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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!

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.

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.

The Swiss Mountain

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.

Towering Above Tomorrowland

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.

Some Tiki Friends

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.

The Haunted Mansion

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.

The Maintenance Service Elevator

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.

World of Color!
Blackbeard in WOC
WOC promoting the 4th Pirates film

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.

Almost Open!
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Locate the Lamp!

Leave your answers in the comment section below.

Lamp #4

Where Am I?

 

Answer to last week’s photo:

I'm on the Haunted Mansion!
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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
Mary Blair and Walt
Mary's Small World
Small World Maquette

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.

Mansion artwork in the Gallery

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.

Mr. Lincoln

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!

Almost Here!

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.

Pirates!

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!

Food Good Here

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.

The Haunted Mansion and a Full Moon!

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.

Comin' Round the Track!

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…

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!

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!

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!

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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!

Something Wrong Here!
Technology at its Finest.

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.

Tower at Sunset

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.

source: lostworld.pair.com
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.

I Dare You to Pet Him!

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.

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.

A Strange Old Mansion

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.

The Temple

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!

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.

God of Fire
Here Come the Girls!

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.

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…”

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Something New in the Star Trader!

On our last visit to Disneyland, we noticed that we could peek inside the Star Trader which is getting a new make-over for the opening of Star Tours.  What we saw inside was so cool.  It makes me that much more excited for the new Star Tours.

Now Boarding!

Look what’s above the Star Trader!  The area where we used to see the Peoplemover go by is now a Star Tours queue for aliens and other Star Wars characters.  It’s really just a scrolling sheet with outlines of the characters, but it is such a great and simple touch.  Details like this really sell the story.  We believe that those aliens are on their way to a distant planet guided by Star Tours.

Now look at the top of the photo…  Do you see anything familiar?  Why it’s the X-Wing that has been hidden in the Starcade for so many years!  It has now returned to the Star Trader!  Here is a photo of the X-Wing in its previous Starcade home:

source: vintagedisneylandtickets.blogspot.com

Star Tours opens June 3, 2011!

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Sometimes, It’s Great to Eat One’s Words…

Let me tell you — we haven’t even launched this site yet as of the time of this posting and already, I need to update my stand on a certain attraction.  For years — since I can remember, really — I have stood by my hatred (distaste, really) for the Enchanted Tiki Room.

I always let visitors experience it.  I never recommended it but I would let those that wished to bask in its — what seemed to be — huge wast of time, I would allow them and either browse for a hooded sweater or take a cruise through the jungle.  But this past weekend was a different story.

Call it excitement from the news of Osama bin Laden’s death or maybe there was something in the air, but I was in a really good mood and I thought, “Ya know what?  Tiki Room!”  We also wanted to check out the bath rooms while we were there.  SO TINY!

Even while in the lobby / waiting area, I had this sense of amazement and wonder.  I love Hawaii and have been a few times now, and I suppose I just haven’t been to the Tiki Room since going to Hawaii.  It really hit me how well done that attraction is and how isolated one feels when they’re on the other side of the Dole Whip stand.

So we went in and sat along the north wall.  It was night-time and it wasn’t too crowded in the room — or the park, for that matter.  The show started and about a minute into the show, I realized I was having an amazing time and once the entire room was erupting in music and energy, I was hoping not to hear the thunder because I didn’t want the show to end.

So while in my original post about my top 10 Disneyland Resort Attractions I condemn the Tiki Room, I now back it as one of my favorite and must-do attractions in the park.  How blind but now I see how awesome the Enchanted Tiki Room is!