Walt's Warriors: Belle Zen Whitsles' Practice Rally Report

[Belle Zen Whistles]

It has to take something good to get me out of bed at 5:45am, and the MiceChat Disneyland Practice Gumball Rally definitely qualifies as "something good." At 7am, I met up with my new friends CositaLuvsMickey and Jmw76 and after making up our fancy nametags, we listened with rapt attention as DustySage welcomed all practice participants and went over the rules of the game.




Our wise and fearless leader still had a sparkle in his eye despite the early hour!


At this point, our team (on left) was closest to getting into the park. It's like we were winners already!


However, here you can see we clearly were nowhere near to getting in first. We all waited patiently for the gates to open, and we kindly did not barge through everyone to get wherever we were going before anyone else (as difficult as that was).


We began our day in Adventureland, where our Skipper cracked jokes and puns with more energy than I'd expect for first cruise of the day. I must have been the only one still fighting sleep!


But, laughter seemed to help wake me up. We answered our Rally Question and then enjoyed the Cruise, before making our way to Indy and then to another water ride...

But wait a minute...where was the water? Something wasn't right here. After checking with a Cast Member we learned that the ride had been down all morning (which meant no one else had managed to ride either), and it would be down for an undetermined length of time. This put a clink in our plans, but we at least were able to admire the unfamiliar view of the Mountain.


Plunge down Rust River!


These Cast Members will be standing here for hours repeating the same "Ride is Closed" spiel.

Here we waited for another water ride, Small World. CositaLuvsMickey must be thinking about the new USA addition.


We had to be strong and swift like the elk! Except, not this one, because he's stuck here in this spot and we needed to get moving! Could we sail the world in under 10 minutes? Fisher-Price boats away!


After arriving back in port, we switched boats to travel to Storybook Land. I wonder why this part always makes me hungry?


This may be the most dangerous of the water rides, because you always end up being swallowed by a whale.


Alice lives here when she's not down the rabbit hole.


Working water features.


Pinocchio's Villiage, where he first learned to play darts.


After a whirlwind four hours around the park, we made our way over to the hub for the Noon Meet. Some friendly soul made a wonderful host by passing out delicious treats. The caramel was so good I had to lick the wrapper! (Thank you!)


This Ladybug and I made friends at the meet. Springtime at Disneyland is such a treat!


See, it's true, there was reason to my rhyme.


The moment we all were waiting for! The announcing of winners! Dusty sweetly provided prizes for the teams with the highest point values. And they even received Certificates! Here's the Third Place Winners!


Second Place!


And First Place!

Well, we all had a great time. It was really fun to share the magic of the park with others who were just as enthusiastic, and I think it gave us a good idea of what the Official Rally will be like. I can tell you one thing: a good night of sleep beforehand is a must. After our Meet and Lunch, CositaLuvsMickey and I walked out of the park and said goodbye, and I went to my car to have a NAP. Yes, a nap. An hour of sleep later and I was ready for more.

I met back up with J and we talked some other rides. Eventually we came back to Splash to find it up and running. Doesn't this look better?



I wish I could have taken a better picture, but here I am in the front, pretending to pour water over the side, just in case they needed more from the morning.


Turns out the ride had plenty of water and didn't need any help from me. To prove this point, the ride drenched me in a wave of water that left me wet for the next several hours. Except for my hair. Br'er Bear gave me a good drying with his bear paws.


The SunWheel didn't do much to help dry me off, but it sure did look nice.

We ran around the park for a few more hours. I was tired but with a sidekick it encouraged me to keep going. After the Fireworks, we rode the Matterhorn five...six times in a row? By that point I was toast but it was all part of an amazing day. I'd never been to the part for opening and I'd never so aggressively tackled the park. I was beat, but it was worth it.


Thank you to my teammates for participating with me, and thank you to Dusty and his Team of organizers and helpers. It really was such an awesome event and I know that the Real Deal Rally is going to be a whopping success. We'll see you all there May 30!

[RPDigger]

Excellent photos, and a great report.

[Captain Green]

ty for the report, it looks fun!
i wish i would have read about this sooner, id have planned trips accordingly

[penguinsoda]

Great report!! Glad your first practice rally was such great fun! I hope you will be able to make it to the real rally and many many more meets!

[mamabot]

Fantastic trip report!

[SusieP.]

Great job, thanks for sharing!

Another reminder to those on the fence....it's not too late to sign up for the real deal!

[Micoofy Duck]

A Big WOW to the last photo!

[Juni]

Great TR! It was so fun meeting up with you.

[royaldisneyfan]

Fantastic pics. Thanks for sharing!

[Wavy Blue]

Great TR! Glad to see someone helping out Disney with their evident water shortage

[WheresMickey]

Great report! Look like lots of fun!

[Belle Zen Whistles]

Thanks!

J and I ended up staying all day. I left at 11 and I heard he stayed until after midnight. We really got a good idea of what a full Rally day would be like. I wouldn't be able to take my nap, that's for sure. And even with that I was fading fast. I think the 4th time in a row on Matterhorn was when it really kicked in full force- I was so, so exhausted. Phew!

Now I get why the Carb Loading Party would be necessary!

[cositaluvsmickey]

Hey Belle!!!

those were good pictures..ahh..you caught me when I was starting at something.!! ahh I wish i could've stayed longer but that's for another day. :

[PretzelSouls]

Nice! I love the pic of you and the bear (I forgot his name). Very cute!

[Belle Zen Whistles]

Originally Posted by PretzelSouls

Nice! I love the pic of you and the bear (I forgot his name). Very cute!

Br'er Bear - pronounced "Brear."

Thanks! J took that one for me! I gave the Bear a hug and I said, "I need you to help me dry off!" - because he's so fuzzy! And so he rubbed his hands on my head to help with my hair. Totally a sweet moment, and I'm so glad I have a picture of it!