Wondering What's Next….

OK, an intermission in posting the daily summaries!

I put the slideshow together to show some of the Dis Unplugged friends and the fun we had that week. Sorry it has taken so long, but I am realizing that the problem with taking 4000+ pictures is EDITING 4000+ pictures!

Enjoy!

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Day 4 started in usual fashion – early and rushed. However, because we were within hailing distance of the parks, we had great motivation and soon met everyone in the lobby. Everyone was buzzing with excitement, because this was the morning for the…. ta da!

Breakfast at Club 33!!

Before breakfast, we walked en masse to Disneyland park and gathered outside the gates.

It’s always a surreal experience anytime you are able to visit Disney parks before they open to the public. This was sort of magical as we walked through Walt’s park at the start of the day. The streets were freshly washed, and cast members were putting extra polish on the windows. Groundskeepers were plucking faded blooms from planters, and carpenters dabbed paint on railings. We were asked by our guides to avoid photographing maintenance, and gladly complied.

Passing under the railroad over head into the park:

Early morning on Main Street:

Our group, google-eyed:

Sleeping Beauty’s castle ahead:

More:

Looking back down Main Street:

The amazing Partner’s statue:

Once at the end of Main Street, we were all able to get pictures in front of the Castle – here are our first timers at Disneyland:

Finally, it was time to head to one of my most favorite memories of  the trip – the glorious, infamous Club 33!

True Disney fans know of the legendary restaurant designed by Walt before his death. Located in New Orleans Square, it is an almost hidden entrance tucked back along a side street. Membership is exclusive and there are reports of a 10-year wait-list for consideration. I was surprised to learn that while Walt designed the eating space, he actually died before dining there.

During this entire trip I had so many moments when I thought “The trip could end right now and I would be perfectly satisfied” . This breakfast was another one, as we crossed through the hallowed entrance and made our way inside:

The lobby and stairs leading to the second story dining rooms:

Buffet line for our breakfast:

The surprisingly small main dining room – our party of 60 filled it to capacity:

Inside the dining room – the place settings were of fine heavy silver and delicate china :

Light fixture from the dining room:

Longer shot of the buffet line:

Inside the trophy room:

Inside the light fixtures we discovered the hidden microphones. Legend has it that Walt ordered these installed so he could monitor guests comments unobtrusively….

We ate a scrumptious buffet that was outstanding in every way. Even though Club 33 is not usually open for breakfast, the food was amazing and kept us buoyed all day.

All too soon our time in Club 33 came to an end. We had all managed to shop from the small display case and take plenty of pictures, and the rest of our day was ahead.

More to come:

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(When last we left our intrepid travelers, they were exploring the hallowed halls of Imagineering. Let’s see what trouble they can get into….)

Soon enough our group moved deeper within the Imagineering building, and came to a large room where the Imagineers were crafting huge models and replicas of animated  favorites seen in the Disney films. We saw huge items that will be placed on the new Disney cruise ship, modeled after the “Be Our Guest” theme from Beauty and the Beast”. We also saw an enormous model of the Fantasyland expansion, laid out to scale with areas marked for rides and attractions. I still get goose bumps thinking about it, because this was the actual epicenter of the design! One of the more fascinating aspects was that we were able to see that the mockup of Fantasyland is a little different than what was announced at D23 – and for the better, I think!

 It appears there will be less emphasis on the “princess” aspect of the park, and more inclusion of “boy-friendly” attractions!  Our guide even hinted that a guest favorite ride formerly of Disneyland may be making its way back to Fantasyland – anyone remember the Flying Saucers at Disneyland? Here is a low quality video:

After the visit in the Imagineering building, we traveled en masse to (cue the music!)  Mickey’s of Glendale.

We knew the shopping would be fabulous and herded like wildebeests waiting to enter the store (do wildebeests herd? I) The guides told us that they usually allow 30 minutes in the store, but since we were such a big group, we would have at least 45 minutes.

I am ashamed to say we laughed in their earnest faces and mocked them.

 You know the outlet stores that have great pricing on items like sippy cups with Bug’s Life characters and Christmas ornaments from 2007? Yeah, well that is the exact opposite of Mickey’s of Glendale.

This store was chock full of amazing high quality merchandise at extremely good prices. We bought jackets and backpacks and sweater (oh my!) Pins and pens, t-shirts, hats, and all manner of Mickey goodness.  There were exclusive Walt Disney Imagineering items, sold only in this location. The prices were AMAZING (a sweatshirt for $25? Get outta here!) I bought pins and shirts and backpacks and coffee mugs  (which I never buy, because they are heavy, and which were smashed into little bitty pieces in the wreck – sad face!) Each tour member received a coupon for 40% off one item in the store, and we made good use of them!

We actually spent the better part of two hours at the store, and walked out with bags and bags of goodies. One fellow in our group bought hundreds of pins along with plenty of other items, and ended up with some 5 or 6 bags!  A good time was definitely had by all!

After shopping, we headed to lunch boarded the bus and headed to Walt Disney Studios.

I love the film The Reluctant Dragon, which stars Robert Benchley as he toured the studio lot when the studio was brand new. It remains largely unchanged, keeping true to its origins in signage and environment.

When we first arrived, I noticed Providence Hospital just a few blocks away. It is poignant to think that Mr. Disney passed away so close to the Studio he created.

We hustled onto the Studio lot and went straight to Archives, as we had an appointment to meet the incomparable Disney Legend Dave Smith.

To our bitter disappointment, we learned that Mr. Smith had to leave earlier to catch a flight to attend a family wedding – darn that long shopping trip! I did snap a picture of his Disney Legends statue:

Dave Smith's Legend trophy, on far right

There was so much to see in the archives! I took pictures galore, including these of the first Ticket to Disneyland, the Press Pass and the Parking Pass:

Here was an amazing sight – this little wind-up bird is said to be the inspiration for animatronics:

This turn-of-the-century mechanical bird inspired animatronics

We held an Oscar for posterity!

So many items in the glass cases! Early documents from Walt’s history included baby pictures:

Walt as a baby

Early passport photos:

Walt is believed to be about 17 in this picture

Walt’s orders for his wartime position as ambulance driver:

The original script for Steamboat Willie:

Early Disney promotional items. It is interesting to note that in the early days of Disney studios, Roy and Walt had sold the merchandise rights away, and many of the items produced were off low quality. Later, the brothers bought back these rights and took control of the branding:

and more:

The Extraordinary Multiplane Camera! With this Camera Walt Disney set himself apart as an animator and brought the genre of animation into serious film. Cartoons were given a new dimension, and hand-drawn characters expressed emotions and drew the audience into their stories. I couldn’t help but tear up a little – it is easy for me to imagine that without this machine, the legend of Disney might have been written very differently.

The multiplane camera

After the visit to the archives, we stopped in the commissary to have lunch. I looked for Walt’s favorite lunch of chili and crackers, but because we were so late, slim pickings to be found.

After lunch we toured the grounds of the studio, and I truly felt like I was walking in Walt’s footsteps. The grounds seemed very familiar from all of the pictures and movies through the years. I could imagine Saturday mornings and his daughters riding their bikes on the grounds, along the very streets we walked.

Grounds of Walt Disney Studio

Recognize this water tower? this one is full size:

This signpost has been seen in several pictures and television shows:

Inside the animation building:

An engraving of Walt Disney:

The building that Snow White (the film) built:

These dwarfs are huge!

We ended the tour by visiting the Legend Plaza, a unique remembrance of Disney legends founded by Walt’s wife Lillian and his sister Edna. There we saw the Legends commemorated with bronze handprints, and saw the full size Legend statue, and both the statue of Walt and Mickey pointing, and Roy and Minnie on the bench.

Dedication plaque:

Ward Kimball’s plaque (notice the 6 fingers!  no, he did not have 6 fingers, just a quirky sense of humor):

Partner’s statue:

Roy and Minnie:

The Legends statue:

After lunch we stopped by the studio store – very small and not nearly as much fun as Mickey’s of Glendale – I think I bought only a couple of pins.

Following the final shopping stop, we boarded the bus to head to Disneyland, and the Grand California!

(Photo from Disney Photopass CD)

Inside the lobby of the Grand Californian

View from our room:

We were also surprised with a change in dinner plans – rather than going to the traditional Hooke’s Point, we were having dinner at Steakhouse 55!

Unfortunately, I was battling a bit of a sinus infection, and between the long ride on the bus through LA traffic, and the heavy smog, I was not feeling very well for the dinner that evening.

We met in the lobby of the Grand Floridian – and it is truly gorgeous! It is done in the Craftsman style, and understated but elegant.

We walked over as a group to the Disneyland Hotel, and entered the lobby.Just in front of restaurant, the Disney folks had set up a beautiful pre-dinner reception. We had a lovely wine tasting (I just wish I felt better!).

Cocktail hour!

A nice spread:

Dinner was very nice, and I am glad I was able to experience it. They had a set menu from which we could pick our entrée – I chose New York steak.  Mine was very good, but some of my tablemates had trouble getting their steaks prepared to their satisfaction. (And this was not just whining – it was the difference between rare and medium.) We chalked it up to the kitchen being rushed with all of our orders at the same time. Dinner was a gorgeous apple tart ala mode.

After dinner we walked through Downtown Disney to the front of Disneyland. It was beginning to get dark, and the lights were on and Disney magic was alive and well! You’ll notice this picture is a little out of focus….. I would like to post the picture where we all posed and smiled on Main Street, but there was no posing and smiling. We were practically jogging down Main Street to try and get all the way down to the Haunted Mansion, apparently on a schedule.

As we were walking up to the Haunted Mansion, the fireworks began and I had chills standing in that park after such an amazing day.

The advantage of an ABD tour was displayed again as our group was escorted into the Mansion for a private ride. I took plenty of pictures, but no flash!  So the quality isn’t as nice as I would like.

….. to find a way out!!

After we all disembarked our doom buggies, the guides had another surprise – a private ride of Nemo’s Submarine Voyage! Our entire group trooped down those narrow stairs and sat together on the narrow benches. We joked and laughed, but as we started to move the sub scraped bottom and stopped – apparently we were too heavy! This made us all laugh harder….

The ride is really well done, and I am glad I finally did it. It is notorious for being so slow to load, and below is just as small and cramped as you might imagine. I was really more excited to be on the ride because of the historic uses of that pool. Back in the 60’s there used to be quite a bit of competition for young ladies auditioning to be real life mermaids – wouldn’t that have been something to see! Apparently the program was discontinued in part because there was trouble with some eager young men hopping the fence, wooed by the mermaids…

Following the underwater tour, we broke into groups to explore the park. I went with others straight to Space Mountain.

Another shot:

Disneyland’s Space Mountain is really well done, and benefitted tremendously from its extended refurbishment. The whole track is smoother and less jerky, and the seats are a bit easier to get enter. They sit two abreast, and have speakers in each headrest playing an updated soundtrack. I find the whole ride more exciting, and could ride this one repeatedly!

After Space Mountain, I was starting to fade. Because I knew that ABD boot camp would begin early in the morning, I went back with some other adventurers, to unpack and prepare for another big day.

Another early morning call and we were up bright and early! (ABD trips are not for the faint of heart!) We had breakfast at the buffet in the restaurant Twist in the hotel – which was actually very good! I really enjoyed the hotel and was impressed with the staff. Before going down for breakfast, we had our bags packed and tagged and ready to go.

Following the excellent breakfast,  we met in the lobby and then  boarded the bus to head to:

WALT DISNEY IMAGINEERING

This is the area of the company responsible for the magic – the ideas for the merchandise, parks, movies, and television shows all originate from these buildings! This was one of the events I was most looking forward to, as touring this facility is uncommon (Unfortunately, we were not able to take pictures during this part of the tour, so I will try and describe as best I can, and fill in with pictures taken by our guides).

Notice the building "name tag"?? Walt Disney Imagineering!

We received name tags and walked through the halls filled with pictures of old and new attractions. For those of you who are WDW Disney Mom fans, you will appreciate this picture, that I saw hanging on the wall as well as in the Imagineering video  – featuring the fabulous Laura Spencer and her prince!

We walked down a short hallway into a room hung with heavy curtains and a watched a short film describing Walt Disney Imagineering and its accomplishments, and the current and future projects. It was amazing, and I was humbled being surrounded by such creative people. 

After the film, we had a surprise visitor - Lucky the Dinosaur! This was a true animatronic marvel – was so very lifelike!

Karen and I visiting Lucky:

After the movie we split into groups and visited a couple of rooms. The first room I visited was a sound room where we had a short demonstration of audio techniques (not terribly dissimilar to the unfortunate “Sounds Dangerous” at Hollywood Studios.)

The next room contained hundereds of 3 dimensional models that the illustrators used when they were drawing their animations:

and more:

Another surprise was located in the room….

Visitors to Disneyland will recognize the marble statues of Snow White and the seven dwarfs (picture from Disneyland Photopass Gallery):

These statues were delivered in 1961, and much has been made of the fact that the dwarfs are nearly as tall as Snow White. One of the common legends indicates they were modeled after a popular line of soaps at the time, thus making Snow White only slightly larger than the dwarfs. The truth came to light a few years ago when paperwork was found that showed they were actually ordered incorrectly. For years they graced the Disneyland grotto, but after showing signs of wear were moved back to WDI and replaced with replicas. They were in storage for a time, where they met with an unfortunate accident, when someone driving a forklift accidentally knocked over the crate containing Snow White, breaking her arm.

The original statues are in the model room:

As a final surprise, our guide activated a fun animatronic of Joe Coker. I found this video on Youtube which looks to be the same:

I’ll continue with the rest of  the day in the next post – stay tuned!

The second day of the Adventures By Disney – Backstage Magic tour brought a special bit of magic to our group, something not guaranteed on every tour.  After leaving the Jim Henson Studios, our bus traveled to Griffith Park to visit a small model train yard located in the park.

On the face of it, this may not seem like a big deal. But for a student of Disney history this was a BIG DEAL, and here’s why…

We’ve all heard the stories of Walt’s many struggles as he created his empire. Walt was devoted to his vision, despite numerous business failures and a constant struggle for money, and tirelessly worked at his studios and expected the same from all of his employees. What is sometimes overlooked is one of the stories which many Disney historians believe may have influenced the birth of Disneyland….

Early in the 1940s the Disney Company was experiencing huge growth following the success of Snow White. Hundreds of animators, painters, and film craftsmen were working at the Disney studios during one of its most successful eras. Unfortunately, dissension was an undercurrent at the Studios, as Walt’s management style caused his longtime employees to chaff under his rule. Profit sharing, which many believed was promised to them with Snow White, failed to materialize. The unions began to gain ground at other studios, and turned their attention to the successful Disney studios. Early in 1941, union organizers and Disney management struggled to wrest control from each other’s grip, and the rancorous confrontations led to a 5 week strike and studio shutdown as negotiations broke down.

Eventually the strike was settled with the aid of a federal mediator. The strikers won on all counts, with Disney studios offering concession after concession to the workers. Walt Disney himself was out of the country at the time, attempting to let passions cool while on his South American trip. He returned to a very different studio, as emotions were raw and many animators left for other companies. Walt, disillusioned by what he considered communist infiltration, retreated from his obsessive work style, preferring to spend more and more time with his hobbies, including model railroading.

Walt had a model train set in a room next to his office and spent hours machining parts and building elaborate tracks. His interest grew deeper when Ollie Johnston and Ward Kimball displayed their more elaborate models. Walt soon threw himself whole-heartedly into the hobby, designing an elaborate backyard railroad at his Holmby Hills home.

Walt and the model trains:

As the railroad grew and expanded, the Disney’s often entertained guests who would show up on the weekend asking for a ride. He spent hours in his barn, puttering and brainstorming. It’s not hard to imagine that Walt developed the idea of Disneyland in that very barn, and nurtured the idea of the theme park as he watched the enjoyment of his guests. Visiting that train yard and walking amongst his tools and trains, it was easy for me to understand how much enjoyment Walt had from his hobby, and to feel just a little closer to him.

Walt’s train at the Carolwood Barn:

Walt’s work desk:

Tracks from the original train:

Walt working on his trains at his Holmby Hills home, train barn in the background:

Walt’s Barn today:

Walt and his daughters working on the train:

 Entertaining guests:

The Dis’ers had a great time at the railyard, which is manned by model train enthusiasts who volunteer on the weekends. We were lucky to have the volunteers open the yard especially for our group. A fellow adventurer, Dodie S. filmed this terrific video of the ride:

Our volunteer guide sharing stories:

All Aboard!

Outta my way! my turn to ride!

Another view:

Inside the barn. The barn is original, and was taken apart like a puzzle and rebuilt at Griffith Park

If you make it to Hollywood, consider making a stop in Griffith Park – definitely worth the time!

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The day started bright and early as we met in the lobby of the hotel and walked through the Kodak Theatre, posing for our first group picture. (Click on any of the pictures for a larger copy)

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We walked to the Grauman Theatre, and Michael gave a quick history lecture about its origins, and the participants. Did you know that Jimmy Durante actually pressed his nose in the cement? Betty Grable her leg? Whoopi her dreadlock?

We walked to the Disney Soda Shop for breakfast. While it is not normally opened at that time, the had set up tables within the store for all 46 of us.

I, of course, ordered the Mickey waffles (fabulous!).

As breakfast was starting, Kevin handed all of us napkins from Club 33 – and teased us that this was the Club 33 breakfast they had promised. I finished quickly, so I could investigate shopping opportunities – a common theme this week.

This gentlemen graciously gave us a tour and tried to stump us with Disney trivia. As if.

After breakfast, we toured the El Capitan theatre  – what a gorgeous place!  We had a demonstration of the incredible Wurlitzer

and saw the “Goodnight Kiss” demonstration. This was a short film and light show that played after the movie to “wow” the audience with special effects.

We went backstage, and we were able to see the gorgeous theatre from a new vantage point. The Wurlitzer can sink below the stage on an automatic ramp, and we learned that the hydraulics for the mechanism can actually move to a speed of 1G! Have to admit I chuckled at the thought.

Touring continued as we visited the basement and the collection of original Alice and Wonderland props.

Following the tour at the El Capitan, we went next door to the Jimmy Kimmel studio.

Unfortunately, this was one of the areas that we were not allowed to take pictures, but it was impressive. The studio is actually a converted Mason temple, and as terms of the lease they were required to preserve the building and treat as a historical landmark. There were rooms that ABC packed entirely in storage crates with careful documentation, so that at any point and time they restore the room to its original position. We saw the control room, the green room downstairs, and the formal studio – which was a lot smaller than I imagined. The green room is actually the entire basement downstairs, and looks like a fun place to hangout.

After the tour at the studio, we boarded the bus for the Jim Henson studios!

The Henson studios are actually the restored United Artist studios, the company formed by D.W. Griffith, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and Charlie Chaplin. The buildings have been preserved largely as they were originally designed, and the whole campus is full of trees and flowers – very peaceful.

We broke into several groups and toured different buildings, and we went to the sound stage first. A puppeteer named Grant Baciocco gave us a demonstration of a Muppet in action. He was really a lot of fun, and was happy to take questions and let us examine the puppet. He also host the official Henson podcast, which is a lot of fun and worth a listen. We later posed with his puppet.

Below is a picture of Jamie giving me the “stink-eye” for taking photographs – a look I saw A LOT!

At the entrance, Kermit poses in his “Little Tramp” outfit.

From reading other trip reports, I knew we would get to tour the building where Muppets were designed, and I was really excited for the possibility. I envisioned shelves of Muppet torsos, wigs hanging on hooks, Muppet eyes and noses in barrels for creating the Muppets.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The Muppets are largely done on computer now, with animation controlled by robotic gloves that control facial movements. The “Barn” contained rows of computers, not nearly as interesting as my imagination. Oh, and no pictures allowed. They did have on display 3 puppets from past uses, but these were is shockingly poor condition, as the vinyl and rubber pieces are not intended to last for several years. I will be honest in saying I was disappointed in this part of the tour.

We posed for pictures, and visited the main reception area, which has a cabinet full of Emmys and Oscars.

We were served lunch outside from the studio commisary. We had noticed our lunches stacked on tables as we walked in, and they were still there an hour later when we finally sat to eat. As a result, the salads were warm and the soups cold, and the whole meal was a disappointment. Fortunately, the ambiance of the studio more than made up for the lunch!

We found a door to the original film vault – apparently, early film was extremely combustible and required secure storage

We also posed with the dinosaur from The Flintstones:

After lunch and a few hundred pictures, we loaded back on the bus and headed to Griffith Park. This park is the location of the Griffith Observatory, but we Disneyphiles know it better as the park where Walt would bring his daughters to ride the carosel, and where the idea for Disneyland actually formed. It also houses the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society, who have lovingly preserved the model train system Walt Disney developed. This had a huge impact on me, and deserves its own blog post, which I will put up later.

After the train yard tour, we boarded the buses for the trip back, and learned that the guides had actually obtained 12 tickets for the nights taping of Jimmy Kimmel live. We drew names by lottery, and mine was the first chosen! Karen and I decided to go to the taping that evening.

The trip back moved slowly through L.A. traffic. Once back at the hotel, we had just a few minutes to drop our purchases and clean up a bit before the show. We hustled down to the Kimmel studios, and met Jamie who introduced us to the security folks who took great care of us. We waited online for several minutes, then the doors opened and they led our group to the front of the line (rockstar!). Another wait, then our group was led to prime seating inside the theatre.

These pictures were actually taken as stills from the show that night:

We warmed up with comedian Don Barris, who kept us loose and entertained and gave us applause instructions for the show. The night’s guestswere Alyssa Milano, Jerry Weintraub and the band Spoon (although the band they aired that night was Gloriana). We really enjoyed the whole show, and had a great time, but again – NO PICTURES.

Following the taping, we were starving and decided to walk to the legendary In-n-Out Burgers for a quick dinner.

Not sure what I was doing, I ordered my fries “Animal Style” for the heck of it.

After dinner, we walked quickly back to the hotel to enjoy our luxurious 5 hours of sleep. Oy.

Tuesday morning arrived waaaaaaaaay too early as I stayed up most of the night. Somehow, I kept  find plenty to do except pack, so by 1:00am, I buckled down and finished. And then I couldn’t sleep – because Disney was just hours away! so I had my pre-trip hiccups, heh. I did manage a couple of hours, but that 5:30am alarm sounded and I popped out of bed and finished getting ready.  A quick round of goodbyes, and I hustled to the airport, WAITED IN SECURITY AN HOUR, and jogged to the gate. Again.

I am grateful for security, I really am, but it is frustrating to see rows and rows of security equipment being unused while we all pile through the single machine.  Anyhow, I boarded successfully, and then apparently passed out immediately after take-off, because the next thing I remember is landing in Los Angeles.

I disembarked and headed for baggage claim. Coming down the stairs, I saw this – woohoo!!:

We loaded into a towncar and started the drive to the Renassaince Hotel, in Hollywood. It was a gorgeous Spring afternoon – I am always surprised by that in L.A.! I checked into the hotel quickly, and headed to my room upstairs.

Behind the door I could hear a couple of voices – one I was sure was my new roommate, Karen L (klamchowder). I knocked on the door, and it burst open as Karen threw back the door, and welcomed me. It seems that there was a snafu at the airport, and they thought I was lost, but we soon straightened it all out. I also met John (3guysandagal), and we promised to meet up later.

Karen and I unpacked a bit, and then went down to check in with our ABD guide. This was our first Jaimie sighting:

Me, Karen and our new friend Jason (Jwren1234):

Karen and I decided to go exploring around the hotel, and exited through the Kodak Theatre side. I was starving by this time, so we went to a small restaurant called Uwink, a small restaurant created by the founder of Atari (and, it turns out, Chuckie Cheese restaurants – random trivia provided at no charge!) and ate only a fraction of a salad bigger than my head. Once fortified, we walked a short distance to Hollywood Boulevard, and got our tourist on!

The Hollywood Walk of Fame extended for several blocks on both sides of the street, with stars found every 5 feet or so. Karen and I walked up and down looking for our idols, and snapped lots of pictures. Walt Disney actually has two stars – for Motion Pictures and for Television. Roy Disney has a star as well

My favorite Mouseketeer:

The Sherman Brothers – writers of soooo many Disney classics, including, tada!! “It’s a Small World”:

And just for Wendy:

Karen honoring her hero, Jim Henson:

We also passed Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, and explored the many handprints left by famous  movie stars through the years. Interesting bit of trivia… Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks left their feet and handprints originally, as a favor to Sid Grauman. At around this same time, they were also building their United Artist’s studio, with Charlie Chaplin. Charlie Chaplin left his “Little Tramp” footprints in the cement at the studio…

The afternoon passed quickly, and we decided to head back to the hotel to clean up before our first official event on the tour, dinner with the whole group. Walking back through the Kodak Theatre complex, we saw this iconic feature:

Arriving back in our room, we found the gift fairy had dropped off some goodies:

We cleaned up and went downstairs to meet the rest our our new friends, and met our other guide, Michael:

We had a short reception in one of the banquet rooms:

and then all walked to the Trastevere Ristorante Italiano for dinner:

The food was delicious, with lovely antipasti platters to start, followed by your choice of three entrees – I chose salmon:

During dinner we played Disney trivia – even with this group of experts – we found ourselves stumped on a few questions

After dinner, I headed back to the room to unpack, download some pictures, and get ready for the early start… (to be continued)