“This place better not burn down before I get my entrée!" – A DLR Feb16 TR (8/25 Wrap-up & new TR)

[skier_pete]

Sounds like a pretty neat tour.
Adding (working) studio tour to the list of things to do whenever I get to California.
How cool that you got to visit Ellen's studio the last time. I would LOVE to see her show one day in person.

The two shows that are near impossible to get on set for a taping are Big Bang Theory and Ellen. Ellen is a little easier because they give out tickets day of I believe, you just have to show up at the gate in the AM. Unfortunately, I here like 1000 people usually go there but they only let in a couple hundred. DW and I would like to take a trip where we devote time to getting to see some actual live tapings. (We tried for Jimmy Kimmel in 2013 but couldn't get tickets.) Another one that looks like it would be fun to be for a taping would be "The Voice". With DD we couldn't try if we wanted to - most everyone won't allow under 18.

My inner Harry Potter nerd was really geeking out at all of those HP costumes & props on the tour!! How did the sorting actually work? Very cool to say you have been sorted by THE Sorting Hat! I also didn't realize part of the troll was not CGI. Pretty cool!

Yes, the sorting hat actually worked with the same voice as in the movie...."Hmmm...let me think HUFFLEPUFF!" The staff member would hold the hat over your head. (I'm guessing cleanliness concerns) and it would say something. The picture I took wasn't very good, but it DID look like the one from the movie, but the mouth didn't move of course.

I don't know why, but this really made me

Gotta think that non-Potter fans would really wonder what the hell that is.

Oh man, what a tease to go through the gates but not be able to get into the park yet!!

It was a tease. Did you feel teased in the trip report? I was trying to tease everyone the same way I felt! I'm so mean. Coming soon....but not today! (More teasing!)

 

[khertz]

I was trying to tease everyone the same way I felt! I'm so mean. Coming soon....but not today! (More teasing!)

Mission accomplished!!! lol

 

[Tinker326]

I think that Warner Brothers studio tour sounds so awesome! Someday- someday............

 

[ALEXandFAB]

Oh man, I definitely have to do that tour soon.

Aaaahhhh! First Disney day coming up...very exciting!

 

[skier_pete]

Mission accomplished!!! lol

I think that Warner Brothers studio tour sounds so awesome! Someday- someday............

Oh man, I definitely have to do that tour soon.

Aaaahhhh! First Disney day coming up...very exciting!

 

[skier_pete]

Day 5 - DIsneyland!!

The morning dawned early – we had a plan. Technically, we could do early entry any or all days of our trip, but I really wanted to do it today, when our hotel wasn’t quite as nice and we had to get repacked and out anyways. Plus we were still internally flying on Eastern/Mountain time, so Early Entry at 8 AM didn’t seem that big a stretch.

So – up at 6 AM we were, and I was the first out of the room and went “next door” to McDonalds to grab breakfast for everyone.



We packed all the stuff in the car. (Checkout was 11 AM, but they let you keep the car here until 2PM.) The plan was to go to the parks and spend the day there until we could get into the hotel at the Grand Californian. Once we checked in, I would come back here to get the car.

And then – it was off across the street through the Magic Shrubbery to Disneyland! Oh wait, first there’s security. We picked a line for security, well turned out that line wasn’t moving. So we switched lines. THEN we had to get in line at the gate. These were all about 50 people deep.



Eventually we got into the park. Even though we left the hotel at 7:30 AM, and it was a 5-minute walk to here, it may have been just after 8 AM that we FINALLY were walking underneath the train station.





I suppose there weren’t a lot of people here just yet – but it always feels crowded walking into Disneyland, because the street is so much narrower and shorter than at WDW. Plus there’s that tiny castle at the end of the street.



My Mom really liked these flowered decorations




Really though the park didn’t seem very crowded as of yet.






I wanted to get a better picture of Snow White’s fountain…as our fellow BSMers all knew the secret of this original display, but this was the only shot I got.



It was uncrowded until we got to right here – in which there was a line of people lined up.



Turns out – they were all in line for Peter Pan’s flight. Yes, the wait for Peter Pan was already posted at 40 minutes (!!!). I immediately said we were not wasting our early entry hour on a single ride, and we by-passed this line. Again, for WDW folks, Fantasyland here is very compact but has a LOT of rides in it. I count 10 rides in FL – 11 if you count IASW. So, it was easy to see that nothing else had any lines, so we skipped past Peter Pan right to…



The line was so short, I barely had time to get a shot of our host:



We had finally watched “The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad” back in October, and it was not good at all, but it made the ride make SLIGHTLY more sense. The ride makes very little sense.




After Mr. Toad, we decided to go with with this one – which still had no wait.



And then Snow White’s Daring Journey, which also had no wait. (Sense a pattern?)






We bypassed the Carousel completely…I can ride a Carousel any day…



Continued in next post...

 

[skier_pete]

But we decided to ride Dumbo, even though DM wouldn’t go on it. The truth is, I find these spinner rides a bore, but I used to love riding Dumbo in the old location behind the castle. The problem with moving it to Storybook Circus is that now there’s no view at Dumbo, so it’s just another dumb spinner ride.
But this Dumbo lies in the heart of Fantasyland, so yeah, let’s ride Dumbo. I got my magic feather!



DD avoiding the camera.




Wait – I almost caught her smiling…



DW was having fun!




OK maybe even DD




And off we goooo!




Grandma had her camera at the ready. Too bad she never gave me the pictures!



Four rides down, we turned the corner to Alice’s area and again there was no line for the tea cups.






DD still says “No Pictures Please”




Once we got off of this one, Grandma needed to find a Potty. We decided to wait in front of Alice’s ride and sent her to the Queen of Hearts Potties, but as I came around the corner to show her something, who was standing there with no wait?



DD had a bit of a discussion of the merits of the tea cups and tea parties.




I had to get into the picture myself. DD refused of course. DW was the only one of us smart enough to know the Chesire cat was up there in that tree!



So – we next got in line for Alice in Wonderland (ride #6 if you are counting). The wait for this one was actually pretty decent length by this point, probably about 10-15 minutes.



This is actually my favorite of the DLR unique dark rides. They have also added some new effects, which made it even better.





Trying out my new camera with in ride photos – I don’t think I found the right setting yet. I was trying to use this setting which actually fires like 6 photos in about a second, and then composites the image. It worked pretty good when things weren’t moving, but with the car moving and the ride moving, I still got some motion blur.








That's it for now! Have a good weekend everyone!

 

[rteetz]

Disneyland! I will make it there someday soon. Great pictures. The early morning seems to have paid off.

Mr. Toad would be a must for me since it's not in WDW anymore.

I also really want to ride Alice and the teacups, I think it would be cool to ride them with the open air.

Even though Dumbo moved at WDW I still ride it because I like it.

 

[Canadian Harmony]

Next time we go we'll have time to hit Universal and I was wondering if we should do the Paramount or WB tour. Thanks for all those photos and info!

That's a cool feature on your camera, btw. I love the tea party photo. Very cool shot.

 

[kcpinwdw]

Now i want to go to DISNEYLAND! Looks amazing!

And I spy a Familiar Shirt!!! LOVE.

I had to get into the picture myself. DD refused of course.

These photos came out so great, what a cool character!

 

[skier_pete]

Disneyland! I will make it there someday soon. Great pictures. The early morning seems to have paid off.

Mr. Toad would be a must for me since it's not in WDW anymore.

I also really want to ride Alice and the teacups, I think it would be cool to ride them with the open air.

Even though Dumbo moved at WDW I still ride it because I like it.

Fantasyland at DL doesn't have ANY Fastpass rides (unless you count the matterhorn) - so using early entry to ride everything is a great way to go. These first 6 are all "classics" in the true sense of the word. Not all of them were there on opening day, but most are 50+ years old. (Pinocchio opened in the 80s).

Next time we go we'll have time to hit Universal and I was wondering if we should do the Paramount or WB tour. Thanks for all those photos and info!

That's a cool feature on your camera, btw. I love the tea party photo. Very cool shot.

I didn't spend nearly enough time playing with the features on my camera, but I think this one aloud for some pretty decent nighttime/dark shots. I think the firework shots came out particularly well. (We'll get there.)

Now i want to go to DISNEYLAND! Looks amazing!

And I spy a Familiar Shirt!!! LOVE.

These photos came out so great, what a cool character!

Yes, she likes her shirt! Thank you. We didn't really do a lot of character stuff, but we did see a couple. I love meeting characters, but I won't wait in line for them. I'm weird that way.

 

[TexasErin]

I just finished your WDW trip report earlier today and enjoyed it very much....Loving this one also! I have a frequently grumpy 13-year-old DS, so I know the woes of addiction to electronic devices and moods also.

We had always been to only WDW (yearly trips) until summer 2014 when we went to DLR. We loved it so much that we went back to DLR again last summer. DS is insistent that we go back to WDW this summer. Even though DH, DD (19), and I prefer DLR, we are headed there since DS really wants to go back to WDW and we all want to see 7DMT since we haven't seen it yet. Plus we are DVC owners ar AKV so we need to use those points. This will be our first trip with FP+ and magic bands.

I have to say that I love DLR so much more, so I'm trying to get myself more excited at the prospect of WDW, but the thought of humidity, rain, long commutes since no resort is close to all the parks, and FP+ is really making me miss DLR. (World's tiniest violin, right, lol) I will just have to live vicariously through your awesome pix and trip report!

 

[skier_pete]

I just finished your WDW trip report earlier today and enjoyed it very much....Loving this one also! I have a frequently grumpy 13-year-old DS, so I know the woes of addiction to electronic devices and moods also.

We had always been to only WDW (yearly trips) until summer 2014 when we went to DLR. We loved it so much that we went back to DLR again last summer. DS is insistent that we go back to WDW this summer. Even though DH, DD (19), and I prefer DLR, we are headed there since DS really wants to go back to WDW and we all want to see 7DMT since we haven't seen it yet. Plus we are DVC owners ar AKV so we need to use those points. This will be our first trip with FP+ and magic bands.

I have to say that I love DLR so much more, so I'm trying to get myself more excited at the prospect of WDW, but the thought of humidity, rain, long commutes since no resort is close to all the parks, and FP+ is really making me miss DLR. (World's tiniest violin, right, lol) I will just have to live vicariously through your awesome pix and trip report!

Well - I don't agree with you, I like WDW much better than DLR. I suppose you do mention that you are going to WDW in the summer, and I would probably hate WDW if I went in the summer all the time, but I find that I love the width and breadth of WDW. The fact that you go there for a week or more and you are always enveloped in Disney World is what gets me. I don't feel that DLR gives me enough that I could stay much longer. Admittedly this trip at 3 days was a little too short, but after 4 or 5 days, I feel I've had enough of the DLR crowds. Much prefer WDW. Also, now that I am used to it, MUCH prefer FP+ and Magic Bands to ticket media and the old FP system that DLR uses.

 

[TexasErin]

Well - I don't agree with you, I like WDW much better than DLR. I suppose you do mention that you are going to WDW in the summer, and I would probably hate WDW if I went in the summer all the time, but I find that I love the width and breadth of WDW. The fact that you go there for a week or more and you are always enveloped in Disney World is what gets me. I don't feel that DLR gives me enough that I could stay much longer. Admittedly this trip at 3 days was a little too short, but after 4 or 5 days, I feel I've had enough of the DLR crowds. Much prefer WDW. Also, now that I am used to it, MUCH prefer FP+ and Magic Bands to ticket media and the old FP system that DLR uses.

Sorry if I came across overly negative toward WDW.

 

[skier_pete]

Sorry if I came across overly negative toward WDW.

No worries - you didn't. I just got the impression that you were liking DLR better than WDW, and I simply replied with my reasons why I prefer WDW to try and make you more excited that you are going back there.

I've probably said it elsewhere, but I look at DLR as "every 3-4 years is enough" while WDW I find to be "I never get enough".

 

[TexasErin]

No worries - you didn't. I just got the impression that you were liking DLR better than WDW, and I simply replied with my reasons why I prefer WDW to try and make you more excited that you are going back there.

I've probably said it elsewhere, but I look at DLR as "every 3-4 years is enough" while WDW I find to be "I never get enough".

I am trying to get myself more excited, so I appreciate that! I have found that I do like DLR better, which I know is odd since most people prefer their "home" park. We stayed 10 nights both times at DLR and never got bored; even the employees at DLR were surprised that we were staying so long, lol. It may have helped that Saturday was a block-out day, so we spent the day at Downtown Disney and saw a movie there.

Maybe I'll feel differently once I've used Magic Bands. This will be our first time with FP+. I'm keeping an open mind, but have tried to prepare the family for the fact that we may not be able to ride our favorites multiple times like we used to. We have a split stay, trying out the Poly DVC for the first half for the first time, and then AKV for the second half. I get to make my FP+ selections in a couple of weeks, so I've been reading up on the Theme Parks board. Since we have been at DLR since FP+ started, I haven't followed along with all of the procedures so I feel slightly overwhelmed. It will be good once we have this trip under our belt and have some experience with FP+.

 

[skier_pete]

Maybe I'll feel differently once I've used Magic Bands. This will be our first time with FP+. I'm keeping an open mind, but have tried to prepare the family for the fact that we may not be able to ride our favorites multiple times like we used to. We have a split stay, trying out the Poly DVC for the first half for the first time, and then AKV for the second half. I get to make my FP+ selections in a couple of weeks, so I've been reading up on the Theme Parks board. Since we have been at DLR since FP+ started, I haven't followed along with all of the procedures so I feel slightly overwhelmed. It will be good once we have this trip under our belt and have some experience with FP+.

Apologize to everyone else for OT discussion:

I really like FP+ a lot. I do miss being able to collect multiple FP and use them late, but that system was so abused I was actually glad they eliminated that aspect. What I like best is not having to run to get the FP, and the fact that you can to a degree adjust your FP selections on the day of. The trickiest part is knowing when to plan the FP+. It also requires better use of rope drop IMO to really get all the rides you want. I think overall it has shortened many of the standby lines, but some are now longer than they used to be. You definitely can't work the system to get say three rounds of FP on Soarin'.

 

[skier_pete]

DD had been saying to this point she wanted to ride Pirates, but suddenly got into her mind she wanted to ride the Nemo Subs. Well, Nemo Subs are a “get there early” ride, and it had JUST turned to 9 AM, so we figured it was a good time to get over there before the crowds grew too enormous. While everyone got in line, I went and got my first paper FP in 3 years…remember these beauties!



(geez, I didn’t even notice this until just now – these FPs are stamped to indicate that you could hold an additional FP! I guess I should’ve grabbed Star Tours ones while I was at it.) I walked back over to the Nemo Subs and took a picture of Autotopia all under wraps…not missing this ride at all!



The Nemo Sub ride is a rework of the old 20,000 leagues under the sea ride. I may have said this in previous DL – TR but I was in LOVE with this ride as a kid. The way the bubbles rose up and made the sub feel like it was going down to the depths…was just awesome.





As an adult though – the ride is just sort of blah…you start out taking a leisurely loop around the daylight section…seeing lots of fake coral and fish. And DARLA!





The you go “down to the depths” (ie in a tunnel) and they tell you about this new technology where you can listen to fish talk, and suddenly you’re in the finding Nemo ride in Epcot – except you are looking at it through an awkwardly placed portal. It’s all very dark so I didn’t take any pictures. Considering how long the line is, and how long the RIDE is, I’m a little surprised that it still seems pretty popular. Again, as a kid I bet its still pretty neat. Give John Lassiter points for having this one resurrected.

The ride was long enough that by the time we were done, and then everyone stopped for a bathroom break, it was already time for our FPs. (Realizing we rode 6 rides in the EE hours, and ONE ride in the 9 – 10 AM hour.) Anyways, there was probably a 20-30 minute wait for Buzz, but of course we skipped right by that with our FP.






DD was back to saying she wanted to ride Pirates, so we crossed the park. In the hub, the new version of the Disneyland Band was playing. There was some controversy a few months ago when they let a bunch of the band go, and replaced them with a younger group. They did put on a pretty upbeat show, and they were playing a medley of Disney Parks music that was pretty fun. I remember them playing Soarin’ and Star Wars.




The line was already incredibly long when we got to Pirates, though the posted wait was 25 minutes. It was moving good, so we got in line. It was already getting rather hot, but much of the line is outdoors.

The No longer open Rivers of America



My mom was already starting to wear thin at this point. (Hey, she’s 75!) But we made it through the line.





If you haven’t been on the Disneyland version of PotC, it sort of puts the WDW one to shame. It’s about twice as long, and has several additional scenes. There’s two drops that get you out from under the berm, but the whole ride must actually be underground. Again tried for some pictures. Not many came out very well, but better than most I’d taken on the old ride. I gotta try messing with the camera in a less automatic setting.









Next up - California Adventure.

 

[Tinker326]

So if visit in the Sept-Dec timeframe.. I'd say the Haunted Mansion overlay of Nightmare Before Christmas is my favorite- but outside of that timeframe- Alice wins for me. I LOVE the Alice ride. I have always been a huge fan of the Alice story lines (relating back to my father who used to read them to me)...and I think the ride is well done. I wish we could get it in WDW.

 

[rteetz]

I never got to experience the subs in WDW so I would like to experience them in DLR.

It boggles my mind that they won't update the WDW Buzz and at least put in the guns that you can take off the vehicle.

I have heard the POTC in DL is better. I need to get to DL one of these days.