bert425

^ yeah. . it wouldn't have been so bad without the quick stops towards the end of the ride (and the squealing breaks that went along with it) I liked the ride, but did only go on it once in 4 days (not multiple times like Sindbad, 20,000, Haunted Mansion, Tiki Room, etc. heck, even Star Tours got ridden 4 times during our visit!).

can't recall if I've answered this. . but USA parks: for certain: SFFT SFOT SFOG Carowinds possibly: SFStL (I really wanna ride Excalibur, and if I can find a cheap flight, and the right weekend. . . ) SFMM / Knott's - if West Coast Bash happens, gonna try to make it. if not, might attempt a trip to CA for these anyways. There are other parks I'm hoping to get to this year, but don't wanna jinx those. . depends on what happens with this worldwide virus outbreak 1st!

Well, I didn't specify park related so fair I also need to think, do I want to start in Dallas go down to San Antonio and back up, or do a big triangle and hit Houston as well? Feels more logical, and can do Kemah! But no idea what there is to do. Anyone know what in Houston is worth stopping by for? grew up in Houston, and honestly? if you're at Kemah already? the only two things I'd do since you've made the big triangle to go there: 1) continue onwards about 30 minutes to Galveston for the Pleasure Pier (some great rides/location of said rides), and take a stroll along the Seawall. https://www.pleasurepier.com/ If you're into "historical" stuff, the district in Galveston is called the Strand, and there are several blocks of very unique old-timey stores, and mansions in the area you can tour. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strand_Historic_District https://www.galveston.com/trip-planning/areas/downtown/ or.. 2) also close to Kemah Boardwalk is the Johnson Space Center (literally 15 minutes away) that's certainly worth a stop, tho it's gotten way more touristy since I was last there. . it's still something I'd recommend doing if you have the slightest interest in the US Space Program. https://spacecenter.org/

^ "Attractions" includes the shows (tho I believe there's only one kiddie show, now that the theater across from Yosemite Sam has been demolished) . . and also things like the Oil Derrick. I would guess it's just a leftover from when there were more show options (such as the stunt show, or Crystal Palace shows), and they just never updated it.

I'm gonna screw it up tonight, by going to have Sushi. . . but: I've been really strict on diet and exercise the past 11 days, and have dropped 8 1/2 lbs! so: 2/18: 218 lbs 2/28: 209.4 lbs yay me. . and back on diet plan tomorrow after pigging out tonight!

they are out of their freaking minds!

thanks and agreed. . . the cast members there were so awesome, and several went out of their way to really help! not just the Guest Services lady who helped us out with the app in this update, but also multiple folks on the last day who helped me find the Haunted Mansion Candy Holders - that seriously were a scavenger hunt, as they actually weren't where they were supposed to be (in either of the locations) on the printed map. But those working at those locations sent me to other places who sent me to other places, who sent me to where they were actually being sold! All done with very little English, but with a TON of gusto, and desire to help me find them. it worked out in my favor they weren't where the pamphlet said they would be, as if they were where the pamphlet stated? bet woulda been sold out and I would have missed my opportunity to pick up a couple! (Jon got some too)

the Grand Canyon pics with the snow are fantastic. now you have to go back in the summer, to see it with the colors in the canyon walls! (and to try the Buffets at Cosmopolitan (Wicked Spoon - my favorite in town, it's basically Tapas), and go down to Freemont Street (and try the Golden Nugget's seafood buffet). https://www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com/restaurants/wicked-spoon

such a wonderful update, and brings back great memories. you got some really good pics, too. How did I miss those Butterbeer barrels? and now I want Shumai, and some of those buns again

^ thank you Chuck! was able to track down (tho not for sale in store, but via eBay. . with not too much of a mark up - assuming this retailed for the ~$85 range). got one if anyone else is looking. .it's the "Haunted Mansion 50th anniversary Camp Shirt with art by Shag"

such a great report, and so glad you got to ride. I really, really want this shirt: SO amazing. gonna have to dig around online and see if I can possibly order one.

I HATE when they do that. say it with me: "Riddler's Mindbender"

totally agreed on all of this tho having the app (and Jon having a Disney account already) made things better in terms of we were able to get a booking at Blue Bayou & Magellen (the next day at TDS). . actually meant spending less time at attractions, since we spent 1 1/2-2 hours at each meal. both were worth it tho, and it really just means need more days to spend at the park. No luck getting tix to the hard-to-get dinner/show in Frontierland tho. but that was a several hour commitment on the last evening at TDL. . so I guess I'll look at it as a positive that we got a few more rides on Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder Mountain instead and yeah, the Parades can use up a lot of pics. sheesh, if I took this many? Imagine how many Brad, or Eric have on their cameras! Luckily, no photography is allowed at the shows, otherwise, i'd have even more pics to go thru, since William, Jon, and I managed to hit almost every "show" that Disney offered - with a couple of exceptions (didn't make it into "One Man's Dream" at TDL, and missed a show at TDS).

agreed! and tho the weather mostly cooperated with us, threats of storms (and some light drizzle) affected other days. . resulting in my also getting to see the "rain version" of several of the parades. which was just as adorable! the rain version seemed to be the parades without the marching castmembers between floats (to make the parades quicker), and the characters/castmembers who were in the parade, wearing adorable rain-gear

great update . . . I like J2Y, but I think I prefer 14?

last handful - TDL Day 1 sad to go, but it had been a really long day, and I'd be back in a couple of days. the Monorail station looks so great at night. yep.. . I was here. and I look a little run down now. . LOL not bad. . . we were able to hover in the park a good 40 minutes after official close, to take pics, and browse the shops in the front. but yeah, was fading pretty fast. . luckily, our Hotel was only 1 stop on the Monorail random posters in the Monorail while riding back to hotel. before heading up to the rooms, Jon and I headed over to the convenience store in the lobby to grab a drink and snack. This gallery store next to it was selling some really nice Disney stuff. but it was never open when I was actually IN the hotel. which i guess is the universe saying I don't need it. but it was quite nice. hope you enjoyed looking at the many pics from my 1st day at the Tokyo Disneyland park. time to get some sleep, as up early tomorrow again, as it was gonna be my 1st time at Tokyo DisneySea, and I was really excited about it! so saying goodnights, and up to the room to shower and into bed, to dream of Mickey.

TDL day 1 part IV Toy Story! Aladdin and Jasmine never looked my way tho sadder was that the giant Genie float was broken during our visit, and never made an appearance during the 3 parades I saw. Oh well, another thing to go back for. the Tangled float is impressive too Donald, Daisy, and the pigs? awesome. Chip and Dale Lilo and Stitch and the 3 Caballeros ? man, deep bench out tonight. . loving it. the parade was wonderful. . really, really loved it. and then it was time to head back to bounce some more. with Pooh's Hunny Hunt the queue for this ride is incredible, as is the ride itself. . but man, such a great queue. Happy Castmembers and I remembered to take pics of the ride vehicles this time. .bouncy bouncy. what hadn't we done yet. . hmm. . we passed Toontown, but hadn't gone in yet. . . so let's head over to: Roger Rabbit's Car-toon spin! which in the evening, after the final parade, was almost a walk on. More spooky photo ops in ToonTown. tried it. . wasn't my favorite. and then it was time for the short-ish, but cute, fireworks display that happens between the two parks (TDL/TDS). not sure if there would usually have been something going on around the Castle - and it didn't happen because of the construction - or if it's standard that the fireworks happen as a "shared" between the parks. still, any fireworks are fun to see. some pumpkin scarecrows out in front of Mickey/Minnie/Goofy's house over in Toon Town. Possible this is supposed to be Goofy? HA!. . i actually *forgot* that we rode Gadget's Go Coaster. . until I came across the pics while uploading them. I guess it didn't leave much of an impression, but it looks like it would be a fun-ish ride. proof I rode, because I was at the station to take this pic. . LOL Minnie Pumpkin Scarecrow (so I guess the one earlier WAS Goofy) Great decorations the mailbox at Mickey's house Pumpkin Mickey scarecrow. . .sorcerer version Minnie's mailbox thanks to Elissa (for identifying it), I'm including this pic of detail from the Big Thunder Mountain queue. we must have swung by there on our way back to Fantasyland. I honestly couldn't place what it was, but there is a "B" "T" "M" in this mark here. . so that's got to be what it is. we were headed here tho. . it was getting close to 9:30 and the park was starting to empty out. So although Peter Pan wasn't a walk on, it was a way shorter line than it had been thruout the day. as this is among my favorite Disney rides, I was eager to see how the Japanese version was. ride vehicles are similar (and have terrible capacity..so that's standard) Tink! she was buzzing around the loading station. this is London, with my fancy iPhone 8, that doesn't photograph movement well. . but I really liked how some of the pics came out, so sharing anyways. who knew Peter Pan had Hyperspace?? hey... a decent pic from the moving ride nice neck there Wendy we got off Peter Pan about 9:50, so the park is only open for about 10 more minutes. what should we do? Dumbo? (that's had a long line all day. . but nope it STILL has a line that will make us wait until after park close.. . . so will wait to ride this on Friday). yep! we'll get in line for Haunted Mansion Holiday! even after a long day, both the Castmembers and myself, are pretty happy & perky. it's Disney Magic, I tells ya. this ride is so, so good. . . Park is now closed, and they are gently ushering folks out of Fantasyland and towards the front of the park. awww. . topiary, that i hadn't noticed earlier by the Carousel. I think favorite pic taken today. . just the way the sky and the castle look. . stopping on way out to take pics of the displays in the main courtyard in front of the castle. very fun and spooky! Micky Jack-o-Lantern. . fantastic. from the display area, looking towards Main Street and the front entrance love that you can make out the Walt & Mickey silhouette in the center of the pic and looking back at the castle. not fully lit due to construction, but still pretty. a few other displays - on the other side of the courtyard. . . such great decorations. and then time to head out.

TDL Day 1 part III as noted, the train station is above the Jungle Cruise station, so it's possible to get some lovely views from the train. hadn't noticed this crashed Stitch ship on the way in. . . saw it as we were leaving the train tho. oooo.. Swiss Family Robinson treehouse in Japan? yes please. some nice views from this walkthru. after exiting the treehouse, a nice view of the Jungle Cruise (on left)/Train station (on right) combined stations. it was 3pm (based on the clock there). . so time to head back to Blue Bayou for our lunch reservation. so we split off from William and headed over that way. random ghosts thruout the park. the Special Menu. . (this is what Jon ended up getting) here's the regular menu. for ~$43 it was very decent food. I was not disappointed in my meal at all. i ended up having: Seasonal Soup (which was a tomato / vegetable soup) Lobster Tail w/ Seafood Gumbo Pecan Pie w/ Vanilla Ice cream for desert. yay.. success at getting into Blue Bayou! and tho we weren't seated right on the water? we were only 1 table away, so we very much were pleased with our seating. see? look how close! ambiance is very similar to the restaurant at the California park. my starter veggie soup rolls! all you care to eat rolls.. and they were so good. (and stamped with Mickey's head, as was pointed out to us by our Waiter) he was so sweet, and made such a huge effort to converse with us, although he spoke no English. But he was a wonderful waiter. Mickey head on a sweet roll. YUM! here is my lobster tail and gumbo and Jon's main my pecan pie desert looked exactly like the picture in the menu! that doesn't happen in the United States much. . LOL We took our time eating, and by the time we were done, it was starting to turn to evening (all in all from when we "checked in" at the lobby, Blue Bayou took ~ 1 3/4 hours. but it was really good, and I'm so glad we did it. When we were done i pinged William and we met back up over by Critter Country, to ride Splash Mountain. it wasn't dark yet, but the lights were starting to come on and the park coming alive. so pretty do we look like we're having fun? we were.. really really having fun. the Castmember who was directing folks at the entrance was a fun lady who spoke very clear English, and was thrilled to be able to use it. . so she got into a conversation with William about Disneyland in CA. . and she suggested we get single rider passes, and go in that line, since the Splash Mountain line was so long. so we did. but not before getting this pic with her. and this one. . we really did enjoy chatting with her for a few minutes. and when she found out it was my first time at the park, she said "wait a moment" and ran to the little stand at the entrance, and came back with this sticker. (which amused Elissa, as apparently it's the sticker they give to kids that are finally tall enough to ride. . LOL. . I kept it as a souvenir). since we were in Single Rider, the way it works in Japan, is they don't just put you in the next open log. they ask those riding if they mind you joining them - and some people do say "no" we didn't have any issues (I guess because we look like cuddly Americans (or Canadian in Jon's case), and we pretty much got seated with groups in back to back logs. . and the same thing happened at TDS on Indiana Jones). I ended up in a log full of young ladies that were celebrating one's 18th birthday. They didn't speak a lot of English, but enough that we all sang Happy Birthday to her while on the ride, and chanted "Birthday Party Log!!" during the drop. here's the pic. . . and just to note, Tokyo Disney was encouraging people to take pictures of the on-ride photos, so although I didn't buy this particular one, the picture was taken with encouragement of the Castmembers by the photo stand. (Birthday Girl is in the front left, looking scared). yeah. . I found my happy place. theming out and about in Critter Country Fantasy Land at night. Dumbo doing it's thing. Pinocchio's journey. . but the only decent pic I have is of the outside mural from the car. Mad Hatter's Tea Party is called "Alice's tea party" here, but it's just as fun, and colorfully disorienting as the American versions. I see you Carousel. . .will get to you in a bit. that's still quite the line, so can wait till later. we crammed in a cup. . from our cup looking out. and looking in. ok. .I lied. . can't wait. heh. but lots to look at while waiting in line the design work in Fantasyland really comes alive at night. . so amazing. speaking of amazing. . I mean, a Disney Castle Carousel is always gonna be a classic. awwwwww the Mansion, which looked great during the day, looks even better at night - even tho lit up, it's harder to see Jack's crashed sled on the roof at night. (its there in this pic, just to the left of the Smokestacks. .but I think it was more visible during the day) ooo.. the ghost atmos-fears around Frontierland look so good lit up at night! back at the entrance to Splash Mountain/Critter Country. . . why had we come back here? Because with the slight slope, it seemed like a great spot to watch: "Dreamlights: the Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade" ! led by the spectacular Blue Fairy. wow the 45 year old "Pete" was a little creepy, LOL.. but the gigantic LED Elliot was spectacuar as was the Pirates of the Caribbean float

TDL Day 1 pt II After our ride, we exited out. . right into the 1st parade of the day, which was passing by right in front: The Halloween themed: Spooky "Boo" Parade featuring some wonderful costumes, an addictive soundtrack, and some really cool floats. see? LOVED IT note these guys on this float. . all of the heads rotate to different "scary" sides. Chip and Dale are super popular in Japan, I'd say. .they were in every parade, in both parks. . I don't recall seeing Pluto at all tho. . . maybe he's not in Japan? we only caught a few floats, as we had missed part of the parade, but I knew I'd have other chances to see it. so we went into It's a Small World. SO CUTE!! and the moving train inside was adorable. noted! no dancing in the boat. hm. . .may have gotten my fast passes mixed up, because it looks like we headed back to Tomorrowland for Monster's Inc. (so maybe the one we got was really late in the day, and that's why we were able to grab a Pooh one as we walked by , but did standby for Space Mountain & Haunted Mansion). the vehicles were really cute (I guess that word would describe a lot of Japan stuff). . but the ride was a little "jerky" in spots, an made for a. . "not super comfortable" ride. tho it was fun "shooting" things, by using a flashlight instead of a gun. Store displays as we roamed across the park towards Adventureland. some great photo ops & props out and about for the season in the Main Street area. closed off castle, with cranes. Still, you don't really notice them unless you know they are there. ok..THIS is what I'm talking about. Finally noticed this on the guidemap, and we did manage to try most all of them during our visit. think my favorite in Disneyland was the Soy Sauce and Butter, tho the Honey was very good too. Strawberry and the Chocolate both tasted like popcorn dusted in Nestle Quick. . in other words, a few bites went a long way. . . Pirates of the Caribbean at Tokyo Disneyland! my phone doesn't like taking pics while moving even slightly. . so unfortunately, didn't get a lot of GOOD pics on rides (Haunted Mansion or Monsters Inc), or boat rides (Small World, Pirates). . .but Tokyo Disneyland still has the redhead at auction. . so HAD to share my pic of her, even if blurry. towards the end of the ride, we got stopped prior to unload right in front of the incredible Jack Sparrow Animatronic. . so got a decent pic of him. not a fan of him being added thruout the ride, but seriously, this animatronic is impressive as hell This pic is from the wall in Guest Services. why were we at Guest Services? We'd been sent there by the Cast Members at Blue Bayou Restaurant. after we got off of Pirates, we peeked in to see if there was a chance to get "standby seating". . but as noted, not a lot of English Spoken. From what we could decipher among me and the Castmembers, is that one had to book thru the app, no standby option is available. but they told me go up to front Guest Services for English, so Jon and I headed up that way. . . really just to confirm that no standby reservations could be taken. when we got here, there is one Castmember who deals with any English questions, so after a short wait she called me up and I queried about Blue Bayou. she explained to me that you have to have a Japanese App to book the restaurants, and she was really sorry. She asked where I was visiting from, and I told her I was visiting from Texas and it was my first time in Japan. .and I was so excited to be here. She then offered to set up the app for me on my phone, using her local information, so we could try to get a table booked - since it turns out that no, there is no way to do "standby" I can't really load apps on my phone (long story, don't ask. . LOL), but it turned out that Jon has a Disney account already anyways, and she happily loaded the app onto his phone, and showed us how to use it for reservations. and before we even had left the Guest Services area? we had managed to snag an afternoon lunch reservation at Blue Bayou. SUCH wonderful guest service - even more incredible that it was from a park that doesn't seem to really cater much to tourists from other Countries. then again, it's Disney, so I shouldn't be surprised. oh, she also gave me a sticker when she found out it was my 1st visit Enchanted Tiki Room invaded by Stitch? sounds interesting, and it was a lot of fun. .I did it at least 3 times during our trip. the first time, when approached to ask if I wanted a "translator box" to follow along (since the show is all in Japanese), I accepted. .but honestly, didn't really need it to follow along, and the show was great even in Japanese. continuing out of Adventureland into Frontierland. More fun decorations up. another angle of the castle. . also with the cranes mainly out of the way we rounded the corner and managed to bump right into the start of the other daytime parade: "Dreaming Up!" so we stopped and watched most of this one too. the wings moved on this float, and some of the floats were really impressive. there's Pluto! the "teeter totter" thru the clock went up and down, and Alice (in her cup) slid back and forth along it as it did. see? Cool. pic from across the street from us, by Eric (or maybe Brad) pic from across the street from us, by Eric (or maybe Brad) pic from across the street from us, by Eric (or maybe Brad) as the parade finished, we still had some time before our late lunch reservation, so Jon and I headed over to Country Bear Jamboree. it's been literally decades since I've seen this show, and while the majority of it was in Japanese? many of the songs, or parts of the songs, were in English. so it was a wonderful experience, and I saw this twice during our visit too. this Witch/Bear was turning the popcorn out in front of the trading post. I believe it was the Curry Flavor. . it was .. OK. not bad, but not the best we had. oh look. . here's where we went in the Tiki Room. I must have just snapped a pic of the facade as we walked by earlier. and here's Stitch-ie ! we had met up with William after Country Bears, and we all three went to ride the Disneyland Train - which unlike the USA parks, it doesn't go around the perimeter of the park. . instead sticking to the Critter Country/Frontierland areas. once again, castmember happy to pose for a pic with me whee! Me, William, and Jon riding the Tokyo Disneyland Railway (which interestingly enough, the station is on the 2nd floor over the Jungle Cruise station, and right next door to Tiki Room). so you get a nice view of the Jungle Cruise river, as you pull out of the station. Theming! some of these were rigged to move .. just slightly (like an ear, or slightly move it's head).. I like how they did that, to make you question if MAYBE it's real? across the Rivers of America, and to Splash Mountain this was the station for the Canoes to get over to Tom Sawyer Island. I didn't go, and actually never made it back to even look at the station.. . so if/when I get back? on my list to do as the train comes back around, there really are some incredible views.. it's easy to forget your in a theme park. that's part of the Mark Twain riverboat going around the corner up there. and here's the Mark Twain riverboat at it's dock, returning from it's journey around the river. the station for loading/unloading of the Riverboat. . . had never been on it in the USA parks, but spoiler, I did take a ride on it in Japan.. just not on this day. what's this? we're passing right by Big Thunder Mountain. this train ride is longer than I had been expecting..and really, VERY nice. whee!!! Dinosaur Bones? what's this? Ha !!! the train has an indoor section, that features Dinosaurs. awesome! LOL even a T-rex vs . . something. . .battle. so fun. to be continued in part III

it's finally time! I've finally gotten to the point in my Japan trip with TPR, where we got to Tokyo Disney, and I'm ready to spend a full day in the park(s) that have been at the top of my bucket list for many, many years. I know that one can never have too many photo-trip reports from Tokyo Disney complex, but I won't bore y'all with EVERY picture I took during my 4 days in the parks. . but I will post a lot, so really hope y'all enjoy. I am gonna try to keep commentary down (good luck, right?). .but gonna try to provide some context for some batches of pics, without doing a full play by play of what I did every moment in the parks. 1st Park? as mentioned in the prior report, Tokyo Disneyland (the next day would be Tokyo DisneySea) Let's go! Waking up, and looking out the window. Here's the view i had from my room at the Hilton Tokyo Bay. there is a lot of construction going on at the Tokyo Disney Compex - including on the Castle. but in this pic can see Space Mountain on the Left, and the Castle on the right. I believe I was told the construction right in front of me, is either a parking garage, or a new hotel. . but just beyond that? that's the show building for Beast's Castle (you can see the scaffolding up on the front of it). the building on the left, also with the scaffolding - is the new Fantastyland Forest Theater - TDL's 1st indoor theater. zooming in on Castle, and B&B ride show building zooming in on Space Mountain & new theater and some pics of the monorail from my hotel room. after a quick breakfast (which I didn't get any pics of this day. .not sure if I did on other days yet), we headed out to the Monorail station, a good 1 hour before park open, to line up. From this station pic, you can see our hotel: the Hilton Tokyo Bay. just a short walk to the monorail. so cute me not really believing I'm finally here. it was early, so the Monorail was pretty deserted - especially since the hotels are the stop just after Disneyland, so those who were going to line up, had already exited before we got on, for an almost complete loop to get back to that park. tho we were going to pass Tokyo DisneySea stop along the way. so much adorable detail in the Monorails! it's not a "long" ride, but it was long enough that Jon and I grabbed a pic on a seat with Micky behind us. and then we were at the Tokyo Disneyland stop, and this display greeted us! Spooktacular! (and pretty cute). love the pumpkin "micky ears" on the ghost. looking at one of the Brochures I picked up at the station before leaving. Tokyo Disneyland Tokyo DisneySea and coming down the steps from the station, on the side opposite the park is the GORGEOUS Disneyland Hotel. i didn't realize how stunning this was the night before in the dark. unfortunately, I never had enough time to wander over into the lobby to look around. . if I ever get back? will take a moment to do that, perhaps after park closes for the night. another look at this beauty. even the murals on the monorail station - as you pass under it to get to the park gates - are beautiful. Fantastyland mural, with Alice, the Haunted Mansion, Carousel & Castle. holy. and this was about an hour before opening. if you've ever heard Robb talk about Japanese efficiency tho, you'd not be surprised that this huge crowd in front of us was orderly, and in the park - once gates opened - in under 5 minutes. a pic behind me, with large amounts of people showing up every moment (and Monorail arrival). the space behind me would fill up all the way across to the Disneyland Hotel. lots of folks dressing up during our visit - likely because of Halloween (or maybe folks just like to dress up to come to Disney). these two ladies were happy to pose for me, tho they did not want their faces in the picture (and even checked to make sure the pic I took did not include their heads. . . I'm guessing they were playing hooky from work or school to come to Disney?). I never did figure out what the outfits were tho. . Lion King Cheerleaders? no one really seemed to know. time passed quickly, people watching and chatting, and then the park opened. the famous covered Main Street. . with the castle at the end (and in this pic, you can't really see the construction cranes). love the cast members out front with the giant Micky Hands waving folks in to the restaurant for morning coffee, treats. we bypassed Star Tours for the moment, heading towards Space Mountain. i honestly can't recall if we picked up a fast pass for Space Mountain..but I think we did not, and picked up one for Monsters Inc as we walked by it instead, and did Standby for SM. holy. . look at this line already. but based on the following pics, we did Standby line. looking out at Tomorrowland from the Escalator up to Space Mountain's main queue. those folks sitting/queued up on the left are for the 1st showing of "One Man's Dream" - which was a popular show that recently ended it's run at the park. castle, with the crane in view now. loved the multiple "chicken exits" at Space Mountain. . there were several, all labeled "Escape Pod" didn't love all the signage for Coke everywhere. . but with some nice framing, you can remove "presented by Coca-Cola" from most of your pics. yeah. . definitely in the standby line. it was continuously moving tho. after our ride on Space Mountain, and a ride on Star Tours (which I ended up riding, I think 4 times over the days), and our Monster's Inc ride, we headed our of Tomorrowland, and towards Fantastyland. . with eyes on Pooh's HunnyHunt and Haunted Mansion. but to get there from Tomorrowland, you can pass thru the "new" section of Fantasyland, that will be Beauty and the Beast. these pics are all from October, 2019. The land is supposed to open up in ~2 months . . but this is what it looked like then. heading into the land, the new Theater. Beast's Castle (that houses the main ride) Gaston's Pub theming! Belle's House? the new Toontown sign that went up on the other side of this new Beauty & the Beast section Fast Pass for Pooh in hand, I know we then headed over to Haunted Mansion Holiday (they had the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay on. .I'd never seen any version that way, and was so excited). passing It's a Small World (for the moment) the Alice in Wonderland section is wonderfully themed. such a great job . . love it. and there were Guests who'd come to the park in costume posing for pics. and they didn't mind if I snapped one of them too. LOVE this soda machine more than the ones at Fuji-Q that were in the logo there. at the Haunted Mansion, but stopping for a pic with a cast member before getting in line. everyone was so nice, although not a lot of English speaking. . I got the feeling that the park caters way more to locals than visitors. . tho all cast members were SUPER nice, and made an effort to communicate. and everyone was happy to pose for a picture when I asked. oh, and I love the Pumpkin Elephant lanterns surrounding Dumbo in the background here. Dumbo in flight. . and the ride all done up for Halloween. but this is really what I was here for. the line looked massive, but was really only ~25 minutes until we were entering the Mansion. the crane was nice enough to move out from blocking the castle shot from behind, so snapped a quick pic. I LOVED these umbrellas, and if Disney sold them? we'd have one out over our back patio set right now. Close up of the top of one of the Umbrellas. I thought I was appropriately dressed for Haunted Mansion! (I actually got several comments (well. . pointing and "thumbs up") on my shirt while we were in line) I bought it probably 12 years ago at Disneyland in California.

Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell are right next to each other. . but you need timed tickets (they are free). . but either try to reserve online WELL ahead of your trip - you're going on a holiday weekend!!! or you can try lining up when the visitor center opens (also right next to those two). Betsy Ross house and Ben Franklin's grave are near there too, BR house is basically a tourist trap (we loved it, but we like crap like that). I'd also HIGHLY recommend the museum, behind the Rocky Steps. It's a fantastic museum that many don't go into - they just go for the steps and the Rocky Statue. . but the museum has some excellent works in it (including one of Van Goh's "Sunflowers") and will be dead. When we went, the museum admission also included admission to the Rodin museum up the street (with free transportation between them). .that's worth a look, as it has casts of both "the Thinker" and "Gates of Hell" on display. . rare to see them outside of Europe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodin_Museum

totally agree with: 1) more time at Knoebel's (Dorney is completely skippable, even tho we had a decent time there) 2) preview night at HersheyPark - you can knock out the high wait coasters the evening before your trip, and spend a way more relaxed day the next day. but. . . . I think it would be a real shame to skip Kennywood. . . they not only have some really great and classic wooden coasters (Jackrabbit/Racer/Thunderbolt), but also Phantom & Steel Curtain (and Skyrocket, if yer into that). . but really, Kennywood's collection of classic (and rare) flats, is seriously not to be missed. hell. . even without the coasters, i'd still go to Kennywood for Kangaroo, the Bayurn Kurve, Noah's Arc, and great cycles on paratrooper & whip. (and the smell in Garfield's Nightmare )

great start, and Happy Belated Birthday Chuck! wow. .that Sushi donut looks so good. . now I really wanna try one out.

Robb has a PM link and Email link next to his profile. . you should reach out to him. click on his name - he's Mod for most every board.

am I reading this correctly, that you haven't even been back a week, and you've already got your TR going? how in the world are you able to do that. . LOL. . . anyways, quite fun thus far. I've never been to MM, it's on my bucket-list too. . . did you ride any flats? were there any worth riding?