My last post was about EnchantaCon- and now I have another OuaT convention to report on! I just returned from Anaheim where me and the little one as well as my sister, Paula, spent 3 days in the company of Oncers and cast.
Day 1
This time around, I decided to spring for the big ticket package which included the cocktail party, the banquet, the ball, a photo op, and a selection of autographs. My sister got general admission and so she took care of Ella for me in the evenings so I could attend the Regal package events.
I arrived on Thursday evening. Paula wasn't going to be arriving until Friday, so I was on my own getting everything to the hotel room. Thankfully, I've discovered that I usually get help when people see me struggling with a baby- sure enough, a kind woman helped me carry things. That night, I grabbed some dinner at the hotel by myself- I didn't see anyone I knew yet. I overheard some OuaT talk at the next booth over. I tried to say hello, but I guess I was too timid- they didn't notice me.
Since registration didn't start until Friday afternoon, I decided to take the opportunity to go to Downtown Disney. It was rough to be so close to Disneyland and not have plans to actually go into the park, but Ella is only 5 months, and I would also like to save her first Disney visit for when my husband is there to witness it too. I did take a selfie with Ella in front of the main entrance though, and when I posted the picture, I discovered one of my CM friends from Florida was there visiting too. It was fun to get to catch up- I hadn't seen her since we moved. I then bought a few baby clothes and an Ariel shirt for me that I couldn't resist and grabbed a shuttle back to the hotel.
There was a long line to check in- a bit awkward with a baby and all the baby things (stroller, etc) but we made it in eventually with only mild fussiness. I ran into a couple friends from EnchantaCon- Zach and Laurie- there weren't many of us there, but it was fun to see them.
I attended 2 panels on Friday- a Once Upon a Time fan podcast and a cosplay panel. Ella did really well- she only cried once. I was playing with her on the ground when she face planted. (Don't worry, she was fine- just startled.) The panels were fun- we met some cosplayers with fantastic get ups. I didn't do much cosplay on this trip because I had the baby with me and didn't want to deal with all that extra stuff, but I really missed it! Since I'm shy, I love using costumes as an ice breaker. I also love posing for pictures! A few of the actors from the OuaT parody Once Upon a Anonymous were there- I kept wondering why they looked familiar until I heard who they were. I've watched those videos before- they're funny! I also saw the hosts of the Skywalking Through Neverland Podcast whom I had first met nearly 2 years ago at the D23 Expo.
I had wanted to go to the welcome reception, but when I got there with baby Ella in her carrier, they were doing sound checks for the 45 Spacer concert that night. A woman helping with security told us she couldn't allow us to go in there with a baby. She must have thought I was nuts! I didn't want the loud music...the concert wasn't supposed to be until later! Finally, the sound test was over, and we went in and walked to the back. Unfortunately, once they started talking, a scary loud feedback sound came from the speakers, and I covered my baby's ears and bolted out of there almost in tears. I decided to listen from outside.
Paula was there at that point, and followed shortly after- also not interested in the concert and we still had to get her things to my room. It was during this time that I met a Oncer in person whom I'd only known online before- Betsy. Betsy and I have had an interesting relationship. In fact, online, we have gotten into huge debates before and driven each other mad! In person, however, I discovered she was actually pretty nice and helped us with Paula's things. And while we stood in the lobby area chatting, who should walk by but Beverley Elliot who stopped and cooed at Ella for a moment.
Paula and I grabbed a salad from the coffee shop downstairs since we didn't have time for a full meal before I headed off to the cocktail party. I decided to wear my new dress from Hot Topic which is covered in quote from Disney princesses as well as my handmade chipped cup earrings. Paula took over Ella's bedtime routine while I headed down to the party.
The cocktail party had a small selection of food- trays of fruit, cheese, and crackers as well as wontons and such. I should have eaten more at dinner- I was pretty hungry! It was freeing to finally have some time without a baby. A lot of people came dressed in Storybrooke ensembles- I saw several variations on Mayor Regina, a few blue sundress Belles, and some red leather jackets.
The cocktail party was nice, if a bit loud and crowded for my taste- the space we were in felt too small for the number of people. I felt a little overwhelmed and did my usual awkward bouncing from cluster to cluster, trying to chat with people. Every actor had a group of people around them, and assertiveness isn't my strongest suit, so I mostly just said hi. I got a lot of compliments from other fans on my dress and earrings though. Gil McKinny (Prince Eric) did indeed remember me from EnchantaCon, and Faustino di Bauda (Sleepy) remembered a conversation that I mentioned we had once had on Facebook about getting some memorabilia for my high school's theater department's annual auction and got on my case about being too shy to follow through on it!
I hung out for a while because my favorite time is when the music gets quieter and the crowd thins out. I like when I can actually hear people. I overheard some girls talking to Michael Coleman (Happy) about theme parks, and I thought ah ha, here's my in! Now that's a conversation I can join, so I was able to chat a bit with him. His wife and little girl were there too. Little Belle was darling! I'm totally more at ease with kids than adults. I wanted to play with her, but I didn't push it in case her parents thought me strange. I miss all the little girls I got to interact with at WDW.
I met my 2nd online friend here, Marguerite. We've tweeted each other bunches of times in the past. She's very sweet. And I totally didn't intend to write a poem- haha.
I returned to my room to the news that Ella had finished her bottle and was asleep- yay!
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