Condor Flats.  Now it's called Grizzly Peak Airfield.:

 

 

This restaurant was re-themed and refurbished since our last visit:

 

 

The monorail comes through here, which is inconsistent with the theme, but I guess it was inconsistent with the old theme as well:

 

 

We headed back to the room for a rest, and then headed back out into the park for our last night.  We ended up eating at the Smokejumpers Grill which you see three photos above.  It is a very nice quick serve.

 

When we were done with dinner, we were surprised to find that it was raining when we came out.

 

Since our room was right there, we ducked into the hotel.

 

The plan was to come back out after the rain.

 

But, none of us wanted to.

 

We hung out in the room for the night.

 

We could see the higher fountains and Mickey's Fun Wheel part of World of Color from our balcony, so we watched from there.

 

The next morning, we had an early flight.

 

We had time for a quick breakfast at the Whitewater Grill downstairs.

 

And, then Twin #2 took us to the airport.

 

That's all I have from the first dip of this double dip.

 

But don't despair, the second dip was much bigger.

 

TCD

[we3peas 12]

Where do your girls live will they are in CA? Does DL provide housing like WDW does or are they on their own to find housing? How does all that work?

[campingdawgs 4]

I had no idea Ray Bradbury was involved with Disneyland. And I am a science fiction fan. Fail on my part.

It looks like you had a great time visiting the girls. I'm sure you miss them. I miss my daughter and she's only 2 hours away. She's having so much fun at school she hasn't been home much this year.

I think maybe the guy in the lab coat could be Doc Brown from Back to the Future, but that costume wouldn't go with the others so maybe not. The girl with Pocahontas looks like a samurai Woody.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Where do your girls live will they are in CA? Does DL provide housing like WDW does or are they on their own to find housing? How does all that work?

 

Disneyland College Program works similar to Disney World's for housing.  The big difference is that the Disneyland program is much smaller, and all the kids are housed in one apartment building in downtown Anaheim  (9n Florida, there are four separate apartment complexes, and one of them is more than walking distance from the other three).  The twins are in a two bedroom two bath, with five girls.  They have three girls in their bedroom, and they all share one bath.  The twins are in a bunk bed.  They started that in Florida as well.  They are crammed in pretty good.  But the apartments are large and completely furnished, including dishes, and compared to dorm life, it's luxurious.  As in Florida, rent is automatically taken off the top of their weekly paychecks, and they have to live off of the rest.  Disney comes out ahead on that deal big time. 

 

One big difference between California and Florida is that California does not have a separate bus system dedicated to the CP kids.  Rather, they get a pass for a city bus, and they have to ride that if they don't have cars.  The girls brought their cars, and they're glad they did.  But, there are quite a few kids out there without cars, and it is doable.  There are restaurants, and a nice grocery store in walking distance from the apartments.

 

Oh, and these apartments have washers and dryers in the units.  They didn't have that in Florida.

 

One more nice thing about California is that those with cars have an assigned parking space, and some are in a gated and secure parking garage located beneath the apartment building.  The twins both got spaces in that parking garage, which is really nice when they are coming home from a late shift.

 

I had no idea Ray Bradbury was involved with Disneyland. And I am a science fiction fan. Fail on my part.

It looks like you had a great time visiting the girls. I'm sure you miss them. I miss my daughter and she's only 2 hours away. She's having so much fun at school she hasn't been home much this year.

I think maybe the guy in the lab coat could be Doc Brown from Back to the Future, but that costume wouldn't go with the others so maybe not. The girl with Pocahontas looks like a samurai Woody.

 

I didn't know about the Ray Bradbury connection either, or that he was involved with Spaceship Earth.

 

It's neat that he was still alive when they finally gave him his tree.  I had never heard of the Halloween Tree book.

 

LOL @ samurai Woody.  It could be a cowgirl Mulan?

 

TCD

[keith_h 420]

 

 

I don't know who the guy in the lab coat is supposed to be.  But, I'm not guessing anyone will pay him much attention if he's going to be hanging out with the girl pirate.

 

 

My guess he is supposed to be Doc Brown from Back to the Future. As for the Pirate who cares she could shiver me timbers anytime. Uh oh the DW just looked over my shoulder.   :banghead:

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

My guess he is supposed to be Doc Brown from Back to the Future. As for the Pirate who cares she could shiver me timbers anytime. Uh oh the DW just looked over my shoulder.   :banghead:

 

Well, it was nice knowing you.

 

  :mort1:

 

TCD

[Northerngirl--Lori 5]

Yae!  Another TCD trip report! its been to long. Cant wait to read it.

[jmaul 65]

 

I'm not sure what we have here:

 

 

We need to take a closer look at that:

 

 

Hmmm.  I'm still not sure.  But, I'm sure those costumes mean something to somebody.

 

 

[jmaul 65]

 

I'm not sure what we have here:

 

 

 

We need to take a closer look at that:

 

 

Hmmm.  I'm still not sure.  But, I'm sure those costumes mean something to somebody.

 

 

 

Adventure Time

 

Finn & Princess Bubblegum.

 

Don't ask....

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Yae!  Another TCD trip report! its been to long. Cant wait to read it.

 

I hope that you enjoy it.

 

Adventure Time

 

Finn & Princess Bubblegum.

 

Don't ask....

 

OK, I won't ask.

 

I Googled.

 

And you're right! :  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventure_Time

 

I started to read all about it.

 

Then I got to this paragraph:

 

The series was inspired by the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons . . .

 

And I stopped.

 

No thanks.

 

Now I'm very concerned about your street cred.

 

TCD

[we3peas 12]

Thanks for telling us how the program works both in FL and CA. My dd is going to be a JR in college next year and is looking into the program.

[bhall 115]

Is that a low budget Freddy Kruger in that shot?

[blm2003 2]

So happy to see a new TCD report!

 

Thanks for taking the time to entertain us all Andrew! 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I'm late, but I'm here.

Glad Mrs. TCD got to join you. It's pretty cool that the girls will know all the tricks for both coasts.

[sherryberry 35]

It's been a horrible week, so it's good to sit down and read this tonight! I was looking for us in your pictures, just in case we crossed paths at some point. I was able to see the country bears in the Pooh ride, but Kenneth missed it - you have to be quick to catch it!

[Family of Bears 98]

Thought I would pop in and check on my fiend friends, and I get rewarded with a TCD tr!! It's good to be Mrs.Familyofbears.

A few notes:

Good work with the girls, they look so happy :)

That parade looks awesome! How come DL gets chill parade goers, building projections, AND a non-dude tink?!? Huh?!?

The corn dogs. Great pic. Does Mrs. TCD know it's on the Internet?

[momof3kids-Yvonne 594]

I also didn't know about the Ray Bradbury and Walt Disney connection. I remember reading Something Wicked This Way Comes and watching the movie. Now you've got me wanting to watch it again and wanting to read the Halloween Tree book. Possibly even watch that movie if I can find it.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Thanks for telling us how the program works both in FL and CA. My dd is going to be a JR in college next year and is looking into the program.

 

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.  I wasn't really sure about whether it was a good idea for them to participate last year at WDW, but it ended up being a great experience for them.  When they wanted to apply for Disneyland, I definitely didn't think it was a good idea.  But, it's been even better for them than their WDW experience.

 

I strongly suggest that your daughter considers the Disneyland program.  It is smaller, and more selective.  As a result, everything is better about it.  In Florida, a lot of the kids were only there to escape from their little towns and community colleges up north.  They didn't really care about Disney or advancing their careers.  They were there to party.  And, the program itself didn't treat the participants with a whole lot of respect.  It is markedly different in California.  The girls go to weekly lectures from high ranking Disney executives, and every week it seems like they have some type of really cool special activity to participate in.  They've taken behind the scenes tours of the Haunted Mansion, visited the actual Disney Studios, toured the ranch, toured the Dream Suite, visited Walt's actual apartment above the Fire House, and more.  CP kids didn't have any opportunities like that in Florida.

 

Is that a low budget Freddy Kruger in that shot?

 

Do you mean the guy in the lab coat?  Or someone else?

 

So happy to see a new TCD report!

 

Thanks for taking the time to entertain us all Andrew! 

 

Hey, I'm happy to do it.

 

These are trips that I enjoy reliving.

 

 

I'm late, but I'm here.

Glad Mrs. TCD got to join you. It's pretty cool that the girls will know all the tricks for both coasts.

 

It's about time!

 

Yeah, the girls know an amazing amount of very helpful information about Disneyland.  Having them as our tour guides was better than having one of those Plaid Vests.  It was so weird to me.  When we last visited Disneyland together, it was just last December, and it was the first time for all of us.  Since then, they've been in the parks almost every day since they arrived in August.  They've lost count of how many times they've seen Paint the Night and the fireworks, and it seems like they know the best strategies for everything, and where the best places to eat are.  It was a lot of fun to turn the planning over to them, and not have to bother looking at a map or trying to figure out our day.  We just told them what we wanted to do, and they got us there.

 

It's been a horrible week, so it's good to sit down and read this tonight! I was looking for us in your pictures, just in case we crossed paths at some point. I was able to see the country bears in the Pooh ride, but Kenneth missed it - you have to be quick to catch it!

 

Sorry it's been a horrible week.  But, it's Friday!

 

Chances are that we did cross paths.  It would be funny if you showed up in one of my photos.

 

Thought I would pop in and check on my fiend friends, and I get rewarded with a TCD tr!! It's good to be Mrs.Familyofbears.

A few notes:

Good work with the girls, they look so happy :)

That parade looks awesome! How come DL gets chill parade goers, building projections, AND a non-dude tink?!? Huh?!?

The corn dogs. Great pic. Does Mrs. TCD know it's on the Internet?

 

Great to see a post from you, Brandy!

 

The girls truly are happy.  They're a little homesick, but they have less than six weeks left until they come home now.  So, they're in the homestretch.  It has flown by for all of us.

 

There are so many nice things that Disneyland has that we don't.  Wait until I get to the morning that we were heading to a ride, and walked up on Peter Pan just sitting by himself on a rock.  No character handler.  No queue.  Just Peter Pan sitting there chilling.  That could never happen at WDW. Big Wendy would get him.  It's a good question that you asked.  Why can they have stuff like this in California, but not in Florida?  The best thing I can figure is marijuana.  Everyone in California must be smoking a lot of it.  So, they're all chill.  It makes me reconsider my position about legalizing it here.

 

Yeah, Mrs. TCD knows that corn dog photo is on the web.  I swiped it from one of the twins' Facebook pages.  It cracks her up.

 

I also didn't know about the Ray Bradbury and Walt Disney connection. I remember reading Something Wicked This Way Comes and watching the movie. Now you've got me wanting to watch it again and wanting to read the Halloween Tree book. Possibly even watch that movie if I can find it.

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If you do get that Halloween book or movie, please report back on it.  I have to think that neither must be that good, or else wouldn't we all have heard about it before now?

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Let's move on.

 

We got back from California on October 20th.

 

And got busy with life.

 

It's been weird since the girls have all moved out of our home.  I thought we'd be less busy, but it hasn't worked that way.

 

I also was surprised to stop and think about how long it had been since I had stepped foot in Fort Wilderness.

 

We camped there over the 4th of July, and I hadn't been back since.

 

Which was really weird for me.

 

We used to camp several times every year in the fall.

 

Especially around Halloween and Thanksgiving.  That's prime time for the TCD gang.

 

That was not to be this year.

 

I had thought at one time that my oldest daughter and I could meet up for a Halloween Party or something, but it didn't work out.

 

So, that left me needed a Fort Fix.

 

I am sure some of you can relate.

 

The good thing for me is that if I need a Fort Fix, I can jump in the car and be there in less than two hours.

 

All I needed was a good excuse.

 

And, shortly after we returned from California, I got one.

 

Twin #2 sent me a photo of a shirt she saw on the internet, and said she wanted one.

 

This is the shirt:

 

 

I thought that shirt was awesome.

 

I had seen a different version of it that was for sale on-line for Passholders, but it sold out before I even found out about it.

 

The twins also really liked the Hocus Pocus shirts that were for sale at this year's MNSSHP's, and I had failed on getting those for them too.

 

I figured I could try to get them those Osborne Lights shirts, and be a big hero when I came back out to visit them in November.

 

I told Mrs. TCD about that idea, and she thought it was a great idea.  Disneyland changed her.

 

So, on Sunday, November 8, I decided to buzz over to WDW and try to get those shirts.

 

And, since I was heading over there anyway, why not make a day of it?

 

I wasn't sure if I was going to do go until the 8th.  I had stuff to do, and wasn't sure I'd have it done.  But, I got it done. and the day opened up for me.  I hadn't made any plans, so I hopped on My Disney Experience and booked some MK FP's.  I have extra Magic Bands for all the girls, so I could book 3 FP+'s on each band, which meant I had 12 FP+ reservations just for me.  That was sweet.  Of course, I couldn't get the Mine Train.  But, I had more than enough to do.  So, the plan was- hit the MK for the afternoon, and then hop over to DHS and get the shirts (and see the lights, of course), and then back home.  Quick and easy.  It's good to be TCD.

 

I wasn't sure if I would have time to visit the Fort, and didn't make the decision to actually go there until I arrived.  If traffic had been bad, I would have skipped the Fort, but I made good time, and decided to pop in for a quick visit.  I think I was looking forward to that more than hitting the parks.

 

The guard didn't even care what my excuse for being there was.  He just eyeballed my ID, and waved me in.

 

I parked in overflow, and an Orange bus pulled up as soon as I got to the bus stop.  I would have preferred Yellow, but hopped on the Orange, and had a nice ride through the cabin loops and right down Fort Wilderness Trail.

 

And, here I am at Trail's End.  I was looking for the new sign that I had heard was erected since they renamed Trails To Go:

 

 

I don't see a new sign.

 

Do you?

 

It's right here, dummy:

 

 

I was expecting more.  My bad.

 

Everything else around here looks the same as the last time. The merchandise hut is there, and the DVC kiosk.  And no Barrels of Fun:

 

 

This beer stand looks permanent.  It's nice of them to make it easier to buy an $8 beer:

 

 

But, I'll bet they sell a lot to the poor suckers who show up at the appointed time to wait for 45 minutes to got to their assigned and reserved seats in Pioneer Hall for the Hoop Dee Doo Revue, where the beer is free.

 

Thankfully, the bushes are tall enough to pretty much shield the view of that Big A** Golf Cart Parking Lot they built over the summer:

 

 

This is the future site of the Fort Christmas tree:

 

 

 

And as a special reward to all of your diligently reading along, here's an exclusive treat for you. This is the very first photo of the 2015 Fort Wilderness Christmas Tree which I received via text this morning from a friend who is at the Fort at this very moment:

 

 

Lookin' good!

 

Here we are on the side porch- check this out- it was just past 1:30, and that guy had come out of P&J's Southern Café with a pizza:

 

 

How?

 

I thought they didn't start take out until 4:30?

 

It says so right here on the new menus:

 

 

 

Does anyone know anything about this?  Is pizza available all afternoon?  That might be a good thing to know.  I didn't think it was.

 

It's nice that you can see all the way to the dock from here on the side porch.  I could see that the MK boat was not at or near the dock yet, so I chilled for a minute and dreamed of a nice Giddyap and Go:

 

 

Since the boat wasn't there yet, I decided that I'd take a look at the Settlement Trading Post:

 

 

Here's the Fort gear they have for sale there:

 

 

It looked like they had all of the current FW shirts in stock in all sizes, including that nice sweatshirt that I want:

 

 

I'd really like one of those sweatshirts, but I can't buy one until the twins come back and they can buy me one using their 40% merchandise discount.  I waited for that last year, and the cold snap we had right before Thanksgiving had those fly off the rack, and I lost out.  I'll have to hope for the best this year.

 

They have plenty of the long sleeve t's:

 

 

I went out the side door of the Trading Post, and peeked through the cracks in the fence behind it.  I saw the old covered wagon is still back there rotting, in case any of you were wondering.

 

Then I heard a boat horn.

 

Time to head to the dock.

 

It was good to be back here:

 

 

 

In case you were wondering, like I always am, what's bitin' in Bay Lake, this sign will let you know:

 

 

As I stood there by the boat rental window, I didn't see a boat.  Maybe that horn was a false alarm?  I went over to the side porch, and took a seat here:

 

 

I've never had to do it, but these tables would come in handy if you ever get a GAG and there isn't an open table on the Trail's End side porch.

 

You get some nice shade over here in the afternoon:

 

 

I had just sat down, when I heard the boat horn again.  That boat was coming.  Just not very fast:

 

 

It was a beautiful afternoon, but on the warm side, and as you can see from the windsock on the dock, there wasn't a breeze:

 

 

I have given a lot of thought lately about whether Disneyland is better than Disney World.  Nope.  End of discussion:

 

 

I love Clementine's Beach, and I will be really sad if they ever use part of it for a DVC building.  Like really sad:

 

 

These poor folks on the dock walked up just as the boat was untied and pulling away.  They won't come back for you if that happens.  They were now in for a long wait in the sun.  Sucks to be them:

 

 

This cypress point jutting out into the lake is right where they planned to build that huge DVC resort.  It's unthinkable to me:

 

 

 

Ah, there's a sight for sore eyes.  The good old Shoe Tree.  Disneyland can have the Halloween Tree.  I'll take the Shoe Tree any day:

 

 

We need to stop here, but I'll start the next update with a better look at this year's Shoe Tree crop.

 

And, there were some new things I saw on the way that I found interesting.  Maybe some of your will too.

 

So be sure to check back.

 

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Good to see you made it to the Fort. Those people doing take out pizza are missing out on the awesome Trail's End lunch.

[momof3kids-Yvonne 594]

You know something I noticed about your TRs? You seem to go to WDW on or around my birthday. I really think you should take me along one of these years. It could be my birthday gift.

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