First Timers to Disneyland - Day 3, Part 2

[Magic Smiles]

As a little side note observation: it absolutely amazed me at how many people would try to re-enter into the parks without having a hand stamp. http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/a...1040152web.jpg From the number of excuses that we heard, I can’t even begin to imagine how many the CMs here. I am sorry, if the rules say your hand has to be stamped upon re-entry, so be it. I wonder how many people in one day tell the CMs that their stamp had washed off. We scrubbed to try and get ours off. We still had hand stamp residue on our hands after being home for 4 days. Please people; stop trying to cheat the system. They are just lucky that I am not a CM. No stamp, No re-entry!

Now back to my trip report.
After resting up for a couple of hours back in the room, it was time to head out. As were we heading out I thought I would grab a photo of the monorail going through the Grand Californian. After about a 10 minutes wait I got this one. http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/a...1040153web.jpg
We had decided that we would try to take the monorail back into the park this evening. We had actually tried to do this the evening before, but it had been down. We planned to ride it around the full track once and then get off in the park on the 2nd trip around. http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/a...1040163web.jpg Well this was not to happen, as apparently they do not allow you to stay on at busy times of the day / year. As it was in around dinnertime, it was considered a busy time, so we had to disembark in Tomorrowland. Since we were there we decided to grab some fastpasses to Autopia. It was currently 6:50 pm and our return time was for 7:35 pm. How do I remember this? Because I have my extra fastpass. With the fastpass machines giving me 2 most times, it means I have one for my scrapbook, whenever that gets done. As we had 45 minutes before our return time, we thought we would check out Innoventions. http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/a...1040173web.jpg After waiting about 10 minutes, the doors opened and we went in. Boy were we disappointed. Innoventions in DL is nothing like Innoventions in WDW. In DL it was like a big advertisement for some builder. They did have some wall sconces that I would love to have in my dining room. http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/a...1040187web.jpg My DS and DH did the BMI test. One happy result and one does not agree results. I on the other hand did not want the machines results, as I know the answer to my BMI question. I did snap this photo and one day will post it on the outside of my refrigerator. http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/a...1040193web.jpg To get the true perspective we took this shot. http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/a...1040196web.jpg When we continued up the stairs we came across video games. As DS is an AVID video gamer, he was very happy, especially when we came across Guitar Hero. His 2 favourites are Rock Band and Guitar Hero. He is amazing on both. DS just told me at dinner tonight, Sep 13, that he is tied for 1st place in the world for 2 of the new Beatles Rock Band songs. Told you he was pretty good! It was funny, as a little guy was watching DS play and then he went over to his big brother and says “That guy is really good” referring to DS. http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/a...1040197web.jpg After 30 or so minutes on guitar hero he had his fix for the week or should I say for the past 2 weeks, as we had been on vacation since 2 Aug and it was now 14 Aug.
By now it was into the window for our fastpass for Autopia, so we headed over there. http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/a...1040206web.jpg It is not easy taking photos while driving! http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/a...1040211web.jpg Okay, I have bad knees and I thought I would die on this at first. I don’t know if it was just my car or what, but I had to push that gas pedal down so hard to make it go. Pain aside I really enjoyed this attraction and would have liked to experience it again during the daylight hours, but no one else wanted to. I found it much better than Tomorrowland Indy Speedway in WDW, unless it was just because it was nighttime this time. http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/a...1040215web.jpg
As DH had not yet been on the Matterhorn we headed over there. We were in line approx 7 minutes before loading - can’t complain about that! We all enjoyed the Matterhorn and as I previously mentioned in an earlier trip report, I love how it sounds like I would imagine a real bobsled to sound like. From here we headed over to one of our most favourite attractions, Big Thunder Mountain and got fastpasses, with a return time of 9:25.

We were getting hungry by this time as we had not eaten any dinner yet so set out in search of someplace to eat. For some reason on this trip, finding a place to eat was always difficult. In WDW we never had this problem. I actually chalk it up to the fact that we had already been on 10 days vacation before we arrived in Disneyland. It is not like there was a lack of places to eat, just nothing that appealed to us. Looking now in my DL books at all of the food choices available, there definitely seems to be plenty with a good variety. It really must have been the fact that we had already been eating out all meals for 10 days by the time we arrived in Disneyland. It took us a long time to find something that we could all agree upon and we ended up at the Plaza Inn eating pasta. Two orders of Alfredo-pesto with chicken and one order of pasta with marinara sauce all served with garlic bread. DH went to get a table while DS and I ordered. I have to say that DH did well in the table department and we ended up eating with a view of the fireworks show. I obviously got sidetracked with the fireworks, as I have no photos of our meals. So not like me. None of the fireworks either. Just what was up? After enjoying our meal of pasta, we needed to walk around and digest our food before hitting Big Thunder Mountain with our fastpasses. Of course this just presented me with another opportunity to snap more photos. http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/a...1040222web.jpg This next photo need to be full sized screen otherwise it does not look good. http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/a...1040223web.jpg Having enjoyed yet another perfect experience on Big Thunder we headed over to Pirates of the Caribbean. Thought I would try the photos once more, as this time I was on the opposite side of the boat. http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/a...1040233web.jpg http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/a...1040235web.jpg http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/a...1040242web.jpg Still not much success. Oh well.
As it was heading for 11:00 pm, we decided to call it a night and head back to the Grand Californian. Walking through Downtown Disney I thought that we could pick up some dessert, but most shops and food establishments were closed. This was a HUGE disappointment. I did stop into La Brea Bakery Café, but for some reason I only ended up with a rotten (my original word was *'d out) coffee. Can’t remember why. To finish off the night, a totally random photo of the Grand Californian elevator floor, http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/a...1040253web.jpg

The next day was Saturday and as we were in Disneyland for 7 nights, but only had a 6 day park passes, Saturday was the day that we had decided that we wouldn’t go to the parks.

[mouseketeer mom]

Why do you need your hand stamped to re-enter? Can't you just put your ticket through again? (or your room key??) I don't get it.
Those fat pictures made me queasy. Yuck!!!
Love your report so much. I can't wait to be a first timer next year!

[Magic Smiles]

Why do you need your hand stamped to re-enter? Can't you just put your ticket through again? (or your room key??) I don't get it.

When you enter the park for the 1st time on a day you only scan your park ticket. There is no finger scanning or anything else. Upon existing the park you get your hand stamped to prove that you have already been in a park that day. When you enter a park again later that day and scan your park ticket, the computer shows the CM that it is a re-enter and therefore you need to show your hand stamp. If you didn't have a hand stamp you could give anyone your park ticket and therefore multiple people could use the same ticket in one day to re-enter the parks. It was amazing at how many people didn't have hand stamps, but their tickets had already been scanned for the day. Wonder why? As in a LOT of people. I don't think that we re-entered the park once where we didn't hear people telling some story about their hand stamp being washed off or some other excuse.

[mouseketeer mom]

Oh! Thanks for clearing that up, I did find that confusing. How did the CM's handle the people without hand stamps, and did swimming in the pool affect the hand stamp?

[tinkwest]

Hand stamps should NOT wash off in the pool. CMs assure you that they will not wash off and we have gone swimming on MANY occasions with hand stamps and have NEVER had a problem with the hand stamp disappearing.

[NewDVCowner]

Actually when I was down there in July we were hopping back and forth between the two parks. We left DL (for like the third time that day) and I couldn't see the yellow of the stamp anymore. I told the person at the gate that I probably needed another one but she assured me it would still show up under the black light. We walked across the courtyard to go into DCA and honest to god, the stamp had totally washed off. I hadn't gone swimming or anything, just handwashing at the bathrooms. Fortunately she let me go through, but I made sure to get my hand stamped when we left that park!

Aryn

[Magic Smiles]

Actually when I was down there in July we were hopping back and forth between the two parks. We left DL (for like the third time that day) and I couldn't see the yellow of the stamp anymore. I told the person at the gate that I probably needed another one but she assured me it would still show up under the black light. We walked across the courtyard to go into DCA and honest to god, the stamp had totally washed off. I hadn't gone swimming or anything, just handwashing at the bathrooms. Fortunately she let me go through, but I made sure to get my hand stamped when we left that park!

Aryn

Maybe it was some handcream that you had put on your hands before they stamped it the first time. The stamp STUCK on our hands for at least 4 days. They had told us what to try and get the stamps off with and even that didn't work. I don't even remember what it was now. By the time we left DL you could see the weeks worth of stamps on our hands under the black light. It was pretty funny. Of course the last days stamps was always very obvious under the light with all the previous days lighter and lighter.

Anyhow, make sure that you get your hand stamped when you leave the park!

[Magic Smiles]

How did the CM's handle the people without hand stamps, and did swimming in the pool affect the hand stamp?

Some of the CMs would finally let the people in and others would make them step aside. What they did then I don't know, but it sure would hold up the line.

[FRANKTASMIC]

3 more reports to go, can't wait. I was wondering if you had seen the fireworks, that's one of my favorite things. Did you get to see Fantasmic? I get to return to DL in Oct for my DD and my birthday, and all these reports are making me excited to go... Can't wait

[Magic Smiles]

3 more reports to go, can't wait. I was wondering if you had seen the fireworks, that's one of my favorite things. Did you get to see Fantasmic? I get to return to DL in Oct for my DD and my birthday, and all these reports are making me excited to go... Can't wait

So glad that you are enjoying the reports. Yup I have 3 more days of DL reports to go, but 1st there is my non-DL day report to do. I am currently working on that, but I have to get my photopass borders added to my photos and the CD ordered before they expire.

[Operator]

What a great read, I can't ait for the rest. Sounds like you had a fabulous vacation. We are heading back to DL in 60 days

[pdrlkr]

Thanks for the Report!