Day 9 - Home at Last
Sunday, October 24, 2005The next morning, I woke up early, got ready and packed up my things. I called Jason on one of the Mickey Mouse two-way radios we had brought on the trip, but he didn’t answer. I thought that maybe he hadn’t turned his radio on. So, I decided to call his room. No answer. As it was ringing, I realized I had dialed the wrong room so I hurriedly slammed down the phone. I hoped that I hadn’t woken someone up. I dialed the correct room number but Jason didn’t answer. I gave him a few minutes and tried again, still no answer. Finally, I went and knocked on his door. He had just woken up but hadn’t heard the phone. We realized that for some reason the ringers don’t work when calling room to room. Anyway, he quickly got ready and we were on our way.
Today was going to be a long day, with 700 miles to cover. We successfully maintained a 60 mile per hour average, including all stops for restrooms and gas. We made our last stop for gas in Ashland, Oregon, located right on the California-Oregon border. At this point, it felt like we were almost home, even though we still had 300 miles to go. Slowly, the miles clicked away and we gradually began to see more familiar landmarks. Finally, we reached home. We unpacked the car and collapsed, vowing next time to fly instead of drive.
Overall, we had the best time we had ever had at Disneyland. Even with the rain (which kept the crowds down), it was an amazing trip. We did many things that we had never done before. This included the Mysteries, Myths and Legends tour and the Walk in Walt’s Footsteps tour. We ate in places we had never tried before, like the Carnation Café, the Wine Country Tratorria, the Blue Ribbon Bakery and the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor. Each day was a nice combination of rides, shopping, and entertainment. Taking the time to go back to the room for a rest in the early afternoon made all the difference in my energy level. On our next trip, we’ll wait however long we need to in order to get water side seating at the Blue Bayou. Also, next time we’ll fly down instead of drive. It’s a long, brutal drive. By flying, we’ll eliminate two travel days that we could instead spend at the Resort.
Day 8 - Time to Head Home, But First...
Saturday, October 23, 2004
Today we planned to spend the morning in the Park before beginning the long trip home. The Park opened at 8:00 AM today so I did a little packing first and then we headed on over. Usually people tend to race over to the E-ticket rides, such as Indiana Jones or Splash Mountain, when the rope drops. Not us. We headed straight for Fantasyland and the Peter Pan ride. Peter Pan always has a really long line. I think this is because it is the least scary of all the dark rides in Fantasyland, with Alice in Wonderland being next. Snow White and Pinocchio are a lot scarier so there usually isn’t much of a line. We rode Peter Pan twice, then went over to ride Alice in Wonderland. We managed to ride most of the rides in Fantasyland, including Dumbo, within the first half hour of the Park’s opening.
After Fantasyland, we stopped to ride Big Thunder Railroad on our way over to Pirates. We wanted to ride Pirates one last time to try to spot some of the hidden Mickey’s we learned about from Melinda, our Tour Guide from yesterday. We were unable to spot any new hidden Mickey’s.
The Park was still pretty empty and we were amazed that we had been able to accomplish so much in just one hour. Since we hadn’t had breakfast yet this morning, we decided to stop in to the River Belle Terrace for some Mickey Mouse pancakes. This restaurant is buffeteria style. You place your order at the head of the line and then as you move along the counter you can watch them cook the Mickey Mouse Pancakes. We each ordered a pancake and orange juice, and I added a side of bacon. We found a table outside with a nice view of the Rivers of America and ate our breakfast. The pancakes were good, but you only got one pancake and it really wasn’t that big. For what we got, it was a very expensive meal. The Mickey Mouse waffles at Carnation Café are a much better deal and way more filling.
After breakfast, we decided to do some last minute shopping at the World of Disney store in Downtown Disney before heading back to the hotel to finish packing. We were sad to say goodbye to what really is the happiest place on earth.
We checked out of the hotel and headed to the Target down the street to restock our food supply for the trip home. After filling the car with gas we drove the ½ block to the I-5 freeway and began the long trip home. Within minutes, traffic on the freeway ground to a complete halt. I turned the radio on and searched the stations for a traffic report. The slow traffic was caused by a chemical spill up ahead and one lane was closed down while it was cleaned up. For the next two hours, we inched our way along, barely covering 12 miles. Finally, we passed the spot that was causing all the trouble and began to make better time.
It was at this point that we started talking about how much fun it would be to go back in December to take the Holiday Tour that Cast Member Debbie from City Hall had told us so much about. I still had 4 days of vacation left that I needed to use up before the end of the year. The sure-fire cure for the depression that follows a wonderful trip to Disneyland is to just start planning your next trip. I was pretty sure I could get the time off. Jason wasn’t quite so sure. He works in retail and December is a really busy time of year for the store. Hopefully, they wouldn’t just laugh at him when he submitted his vacation request.
We planned to stop for the night in Santa Nella, at the same Motel 6 we stayed in on the way up. We rolled in before dark and settled into the same rooms we were in before. I’m not sure what we did for dinner that evening. I believe we had stopped at a Jack in the Box earlier that afternoon so we probably just snacked on what we had in our cooler.
Day 7 - Our Last Full Day at the Resort
Friday, October 22, 2004
In spite of having a full and exciting day planned today, there was a bit of sadness as realized that today was our last full day at the Resort. Tomorrow afternoon we would have to begin the long journey home.
We headed over to Disneyland at a little after 8:00 AM and arrived at the main entrance gate with plenty of time to spare before the Walk in Walt’s Footsteps Tour began. We were to meet outside the entrance gates near the newsstand. After a quick trip to the restroom, we sat down to wait for our tour guide and the rest of the group to arrive. Shortly before 8:45 AM, a cart was wheeled out and we wandered over to check in with the Cast Member. She took our tickets and asked us what we wanted for lunch. We looked over the menu and both chose the croissant sandwich. As we waited for the rest of the group to check in, we chatted with a couple of the tour guides. We were surprised to find that one of guides was “Gracie” from our Mysteries, Myths and Legends Tour. His real name is Jamal and his personality was completely different from the dark and mysterious “Gracie” character he portrayed on the other tour.
Our main tour guide was named Melinda. She was the absolute nicest person we had met so far. We began our tour at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, which also includes a short film about Walt Disney as well as an exact replica of his office at the Disney Studios in Burbank. After his death, the contents of the office were moved to Disneyland and setup in the lobby of the theater. Melinda shared many interesting facts about Walt and his family. One of the most endearing bits of trivia involved his wife Lillian. They first met and fell in love while she worked for him at the studio. On their wedding night she presented him with a box containing every paycheck she ever earned while working for him. She never cashed a single paycheck. Now that’s true love.
Next we headed down Main Street, where Melinda stopped periodically to tell us stories about some of the dedication windows. These windows were Walt’s way of honoring people who were important to him and who helped him realized his dream.
Our first ride of the tour was the Jungle Cruise. When we reached the entrance, we were met by the four tour guides we had mingled with at the start of the tour. We were ushered through the exit, bypassing the large line, helped aboard our own private boat, and treated to a special tour. We felt like VIP’s as we cruised past the line of people waiting to board the ride. Each of the tour guides took turns telling us some little know facts about the Jungle Cruise. For example, Walt’s grandchildren used to sneak into the ride through the back entrance located behind the Fire Station on Main Street and jump out and scare the passengers on the boats as they passed by. The Cast Members would have to radio over to Walt asking him to come and remove his grandkids from the ride.
We also rode the train to Tomorrowland, again boarding through the exit so we didn’t have to wait in line. Jason sat between me and Melinda and took this opportunity to ask her about the locations of some of the hidden Mickeys. She also confirmed that the Country Bear Jamboree mouse heads were hidden in the ride that is now Winnie the Pooh. We were anxious to ride that ride to see them for ourselves.
One of the more interesting parts of the tour was a visit to the lobby of Club 33. Club 33 is a very exclusive private club located in New Orleans Square, right next to the Blue Bayou Restaurant. The entrance is very discreet and unassuming, marked only by a brass plate bearing the number 33. There is currently a five year waiting list to join and the dues are extremely high. We were allowed to visit the lobby which contained an elegant antique elevator and a staircase leading to the restaurant located upstairs. Jason and I each had our pictures taken inside the elevator. The club actually has a separate address from the rest of Disneyland because it is the only place where alcohol is served and Walt didn’t want the regular Disneyland address to be used for alcohol deliveries.
Our tour ended at the Golden Horseshoe where we were led upstairs to the balcony and seated in reserved seating overlooking the saloon. At each place was the lunch order we had placed in the morning, along with Walt’s favorite dessert, cheesecake. Also at each place was a white envelope with our name written on the outside. Inside was a 8 x 10 black and white photo of Walt Disney and an exclusive “Walk in Walt’s Footsteps Tour” commemorative pin. I was seated next to Melinda and she shared with me and Jason some facts about the Golden Horseshoe, including the location of Walt’s private box that is rumoured to be haunted. As we ate our lunch, we enjoyed watching the hilarious Billy Hill and the Hillbillies show. After the show ended, we said goodbye to Melinda, thanking her for a great tour. She in turn hugged both of us. In fact, we were the only two she hugged. As soon as the tour ended, we headed right over to City Hall to write out a Cast Member compliment card.
By now we were both exhausted from the events of the morning, so we decided to head back to Hojo’s for a rest. A couple of hours later, rested and refreshed, we headed back to the Park. This time we went to DCA to ride the Tower of Terror one more time. This time we knew we wouldn’t be forced to ride it twice. Although we knew what to expect, we were both still really nervous and the ride was still very intense. But we both enjoyed it.
Next we headed over to ride Soarin’ Over California. The line was really long and we knew we wouldn’t be able to make the Fastpass return time, so we were debating whether or not to ride it. It would probably be our last time to ride it this trip. Then we noticed a single rider entrance and decided to give it a try. We went right to the front of the line and waited just a few minutes until they determined if there were any single empty seats available. Fortunately, we both were able to ride at the same time, even though we were seated at opposite ends of the theater.
After riding Soarin’, we knew that we had to ride Winnie the Pooh one more time to see if we could spot the moose heads from Country Bear Jamboree. We made the long trek over to Critter Country. For those familiar with the Park, Critter Country is the land that is the absolute farthest away from anything else. There is no shortcut. We arrived at the ride only to discover that is was broken down and no one knew when it would be up and running again. So, we decided to ride Pirates to see if we could spot some hidden Mickey’s. When we arrived at Pirates, it too was closed. Just our luck! Since we still had a couple of Fastpasses for Splash Mountain, we headed back to Critter Country to ride Splash.
For dinner this evening, we had priority seating reservations at the Wine Country Trattoria Restaurant in DCA. Our reservation was for 7:50 PM, timed to coincide with the Electrical Parade scheduled for 8:00 PM. We arrived early in hopes of getting a table next to the wall overlooking the parade route. Unfortunately, we were not able to get the table we wanted. Instead, we were seated at the next row of tables in from the wall. We found that DLR generally caters to groups with children, so if you want to get any really good seating, you’ll need to bring some children along.
In spite of the disappointing seating, dinner was very good. We both ordered the Lasagna and it arrived promptly and was quite delicious. When the parade began, we stood up and were able to see the parade go by. When the dinner and parade were excellent, the service was not. Even though we requested refills on our beverages, they never arrived.
When the parade ended, it was time for DCA to close. We decided to sneak over to the Tower of Terror to try to take some pictures of it in the dark. The Hollywood Backlot area of DCA was totally deserted and it felt strange to be there when no one else was, especially with the creepy looking Tower of Terror Hotel looming over us. We quickly took some pictures, which didn’t turn out all that well and then went back over to Disneyland.
We headed back to Critter Country and found that Winnie the Pooh had opened up again. We rode it and saw the moose heads as well as a hidden Mickey among the drops of honey painted on the wall near the end of the ride.
Next stop was Pirates, which was still closed, then over to the Mercantile for some souvenier shopping. By this time it was getting late and we were both tired. The park opened early tomorrow and we wanted to get here at the rope drop in order to ride the Fantasyland rides one more time. We decided to get a cookie and a mug of HoCho in a souvenier travel mug at the Blue Ribbon Bakery and take it back to the room.
When it’s our turn at the Blue Ribbon Bakery, lo and behold who should wait on us but Jason’s arch-nemesis, Kathleen. Of course, she doesn’t realize she’s Jason’s arch-nemesis. Kathleen is the Cast Member who assisted us on our first day at the Park when we had sandwiches and cookies for lunch. Apparently, she wasn’t quite as friendly as we expected a Cast Member at the DLR to be so she earned the dubious honor of being Jason’s arch-nemesis. However, this time she was really friendly and called us by name, thus totally redeeming herself.
We took our cookies and HoCho back to HoJo’s and watched some TV before turning in for the night. The park opens at 8:00 AM the next morning and we wanted to be there bright and early.
Day 6 - Another Fun Day Park Hopping
Thursday, October 21, 2004
With the last of the rain behind us, we woke to blue skies and what promised to be another perfect day in the Park. We checked at the Carnation Café and they were able to seat us right away even without priority seating reservations. This was our first time eating at this Café and it was so fun to sit outside and enjoy the nice day. The only drawback was the large number of sparrows that were hanging around waiting for crumbs to drop. It was a little annoying, but didn’t spoil the experience. Of course, we both ordered the Mickey Mouse Waffle which included one waffle and two strips of bacon. We each added an orange juice and a mocha. The mochas at Disneyland are nothing to write home about and do not compare in anyway to Starbucks. The waffles are outstanding though and the whole breakfast was very filling. We were able to save 15% off our bill with Jason’s AP discount. Breakfast at Carnation Café will be a must during any future visits.
After breakfast we headed over to City Hall to see about taking the Walk in Walt’s Footsteps Tour that we had heard about while filling out the customer comment card earlier in the week. We were assisted by a very friendly Cast Member named Debbie, who told us about the tour and expressed disappointment that we hadn’t signed up for today’s tour. Apparently, she was scheduled to lead today’s tour, but because of the weather no one had signed up. Even though she wouldn’t be leading tomorrow’s tour, she knew we would still have a great time. With our AP discount, we were able to get $10 off the price of the tour which made the cost $39 per person. She also encouraged us to come back in a couple of weeks when they would begin the Holiday Tour. We explained that we were from Portland, OR and we wouldn’t be able to return to soon. Our next trip was scheduled for the following October. Before leaving, Debbie made us honorary citizens of Disneyland. We repeated the official oath and received a card recognizing our citizenship. Debbie was perfect for her job. Even though City Hall was rather busy, she never once made us feel rushed. She was enthusiastic and went the extra step to make our visit special.
Our next stop was at the newsstand souvenier stand at the entrance to the park. The day before we noticed these name badges that are the same shape as the ones worn by the Cast Members in the park. However, instead of being white like the Cast Members, we had a choice of either red with Guest of Honor printed on it, or pink with Everyday Princess on it. In addition, they would also engrave your first name on it. We decided to each get one. I’ll let you guess which one we each chose. Jason was able to use his AP discount on this purchase. The name badges turned out to be a really important part of the magic of our trip. We wore our name badges throughout the remainder of our trip, and many of the Cast Members would call us by name, making us feel like a part of the Disney family.
At this point, we didn’t really ride many of the rides but just strolled through the park taking pictures before walking over to DCA. At DCA we visited the Animation building and saw the Drawn to Animation show. There were just a handful of people at this show and it focused on the changes that Mushu went through when they were making Mulan and how he ended up being a dragon. They also gave us a sneak peak at one of the upcoming feature length animated movies.
Next on the agenda was to see the live musical, Aladdin, playing at the Hyperion Theater. We arrived about ½ hour before the performance and were surprised that there seemed to be no crowd of people waiting to see the show. However, as we entered the gate outside the theater we discovered hoards of people waiting in area around the side of the theater. There were three lines; one for orchestra seating, one for mezzanine seating, and one for balcony seating. Since we were nearest the line for mezzanine seating we joined that line. A Cast Member kept urging people to move forward and fill in all the open spaces in the line, so we gradually moved forward until we were pretty close to the front of the line. About 15 minutes before the show started, they let us in the theater. Those in the mezzanine line had to climb up a huge staircase on the outside of the theater. Since I’m afraid of heights, it was a little scary. I just kept my eye on the person in front of me and didn’t look out at my surroundings.
It turns out the mezzanine seating actually provides the best viewing of the show. Those seated in the orchestra section missed out on some of the events that happened above them. The show itself was excellent. The genie was hysterically funny and the special effects were awesome. I was somewhat indifferent about seeing the show initially, but Jason really wanted to go and I’m really glad he did. It was one of the highlights of the trip.
After a short rest back at the hotel, we returned to Disneyland in time to find seats for the Parade of Stars. Since we had about 45 minutes until parade time, we had no trouble claiming a spot on the curb. Jason chose a spot for us that was right next to a trash can, with a tree directly behind us. This prevented people from crowding too close behind us and kept someone from sitting directly next to him. He planned to videotape the parade and didn’t want anyone leaning forward into his shot. To pass the time, we discussed plans for the rest of the evening. We had discovered an El Pollo Loco just around the corner from the hotel and were debating whether or not we would have time after the parade to stop and pick up some dinner and still make it back to the room in time to watch Survivor at 8:00 PM. We decided that it would be calling it too close. We were sitting directly across from the Emporium so we decided to do some souvenier shopping right after the parade, then go pick up dinner and be back to the hotel in time for The Apprentice at 9:00 PM.
It had been a long time since I’d watched on the Disneyland Parades. Previously, it was always more important to ride as many ride as possible and the lines were usually shorter during the parade. This time, we wanted to experience as many of the different events as possible and we were not one bit disappointed in the parade. Some of the guests at the Park were invited to participate in the parade. It would have been fun to be able to do that, although I probably would have been more than a little self-conscious.
As soon as the parade ended, we headed over to the Emporium where Jason purchased four small Pooh and Friends stuffed animals. He was also interested in buying a Jiminy Cricket, but the only one available was $18 and that seemed like a lot to spend. Jiminy Cricket is one of Jason’s favorite characters.
When we finished our shopping, we headed back to the car and over to El Pollo Loco to pick up some chicken and sides. They also had Flan, which we both love. So we had to get some of that too. We decided to eat in Jason’s room and enjoyed our meal while watching The Apprentice. Shortly after the show ended, we called it a night since we had to be at the park by 8:45 to meet our tour group.
Day 5 - Park Hopped
October 20, 2004
This morning it was pouring down rain when we woke up. We had reservations at the Carnation Café for breakfast, but since it is an open air café, the restaurant was closed. Instead, we ducked into the Blue Ribbon Bakery right next door and each ordered a sweet roll and mocha. Because of the rain, there were very few people in the park and we settled down at a table right by the window and ate breakfast. Normally, people will start lining up behind the rope at the end of main street about a half hour before the park opening time. Today, even at a few minutes before the official rope drop, there were just a few hardy souls waiting in line. Shortly after 10:00 AM we donned our rain ponchos and headed over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, stopping to take a few pictures at the hub on our way.
It is such a strange experience to be at Disneyland without any people there. The park was almost totally empty. We walked right onto Big Thunder Mountain and there were only a couple of other people on our train. There is nothing like riding a roller coaster in the pouring rain. The raindrops feel like needles when they hit you in the face.
Next stop was Splash Mountain. Again, there was absolutely no line and we walked right onto the ride. We were the only people in our log so of course we had to buy the picture that was taken during the big drop towards the end of the ride. The lady at the photo booth was very, very nice and as we were the only ones there we didn’t feel rushed and were able to take our time choosing the right size photo and frame. She mentioned that the Pioneer Mercantile in Frontierland would hold our photo for us so we wouldn’t have to carry it around with us, so we headed on over.
While we were there we began what was to later be known as the Pressed Penny Debacle. On the Mousesavers.com website, pressed pennies were listed as a fun, inexpensive souvenir. Pressed penny machines are located in shops throughout the parks and each one has a different design. For 50 cents plus one penny, the machine will press your penny with the design. For six dollars you can also purchase a small album to hold your pressed pennies. Sounds like a great idea. The Cast Member working in the Mercantile gave Jason a list containing the location and description of all the pressed penny machines in the Disneyland Park. We decided that this would be a great way to spend a rainy morning in the park. We purchased our penny album and armed with a roll of quarters and a roll of pennies we made our way through all the machines located in the Mercantile.
By now things are at a fevered pitch and we race through the park collecting pressed pennies, stopping occasionally to buy more rolls of quarters. In the Pieces of Eight shop in New Orleans Square we discover a machine with special pressed quarters from the Nightmare before Christmas. These pressed quarters cost $1 each and there were three of them. We never batted an eye as we plugged in our quarters and watched the shiny pressed coin drop out.
By the time we ended up in Critter Country and got the Winnie the Pooh pennies we started to sober up. We sat on the bench outside the shop and mentally calculated how much we had spent so far on pennies and how much more we would have to spend in order to get all the available pressed pennies. We hadn’t even collected half of them, with the majority of the machines being located in the Crystal Arcade on Main Street. We realized that we would also have to purchase additional penny albums to hold all the pennies. Visions of the Mr. Potato Head incident surfaced in our heads and we began to laugh hysterically. It’s a good thing that there weren’t many people around because we would have definitely caused a scene. When we calmed down, we decided that enough is enough and we will just have to be content with the pennies we had. We were both somewhat ill at the thought of the $20 or so dollars we each had already spent on pressed pennies. Yes, pressed pennies are an inexpensive souvenir but only if you collect a few and don’t become obsessed with it like we did.
The rain had let up somewhat by this time and we wandered over to Fantasyland. One of the shows that we really wanted to see was the Snow White Musical. Since the weather was iffy, cast members at the entrance to the theatre said they planned to make a decision at 2:00 PM on whether or not to go ahead with the show. We headed over to Toon Town to pass the time and took some pictures. At 2:00 PM we returned and found they planned to go ahead with the show so we got in line. The show lasted about 20 minutes and was fantastic. We both really enjoyed it and Jason ended up videotaping the entire show.
After the show, we were both starving so we hopped over to California Adventure to have lunch at Taste Pilot’s Grill, which resembles an airplane hanger. They have recently installed self-service ordering kiosks which made it very easy to place our order. You select your items from a touch screen and pay by either swiping your credit or debit card, or feeding in cash. Then you take your receipt up to the counter and pick up your tray of food. This restaurant serves the best burgers and criss-cut fries. They also serve chicken sandwichs and ribs. There is a large table with all kinds of condiments for your sandwich. Since there was practically no one in the restaurant, we had our pick of tables.
While we were eating, we looked at the program of events and determined that if we hurried, we could just make the Drawn to Animation show over in the Hollywood Backlot. When we arrived, three people were singing and dancing outside the building and were soon joined by Woody, Mickey Mouse and Cinderella. After the show they all encouraged us to follow them into the Animation building. We thought that they were just inviting us to see the exhibits inside and thought that was the show. In actuality, the Drawn to Animation show was getting ready to start inside. Later in the week, we returned and saw the actual show.
We decided to go ride Soarin’ Over California again. When we got off the ride, the rain was really coming down and Jason was ready to call it a day. I suggested that we go back over to Disneyland and see Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, which is an indoor show. If it was still raining after the show, I agreed that we should go back to the hotel.
Although Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln wasn’t high on our list of things to do initially, it ended up being one of our favorite shows. We first gathered in the lobby of the theater and the Cast Member talked for a while about Walt Disney and pointed out interesting bits of information about Walt’s office, which was moved to Disneyland from the Walt Disney studios after he passed away. Next we donned wireless stereo headphones and entered the theatre. The effects from headphones were totally realistic. You could almost feel the breath of the person whispering in your ear. It was an amazing auditory experience.
When we emerged from the theater, the rain had stopped and we decided to try and make the last departure of the Mark Twain Steamship. We hurried over and just made it on board. We were lucky enough to get seats at the very front of the ship. Even though it was very wet and somewhat cold out, the ride was very enjoyable. The lights from New Orleans Square and the Haunted Mansion were beautiful. I want to come back during the day and take pictures.
After stops at the Mercantile to pick up our Splash Mountain photo and the Emporium where Jason purchased six Disney pal stuffed animals: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daily, Pluto and Goofy and I purchased Lady and the Tramp stuffed animals, we headed back to the hotel. I think this was the night that we picked up dinner at Boston Market and took it back to the room. We used to have Boston Market here in Portland, but they closed them down and turned the one near us into a Jack in the Box. We ate dinner, watched some TV and hit the sack.
It's Been So Long Since I Posted...
AAAAHHH! It's been so long since I've posted anything, that it's hard to remember what we did. Luckily, I had completed Day 5 but just hadn't posted it yet. I'll finish it up and get it uploaded. I need to finish up this trip, because I still have our December trip to post and that trip was amazing.We're also beginning to plan our next trip, which will be in October 2005. So stay tuned.
