Photo TR: Jason's California Adventure

[printersdevil78]

Our final two days of the trip were all Disney, all the time! While I park-hopped a couple times from Disneyland to Disney's California Adventure, I've chosen, at least for this day, to divide my TR by park instead of trying to worry about the timeline, so if it's daytime in one photo and nighttime in the next... that's why. Enjoy!

Fortunately, these friendly triceratopses helped point us in the right direction, and we ended up back at the Carousel Hotel by 12:30 a.m.

 

Next stop: My morning and evening at Disney's California Adventure.

And now we're lost in time. That's just great.

Dang it! He did; he took a detour into the Grand Canyon.

I sure hope the engineer doesn't take the long way...

Time to take the train back home.

While in Tomorrowland, I also made some time to take night shots of a couple attractions I didn't ride this time around.

...and then hoofed it over to Tomorrowland to use this one.

Throughout the day, I had made a point of picking up Fastpasses to some of my favorite attractions, knowing Saturday evening would bring long lines. I cashed one of them in on Indiana Jones Adventure...

...just in time to see Swingtown play its last number of the evening. Weekly (sometimes nightly?) open-air swing dancing is another one of those Disney things that you're just not going to find at most other parks.

After the Tiki show, I strolled over to here...

This is the only interior shot I took of the attraction that came out. Prior to the start of the show, we heard a hilarious Tiki-based spiel about how "flashy-flashy" was not allowed, but "munchy-munchy" and "drinky-drinky" were as long as we promised to take all empty items outside where we would find "tiki trash can." It was so well done that I honestly thought to myself, "That's an awesome new recording." Turned out it was something even better... Maynard! For the better part of a decade I've been reading rave reviews about cast member Maynard on Disneyland message boards, but in all my visits to the park, I never got to experience his antics first-hand. It's pretty fitting that my first Maynard encounter was during a TPR trip.

I haven't yet made it to Hawaii, but it's the only place in the world I can imagine that pineapple juice might taste better than at the Tiki Room! I make it a point to get a glass every time I go.

We see you, Tangaroa!

Absolutely no trip to Disneyland is complete without a visit to Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room.

Hey... didn't I see you in America Sings?

"I say, these dark conditions sure do make me hard to photograph."

Looks like R2 had Tortilla Jo's for lunch, too!

By mid-afternoon it was getting pretty hot, so I walked back to the hotel to lock up the world's most expensive mouse ears in the room safe and stayed there for a little while to cool off before heading back to California Adventure. I stayed there until closing, then made my way with the masses across the Esplanade back to Disneyland. The park was pretty crowded by that point, so I sought out some lower-capacity rides I still hadn't done on this trip, starting with Star Tours.

I was almost out of space on the disc I had with me by the time we sat down for food, so lunch pictures are in short supply... but here's one! You'd think Jon really liked tacos; in reality, he's just happy they let him keep his sunglasses out in the restaurant.

This was the menu for the afternoon.

Thank goodness lunch at Tortilla Jo's in Downtown Disney was included in the trip cost. Otherwise, I may have had to beg for scraps outside Redd Rockett's Pizza Port after the fleecing I took at the hat shop!

At those prices, Georgie Russell must have cleaned up after Davy Crockett died at the Alamo!

OK, this was the one low point of my Disneyland experience this time around. The last time I bought Mickey Mouse ears at Disneyland was during the 50th anniversary in 2005, and they were $6 (I even still have the receipt). I had decided I wanted to get a pair for Lauryn. Only now that they have this "Make Your Own Ear Hat" racket going, an embroidered black, normal pair of children's-size Mickey Mouse ears, with name embroidery (which was free for the first 50 years or more of the park's history) is... $17 with tax! I almost fell over when the lady at the register told me that (no price tags on the hats anymore, either)!

 

To make matters worse, there were about 85,000 people in the hat shop on Main Street in the middle of the day when I went to get mine, including a wedding party of approximately 84,000--who were ALL getting hats with two lines of embroidery each. Doesn't seem too bad... until you realize that the shop has only THREE embroidering machines. It took me just over 30 minutes to get mine, then when it was done, the lady more or less threw it at me. I asked for a bag, and she replied, "Excuse me?" I said, "A bag so I can carry the ears. Or do you charge extra for that now, too?" Somehow, I doubt I looked enough like a "Lauryn" for her to think I'd planned on wearing the child-sized ears out of the store....

"...just like they've done for the past 50 years!"

"Look at those hippos, they're wiggling their ears..."

OK, is it just me, or was everyone else silently humming Weird Al's "Skipper Dan" during their Jungle Cruise excursions?

Following a couple hours' visit to California Adventure, I returned to Disneyland just in time to find this inviting scene.

Then I found Goofy on my way out of the park. I'm not sure, but it doesn't seem like the characters are as prevalent in the park as they were during my one visit here as a kid... but that was nearly two decades ago, so I'm probably just misremembering.

Back on Main Street, I snapped a quick Emporium window photo of Ariel for Lauryn.

It was a good pancake--not spectacular and definitely not worth $7... but once again, I decided to splurge with some of my Disney Visa Reward points. While in line, I saw about half of all the TPRers on the trip inside the restaurant. Disney really should have kicked a percentage of that day's pancake sales to Elissa--we were all there thanks to her recommendation that they were not to be missed!

And just what was I on a quest for? Mickey Mouse pancakes, of course! It took a bit of searching, but I finally found the one restaurant in the park that sold them: River Belle Terrace.

This day, however, I was on a mission, and having no time to dally waiting for a less-full fire truck, I hopped aboard my second-favorite Main Street vehicle: the horse trolley.

The fire truck has long been my favorite Main Street vehicle thanks to two interesting stories: I once read that when it was built, instead of hauling it from the manufacturing shop to the park via flatbed, one of the Imagineers (I want to say Bob Gurr, but I'm not 100 percent sure) insisted on driving it to Disneyland himself. He had to take back roads and residential streets instead of the freeway because there was a speed governor on the engine, and the truck wasn't exactly legal for public roads as it was. At one point while on a residential street, a little boy is alleged to have shouted to the driver, "Mister, by the time you get there, it'll have burned down!" (Granted, that entire story is probably as fabricated as the vehicle itself--but it's still fun!)

 

The second story, told to me by a cast member driving the vehicle several years ago, who gave me a solo ride up Main Street, is that the last official photo of Walt Disney taken at Disneyland before his death in 1966 was shot in front of the fire truck.

I almost forgot they had re-opened the walk-through in Sleeping Beauty Castle! It was a cute little distraction, and I enjoyed it especially since I'd never gotten to go up into the building before it closed in 2001... but now that I've seen it, I don't think I'll need to see it again.

Isn't that sweet? They let the "special" kids ride without their chaperones! (Also, check out the "Vekoma brace position" going on behind them.)

Dang it, TPR members, stop following me!

By the time I got out of Tomorrowland, the park was open and it was time to make my way over for a no-wait journey on the wildest ride in the wiiiiiiiiilderness! (R.I.P. Dallas McKennon.)

Noted!

The Moonliner has always rocked... even if its latest incarnation is a shill for delicious, refreshing Coca-Cola instead of TWA or McDonnell-Douglas.

Hooray for Tomorrowland Terrace! R.I.P., Club Buzz.

Again for the Disney history nerds (and Beamerboy): Submarines, a monorail and the Matterhorn all in the same shot, under a pipe marked "TL59."

Disney's artists are so accomplished, they can even make fake bird poop look real!

"Hey, Elissa, next time instead of chartering a bus, can you get us one of these?"

Time for one more Extra Magic Hour ride. Let's make it the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage!

"Grrr! Harold want curry-flavored popcorn!"

I found some familiar faces while re-conquering the Matterhorn during the Extra Magic Hour.

For Disney nerds only: This is the original ticket booth built in 1958 for the Alice in Wonderland attraction, back when individual tickets were required for each ride at Disneyland.

Prince Eric's ship, pre-Ursula.

Wow, two Toad Halls in one hour!

First up: Prince Ali's palace.

It's OK; Monstro swallows.

Each year at Disneyland I try to do something I've never done before. Thanks to the lack of line during the Extra Magic Hour, I was able to take my inaugural ride on the Storybook Land Canal Boats.

Yeah, Dumbo's OK... but I'd really would have liked to have taken that empty beverage cart through a body surfing adventure in Fantasyland!

As an added bonus, they were filming an episode of "Little People, Big World" in the park that day!

"Excuse me, little boy, but I dropped a gumball in my pants. Can you help me find it?"

It's the cow that makes it "daring."

Psh. Common red car. I got to sit in a gold one during the 50th anniversary!

Two people in line in front of me for Mr. Toad? That will never do. I hope they all go to he**! (For the uninitiated, the joke is that the attraction literally ends with a ride through he**!)

"Holy crap! Look at those TPR fatties run!"

Without Extra Magic Hour: 60-minute wait. With Extra Magic Hour: Depends on how fast you can run through the empty cue.

The trees were so excited about the Extra Magic Hour that they temporarily reshaped into cube formations!

Speaking of amazing crowd-free shots....

This is about as crowded as it got during the Extra Magic Hour... and half the people in this photo are TPR members!

OMG, the gates are opening!

We got to choose one Extra Magic Hour morning during our final weekend. Most of us picked Saturday since we were told Sunday would be extra crowded with Annual Passholders. The early entry provided me with some crowd-free shots I never before would have though possible at Disneyland (the magic of TPR strikes again).

Most of us got to wake up to this view from our hotel rooms during the final three mornings of the trip. Not a bad way to start the day!

[BelizeIt]

Great ongoing trip report!

 

I agree with you about the Cafe Orleans 'Pomme Frites'. Whenever I visit the park (which is often) I always stop by for a basket of them, with an extra side of sauce.

 

Hopefully Lauryn enjoyed her Mickey Ears. (especially considering that everytime she wears them in your presence, may cause you to involuntary scowl a bit)

[BeemerBoy]

I've seen dozens of DL trip reports, but for some reason yours really made me miss the place. We really need to get back there!

 

Oh, and bonus points for the monorail pic, as always.

[printersdevil78]

Since I just signed up for a 2010 TPR trip (wish me luck if UK goes to a lottery), it's probably high time I start wrapping up my 2009 TPR trip TR! Same disclaimer as before on this one: since I split my second-to-last day based on parks and not timeline, things tend to shift from daytime to nighttime pretty quickly. Just relax, and it will all work out....

Because I needed to get to my private meet 'n' greet event!

Following a few hours at Disneyland (thanks again for that Extra Magic Hour, TPR!), I hopped on over to Disney's California Adventure as soon as the park opened. Why?

It's basically a "preview center" of all the things they're doing to fix DCA.

This was, by a wide margin, the most exciting attraction at the Disneyland Resort. I'd been waiting to go inside here since it opened.

Actually, it was a little more private than I thought! When I went to pick up my picture, it took three store clerks 20 minutes to figure out how to ring it up. One of them said he'd worked there nearly every day for over a year and had never seen anyone cash in this particular voucher during that time.

I love this float! Ironically, Elliot is probably better known today as a float in the Electrical Parade than for the movie, "Pete's Dragon," in which he starred! I have an original 1977 one-sheet from that film in my collection, as well....

 

Next up: One final day at Disneyland (with 65,000 of my closest friends)!

I have in my collection a parade-used bulb from the 1996 season. (They were packaged in commemorative display boxes after the final procession and sold for charity.) I wonder which float it came from.

Fortunately, I did still manage a handful of decent shots.

My main reason for lingering in DCA during the evening hours was to catch the nightly performance of Disney's (former Main Street) Electrical Parade, which didn't exactly "glow away forever" as the publicity for the 1996 season said it would. Unfortunately, this was my view during most of the parade. (Note: I was there before 99 percent of these people.)

I spy at least five things wrong with this painting.

When in doubt, neon is always the way to go.

You know, they really shouldn't just leave those lying around like that....

Best line of this show: "It's called 'A Salute to All Nations, But Mostly America.'" It kind of reminds me of a Christmas parade committee I sat on several years ago, when I suggested the theme be "Holidays Around the World" and was promptly told that it was a "Christmas" parade, not a "holiday" parade, so the theme would have to be "Christmas Around the World." I pointed out that a good portion of the world doesn't actually celebrate Christmas. There was a long pause, then finally someone said, "Um, it's Christmas. Everyone celebrates Christmas!" Sigh.

This is another ride that I absolutely love, but nearly everyone else thinks it's crap. More on this during my second day at DCA.

I like how they included half the Roosevelt Hotel's sign in the background--and even made it a point to light it in neon! I saw the real thing two weeks prior, you know....

I was really pleased with how this one came out. All my other trips to DCA have been in November and December, so this was my first chance to see the elephants not holding wreaths!

As much as I love Disney and as much as I love Pixar, there's not really much I love at all about this land, oddly enough. Still, it makes for a good photo.

"Fun in the Sun for Everyone" doesn't really cut it as a slogan after dark... but it's still pretty!

The Fun Wheel's light show was very, very cool. Between that and the Ferris wheel at Pacific Park, I dare say I got to see two of the most technologically illuminated Ferris wheels in the United States on this trip.

If only all parks looked this good at night....

Another inaugural DCA attraction scheduled to go away in name if not in structure... though I guess being an "original" DCA attraction from eight years ago doesn't exactly have the same prestige as being an "original" Disneyland attraction dating back over half a century.

Two bees... yet the Orange Stinger is "not to be!"

Seeing the Maliboomer in action was kind of like visiting a friend who just got a bad diagnosis: You know it's not going to last much longer, and you just don't know what to say.

Much like the Caterpillar and the Tumble Bug, this ride was once ubiquitous at American amusement parks, but almost none (and maybe absolutely none) of the originals are left.

I love me some Golden Zephyr.

Two signs, one shot.

Somehow, the Screamin' cars didn't fit in that well with the Victorian design the new Paradise Pier seems to be going for.

This was one of my favorite shots of the trip.

Now comes the time of the evening when I went around taking various shots of the park lit up at night. If these types of shots make you uncomfortable, I suggest you go edit something on Wikipedia until you get over it.

Flash forward to the evening hours: I couldn't leave the Disneyland Resort without ingesting at least one churro, could I? (Minor rant: What ever happened to the flavored churros and dipping sauces? The first time I visited DCA in 2002, they had strawberry (too sweet) and apple-cinnamon churros (very tasty) with the option to purchase little containers of chocolate or caramel dipping sauce. It was a magical era for churros, and I, for one, would hail its return.)

I had to get in one shot to represent the very best attraction at DCA. And yes, being a single rider does indeed rock.

"Unfortunately, due to recent state budget cuts, all performing arts programs have been eliminated until further notice. You may all now go back to math class."

Fun fact: I walked through the real Pioneer Zephyr, the train on which this design was based, at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry earlier this year.

Obligatory "Cars" shot. Because, you know, "Cars" is the greatest freakin' Pixar movie ever! Seriously, I have all the Mattel die-cast vehicles. Even the ones that were recalled for lead paint.

Oh no! Green army men are storming the Rosie O'Donnell bread factory!

Hey ladies... check out my big tortilla!

This is Pedro. His job is to make sure the little dough balls don't roll off the belt. And if they do, he's authorized to pick them up, blow on them, declare "five-second rule" and put them back on the belt. If you watched the little presentation before you went into the factory, you'd know that.

This is another one of those attractions that I love, but no one else seems to think is all that worthwhile.

You know, I really don't want to be the DCA grammar police or anything, but yeah, the correct wording is "tastier"....

I won a bunny! (Fun fact: My bunny later ran away because I wouldn't let him help with my show, but Sweetums found him for me so we could light the fireworks.)

So yeah, it's kind of Honey I Shrunk the Audience and Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters had a night of wild, crazy sex, had a baby and named it Toy Story Midway Mania. And then the baby grew up, discovered a cure for cancer and posed for Playboy. It's that good! (Note: This may be the only caption in the history of the world where "Honey I Shrunk the Audience" and "good" have ever been mentioned together.)

Speaking of Red Dawn awesome, here's Mr. Potato Head! They could have put this out in the middle of the park with no attraction link whatsoever, and it would have held my attention for a good half hour.

When I first heard about this attraction, I was like, "Great, another screen-based 3-D attraction. Let's turn out the lights, sprinkle some water and call it a day." But now that I've had a chance to ride it... honestly, this thing is all kinds of Red Dawn awesome!

And I really like this a lot better with the Paradise Pier logo instead of the mouse ears, again no idea why.

I can't really put my finger on why, but this looks 1,000 times cooler than the old "smiling sun" graphic.

More Mermaid for Lauryn!

Wow, it almost looks like someone put the Orange Stinger in a juicer!

I love this map. It's an homage to the original 1958 Disneyland souvenir map, a framed reproduction of which hung over my bed for several years at my first apartment.

The construction walls throughout DCA also featured "coming attraction" promos.

Hmm... didn't turn out half bad! (By the way, remember during the second set of photos from this marathon TR, when I said you'd see the elephants from the Hollywood and Highland Center again? Well here you go!)

Now what could they be building here?

This, for my money, was the coolest thing in the Blue Sky Cellar.

Idlewild flashbacks!

Speaking of Tomorrowland, does this model remind anyone else of Tomorrowland '58 or so? Maybe it's just me, but I think all it needs is a bunch of flagpoles where the fountain is and a Timex Clock of the World in place of the Golden Dreams Theater, and we'd be in business!

Tomorrowland's newest attraction: Honey, I Shrunk Paradise Pier.

Another Little Mermaid shot for Lauryn--I'm going to make a collage of them for her for Christmas. Also: the Little Mermaid ride is going to rock!

While I thought the Orange Swinger was kind of neat, I'm all for the Silly Symphony Swings, too.

The World of Color fountain show is going to be amazing! (The Mayans foretold it.)

[the ghost]

I like the monsters inc ride a lot also. In fact, it is good. Its right after toad, roger rabbit, and buzz, and obviously Indy. I prefer it to snow white, Pinocchio, or peter pan(most over rated name ever)

[Jds03]

 

Donald is wearing pants.

[hansrubens]

^

 

Yeah that's so stupid Donald never wear pants except when he swims. !!!

 

See that's just stupid.

 

---Hans

[printersdevil78]

A huge Halloween project has left me with little extra time in the past couple weeks (fashionably late TR coming soon to the "Random, Random, Random" board), but now that that's over, it's about time to bring this TR to its thrilling conclusion nearly three months after the fact! Enjoy!

Goodnight, Disneyland! And goodbye for another year, TPR! June 2011 can't come soon enough!

And then after Pirates, we headed over to Space Mountain for a midnight blastoff, our final ride of the trip.

My favorite guest line overheard on Pirates is still from a guy whose teenage friends were making the loud, obnoxious noises teenagers do during the dark part of the ride back in the early 2000s: "If you don't shut up and behave, we're turning this boat around and going straight home!" However, what I one observant 5-year-old behind me said as I snapped this picture wasn't bad, either: "Mommy, that treasure's not old. It doesn't even have any dust on it!"

From "Fantasmic!" Mike and I ran over for one last ride on Pirates of the Caribbean (and floated past a virtually desserted Blue Bayou).

One last Ariel picture for Lauryn!

Giant penguins ride steamboats in my dreams, too.

When Mickey imagines he sees a fire truck, he gets out of the way. Because it's not going to the movies.

There was supposed to be an unofficial TPR meet-up (which may or may not have been canceled due to the lack of dragon), but Mike Moody and I never found it, so we made our own spot along the Rivers of America near the landing for the Tom Sawyer Island rafts.

...to see "Fantasmic!"

As dinner and the awards drew to a close, no one wanted to leave. However, a couple of us had plans...

And the winner gets... his eyes poked out by William! Plus a $60 Disney gift card.

The winning team, "Brits Plus Josh" (OK, that probably wasn't their real team name, but close enough), got some ridiculously high score. Out of the 82 billion questions in the scavenger hunt booklet, they missed only six or so.

This is William, creator of the awesome TPR Disneyland scavenger hunt (which I opted out of since I detest scavenger hunts--though I did help out a couple teams who were participating, and unlike those I've done in the past, it did actually almost kind of border on fun).

Bas won the brass ring from Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk by filling his entire Elissa Bingo card... but only after he allegedly bribed Jenn so he could get his "Elissa Bingo Creator Gets a Boob Credit" square!

Mike seemed just a little *too* proud of his "Elissa Fanboy Award"!

Natalie was pretty much a lock for "Biggest Credit Whore."

And then it was time for Scott's annual TPR Pointless Awards (or as he put it, "Don't be offended if you don't win one... because believe me, you don't want to!"). Mike Austin won the "Person Most In Need of Being Tasered" Award. The people have spoken.

...a TPR art print from Sea World (which simultaneously made him two feet smaller and about 30 percent blurrier)!

After dinner, Roxy and Josh presented Robb with a small token of the tour group's appreciation...

I was amazed there was this much cannoli left over. The dessert was great, but oh man... too much food!

My dinner company for the evening.

The ravioli was meh, but the penne was amazing!

Our farewell menu (which once again included alcohol).

Frankfurters forever!

"Yes, Neil, we all know TPR is No. 1. Now calm down before you scare away our waiter!"

Naked babies with sunglasses always make trip reports better.

Finally, it was time for the saddest part of the trip: the farewell dinner.

This reminds me of the old "100 Years of Magic" parade.

OK, I'm confused... is this the world of laughter or the world of tears?

I didn't know the Department of Homeland Security had an exhibit at Disneyland!

Did you ever get the feeling you were being watched?

After a couple hours' rest back at the hotel, I made my way to Downtown Disney.

Boy, I would have liked to have been able to attend this. All the reports I later read about it sounded amazing.

...but ultimately, this was nothing more than an outdoor shopping mall. I left disappointed.

These historic murals were nice...

I had been reading a lot of good things about the Anaheim Garden Walk.

The Anaheim Walk of Fame hadn't grown much since I was last there in 2007. Personally, I think the city should join forces with Azusa and Cucamonga and dedicate a star to Jack Benny (Jeff Johnson may be the only person on this board old enough to actually get that joke.)

By that point in the afternoon, temperatures were scalding and the crowd was getting ridiculous, so I decided to leave the park for awhile and check out some off-property attractions.

"See all those people, Mickey? They're all here to pay us obscene amounts of money!"

Ever wonder what Walt's pointing to?

It's always nice to spend a little time in Snow White Grotto.

Now we know where the Partridge Family sents its rejected stage costumes.

So here's an idea: Let's theme a kiddie coaster after a supporting character on a short-lived animated show about what would happen if Chip 'n' Dale ran a detective agency. and then see if kids have any clue what we're talking about nearly 20 years after it goes off the air!

Bet you can't guess who lives here! (If you said Gyro Gearloose, you're wrong.)

I think I vaguely remember reading an article once about a crazy woman who, professing her undying passion for Chip 'n' Dale, tried to move in here once. Disneyland security held her until Robb came and paid bail.

Featuring Benny's brother, Lenny! (No, really....)

Hollywood's is better.

Hey, these guys don't look like 'toons!

From there I paid a visit to an area of the park I don't have much interest in, but wanted to get some pictures for Lauryn: Mickey's Toontown.

...but the Bengal Beef skewer! I swear, if someone slathered themselves with the sauce they use on this thing, I would turn cannibal, no questions asked!

No, not the Mickey pretzel...

I braved the worst bottleneck at the park to spend my final Disney Visa Reward points on one last must-eat item....

Eventually I had to make my way back into the masses of the park, but not before snapping a nice shot of the "Columbia" doing its thing on the Rivers of America.

Even with the jam-packed crowds in the park, I sat in the alleyway reading and sipping by myself for an hour. A few feet away, these guys played nearly the entire time. It was almost as if they were my personal accompanists.

Step Three: Admire the uncrowded scenery as the masses mindlessly jockey for position on the walkway between Pirates and Haunted Mansion 20 feet behind you.

Step Two: Take your pick of vacant tables and benches near the always-empty Court of Angels (Big Thunder Trail, Plaza Gardens and Snow White Grotto are also good for this.) I chose to spend my time here with what I was sad to learn would be the final issue of "E-Ticket" magazine, which I had purchased at "Off the Page" in DCA.

By this point the crowds at Disneyland were getting pretty unbearable... but seasoned vets know how to find secluded areas to enjoy the park even with the company of 60,000 other sweaty elbow-to-elbow guests. Step One: Grab a refreshing beverage at the never-crowded Mint Julep Bar, right across from the New Orleans Square train station.

Hey Natalie, Br'er Bear asked me to tell you he wants his club back!

Splash Mountain is one of the few flume rides I will tolerate--and then only for the dark ride portion (at least I've never gotten wet during the final drop--but I've been splashed on other parts of the ride before).

"Let's see... where did I leave my stroller? Has anyone seen a stroller in Disneyland today?"

Turn that popcorn, possessed Haunted Mansion zombie!

Sign No. 3 (and this is pretty much a sign of the Apocalypse, as well): The line for Pooh was up to 25 minutes! That's got to be some kind of record.

Sign No. 2: The line for the canoes, typically one of the least popular attractions even when they are open, extended outside the cue area.

Sign No. 1 that Disneyland was more crowded than usual that day: Davy Crockett's Explorer (nee Indian War) canoes were running. (It's been my experience that the canoes stay docked unless they're needed to take some of the strain off the park's more popular attractions.)

Even better, they were performing the "Beatles" version of their show that day, which I hadn't seen before (I always seem to catch the "Elvis" variation). I cashed in some of my waning Visa Rewards points for a root beer float and snagged a standing-room spot against the rail in the balcony (a vantage point from which I'd never before seen the show).

...Billy Hill and the Hillbillies! I'm not quite old enough (or didn't have the ability to frequent Disneyland enough as a kid) to have seen the original "Golden Horseshoe Review," but as many amazing things as I've heard about it, I can't imagine it being any more fun than the 'Billies.

Back over at Disneyland, I went to the Golden Horseshoe Saloon to check one more thing off my "must do" list...

And one more shot for Lauryn--because if there's one thing she likes almost as much as mermaids, it's talking tools (oddly enough).

Another Ariel shot for Lauryn--my favorite from the parks.

They have demonstrations by real Disney animators and designers in the adjacent "Off the Page" gift shop. For those who don't follow Disney art, this is Brianna Garcia (and yeah, unfortunately, I had never heard of her either... but check out her deviantART page--there is some incredible stuff there).

If you didn't like this movie, quit reading my TR now. You are no longer welcome. (OK, fine, you can stay... but you're not playing with my army men!)

I love this thing. For the uninitiated, every few minutes the lights in the room dim, and this sculpture (technically called a zoetrope) starts spinning as strobelights flash, making the figures appear to be moving realistically. It's actually a basic principle of animation demonstrated in 3-D... which is pretty cool if you ask me.

This is another highly underrated attraction at DCA. I never got to ride the original, Superstar Limo (AKA Stupidstar Lame-O), but this recreation of the "Monsters, Inc." movie is lightyears ahead of most of the dark rides in Fantasyland. Not every ride needs a billion dollars' worth of Audio-Animatronic technology to be fun.

Snacky snack shack snack snack!

Mmm... I like blueberries!

Besides Taste Pilots' Grill and one last re-ride on Soarin' Over California, this was the specific attraction I came to DCA to see on the final day.

The more I travel, the more I get a kick out of things like this. I've been to DCA seven times, but this was the first time I noticed this rocket car on the lift in the "Fly 'n' Buy" gift shop--and I only noticed it because I got to see the real thing last summer at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. (Also note the "Glamorous Glennis"' second appearance in DCA, as a model hanging over the rocket car--it used to be featured a third time, in the montage finale of the grossly underrated "Golden Dreams" film, until that attraction was closed earlier this year.)

Apparently someone forgot to tell them that the "Year(s) of a Million Dreams" is over.

And just what makes this the best restaurant in DCA? Why, the Aviator's Chicken Sandwich, of course, complete with chipoltle mayo (sorry, Tyler). I miss the waffle fries that used to come with it, though.

After a couple re-rides on attractions I had ridden the day before, it was time for lunch at DCA's best restaurant: Taste Pilots' Grill. That plane blasting off in front, by the way, is a recreation of the "Glamorous Glennis," the first plane ever to break the sound barrier. The original hangs in the Smithsonian.

I still had a couple attractions in which I wanted to partake at Disney's California Adventure, so I walked over there as soon as that park opened. As I was passing Sunshine Plaza, one of my all-time favorite songs, "Surf City" by Jan and Dean, came blaring over the loudspeakers, so I sat on a bench near the sun sculpture and listened. Fun Fact No. 1: Following Jan Berry's death in 2004, Jan and Dean's backup band became DCA's "house band" for a brief period before restructuring as the Surf City Allstars. This means I probably saw them perform here at some point and never even knew it.

 

Fun Fact No. 2: During my first visit to California in 1990, "Surf City" was the first song on the mix tape in my Sony Walkman that I listened to on the plane ride. During this, my most recent trip to California, "Surf City" was the first song on the mix I programmed into my Sony MP3 player. It doesn't get much more "full circle" than that.

"What do you mean the dragon isn't working yet? We want our money back! Or at least a free churro."

The most magical horse poop on Earth.

Elissa had let us know that Disneyland likely would be massively crowded on our final day because not only was that day not blocked out for annual passholders, but it was also the day the new dragon animatronic was scheduled to be unveiled during the "Fantasmic!" show. (Sadly, as was the case throughout most of the summer, the dragon's debut ultimately was pushed back, presumably due to mechanical difficulties.) I started my day at Disneyland predominately to make sure I had a handstamp that would allow me to re-enter if the park got too crowded later in the day.

I started the day with the breakfast of champions--Texas pecans left over from the snack exchange. (Thanks, Roxanne!)

Another TPR day, another spectacular Disney view from the hotel....

[atem122]

Awesome set of PTRs man, I loved them. It's also nice to know I'm not the only Bengal Beef fanboy!

[ebl]

Nice report. Despite the crowd, it looks like everyone had a great time.

 

About the Taste Pilots Grill...my favorite place to eat at DCA as well. But I like to get the Wild Blue Yonder burger. Strangely, steak sauce and bleu cheese mix very well.

 

I look forward to the new attractions at DCA.

 

Eric

[krazekiddd]

Awesome as always! Was this really almost 3 months ago? Geesh

 

Yay for the awards ceremony! Just to think that I get to start planning the 3rd on, and maybe a 4th if I do one for the IntimidaTOUR

[mwm1444]

Obviously, out of a series of cringeworthy photos of me during the trip, the one with the award is my favourite. Obviously.

 

Mike 'is on the IntimidaTour with Scott, so will have to be extra-careful' Moody

 

EDIT-having-actually-read-the-TR-and-not-just-skipped-to-see-how-bad-I-looked: That Toy Story Zoetrope was one of my favourite things I saw on the trip - being a huge fan of animation, and of stop-motion animation, it was exceptionally neat to watch it. So much so, that I did watch it for about five consecutive cycles.

 

Then, after that, I went into Off the Page, and actually got Brianna to draw me a lovely sketch of Dumbo..which I still haven't figured out what to do with.