Last week, Disneyland held two Annual Passholder event nights celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Indiana Jones Adventure. We were fortunate enough to attend the second night and it did not disappoint.
The check-in process was way swift and hassle-free. At the end of getting passes scanned and getting a wrist band, cast members were handing out great commemorative fliers with decoder cards. You can still get these cards by asking Cast Members at the attraction, FYI.
Commemorative map!Decoder card!
Walking in, the park had already closed for the regular operating day with Main St. remaining open for guests, so it was straight to Adventureland. For this event, Adventureland, Frontierland, and New Orleans Square were accessible to attendees. All of the attractions between them were operational as well.
The Rivers of America played Indy queue music and had an 11:30pm showing of Fantasmic. It was really nice seeing it all lit up in blue, purple and green lighting playing 1920-1940’s music through an “old radio”. From there, a majority of the Indy related events took place directly in front of the attraction with an awesome Tony Baxter hosted panel over in Frontierland.
In Adventureland, an awesome live band played. Poking around, I found out they all had the last name “Jones” and they wore fez hats! Unfortunately, I only heard them playing “Putting on the Ritz” while Indy had a ball around them (pun intended) but never got a chance to watch them play. Indy could be found conquering the infamous rolling boulder and interacted with guests. Mostly thorough pun. Walking around the area was a gypsy woman named Mara who tested our ability to avoid the eye of Mara. She was awesome.
Tarzan’s treehouse was used as a backdrop for “spontaneous” stunt shows which we missed every time. Heard it, ran over and missed it. Thank you internet for filling in that blank!
Towards the end of the night, we caught the awesome Tony Baxter panel. Tons of opening day footage, concept art, and unused media for the attraction were shown and talked about. Tony really conveys enthusiasm and love for this attraction and it was pretty awesome hearing him speak. We found out that they do not call the transports “Jeeps” and the writings on the walls are called Maraglyphis. The obelisk room has the initials of the all the imagineers that worked on the attraction with the last pair belonging to the Frank Wells, Disneyland president who died shortly before the attraction was completed.
After the panel, Fantasmic! started and I found myself alone as my group went to see the showing. So I walked around Adventureland. I found CMs handing out Safari style hats and grabbed one for myself. I then spent the rest of my night taking in the sights and sounds of one of my favorite spots in the parks. This is also where I ran into Mara. I had a blast talking to her.
I enjoyed this AP event so much! It was perfect and I have to agree with some twitter chat that it adds a little more value to being an AP holder.
Did you attend? If so, tell us about your experience! Would you like to see more events like this? I know I would.
For “Throwback Thursday” this week, we decided to go WAY back to 2010!
In 2010, we got to visit Club 33 — FINALLY! We are so glad we did, looking back, because we were able to see the game room and the original entry way from when it opened. Both are now gone with last year’s refurbishment.
Take a look at our photos from that trip here. Do you have some favorite photos? Let’s seem them below!
I was recently sent a follow-up survey for August’s Glow With The Show with Fantasmic! event. It was super short and I was confused about what the point was until I was put into a live-chat situation. While near the end I realized that this was being conducted by a 3rd party forDisney, it was still super fun to chat with someone in a very conversational way about Disneyland Parks, Glow With The Show plans, etc.
Here’s what transpired in that chat:
You are now connected to: Brianna Brianna: Hi and thank you very much for chatting with me today. I’d like to talk to you about ‘Glow with the Show’ ear hats. Guest: Sure Brianna: To get started, what would you say about your experience with your ‘Glow with the Show’ ear hat? What was it like? How did you feel? Guest: I love the technology of the show and seeing a complete sea of hats is absolutely an incredible sight. Guest: Another of my favorite features is that the hat turns OFF inside dark rides like Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion Brianna: 🙂 Tell me more about what makes the technology so appealing for you… Guest: I wish all glowing items (swords, necklaces, bracelets, toys) had that same technology. Guest: Seeing all the colors and patterns in sync with the music really plusses the show for me Brianna: How do you feel during one of these shows? Guest: Fantasmic! brings the goosebumps for sure. I’ll admit I got a little tear-y eyed with the premiere event and seeing all the hats in sync with the music. I had already seen the effect with the World of Color and didn’t think I would like it any better with Fantasmic! but it really nailed it for me Brianna: What do you think Fantasmic! did that really ‘nailed it’ for you, if you could pinpoint it? Brianna: *did differently Guest: The music lends itself to an epic light display. As an AP, I kind of had expectations for what it might be like and it was that and more. I mean, the show area is so much smaller than the World of Color area so I thought it might be a bust, but it REALLY is incredible because it’s more of a horseshoe shape so seeing the ears near the Golden Horseshoe all the way from near The Haunted Mansion brings a whole other element I hadn’t anticipated. It really distinguishes the show’s setting with the edges of the rivers of america. In a normal show, you’re very much looking forward at the show the whole time, which I suppose is the point. But with the Glow with the Show, it’s like you’re IN the show, so you’re looking there, you’re looking next to you, behind you, left, right, all around you. Brianna: Thank you sooo much for that detail! 🙂 And what do you like about the hat turning off inside dark rides? Guest: Let’s be honest, the only thing more annoying than people reciting the Ghost Host’s dialogue in the stretching portrait room are those light-up toys. When I first heard about GWTS, I worried that there would be MORE light pollution and thought to myself, that technology should work both ways — control the timing for shows and extinguish the lights for moments like that. I try to ride the rides as if everyone else in the room is on it for the first time. The effect is lost on Pirates and Mansion (and more) when you see someone’s light saber or necklace blinking all over the place. Brianna: Understandable! Now, I see that you had some issues with the design of the hat. Tell me more about that… Guest: Well it reminds me of Glowfest which wasn’t the most elegant. I just am not a huge fan of the black-light coloring style — especially since I don’t know of any current use of blacklights with those hats. It’s just an aesthetics thing. When the technology allows for smaller receivers in the hats, I wouldn’t mind if every hat had the technology. Even if it were in the form of LEDs as opposed to an entire ear lighting up (although that may not be as dramatic for shows) Brianna: Just to be clear, when you talk about the ‘black-light coloring style’, to which part of the hat are you referring? Guest: Sorry, the fabric on the “dome” portion of the hat. Guest: that’s the only part I am not crazy about. I wouldn’t have bought it probably were it not for the tech Brianna: Got it; thanks 🙂 That said, how would a different design make you feel about the ‘Glow with the Show’ ear hats? Guest: Like I said, I wouldn’t mind if every hat I have had the technology! I would love more designs for sure! I am not a huge fan of the Mad-T Party but I know people that are and would flock to a limited edition GWTS hat for that event since it utilizes the tech Guest: Same with a Sorcerer’s Apprentice hat for Fantasmic or a WoC hat Brianna: That would be cool! And how (if at all) would a different design affect how often you would wear your hat? Guest: I would probably forget it at home more often. To be honest, I don’t wear hats that often, I just display the ones I love at home (club 33, paris 15th, dland 50th) although I’ll bet if I could get it embroidered, that might make a difference. Brianna: Tell me more about the difference it would make if you could get it embroidered… Guest: Well, if I could get it embroidered, it makes the hat more personal which would make me more inclined to wear it. Right now, my hat looks exactly like everyone else’s. If I were to drop it in a crowd, it’d be indistinguishable from anyone else’s. Brianna: You’ve had some great ideas specific to people’s interests… What other types of designs would you want to see, personally? Guest: Sorcerer’s Apprentice for Fantasmic! for SURE Brianna: How about for the dome portion of the hat? Guest: Keep it standard like the regular sorcer’s apprentice hats which I believe are just black felt. Outside of the ears lighting up, I don’t care that my hat looks like a GWTS hat in the daylight Guest: I love the idea of any hat being GWTS in the future so there needs to be no real advertising it as such on the ones that are — if that makes any sense Brianna: It does 🙂 In your opinion, how many different designs should there be? Brianna: (with the current ears, that is) Brianna: Sorry, let me rephrase that… how many designs for the dome should there be with the current Glow Ears? Guest: I think 3. A MTP version, A WoC version, and a Fantasmic! version Guest: Each themed after their perspective shows. I kind of consider the Genie the mascot of WoC and a Genie themed dome would be neat, I think but not sure that’s indicative of the entire show, really. Brianna: Ok. And aside from the embroidery, which of these design options would encourage you to own and wear more than one pair of Glow Ears? Guest: What do you mean? Like if there were a Genie themed one and a Sorcer’s Apprentice themed one, would I buy and wear both? Brianna: Yes Guest: ( for example) Guest: Yes. Those two hats in particular I would buy Guest: and wear Guest: and likely give my old ears to a kid somewhere in the park to encourage more participation in the shows Brianna: 🙂 Now switching gears a bit, have you brought your Glow Ears back to the Disneyland Resort since your experience at the AP Fantasmic! Glow with the Show Premiere on Tuesday, August 28? Guest: Not that I can remember. Brianna: Do you think you will take the one you have to the Disneyland Resort again in the future? Please explain why or why not… Guest: Yes and mainly to participate in the shows. Like I said, they’re not my favorite design and I don’t care to advertise the fact that I have them as much as I care to take part in the shows. However, I might only do it if I planned on seeing one of the shows for sure (dinner plan, bringing guests, etc.) There are times I decide to watch the shows spontaneously but I might at that point think “oh, i should have brought the hat” but not think much beyond that Brianna: For you personally, does it matter how much participation from other guests is present at the shows? (that is, how many others have the ears also) Guest: Yes. I saw WoC shortly after the GWTS event and it was kind of a bummer to see it without full participation. It’s SUCH a cool technology I wish people could see that more Brianna: So for you, would you go ahead and bring your Ears when you planned ahead to attend a show (if you didn’t know how much participation would be there)? Guest: Correct. If I planned on seeing the shows for sure as a part of my trip, I wouldn’t think twice about it. Brianna: On that note, you may or may not have attended the New Year’s Eve event at Disneyland Resort. Those wearing their Glow Ears were given ‘2013 clings’ (which are like see-through stickers to put on Glow Ears). What do you think of this special giveaway? Guest: Oh I missed that! Guest: I do remember seeing that offered and we thought about going SPECIFICALLY for that giveaway though Brianna: What kept you from going? Guest: We went last year, I got off work late, and we had guests in town that couldn’t attend Brianna: Bummer! (Just wanted to make sure it didn’t have to do with the ears 🙂 Though it seems obvious from our conversation, how do special perks like this affect your likelihood to bring your Glow Ears back to Disneyland Resort? Guest: In a positive way. I would bring them more and more. For example, if there were a day this year where instead of an extra Disney day, they gave away GWTS ears to regular park guests, I might try to get down just for that day to participate. Or giveaways for previous owners, etc. for sure Brianna: And you may or may not have experienced special viewing areas for those with Glow Ears during the 12/20/12—1/6/13 Fantasmic!, fireworks, and World of Color shows/events at Disneyland Resort. Those wearing their Glow Ears were given access to a special viewing section closer to the action. What do you think of this? Guest: I am super bummed I hadn’t hear about this. I had quite the holiday work load this year. 🙁 WDW, while amazing, really packed the back half of my year! Guest: I think it’s incredible! Guest: It goes with what I said earlier, there’s something incredible seeing the stark darkness of the rivers of america enhanced by the glowing of the ears on the shore. It really outlines the show-space Brianna: And what do you think about guests with Glow Ears receiving this kind of privilege?
Guest: I think it’s incredible and a terrific idea. Although those without them may not like it so much (ie the people that camp out at 3pm (me and my family in ’93) Brianna: True 🙂 Now, how would you describe ‘Glow with the Show’ ear hats to a friend or family member? Guest: oof…. Guest: Depends on how technical they are but I would say that they’re special mouse ears that are controlled by the show and blink on and off with the music and SFX in patterns and colors. All you do is sit back and enjoy and the ears do the work for you. To someone more technical, I might describe how they work which I have tried but I can’t nail it down. I refuse to believe it’s as simple as IR Brianna: Thanks! Now, this is how Disneyland Resort describes them: ‘Glow with the Show’ ear hats are Mickey ears that interact at various points at the Disneyland Resort. At Disneyland Park, Glow Ears interact with Fantasmic!. At Disney California Adventure Park, Glow Ears interact with World of Color and Mad T Party. They also interact in Cars Land at the Cozy Cone Motel, Flo’s V8 Café, and Luigi’s Flying Tires. Brianna: Talk to me about these interaction points. What do you think about them? Do you like them? Why or why not? Guest: Cars Land has always been a cool implementation of it but there’s not much that actually “happens” there other than the neon coming to life at dusk. Other than that it’s more elemental and environmental there. So while a cool feature, probably not AS noteworthy although I knew it was a part of it. I would say that Cars Land is a template for other lands to follow suit but in the grand scheme of things, less important. For musically interactivity like MTP, WoC, and Fantasmic!, it’s a no-brainer. I actually remember saying “I can’t wait until this gets implemented with ‘Remember, Dreams Come True!'” so I am among those ready for more and more implementations around the parks Guest: And while at WDW, I couldn’t stop telling the interested cast members how cool it was if only it had more guest interaction, but the AP events were out of this world Brianna: 🙂 And just to clarify, were you aware of ALL these interaction points mentioned? Guest: Not Flo’s or Luigi’s but yes at Cozy Cone et al Brianna: How interested are you in seeing what happens at Flo’s? Guest: Absolutely! and Luigi’s, although are you suggesting that it’s not as cool? Brianna: Not at all! (I don’t actually know; I’m an independent researcher unaffiliated with Disney) Guest: Ah! Guest: Now you know how crazy we Disney folk are O_O Brianna: 🙂 In addition to the current interaction points, what other venues or entertainment offerings would you like to interact with your ‘Glow with the Show’ ear hat, such as Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, the fireworks, or parades? Brianna: Not crazy, delightful 🙂 Guest: I was bummed when it wasnt (as far as I know) implemented with the Halloween or Christmas time fireworks so I would LOVE to see more of that. I think an implementation with Small World’s “Magic Memories and You” show is a no-braniner and I would love to see that. Also the castle would be great! I am interested in it all! Even Mansion and/or Pirates if implemented correctly but it REALLY has to work well and add to the shows for those rides Brianna: Those are all the questions I have for you. Thank you so much for your time and feedback! Please click “NEXT” to continue…. Have a wonderful rest of your day!!
Pretty neat! How would you have answered some of these? Are there GWTS updates coming soon? We sure hope so!
LOVE Christmas! While work has left this holiday season feeling rather short, I was not to be deterred! It really hit me this past week, I watched all of my favorite holiday movies (some twice), and visited the parks with family and friends.
One great treat which I have yet to see in person was the following video shot by a cast member and friend of the blog — Candy Cane construction! Looks to be quite the treat to see these hand-crafted creations come to life. Hopefully some day I’ll be fortunate enough to catch it in person.
We love Hidden Mickeys! So much so, that our friends at Well.io suggested we use their new list app to catalog them. But we’d love your help! Feel free to suggest some to us. Via the app, you can post pictures in the comments of your suggestions and we just might feature it! It’s a cool fun way to have an archive of them! You can find this list in the future in the Fun & Games Sub-Menu in our Articles section above!
Here’s the list we started for Disneyland! I’ll be at the parks tomorrow to add photos to the ones I added so far.
Wow — just wow. This show’s dramatic soundtrack mixed with the Glow With the Show ears is mind-blowing.
We got to the park, checked in, and got a spot along the Rivers of America by 8:15 pm. The park was delightfully empty for a summer evening and we landed an incredible spot front and center. Thinking back on it now, I suppose we got there pretty early but considering the check-in started at noon and I am not typically off work until 7, I figured we would get a good spot near the back which would offer an incredible perspective of the Glow With the Show experience.
Anyway, we took turns leaving the spot to run some errands — picking up Halloween stuff for our new home, replacing some defective first-run GWTS ears (the first batch were rushed and are inherently defective. You can get a voucher to replace them from City Hall and take it to any GWTS ear outlet for a replacement — FREE!*), and getting some Pumpkin Fritters which are getting justifiable internet buzz.
Pinocchio merchandise voucher!Pumpkin. Fritters. — Better than you’re imagining if you can believe that.
New ears in-hand, epic spot secured, we were then met with some of TDA’s inhospitable customer service follies: everyone on the Rivers of America were required, when the park closed, to clear the area and reenter to ensure no one was getting into the show that was not an AP that had RSVP’d and wearing a wristband. Even more ridiculous, I had my wristband checked every time I would leave and reenter the area. It was severely unorganized and not a single person was ok with the decision. We even witnessed a cast member forcing someone in a wheelchair to walk up the steps to wait with the rest of the crowd and everyone in the area was utterly confused as to how this made any sense. I understand the idea of checking wristbands but the person that cleared us out could have, instead, just checked the wristbands one by one. It was not overly crowded and it did not seem that anyone was outnumbered or overwhelmed. It seemed like a gross exercise of power and mismanagement. One may never understand their rationale once something that seemed like a good idea on paper in-turn becomes a terrible idea in practice. It seems that reason goes out the door and people will only do what they’re told as opposed to stepping back and finding an alternative. We need, and frankly expect, more improvisation from our TDA leaders with the ability to adapt at a moment’s notice. Anyway, everyone got back to their original spots so all-in-all it worked out in their favor but my wife said that while she offered her wristband upon reentering the area, not a single cast member checked it or lit it up with a flashlight.
Once back in the area, I was worried about the quality of the show. While it appeared everyone in the area had their ears out and on, it was not as impressive as the WoC display. Was the area not large enough? Had people not brought or bought ears?
While not a bad image, it was not nearly as impressive as one may have expected.
That is, of course, until the show started. Just — wow. Everyone had their ears on and synced up with the show. Every music cue was accented by the GWTS ears and the vocal response from the AP’s solidified, we were a part of something so special. I’ll follow this review up this weekend with video coverage of the show to hopefully drive the point home that this was an incredible experience and should not be missed! I can’t help but think GWTS will be added to “Wishes…” this holiday season and how incredible that’s going to look!
Fantasmic! GWTS
* I did not pay for my original ears — they came from the GWTS premiere with World of Color at DCA. I was never asked for proof of purchase but cannot guarantee everyone’s experience will be the same.
This was one of the coolest things I have seen at the park. A quick google search will show that the custodial team at TDA has been at this for a while, but with as much time as I have spent at the parks I have never seen this!
We had just finished out Fantasmic! 20th anniversary showing, had already ridden on Big Thunder Mountain and were headed to Pirates… when we saw a few people admiring something on the ground. We saw some water on the ground and as our eyes adjusted to the ground in front of Riverbell Terrace, we realized that it was artwork!
Here are some pictures we snapped of a few of the characters drawn on the ground and to boot, I caught some video of the cast member drawing a huge Mickey Mouse in front of Pirates! Enjoy!
Well, yesterday was the highly anticipated Disney24 event “One More Disney Day.” Disneyland Park in Anaheim, CA and The Magic Kingdom at WDW in Florida were open from 6am on the 29th of February to 6am this morning for the leap year… and we have questions.
Did you get in?
We here at RSP tried, like much of the rest of Southern California, to go for the night after work yesterday and we were met by gridlocked traffic and a lot of “shave and a haircut” horn-tooting with other frustrated Disneyland hopefuls. Since we had to work both yesterday and today, we planned to head down after work for a few hours, have some dinner, catch the 1am Fantasmic! show with some friends, and head home around 2am. We, however, sat in 3 hours of traffic while – on the resort grounds – a worse picture was being painted by the twitterspere.
photo credit: @btr0n
Long lines, capacity signs, and the almighty APs all met for a pow-wow in the esplanade between DCA and Disneyland at 8pm and it never seemed to die down from there. Ticket booths were packed, cell phones were dying, and, as I can imagine, people were really upset. “One More Disney Disaster” was a potential headline thrown out by a few Disney-fan twitter feeds. Had we planned on staying until 6am, we may have stuck it out, but it was 11:15 and we hadn’t crossed Ball Rd. yet after exiting the 5.
Not everyone was waiting in 3 hours of traffic though. “[We got there at] 11:50pm. Took [an] hour to park. We bypassed the [trams] and walked to the park. My pass was scanned in around 1:10am” says annual passholder Tiffany B. “Would I do it again? Probably not. Its been crossed off my to do list.” Jenene C. from Los Angeles said, “I got there at 9 o’clock tuesday night… we waited outside for about 9 hours. The only real problem was with the charging lockers. [They] malfunctioned and people’s phones were stolen.”
Why wasn’t DCA open?
photo credit: @CharlieSpillers
I just don’t understand what the logic here was? Perhaps it was a staffing shortage to have both parks fully staffed for 24 hours straight with normal operating park days bookending the event, but one would think one would have planned for that when planning an event of this magnitude. One park guest said, “The real insanity started after 7pm a lot of people came after they got off work to stay the night, the wait times more than doubled in a matter of minutes…” This is when DCA closed and just as all the APs and SoCal residents coming straight from work descended upon the resort. Keeping DCA open just makes sense. From what I read, people were left in the esplanade with nowhere to go but home while waiting for the chance of the park to re-open to first-entry guests.
And by many accounts, the ticket booths were still crowded at 2am! Everyone wanted to take part in the promotion whether it was for a few hours or the entire 24 hours and whether they were APs or not.
Why did we all want to go?
photo credit: ocregister.com
This isn’t something new — at least it wasn’t for me. In fact, I remember when the #disney24 tweets started and there was a great video promotion and whispers of a great announcement. Robert tells me, “They think there’s going to be a 24 hour party at Disneyland.” To which I responded, “That’s the stupidest promotion I have ever heard of.” Cut to: 2 months later, I am sitting in 3 hours of traffic only to turn around and go to In-n-Out in La Mirada, CA. What was the draw? I wasn’t excited about any of the mercy or food or pins, I just wanted to go to Disneyland overnight. But where have I heard of that before?
Oh yeah, Gradnight. High school, people! Still, Tiffany B. says of one of the highlights “…it was awesome to see the sunrise from the park!” But Disneyland also did a similar event when Star Tours opened in 1987 — the park was open for a full 60 hours just so guests could ride the new attraction.
So if we all have passes, go to Disneyland whenever we want, and for the most part have been to Gradnight or Disneyland at night, what was the draw? The merchandise? Why did we all feel the need to take part in this event which, for some, was so disastrous? Some guests weighed in on the subject. “it wasn’t worth the hype, just like a crowded Disneyland trip that started at 1a versus 5pm”, “it doesn’t seem like they were prepared enough for the huge crowds”, “people began to clear out of the park after [Fantasmic!] at 1am then again around 4am by 6am there weren’t that many people left in the park for the sunrise over the castle.”
But to some, it was a different story. “It was something different to experience.”
What was open and what was closed?
photo credit: ocregister.com
I haven’t been able to get a solid answer on this one yet. One of our biggest peeves with the park here at RSP is how early the restaurants close. Last night, we were to meet up with friends at the Café Orleans for a 12:20am “breakfast” which was awesome to be able to go to eat that late in the park — but what else was open and what was closed?
One of our friends in the park said, “They should have kept more food places open because the ones that were open had very long lines for them as well.”
Was all the hustle and bustle worth it?
photo credit: @MousePlanetAVP
Among the list of offerings from the park for this event were special edition mouse ears, a t-shirt, sweatshirt, watch, pin, and food stops. With all that said, it seems a majority of the people came after all of these offerings were gone. “In all my time at Disneyland for this event seems much like a very crowded summer day at the park.” says Alexandria who drove to the park that evening to only get in after 1:30am. “Was it worth it for me to go? Sure!… [however] I would have to pass [on] any kind of future event like this. I’ll just stick to going on Sundays during the fall/winter with my pass.”
“I don’t feel like they focused on making people happy because I don’t think anybody enjoys being at the park when it’s that crowded.” says Michelle H. who travelled to the park from the Santa Clarita Valley. “I don’t think it was worth it at all. I wouldn’t go again.”
The most consistent take-away we got from the 10-or-so people? “Any cast member I interacted with were quite friendly.” It’s their job and even with all the craziness, they should all be commended. I am sure the angry crowds outside didn’t make it easy to wear a smile all night.
Were you there? Did you try to go but gave up? How did it go for you?
We got to the park early and had lunch at Storyteller’s Cafe. We were bummed we missed breakfast (they don’t offer Sunday brunch, we discovered) but lunch is SUPER inexpensive here. Just over $20 for my wife and I. Highly recommended for those on a budget.
The smoke-stack works!
We then headed straight to the new Grand Circle Tour exhibit at the Disney Gallery. Incredible! I wanted everything on the walls in that exhibit! I loved everything from the signage out front (with the working smoke stack!) to the train going around the back gallery. A must-see!
This is an awesome Donald!
We then got to meet one of the Fab-5 in their holiday garb — Donald! He was a great character but had no wrangler! Strange but makes for good talking-to-your-neighbor-in-line time to get your picture just right!
Yodle-ay-ee-hoo!
We thought that today would be a fun time to try riding some things we never ride. Today started with the Matternhorn. After a month+ refurb, nothing has changed. Still rough and still with the old cars. Unfortunate.
What a beautiful day!
Love this scene!
He's winking!
Next was Small World Holiday! I only ride this twice a year so this was a nice treat! Looked and sounded great although one of the clowns that ride their bike on the wire was not working and one of the many suns had an eye (read: light) out. Other than that, it was perfect timing for us to get out of the heat and skip the Christmas parade madness. One day I’ll check that out.
Awkwarrrddd.
On our way to our next ride, we saw the Tangled meetup had a short line (only 20 minutes compared to the normal 45+). We met Rapunzel and Flynn but it was pretty weird. Usually meeting characters is fun because they are big smiling faces that you mime with. These were kids our age and it seemed just — weird. Not sure what that was about.
Vixen!
We also checked out the Reindeer Roundup! We are never in the park early enough and we noticed that Santa Claus is also available for photos at the roundup! Even better, the BBQ restaurant was open pretty late in the day which made me excited to come back for dinner soon! It’s my favorite restaurant at Disneyland so dinner there would be killer!
Settled 1880!
We then put on our mining hats and headed over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We saw the queue was pretty long but the sign said only 10 minutes. After about a 5 minute wait, we saw that the queue was only going to the stairs and straight up. What a day for Disneyland — no lines!!! We had a great ride.
Beautiful tree.
I went to take a picture of a beautifully autumn-red tree and accidentally punched myself in the eye with the camera. It was a beautiful tree! We also noticed that the collapsing mine projection looked new — although the rocks were not falling. You win some, you lose some.
DCA all Christmas-y!
Looming in the distance!
After making our way through the NOS crowds, we grabbed some HMH fastpasses and made a b-line for DCA. We met up with fellow RSP-er Robert to ride his favorite DCA attraction: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. It, too, had a short line and we were also the line-time-takers (we were given this lanyard).
Fancy schmancy.
However, I was not sure who to give the lanyard to, so I gave it to the person I thought best to get it — the bellhop loading us into the elevator. Not sure how that went down but let’s be honest, that’s the gauge for how long the line is. The ride looked and sounded great but unfortunately the mirror effect was not working correctly. I wonder what goes into that effect to make it so unreliable?
Below the basement.
Robert here: I wanted to point out one other thing about our trip on Tower. Usually when you enter the library, the door closes, a flash of lightning strikes, and the TV turns on. At that precise moment, the lights go off. However, on this particular trip, the lights stayed on. They slowly started to dim and they were shut off about half way through the preshow video. I wonder if that was intentional or not. It was neat, but I think I prefer the lights to go out with the lightning strike.
*Star Tours chime*
We then headed back to Disneyland (sans Robert) to utilize some Star Tours fastpasses we got from a friend. Unfortunately, as great as the queue was, that’s all we saw. Our starspeeder was halted by a cast member so that we could sing Happy Birthday to another cast member and this seemed to break the entire spaceport. We did receive some neat re-admits that included Star Tours (they’re red) and planned on returning or utilizing for another ride. We ultimately did not.
HMH - Haunted Mansion Holiday!
Triumphant trumpets!
Wish this blew snow.
Oogie!
Merry Christmas!
Instead, we went to Haunted Mansion Holiday and lucky for us, we had fastpasses. This was the longest line of the day at 45 minutes! We sped onto the ride and everything looked, sounded, and smelled great! We even got into the lobby before the narrator began, into the stretching room as he began, and into the hallway right on time! I love when that all works out — but I also don’t think we should hope for that. It should be consistant.
I love the look -- but that's about it.
After, we went to check out Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye. I have to admit, this is one of the best looking rides in the park. But something is always a miss for me and I believe I found it. I don’t buy the movements of the vehicle. I get that they programmed human reactions into the ride vehicle but it takes me out of the experience. Also, all I see is a smooth track but all I feel is a bumpy ride. I spend most of the time trying to figure out what’s going on. I don’t like that I don’t enjoy the ride, but I also know I am in the minority here so I’ll ride with friends that enjoy it and think to myself that I am super flexible for my friends. Ha!
Trader Sam's!
It’s Robert again! So while, David was getting stuck on Star Tours and riding some E Ticket attractions, I was with my girlfriend and a few friends at Trader Sam’s at the Disneyland Hotel. Boy I love that place. There are so many intricate details that I notice every time I go. While we were there, we witnessed a bunch of special effects including an erupting volcano, a sinking ship in a bottle, indoor rain, and a sinking bar stool! If you haven’t been there, please go. It’s one of my favorite places to be.
My wife!
It was then time to check out the newly re-opened Pirates of the Caribbean with Robert, Inthia, and Dawn. We will cover the changes in a future post but wow, I thought there were some great changes! There were also some things missing and some things added. Fun ride all-in-all and no mermaids! Where would they put them anyway that would make any sense?
"Rawr" means "I love you" in dinosaur.
We split from Robert, Inthia, and Dawn to use our re-admit at Space Mountain while they went to ride HMH but again, the line was so short, we saved out re-admit for later! Another thrilling ride through the galaxy with a fun photo to boot. I noticed that they no longer utilize the TV screens at the top of the inside queue as no one waits up there anymore. I wish they’d update the videos/screens all together and maybe that’s next.
The Sandwich - Courtesy of Yelp.com
Robert again: So while they were on Space Mountain, Inthia, Dawn, and I got fastpasses for the Haunted Mansion Holiday. While waiting, we ate a delicious dinner at the French Market. I had a great sandwich in miniature Jack Skellington Coffin!
The Rain's Coming Down!
We then had a bad bout with attractions. We planned on trying to ride Star Tours with our group all back together but the fastpass line was 25+ minutes. We tried to ride HMH a second time but it was closed! We were, however, able to take a buzz through the Hundred Acre Woods with Winnie the Pooh. I really love that ride and am saddened every time I see the line so short. I really hope people make their way to that attraction enough!
The Decked Out Splash - Courtesy of Flickr.com
While making our way back to HMH, we noticed that Splash Mountain had a holiday layover on its facade that looked really great! I guess it’s been around for a few years but I had never seen it before. Nice touch — wish it was lit at night.
Suzi and I left to try to make it to Tortilla Joe’s at DTD before the rest of the group went on HMH. Unfortunately the restaurant was closed for the night and we went home. What I did notice throughout the whole experience: the Davy Crockett Canoes are still open! I have to get on that before they shutter up for the winter!
It will be me, Robert, for the rest of this report:
The Floating Leota Ornament
After David and Suzi left, we finally made our way to the Haunted Mansion Holiday. It was great except, Madame Leota was no longer a floating ornament. She was stationary and there was no sign to her ornament pieces. Also, her face was being projected, which they never do anymore. It’s evident that they don’t use the projection often as they were not able to perfect it. The projection was not aligned with the bust inside the crystal ball and her eyes were very small and pinched in the middle. It really looked bad. I assume that was the reason the ride was closed earlier. When David went on it earlier in the day, he said that she looked good and was a floating ornament. Oh well… I’m sure they’ll fix her up soon.
Sleeping Beauty's Castle
Inside the Castle
We headed over to Fantasyland after the Mansion, and took a bunch of photos of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle while it was all decked out for Christmas. It is really beautiful. While over there, we walked through the Castle to view the Sleeping Beauty scenes. I love that it’s back. It brings great childhood memories.
Make an Evil Wish!
After the Castle, we went on Snow White’s Scary Adventures. It was a great ride and everything looked amazing.
Original artwork for Casey Jr. on display at the Disney Gallery
A trip to Casey Jr. came next. We sat in our favorite spot, the caboose. There’s nothing like a trip on Casey Jr. at night. It is something that is so special and uniquely Disneyland.
BTMRR
We ended our night with a late night ride of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. It was the perfect end to a wonderful day at Disneyland.
This past Sunday, an evening trip to the Disneyland Resort was in store.
When we got to the park, night was already upon us and we were a bit hungry. So, we went to the new area on Paradise Pier in DCA to get something to eat. I had pizza and salad. It was wonderful. I’m very impressed with the food there.
Wonderful Theming and Food
Once we were full, we headed over to The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure. We walked right on and experienced our enchantment under the sea. It was a great ride as always.
DCA's Newest Attraction
We wanted to go to Tower of Terror after the Mermaid, but it was already closing time for DCA. So we headed over to the original: Disneyland Park!
The Main Entrance!
Since everyone was coming over from a closed DCA, it was quite crowded on Main Street. We decided to do some shopping on Main Street to start our night at the Magic Kingdom. David bought some really neat Haunted Mansion Holiday pins.
The cavalcade of characters.
"I know you're curious to see what's inside...
...It's what happens when two holidays collide!"
We stopped in the Main Street Cinema for a few minutes and watched old Disney shorts. I like it in there. I just wish that they would change the movies that they play inside. I have seen pictures in the past where they play actual silent movies in the theatre like “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” and “The Phantom of the Opera”. These are public domain films and they could easily play those for Halloween time. I think that would be a wonderful little detail and a bit of nostalgia for some people.
The Cinema's Ticket Taker is in the Halloween Spirit!
How great would it be if they did this today???
The first ride we went on at Disneyland was Casey Jr.’s Circus Train. We sat in my favorite spot, the caboose. The ride was really fun. I can’t get enough of it.
The Ticket Booth
We took a stroll through Big Thunder Trail after that and looked at some of the Halloween decorations on display. They have a really neat pumpkin with a carved skeleton Mickey on it. I really love walking through Big Thunder Trail at night. It is so dark and eerie, even when it’s not Halloween!
The Skeleton Mickey Pumpkin
The Haunted Mansion Holiday was up next. It was its usual great self. I didn’t notice anything different from the previous visit. I’m wondering if anyone else ever had this issue with the Mansion… When we left the stretching room, we were in the front of the group exiting the lift. Now it seems as though people are rushing us to get to their doombuggy, but I like to enjoy the changing portraits. I like to go at a nice slow pace, but everyone else rushes to get to the “ride” and skips a great part of the attraction. To me, the ride began when we entered the Mansion in the foyer and I want to experience everything. It’s frustrating that people don’t take the time to enjoy the wonderful details.
The Haunted Mansion
The Little Oogie
We ended our night by looking through the New Orleans Square gift shops and spending some time with the Fortune Red Machine. I love that thing. The pirate inside looks so neat!
Argh! What will yer fortune be?
It was a nice and relaxing trip. Even though it was short, it was well worth the trip!
