Barbaraann's Countdown to DCA & Disneyland

[swampymarsh]

I am now at the two week mark. My husband reminded me yesterday that I will be away from Chicago on Super Bowl Sunday. I could care less about the game this year. If you ask me now who still has a chance to be in the game, I'd have to admit that I don't know, and I really don't care. I wonder how many MiceChatters will pass on the MiceChat festivities, in order to watch the game? Not me.

The parks will be full of Red and Gold, I think you will figure out who is paying.

[Barbaraann]

I love your countdown! I read this thread every day.

Thank You. I really appreciate that.

I have probably done a countdown thread like this for almost all of my Disneyland trips. I have only been visiting Disneyland since 2005. I love going to the parks, and doing a countdown is both fun and informative. I learn a lot from all the wonderful MiceChatters who reply to my comments, and questions.

[Barbaraann]

The parks will be full of Red and Gold, I think you will figure out who is paying.

It's not a done deal yet. I finally checked my sports page to remind myself just how many teams are still standing in the Playoffs. We are down to 8, and 2 more weeks of Playoff elimination.

[Barbaraann]

I just received my Disney Rewards card in the mail. I called the phone # on the card to activate it. It will be nice to have some extra money to spend during my trip.

[alphabassetgrrl]

​Exciting!

[Crazee4mm]

It seems like you were here just a few weeks ago. Hope to be able to put in an appearance while you're here. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[Barbaraann]

It seems like you were here just a few weeks ago. Hope to be able to put in an appearance while you're here. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Great to see a post from you. I enjoyed the time that we spent together at the Disneyland resort last May. This time, I don't have to stand up high to get a sneak peak, and a picture of Radiator Springs. I can walk amongst the magic of it. Hopefully, with a new friend.

[Crazee4mm]

Ha! Good memory. If you want the "magic" of Cars Land to really cause a lump in your throat, then here's what I suggest. Avoid entering "land" from the front entrance. This is the entrance where you're looking straight down the main street (lined up with the Blue Sky Cellar where we peeked over the construction wall that day). Instead, upon reaching the crossroads at the end of Buena Vistsa Street, go right, in the direction of Soarin'. Follow that all the way to Mermaid. Go across the bridge into the Fisnerman's Wharf outdoor dining area. There is an entrance to Cars Land at the back of this area. This entrance, in my opinion, is the best entrance due to how the desert wraps around you as you enter. It's also a very unused entrance so you'd be able to get a lot of photos without any people in them. Looking around, it's hard to believe that this was constructed. It really looks like you've stepped into a totally different locale. It's a true, heartfelt, WOW moment. You can go through either of the other two entrances (the other "side" entrance is between the bumper cars and Heimliche's Chew Chew Train in A Bug's Land and it's themed like a flat desert) but the Fisherman's Wharf entrance is by far the best at showcasing the scope of Cars Land, in my humble opinion.

[Barbaraann]

Ha! Good memory. If you want the "magic" of Cars Land to really cause a lump in your throat, then here's what I suggest. Avoid entering "land" from the front entrance. This is the entrance where you're looking straight down the main street (lined up with the Blue Sky Cellar where we peeked over the construction wall that day). Instead, upon reaching the crossroads at the end of Buena Vistsa Street, go right, in the direction of Soarin'. Follow that all the way to Mermaid. Go across the bridge into the Fisnerman's Wharf outdoor dining area. There is an entrance to Cars Land at the back of this area. This entrance, in my opinion, is the best entrance due to how the desert wraps around you as you enter. It's also a very unused entrance so you'd be able to get a lot of photos without any people in them. Looking around, it's hard to believe that this was constructed. It really looks like you've stepped into a totally different locale. It's a true, heartfelt, WOW moment. You can go through either of the other two entrances (the other "side" entrance is between the bumper cars and Heimliche's Chew Chew Train in A Bug's Land and it's themed like a flat desert) but the Fisherman's Wharf entrance is by far the best at showcasing the scope of Cars Land, in my humble opinion.

I am going to print this suggestion out, and I thank you for it.

[swampymarsh]

I am going to print this suggestion out, and I thank you for it.

And to add to that. If you can wait long enough, do it after dusk. Of course grab your RSR FPs in the morning, the kiosks are outside the land.

[Barbaraann]

I did some more shopping today for my trip. K Mart had 2GB memory cards for just $5, so I bought 6. I can pretty much use a different memory card for each day of my trip. It makes it so much easier when I get home, to download the pictures. I can also use the best resolution.

I bought myself a nice sweater, and a really pretty lighter weight jacket to wear to the MiceChat event on Friday night. Both items are not bulky in anyway, and should fit nicely in my suitcase.

My friend Ramon was talking to me today about Carsland. He is expecting me to send him some pictures in his e-mail. In order to do that, I will have to remember to take a few pictures with my cell phone.

My vacation is just 13 days away.

[Barbaraann]

I have been checking out the entertainment schedule that is posted on the official Disneyland website. I didn't get to see Aladdin on my last Disneyland vacation, so I am hoping that I make it this time. I'll probably see it earlier on during my vacation on the days when the parks open at 10, and close at 8.

I have wondering about the Red Car Newsboys. The site says that they sing, and dance, and peddle newspapers.

Can someone enlighten me about the newspapers?

I am 12 days away from my trip.

[Crazee4mm]

The Red Car Newsboys Show has become a guilty pleasure for me. It's a tiny little show that virtually pops up in the middle of the street in front of the Carthay Circle Restaurant. They tape off an area on the ground for the audience to stand in. However, rarely is anybody there before the show actually starts. Once it does start, passing people stop and watch. It's a highly choreographed little show featuring a storyline that includes Walt Disney arriving in 1930's Hollywood and the beginning of his (and Mickey's) carreers. It's told from the perspective of the penniless newsboys who are looking to rise from poverty to prosperity. A news story about Walt Disney gives the inspiration seeing as Walt went from a "nobody to a somebody with only a Suitcase And A Dream". The songs are optimistic and hopeful and give the newsboys a reason to dream big. It's a nice show and I've seen it probably a couple of dozen times. It's not spectcular or requires any sort of queue to wait in. You just walk up and enjoy. It lasts around 15 minutes and is a toe-tapper from beginning to end. It features the "talking Mickey" with the moving eyes and mouth. The "talking Minnie" is featured in her own show, "Minnie's Fly Girls" across the street from Soarin'. Anyway, the Newsboys show is a nice little show (you have to stand the whole time) that will leave you humming "California, Here I come" after the trolly takes the boys away. I recommend it.

[clara]

I am 12 days away from my trip.

[Barbaraann]

I starting packing my suitcase today. Most of the clothes are in there. I need to add a few more smaller items like some more socks. I like to pack double socks, but I don't think I can do that on this trip. If I don't change my socks midday, it makes for sore feet, and sometimes blisters.

My trip is just 12 days away.