Road Trip Report -- California Adventure

When people say they're going to Disneyland, California Adventure is often wrapped up in that statement. After all, it's just across the plaza from Disneyland proper, so why not refer to the whole shebang as Disneyland, like Walt Disney World in Florida encompasses everything from Magic Kingdom to Epcot to that Animal place. :)

Why not, indeed? I dunno. I just wanted to separate the two in my posts because the Disneyland-titled ones were threatening to eat the blog, they were getting so danged long.

My youngest had been itching to hit DCA (Disney's California Adventure) since the minute we turned onto South Harbor Boulevard. See, last year said child was a quarter-inch too short for Grizzly River Run, a fact that was heartbreaking at the time.

This year, the kid topped the required 42 inches by almost two extra inches. And wanted to test out the ride NOW!

So, midway through our second day of the four-day pass, we headed across the plaza to DCA.

Now, DCA is smaller than Disneyland, so it can be a little more manageable. There are a few really popular rides -- Tower of Terror, Soarin' over California, the aforementioned Grizzly River Run, California Screamin', and the new Toy Story Midway Mania. All except Toy Story have the FastPass option, which is lovely. (Although what is it with new rides and no FastPass? Argh, the lines, the lines...)

We did the FastPass tango right away, picking up tickets for Soarin' before going on the ride, and then heading to the far end of the park where California Screamin' is -- right next to Toy Story. Amazingly, Toy Story only had a forty minute wait, so we got in line. (Later, I noticed that the line is set up to hold people in a queuing area across the walkway, which I thought was overkill -- until the next morning. Oy!)

Loved, loved, loved this ride. I'm only sorry it wasn't FastPass-enabled, because I would have been on that thing many times over. It's a 3D ride based on midway games, from balloon popping to plate smashing, and the ride moves from game to game at a really fast pace. It's fun, easy to do (unlike Buzz Lightyear, which frustrates me to no end because I can never tell which little red dot is mine), and a kick in the pants. Big, big thumbs up.

Once done with that, we got FastPasses for California Screamin' and headed over to Grizzy River Run for FastPasses/first ride, too. As expected, youngest child LOVED it.

Hint of the Day, part one: If you have anything in your possession that can't get wet, they evidently have lockers available for short-term use. I didn't know that until it was too late to make a difference. A good alternative is to carry ziplock baggies to put your camera, phone, etc. in so they stay dry, even if you don't. And you will get wet. After one ride, my DH and I didn't fully dry out for about five hours.

The next day, we went back to DCA at opening, which is later than Disneyland -- 10 am at the time we were there. We got there at about 9:15, hoping they might let us in early even if the rides weren't open yet. Sure enough, they opened the gates, then told people to follow the signs to Toy Story if they were interested in getting in line.

We wanted to give it another go, so we got in line, fairly close to the front. A cast member led us through the park, along paths I'd never seen before (someone joked that they were just yanking our chains, making us take the longest possible route to see if we'd follow), and then made us stop for about fifteen minutes.

Right before "opening", they led us to the ride itself, weaving the line through the many twists and turns to get to the entryway. At one point I looked back and the line behind us stretched over the bridge and past the point of visibility. We guesstimated there were over a thousand people waiting at that point.

Very, very glad I didn't wait to get in line.

Had another great day at DCA, skipping the shows for more time on the rides (though if we go again in the next year or so, we'll definitely make time for Aladdin. It's a great show.). At about five that evening, we decided to head to Tower of Terror for our last ride. It was so empty, we rode it four times in less than an hour. Walk in, go on the ride, walk out, go around the corner and walk in again. It was great.

Tip of the Day: Multiple rides in a row can be great fun. If you're lucky enough to happen upon a favorite when there aren't many people waiting, go for it!

And to that cast member who singled me out in the front row the last time through during the "no photography or videotaping" spiel, staring at me and saying he didn't want to see anything about the ride on my MySpace page, here's a message:

Nope, no MySpace. But you never said anything about Blogspot. So there. ;)

Tomorrow -- first Road Trip Report winner!

Book BIN Tuesday -- The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland

Yes, I'll post part two of the Disneyland report sometime today (maybe late -- kids are still home for the summer, but DH is back at work!), but I didn't want to neglect Book BIN Tuesday, either. So in keeping with the theme of the week, my recommendation today is The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland.

I've used this book on every trip to D-land (three in the last four years!), and it's a lifesaver. Want to avoid long lines? Wondering what rides will make you toss your cookies? Trying to find a hotel you can walk from to the park (instead of driving or taking a shuttle)? This is the book for you.

One big help I learned about from this book -- the Baby Pass. Do you have a kid too short to go on one of the rides? Or a youngster who trembles at the thought of going in the Tower of Terror? Here's the scoop -- get in line as a family. At the first Cast Member, tell them you need a Baby Pass. (Or Kid Pass if your little one might get offended at the title.) You'll receive a slightly-larger-than-index-card-sized form good for some serious line-skipping. One parent goes on the ride with any/all child(ren) tall enough to participate. As soon as that parent is done, the second parent can jump ahead, either by getting in the Fast Pass line or going up the exit ramp or whatever the form tells you to do. It's good for up to two people, so if you have one child that's not riding and one that is, the one who is can go twice in a row. Bonus!

That way, you don't have to stand in line twice to get everyone on the ride who can/wants to go, and the kid who can't/won't ride doesn't have to stand around twice as long waiting for everyone else to get done. Pretty cool, huh?

So if you're going to D-land, pick up a copy of this book. They update it every year or so with new info. You may not need to Buy It Now, but if/when you have a trip in the offing, be sure to Buy It, er, Then! :)

Can You Keep a Secret?

That was our challenge this year for vacation. See, we took the kids to Disneyland. And didn't tell them until we got there.

Yeah, they noticed that we were planning a trip -- kinda hard to hide something like that -- but we'd always wanted to surprise them with Disneyland and knew this would be our best year for that. So while the DH and I were on our way back from a much-needed couple vacation early in the month, we were brainstorming how to get them all the way to southern California without tipping them off.

"I know!" One of us said. "Let's tell them we're going to the Grand Canyon!"

Not that Anaheim is truly on the way, but it'd work. Eventually, though, we realised that we'd have to do better than just come up with an alternate, fake destination. No, we'd have to really take them to the Grand Canyon.

With a five-day detour along the way.

No hardship, really. I've never been to the Grand Canyon, so I was pretty excited about heading there as well. But it was funny to see our jaunt to CA turn into a twice-as-long road trip throughout the Southwest, all for the opportunity to surprise the kids.

And the surprise? We made it to South Harbor Boulevard, the road running right in front of Disneyland, without any of them figuring it out. Once or twice they'd say something like, "Hey, isn't this the hotel we stayed at last time we drove to Disneyland?", but it would be quickly forgotten in the grand scheme of things. In fact, we had the kids hunting for a Cold Stone Creamery as we took the exit to D-land, and the older two missed the visual clues at first because they were searching for ice cream. It took the four year old to yell out, "Isn't that the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror?", to which we replied, "Surprise!"

The looks on their faces were totally worth it.

Next up: The Disney Report

Book BIN Tuesday -- At Any Cost

The NASSD Counter-Terrorist Agency 1

At Any Cost

When a NASSD double agent steals the technology for a deadly virus, counter-terrorist agent Dan Weber is more than ready to take on the complex and potentially deadly mission to hunt down the technology he once protected with his life, even if it means babysitting a gorgeous, yet reckless tomboy agent.

Rookie JT Turner is hungry to prove her worth in a profession dominated by men. Even though she can hold her own against a dozen trained agents, she's been labeled a screw up after too many mishaps. JT would do anything to redeem herself, even accept a shady mission to track down a phantom disc NASSD denies ever existed.

Undermanned and unarmed, can they unravel a madman's plot and remove the threat before it is unleashed? In a race against time, the line between desire and destiny will blur, and their true desires will finally be met.

****

I love this cover (Angelina Jolie kick-butt heroine!) and the story sounds fabulous. Why not head over to Siren this week and Buy It Now? I know I will!

MTA Monday -- Meet Allie K. Adams

NAME: Allie K. Adams

WEBSITE: http://www.alliekadams.com

BLOG: http://alliechat.blogspot.com

TITLE OF FIRST BOOK: At Any Cost

RELEASE DATE: July 28th, 2008

FAVORITE WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: My favorite writing story is when I had a terrible, mean, nasty boss. He would belittle me in front of others and then just smile as I turned red. When I quit, I told him he should have been nicer to me. When he asked why I told him he might just end up in one of my books—and not in a good way. One of the very first books I ever wrote, I cast him as the bad guy. He was terrible, mean, and nasty in the book. He died in a very slow, very unpleasant way. It was extremely therapeutic. He he he.

FAVORITE NON-WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't. –Eleanor Roosevelt

COMFORT FOOD: Anything covered in chocolate that won't kill me (I'm allergic to nuts)

COMFORT READ: I know this sounds geeky, but I love to read the Dilbert books. When I don't want to have to think, those are perfect.

YOUR PERFECT DAY: Wake early at my leisure, actually jump on my elliptical so I'd stop feeling guilty every time I look at it, be able to eat anything I want and not have to worry about it going right to my hips (which might happen if I actually jumped on the elliptical), and bake out in the sun while the computer automagically (that is totally a word!) types my thoughts. Ah. Sheer bliss!

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?: I'm working on heating my scenes in Seek and Destroy and Rescue Me to a sizzling rating. After all, as my tag line states, if it doesn't sizzle, it isn't hot enough. I'm also working on a special ménage project for my publisher.

Thanks for stopping by, Allie! Best of luck on your new book!

Guest Blogger -- Title Gods/Goddesses Needed!

A novel by any other name…still wouldn't have a title.

Sometimes a story comes with a title attached. Other times finding a title is like pulling teeth without any anesthetic. In my experience, there is no in-between. Right now, I'm faced with the latter. I have a completed manuscript just aching for a name. I even went so far as to write a tagline, blurb, and warning—a task I usually dread—in an attempt to find a title. So far, no joy. I asked around at Slash & Burn. Now I'm asking you here on Kate Davies Blogs! I want to hear your suggestions based on the aforementioned tagline, blurb, and warning, which I will post below. No suggestion is too silly, too bawdy, too schlocky, too snarky, too purple. Hell, my first novel was named by one of my beta readers with the accompanying statement that "it's better than nothing". Which it was, since it made it to publication. And speaking of that, I'll even sweeten the pot, shall I? When I sell this thing (I'm practicing my positive thinking. Kate's so good at it and I'm trying to learn from her.), if it goes to print with the title you suggested, you'll get a free download. Sound fair? All right. Here's what I've got.

Title: (You tell me...)

Author: Maia Strong

Genre: M/M erotic fantasy romance

When internal conflict is mirrored by civil unrest, Jonas must choose between truth and safety.On the surface, Jonas Vaneau's life is perfectly average. He works at the law courts five days week, spends Sabbath night with his parents and every other night with his cat, and tolerates the unending string of single women his mother invites to Sabbath dinner. But his routine life cannot provide what he most desires—at least not as long as he must continue to pretend to be the person his overbearing parents want him to be.

An unusual encounter with a seemingly ordinary client causes Micah Hartshorn considerable consternation. When Jonas inadvertently and inexplicably breezes right past his emotional defenses, Micah finds himself involved in a drama that is far beyond anything for which his professional skills have prepared him. Figuring out this new puzzle isn't in his plans—especially not when he has his own issues to deal with both at home and at work.

All personal problems are swept up in political unrest when new laws change daily life for everyone in the city. Conflict grows among a population divided by new policies. What chance does an ordinary legal journeyman have to fix the city's troubles when he can't even fix his own?

Warning: This book contains drinking, sex, language, politics, and organized religion; nine-year-old civil rights activists; legalized prostitution; and foreign food.

So... Help?

Links! We got links!
http://www.maiastrong.com/

http://maiastrong.blogspot.com/

Buy The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing

Book BIN Tuesday -- Into the Fire

Yeah, yeah, I know. Every July it's the same thing. "Suz Brockmann has a new book! Must buy now!"

Drives my DH 'round the bend, too.

But I can't help it. I love, love, love her books. And I can't wait to read this one. Here's the scoop:

Vinh Murphy -- ex-Marine and onetime operative for the elite security firm Troubleshooters Incorporated -- has been MIA ever since his wife, Angelina, was caught in a crossfire and killed during what should have been a routine bodyguard assignment. Overcome with grief, Murphy blames the neo-Nazi group known as the Freedom Network for her death. Now, years later, Freedom Network leader Tim Ebersole has been murdered -- and the FBI suspects Murphy may have pulled the trigger. To prevent further bloodshed, Murphy's friends at Troubleshooters scramble to find him and convince him to surrender peacefully.

Murphy himself can't be sure what he did or didn't do during the years he spent mourning and lost in an alcohol-induced fog. He does know he occasionally sought solace from Hannah Whitfield, a former police officer and the very friend who'd introduced him to his beloved late wife.

But Hannah, still grappling with the deafness that resulted from an injury sustained while on duty, was fighting her own battles. For years Hannah had feelings for Murphy, and one painful night their suffering brought them together in a way neither expected -- and both regretted.

But finally, Murphy is ready to rejoin the living. As always, he finds himself knocking on Hannah's door, and as always, his longtime friend welcomes him back into her home. Yet even as Murphy slowly rebuilds his splintered life, he continues to fight his growing feelings for Hannah. Then he learned of Ebersole's murder and comes to believe that the Freedom Network has targeted him -- and Hannah -- to avenge their leader's death.

Now Murphy must face the terrifying prospect of losing to violence another woman he loves.
As the Troubleshooters desperately search for him, Murphy races toward a deadly confrontation with the Freedom Network and the ultimate choice: surrender his life in the hopes that Hannah will be spared, or risk everything to salvage whatever future they may have together.

*bouncing up and down* I can't wait!

I just hope I can track down a copy soon so I can Buy It Now!

Book BIN Tuesday -- The Ideal Wife

I'm on a bit of a Mary Balogh kick these days. Nothing like a big, juicy historical to dive into on a lazy summer day. So I'm pretty chuffed that her early books are being re-released, since I missed them the first time around.

I started reading Balogh somewhere in the middle of the Slightly series, and of course had to go back and read them in order, followed by the Simply series. Now, I'm hunting down her other books, so it's very nice to see her earlier works being re-released. Makes the search a bit easier. :)

I just finished The Tangled Web tonight, and have Web of Love on hold at the library, but I'll have to stop at the bookstore and pick up The Ideal Wife this week as well. Here's the blurb:

When Miles Ripley, Earl of Severn, learns that his mother and sisters are about to descend upon him in London, he is in despair. For they have a bride picked out for him and are busy with wedding plans-and he does not know how to say no. They love him, and the trouble is that he loves them too. He vows to his best friend that if only someone would set before him the plainest, dullest, most ordinary female, he would marry her without delay.

He is not really serious, of course, but the very next day a woman who resembles the one he described to an uncanny degree appears in the visitors' salon of his home, claiming a distant kinship and begging for a reference so that she can seek employment. Suddenly Miles becomes very serious indeed and offers her something quite different from what she expects.

The only problem is that Abigail Gardiner is not at all the woman Miles judges her to be during that first encounter. Because she has just been dismissed from her employment for insubordination and is feeling rather desperate, she has come to the earl-a very distant relation indeed-with a deliberately plain, demure mien.

The drastic mistake Miles has made does not bode well for the future!

Now, this book was originally released in 1991, so I may discover that what I love about Mary Balogh books has evolved since her earliest works. But that's part of the fun of reading, isn't it? So, I'm off to the bookstore this week to Buy It Now. If you like Mary Balogh (or are a fan of regency romance), why not join me?

Travel Travails

I'm back!

And very, very tired. After a long day in the car, the DH and I are back from a just-the-two-of-us vacation. We had a great time, except for the hotel room saga.

Now, if you're a reader of Lucy Monroe's blog, you know that she has stories to tell about all of her trips, with at least one thing going wrong on every vacation. Our room saga fits right in with that theme.

We had a nice room to start with. About halfway up the tower, with a nice view and decent accommodations. But the second day we noticed that the door wasn't latching consistently.

Door that won't shut or lock? Um, no. We called and asked for someone to come fix it. The maintenance guy showed up right away, took a look at it, and said it'd take a while to fix, so we should probably be moved to another room.

Five minutes later, we're shoving things in suitcases while a bellman stands outside the door ready to take us to our next room. We get there, tip the bellman, unpack, and discover that 1) the toilet is close to overflowing and 2) there's no hot water. At all.

Another phone call, another fast pack job, and the same bellman is waiting to move us yet again. Room three, another tip, we unpack, and there's a knock on the door. It's the same maintenance guy, clearly confused to find us in a different room than the one he'd set up for us earlier. We explain the problems with room number two, and he shakes his head. He'd been sent to THIS room on a work order for the air conditioning, which is spewing water all over the carpet. We, of course, hadn't noticed this yet. Nor had we noticed the missing night lock, which the maintenance guy pointed out as well.

"That's it," he said. "You guys deserve a suite." He sets it up, get us our room keys (the fourth set of the day), and helps us carry the luggage up to the top floor so we don't have to call the bellman yet again. Which was a good thing, because I was out of cash for the tip.

Oh, and did I mention that I'd left a library book in the first room and had to run back there to get it, luckily running into the housekeeper who'd just put it in the storage room?

Or the fact that during this time frame the elevator was out of service for almost an hour while the fire department investigated an alarm, which turned out to be two wires touching accidentally?

On the bright side, we got a huge two-room suite with a fabulous view and lots of space, for the same price as our original hotel room. And all it cost us was three moves, several panicky pack jobs, and a handful of tips.

What's your favorite (or funniest) vacation story?

Beach Blanket Blog Party Winners!

Well, it's Freebie Friday here at Kate Davies Blogs!, so what better day to announce the winners of the Beach Blanket Blog Party contest?

Every comment between Monday the 23rd and Monday the 30th earned an entry into this prize drawing, and the random integer generator picked the following winners. Congratulations!

Winner of the Chesapeake Bay Candle three-pack, featuring Tropical Drink-scented tealights (Mango Mojito, Berry Sangria, and Papaya Spritz):

Jean P.

Winner of the Very Cherry flip-flop-shaped manicure set (which is so cute I was tempted to keep it for myself):

Michelle

Winner of a beach-ball-topped bottle stopper and a margarita-shaped notepad:

Kimmy L.

And winner of a free download of HOOKED:

Robyn L.

Congrats to all the winners! Please contact me off-blog with your address or, in Robyn's case, your preferred e-book format, and I'll get those prizes out to you as soon as possible. Note: I'll be away from my home computer for a few days, so if you don't get your prizes right away, don't worry! They'll be in the mail (or e-mail) soon.

And thanks to everyone who posted during the blog party. You made the week so much fun!