Shhh! It's a secret meet...

[Moonliner]

Now that it has been hinted at a couple of times, here is a reprint of Moonliners very long very short trip report just in case you missed it the first time it came around...

Note this is in no way related to the "secret" thingy...
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Moonliners Super Short Trip Report
-- Two Parks In Two Hours --
Sunday June 27, 2004


Thursday June 24, 2004
About 8:00pm I received one of those calls you just hate to get. “Steve, your dad is in the hospital”. A crappy way to start a conversation if you ask me. After he reported chest pains an angiogram showed multiple blocked arteries and so he was scheduled for emergency double bypass surgery. I’m based in Washington DC so driving to LA was not an option. I quickly went online and booked a flight to LA for 6:30am the next morning.

Friday June 25, 2004
It’s my birthday and my alarm goes off at 4:30am. A quick shower and I hit the road just after 5:00am. Clear airport security and easily make the flight. Just over 5 hours later I’m in Long Beach at 9:30am local time. The Hertz agent is the first person to wish me happy birthday. Two hours later I arrive at the hospital to learn my Dad is already in surgery. Two more hours and he’s out of surgery heading for recovery in the ICU. One more hour and we are allowed in to see him. We tell him we love him and he says “urrgh, gurrgle, unnnn”. Apparently that morphine is good stuff.

Saturday June 26, 2004
My dad has no memory of yesterday, probably a good thing. So we tell him again we love him and then get down to the business of his recovery. We visit until about 8:00pm when he gets another dose of morphine and goes night-night. The ICU staff then kicks us out. So here I am too keyed up to sleep and needing to kill a few hours. Turns out there is an Indian Casino about two miles up the road from the hospital so I head that way to blow off some stress by losing some money. After three hours of playing low stakes Hold’em poker I leave the casino up about $70 (This plays an important role later on). Note: Someone really needs to help players at the San Manuel Indian Casino learn the basics of poker. Wish I could go there more often.

Sunday June 27, 2004
Up early and back to the hospital, my dad shows marked improvement forming a good first step down the long yellow brick road of recovery. I visit with him until about 5:30pm when it’s nap time for him. For this “nap” the role of the sandman is once again played by Mr. Morphine so it’s really lights out for the day. My flight home is not until 11:30pm so I have a dilemma. I could go back to the casino but I’m emotionally rung out by this point and a casino is just not a good place to be in that condition.

I’m in San Bernardino and I need to go to the Long Beach Airport. Looking at the map somehow the word “Katella” jumped out at me. Disneyland. Ahh ha! Brain kicks into gear: Current time 5:40pm. Estimated travel time to DLR ~1hr, add a few minuets to jump on a parking tram and I could be at the gate by 7:00pm. I also have extra cash in pocket from the casino win. Houston, tranquility base here the eagle has a plan. I hit the freeway and push the petal to the metal blasting down the road about as fast as my rent-a-speck from hertz will take me (about 78mph). At this rate I manage to almost keep up with the flow of traffic all the way down to Katella. Ave.

Sunday June 27, 2004 – DLR
I exit onto Katella follow the signs to the theme parks and make my way to the main gate. Five minuets ahead of schedule, let’s move it! I follow the direction of the handy parking cast member who points me to the Pumba lot. Pumba?? PUMBA??? At 7:00pm? No stinking way! I quickly turn around (some screeching of tires but not too much) and tear back out the exit. I head for the Ball entrance to the parking structure. Flash the attendant the parking receipt I just purchased and get waved into the structure. I’m sure the structure is nice and all, but I have my sights set on Pinocchio. I buzz down the length of the structure to the end where another helpful parking cast member waves me up the Mickey and Friends ramp to the next level, I quickly act the stupid tourist trying hard to give him my best confused look as I weave my way through his little orange cones. I slam a hard left towards my goal: Pinocchio. Gun it (up to about 20) as he cries out “Parking THIS way!” and I leave him in the dust. Now in Pinocchio, I nab a spot right next to the tram stop, jump out and grab a seat on the tram just as the cast member calls out all clear, ok, ok, it was just AFTER he called all clear. I get a dirty look from him but I make the tram. I’m a man on a mission.
On towards the ticket booth. There I find out DCA closes at 8:00pm. Damn. My plan was to stay until 9:00pm before I had to head back to the airport. So thinking quickly (as opposed to clearly) I call out “Give me a one day park hopper”. The ticket lady looks a bit surprised given how late in the day it is but recovers quickly as I pass her a $100. It’s now just after 7:00pm and I’m at the gate for my first ever visit to DCA. It’s more crowded than I was expecting based on all the negative comments one hears. I already knew my first objective: “soaring”.
Pushing down the main entrance way at a full gait people start scrambling to get out of my way. At 6’3” and 220lbs (ok, ok 230lbs) I make quite the impression of mass on the move. No time for maps, I just start calling out (ok, ok yelling) to cast members “which way to soaring?” As I turn the corner around the train looking café I take a Mickey balloon to the face. Temporally blinded by this I almost crash over the stroller (and pre-request wee one) to which the balloon is tied. I recover quickly and I can see my goal, the entrance to soaring just ahead! I stop dead in my tracks. Crap. I’m just totally out of control here.
I just stand there, take a few deep breaths look around, listen to the music and just let the sights sounds and smells wash over me. Ahhhh. Disney. Good. After about a minute I resume walking at a much more relaxed pace to the soaring entrance. Of course it’s too late in the day to use fastpass and the line is posted at 30min. Half my time! Calm, cool, relax. Ahh ha! Single rider! Yes. That’s the ticket! I walk up to the fastpass entrance, “Single Rider?” I query. The cast member hands me a pink pass and I’m in. Even better than fastpass. Five to ten minuets later I’m in row three second to last seat. Ahhh, now that’s a cool ride. Rather like an upgraded version of back-to-the-future. Just the thing to kill off my aggressive mood once and for all.
Exiting the ride with a happy stride I’m off to my next target “Screaming”. I take the time to look at my map for directions before setting off at a quick but much more reasonable pace. I make my way round the park past the mailboomer across the pier to the screaming entrance. Posted time 45min. No problem! I know the drill. Up to the fastpass entrance. “Single rider please” I say. “Sorry , no singly or standby line for this attraction” comes the reply. Errrrgh? While the earlier in the day “me” might well be ejected from the park over my response to a comment like that, the new happy me just shrugs it off. “OK, well thanks anyway”. So what to do? I like coasters but we have those back home. 40min is too long to wait I decide. So I adjust my plan and head for the tower.
I take a nice walk around the park to the tower entrance. I even stop for a second and listen to a cover of a beach boy’s song (Wouldn’t it be great if…..). As I reach the tower I see the fastpass line has outgrown its queue and spilled out into the courtyard. I am relived to see an entrance labeled “stand by” I head for it until a cast member holds up a hand in front of me, “excuse me sir, but there is no stand by for this attraction” he says. Errrr, Arrrrr!!! The earlier “me” is coming back. Don’t make me angry. You won’t like me when I’m angry. I mumble a controlled “I see” and turn away. This is too much. I just wanted to do a few things. How dare they!!! There is only one option left and God help us all if….. but yes, there it is. Back just past the exit to the tower. A churro stand! Oh yes, pay dirt. Warm, cinnamon, ahhhhh! Happiness returns. Peace once again fills my soul.
OK, well soaring was way cool, and I know I can get on it. So: Round two on soaring. It’s now straight up 8:00pm and the park is closing I’m out of time at DCA. (Yea, Yea, I know, I know, but as I stated earlier I was thinking quickly not clearly)
So I say a fond farewell to DCA and cross the gap over to DL. Along the way I develop a new plan. It goes something like this: Dinner. I’d actually made my first trip in a decade to DL just a few months back, which is how I knew about Pinocchio lot, Standby lines and other useful facts. I decided to skip the attractions and use my remaining 50min on a nice calm dinner. But where? Calm, quiet, tranquil, got it! The Blue Bayou. I’ll just stroll down main street and over to New Orleans square. The walk down main street is always a “magic moment” for me and I can’t wait to clear the train tunnel and start the walk.

Continued......

[Moonliner]

... Continued

Did you pick up on the problem yet? Main Street? About 8:00pm? Ring any bells? Yup, parade time. The street is blocked, the sidewalks are mobbed and I now have less than 45min for a “relaxing” dinner. So do I freak out and storm down Main Street? Nope. In this case the DL magic is just too strong, how could I possibly stress out here off all places? It’s freaking Main Street USA. OK all I have to do is think: Crowds, Main street, avoid, Yes! The rope drop. I remember a board message about the rope drop that said you can avoid the crowds on Main Street by going through the connected shops on the left side of the street. No problem, I enter the shops, which are mostly empty and make my way towards the hub in good time. I pass through adventure land, get tempted by Indy but press on up to the Blue Bayou. The couple ahead of me apparently has just been turned away and given priority seating for the next day. Not a good sign, but hey this is the happiest damn place on the planet and sometimes you just have to trust in the magic. So I do. “Hello, any chance of getting a table for one? Anywhere you can fit me in, near the kitchen, in the kitchen, where ever.” I say. This earns me my first cast member smile of the day. Not 5 min later I’m sitting in the calming environment of the Blue Bayou sipping a mint julep. Yummy.
After a relaxing dinner if somewhat hurried dinner of salad and prime rib I’m totally at ease and head out the door whistling a happy tune just like Jiminy Cricket. Fantasmic is about to start but I don’t have the time to watch it tonight. What to do, what to do. Think, think, think.. Ahh yes another board memory comes back to me. It’s Sunday and “the AP regulars” meet at the hub at noon and at the end of the day wind up at the café just off the hub. Full of happiness and Disney magic I decide what the hell let’s give it a shot. So I stroll in like I own the place and give it the once over. Families here, Older couples there, humm, I move on to the back. There at the back I spy a long table with about a dozen people. No kids, no balloons, no Mickey ears. Definitely a potential target. I move in for closer surveillance. Yep primarily 20 something’s chatting loudly like old friends. Definitely NOT day trippers. So I pick the big guy on the end close to where I am standing, lean over and say “excuse me, is this a mouse pad group?”. He get’s a surprised look on his face, “Yes! Or rather no it’s not, it’s an Ex-mousepad group” he says. Ex-mousepad? Ohh Ohh. In any case I have my first face-to-face meeting with a padder or in this case an ex-padder. It’s KevyBaby but I decide to stick it out anyway.
A quick round of introductions starts with the entire group giving a rousing rendition of “hey Moonliner!” Followed by individual introductions of the people at the table. Turns out to be a virtual who’s who of the boards (Cadaverous, Nirvanaman, MickeyLumbo, Grumpy4, KevyBaby and many more). Pay dirt! I know it’s a bit stupid but seeing all these names I’ve know from the boards I can’t help feeling a bit like a kid meeting Mickey for the first time. I should have brought one of those autograph books! I suppose I came off as something of a dorky uber-geek but what can you do. It was nice to meet everyone.
What followed was a nice 10min chat where I learned the awful truth behind the mass defection from mousepad and about the existence of Fab. (Note to everyone: Someone fricken email me next time that happens ok? Thanks.)
At about this point the collective group is subjected to some uncomfortable mental imagery when the subject of risqué photos of “Moonliner in the moonlight” somehow comes up.
I listen for a bit, make a few pithy comments and then sadly my time is up. A quick round of handshakes around the table and I’m out the door. I finally get my walk down Main Street and exit the park. Stop by the Disney store pickup a few things for the kids (a tinkerbell journal and a “Nightmare Before Christmas” baseball cap) hit the tram and get to my car just as the first of the fireworks starts. I wish I could stay to watch them but the plane won’t wait. So it’s out through the structure and onto ball. Exit stage left.

Side note: Ball and the garage is a GREAT place to see the fireworks. I don’t know if there is an open top deck to the structure but if there is it would make an awesome spot to watch from.

[Not Afraid]

God, that was funny! I wasn't even there but I knew what happened shortly thereafter. Soooo amazing.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I love that story.

Originally Posted by Moonliner

I remember a board message about the rope drop that said you can avoid the crowds on Main Street by going through the connected shops on the left side of the street.

You're the one person that reads all those tips and actually remembers them at the perfect times! I'm in awe!

The big kicker on that awesome story is that we NEVER had a meet at the Plaza Inn for dinner. Sure, we ended up there sometimes, but no often than any other dinner eatery. In fact, at the time, I found myself commenting that we hadn't been there in ages, and how great it was in there, etc etc. Moonliner finding us that night is proof positive that Disney Magic exists. It's the only explanation.

[MickeyLumbo]

20 somethings

you so rock, moonliner. very fun evening and it was great to meet you.


p.s. i think they have changed the pin number at locker number 25. it didn't work today.

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

The big kicker on that awesome story is that we NEVER had a meet at the Plaza Inn for dinner.

You know, I'm going to have to research that one of these days. I'm SURE I read something about that somewhere and if there is one thing I know about it's how to go digging around in old message board posts..

[Not Afraid]

Originally Posted by Moonliner

You know, I'm going to have to research that one of these days. I'm SURE I read something about that somewhere and if there is one thing I know about it's how to go digging around in old message board posts..

I would bet that you were thinking about Coke Corner and people gathered around Rod's Piano.

[DisneyDaniel]

Wow! What a truly amazing story and great read! In fact, I was reading it sooo fast--but still reading every word--in a frantic pace, just like your experience and immersing myself in your story.

I call out “Give me a one day park hopper”.

I love it!

[Moonliner]

Oh yeah, whatever happened to this tread anyway....

The "Secret meet" morphed into the Universal Studios VIP meet which I felt took some more advanced planning on the part of the participants so I let the "secret thingy" part drop...

However for anyone that was interested, the first two clues were in fact message thread ID's and post numbers that referenced the Hub and the Dole Whipp stand. Had the clues progressed, you would have had more points on the DL map all leading you towards the location of the "secret meet" as well as the date and time.

I would also like to publicly thank my on-site co-conspirator who was actively scouting/photographing obscure locations in the park for use in future clues. Who knows, I might still find a use for them one day.