nursemelis374

This so takes me back! My friends and I used to always go to this event on NYE when we were in college! The best was in 1999 when my friend snuck a ghetto blaster and a ninja costume in and then at midnight busted it out and blasted Prince's "1999". Now that I think about it, I am not really sure why the ninja costume was necessary. Funny to think he is now a married teacher with 3 kids! Anyways, cool trip report and pics. Glad you had fun!

I don't know you, but I always enjoy your updates and now your baby updates! Congratulations to the entire Alvey family! May you have a safe and enjoyable pregnancy!

Wonderful trip report! I always enjoy reading your reports and this was no exception! It was especially fun as you were visiting all of my home parks! I agree with you on so many things, but there are 2 things I disagree with. I think that WDW's Jungle Cruise is better than Disneyland's. I love the inside part at the end. I also hate Mystery Lodge. I just think it is boring and too long. Thanks for taking the time to write this! Where are you heading next?

Cool trip report!!! I am heading to WDW in 2 weeks and this got me so excited!!!! Loved hearing about the lack of crowds!

Disneyland Friday June 30, 2006 My best friend and I decided to head down to Disneyland last night in order to go on the new Pirates of the Caribbean (POTC). Frankly, I am getting sick of constantly having to worry about seeing a spoiler on the internet and wanted to experience it for myself. POTC is my favorite Disneyland ride and I have really missed it these last few months! We got there about 6:30 and the lines to get into the parking structure were crazy, this was not helped by the fact that they only had 2 lines open! I am guessing that they were short-staffed as this was a holiday weekend and that is the only logical explanation for having to wait that long. I am a genius and thought I would be a complete passhole and try to drive over a cone in order to secure a better parking spot. I ended up dragging the cone under my Explorer and totally humiliating myself as everyone stared at the retarded girl that drove over a cone. I yanked it out from under my car and we proceeded in. The lines at the main gate were surprisingly short and we got in quickly. People were lined up for the parade and being entertained by what I think is the college band while waiting. I took a picture of this drummer that was totally awesome. I normally don’t pay attention to stuff like that, but he was really good. I think that he would be perfect if ever someone wanted to engage in some sort of band geek fantasy. Anyway . . . We immediately went to Pirates and got in line (on-line?). Why does everyone always say “on line” instead of “in line”? I don’t get it. The line was 25 minutes and passed by quickly. We decided to take pictures of things that did not change since everyone is so obsessed with the things that have changed. There was actually a wait for the front row! I felt like I was going on Xcelerator or something because we are dumb and had to go in the front row like the true Disney freaks that I pretend to be irritated by but really am one at heart. Here are the spoilers, so don’t read if you do not want to have your entire life ruined forever: 1. The ride seems much darker at the beginning, which was nice. It was weird to not smell that musty smell, it kind of smells clean now! I am sure that will not last. 2. The sound system is much better! It is weird to actually hear all the music and dialogue. 3. The Captain Jacks are all pretty lifelike and look like Johnny Depp. I did think some of their movements were strange though. 4. The Davy Jones thing is cool! People were really impressed by it. 5. Captain Barbossa is the one thing I don’t care about. Is he really that popular to need to be included? 6. There are tons of bottles and things in the water now as props. 7. Everyone is taking tons of flash pictures on the ride. It was really annoying, but since everyone is doing it, you kind of have to get over it. I hope that eventually ends. 8. Overall, I was pleased with everything and I think that the additions were well done and do not take away from the appeal of the ride. We then decided to try the new Café Orleans table service restaurant. There was no wait and we got right in. This restaurant closes at 8:30, which is completely ridiculous as all the eateries were totally impacted at this time! The food was good, but expensive. I guess that is expected at Disney. The most annoying thing was the 4 dollar fee to split the Monte Cristo! All in all, a decent dinner though. We went on Haunted Mansion after a 5 minute wait. Nothing much to report here. They do have the new bride, which I like and the creepy skeleton face in the séance room. I begged my friend to go watch the fireworks and she begrudgingly obliged. I love the fireworks and almost cry everytime! I haven’t seen them in forever so it was nice to watch! We were on the hub near Tomorrowland waiting and they made everyone stand up 15 minutes before they started. People were majorly ticked off! I have yet to figure out where you can stand and where you must sit. They allowed the people in the section behind us to sit, but made us stand. Weird. We had FastPasses for Indy and headed over there. The ride was really bumpy! I swear I almost came out of my shirt! I have never felt like that before. Our entire car noticed it and I was actually glad when it was over. We had wanted to go on Pirates again, but it was extremely crowded and stuffy in Adventureland and I needed stuff from Sephora, so we headed out. It was a pretty good night. The weather was perfect, if a little warm in the crowded areas. The crowds were heavy, but manageable. The stores and lines for food were ridiculous though at times. Pirates is great! I am so glad to see that Disneyland appears to be heading in the right direction! Here are a few pics: We ended the night with me unsuccessfully trying to whore myself out in order to get into Club 33. When I have kids we will start a stroller gang. Here is where we will meet and what sign we will throw. This is how I would look drinking Diet Coke with a partial-grill. This is how your check looks when yu have to pay 4 dollars for them to throw half your Monte Cristo on another plate. I am not cheap, but come on. This is half of the Monte Cristo. These are the fancy 5 dollar fries they serve at Cafe Orleans. This is how we felt about the ride! I have changed greatly since POTC closed, I have my Master's and have paid off my Orlando trip! I think this is a new chain. It really adds to the ride. I am sure Walt would be glad to see it. Was this paint scratch here before? This is the drummer I spoke of.

I firmly believe that Dinosaur is one of the scariest rides in Orlando! I don't know why, but I am a complete chicken when I am on it. I had to vote for Spiderman. It is unique and disorienting.

My friends and I saw Nacho Libre on Saturday and thought it was pretty good. It was WAY better than I was expecting. I think if you like mroe of the comedy Jack Black uses in his stand-up, you will like this movie.

My friends and I have recently started doing myspace. I am careful not to post personal information on there and you can easily hide your profile. My 10 year high school reunion is this year and it has been a great way to catch up with some people! Myspace, like anything else, is just something you need to use with caution.

What is this Dance 360 you speak of? BTW - My friends and I just watched you try to climb across the monkey bars in the Europe trip on the TPR videos I just got!

Has anybody else seen this show on Fuse? My friends and I think it is the most random and hilarious show! People basically pick a video and then dance while taking off their clothes. You vote on the best one. The people are from various age groups and backgrounds. They ask them questions and do some commentary. The best was the girl that did her "routine" with a unicorn head on the entire time.

Wow! You guys did everything! Even Roscoe's!!! What a fun trip, thanks for the whirlwind trip report!

Old school style Legend of Zelda on my Gameboy.

Is there a thread for cutest coaster?, because I would vote for Shamu Express! That train is the cutest thing!

I am going to have to go with Manhattan Express, I rode it 4 years ago and vowed to NEVER get back on that death machine ever again. I felt like warning people in line about how bad it was. Ghostrider has gotten pretty bad too. This was my favorite ride at KBF when it first cam out, but last year when I rode it, it was so rough that I seriously thought I was going to bounce out of my shirt. I actually physically checked myself because it was so bad.

Great trip report! Tokyo Disney always looks so crowded to me in pictures. I still want to go though! Thanks for taking the time to share!

Florida's Mummy is so awesome! The entire ride is just plain fun! Did you go on Dragons? I love sitting in the front on Fire! I am glad they are painting them! This makes me sad that we are just sticking to WDW on our September trip. Oh well, there is always next year!

Cool trip report! This makes me want to go to Japan so bad!!! Maybe next year!

Diet Coke, althought I do sometimes drink Dr. Pepper when I am feeling frisky.

Well, speaking of reinventing, the new Haunted Mansion attic effects started yesterday afternoon. We rode it 3 times because there is a lot to look at. I think it is pretty cool, the bride is impressive and the storyline is cool. I did not take any pictures because I really beleive they would not do it justice. That said, I think that they did a pretty good job and people will be pleased. I would rather have brand new attractions for Disneyland, but at least this is something.

I have been on both a couple of times over the last 2 years and I like both of them, I will admit that I like the WDW version slightly more. I think that the 5th dimension part is dumb and the drops are much more surpising at DCA since that part is missing. I think that the drops are what makes this ride so fun. I would give TOT at DCA a 9 and TOT at WDW a 9.5.

I was forced to take my cousin to Raging Waters last summer, as we live about 10 minutes from it. The best thing is, as with most parks, to get there right when it opens. We were able to do so much before the park got too crowded. It was fun, but it is kind dirty and there are teenagers everywhere. I went to Typhoon Lagoon this December and couldn't believe how much better it was! Have fun though!

I am glad you guys are there and looking forward to all of the trip reports! I would love to know what you guys think of the crowds. It sounds based on your original post that they aren't that bad. We are trying to decide when to go next year. Thanks! Have fun!

I drove my 1 year old Explorer down to Ensenada from San Diego through Tijuana last November and had no problems. I bought special insurance from AAA and was fine. It was Thanksgiving weekend and on Sunday morning at about 10 it took us 45 minutes to cross the border. I was extremely nervous about doing this, but had absolutely no problems. I drove all over Ensenada and was fine and felt safe. I say go for it!

That map made me miss old Knott's!!! Ahhhh, the good old days.

It really is almost heartbreaking to think about how bad Knott's has gotten. I remember growing up each year we traded off between Knott's and Disneyland and I can't imagine it being that way now. My family loved walking past the missions, riding the Soapbox Car Racers, the parachutes, Haunted Shack, Knott's Berry Tales, shows at the Birdcage (one of my favorite pictures of my brother and I was taken at the Birdcage), the robbers on both the stagecoach and the train that actually cared about their jobs and got into it and the general atmosphere and attitude there. I took my 10 year old cousin there this year and while she loved the rides like Silver Bullet and Montezuma's, she still liked Disneyland WAY better. I don't know if this would have been true for her 15 years ago. They really need to do something there. They can start with hiring competent people that care about what they are doing, paying them well, cleaning up the place, emptying trash cans, and making family friendly rides. I feel crazy, like I am getting all emotional about an amusement park; but it really is a place I have fond memories of. I probably won't bring my family there until they are much older.