Steppesister
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2013
D is for Destination Disney!
We last left off with our Bohemian Nomad Disneybound- a bit later than originally planned, but on her way, nonetheless. Yes, Family, it was:
too.
As you, Dear Reader, can see, the sun was still cheering souls with its warmth and light. Steppe was squarely in her groove and, with a bee-bop in her booty, she was headed down Domenigoni Rd. dancing like a dork, radio blasting.
One who’s been away for far too long from the sunny Southern Californian climes can hardly resist the silhouettes of palms gently swaying against the clear brown skies (actually, it wasn’t too bad that particular day) with the sun kissing the horizon goodnight.
Yes, it's blurry, Steppe is occasionally known to speed. She should have pulled over and gotten a shot with the camera!
OH WAIT, Steppe did!!!
Err.... she tried to.
<rummages around backseat for DSLR>
D'OH!!!!!! You doofus! You used it to take photos of orange trees and left it 20 minutes back in Hemet.
<turns around, adds 40 minutes to her commute, and retrieves camera, and says a thanks of praise she noticed it only 20 minutes too late, not 2 days too late. That would be really, REALLY dumb>
Pulling into the hotel, the day was over and night had set in. And yet, there was still much to do. In order to get an early start the next morning, Steppe checked herself in and carefully unloaded her belongings into her spacious and beautiful room, then, without taking time to settle in, she grabbed her purse and drove the very short distance to the rental car drop off location at DTD. Steppe should have paid attention to the route, but sometimes Steppe should have gone blonde, not sassy red. It took a bit to find the right entrance, and then the right door to dump the key, but eventually, she did and she was ready-ish to walk back to her "home" for her stay. Because Steppe can be directionally-challenged, and does not know how to set her GPS or use Google Maps very well, it took Steppe about 14 times longer to walk back than it should have. In case you need to ever rent and return a car at Disneyland, go with National. And for handy reference, your return spot is across from this:
at the Disneyland Hotel, near the entrance to DTD. (In case you wondered, it's where you can still see a hat.)
BUT, it was a very nice walk back despite feeling like it was about 50 miles. The air was still warm enough, and her route took her past some very lovely sights including this:
Safely back around 10:00, it was time to let vacation REALLY begin! Hello!!
Steppe picked up the phone, hopeful that the hotel's outdoor fireside lounge was still open so she could grab a nice glass of wine and put her feet up for a bit before her head hit the pillow.
“Front desk.”
“Yes, I’m just starting my vacation after a very long week. Please tell me your outdoor fireside lounge is still open.”
“Yes, Steppe, we left it open just for you. Please come on over and have unlimited drinks on the house.”
“Thank you! I’ll be right over!”
Okay, okay. Only half of that is true. I’ll leave it to you who are still paying attention to figure out which half.
Steppe slept very, very well, after a perfectly wonderful day and evening. The bed was comfy, the room was quiet, and safe. Steppe knows what unsafe is. She felt no need to move the bed to bar the doors. If you don’t know what that refers to, might your authoress point you to chapter 1 of this saga.
Secure after a journey around the sun, Steppe opened her eyes with visions of Prince Charming dancing in her head and ready to start her own fairy tale adventure in the parks. As eager as she has been to get her Disney Day started as she had been since the beginning of her earliest memories, our intrepid traveler put a spring in her step and hastily got ready for her day. She knew it would be a very long one, so was careful to pack her bag accordingly. She remembered everything…. believe it or not.
Hey, you over there: Shush!!
Her plan was simple enough: Catch an Uber to the entrance to DTD, pick up her will call ticket, and head on in for Rope Drop. Rope Drop… it’s what’s done. Wanna know why? Because, with a RD strategy, you can do the entirety of Fantasyland before 10:00, sometimes even with repeats. And that’s just what Steppe did. From 9:00-9:50 she rode every ride in FL. #nocaroussel, #nodumbo, #matterhornrefurb But that’s getting a teensy ahead of the story. While the plan was to catch a quick Uber ride, a stroke of fortune was bestowed upon our heroine. A car pulled up alongside of her under the porte cochere, and a familiar face popped over to the window?
“Liesa?”
"Yes?"
"You've just won the Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes and will never have to work ag....."
Sorry, wrong story. Let's try that again:
"Liesa?"
"Yes... <recognizes friend> pkondz!!"
“Yeah! Headed to the park?”
“I am! You guys?”
“Yeah, hop in! We’ll give you ride.”
“Nah, go on ahead, I’ll take Uber and arrive much later, pay money I don’t need to, and all that.”
Alright, alright. Steppe’s not a complete idiot. Of course, she accepted and pkondz, Kay (pk's daughter), and Steppe got to meet before their pre-arranged time of 10:00. Before her chance encounter, Steppe grabbed a couple of phone photos to start off the day:
^^ The view across the street from the hotel. ^^
Tickets were procured and they went their separate ways for the most part. Once or twice they did end up at the same attractions in Fantasyland and rode together, but it was mostly a morning of solo time. Steppe never hurries up Main Street. Even at Rope Drop. She knows there is ALWAYS time for a mosey. Always. Stop rushing! You miss so much! (The next day she would discover something there all on her own without any prior knowledge of it. Come back to find out what that was!)
The very first order of business was to pay homage to her aunt. It was in front of this very spot, more than 60 years prior that Steppe's mom, her mom's sister, and their closest cousin took a photo together. Little did they know that almost 60 later they would meet again in that very same spot and recreate that photo completely unplanned and unexpected, and that it would be the last photo ever taken of them. (Sorry, perhaps soon I can find those photos and put them side-by-side for those of you who haven't seen them.) Steppe shed a small tear of lament as she photographed the "flower cart" which represents so much more than a place for a quick snack or souvenir. It was the meeting place for the first generation of Disney Junkies who ruled the parks like their own backyards; Steppe is a proud descendant of Disney-loving lineage.
(Now it serves as a snack and fruit cart rather than a flower cart.)
No one leaves Main Street without a selfie or portrait with the castle in the background:
The flowers mesmerized Steppe and she could hardly contain herself given the explosion of colours and varieties.
There will be many more in chapters to follow, but here is a teaser on the way to Fantasyland.
And now without further ado, I'll let the photos take you on a virtual tour of Fantasyland with minimal ̶d̶r̶i̶v̶e̶l̶ quality commentary.
Wanna know why the next 2 photos are so light and clear?
Because something happened to Steppe for the first time ever for her; the ride broke down and she was evacuated along with a bunch of others:
In case you're wondering, that was Pinnochio. It's a fantastic novel well worth reading. (Good to know before you go!)
The Puke Cups: (For the record, the music for this ride is WAY better at DL than at MK. It's a fact. Talk to the hand.)
Don't worry, Little Ducky! Whales eat krill. And occasionally runaway prophets and wooden boys.
Yooohooo, Big Summer Blow Out!
Joy ride anyone?
Look! It's the backside of a...... castle!
Speaking of castles... wanna go IN one? Too bad, we're goin' in... deep. Steppe says so:
Once upon a time, blah, blah, blah...
Errr, excuse me... "In a far away land..."
Yes, there were other rides taken, including a trip (see what I did there?) with Alice, and a world cruise with happy, singing dollies.
Steppe's Solo Time drew to a close and it was time to meet up with her DISPals. What ̶m̶a̶y̶h̶e̶m̶ adventures would they seek and find? Would there be laughter and silliness? Stay tuned to enjoy the next portion of our Epic Escapades Everywhere!
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They did this when TL got its makeover and for the life of me I can't remember how long ago it was, like the late nineties or so. I remember the dinner where imagineers spoke to us about their concepts and such. I remember that one more than others because someone dropped the ball and didn't apply for a temporary liquor license so the event was dry! 
Going back to read.
