Discovering Another Mad Dash (Oct 14): Heading Home and Finally finishing this TR #1523 (05/03)

[PrincessInOz]

God... I would love to go to Club 33! That looks amazing, even for someone like me who tends to prefer homestyle type food

Nice as it is, going to someplace like Club 33 is something that I do once in a while...I much prefer a homecooked, homestyle meal anyday as well.

Actually it was simply called a Chocolate Martini! Great pictures and nice how you chronicled the whole experience. I'm able to get there often enough that I don't see it through eyes like that. C'mon, you gotta at least post the pictures of the ladies room. I don't remember what the men's room looks like, but the ladies room is quite unique!

Do you think I should??

Now no one had better dob me in with the mods .....

Thank you so much for sharing your Club 33 experience. I really enjoyed reading about it. SOOOOO envious. And the photos are just divine.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I debated with myself about how much detail to include and whilst it is a little OTT, I figured that it was worth chronicling.

OMG, that looks AMAZING...I am so jealous - something I'll never get to do. I will live vicariously through your pictures. We have had truffle mac and cheese a few times, but never with so many truffles!

I would be curious as to the cost of that meal, too! Don't blame you if you don't want to share.

I might have been the one you were thinking on the "not rare" meat, but my comment was regarding hamburgers, which are ground beef and thus exposed to air throughout...many places won't cook them unless it's all through. You CAN get a medium rare steak in the US, but restaurants are very inconsistent in how they cook them, I find. A good steak house will usually get it right if you describe how you want it, though.

Peter

Considering how much truffle was put in that mac and cheese...Our bill? ..... it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

And even with medium rare steaks in the US, until here, they have pretty much come out medium well done.

One word - YUM


PS - I'm really enjoying all of the trip report...

Hi KylieH! Pleased to see you here and glad you're enjoying the TR.

Club 33 is fantastic. Yeah the womens restroom something else huh? The food is excelent in there. I wish everyone could have the experience one time. Michael sat still looking at all the desserts he could devour. Waiting for the hunchback. I am LOL now Great pics and I love how you are wording it all. Cant wait for more.

I'm learning to love my hunch!

Have just finished catching up on your trip report. Looks like you had a great time despite feeling a little let down at main street.

Club 33 looks absolutely amazing! I am so jealous of you going. Thanks for posting so many wonderful pictures.

Can't wait for your update on World of Colour.

Hello QB! Nice to see you back on my TR and on your PTR as well. Hope you've been well.

WoC is a couple of updates away. Still putting my thoughts down.

The painting on the piano truly reminds me of Epcot.

The Club33 chocolates you brought home was a great idea. I find bringing home food extends the trip a bit. But after you eat your souvenire, you don't get a taste of Disney until you go under those Welcome signs.

Yes...I thought the same thing when I looked at the piano. Sure makes you think about the World Showcase indeed.

I might have eaten the Club 33 chocolates...but I still have those one (or six) Mickey macadamia nut turtles in my fridge.

Looking good so far!!! I love the food porn from Club 33 - that place looks amazing.
Thanks for sharing and I'm anxiously awaiting WOC pics!!

I'm trying to get to WoC as quickly as I can....but that would mean that the Disney part of my trip would be over...

Your pics of Club 33 - just WOW!

Thanks!

 

[QuirkyButterfly]

Do you think I should??

Now no one had better dob me in with the mods .....

Oh my gosh, is that the toilet??? If it is it is the most extravagant one I have ever seen.

I have been so slack at being on the boards lately, so many things going on. Glad to be back, and I will have more updates going up soon.

 

[PrincessInOz]

And now we resume with normal Disney TR programming.


Our DL afternoon Must Do’s and then some!


After heading out of Club 33, I worked out that the boys were at the Matterhorn. They were impatiently waiting for me to tick another one of those Must Do’s off our list.

I must have been in such need of a nana-nap at this point in time that I must have just slipped my mind to take photographs. Aside from the distant tip of the Matterhorn in this picture, I sure didn’t take any near to or on the ride.

The Matterhorn is great at any age…and even though Harold the Yeti is 50 something years old, he actually works inside the mountain (unlike the one at Everest). It is also one of those only-at-Disneyland rides that is a firm favourite with my family. We zipped along on the bedsleds and loved the thrill and chill of the ride.

We were aware that we only had a couple of hours left of the afternoon and so we made our way towards Indiana Jones to redeem our FP by way of….

Not everyone’s cup of tea….the Tea Cups…

… or what I dub the Wash and Spin cycle.

After a suitable spin, we continued onwards in our quest. We wanted to head by Big Thunder Mountain and I wished we had more time when I spotted a change to Fantasyland…

…But I figured that there was no point getting my knickers in a knot ...er...tangle nor losing any hair over this. Maybe next time.

Next up…

The stand-by wait time was 15 minutes. I was pretty pleased with this. Whilst not quite walk-on, it meant that I could take my time taking some more shots of a Disney Mountain….

…and the local railway that ran through it.

And then it was our turn to board….

..and take a turn around the tracks.

Always such fun!

With the other Mountain closed for refurbishment….

…this was the only kind of Splash we were going to see this day.

So, we rounded the Rivers of America and detoured into another family favourite.

And I do mean PoTC; not the Dream Suite....


Strictly walk-on; and we were on the ride and off on the adventure before our patooshi’s even got wet from the seat!

I love the Disneyland version of this ride. There are two drops; not one and it just seems darker and scarier here. There are also minor difference…

He’s holding the sword; rather than the sword being stuck in the stone through him at the World…


And the treasure is found in a room with Capt Jack Sparrow at the World, with no skeleton….

…But the wench in red is lustier at the World…

Somewhere in this ride, I got a text from Alison saying that they were ready to leave. So, we arranged to meet them outside Caseys to say our goodbyes. The bonus was that Alison and I figured that we could catch up the next day before we headed off on our road trip. So, with another Meet planned, we parted company.


Time for us to head to Indiana! DS was certainly chomping at the bit….er…nose…to get there.

Even with FP, this attraction is ALWAYS a 15 minute queue; irrespective of what the boards say.

It takes that long just to get through the passages and gawking at the theming along the way!

I put my camera away in this ride. I knew it was going to be too dark for my photography skills to take any sorts of shots. So, I just enjoyed rolling with the jeep.


When we came out, we had just about enough time to do one more attraction and I was aiming for the only other mountain that was opened at DLR. So, we walked in that direction, passing close to the Matterhorn….

Yes, I did capture the mountain at twilight…just didn’t get any from on the ride.


We got to this side of the park…

…when DS threw another curve ball. He wanted to get on Autopia. Autopia???


By this stage, we had managed to achieve about half of our ‘must do’ rides and then some. I had to be content with that because it was clear that we needed to think about getting across the promenade to DCA and World of Colour.

DH and I had a quick pow-wow. He would take DS to Autopia and I would get across to DCA and collect out picnics and WoC fastpasses. Can anyone else SEE the benefit of this strategy?


[Up Next – Nighttime in the Parks]

 

[usnuzuloose]

Love the pics! I cracked up the first time I saw the ladies bathroom. I really miss riding the matterhorn. Keep the pics coming. At least I feel like I am there.

 

[Mum from oz]

Just caught up on your TR!

Wow! You pack sooooooo much in to a short time. You have become an expert at it.

You photos are fantastic. I love all of them. Your interaction with Donald and your DS looks like a lot of fun. Club 33..... Lost for words, all I can say is it looks amazing!

Very much looking forward to hearing about WOC!!

 

[Jade+3]

Finally caught up...loving the pics as usual.

 

[skiingfast]

Autopia? Yeah of course. Any chance to drive, or see various specimens from Disneyland's past?

 

[PrincessInOz]

Oh my gosh, is that the toilet??? If it is it is the most extravagant one I have ever seen.

I have been so slack at being on the boards lately, so many things going on. Glad to be back, and I will have more updates going up soon.

and looking forward to your updates.

Love the pics! I cracked up the first time I saw the ladies bathroom. I really miss riding the matterhorn. Keep the pics coming. At least I feel like I am there.

The ladies was much more interesting than the gents (which I saw through pictures ).

Just caught up on your TR!

Wow! You pack sooooooo much in to a short time. You have become an expert at it.

You photos are fantastic. I love all of them. Your interaction with Donald and your DS looks like a lot of fun. Club 33..... Lost for words, all I can say is it looks amazing!

Very much looking forward to hearing about WOC!!

Glad to see you back on the boards! Thanks...Donald was great.

Finally caught up...loving the pics as usual.

Hi Jade...thanks!

Autopia? Yeah of course. Any chance to drive, or see various specimens from Disneyland's past?

I think I found a much better use of my time instead of Autopia....personal opinion, of course.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Disneyland and California Adventure at Night

DH took DS across to Autopia and we parted company. I was pleased with this turn of events as this meant that I had some alone time and the opportunity to take some twilight/night shots at Disney.

So, with that, I left the boys and started my leisurely stroll of this bonus time. So, I am pleased to be able to show and tell Disney at night.

The Astro Blasters seemed like a good place to start…

I caught up with the Dapper Dans down Main Street. It must have been their last outing for the night.

Despite any earlier misgivings, I turned back for my one and only memory of the castle for this trip. If you look closely, you can just about make out the boards around the entire facade.

There was no fireworks scheduled for the mid-week; and in any event, we were heading towards a different show and I didn’t have my tripod with me.

I had realized during the day that it had been a mistake NOT to take a picture of the Main Square with the boards up. I made up for that mistake now….

..before leaving Disneyland.

I spent enough time outside to capture the classic picture….

….but I couldn’t afford to watch the grass grow for too long.

I turned around and cast my sights firmly across the promenade at DCA.

I got on the right side of the rope and followed it round the boards, where after another slip of my ticket in the ticket machine later and no check of my hand stamp, I walked in to DCA.

I was enchanted by this Disney Cast Member blowing bubbles all around.

Luckily, she was heading in the same direction as me so I can enjoy the round rainbows for a bit…before I made a turn and headed to….

…a very empty WoC section that would later be filled to near capacity.


I took my time at taking some nighttime shots of the Pier….

…and the Fun Wheel.

I looked around at the beautiful night lights….

…and stopped on the bridge for some quiet reflection time.

It was hard to concentrate as I kept hearing Screamin’…

..and the bright neon lights kept attracting me.

I looked around a bit; but it was time to pick up our picnics and I made my exit from the Pier.

I picked up our picnics from the pick-up zone, which we had ordered on-line about a month in advance. As we knew we would be visiting Club 33 for lunch, I had decided on the picnics for dinner. It seemed to be the best way to guarantee a fast pass without having to run into DCA early in the morning, it seemed to be a lighter meal and we wouldn’t need to think about two sit-down table service meals in the one day.

When we had planned the day, we had always thought we would be hitting Disneyland all day before heading to DCA after lunch. I wish I had 3 x $15.95 and a crystal ball to know that we would be reversing that order!

DS and I had selected the American meal. It consisted of cold chicken, coleslaw, potato salad and apple pie.

DH selected the Mediterranean wrap, with salad and a lemon pie.

More importantly, we got these as well.

Both picnics were tasty enough and my only complaint is that cold food for dinner in the wintertime is an experience that I wouldn’t care to repeat very often. And despite the beautiful warm day, it had turned out to be a cold night.

I waited impatiently for the boys to pitch up…turns out that Autopia was a lot busier than they had anticipated and they were late turning up.

And after dinner, all my plans of pitching up early to nab a good viewing spot for WoC went down the gurgler….literally!

Both boys stopped in here and we had missed the opening time for the masses to get a place. Whilst I was not entirely happy with this turn of event, I figured that it was probably for the best…there was still another 45 minutes to go before the schedule start time and I knew that all the good viewing spots would have gone by this stage.


[Up Next – World of Colour]

 

[usnuzuloose]

I love all the night time pics. I love the lights. So many places to take pics of all the lights that would be a whole trip in its self. Keep them coming.

 

[hjd0411]

Great photos! The evening shots at DCA look lovely.
You sure pack in a lot in a short time! I would be exhausted following you!! Good work, though.

 

[shushh]

Gorgeous photos of the front of Disneyland and the evening shot of Paradise Pier is superb!

 

[Mum from oz]

Great shots of all the lights at DCA! The picnic look ok. I think thats what we will be getting in May, hopefully the cold chicken wont be so bad then!

 

[TheColtonsMom]

Been away from DIS for a while but just caught up with your TR and I must say WOW First your style of writing along with the funny turns of phrase that go so well with your beautiful pictures it was so easy to read all that has happened here in the last month and I thouroughly enjoyed every minute.

You have given me the first Club 33 food porn I have ever seen and it looked wonderful I am so glad you spent the time to make us feel we saw what you saw as I will probably never experience it myself Thank You. I eagerly await the rest of your trip

 

[AussieDisneyNut]

Loving all the photo's and your commentary! Perfectly matched! Thanks for sharing your Club 33 experience ... how did the food compare to some of your other fine dining experiences? I'm just wondering if Club 33 is so special because of the exclusivity and ambience or the food or both? Not that we will ever have the chance to experience it!

 

[PrincessInOz]

I love all the night time pics. I love the lights. So many places to take pics of all the lights that would be a whole trip in its self. Keep them coming.

Sadly, I only had one day at DLR...the rest of my trip was up towards meeting you and NorCal. So, I hope you'll stick around for the relatively rollercoaster free non-Disney component (but I do promise food porn and CORN) .

Great photos! The evening shots at DCA look lovely.
You sure pack in a lot in a short time! I would be exhausted following you!! Good work, though.

Heather - you're not the only one. I'm exhausted following ME as well!

Gorgeous photos of the front of Disneyland and the evening shot of Paradise Pier is superb!

Thanks! Just wish I had another two nights there....maybe next time.

Great shots of all the lights at DCA! The picnic look ok. I think thats what we will be getting in May, hopefully the cold chicken wont be so bad then!

The picnics are tasty and I liked my chicken....I just wouldn't rave about it nor rush back for another picnic in the wintertime. Summer is another matter. And in May, the picnics will be perfect on a warm night.

Been away from DIS for a while but just caught up with your TR and I must say WOW First your style of writing along with the funny turns of phrase that go so well with your beautiful pictures it was so easy to read all that has happened here in the last month and I thouroughly enjoyed every minute.

You have given me the first Club 33 food porn I have ever seen and it looked wonderful I am so glad you spent the time to make us feel we saw what you saw as I will probably never experience it myself Thank You. I eagerly await the rest of your trip

Thank you and Welcome to my TR. I hope you'll stick around for the other 9 non-Disney days....

Loving all the photo's and your commentary! Perfectly matched! Thanks for sharing your Club 33 experience ... how did the food compare to some of your other fine dining experiences? I'm just wondering if Club 33 is so special because of the exclusivity and ambience or the food or both? Not that we will ever have the chance to experience it!

For me, Club 33 was special because of the exclusivity and ambience; and because it is so rare for someone like me to be able to find a member that would book a table for me to go there (thanks again Alison for your contacts!!). The food was very, very, very good and it compares well to some of the other dining experiences I've had in Oz. The entrees were good but no more than you would expect at a above average and high end restaurant in Oz. The desserts, though, were outstanding. It is going to be a long time before I find anything that matches the calibre of desserts at Club 33.

If you bear with the TR beyond Disney and wait for my night at Solvang, I had another dining experience to share that was also special...for different reasons. More food porn from that night; just not in as great a volume as Club 33.

 

[PrincessInOz]

The Kindness of Strangers and the World of Colour


My prime reason for heading to Disneyland had been the allure of World of Colour. At the rumoured cost of $75million to fit-out and build, I figured that Disney would be banking on a SPECTACULAR show, the likes of which we had never seen before, to pull in the night time crowd to DCA.
NOTE - I also expect that when the CarsLand expansion is completed in 2012, DCA will end up being a bone fide full-service Disney park that will mean that guests will be faced with the same angst regarding the purchase of park hopper tickets at the Land as at the World.

So, when DH told me about his work commitment in Silicon Valley for January, I pretty much moved heaven and earth to get to Anaheim.

I hadn’t been kidding in an earlier post when I said I only had eyes for a yellow fire hydrant. There really is a yellow fire hydrant there…somewhere!

Thanks to the DisBoards, I’d done my research and knew that there were definitely better viewing spots to aim for when marking out territory for World of Colour. I was aiming for in front of the hydrant or slightly to the right of the hydrant. With my camera and photography aspirations, I wanted to be further back out of the wet zone and also so that I would have the full monty view of the waterworks.

Sadly, the restroom stop pretty much meant that these prime coveted spots were pretty much gone by the time I made it to the viewing area. If you go, the spot to aim for is the other side of the arch, in front of the yellow hydrant.

I also knew that tripods were not allowed in the viewing area; so I was pretty much left with hand held shots. With no tripod to jack up the camera above the sea of heads, this meant that I needed to be against a railing. There was no other option. The rail position would mean that I would have a patch of low greenery in front of me, gently sloping down to the next terrace; thus creating a movie theatre experience. I would still have some heads in front of me…but it wouldn’t impede the shot…er…view too badly.

I scanned the crowd, knowing that there would be no spots right against the rails and finally found an alternative. I would be slightly to the left of the yellow hydrant, not ideal but not bad; and more importantly….I would have a pram between me and the rail.

And the view of my Screamin’ ride….er…the Fun Wheel was pretty much dead straight on…so I was happy with this.

Problem was that there was only room for one…and DH and DS ended up about 3 bodies further down than me. Not quite how I’d envisaged that the family would end up for this first time view of WoC.

In all my DisMeets, one of the first things that any Dis-er remarks about me is that I have an Aussie accent. Well….I certainly don’t think I have an accent….it’s pretty normal in Oz….and I pretty certain that there isn’t any accent when I’m on the Board either…well, at least no one has remarked about seeing or hearing it on the Boards (yet); I only get remarks about how I don’t look Aussie!

Turns out, my purported Aussie accent was the perfect ice-breaker for the guy standing to the left of the pram, against the rail. He heard me speaking and asked if I was Australian. Pretty soon, I’d gotten his life story out of him (job, school, car, best friend)…. I think I pretty much got everything out of him…except his name!
He and his family (wife and daughter) were from NorCal and had come down to Anaheim for 10 days because his wife was on sabbatical. They had thought about going to the World; but decided on the Land instead.
During our discussion, I asked if it would be okay for me to squeeze in, against the rail, between him and the pram. He graciously let me in…and my position was getting better all the time…and I eventually ended up with this position.

He, his wife and I chatted some more; and they then found out that DH and DS were just slightly behind them to the other side.

The kindness of strangers and Pixie Dust never ceases to amaze me!

He and his wife MOVED themselves so that DH and DS could get next to me. SWEET!

Sir – if you’re out there reading this, I still thank you for this generous trade. My family and I really enjoyed being together for this show.

We waited….and waited….and waited for the start time to tick on over. I have a gazillion shots of the Fun Wheel in different colours as a result of this time. So, if there is a specific colour you’d like to see, let me know!

And it was a cold night. It seemed to take forever….but eventually….the show started; with white noise…

…followed by the test patterns.

The opening music to the show is a very familiar tune; for those of us that grew up watching Disney’s kaleidescopic World of Colour on TV. I remembered ALL the words!

I’ll just try and let the pictures do the talking now…

From The Little Mermaid’s Part of the World…

…to Under the Sea

…transitioning to Finding Nemo

…and then Defining Dancing with WALL-E

…to creating a Buzz, and Woody…

…Complete with Laser lights.

(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


One of my favourites….look UP!

I figured the people towards the front must be getting a decent view….wet, though.

We’re landing in Agrabah!

To meet Jasmine and Aladdin in a Whole New World and magic carpet ride…

…plus a multiple number of Friends like Genie.

We went through a Sprite of Spring..

..and also traveled just Around the River Bend..

…and moved with Pocahontas and the Colours of the Wind.

We had a Bug make a brief appearance…

I’d missed the shot of Davy Jones in the mist from the PoTC ride earlier….and I rarely make the same mistake twice.

(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


As this is Disney we’re talking about, here comes the scary music! And Chernabog made an appearance from Bald Mountain.

Disney also went all out with fire….which completely blew out all my shots!

I missed some of the Lion King…

I think Simba and his father were way down the bottom…

…but the Zebras came out to play.

I must’ve played with my camera at this stage…because I got Bambi all overdone....

…and the Pasta was also way past Al Dente (so was the Lady and the Tramp)

But the Disney schmaltz was back! Belle and the Beast had the right focus and got So Close Together.

I was pretty pleased with my first take of WoC. It wasn’t perfect but the pictures have just brought a Cheshire smile to my face….

And the finale…saw some favourites return in full rainbow technicolour.

(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


Disney added a Tron segment to the original ending of WoC…and I know that DisneyFirefly loves Tron…so these are for Firefly….Happy 3 months Early Birthday to you!

Let me just finish by stating that I’d been procrastinating the World of Colour posts and wondering if I should cull back and only post about half a dozen pics – seriously!

As you would have seen, I had two unexpected guest stars in my photographs – The Hunchback and Dumbo the Dinosaur. To say that I had been unhappy with them appearing in my shots would be a gross understatement. Usnuzuloose will be able to attest as to my dissatisfaction with their appearances in my pictures when I shared them with her on my camera at our DisMeet 2 nights hence (coming soon in a future post).

When I came home and showed the rest of the family, all I could see were the Hunchback and Dumbo. The rest of my family briefly sympathized and then spent long minutes oozing over the rest of the image in each shot and commenting about how great the shots were. In fact, one person in my family told me that they actually liked Hunchback because it gave them the sense of being there.

If I recall correctly, Usnuzuloose also displayed a similar sentiment.

So, this post has turned out to be more about the total imagery of the bigger picture than about the two guests, which I had thought might dominate star billing. I have learnt that I need to keep continually looking at the bigger picture, instead of minor imperfections. I’ll have these pictures to remind me of this life lesson and, in the end, decided I’d share them in almost the full entirety.

I hope you have enjoyed my shots on Disney’s Wonderful World of Colour! I certainly enjoyed my first viewing of this technicolour waterworks and I hope to be back for a second viewing sometime sooner rather than later, preferably without the guest stars.

[Up Next – Final Moments at Disneyland]