Emerald City Comic Con
Jan. 11th, 2013 11:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
captain_slinkyI think we're getting a hotel room this year. I think it's going to be at the Sherraton Hotel, half a block from the convention center. Kind of excited!
But if I'm going to aford this, I really need to list more stuff on Ebay. I have a ton of Heroscape stuff listed right now, but that'll only cover one night! I need two nights, parking AND spending money!
But wow wouldn't it be nice to just walk half a block and then TA DAAAAA there's all my stuff, instead of lugging it all to the car and then driving home while fighting off the Con Sleepiness, then getting hom and knowing that I fully intend to get up in like 3 hours to drive back to the convention for the second day?
But if I'm going to aford this, I really need to list more stuff on Ebay. I have a ton of Heroscape stuff listed right now, but that'll only cover one night! I need two nights, parking AND spending money!
But wow wouldn't it be nice to just walk half a block and then TA DAAAAA there's all my stuff, instead of lugging it all to the car and then driving home while fighting off the Con Sleepiness, then getting hom and knowing that I fully intend to get up in like 3 hours to drive back to the convention for the second day?
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Date: 2013-01-13 03:56 am (UTC)I'm working on getting healthy for con. (Not to mention for work. Dunno how I'm going to work on Monday if I still feel like this. Ugh.)
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Date: 2013-01-13 04:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-13 05:18 am (UTC)Sick people who come into work when they have the option of staying home are jerks. Those who might lose their job or not be able to pay the rent, I get that. The rest? Bah. No excuses.
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Date: 2013-01-17 08:40 pm (UTC)I seem to remember you talking once about a hotel you stayed at, and you walked to one of the parking lots for a shuttle ... was that you? And if so, what was the problem again?
For the cost of the Sheraton you could stay at one of the hotels across the street and walk in. Desert Inn uually has a $59 deal, and an indoor spa.
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Date: 2013-01-17 11:41 pm (UTC)Anywho - DISNEYLAND! Need to straighten the question here - Are you talking about a shuttle to/from The Airport, or a shuttle to/from The Park?
The last two times we went, we used the Disneyland Magic Express. It's cheaper than a shuttle because it's a *Bus*, but it drops you off right at your hotel and then picks you up at a very close bus stop (the one we picked up at was at the little strip-mall right next to our hotel so we were able to get a drink while we waited for the bus). I heartilly nrecommend the Disneyland Magic Express because you get to "Sight See" a great deal of the hotels in the area for future consideration, AND you get to ride on one of the busses with Disney stuff all over it that makes you go "Awwwww, I want to ride the bus that has Snow White on it!"
As far as a shuttle to the *park* is concerned, they don't really do that any more. You can buy an ART (Anaheim Rapid Transit) pass that'll let you ride the bus for as long as they run (usually till Midnight). It's okay, but we usually got bored of waiting for the bus and just decided to hoof it.
Was this specific enough? Need more info?
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Date: 2013-01-18 01:26 pm (UTC)I was talking about the shuttle that runs (ran?) from Toy Story Parking Lot to the park. I thought I remembered a story that involved no lot access or a sleazy hotel that you wouldnt stay at again, something like that. I dont know. Mush. Where do you stay? Right now Im looking at Buena Park for shorter trips, and keeping our usual hotels for longer trips. I just caught on to these shuttles, and now youre telling me that they dont run anymore. So I guess I'll look into the Disneyland Magic Express, thanks!
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Date: 2013-01-18 03:44 pm (UTC)But now I know what you're talking about!
There are at least three hotels that claim to be "right across the street" from the various parking structures that offer "rides" in to the park. The Toy Story Lot Shuttle and the Mickey & Friends Lot Tram. You need to pay for parking at either of these structures ($11 last time I checked) in order to easily access these, but a few people claim that it's "Easy" to just jump the gate, slip through the fence, avoid lot security etc and get on the transportation for free which makes sense. You *can* use the tram and shuttle without paying for parking, they just don't make it easy for you.
We *almost* tried it a few trips back, but decided against it for the following reasons:
- Reviews of the hotels located "right across the street" from the parking structures all had terrible, terrible reviews with everything from Bed Bugs to Theft to "By Non-Smoking Room, They Mean They'll Take The Ashtrays Out Of The Room For You Before You Arrive".
- Although located "Right Across The Street", the directions to get from the hotel to the tram station involved just as much walking as it would take to just walk all the way to Disneyland from the hotel, which is like a *mile*. Desk clerk at one of them even admitted that most guests choose to walk to the park rather than walk to the shuttle.
- Shuttle and tram hours of operation didn't work with our "First In/Last Out" philosophy of Disneyland. Shuttles and Trams operate for an hour before park opening and an hour after park closing, and if you miss the last one then you're stuck walking or taking a cab. Since we like to get there t hours before the park opens (an hour before they open the gates) and don't leave till they force us out at the end of the day, this just doesn't work for us.
- Thanks to http://www.booking.com, we found that there are about a dozen affordable-and-clean hotels that are as close to the main gate of Disneyland as those "Right Across The Street" hotels are to the trams and shuttles. Hotels that are even *cheaper* than the Right-Across-The-Street gang! Why wait on a shuttle and be dependent on ITS schedule when YOU can be in control? Also, it was *really nice* to have a variety of food and shopping options that were all right along our path to and from the park. There's a great strip-mall full of Fast Food Knock-Off restaurants there with stuff like "Burger Royalty", "California Pizza Place", "Panda Chinese" and "Submarine Way" that we loved to go to :)
I hope this helps! If you need any more info, just let me know! So when are you going?
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Date: 2013-01-18 08:30 pm (UTC)We actually just got back from a 5 day trip, but the goal is to go ten times this year. So there will be plenty of opportunity to experiment with hotel options. Trip #2 will be mid-February. Are you guys coming back any time soon?
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Date: 2013-01-18 11:25 pm (UTC)Since our last trip was in November, we've decied to wait till 2013 for our next visit. And yes, that hurts. That hurts A LOT.
So did you check out DCA this last time? What did you think? I'm kind of in love with it now, and The Mad T Party is just incredible :)
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Date: 2013-01-19 11:13 pm (UTC)This was the first visit that we spent more time in DCA than we did in DL. Cars Land is way cool! I loved the details and the music (Johnny Cash & Bob Dylan in DL? Wha wha?!). The racers were awesome, and we got to ride freely because I had a guest assistance pass. My only complaint was that there werent more healthier foods at Fillmores Taste-In. But who really seeks out health food at Disneyland? On to the brownie/strawberry kabobs!
We went just after the holidays, so a few things weren't going, the T Party being one of them. Im really conflicted on these parties in DCA. We went to the Tron one, and I just didnt feel like it was *Disney* enough. Techno beats, mock-alcohol, dancers in cages? No matter how fun you make the names, I feel like its just club training for kids, and I dont like it. Plus, Im a bit of a Disney purist, and the new Hatter is not my cup of tea. But if we get the chance, we'll still check out the T Party and give it a shot, just to say we did.
Overall, Im really impressed with all of the changes to DCA. Cant wait to go back!! 21 days!!!
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Date: 2013-01-20 05:42 am (UTC)In all seriousness, that is beautiful and awesome and *exactly* what my wife and i would do if/when either of us won such a battle :)
I liked ElecTRONica because it felt *right* to finally have some sci-fi presence in the parks that wasn't Star Wars or Buzz Lightyear. And it really did capture the atmosphere and style and spirit of TRON just perfectly. It wasn't a perfect show, but it *did* teach them everything they needed to know in order to make a perfect little show. I was EXTREMELY dissapointed in all the preview art, concepts and storyline when they revealed them on-line. I, too, am not a fan of "New Alice", and was not impressed AT ALL by any videos I saw on-line o the performances. But then we went there, and... and...
And it's really more of an *event* than any video or review can capture. It's a *show*. An interactive concert experience dance show acrobatic puppet show arcade extravaganza! Be there from the very beginning or the entire experience, it's just incredible - and that comes from a person with an actual documented PHOBIA towards bars, clubs and alcohol in general!
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Date: 2013-01-20 04:16 pm (UTC)Youve actually made me excited for the T Party experience. Did you mean 2014, or are you planning a trip later in the year?
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Date: 2013-01-20 05:35 pm (UTC)Yesterday I quoted Crystal on Facebook because she just spontaneously angrily blurted out "Dammit I am SICK and TIRED of not being at Disneyland!" :)
So you'll post lots and lots of pictures, right? So we can live vicariously through you?
OOH! And if you have a Tumblr, I highly suggest that you follow this girl called "HalleyTheHatter". She's a SoCal local who visits the parks on a nearly daily basis and knows how to do it *right*... I've picked up on several things I want to do next time that I never would have thought of just by seeing her posts :)
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Date: 2013-01-22 04:31 am (UTC)