RaptorBoyASU Posted May 14, 2007 Posted May 14, 2007 So Jeff wanted to head out to Disneyland on Saturday, and since we hadn't been in a couple weeks, I (Kyle) thought it sounded like a great plan. We ended up staying longer than we have since the first weekend we had our passes, a little over 12 hours. We tend to go on Sundays because the crowds are a bit lighter, so I was leery of heading out there on a Saturday in May, but I figured that if the lines were too crazy, we could at least spend some time checking out the Food & Wine festival at DCA. Imagine my surprise to find nearly no lines at the parking structure. We got on the first tram that pulled up as well. I still figured it was just the time we were arriving (11am), and it would be packed once we got closer to the gate, but we were greeted by this sight at the entrance plaza. Kick ass, a Saturday at Disneyland where we might actually get on some major attractions. Jeff was very pleased. Well, either that or his need to urinate meant he was doing whatever he could to get me to take the goddamn picture and let him get through to the bathroom. Ahhh.........much better 2 things I'd never seen on Main Street before....... Ugly brown tarps And the garage door on Penny Arcade closed And something I see every time on Main Street, the Dapper Dans (do they ever get a break?) We made it all the way down Main Street U.S.A. without having to push or shove past one person........amazing, now we're both happy. First order of business........getting a FastPass for Space Mountain. We were both quite excited to ride the good version again, without that craptastic Red Hot Chili Peppers overlay. When we arrived at the entrance, the FastPass times were blanked out. Bummer the ride is closed. WAIT, why is everyone running towards Space Mountain right now? Oh, because they just reopened. Kick Ass. We waited a whole 10 minutes (even though they had the sign set up to say 30 minutes). IT WAS KICK ASS! It was running well, and the ride is SO much better in the dark. Well we were getting hungry, so it was off to find food. We settled on Club Buzz in Tomorrowland. I wasn't in the mood for a burger, and I wanted chicken, and it's one of the few places in the park that offers both. The chicken was fairly good, much better than the bland burgers they serve around the park. OK, now what? Since we go to the park often, we decided we should try to hit the rides we don't normally ride. We came up with our list, and which of those neither of us like, and decided on Alice. It's probably my favorite Fantasyland dark ride, but the line has been so long each time we went that we skipped it. Today was no different. The line was long, but Jeff promised me good people watching, so we got in line anyways. Look.........pretty teacups I'm so vain, I probably think this PTR is about me..... Hey, look over there, what's with the cameras? OMG, it's Joey Fatone (or as I always say, Joey Fat One) He was there with his Dancing with the Stars partner, Kym Johnson They had a film crew following them around, and I figured it was probably some promotional tie-in with the show, since Dancing with the Stars is an ABC production. We watched them ride the teacups twice so that the film crew could the shots they needed. It was interesting watching how much of a crowd they drew around the teacups. Oooh, our turn to ride Alice, enough with celebrity circus.... Follow the white rabbit's tracks GD Jeff, would it kill you to give a real smile instead of that fake ass one all the time. It's not even a good fake smile. You can get some good shots of the Matterhorn when you come out of the ride up top. Ohhh........they're filming their dance here today. We stood around a while waiting to watch, but it was taking forever, and they had already prepped the audience that they'd have to shoot things quite a few times. A former boy band member is not enough reason for me to stay and watch. What now??? Let's hit DCA and see what they have going on for Food & Wine. The banner on the entrance. And in case you can't make it out...... So we grabbed a few fastpasses for Grizzly River Run, and headed over to Pacific Wharf to find a schedule for the food events. We walked up just in time for a beer tasting. There was a young guy from Karl Strauss explaining the brewing process. After his talk, we got to sample 4 of Karl Strauss' beers. From left to right: Endless Sumer Light, Amber Lager, WindandSea Hefeweizen, and Stargazer I.P.A. Jeff liked the Stargazer so much, he bought some more (Actually, the beer is what allowed me to check out some more of the F&W stuff later, it was an easy bribe) I decided that I needed a grilled artichoke and a Hefeweizen for myself to pass the time. The aioli on the artichoke was SO AWESOME. I also decided that we needed to go to a cooking demonstration on Saffron after seeing how engaging the wine demo we passed earlier looked. Hmmm......the guy we got was a lot less prepared and personable. And he made a rather boring dish with the saffron, a mardi gras paella. Saffron in Paella, could we get any more predictable. It wasn't really anything I couldn't have thrown together myself. It was fairly tasty at least. (w00t for free samples) Oh well, time to use our fastpasses. Jeff had never been on Grizzly River Run because of his allergy with chlorine. But he really wanted to ride it, and figured if he itched the rest of the day, it would be ok. Well luckily, he didnt' get wet enough to find out if it was an issue or not. We got a really good ride too, lots of spinning. At this point I needed to dry off, so we headed to yet another ride we tend to skip, the Orange Zinger. Wee......themed swings. We also got a ride on California Screamin at some point in there, and hit Tower of Terror on the way out of the park (20 min wait for Screamin, about 10 for ToT) We entered back into Disneyland just as the parade was making its way through. Hmmm........this would be a perfect time to grab dinner while the crowds are distracted by singing and dancing characters. So off to Plaza Inn for a roast beef dinner, complete with beans, mashed taters, and a biscuit. Oh and I also picked up a chocolate dessert for Jeff and I to split. As we were searching out a bathroom that wasn't crowded, we happened to see that The Disney Gallery was open. For those of you that haven't been, it's an art gallery (with prints for sale) located above Pirates in what would have been Walt's apartment if he had lived a bit longer. It's a really cool setting, but I was too entranced by the art, and forgot to snap a picture. Next time I guess. You can also do some great people watching from the balcony. The whole area around Pirates is torn up right now for the POTC world premiere. So we didn't stay real long. What else haven't we been on since we started coming to Disneyland together.........oh yah, Autopia. One hour wait, but the fastpasses were for 1:30 later, so we grabbed a couple, and continued walking. I decided that I wanted to ride the Matterhorn, even though the line appeared long (because only one side of the line was open for both sides of the Matterhorn). About 10-15 minutes later we were bording the right side of Matterhorn. I argued that it was a ride we hadn't been on together, since we always ride the left side (the side with Dolly's Dip). The right side is less exciting in terms of quick drops and side to side turns, but it does a lot more twists and turns in the mountain itself. When our ride was complete, they transferred us over to the transfer track area to avoid a set up. We waited there for a few minutes for them to clear out, and then they told us we could ride again if we wanted. So we agreed. Right as we were pulling up to the ready area, we got pulled onto the transfer track again. This time, they were having issues getting a seat belt buckled in the train getting ready to enter the mountain, so they had to pull us off again to avoid a set up. A few trains later, and we were back on the track. It started out as a normal ride, and then at the 2nd set of brakes after the lift, we came to a sudden stop. Then the lights came on and they made an announcement that someone would be by shortly. I figured it was a set-up (which they had twice narrowly avoided) and we'd be on our way soon. Then we heard a voice come on over the loudspeakers to tell the guests in line that it would be 45 minutes until Matterhorn reopened. Wow, I didn't know clearing a set-up was so complex on the ride. So while we waited, I snapped a few pictures. Jeff wonders how long we'll be stuck up here Me happy that I got stopped on Matterhorn The view of Space Mountain from where we were stopped. About 5 minutes after we heard the announcement, 3 cast members showed up. They told us to undo our seatbelts, as we'd have to walk down off the mountain (and I was told I couldn't take pictures.....sorry). We walked alongside the track for a ways, then stepped through the other side's track and into the mountain itself. It was very ugly with lots of blown fiberglass everywhere. Kind of like a giant warehouse in atmosphere. We walked down through the ride, through the electrical room, and finally came out where we got on. Not only did I get a walk-down on Matterhorn, but we got a re-ad to use later as well. Well, by the time this was all over, it was time to use our Autopia Fastpass. I love the offroading section and the "Car Park". My car stalled on the last little uphill section. I thought I was going to have to call for help, but letting go of the pedal and pushing it again got the car re-started. WHEW Afterwards, we headed to Main Street to watch the Fireworks, which Jeff had somehow not seen since they were changed for the 50th. It was as good as ever. I love this show. Afterwards, we used our re-ad to get on Space Mountain (which was up to a 75 minute wait, so glad we only had to wait 10). We decided to do some shopping on Main Street, and then ride the Monorail out to Downtown Disney. Of course we got sidetracked by a super short line for the teacups. UGH, Jeff, I'm so over this refusal to do a natural smile. It's ok..........I know that in a minute once we start spinning, that it will be super easy to get a natural smile pic. I love the colors on this ride at night. Hmm..........how'd I know. I knew his inner child would come pouring out once we got spinning. We didn't find anything we wanted to buy on Main Street, so we boarded the monorail, and headed back to our car. It was probably the best day at Disneyland I've had since we bought our Annual Passes.
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