Coast-to-Coast 2011 - From Disneyland to WDW for Destination D! (UPDATE: Club 33)

Definately reading here! Love the pics and TR. Keep 'em coming. Did I miss it, how did you score the Club 33 ressies?
 
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When I finally found everyone else, Henry’s parents and fiancee, Kate, had arrived.

First item on the agenda when they arrived was another stop at the ice cream stand! Well, for me at least. I think the rest of the group stopped to get coffee or something, citing the pre-noon time as some sort of argument against getting ice cream. Foolishness!

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After that we went on King Triton’s Carousel, where I was surprisingly allowed to take my ice cream. For a carousel, it’s pretty neat, I guess, but it’s not high on my list of things to do in a Disney theme park. Even with the unique theming of the carousel I can’t get past the feeling that I’ve seen a similar carousel in my local mall in the mid-1990s. To be fair, I’m hardly a carousel expert, so the quality and detail could be far superior in this one, but it still seems a little cheesy.

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After the carousel, we wandered the Pier for a bit, and ultimately split off because the rest of the group wanted to see Blue Sky Cellar, and Sarah and I aren’t too keen on seeing so much detail on upcoming attractions. Instead, we headed to the Hollywood Pictures Backlot, where we saw California Goofy with no one around him! We were elated to see Goofy in new (to us) attire, so we said hello!

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Next up was MuppetVision 3D. We love this attraction as its humor is right up my alley (the number of times I find myself quoting it is absurd; my favorite line is, “a salute to all nations, but mostly America.” Rizzo the Rat as Mickey Mouse is another highlight.), and although it’s not really different substantively between the coasts, the queues are different, so we spent some time exploring the queue before heading inside. Such great wry humor.

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After MuppetVision, it was time to meet back up with the rest of the group, so we headed over to Disneyland, all the way to the back of the park to Hungry Bear. In retrospect I wish we would have eaten at Village Haus, as we had heard it also recently got a new menu, but for whatever reason, it totally slipped our minds every day of the trip. The one bite of the chicken sandwich I had the previous time was pretty good, so I decided to give it a go this time. It was a solid chicken sandwich, especially for counter service. Something I’d definitely order again.

Overall, I think counter service seems to be improving (and I've only taken two trips) at Disneyland. The new Hungry Bear menu is excellent, as are the menus are Trader Sam’s (or whatever the place next to it is called) and Village Haus, supposedly, yet people still constantly knock Disneyland Counter Service food.

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People just like to complain about things, and Disneyland CS food has a bad stigma based upon the last however many years. With regard to most CS restaurants, that stigma is simply untrue. I think part of the problem is that people want something to turn their noses up at: "Fast Food? I only eat at Napa Rose and Steakhouse 55." Certainly the latter restaurants are better, but I don't see why people can't appreciate things for what they are. Disneyland's "fast food" is very good, and there's no reason to knock it. To compare it to more expensive fare is ludicrous, and is along the same lines as comparing the Storybook Land Canal Boats to Pirates of the Caribbean. They're a different experience: enjoy each of them on their own terms. Not every attraction is going to be an E-Ticket; likewise, not every restaurant is going to taste like a $50/plate steakhouse. I know there are those out there who would rather eat at some chain on Harbor to save $4, but I’d much rather spend the extra $4 and remain in the “Disney bubble,” and enjoy the themed Disney ambiance. I’m sure it’s not the same for day-trip AP holders, but that’s my philosophy.

The same goes for people who complain that Disney food is overpriced. Most people who complain about this are, naturally, AP holders. Most of these people are Californians. You know what? Compared to the rest of the United States, with the exception of Hawaii and Alaska, Southern California is overpriced. I don’t complain about this. I understand that location plays a key in what things cost. It costs more to eat at any sporting event, in many major cities, etc., yet it’s somehow egregious if Disney charges higher prices for food than the restaurants across the street on Harbor. You pay for the convenience--and clearly the prices are justified based upon the crowds these restaurants draw.

After Hungry Bear, it was Pooh-time! (That joke never gets old!) Not much more to say here, except that Sarah’s enthusiasm for this ride was continuing to grow at this point in the trip. I still didn’t get her infatuation with it, and I probably never will. It’s okay, and that’s about it.

We decided to make our way to the front of the park to see Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and go to City Hall to see if we could get a spot on the Lilly Belle car of the Disneyland Railroad. On our way, we stopped for a showing of Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room.

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As usual, it was awesome. Seeing it got me really excited for the (at the time--since announced) possibility that this far superior version of the show (I shouldn’t even call them “versions” of the same “show,” that’s an insult to the California show) would be coming to Walt Disney World. It’s crazy to see how popular it is at Disneyland; hopefully it will be equally well received at Disneyland. There’s no reason it shouldn’t. Despite being much older than “Under New Management,” the Enchanted Tiki Room is much less dated, thanks to its songs being timeless and memorable, and not reminiscent of a particular period of time.

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We headed to Main Street after this, to make arrangements for the Lilly Belle car. While Henry was in City Hall doing this, the rest of us headed to the street to listen to the barbershop quartet and just generally hang out on Main Street. After a while, Henry emerged, and told us that our train would be about another half hour. Perfect! We had time for Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.

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I was really excited, as we had not done this last time despite it being high on my list. You see, my wife is a communist, and hates patriotic American experiences. She falls asleep during the American Adventure at Epcot, snores during the Hall of Presidents, and spits on the Liberty Bell as she passes it in Liberty Square. Okay, maybe that last one isn’t true. She actually likes the Hall of Presidents, too, but she does unintentionally fall asleep during it. For whatever reason, she doesn’t like the American Adventure, though. In my opinion, that should be a treasonous offense.

In any case, I finally got to see Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, and I was stoked. The show was awesome. While it wasn’t as large in scale or scope as either the Hall of Presidents or American Adventure, it was really cool, nonetheless, and incorporated some cool aspects of both attractions into it, including the song Golden Dream! This is one of my favorite “Disney songs,” so it was great to hear it. I knew we wouldn’t have enough time in Epcot on the second half of our trip to see American Adventure, so it was nice to at least get that mini dose of it via Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.

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Following Mr. Lincoln, we browsed the rest of the Disneyland Story area, including a gift shop with some amazing art in it. Overall, this area was really cool, almost like a miniature One Man’s Dream. It even had some displays (like the model of Disneyland hung on the wall) that were much cooler than most of those in One Man’s Dream. All in all, a nice diversion and definitely a great way to kill some time. If you wanted to thoroughly explore the displays, I could see spending an upwards of a couple hours in there. There was a surprising amount to see.

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Our time for the Lilly Belle was fast approaching, so we headed to the second floor of the train station and waited. After about 10 minutes, the train with our car arrived.

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It was a great experience, albeit a really hot one. The car was beautifully appointed, with rich shades of burgundy throughout. It was patently obvious why this car wasn’t open to the general public. After only a few days of rowdy tourist children riding in it, I can’t imagine it would look nearly as pristine as it did. I know it was recently restored, but still, it looked like it had been in perfect condition since the 1950s or 60s.

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Everything from the patterns on the carpet to the victorian tables to the ornate wood panels of the car were impressive. Books and photos sat on the train to add to really personalize the car, and there was even a guest book to round out the experience. All of these little touches really made the car something special.

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The was one other party aboard the train with us, and they were “actual” Club 33 members. We talked to them a bit, and it seemed they genuinely cared about Disney, but when the topic of California Adventure came up (as they mentioned a survey they had received about a private dining club there), they turned their noses up at the park, with one of them saying, “Of course we don’t want to join a club there. We don’t care about that park, it’s the park Walt would have never buil,” and, “it wouldn’t surprise me if they did build a club over there if they can find enough suckers to join.” These people were otherwise nice, albeit a little snooty, but these comments really rubbed me the wrong way. For one thing, invoking the name of Walt (“Walt wouldn’t do this”) is a huge pet peeve of mine. Walt Disney is dead. It would have been difficult to predict his actions decades ago when he was alive. Now, in a totally different era in a totally different world, you really have the gumption to state what he would and wouldn’t do? Really?! Even if you don’t like California Adventure, I think it’s really presumptuous to say, “Walt wouldn’t have built it.” I see comments like these all over the internet, and always shake my head at them.

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Aside from those comments that rubbed me the wrong way, the people were interesting. They told us a story (I don’t know if it’s accurate, I can’t find anything online besides some vague references on forums to it) about Matt Ouimet seeing the Lilly Belle deteriorating backstage. According to their story, he asked why it wasn’t in use, and he was told that Michael Eisner only wanted it used if a corporate sponsor for it could be obtained. Ouimet apparently said that was ridiculous, and ordered it restored. Like I said, I don’t know the veracity of this, but it’s interesting, nonetheless. They also gave us some advice on menu options, as well as some history about the club, which was all very fascinating.
 


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All in all, it was a very cool experience about the Lilly Belle car. It was something we really savored, as I’m not sure that we’ll ever have the opportunity to ride aboard that car again.

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After our loop was complete, we exited the car, and again headed over to the “park Walt would have never built.” We first headed to the Pacific Wharf area and hit up the Karl Strauss Handcrafted Beer Cart. I don’t even remember what I had, but I’m pretty sure it was an IPA. Karl Strauss isn’t really my favorite beer, but I know others like it. I thought it was nothing memorable, but I will give Disney props for including a craft beer here rather than the standard Coors/Miller/Bud.

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We sat around here for a decent amount of time just enjoying our beer and chatting before heading over to, what else, but the MONSTERS, INC DARK RIDE!!! I didn’t keep track, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the attraction we experienced the most on this trip. I don’t know what else would be up there. Silly Symphony Swings? Indiana Jones Adventure? Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride? It’s definitely right up there if not number one.

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At this point Team Henry headed back to their hotel to get ready for the dinner. Sarah and I didn’t plan on doing quite as much readying, so we decided to stay and do more playing. Our first stop, at Sarah’s behest, was the Silly Symphony Swings. Despite a 20 minute wait, she really wanted to ride the Swings, so we queued up. Unfortunately, that 20 minute wait time sign was accurate, and we waited for 20 minutes. It may be a fun little attraction, but not something I’d really like to wait more than 10 minutes to experience.

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After this, we contemplated using FastPasses we acquired earlier to the Tower of Terror. If it took longer than expected, we’d really have to get ready in a hurry. That obviously didn’t weigh too heavily, as we decided to ride without much hesitation. Thanks to a back-up in the boiler room, we did have a bit of a long wait, but it was well worth it. Such a great attraction. As I said earlier in the report, it’s probably my favorite attraction at Walt Disney World. It’s not quite as high on the list as Disneyland, but it’s still incredible. It doesn’t hurt that the Twilight Zone is one of my favorite TV shows.

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Following Tower of Terror, we rushed back to our room, and got ready and changed for Club 33. Our time in the room was only about 5 minutes, which was incredibly impressive, we thought. This would have never been possible in Florida, where the humidity would have forced us each to shower. Once changed, we headed back to the park for our Club 33 reservations.

...and that’s where we’ll pick up next time.
 
I am enjoying your trip report so far! I especially like your comparisons between the parks on both coasts. I have been to both parks multiple times and agree with you on many points.

I also am really enjoying your photos so far. Thanks for sharing them.

The spinning Toy Story thing also fascinated me; I believe it is called a "zoetrope".
 


I am enjoying your trip report so far! I especially like your comparisons between the parks on both coasts. I have been to both parks multiple times and agree with you on many points.

I also am really enjoying your photos so far. Thanks for sharing them.

The spinning Toy Story thing also fascinated me; I believe it is called a "zoetrope".

Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it (and the comparisons) so far. I did a lot more comparisons in my First Disneyland Trip Report from August 2010.

That Toy Story zeotrope is AWESOME, right?!

The Club 33 update coming shortly...
 
There was good reason why it only took us 5 minutes to get ready. Because when we arrived in our room, we only had 10 minutes until we said we’d meet the Works (and Katie, Work-to-be). We exited the room with 5 minutes to get from our hotel door to New Orleans Square.

Few thought such a feat could be accomplished, but thanks to our swift legs, we...fell short by about 5 minutes. Usually in these race-against-the-clock scenarios at Disney, we perform surprisingly well. In this case, the heat plus our heavy attire plus Sarah’s high heels made for insurmountable obstacles. We still hurried, which was probably a mistake, as I was a sweaty mess when we arrived in NOS. The frenzied pace turned my already sunburned skin even more red, making me sweaty and red. Perfect!

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Luckily, we were still 15 minutes early for our reservation, something we planned so that we could take some photos outside of the restaurant. We spent some time doing exactly this, and about 5 minutes before our set reservation time, decided it was time.

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For those unfamiliar with Disneyland history, 33 Royal Street, the location of Club 33, is arguably the most “famous” address among Disney fans. Access to the Club is by membership (or as the guest of a member) only, the existence of the restaurant is denoted only by a cryptic “33” sign near the entrance to the restaurant.

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We started our voyage into Club 33 by heading to the doorway where I pressed a speak-easy style speaker-box. After a couple of seconds, a voice came over the other side of the intercom, and asked for our information. A few seconds later, we were buzzed inside. A few minutes early for our reservation, we were held in the lobby until the exact time of our reservation.

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No matter how much I had read about the restaurant and despite all of the photos I had seen online, I was blown away as I was enveloped in the sea of rich burgundy and ornate details. Everything about the lobby was lavish. Although I wasn’t around back in the 20s, it felt like what I envision the inside of a ritzy 20s speak-easy looking like.

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Much like the Lilly Belle, it appeared as if it had remained in pristine condition since 1967. Right then, I knew the ambiance alone would justify the cost of the experience. I cannot fully stress how important it is to view this restaurant as an experience and not a meal. If you’re considering dining at Club 33 and you don’t really care about Disney history, don’t.

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Immediately visible in the lobby is the most impressive piece of Club 33 lore, the French Lift. These lifts were frequently used in the late 1800's, but are now quite rare. They were similarly rare when Club 33 was being constructed. When shopping in France with his wife, Lillian, Walt spotted a French Lift he immediately had to have in an older hotel. He tried to purchase the elevator, but the hotel would not sell the elevator (uhh...did they not recognize Walt FREAKIN’ Disney?! They should have given the thing to him, along with any other elevator in the premises, even if he didn’t request them!), so Walt had artists and engineers (Imagineers) visit the hotel to study the lift so that they could replicate the lift with necessary modernizations. If you dine at Club 33, you’d be remiss if you didn’t take the lift.

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As you step out of the elevator, you begin to notice all of the exquisite details that give Club 33 such a rich history. Our table was ready, so we would have to soak in these details later.

The lights were low and uneven, and the dining room was a veritable sea of burgundy. These conditions made photographs especially difficult. On top of that, my go-to lens for such occasions, the Sigma 30mm f/1.4, had broken earlier in the trip. My next fastest lens, the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 had too much ‘zoom’ for such confined spaces, so I’d be forced to use the ultra-wide angle and fisheye lenses almost entirely. This was really disappointing, as the results with these two lenses aren’t nearly as good as what I could have accomplished with the Sigma 30. I toyed with the idea of converting all of the photos here to black and white, as I think they’d look better that way due to the harsh lighting and the overwhelming burgundy, but ultimately decided to retain color in most to convey the appearance of the restaurant as accurately as I could. C’est la vie.

As we wanted to see Fantasmic! from the balcony when we made our reservations, we went for dinner. Unfortunately, Fantasmic! was not showing on this particular night, as work had begun in the Rivers of America for the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides World Premiere.

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Almost immediately after sitting down, we got right back up to take photos with the last bit of daylight that was quickly fading into the distance. The view over New Orleans Square was nice, but definitely left something to be desired with the POTC4 construction taking place. It was quite impressive, nonetheless.

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After we finished taking photos, we started our dinner with drinks. A meal at Club 33 is the only way you’ll ever (within the park rules, at least) consume alcohol in Disneyland, so we were not going to pass up this opportunity. Not really knowing what to order (the beer list didn’t sound appealing), I opted for a gin and tonic. Given the surroundings, I wanted a drink that seemed like it was straight off of the set from Mad Men. I realized I don’t really have a taste for gin and tonic, but it seemed fairly good. Had a kick to it but the alcohol wasn’t overpowering. More importantly, it made me feel dapper as I held it up to the light and furrowed my brow, so it had accomplished its task.

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For dinner, we had two options, a seasonal five-course prix fixe menu and an a la carte appetizer and entrée menu. Everyone at our table chose the a la carte menu, which required spending the cost of a one-day park ticket. This requirement is almost laughable, as each of our meals easily exceeded twice the cost of a one-day park ticket. Sarah and I ordered the same appetizer, the crab cake.

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Unlike many crab cakes that are composed primarily of filler, these crab cakes are almost completely crab. The “other stuff” is there, presumably, just to hold them together and give them some additional flavor. The sauce was rich and creamy, which was the perfect compliment to the lump crab meat. The sauce definitely provided a good balance to the flavor and made the already moist crab cakes (few things are worse than a dry crab cake) even more succulent.

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For the main course, we again both ordered the same thing, the Chateaubriand. We had heard from Club 33 members on the Lilly Belle that the Chateaubriand was to die for, and it looked to be one of the best options on the menu, so we opted for it. Upon seeing it, we had high expectations. It was a thick cut, dosed in a Cabernet reduction and beautifully garnished with mashed potatoes and baby tomatoes. Unfortunately, looks can be deceiving.

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The filet did not cut easily, our first sign that something was amiss. It was not all that tender and not especially flavorful. Likewise, the potatoes tasted as if they were prepared from a box. The Cabernet reduction was the one star of the meal, and it was excellent and would have weaved together with a superior piece of meat, say the filet I had earlier in the trip at Napa Rose, most excellently. The Chateaubriand was by no means terrible, but I would probably place it in the bottom 10% of all $40+ plates of food I have had in my life. I was somewhat hopeful that maybe my specific cut was an anomaly, but no one at our table was overly-positive about their meal. It was still good, just not nearly what I expected after all of the hype and given the $47 price.

Here are the entrees the Works ordered:

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Dessert was next, and while my selections for the appetizer and entree were clear almost immediately upon seeing the menu, dessert presented more of a dilemma. Many of the choices sounded great; I needed to choose carefully as this was Club 33’s last chance at redeeming itself for the sub-par entree.

Perhaps it was the delightfully strong gin and tonic setting in, but the Mascarpone Lemon Cheese Cake and a Banana's Foster's Caramel Reduction really hit the spot. Rich and decadent, with an exquisite presentation, the two “sides” of the dessert contrasted each other well, without being too stark. A very imaginative dessert, to be sure, and an excellent conclusion to the meal.

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Another dessert:

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With regard to the food specifically, even though the drinks were good, the appetizer was great and the dessert was great, the sub-par entree really impacted the ultimate score I’d give the cuisine (a B-). Similarly, our service was poor, as our waiter seemed pre-occupied throughout the meal. I’m not sure if this was because we weren’t actual members or what, but it also impacts that score a bit.

I earlier alluded to the fact that the Chateaubriand, purportedly one of the top menu items, was a sub-par item for this tier of restaurant. As I said at the outset, Club 33 is not a restaurant, it is the ultimate Disney fan experience, which happens to include a meal. Club 33 is not the most-sought after and elusive experience for Disney fans, with a closed waiting list because of its reputation as an exceptional restaurant. If you want to dine at an exceptional restaurant at Disneyland, you should be heading across the Esplanade to Napa Rose. There’s no waiting list there, the food is easily twice as good, and the prices are substantially less.

No, Club 33 is the Disney Holy Grail because of its history and exclusiveness. There is truly nothing else like it in the Disney universe. You don’t eat there because of the food, you eat there because of the ambiance.

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Thankfully, during the course of the meal, our waiter, Alistair (whose name I’m probably slaughtering with that spelling), offered to give us a post-dinner tour of the Club. We immediately and enthusiastically accepted his offer. Although I wanted to savor the experience as much as possible, this tour was in the back of my mind throughout dinner, and I was quite excited for the tour to arrive.

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The tour was interesting, to say the least. By the time we were finished eating, the room of the restaurant where we were seated was fairly empty, with the exception of a couple of tables, meaning that our tour would not be rushed, nor would it interfere with other guests’ enjoyment of their meals.

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Alistair mixed history of the restaurant with news and “facts” about the parks. I use air-quotes around facts because many of these facts were far from facts. An example of such a fact was his description of the Carthay Circle Theater (or as he called it, “Carthaway”) replica being built at DCA that had it housing a Snow White attraction that, to the best of my knowledge, is not being built). Because I know many of the information he presented to us regarding the Parks was incorrect, I am hesitant to transcribe the facts that I cannot verify concerning Club 33, as I don’t want to perpetuate even more misinformation about the Club, Wikipedia style!

That said, here’s my capsule account of the tour, including the information I have been able to verify as accurate. After leaving the main dining room, where we were seated, our tour proceeded to the room that’s known informally as the Trophy Room.

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Over the years, this room has changed, with animal heads and other once-living creatures removed from the years gradually as Disney attempted to distance itself from sport-hunts. The references to hunting are now more subtle, with memorabilia, art, and masks displacing some of the actual trophy heads.

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Some remnants of the previous decor remain. An Audio Animatronic vulture that once entertained diners still sits perched in the upper corner of the room under the door, and microphones/speakers that were once used for the vulture’s interactive “show” can be found in the light fixtures hanging about tables.

The Trophy Room is smaller than the main dining room, and appears set for parties and visiting dignitaries who demand privacy from the rest of high society (although when we were there, I was surprised at how many of the patrons appeared to be “regular folk” just like our party; there were few patrons who seemed as if they were part of the pantheon of Southern California’s elite). If Teddy Roosevelt ever ate at Club 33, this is the room I imagine him utilizing. It oozed of restrained and refined manliness, yet I can’t help but imagine the place becoming a rowdy bastion of ‘stories from the hunt’ of an African hunting expedition amongst the elite after the liquor began flowing. Perhaps I let my imagination get the best of me. It definitely has a cozier feel, but is equally as ornate and well-appointed as the main dining room.

Leaving the Trophy Room and continuing down the hall, we encountered one of the Club’s more famous pieces of decor: a phone booth. This functional phone booth is quite ornate, with its bevelled glass windows and flawless oak panels is actually a prop from the 1960’s film, “The Happiest Millionaire,” which is one of the last films Walt Disney personally touched.

In the same vicinity is another movie prop, and arguably the Cub’s most famous piece: an ornate walnut table with white marble top. It was used in the legendary 1964 Disney film, “Mary Poppins.”

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Of course no tour is complete with a stop in...the lady’s restroom...yeah, I don’t know what to say about this one. Sarah took photos of the restroom, and it’s pretty luxurious for what it is. Sorry if these photos offend your sensibilities, but I thought they were pretty interesting.

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Moving along with the “normal” tour, one of the highlights of the restaurant is probably the piano just past the Gallery and across from the bar. Seemingly innocuous and no more refined than your average piano (at least to my untrained eyes), the inside of the lid features a meticulous painting of 19th century New Orleans Harbor.

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Sadly, as implied above, Walt Disney never lived to dine at Club 33. Around the time of Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary, the Club had a painting commissioned of Walt dining at the restaurant. The painting now hangs in the restaurant, and features Walt at a window table, with the Mark Twain Riverboat outside, sipping a cup of coffee as he reads the paper. As far as art goes, this is probably the only piece I have ever seen that actually gave me chills. It is truly a moving piece of art.

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At the end of the tour, in typical Disney fashion there was, of course, a gift shop! (This joke is so tired now, but what the heck.) Contrasting typical Disney fashion was that there was no counter or cash register nearby or any other means of knowing how to make a purchase. Rather, you simply loitered around a glass case, and sooner or later, a Cast Member would ask you what you’d like to purchase. It was almost as if the case was daring you to buy something, and waiting around a bit before being able to make a purchase was like even deeper initiation into “The Club.” If gift shops (or cases, in this case) could talk, this one would say, “I don’t need a person hawking goods bearing the exquisite logo of this Club. I’m cool, you know that, I know that. You want to buy me--you’ll wait around until we’re good and ready to sell something to you.”

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I was going to purchase Club 33 ears, but ultimately opted against them once I saw them. Sarah purchased a baseball hat. There were something interesting items, most noteworthy the class ring style men’s rings. However, most of the items were stock print-shop clothing with the “33” logo emblazoned on them. Definitely nothing imaginative, and not what I expected for such an exclusive club. I have heard that they once sold prints of the Walt painting I mentioned earlier. Had that been available, I think I would have purchased it regardless of the price tag.

Keeping in mind my lukewarm review of the meal itself, I would give our experience at Club 33 a 10/10. (Click here for my full review of Club 33, which is a variation of what's present here.) If ever a restaurant deserved a mantra of, “come for the food, stay for the experience,” it is Club 33. Our hours there will likely go down as some of the best ever in any Disney park, and if we ever have the opportunity to go back, we will in an instant.

After the Cast Member returned with Sarah’s hat, we slowly made our way down the stairs and to the exit. We knew this time would come, but we were in no way prepared for it. Some kids dream of camping out in the Swiss Family Treehouse overnight, I think my dream place to stay the night would be in Club 33/the Disney Gallery.

As the door slowly closed behind us, we turned back for our last peak inside the Club. Right around the time we headed into New Orleans Square, the food comas set in. We still had a little bit of time left until the park closed, so we set out to hit a few attractions before closing. By this time, I was so drowsy that I barely even remember what we did. I know we hit Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion, and I think that was it.
 
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I had been playing message-tag with Hilger, a fellow photographer and Nikon shooter. We had planned on meeting up with him the previous night, but our fun time at elecTRONica sort of nixed those plans. Instead, we met briefly with he and his girlfriend before continuing on to take some photos in Fantasyland.

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We started a few minutes before the park closed, as the previous two nights had been busts photo-wise, and I wanted to get as many shots as possible before calling it a night.

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I made quick work of Fantasyland, shooting the exteriors of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Pinocchio’s Daring Journey, Peter Pan’s Flight, and King Arthur’s Carrousel before moving on to the Castle.

Since I had a jacket and khakis on, I thought it might be cool to recreate the classic shot of Walt walking through the back of the Castle into an empty Fantasyland. I was a bit concerned that this would seem a bit conceited, as if I were comparing myself to Walt Disney, but I’m sure many people have tried this shot, and they all did it in the name of fun. That was also the reason I was doing it--for the record, about the only thing Walt Disney and I have in common is legendary mustaches. (Okay, I don’t have a mustache, but I’m betting I could grow a killer one!)

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After this shot and a similar shot of the same scene with Sarah in it, I was struggling for ideas. For some reason, I decided to have her stand by a gift shop window for what ended up being, by all accounts, a lousy idea and shot. I wouldn’t post it if not for the sake of the story, because right as I finished taking it, I heard, “you again,” from a familiar voice. The security guard from two nights’ prior.

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He reiterated his, and City Hall’s, position that tripods weren’t allowed in the park, and I clarified that they weren’t allowed in busy thoroughfares. This exchange didn’t go on for too long, because at this point Sarah started to firmly let him have it. She wasn’t rude, but she wasn’t exactly polite, either. Like I said earlier, she feels the need to protect me. Based on my encounter with this @$#%$#*&^# the previous night, I knew this would take us nowhere positive.

I quickly stopped Sarah, and told the security guard we’d head to Main Street. Before we left, I told him that I had been coming to the Disney theme parks all of my life, and I had never felt unwelcome or humiliated until the encounter I had with him two nights earlier. I thought I possibly gotten through to him because he wouldn’t even make eye contact with me, but Sarah said she heard him laughing as we walked away. I would post the guy’s name and description on here, but I will be the bigger man. It’s seriously taking all the restraint I have, though, as just thinking about this gets my blood boiling again.

It was still only around 12:15 am at this point, and the Main Street shops were open until 1 am, so we wandered around Main Street. Sarah made friends with some people in rocking chairs, and I wandered around, just soaking in the ambiance. It was actually a new and unique experience to just walk around the empty Main Street just soaking in the atmosphere without taking (many ) photos.

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Finally, when the clock hit 1 am, we headed out. Not even the setback with security could wipe the smiles off of our faces as we walked out the gates. A wonderful day in the parks followed by an amazing evening at Club 33 topped off with a nice stroll around Main Street, USA. It was like cake on top of cake, on top of MORE CAKE!
 
The next morning was Sunday, and I was ready to rock and roll early. I knew Disneyland opened at 8 am, so I decided to get up around 6:45 so I could be to the turnstiles by 7:30. Sarah had no interest in getting up this early, so I headed out on my own. I arrived to baggage check at around 7:50. The line was already huge, and I thought, “oh well, I guess I won’t be one of the first people into Fantasyland.”

Then, I realized something. The line wasn’t moving. At all. Then I saw Cast Members coming around, handing out Times Guides and Park Maps. It’s been a while since I’ve used a park map (except at Animal Kingdom, where I still get lost after all these years), as I don’t want to look like a tourist. I picked one up, just the same, and come to find out, Disneyland didn’t open until 9 am!

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This was one part embarrassing, ten parts awesome! I was a bit back in the bag check line, but overall, I wasn’t far back at all. When bag check finally started moving, our line proceeded quickly, and I quickly made my way to the far turnstiles, and was about the 20th person back. Then I realized there was a turnstile next to me that didn’t have any one lined up at it. I moved over to that turnstile, but unfortunately, right before I moved over, a family noticed the same thing, and also moved over.

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Fear not, as this family was soon chosen as the “Family of the Day” (or something of that sort), and was ushered inside the turnstiles. There was a short show with them (this is one thing Walt Disney World does MUCH better--the Welcome Show is awesome) involved, but more importantly (to me at least!), I was now the first person in line at one of the turnstiles.

As soon as the clock struck the magic time, I was allowed to enter through the turnstile, and found myself about the second or third person heading up Main Street. Thanks to my brisk walking abilities, I quickly overtook first place. As Seabiscuit--err, I mean Tom--rounded the corner out of the tunnel he came into the straight-away up Main Street still in first! This didn’t make much of a difference, as there was enough space at the rope near the end of Main Street for about 20 people or so. I wanted to be in the center, though, and plus it was fun to be one of the very first people moving up Main Street (while pretending to be a racing-horse, apparently).

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Once I was up at the rope, I had a field day. I changed lenses probably 7 times, trying to get the best shots I possibly could, and rethinking shots I had previously taken. Ironically-enough, one of the security guards came up to me and started talking about photography and even offered to take a photo of me with my camera. At first I think he was going to let me go on the other side of the rope, but right as I said yes, a couple other people said, “couple you take our photo after that,” and I figured he wouldn’t want to set a bad precedent by letting me go on the other side, so I just stood amongst the crowd while he took my photo. In retrospect, I wish I would have asked, the worst he could have said would have been no, and it would have been a cool photo. Oh well.

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Time flew by, and it was soon time for rope-drop. The same “chosen ones” got to do a little performance here by counting down. It was neat.

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Unsuprisingly, my ability to walk briskly is far superior to the families around me, and I was easily in first place again all the way to the hub. I had decided that I was going straight to Peter Pan’s Flight and coming back to take photos later, but as soon as I saw Partners, I couldn’t help myself--I just had to stop and take one shot.

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I’m really glad I did, as the photo I took is one of my favorites from the trip. I quickly got back up, and resumed the “race.” There were now a few people ahead of me, but as we passed through the compass in front of the Castle, I shot up a gap between them and resumed first place.

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Again, though, I couldn’t help myself. An empty Fantasyland was mine to photography and I couldn’t pass up that opportunity. I quickly snapped a couple of shots, then headed right towards Peter Pan’s Flight. I was the 3rd person to board (I walked right on just the same as I would if I were the 1st person to ride). It would have been awesome to have been the first person to ride, but the photos were definitely worth it, especially since all first place would have entailed would have been some nonsensical “bragging rights.”

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After Pan, it was off to Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. Yep, the second straight day I had gone on it by myself. I guess it really was growing on me. I think it’s one of those attractions I just really want to like, and with such a crazy premise/plot, I’ll come to like it more with each repeat riding. Knowing that, I’ve been trying to ride it as much as possible.

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Following that, it was on to Alice in Wonderland. Like I’ve said in the past, I’m not a huge fan of the animated ‘classic’ (and certainly not the over-hyped Tim Burton version), but after loving the attraction so much, I think I want to give the movie a second chance. It just has so many rich characters that I feel it’s a movie I really am “missing.”

Thus far I had yet to wait a single minute in line, and that streak continued with Pinocchio's Daring Journey. The jury is still out on this one for me. There are some cool scenes and effects, and I really like Pinocchio, but it does feel dated. This is another one that could use a once-over by Baxter, to really return its luster to it.

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Based on my experience with TouringPlans.com (gotta plug the employer!), I knew that the Storybook Land Canal Boats tend to get a longer line as the day goes on, and due to its poor capacity, the line is somewhat confounded. I thus decided to do this next, even though I knew Sarah might want to experience it later as it’s one of her favorite attractions in Fantasyland.

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Our skipper (doubt that’s the proper name, but oh well) for the ride was awesome. He really got into the part, over-exaggerating his lines for dramatic emphasis. It would have been a bit over the top for the adult humor of the Jungle Cruise, but I still think some of the Jungle Cruise skippers should take lessons from him. There’s a fine line between “dry-monotone” and “dryly-phoning-it-in” and many of the Jungle Cruise skippers are on the wrong side of that line.

When we arrived at Cinderella’s Village, we saw something hilarious. Catzilla! Apparently a stray cat had decided to take a nap in the village, and was lying amongst some of the cottages. For whatever reason, I found (and still find) this absolutely hilarious. It cracks me up just thinking about. I only wish the skipper would have played this up, ad libbing some way of explaining the cat’s enormous size to the kids aboard our ship, but I’m sure Disney wouldn’t appreciate said deviation.

This was the first time I’d experienced Storybook Land during the day, and while not as majestic as at night, it’s no slouch during the day. I love that some newer movies have been incorporated into the attraction, and I hope it continues to be plussed as the years go on. Some purists will probably hang their heads in disbelief, but I think it’d be neat to see the house from Up floating magically somewhere in the Land. I’m probably alone in that sentiment, as I know Pixar, a wholly owned Disney entity, has no place in Disneyland. Ha.

When I departed Storybook Land, I got a message from Sarah that she was nearing the turnstiles. Not wanting to ride another attraction without her, I took a few infrared photos.

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We then headed over to Casey Jr’s. This would be our first spin aboard the hilarious looking train, and I had high expectations, even after the Chew Chew debacle.

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My expectations were met, nay, were exceeded. Substantively, it’s pretty comparable to Chew Chew. A kiddie train, albeit with much cooler cars. However, that’s not the point. The way Casey Jr’s interacts with Fantasyland and the other modes of transportation/attractions in Disneyland really makes it a gem. I can only imagine back when the Peoplemover was running. How cool would it have been to see so many different transportation systems entwined?! Plus, there’s that catchy song for Casey Jr’s. It was definitely a fun little attraction, and one on which we could see ourselves relaxing in the future.

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Next, it was time for it’s a small world. I’ve already written about this attraction at length in this report (and my last report), and I wish I had more to say, but unfortunately I don’t. Well, besides the fact that I cannot wait until we experience this at Christmas!!! I seriously think we’re going to hit 10+ rides on this in November. I cannot wait.

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We trekked on to Toontown, where we encountered our first line of the day, at Roger Rabbit’s Cartoon Spin. It was only a 10 minute wait, but with the way we (mostly me) had been tearing through attractions up until this point, it was a bit of a momentum killer. We both really wanted to be as efficient as possible this day, as we had relaxed and taken things slowly on the previous days.

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Cartoon Spin was worth it, and is the type of Fantasyland-style dark ride I hope to see more of in the future. It’s interactive but not ‘in-your-face’ about it, and it has solid set design and production value. It’s unfortunate that it’s hidden way back in Toontown, as I have to admit that we have experienced it far too seldomly.

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As we headed back out of Toontown, we noticed that the Teacups had no wait. I wanted to try out my shot idea from the previous day with Sarah, who is decidedly more photogenic than me, and she was a good sport, so we gave it a whirl. The few minutes for the photo (top, below) were well worth it, as the Orange County Register published it, and Popular Photography magazine inquired about publishing it.

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Even though it was early, I had been up since early morning, and Sarah is never one to pass up pizza, so we headed over to Pizza Port. Pizza Port is okay, but it’s one place I will readily concede is not that great of Disney Quick Service. I have no clue why we didn’t go to the Village Haus with its new menu, but for whatever reason, we forgot.

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The pizza was okay, but it wasn’t really anything special. Next time we’re in Disneyland and get a hankering for pizza, luckily the new DCA Paradise Pier Pizza & Pasta restaurant will be an option. From what we’ve heard, it’s quite a great option!

We didn’t know what to hit next, so we decided to head over to Adventureland to hit some of the classic attractions that typically have short waits to find that Adventureland had become even more of an untraversable mess thanks to the POTC4 premier construction. Not wanting to go all the way back through Frontierland just to get to POTC, we opted for a quick climb-through of Tarzan’s Treehouse.

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The Treehouse was okay. I’m not much of a Tarzan person, so if anything, it made me appreciate the Swiss Family Treehouse at WDW even more. The WDW version may not be my favorite attraction, but I like it better than Tarzan’s Treehouse, for whatever reason. Probably irrational nostalgia, actually.

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Crowds were getting bad in Disneyland (probably mostly due to the terrible traffic flow of Adventureland, Frontierland, and New Orleans Square), so we decided to head over to DCA next.

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Our first stop was the Tower of Terror, which was great as always. Not really much more to say about it. As you can tell, I’m picking up the pace of this trip report. I’ve already discussed most of the attractions and my opinions thereof, and we still have one day of DLR to report, then a full WDW trip. It would be nice to have this thing finished before October! (Luckily, I have most of the WDW portion of the report written, as I wanted to get that done while D23’s Destination D was still fresh in my mind.)

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Next stop, the Toy Story zeotrope! I wasn’t allowed to stay and gawk at it in awe for quite as long as I was the previous time, but I still watched a couple of “performances.” Art of Disney, it’s time for you to start selling these bad boys. I fear the cost would far exceed my $50 budget for such a device, but the more of these there are in the world, the better of a place the world is. Seriously, key to world peace: zeotropes.

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While I was gazing at this, Sarah was watching some montages in the main lobby area. These were pretty cool, but nothing overwhelming. We didn’t stick around for long in here, as the next showing of Turtle Talk with Crush was about to start, and we wouldn’t want to miss that.

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Anyone who has read my Walt Disney World trip reports knows that we’re huge fans of Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor. We think it’s seriously underrated, and catches way too much flak because it uses a Pixar entity and living character technology. While I don’t like it as much as I liked Timekeeper, I still think it’s a great attraction.

This was one of the better showings of Turtle Talk we’ve seen, with some pretty cool references to Disneyland (specifically, the Nemo subs) and DCA. People can rag on these shows all they want, but we enjoy the humor and the fact that the experience is always (at least somewhat) different. While they will never surpass classics like Haunted Mansion, it’s nice to have some variety, and they are exactly that. I wouldn’t mind Disney creating a few more attractions like this, as long as it does so with a story-first, technology-second mentality. Don’t just force some story to work because you’ve got cool technology to utilize, WDI.

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We wandered through Golden State before spotting a short line for Duffy the Bear. Duffy the Bear seems to be a divisive issue amongst the fan community, but I really don’t have much of an opinion on him. Yes, he’s heavily marketed, but so is High School Musical and Cars. He seems relatively popular, and it just seems like way too much of an effort to get worked up about him. A lot of people really like him, so that’s reason-enough to justify his existence, in my mind. It’s not like he’s really hurting anything.

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Next up it was time for more ice cream! I’ve lost count how many times I consumed ice cream during this trip, but I’m going to hazard a guess that it was more than I eat on all other non-Disney days of the year combined.

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With ice cream in hand, our pace slowed considerably. We strolled Paradise Pier yet again, taking in the delightful ambiance. I cannot wait to return and experience Paradise Pier in all of its “Phase 1 Completed” glory, with Ariel’s Adventure and the new dining areas completed (and Goofy’s Sky School, I guess). After we finished the stroll, we headed through the Golden State, to see if Grizzly River Run had a short wait time. Given that it was a warm day in the high 80s, my expectations were not high. Sure enough, it was a 60 minute wait. We stopped in the adjacent gift shop, anyway, and I snapped some photos.

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From this point, we decided to use some FastPasses we picked up earlier for Soarin. This was probably the fifth time we had picked up FastPasses for Soarin during our two Disneyland trips, but it was the first time we ever used them! Sarah is not a huge fan of the attraction as it riles up her motion sickness, and the wait, even with FastPasses (for WDW’s version, at least) is still somewhat long.

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I love Soarin, and this version did not disappoint. The queue was really cool, and the little details to convey the story of the “history” of the building (and Condor Flats in general, I suspect) were interesting. The attraction itself seemed better maintained than the Walt Disney World version (big surprise, right?!), and I didn’t constantly see specs and hairs on the film print taking me out of the experience. And that soundtrack...oh that soundtrack is something else!
 
After Soarin’ we headed over to Disneyland to meet up with the Works for one ride on Space Mountain before they had to leave (our schedules hadn’t really clicked earlier in the day, so we decided to just meet for this one attraction). We had a little time to kill before the meet-up, so we grabbed FastPasses for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, headed into the Golden Horseshoe, and then took another spin aboard Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters. I don’t recall who won, but I can only assume it was me!

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It was then time for another ride on Space Mountain with the Works. As we were heading up the entrance ramp, Henry pointed out some egg-looking things scattered amongst the plants. Apparently, these dinosaur-alien egg type things were scattered around during the New Tomorrowland refurbishment. I’m all for little details to give a land dimension and story, but these just seemed odd and ill-conceived. Scant information exists online about these eggs, and I really wish I would have taken photos of them now. I swear that they do exist, and I hope someone can corroborate my story so I don’t seem like one of those crazies who claims to have seen Walt’s frozen head under the Castle bridge.

Oh, did I mention what I saw below the Castle bridge the previous day...?!

After Space Mountain, I set up to take a photo of the Rocket Jets similar to one I had seen in one of the Disneyland books I have. I’m too lazy to scan the photo from the book here, but if you have the book, you should check it out. If you look closely at this photo, you’ll notice it’s actually a composite of several photos. I thought it was a pretty cool idea. Not something I’d post on Flickr as I like to post only original shot ideas there, but still cool, nonetheless.

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From here we decided to head back to DCA. It was almost time for the next showing of Aladdin: the Musical, and this was not something we wanted to miss. We had seen it twice on our first trip, and we only spent one day at DCA then! Given how long it takes to see the Musical, you can probably guess that ate a significant chunk of time out of our day. Although we really enjoyed it last time, we resolved ourselves to only seeing it once this trip, despite being in Disneyland longer, as we wanted to experience as many new things as we could.

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Genie, as always, was the star of the show. The way he captivates the audience is incredible. Fusing pop culture references with the story in a tasteful, albeit slightly over-the-top way, his style and delivery are perfect. All the while, the audience just eats it up, playing into everything so perfectly. Whomever “thought up” the Genie character for the Musical really deserves some high praise. Without Genie, it would just be an above-average musical, with him, it alone justifies the cost of admission to DCA.

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Evening was starting come, and we decided that now would make a good time to make a pit stop at our hotel to get some things we’d need for the evening. Right as we were arriving at Desert Inn, I got a call from Gregg Cooper, who informed me that he and Ryan Pastorino, two notable Disneyland photographers, were approaching Disneyland and wanted to meet up with us.

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We met up with them, and I told the tales of my encounters with my new nemesis, and they were surprised that security had acted in such a manner. We had dinner at Rancho Del Zocalo, something we had both wanted to do for a while, as the restaurant looks gorgeous at night (although we ate a little early to see the brilliant nighttime lighting, we did still see the place during the golden hour, which was impressive).

I’m hardly a connoisseur of Mexican cuisine, but it seemed like pretty good, though somewhat tame, take on Mexican quick service cuisine. For the price and our portion size, I was quite pleased with the food, but as I said before, I’m not the best judge of whether more discerning Mexican foodies would appreciate it. My suggestion, to those folks who are “discerning” “foodies” is to not eat at a fast food place in the first place if you expect some expertly prepared cuisine.

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Photo courtesy Ryan Pastorino
 
Disneyland was surprisingly light in crowds at this point, which I surmise was a result of it being a Sunday evening at the end of Spring Break. We were able to hit several attractions with Gregg and Ryan in record time for this time of day, as we did Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Matterhorn, Space Mountain, and Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters.

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BTMRR and Matterhorn were great as we got awesome sunset views while riding, and Space and Astro Blasters were fun, well, just because they’re fun. The sunset wasn’t really applicable since they’re indoors!

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At this point Ryan had to leave so he could make it back to San Diego that night, but the rest of us chugged on to hit Astro Orbiter for the sole purpose of getting some cool photos. If we were in Walt Disney World, I would say we did it for the view, too, but the Astro Orbiter out west is on the ground for some reason. I know the Observatron is serving all sorts of useful purposes doing nothing on top of the former Rocket Rods load area, but it sure would be awesome to have it up there, where it could offer stunning vistas. Plus, I think sweeping lines and a more ‘grandiose’ entrance are a plus for Tomorrowland. The moon rocks and congestion look aren’t working so great, in my opinion.

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Dusk had fallen, and it was the perfect time to do some early nighttime tripod shooting off the beaten path so we could get the shots out of the way before our good friend in security made us put the dreaded devices away after closing.

We first headed to Innoventions, only to find that it closed early. While this was bad news for our photo endeavors, it was great news for casual tourists, who were now precluded from making the grave error of accidentally stumbling into that dreaded place. Overall, even though it negatively impacted us, I’d say it was a net benefit in the horrors that it saved other innocent tourists from witnessing. Sort of like how every time a TV network chooses to air some other show instead of reruns of “the Nanny.” It stinks for the people who were a part of that show, as they don’t get any royalties that may be due to them, but it’s great news for the rest of society. Thus, overall, a win.

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Our second stop was the monorail station. I pulled out my tripod and prepared to screw in my mounting plate to my camera. I usually carry two of these in case I lose one. I dug through my bag, and come to find out, I had left both in our hotel room. This was about the third time I had forgotten something in the hotel room during the trip, and I think knowing that our room was so close had made me a little sloppy in my morning ritual of double-checking what I brought.

I was really disappointed, as this meant that we would have to immediately run back to our room, then run back to Disneyland to get spots for the Remember...Dreams Come True fireworks. We got back about 30 minutes before the show, and I had no idea from where I wanted to shoot them. This is something I do way too often--winging it when it comes to a desired fireworks location, wasting precious minutes and having slots that were originally open fill up as my indecisiveness kills us. And kill us it did.

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Despite this “death,” I was ultimately pleased with our decision to watch the shot from about mid-way back on Main Street. While it was a poor choice to use my ultra-wide angle lens this far back (remember, my 30mm was out of commission as was my neutral density filter), I didn’t even think of using Sarah’s 18-200mm lens, which was most definitely the best option. As a result, these photos have been severely cropped, and aren’t all that impressive.

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Yes, I realize all these fireworks photos are terrible.

Photographing the fireworks wasn’t the top priority this evening, though. Experiencing them again, in all of their awesome glory, was top priority. I knew the photos weren't going to turn out well due to the lens I was forced to use, so I sort of just let the camera do its thing, triggering the shutter when necessary to start a new shot sequence. The fireworks were even better than I remembered, as I paid special attention to each of the attractions featured this time around. I also paid close attention to the projections and other special effects that really made Remember...Dreams Come True an emersive experience.

Once the fireworks ended, I realized why the spot that was so far back on Main Street was a good choice: because we needed to high tail it over to Disney California Adventure after the fireworks to get there in time to use our World of Color FastPasses. (My spot-choice was totally inadvertent, even if I would like to take credit for choosing it on purpose!)

We raced over to Disney California Adventure, certain we’d be too late to catch the FastPass line. We were. Then, we asked a Cast Member in the vicinity when it had left, and she told us we could still catch the tail end of it if we hurried “that way” (sort of tough to point in a trip report, but obviously she pointed the way it was moving towards Paradise Pier).

We caught up to the line, and made it to Paradise Pier Bay just in time to be admitted with the FastPass group. As we made our way down the steps, I was a bit bummed, as the front two-thirds of the viewing area were completely full. I had heard the show is totally different from the front, and we were a bit underwhelmed by it last time. Suffice to say, I was disappointed. I had even brought my camera poncho in case we got front row seats.

Then, something truly magical happened. If it wasn’t magic, I don’t know how else to explain it. As we were jockeying for position for better seats, a Cast Member opened up a seating area and asked us, and several people behind us, if we wanted to move to the front row. To someone looking on, I believe the scene probably resembled a cartoon: I became a blur as speed lines filled the void where I once stood, and the Cast Member’s hat spun around three times as he had a ‘gee schucks’ look on his face wondering why on earth I moved so quickly at the offer from some a chance to stand in the “You May Get...Very...Wet” viewing area.

Yep, we had a “front row” spot for the show.

As I set up my tripod and camera right at the water’s edge, a small boy came up to me and politely told me that my camera was going to get ruined by the water. To thank him for his useful information, for some reason, I quickly racked my brain for some fanciful story to tell him. Perhaps something about the camera being made of waterproof whale blubber (seriously--for some reason one of my favorite things to do is tell children elaborate, but totally harmless, stories that, while plausible, are ridiculous).

However, it turns out that the truth was just as questionable to this boy. “I have a poncho for my camera,” I told him. He looked at me like he was too old to be fed such nonsense, so I pulled out the poncho and showed it to him. “Wow, that’s really cool!” he exclaimed. I thanked him anyway for his advice, and then engaged him and his family in conversation about how they were enjoying their vacation thus far. I may seem like an old curmudgeon sometimes in written prose, but I can actually relate to kids quite well. Perhaps because we have many common interests!

After chatting for a while, the show was set to begin.

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It’s actually somewhat ironic. On our first trip to Disneyland, last August, we were overwhelmed by California Adventure as a whole, the park that many locals trash, but underwhelmed by World of Color, the nighttime spectacular that many have anointed as the park's redeeming attraction. My initial impression of the show was that, while technically impressive, it was little more than a quick Disney montage show.

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When describing it to Walt Disney World fans, the most apt comparison I could previously make was to PhilharMagic. By contrast, however, I thought PhilharMagic works really well because the montages (if you can even call them that since they're basically new "footage") are entwined with one another with a central storyline. World of Color's montages are not.

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For additional World of Color photos, please check out our World of Color guide!

That said, seeing it again totally changed both of our opinions of the show. Without a doubt, this was because of the front-row viewing area. We were, quite simply, blown away by the show. It gave me goosebumps. I don’t think I’ve ever done quite such a complete 180 on a Disney attraction.

Suffice to say, It was well-worth getting wet to have this vantage. While the show still is a bit montage-ish in nature, the opening and conclusion tie the show together pretty nicely. Plus, from the front, the grandeur of the show really does compensate for any storytelling shortcomings.

It's difficult to articulate why our opinions of the show changed so much, but I guess I would now compare the show to Wishes! Both are truly emotive. Standing alone, Wishes! would be a mediocre show, as it's just simple montages of characters wishing. However, taken as a whole, with the montages, Cinderella Castle, and fireworks exploding overhead, it's something magical.
 
After World of Color, the park was closed, so we made quick work of getting photos in the areas we could (I still don’t have a nighttime shot of Disney California Adventure’s Tower of Terror!), as I apprehensively did some photographing. I swear I didn’t have my tin foil hat on, but I kept thinking I saw my favorite security guard, and I would anxiously walk to the other side of a walkway when this seemed to be the case. I doubt he was actually there, but he was certainly in my head!

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We spent only a few minutes taking pictures at Disney California Adventure before heading back to Disneyland. Time for more attractions--but first, we saw the cat from Pinocchio (Gideon)! We had never seen him before! It was a little embarrassing, as neither of us knew his name, and normally we like to interact with the character rather than just use them for a photo prop, so we had to improvise a bit.

It was almost time for the park to close, so we headed to the Adventureland side of the park to hit Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, and finally, Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye. Once done with Indy, the park was closed. We had decided prior to this that we would avoid Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, as that seemed to be our “friend’s” stomping grounds. Instead, we asked a Cast Member if we could set up for some shots within the Indy queue. He said “absolutely!” so we had some fun with that.

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After, we made our way to Main Street, did some more shooting, and called it a night. No incidents whatsoever this evening, which was a huge relief for me. It was a good feeling having good taste in my mouth for the last night of shooting at Disneyland. I would never wish ill upon even my worst enemy (and this guy would be up there on the list), but I really hope he retires or takes a position with a different employer before our next visit to Disneyland.

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Our shooting on Main Street concluded, we headed out. Not really tired for once, but fully energized and excited after a ridiculously awesome night in the parks. I cannot emphasize-enough how great of an evening it was: seeing Remember...Dreams Come True and World of Color in the same night, seeing World of Color from the front row, being allowed to take “up close” shots of the Temple of the Forbidden Eye in Indiana Jones Adventure, AND having a peaceful night of shooting in Disneyland. What a great night!
 
Our last day at Disneyland was a short one and not all that exciting from a trip report perspective (seriously, if you’re starting to get tired of reading what I write, skip this installment and resume reading at the Walt Disney World portion of the Coast-to-Coast trip; I promise a 347% increase in awesome over this installment!). We started out the morning pretty early, as we wanted to get to the park right for rope drop. While Sarah was getting ready, I headed out around the Desert Inn to get some photos and video for TouringPlans.com.

Unlike a Disney hotel, Desert Inn is more “utilitarian” and not really that aesthetically impressive. This became abundantly clear as I photographed it. It’s one of those places you stay at not because you want a pretty hotel, but because you want a hotel with a nice location and...beds. That’s about it. Why Disney hasn’t purchased it and other properties on Harbor is beyond me, as I would think these properties would have much more value to Disney than any other entity. I suppose they have to be willing to sell, but why wouldn’t they be?

Once Sarah was ready and I was done with my photo-tour, we were off to the races! We didn’t arrive quite as early as I had the previous day (because we actually knew what time the park opened on this particular day), but we were still there about 20 minutes before park opening, and were pretty far forward in the rope drop holding area.

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As soon as the rope “dropped” we were off for Peter Pan’s Flight! If you’re keeping score at home, you might notice this was like the 3rd morning in a row that I had headed for Peter Pan’s Flight. It was, however, the first morning for Sarah.

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Either people had managed to elude the security guards en masse and arrive in Fantasyland well before rope drop, or it was a Magical Morning, as Peter Pan’s Flight already had a 10 minute wait when we arrived. Not too bad, and our only shot (err...Sarah’s only shot) at experiencing it, so we waited in the line.

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Sarah didn’t seem to be as impressed by Disneyland’s Peter Pan’s Flight as me, and I was beginning to think less of it, too. I guess the novelty of it being so different from Walt Disney World’s had worn off. At this point, I still thought it was better, but nothing earth-shattering.

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Next, it was on to Matterhorn where we would experience our last ride on one of our favorite coasters before Tony Baxter is set to step in and say, “enough is enough, I won’t have the family jewels smashed in Fantasyland, anymore!” and demanded that some sort of restraints be put in the attraction. Okay, maybe that’s not Tony Baxter’s area of expertise, but I really look forward to riding the Matterhorn without worrying about accidentally saying Sarah and I are together.

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We continued on, noticing that the crowds were pretty light compared to our previous days. We referenced the Crowd Calendar, and come to find out, the crowds were by far the lowest they’d be on our trip! Too bad we had only a few hours in the park.

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Although it’s not Sarah’s favorite attraction due to the space constraints, she humored me and we rode the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage again. This is something I could ride multiple times per day. I love really long attractions, and the fact that it has a nice tranquil score and involves water gives it great appeal for me. I still haven’t had much success photographing the attraction--hopefully this changes next trip when my 30mm is actually working on one of our daytime voyages.

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We were both getting pretty hungry by this point, and we didn’t want to wait for Hungry Bear (our inevitable lunch choice) to open, so we decided to stop at Tomorrowland Terrace for a quick snack.

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Quick snack turned into ‘largest breakfast of the trip’ as we both were, apparently, really hungry. For some reason, I ordered the breakfast burrito, despite it looking overpriced and not all that great when I had seen Henry get it earlier in the trip. My assumptions about it were correct, as it was mediocre at best.

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While the breakfast burrito was not that great, I was shocked at how good the “cooler case” Chocolate Parfait tasted! I normally avoid ordering these pre-made cooler case items, but I couldn’t resist. Plus, what’s better for breakfast than a delicious parfait?!

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After that, we headed for Alice in Wonderland. Not really much new to report here, except that it was enjoyable as always. More wandering around Fantasyland after Alice, trying to strike the balance between soaking in as much of Disneyland as possible and running around like crazy lunatics from attraction to attraction, trying to (again) experience as much as possible. We’re pretty good with this balance, I think.

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We then headed through the hub and towards Adventureland, finally having an opportunity to wander the place a little more freely without being hit in the ankles by strollers or being run into by sweaty older gentlemen in tank-tops (Disney, I applaud your efforts to ‘ban’ obscene clothing from the parks, but I wouldn’t mind if you took it a step further) as a 30 foot wide walkway narrowed to 10 feet in the Pirates of the Caribbean area.
 
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In Adventureland, the waits were surprisingly short. Indiana Jones Adventure only had a 10 minute wait, so we did standby, but still didn’t get to see the full queue during the day! After Indy, we headed over to Pirates of the Caribbeam, where the wait was slightly longer. You know we’ve been on both of these attractions too many times in one trip if the best I can muster is a description of the lines.

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Haunted Mansion was next on the agenda, but upon consulting our watches (more like “watch app” or whatever the clock on the phone is called), we decided to nix this. The Haunted Mansion is better at Walt Disney World anyway, and we just didn’t have the time for it.

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This was probably partially motivated by our desire to eat again as soon as possible (surprisingly, a $6.50 breakfast burrito is not all that filling), so we headed to Hungry Bear. We had spent a lot of time here on this trip thanks to the ambiance, and this was something I really wanted to capture. The shots may not be gorgeous, but they take me right back to those gorgeous days, and put a smile on my face. In that regard, they’re some of my favorite shots from the trip.

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Although these shots aren’t necessarily some of my favorites, they do feature those dysfunctional Country Bears, who are some of my favorite original Disney theme park characters. Plus, I like photographing restroom signs. I mean...errr...I like bears. Yes, that’s it.

We both ordered items we had earlier in the trip, so there’s little point revisiting our thoughts on the Hungry Bear cuisine. If you missed our thoughts earlier in the trip report and you’re really curious, just read our review of Hungry Bear Restaurant in Disneyland’s Critter Country.

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Sarah had to visit Trixie after lunch, so I wandered around taking more photos. I noticed no trains had passed for a while, so I headed up to the edge the restaurant and waited. And waited. Sarah showed up, and told me to keep waiting, warning me that a train would pass as soon as I left. Finally, almost as if to send me a message, a huge pine-comb fell and hit me on the head!

This was a little discouraging, but we continued to wait. Just as I was about to give up, a train passed, and I snapped a couple of photos of it. One of these will show up on Flickr or DisneyTouristBlog.com as a “Photo of the Day” at some point, but don’t get too excited, as they’re certainly not “wait 5 minutes for this photo” level good. Oh well, I guess.

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