Trip Reports – Page 5 – Remain Seated, Please

July 20, 2011July 20, 2011

Trip Report: July 17, 2011

July 17, 2011 marks the 56th birthday of the happiest place on Earth: Disneyland! I had to be there!

Unfortunately, there seemed to be a lack of celebration for the park’s birthday. The only thing that gave a hint that the park was celebrating an anniversary were the buttons Cast Members were wearing. I did hear that earlier in the day there was a little event involving nearly all the park’s walk around characters!

July 17, 2011 also marks the first time we enter Disney California Adventure through the new Pan Pacific turnstiles! It really looks beautiful and even better at night! I’m so happy with it.

The first thing we decided to do was Goofy’s Sky School, but it was closed unfortunately. We had asked a Cast Member why the ride was closed and if he knew when it would reopen. He gave the most robotic and rehearsed response we have ever heard. It was kind of funny.

So instead, we went to the Paradise Garden area of DCA and enjoyed some pizza and pasta. As I said in the last trip report, the area is so wonderful. It is such a welcomed addition to DCA. And the food was pretty delicious too. I like that flat bread pizza much more than Disneyland’s Pizza Port.

After dinner, we headed over to the Magic Kingdom. We decided to see the Magic, Memories, and You presentation displayed on the facade of it’s a small world. We had yet to see the show and it was quite enjoyable. The projections on the small world facade were top notch and looked wonderful. I just wish that they displayed images of Disneyland rather than people’s home movies and pictures. I don’t quite understand why people would want to see someone else’s home movies. Even so, the show was fun and it even had a fireworks finale!

Then it was time to see the new fireworks show for the summer: Magical. While nothing can compete with the 50th anniversary fireworks show, Magical was still really good. It did a great job interweaving different Disney tales and the appearances of Tinker Bell and Dumbo flying over Sleeping Beauty Castle were breathtaking. I got so emotional when Dumbo was flying over the Kingdom. It was one of the best Disney moments I had ever experienced.

It was then time for Pirates of the Caribbean and it was quite the experience. While in line, a highly intoxicated girl started to chat us up. She decided that we were all best friends and she insisted that we ride with her. I was a little upset because I wanted to enjoy the ride and not have her babbling throughout. My Girlfriend, Inthia was seated right next to her. The Drunk Girl talked on and on about hidden mickeys and how her sister was eating at Club 33 and spending a “million-bajillion” dollars. On the drops, the girl held tightly onto Inthia’s arm and basically hugged her throughout the ride. She also kept insisted on getting pictures with Inthia. She was very annoying, but it was a good story worth telling. At the end of the ride, she just ran off like she had never met us before. She was a very strange girl. Even with the intoxicated girl, the ride was great. The guy in the middle waiting to be dunked is still missing. Everything else looked as good as can be.

We then went over to the Haunted Mansion hoping we would not run into that girl again. Thankfully, we didn’t see her. The ride was great as always. Everything seemed to be working well and I didn’t see any changes from the previous visit. And Madame Leota was still floating.

Grim Grinning Ghosts Come Out To Socialize!

The night ended with a trip on the Disneyland Railroad through the Grand Canyon and Primeval World. The train is one of my favorite things to do at Disneyland and it is the perfect way to end the night. We caught the train in New Orleans Square and sat in the back. I love the Grand Canyon and Primeval World. I love the amount of detail and the wonderful backdrop painting. It is one of those timeless things that does not seem to change with time. On this particular trip, the T-Rex vs. Stegasaurs scene was covered up for a refurbishment. It was really strange to see all the great dinosaurs and not have that incredible finale. Oh well… As long as I get some dinosaurs, I’m happy.

The train made its way to Main Street where we departed and exited the Magic Kingdom. It was a fine birthday for the park, even if it was low key. Happy Birthday Disneyland! I can’t wait to visit you for many more years to come!

Enjoy some more photos from our trip:

July 12, 2011July 13, 2011

Trip Report: July 10, 2011

Sunday afternoon we arrived to the Disneyland Resort and made our way to Disney California Adventure.

The entrance to DCA is really coming along and it should be ready within a week. I must say it really looks great. It makes me very excited for all of the changes coming to the main entrance of the park. I can’t wait to see Buena Vista Street completed with Carthay Circle Theatre looming in the distance.

The first ride we went to was The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure. The line was posted at 20 minutes, but it only took about 10. I love how many people can get through the ride. It really is one of the best loading situations Disney has ever produced. The ride was great as always. I can look at those animatronics all day!

283144_10150229810801080_521966079_7707416_5388024_n — Look at this stuff! Isn't it neat?

We then went over the the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, but the wait was 50 minutes. So instead of riding, we just went inside the gift shop to look around. Then something strange happened. As I was walking through the shop, all of the sudden all of the lights turned off and the music stopped. It was pitch black inside. After a few seconds, the lights flickered back on and the music followed soon after. It was so eerie. It really felt like the Tower was losing power (which it was). It really was a great unintended effect. Unfortunately, all of DCA lost power at that point. Everyone was evacuated from the Tower and it remained closed for at least an hour.

263974_10150229813346080_521966079_7707458_4105232_n — The Hollywood Tower Hotel

Bellhops mark the entrance to the closed attraction.

So we walked over to Goofy’s Sky School, but that was closed too due to the power outage. The Little Mermaid ride was closed as well. So we went to the new Paradise Garden section of Paradise Pier. It really looks great. The amount of detail is terrific and there are many plants and trees, which DCA badly needed. It felt like Main Street at Disneyland. The menus look good at the new restaurants too, but we did not try any of the food. That will have to wait till next time!

Then we walked over to the newly themed Redwood Creek Wilderness Explorer Camp. The camp is themed after Pixar’s Up. It is pretty much exactly the same, except you now do these activities to earn merit badges. When entering, you are given a map of the area and after you complete the activity listed, you scratch off the badge. It was a fun time and kids really seem to enjoy it.

We then went back over to Goofy’s Sky School to see if it was open and it was! This would be my first trip on the newly themed attraction. While it is a fun ride, it is pretty much exactly the same as Mulholland Madness. They just added new billboards featuring Goofy. The only thing I wish they did was put speakers in the cars and have the classic Goofy “How to” narrator speak as you “fly” around. Oh well… It is still a very thrilling little ride, however.

284679_10150229814646080_521966079_7707491_5654251_n — Finally Open!

262065_10150229815221080_521966079_7707508_4550926_n — Take Flight!

After our flight with Goofy, we walked over to Disneyland and headed for Pirates of the Caribbean. The middle guy waiting to be dunked in the well is still missing, but the ride was excellent. The lighting really seemed to be perfect on this particular trip through the Caribbean.

261789_10150229816291080_521966079_7707529_2373502_n — We Wants the Red Head!

It was now dinner time and we went to the French Market for some roast beef. It was near the end of the night, so I didn’t get the best roast beef. It was a little tough, but still good. And those mashed potatoes are a masterpiece!

After dinner, we went to the Haunted Mansion to visit some spooks. I didn’t notice anything different about the ride during this visit. Everything seemed to be working great. The ghost we got in our doombuggy was Gus (The little guy with the beard). And yes, Madame Leota was floating!

281627_10150229816611080_521966079_7707537_6000308_n — The Haunted Mansion

We then took a walk around the park going through Tomorrowland and ending up at Casey Jr.’s Circus Train in Fantasyland. We rode the caboose of Casey Jr., as that’s the best seat in the house! I can’t say enough about how much I enjoy this ride. I really love it. I love how close you get to the little mountains above Pinocchio’s village. That might be my favorite part of the ride.

It was near closing by this time so we just took one last look around Fantasyland and headed home having spent a wonderful night at the Magic Kingdom.

Here are some extra photos from the trip:

June 29, 2011

Trip Report: June 26, 2011

Dusk was upon us on a Sunday in June. Disneyland of course was in store!

When we got to the park, we decided to enter in a unique way. We took the Monorail at the end of Downtown Disney! I love taking the Monorail into the park. It’s a nice way to avoid lines of people, plus you get a great trip out of it! I love gliding above Tomorrowland and looking at the abandoned tracks of where the People Mover once traveled.

267425_10150219705861080_521966079_7589588_651932_n — How I wish these were in use.

Taking the Monorail was really just for fun since we decided to go to DCA after arriving to Disneyland. We went to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and boy was it a great ride. The first scene, when your elevator is backing up, seemed to be freshly painted. The door looked great with its drybrush technique of Black Light paint. Also there seemed to be a lot more Black Light paint for the starfield effect on the doors. Of course the little LED lights were still there as well. The rest of the ride was just as great as it always is.

269564_10150219709286080_521966079_7589663_6542551_n — TOT

After the Tower, we made our way to Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train. It’s the funniest Disney ride I have ever been on. It is so short and simple that it makes it hilarious! For some reason, I really love it though. From the dripping watermelon to the smell of animal crackers, the Chew Chew Train is very memorable.

A Dripping Wet and Delicious Watermelon!

We then went to see if Goofy’s Sky School was doing a soft opening, but it wasn’t unfortunately. It looked like there was a vehicle on the tracks that was stuck and a family was being evacuated. That’s too bad. I haven’t been on Goofy’s Sky School yet, but I have been reading negative reviews of the ride. I don’t really understand why though. What do people expect? It’s the same exact ride as Mullhullond Madness except they put Goofy billboards up instead. I’m sure it’s a fun little ride and I don’t think it hurts the atmosphere for Paradise Pier at all. I think it looks nice.

It was now time for Disneyland and our first stop was the Disney Gallery. We noticed that they changed the little room that was filled with Pirates and Haunted Mansion artwork. It now has drawings of different Disney characters which are for sale. I was a little upset with that as I loved the artwork that was in there previously. They also put a sign in the Mary Blair exhibit explaining what it was all about. Unfortunately, the put the sign where all those pictures of Walt and Mary were.

After the Gallery, we were hungry so we made a stop at the Bengal Barbeque. It was delicious. I love the chicken skewers with the green onion!

Then came a ride on Pirates of the Caribbean. It was pretty much the same as the last visit. The middle guy waiting to be dunked in the well is still missing. One odd thing that happened on this trip was that the boats were all the way backed up to the “Pooped Pirate” scene. I had never seen it backed up that far. I thought that the ride was going to break down and we would be evacuated. But our boats slowly moved along through the burning city and me made our way up the waterfall.

The backed up boats helped us take this wonderful picture.

We went on The Haunted Mansion after that and as we were walking up, I could already hear the Ghost Host’s narration from outside. I hate going in once the Ghost Host has started his dialogue, so we stayed behind and waited for the next show. I don’t like it when the Cast Members force you inside when the narration has already started. That’s like missing a good portion of the ride. People don’t understand that, but if you’re a Disney nerd like me, you will get it. The ride ended up being great. Everything looked good and we got the tall skinny guy (Ezra) as our ghost to take home. Also I had noticed in the last few visits that an owl had been missing on a branch in the graveyard. For the longest time, only one owl was on the branch and I had sworn that there were supposed to be two. Well, the second bird is back and guess what? He has real feathers on him! It looked kind of funny like he was molting though, especially because the other owl doesn’t have authentic looking feathers. It’s still good to see those “love birds” are back and hooting away though.

We ended the night with a trip on The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. It is such a fun and enjoyable ride. Of course, I always have to give a nice wink to the Buffalo and Moose from the Country Bears.

The Rain, Rain, Rain Came Down, Down, Down.

Here are a few pictures we took while walking around the parks:

The sun pierces its way through the Matterhorn.

New Cars Themed Paintings in the Gallery

June 14, 2011

Trip Report: June 12, 2011

A late afternoon trip to Disneyland was in order on June 12th. We arrived to the Disneyland Resort around 4pm.

Our first stop was the Disney Gallery to take another look at the Mary Blair exhibit. I really took the artwork in this time and it’s wonderful. Blair has such a unique style. Any animator could make drawings and storyboards, but Blair did it with her own personal touch. She was remarkable.

260362_10150202606566080_521966079_7492489_2188192_n — Walt and Mary

Then we looked at the little museum they have set up in the lobby of Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. I really love the things they have set up in there including vintage park tickets and models of Splash Mountain and Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.

254544_10150202607276080_521966079_7492496_2643075_n — Ticket Books!

Walking through Adventureland really let us know how crowded the park was that day. An unbelievable amount of strollers were parked right in the middle of Adventureland which is already on the small side. Fortunately, the lines weren’t too bad at the parks. It was just a lot of traffic to get to your favorite attraction.

And with that, our first attraction was Pirates of the Caribbean. In the scene where the Mayor is being dunked in the well, there are usually three other people tied up waiting for their turn to be dunked. This time, the man in the middle was missing and some crates were put in his place. He must have escaped the ropes! You know, this is another reason of why I love Pirates. Even when pirates are missing, you can make a story up in your mind on what happened to them. The amount of detail put into Pirates lets your mind run.

255689_10150202608986080_521966079_7492516_5860684_n — Get Ready to Set Sail!

The guy in the middle was the one that escaped.

Then came the Haunted Mansion and guess what! Madame Leota was floating! It is always very exciting when she floats as more often than not, she is stationary. During the ride, our doombuggy was stopped right in front of the hitchhiking ghosts. It was great to get a good long look at them. I love those guys!

Evening was now upon us and we were hungry. We all decided we would head over to DCA and enjoy Broccoli and Cheese Soup in a Bread Bowl. The line at the Pacific Warf Cafe was huge! Fortunately, it moved fast and it ended up being only 20 minutes. The bread bowl was delicious. I love the sourdough bread at the Disneyland Resort. One day, I would like to buy a huge sack of bread bowsl and eat away!

254226_10150202610916080_521966079_7492526_567768_n — I Dream About These!

It was now 9:00pm and World of Color was just starting. We thought this would be an excellent time to get in line for The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure. It was great being able to watch World of Color while in line. The queue didn’t last too long as it was late. It was maybe a half hour long, which was perfect as we got to see most of World of Color. The ride was once again great and this time we spotted Mr. Limpet. I wonder why Mr. Limpet is in the attraction. It’s not a Disney movie… Maybe the imagineers are just big Don Knotts fans.

248756_10150202611256080_521966079_7492527_6588331_n — Keep Singing!

Then we headed over to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. It was a fun ride. I noticed that the spiral effect on the elevator doors as the ride begins and ends was not working. I could see the outline of the spiral, but it was not spinning. Other than that, everything else looked and sounded perfect. We had a very good Bellhop load us in our elevator. He was very effective with keeping to the 1939 Haunted Hollywood Tower Hotel theme.

253785_10150202611696080_521966079_7492529_857872_n — The Hollywood Tower Hotel

We then headed back to Disneyland to see how long the line was for Star Tours. At 10:00pm, it was still 100 minutes. So we decided to pass on that galactic adventure.

Instead, we went to Storybook Land Canal Boats. I can’t say enough about how much I love this ride. It is so nice, relaxing, and quiet. The detail of the miniatures is amazing. It is even better at night as each scene is lit perfectly. I especially love Pinocchio’s village and how the mini mountains in the background blend perfectly with the Matterhorn.

After our boat ride through Monstro the Whale, we went over to Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. I was surprised to see that the fireplace scene had been updated. The fire seemed to be projected much more clearly now and the floor is now painted to look like a brick fireplace. The fiber optic burning embers never looked better. That was always my favorite effect in the ride. The rest of the ride was amazing as always. Going to Hell is one of my favorite things to do at the Disneyland Resort!

We ended our night with a ride on King Arthur’s Carousel. It was a perfect way to close out a wonderful trip to the Happiest Place on Earth: Disneyland.

June 4, 2011June 4, 2011

Trip Report: May 29, 2011

Hello and welcome to the magic kingdom of Disneyland! Robert here! May 29th was my birthday, so naturally a trip to Disneyland was in order.

Our first stop: Star Tours! I won preview tickets for the new Star Tours so we went on it three times. It was very fun. I am really liking it more and more every time I go on. When we got off, a cast member told us that when the attraction officially opens on June 3rd, all 54 sequences will open. Now I thought it was just 54 different combinations you can get. But this guy told us that it was in fact 54 different sequences! I am very excited for this. I can’t wait to see where our Star Speeder will land in the future! Oh and he told us to look out for Hidden Mickeys and an appearance of Han Solo!

After visiting the planets of Tatooine and Hoth among others, we were very hungry. So we stopped by Pizza Port where I enjoyed a salad, bread sticks, and a delicious cookie. Pizza Port isn’t my favorite, but it’s a good quick place to grab a bite.

Then we went over to DCA since we heard rumors of soft openings for The Little Mermaid attraction. Luckily for us, the rumors were true! We got in line not knowing what was to come. The queue for the Mermaid ride was a little underwhelming, but there was a nice detail on the floor. Embedded in the concrete were different types of sea shells. It was a nice touch.

247424_10150190795751080_521966079_7377359_5150134_n — Sea Shell in the Floor!

255457_10150198962109652_592464651_7141818_5346339_n — And Another!

The actual ride was amazing. It was so technologically advanced, colorful, and full of detail. I loved the animatronics. They were some of the best I have ever seen. It was strange to see such elaborate animatronics with animated characters since we are so used to the Fantasyland dark rides with mostly static figures. I won’t spoil the ride for those of you who haven’t been on it yet, but let me just say I highly recommend it. People do have problems with the actual story of the ride, but I don’t mind it so much. It’s just really neat to go through these classic Mermaid scenes. It’s a ride that DCA really needed. I say it’s a must for everyone.

California Screamin’ was up next. It is still one of the best roller coasters I have ever been on. It’s scary without being too intense. The only part I’m not crazy about it going upside down. It’s not my thing. I always think it’s gonna give me a nose bleed!

We had heard rumors that the Mission Tortilla Factory was closing the next day so we made sure to visit. I’m so upset that it’s closing. It is one of my favorite little attractions to visit. I made sure to get a long last look at everything from the little people in the windows to the machines making the tortillas. I showed the cast member my birthday button and for the occasion, she gave me a free stack of tortillas to go along with my usual free sample. That was very nice of them. I will really miss that Tortilla Factory.

We then visited the Blue Sky Cellar, which was very fun for me. The reason I really enjoyed it was because I finally got to look at the Mermaid stuff on display. I refused to look at any models or videos of the making of the ride before I experienced it, as I wanted it all to be a surprise. I’m so glad I did that. The Cellar had some great Mermaid models on display along with some details of future DCA plans. They also have the new DCA attraction posters for Mermaid, Grizzly River Run, and Goofy’s Sky School. They really look great. They have the feel of the classic 1960s Disneyland attraction posters.

Our next ride was The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. It was great once again and the blue light was back on the chalk doorway. Other than that, everything seemed to be the same as the previous trip.

252761_10150190801751080_521966079_7377429_1813103_n — HTH AKA TOT

It was then time for Disneyland and the greatest attraction ever created: Pirates of the Caribbean. It was another terrific journey into the world of the pirates. Everything seemed the same from the previous trip as well. Looking at the new Blackbeard projection again, it seems that the effect works better than when it was Davey Jones, but the audio is just so low and hard to decipher. I just wish that the entire effect was gone and it went back to the pitch black passageway with the echos of pirates from the past.

Then came The Haunted Mansion and guess what! The hearse is back with a fresh coat of paint! It looked terrific and I was happy to see it back. Madame Leota was still stationary on this trip, but everything looked incredible. After we got off, we wanted to look at the pet cemetery behind the Mansion. So we walked back there and took a few pictures. I really like that the imagineers bothered to put that cemetery in when most guests will never see it. I wish it was the old tombstones that used to be on the side of the Mansion instead of duplicates of the pet cemetery tombstones that you see out in front of the Mansion. It is still very cool though.

249253_10150190805526080_521966079_7377483_6767231_n — The Mansion

Now I am not a big fan of parades, but we all decided to see the new Mickey’s Soundsational Parade. It was OK. The first float was neat because it had some amazing drummers including Mickey! Not only did Mickey beat those drums with expertise, but it was the talking Mickey too. I’m glad they used him. But the other floats were underwhelming. Compared to the parade from the 50th anniversary, this doesn’t do it for me. It just didn’t have anything to be blown away about. But for people that like parades and people that want to see their favorite Disney characters, it does the trick.

We were pretty tired by this point of the day, so we left Disneyland and decided to grab some food and drinks at the new Trader Sam’s at the Disneyland Hotel. Let me just say that this is one of the best things to come out of Disney in recent years! I couldn’t believe the amount of detail and homages to Adventureland attractions. Inside there were artifacts and references to The Tiki Room, The Jungle Cruise, Indiana Jones, and many movies that contain jungle themes! Also there are special effects inside that occur when you order a certain drink. That was so exciting! I will do a more detailed post about Trader Sam’s in the future, but for now just do yourselves a favor and experience this incredible new place!

We made our way home after our visit to Trader Sam’s. It was a very nice birthday at the Happiest Place on Earth!

May 26, 2011September 23, 2017

Trip Report: May 25, 2011

The day was upon us! We were finally about to go on Star Tours: The Adventures Continue! But before that, let’s get started on our entire trip.

A beautiful day at the Disneyland Resort!

We arrived at the park at about 1PM and we headed straight to the Main Street station to try to hitch a ride on the Lilly Belle but the next available time was during our Star Tours adventures so we opted to forego a jaunt around the park to explore the Mary Blair exhibit some more. Her work really set a lot of styles in motion for the parks that not only lives on from her original designs, but transcends to new designs and attractions. What a great innovator!

We then headed over to the lockers and — what’s this?! New lockers! Check out the photos below:

That’s kind of cool, if you ask me! They let you choose your own 4 digit pin! After the lockers, we went to the Star Trader. The new merch has just been released for the APs and I was SUPER excited to get the new older version of the Star Speeder: The Star Speeder 1000!

So amazing! We then checked out the uncovered FastPass distribution droids and marveled at their detail. Love stuff like this!

We then headed to our first attraction of the day, Pirates of the Caribbean, to check out the new Black Beard projection that has replaced Davy Jones for the summer. Robert was right last week when he reported the ride looking better than it has in a while. We even had a rowdy group of girls in our boat that calmed down about the time we hit the shipwreck scene (my favorite) — they must have been enthralled with the ride!

The Black Beard projection looked GREAT! The waterfall effect looked better than the Davy Jones version and while he has the same script, I just liked Black Beard as a character much more than Jones. I wouldn’t mind them randomizing this section of the ride between the two villains.

If ye be brave of fool enough to face a pirates curse, proceed!

We then headed over to DCA and on the way met up with Geppetto on Main Street! Robert couldn’t have been more excited to meet his “Papa.”

DCA’s entrance looks to be wrapping up construction and I still wouldn’t at all be surprised at it’s completion by June 3rd, but don’t quote me on that! But our real reason to head over to DCA just before our first Star Tours flights of 2011:

It was everything we remember it being plus they have cheese sticks! A corn dog was way against my diet so a cheese stick would have thrown me down a spiral which I might never return so I steered clear of that. But, I can’t wait to possibly try it in the future! On our way back to DL, we saw the cast member preview queue loading into the Little Mermaid attraction. How lucky were those people?! I cannot wait to ride TLM next weekend!

It was now time to check-in for our fastpasses to an intergalactic adventure aboard Star Tours! The process was well-organized and painless. We won’t cover any details on the ride as we don’t want to spoil anything for those of you holding out for June 3rd or a soft open (although you can find plenty of spoilers on some of our favorite Disney blogs by looking at their twitter feeds or sites here)

Star Tours: The Adventures Continue's FastPass queue

The GONK droids (recognizable from “A New Hope”) serve as your FastPass distributors and then you head across the path to Star Tours: The Adventures Continue (although the signs lead you to believe you’re about to ride Star Tours: The Adventure Continues.) The extended queue has awesome murals and music playing but the chains were not well laid out by the CMs so it was up to the APs to figure out a system best suited for navigating the queue. Not a problem!

The inside looks pretty much the same except a SP1000 where the SP3000 once stood, a new destinations screen, and a shiny C3-PO and R2D2. The real surprises were in the next room… but we’ll cover that in a future post! There are plenty of nods to the old attraction as well as some other attractions, some great hidden treasures as well as an AMAZING ride!

The first time we rode, the ride stopped abruptly in the middle of our jump to light speed, our pilot abruptly turned away from us and the screen went up — I thought we were going to get boarded by Darth Vader and some storm troopers! However, I think some girls in the row below us pushed open the door on accident in the midst of all the excitement! (I don’t know that that’s what really happened or if that’s even possible — just an observation) We were then transferred to another star speeder through the entrance terminal which made it almost feel like we landed on another planet and were part of a layover on Tatooine or something (how amazing would it be if that were an option?!)

After that, we finally rode it in it’s entirety. After the ride, we were all in aggreance that the ride was just “OKAY.” But after our second, third, and fourth times, it was solidified: it had a GREAT story, an amazing randomized story arc, and it was “lightyears” beyond the old version. I will always have a place in my heart for Rex and his misadventures but with how well this ride was updated, I am proud to see it go to yesterland.

After our fourth go-round, our girlfriends went over to DCA to meet up with a castmember to preview TLM. Lucky girls! Robert and I took the opportunity to ride on my personal favorite attraction, The Haunted Mansion.

While Madame Leota wasn’t floating, we did see some other great things. We hung back when everyone left the stretching room and descended upon their doom-buggies. We took some great long-exposure shots of the hallway scene, as seen below:

There are several prominent ghosts that have retired here from creepy old crypts all over the world!

We met back up with the girls after HM and thought we might go check out the new restaurants at the Disneyland Hotel but opted for an awesome dinner at Tortilla Joes! This is one of my favorite restaurants on DD. After dinner (and losing a pin 🙁 !) we headed home, only to look forward to returning this Sunday!

May 26, 2011May 26, 2011

Trip Report – 5/22/11

When we entered Disneyland around 2pm, there were two ducks that seemed to be greeting guests just past the Disneyland Railroad tunnel. They were very cute and they were greeting people is such a professional manner that several people thought they were fake!

Screen shot 2011-05-26 at 2.10.40 PM — A Quacking Welcome

The first ride on today’s trip to Disneyland was Pirates of the Caribbean. There were a couple new things in the attraction to promote the fourth “Pirates” film. The projection of Davy Jones is now gone and replaced with that of Blackbeard. It’s a nice effect, but it doesn’t belong in Pirates of the Caribbean, in my opinion (Robert’s). It’s strange to see a floating head of a live actor in this great attraction filed with some of the best audio animatronics ever created. It also doesn’t really make sense why Blackbeard’s head is floating in a waterfall. It made sense with Davy Jones because he lived in the water. They also replaced Jones’ dialogue at the end of the attraction with Blackbeard’s. I prefer Ian McShane’s voice over Bill Nighy, but again, I would prefer to have the original ending. I would just like to hear that wonderful Blue Bayou music without any interruptions. A problem with McShane’s voice is that it doesn’t project very well. It is very deep and low so it is difficult to hear. Besides those new things, the ride looked great. Also, there was a lot of fog in the cannonball scene this time. I love when that happens.

Screen shot 2011-05-26 at 2.12.13 PM — The Greatest Ride Ever?

Next we took a bobsled ride down the icy slopes of the majestic Matterhorn. Even though the ride can be a bit rough on one’s body at times, I still love it. The look of the mountain and its abominable inhabitant is pure classic Disney. There was one part of the ride where I looked over and saw a pile of at least 5 hats that have fallen off. That was pretty funny.

A friend then had fast passes for Space Mountain so that was our next stop. Space Mountain was intense, but fun! A roller coaster in the dark is really horrifying, but it’s so great. It’s one of the best.

We then visited our fine feathered friends in Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room. We sat in the back and while it was great, there were parts that were difficult to hear. It seemed that the four main birds were loud enough, but the chorus was very soft. I think the speakers just weren’t working in our section. But even with the audio issue, the attraction was wonderful. I like how 1960s it looks. I hope it never changes and I hope that the new version coming to Walt Disney World will look as nice as this one.

Then came the Haunted Mansion. Again it looked and sounded great. Madame Leota was once again stationary. Yesterday marked the 6th year anniversary of the death of Thurl Ravenscroft. Thurl is the lead singing bust in the graveyard scene. I gave an extra long look at him that trip. He really was a great singer, actor, and voice! He is missed.

After the Mansion, we went over to Indiana Jones Adventure to use our fastpasses we had for that ride. Unfortunately, it was closed when we got there. Indiana Jones really closes down more than any other ride in the park. They need to get that fixed.

Since Indy was down, we decided it was time to head over to Disney California Adventure. Our first stop: The Twlight Zone Tower of Terror. I noticed that the lighting looked different in the boiler room. There is usually a bright blue light on the wall where the chalk outlined door is, but it was not on this time. Overall the boiler room just looked a bit darker than usual. The ride was great, but we were on with some annoying teenagers that yelled and screamed through the entire run. Why they don’t listen to the story and try to imagine themselves in this haunted hotel, I don’t know… Even with the annoying kids, the ride is still incredible.

Last, but not least, we headed over to World of Color. We wanted to see the show since it had new Little Mermaid scenes and Pirates scenes promoting the fourth film. The show was good and the new stuff looked great, but overall, I think I prefer the original show. The new Pirates stuff was neat, but they cut out almost the entire villain section, which I love. Oh well… I’m sure it will be back one day.

After the show, we walked by the new Little Mermaid attraction and wished we were on it. It looks amazing from the outside. Well, only one more week and we will go under the sea with Ariel and all her friends.

May 21, 2011September 29, 2011

Trip Report: May 15, 2011

This trip was one of the rare times David and I didn’t go together. So this trip report will be the sole opinion of yours truly, Robert.

When my girlfriend and I arrived to the park, the first thing we wanted to see was the Mary Blair tribute at the Disney Gallery. They did an excellent job putting together a fitting tribute to one of the great Disney artists. Her work is so original and colorful. I could look at it for hours. To go along with Mary Blair’s art, they also had maquettes from “it’s a small world” on display. Those were very neat to see in person.

Mary Blair Exhibit at The Disney Gallery

Off to the side in the Gallery is a little room where it appears an artist has been at work. I really like this room and it now displays some great Haunted Mansion drawings. The room is a nice detail that only Disneyland can do. It doesn’t need to be there, but the addition of it really adds to the magic.

After the Gallery, we walked straight into Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. I really love that show. The Lincoln animatronic looked incredible. The way his lips move is amazing. He really pronounces each word with his lips. It’s a technological marvel.

We then walked by Star Tours to see if they would let us on, but we had no luck. They were doing Cast Member previews and boy did that make me jealous! I want to be in there!

Then came Pirates of the Caribbean. This was the first time I had been on the ride since the big premiere for “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”. It looks like they adjusted the lighting and effects to make it look extra nice for the premiere. The fighting pirates shadow near the cannonball scene was looking great. Lately those shadows were fading so much that you could barely see what was going on. Now you can see every detail. There wasn’t anything else new to report, but each pirate looked great.

We were starting to get hungry after Pirates, so we grabbed a bite to eat at The French Market. I really like the food there. I usually get the roast beef and it’s very good. The mashed potatoes are by far the best thing on the menu!

After filling our rumbly tumblies, we went to the Haunted Mansion. It was a great ride once again, but Madame Leota was back to her stationary self. The Raven sitting on the tree branch at the entrance of the graveyard is now back. Also, we got Ezra as our hitchhiking ghost in our doombuggy. I’m always very happy when that happens as he is my favorite hitchhiker.

We then made our way to Fantasyland where we went on a classic: Casey Jr. Circus Train. It really is a great ride and it goes faster than you expect. It is best at night too. You see all the twinkling lights from Storybook Land down below. We also sat in the caboose, which adds a little something to the thrill.

We then wanted to go on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, but as we got in line, it had just broke down. You should have seen the sad look on my face…

224037_10150179075376080_521966079_7277372_4230043_n — No Toad Today...

So we went over to Pinocchio’s Daring Journey. Pinocchio is my favorite Disney film and I love the ride. Keep an eye open in the Pleasure Island scene for a Hidden Mickey in the form of popcorn!

224286_10150179078296080_521966079_7277408_6812110_n — An Actor's Life For Me!

We ended our night with Snow White’s Scary Adventures which may be my favorite Fantasyland dark ride. It is so scary, especially when you ride alone. And those new special effects are really terrific!

222317_10150179078586080_521966079_7277411_3661199_n — Magic Mirror on the Wall...

Feel free to add comments below. Tell me what you like. Tell me what you don’t like. What would you like me to discuss? Are there things you want me to elaborate on? Thanks guys!

May 3, 2011

Trip Report: May 1, 2011

Arrival time to the Disneyland Resort: 6:00pm

After walking from the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure to the Disneyland Resort Main Entrance, we decided we would visit DCA. While entering Hollywood Pictures Backlot, we noticed that one of the video screens of ElecTRONica had an error screen up. It’s always embarrassing when that happens, but what can you do. Another thing that we noticed (which was awesome) was that the entire ElecTRONica show was being controlled via an iPad! How far technology has come!

Our first stop was at The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. We had a first time rider with us and boy was she nervous. We had to calm her down a few times in the queue, but she ended up enjoying it. The drops felt very good and the mirror scene was working! But the most amazing thing about our journey into the Twilight Zone was the view. We happened to ride the attraction right at sunset and the Disneyland Resort never looked more beautiful. It was the perfect time to ride the Tower.

We then made our way to Disneyland and to what did our wandering eyes appear? The Emporium and Crystal Arcade — they’ve returned to us! We also noticed that the eagle was missing from the banister on the corner.

Old Emporium — source: lostworld.pair.com

DSCN4048 — Back, but without the Famous Eagle

After a short jaunt down Main Street, U.S.A., we decided to ascend Tarzan’s Treehouse. We don’t go through that attraction often, but it was very fun. The special effects are very exciting, especially the roaring cheetah effect.

After playing around in the Treehouse, we went to Pirates of the Caribbean. It was another great ride. Everything looked great. There didn’t seem to be any changes from last week’s trip on Pirates.

pirates_entrance — On Our Way to Adventure!

After Pirates, we decided to grab a bite to eat, but unfortunately many places were already closed. We don’t understand why Disneyland closes their restaurants so early. What was still open was the Stage Door Cafe. There we had chicken breast pieces, fish, and corn dogs. It’s a good snack, but not a healthy one…

It was then time for a visit to The Haunted Mansion. We walked right into the foyer and our ghost host welcomed us. Madame Leota was floating this time! The effect really seemed great that night. Sometimes I can see the wires that are holding her crystal ball, but not this time. I believed she was floating around the room! The raven at the entrance to the graveyard is still missing, however.

Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye was up next. The wait was only 5 minutes! The ride was very fun! I love that first Indy animatronic since they updated it. It is so much more realistic than the previous version and it looks a lot more like Harrison Ford. They did a good job.

Then came The Jungle Cruise. When we got on our boat, a couple of ducks were sleeping on the dock right next to us. When our skipper got on his speaker, he woke them up. They got so mad. They started quacking away at him. The ducks eventually gave up and went back to sleep. It was pretty awesome. Our skipper was very good. He used some fresh jokes and some that I hadn’t heard in a while. He didn’t use the “Danger” joke, which I hate, and he mentioned the gorilla reaching for bananas! I always wonder why skippers never mention him. My only problem with the skipper was that he sped through the scenes too quickly. He also didn’t do my (David) least favorite joke about the back-sude of water. I had a friend that was a skipper in the 90s. He recently passed away but his trademark was to never do the back-side of water joke. I’ll make a future post about that soon. This skipper we had this past visit pointed out three ducks in the water and was talking to them and before too long, he threw in, “…Oh, and there’s some water over there.” SO GREAT!

JC_SIGN — Cruise Down the Rivers of Adventure

We then visited Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room. It was great. David wrote an excellent article about it. The Tiki Room is really special. I love everything about it, especially the atmosphere and mood of the whole place. The Enchanted Garden is probably my favorite part.

To end our day, we strolled through Tomorrowland to see the new lights on Star Tours. I must say, it looks really neat! We also captured this little gem. We then went to the temporary location of the Star Trader where we noticed a shirt with an Ewok that says “Save the Trees”. A Cast Member then came up to us and said that an Ewok works in the shop. We didn’t quite know what he meant until he brought out another Cast Member who was only 4 feet tall! The lady played an Ewok in “Return of the Jedi”. It was nice to meet her.

star_tours_sign — The New Star Tours Sign

As we exited the shop, the familiar announcement that one never wants to hear echoed through the Magic Kingdom… “Ladies and Gentlemen. Boys and Girls. Disneyland has now ended its normal operating day…”

April 27, 2011

Trip Report: April 24, 2011

April 24, 2011 is a special day for us. We arrived to the Disneyland Resort with our girls to experience our first visit to Club 33!

But to start off our trip, we headed over to Disney California Adventure. The entrance and Carthay Circle theater are really taking shape and before you know it, they will be complete!

We went to our favorite attraction at DCA, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. The wait was only 13 minutes and it was an excellent ride. The mirror scene is still not working properly though. Once again the ghost effect turned into a blue blob instead of our individual ghost counterparts.

TOT Boiler Room — All the workers have left their post.

After TOT, we decided to go to Disneyland, but first stopped at Off the Page where David bought an incredible set of Mouse Ears. They are reminiscent of an old television set complete with color bars, antenas, and static. What makes them even better is that they are not supposed to be on sale yet! The Cast Member sold us the display without knowing! So cool!

We then walked through the gates of the Magic Kingdom of Disneyland and our first stop was The Disneyland Railroad. Because of the Splash Mountain refurbishment, we did not see the Splash finale through the Railroad window. It was all blacked out. We then arrived at our destination: Mickey’s Toontown.

DLR_ARRIVES — Arriving to the Main Street Station

Since we were all dressed up, we thought it would be neat to get a group shot with Mickey. So we went to Mickey’s House in Toontown and waited in the queue. It is an excellent queue that culminates in Mickey’s home theatre. While in line, we were discussing how fun it would be to take a picture with Steamboat Willie Mickey, but we had never seen him except for in the finale of Fantastmic! We then entered a “hot set” and who was there, but Steamboat Willie himself! It was incredible! It felt like meeting a real celebrity! There is something really special about meeting the Mouse.

MEETING_WILLIE — Making friends with Steamboat Willie!

King Arthur’s Carousel was up next. There was no line so we thought we would take a quick trip on the Merry-Go-Round. A fun time was had.

Then we went to Pirates of the Caribbean. Everything was looking great and guess who’s back? The parrot next to the guy with the hairy leg! It’s good to see him. In the area between the jail scene and arsenal scene, a bunch of teenagers jumped out of their boat onto the walkway. They ran around for a while and got back in their boat. We were so upset. We were wondering why they didn’t stop the ride and get these guys. But alas, justice was served. As we exited Pirates, we saw those teens surrounded by security and having their ID’s confiscated. Hopefully they’ll have fun in Disneyland jail!

After our cruise with the Pirates, it was time for Club 33! We will do a more thorough post about our trip to the Club, but let’s just say it was amazing. Everything was perfect from the decor, the service, the food, the art… It was an experience we will never forget.

We rode Pirates for a second time after dinner and then visited the 999 happy haunts in The Haunted Mansion. It was a great ride, but Madame Leota was not floating again. Also, the raven on the branch near the entrance to the graveyard was missing. Why do these birds keep flying away?!?!

Since Splash Mountain is closed, no one is visiting The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. We felt bad for it, so we made our way over there. It really is a great dark ride. A lot of people put it down, but we enjoy it. It may not be as great as Walt Disney World’s version, but it still is a welcomed addition to the Disneyland Resort.

We then made our way over to Frontierland to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We sat in the back again (the best seat). It was fast and scary. The back is the best because you are literally “pulled” through the ride. If you ride in the front, it feels as though the train slows down, waiting for the rear to catch up.

Before we said our goodbyes to the Magic Kingdom, we thought we would take a quick trip through Pixie Hollow. When we got to the area where Tinkerbell meets and greets, we noticed that the door was open to the backstage area and there was no one around. I think someone forgot to lock the door, but it was lucky for us.

After that, it was time to head home. It was one of the most magical, memorable, and special visits we have ever had to Disneyland.

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Once again, we saw a bird fly over Disneyland with a fish in its talons!