Trip Report - Day 3
Thursday, December 16, 2004
With the great memories of yesterday’s wonderful day still on our minds, we awoke eagerly anticipating another fantastic day at Disneyland. After a quick breakfast of cereal in the room, we headed over to the park. It was an extremely windy day and we were glad that we had the chance to see the fireworks the previous evening as they can get cancelled if the weather isn’t perfect.
As we entered the park, we noticed a sign announcing that Kelly Clarkson would be taping her segment of the Walt Disney World Christmas Parade. For those who have been locked up in solitary confinement the past few years and are out of touch with current events, Kelly Clarkson is the very first American Idol winner. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to spend another couple of hours standing in the hot sun, but Jason really wanted to watch the taping, so I was happy to go along with it.
As soon as the rope dropped, we headed over to Fantasyland and hopped on Dumbo. After Dumbo, we rode Snow White, Pinnochio, and Alice in Wonderland. The line for Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride was a little long so we bypassed that ride for now. We had hoped to ride Peter Pan, but even though the park had only been open for less than 20 minutes, the line was already huge. This ride seems to be everyone’s favorite. Maybe it’s because out of all the rides in Fantasyland, this is the only one that is absolutely kid-friendly. There’s nothing to scare even the most timid rider. I read a comment from someone on a discussion board that you could head over to Peter Pan at 2:00 AM with the park closed and still find a 40-minute line. The Matterhorn was our next ride and I believe we rode the Fantasyland side this time.
At 11:00 AM an announcement was made inviting us to participate/watch the taping of Kelly Clarkson so we headed over to the castle. A large stage was setup in front of the castle. Along the back of the stage were several Christmas trees and pots of poinsettias were grouped along the sides and front corners. Those of us selected to be a part of the taping were ushered into a roped off section in front of the stage. We were packed in there pretty tightly. Jason and I started about 3 rows from the front, but by the time taping began, we had moved up to the second row. The first row seemed to be reserved for members of her fan club. It took them a long time to get ready. The wind kept blowing things out of place on the stage and they had to keep fixing them. To keep us entertained, the guy operating the camera on the big boom would maneuver it over the crowd and we would all wave and cheer. After a while, the band came out and they did sound checks. Finally, Kelly arrived looking much smaller in person than she does on TV. I always thought she looked a little plump, but in actuality, she’s quite petite. She sang her newest release, Breakway. Even though I recognized the song from the radio, I wasn’t aware that it was her singing it. I didn’t consider myself much of a Kelly fan before then, but after that day my opinion changed. Even now, whenever I hear that song on the radio, I remember vividly our wonderful trip. It took 4 or 5 takes before the director was pleased. As before, at the very end of the taping the cameras were turned on those of us in the audience and we did our best to make ourselves stand out so we wouldn’t end up on the cutting room floor. Unfortunately, once again we failed to make the final cut.
We originally had priority seating at the Blue Bayou at 11:30 AM. While Jason held our places in front of the stage, I went over to the restaurant and changed our reservation to 1:00 PM. After the taping, we headed down Main Street to take a picture of the sign at the entrance that announced the Kelly Clarkson taping.
Since we were near the Main Street train station, we hopped aboard the train and rode it over to New Orleans Square. Then we walked over to Adventureland and rode Indiana Jones since the line wasn’t very long. We had a little time to kill afterwards so I summoned up my courage and decided to try to go through Tarzan’s Treehouse. Those of you who know me know that I have a great fear of heights. On our visit in 1993 I attempted to conquer it but had to turn back at the first landing. It might have still been called the Swiss Family Treehouse back then, I don’t really remember. This time, I probably achieved some kind of world record for the fastest time through the treehouse. I kept my head down and put one foot in front of the other, barely glances at things along the way, but I made it all the way through. Next trip I’ll try it again, only try to slow down a little and enjoy the sights. I also plan to ride the Teacups then, though I definitely won’t be spinning.
We decided to check in for our lunch reservations and wait as long as necessary for a table by the water. I don’t think we waited more than 20 minutes. It was well worth it, the ambiance of the restaurant is greatly improved with a waterside table. Jason had the Monte Cristo sandwich and I tried the Pork Loin. It was a little dry, but still very tasty.
After lunch we headed over to DCA and picked up fastpasses for Soarin’. Then we went to the Muppet 3-D and Bug’s Life before ending up at the Tower of Terror. The line was a reasonable length so hopped in line.
Next stop was the Disney Animation building where we took in a couple of the shows. Afterwards, we just walked around talking pictures of DCA until it was time to use our fastpasses for Soarin’. I never get tired of the ride. I could ride it over and over.
After Soarin’ we stopped at Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream and each got a sundae made with chocolate cake, ice cream, fudge sauce and whipped cream. The ice cream parlor is located in middle of three silver train cars situated near the entrance to DCA. The front car houses the Engineer-Ears toy store and the last car is Baker’s Field Bakery. We sat outside and ate our ice cream. The evening was very mild and quite pleasant.
With full stomachs we walked through Downtown Disney and hopped the Monorail into Tomorrowland. From there we walked to Critter Country and rode Winnie the Pooh. By now we were both very tired, so we boarded the train in New Orleans Square and rode it back to the Main entrance. Another great day at the Park had come to an end.
With the great memories of yesterday’s wonderful day still on our minds, we awoke eagerly anticipating another fantastic day at Disneyland. After a quick breakfast of cereal in the room, we headed over to the park. It was an extremely windy day and we were glad that we had the chance to see the fireworks the previous evening as they can get cancelled if the weather isn’t perfect.
As we entered the park, we noticed a sign announcing that Kelly Clarkson would be taping her segment of the Walt Disney World Christmas Parade. For those who have been locked up in solitary confinement the past few years and are out of touch with current events, Kelly Clarkson is the very first American Idol winner. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to spend another couple of hours standing in the hot sun, but Jason really wanted to watch the taping, so I was happy to go along with it.
As soon as the rope dropped, we headed over to Fantasyland and hopped on Dumbo. After Dumbo, we rode Snow White, Pinnochio, and Alice in Wonderland. The line for Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride was a little long so we bypassed that ride for now. We had hoped to ride Peter Pan, but even though the park had only been open for less than 20 minutes, the line was already huge. This ride seems to be everyone’s favorite. Maybe it’s because out of all the rides in Fantasyland, this is the only one that is absolutely kid-friendly. There’s nothing to scare even the most timid rider. I read a comment from someone on a discussion board that you could head over to Peter Pan at 2:00 AM with the park closed and still find a 40-minute line. The Matterhorn was our next ride and I believe we rode the Fantasyland side this time.
At 11:00 AM an announcement was made inviting us to participate/watch the taping of Kelly Clarkson so we headed over to the castle. A large stage was setup in front of the castle. Along the back of the stage were several Christmas trees and pots of poinsettias were grouped along the sides and front corners. Those of us selected to be a part of the taping were ushered into a roped off section in front of the stage. We were packed in there pretty tightly. Jason and I started about 3 rows from the front, but by the time taping began, we had moved up to the second row. The first row seemed to be reserved for members of her fan club. It took them a long time to get ready. The wind kept blowing things out of place on the stage and they had to keep fixing them. To keep us entertained, the guy operating the camera on the big boom would maneuver it over the crowd and we would all wave and cheer. After a while, the band came out and they did sound checks. Finally, Kelly arrived looking much smaller in person than she does on TV. I always thought she looked a little plump, but in actuality, she’s quite petite. She sang her newest release, Breakway. Even though I recognized the song from the radio, I wasn’t aware that it was her singing it. I didn’t consider myself much of a Kelly fan before then, but after that day my opinion changed. Even now, whenever I hear that song on the radio, I remember vividly our wonderful trip. It took 4 or 5 takes before the director was pleased. As before, at the very end of the taping the cameras were turned on those of us in the audience and we did our best to make ourselves stand out so we wouldn’t end up on the cutting room floor. Unfortunately, once again we failed to make the final cut.
We originally had priority seating at the Blue Bayou at 11:30 AM. While Jason held our places in front of the stage, I went over to the restaurant and changed our reservation to 1:00 PM. After the taping, we headed down Main Street to take a picture of the sign at the entrance that announced the Kelly Clarkson taping.
Since we were near the Main Street train station, we hopped aboard the train and rode it over to New Orleans Square. Then we walked over to Adventureland and rode Indiana Jones since the line wasn’t very long. We had a little time to kill afterwards so I summoned up my courage and decided to try to go through Tarzan’s Treehouse. Those of you who know me know that I have a great fear of heights. On our visit in 1993 I attempted to conquer it but had to turn back at the first landing. It might have still been called the Swiss Family Treehouse back then, I don’t really remember. This time, I probably achieved some kind of world record for the fastest time through the treehouse. I kept my head down and put one foot in front of the other, barely glances at things along the way, but I made it all the way through. Next trip I’ll try it again, only try to slow down a little and enjoy the sights. I also plan to ride the Teacups then, though I definitely won’t be spinning.
We decided to check in for our lunch reservations and wait as long as necessary for a table by the water. I don’t think we waited more than 20 minutes. It was well worth it, the ambiance of the restaurant is greatly improved with a waterside table. Jason had the Monte Cristo sandwich and I tried the Pork Loin. It was a little dry, but still very tasty.
After lunch we headed over to DCA and picked up fastpasses for Soarin’. Then we went to the Muppet 3-D and Bug’s Life before ending up at the Tower of Terror. The line was a reasonable length so hopped in line.
Next stop was the Disney Animation building where we took in a couple of the shows. Afterwards, we just walked around talking pictures of DCA until it was time to use our fastpasses for Soarin’. I never get tired of the ride. I could ride it over and over.
After Soarin’ we stopped at Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream and each got a sundae made with chocolate cake, ice cream, fudge sauce and whipped cream. The ice cream parlor is located in middle of three silver train cars situated near the entrance to DCA. The front car houses the Engineer-Ears toy store and the last car is Baker’s Field Bakery. We sat outside and ate our ice cream. The evening was very mild and quite pleasant.
With full stomachs we walked through Downtown Disney and hopped the Monorail into Tomorrowland. From there we walked to Critter Country and rode Winnie the Pooh. By now we were both very tired, so we boarded the train in New Orleans Square and rode it back to the Main entrance. Another great day at the Park had come to an end.
posted by Eighty8Keys at 12:53 PM
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