It's a Disneyland Halloween - Days 4 & 5

Today was my last day in California, tomorrow it's back to Florida and back to work. I started out the morning navigating the public transportation system in Anaheim to get to the ice rink. The ice was nice and hard just like at my home rink. Nobody but the lady at the register said a word to me the entire couple of hours I was there. No luck with my Axel though my flying sit spin decided to finally make an appearance.

Since I went skating early, I had a late breakfast, which ended up being an early lunch, at Surf's Up at the Paradise Pier Resort. Stitchy finally ran out of good behavior during breakfast. He met up with big Stitch and they made a huge mess while I was talking to the chef.

The badness level is rising...

I was disappointed that I couldn't get Mickey waffles because they didn't get the safe mix in. Instead I got tacos, fresh fruit, and breakfast potatoes. It took so long to get my tacos that Stitchy and I were some of the only people left in the restaurant. One of the men in a different group started to make a big deal about my meal until I explained my allergies and then he looked kind of mad that I didn't get breakfast food. It was a little funny that this stranger was getting upset for me. I understand that my allergies come across to many as being impossible to deal with but it doesn't usually bother me anymore.

Chicken tacos

Mickey's Halloween Party Time! Disneyland lets people in 3 hours before the official start of the party. Stitchy and I got in a few rides before the party activities started.

Quick ninja-nap on Space Mountain

The Trick or Treat lines moved quickly and they had snacks I could eat, bonus! They pass out bags at the front of the park and mine was full by the end of the night.

The line for Haunted Mansion Holiday never seemed slow down but it was worth it. Disneyland does an amazing job on the overlay; another thing Disney World should really consider bringing over. The rest of the ride lines were nowhere near as busy.

One thing the parties are noted for are the rare characters. I ran into Aladdin and the Genie in the Oasis while getting ready to eat dinner. We got to talk for a good 10-15 minutes before anyone else realized they were there. It was a rare treat having characters all alone without a line waiting.

Stitchy's trapped in the backpack because I don't trust him alone with my food.

The one character I really wanted to meet was Jack Sparrow. He only comes out for parties now so this was a one time shot and I got lucky. Jack stayed in character despite me not saying a word during the whole meet. We had the groups behind me completely in stitches the whole time. Jack tried for a good five minutes to try getting anything out of me and gave me one of the best complements ever. According to him, I am a really good ninja.

I got a hug; Stitchy wasn't so lucky.

The only thing left after that was to watch the parade or cavalcade as they called it. It was short but the floats were nice and the characters were in Halloween costumes. The whole event was fun and I would do it again if given the chance.

Bai bai California. All that's left is to shove my Halloween candy in my suitcase, sleep for a few hours, and get back to the airport.

Okay, for all the complaints, security at LAX was not difficult. I got to my gate with plenty of time to check in back home and get early boarding. I really don't want to sit in a seat area that could have potential allergens so I request early boarding and wipe down everything around me. The trip was uneventful and now I'm back in Florida.

It's a Disneyland Halloween - Day 3

I spent the morning with a dear friend who lives in the area. We met on the Disboards and joined a group on Facebook that ended up with several of us becoming great friends. The morning was spent on a few rides, my first trip on the monorail in years, and shopping at Downtown Disney. One of my favorite things about traveling is meeting new people and finally getting to meet a friend in person just made my day. Mickey's Wheel of Doom is one of my favorites now!

 

We found Tinker Bell!

Stitchy and I were alone for the afternoon and evening so we spent it at California Adventure since it was our last day there. We got to meet Mater and Lightning McQueen and Stitchy actually behaved himself. (He's been surprisingly good on this trip.)

He's remarkably lifelike...for an anthropomorphic car that is.

We stayed late to watch World of Color. Words cannot describe WOC adequately. The show was phenomenal, absolutely amazing. I really want to skate to that opening number one day. Disneyworld needs to do a show like this at Epcot or Animal Kingdom. Tomorrow is my last day and the Halloween Party.

It's a Disneyland Halloween- Day 2

I may not like getting up at home but vacations are totally different. (The time zone change helped.) I know that if I want to be able to do anything in the parks without a mask on, I have to get it done before 10am and the restaurants start cooking lunch.

One of the rides I had to do was Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.This ride closed down years ago at Magic Kingdom and I've missed it. I also did the Nemo Subs early. The subs were what I remembered from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Nemo was a fun addition that really didn't take away from the ride.

I hopped over to DCA before having to re-mask and ran into Flick from Bug's Life. He really liked Stitchy.

After another ride on Radiator Springs Racers and Luigi's flying tires, it was time for lunch. I stopped at Taste Pilot's Grill while waiting for my Fast Pass for Soarin'. Lunch was a plain hamburger patty and applesauce. The manager and chef were at a loss as to feeding me with all my allergies. I'm just glad I walked away without a reaction. The queue for Soarin' at DLR is way better then in Epcot but the ride's exactly the same.

I went back to the hotel for a break. The evening was spent at DL riding the Indiana Jones, the original Pirates,  Jungle Cruise,  It's a Small World, and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy. They need to put the add-ins on the rides at WDW.

Fantasmic is much, much better at Disneyland then at Hollywood Studios. If they could put the DL show in the DHS amphitheater, it would be perfect.

It's a Disneyland Halloween - Day 1

Why did I booked a 7am flight when I hate waking up in the morning? I'll remember not to make that mistake again. After checking luggage and getting through security, I almost didn't make it on the plane. Lunch in Atlanta was okay; I did my research and knew where to find safe food. People kept glancing over at me but I'm used to it since it's rare to find someone eating with a mask on. Oh, right, that's why I did the early flight...so I wouldn't have to wear the mask on the first flight. Guess I will have to remember to make that mistake again.

The flight from ATL to LAX was uneventful. I boarded early to wipe down the seat and area around me, not taking chances in a plane. My seatmates were a mom and her little boy, who also had food allergies. His mom had just given him Benedryl so he slept most of the flight. I read until we got to the mountains and then I was glued to the window. It's been too long since I've seen the mountains.

LAX was just as crazy as I remember it. There was a short wait for the Disneyland Express bus. The driver was nice and gave us a little tour on our way to Anaheim. The only thing I didn't like was that the bus drop of for my hotel, the Castle Inn & Suites, was half a block away from the lobby.

I went to Disney California Adventure first. Last time I was here, this was a parking lot. I like the park better. Radiator Springs Racers was an amazing ride; Disney Imagineering at it's best. The whole of Carsland really makes you feel like you're in the movie. Having the cars actually driving out for meet & greets made it seem all the more "real". Dinner was at Flo's Cafe- roast beef, Spanish corn, and roasted potatoes.

Once it got dark, I wandered over to Disneyland. When I was 5, I swore I would never forgive my parents for making me ride the Matterhorn. First thing I did after riding Matterhorn was to call my folks and  tell them I'm no longer traumatized by the ride...but it's still is a crappy ride.

I wanted to get up early the next morning so I headed out and watched the fireworks from Harbor Blvd. There's a 7-11 at the corner that carries snacks. I picked up munchies for the morning, and called it a night early.

Robots and Ice Skates

Mid-September is one of my favorite times of year because of the annual Fall Classic Figure Skating Competition in Ellenton, FL. For the competitive kids, this is the last hurrah before Regionals. They have the opportunity to skate against some of the same skaters they will be going up against in October. For Showcase skaters, this is the time to debut new programs after National Showcase in August. I haven't been to a National Showcase yet but plan to attend my first in 2014. 

This year had a new skater in Adult Bronze, my new friend Flutz, the Autobot scout from the planet Cybertron. Flutz is a recent visitor to Earth. I introduced her to ice skating and she's getting better every week. Her music is to the Transformers Theme (no surprise there) and the music from the Citoren commercials fromEurope. Flutz won first place in Adult Bronze. Expect to see her at national showcase next year.

I skated Adult Silver to a collection of music from the Wishes firework show at Magic Kingdom in Disneyworld. I came in 3rd but I'm okay with that. I need some work on my flying sit spin and Axel. The Axel continues to ellude me. We're coming up on 3 years now that I've been working on this stupid jump. It's all in my head now...

I wrote most of this on the plane ride to California. I'll be spending a few days out west on a little vacation. There's Disneyland, ice skating, mountains, and lost of shopping. Next post'll be about this little trip I'm on. 

Labor Day Weekend in Disney World

I live about 3 hours from Disney World. This makes day and weekend trips very easy to do, especially with friends in the area. So I packed up the car and off I went after work on Saturday morning. I was surprised that I-95 wasn't busier since it was Labor Day Weekend. Guess everyone left Friday instead. Good for me, less traffic on the road.

This is Stitchy, my partner in crime. He comes along on all my trips to Disney or anywhere else. The hat was a bribe to get him to behave on one trip and the etching with his name was a Christmas present. He loves the attention his little hat gets him. This picture was taken in the little buggy by the Christmas Shop in Liberty Square at Magic Kingdom. If you ever see Stitchy and I wandering around, feel free to come over and say hi. I promise I don't bite, but I can't guarantee what Stitchy will do.

Despite the holiday, Epcot wasn't packed on Saturday afternoon. I met up with my friend Puckette and we rode Soarin, Living with the Land, and Ellen's ride, along with a walk around the World Showcase lagoon.  I have severe food allergies so finding a treat in World Showcase is nigh impossible. Puckette found some candy to munch on in Japan while I stuck to the munchies I brought in my backpack. For those of you who don't know, Disney does allow you to bring in your own food to their theme parks.

Puckette had to head home after our trip around the world. She works at Discovery Cove so she didn't miss much that she can't go back to do tomorrow. (LUCKY!) I went to Magic Kingdom for the fireworks show and dinner. I want to say a special thank you to the cast members at Columbia Harbor House.They do a fantastic job. I have seen the same shift supervisor, cashier, and manager for the past 4 trips. These CMs are starting to remember me. The cashier recognized me and called the manager before I even got up to her. The manager remembered most of my order (All I can eat here is a plain chicken breast, grapes, and applesauce.) and had it out to me in minutes. I hung around a bit after dinner to talk to one of the new college program CMs and saw the head manager, who I've also met before and remembered me. We stood around an talked for a while. It's really great being able to spend a few minutes to just talk to the CMs.

I watched Wishes from the bank of the river by the Haunted Mansion. It's an interesting view, not my favorite but still cool. I sat next to a first time visitor who loved the show and was surprised that I could quote the entire show. I didn't tell him how many times I've heard it. I rode Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad before heading to bed.

Sunday morning, I slept in a bit but still made it to the Magic Kingdom around 9:30. I like being able to walk around without my mask on before the kitchens start cooking at 10:30. I did loose track of time and walked by Cosmic Rays after the restaurant opened. That resulted in a frantic searching of the backpack for a mask and a Benedryl. The following half hour was spent watching the Stitch meet and greet. I got licked and kissed on top of the head by Stitch as he left for a milkshake break. I did manage to ride the Peoplemover and got stuck inside the Space Mountain part during a ride evac. I got some good pictures of Space Mountain with the lights on.

I have several friends on Facebook that I send pictures to. Right now I've been doing monthly updates of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Coaster. Probably will start doing that here too.

Before the trek home, I stopped off at Captain Cooks at the Polynesian. This is becoming a tradition too and the manager here remembered me from previous trips as well. One thing I like about Captain Cooks is that they carry gluten free noodles and soy sauce. They made me an amazing stir fry dish last time and they were able to make it again this time too. It tasted just as good the second time around.

I have several friends on Facebook that I send pictures to. Right now I've been doing monthly updates of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Coaster. Probably will start doing that here too.

Before the trek home, I stopped off at Captain Cooks at the Polynesian. This is becoming a tradition too and the manager here remembered me from previous trips as well. One thing I like about Captain Cooks is that they carry gluten free noodles and soy sauce. They made me an amazing stir fry dish last time and they were able to make it again this time too. It tasted just as good the second time around. I got the recipe so I will have to try making this at home.

All good things must come to an end. It's okay, I'll be passing by on the way to a skating competition later this month.

Because someone asked...here's my Bucket List Top 10.

1. Compete in a Championship Event at USFS Adult Nationals
2. Medal at National Showcase
3. Visit Machu Picchu
4. Tease the Bas of the pharaohs at the Valley of the Kings
5. Visit every Disney theme park
6. Invent a usable language
7. Sail around Antarctica
8. Wing walk on a biplane
9. Earn deep sea scuba certification
10. Do a Rim to Rim Grand Canyon hike

Just a random ninja here...

Hello!

 Just a little random ninja here. I'm willing to try almost anything once. I'll try it again if it doesn't kill me or try to kill me. This means I actually like brussel sprouts. French fries, on the other hand, are my mortal enemy. Do not expect any continuity, reason, or sanity here. My interests stretch from aviation to xylophone playing so expect random posts at random times. What fun would it be if I actually gave you a schedule?

About me...I live in sometimes sunny Florida. Disney World is one of my favorite vacation spots. My sidekick Stitchy will make appearances around here whenever I can catch him for a while.  I am allergic to just about everything. What other random tidbits can I put out? Ah, I compete in figure skating. Number 7 on my bucket list is to sail around Antarctica.

And yes, I do wear a mask in public. Quite often actually...