Backstage Magic - Day 3

Sorry for the delay but we got back to the hotel room very late and were up to be at breakfast by 7 AM so anyway and here is a paragraph break for Jennie.

This morning we had a breakfast buffet from 7 - 8 AM while they removed the luggage from our rooms. The breakfast was so yummy -- eggs, bacon, sausage, waffles -- not Mickey of course -- and a smoothie -- which was new but also really yummy.

After breakfast we went down and got on our bus and drove over to Disney Imagineering which is not marked by anything other than a sign 1401 in a tag that looked like a Disney name tag. In we went.

First stop: bathroom break. Next stop: a room where they gave us the history of Imagineering from Walt Disney's first days as an animator to current days. Imagine our surprise when we finished the film and they opened the curtains and Lucky the autonomous anamatronic dinosaur was sitting there waiting to see us -- we had not seen him since his days at Disney's California Adventure and even then he was surrounded by a TON of guests but this time we got our own picture with him and got to touch him and relate with him. Tom and I were so so so so excited.

Then: we went into the sculpting room and he showed us how they made moldings and skin and how audio animatronics worked and then we had a demonstration by Joe Cocker who is an audio animatronics figure with no skin. Then they showed us the original figures from Snow White's grotto which sadly Snow White was broken -- the ones they have in the park now are plastic painted to look like marble.

Next we got to see a preview of a new land they are putting into Disney's California Adventure called Radiator Springs and it is going to be a bunch of new rides with a Cars theme. There were models and pictures and lots of styrofoam and it was so so interesting.

Next we went to Mickey's of Burbank and bought everything they had so guess where almost everyone's momentoes are going to come from? Yep, probably right.

Then on to Disney Studios -- we saw the sound stages for Eli Stone and Brothers and Sisters -- well one of them -- and got a history of the studios and more shopping.

Then on to Disneyland -- did you hear us all yelling and see us waving when we passed Downey?

We checked into the hotel and then went to dinner at Hook's Pointe after a welcome reception. THEN we went to Disneyland and rode the Haunted Mansion Holiday ride and then they gave us these magic fast passes which can be used on every ride -- Tom and I went on Thunder Mountain and Pirates -- after having seen how they made Johnny Depp's face into Jack Sparrow for the Pirates ride it was extra interesting.

By the time we got back to the hotel our feet hurt so badly we couldn't even move. Robyn told us today that we are walking an average of 8 miles a day. And standing, standing, standing.

Anyway we're off to dinner -- I'll blog for today when I get back. We miss you all and love you but we are having the BEST BEST BEST time. Wait until I blog what we did today -- you will be pea green with envy -- just kidding but it's cooooool.

Just a hint -- we saw Bono at the parade -- when you travel like a celebrity you see celebrities. LOL Blog soon!